.
Post by Portia
.
Hi there Fragrance Lovers,
Celebuscents have been a bone of contention among perfumistas for years. While most of them are dross put out by the big fragrance conglomerates with little or no reference and involvement from the celebrities themselves surprisingly some of them have turned out to be quite good, wearable, viable options. Even some celebrities that I loathe have put out one frag that I like, even though I refuse to purchase on ethical grounds. Startlingly, some of the celebrities that I have long adored have put out shit that I wouldn’t clean a toilet with. So I thought a list of some of my favourite celebuscents may help you wade through the incredible amounts out there. Yes, there are a few that make everybodies list but others seem to have flown beneath the radar.
Celebuscents I Don’t Hate
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Dita Von Teese: The original Dita Von Teese is a fun rose/white floral in the radiant style. Sheer and very wearable. I went through one of the 20ml flacons in no time. You can get the shower gel and body lotions for next to nothing at the discounters.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls: Still in the top ten sellers of celebuscents each year Elizabeth Taylor’s range is big. My favourite is the very 1980s peach, amber and woodsy flamboyance of Black Pearls. This one will announce your arrival a few feet ahead of you.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Gwen Stefani L: I wore this fragrance in a big way for a while but it started giving me headaches. It’s a pear & peach powerhouse done in radiant style and has very tenacious longevity. Nowadays if I want to wear it I spritz my lower back and knees.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Halle Berry Halle: A very glamorous floriental with a hint of fig that becomes the warmest, silkiest amber. This could easily dupe some of the expensive niche ambers and lasting power is excellent. It’s not groundbreaking or challenging but Halle smells really good.
Photo Stolen Parfumo
Jennifer Aniston: A fresh, aquatic jasmine Jennifer Anniston is pretty, vegetally sweet and a little tropically lush. A bit heftier than most of the radiant fragrances and the flowers are better in waft than nose pressed to skin but as it goes by it’s a definite head turner.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights: Imagine Shalimar with a triple dose of gooey caramel and more patchouli. It’s rich, intense and has powerful sillage for the first hour. Once Fancy Nights settles it is a rich amber/patch bomb that sits just above your skin for hours.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Madonna Truth or Dare: BIG WHITE FLORAL along the lines of Fracas but longer lasting and not so far into the bubble gum arena. If you like white flowers with a warm amber base then Truth or Dare, which is basically free, should be on your list.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Niki de Saint Phalle: This is my personal go-to green. The minty and fruity opening is a masterpiece of bittersweet, the iris led floral bouquet through the heart and the softly warmed base of woodsy moss. Perfect.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Paloma Picasso: Imagine an animalic, extra cloves, hefty on the oakmoss CHANEL No 5 and you are pretty much on track for this 1980s supernova of a fragrance. Paloma Picasso will announce your arrival.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely: I know, it’s on EVERY list. That’s becausae it’s good. Smells fantastic on everyone. Radiant floral with a super musk and spice motto. Lovely is well named.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Queen Latifah Queen: Boozy citrus with a soft white flower and a hefty, elegant vanilla base. Lasts forever and smells fantastic. I gift Queen often and it’s become one of my BFF Kath’s faves too.
Special mentions go to Siren and Fairy Dust by Paris Hilton, Queen of Hearts by Queen Latifah, Truth or Dare Naked by Madonna, Cher Uninhibited, Pure Honey by Kim Kardashian, With Love by Hilary Duff, Still by Jennifer Lopez, Covet by SJP, Boyfriend by Kate Walsh, Adam Levine Woman, Our Moment by One Direction and Deneuve by Catherine Deneuve.
Most are still available to try from My Perfume Samples and Surrender To Chance
Go on, which are your favourite celebuscents?
Portia xx
If you hit the link and shop with My Perfume Samples I get a kickback!
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Great article! I loved Jennifer Anniston….thought it was a great juice with real staying power! Loved Covet as well… Was so different and smelt nothing like Lovely.
LikeLike
Hi there Angela shepherd,
I was going to put Covet in as well but in the end the piece was going FOREVER!
Portia xx
LikeLike
Dita’s perfumes are actually quite hard to find, I’ve noticed, although there seem to be a few on eBay at the mo. I once saw them in Target (in Australia) but when I went back a week later to purchase, they had all gone. Never came back. 😦
LikeLike
I didn’t know that Anne-Marie,
What a shame, they’re quite good.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Mortified perfumista here! I am not familiar with most of these. I remember liking Covet though, so maybe Lovely should be next to try. Project for the weekend.
LikeLike
The great thing about these is that you can go to your local chemist and they will have heaps of them in one spot.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Great walk through the wardrobes of celeb scents.
How about a second walk through with suggestions for whether they are unisex / not.
LikeLike
Hey Geo,
I wear them all and believe everything is unisex. The fragrance doesn’t mind who wears it. Wear them all.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Good to know that there are good scents that don’t have to be expensive. I haven’t tried any of these because when it comes to sniffing I always try out the niche side of the counters. Stupid, I know. On the other hand, SJP scents aren’t distributed around here and I think the same goes for some other scents you have mentioned (Queen Latifah, Madonna).
I’m familiar with the ones from the eighties, of course: Paloma Picasso and Niki de Saint Phalle. I used to love both back then so maybe it’s time to revisit them…
LikeLike
Hey Neva,
That’s totally annoying about lack of distribution. Do you not have Discount Pharmacies around you?
Portia xx
LikeLike
Yes, there are some but there is no distributor I suppose. The market is simply too small.
LikeLike
Hi Portia,
Your list is pretty much mine when in it comes to celebuscents. Here is another that is quite marshmallowy, but in a warm, cozy sort of way: Mariah Carey in the purple bottle with the butterfly thing on top.
