When Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson) visits the nail salon where Blanca (MJ Rodriguez) works, it’s clear she’s not interested in getting a manicure. She asks for a top coat on her already done nails, and she soon points out her likes and dislikes.
She likes Revlon and Max Factor nail polishes. In the adverts above (both from 1987), you can see the design these brands had for their nail varnish bottles.
She totally dislikes Yardley, the British brand founded in 1770 which was incredibly successful in the 1960s and 1970s, but lost its appeal in the 1980s.
She’s not done with Blanca: her former daughter should take better care of herself and her “ashy complexion” by using Pond’s cold cream.
In the screencap above we can see a jar of Barbicide disinfectant on Blanca’s working station.
In the meantime, Blanca is applying the top coat Elektra has asked for. It’s by Seche Vite, even if this product didn’t exist in 1987 (the brand was founded in 1991).
When Blanca puts away the top coat, we can see a display of OPI nail polishes. This is historically incorrect, since the American brand, founded in 1981, expanded its portfolio to nail lacquers in 1989, not in 1987.
One of the most ground-breaking eye shadow colours – the jade green Mermaid Eyes by Max Factor – gets a mention in this scene, set at the make-up counter where Midge works. Too bad this namecheck is historically inaccurate: the story is set in the late 1950s, while the Max Factor product was released in 1962.
The first, launched in 1945, has been discontinued, while the second, launched in 1953, is still among the most popular colours of the brand.
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