All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

Mr Selfridge S01E03

mrselfridge_s01e03_bornunicorn (4)When Mr Selfridge decides to open a beauty counter in his store, we are treated with lots of eye candy! Fragrances and toiletries start to appear on the counters just before the entrance door.

4711cologne_bornunicornIn the screencap above, some bottles of Mäurer & Wirtz 4711 Original cologne can be seen, along with some round soaps by Roger & Gallet.

rogeretgallet_lavandaroyale_bornunicornI’m not sure about the scents of the white and pink soaps, but they could be discontinued. As a matter of fact, their boxes and packaging could be coming from the 1980s, definitely not from the most recent collections. Contemporary Roger & Gallet soaps are wrapped in tissue paper, as usual, but they only have a round sticker – not a wrapping label.

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Some flacons bouchon coeur by Guerlain can be seen on another counter. Most of them have no label, so it’s impossible to know what fragrances they contained. One thing is certain: their glass stoppers tell us they’re from before 1962, year in which plastic stoppers replaced the glass ones. As for the Mitsouko modern bottle, the pump atomizer is a nice way to give it a vintage feel.

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yardley_englishlavender_vintagead_bornunicornAgnes Towler (Aisling Loftus) meets Henri Leclair (Grégory Fitoussi) in the beauty department. They have a short conversation about fragrances, from which we learn that Agnes is a classic British girl, who loves traditional creations like Yardley Lavender. The aromatic fougère, launched in 1919, is another historically inaccurate choice, but in this context it works.

Endeavour S02E03 (Sway)

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endeavour_s02e03_bornunicorn (2)Joey Lisk is a shady wholesaler of luxury goods. A brand of stockings he sells (Le Minou Noir) is very important in the plot, but Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) notices something’s wrong from another detail. Lisk sells Acqua di Palma perfumes, a fake version of the historical Acqua di Parma. Morse knows the name of the product should be spelt with an R and not with an L.

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The whole episode is full of references to Italian culture and history. Morse is an opera fan, so he often listens to music composed by Italian artists, but here we also have an Italian character, Luisa Armstrong, Thursday’s former love interest. She brings back memories from World War II and from the Italian resistance movement. In such a context, the presence of an Italian fragrance adds consistency to the plot.

Acqua di Parma is a brand founded in 1916; Colonia, a light and fresh scent, became hugely successful in the 1930s/1950s. Even though the line now includes several new products, Colonia still has the trademark yellow packaging we can also see in the episode.

Pretty Little Liars S06E11 (Of Late I Think of Rosewood)

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opi_purplenailpolish_bornunicornlorealcolorrichecaresselipstick_bornunicornclaireslipstick_bornunicornThere are several make-up items in Emily’s bag: a Chanel lipstick (it could be the Rouge Coco or the Rouge Coco Shine, since the two products have the same tube), a purple nail polish by OPI, L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse lip colour and a Claire’s lipstick (with a slightly different packaging).

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maybellinecolorsensationallipstick_bornunicornThere’s also a tube of Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick.

Deutschland 83 E01 (Quantum Jump)

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chanelno5_bornunicornLenora Rauch (Maria Schrader) gives her sister Ingrid (Carina N. Wiese) a bottle of Chanel no. 5 as a present for her birthday. The perfume is not visible but the white box with black trims is unmistakable. No wonder Ingrid is so happy: Chanel no. 5 is literally a piece of European culture she’s not allowed to buy, since it’s not available on the East-German market.

Ich Seh, Ich Seh (2014)

ichsechichsech_bornunicornThere’s a white bottle of Givenchy Amarige in the protagonist’s bathroom.

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givenchy_amarigesilkbodyveil_bornunicornIt’s unclear whether it contains the Perfumed Dew refreshing body lotion or the Silk Body Veil. Both are quite rare products. The Givenchy perfume was created by Dominique Ropion and launched in 1991: it’s an opulent white floral scent with notes of fresh fruit and a warm woody base.

