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10 Sweet Smelling Celebrity Moms

babysugar — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:00:00 -0700

Mompreneurs Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon are taking their brand names to a new level. The lovely ladies are both debuting their personalized fragrances and joining the crew of other women with signature successful scents. Check out celebmamas these two can call their competition. Getty

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What's in a Cell Phone Name? Quiz Roundup

GeekSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:04:29 -0800

Think you're a cell phone and pop culture master? Test your knowledge on one of my quizzes below, and see if you can identify what names are cell phones and what names are for things like Britney Spears songs, Hitchcock movies, and energy drinks!

Cell Phone Name or Britney Spears Song?	Cell Phone Name or Gum Brand?	Cell Phone Name or Alfred Hitchcock Film?
Cell Phone Name or Ladies' Razor?	Cell Phone Name or Perfume?	Cell Phone Name or Sports Drink?

Is Britney's New Ad Believable?

PopSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:15:57 -0700

Britney's perfumes have been so successful that Elizabeth Arden has created spinoffs. Curious became In Control Curious, Fantasy became Midnight Fantasy and now Arden is set to launch Britney's latest scent, Believe this October. The ad that Bella has posted has created much debate. The rumor is that Britney's head was photoshopped on the body of a stylist in the picture. A rep for Elizabeth Arden has denied it, saying,

“We recently shot Britney Spears for the print campaign for her new fragrance Britney Spears Believe, in Santa Monica. It is true that Britney did leave the set; however, she returned after a brief time. Cayli was the wardrobe assistant on the shoot. We used her as a stand in so that we could set up the lighting while Britney was off the set. When Britney returned, we shot the national print ad with her. The only person in the national print ad for Britney's Believe fragrance is Britney Spears.”

It's clear if Britney did ever look that good again then she is not working on maintaining it based on these pics of a less toned Spears. At least she's with her cute pants-less boys in matching monkey shirts having some fun with a birdbath. All this innocent play is a better image for Britney to portray considering Kevin filed for more custody. No updates on that front yet, but at least Britney is spending time with her own little men rather than random college boys.

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Coming Soon: Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy

BellaSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:59:11 -0700

Don't call it a comeback: Fresh on the heels of the launch of Britney Spears' Believe fragrance comes word of yet another-Hidden Fantasy, which will be in stores in January. According to the perfumer, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, “The original inspiration for this fragrance comes from Britney’s love for white florals, vanilla, and luscious desserts. Drawing from a cherished memory of my own, I built this fragrance with a heart of sensual jasmine and sweet Napolitano cake.”

Indeed, Hidden Fantasy ($55 for 3.3 oz) is a very saccharine scent, with discernible notes of Mexican vanilla bean, orange and clove. If you like the singer's other fragrances, you'll probably appreciate that it smells a little more grown-up than her previous scents. Which is not to say it's sophisticated by any means, but a true Britney fan will not be disappointed.

Bella Interview: Chandler Burr, Perfume Critic

BellaSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:00:50 -0700

Yesterday I wrote about The Perfect Scent, Chandler Burr's fascinating book about a year in the perfume industry. (You can read an excerpt to find out why I'm so smitten with his prose.) When it comes to fragrance, Burr is one of the world's most knowledgeable experts. That's why I was so excited to speak with him about everything from celebrity scents to perfume shopping. Check out the first part of our interview, and be sure to come back tomorrow for more.

Both fragrances that you wrote about - Un Jardin Sur Le Nil and Lovely - have been successful. But what kind of story might have happened if they hadn't been?
I thought about that a lot, actually. I was very, very happy to be able to write about two perfumes that I really liked, two perfumes that were commercially successful. Had they not been, I really don't know. Julie Salamon was invited to follow the making of a movie. She did the same thing I did, but with The Bonfire of the Vanities. The novel was called The Devil's Candy. It was about the making of an absolutely disastrous movie. If that had happened to me, I would have done the same thing.

For Chandler's thoughts on celebrity fragrance, read more.

You wrote about Lovely, and it was a phenomenal hit. When a celebrity-backed fragrance does well, is it usually because of the scent itself or the celebrity factor?
The first three months is entirely the celebrity, and then the juice kicks in. If you create a juice that's a piece of crap, then people simply are not going to buy the second bottle. It's the second-bottle phenomenon. The second bottle is about the juice - virtually always. It doesn't matter who the star is or how much you love him or her; people are simply not going to buy that second bottle if the juice isn't good.

I think Britney Spears Curious is a good scent. Jennifer Lopez Glow is a good scent. Paris Hilton's first perfume, made by Steven DeMercado, is a good scent-not great, but it's a good standard, commercial, competent perfume.

Come back tomorrow for more of our interview!

What's NOU? Two Very Different Things, Apparently

BellaSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0800

For half my life, the letters NOU have stood for one thing: Nation of Ulysses. The Washington DC band fused fashion and punk and politics and theater in an inimitable way, earning singer Ian Svenonius the title of "Sassiest Boy in America" from Sassy magazine before the band even released its first record. But now there's a new NOU in town, and it's also somewhat musical.

The fragrance NOU is inspired by Alma Mahler-Werfel, the wife of composer Gustav Mahler. A composer in her own right, she used to give parties during which the women secretly went commando. Fast-forward to today, when NOU stands for "no underwear," and promises to give you a similar boost of sexytimes confidence.

