It looks like 2010 is a big year for celebrity music stars to launch their own fragrance. These five ladies aren’t content to rest on their lucrative record sales, acclaimed videos, and music diva status. They’ve challenged themselves by branching out into acting, fashion, and beauty–and now their own celebrity fragrance lines.
Mary J. Blige (My Life) : A top-selling hip hop/R&B artist, Mary J. Blige has released 7 multi-platinum albums and earned 6 Grammy Awards. She’s also a producer and actress, and MTV reports she’ll be playing Nina Simone in an upcoming biopic. Known for her confessional songs about women’s struggles and empowerment, Mary J. Blige has put her money where her mouth is by founding The Foundation for the Advancement of Women (FFAWN), an organization that helps women with child care, education, career development, and self-esteem. According to Women’s Wear Daily, $1 from each bottle of the new Mary J. Blige My Life celebrity fragrance will be donated to FFAWN.
Mary J. Blige was dedicated to being involved in every step of the process, going through several incarnations of the My Life women’s fragrance before settling on the final version. “When your name is attached to something, and it’s not good, that’s your name,” she told WWD before the launch. “So I prefer a good name rather than vanity and riches…It is powerful to sit here and talk to you and tell you I know what’s in my fragrance. I was there, putting it together.” The richly floral scented Mary J. Blige My Life perfume contains top notes of gardenia petals, Bartlett pear and white freesia, heart notes of of tuberose, blooming jasmine, gold lily and apricot flower, and base notes of cashmere woods, praline, sesame and incense.
On July 31, 2010, Mary J. Blige personally launched the My Life celebrity fragrance line on the Home Shopping Network, shattering all of the network’s previous records. People magazine reports that during the first 6 hours, she sold 60,000 units–which means $60,000 for FFAWN. You can purchase the My Life perfume at HSN.com.
Katy Perry (Purr) : Pop star Katy Perry is known as much for her outrageous fashion as she is for her attention-getting singles like “Ur So Gay” and international hit “I Kissed a Girl”. In 2009, she became engaged to the equally bold British comedian Russell Brand, and their relationship has garnered plenty of pop culture headlines.
To capitalize on her popularity with disposable-income teens and young women, Katy Perry is launching her new celebrity women’s fragrance Purr in November 2010. According to Stylist, the new perfume will be all things Perry, including a cat-shaped bottle with jeweled eyes inspired by one of her stage costumes. The Purr celebrity fragrance includes top notes of peach nectar, forbidden apple and green bamboo; heart notes of jasmine blossom, pink freesia and Bulgarian rose, and base notes of vanilla orchid, white amber, creamy sandalwood and musk.
The Katy Perry Purr celebrity women’s fragrance will be available in Nordstrom stores and at Nordstrom.com.
Britney Spears (Radiance) : Britney Spears blew the doors off the pop music scene in 1998, with a catchy song and sexy school-girl dance video called “…Baby One More Time”. With subsequent successful albums and acting gigs, Britney built up her empire, but was plagued by personal difficulties and intense celebrity tabloid scrutiny. Despite many setbacks, Britney has continued to record and perform, and RIAA lists her as the 8th best selling solo female recording artist in music history.
As People magazine notes, Britney Spears is no stranger to celebrity fragrance lines, and 2010’s Radiance will be her 9th perfume endeavor. The Radiance cologne bottle is pop princess perfect, covered in pink and blue translucent gems. According to The Moodie Report, the Radiance celebrity fragrance contains top notes of wild berries and petals; heart notes of floral heart of tuberose, jasmine, orange flower and iris; and base notes of cashmere woods, amber and musk.
Elizabeth Arden is launching the Britney Spears Radiance women’s fragrance line, and you can purchase it from the Elizabeth Arden website.
Avril Lavigne (Forbidden Rose) : Punk pop star Avril Lavigne became a platinum-selling artist with her first album Let’s Go, while still a teenager. With only three albums during the decade, Billboard puts her in the top ten best-selling pop stars of the 2000s, just behind Beyonce, Britney, and Christina. While still recording music, Lavigne has dipped her toe into acting and developed her own fashion line and fragrance.
Avril Lavigne’s 2010 Forbidden Rose celebrity fragrance line is her second offering after cologne Black Star, and she hopes to draw on her teen fanbase for a repeat success. Head over to YouTube to see her Twilight-esque commercial for Forbidden Rose.
And the rose really is forbidden, The Independent jokes, as Lavigne’s new perfume contains notes of red apple, white peach, bourbon pepper, lotus flower, heliotrope, apple blossom, pomegranate, vanilla, chocolate, sandalwood and praline accord. According to the Avril Lavigne official website, the Forbidden Rose women’s fragrance will be available exclusively in Kohl’s stores, but you can take a peek at the black and orchid bottle on the Kohl’s website.
Beyoncé Knowles (Heat Ultimate Elixir) : As a pop R&B star, first with girl group Destiny’s Child and then as a solo act, Beyoncé Knowles has excelled in the music industry and created an empire that makes her one of the most powerful women in the country. Billboard and RIAA have crowned Knowles the top female artist and top artist, respectively, for the 2000s decade. Knowles garnered two Golden Globes nominations for her acclaimed role in the film adaptation of musical Dreamgirls. She’s a popular spokeswoman for L’Oreal, has created a fashion line House of Deréon, and gives her time and dedication to several charitable causes.
In February of 2010, Beyoncé Knowles had instant success with her new celebrity fragrance line, Heat. To capitalize on the momentum, Knowles developed a partner perfume called Ultimate Elixir. Stylist describes the new Beyoncé fragrance as being “meant to capture a more private side to the multi-hyphenate entertainer. Ultimate Elixir mixes spicy-floral Red Vanilla Orchid and Osmanthus petals with the sensuous notes of Cedarwood and Amber, then adds in delicious Vanilla and Tonka bean to drive the point home that this is a bouquet meant for one sexy siren.”
You can buy the Beyoncé Knowles celebrity women’s fragrance Heat at Macy’s and Target. The Heat Ultimate Elixir perfume should hit department stores in September 2010.
