The Powder & the Glory

A fascinating look into the history of the cosmetic industry with particular reference to the pioneering efforts of Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden.

This documentary favours neither icon and simply presents the history as it pertains to makeup during the early 20th century and the impact that these astonishing women had on the industry and how the industry changed over time.

The period of time covered includes late 19th century to 1960s, essentially for the period in which both Rubenstein and Arden were active in the business of makeup.

Entertaining throughout and well worth your time if you have an interest in fin de siècle history, female industrial giants or makeup history.

This film is about two women who created the cosmetics industry--Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. Their lives, the impact of their company and their final days are all discussed in the show. As you'd expect, it is full of archival photos, video clips as well as interviews. But, since both women were born in the 19th century, they naturally were not available to contribute their two cents' worth!

As I mentioned above, this was a good show. However, I have seen many dozen episodes of "The American Experience" and this one seemed slightly below average for the show. Most of this is because I didn't find the subject matter quite as interesting as most other shows in the PBS series. However, apart from that, it was rather enjoyable and teaches you whatever you might want to know about these two pioneers.