Review: Can you smell the Fame ?

I was recently given the opportunity by the lovely people over at Beauty Bulletin to review a sample of the ‘first ever black eau de parfum’ the new fragrance by one of the entertainment world’s most marketed and recognizable icons, it can only be Lady Gaga and her new scent ‘Fame’! 

I know many have been bashing this product as being too sweet or florally for a Lady Gaga scent and it hasn’t lived up to the ‘blood and semen’ hype! However, let’s be frank...no one would buy a fragrance that smells foul and conjures up images that makes you want to wretch! Lady Gaga is in the game of shock, drama and publicity...in every single thing she does she aims to hit that trifecta...and she succeeds! The publicity campaign for this scent delivered on all three bases, especially the video directed by Steven Klein! Like everything else in life, money makes the world go round and I think the reason why this fragrance does smell slightly familiar and recognizable is that it needs to attract customers who want to smell irresistible while still feeling bad ass, in touch with their inner Lady Gaga or at the very least feel that they too can command the kind of attention she can...the kind of fame she owns! 

I feel ‘Fame’ walks the line of being edgy enough which comes through in the strong packaging details of the exotic, jet black fluid in an oval shaped perfume bottle topped with gold tallons forming part of the lid. While still being commercial enough in order to capture those wary of Lady Gaga or those who don’t want something too exotic or crazy and this is achieved through the recognizable and familiar floral notes. While ‘Fame’ may not be a punch in the face of unique, I find the uniqueness to be symbolic to some extent. It comes as no surprise that Lady Gaga selected belladonna as one of the perfume notes as historically belladonna was used as a tool of seduction or alternatively as a poison! 

I found the darker more sensual notes of 'Fame' to be apparent on first whiff, clearly a heady scent and immediately it reminded me of familiar masculine fragrances however a few seconds later the floral, sweet notes kicked in. ‘Fame’ struck me as a strong, in your face scent characteristics much suited to its maker! I was happy with the longevity of ‘Fame’ as a couple hours into the day the scent while somewhat muted due to long wear, the reminiscent headiness of ‘Fame’ was still apparent. All in all, I like this product and would definitely recommend purchasing it if you are after a strong, heady scent with floral notes. Whether you are a diehard fan or just someone looking for a new fragrance to try, ‘Fame’ ticks all the boxes!