Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) checks her make-up in a Chanel compact.
Category Archives: cosmetics in movies
Enough Said (2013)
There’s a MAC pressed powder compact on Eva’s dresser.
Imitation of Life (1959)
Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) has finally achieved her dream of being a famous Broadway actress, but her life is still inextricably connected to Annie Johnson, her maid, who helps her backstage, too. Lora’s dressing room is not particularly fancy, but some objects on her table are.
The big bottle on the left is Caron Bellodgia, a floral fragrance created in 1927 by Ernest Daltroff. This bottle with a prism-shaped stopper was designed by Félicie Vanpouille Bergaud.
The other bottle is Opening Night by Lucien Lelong. Originally launched as Orage in 1935, it was re-named for the English market. The original bottle had a pyramid shape, but in 1938 this one (designed by Philippe Hiolle) was introduced on the market.
As for the make-up, one item is immediately recognizable – Max Factor Pan Stik, the revolutionary foundation in stick form launched in 1947.
Lana Turner was among the Hollywood stars who served as testimonials for Max Factor products. The ad above is from 1951.
Later in the film, Caron Bellodgia can be seen on Sarah Jane’s vanity. I can imagine Lora giving a bottle of her perfume to her maid’s daughter, because she really cares about her. Despite providing for both of them all through the movie, there’s an undercurrent racism in the actress’ attitude towards the girl: she often reprimands her for rejecting her “blackness”, but ends up with reinforcing her being “different”.
Under the Skin (2013)
When the Female (Scarlett Johansson) visits a mall, she stops at the Clinique make-up display. She first holds a lipstick, then a Chubby Stick Intense lip colour in a red shade.
The display contains Superbalm moisturizing lip glosses and lipstick testers, Quickliner eye pencils and High Impact mascaras.
Still at the make-up department, the camera pans over another counter, where a sales assistant applies a product on a customer. All the skincare is by Clarins.
Among the products, there’s a set box which includes a pump bottle of Huile Très Démaquillante cleansing oil; there are also the eye make-up remover Démaquillant Express and the serum Capital Lumière.
The final stop of the camera is at a Smashbox make-up counter, where a make-up artist is applying some foundation on a customer using the buildable foundation brush.
Freak Show (2017)
Billy Bloom’s vanity is pretty busy with cosmetics and accessories. In the screencap above, the face powder situation is out of control: it’s basically everywhere on the table.
The center-stage position goes to a pink box contaning Velour lashes.
There are also a MAC hot pink lipstick and a Milani pink lipstick.
The round compact on the upper left is L’Oreal Visible Lift blush.
On the table there are some MAC Pro palette refill pans in their black envelopes and a single eyeshadow.
The perfume in the blue bottle is Avon Mesmerize For Her, a woody aromatic fragrance launched in 1992. Billy uses it all through the film.
Holy Smoke (1999)
Ruth spills the content of her bag on a coffee table, because she wants to make PJ up. She uses one cosmetic in particular – the NARS lipstick.
The sticker bearing the name of the shade on the bottom of the lipstick tube is hard to read, but it’s not difficult to guess it.
In 1998/1999, when the film was produced, there weren’t many red shades in the NARS collection. Five years before, François Nars first marketed his lipsticks to Barneys: the small collection included two reds – Red Lizard (full-powered red) and Jungle Red (vivid blue red). It’s true the shade can’t be read on the bottom of the lipstick, but the lay-out of the name (the first word is longer than the second) points towards Jungle Red, inspired to a nail polish mentioned in The Women (1939) by George Cukor.
Fun Mom Dinner (2017)
When the four protagonists get to a yatch anchored at the harbour, they find a “bling ring” on it – bored teenagers who spend their time listening to music and chatting on their mobile phones. When the moms find out one of them has stolen Emily’s iPhone, Melanie empties the teenage girl’s bag.
In the bag there’s a tube of Glossier Boy Brow grooming pomade, IT Cosmetics Bye Bye under-eye waterproof concealer and MAC Velvetease lip crayon in a red shade.
Fun Mom Dinner (2017)
There are two tubes of Glossier Balm Dotcom universal skin salve in Kate’s bathroom.
The white and pale pink tube with green cap is Rose.
The white and peach pink tube with coral cap is Coconut.
Later in the film, Coconut can be seen in Amelia’s bedroom. The glass pot next to it looks like Nuxe Rêve de Miel ultra-nourishing lip balm.
Sixteen Candles (1984)
There are some make-up products in Randy’s locker. All of them are from Maxi by Max Factor, an affordable beauty line which was on the market from the late 1970s to the 1980s.
The white tube contains Quick & Clean, an eye make-up remover gel.
There are two bottles of nail polish, one red and one dusty rose.
The bottle with the white stopper contains the liquid foundation Maxi-Fresh, which promised to stay “fresh for 8 hours”.
Sleeping with Other People (2015)
Emma (Katherine Waterston) is wearing L’Oreal Color Riche lipstick.
World Wide Aura 
