The black soul of fame
Lady Gaga has finally revealed details of her debut fragrance, interestingly entitled “Fame”, via her Twitter account. Now, I may be no massive fan of celebrity perfumes, or celebuscents as they are often called, but I am a huge Gaga fan. More than anything I really enjoy her music, but I also find her fascinating and I don’t think any other current pop star is pushing the envelope in the way that she is. So it is with great excitement that I await the release of Fame.
Fame is billed as the “first ever black eau de parfum”, it uses an innovative technology that allows the black perfume to be invisible once sprayed and represents “the black soul of fame”. Many die-hard fumeophiles will know that this isn’t exactly a new thing, nice house Boudicca did something similar with their first fragrance Wode, which magically turned from being blue to invisible in almost the same way.
But that’s not all…
“Looks like photos of my perfume are being leaked. Oh you fashion editors I could just crinkle my hands at you!” Lady Gaga
Fame follows in the footsteps of Etat Libre d’Orange’s Sécrétions Magnifiques and brands such as Blood Concept by showcasing notes of blood and/or semen. Gaga explains: “I wanted to extract sort of the feeling and the sense of blood and semen from a molecular structure, so that’s where that came from. You just get the after feeling of sex from the semen, and the blood is sort of primal, and it was taken out of my own blood sample, so it’s a sense of having me on your skin.” Unsurprisingly, considering the inclusion of both “human” notes, Fame is reported to smell like an “expensive hooker”. Hooker you say? Count me in!
As for the rest of the smell, the notes are; “Tears of Belladonna, Crushed Heart of Tiger Orchidea, With a Black Veil of Incense, Pulverised Apricot, And The Combanitve Essences of, Saffron and Honey Drops.” From reading the notes it is hard to imagine how it will smell but I hope that it is edgy enough to bring out one’s inner monster and isn’t just a straight up fruity floral.
Compounded by Lady Gaga/From the Haus Laboratories
I have mixed feelings about Fame, I love the name for one and the notes sound great, but the main gimmicks (i.e. the black fluid and the blood/semen notes) are derivative and have been explored by a number of niche perfume houses before. They’re not as innovative as we’re led to think.
Lady Gaga does put a lot of thought into most things she does and love her or hate her you can guarantee that her first foray into the fragrance world will be interesting in the very least!
Fame is due to hit stores in September.*
Join the Discussion
Are you excited by Lady Gaga’s first fragrance? Are you a Gaga fan? Do you think Fame sounds interesting? Do you love/hate celebuscents? Please leave your thoughts in the comments box below!
Disclaimer
Image 1 popjustice.com. Image 2 & 3 and quotes via twitter.com/ladygaga. * Updated.
My blood pressure goes up when I read that notes list. It tries too hard. I bet you this is going to be even less interesting than Illamasqua Freak, which was only show and a cute bottle around a super-meh fruity floral.
)
No Gaga perfume for me.
(I bet you love the Mugler-esque bottle!
Hmm, I think you’re right with the notes list, and the whole concept seems to be trying too hard in general.
I do like the bottle
Predictable as always!
I wouldn’t say I was excited, but I do love Lady Gaga and I would be disappointed if this turns out to be a straight fruity floral, it would be such a sell-out for a woman who prides herself on individuality. I try not to be a snob when it comes to celebuscents but I completely and utterly am, and Birgit is right: the notes list is not helping (I wasn’t aware Belladonna could cry). On a perfume note she probably counted me out at the word ‘apricot’ – shudder.
Exactly, I agree, it would be a huge disappointment if she sold-out with this, and as B said the notes list isn’t helping things.
I had heard from someone on Twitter who had tried it that it’s a bit “meh”
Let’s hope it’s a good one!
Sorry, who is Lady Gaga?
No idea. Is she a reality TV star or something?
Okay, that was a lame joke. But I couldn’t resist.
