Pink In the Afternoon

When Lisa Eldrige bought Audrey Hepburn’s Cartier lipstick holder from Christie’s, she guessed that the lipstick inside was the iconic shade the actress wore in the movie, Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961). Apparently, it wasn’t.

Revlon recently confirmed on their Facebook that it was indeed their PINK IN THE AFTERNOON.

Revlon Facebook: May 15, 2019

Comments:
Karen Klein: Rumor has it that the lipstick Audrey put on in the cab is Revlon’s Pink in the Afternoon. It’s areally special, pretty color.

Revlon: the rumors are true! 💄

BACKGROUND
Revlon began in 1932 by 26-year-old Charlie Haskell Revlon, his brother Joseph, and chemist Charles Lachman. They developed a unique manufacturing process for nail polish using pigments instead of dyes. Revlon nail enamel was sold in department stores and pharmacies. The company went on to create an entire manicure line and in 1940, added lipstick to the collection. By the end of WWII, Revlon was one of America’s top five cosmetic companies.

Audrey Hepburn wore Revlon’s Fire & Ice in her movie Funny Face in 1957, so it’s not surprising that she once again wore a Revlon lipstick four years later in Breakfast At Tiffany’s.

Hepburn appeared in a Revlon advertising campaign in 1988 shot by Richard Avedon. It looks like she is wearing Pink In the Afternoon.

The copy reads:

Fair ladies

fare beautifully

with Revlon’s glorious colors for lips and nails.
60 shades of SUPER LUSTROUS LIPSTICK…

85 tones of REVLON NAIL ENAMEL…

each one divine,

each one created to

last and last and last.

So, you could dance all night

breakfast at Tiffany’s

and never look less than radiant.

According to Hepburn’s son Sean, Audrey had cherished her elegant Cartier lipstick holder (and its matching powder compact), and it accompanied her to ceremonies and soirées. The case is inscribed AF, the initials of her married name, Audrey Ferrer. She married Mel Ferrer in 1954, and they divorced in 1968.

Hepburn died in 1993. She would have changed the lipstick inside the case many times over 30+ years. The last lipstick inserted was not #415; but the iconic shade she wore in Breakfast At Tiffany’s was.

So now we know.
And, happily, Pink In the Afternoon is still available. However, I’ve discovered it’s not so easy to find. I called three stores before I found one that carried the shade, and there is a wailing list. Apparently the Audrey-effect is still going strong.

So now, we can all have our own Audrey moment, every time we apply it.

TO BUY: PINK IN THE AFTERNOON; FIRE & ICE

SEE MY POSTS:
Go Lightly
Audrey’s Lipstick

4 Comments

Mica

September 13, 2019

I didn’t know this, so good to know the history behind the shades and the relation to the movie! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

Hope that you are having a lovely weekend 🙂
Allie Mackin

September 17, 2019

Ooo what an interesting history lesson. And I love seeing these photos of Audrey Hepburn in the 50s and then again the 80s and could not help but notice the brows. The 1950s version are so on trend! It is funny the history of brows and how they styles change.

Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Jill

September 18, 2019

Love reading the history behind Revlon! Now I want to find Pink in the Afternoon!

Jill – Doused in Pink
Nipa

September 19, 2019

I remember my mom and sister wearing Fire & Ice. I had no idea Audrey Hepburn wore it too! This is another fun dive into the history of fashion, Susan! xo Nipa

4 Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply