All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

Romy Schneider’s Dressing Room (1961)

In March 1961 Luchino Visconti directed a French version of the revenge play ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore by the English playwright John Ford. Staged at the Théâtre de Paris, Dommage qu’elle soit une p… starred Romy Schneider as the protagonist Annabella and her fiancé Alain Delon as Giovanni.

In these beautiful backstage pictures by Maurice Jarnoux we can take a look at what beauty products the Austrian actress used. In the shot above she was applying Pan Stik compact foundation by Max Factor.

On her dressing table there were many make-up and skincare products, among which a bottle of baby lotion by the French brand Mustela.

When it comes to the perfumes, the first I’ve noticed is a huge houndstooth bottle by Christian Dior, used for several eaux de toilette and eaux de cologne by the French maison, so it’s impossible to tell what fragrance this specific bottle contained. Furthermore, it’s quite surprising to see a Dior fragrance on her dressing table: the perfumes she usually wore were Chanel No. 5, Guerlain L’Heure Bleue [1] and – as explained by Elena ProkofevaTubereuse by Jean-Francois Laporte.

The second bottle is a French classic – Roger & Gallet Jean Marie Farina eau de cologne, first launched in 1806.

The third perfume sighting is not a bottle but a white box with black details. It’s a coffret set by Chanel, usually containing a selection of four parfum extraits.

[1] Several Guerlain bottles appeared in the famous portraits of Romy Schneider taken by photographer Helga Kneidl in 1973 in Paris.

Picture source.

Scarface (1983)

When it comes to identifying beauty products on screen, one of the most challenging scenes ever is from the seminal film by Brian De Palma and features Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer), the glamourous trophy wife of the protagonist. Over the years I have tried many times to give a name to the products on her vanity, with no real results. The screenshot above is from the famous Jacuzzi scene set in the Montanas’ baroque bathroom [1]: Elvira is doing her manicure while snorting cocaine.

In the set photo above we can see there are two bottles of nail polish in front of her. Both are easy to identify.

The pale pink nail polish is by Lancôme, and dates back to the late 1970s.

The pale champagne bottle is unmistakable: it’s Chanel Le Vernis nail colour, which in the 1980s had the same squared packaging with shiny black stopper it has today.

[1] In 2020 I wrote about the same scene by identifying the perfumes sitting by the Jacuzzi.

I have lost count of the people who have submitted this picture to my attention, so sorry if I can’t credit everybody. Among them there are certainly my friend Rocco and LadiesofthePast.

Topāzu (1992)

There are three interesting products on Ai’s table.

The first from the left is Yves Saint Laurent Paris, the floral powdery fragrance created by Sophia Grojsman and launched in 1983.

The glass bottle with white stopper is Clarins Huile Anti-Eau body treatment oil.

Last, a bottle of Chanel liquid foundation, possibly Teint Naturel.

Thanks to Alessandra for submitting this post.

Windfall (2022)

There’s a lovely selection of Chanel perfumes, skincare and make-up on the Wife’s dressing table.

First on the left, an elegant jar of frosted glass with glossy black and gold cap containing the No. 5 body lotion.

Next, No. 5 eau de toilette in the tall bottle with black stopper. Not sure if this is a vintage splash bottle, the modern spray bottle or the spray refill for the atomiser.

There’s also a bottle of Hydra Beauty lotion.

The only item of make-up is Les Beiges Teint Belle Mine Naturelle healthy-glow foundation.

Last on the far right, a classic spray bottle of No. 5 eau de parfum.

Thanks to Jessica for first posting this on her Instagram account and for allowing me to share it.