Azar xx
LikeLike
Hey Azar,
You’re not the first to point me i the direction of Mariah’s frags. Thanks for the tip.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Kate Walsh Boyfriend! The ad campaign that went with it must have been a ironic, but the fragrance was a gorgeous plummy amber. I actually own a back-up bottle since it’s been discontinued.
She must be a perfumista because it could really fly as a niche fragrance.
LikeLike
Oh yes, I agree Daisy Bow. Wen’t through a couple of 5ml decants but it was never released here in OZ so never grabbed a bottle.
Portia xx
LikeLike
I’ve got two of the one you’ve mentioned and love both: Black Pearls and Queen (actually, wore Queen just last night), and I’m seriously kicking myself for not picking up some Boyfriend when I had the chance, as I loved that one as well.
The only one I’d add to the list is the not-quite-celebuscent Tilda Swinton’s Like This for Etat Libre d’Orange. It’s one of my go-to frags for the fall.
LikeLike
Hey Dionne,
I bet you smell wonderful in the spicy pumpkin goodness of Like This
Portia xx
LikeLike
It’s always a mystery to me why celebuscents get such a bad rap, or a brush-off from snooty perfumistas! SJP’s Lovely is inf, lovely! My go-to however is Eau De Gaga, lady Gaga’s fabulous second scent! Full of citrus, leather, wood and violets, I’d happily match it against anything else in my collection and for $7.95 US, who am I to argue!!
xoxo
LikeLike
Heya Robert,
I Mall Spritzed Eau de Gaga and forget to sniff while I’m shopping. It is a soft woodsy dry down that is nice though. You have me interested. I saw it before leaving discounted to under $30 here. Time to go shopping.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Portia, I just placed an order for “Queen”. I’ve heard great things about it and your description put me over the edge. Just the thing to brighten an otherwise lousy day. Thanks for the enabling!!
LikeLike
You are welcome Moira, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Your list is a pleasure to read. My favorite is Niki de Saint Phalle..I’ve worn it for years, but never thought of it as a celebrity fragrance, just as a beautiful scent. I know nothing else that is similar, and I hope that it will never be discontinued.
LikeLike
Hey Anita T Monroe,
I am finding it harder to get hold of lately. My advice is to stock up.
Portia xx
LikeLike
I agree with most all of your picks. They’re all perfectly good perfumes. I have a few of the ones on your list and have considered buying a few others for cheap thrills. I really want to try Dita’s perfume one of these days.
Xoxo
LikeLike
Hey Poodle,
I think even the bottle would suit you, so sexy & stylish.
Dita von Poodle, the saucy minx.
Portia xxx
LikeLike
I have Paloma and Nikki de saint and didn’t know Nikki was a celebrity. i thought she was a proper designer. Among these, queen latifah didn’t impress me. Besides Paloma and Nikki, I really love catherine deneuve. Among modern celebrity ones, only dita erotique has impressed me.
LikeLike
Hey Fazal,
Niki was an artist but she was cashing in on her celebrity by releasing a fragrance so I added her into the list.
LOVE Deneuve. I have a small amount of the parfum that I sometimes indulge myself with.
Portia xx
LikeLike
I googled Nikki and she, indeed, was a true artist.
LikeLike
Being the cheapskate that I am, I am often to be found perusing the celebrity scents! I have a couple Beyonce (my fav is Welcome to the World Tour Mrs Carter), Mad Potion by Katy Perry (smells like a Lush shop), SJP NYC (one of my favourites – cos I like fruity stuff), Violet eyes Elizabeth Taylor (I like the fresh lemony note), Queen of Hearts by Queen Latifah, Fancy Nights and Fancy by Jessica Simpson, and I have just liberated Truth or Dare from the post office! And Jessica Mauboy’s Be Beautiful is a nice summery fresh sort of scent. There are some that i can’t even bring myself to sniff – I’m looking at you One Direction and Justin Beiber. Femme Fatale (?) by Kim Kardashian is one that I am looking at getting.
LikeLike
Hey Amanda,
Jessica Mauboy’s Be Beautiful was a VERY pleasant surprise. When I discovered it we were already going on holidays so I left my purchase till now, can’t wait.
I don’t want to give any money to KK so I haven’t bought any of her frags, even though there is a lot of positive chatter about them. Sometimes I’ll spritz Pure Honey at the mall though.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Kate Walsh Boyfriend for me! I have an e tra bottle tucked away and just love it. I also like Truth or Dare, and my husband likes me to wear Jessica Simpson Fancy. The drydown is surprisingly pretty. M by Mariah has a smoky note that makes it read differently than the usual sweet stuff.
LikeLike
Hey FeralJasmine,
I tried Fancy but can’t remember the dry down. Thanks for the tip.
Portia x
LikeLike
I have a celebuscent that Ive never been game to open. I found a FB in a flea market and I’ve never seen another, so I’m guessing it’s pretty rare: Prue Acton If.
More generally, while I haven’t tried them, I’m told that the David Beckham scents are not at all bad for the price they command.
LikeLike
That Prue Acton is probably worth quite a bit Greg.
Portia xx
LikeLike
That’s good news, should I ever decide to sell. 🙂
LikeLike
Great post, Portia! It reminded me to keep my snobbism in check: I haven’t thought of Paloma Picasso as a celebuscent and liked it so I can’t say that I dislike all of them, right?
Still, in general, I don’t spend time nowadays on any skin testing for mainstream perfumes – unless somebody I really trust says they like it.
LikeLike
Hey there Undina,
Paloma Picasso is a fabulous scent. Did you ever try Niki de Saint Phalle? If I remember correctly you like Silences by Jacomo? They are similar, like cousins.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Nope, I’ve never seen this one in RL, it was discontinued before I got a chance. But maybe one day I’ll come across it.
LikeLike