Category Archives: cosmetics in movies

Sliding Doors (1997)

There’s a Christian Dior houndstooth splash bottle on Helen’s vanity, but unfortunately the front label is never clearly visible. It looks white with a touch of pink, but it could be just a lighting trick. In any case, this bottle was used to contain eaux de toilette and eaux de cologne, so many possibilities open up. I think we should follow one lead, though: what vintage Dior perfume could appeal to an elegant working girl like Helen? We don’t know a lot about her background, so this bottle could be something she received from her mother or grandmother, or she could have bought it for herself. I personally think she would wear a classic, so either Diorissimo or Miss Dior.

There’s another classic product on the vanity – a Chanel lipstick.

And what about the blue glass bottles (four of them!)? They remind me of Neal Yard’s products (the film is set in London, so it would be a logical choice), but I found no evidence the brand used these bottles in the 1990s.

To the Stars (2019)

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Soon after Iris (Kara Hayward) meets the newcomer Maggie (Liana Liberato), they become friends. Maggie decides to give Iris a makeover, so they go shopping for cosmetics. The beauty counter at the department store they go to displays make-up and skincare products.

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On the far left in the screencap above there’s a cardboard table display containing several tin boxes of Palmolive Cashmere Bouquet face powder.

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More products can be seen thanks to a close-up.

The two jars with pink lids contain Woodbury skin cream.

There are three boxes of Coty Airspun loose face powder: the classic version has the yellow box, while the peach box contains a perfumed version (the scent in this case is L’Aimant).

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The lipsticks with the striped cases are Yardley Slicker.

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The white compacts with pink lid contain Beauté-Salon face powder.

On the right side of the counter there’s also a table display of Pond’s lipsticks.

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Another shot shows us the far left side of the counter, where there’s another table display. This time the product is Woodbury lanolin-rich hand cream.

Kika (1993)

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Juana (Rossy de Palma) is Kika’s maid: she doesn’t really take care of her look, so Kika (who’s a make-up artist) decides to give her a makeover.

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The compact face powder she uses is by Cacharel.

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cacharellips_bornunicornThe scarlet red lipstick she puts on Juana is another product by Cacharel. The lipsticks of this short-lived line were contained in beautiful matte metal cases, the tops of which were lip-shaped.

Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988)

womenonthevergeofanervousbreakdownThe retro-style opening credits of the film (designed by Juan Gatti) contain, quite surprisingly, a real advert of a real make-up item.

dubarryglissandolipstick_bornunicornIt’s the marbled lipstick Glissando, launched in 1964 by the American brand Du Barry.

dubarryglissandolipsticks_bornunicornAvailable in six shades (“from light-struck pinks to muted ambers to rich reds”), it was housed in an elegant silver and gold metal case.

It’s true the brand started its decline in the 1970s and eventually died [1], but I still wonder what happened here. Did the title designer get away with reproducing an advert of a defunct brand? Or did they just paid what was due to whatever multinational company owned the Du Barry name in the 1980s?

[1] This is not entirely accurate: the brand was relaunched in 2002. But I guess that was the end of it.

Friends with Money (2006)

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Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) is always tight on money: she used to work as a school teacher but now she’s a maid and doesn’t earn much. When she finishes a sample tube of moisturiser, she goes through her bathroom drawer to see if there’s anything else she can use.

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On the bathroom counter we can see a bottle of Bulgari Eau Parfumée au thé vert Extreme, a stronger version of the classic citrus green fragrance created by Jean-Claude Ellena and launched in 1992.

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In the drawer there’s a Givenchy compact, probably containing pressed powder.

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There are also two Lancôme products: one is a sample jar of Résolution D-Contraxol, the anti-age treatment Olivia is obsessed with; the other is a carded sample of Miracle, a fresh spicy fragrance created by Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont and launched in 2000.

Parasite (2019)

parasite (2)Yeon-gyo (Cho Yeo-jeong) is a lucky woman: she lives in a wonderful house, she’s got a loving husband and two beautiful children, her closet is filled with Hèrmes Birkin bags and she’s got a luxurious minimal style. When we are allowed into her private room, we are not surprised to see what’s on her dressing table – European luxury perfumes, skincare and make-up.

tumblr_n0f4gtpbfa1sm54eyo3_1280On the left there’s a bottle decorated with an orange and black ribbon: it’s Orange Blossom by Penhaligon’s, a citrus floral fragrance created by Bertrand Duchaufour and launched in 2010.

smnovella_acquadifiordarancio_bornunicornAlways on the left, just behind the Penhaligon’s perfume, there’s tall bottle with white stopper and a pale green front label: it’s an aromatic water by Santa Maria Novella, the Florence-based company very popular especially in Asian countries.

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chanel_travelpalette_romanticdestination_bornunicornThe several black make-up palettes displayed right in front of the woman are of course by Chanel.