Lilly “Cat Girl” Christine’s Dressing Table

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danatabucologne_bornunicornA box of Dana Tabu cologne can be seen on the dressing table of the burlesque dancer Lilly “Cat Girl” Christine. Created by Jean Carles in 1932, Tabu is a sensual warm spicy/woody scent which starts with fresh citrus and spicy notes; according to Fragrantica, its warm oriental base includes amber, resins, civet and precious woods – sandal and patchouli. In Scent and Subversion Barbara Herman explains that “it’s said that Dana’s brief to Carles was along the lines of, ‘Make a perfume a prostitute would wear’”.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

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mrsdoubtfire_bornunicornWhen Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) and his wife split up, he desperately tries to find a place in the lives of his three children. The trick he opts for is pretending to be a Scottish nanny, Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire. Before turning into Mrs. Doubtfire, he tries to impersonate different types of babysitters: his brother Frank and his partner Jack (both are make-up artists) help him find the right type. One of the babysitters he impersonates has a raven black wig, a strong Latin accent and stiletto nails.

clarins_oldbottlenailpolish_bornunicorn“I hope you are using Jungle Red. That is the only colour I love,” Daniel says. “Matches your lips,” Jack replies. Daniel is obviously referring to the famous fictional nail polish shade mentioned in The Women (1939) by George Cukor, but the nail polish used by Frank is by Clarins.

Mad Men S01E02 (Ladies Room)

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cotymuguetdesbois_bornunicornThere’s a bottle of Coty Muguet des Bois on Betty Draper’s dresser. This is one of the most popular Coty perfumes: created by Henri Robert and launched in 1941, it has top notes of aldehydes, orange, green leaves and bergamot; middle notes of cyclamen, lilac, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose; base notes of sandalwood and musk.

Thanks to Elena Vosnaki for the id.

Endeavour S02E03 (Sway)

endeavour_s02e03_bornunicorn (1)atkinsonscalifornianpoppy_bornunicornMrs. Haldane, one of the victims of a mysterious strangler, had a very busy dressing table. Among her perfumes, there’s a bottle of Californian Poppy, a fragrance by Josephine Kell Ltd. The picture above refers to the 1940s version of the perfume, while the bottle seen in the tv show has a different shape and a different lettering on the front label.

worthjereviens_cologne_bornunicornThe round bottle in front of Californian Poppy is the eau de cologne version of Worth Je Reviens, a floral aldehyde fragrance created by Maurice Blanchet and launched in 1932.

Crabtree___Evelyn_Gardeners_Hand_Therapy_bornunicornThe brown tube looks like Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners hand therapy cream.

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madamerochasrefillableatomiser_bornunicornThere’s also a refillable atomiser of Rochas Madame Rochas.

Thanks to Jennifer for the hand cream id and to Nastja for the Worth id.

A growing archive of beauty products and perfumes in movies and tv shows