Category Archives: stars’ vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life

ABBA’s Dressing Room (2015)

abba_dressingroom_bornunicorn (1)A couple of weeks ago, my friend Raffaella went to Stockholm, where she visited ABBA The Museum. She sent me some awesome pictures of the band’s dressing tables, so let’s see what’s on them.

CacharelAnaisAnais_bornunicornOn the left, next to the metal suitcase, there’s a box of Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs, the ultra-feminine and romantic perfume created in 1978 by Roger Pellegrino, Robert Gonnon, Paul Leger and Raymond Chaillan. The yellow bottle next to it is probably a shampoo or a shower gel; the brand is LdB (Lait de Beauté), a very famous Swedish brand established in 1948.

elnetthairspray_vintage_bornunicornThere’s also the unmistakable golden can of L’Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray.

diorspraybottle_bornunicornNext to the hairspray, there’s the spray bottle of a Dior scent. The front label is not visible, so it’s impossible to tell exactly what perfume it is. It could be the Miss Dior cologne, the Eau Fraiche, Miss Dior eau de toilette, Diorissimo eau de toilette, or another Dior perfume who had the same bottle.

oilofolayvintage_bornunicornJust behind the glass, there’s a bottle of Oil of Olay moisturizing fluid.

angie-everhart-rive-gauche-yves-saint-laurent_bornunicornThere’s the beautiful royal blue, black and silver metal bottle of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, too. Created by Michael Hy and launched in 1971, it’s a floral aldehyde scent.

givenchyiii_bornunicornOn the far right there’s a bottle of Givenchy III, created by Pierre Dinand and launched in 1970 to celebrate the opening of the Givenchy store on 3 Avenue George V in Paris.

l'orealvintagelipstick_bornunicornIn the front row there are make-up products, among which a box of Kryolan false eyelashes and a Color Riche lipstick by L’Oreal. I’m not sure about this last id, though. L’Oreal lipsticks used to have a dark (aubergine?) case in the 1980s; ABBA’s last album, The Visitors, was released in 1981: had L’Oreal introduced the gold-case lipsticks yet? 

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vintageniveacreme_bornunicornninaricci_lairdutempsfluted_bornunicornOn another table we can see a tin box of Nivea Creme. Next to it, an amphora-shaped bottle with gold cap: this is Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps. Despite being famous for its twin-dove fluted bottle, the perfume (eau de toilette version) was sold in this more basic bottle in the 1970s and 1980s.

rochasmadamerochasspray_bornunicornThere’s also a spray bottle of Rochas Madame Rochas, a Guy Robert creation launched in 1960.

elizabetharden_vintagecompact_bornunicornThe black compact in the centre front row is an eyeshadow palette by Elizabeth Arden. There’s another black compact on the right: I think it’s by Yves Saint Laurent (see the red and black logo with gold lettering), but I personally have no memory of black make-up cases, only gold ones.

Christina Aguilera and Matthew Rutler’s Bathroom (2015)

wpid-wp-1439383691830.jpgChristina Aguilera has never loved social networks: she rarely interacts on Twitter and hardly ever posts personal pictures on Instagram. Yesterday things drastically changed, though; she literally took over her Instagram account by posting pictures of her favourite things, many of them are fashion-related. She made my day with the picture above, shot in her bathroom. It looks like a very quiet place, with crystals, a statue of Lakshmi (the Hindu goddess of wealth), marble and mirrors. The stone tray – Matthew Rutler’s – on the left caught my attention, with many interesting men’s perfumes on it.

montblanclegend_bornunicornThe black and silver metal bottle is Mont Blanc Legend, a fresh fougère fragrance created by Olivier Pescheux and launched in 2011.
valentinouomo_bornunicornThe studded bottle is Valentino Uomo, a gourmand scent created by Olivier Polge and launched in 2014. It contains notes of hazelnut, chocolate, leather, roasted coffee beans, cedar, myrtle and bergamot.