Thanks to my Instagram friend Mustapha for posting this picture on his account and for the screencap.

Mozart in the Jungle S02E03 (It All Depends on You)

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patriciawexler_intensiveyecream_bornunicornWhen Rodrigo (Gael García Bernal) is thrown out of his apartment, he stays at Gloria’s. While she’s taking a shower, he goes through the beauty products sitting on her dressing table. Most of them are face creams and lotions. The small purple jar on the right is the intensive 3-in-1 eye cream by Patricia Wexler M.D. 

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wexler_whitejar_bornunicornHe takes one cream jar and puts some on his face. It’s another Wexler product: it could be the universal anti-aging moisturizer or the skin-brightening daily moisturizer.

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cobigelow_menthabodybuffer_bornunicorn cobigelow_lemonleafbodybutter_bornunicorn cobigelow_lemontreatment_bornunicorncobigelow_lemonbodylotion_bornunicornOn the dressing table there’s also a tube of Hada Labo Tokyo hydrating facial cleanser and four C.O. Bigelow products: Mentha smoothing body buffer in the green tube on the left, Lemon Leaf ultra-soft body butter in the jar with black lid, Lemon hand treatment and Lemon body lotion in the pump bottle on the right.

Thanks to a reader for the Hada Labo Tokyo id and to my friend Jennifer for the C.O. Bigelow ids.

Deutschland 83 E01 (Quantum Jump)

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tafthairspray_bornunicornMartin Rauch is an East German soldier who is recruited to become a spy in West Germany. His mentor, Professor Tobias Tischbier, introduces him to the different lifestyle, products and vocabulary on the other side of the Wall. His “lessons” include beauty products. Florena was an East German beauty brand; among its products, the hairspray Action and the deodorant Lidos. On the other hand, Schwarzkopf 3 Wetter Taft was extremely popular on the Western market.

Deutschland 83 E05 (Cold Fire)

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In this episode there are two references to Mäurer & Wirtz 4711, the original Echt Kölnisch WasserThe scene above is set in Cologne central station: while Martin Rauch is taking a train to East Berlin, we can see huge neon letters spelling the name of the eau de cologne.

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In another scene, the iconic Molanus bottle can be seen in the desk drawer of Frau Netz (Michaela Caspar), General Edel’s secretary. When she opens the drawer, we can see the bottle and a copy of the magazine Der Spiegel (June 6th, 1983 issue). The cover title – Deadly Disease AIDS, the Mysterious Illness – is connected to the plot:  a member of the pacifist movement, Felix von Schwerin, is actually ill with AIDS; he may have infected Tobias Tischbier and, as a consequence, Alex Edel.

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Ursula Edel, the General’s wife, pays a visit to his office and gives Frau Netz a certificate of medical leave of absence for her son Alex. This is ironic: in that moment, Alex is not ill (he has temporarily left the army, trying to fight his father’s influence with a grand gesture which will end up tragically), but he may be, even if he doesn’t know it yet. Besides the fact that Frau Netz doesn’t shake Ursula’s hand, she reacts to the woman’s departure from the office by cleaning her hands with a handkerchief soaked in 4711 cologne. Known for its revitalising and relaxing effects, this cologne is commonly used as hand sanitizer, too.

Edward Petherbridge’s Dressing Table (2010)

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kryolan_cakemakeup_bornunicornthebodyshop_coconutoilhairshine_bornunicornA bottle of CK Be, vitamin E face mist and a cushion pin large hairbrush by The Body Shop, Kryolan cake make-up and The Body Shop coconut oil hair shine can be seen on the dressing table of Edward Petherbridge.

The picture was taken by Dora Petherbridge (Edward’s daughter) at the Duchess Theatre in London in July 2010, when the actor was appearing in The Fantasticks.

Thanks to my friend Jennifer for the face mist id.