All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

The Last Days of Disco (1998)

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guerlain_shalimarvintagecologne_bornunicornThere’s a bottle of Guerlain Shalimar eau de cologne (or eau de toilette) in the pharmacy where Alice gets some medicines. Even if it’s clearly stated that the story is set in the early 1980s, lots of details (especially costumes) reveal it’s actually a 1990s film. The presence of a footless chauve souris bottle is not historically accurate: it made its appearance in 1995 (three years before the film was directed), first used for the eau de toilette, later for the eau de cologne.

This is an example of “partial inconsistency,” in the sense that the perfume in question was not on the market at the time in which the story takes place, but it was at the time in which the film was shot.

Picture source.

Martha (1974)

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The iconic Christian Dior houndstooth perfume bottle appears on Martha’s hotel bathroom shelf while she’s in Rome with her father. The front label is not visible, so it’s impossible to tell what fragrance she wore.

diorellahoundstooth_bornunicornWe should add Diorella to my list of “suspects”, since the floral-chypre perfume created by Edmond Roudnitska was launched in 1970.

The pink stick on the left is Max Factor Pan Stik foundation.

Thanks to Amy in the comments for the Max Factor id.

Mr Selfridge S02E03

mrselfridge_s02e03_bornunicorn (1)There are lots of Bourjois products at the cosmetics counter. The beautiful round pots made of paper in pastel colours are from the Ashes of series, which included several lines in several scents: rose, lily, violet, carnation, wall flower, lavender, gardenia, sandal, heliotrope, mimosa/muguet, jasmine/iris.

According to Grace Hummel, Ashes of Roses, created by Ernest Beaux, was first launched in France in 1909, in the USA in 1913 and in England in 1923. As for the graphics, they featured “a slender vase with a single flower,” which was “typical of the Paul Iribe drawings from 1910.”

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bourjois_ashesofcarnation_bornunicornEach line included perfume and eau de cologne, face powder (loose and compact), vanishing cream, lipstick, bath powder and crystals, talc powder and soap.

bourjois_vintagecollection_bornunicornBourjois paid homage to its own past in 2010, when the Vintage collection was released. It included 5 eyeshadows and 3 blushes (Ashes of Carnations in Lilas d’or, Ashes of Roses in Rose Frisson and Ashes of Wall Flower in Rose d’or) in the trademark little round pots.

The Bitch (1979)

thebitch_bornunicornThe “bitch” of the movie title is Fontaine Khaled (Joan Collins), the fierce owner of a trendy disco. She loves living surrounded by luxury, so no surprise to see expensive perfumes in her bathroom.

hermes_calechevintage_bornunicornThe 400 ml bottle on the left is Hermès Calèche, a woody floral fragrance created by Guy Robert in 1961.

hermes_calechevintagead_bornunicornThe refillable spray in the middle is Calèche again.

hermes_amazonevintage_bornunicornThe glass bottle with the dark red stopper is Amazone, another classic Hèrmes perfume, created by Maurice Maurin in 1974.

hermes_calecheaerosprayvintage_bornunicornNext to Amazone there’s another bottle of Calèche, the aérospray version. Amazone was marketed in aérospray version, too: the bottle is the same, but the metal details are silver, not gold.

Endless gratitude to The Scentimentalist, who pointed this beautiful perfume sighting out to me.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

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macleanstoothpaste_bornunicorncorsodylmouthwash_bornunicornoldspiceoriginaldeodorantspray_bornunicornThere are several toiletries in Timothy Cavendish’s bathroom – Gillette menthol shaving foam, a tube of Macleans Fresh Mint toothpaste and a bottle of Corsodyl mouthwash on the shelf; a can of Old Spice Original deodorant spray on the mirror cabinet.