Perhaps the most eagerly awaited celebrity scent of the year, Lady Gaga’s FAME is as over the top in its presentation as the Lady herself. But what is it really like?

Synesthete Dawn Goldworm oversaw a team of perfumers including Richard Herprin, Honorine Blanc, and Nathalie Lorson and in an exclusive quote to CaFleureBon said,

   “At the time that I designed the fragrance, I was the in-house fragrance designer for Coty Beauty Europe. Lady Gaga speaks in music when she discusses her perfume desires, so I listened to her album over and over and I translated the colors and textures that I saw in her ballads into the construction of the perfume.  Her music is "pop" and red like the fruity top of the fragrance but also comfortable and melodic like the oriental addiction and delicate florals, with a strong signature, depth and mysterious drama that is fully eccentuated by the saffron and honey.  It is juicy, creamy, transparent and strange … a mixture of texture, emotion and color that never stops moving. “

As for why the juice is black,

“Lady Gaga requested that the fragrance be black”

 

I am often skeptical of “marketing hype” and overly romanticized notes. It should also be known that I was not always a “monster” (or Gaga fan). It wasn’t until, after a string of #1 hits like “Alejandro”, I heard (and saw the video for) “Judas” that I fell in love with this artist, and began to really get her style and appreciate it. The same is true for her perfume and she herself has said that “loving me is like chewing on pearls”.

A very wise man once told me to never confuse the ARTIST with their ART. While I may find many things she does to be rather ridiculous and a bit “much”, I appreciate her uniqueness, her dedication and her refusal to cede even one iota of her creative control over music, lyrics and/or marketing. Having breathed new life into a rather tired musical genre (dance pop), my hopes were high for this particular release. If nothing else, Gaga does it her way. It was this autonomy that led me to go an hour out of my way and buy this perfume unsniffed. Not unlike her music, her perfume took me a few tries to really truly understand. The following is my journey into the FAME…

I walked into Macy’s, past the Thierry Mugler’s and DIORs, and straight to the sales assistant and asked for the new Lady Gaga perfume. She said “Have you smelled it yet?” Of course, I had not. She sprayed it on a strip. Fruity vapors surrounded me, then slightly sweet and powdery waves with a hint of spices. It was definitely feminine, and nowhere near as dark as I had hoped. In fact, it smelled a bit like a few other perfumes released in the past few years for women and girls. REALLY??! This was it? I was a bit crestfallen, but decided to give it a chance and bought the 50 ml edp anyway. There was something lurking sensually and somewhat darkly underneath: nothing as sinister or  “noir” as the black fluid (which does dry clear) and vaguely alien talons alluded to, but something enticing and deliciously dirty that was not blatant, but did make me feel as if someone had just came off with a rather witty double entendre.

On getting it home out of the box and on my skin, it smelled much the same as the scent strip had. Only now the generic fruitiness was more berry-like (blackberry juice IS listed in the ingredients and is perhaps why the SA said she smelled “grapes”) with whispers of booziness. The floral aspect that appeared as sugary violets (on paper) bloomed into a scorched orchid and haughty jasmine combination. I wear perfumes regardless of whom they are marketed to, but this was definitely on the femme side of the scale…maybe too much. It came to my attention that this was constructed without the typical “scent pyramid” (no base, heart or top notes) and used a “push/pull” technology created by three accords: a lighter one (tiger orchids and Sambac jasmine), a darker one (belladonna & incense) and a sensual one (honey, saffron and apricots). I also learned that it could be changed by “rubbing it out” (Gaga’s own words). I figured why not?

I reapplied again “rubbing it out” and, to my great surprise, it WAS different! A smoky silken incense (not sandalwood based, but balmy and smooth) came to the fore and the saffron was readily apparent. A deliciously naughty musk flirted with my nostrils and the tart berry accord of the previous wearing had somehow magically morphed into a more golden honey drizzled apricot accented by a bitter green (deadly nightshade?). There was definitely more to this perfume than first meets the nose. It was still sweet, only now it was more unisex and oriental-as opposed to the usual fruity floral that I had first been rather disappointed over. Much as she had with dance pop, it seems the Lady had revamped a rather tired and trite classification and gave it her own trappings and unique style. Brava!!

With FAME, Lady Gaga has broken no new ground. She has, however, taken some old ground and created a rather interesting arrangement with it. Breaking the mold of the typical celebrity scent structure, creating a really interesting flacon and juice that echoes her feelings of fame, and how it’s perceived while also creating something that has two very different aspects to it. I have worn FAME continuously for the last 36 hours which should say more than these words ever could. It takes a while sometimes for people to really “grok” (completely understand and appreciate) something but when you finally do…all the time spent makes it worthwhile. Will this be an instant classic? Probably not. Is it worth the money I spent for it? Absolutely!  Of all the words I have heard from all her songs, the lyrics “glitter mixed with rock n’ roll” and “glamorphonic electronic disco baby” sum up this scent the best. Sillage: average. Longevity: above average.

Thanks to Macy’s we have two samples of Lady Gaga Fame to giveaway. To be eligible leave a comment naming your favorite Lady Gaga thing; song, dress, style, whatever. The draw will end on September 2, 2012.

 We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume.

-John Reasinger, Editor