Phaedra (1962)

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voldenuit_vintage_guerlain_bornunicornThere’s a bottle of Guerlain Vol de Nuit on the protagonist’s bathroom shelf. Phaedra (Melina Mercouri), who falls in love with her stepson (Anthony Perkins), is a rich and bored woman, so it’s no wonder she uses this perfume. Vol de Nuit, created by Jacques Guerlain in 1933, is not the ubiquitous Shalimar or Mitsouko, but has a special charm, also related to its source of inspiration – Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s novel with the same name, published in 1931. The aviation theme of the name can be found in the flacon rayonnant, resembling a moving aircraft propeller.

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Electric Slide (2014)

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pantheredecartier_bornunicornCharlotte (Chloë Sevigny) has a very busy dressing table. There are several make-up items and perfume bottles, among which Christian Dior Eau Savage and Cartier Panthère de Cartier.

Eau Savage is a classic perfume by Christian Dior, first launched in 1966 and created by Edmond Roudnitska; it’s still a best seller, despite the reformulation process it’s gone through. It’s an enjoyable perfume with a fantastic citrusy opening, aromatic middle notes and woody notes in the base. The Cartier perfume, on the other hand, is a symbol of the decade it was launched in – the 1980s. I’ve always loved the showy luxury of its perfume bottle, with the two panthers made of frosted glass.

 

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