Unfortunately for most of us, cheap manufacturing is plentiful these days. Plastic, not porcelain, abounds.  For aesthetes, such as myself, this makes me cringe and shudder in horror. This is why I cannot shop in mass chain stores; I will gladly spend more, so that I can have a pleasant shopping experience. It hurts my soul to see such ugliness as these stores propagate, when it could easily be the reverse.  So, instead, I haunt the local shops, the independents, or the high end chains, so that I can retain my sanity and sense of well being.

This is also why I like to take what is old and make it new again.  I will buy olive oil and pour it into a specialized bottle.  It is just so much more aesthetically pleasing. You can do the same with Listerine. The vintage bottles were made of glass instead of plastic at one point in time and were very special. You can purchase them from eBay, for example, and display them with the rest of your toiletries.  I love the look of old apothecaries with a mixologist on hand mixing their magic potions, and love to have old bottles around in spades.  You can do the same with old tonic or perfume bottles and pour your potions in.  Your kitchen and salle de bain will be totally gorgeous as a result of this creative spin.

“You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.”
Umberto Eco

Warm Thanks to Traffic Live,  Style Hive, Antiques Trade Gazette