Helen of Troy Vs. Helen of Rubinstein
When I was very young I came to think that Cosmetics Executive and Beauty Salon Queen Helena Rubinstein was a magical queen named Helen, who ruled in a faraway city named Rubinstein.
Rubinstein had minarets studded with rubies and people traveled around on flying carpets. Helen of Rubinstein was a stunning brunette who made Helen of Troy look bland by comparison. Helen of Rubenstein had the finest silk gowns, She wore sapphires and emeralds, and there were even jewels on her velvet slippers. She took baths in a beautiful sunken tub full of perfumed waters. Flower petals were the carpeting under her feet. Beautiful and delicious cupcakes were brought to her by devoted servants. I wanted to travel to Rubenstein and live there for awhile, ( or forever) and I was young enough to firmly believe in flying carpets. I had seen illustrations of them in books, and my older sister had assured me that flying carpets did exist, but only in Arabie. ( The city of Rubenstein was somewhere in Arabie). I was given empty perfume bottles, and as you can see by the photo posted, they were beautifully designed. They conjured up more daydreams for me. Perfumes sitting on a dressing table looked like they could be used in some magic ritual, or hold a magic potion that would help me soar above the minarets on my own magic carpet.
post script: My eldest sister also introduced me to Bob Dylan, Dark chocolate, and photography.
