perfume quotes in tv shows

The Shards S01E02 (Don’t You Want Me)

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Leave it to Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney, but I am actually referring to the real BEE) to know his beauty products/fragrances and to list them obsessively in his novels, along with the brand of pretty much anything else related to fashion and lifestyle.

In the screencap above, the protagonist of the TV show is about to have lunch with Terry Schaffer, an influential movie producer who is interested in the first novel the boy is writing, but who also happens to be the father of Debbie, Bret’s current girlfriend.

The fragrance he mentions is Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, one of the most popular and influential fragrances from the 1970s. Created by Jacques Polge and Michel Hy, this floral aldehyde eau de toilette was launched in 1971. The beautiful cobalt blue, silver and black aluminium bottle, designed by Pierre Dinnand, added an unusual touch of refinement to a fragrance that was named after YSL’s first boutique in Saint-Germain-des Prés in Paris.

What is the relevance of this fragrance in the narration? Terry is wearing a fragrance created for and marketed to women; Bret knows there’s a reason behind this choice (Terry is married, has a daughter, but he’s “very gay”), and that leads to a deeper reflection about (his own) sexual orientation.

haircare in tv shows, perfumes in tv shows

The Shards S01E02 (Don’t You Want Me)

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Bret (Igby Rigney) is in his bathroom. In it we can see all the products spotted in the TV show pilot.

The horse-shaped column bottle is Avon Pony Post.

The black matte bottle is Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir, an aromatic fougère fragrance created by Pierre Wargnye and launched in 1982.

The spray can with yellow cap is Gillette The Dry Look hairspray.

The only new addition is Fabergé Brut 33 splash-on lotion.

haircare in tv shows, perfumes in tv shows, skincare in tv shows

The Shards S01E01 (Pilot)

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In the first episode we get a close look at Brett’s bathroom, and see some interesting products in it.

The spray can with yellow cap is Gillette The Dry Look hairspray.

The horse head bottle is obviously an Avon design — Pony Post. Traditionally, Avon’s quirky bottles housed several fragrances, so it’s impossible to tell what this one contained.

When the camera follows the protagonist (Igby Rigney) into his bedroom, we can also see a jar of Noxzema skin cream.

Half-hidden behind a perfumed talc shaker, there’s the unmistakable matte black bottle of a 1980s classic — Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir. It’s an aromatic fougère fragrance created by Pierre Wargnye and launched in 1982.

cosmetics in movies, perfumes in movies, skincare in movies

Sleeping Beauty (2011)

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There are three Guerlain products on the round table besides Lucy (Emily Browning).

The jar with gold details on the left is Météorites face powder in pearl form.

Next to it, there’s a bottle of Guerlain Shalimar Eau Légère Parfumée, a 2004 evolution of the historical fragrance created by Jacques Guerlain and first launched in 1925.

On the right side of the table there’s a blue jar with a golden cap: it’s the Orchidée Impériale longevity light cream.

cosmetics in movies, perfumes in movies, skincare in movies

Disclosure Day (2026)

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Margaret (Emily Blunt) is getting ready for work by sitting at her dressing table, on which we can see several products.

The lip product she’s applying is Pat Mc Grath Labs Lip Fetish Divinyl lip shine. She will wear it throughout the film.

On the left side of the table there’s a bottle of Bobbi Brown Weightless Skin foundation.

On the right side of the table there are some Glossier products —Lash Slick mascara and Cloud Paint seamless cheek colour.

When the camera moves, other two products can be seen. The jar with black cap is Bobbi Brown hydrating face cream, and the bottle with black stopper (just behind the light ring stand) is a Byredo fragrance.

When Margaret reaches her workplace (she serves as a weather reporter and meteorologist for the Kansas City news station KCXE), we can see another bottle of Bobbi Brown liquid foundation on a dressing table, along with a Bobbi Brown compact powder blush.

A few moments back, when she unexpectedly starts talking Korean, we can see the make-up artists hand her a tube of the Pat McGrath lip shine seen at the beginning of the film.

Thanks to Femto Fitz for submitting this post.

perfumes in movies, skincare in movies

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

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Bottles of Lancôme cleanser and toner can be seen in Roberta’s bathroom. I’m not sure if the Bi-Facil makeup remover (blue liquid) and Tonique Confort rehydrating toner (pink liquid) were available in the 1980s, but these two bottles with grey caps and white lettering, which launched in the late 1960s, are definitely from Lancôme skincare line.

A few moments before, when Susan (Madonna) and Gary (Mark Blum) walk in the bathroom, we can see several bottles on a small tray on the right.

Among them, the romantic floral pattern which characterises the packaging of Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs, a delicate white floral fragrance created by Roger Pellegrino, Robert Gonnon, Paul Leger and Raymond Chaillan, and launched in 1978. I can see Susan wearing it — an element of romanticism in her unfulfilled suburban life.

This post was first published on July 20th, 2014, but I have decided to update it thanks to the help of Daniel Roldán, who spotted the bottle of Anaïs Anaïs. I have watched this film lots of times, yet this specific bottle has always evaded me.

cosmetics in movies, perfumes in movies

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

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Lady GaGa is the main performer at the Runway event to be held at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. There’s tension in the air: GaGa is performing only because Nigel Kipling (the magazine’s art director) threatened that she would never grace the cover of Runway again if she declined.

On the vanity there’s a bottle of Valentino Born in Roma eau de parfum, a woody vanilla fragrance created by Antoine Maisondieu, Guillaume Flavigny and Michel Girard, and launched in 2019.

On the left side of the vanity there’s also a bottle of Haus Labs Triclone™ Skin Tech foundation.

A growing archive of beauty products and perfumes in movies and tv shows