Tag Archives: yves saint laurent rive gauche

perfume quotes in tv shows

The Shards S01E02 (Don’t You Want Me)

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Leave it to Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney, but I am actually referring to the real BEE) to know his beauty products/fragrances and to list them obsessively in his novels, along with the brand of pretty much anything else related to fashion and lifestyle.

In the screencap above, the protagonist of the TV show is about to have lunch with Terry Schaffer, an influential movie producer who is interested in the first novel the boy is writing, but who also happens to be the father of Debbie, Bret’s current girlfriend.

The fragrance he mentions is Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, one of the most popular and influential fragrances from the 1970s. Created by Jacques Polge and Michel Hy, this floral aldehyde eau de toilette was launched in 1971. The beautiful cobalt blue, silver and black aluminium bottle, designed by Pierre Dinnand, added an unusual touch of refinement to a fragrance that was named after YSL’s first boutique in Saint-Germain-des Prés in Paris.

What is the relevance of this fragrance in the narration? Terry is wearing a fragrance created for and marketed to women; Bret knows there’s a reason behind this choice (Terry is married, has a daughter, but he’s “very gay”), and that leads to a deeper reflection about (his own) sexual orientation.

perfumes in movies, shaving products in movies, stars' vanities/make-up cases/cabinets in real life

Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2024)

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This documentary gives an interesting look at the stellar career of Liza Minnelli, an artist who has performed on stage basically all her life. The scene above is taken from backstage footage from the 1970s. Among several make-up items it’s impossible not to notice the tall striped bottle on the right side of her dressing table.

It’s the unmistakable aluminium canister of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, the floral aldehyde fragrance created by Michel Hy in 1971 and named after the left bank of the river Seine in Paris, where the first YSL boutique was located. This fragrance definitely appealed to Liza Minnelli’s independent and free spirit.

The round object on the right side of the table is Personna Flicker shaver.

Thanks to Amy in the comments for the Flicker razor id.

perfumes in movies, skincare in movies

Someone’s Watching Me (1978)

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When we first see TV director Leigh Michael’s bathroom, we can notice some very famous fragrances on the marble counter.

From the left to the right there are:

A balloon bottle by Lucien Lelong. Impossible to tell what fragrance it contained, because the same bottle was used to house several fragrances.

The unmistakable blue, black and silver bottle belongs to Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, a floral aldehyde fragrance created by Michel Hy and launched in 1971.

Another 1970s staple is Revlon Jean Naté after-bath splash in the distinctive tall bottle with black round stopper.

Last but not least, a legend from that decade – the hugely popular Charlie by Revlon. This white floral aldehyde fragrance was launched in 1973.

Later in the film, we can see a different selection of fragrances on the counter. The Lelong balloon bottle and Charlie are gone, but Jean Naté and Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche (two bottles of it!) are still there.

The jar sitting on the same counter is a Max Factor skincare product – Moisture Essence night cream.

Thanks to Nehir for submitting this post, and to Daniel Roldán for the Max Factor id.

perfumes in movies

Parenti serpenti (1992)

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If you asked me what is the ultimate Christmas Italian film, I would surely choose this one. Despite being a brutal depiction of the petty intrigues and toxic relations among the members of the same family, it’s a comedy, so the line between laugh and darkness is very very thin.

I’ve watched it many times, but I’ve never noticed an intriguing detail in Milena’s bedroom: the iconic silver, black and turquoise metal bottle of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche on her vanity. Milena, as most of her relatives, masters the art of simulating and pretending, and rarely shows her real self. Using a very trendy perfume is in tune with the character, who wants to appear different from what she really is.

