11 forgotten products all 80's girls were obsessed with...

Hey, that's Carol Seaver! 

If you were an 80's girl like I was, I bet you can't imagine a world where you didn't have your vanity covered in several, if not all of these products.

1. Jean Naté after bath splash - You could get this quality "after bath splash" right at the corner drugstore. Just a splash was all you really needed for everyone to know you were coming.  If I recall correctly, we used to have the Jean Naté powder puff thing on the back of our toilet too, for convenience obviously.

2. Love's Baby Soft - This was the first perfume my mom ever let me get, the kind you wore as you were crossing from the lowly pre-teens to the big time junior high school years. Another high quality perfume that you could pick up at your local pharmacy. It really smelled powdery like a baby, which now that I think about it was kind of weird. 

3. Tickle Deodorant - I loved this stuff because it was deodorant that was fun! Whoever designed this definitely knew their market, what kids would be into, deodorant-wise. The ball of this thing was huge and really covered every square inch of your pit. B.O. wasn't happening if you wore this stuff, and B.O. was your worst nightmare in those days. And who doesn't love a colorful rolly-polly deodorant anyway?

4. "Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific" shampoo - Back in the day, when people still said "Gee..." Truth be told, it actually did make your hair small terrific...

5. Lip Lickers -  I totally remember having a ton of these in different flavors at the bottom of my purse, collecting lint.  Remember the tin top thing that slid off to magically reveal the greasy lip balm stuff?  Aw. These were the kind of things that you always used up fast because they were just fun. Then if you were really crafty, you'd save the empty tin and make an Asprin holder or something. That wasn't me.

6. Noxzema skin cream- I could recognize this smell a mile away.  Everyone I knew seemed to have this little blue jar of awesomeness.  If I remember correctly, my BIL Ty had a huge crush on the Noxzema Girl all through high school. I think he still does, actually. I was not much of a skin cream wearer, I was a very low maintenance kid, product-wise, but I think I had a jar of this stuff just because everyone else was doing it, mom. 

7. Aqua Net Hairspray - The product that may have single handedly ruined the ozone layer thanks to teen girls everywhere. Well!  In the day of super high bangs and hard sticky hair, girls needed to be on point for the average high school day! I personally did not contribute to the ruined ozone. I was not a hair spray user because I didn't have the patience to do my hair all tall like that (I cannot say the same for my older sister), which is why I am not completely mortified when my mom brings out my old high school class pictures. I think I tried high hair once in Colorado and I walked into school thinking maybe I was all that and my boyfriend looked at me like, wtf did you do, Jessee?? So I never did THAT again.

8. Sun In hair lightener - Speaking of hair, if you wanted to look like a beach babe, even if you lived nowhere near a beach, you sprayed this stuff in your hair.  Or if your mom wouldn't buy it, you could just use lemon juice.  I speak from experience. I totally remember forcing myself to "lay out" on my back porch to let this stuff sink in and make me look beachy. I hated laying out. I'm sure I also had baby oil slathered all over me for the perfect tan.  Ah, the good old days before people gave a crap about skin cancer.

9. Bonne Belle Lip Smackers - I had a bunch of these things pre-junior high.  Once you hit junior high this stuff was considered too babyish to use publicly.  Maybe it was the primary colors or something, but you definitely had to toss these to your younger sisters and move on to lip gloss if you wanted to be like the cool kids.

10. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - Oh man, every so often I will walk past these little pink and green things and it will bring back memories of getting all ready for a high school dance. The eyeballs had to be exactly perfect to get the last slow dance with your crush - a little eye liner and mascara went a long way. I think they also had them in colors and I may or may not have had one in electric blue. These have been around for like, 40 years, no joke. And they are still really inexpensive! 

11. Sea Breeze astringent for your skin - So this stuff burned the shit out of your face, but it didn't seem to deter the masses of girls who swore by it. I was lucky enough to not be zitty, and unlucky enough to have really dry skin, so I could not use this without looking like a leper.

7 things every girl wore in the late 80's

Tretorns: 
tennis sneakers for the rich and trendy.  Even if you didn't play tennis.

Ray Bans: 
so Tom Cruise, Risky Business.

The benneton rugby: 
This was a must have.  Along with the Coca-Cola rugby.  I think I saved up for a while for this - it was so expensive back in the day.  You can also see this on an actual real live 80's girl in one of the pics below.

Bomber jackets: 
were the bomb.  See what I did there?  I think this style somehow came about because of Tom Cruise in Top Gun.  I lost mine in college.  I probably was not drunk when that happened. Heh.

