Life, 1925-04-16 · page 27 of 36
Life — April 16, 1925 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cosmetics advertisement**, not a cartoon or satire. It promotes Coty brand face powders and lipstick. The ad makes a pitch common to 1920s-era beauty marketing: that cosmetics are an *art form* completing nature rather than deceiving. The copy claims Coty powders come in "nine true flesh tones" to match individual skin, positioning the product as sophisticated and scientifically calibrated rather than artificially mask-like. The image shows a powder compact with a makeup brush. The tagline "A perfect complement to beauty" frames cosmetics as enhancement, not deception—a marketing strategy that helped legitimize makeup use among middle and upper-class women during this era, when heavy cosmetics had previously carried associations with theater or moral impropriety. The "Personal Service Bureau" contact suggests Coty offered shade-matching consultation, emphasizing individualized beauty advice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
le ect complentent- 2 beauty = LES POUDRES oO) | Y Ve ‘art begins, as it is said to do, where. nature leaves off — then most cer- tainly, the art of using powder should dyin with the natural colouring and. sublly idealize its own individual charm Kh is to give every Yype its special distinctive shade that COTY Face Powders ave created in nine true flesh tones. C heir delicate soft texture gives exquisite smoothness. ——— OTY LIPSTICK, IN FIVE TONES WHICH GIVE \G BEAUTY TO THE UPS Address “Dept. L. #” “PERSONAL ICE BUREAU’ the perfume odeur to intensify indrvr COTY uv 714 Fifth Rvenue Thiw York. ST A RAAT LAER IE SULA AN CA MA comicbooks.com