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I reviewed the best celebrity perfumes – a pop star’s fragrance surprised me but it wasn’t Ariana Grande or a 2000s icon
I HAVEN'T met very many celebrities aside from Michael Shannon, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, and singer Victoria Justice.
But I feel like I've smelled plenty of famous folks over my years as a celebrity fragrance fanatic.
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Celeb scents get a bad rap, but a lot of these perfumes outperform anything on the market and tend to be cheaper, too.
I prepared a quick walkthrough of my favorite celebrity perfumes, including old standbys and surprising new discoveries.
Here's my honest review of some of the most popular famous fragrances on the market...
CRYSTAL GARDENIA, KIM KARDASHIAN
For years, I tried to find the perfect gardenia perfume with no luck – until I smelled Kim Kardashian's fragrance on someone else.
Shortly after the launch of Crystal Gardenia, one of my coworkers in a former office got her hands on a bottle.
I quickly followed suit, with no shame in my copycat ways.
I was drawn in by the heady opening of gardenia, the strong heart of more gardenia, and the complex base of...white peach.
The fruity undertones warmed up the scent, so I smelled like a tropical paradise, not the refrigerated grocery store floral section.
Most read in Hair & Beauty
KKW Fragrance's Crystal Gardenia isn't just my favorite celebrity perfume: it's in my top five scents ever.
And while it's discontinued, there are rumors that Kim will revive her fragrance line – watch for more.
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EILISH BY BILLIE EILISH
Nestled among the Ariana Grande fragrances at the nearest Ulta, there was something different.
I spotted an elegant golden bust, sitting head-and-shoulders above the pink poufs and pastel clouds.
Much to my surprise, it was , the first fragrance by record-setting songstress Billie Eilish.
I didn't even know she had perfume, and when I read the description, I was taken aback.
The manufacturer describes it as a gourmand featuring notes of "sugared petals, creamy vanilla, and warm musks."
Typically, vanilla cupcake flavors aren't my thing. I find them boring and cloying at the same time.
But a few spritzes of this perfume left me reeling – it was fresh, complex, and uplifting.
Other people seemed to agree since Eilish earned me lots of compliments after I applied a few in-store spritzes.
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FANTASY BY BRITNEY SPEARS
Don't act surprised. A few of my friends were shocked to learn Britney's fragrances are still on shelves.
True fans know Brit never left.
, has long been a crown jewel in the celeb fragrance world, even alongside her other scents like Curious and Midnight Fantasy.
If a bag of gummy worms could be elegant in any way, it would smell like Fantasy.
It's a fun scent that doesn't take itself too seriously, but it doesn't smell cheap – despite the quirky bottle.
The bright and juicy top notes dry down to a soft, sugary finish, like a bag of candy hearts on Valentine's Day.
A tiny splash of Fantasy lasts forever, so a small bottle will last years – no need to spritz me, baby, one more time.
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WHITE DIAMONDS BY ELIZABETH TAYLOR
Speaking of elegant, opulent, diva-worthy scents, let's pay our respects to Elizabeth Taylor.
Now, she's a cornerstone of celeb fragrance, but for a long time, she cornered the market.
Violet Eyes, Diamonds and Sapphires, Gardenia, and Passion all scream maturity and bold sex appeal, but one stands above the rest.
That's White Diamonds, which has a velvety-smooth floral aura that will surround you for hours.
While this is high on my list of celebrity scents, I actually don't prefer the eau de parfum.
Keep an eye out for a White Diamonds gift set, typically under $30 at .
The eau de parfum and eau de toilette are great, but once you try the White Diamonds body lotion, you'll become obsessed.
It's a perfect product for layering under other fragrances or wearing on its own when you want a softer scent.
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GLOW BY JENNIFER LOPEZ
This celeb scent is so good, I'll proudly admit to having a knockoff at my parents' house as a backup.
Hey, what if I have some sort of romantic Hallmark movie emergency in my small town?
, is as sexy as it gets: it's soapy and citrusy, clean but fun.
