Metallica | Product Hoochie

I just received my bottle of Lady Gaga’s new fragrance, Fame. I bought it without really knowing what I was getting myself into. I did get a whiff from a paper sample in a catalog but you never can tell until you test it on your own skin. Which I did. Just now.

I like the Gulliver’s Travels idea here. I also like strategically placed men.

Let’s start by talking about the bottle. It is actually quite dramatic. It’s nasty and I like it. The gold cap is a claw with long talons that mimic Gaga’s signature “monster” hand gesture. The talons grab the bottle, which is a glass orb. The perfume is black fluid, which is cool because as it moves you really see the space in the bottle. When light hits it, the bottle glows. I really enjoy the play of light and dark and this comes through in the fragrance as well.

The bottle in the spotlight. The idea behind the perfume is philosophical. I just want to smell nice.

Anyone with any knowledge of pop culture is well aware that Lady Gaga pushes the envelope. Does the meat purse ring a bell? I wasn’t sure if her perfume would smell like a butcher’s and there were rumors that it would have notes of blood and semen (Metallica reference? Anyone get it?) I needed to get a handle on the real top notes and the dry down (perfume speak for what you smell at first spray and then what it smells like as it warms on the skin and fades.) Sephora.com has the notes listed as belladonna, incense, apricot, honey drops, tiger orchidea, and jasmin sambac. I generally like apricot, honey drops, and jasmine. Orchids smell like a funeral parlor to me (sorry for the comparison, but it’s true). I was never really a fan of incense. As a kid, I would sneeze in church. I understand why Gaga would choose incense; she grapples with her upbringing (who doesn’t?) and gets to express it publicly in many ways. Lucky her. The fun note to talk about here is belladonna, also know as Deadly Nightshade. It is extremely toxic and can cause “bizarre delirium and hallucinations.” My kind of party. The idea of Lady Gaga using Belladonna in her fragrance is not unexpected. I think she wants to seduce her audience then bite them in the butt!

Tiger Orchidea- not one of my favorite smells.

Apricots. Very tasty in beer form.

Belladonna: Take Heed! This stuff is lethal.

My first spritz of Fame was a surprise. I expected gritty, dirty, scotch, and smoke. I didn’t get that at all. I smell flowers and fruit. It is seductive. I actually think this might be one of those, “What are you wearing?” perfumes. It’s a little sweet but the incense rounds it out. Fame plays with light. It is bright but dark around the edges. I like it. A lot. I also like that Gaga’s fragrance is mature. She’s only 26 but I think her consumer might be a 27+ crowd. She left the under 20 crowd to the Biebs and Taylor Swift. Good for her. Better for me. Smell sultry and stay glossy!