Vintage Stratton Compact & Depotting Tutorial

I have always loved antiques, but I feel like I’m terrified I’m going to break them. Recently, I had seen some vintage Stratton brand powder compacts online, and I knew I wanted one.

Stratton was an English company that was founded in 1860, and began producing makeup compacts in 1923. From 1946 until they closed in 1997, all of their compacts were made entirely of English materials, and they became the gold-standard in compacts. While out antiquing with Charles (we’re that kind of couple), I saw this one and knew that I needed it. It helps that it was also a total steal. Some of the ones I had been coveting online were going for four or five times the price. I’m not sure exactly what year it was made, but the best guess I can come up with, based on extensive googling is after 1948, but before 1959.

I also got lucky because the inside was in excellent condition. It was clean (once I threw away the old powder puff) and ready to slide some new powder into!

When I got this, I knew I wanted to use it. There wasn’t any reason for me to have gotten it, and then just let it sit on a shelf. This one is convertible, so it can hold pans of pressed powder or loose powder. Right now I’m using it for loose powder, but it holds the NYC size pans perfectly. I had a hard time finding pans that would fit, despite much trial and error.

If you have a vintage compact, or are just looking at depotting some of your powder products that have clunky packaging, I did a quick tutorial below of how to remove the plastic packaging easily.

What are your thoughts on vintage makeup? They don’t make things like they used to, do they? ;)