This scent invokes an image of stepping out of the shower, slipping into a sundress, and heading to a beachside bar before your hair is dry.
I'm almost certain it smells exactly like J. Lo herself.
There's one facet of the fragrance that puts it at the bottom of my top five: its strength.
I genuinely think if I dropped a bottle of this, it would become a biohazard for anyone within breathing distance.
Even with just one spray from an arm's length away, Glow is so forward that it can overpower in some situations.
For example, when I use it before running errands with my parents - sorry, the local grocery store can't handle my raw sexual energy!
SCENT FROM ABOVE BY DOLLY PARTON
As a Dolly Parton fan, I was thrilled when she released her own perfume. As an American, I was obligated to try it.
But as a fragrance snob...I'm a little sad.
On paper, is made for me.
From the peony and jasmine notes to the punny name, this seems like my ideal scent.
But on my skin, it didn't work out that way.
I found the floral and citrus components too artificial, and not in a way that would be Dolly-approved.
Instead of smelling vibrant and sunny, this perfume smelled almost like melted plastic on me.
While it "costs a lot of money to look this cheap," I didn't think this perfume was worth the nearly-$40 price tag.
But I'm not giving up yet – one of these days, I'll try Dolly's other new scents.
I'm sure between Tennessee Sunset and Early Morning Breeze, I'll find something to love.
GOD IS A WOMAN BY ARIANA GRANDE
In my search for celeb perfumes, I visited several stores, and the display at my local Ulta was saturated with Ariana Grande.
The pop starlet has so many perfumes, I didn't even know all their names.
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But I wasn't visiting Ulta to try R.E.M., Cloud, Thank U Next, Sweet Like Candy, or her eponymous scent, Ari.
I was after the two newest additions to the family, and (both $68).
As expected, I didn't like Mod Vanilla, though not because it smelled too much like its label.
Instead of the cupcake-inspired fragrance I feared, Mod Vanilla smelled like...hairspray.
After spraying it on my pulse points, I was surprised my skin didn't have a sticky sheen of AquaNet.
Mod Blush was better, though it didn't last on me, and wasn't a very complex or interesting fragrance.
This supports my long-held and very controversial theory: Ariana Grande's fragrances are actually better as a $10 body mist.
With one exception.
I spotted a new-to-me fragrance in the Ariana Grande department.
Apparently, I totally missed when , came out in 2021.
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This is a grown-up, distinguished scent, very mature and unique, and so unlike its candy-sweet sisters.
There's an almost masculine undertone to the vibrant florals, which I found compelling.
But this perfume loses points for longevity.
It only took a few minutes for my nose to reach olfactory fatigue, or for the scent to wear off.
Factor in a comparatively high price tag and I'll say thank you, next.
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LOVE RUSH BY PARIS HILTON
In the spirit of due diligence, I acquired a sample of another celeb perfume I'd originally planned to try in body spray form.
It's hard to beat Paris Hilton when it comes to purse-ready travel sprays. I've often found her body mists for $10 or less at TJ Maxx and Burlington Coat Factory.
But Hilton's latest release, , $75, is still only available in the hallowed halls of Nordstrom.
Ad materials for the perfume show Paris in her wedding regalia, and explain this fragrance commemorates her 2021 nuptials.
The notes on the label bring my experiment full circle: Love Rush is meant to be a gardenia-forward perfume.
"Oh, just like my beloved Crystal Gardenia! I thought," as I tried my sample.
Gardenia, this is not. It's a perfectly lovely scent – in fact, I bet it would make a beautiful wedding day pick.
But it's not gardenia-heavy in the way I wanted it to be, and it didn't smell too different from other perfumes on the market.
It's citrusy and vibrant, though it also burned off my skin rather quickly – again, raising the question of its price tag.
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I'll stick to the inexpensive bottles of Can Can and Heiress, which I know I can rely on.
And if they wear off quickly, I won't feel bad – chances are, I bought them on sale.
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