In this picture Jayne Mansfield is in front of her vanity: the fragrance sitting on it is Intoxication by D’Orsay, a chypre floral scent launched in 1938. The beautiful fluted bottle was manufactured by Verreries Brosse.
Category Archives: stars’ vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life
Paris Jackson’s Library (2018)
Paris Jackson posted this picture on her Instagram account: among books and crystals there’s a bottle of Eau de Soleil Blanc, one of the most recent releases by Tom Ford, launched in 2018 as a lighter take on Soleil Blanc, created by Nathalie Gracia-Cetto in 2016.
Courtney Love’s Bathroom (1992)
The passion of Courtney Love for cosmetics and perfumes has been documented since the beginning of her career [1]. In 1992 Alan Levenson took this picture in the bathroom of a Los Angeles apartment [2] she had rented with Kurt Cobain. Let’s start with the products on the washbasin.
The shaving cream is by Edge, while the soap bar with green plastic dish is by Clinique. On the left side of the washbasin there’s a pale green tube (a concealer?) and in the toothbrush holder there’s a cleansing facial brush: if memory serves me right, they are both by Clinique (old packaging).
Now the dresser: the pump bottle is Rave ultra-hold hairspray,
The black bottle with gold spray nozzle is Robert Piguet Fracas, her favourite perfume. As she explained in 2017: “My perfume history is checkered, but I found Fracas in 1985 via an agent I shared with Uma [Thurman]. It was so white-floral and heady […] I always come back to Fracas. I love it the most and it’s my go-to. It makes me so happy. My daughter also wears it. No one can ignore you when you’re wearing it, yet it’s not annoying. It smells to me like a baby’s head, a field of dreamy white meadow flowers, and a touch of sex.” Intriguing description, right?
The jar and glass bottle with white caps are Clarins products. Again, I remember Clarins skincare items had the brand name etched on their caps. I have no idea what these contained, but I guess they were a face cream and serum.
Last, the black tube with gold accents is the Lancôme mascara Définicils.
[1] Her Top Shelf is the best ever published on Into the Gloss.
[2] The flat was in the Spaulding Apartments building.
Patti LuPone’s Dressing Room (2017)
In 2016-2017 the multi-Tony and Grammy winner Patti LuPone added an extraordinary role to her already stellar career: she performed as Helena Rubinstein in the musical War Paint, based on the 2004 book by Lindy Woodhead which chronicled the long-time rivalry between beauty enterpreneurs Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden.
This photoshoot by Lauren Klain Carton was published on Vulture to illustrate an interview she had with Jason McHenry: it features backstage pictures, which mean dressing room pictures, which mean cosmetics!
The first products I’ve identified are Take the Day Off, a make-up remover by Clinique, and T. N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel astringent.
And now the make-up. The products up front are by Make Up For Ever – the super matte loose powder in the round plastic pot and the high-definition pressed powder in the black compact.
The white-cap bottle on the left is MAC 2-in-1 tinted serum from the Lightful C collection.
On the right side of the table there are Make Up For Ever Brow Gel tinted brow groomer, BeneFit Roller Lash mascara, Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow eyeshadow crayon, Aqua Lip lip liner and Rouge Artist Intense lipstick. There’s also a MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline eye liner.
The picture above also includes a bottle of MAC Studio face and body foundation.
This shot is great: LuPone in full Rubinstein attire, ready to step on stage. The product I’ve spotted here is Schwarzkopf Professional Osis+ hairspray.
Kim Kardashian West’s Dressing Table (2018)
Kim Kardashian posted this picture in her Instagram Stories on June 10th, 2018: she was sitting in front of a dressing table, cosmetics displayed in front of her. From left to right I’ve spotted:
A Dior Addict Ultra lip gloss in a tan nude shade
A bottle of Ben Nye luxury powder in Banana
MAC Studio Fix powder foundation and powder puff
Two Beauty Blender make-up sponges
An Anastasia Beverly Hills lip palette (in the black mesh make-up bag on the right)
Two nude crème lipsticks by KKW Beauty
Tatcha camellia goldspun lip balm and luminous dewy skin mist
MAC Prep+ Prime Fix+ water mist
Vivien Leigh’s Dressing Table (1960)
The Canadian actor Jack Merivale took this picture in 1960. He was performing as Armand in the play Duel of Angels by Christopher Fry, along with Vivien Leigh. They were at the Huntington Hartford Hotel in Pasadena during the American tour of the play. They had been partners since 1958: Merivale stayed by Vivien Leigh’s side until her death, in 1967, and supported her during the difficult last years of her life.
The picture above is very interesting. In 1960 Leigh and her second husband Lawrence Olivier divorced, but the actress still kept his pictures on her dressing table. Beauty-wise, there are three perfume bottles worth talking about.
