On the nose - Celebrity Scents
I sheepishly walked to the counter at the pharmacy. I knew I was being judged. My face was glowing beetroot red. I tried to think of something witty to say, but I could feel the sales assistant's disbelieving expression, even before I opened my mouth. "Just these two?" she perkily enquired. "Yes, please." I coyly replied. I opened my mouth, to try to explain, but I could not think of a single statement that would explain or excuse my purchase. She scanned my items and compassionately did the double wrap (into a paper bag, into a plastic bag) to spare the tiny crumbs of my dignity which remained.
I laugh about it now, but my absolute shame at the time came from purchasing 'celebrity' scents. I use the term 'celebrity' quite loosely, as I was guilty of purchasing a Kim Kardashian AND Paris Hilton perfume - at the same time! It was like a jab and a left hook to my credibility as a smart, independent thinking woman. To my defence, I had not purchased the perfumes because of the 'celebrity' connection. They were quite pleasant scents, and extraordinarily cheap (refraining from drawing parallels between individuals and products.) The truth is that the scents could have been by Susan Boyle and Reba McEntire and I still would have bought them.
Celebrity scents are not new, although the standard of celebrity which is required before a scent is dedicated to you has certainly declined. The highest selling celebrity scent of all time is White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. Any why shouldn't it be? She is a Hollywood legend - 54 movies, 2 Oscars (nominated 5 times) and married 8 times! She oozed style, glamour and bling. But the main reason why her scent is so popular is because it smells nice. A celebrity scent, no matter how current and popular the celebrity, will not be successful if it smells bad.
Upon researching celebrity scents further, I discovered that Peter Andre has a scent. So too does Bruce Willis. I can kind of (at a stretch) understand Bruce Willis... but I would expect his scent to be a mix of blood, sweat, motor oil and gun powder. Anything fruiter than that would be a disservice.
Companies do need to carefully consider the celebrity which they choose to align themselves with, as consumers may shun an otherwise excellent product, simply because of the persona used to promote it. I suppose that is why I only paid $10 for a bottle of perfume which still retails online for up to $100...Down town Green Point does not appear to appreciate the global icon that is Kim Kardashian :)
I laugh about it now, but my absolute shame at the time came from purchasing 'celebrity' scents. I use the term 'celebrity' quite loosely, as I was guilty of purchasing a Kim Kardashian AND Paris Hilton perfume - at the same time! It was like a jab and a left hook to my credibility as a smart, independent thinking woman. To my defence, I had not purchased the perfumes because of the 'celebrity' connection. They were quite pleasant scents, and extraordinarily cheap (refraining from drawing parallels between individuals and products.) The truth is that the scents could have been by Susan Boyle and Reba McEntire and I still would have bought them.
Celebrity scents are not new, although the standard of celebrity which is required before a scent is dedicated to you has certainly declined. The highest selling celebrity scent of all time is White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. Any why shouldn't it be? She is a Hollywood legend - 54 movies, 2 Oscars (nominated 5 times) and married 8 times! She oozed style, glamour and bling. But the main reason why her scent is so popular is because it smells nice. A celebrity scent, no matter how current and popular the celebrity, will not be successful if it smells bad.
Upon researching celebrity scents further, I discovered that Peter Andre has a scent. So too does Bruce Willis. I can kind of (at a stretch) understand Bruce Willis... but I would expect his scent to be a mix of blood, sweat, motor oil and gun powder. Anything fruiter than that would be a disservice.
Companies do need to carefully consider the celebrity which they choose to align themselves with, as consumers may shun an otherwise excellent product, simply because of the persona used to promote it. I suppose that is why I only paid $10 for a bottle of perfume which still retails online for up to $100...Down town Green Point does not appear to appreciate the global icon that is Kim Kardashian :)
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