Wear It Now: Empress by Sean John

So lately the world of celebrity seems to have infiltrated every crevice of our society. From the clothes on our backs, the music we hear, movies we watch to the scents that we wear. And while few have made it into the clothing industry with success the fragrance industry is one where I think that makes a lot more sense.  Sean “Diddy” Combs is one of the few players that seems to have transitioned seamlessly from music to becoming a lifestyle brand.  Following the success of his number-one selling men’s fragrance, I Am King, he decided to introduce a female counterpart.  Honestly I was a little skeptical about trying out this perfume but soon changed my mind.

According to the press release, EMPRESS is “made for the modern woman – this fragrance represents female royalty and feminine strength. EMPRESS is a woman’s secret weapon allowing her to rule over her domain. She is more powerful than a king; she is EMPRESS”.   I’m sure that idea behind the scent will resonate with most modern women.  Everyone desires power in some form and the fragrance offers the promise of an invisible sense of power, confidence and control.

As for the scent itself, it’s a great summer fragrance. It smells light, crisp and fresh as summer itself! I actually tested it out on several ladies at my office and found that although it had slightly different reactions to all of our body chemistries, the end result was universally good.  Even on my friend who cannot wear most perfumes because they can become overpowering found this to be subtly sweet and gentle.  The scent makes me think of going for a cocktail on a rooftop patio.

A blast of citrus hits you immediately thanks to the top notes of Key Lime Pie and Mandarin Imperial while at the heart of the fragrance is the sweet and feminine scent of Starfruit and Imperial French Berry.  The result is both sweet and tart.  Subtle hits of caramel and vanilla keep this feeling warm, relaxed and comfortable.  While I wouldn’t expect all of these scents to work together, they somehow balance to create something rather unique. 

I also love the design of the multi-faceted bottle and lid that are both simple and elegant.  Prices start at $38 for a body cream, $57 for 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum and $74 for a 3.4 oz Eau de Parfum.  EMPRESS debuted this August 2011 at Macy’s department stores nationwide.