On the left, right next to the Olivier picture in the silver photoframe, there’s a Guerlain flacon goutte. First introduced in 1923, it was used for over 30 different fragrances, so there’s no way to tell exactly which one was sitting on Leigh’s table.
Beside the flower vase there’s a Dior amphore, designed by Fernand Guéry-Colas in 1947 for Miss Dior. Later, it was used for other Dior scents, like Diorissimo, Diorling, Diorama and Diorella. Again, there’s no way to know which perfume was on Vivien’s table.
Last but not least, the perfume we can identify without any doubt: Joy by Jean Patou, the actress’ signature scent [1], first given to her as a gift by Olivier.
[1] Elena Prokofieva wrote an interesting article about the perfumes Leigh used.
Kylie Minogue’s Dressing Table
One of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen is Kylie Minogue’s dressing room displayed in Room 106 at the Victoria & Albert Museum. A glass room contains the exact replica of the vanity, mirrors, chairs and wardrobe that the Australian singer had for her 2007 Showgirl: The Homecoming tour.
Let’s see the products sitting on her table, starting from those in a white plastic container (from left to right).
There’s a tube of L’Oreal Professionel A-Head glue structurising fibre gel (old packaging), Tigi Bedhead Masterpiece massive shine hairspray, Johson’s baby powder, Fantasia liquid mousse pro-vitamin wrapping lotion and L’Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray.
The candle on the metal tray is by Jo Malone.
On the busy table there are, among the others, a MAC nail polish, a Chanel Le Vernis nail polish and two Rouge Allure lipsticks by the same brand.
There’s also a pot of Clinique Brush-On cream liner.
Lots and lots of MAC products, too: brushes, pigments, Mineralize Skinfinish Natural face powder, Lustreglass lipgloss and Face and Body foundation.
Next to the plastic container there’s a bottle of Kylie Minogue Darling perfume. Last but not least, there’s a Pucci make-up drawstring pouch.
I love the thank-you note handwritten by Kylie which introduces the display ♥
Sonja Henie’s Dressing Table
This picture portrays the Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie at the dressing table in her Hollywood mansion, later sold to the singer/actress Connie Stevens. The mirrored surface is packed with perfumes and perfume bottles.
On the far left side of the table there’s Guerlain Vol de Nuit in the trademark flacon rayonnant by Baccarat that looks like an airplane propeller; as a matter of fact, the perfume, created by Jacques Guerlain in 1933, was named after Antoine Saint Exupery’s 1931 novel.
Right in front of Sonja there’s a box of Elsa Schiaparelli Salut perfume. The Ilse Bing advertising picture above, dated 1934, shows how the same box was used for other perfumes, too (Soucis and Schiap). The animalic lily fragrance was launched in 1934.
Behind the Scenes of the MET’s Costume Institute Gala 2018: Lily Collins
I usually don’t cover social events, but the theme of this year’s Costume Institute Gala (Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination) intrigued me a lot. Unfortunately, most of the celebrities attending approached the theme with a Carnival-like, if not grotesque, attitude, but there’s an exception: Lily Collins. Her make-up artist, Fiona Stiles, published on Instagram pictures of the cosmetics used on the British actress, so let’s start from there. All of them are Lancôme: there are Advanced Génefique youth-activating serum, two bottles of Teint Idole Ultra Wear liquid foundation, six Color Design eyeshadows, Effacernes under-eye concealer, Matte Shaker liquid lipstick in Black Flip, two Color Design and two L’Absolu Rouge lipsticks, Le Metallique lip lacquer and Hypnôse Drama mascara. The palettes are Blush Subtil and Color Design eyeshadows. The large compact contains Dual Finish illuminating highlighter. Last but not least, there are two sticks of Teint Idole blush.
Here is Fiona applying some shimmering powder on Lily.
And here is Lily in her Madonna Addolorata glory. I love how the theme of the soiree was reflected by her make-up, which included crystal tears on top and bottom of her eyes and a red teardrop. Sublime! Here you can find a list of the products used on the actress. If you’ve come here for the lip colour (I understand, I really do), it’s the Metallique gloss in Purple Onyx.
Long gone are the days in which I wrote about fashion on a now-defunct blog, but let me indulge in some details from her outfit, starting from the accessories. She wore Cartier jewellery (black pendant earrings, statement ring and diamond cross pendant with on a chain) and a metal crown by Clare Waight Keller, the current creative director at Givenchy.
The dress she wore is from Givenchy Haute Couture spring 2018: it has a chic cloister vibe and looks simply perfect on her.
FKA Twigs at the Mirror (2017)
The American artist published this picture on her Instagram account in November 2017. She was applying Clinique Chubby Stick cheek color balm in Amp’d Up Apple, but she was also holding a tube of Glossier Haloscope dew-effect highlighter in Topaz.
World Wide Aura 
