Friday 28 January 2011

Celebrity Fragrances!

Hi Everyone,

Semen caught my eye (so to speak) yesterday and I can’t shake it off, so I thought I would lay my thoughts down and see what you guys think.

It has been reported that Lady Gaga has requested that her first fragrance smell of blood and semen. This instinctively leads to huge joke potential e.g. “If I want to smell like blood and semen then I’d spend a night in … insert location”. After an hour or so of doing this, Originals HQ had a chat about celebrity fragrances. A quick search on the old internet leads to numerous lists that show how many celebrity fragrances (or as I will now call them, celebrances) have been released. In 2010 it looks like there were well over 20 celebrances, with releases by such esteemed celebs as Mariah Carey, Bruce Willis and Peter Andre.

I should point out that I have not smelt any celebrances or bought them for anyone, in fact the limit of my fragrance selection is seeing if I like the one mum gets me at Christmas. If I do then I stick with it, if not I return to my default setting of Issey Miyaki (I am currently enjoying Lacoste Challenge). But at what point is a decision made by the consumer that they want to smell like a particular celeb? From what I understand the process of creating a scent is a long scientific process with mixing of the smells and the creation of unique combinations undertaken by experts with years of experience. I can only assume that this is an expensive process. I cannot see all the experts sitting at table waiting for a call from the celeb du jour and seeking their requests for a smell.

Imagine the scene at Perfume HQ when Bruce Willis calls in to the meeting to say he really wants to capitalise on his image and create a manly smell that will incorporate his favourite smell of molten tar and matches after they’ve been blown out. The phone goes down, a few glances around the room, and then they continue as they were before the call ever took place.

The celebrances are obviously a marketing tool, how else was ‘A Devil Wears Prada’ fragrance ever created? The increase in social media and the insatiable demand for news has created more ‘celebs’ than ever before. The perfume industry, like the fashion industry, is capitalising on this. Although I would argue that fashion has a slightly more considered approach. I am thinking about the Kate Moss and Topman and comparing against Cliff Richard’s ‘Miss You Nights’!

I used to enjoy the cryptic perfume adverts that would emerge just before Christmas with beautiful people staring at the camera lustfully, creating an image in my mind that I would associate this lifestyle with my purchase of 90ml of liquid in an ornate glass vial. At what point do we look at a celeb and think that is the lifestyle I want, take me to The Perfume Shop, don’t stop at go, or red lights just drive.

What is the cut-off point? Irrelevance by Konnie Huq, Insanity by Boris Johnson? Perhaps I should just enjoy the celebrances, relish the near pornographic adverts (Beyonce) and get used to spraying blood and semen (scent) on my clothes at the start of the night.

But until then, I will just drop a hint to mum that I need another bottle of Lacoste Challenge.

To finish the week off, here’s a picture a cat wearing a make-shirt fruit helmet.

Have a good weekend Everyone.

O

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