If you’ve gotta stink, you may as well be stinking rich. That’s seemingly the logic behind the myriad celebrity fragrances populating department store shelves. Well, that and the power of multi-platform branding, but I digress.
To me, celeb-endorsed potions risk being all smoke and mirrors: some smellologist conjures a fragrance and the star in question simply lends his or her image to the packaging. Or, worse yet, said star mucks in a lab and turns out olfactory diarrhea.
But recently, I spritzed on eau de parfum endorsed by a star we’ll call Miss X. Despite my abhorrence of Miss X’s snootier-than-thou persona, and suspicion that she bans food from a five-foot radius of her, it now shares the shelf with my Chanel N°5.
So in the hope of giving stars and their respective perfume jars a fair shake, here’s a rundown of who’s been shilling what lately.
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Who: Kat Von D (LA Ink)
What: Adora, available now.
The deets: The Tatted One regales fans with this followup to last year’s Sinner and Saint fragrances. Introspective, moody and optimistic, Adora’s laced with lychée, boysenberry, thyme, cassis, hyacinth, jasmine, mango, patchouli, sheer musk and amber wood. No word on whether the stench of burnt tattooed skin was considered. |
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Who: Jessica Simpson (Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty)
What: Fancy Nights, available midsummer.
The deets: Apparently more provocative and romantic than her first fragrance, Fancy, this is the pouty singer’s third scent. Notes include bergamot, papyrus, patchouli, rose and night-blooming jasmine. Next, I hope she capitalizes on her ex John Mayer’s loose-lipped comments to Playboy about their love life. He’s already unwittingly suggested the perfect name: Sexual Napalm. |
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Who: Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives)
What: Eva by Eva Longoria, available now.
The deets: After holding out for years, Longoria has deigned to douse us with her debut signature scent. “I have always been somewhat allergic to all perfumes and really wanted to create something that every woman could wear,” she told Women’s Wear Daily. “So I decided to create my own fragrance that is light, fresh and unique.” Fans can sniff out notes of citrus, neroli, bergamot tea, aldehydes, sheer jasmine, muguet, violet, freesia, skin musk, amber and sandalwood. |
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Who: Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City)
What: SJP NYC, available now.
The deets: “The inspiration was everybody’s impression of Carrie Bradshaw. A sense of freedom, a love for the city, and, of course, fashion,” she told press, referring to her iconic Sex and the City character. Drenched in strawberry, it also features notes of mandarin, gardenia, honeysuckle, sandalwood, vanilla absolute, rum flavour and musk. Here’s hoping the perfumer has also squeezed almost every last marketing opportunity out of SATC. Hey, Carrie Bradshaw has to rest in peace some time … |
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Who: Paris Hilton (Paris Hilton's My New BFF)
What: Tease, available now.
The deets: The smelly truth is that Hilton’s long been making odiferous offerings. Tease is her 10th fragrance, and it’s reportedly inspired by another famous Hollywood blonde: Marilyn Monroe. The notes include Fuji apple, white peach, bergamot, sunny sea mist accord, night-blooming jasmine, amber, blonde woods and warm sand. |
What do you think of celebrity fragrances? melissa.hank@bell.net
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A bona fide beauty and fashion geek, Melissa gets a thrill analyzing all things good, bad and oh-so-fugly on television. Although she salivates for vintage stylings and brands like Roberto Cavalli, she’s equally elated to score discount duds at Winners.
Melissa is a firm believer that style should be a mix of fun, individuality and a dash of absurdity. When she’s not watching Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model or What Not to Wear, she can be found trying to whip her tangle of curls into submission. If only the “afro meets bride of Frankenstein” look was appropriate for work.
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