Category Archives: perfumes in tv shows

How to Get Away with Murder S06E04 (I Hate the World)

When Michaela (Aja Naomi King) realises her father is Solomon Vick, she goes to New York to meet him. She attends one of his conferences and aggressively asks him personal questions. Later, she intrudes into his hotel room and goes through his items.

In the bathroom there are two perfume bottles: one is John Varvatos Artisan, a creation by John Varvatos and Rodrigo Flores-Roux launched in 2009; the other is Dana Canoe, a Jean Carles creation first launched in 1936 as a fresh perfume for women and marketed as men’s cologne since the 1960s.

Michaela doesn’t resist and smells the Varvatos perfume. You may remember it made an appearance in the second season of the show, in Mike’s bedroom.

The Politician S01E03 (October Surprise)

When Peyton (Ben Platt) finally pays a visit to his former girlfriend Alice (Julia Schlaepfer), we finally get to see her bedroom (beautiful as the rest of her mansion) and her dresser. Unfortunately, it’s just a fleeting moment, but I’ve been able to identify some of the bottles sitting on it.

There are two perfumes with very distinctive bottles. The white one is Tom Ford Soleil Blanc eau de parfum, part of the Private Blend collection, created by Nathalie Gracia-Cetto and launched in 2016. The round bottle is Chanel Chance, possibly the Eau Tendre version, created by Jacques Polge and launched in 2010. There are also two Moroccanoil products: the pump bottle is the hydrating styling cream, while the spray bottle is Glimmer Shine finishing spray.

Glow S03E08 (Keep Ridin’)

Bash Howard (Chris Lowell), heir to the Howard Foods business empire and producer of GLOW, is one of my favourite characters of the show, so a scene set in his bathroom was very much welcomed by yours truly, who couldn’t wait to take a look at his beauty products.

First on the left of the marble top, there’s a bottle of Ralph Lauren Polo, the aromatic fragrance created in 1978 by Carlos Benaim. No surprises here: Bash is a flamboyant ring announcer and commentator, but he’s very conservative when it comes to appearances. A relatively traditional eau de toilette like Polo suits his character.

His hairstyle is very distinctive and trendy, so it’s obvious there are lots of styling products. There are two bottles of Vitalis hair tonic and an array of L’Oreal Studio Line items (hairspray, two mousses and gel). The choice of using Studio Line is excellent: this hairstyling line was very popular in the 1980s! I liked using Gelling Curls.

Glow S03E04 (Say Yes)

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There’s a can of Aquanet unscented super-hold hairspray on Bobby’s dressing table. The silver-ish bottle on its left reminds me of Halston perfume, which would be really appropriate, since Bobby has just done a beautiful performance in drag as Liza Minnelli, one of the most famous Halstonettes.

Stranger Things S03E02 (The Mall Rats)

strangerthings_s03e02_bornunicorn (2)Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) are at the Starcourt Mall sampling perfumes. They haven’t suddenly turned into scent enthusiasts, but are trying to find something Mike can buy for Eleven as a gift.

avon_louisferaud_vivage_bornunicornThe white boxes with pastel touches and “draped” bottles are Louis Féraud Vivage. This perfume, created by Jean-Pierre Bethouart and launched in 1984, was the result of a collaboration between the French fashion designer and Avon. Heavy on musk and ylang-ylang, this is definitely not a perfume for a young girl.

strangerthings_s03e02_bornunicorn (1)In the window under the counter more Avon perfumes are displayed.

avonthimblebottle_bornunicornThe empty (!) bottle with golden stopper is the thimble, previously seen in Barb’s bathroom. The same bottle was used for different fragrances, so it’s unclear what this one contains.

avonblacksuede_bornunicornThe bottle with black stopper is a men’s fragrance, the musky Black Suede, launched in 1980.

avontempoeaudetoilette_bornunicornOn the right, the bottle with silver “hook” stopper is Tempo, a woody fragrance launched in 1978.

tumblr_mzrsfrqvkt1sm54eyo3_1280-1Last, hidden among boxes, there’s the unmistakable flat-top bottle of a true 1980s classic – Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir, the aromatic woody fragrance created by Pierre Wargnye and launched in 1982, incredibly popular all through the decade.

Pose S02E05 (What Would Candy Do?)

pose_s02e05_bornunicorn (1)Let’s take a moment to appreciate this screenshot: Elektra Wintour (Dominique Jackson) is gracing us with a rare smile and gives us the chance to get a closer look at her vanity.

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The small bottle on it is one of the greatest perfumes of the 1980s, Givenchy Ysatis, an “opulent fragrance that smells like luxury” [1]. Created by Dominique Ropion and launched in 1984, it’s simply perfect for a fierce and unapologetic character like Elektra.

[1] As reported on Fragrantica. I can’t think of a better description.

Stranger Things S03E01 (Suzie, Do You Copy?)

strangerthings_s03e0_bornunicorn (2)cacharel_anaisanais_bornunicornNancy has spent the night with Jonathan and she’s in a hurry to get to work. When the camera quickly pans over a dresser in Jonathan’s bedroom, we can see a perfume bottle that definitely belongs to Nancy: it’s Cacharel Anais Anais eau de parfum, a romantic white floral scent created in 1978 by Roger Pellegrino, Robert Gonnon, Paul Leger and Raymond Chaillan.