Friday, 26th August 1949

Oh what a treat! Mr. Harold the traveling salesman came calling at the salon today. He was so very smart and charming with a sales pitch that would convince any woman to spend a small fortune on his delightful wares.  His battered suitcase was positively brimming with cosmetics, fancy scents, lipsticks, powder compacts and hairdressing requisites.

The sales patter began with the presentation of two bottles of scent.  I declined the first option; a ghastly looking yellow liquid called ‘Californian Poppy’ that simply smelt awful.  Instead, I preferred the rather more palatable “Evening in Paris” fragrance in the elegant black bottle complete with the Eiffel Tower embossed in gold. 

Mr. Harold disclosed that the latest fashion for lipstick would be a vivid orange colour. This unnatural but daring shade could be rather fetching, but dangerous if worn with the wrong colours.  Anne-Marie was very keen to sample this modern style and I must say it did suit her.

However I do wish that she hadn’t agreed to a demonstration of  ‘blue rinse’ hair dye. Anne-Marie had recently bleached her hair with peroxide and wanted a cool platinum blonde effect popularized by film star Jean Harlow.  The methylene blue rinse is supposed to take out the yellow tinge, but I fear that the lotion wasn’t quite diluted enough, so poor Anne-Marie emerged from the hairdryer in shock.  Her appearance was decidedly freakish, as the bright blue hair clashed severely with the orange lipstick.  Naturally, Mr. Harold was mortified, yet conveniently offered his entire range of beauty products as compensation for the blunder.   Poor Anne-Marie, she’ll have to wear a headscarf for at least a fortnight before we can rectify the matter with a new dose of peroxide!