All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

Padroni di casa (2012)

padronidicasa_bornunicorn (2)While Fausto (Gianni Morandi) is getting ready to perform at his comeback concert, we get a glimpse of his bathroom. There are two interesting bottles by the washbasin.

chanelalluresensuelle_bornunicorn.jpgOne is Allure Sensuelle by Chanel. This flanker of Allure (launched in 1996) was created in 2005 by Jacques Polge.

acquadibolgheri_bornunicorn.jpgThe other is Acqua di Bolgheri by Dr. Taffi. This fragrance, launched in 2008, establishes a connection with the film plot, set in the Appenine Mountains between Emilia Romagna and Tuscany. The Tuscan village it is named after had a key role in the life and works of Giosuè Carducci, one of the most important Italian poets [1].

[1] Bolgheri is famously mentioned in the 1874 ode Davanti San Guido.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S04E06 (Maisel vs. Lennon: The Cut Contest)

When Miriam decides to meet L. Roy Dunham (Hari Nef), a journalist who has been writing scathing articles about her shows, the first comment she gets is about her perfume.

The journalist thinks she’s wearing Lanvin Arpège. Even if we haven’t seen so far what perfumes sit on Miriam’s dressing table, I think Arpège is a nice guess. Created by Paul Vacher and Andrè Fraysse and launched in 1927, this iconic white floral fragrance would suit the protagonist’s bubbly yet classic style.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S04E05 (How to Chew Quietly and Influence People)

Before leaving Shy Baldwin’s wedding party, Susie (Alex Borstein) wants to get a gift bag but Miriam (Rachel Brosnahan) doesn’t agree because she thinks gift bags are “tacky”. She changes her mind when she realises the bags contain Chanel No. 5.

Susie ends up leaving with many gift bags!

What I find strange is that the only perfume bottle seen on the gift bag table is not Chanel No. 5 but Coco (see the black paper strip around the bottle neck). I would be curious to know why the prop masters didn’t use the perfume mentioned in the conversation but opted for a fragrance launched in 1984, decades after the time in which the tv show is set.

Tall Girl 2 (2022)

Jodi (Ava Michelle) is sitting at a dressing table after performing as Kim McAfee in the musical Bye Bye Birdie.

There are several beauty products on the dressing table.

The tall brown bottle on the left is Hask Argan Oil repairing shampoo.

Right in front of Jodi there are two Noxzema products. The tube is the anti-blemish daily scrub, while the tall jar is the deep cleansing cream.

The pink tube with green cap is none other than Maybelline Great Lash mascara.

The black tube is Wet n Wild Mega Last matte lip colour.

When Jack (Griffin Gluck) joins Jodi backstage, we can see a couple more products.

There’s a can of TRESemmé Tres mousse.

Last but not least, two bottles of OPI nail polishes.

The Souvenir Part II (2021)

When Rosalind (Tilda Swinton) visits her daughter Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) in London, she sprays the “heavenly scent” the girl keeps in her bathroom.

The “absolutely glorious” perfume in question is a British classic – Penhaligon’s Bluebell, a green/earthy fragrance with a distinctive note of hyacinth created by Michael Pickthall and launched in 1978.

What’s in Victon’s Bag?

Korean fashion magazine The Star has recently posted What’s In My Bag? interviews with the members of the K-Pop band Victon. All of them showed their favourite beauty products and fragrances.

Let’s start with Se-jun.

In his backpack there’s Le Labo Santal 33, a woody/powdery fragrance created by Frank Voelkl and launched in 2011.

Chan has two bottles in his Louis Vuitton shoulder bag.

The first is Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme eau de toilette, a warm spicy scent created by Anne Flipo, Pierre Wargnye, Dominique Ropion and Juliette Karagueuzoglou, and launched in 2006.

The second is Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis eau de toilette, created by Francis Kurkdjian and launched in 2009.

The band’s leader, Seung-sik, has opted for Byredo Super Cedar, a woody fragrance created by Jerome Epinette and launched in 2016.

Byung-chan shows one beauty product – Jo Malone Vitamin E lip conditioner.

Han-se stands out by showing a fragrance that looks like Byredo (same bottle) but it’s not! He explains he made it himself at a perfume bar in Seoul. When asked what it smells like, he said: “freshly-cut grass”.

Su-bin first shows a skincare product – Byredo Bal d’Afrique hand cream.

Like Chan, he has two bottles in his Louis Vuitton bag.

One is Le Labo Another 13, an amber woody fragrance created by Nathalie Lorson and launched in 2010.

The other is Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, created by Maurice Roucel and launched in 2000.

Out of all the fragrances shown by Victon members, this is the one I would love to try: Su-bin points out the cedar and cinnamon notes, which I think are very intriguing.