Karami-ai (1962)

 

karamiai_bornunicornSenzô Kawahara (Sô Yamamura) is a rich businessman who has been diagnosed with cancer. His wife rejects his sexual advances, so he starts an affair with his secretary, Yasuko Miyagawa (Keiko Kishi). She doesn’t like him, but he pays her (“10 brand-new 10,000-yen bills” on their first encounter), so she quickly gets used to it. The first purchase she wants to make is the most expensive perfume by Guerlain.

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guerlainvoldenuitLater in the film, we get to see what she bought: the inimitable flacon rayonnant of Vol de Nuit! The director Masaki Koyabashi shows the perfume bottle with a perfect shot.

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karamiai_theinheritance_bornunicorn (3)Senzô sniffs the perfume and declares it’s “not bad.” He could have shown more enthusiasm for the Jacques Guerlain creation, a homage to the second novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but I guess the “not bad”, coming from a ruthless businessman, can be considered a compliment, after all.

karami-ai_bornunicornAt the end of the scene, the bottle is on the floor, next to a bottle of Courvoisier cognac.

Christina Aguilera’s Dresser (2018)

Screenshot_2018-01-06-10-14-36.jpgChristina Aguilera recently posted a short video collage on Instagram to commemorate the late Stinky, one of her beloved dogs. In one picture, some fragrances can be seen. We know that the singer loves floral, fruity and gourmand scents, and the one here are enough evidence. o.4773.jpgThe faceted bottle with the pink label is the first version of La Chasse aux Papillons by L’Artisan Parfumeur, a white floral eau de toilette created by Anne Flipo and launched in 1999. o-4616.jpgThe bottle with the beige cord around the neck is Artemisia by Penhaligon’s, a lovely powdery fragrance launched in 2002. I’ve been wearing Artemisia for years and I can totally see why Christina uses it: it’s a romantic perfume with a very peculiar warm milky note, very reassuring and comforting.