OK, so the story (and the website) is gimmicky, but there's more substance to the story. NOU was created by perfumer Claude Dir, who has also worked on scents such as Britney Spears Curious, Bobbi Brown Beach, and Marc Jacobs. If you're tired of Bubbilicious-style fruity florals, NOU is worth a sniff; it's definitely a woman's scent rather than a girl's, sophisticated but far from matronly. Its notes include verbena, ginger, cinnamon, pink rose, iris root, vanilla orchid, and mandarin zest. The cinnamon stands out, tempering the florals and giving them a slightly earthy appeal. (Think flowers growing in the wild, not an arranged bouquet from FTD.) If you can look past the underpants issue, you'll find a sultry scent worth checking out. (A $4.50 sample is available.)

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Paris Hilton's Can Can: A Blind Sniff Test

BellaSugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:00:54 -0700

One of the challenges in reviewing celebrity perfumes is that it's difficult to ignore your opinion of the famous person behind the juice. Would Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker have been such a runaway hit if, say, Bea Arthur were behind it? (I would so buy a Bea Arthur scent, for the record.) Or would a well-done perfume like Britney Spears' Curious be considered more sophisticated if it weren't connected to a pop singer?

Which brings us to Paris Hilton and her fourth fragrance, Can Can. I normally wouldn't pick up a perfume by Paris; after all, I need my $55 more than she needs it, and I can't imagine telling people that I'm wearing Paris Hilton. But I wondered if my opinion of Paris was clouding my judgment. So to get an honest and fair opinion of Can Can, I set up a blind smell test by inviting other Sugar girls to smell the scent - without knowing its identity. Would they like Paris' perfume if they didn't know who was behind it? To find out, read more.

Yesterday afternoon, I sat in a small room and invited everybody to come in for a sniff. I didn't tell anybody what they were smelling until after they'd shared their opinions, and I remained stoic and neutral. Here's what they had to say:

CitizenSugar liked it; actually, she was the only one of the group who said she'd definitely wear it. "Is this Aquolina Pink Sugar?" she asked.
TeamSugar said it was "overwhelmingly sweet, like smelling cotton candy. It's not a classy or sophisticated fragrance."
GiggleSugar said it was too sweet for her. "I do like it, but I wouldn't wear it," she explained. "It's a very sexy fragrance - like sophisticated cotton candy."
LilSugar said she "kind of liked it," and would wear it if the scent faded a bit.
YumSugar said it was too feminine and girly for her own tastes, but that it was a fine scent. "It smells like sugar - like cotton candy," she said. "I'm not that sweet, but I could see some people in Sugar HQ wearing this."
GeekSugar wasn't a fan. "Maybe it's because I have Skittles in my mouth," she said. "But it's too sweet and candy-ish. It's not awful, but I wouldn't wear it."

So, there you have it. Incidentally, after discovering the perfume's identity, everybody felt that Can Can captured the essence of Paris Hilton. I agree with them; it's fun and flirty, but it's not cloying or juvenile. Ultimately, though, there isn't much substance to the sweetness.

Get Britney's Lipstick Look From Madonna's Tour

BellaSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:00:14 -0800

Britney Jean Spears is less than a month away from her birthday, and it looks like 27 might be her year. She has a new album, a new perfume, and judging by her appearance with Madonna last night, she's looking so much healthier and happier.

Brit showed off her smile by wearing a highly flattering lipstick shade. Looks like she took a cosmetic cue from Madonna, whose tour makeup is by Shu Uemura. But you don't need to be a pop superstar to get Britney's look - she's wearing Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited lipstick ($23) in BG 940. Gorgeous!

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New Product Alert: Hollyoaks Her Perfume

BellaSugarUK — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Yesterday Hollyoaks stars Carley Stenson, Gemma Merna and Emma Rigby posed to celebrate the launch of the eagerly awaited Hollyoaks fragrances. They are titled, somewhat unimaginatively, Hollyoaks Her and Hollyoaks Him, priced at £19.95 each from Superdrug.

The perfumes are the first ever fragrances to be launched by a UK TV show and are part of the ever-growing Hollyoaks brand. Now I don't know about you, but this sort of makes me like Hollyoaks less. Plus such blatent commercialisation smacks of greed, but if Britney, Paris and even Kate Moss are going to churn out fragrances capitalising on their fame, then why not the Hollyoaks team?

“Hollyoaks epitomises the aspirations and lifestyles of today's young people." says Sean Marley, Managing Director of Lime Pictures. "The Hollyoaks fragrances will be an exciting and accessible extension of what is already one of the UK's most successful youth brands."

Unluckily for me, I haven't yet smelt the perfume itself but the women's version contains top notes of pink lychee, golden pear and sugared apple with a heart of jasmine and white chocolate and base notes of sweet musk. I'm imagining super, almost sickly, sweet will be the order of the day. If you love the show, then this one's for you! Personally though, I think I might be giving it a miss.

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Britney Spears Knows How to Pop

PopSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Britney Spears stood out in bright blue stopping by Soho House and the Box night club in Manhattan last night. Earlier, the singer was at John Philip Sousa Middle School in the Bronx to present a $10,000 donation to the school's music program given in her name from Elizabeth Arden, which makes and sells her perfumes. Brit thanked the company for their generosity and gushed about the kids who sang and played music for her. Every day the pop star seems like more and more of her old self, thanks in part to her father who apparently is still working to keep bad influences out of Britney's life.

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