All's Fair: LBCC 1772 Cold Cream (or Pomatum for the Complexion )

In preparation for this review, I have been using the LBCC 1772 Orange Flower Cold Cream for the past six weeks. While some of you may be familiar with cold cream and its uses, I've found for many people the concept of cold cream is a somewhat vague notion of "something my grandmother used in her day." So, before I continue with my review, let's talk a little bit about cold cream. 

Dating back to ancient Greece, cold cream has been around in some variety or another for a very long time. At its core, it's a blend of water and oil. Its simplicity also makes it a very versatile product. It has been used for everything from shaving cream to body lotion. Traditionally, it's used by women as a skin moisturizer or make-up remover or even as leave on deep conditioning mask. 

I don't really do deep conditioning and don't wear a ton of make-up, but I did decide to use it as my daily facial moisturizer. Actually, I also ended up using it a few times as a body moisturizer for my legs and arms. Here's what I found:

Photo courtesy of LBCC. I was going to take my
own, but I've used mine pretty well so it's not as
photogenic as a new jar!

Cost: $18.00

Product Description: A cold cream based on the 1772 Toilette de Flora receipt of the same name. According to the website it is thinner than the 1901 style cream and is a great moisturizer/historical make up remover.

Uses: I used it as a facial moisturizer after showering for six weeks. I also used it occasionally as body lotion.

Pros: It's a nice sized container. You might think that it's small and won't last very long, but after six weeks of daily use I've only used about 1/4th of what's in there. A little goes a very long way. Also, it was nice when traveling to throw in one container for my face and body, instead of a tube of moisturizer and a bottle of lotion. I really enjoyed the scent (orange flower).

Seriously. I use about this much each day for my face.
Maybe a little less.

Cons: I got nothin'. The container worked for me. I even dropped it a handful of times on my tile floor and it was fine. No negative reactions to ingredients. 

How well does it work: I couldn't really document this product in photographs, but I can tell you what I experienced. I have normal-ish skin with a somewhat oilier "T-zone". Overall, my face feels very soft and supple. Softer even than with my moisturizer I used before. My face typically breaks out somewhat in the summertime (extra heat=extra sweat and all that) but this summer I haven't had a breakout nearly as extreme as usual. In fact, I've gotten maybe two little zits total (not the many small bunches near my hair line like normal.) 

Yep. Here's my face sans everything.
No sleep, no make up, and (thankfully)
no zits!

Modern Counterpart: Hmm... I've never used today's cold creams before, so I don't know that I could say how it stacks up (that's a hint to any of you out there who use modern cold cream to try this one and give an in depth report! lol.)

Recommended for: Daily moisturizing. Guys can use it, too, and the citrus smell makes it less girly than a rose cold cream! Score! I didn't use it as a make up remover or mask but it could be used for that as well. 

In Conclusion: I can tell you that I definitely plan on continuing to use this product in place of my modern moisturizer and lotion. For a broader perspective, I'd be interested in the experiences of someone who has really oily skin using the product, as mine is more combination. Aside from that, I really loved this one and like that it's helped simplify a shelf in my bathroom, too!

All's Fair: LBCC A Fine Burn Salve

Last Saturday I was honored to attend a graduation party for a former student. As it was in the high 80s I wore an appropriate sundress to keep cool, since most of these parties are outside. It was also fabulously sunny out; While I remembered my sunglasses, I definitely forgot the sunblock. My fair Irish complexion, needless to say, was more than a little displeased at this breech in conduct and made its disgruntlement known.

While luckily not a disabling burn,
it definitely was enough to hurt!

About an hour after I returned home, the pain set in and I knew I would have to act quickly if I didn't want this to end badly. That's when I remembered I had picked up some Burn Salve for just such an occasion! I decided since my shoulders were pretty equally burnt that I would treat one shoulder with plain old aloe vera and treat the other with the burn salve. 