I’m reserving judgement until I smell the juice. I feared the worst before trying the perfume by Gaga’s best friend, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got my hands on a sample. ‘Fame’ definitely sounds as though it’s trying too hard () but who knows: it may well turn out to be the most cutting-edge celebscent we’ve ever seen.
We sniff in hope.
I liked your lame joke!
We do sniff in hope, you are right. If it is on par with her BFF’s (Madge’s) then I’ll be happy.
I’ve just realised that I think WordPress thought the text I inserted in brackets was supposed to be some sort of HTML code.
All I’d written was ‘insert snarky quip about Lady Gaga always trying too hard’.
Ah, I did wonder why the empty brackets were there. Stupid WordPress!
Hmm, sounds like this one could go either way. I do wish she hadn’t gone down the Secretions Magnifiques route, I would have preferred something more like Putain des Palaces but then again if it turns out to be a dull fruity floral that would be a big let down. We’ll just have to wait and see. I fear it will be all show like B says but I do like Gaga and I hope it’s good.
It all seems a bit gimmicky doesn’t it? From what people are saying, the SM-vibe isn’t really apparent.
I love Gaga too
I can truly place hand on heart and state catehorically that I am not a fan of Gaga…mainly because I am still ridgidly stuk in 1983 when Madonna ruled the airwaves!!! However,I shall seek it out simply because I ADORE THAT BOTTLE
Haha, the bottle is cool, I believe it was created with Nick Knight.
I think this will not smells good…just a feeling!
We shall have to see
I can’t believe I’m dreaming about perfume bottles now! I agree w/ B, it is very Mugler-esque. Anyone know when/where it’s coming out?
Definitely Mugler-esque, which is a very good thing!
No idea about when/where…
Update: It’s due to hit stores in September.
I am hopeful. For 97% of the world a blood/semen accord is beyond outrageous. It’s just us fume heads who are like, oh again, whatevah, yawn. Gaga has allegedly been involved in the creation, that already bodes well in my book. I wonder what is on Gaga’s perfume shelf?
Portia xx
That is true, most of the world aren’t familiar with Secretions Magnifiques.
I have her photo book by Terry richardson and she has bottles of Womanity and an unidentifiable Chanel (one of the Les Exclusifs) on her dressing table.
One of my mates is her seamster, I’ve just sent off to him for an inventory. I am agog, I am also a bit of a fan. The bottle is deliciously 1980′s Zandra Rhodes, as well as Mugler. CPB you have me excited.. YUMM O
Portia xx
Ooh, that’s awesome! I look forward to hearing more!
Gah, Lady Gaga! Those notes scare the crap out of me. Seems someone’s trying a bit too hard here. And it’s not you, Candy Perfume Boy! She needs to stick to music.
Hopefully it will prove to be a worthwhile sniff.
Haha, attempting to put my hate aside – I do like the sound of some of the notes. The marketing is utterly painful – after releasing it would smell like blood and semen she obviously released that it had been done so attempting to reconstruct this concept into something else equally as baffling.
As long as she still things she’s being creative then that’s all that matters ey.
At the end of the day – it is what I said it would be all along – a fruity floral :’)
However, it does sound interesting enough.
The black juice as you have said has been done over and over (the recently released Norne by Slumberhouse?). But there we go
At the end of the day – for the general public who buy into her, it will be something new and exciting so good for them.
I have to admit though – the bottle seems desperately tacky in comparison to the wonderfully edgy Madonna release (I’m not a Madonna fan so no sides here), but I can imagine Gaga kicking herself having seen that.
Sorry but I can’t agree here. I think Gaga’s bottle is aesthetically miles more attractive than Madonna’s atrocity.
(But then I admit I’m biased to anything remotely Mugler-esque …)
But that’s just it, I feel like I could have drew something along these lines six months ago if I was to guess the Gaga bottle. The fact that the central point of the lid is like a plain gold cylindrical lid with these spiky additions around it makes it look like a cheap mould, on top a traditional shaped bottle.
