It’s an aspirational thing–consumers can buy into the celebrity’s lifestyle by wearing their fragrance. They can feel and smell like celebrities.
— Mary Ellen Lapsansky of The Fragrance Foundation, quoted in Celebrities fill up the fragrance counter.
That’s the standard explanation for the widespread appeal of celebrity fragrances, but I’ve always had a hard time with it. Your average “celebrity lifestyle” seems more likely to stand as a dire warning to be very careful what you wish for, or as an illustration of the age-old adage that money doesn’t buy happiness. Whatever your stance on the subject, Britney Spears, whose latest fragrance, Believe, is currently launching in stores, may have a hard time finding buyers for her lifestyle at the moment. So far this year, she has shaved her head, entered rehab, been accused of using a body double for her perfume ad, been mocked for her dismal performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, lost custody of her two children, and most recently, been hit with a sex tape scandal.
Still, here is Believe, launching under the vaguely ironic tag line “the greatest freedom is to believe in yourself”. Whether that message will resonate with her fans is yet to be seen, but I’ll start with the good stuff: the packaging. The outer box (see right) is fun but not tacky, and the bottle, with its simple triangular lines, echoes that same blend of playfulness and elegance. It is Britney all-grown-up, having discarded the girl-glam look of her Curious and Fantasy fragrances.
If you suspected, as I did, that the juice would takes its cues from the packaging, you were quite wrong: this is your standard, youth-oriented celebrity fruity-floral fare. We’ve got the burst of sweet jammy fruit (“mouthwatering top note of guava pulp and golden tangerine”) that slowly calms into sheer, still-sweet florals (“feminine honeysuckle…intertwined with hints of linden blossom”) before melting into a pale musky base, more clean than not but with a touch of warm vanilla candy (“patchouli aura is wrapped in a wink of sensual amber and pink pralines”).
Still, Believe is perfectly pleasant, very wearable, and a far sight nicer than Midnight Fantasy. If I had to choose one of the Britney Spears line as my signature fragrance, I’d take Believe, with the original Fantasy scent running a close second. It is par for the course to say that it is rather faceless, but there it is — there is nothing even slightly distinctive about it. Of course, mass appeal is what celebrity fragrances are all about, so “pleasant but faceless” should make Believe a good test for Elizabeth Arden: if this doesn’t sell, the perfume-buying public doesn’t want to wear something with Britney’s name on it.
Britney Spears Believe is available in 50 or 100 ml Eau de Parfum. Adding later: I should have mentioned that the lasting power is not fabulous — it wears much more like an Eau de Toilette than an Eau de Parfum, and Fantasy outlasts it by a mile.
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Don't know what to say about this one. I mean, at least this time, the package and the bottle is better than the previoue one.
I think it is pretty nicely done for what it is — sweet fruity florals not really being my sort of thing. The lasting power isn't fabulous though, and should have mentioned that above. Wears way more like an Eau de Toilette than like an Eau de Parfum.
I suppose it would be difficult to market one that smelled like In 'n Out and vomit-flecked regret…
LOL! Seriously though, what is entirely missing from most celebrity efforts (exception: Cumming) is humor. A little humor would go a long way, don't you think? I mean, given the state she must have already been in when they planned the advertising, “the greatest freedom is to believe in yourself” seems ridiculously straight-faced.
Whenever anyone exhorts me to “believe in myself,” I keep thinking it's some kind of existential question. How could I not believe in myself? I'm here, aren't I?
Back to Believe: For an instant, I did give in to the preposterous hope that the scent would be green, like the bottle. Old fools never learn.
Nope, not green, particularly. The juice should have been a pinkish-orange or an orange-ish pink, but nobody ever asks me
Of all the celebs I could smell like.. LOL! The bottle is very pretty, will have to give it a sniff when no one is looking. Haven't liked anything else from her yet though. The green made me think of the Cher video “Believe” that was light green themed. Maybe it's an homage?
I do have a friend at work that wears With Love (the Hillary Duff offering) who had no idea who the celeb attatched was, just likes the scent. So some of them must sell by their own merits sometimes.
If you didn't like any of the others, you might not like this one either. And would guess you're right, some of them must sell on their own merits, but there is so much competition in the sweet fruity floral category lately that Believe would have a hard time standing out. I'd take With Love over Believe myself, for that matter.
Will have to look for that Cher video…
I really don't know about Brit anymore,I am trying to not let her personal life get in the way but those stunts she's been pulling have me really turned off.
