All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

The Sandman S01E09 (Collectors)

There are two interesting perfumes on Lyta’s dressing table. And they are very much so because this scene has an unusual setting: this table is in the house that Lyta’s deceased husband Hector has built for them in the Dreaming.

They are probably perfumes that the woman already wears on the ordinary plan of reality or maybe they have been selected to be worn in a different dimension.

The first fragrance (boxed) is Chanel Coco eau de toilette. It’s an amber spicy creation by Jacques Polge, first launched in 1984.

The second, in the gold bottle, is the extrait de parfum of Yves Saint Laurent Cinéma, an amber floral fragrance created by Jacques Cavallier and launched in 2004.

Thanks to LePetitCivet and reveur_etc for the YSL id.

Andy Warhol’s Bathroom Cabinet (1988)

In 1988, one year after Andy Warhol’s death, his business manager, Fred Hughes, commissioned photographer David Gamble to take pictures of the artist’s New York home. The picture of Warhol’s bathroom cabinet is probably the most famous result of that photoshoot: it was sold for $25,000 at an auction and in 2012 it was displayed at the exhibition Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A print of it is in the collection of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

No need for me to explain why I have decided to analyse in detail the contents of this cabinet. I have scrutinised fictional and real-life bathroom cabinets and dressing tables for more than 10 years, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to write about this iconic cabinet.

Before starting, let me say that medicines and several beauty products haven’t been included: I never write about medicines and the aforementioned products, now discontinued, haven’t been identified yet. The description of other products, although identified, is not completed by pictures because I haven’t found any online.

Let’s start with the top shelf.

The aqua green jar is Clinique 7-Day scrub cream: this product is still on the market, but the packaging has been changed (now it’s available in tube form).

The glass bottle with white stopper on the far right is Janet Sartin sun lotion. This brand and their beauty salon in New York still exist.

On the second shelf, starting from the far left, we can see a glass bottle of Guerlain Extrait de Pot-Pourri aux Plantes Marines, a home fragrance.

Seeing a Chanel no. 5 ancillary product (an after-bath spray) is not surprising: Andy Warhol included the iconic bottle of the French perfume in his Ads series.

Next, another Guerlain product – Vétiver talc. Unfortunately I haven’t found a picture of the product in the packaging shown in Warhol’s cabinet, but the pagoda-like bottle is so charming, isn’t it?

The bright yellow bottle contains Fabergé Kiku after-bath cologne, an amber floral fragrance launched in 1967.

The black bottle with white stopper contains Pantene For Men Hair Groom conditioner.

Next, a bottle of Alo Sun Fashion Tan suntan lotion. Again, the product shown above (displayed at the National Museum of American History) doesn’t have the exact packaging as the one in Warhol’s cabinet.

The silver tube contains Framesi Gelly’s color enhancing styling gel. This Italian haircare brand, still on the market, was founded in 1945.

Last, the glass bottle on the far right is another Janet Sartin product.

On the third shelf there’s a small-sized bottle of Vidal Sassoon shampoo.

In the back of the shelf there’s another Janet Sartin product, housed in a white jar.

Another Alo Sun product – the After Tan lotion – sits on the same shelf.

On the fourth shelf there’s a Sally Hansen product: I haven’t found any picture of it online, but the bottle reads that it’s a desensitized skin conditioning lotion.

Next to it there’s a jar of Interface herbal rub scrub. This is another product which I haven’t found any evidence of online. The brand doesn’t exist anymore.

One of the most interesting products is Halston 1-12 shaving foam. The fragrance was launched in 1976 and is still available on the market. Warhol using a Halston beauty product makes so much sense that I would have been surprised if I hadn’t found any in this cabinet.

The jar with blue cap contains Noxzema Antiseptic Skin cleanser pads.

Just under the Noxzema pad jar there’s Clinique Sub-Skin firming cream.

Among the lip products I can see a Lip Smacker Bonne Bell lip balm (cherry or strawberry-scented) and a tube of Vaseline Lip Therapy balm.

On the fifth (bottom) shelf there’s a bottle of Cetaphil lotion.

