Jezebel: Perfume

Worth It: A Fragrance That Smells Just Right

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

Much unlike many a magazine editor who recommends you buy all sorts of crap that they most likely got for free, your Jezebel staff doesn't get jack shit (other than books, unsolicited). And that's how it should be. But on our own time, in our personal lives, we still buy stuff. So this is Worth It, our daily recommendation of random things that we've actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we'd actually tell our friends about. And now we're telling you. More »

It's Better If You Choose Your Own Perfume

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EDT

Ever wonder why the perfume you get as a gift doesn't usually smell as good to you as the stuff you pick out for yourself? Well, Dr. Jan Havlicek, an anthropologist in Prague, has found the answer: More »

The French Believe Julian Casablancas Smells Like 'The Essence Of Rock'

Whitney Jefferson — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EDT

Decibel, the new men's fragrance by Azzaro, is packaged in a microphone-shaped bottle and represented by The Strokes' lead singer. More »

Your Essential Oils Are Leaving The World In Ashes

Irin Carmon — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:10:14 EDT

The UK is on fire, and ladies are to blame. Or, to be slightly more precise, essential oils in linens washed at low temperatures have caused a "spate" of house fires around Britain, according to the Telegraph. More »

Doughnut Perfume Will Give A Guy A Boner

Anna North — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:02:00 EDT

The new scent Eau Flirt claims it's "the world's first perfume clinically proven to make men flirt with women." But can a perfume really make you into a dude-magnet? More »

The Fragrance Industry's Bizarre Love Affair With Giant Bottles

Jenna Sauers — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:10:00 EDT

For as long as luxury companies have been selling fragrances, there have been ads that feature larger-than-life bottles of the stuff. The whole is the woman tiny or is the perfume really big? question never gets old, apparently! It's like a bunch of art directors all studied the Daughters of Edward Darley Boit and then pitched, pitched, pitched. More »

Rihanna's Open-Robed Perfume Ad Too Racy For Kuwait

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:00:00 EDT

Rihanna's ad for her fragrance, Reb'l Fleur, features the singer looking both romantic and sexy. Soft and dreamy, she sniffs a bloom… while her robe hangs open. Except in Kuwait! Where her robe is closed. Possibly via Photoshop. That's the Kuwaiti version on the left; the one for the heathens of the Western world on the right. Honestly? I like 'em both! [ONTD] More »

Rihanna's New Interactive Venture, As Explained By YouTube Commenters

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:20:00 EST

There are many themes touched upon in the promotional video and really interesting interactive site for Rihanna's perfume, Reb'l Fleur. Being bad feels good, sometimes you want to step through the looking glass into a fantasy, being touched by faceless men is titillating, flowers look like vaginas sometimes, etc. But perhaps the narrative experience this short film offers would really best be described by true blue Rihanna fans. Ahem. Here we go: More »

Watch Beyoncé Poorly Impersonate A Parfumeur

Jenna Sauers — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST

Welcome to how your celebrity fragrance sausage is made: In a boring conference room in Newcastle, surrounded by corporate types, flacks, and real noses. "It might be too much like fruit," offers Beyoncé, taking a sniff. "But I like it." More »

The Beyonce Perfume Commercial That Was Banned

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:42:00 EST

The ad for Beyonce's perfume Heat has been banned from daytime TV in Britain because it's too "sexually suggestive" for children. Haven't young daytime viewers already been traumatized by watching Skye and Dakota fornicate in front of a fireplace? More »

The Jackson Family Started Working On A Clothing Line A Week After Michael Died

Jenna Sauers — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST

Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy Jackson — and their late brother's estate — have an apparel line under the Jackson 5 name hitting stores in February. It naturally includes a version of the "Thriller" red leather jacket. [WWD]

Teens Protest Abercrombie & Fitch's Cologne-Filled Stores

Jenna Sauers — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:34:00 EDT

Today, brave teenagers and students will protest Abercrombie & Fitch's Fifth Avenue flagship for pumping that hideous stench into all of its stores, and transforming them into retail hellscapes. They contend that the disgusting cologne is an environmental hazard. [StyleList]

Matthew McConaughey Sadly Airbrushed To Look Like Pubescent Boy

Jenna Sauers — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:40:00 EDT

It's like Dolce & Gabbana hired Matthew McConaughey and then said, "I know! What if we made him look like Photoshopped Justin Bieber?" More »

A Brief History Of Celebrity Fragrances

Sadie Stein — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:40:00 EDT

Would our grandparents have believed the world would once see on Alan Cumming cologne? Yes! Because the celebrity fragrance game is as old as time. (Or, okay, 1957.) More »

Get High On Sugar & Enter Mariah's 3D "Experience"

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:05:00 EDT

Flipping through the September magazines, you may come upon a four-page ad for Mariah Carey's fragrance collection, Lollipop Bling. A heavily Photoshopped MC floats on a pink cloud, in a sky strewn with clip-art-esque butterflies and candy. Wait, there's more! More »

Jen Consoles Herself By Wearing Neutrals And A Ring

Jessica Coen — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:40:00 EDT

London, July 20: Jennifer Aniston launches her namesake fragrance at Harrods. On her left hand, she sports a rather pretty bauble — let's switch to the hi-res for a closer look.