I best stick to coco mademoiselle for my next purchase. *lol*
Y'know, I can't be critical of Ms. Spears, because if I had the power to have my very own fragrances out there for sale, I wouldn't hesitate for one moment. I'd have a new one every chance I got! Heck, I'd be the next Serge Lutens! It's a really good-looking bottle (although I'm with Robin; if they'd asked me, based on the notes of the juice, I'd go with pinky-orange) and I'll reserve all judgment until I sniff it. Probably won't be falling in love with it, by all reports here (although I confess I don't have the same sophisticated sense of scent as most of you and am a bit of a sucker for fruit and flowers, if they're tamed by a good bit of resin and/or wood). I saw a clip of her, zoned-out and nearly incoherent, and I felt a great deal of compassion for her. She might need the extra income.
I don't believe in that aspirational jazz. I think its about name recognition, pure and simple. Its about branding.
Oh for the days when product led branding, instead of vice versa…did they every really exist?
I could settle for the days when a company hesitated to put out something bad because they were at least worried it would spoil their brand.
Posting for deweyed –( I deleted your comment because the very long URL stretched the page):
ezebel pulled this little stunt as a 'review' of this fragrance:
warning – NOT WORK-SAFE for language.
http://tinyurl.com/yotooo
Synopsis: Blind sniffers thought Believe was nicer than Vulva, but thought Vulva must be the new Britney scent.
I'm editing myself – they tested In Control versus Vulva. But, same results, substituting “in Control” for “Believe”.
Jasmine, you can't go wrong with Coco Mademoiselle
Really, you would? Well, I can't say I think there is much taming going on here, but maybe you'll love it, who knows? Doubt she needs the $$ though, zoned out or not. At least, I hope she has put something away for a rainy day???
I have a hard time w/ it myself, as I said — even the most star-struck fan couldn't possibly think buying a celeb fragrance will change their life in any way?? But what do I know.
And yes, those days are long gone, for most brands, anyway.
Sorry I deleted & reposted your comment, and I even managed to get your name wrong — it is dewyeyed, right? Anyway, will give that a look!
Nice bottle, but I'm assuming it needs the box or else it'll fall over? (There's a sad joke about Britney in there, I'm sure). I'm just sorry for those little boys. Two hopelessly immature parents and a desperate future ahead. It's really not an image that should sell perfume, is it?
Not at all (sorry to wreck the joke, LOL!) the bottom is a flat triangular surface — the first picture above is clearly taken from an overhead angle and is kind of misleading.
Hoping those boys have a really excellent nanny…
Yes it seems like a bit hit from reading the reviews on Makeupalley,think i will save it for my x-mas wish list
“If I had to choose one of the Britney Spears line as my signature fragrance, I'd take Believe”.
I am so going to look for this now.
If you've got any big spenders buying you presents this year, check out the spiffy new perfume solid in the gold case
LOL — you never know.
I couldn't find it on the chanel website,where can i view it??
found it…thanks
I'm definitely starting to develop an allergy to celebrity fragrances. With rare exceptions, they're mediocre scents, and I'm having an increasing antipathy towards buying in to anybody's lifestyle-marketing concept — especially considering the lifestyles of sad, dysfunctional women such as Britney Spears. I just don't IDENTIFY, you know? Lately, I've been falling in love with the idea of great talents out there — JCE, Olivia G., et al — and want, more and more, to appreciate scents for the creative geniuses behind them and how wearing them affects me positively on an emotional and intellectual level. Ooops! Sorry for the heavy-duty thesis, but there you go. I've really changed since reading Now Smell This, so thank you, everyone.
I completely agree with “the idea of great talents out there — JCE, Olivia G., et al — and want, more and more, to appreciate scents for the creative geniuses behind them and how wearing them affects me positively on an emotional and intellectual level” — perfumes by JCE & OG are what got me seriously interested in perfume to begin with.
But I have to say that I don't think celebrity fragrances as a group are any worse than the “regular”, mainstream fragrances you'd find in the same stores, most of which are equally mediocre. The simple fact is that most new perfumes are pretty much uninspired dreck.
Agree with you there, R.! I can quite easily separate the marketing angle from the contents of the bottle and judge fragrances on their own merits. (You know that I'm a big fan of SJP's two scents, for example, and could DRINK my Covet, although I know it's not your cuppa juice! Oh, I sniffed that Prada Iris yesterday and thought it was just lovely, and I can see myself “advancing” to that level of appreciation very soon — as I continued on and bought the EDP of Donna Karan Gold, which I've been thinking about for months.)
