Killer Queen

This is a perfume that I would never have bought for myself. I can't stand Katy Perry I received this for Christmas from my mum, who always puts a perfume in with my little selection of gifts and at first I was thinking "Oh dear, I think she might have gotten it a bit wrong this time!" But she hadn't. It was I who was in the wrong for not having taken the time to investigate this fragrance before now, because upon first spray, it completely won me over. (Not to the point of liking Katy Perry of course...just to the idea that not everything attached to her name was going to be a miserably tacky experience.) Warm caramel notes and juicy, berry, fruit accords explode upon first spritz, with a darker rounding out from the patchouli, bringing a smile to my face almost instantly. I've received countless compliments from various people upon wearing this fragrance; the man of the house loves how it smells on me and I just find it a really easy, tasty, slightly sexy gourmand with echoes of other fragrances I really enjoy: like TBS White Musk Smoky Rose, Cacharel's Gloria and the original formulation of Hugo Boss Deep Red. It's not that it smells like, or is a dupe for any of those fragrances, simply that it contains some similar elements and gives me the same happy, content feelings upon wearing it. Since being gifted that first bottle, I've repurchased it another three times and I have my mother to thank for discovering this little gem. It's a really good, easy to wear, daily-reach fragrance and comes in at an extremely sensible price point. The bottle itself looks really pretty - not including the ghastly plastic crown lid which always snaps off - but is a right pain in the backside, if you're trying to get it to sit still and not roll off a shelf. It also comes with a shower gel and body lotion (in the gift box format) and both are also lovely to use alone or layer up with the perfume. Is it the height of sophistication? No. But then I'm not a sophisticated woman. Is it cheerful, charming and fun? Yes. Is it worth the price? Definitely. Will I continue to purchase it? Heck yes, as long as it's being produced and sold, I will keep adding it to my shopping basket, because it's become something of a reliable 'old faithful' to me. Give it a go. You really don't have a lot to lose. Tl;dr Mother knows best, lol

Oooh.. this scent is very intriguing. I immediately get a sense of royalty, not only from the gorgeous bottle but from the scent itself. I smell an intoxicating cocktail of many things.. I get the juicy forest fruits and plum that stick around after the initial spray. I think the smell of dark berries and fruits is very sensual and indulgent, juicy and sweet. I also smell a subtle jasmine. I am not sure what frangipani and celosia smell like, but if celosia is a red flower, I can see how that adds a velvety floral depth to it. Mixing the red and white florals is a wonderful harmonious blend. Now, the base notes are what complete this. That sweet, undeniable patchouli slips its way in, dancing with a subtle yummy, nutty praline. Even though this fragrance is inspired by Freddie Mercury, I get a hippie queen Grace Slick feeling when I wear this. Dark eyes, with velvety amanita muscaria floating around in my vision- It says cashmere, but I get more of a golden amber. Vanilla is not listed, but I think the combination of everything creates a rich vanillic undertone. Someone mentioned “lactonic nutty” which I agree. In general, it is a rich, fruity floral, nutty and subtly creamy, ambery, sultry.

I snagged a 3.4oz bottle of this for $15. I really love "La Vie Est Belle - Lancome" ($100) but was hesitant to re-purchase with it's hefty price tag. I saw a lot of people comparing it to this & seeing as the notes are very similar I gave it a shot. I sprayed both onto the opposite wrist in order to compare: This one is more of a fresh, dark fruity, sweet VS rich, powdery, gourmand. You do get what you pay for as the longevity & sillage are about half of what LVEB has to offer. But at it's low price I don't mind reapplying it every 4 hours or so (focus more on clothing & hair if you want to get a longer life from it.) The bottle is extremely gorgeous but I wish it came with a little stand so the bottle could sit straight up. It takes up so much space because you have to lay it down sideways. All in all - I will continue to purchase this to get my LVEB fix as it smells extremely similar. It's by no means an exact dupe, but it has the same base aspect and that's good enough for me. I agree w/ a review that this would be a summer version of LVEB & I actually like this better! I'm a bartender at a nightclub & this one snags me a lot of compliments!

Where has this perfume been all my life? As the name rightfully suggests, this perfume truly makes me feel like royalty. I've been looking for this perfume since it released, but I never got the chance to purchase it until now. It was never available in stores near me, but I just found a mini (0.5 oz bottle) on FragranceNet and finally decided to give it a try. I am beyond impressed by this perfume. It smells expensive and alluring, and the notes add complexity and depth to each phase of this scent experience. I can definitely spot the similarities between this perfume, Flowerbomb, and La Vie Est Belle, but something about this fragrance just has an elevated edge that makes it much more enticing to me. It's dark, autumnal, and mystifying; wearing this makes me feel like a million bucks. The base notes also add a twist of coziness to an otherwise dark and powerful perfume, almost like wearing a sweater as you brave the coldness of autumn and winter. I also pick up on a chocolatey note; perhaps it's the praline? At any rate, this perfume is so delicious and unique, and I highly recommend this if you can get your hands on it!

This was the first celebrity fragrance I ever bought, and I was so pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I bought it at the drugstore for like $15, and now that my collection includes many more expensive and niche scents I keep returning to it thinking I won't appreciate it as much. Nope, still good. It's very sweet but not in the muddled saccharine way of many cheap gourmands, and I love that it doesn't just smell like straight up dessert. The combination of notes is different from anything else I have, and because I'm not familiar with the specific smells of Celosia or "Forest Fruits," I'm not sure how to pick out what smells like what here. There's an accord I get in Killer Queen that smells like dragon's blood incense--this kind of tart but juicy smell in the midst of all the sweetness. The patchouli provides a nice depth. I keep this in my purse and use it in combination with other fragrances--it layers well with many of the perfumes I like. I don't have trouble with the longevity; I wore it to bed last night and it's noon now and I can still smell it. I think it's brilliant, especially at this price point.