Cost: $10.00

Product Description: From Etsy:
1oz tin
Lavender, Tea Tree oil, Calendula and Aloe

Great for kids and keeping in your camp and around the fire.

...All natural products will help heal and soothe your burns ...Use this lovely salve on your skin when you get burnt, either from the hot sun, cooking fire, or for those scrapes and cuts that all kids get. This recipe is a combo of various historical recipes I have been collecting over the years. It comes in 1 oz tins. ...This Historical Salve has Calendula and Lavender, which not only is an antiseptic, but it will help PREVENT Scarring. In addition, this salve will help heal not only burns, but skin irritations and other conditions including wounds, insect bites, rashes, scrapes, abrasions, cuts, inflammations. It is suitable for the sensitive of skin.

Uses: Sunburns, burns, insect bites, rashes, scrapes, abrasions, cuts, inflammations.

Pros: It actually treated the pain of the sunburn much better than the aloe vera and had some pretty immediate results. It lasted longer between applications so I didn't have to apply as many times. This was nice because by Day 2 I was back to work and didn't have time to stop and reapply AV every hour. It also helped the burn heal more quickly and abated the reddening of the burn area much faster. In fact, even now after five days the AV side still has a pinkish tinge that the salve side does not.

Cons: I need something better to call the "con" section, because this isn't really a con but something to keep in mind. The aloe vera soaks into your skin after a bit and "dries" if you will. The burn salve takes much longer to do this. You rub it in, but it leaves more of a coating on your skin than the aloe vera does. I find this makes my skin feel less dry and itchy, but is something to bear in mind when choosing your clothes.

How well does it work: Pretty darn well. See pics and comments below: (In case you are wondering, YES- I am wearing tube tops in these pics- just cropped it out so the different colors wouldn't throw the photos too much! I also tried to be careful of lighting, but Day 4 had a bad storm so I  had to turn on the artificial ones so it's a touch yellow.)

1 day after burn. Left side (of photo) treated with Aloe Vera
right side with burn salve. You can see the right side is already
slightly less red than the left.

Day 2. Left side (of photo) treated with Aloe Veraright side with burn salve. Right side is lightening up.

Day 3. Left side (of photo) treated with Aloe Veraright side with burn salve. Left side is still pretty red.
Right side is even lighter.

Day 4- Left side (of photo) treated with Aloe Vera
right side with burn salve.Note the obvious difference between the left and right
in this pic. It's even more pronounced in person.

Today would be Day 5- and I forgot to take a picture this morning because honestly, this is the first day the Aloe Vera side hasn't hurt. The Salve Side quit hurting after less than a day. By day two I was almost ready to give up on the experiment and put the salve on both sides... but for science I persevered! I haven't started peeling on either side yet, but I will update with photos if I do.

Modern Counterpart: I guess aloe vera or an after sun treatment. I've also used vinegar on a sunburn to remove the sting of the burn with much success. I could see myself using the vinegar first and then applying the salve.

Recommended for: Everyone. It is safe for children, convenient to carry, and a little bit goes a very long way.

In Conclusion: While this particular product is not a recreation of a single, specific historical receipt, it is based on a number of historical receipts that Alicia (owner of LBCC) has been collecting for some time and is made in the historical manner. This means that this is one of the few products from LBCC that doesn't have an exacting provenance but is based on research into a quantity of similar historical receipts and practices. I will definitely use it again and am actually thinking of getting some for my fairer friends who may get a bit sun kissed this summer. It might be a touch more expensive than AV alone, however, the fact that it lasts longer and (more importantly) treats the pain better makes it worth it in my book.

All's Fair- LBBC Fine Honey Lip Pomatum

After having picked up some pretty promising historical cosmetics from LBCC in February, I decided that it would be kind of cool to, you know, officially review them (now that I've had time to use most of them).

While my husband and I purchased a number of items, I'm going to review them one post at a time so that I can give them my full attention and be detailed without going nuts with the word count.

