The Empress Kelly Rowland

Kelly is doing well since departing from Matthew Knowles. Hit records, the X Factor and now Sean John. Kelly was recently announced as being the face of Diddy’s new fragrance EMPRESS.

Kelly in the EMPRESS ad

According to the press release: ‘EMPRESS is a woman’s secret weapon allowing her to rule over her domain. She is more powerful than a king; she is EMPRESS.’

We think the stories the marketing guys come up with just to flog some perfume are hilarious. Suppose they couldn’t just say ‘Makes you smell nice’!

Kelly at the EMPRESS launch

Spotlight on: Belinda Brown

Belinda Brown

Belinda Brown, originally from Nigeria, but now living in England teamed up with celebrated perfumer Roja Dove to create bespoke fragrance Blessings.

It’s not everyday we come across someone who has their own fragrance, so we asked a few questions to find out about the partnership and what exactly is involved in coming up with your own perfume.

Afro Boudoir (AB): Why did you decide to make this fragrance?
Belinda Brown (BB):  I have always loved fragrance. When I was a little girl my mother would buy a body cream called Stella Pomade. To me the smell of this body cream was lovely and that’s when my passion for perfume was born. Perfume is extremely important to me; I even wear fragrance when I go to bed. At first it confused my husband, but now he just loves it. When my children kiss me and say goodnight, they all tell me how nice I smell.

AB: What is involved in coming up with a scent – how did you decide what to include in this one?
BB: First of all you must love fragrance, flowers, lotions, oils - in short, all the beautiful things God has created around us. That’s my way of thinking but everyone is different. By working with Perfumer Roja Dove, deciding what ingredients to use in the process of creating Blessings was made all the more easier.

AB: How did you meet Roja Dove?
BB: I met Roja Dove through a mutual friend and approached him with regards to working with me to create my very own fragrance. I was so delighted that one of the top perfumers in the industry believed in me and wanted to work with me. After looking into my ideas he agreed to work with me and help create my desired perfume range. It was an honour to have the worlds’ one and only Professeur de Parfums and bespoke fragrance creator work with me on such an exciting project  and believe in Blessings.

AB: Why do you have two prices for the fragrances? What is the difference?
BB: Blessings Parfum is like a beautiful couture ball gown, whilst Blessings Eau de Parfum is your everyday dress. The couture Parfum and the everyday Eau de Parfum is currently sold at the Urban Retreat, Harrods. Both Blessings bottles are also available online at www.blessings-perfume.com.

While we are in no way perfume experts, we got the chance to try Blessings Eau de Parfum and it really is unlike any other perfume out there. It is a very nice smell, not too overpowering; smells a bit like flowers with a hint of vanilla and a lot of lovely.

100ml Eau de Parfum - £75
100ml Parfum - £675

Beyonce Pulse

Beyonce is to add another perfume to her repertoire - Beyonce Pulse – which will be available in shops in September.

Beyonce said music was her inspiration for this new fragrance:  "I believe my music makes women feel strong, and Pulse is all about finding that power inside."

She’s also rather keen on the packaging: "I'm very proud of the Pulse packaging. I wanted to do something completely out of the box and modern, so we created the upside down, faceted bottle that highlights the blue juice inside. The chrome cap is inspired by my stage costumes, which I love because it incorporates fashion into the overall design... and I love fashion!"

The perfume may mean nothing to you now, but from August you won’t be able to escape it as the marketing and PR is going to be huge! The perfume will be launched with a print and TV ad campaign starring Beyonce and social media and online programs will speak to Beyonce's massive global fan base via e-commerce, Twitter and Facebook.

Smell wise, she has pulled something of a coup in having Bluebird Orchid as one of the ingredients as it has never before been used in a perfume so Pulse should offer a completely unique fragrance.

We’ve not bothered with her other perfumes, Heat and Heat Rush, but we’re kinda curious about this one.

Naomi Campbell: Wild Pearl

Another day, another celebrity fragrance. Naomi Campbell recently launched her new fragrance -  Wild Pearl.

It comes with the tag line 'Naomi's beauty is natural and bedazzling. The Wild Pearl fragrance brings alive Naomi's most remarkable attributes; her classic beauty and her wild, exotic aura that make her shine like a beautiful pearl.' We're not sure why, but that description made us chuckle!

For those who know about perfume, it has top notes of watermelon, peach and apple blossom; heart notes of jasmine, violet and pink pepper and base notes of cedarwood and exotic vanilla.

The line includes an Eau de Parfum and Toilette, a body cleanser and lotion and a deodorant.

Naomi gets a lot of flack for her alleged fiery temper and diva strops but we like her entrepreneurial spirit, her longevity and her philanthropic endeavours. Her Fashion for Relief campaigns have raised thousands of pounds for people in Haiti and more recently, in Japan. And that's the Naomi we chose to concentrate on.

Leona Lewis Joins Fragrance Club

Not that the world needs another celebrity perfume, but Leona Lewis has jumped on the bandwagon with her new perfume – creatively called Leona Lewis Summer Edition – hitting shelves later this month.

Apparently it has top notes of mandarin and lemon, a heart of rose and jasmine and base notes of cedar and musk, and will cost €34.95.