I loved Madge’s bottle, it was a completely surpsie, thin, coffin like, slightly regal – gold studded, with that cult like logo on the front, fantastic!
Hehe I was awaiting your response to this post
You make a very valid point, we do forget that as fumeophiles we are immersed in an industry that is still very alien to many, so for most people the concept will be entirely new.
I am in two minds about the Madonna bottle, it fells and looks very cheap in real life.
I know :’) Please don’t take what I say as sabotage
That’s exactly it – for many it’ll be brand new and exciting.
Haha I won’t!
Tho’ I’m still not swayed, I do see your point and actually do agree that the “plain cylindrical lid” is rather lame. An area that could certainly do with improvement. Perhaps the lid should’ve continued the sharp pointy theme (??) or something …
But as a bottle designed for a cheapo-(to-mid ?) price-point and to appeal to a large section of the population, I do still think it’s hitting the mark perfectly.
So as a ‘drug-store frag’ I think it’s good. HOWEVER, if it turns out that she’s aiming higher and hoping for a more exclusive price-point, then that’s a different story. If this were the case then I’d no longer think the bottle quite up to scratch.
I don’t think she’s aiming for higher otherwise they’d have bothered to change the shape of the lid mould…
You’re right, a simple spike in replacement of the cylinder would have changed the look completely.
Also…
Notice how in the promotional picture it looks ten times better than the real thing.
See how the gold spikes hug the bottle and in real life they jut out as though plonked on top of the wrong bottle. I hope to god that’s a prototype, it gets more eye burning the more I look
I think Lady Gaga was much better when she first came out. Clearly she was bragging about her lifestyle in the beginning (Beautiful Dirty Rich), and was seeking fame for its own sake but she had enough catchy tunes and transgressive music videos (Paparazzi) to make up for it. But I think that since she’s attained an irrevocable level of fame she has become more irritating, such as with the advent of Born This Way. I feel the same way about rap: why would I want to bask in someone else’s fame and money if I don’t have it myself?
I don’t have any preconceived notions about the perfume though. I’m glad the bottle looks like one of her costumes.
The bottle does look very Gaga, which is good!
I think I feel completely different about Gaga and her music to the way you do, Born This Way is a great album
I can’t wait to try this. The fumeosphere is a little rarified when we are yawning over blood and semen notes!!!! Ok the frag team are overdosing on outrageousness, and inhaling a lot of great niche ideas. I say YAY and only hope the apricot, honey and saffron kick the butt of the blood and semen. Love the Mugleresque bottle and I am sure it will shift as quickly as Truth or Dare. Incidentally, I do not like Truth or Dare as it is a faded replica of the ghastly poison cloud created by Fracas on me.
I have the same hopes as you, the apricot, honey, incense and saffron are what is making me so excited to try it!
That’s the big problem with ToD, if you don’t like Fracas it is not going to be your friend.
I love La Gaga; I do think she’s honest and thoughtful and I like that she’s shamelessly raided the niche innovations to make her mainstream scent. Let’s face it, hardly anyone outside the perfume-fiend clique will know anything about these developments. Yes, it’s derivative of niche scents, but so what? So were the Rolling Stones borrowing niche traditional Blues songs for the pop charts.
I would far rather smell Gaga’s derivative of niche that has some thought behind it than any of the multitude of blah (and often bleurch) celebuscents churned out by Coty. Praise the gods that it’s not yet another fruitichouli!
Also, the marketing blurb is so tongue in cheek it makes me giggle. I love it!
I love La Gaga too, she is truly innovative and a genuine talent (and person from what I’ve seen).
This is true, the concepts will be new to most people.
I can’t help but agree 100% with ‘Wordbird’ above – Well said ! …
I’m not Gaga obsessed or anything, but do appreciate her efforts. It’s nice to see that she was at least actually actively involved in the perfume’s creation, and that she’s trying to do something creative, interesting and transgressive. (Even if only to mainstream standards). ~ Are we fume-o-philes really that jaded already !?