Hemingway In A Headlock

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:10:00 EDT

[New York, June 30. Dree Hemingway pals around with Lady Alice St Clair Erskine]

Perfume News: Eat, Pray, Love, Reek

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:20:00 EDT

What the world needs now: More perfume! Fresh and Sony Pictures are launching fragrances based on Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir (and the soon-to-be-released film). Bottle a trip to India and a make-out sesh with Javier Bardem. We'll buy! [WWD] More »

Opium Dreams

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:10:00 EDT

[New York, June 17. Image via Getty]

Beauty 101: "I'd Like To Put Favorite Deodorants And Perfumes Up For Talkies"

Hortense Smith — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EDT

This week's Beauty 101 is focusing on scents: everything from dealing with body odor to making perfume last longer to finding fragrances that are appropriate for the office. More »

Secret Chemicals In Fragrances Could Kill You

Jessica Coen — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:00:41 EDT

Fragrance is a tricky thing: wear too much and you're an asshole. Wear any at all, and you might get cancer. Didn't you know? That's why they call it Eternity. More »

Return To Sender: Perfumed Stamps

Sadie Stein — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:20:00 EDT

The Deutsche Post, Germany's national mail service, is producing a perfumed novelty postage stamp. May we suggest "McGraw", Britney Spears' "Hidden Fantasy" or, for especially passionate missives, "Enchanting" by Celine Dion? [WWD] More »

Creator Of Crotch Perfume Claims "Vulva Is Real"

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST

Saul Pullivan from Vice spoke with the CEO of the German company that makes Vulva, a perfume that smells like sensual woman - or sweaty horse pee, depending on who you ask. So is this guy for real? More »

Axe, Stridex, And Malibu Musk: Entering Adulthood Through The Drugstore Aisles

Hortense Smith — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:55:00 EST

I was approximately 12 years old when my mother bought me my first stick of deodorant. She gave it to me right before I entered sixth grade, and it was, at the time, the most grown-up product I'd ever owned. More »

"If Things Are Cheap, I Will Buy Them"

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:45:00 EST

Good Morning America warns: If your perfume burns upon contact, or you break out in hives, it might be fake. Other downsides to purchasing counterfeit perfumes include supporting terrorism and inadvertent participation in water sports. [ABC via The Awl] More »

5 Odd Things About Kim Kardashian's Perfume Commercial

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:30:00 EST

Kim Kardashian's 30-second fragrance spot is being called "her second funniest video yet." Because of her sex tape, get it? Hilarious. But the truth is, there are a few strange things about the commercial: More »

Liquid Assets

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST

Dodai points out that this chart, which compares the relative prices of different liquids, would be more interesting if it included perfume. Also: Breast milk. And when it comes to vodka, are we talking Grey Goose, or Mr. Boston? [BuzzFeed] More »

Perfumes Are Usually Named Things Like "Lovely," "Happy" Or "Curious"

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST

But "Alien"? Really? And "feel extraordinary"? Shouldn't it be "extraterrestrial-ly"? Or do they mean, "out of this world, and alluring to NASA employees"? I was so freaked out I ripped the page, sorry. Click to enlarge. More »

Going Rogue: The Condensed Version • New Spray Combats Premature Ejaculation

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:40:00 EST

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• If, like me, you can't quite stomach 432 pages of Sarah Palin's mudslinging, the AP has scanned the book for the most commonly used words to give us Palin in a nutshell: "Family," "kids," "oil," "energy," and "Alaska." • More »

Dead Celebrity Scents: The Latest In Star Worship

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST

Perfume made from the DNA of dead celebrities? Yes. It's kind of sad, in a way. More »

Kate Moss's Deep Thoughts; Obama Girls Wear French Fashion

Jenna Sauers — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST

Kate Moss says her motto is, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." [WWD]

Confidence In A Bottle. No, Literally.

Sadie Stein — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EDT

And not just Rachel-Zoe-literally, either! This new perfume is designed to boost your sense of self: More »

Eau De Jingoism

Sadie Stein — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EDT

Apparently we're all total perfume chauvinists: The Independent finds that homegrown scents do best on their own turf. No word yet on the implications for citoyen du monde Anthony Banderas. [Independent] More »

5 Celebrity-Inspired Fragrances We'd Actually Wear

Hortense Smith — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:35:00 EDT

People is currently running a roundup of celebrity fragrance ads, featuring star-scent-stalwarts such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, and Paris Hilton. While those are all well and good, it made me wish certain other celebrities also had signature scents. More »

Paris Hilton Takes Us Under The SexyFace Sea

Hortense Smith — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:10:00 EDT

Paris Hilton is not one for subtlety. So it should come as no surprise that her latest ad campaign for her perfume, Siren features Hilton dressed as a mermaid with a golden tail and a hardcore case of SexyFace. [IDon'tLikeYouInThatWay] More »

Mariah's New Fragrance Ad Stinks

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:20:00 EDT

While much of Mariah's body, in the ad for her new fragrance Forever, looks to have been reworked in Photoshop, the fact that her teeth have been swapped out for different ones is the most offensive detail of all. [MariahCarey] More »

Sweet Smell Of Success

Sadie Stein — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:40:00 EDT

Fragrance designer Christophe Laudamiel has worked for five years on a "scent opera," Green Aria, in which a series of scents tell the audience of the struggle between nature and art, with accompanying music. [WSJ] More »

Halle Berry Tricks Jay Leno Into Smelling Her Shoe

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:20:00 EDT

Halle Berry was on The Tonight Show last night to promote her new perfume. During a blindfolded test, she decided to find out if Jay could identify the eau de Halle. Clip at left. More »

Art Class

Sadie Stein — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:30:00 EST

In a 7-page "story" from a 1930 Physical Culture, "There's An Art In Using Perfume," Jane learns the "secret of feminine glamour, internal and external cleanliness." Like...behind the ears? [ModernMechanix] More »

Sweet Smell

Sadie Stein — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:20:00 EST

A newly discovered 18th-Century note proves conclusively that eau de cologne, the mixture of neroli, bergamot, lavender and rosemary, was invented by Paolo Feminis, and not, as descendants claim, Giovanni Maria Farina. [UPI] More »