Category Archives: haircare in tv shows

The Shards S01E05 (Murder on the Dancefloor)

Brett (Igby Rigney) is checking his hairstyle during a break from Dance Off!, the dancing competition he’s taking part in.

Right in front of him there’s a spray can of Aquanet unscented super-hold hairspray.

Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley), Debbie’s father, is acting like a helicopter parent: he’s doing everything he can in his power to make his daughter win the competition. In this specific scene, he’s talking about Brett’s Less Than Zero script, and arranges a meeting with the boy at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

On the far right side of the dressing table we can see a bottle of Rave unscented ultra-hold hairspray.

More products can be seen when he sits down.

There’s a jar of Vaseline pure petroleum jelly (Terry applies it on his lips).

The Mondrian-inspired can is from the Studio Line hair styling collection by L’Oreal, one of my most vivid memories from the 1980s (I loved the mousse and the gel).

The white bottle is Aquanet unscented super-hold hairspray.

The Shards S01E02 (Don’t You Want Me)

The opening of this scene deserves a moment of silence. This is the intricately ornate vanity of Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner), who’s getting ready for a night out. The “frieze” decorating the bottom of the mirror perfectly echoes the maximalist style of the early part of the decade. Honestly it’s left me speechless, because there’s a lot about the 1980s (visually speaking) that I have tried to forget over the years, but let’s move on from here.

A can of Aquanet super-hold hairspray can be seen on the table. It’s the first product she uses.

There’s a lot happening on her table, but I have managed to identify two bottles. The one with the milky white stopper is Dior Miss Dior eau de cologne; the other, with the milky white dove stopper, is Nina Ricci L’air du temps, previously seen in the pilot, although housed in a different bottle. Both choices are historically accurate: the original Miss Dior (a creation by created by Paul Vacher and Jean Carles) was launched in 1947, and the Nina Ricci fragrance (a Francis Fabron creation) was launched in 1948.

Among the nail polish bottles, there are a couple with a distinctive hexagonal cap: they are Super Nails nail polishes by Natural Wonder.

It makes sense for Debbie to own Remington 600 Super hand-held hair dryer, which came with attachments for different stylings.

When the girl opens a drawer of her table (she’s looking for something), more products can be seen.

There are several Lip Smacker lip balms, among which Blue Raspberry, Piña Colada and Kiwi. These are not vintage products, but these lip balms were first introduced in 1973 by Bonne Bell. They’re definitely a realistic choice.

Last, a Chanel compact. It’s impossible to know what it contained (pressed face powder or eye-shadows), but it’s another realistic choice. The advert above is from 1980: it promoted the make-up collection Les Provocatifs, which I haven’t been able to find more information about. In any case, in the early 1980s both pressed face powder and eye-shadow palettes were part of Chanel cosmetics collections.

The Shards S01E02 (Don’t You Want Me)

Bret (Igby Rigney) is in his bathroom. In it we can see all the products spotted in the TV show pilot.

The horse-shaped column bottle is Avon Pony Post.

The black matte bottle is Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir, an aromatic fougère fragrance created by Pierre Wargnye and launched in 1982.

The spray can with yellow cap is Gillette The Dry Look hairspray.

The only new addition is Fabergé Brut 33 splash-on lotion.

The Shards S01E01 (Pilot)

In the first episode we get a close look at Brett’s bathroom, and see some interesting products in it.

The spray can with yellow cap is Gillette The Dry Look hairspray.

The horse head bottle is obviously an Avon design — Pony Post. Traditionally, Avon’s quirky bottles housed several fragrances, so it’s impossible to tell what this one contained.

When the camera follows the protagonist (Igby Rigney) into his bedroom, we can also see a jar of Noxzema skin cream.

Half-hidden behind a perfumed talc shaker, there’s the unmistakable matte black bottle of a 1980s classic — Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir. It’s an aromatic fougère fragrance created by Pierre Wargnye and launched in 1982.

Euphoria S03E04 (Kitty Likes to Dance)

The dressing room at the Silver Slipper stripper club is packed with cosmetics and beauty products.

On the central part of the mirrored counter I can see TRESemmé hair mousse.

The make-up case right in front of Magick (Rosalía) contains several Sparklestik™ eye crayons by Half Magic.

Moving to the right side of the counter, we can see an open yellow box: it’s an eyeshadow by Half Magic.

Right behind it there’s a spray can of Batiste original dry shampoo in Classic Fresh.

Stranger Things S05E02 (The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler)

In a season filled with chaos and violence, Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) is the only character who gives us a short moment of relax — nice music (ABBA’s Fernando is playing on the small stereo she keeps on the bathroom counter), a glass of white wine and a bubble bath.

On the same counter there’s a can of Aqua Net super-hold hairspray.

Half-hidden among other bottles, there’s a Guerlain flacon montre with a gold stopper. This is a historically accurate choice, because this specific bottle was introduced on the market in 1972. The front sticker is not visible, so it’s impossible to tell what fragrance it contains.

The product she generously pours into her bath tub is Avon Bubble Bath in Soft Pink.

Feud S02E03 (Masquerade 1966)

Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart) is getting her hair done, while the Maysles brothers are filming her for their documentary [1].

Her hair stylist’s spray of choice is Adorn by Toni.

[1] The real documentary (A Visit with Truman Capote) doesn’t go behind the scenes of the Black and White Ball, but focuses on Truman Capote in the aftermath of the huge success of In Cold Blood.

Ad picture source.

Nine Perfect Strangers S01E06 (Motherlode)

There’s a pump bottle of Aesop Resurrection Aromatique hand wash in Francis’ bathroom.

The camera moves and reveals more products by the washbasin. All of them are by Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.

The white bottle is a shampoo.

The white tube is the enzymatic exfoliating mask.

Last, the tall glass spray bottle contains a toning water. Judging from the writing on the label it could be rose water.

Thanks to my friend Rocco for submitting this post.

The Sopranos S05E05 (Irregular Around the Margins)

There are some interesting beauty products in Adriana and Christopher’s bathroom.

On the shelf behind the girl there’s a tall Jo Malone bottle. It’s unclear what product it is but, judging from the light content, it could be shampoo.

The moment in which Adriana (Drea De Matteo) opens a mirrored cabinet reveals more items.

The silver can with blue bands on the top shelf is Zirh Clean alpha-hydroxy face wash for men.

On the top shelf there’s a bottle of Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Healing lotion. I couldn’t find any exact pictures of it but you can see the packaging in a 2002 commercial.

The dark blue box sitting in the middle shelf is Boucheron Pour Homme.

There’s a NARS box, too. White packaging has usually been associated to the brand’s skincare line, but online there’s no evidence of the original products launched in 2002, so I don’t have any visual reference.

Thanks to Alessandra for submitting this post and thanks to Scentimentalist in the comments for the Zirh ID.