Up first: 

Fine Honey Lip Pomatum (1747)

Cost: $5.00
Product Description:  .5 oz Tin

This lip salve is made from an 18th century recipe from The Art Of Cookery (1747).
The original recipe calls for "virgin's Wax" (beeswax), Hogs Lard,  Spermaceti ( Sperm Whale's oil), Honey, Almond Oil, Sugar, and Raisins (which seem to be popular in 18th century recipes). Today we use Jojoba oil, which is a comparable replacement for the Spermaceti, Bees Wax, Honey, Almond Oil, and Sugar. I left out the raisins and added spearmint, which was also very popular in the 18th century.
This is also available in a modern label as well. (I purchased the historical label, but if you'd like to see the modern label check out the LBCC etsy page.)

This is what the actual insides look like!

Uses: Well, it's a lip balm. 

Pros: I really like that it's a historical receipt and it's not tinted, so guys can use it, too! The spearmint is a pleasant touch as it adds a nice scent to the balm. It's not overwhelming, though. I can't use the regular Burt's Bees lip balm because the minty-ness is too much for my lips (yea- I'm super sensitive to that stuff). However, I can use this balm with no burning tingles.It actually lasts a long time- so if you're thinking $5.00 for lip balm? You're crazy! On average we spend $3-$4 per 0.15 oz tube of Burt's Bees.

Also, I know what's in it and from whence it came. That's important to me.

Cons: The biggest con for me is that when I have greasy fry fingers I can't get my tin open! LOL! I guess in reality it's good that the lid doesn't just pop off willy nilly (and my husband never seems to have this problem- so maybe my lady fingers are just not brawny enough?) but there it is... take it for what you will. Oh, and because it's not a stick like modern lip balms you use your fingers for application. Not necessarily a con, just something to keep in mind.

How well does it work: Pretty well. I actually started using this instead of my "modern" lip balms. But, to go the extra step check out the picture below. I stopped using my pomatum for a few days and took a picture of my "naked" lips. Then I took another photo directly after I applied the pomatum. Then I waited about an hour and took another photo of what my lips looked like at that point. I may post a follow up with a photo after long term use again, but I thought this would at least give you an idea of the effectiveness of the product. (P.S.- sorry for the creepy lip pictures. If you can believe it, it was kind of creepier when I left in more of my face so I just cropped it down to my mouth!)

My lips before, shortly after, and a bit later after application of the pomatum.

As you can see, my lips are noticeably less dry and chapped looking after application and the effect of the product lasts a couple of hours before I felt like I wanted to reapply.

Modern Counterpart: I have used Burt's Bees lip balm before, but I have to say that this pomatum makes my lips feel more like when I use the MK Satin Lips lip balm. It's very soft and silky and not as "waxy" feeling as some of the BB's products. I feel like it absorbs better because of that and leaves me feeling like I need to reapply less often. I also don't feel like I get that coating on my lips that some lip balms leave- you know when some of the skin peels in kind of a mushy white weirdness. (Maybe that's just me?...Moving along...)

Recommended for: Everyone. Whether you're into historical cosmetics or not this is just a nice lip balm. Even better if you're needing something for your living history events so you don't have to hide the tube of shame! (Just kidding- but we've all been there, right? Cold, windy, event and your lips are chapped and you have to huddle in a corner to pull out your chapstick tube and apply quickly so nobody sees what you're doing... and then you realize that the "corner" you're hiding in isn't a corner at all and thirty people just took a picture of you applying product from a plastic tube and you just know it's going to be on some "reenactors caught red handed" facebook page or something. Wait...is this also just me?)

In Conclusion: A good product for your money in any period. It's nice when some products can do double duty and work in both my modern life and my historical one. This is happily one of those products.


Stay tuned for more historical cosmetic reviews, including the 1772 Rose Balm Lip Salve, 1889 Bay Rum After Shave, and the Ancient Insect Repellent!