All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

On the Set of “Call Me By Your Name”

When I bumped into pictures from the set of Call Me By Your Name (2017) by Luca Guadagnino, I felt my id radar tingle, because I knew plenty of beauty products were waiting to be identified. The pictures, taken by the Italian photographer Giulio Ghirardi, beautifully portray the elegant interiors of the 17th-century Lombardy mansion where the film is set. The green-tiled bathroom [1] is filled with Italian drugstore products which bring me back to my childhood.

anticaerboristeriashampoo_bornunicornOn the bathtub metal tray there’s a bottle of Antica Erboristeria shampoo.

tumblr_n4va0haqq91sm54eyo2_1280shampooschultz_bornunicornFrom a different perspective we see there are other two shampoo bottles on the tray – Johnson’s Baby shampoo and Schultz chamomile shampoo.

soluzioneschoum_bornunicornprepcrema_bornunicorn.pngOn the glass shelf by the mirror there’s a bottle of Soluzione Schoum, a medication for urinary and biliary tract spasms. The jar with the blue cap is the pre-shave/after-shave cream Prep, with a delicious mentholated scent.

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amaromedicinalegiuliani_bornunicornOn the table by the door there’s a bottle of Roberts Borotalco talcum powder. The bottle made of dark glass is another Italian digestive tonic, Amaro Medicinale Giuliani.

[1] It’s nice to see the bathroom has Palladian floors, made with the ancient technique of using small pieces of marble or stones. Such a typically Italian floor style!

Picture source.

How to Get Away with Murder S04E05 (I Love Her)

howtogetawaywithmurder_s04e05_bornunicornavonmesmerizealfredsungshi_bornunicornThere are two perfumes on Bonnie’s dresser: the one in the blue bottle is Avon Mesmerize, a fragrance launched in 1992; the other, with the drop-shaped bottle in the back, is Shi by Alfred Sung, an aquatic white floral perfume created by Ilias Ermenidis and launched in 2000.

Stranger Things S02E09 (The Gate)

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strangerthings_s02e09_1_bornunicornSteve Harrington is the male role model Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) needs in his life. He’s also his style icon, too: he uses the boy’s secret weapon – Fabergé Farrah Fawcett hairspray – to impress the attendees of the Snow Ball at school.

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Let me be pedantic for a moment here: I don’t think the can Dustin is using is the original one. If you look closely, the writing on it is different from the writing on the original can. So they took the writing of the non-aerosol version and put it on the aerosol one. Good job!

Stranger Things S02E08 (The Mind Flayer)

strangerthings_s02e08_bornunicorn-1.pngBilly Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) is the bad boy par excellence in this season. He hates everybody, is rude to everybody but loves himself. A lot. The glimpse we get of his dressing table reveals interesting products he uses as part of his beauty routine.

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He uses the same AquaNet hairspray Kali and Dottie use on Eleven in S02E07.

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He also has a bottle of Breckset setting lotion.

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The third hair product he has in his bedroom is Alberto styling mousse.

The fragrance he uses is Paco Rabanne Pour Homme after shave, created by Jean Martel and launched in 1973.

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On his dresser there’s also a bottle of Aramis by Estee Lauder, a perfume created by Bernard Chant and launched in 1966. The choice is historically accurate but I feel Aramis is a bit too conservative for a rebel like Billy.

Thanks to Ladiesofthepast for the Paco Rabanne id.

Maila Nurmi’s Dressing Room (1950s)

The Finnish-born Maila Nurmi became famous in the United States as Vampira, the first horror tv host. Protagonist of the Vampira Show in 1954/1955, she also starred in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) by Ed Wood.

The idea for her character was born in 1953 when she attended the Bal Caribe Masquerade in a costume inspired by Morticia Addams. Her characterization was also influenced by the Dragon Lady from the comic strip Terry and the Pirates and the evil queen from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

maxfactor_panstikvintage_bornunicornIn the picture above, shot in her dressing room, Nurmi was applying a foundation stick, the now iconic Pan Stik by Max Factor. Her trademark bat sunglasses can be seen, too.

Stranger Things S02E06 (The Spy)

vlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h10m54s522.pngvlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h10m58s985.pngvlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h11m05s149.pngSteve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) are about to fight against an alien creature, but in the meantime they’re chatting about girls and… hair. Steve finally shares the routine behind his lovely hairstyle.

fabergeorganics_wheatgermoilandhoneyshampoo_bornunicornThe first name he drops is Fabergé Organics, a haircare line on the market in the 1970s and 1980s.

vlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h11m11s249He’s consistent, because he uses shampoo and conditioner from the same line.

vlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h11m16s766.pngvlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h11m21s315.pngvlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h11m25s976vlcsnap-2017-10-31-01h11m32s330.pngBomb dropped! Let’s be honest: the Farrah Fawcett spray, not the Organics shampoo and conditioner, is his secret beauty weapon.

farrahfawcetthaircarebyfaberge_bornunicornAfter all, no wonder the line of haircare products that Fabergé launched in the late 1970s was this popular: the “Angel” it was named after was hugely famous for her beauty and her trademark feathered hairstyle.

Stranger Things S02E04 (Will the Wise)

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There are several toiletries in Will’s bathroom: among them, an Avon bath oil and a Pond’s cream jar on the window sill. A couple of words on the Avon bottle: it’s impossible to know what Skin So Soft scented oil it contains, because the same bottle was used for different scents (Elusive, Bird of Paradise, To a Wild Rose and more).

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headandshoulders1980_bornunicornBy the bath there two shampoos – Head & Shoulders and Revlon HDR, both in their 1980s bottles.