The scrunchie socks: 
See below

The oversized blazer: 
Honestly, this is one 80's style that's still kind of on my radar.  I love the oversized coat and jeans.  Keds, scrunchy socks, and Madonna-esque hair? Nah.  Then, yes.  Now?  Not so much.

The Guess overalls:  
Oh man, this picture.  Girl on Left is wearing Ray Bans, Guess jean overalls, keds and scrunchy socks, and Girl on Right with that Benneton Rugby shirt (that I had to have) and denim skirt... so much classic 80's right here. I had those Guess overalls in the shorts version.  They were killer.

10 tunes angsty 80's girls played the shit out of. oh wait, that was me

I think we all can agree that kids these days have it great with such easy access to music.  Any song or album that they want is literally at their fingertips, right there for the taking.  Just pop it in a playlist and you have it forever. 

It was so hard to get a copy of a tune when I was a kid, back in the olden days.  We would go to such great lengths to record songs from the radio.  Nobody wanted to buck up for the entire cassette (or record. yes I am that old) for just one song, so there was a system.  You would sit in your room with the door closed, hoping none of your obnoxious sisters would barge in and ruin the recording. You'd be tuned in to your favorite radio station, cassette recorder in hand, finger on the record button patiently waiting for the moment your song came on. 

Sometimes, we were lucky enough to get a heads up from the DJ that the song we were trying to get would be coming on next, but more often than not, it was left up to chance.  You could potentially have your finger hovering over the button for the better part of the night, no kidding.

I have more than one mix tape that you can hear a door creaking open in the background, or a frantically angry whisper to "Get out!"  With three sisters, it was really hard to get some alone time in my little house, so inevitably I'd pick up on some kind of commotion.

ANYway, I was an angsty teen in the 80's, so I decided to be so kind as to share some of the tunes that I'd be willing to wait hours to record.  If you click on the song, the YouTube video will play.  Watching those videos is kind of a huge walk down memory lane.  And also, what the hell we they wearing?  What songs did you play 500 times in a row when you were a teenager?

1. Bonnie Tyler, Total Eclipse of the Heart

2. Prince, Purple Rain

3.  Peter Gabriel,  Red Rain

4. Phil Collins,  In the Air Tonight

5. REM, The One I Love

6. Cyndi Lauper, Time After Time

7. The Cure, Just Like Heaven

8. Simple Minds,  Don't You Forget About Me 

9. U2, With or Without You 

10 The Replacements, Within Your Reach

80's? gag me with a spoon.

Apparently the 80's were cool.

So guess what guys, I actually lived it.  I know, right?!  Ah, I'm old.

Anyway, I'm not sure "cool" would necessarily be the first word I would use to describe that time period.

I mean, let's be real here - the 80's brought us the mullet.  And the Dorothy Hamill bob.  And damn that Farrah Fawcett feathered hair that I could never get quite right.  The image of her perfect hair poster hanging on my boyfriend's bedroom wall in mockery still haunts me.  Wait... that may have been Christie Brinkley... no, Heather Locklear!  Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure he had all three posters, that dog...  Because I couldn't ever manage the perfect feathered look, I may have actually worn a scrunchy and side pony tail, but there is no real proof of that.

Anyway.  The 80's.  I was there for all of it.  I turned 20 in 1990, so every teenage year of mine was spent in that crazy iconic decade.

We had John Hughes.  Duckie, John Cusack and Molly Ringwald. Breakfast Club, Heathers, Better Off Dead, Say Anything, Princess Bride, Fletch, Ferris Beuller and Back to the Future.  There is just no denying that a ton of fantastic movies came from the 80's.

We had the original Cabbage Patch Dolls and Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and Star Wars action figures.  I could not ever solve a Rubik's Cube without cheating.  I still can't.

I knew what "Wonder-Twin powers, activate!" meant.  Among other things, I watched Tom and Jerry, The Jetsons, The Flinstone's and Smurfs on Saturday mornings.  Crammed around a 13" black and white TV with my three sisters.  With no remote control, Cod forbid.

During that time, I heard or possibly uttered such things as: "Bag your face," "Gag me with a spoon," "Totally bitchin'!" "Hoser," "Take a chill pill," "Sike!" (psych) "Most excellent," and "Dude." And insulted people by calling them "Spaz," "Nerd," "Butthead," "Airhead," or "Dweeb."

I played PacMan, Atari games, Donkey Kong and Galaga with gusto.  I'll still kick your ass, don't even try me.

I could immediately identify the melodies to "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Time after Time," "Comfortably Numb," "Like a Virgin," "Sweet Child of Mine," "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," and oh so many more tunes.

I saved my money for candy like Zotz or grape HubbaBubba, and most definitely Fun Dip and Nerds.

