Category Archives: nail polish in tv shows

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.

Euphoria S03E04 (Kitty Likes to Dance)

When Maddie decides to help Cassie with her OnlyFans career, she takes her to a salon, where a team of beauty professionals will give her a make-over. The nail artist in the screencap above is completing a manicure with Glitterbels No Wipe topcoat.

The lip colour the make-up artist applies on her lips is Half Magic Crystal Butter lip balm in Shell-ebrity (baby pink).

Off Campus S01E03 (The Orgasm)

There are some Glossier products on Hannah’s vanity.

On the right side of the table there are a bottle of Stretch fluid foundation and a tube of Lash Slick mascara.

On the same side of the table there’s a bottle of Glossier You eau de parfum, too.

Half-hidden behind the make-up bag there’s also a bottle of OPI top coat.

Thanks to Alessandra for submitting this post.

The Crown S05E07 (No Woman’s Land)

I am disappointed by the selection of beauty products that the show’s prop masters have put on Lady D’s dressing table. In general, this vanity looks sad (which makes sense) and old (which really doesn’t). None of the products and perfumes she used has been featured here, not even Penhaligon’s Bluebell, one of her signature scents [1].

The lipstick in the gold case is by Clarins. It’s sitting on a round compact probably by Christian Dior.

The white box with a funky red pattern is an Avon nail polish. This was a weird decision: what is a product from the 1970s doing here? Did the prop masters know this was Lady Diana’s vanity? Or they believed it belonged to one of her old relatives?

There’s also Braun Independent cordless styler.

On the far right there’s a nice aqua box by Estee Lauder. Although probably not totally accurate, at least it seems plausible.

[1] This particular detail hurts the most. Why were other Penhaligon’s perfumes featured in Seasons 1 and 2 and not here, where one authentic touch was so much needed?

Thanks to Scentimentalist for the Braun, Clarins and Dior id.