versacemeneaufraiche_bornunicornThere’s another studded bottle, and it’s Versace Man Eau Fraîche, a citrusy scent with woody/fresh spicy notes, created by Olivier Cresp and launched in 2006.
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There’s also Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit de l’Homme, an aromatic fragrance with notes of cardamom, lavender, bergamot, caraway, cedar and vetiver, created by Anne Flipo, Pierre Wargnye and Dominique Ropion in 2009.

johnvarvatos_fragrancecoffret_bornunicornThe tiny bottles are from the John Varvatos fragrance collection coffret: they are Classic, Vintage, Artisan and Artisan Black.
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viktorrolf_bonbon_bornunicornkenzoflowerintheair1_bornunicornkenzoflowerintheair_bornunicornThe only products I’ve been able to id on Christina’s side of the bathroom are By Night, one of her fragrances, Viktor & Rolf Bonbon and Kenzo Flower in the AirBy Night was launched in 2007: it has a strong note of vanilla, plus apple, pineapple, peach blossom, freesia, heliotrope and lily of the valley. Bonbon is a gourmand perfume, with caramel as its key note; it was created by  Cecile Matton and Serge Majoullier in 2014. Last but not least, Flower in the Air, created by Alberto Morillas in 2013, is a rose scent with notes of raspberry, magnolia, gardenia, pink pepper and white musk.

Thanks to my Twitter friends Roberto, Jon and Katie who did most of the ids for me.

Marc Almond’s Dressing Rooms (2015)

wpid-wp-1438510334498.jpgI’ve got a soft spot for Marc Almond as an artist, but I love his habit of posting pictures of his dressing rooms, too. The one above was taken on July 26th, 2015 at the Sands Centre in Carlisle (Cumbria), where Marc performed with the Jools Holland Band.

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diorskin_nudeaircompact_bornunicornflorisnightscentedjasmine_bornunicornOn the table I can see some items I spotted last May (MAC Mineralize Skinfinish and Dior Cannage compact), plus some additions. The bottle on the shelf is Night Scented Jasmine by Floris, a fragrance with a citrusy opening, floral heart (gardenia, iris, jasmine, lily, mimosa, narcissus, rose and ylang ylang) and a musky base. Thanks to Marc himself for letting me know about the perfume.

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diorskin_nudeaircompact_bornunicornmacfoundationsponge_bornunicornbeccaevermatteporelessprimingperfector_bornunicornecotoolsbrushes_bornunicornkryolan_camouflagecremepalette_bornunicornThe picture above was taken yesterday at the Dublin National Concert Hall. There’s the Dior Cannage compact again, plus several MAC pencils and foundation sponge (in the black plastic bag in front of the mirror), Becca Ever-Matte poreless priming perfector and a couple of ecoTools make-up brushes. The 16-pan palette is Kryolan Dermacolor Camouflage Creme.

Thanks to my reader Jessica for the Kryolan id.

 

 

Amy Winehouse’s Make-Up Case

tumblr_lstmeyhyu61r2wir2o1_r1_500rimmelExaggerateLiquidEyeLiner_bornunicornThick eyeliner flicks were among her most notable trademarks. She probably experimented with several products, but in the picture above she was using Rimmel Exaggerate liquid eyeliner.

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mavalanailpolishdisplay_bornunicornI love this picture, where Amy was shopping for nail polishes at a drugstore. She selected a couple of red shades from the Mavala display. The tiny bottles and the wide colour selection make the Swiss brand one of my favourites.

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chanelhotpinklipstick_bornunicorn.jpgThe connection between Amy and Chanel became clear when Karl Lagerfeld sent his models sporting thick eyeliner and beehives on the runway of the Métiers d’Art pre-fall 2008 collection. Amy had her own unique style but she liked Chanel bags and make-up. In the picture above, she was putting on some Chanel lipstick in a bright pink shade.

