Helena (Francesca Neri) is soaking in the tub after having sex with her husband David.
Behind her we can see a Chanel bottle, probably containing a bath gel. Next to it, there’s Guerlain Habit Rouge, one of the most famous creations by Jean-Paul Guerlain, launched in 1965.
David (Javier Bardem) is bathing in the same tub. Behind him we can see Chanel Coco bath gel and Coco eau de toilette.
If you, like me, are a fan of Isabelle Huppert, you’ll be delighted to see this backstage picture, taken on April 15th, 2019 at the Linda Gross Theater in New York. For roughly two months the French actress performed as the Mother in the namesake play by Florian Zeller, under the direction of Trip Cullman.
From left to right there are:
Dove spray deodorant
Avène Hydrance Optimale light hydrating cream
By Terry Terrybly Densiliss foundation
Two Chanel lipsticks
Estee Lauder Double Wear liquid foundation
NARS blush and loose face powder
As a die-hard fan of Diptyque, I must admit I jumped on my chair when I saw an eau de toilette bottle on Isabelle’s table. I’m not 100% sure of my id because the front label is partially hidden, but my guess is that she uses Do Son, a tuberose fragrance created in Fabrice Pellegrin and launched in 2005.
Next to the Diptyque bottle there’s a Serge Lutens fragrance. In this case, it’s impossible to tell what it is.
There are also two items that not beauty-related but are very nice: a small jar of Tiger Balm (one of my staples) and a tin box containing Gommose Leone, delicious Italian liquorice gummy candy.
Thanks to Scentimentalist for the foundation id.
The most important ball of the year is about to start and Elektra (Dominique Jackson) retouches Blanca’s make-up by using Maybelline Great Lash mascara.
When Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson) visits the nail salon where Blanca (MJ Rodriguez) works, it’s clear she’s not interested in getting a manicure. She asks for a top coat on her already done nails, and she soon points out her likes and dislikes.
She likes Revlon and Max Factor nail polishes. In the adverts above (both from 1987), you can see the design these brands had for their nail varnish bottles.
She totally dislikes Yardley, the British brand founded in 1770 which was incredibly successful in the 1960s and 1970s, but lost its appeal in the 1980s.
She’s not done with Blanca: her former daughter should take better care of herself and her “ashy complexion” by using Pond’s cold cream.
In the screencap above we can see a jar of Barbicide disinfectant on Blanca’s working station.
In the meantime, Blanca is applying the top coat Elektra has asked for. It’s by Seche Vite, even if this product didn’t exist in 1987 (the brand was founded in 1991).
When Blanca puts away the top coat, we can see a display of OPI nail polishes. This is historically incorrect, since the American brand, founded in 1981, expanded its portfolio to nail lacquers in 1989, not in 1987.
When Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain) first meets Ricky (Dyllon Burnside), he asks him if he took a bath in Kouros cologne.
This is a lovely namedrop, because it refers to the Yves Saint Laurent perfume that really defined a decade. Created by Pierre Bourdon and launched in 1981, it was unforgettable in its original formulation, heavy on civet, honey, leather and musk.
There are two quintessentially 1990s fragrances in the Golden Bay Club locker room where David (David Caruso) and Matt (Chazz Palminteri) change after a squash match.
The bottle without stopper is Ralph Lauren Safari for Men, launched in 1992.
The other is Estee Lauder Aramis, created in 1966 by Bernard Chant.
Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson) likes flaunting her luxurious lifestyle and when she goes to bail Blanca out of jail, she reinforces this attitude. She charms a police officer who’s interested in her perfume: she explains it’s Caron Poivre, a very expensive perfume that an ordinary police officer has obviously never smelt before.
This is an unusual choice: Poivre is not among the classic powerhouse fragrances which ruled the 1980s, so it tells a lot about Elektra’s lifestyle. Created by Michel Morsetti and launched in 1954, the fragrance is named after its dominant note (pepper). It was originally advertised as “the dream fragrance for furs” [1], so it sounds perfect for a woman like Elektra who often wears furs.
[1] Probably the most famous fragrances “for furs” were created in 1928 by Claude Fraysse for Parfums Weil – Chinchilla Royal, Hermine, Une Fleur pour Fourrure and Zibeline. As a matter of fact, the perfume house’s founder, Marcel Weil, owned a famous furs atelier, Fourrures Weil.
Angel (Indya Moore) finally gets her own apartment thanks to Stan. On Christmas Eve she goes through her beauty routine, waiting for her lover to pay her a visit.
The pink bottle on her vanity is Xi’a Xi’ang, a perfume launched in 1987 by Charles of the Ritz and later released under the Revlon name. Named after the Chinese word for “imagination”, it was discontinued in 1995.
Thanks to perfumes_marimichimoni on Instagram for the id.
While pretending to be Faustus Blackwood’s Stepford wife, Zelda Spellman (Miranda Otto) sits at her vanity and puts lipstick on.
We know Miranda usually wears Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks and this time is not different, as shown by the rose gold fluted tube she’s holding. My guess is that she’s wearing Night Crimson, a plum red shade.
When Angel (Indya Moore) goes to a perfume shop inside the Trump Tower for a job opportunity, a factice bottle of Chanel No. 5 can be seen in the background.
When the perfume counter is shown, some bottles of Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris are shown. It’s a historically inaccurate choice, because this perfume (created by of Olivier Cresp, Harry Fremont and Dora Baghriche) was launched in 2016, thirty-one years after 1987, when the show is set.
I wonder why the prop masters didn’t select the original Paris, the hugely popular YSL fragrance by Sophia Grojsman launched in 1983.
World Wide Aura 