Next, a bottle of Vitabath Spring Green body wash.

On a jar of Vaseline pure petroleum jelly there’s a bottle of Lubriderm Lubath body wash.

Next, there’s a bottle of Neet cocoa butter lotion hair remover.

Elvis (2022)

Toiletries and medicine bottles cover the two dressing tables seen in the film. On both occasions three products stand out, all of them by Old Spice.

The two white bottles are an Old Spice travel set: the bottle with white cap contains after-shave talcum, while the one with red cap contains after-shave lotion.

The green bottle with white cap is from the Lime collection, introduced in 1966. From an 1973 catalogue we can see that this introductory-size bottle could contain the after-shave lotion or the cologne.

Fear Street Part 3: 1666 (2021)

Deena (Kiara Madeira) is ready for the final battle against her archenemy, Sheriff Nick Goode. While hiding in a bathroom at the Shadyside Mall, she chooses Calvin Klein CK One to cover up her scent.

No surprises here: what other mainstream fragrance could a teenager choose for such a purpose in 1994? The citrus aromatic creation by Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont was launched in that year: housed in a minimalistic flask, it took the fragrance world and the collective imagination by storm.

When Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) hugs Deena, his comment on how she smells like will go down in history as the most accurate description of CK One. I have never felt like an “androgynous baby” when I wear it, but it really makes sense.

Sweet Bird of Youth (1989)

In 1989 Elizabeth Taylor starred in the drama TV film Sweet Bird of Youth, directed by Nicolas Roeg, based on the 1959 play by Tennessee Williams.

The publicity shot above by Greg Gorman portrays Taylor sitting at a mirrored dressing table. Most of the bottles in front of her are decorative, but there’s one which is very distinctive.

It’s Caron Nuit de Noël, whose beautiful black bottle was modified with a golden pump atomiser. This woody floral fragrance, launched in 1922, is a creation by Ernest Daltroff.

Working Girl (1988)

When Cyn (Joan Cusak) opens a bathroom cabinet, there are several interesting skincare and bodycare products.

Starting from the top shelf, from left to right:

The white jar with grey cap is Lancôme Forté-Vital firming eye cream. The black bottle with grey stopper is from the same brand, but I haven’t been able to identify the exact product.

There are four bottles by Erno Laszlo. The first from the left is definitely an oil or a lotion, while the others probably contained Shake-It tinted treatment.

On the second shelf there are three products by Crabtree & Evelyn. The tin container of talcum powder is part of the Damask Rose collection. Next there’s a bottle of Rosewater foaming bath gel and a soap box.

The box on the third shelf belongs to the bath gel on the second shelf.

Thanks to Ladiesofthepast for submitting this post.

Bewitched S01E05 (Help, Help, Don’t Save Me)

Samantha is packing to move to her mother’s house after arguing with her husband Darrin: she suggested slogans for an advertising campaign he was working on but he suspects she used magic to help.

There are four bottles on her dressing table, three of which I have been able to identify.

The first two bottles on the left are Revlon Intimate, a chypre floral fragrance launched in 1955.

The tall balloon bottle is Lucien Lelong Tailspin cologne, a floral green creation by Jean Carles launched in 1940.

Screencap via ladiesofthepast.

Confusi e felici (2014)

There are two fragrance bottles in Marcello’s bathroom.

The one with the gold stopper is a fragrance by L’Artisan Parfumeur (old packaging): the sticker on the bottle is unreadable but it’s pink, so it could be Jour de Fête, created in 2004 by Olivia Giacobetti.

The second bottle is unmistakable: it’s Hermès Terre d’Hermès, one of the masterpieces by Jean-Claude Ellena, launched in 2006.

Chambre 212 (2019)

There are some interesting beauty products in Maria and Richard’s bathroom.

In the glass cabinet there’s a small bottle of Chanel No. 5, a Diptyque candle box and Chanel Démaquillant Yeux Intense gentle biphase eye make-up remover in its box.

On a shelf by the mirror there are other two Chanel products. One is Chanel Pour Monsieur eau de toilette, created by Henri Robert and launched in 1955; the other is Hydra Beauty camellia night mask.