Gold is lovely — really nicely done. I hear the new DKNY Delicious Night is nice too, but haven't tried it yet.
I was relieved to look up your review of DK Gold when I got back from the store and find you thought it was well-made, Robin. I really appreciate knowing your personal likes and dislikes as well as your more objective assessments: it adds up to a very well-balanced, constent blog, and very useful. You're refreshingly tactful, too, which is such a pleasure; I always love reading between your lines! I'm not a huge fan of either current Deliciouses (!), but look forward to sniffing Night when it finally arrives in Vancouver.
Thanks for the very kind words, but don't take my opinion too seriously! I don't know any more than anybody else
And I am told this Delicious Night has no apple at all, and so isn't like the earlier Deliciouses. I didn't like them either!
Just tried it. Simple, dull, forgettable — and this, coming from a girl (me, that is, not Britney) whose guilty fume pleasures actually occasionally include the oft-lambasted fruity florals! So now you KNOW it's truly boring stuff. Neat bottle, tho.
The bottle isn't bad, is it?
I have to tell you, I bought this one despite the fact that it had Britney's name on it. I love the bottle, and the box is so cute I still can't bring myself to throw it out! The fragrance is fun! I do think it is a bit strange that before I walked into Macy's, I had never heard of it. I get every fashion magazine known to woman, but have not yet seen an add for it. Maybe they are there, but I just tunened them out?
I haven't seen much advertising yet either — maybe they just haven't swung into full gear, or maybe they're going to keep a low profile given BS's current troubles? But the packaging really is fun, I liked the box too.
Wow! I buy this one! I've bought all Britney's Perfumes, i like them!
Glad you like it
This and Diamonds is my favorite scent of this year! Oh, Mariah's also!!! I love this scent!!!!!!
Aww : (
My Dad’s currently in San Francisco, and has looked for Believe for me. He’s said none of the shops he’s visited are selling her stuff (Macy*s & Sephora’s included). Is this a regional thing? I really want to try this; I hope I can track it down in LV next month…
* He’s texted me to tell me he’s got a Can Can gift set for me. $90, I had to sit down. It better have some fancy things in for that amount (I have to pay him back)
I don't know why your father told you that. I just called both Macy's in SF and they have Believe in Stock. Here are the numbers to the Macy's in San Francisco
(415) 753-4000
(415) 397-3333
Thanks : )
I'm now wondering if he's maybe bought some for Xmas, and told me they didn't stock it to throw me off?
Silly man, coming between me & perfume. I'll text him to advise 'double checking' at Macy*s.
Late reply, but hope you'll get your Christmas wish!
He did buy me a bottle of Believe, along with a Can Can gift set & Mum's perfume.
Naturally, he was stopped at customs.
So, for my $135 I've got a bottle of Can Can waiting for me when I finish work. (The Believe and Can Can body lotion were taken away. They ripped open the Can Can gift box and took that away as well. Dad's mate was carrying Mum's perfume for her, so at least that survived.)
$90 for the Can Can gift set. It turned out that the woman charged Dad $45 twice for it. He arrived home an hour ago, so it’s too late to do anything about it now, typical bloke, didn’t check the receipt until he was at customs.
Oh well, only 18 days to Las Vegas. I’ll just get it myself. And I won’t leave anything in it’s wrapping either.
Oh no, what a fiasco! And an expensive one to boot. Can't imagine why the body lotion in particular had to go. At least you'll get another chance soon.
I did see this bottle in the flesh, so to speak, at Ulta, and it is designed to lay on its side. It is not as attractive as the photo led me to believe, either.
It seems to me you can stand it up or lay it, either way, which is nice. But agree, not as streamlined as you'd think from the photo, and therefore I was a bit let down when I first saw it. Still, I do think it is better than her previous bottles.
Not among my favourite scents, but I liked it enough to have bought a bottle.
I really like FANTASY, but BELIEVE is so much easier to wear & isn't as overpowering.
It may just be me, but it reminds me of WITH LOVE – in a good way.
In no way original, but it's still nice.
Glad you finally got your bottle! Agree, nice but nothing startlingly original.
If it's a celeb-endorsed fragrance, it's pretty much a given that anything inside the bottle is going to be mediocre or below.
I had a chance to smell this as well – AWFUL is too kind of a word to explain this scent. Yuck!