I grew up watching The Cosby Show, The Wonder Years, The Facts of Life, and Family Ties.  Of course Alf, The A-Team and Magnum PI too. 

I tight rolled my jeans, unfortunately witnessed JAMS and parachute pants, wore knickers, stirrup pants and leg warmers, short fringed boots, Jordache jeans and Benetton sweaters (not at the same time).  I may or may not have worn high waisted and acid wash jeans, Doc Martens and penny loafers (again, not at the same time).  I had several colors of high-top leather Reebok's and I absolutely rocked the red & white Coca Cola rugby shirt with the rubber buttons.  But the shoulder pads... oh the shoulder pads were bad.

I had the biggest crushes on John Cusack, Michael J Fox, Corey Haim and Matt Dillon.  (all about my 80's teen crushes)  I loved Jon Cryer, River Phoenix and Christian Slater.

We had Jean Naté, Obsession and Love's Baby soft perfume.  Any guy who was hot wore Polo or Drakkar.  Go ahead and walk by me with green Polo on right now, and I will more than likely melt at your feet in a puddle of nostalgia.

I definitely wore a Swatch watch, and also made friendship bracelets and those little safety pin friendship things for your sneakers.  And those shoelaces with prints - like hearts or frogs on them.  There were huge neon earrings, and of course the bangle and multiple jelly bracelets going up your arms.  The lace gloves and brooches a la Madonna... I never wore those.

I listened to U2 and the Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen, Grateful Dead and Rush, the Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and Guns and Roses. David Bowie, Rolling Stones and The Beatles... and Prince!  Michael Jackson!  Madonna!

You know, come to think of it, "cool" would definitely be one of the first words I would use to describe the 80's.  Thinking back to all of this stuff that surrounded me during a time period in my life where I was actually growing up, I can't say that it was bad at all.  In fact, I wouldn't mind going back.  For a day.  As long as I could rock my young skin and bod, I'd be all over it.

And the Farrah Fawcett feathered hair.  Yeah.  Definitely the Farrah Fawcett feathered hair.

80's anyone?

No it is not really 80's week.  But I was thinking, maybe it can be 80's week.  Because I was an 80's kind of girl.  And the 80's were pretty good to me.  And who doesn't love the 80's? 



After reading this old post about my love of Lloyd Dobler and 80's movies and stuff, I decided to write a Top 10. Usually Top 10's are kind of irritating, but this isn't because it's cool. That's right.  I said it.  And really, I do love a good list.


So on to My Top Ten List of 80's Teen Movie Crushes. I wish there was a better name for this list, but there just isn't, so let's just stop talking about it and get on with the guys.

My Top Ten List of 80's Teen Movie Crushes:

1. Obviously, Number 1 is Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack). Say Anything. Unless one means 10, but I want 1 to mean 1. I take #1 literally. So yeah. Lloyd Dobler. He gave her his heart, and all she gave him was a pen.



2. Duckie (Jon Cryer). Sixteen Candles. Try a Little Tenderness? Hello? Once again, I will say obviously. Based on this post. If you didn't read it, it's your own fault.  Duckie is definitely a close second to Lloyd Dobler.


3. Christian Slater. J.D. from Heathers. There's just something about his jawline, and voice. I am pretty 100% sure that I would have married Christian Slater back in the 80's if he asked me. I'll just leave it at that.


4. Jason Patric - Michael from The Lost Boys. First vampire movie that I ever loved. He was so freaking cute. You have to admit, he definitely rocked a mullet.



5. Corey Haim. Oh... of the Coreys, he was by far the cutest with that crooked little smile. Haven't you ever seen Lucas?? I really was unusually sad when he died.




6. Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell). The Outsiders. I read this book before I saw the movie. When I first saw Ponyboy, he was exactly the way I pictured him. Man I loved that greaser. :)


7. River Phoenix. Jimmy Reardon. Sheesh. He was so cute. Everything about him was magnetic. And I mean that in the least cheesy way possible.




8. Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles. I just had to look his real name up in IMDb (Michael Schoeffling) , and I realized he was also my #9, which would have been Joe from Mermaids. I can't believe I never put that together. It wasn't my fault that I grew up in a google-less era.


9. So now I had to shift my #10 into my #9 slot, which means I have to add one more crush. I don't think that will be difficult. So I am going with Rusty James (Matt Dillon) from Rumble Fish as my number 9. Another book I read before seeing the movie. Matt Dillon has definitely aged well. Like a fine wine. However, I'm not much of a wine drinker, so I guess I wouldn't know.


10. Marty McFly. What a great character. What a great movie.


Honorable Mention: Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck). Oh whatever. No comments from the peanut gallery. Yes, I liked him better than Ferris. If you know me at all you would already have figured that out by now.