Thanks to my friend Rocco for the id.

perfumes in movies

Yves Saint Laurent (2014)

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yvessaintlaurentmovie_bornunicornvlcsnap-2017-08-13-01h19m30s446Two YSL perfumes can be seen in the bathroom of the house the designer (Pierre Niney) shares with his partner Pierre Bergé (Guillame Gallienne).

yslperfumes_bornunicornIn the first picture there’s the iconic silver, black and turquoise metal bottle of Rive Gauche, created by Michael Hy and launched in 1971. In the second, a bottle of Pour Homme can be seen in the background; this was launched – again – in 1971.

cosmetics in movies, haircare in movies, perfumes in movies

Kika (1993)

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kika_bornunicorn (1)cacharel_loulou_laitdedouceur_bornunicorncacharel_loulouperfume_bornunicorn.jpg
cacharel_louloudeodorant_bornunicornThere are three products from the Cacharel LouLou perfume line on Kika’s dressing table: the shortest bottle contains Lait de douceur body lotion, and the tallest one the perfume. The floral can in the middle of the table is the deodorant. No wonder so many products of the same line were selected: this perfume, created by Jean Guichard and launched in 1987, was hugely popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

angie-everhart-rive-gauche-yves-saint-laurent_bornunicornThe striped bottle in front of the mirror is Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, another iconic perfume, created by Michel Hy and launched in 1970.

Last but not least, some Kerastase Nutritive products (old packaging) can be seen on the far right of the table.

kika_bornunicorn (2)

cacharelbeaute_bornunicorncacharellips_bornunicornWhen Nicholas signs his book for Kika, we can see all the make-up on the table is by Cacharel. In this screenshot, pencils and compacts are visible but there are also tubes of foundation, lipsticks and bottles of setting spray.

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

ABBA’s Dressing Room (2015)

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abba_dressingroom_bornunicorn (1)A couple of weeks ago, my friend Raffaella went to Stockholm, where she visited ABBA The Museum. She sent me some awesome pictures of the band’s dressing tables, so let’s see what’s on them.

CacharelAnaisAnais_bornunicornOn the left, next to the metal suitcase, there’s a box of Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs, the ultra-feminine and romantic perfume created in 1978 by Roger Pellegrino, Robert Gonnon, Paul Leger and Raymond Chaillan. The yellow bottle next to it is probably a shampoo or a shower gel; the brand is LdB (Lait de Beauté), a very famous Swedish brand established in 1948.

elnetthairspray_vintage_bornunicornThere’s also the unmistakable golden can of L’Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray.

diorspraybottle_bornunicornNext to the hairspray, there’s the spray bottle of a Dior scent. The front label is not visible, so it’s impossible to tell exactly what perfume it is. It could be the Miss Dior cologne, the Eau Fraiche, Miss Dior eau de toilette, Diorissimo eau de toilette, or another Dior perfume who had the same bottle.

oilofolayvintage_bornunicornJust behind the glass, there’s a bottle of Oil of Olay moisturizing fluid.

angie-everhart-rive-gauche-yves-saint-laurent_bornunicornThere’s the beautiful royal blue, black and silver metal bottle of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, too. Created by Michael Hy and launched in 1971, it’s a floral aldehyde scent.

givenchyiii_bornunicornOn the far right there’s a bottle of Givenchy III, created by Pierre Dinand and launched in 1970 to celebrate the opening of the Givenchy store on 3 Avenue George V in Paris.

l'orealvintagelipstick_bornunicornIn the front row there are make-up products, among which a box of Kryolan false eyelashes and a Color Riche lipstick by L’Oreal. I’m not sure about this last id, though. L’Oreal lipsticks used to have a dark (aubergine?) case in the 1980s; ABBA’s last album, The Visitors, was released in 1981: had L’Oreal introduced the gold-case lipsticks yet? 

abba_dressingroom_bornunicorn (2)

vintageniveacreme_bornunicornninaricci_lairdutempsfluted_bornunicornOn another table we can see a tin box of Nivea Creme. Next to it, an amphora-shaped bottle with gold cap: this is Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps. Despite being famous for its twin-dove fluted bottle, the perfume (eau de toilette version) was sold in this more basic bottle in the 1970s and 1980s.

rochasmadamerochasspray_bornunicornThere’s also a spray bottle of Rochas Madame Rochas, a Guy Robert creation launched in 1960.

elizabetharden_vintagecompact_bornunicornThe black compact in the centre front row is an eyeshadow palette by Elizabeth Arden. There’s another black compact on the right: I think it’s by Yves Saint Laurent (see the red and black logo with gold lettering), but I personally have no memory of black make-up cases, only gold ones.