Lucía (Julieta Serrano) is a woman with a troubled past: abandoned by her husband Iván with a child (Carlos, now grown-up and interpreted by Antonio Banderas), she’s spent a long time in a mental institution. Now she’s living with her parents, who try to support her and her extravagant looks.
In this scene, she’s applying her eyeliner. On her dresser there are many beauty products, among which the unmistakable golden spray can of L’Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray.
But there’s also another interesting product – a white jar with pink lid, which screams “Christian Dior skincare”.
It’s impossible to say exactly what product this was, but was for sure part of the Hydra-Dior collection.
It’s not a coincidence that later in the film we see several products from the same line on Pepa’s vanity. Pepa (Carmen Maura) is the former mistress of Iván. She’s another woman “on the verge of a nervous breakdown”, just like Lucía: they’re in love with the same man (who has dumped both of them for another lover) and happen to use the same skincare.
When María Cardenal (Assumpta Serna) re-applies her lipstick, we can see it falling on her lap.
It’s Stylo à Levres by Lancôme, a product launched in the 
There’s a 
Max Baron (James Spader) is getting ready for a friend’s bachelor party. On his bathroom counter there are two bottles of Ralph Lauren Polo, an aromatic fragrance created by Carlos Benaim and launched in 1978.
Brigitte Winkelmann is the 
The first is the spicy-fruity Dolce Vita by Christian Dior, a creation by Pierre Bourdon and Maurice Roger. Too bad it was launched in 1994 (the show is set 8 years earlier!). I think the bottle was chosen simply as a decoration.
The other bottle is Safari by Ralph Lauren. Historically speaking, it’s another inaccuracy, because this fragrance, created by Dominique Ropion, was launched on the market in 1990. Too recent to be sitting in a Parisian bathroom in the mid 1980s.
While Cecile (Jean Seberg) is applying sunscreen on Elsa’s shoulders, Raymond (David Niven) is reading a magazine with an interesting back cover.
A few instants later the magazine is fully visible: it’s Elle.
The back cover advertises a very popular French perfume – Soir de Paris by Bourjois. Created by Ernest Beaux (Chanel No. 5’s “dad”), it was originally launched in 1928 on the American market as Evening in Paris. Thanks to the huge success it had in the U.S., it was finally launched in Europe with a French name. The blue bottle with silver accents was designed by the painter Jean Helleu.
Margeeve (Stockard Channing) is checking her make-up in a golden compact by 
Matt exposes Trina’s affairs by displaying pictures of them on her vanity. It’s a cruel and dramatic scene, but it gives us the chance to see some of the beauty products she uses.
The bottles of perfume are by Maitre Perfumeur et Gantier (the one at the centre of the vanity) and Annick Goutal (on the mirrored tray on the right).
There’s also a Chanel toning lotion. Something similar can be seen in a 1970s ad: at the time the product was called Lotion Tonique Refraichissante.
In the picture above there’s another Chanel product – the make-up remover Démaquillant Douceur, in the squared bottle used in the 1990s.
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