All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

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.

Stranger Things S02E01 (MADMAX)

avonthimblebottle_bornunicornThere’s an Avon cologne in the bathroom at Barb’s house. It’s unclear what cologne it is, since Avon used the same bottle (the thimble one, in this case) for different scents. Elusive, Bird of Paradise and Charisma colognes were all sold in this golden stopper bottle.

Thanks to my friend Jennifer for the id.

Leni Riefenstahl (1988)

The German-born photographer took this picture in 1988 for Vanity Fair. Leni Riefenstahl was a German photographer and film director who had a strategic role during Nazism: she directed Triumph des Willens and Olympia in the 1930s, extremely effective and innovative propaganda films. Said to be part of Hitler’s inner circle, she was never charged nor associated with war crimes.

In this portrait, taken when she was 86 years old, she was holding a beautiful metal compact by Guerlain.

guerlainmetalcompactvintage_bornunicornIt’s a vintage piece, probably a limited edition from the 1970s. It’s made of metal and has the trademark double Gs decorating the front. It’s quite thick and rounded, in comparison to today’s compacts, which tend to be very thin.

Room 104 S01E06 (Voyeurs)

vlcsnap-2017-10-24-23h34m31s291vlcsnap-2017-10-24-23h34m36s316vlcsnap-2017-10-24-23h34m44s982vlcsnap-2017-10-24-23h39m45s199charlottetilbury_lovebitelipstick_bornunicorn.jpgThe Housekeeper (Dendrie Taylor) finds a lipstick in Room 104.  The sticker on the bottom of the rose gold fluted case says the shade is Bitter Love, but it’s actually Love Bite, a bright warm red shade by Charlotte Tilbury.

vlcsnap-2017-10-24-23h58m52s901The Girl (Sarah Hay), who embodies the Housekeeper’s young self, uses the same lipstick.

Greed (2009)

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vezzoli_greed1_bornunicornIn 2009 Roman Polanski directed the (fake) commercial for a (fake) perfume: Greed by Francesco Vezzoli. Michelle Williams and Natalie Portman are the stars of the short movie as two women literally fighting for Greed.

vezzoli_greedbottle_bornunicornThe centre of the art installation held at the Gagosian Gallery in Rome was the “perfume that doesn’t exist”, whose bottle has a peculiar story. Vezzoli took inspiration from Belle Haleine: Eau de Voilette, the fake perfume created by Marcel Duchamp in 1921 using a Rigaud perfume bottle. Duchamp appeared on the perfume bottle label as Rrose Sélavy, photographed by Man Ray and Vezzoli did the same, photographed by Francesco Scavullo.

Screenshot_20171005-213259.jpgThe advertising campaign featured portraits of famous female artists made of inkjet, wool, cotton, metallic embroidery and custom jewelry on brocade. Among them, Eva Hesse, Lee Miller, Frida Kahlo, Niki de Saint Phalle, Tamara de Lempicka and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Source.

Tales of the Unexpected S05E01 (Blue Marigold)

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talesoftheunexpected_guerlainchamade_bornunicornMyra (Toyah Willcox) is the celebrated face of the Blue Marigold advertising campaign, but she descends into self-destruction when she is told she is unsuitable for the perfume commercials because of her voice. The bottle used for the fictitious perfume is not fictitious at all: it’s Guerlain Chamade!

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guerlain_chamade_bornunicornThe balsamic floral perfume was created by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 1969 and was inspired by the novel La chamade by Françoise Sagan. The beautiful leaf-shaped bottle was created by Pochet et du Courval and exclusively used for this fragrance.

Screencap sourcepicture source.