“History always repeats itself”: The internet’s favorite beauty historian, Erin Parsons, just opened the doors to her very own makeup museum
PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA OPALESKY
At the height of her career as a makeup artist, Erin Parsons put down her kit and picked up a camera to become a full time content creator. Millions of followers and thousands of videos later, she’s stepping into the role of curator with the launch of her nonprofit digital beauty museum, The Makeup Archive.
The beauty industry got to know Erin Parsons as a makeup artist, working with clients including Gigi Hadid. However, while at the top of her game, she chose to pivot. The former makeup artist leaned hard into social media and transformed herself into a full time content creator with nearly 1.5 million followers. She’s built a loyal following through her deep dives into the less talked about moments of beauty history.
Now, Parsons can add curator to her title. For the past few years she’s been working on an online makeup museum that catalogues more than 1,500 items from her collection of rare and vintage beauty products. The recently launched collection called The Makeup Archive includes items from the 17th century through the 2000s and is also a nonprofit dedicated to the education, research, and preservation of beauty history.
Below, Parsons takes EE72 back to class for a quick beauty history lesson sharing what she thinks are the most iconic, underrated, and impactful moments, among others in cosmetics history. In today’s class she’ll touch on the historical event that led to plastic packaging, the brand that basically birthed ‘90s cool girl minimalism, and the “scandalous” magazine quiz that had readers in the 1950s clutching their pearls along with a few other less known moments. Beauty school is now in session.
What do you think is the most impactful moment in beauty history?
During WWII certain materials needed to be given to the war effort. This meant metal packaging in lipsticks would have to go. So it was during this time that brands used wood, cardboard, and finally plastic specifically focusing on refills. This also resulted, because of refills, in labels like jumbo lipstick. The sticks themselves became larger and it’s due to this event (plus the loss of materials) that we have mostly plastic packaging today. It changed the entire landscape of makeup as we know it. Even when the war ended they must have realized it was cheaper to produce without metal, and it didn’t stop the sales of makeup. Albeit many articles during the time show complaints about cardboard getting smashed or refills being hard to get into the tube. Just to note this is also when leg makeup was created due to nylon being needed for the war.
What era was the most iconic?
The most iconic to me is Revlon’s marketing strategy. They created beautiful ads with over the top glamour and the lips had to match the fingertips selling two products over one. When Fire & Ice launched in 1953 it became such a sensation due to a somewhat scandalous quiz inside the magazine. One question was: Do you wear an ankle bracelet? Gasp! Basically if you were the Fire & Ice girl you were a bad bitch, using modern slang to describe what would have existed then. It was so popular, dare I say viral, that it exists 70 years later and is still relevant today.
Name a beauty moment you find unforgettable.
For me personally it’s MAC in the ‘90s. The color stories, the formulas, the diversity and push for inclusion. The support of actual makeup artists. They completely changed the landscape of the beauty industry at that time with indie brands following right behind. Frosted lipsticks that to this day have not been replaced. A matte formula with the creation of Russian Red that is still a top seller today. Because of MAC, the makeup women wore went from wild blues, fuchsias, over the top 80s and turned into this 90s cool girl minimalism. Matte skin, skinny brows, unique lipstick shades, it completely defined a decade.
What do you think was the most unfortunate moment in beauty history?
The most unfortunate story in cosmetics history is the brand Hazel Bishop. She was a chemist who created a unique formula, a lipstick that became super popular due to its long lasting qualities. By 1953, Hazel Bishop sales had reached $10 million dollars. By 1954 she resigned as president and entered into a lawsuit against the man who had helped her company grow through advertising by giving him stock. Essentially she lost the lawsuit, the company, and the right to her own name. It’s a shame how many great brands are destroyed through bad business deals.
What do you think is the most underrated moment in cosmetics history?
I have to again mention Revlon because the brand invested into TV at a time when not many others were doing so. They sponsored the $64,000 Pyramid. The show skyrocketed and Revlon’s sales went through the roof! This just proved that when technology and media changes, it’s smart for a brand to get behind it when it’s still in its infancy. I remember when a certain well known cosmetics brand didn’t want to invest in digital as social media was rising. Once they saw a product sell out due to a viral video they started to step away from TV commercials and put more into digital advertising, specifically through influencers. I’ve watched the brand grow from 2 million followers to 13 million and their products often do extremely well thanks to viral TikTok moments. History always repeats itself especially in the beauty industry. In my opinion the most underrated is always the new medium for sales. People may have resisted influencers at first until they realized the value of their actual influence.
“Those Black girls ruled”: The enduring influence of 90s girl groups on modern pop culture “Those Black girls ruled”: The enduring influence of 90s girl groups on modern pop culture
“Those Black girls ruled”: The enduring influence of 90s girl groups on modern pop culture
The lightness of being: Nicolas Ghesquière engineers a cooler future The lightness of being: Nicolas Ghesquière engineers a cooler future
The lightness of being: Nicolas Ghesquière engineers a cooler future
The 90s: Art and Fashion opens at Tate Britain The 90s: Art and Fashion opens at Tate Britain
The 90s: Art and Fashion opens at Tate Britain
Her many selves: Matthieu Blazy explores Chanel’s multiplicity Her many selves: Matthieu Blazy explores Chanel’s multiplicity
Her many selves: Matthieu Blazy explores Chanel’s multiplicity
A night at the Versace villa: Victoria Beckham on her favorite 90s night A night at the Versace villa: Victoria Beckham on her favorite 90s night
A night at the Versace villa: Victoria Beckham on her favorite 90s night
Shelf life: Alessandro Michele expands his Valentino library Shelf life: Alessandro Michele expands his Valentino library
Shelf life: Alessandro Michele expands his Valentino library
Reality check: Miu Miu puts the everyday on a pedestal Reality check: Miu Miu puts the everyday on a pedestal
Reality check: Miu Miu puts the everyday on a pedestal
Royal treatment: Comme des Garçons examines modern grandeur Royal treatment: Comme des Garçons examines modern grandeur
