A striped round box can be seen in Maria Callas’ medicine cabinet.
Later in the film, we get a beautiful shot from above which shows the box contains face powder.
It’s Polvo Chela, an Argentinian cosmetic from the 1920s.
Maria (2024)
Maria (2024)
I was looking forward to watching the latest Pablo Larraín film documenting the last days in the life of Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) because I *knew* (hoped) some interesting beauty products were in it and I was not disappointed.
The first product I spotted in the scene where Maria is sitting at her vanity is a white jar by Guerlain containing skincare. The exact product is unclear (it could be the Crème Stabilisante, shown in the 1975 advert above, the Collagena or the Crème Magistrale), but the choice is historically accurate, because this packaging was marketed in the mid/late 1970s.
Next, there’s a Dior amphora bottle, originally designed by Fernand Guéry-Colas. This bottle housed different Dior fragrances (Miss Dior, Diorissimo and Diorama), so once again it’s unclear which fragrance sits on la Divina’s vanity.
I was surprised to see a massive flacon chauve souris containing the Guerlain classic Shalimar, a fragrance created in 1925 by Jacques Guerlain. According to online reports, Maria Callas used to wear Chanel No. 5 and Revillon Detchema, but there’s nothing that can beat the impressive presence of this bottle on a film set, so I totally approve of this choice.
Another surprising presence is a box of Madame Rochas, a white floral fragrance created by Guy Robert and launched in 1960. It may not be accurate, if we assume that Callas never wore it, but it surely looks good on her vanity.
Later in the film, Maria sits at another vanity. There’s another flacon chauve souris on it but there’s also a Guerlain zigzag box, first introduced in 1967. Reading the front label is impossible, so its content is unknown.
La nuit où Laurier Gaudreault s’est réveillé E04 (La nuit où Julien avait pris peur)
Teenage Mireille (Jasmine Lemée) is painting her mother Madeleine’s nails red.
The nail polish is by Christian Dior.
This is the packaging Dior nail polishes had in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Undoing E06 (The Bloody Truth)
Henry (Noah Jupe) is brushing his teeth. Some toiletries and fragrances can be seen in the elegant marble bathroom where he’s standing.
By the washbasin there’s a bottle by Officina profumo-farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. It contains a toner but it’s impossible to be more precise because the front label is unreadable.
The pale pink and white bottle is Gucci Bloom eau de parfum, a white floral fragrance by Alberto Morillas launched in 2017.
Moving to the bath tub area opposite the boy, we can see several bottles on a round table. On the left side of the table there’s a bottle of Giorgio Armani Sì, a chypre fragrance by Christine Nagel launched in 2013.
There’s also Chanel N°5, originally created by Ernest Beaux and launched in 1921.
Last, there’s a bottle of Jean-Paul Gaultier Classique eau de parfum. This floral fragrance, heavy on vanilla, is one of the masterpieces by Jacques Cavallier, launched in 1992.
Thanks to Victoria for submitting this post.
The Undoing E01 (The Undoing)
Daphne (2007)
The red nail polish that Gertrude (Janet McTeer) applies on her fingernails and on Daphne’s toenails is Divinora by Guerlain.
This is a historically inaccurate choice (the film is set in the 1940s, while the Divinora make-up line was launched in 1990s), but I understand why the film’s prop masters made it: there’s a certain vintage feel to this bottle that makes it realistic in a 1940s context.
The Undoing E01 (The Undoing)
There are several fragrance bottles on a dresser in Grace’s bedroom.
Starting from the left: the bottle with pink stopper is Prada Infusion de Rose, launched in 2017.
Right behind it there’s Tiffany & Co. Tiffany, a floral fragrance created by Daniela Andrier and launched in 2017.
Next, the flacon chauve souris of Guerlain Shalimar, originally created by Jacques Guerlain and launched in 1925.
There’s also Hermès Twilly d’Hermès, a white floral fragrance by Christine Nagel launched in 2017.
The short bottle with red stopper in the back is Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Rouge, a musky fragrance created by Nadege le Garlantezec and Sonia Constant and launched in 2018.
Last, the dark tall bottle in the back is Y by Yves Saint Laurent, an aromatic fougère fragrance by Dominique Ropion launched in 2018.
Thanks to Victoria for submitting this post.
The Apprentice (2024)
Taking a look at the Trumps’ bathroom circa mid 1980s (as imagined in the film) is a bizarre experience because fragrances from very different decades make their appearance. Some of them even come from the future!
The first item that caught my attention is the glossy black bottle sitting on the third shelf from the bottom. It contains Lanvin Arpège perfumed talc. This is historically accurate because the white floral fragrance by Paul Vacher and Andre Fraysse was launched in 1927.
The first dissonant note comes with the bottle sitting just below Arpège talc. It’s L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani, a floral fruity fragrance launched in 2007! As one of my Instagram followers noticed [1], the bottle looks “very 80s” and that’s the only reason why it must have been selected by the film’s prop masters.
When Ivana (Maria Bakalova) sprays some perfume, we’re back on track, although I think this specific fragrance is not what she used to wear back then. It’s a lovely atomiser of Nina Ricci L’air du temps, decorated with yellow flowers and flying doves. At least it makes sense from a temporal point of view – it was created by Francis Fabron and launched in 1948.
The camera moves and another fragrance from the future can be seen on a glass shelf behind Donald (Sebastian Stan). It’s Omnia by Bvlgari, a warm spicy fragrance by Alberto Morillas launched in 2003.
The last fragrance from the future is Burberry Brit, sitting on the top shelf behind Donald. This is another floral fruity creation by Natalie Gracia-Cetto launched in 2003. The bottle design is not even reminiscent of the 1980s, so I really wonder what happened in the art/production design department to opt for such a baffling choice.
[1] This ID happened with the help of many people on Instagram who answered a story I posted after watching the film. Thanks to Jessica, Jack, Cédric, Harry, reveur_etc, and Vick for helping out.
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1978)
The Room Next Door (2024)
The lipstick that Martha (Tilda Swinton) is wearing is Velvet Ribbon, a classic pillar-box red shade from the True Velvet line of lip colours by Lisa Eldridge.
World Wide Aura 
