Tag Archives: marlene dietrich

stars' vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life

Marlene Dietrich’s Dressing Table (1930)

11 Jan 2024 Born Unicorn Leave a comment

This picture of Marlene Dietrich was taken on the set of Der blaue Engel, directed by Joseph Von Sternberg. The role of the provocative cabaret singer Lola-Lola would establish Dietrich as an international star: soon after the release of this film, she moved to Los Angeles, where she starred in six films directed by von Sternberg at Paramount [1].

Once in Hollywood, the reinvention of Dietrich’s look happened thanks to Max Factor, who created a very specific and dramatic look for her. When she filmed Der blaue Engel, the transformation was still to happen but Dietrich already used Max Factor products, as we can see from the round tin box sitting on her dressing table: it was Max Factor’s Supreme Face Powder.

[1] These films – Morocco (1930), Dishonored (1931), Shanghai Express (1932), Blonde Venus (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934) and The Devil Is a Woman (1935) – created the image of the glamourous femme fatale that had so much importance in Dietrich’s career.

Thanks to Kailey for submitting this post.

stars' vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life

Marlene Dietrich’s Dressing Table (1944)

13 Aug 2023 Born Unicorn Leave a comment

Marlene Dietrich worked just once with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: it happened in 1944 for Kismet by William Dieterle, an Arabian-Nights extravaganza set when “when old Baghdad was new and shiny”. The picture above was taken at the time.

There are many beauty products on her dressing table, but one has caught my attention: the bottle half-hidden behind the photo frame.

It’s a glorious flacon bouchon coeur by Guerlain. Designed by Raymond Guerlain in collaboration with Baccarat, it was originally created to house extraits of three fragrances by Jacques Guerlain – L’Heure Bleue (1912), Fol Arôme (1912) and Mitsouko (1919).

The front label cannot be read, so we wonder what fragrance was in the flacon. Dietrich was said to be a fan of perfumes like Bandit by Robert Piguet and Angelique Encens by Creed; the Guerlain fragrance usually mentioned among her favourites is Shalimar, traditionally housed in the flacon chauve souris. One may assume she wore Mitsouko, but I don’t agree: I personally see her wearing an evocative, comforting yet dark perfume like L’Heure Bleue.

On the far right side of the table there’s a bottle of Sea Breeze skin antiseptic.

Thanks to Kailey for submitting this post and for the Sea Breeze id.

stars' vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life

Marlene Dietrich’s Make-Up Case

27 Dec 2017 Born Unicorn 2 Comments

One of the most interesting pieces displayed at the Deutsche Kinemathek Museum für Film und Fernsehen is a leather make-up train case owned by Marlene Dietrich. The museum has a beautiful selection of personal objects of the German diva (clothes included), but this case has always attracted my attention. I’ve visited the museum several times, but there’s always been one enigma: a lipstick from Marlene’s case I couldn’t identify (you can see it in the picture above, behind the hair brush, on the right). Until last summer, when I finally was able to read the writing on the bottom of the case.

It’s a lipstick by House of Gourielli in the shade Rose Topaz. The metal case is lovely – it’s decorated by two hands clasped – but the story behind the brand is even better. It was named after Prince Artchil Gourielli-Tchkonia, second husband to Helena Rubinstein, for whom she created a beauty line which included men’s skincare and haircare (sold from the Grey Room of Rubinstein’s beauty salon), women’s skincare, make-up and perfumes.

perfume quotes in tv shows, perfumes in tv shows

Magic City S02E03 (Adapt or Die)

6 Jul 2014 Born Unicorn Leave a comment

Lauren Evans (Taylor Blackwell) holding a bottle of Creed Angelique Incense.

This is the conversation which features the Creed perfume. Now discontinued, it was created in 1933 as part of the brand’s Private Collection (perfumes originally created for famous clients). Marlene Dietrich’s favourite perfume, Angelique Encens includes notes of angelica, tuberose, rose, jasmine, amber, vanilla and incense.