Name/Title
"Minuet" lipstick (creyón labial), labeled shade "Café"Entry/Object ID
2025.1.359Description
Swivel-type lipstick in a gilt/lacquered metal (brass) tube with a domed push-on cap, the barrel carrying the brand name "Minuet" in flowing engraved/printed cursive, a rectangular swivel slot in its lower third, a black accent band at the barrel/base join, and a gilt-metal base. The base label reads "Minuet / CREYON LABIAL / CAFE," designating a brown/coffee shade. The bullet presently loaded, however, is orange-red/coral — inconsistent with "Café" — and is therefore most likely a later replacement refill rather than the case's original product. Closed, the tube shows heavy tarnish, an irregular white abrasion/loss area on the upper barrel, and soiling; open, the barrel is extensively corroded with green verdigris, the extended bullet worn and contaminated.Use
Belonged to Gertrudis Caraballo GálvezContext
"Creyón labial" is the Cuban term for lipstick. Unlike the plastic-cased Fantasía examples previously recorded, this is an all-metal gilt tube — a styling associated with the earlier (1960s) end of the period.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Gertrudis Caraballo Gálvez collecitionMade/Created
Manufacturer
MINILTime Period
1960sPlace
Country
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaEdition
MinuetNotes
Manufacturer: Cuban state cosmetics industry (Ministry of Light Industry; the perfumery-cosmetics enterprises later consolidated under Suchel) — tentative as to the specific enterprise.
Labeled shade: "Café" (brown/coffee). Loaded bullet: orange-red/coral — does not match the label; probable non-original refill (tentative).
Date: circa 1960s; tentative (metal-tube styling suggests the earlier end of the period).Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
cap sideTranscription
MinuetType
LabelLocation
bottomTranscription
Minuet CREYON LABIAL CAFELanguage
SpanishTranslation
Minuet LIPSTICK COFFEENotes
Base label (per holder transcription; not independently imaged): "Minuet / CREYON LABIAL / CAFE." Barrel: "Minuet" in engraved/printed cursive script (gilt). Dimensions
Height
6.7 cmDiameter
1.5 cmParts
Cap (gilt metal); barrel with swivel slot (gilt metal), swivel mechanism (missing), black accent band, and base (gilt metal); lipstick bullet (product).Materials
Material
MetalMaterial Notes
Gilt/lacquered metal — brass or copper alloy (cap, barrel, base), now heavily oxidized; black accent band (painted metal or plastic); lipstick mass (wax/oil/pigment).Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Gertrudis Caraballo GálvezNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
useResearch Notes
Notes
Date is tentative. The all-metal gilt tube may place this at the early (1960s) edge of the collection period; recommend confirming whether Minuet was a 1960s line or carried earlier República-era branding. If pre-1959 production were established, the date would fall at/just outside the lower bound.
Minuet does not appear in the cosmetics glossary published in Isabel de Amado Blanco's Más belleza para ti (1968).Notes
Shade mismatch: the loaded orange-red/coral bullet is inconsistent with the labeled "Café" and is most plausibly a replacement refill in a refillable metal case. Treated as one record (single object) with the mismatch stated, per cataloging convention. Tentative — confirm by checking whether the bullet sits in a separate inner cartridge and whether any second shade name appears on it.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
July 17, 2026
