A bottle of Revlon nail polish can be seen on the dressing table of Maila Nurmi. This picture was taken in 1954.
Monthly Archives: October 2016
Carroll Baker’s Dressing Table (1960s)
Italian photographer Pierluigi Praturlon portrayed actress Carrol Baker in the 1960s.
On her dressing table two perfumes can be seen: one is a Guerlain cologne in the trademark glass flacon montre, the other is a Balmain perfume. It’s impossible to read the front label: it could be Vent Vert, but I think it’s Jolie Madame.
Thanks to Barbara Herman for the Balmain id.
Hitchcock (2013)
When Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) meets Alfred Hitchcock to discuss the role of Marion Crane in his upcoming film Psycho (1960), she focuses on the double identity of the character (a Phoenix secretary who steals $40,000 from her employer’s client).
She introduces this concept through perfumes: Marion is someone who wears an inoffensive cologne like Lenthéric Tweed in the office, but turns to something completely different when she’s with her lover Sam Loomis: her reckless and seductive self wears My Sin by Lanvin.
Tweed, launched in 1933, is a woody aromatic perfume with light spicy notes. My Sin, originally called Mon Péché, was created by Madame Zed in 1924; it’s a scent with civet, musk and aldehydes as dominant notes.
Miss Marie Lloyd (2007)
A bottle of Penhaligon’s Jubilee Bouquet can be seen on the protagonist’s dressing table. The fragrance was launched in 1977 as a homage to Queen Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee.
The Neon Demon (2016)
When the main four characters – the make-up artist Ruby (Jena Malone), the models Sarah (Abbey Lee) and Gigi (Bella Heathcote), and the newcomer Jesse (Elle Fanning) – first meet, they have a conversation about lipsticks. Gigi kicks it off by saying she loves the lip colour she’s wearing; Ruby comments on the name of the shade – Redrum [1].
Beauty addicts know this is the name of one of the most popular Velour liquid lipsticks by Jeffree Star, but Gigi is not wearing it (see the applicator: no hot pink in sight).
Ruby goes on saying women often choose to buy a lipstick “if it’s named after food or sex” and gives some examples.
The first shade name she drops is Black Honey, the most popular lipstick by Clinique, first launched in 1971.
Plum Passion is a popular name for lipsticks. Both Maybelline and L’Oreal have Plum Passion lipsticks in their collection.
The last shade she names is Peachy Keen. A product by Gerard Cosmetics comes to my mind, along with a line by the super-wicked Courtney Shayne, the protagonist of the black comedy Jawbreaker (1999) by Darren Stein.
[1] This word comes from The Shining by Stephen King.
Worried About the Boy (2010)
In the opening scene, Boy George (Douglas Booth) is putting on a red lipstick, which happens to be by Clarins. Unfortunately, the whole tube is not visible, so it’s hard to tell if it’s a vintage piece.
The Danish Girl (2015)
There are several bottles of Guerlain colognes at the department store where Lili (Eddie Redmayne) works. The movie is set in the 1920s, so the choice of flacons montre with a glass stopper is not historically accurate: these were first launched in 1937. The teal disk on the bottle on the right is reminiscent of Mitsouko.
Mr Selfridge S01E02
Mr. Selfridge’s barber uses Maurer & Wirtz 4711 Original Eau de Cologne as after-shave on the department store’s founder.
John Cameron Mitchell’s Dressing Room (2015)
John Cameron Mitchell’s dressing room at the Belasco Theatre is one of the best dressing rooms I’ve ever written about. The picture above, taken by Todd Heisler in 2015, is very simple but hugely inspiring. Freddie Mercury, Dolly Parton, David Bowie and Mick Ronson – their pictures are plastered on the walls and on the mirror – surely served as source of inspiration for Hedwig, the character JCM played in the 2001 film he directed. Besides this show-biz eye candy, there are lots of interesting products.
On the left wall there is a row of Ko nail polishes in different shades. This line (also known as Knock Out) is a product of the creativity of Mike Potter, the artist who created the iconic hair and makeup looks for Hedwig & the Angry Inch. I think the shades here are Liberty (patina green), Park (matte park bench green), Flatte Black (two bottles), Indi (dark navy), Flatte Top top coat and Eel (pastel chartreuse) in the black box.
On the dressing table there are a bottle of Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Redken Polish Up pomade and L’Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray.
The white pump bottles are MAC Prep + Prime Fix+, a water mist that finishes make-up.
Miami Vice S01E01 (Brother’s Keeper)
There’s a jar of Pond’s cold cream in the Miami-Dade Police Department toilet where Gina (Saundra Santiago) and Sonny have a discussion.
World Wide Aura 
