Vintage beauty is no longer an insider’s secret, and is ushering in a revival of once iconic products, including the satin finish lipstick
We’ve all seen the surge of celebrities pairing archival vintage with modern designer pieces; it’s already been dissected and analysed. What’s less observed is how vintage continues to exist within beauty, not entirely revived but reinterpreted. Lipstick offers a subtle example of this shift – satin formulations that feel familiar yet fresh, classic yet distinctly modern.
Guerlain Paris has long epitomised this understanding, and their lipsticks are now widely coveted. Their vintage shape and design paired with a glamorous appeal, feel timeless, elegant, and altogether fabulous. But these aren’t trend-driven novelties, they are existing products rediscovered by a generation drawn to character and the desire for originality.
Image Courtesy of Instagram /@guerlain
There is also a collector’s element to this resurgence: the appeal of owning something that feels symbolic of elegance. Like your grandmother’s lipstick collection carefully arranged on her vanity table, they evoke an effortless nostalgia. They’re not designed to be hidden in a makeup bag. They’re meant to be held, admired, and paradoxically, felt as a statement of individuality in an age of mass replication.
Whilst modernity and minimalism have dominated beauty for years, fashion houses have remained resistant to the idea of the singular product – the standardised, monochrome case stripped of personality. This resistance is now being realised, as the vintage look becomes so mainstreamed. To maintain an elevated personal style, there is a turn towards products that reference Hollywood glamour and retro beauty: vintage reconceptualised for the contemporary moment.
Dries Van Noten’s lipstick line is also an ode to vintage taste and chic quality. It’s subtle and understated yet refined in its design – the carving here done by May Sum – transforms lipstick into art, elevating the product as an emblem of classic beauty.
Image Courtesy of Instagram /@driesvannoten
Many Satin lipsticks are housed in refillable cases, reintroducing sustainability without fanfare: products that are designed to be replenished rather than discarded. Some are even searching for the real things – the deadstock products, the inimitable originals. Whilst difficult to find, they are ultimately unique, which is the exact appeal of true vintage.
Hermès’ limited-edition satin lipstick in a retro-inspired case captures this tension perfectly. Modern in execution, yet unmistakably referential, it speaks to a desire for something cinematic and quietly disruptive. As though lifted straight from a 1960s film set, it reminds us that luxury is rarely about invention, but reinvention.
Lead Image Courtesy of Instagram /@gregoris
Lead Image Courtesy of Instagram /@guerlain