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chanelcompactfoundation_bornunicornchanellippencil_bornunicornIn a photoshoot she did with Elina Kechicheva for Jalouse on January 25th, 2008, she was holding a Chanel black compact containing Double Perfection Lumière foundation and a Chanel Le Crayon Lèvres lip pencil in a pink nude shade.

Claudia Cardinale’s Dressing Table (1963)

ilgattopardo_bornunicornacquadiroseroberts_bornunicornThere’s a bottle of Roberts rosewater on Claudia Cardinale’s dressing table. The film director, Luchino Visconti, was sitting by her side, checking her hairstyle. The picture was taken by Angelo Frontoni on the set of Il Gattopardo.

Lena Hall’s Dressing Room (2014)

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The American actress and singer Lena Hall published this picture on her Instagram account. She was dressed as Yitzhak, one of the protagonists of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She had this role in the musical’s revival on Broadway, thanks to which she won a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2014. In the picture she was holding a bottle of Dior Fahrenheit and in the caption she mused: “Want to know Yitzhak smell?”. I don’t know if she really wore the perfume on stage, but the iconic woody Dior perfume would have been perfect for her character.

Marc Almond’s Dressing Room (2015)

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diorskin_nudeaircompact_bornunicornI love when Marc Almond posts on his Instagram account the dressing rooms he visits while on tour. Today he posted this picture, taken yesterday at the Assembly Hall in Turnbridge Wells. The first item which has caught my attention is the beautiful silver Cannage compact by Dior, which could contain Diorskin Nude Tan sun powder or Diorskin Nude Air compact powder.

vaseline_liptherapyoriginal_bornunicornmacmineralizeskinfinishnatural_bornunicornA tin of Vaseline Original Lip Therapy lip salve can be seen in the transparent make-up case and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in a box on the table.

Thanks to my reader Sara for the MAC id. 

Frida Kahlo’s Hidden Closet

wpid-screenshot_2015-05-05-20-07-08.jpgThere’s something creepy and fascinating in the earthly possessions of great artists. We often tend to fantasize about their creations and to put them on a pedestal, but we mustn’t forget they were humans like us, breathing and living in flesh and blood. A strong voyeuristic drive sometimes takes us to visit their homes or their studios, still inhabited with the ghost of them and filled with personal objects. I had a similar feeling when I found out about a project by the Japanese photographer Ishiuchi Miyako. In 2004 he had the honour to photograph personal belongings of Frida Kahlo, which had been hidden in a bathroom of the Blue House in Mexico City. Frida’s husband, Diego Rivera, started placing Frida’s personal effects and clothing there in 1954; he gave instructions that that bathroom should remain closed until 15 years after his death. It remained unopened until 2004, when the Museo Frida Kahlo decided to catalogue the contents of the room. The pictures taken by Miyako are an extraordinary record of an extraordinary life, where pain, illness, desperation, art, love and passion merge.

Two pictures have impressed me the most, because they’re beauty-related. In the first one, two Revlon nail polishes are portrayed.

revlon_vintagenailpolish_orchidstoyou_bornunicornSeal-Fast was a top coat: according to an ad appearing on the Pittsburg Press in September 1941, it halved drying time, made the enamel more resistant, protected the nails and encouraged longer growth. The second nail polish was part of the Lastron line: Orchids to You was a shade released in 1948, along with matching lipstick and a face powder. I’m not surprised of this find: Frida’s nails were often painted and Revlon was one of the most popular make-up brands at the time.

The second picture filled me with joy! Finally the evidence that Frida actually wore one of the perfumes always quoted in forums and websites – Emir by Dana.

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dana_emir_vintageads_bornunicornThese beautiful ads emphasize the exotic quality of this perfume. Created by the master perfumer Jean Carles and launched in 1936, it was an oriental leather scent with an incense base. According to the Basenotes user Meliscents, it was a mix of Opium and Ivory soap, “that touch of clean keeps it from being too dark & heavy”. The description perfectly matches Frida’s taste.