Vaseline Intensive Rescue Repairing Moisture cream and petroleum jelly in Vee’s bunk.
Pretty Little Liars S01E05 (Reality Bites Me)
Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale) is wearing MACPowerpoint eye pencil in Forever Green.
Ricordati di me (2003)
Jemima Kirke’s Bathroom Shelf (2014)
Photographer Kristina Loggia documented one day in the life of Jemima Kirke. As a fan of the Girls actress, I really wanted to see exactly what was on her bathroom shelf, but I was able to id some items only – Cetaphil cleanser, Malin+Goetz detox face mask (or facial cleansing oil by the same brand) and Marvis Cinnamon Mint toothpaste.
The complete set of pictures appeared in the March 10, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.
American Horror Story S02E08 (Unholy Night)
The dialogue going on between Dr. Arden (James Cromwell) and Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe) takes place at Christmas time in 1964. He’s giving her a present [1] and she wonders what could it be. She wishes for Dana Tabu perfume, but thinks she will receive some “cheap toilet water from the Woolworth’s” or Yardley’s English Lavender.
There’s a contrast between the two fragrances she mentions, since the first appeals to her seductive side, while the second is more traditional.
No wonder the demon-possessed nun would like to get the “forbidden” perfume. Created in 1932 by Jean Carles, it’s a 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'”.
On the other hand, Fragrantica classifies English Lavender as an aromatic fougère for women. First launched in 1913, it includes notes of rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender and bergamot, with base notes of tonka bean, musk and oakmoss. Such a classic fragrance could not charm the wild side of Sister Mary Eunice.
[1] His present is a pair of ruby earrings he stole from a Jewish woman in concentration camp.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Dressing Table (2011)
A reader of this blog has recently asked me to write something about Elizabeth Taylor’s dressing table, as shown in a gorgeous photospread which appeared in the July 2011 issue of Architectural Digest. The American actress opened the doors of her Bel Air estate – a four-bedroom house on a wooded property – which she bought in the 1980s. The all-white room pictured above has a mirrored wall, a chest of drawers and a big desk.
Taylor was not only an incredibly famous actress and a humanitarian, but a businesswoman, too: she launched 13 perfumes – from Passion in 1988 to White Diamonds Lustre in 2014 – and most of them can be seen on her dressing table.
Gardenia, a polished white floral scent, was released in 2003.
Forever Elizabeth, a fruity/woody fragrance, was launched in 2002.
Black Pearls, a warm woody scent, was released in 1996.
White Diamonds, one of the most popular perfumes by Taylor, was launched in 1991: its bottle had a beautiful egg shape topped by a crystal-studded bow.
I’m not sure about this id: the tall bottle in front of the mirror could refer to White Diamonds again (the most recent bottle) or to three fragrances launched in 1993 – Diamonds and Rubies, Diamonds and Emeralds, Diamonds and Sapphires, a homage to Taylor’s passion for fine jewellery. It’s interesting to see red, green and blue crystals in the bows topping the original bottles of these three scents.
Violet Eyes was launched in 2010. Its name is a reference to the peculiar colour of the actress’s eyes.
On the table you can also see several mirrors, make-up brushes and products, among which Yves Saint Laurent glosses, NARS lipsticks and a couple of compacts.
This close-up on the dressing table shows some of the most famous pieces of her massive jewellery collection: the Bulgari diamond and emerald necklace, bracelet and matching earrings (presents from Richard Burton), Cartier diamond and ruby earrings, bracelet and matching necklace (presents from Mike Todd), the Granny necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels (a gift from Burton in 1971), the diamond tiara Todd gave her in 1957, a Bulgari sapphire and diamond necklace (a present from Burton in 1969), the famous Serpenti watch by Bulgari.
There are some more make-up products: a set of Estee Lauder Pure Color eyeshadows (in the quirky cubes), four Tom Ford and four Dior lipsticks, plus some jars from La Prairie skincare line.
Sorry but all those diamonds have made me dizzy 😉 I’m in love with her dressing table: she wore her own perfumes until the end, which means she really felt them as part of her life, unlike most contemporary celebrities who launch perfumes but probably have never worn them once.
Karen Elson’s Beauty Spree (2014)
Karen Elson has recently posted the picture of a shopping bag full of beauty products on her Instagram account, commenting: “I’m a beauty product junkie. Can’t help myself. I go in for one thing then come out with a bag full”. I totally feel you, Karen, so welcome to the beauty addict club. But let’s see what Miss Elson has bought: a bottle of Moroccanoil shampoo and a plethora of Sisley skincare products, among which full sizes of Hydra-Flash intensive hydrating mask, Hydra-Global intense anti-aging moisturizer and Phyto-Blanc lightening cleansing milk. In addition, there are samples of Global Perfect pore minimizer, Sisleÿa Global Anti-Age cream, Huile Precieuse a la Rose Noire face oil and Baume Efficace eye and lip contour balm. Last but not least, a box of Marvis toothpaste in Classic Strong Mint.
Agent Carter (2015)
Have you ever wondered what is the exact lipstick shade worn by Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter (Hayley Atwell), the Marvel character who is among the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D.? The British actress, who’s currently filming the tv series Agent Carter, revealed it on her Twitter account. When it comes to retro and glamourous shades, there’s one way to go: Bésame Cosmetics. The lipstick worn by Hayley is Red Velvet, a 1946-inspired colour.
It’s a deep red with a semi-matte finish, suitable for everyday wear. It’s one of the Bésame lipsticks I’ve tried, thanks to lovely samples I received from the American brand, and I can assure you it’s a fantastic colour. If you are red-lipstick lovers, you must have it in your collection.
Don’t Look Now (1973)
How to Get Away with Murder S01E03 (Smile or Go to Jail)
A couple of weeks ago I binge-watched the ABC legal dramaHow to Get Away with Murder and I fell in love with the make-up of Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil). It’s very similar to my everyday make-up, which means bare face and eyes but ruby red lips. The shade used on her is fantastic, so I turned to Twitter to ask the show’s make-up artist more about it. Sergio Lopez-Rivera was so kind to answer my question and revealed he uses Ruby Woo by MAC on the actress. This shade is among my favourites ever, but I must admit it looks more vibrant on Liza, probably because of her fair complexion, which makes the colour pop.
World Wide Aura 