Although admittedly I’m quite disappointed to hear it’s closer to a mere “fruity-floral’ than I expected from her. I also realise that ultimately the whole point of the venture is to sell sell sell. So understand the need for some level of compromise to make it appealing enough to the masses. And not just a soup of odd unusual notes, that no matter how exciting for us ‘fumeheads’, would otherwise only send the general public running for the hills.
All in all, so far I’m liking the whole concept. I think the name “Fame’ incredibly clever (as it’s mostly what today’s youth hunger for so will certainly resonate with the target audience). I think the black-juice technology, no matter how gimmicky, is still interesting and effective. And even liking the sound of the notes, blood/semen and all. (Tho’ do hope it rises above just a mere fruity/floral.)
I also like, and it’s not surprising, that she’d choose a poisonous plant/flower to be her star attraction. (i.e Belladonna) A note that’s also still rather unusual. – I think it all suits her character perfectly ! …
As for the undoubtedly Mugler-esque bottle, I think it’s absolutely spot-on. Beautifully designed, appropriate and exactly what I’d expect from her. Suits/depicts her and her style perfectly.
I’m really looking forward to smelling it, and believe for a celebuscent it will probably be miles ahead of the competition. …
Ultimately I just really hope the ‘juice’ doesn’t disappoint, for she seems to be hitting all the right notes so far. [No pun intended
] … I’m hoping I’ll love it enough for it to become the very first celebuscent I think worthy enough to add to my collection. [as I'm really loving that bottle. 
]
Yep, let’s hope the juice really does prove to be great.
The fantasy notes remind me (like Brigit) too much of Illamasqua. Not sure “Goth Perfumes” work. Nonetheless, I am fascinated, and will no doubt be searching this out when it comes out – thanks for the coverage!
The Illamasqua was dreadful. So dull for a perfume named Freak.
It makes me really happy reading all of your posts! I love the way you have created a dialogue about scent that all of your readers have learned to understand. I believe that you do this whole scent review thing way better than a seasoned “nose” because you have made it a passion instead of a task. And you have made it a tangible passion for your readers, your writing about scent is refreshingly accessible and personal (Which I adore and respect).
Also, as far as this scent goes I am interested to see what she has done with it. It makes sense to me that she using all of this interesting things like coloring and using blood and semen, even if they are “trying to hard” like you say. I think that i may just be looking at it as not doing anything half ass-ed. It seems to me like she is trying to make a statement, and I am confident that she will bring something unique to world in her little black filled bottles.
Aww Megan! Thank you so much for your lovely words, I’m so glad you enjoy my posts! You’ve made my day
Let’s hope Fame turns out to be a worthwhile scent, I feel it could go either way.
That bottle is a bit Alienesque, isn’t it? It also reminds me of a lobster claw, or those crane things in fun fairs where you win a hideously blobby pink teddy (or would, if the grab would actually grab anything). And yes, I am also on the fence with this one. Trying a bit too hard is my first impression.
Tis very Alienesque, which is no surprise seeing as she is good friends with all things Mugler.
I hate those lobster claw games!
Not sure about the fragrance, going off the description, though I will definitely give it a whiff when it’s out.
Hmm, the bottle. If it looked like the “ad” image at the top, then yeah, I could go for it’s looks. Shame this looks like it has been tweaked. The real deal, in the other pics, looks much cheaper. In those images the “claws” don’t hug the bottle and have a blunt, “de-clawed”, end. Plus, the juice looks far from black, more “plummy”!
If I were to get what is in the advert image, I might consider just buying it as an ornament, even if I didn’t like the smell!
Anyhoo, we will all see in September!
There does seem to be some difference between the quality of the bottle in the press ad and the leaked pics doesn’t there.
Let’s hope it looks nice in the flesh!