There’s a bottle of 909 Magic Spray (a conditioner and detangler for extensions) and a Moroccanoil flat iron on Lady Gaga’s dressing table. This picture was taken by Terry Richardson in 2013.
Category Archives: stars’ vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life
Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s Make-Up Finds (2018)
Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the designers behind the fashion brand Rodarte and the talented directors of Woodshock (2017), have just shared their recent beauty finds via Twitter. Their make-up is always pretty minimal, so let’s see what they will be using this spring.
NARS Powermatte lip pigment is shown in two different shades – a dusty mauve (Save the Queen) and a classic red. When it comes to the exact shade, I’m on the fence: it could be the vivid blue red of Starwoman or the red currant of Just Push Play.
There’s also a bottle of Morgan Taylor nail polish in a pastel pink shade.
Pink is a leit-motiv in this picture, as shown by Milk Makeup lip+cheek stick in Rally (mauve with shimmer) and by Rodin lip balm.
No foundation in this selection, but a tinted moisturizer by Laura Mercier.
The highlighter is Bobbi Brown Pink Glow.
Last but not least, a jar of Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch primer.
I hope the Mulleavys will soon share more beauty finds and more favourites. For example, they love floral perfumes, but people need to know. Details, please 😉
Trent Reznor’s Love for Scented Candles
In 1994 the founder and frontman of Nine Inch Nails expressed his love for scented candles, which – according to him – were infinitely better than drugs.
Fast forward to 2014: Reznor was portrayed working in Atticus Ross’ studio. Guess what was sitting next to him… A Diptyque candle! Unfortunately, there’s no way to say what scent it was, but this is the evidence we needed (in case we needed it) that his passion for scented candles is still strong!
Thanks to the lovely girls of Diptyque Detectives for first posting about this.
Stevie Nicks’ Dressing Table
I’ve been obsessed with this picture of Stevie Nicks in the late 1970s since I found it online. She’s sitting at a tiled dressing table, where there are three products which have immediately caught my attention. All of them are by Erno Laszlo: a bottle (among meds), a jar and a soap.
Impossible to say if the bottle contained a lotion, a toner or the Shake-It tinted treatment. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure the jar contained a face powder. But the same packaging was used for other products (including the famous Active pHelityl cream), so I could be wrong. The soap on the far right is Active Phelityl.
Last but not least, the brush next to the jar is by Mason Pearson.
Picture source and source.
Thanks to The Scentimentalist for the brush id and to Bunny Hoover for the soap id.
Marianne Faithfull’s Dressing Table (1974)
A flacon montre by Guerlain can be seen on the dressing table Marianne Faithfull was sitting at. This portrait was taken on February 15th, 1974 by Hoare. The black and white makes impossible to see the colour of the front sticker, hence to know what cologne it was. My guess is that it was a classic – Shalimar.
The spray bottle with the geometric stopper is another Guerlain product – the perfumed deodorant version of Chant d’Arômes, a perfume created by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 1962.
Christina Aguilera’s Dresser (2018)
Christina Aguilera recently posted a short video collage on Instagram to commemorate the late Stinky, one of her beloved dogs. In one picture, some fragrances can be seen. We know that the singer loves floral, fruity and gourmand scents, and the one here are enough evidence. 
The faceted bottle with the pink label is the first version of La Chasse aux Papillons by L’Artisan Parfumeur, a white floral eau de toilette created by Anne Flipo and launched in 1999. 
The bottle with the beige cord around the neck is Artemisia by Penhaligon’s, a lovely powdery fragrance launched in 2002. I’ve been wearing Artemisia for years and I can totally see why Christina uses it: it’s a romantic perfume with a very peculiar warm milky note, very reassuring and comforting.
Marlene Dietrich’s Make-Up Case
One of the most interesting pieces displayed at the Deutsche Kinemathek Museum für Film und Fernsehen is a leather make-up train case owned by Marlene Dietrich. The museum has a beautiful selection of personal objects of the German diva (clothes included), but this case has always attracted my attention. I’ve visited the museum several times, but there’s always been one enigma: a lipstick from Marlene’s case I couldn’t identify (you can see it in the picture above, behind the hair brush, on the right). Until last summer, when I finally was able to read the writing on the bottom of the case.
It’s a lipstick by House of Gourielli in the shade Rose Topaz. The metal case is lovely – it’s decorated by two hands clasped – but the story behind the brand is even better. It was named after Prince Artchil Gourielli-Tchkonia, second husband to Helena Rubinstein, for whom she created a beauty line which included men’s skincare and haircare (sold from the Grey Room of Rubinstein’s beauty salon), women’s skincare, make-up and perfumes.
Marilyn Chambers’ Dressing Room (1979)
There’s a bottle of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche perfume on the dressing table of the pornstar Marilyn Chambers. This picture was taken at the Raymond Revuebar (Soho district in London) in 1979.
Shirley Manson’s Dressing Room (2017)
I love dressing room portraits so much, especially when their protagonists are people I admire. This is certainly the case of Shirley Manson, frontwoman of Garbage. She took this selfie before performing at the Kaaboo Festival in San Diego last Semptember. Let’s see what’s on the table (from left to right).
There are several MAC products, the first of which is the palette Conceal and Correct.
Next, a Mitchum Clean Control deodorant stick.
On the left bottom corner there’s a MAC compact, possibly Mineralize Skinfinish powder.
The silver tube is Jao Goe Oil, a semisolid all-over body oil.
There are two pots of eyeshadow: the cobalt blue one is by MAC, the other is Tom Ford Cream and Powder eye colour in Midnight Sea.
All the brushes are by MAC.
The bullet lipstick is clearly a red shade by MAC. Lady Bug and Lady Danger are among her favourite shades.
The clear tube could be another MAC product – Brow Set brush-on gel.
There’s a Maybelline mascara, too – The Falsies Push Up Drama.
Last but not least, a Dior liquid foundation.
Maila Nurmi’s Dressing Room (1950s)
The Finnish-born Maila Nurmi became famous in the United States as Vampira, the first horror tv host. Protagonist of the Vampira Show in 1954/1955, she also starred in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) by Ed Wood.
The idea for her character was born in 1953 when she attended the Bal Caribe Masquerade in a costume inspired by Morticia Addams. Her characterization was also influenced by the Dragon Lady from the comic strip Terry and the Pirates and the evil queen from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
In the picture above, shot in her dressing room, Nurmi was applying a foundation stick, the now iconic Pan Stik by Max Factor. Her trademark bat sunglasses can be seen, too.
World Wide Aura 
