- Fragrance
Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker is right on the nose
By
Daley Quinn
Daley Quinn
Daley Quinn is a freelance beauty, lifestyle, and wellness writer and content strategist. She has penned stories for Allure, Fashionista, Well + Good, Women’s Health, The Cut, WWD, and more.
Byrdie's Editorial Guidelines
Published on 12/01/22 12:43PM
It turns out celebrities have many more talents outside of singing, acting, and dancing—they have created some wonderful, iconic fragrances, too. What is so incredible about celebrity fragrances is that the truly outstanding ones have stood the test of time. Some celebrity scents have been best-selling fragrances for over 30 years.
Lucky for us, we were able to test out a bunch of classics (as well as some newbies) that brought us back in time. Some picks delighted our senses, while others had us wincing. To help narrow down the plethora of perfumes, we’ve saved you time and picked the best celebrity perfumes on the market.
01of 10
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Perfume
What We Like
- Classy-looking bottle
- Good price point
What We Don't Like
- Loose-fitting cap; potential to spill
02of 10
Jennifer Lopez Glow
What We Like
- Low price point
- Smells clean and soapy
What We Don't Like
- Not long-lasting
- Packaging looks and feels cheap
03of 10
Fenty Eau de Parfum
What We Like
- It has a unique spicy, floral scent
- Elegant bottle
- Scent lingers
What We Don't Like
- The high price tag
Rihanna has once again nailed another category in the cosmetic industry: perfume. The Fenty Perfume boasts a lovely warm, spicy floral scent that will have you hooked. The top notes include magnolia, musk, tangerine, and Bulgarian rose. We love that this pick is very long-lasting and comes in a simple yet elegant bottle. One of the biggest downsides is that this perfume is expensive. At $140 per bottle, it’s our priciest pick on this list.
Price at time of publish: $140
Type: Eau de parfum | Size: 2.5 ounces | Top Notes: magnolia, musk, tangerine, Bulgarian rose
04of 10
Ariana Grande Cloud Eau de Parfum Spray
What We Like
- Very fun packaging
- Warm, sweet, spicy scent
What We Don’t Like
- Scent doesn’t last very long
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05of 10
Dolly Parton Scent from Above
What We Like
- Pretty bottle
What We Don’t Like
- The scent is very sweet and powdery
06of 10
Katy Perry Killer Queen
What We Like
- Scent lasts all day
What We Don’t Like
- Bottle shape is not practical
This fruity pick from Katy Perry includes top notes of forest fruits, plum, and bergamot. It’s a playful, fun scent that’s anything but “old lady.” We love that the packaging gives off Queen of Hearts vibes, but the actual bottle is a bit impractical. It doesn’t sit upright on its own, so you’ll have to have it lay on its side when displaying in your perfume collection. That being said, we do love the price point for the amount of product you get (the bottle is larger than you expect) and love the originality of the elegant-looking bottle.
Price at time of publish: $35
Type: Eau de Parfum | Size: 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Forest fruits, plum, bergamot
07of 10
Billie Eilish Eilish Eau de Parfum
What We Like
- It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free
- One-of-a-kind packaging
What We Don’t Like
- The bottle isn’t practical
08of 10
Paris Hilton Fragrances "Love Rush"
What We Like
- The fresh, floral scent
- Fun bottle and packaging
What We Don’t Like
- It’s hard to find
09of 10
Britney Spears Fantasy
What We Like
- It brings back major nostalgia
- The fair price point
What We Don’t Like
- The bottle looks cheap
10of 10
Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds
What We Like
- It’s a true classic
- It’s available at many drugstores nationwide
What We Don’t Like
- It may remind you of your grandma’s perfume
White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor was first released in 1991 and is still the best-selling celebrity perfume there ever was. The bottle is iconic, as well as the scent—the top notes include aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, orange, and lily. Because this perfume is so old, it’s unsurprising that many will find the scent to smell vintage, and maybe not in a good way. While we love this iconic pick, it might not be for those who are looking for a “younger,” fresher, more modern scent.
Price at time of publish: $24
Type: Eau de Toilette | Size: 0.5 to 3.3 ounces | Top Notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, orange, lily
Final Verdict
Fragrance preferences are truly subjective, and everyone has different tastes (and smells). What our favorite was might not be yours. That being said, we’re confident that our overall winner,Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker, can be enjoyed by most perfume lovers. Not only are we fans of the scent, but we also love how classy and elegant the glass bottle is, too. While we dubbedAriana Grande Cloudthe best-packaged perfume, we are big devotees of the fun, youthful fragrance as well.
What to Look For in a Celebrity Perfume
Fragrance Notes
Beyond just the celebrity that you love, you need to take a peek at the list of ingredients to find the best scent for you. If you're a spicy or musky fragrance fan and choose a super sweet floral scent, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Think of the scents you are drawn to—or, you know, mesh well with your body chemistry—and look for those notes. Words like fresh, woodsy, floral, and gourmand (sweet) can also help guide you through this list as well.
Packaging
We normally say to not judge a book by its cover, but in this case, we're giving you a pass: You can judge a fragrance by its bottle. Now, if you love a scent but hate the bottle design, it may still be worth giving it a shot. However, perfume bottles are often little display pieces too, so, ideally, you would love the whole thing—the fragrance as well as its packaging.
FAQ
How do you apply perfume so it lasts?
There are a couple of things you can do to make a perfume last longer on your skin. Firstly, make sure you apply the perfume to bare skin—you don’t want any clothing or accessories to obstruct the fragrance. Secondly, it’s a good idea to apply the fragrance to your pulse points, including wrists, neck, inner elbow, and back of your knees. This is because fragrance reacts to heat, and applying the perfume to these various spots will help the scent emit throughout the day. Finally, try not to rub the fragrance into your skin when you spray it. Just allow it to sit on your skin so that it doesn’t absorb and lasts longer.Keep in mind that perfume oils have better lasting power than traditional perfumes.
Why Trust Byrdie
Daley Quinn is a contributing writer for Byrdie, where she covers all things beauty, health, and lifestyle. After doing extensive research on the best-selling and most loved celebrity perfumes, Quinn personally tested about half of the ones that made this final list and used her insights to craft the story.
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