Two bottles of vintage Revlon nail polish can be seen in the opening credits.
Tag Archives: revlon nail polish
Crazy in Alabama (1999)
The protagonist, Lucille Vinson (Melanie Griffith), goes to Las Vegas and – beginner’s luck – wins a lot of money at the casino. She gets a make-over, which includes a glamourous haircut and a professional manicure. The nail polish they use at the salon is by Revlon. The bottle is from the 1980s, so it’s not historically accurate, since the film is set in 1965.
Frida Kahlo’s Hidden Closet
There’s something creepy and fascinating in the earthly possessions of great artists. We often tend to fantasize about their creations and to put them on a pedestal, but we mustn’t forget they were humans like us, breathing and living in flesh and blood. A strong voyeuristic drive sometimes takes us to visit their homes or their studios, still inhabited with the ghost of them and filled with personal objects. I had a similar feeling when I found out about a project by the Japanese photographer Ishiuchi Miyako. In 2004 he had the honour to photograph personal belongings of Frida Kahlo, which had been hidden in a bathroom of the Blue House in Mexico City. Frida’s husband, Diego Rivera, started placing Frida’s personal effects and clothing there in 1954; he gave instructions that that bathroom should remain closed until 15 years after his death. It remained unopened until 2004, when the Museo Frida Kahlo decided to catalogue the contents of the room. The pictures taken by Miyako are an extraordinary record of an extraordinary life, where pain, illness, desperation, art, love and passion merge.
Two pictures have impressed me the most, because they’re beauty-related. In the first one, two Revlon nail polishes are portrayed.
Seal-Fast was a top coat: according to an ad appearing on the Pittsburg Press in September 1941, it halved drying time, made the enamel more resistant, protected the nails and encouraged longer growth. The second nail polish was part of the Lastron line: Orchids to You was a shade released in 1948, along with matching lipstick and a face powder. I’m not surprised of this find: Frida’s nails were often painted and Revlon was one of the most popular make-up brands at the time.
The second picture filled me with joy! Finally the evidence that Frida actually wore one of the perfumes always quoted in forums and websites – Emir by Dana.
These beautiful ads emphasize the exotic quality of this perfume. Created by the master perfumer Jean Carles and launched in 1936, it was an oriental leather scent with an incense base. According to the Basenotes user Meliscents, it was a mix of Opium and Ivory soap, “that touch of clean keeps it from being too dark & heavy”. The description perfectly matches Frida’s taste.
Repulsion (1965)
The Polanskis’ Bathroom Shelf (1968)
This picture of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski was taken by Bill Ray in London in 1968.
Among the products sitting on the tiled shelf I can see
some Erno Laszlo products (among which a jar of pHelityl Cream)
a Revlon nail polish
a fluted bottle of Rochas Moustache eau de cologne, a citrus aromatic fragrance created by Edmond Roudnitska and Thérèse Roudnitska, and launched in 1949
a bottle of La Bottega Vetiver eau de cologne
a tiny bottle of Shiseido Zen, a chypre fragrance created by Josephine Catapano and launched in 1964.
Thanks to Showtimesynergy in the comments for the Rochas id, and to Obliviana in the comments for the Shiseido id.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
There are two Revlon red nail polishes on the small shelf in front of the mirror on Holly Golightly’s dressing table.
On the table there’s a giant flacon bouchon coeur by Guerlain; there’s no label on it, so it’s impossible to know what fragrance it contains.
The small bottle with white stopper is Desert Flower, a Shulton fragrance launched in 1947.
The black tall bottle is a René Lalique creation housing D’Orsay Mystère, a chypre fragrance launched in 1915.
On the right side of the table there are four Lucien Lelong fragrances. The small bottle is Balalaika, launched in 1939; the tall bottle behind it is Sirocco, launched in 1934; the bottle with the bow-shaped stopper is Jabot, launched in 1939; the bottle in the blue box is Opening Night, launched in 1935.
Thanks to Phyl D for the Shulton id and to Alessandro for the D’Orsay id.
Repulsion (1965)
Revlon nail polish (old bottle).
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Revlon nail polish (old bottle).
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Revlon dark red nail polish (old bottle) and Solgar vitamin bottle in Margot Tenenbaum’s bathroom.
World Wide Aura 