I really love this scent. One of my favorites of the year, but I like Fruity scents so…. This bottle is the only thing that urks me
Take it back! Don't like this anymore. I was sick and had this on and everytime I smell it now it makes me sick
Oh dear, that is why I try not to wear scent when I”m ill.
Yes, this is Definetly a Lesson Learned. I was still runnin errands that day though, and I feel naked if I leave the house without a Fragrance on
I enjoy Believe a lot-it's not as heavy as In Controll (which I do enjoy when I in mood for a heavy scent) and while it is a citrus scent, the fruitiness is more subtle and blends in more with other fragrances than the two Fantasy ones, which I both have (Fantasy being my personal fav BS perfume). And might I add while I like Curious it is almost too light-you have to spray more on than the usual perfume so that you can pick up its full esscence.
Anyway I do enjoy Believe-and as for Britney's personal life I don't concern myself with that in whether I buy her records or perfumes. If I like something I buy it regardless of their tabloid persona. It not like Britney is a mass murderer, she's a young woman in need of help and it is sick how the papparizi is allowed to hound her. Didn't we learn anything from Princess Diana?
Anyway I like Believe and I recommend it!
Jenny
I really Loved Believe! I'm pissed I had to take it back!
J, agree there isn't much point is worrying about her tabloid persona if you like the scent — and looks like her tabloid persona has not hurt sales at all, in fact, it might have helped.
I think it might be that there are fans that are gonna stick with her through anything, and then the rest of us know thatBritney doesn't actually have imput in her fragrances and that her name is just slapped on it so we don't care. Bottom line if i found a fragrance I liked I'd buy it even if the bottle had 'dirty old socks' written on it.
Believe however smellt to me like Camphor. I immediately had visions of my Grandma's wardrobe… It's so musty like an old damp house and I can't find anything I like about it except the bottle.
Camphor, LOL! I actually like that smell, but hey, you've saved yourself a few $$.
me again !
haha,, as i said before I'm fan of Britney Spears, I'm a man, I collected her perfumes. I think this one is well-done modern sexy and a bit classy. love when my girl used it. HOT!
Glad you like it
I loved this perfume but think it might have been responsible for a couple of headaches! are plans for another britney perfume?
I haven't heard of one, but that doesn't mean much
I think they’ve figured that it would be inappropriate to release a totally new fragrance while Britney’s not, ermm, feeling well.
I wouldn’t put it past them to release a BELIEVE flanker or LE bottle in the meantime though.
I think all of her perfumes have continued to sell by the bucket load, so I’m sure there’ll be more to come.
Is she at it again? I didn't know. I could go check google news, or I could stay in ignorance — hard to choose!
I don't know if a new flankers on it's way, but I'm sure EA must be planning one. Mental illness is a great moneymaker.
CURIOUS alone has sold over 600 million bottles.
It's another FANTASY spin-off…
(I admit to loving the first 2, so I'm excited about this one)
According to the perfumer, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, “The original inspiration for this fragrance comes from Britney’s love for white florals, vanilla, and luscious desserts. Drawing from a cherished memory of my own, I built this fragrance with a heart of sensual jasmine and sweet Napolitano cake.”
Aditional scent notes: Mexican vanilla bean, orange and clove.
Thanks! For anyone wondering, that's the “Hidden Fantasy” scent.
have just read about hidden fantasy..looks like it will be the same food-y smell as midnight fantasy but the cherry will make it different. I'm so pleased, I love all her perfumes and was thinking that they're due another one now that she's back to her old self!
Is she back? Good for her.
I can't wait for the Hidden Fantasy. I'm pretty sure that I'll love it. And the red bottle looks amazing.
The bottle & the color is gorgeous!! I'm definitely gonna buy this one. Go Britney!!
It is a nice bottle.
I actually went out and bought this one because a girl at one of my dance classes always wore it and she always smelled DIVINE. I used to wear Midnight Fantasy all the time (until I ran out of it) but I prefer this one because it's just as sweet but with a bit of a bite to it initially. It's very subtle though after the initial citrus wears off.
Glad you found a new perfume love
This smells more mossy wood to me than floral oriental…..it kinda smells like a fruity lighter version of gucci by gucci
Doesn't smell either mossy or oriental to me, just fruity
I like all of Brit’s fragrances except Believe. It just had a weird smell I just didn’t like. It smelled kinda like a men’s fragrance. My nose just did not like it.
Oh, the bottle is really pretty, though!
I really like it and it was only 20$ the design is really cute too!
This perfume is gorgeous – I am always asked “What perfume are you wearing” when I use it.