All posts by Born Unicorn

Pedantic archivist of beauty products in films and tv shows

Mannequin (1987)

mannequin_bornunicorn (4)mannequin_bornunicorn (5)Emmy (Kim Cattrall) and Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy) live their love story at night, when the Prince & Company department store they work at is empty and they are free to wander through its halls.

giorgiobeverlyhills_bornunicorngiorgiobeverlyhillsformen_bornunicornIn the screencaps above, portraying the two protagonists dancing, quintessentially 1980s perfumes can be seen – Giorgio Beverly Hills Giorgio for Women and Giorgio for Men. A lot can be said about these two perfumes, but words can barely express the shock and awe you experienced when you smelled them. They were loud, bold, impressively persistent. The brand, founded by Fred and Gayle Hayman in 1961, reached the peak of success in the 1980s and the perfumes had a pivotal role. The women’s version was launched in 1981 and the men’s one three years later.

Cruising (1980)

I really like the arrangement in Nancy’s bathroom: it’s a small space, so the toiletries are displayed on a metal shelving unit facing a window.

oldspice_originalcologne_bornunicornThe first product I’ve noticed is on the second top shelf (just above Steve’s shoulder): it’s a bottle of the ever-present Old Spice after shave. On the same shelf there’s another interesting product, but more about it later.

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pondspeachcoldcream_bornunicornOn the bottom shelf there are Rise shaving foam and a jar of Pond’s peach cold cream.

One of the last scenes of the film is set in the bathroom again, and we can get a better look at the product previously mentioned. It’s a black bottle of Après Soleil by Bain de Soleil, an after-tan lotion which can be seen in a 1977 advert featuring Rene Russo.

Rocketman (2019)

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ninariccicapriccirefillable_bornunicornThere’s a Nina Ricci refillable atomiser on Elton John’s dressing table. Impossible to tell what fragrance it contains: the same atomiser has been used for different fragrances (Capricci, Farouche, L’air du temps).

This sighting comes as a surprise, because the list of Elton John’s favourite perfumes have never included one by Nina Ricci (he’s known for loving Creed Royal Water). In any case, since the Ricci atomiser is so beautiful, I guess it was chosen simply for decorative purposes.

Soapdish (1991)

The black and white jar on Lori’s dressing table is the perfumed pressed body powder by Paloma Picasso. Now discontinued, this product was part of the line launched with the perfume in 1984.

On the other side of the table there’s a white bottle of Halston Classic perfume, created by Bernard Chant and launched in 1975. This all-white version was never available on the market, but Elsa Peretti designed it in pendant form, so I guess this was a bigger, decorative version of it.

Marc Almond’s Dressing Table (2018)

I’ve got a thing for Marc Almond’s dressing rooms. The British singer is often on tour, and he frequently posts pictures of the make-up products he wears in concert. The one above was taken in June 2018, backstage at the Let’s Rock Bristol festival.Starting from the left, there are NARS Soft Velvet loose powder and Dior Nude Air pressed face powder.benefitbrowsetter_bornunicornecotoolsbrushes_bornunicornThe silver tube topped by a ball is BeneFit 24-Hour Brow Setter clear brow gel. In a plastic sleeve there’s a face brush by EcoTools.kikocreamcompactfoundation_bornunicornEyebrow Filler Light Touch Pencil 06kikoconcealer_bornunicornThere are several products by Kiko – two silver compacts (which could contain foundation or pressed powder), an eyebrow filler in pencil form and two concealer compacts.benefit_browzings_bornunicornbeccaevermatteporelessprimingperfector_bornunicornnarscoconutgrove_bornunicornThe silver compact near the Kiko compact is BeneFit Brow Zings, an eyebrow shaping kit. There’s also a tube of Becca Ever-Matte poreless priming perfector. Last, there’s a single eyeshadow in a dark brown shade by NARS.

Picture source.