The economy today has had an effect on retail sales across the board. Even celebrity fragrances have been hit with tough times.  Oh the inhumanity! *snicker*

Just two years ago, Forbes reported that according to Euromonitor International, (a Chicago-based market research firm) sales  totaled $353.6 million for the top seven celeb fragrances. Geez! No wonder why so many stars have their own scents.

This year however, overall sales are down 10%. Yep, the celebrity fragrance market is just not as hot as it used to be. Perhaps people just can’t afford it. Or maybe people are wising up to the fact that celebrity fragrances are just plain silly and embarrassing to wear? Could that be the culprit?

The celebrity fragrance market unlike other fragrances are way more fickle. If a celeb was caught in a scandal and their career turned lukewarm in the public eye, it can put a big damper on the popularity of the scent. Because that’s just how silly people are. Ridiculous but true.

So which celeb’s scents are currently top sellers?
Well, P Diddy, or Sean Puffy Combs, or Sean John, or Sean Combs, or just plain Diddy (wish he would make up his freakin’ mind) had a best seller with Unforgivable  that brought in brought a whopping $74.9 million in the past. And Britney’s scents are still selling VERY well and defying all odds even with the recent slump of other celebs fragrances. Maybe Diddy’s and Britney’s stuff just smells better?

The NY Daily News reported:

Fragrance peddler Parlux France relies heavily on its celebrity branded scents and has taken a hit for it. The company produces Queen Latifah’s Queen, Jessica Simpson’s  Fancy and Fancy Love, Andy Roddick’s Andy Roddick and all of Paris Hilton’s many fragrances (Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton for Men, Heir, Heiress, Just Me, Can Can, Fairy Dust and Siren).

The company lost $4.3 million last year and $2.5 in the second quarter of this year alone.
While the prestige fragrance market as a whole is down 10% from last year, Britney Spears is one celeb who appears to be bucking the odds.

Sales of her fragrances – Fantasy Britney Spears, Britney Spears Believe, Curious Britney Spears and Curious in Control Britney Spears – rose 13% in the June quarter. Elizabeth Arden, the company behind the ageing pop tart’s perfumes, just brought out Circus Fantasy, named after her latest tour and album. Then again, she’s global.

“More than half of the sales of Britney brands were sold of outside of North America,” said an Arden company spokesman.
Also doing well are classics like Chanel’s Coco, Mademoiselle and No. 5 and Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue. But it remains to be seen how Forever Mariah Carey, Derek Jeter Driven Black or Sara Jessica Parker’s Lovely will fare in recessionary times.

So even if the scent is sold globally and has a huge advantage over others, it still seems more important if the star selling the perfume is currently a hot commodity. Perhaps Paris Hilton’s perfumes have taken a nose dive due to her failing popularity. I think people are just sick to death of her. I know I am.

Mariah Carey’s ” Forever”is due to hit this September because she has a new album coming out. She also has a movie coming out this November. Anyone remember her movie *cough* Glitter?  Only time will tell how long ”Forever” will be around.

With over 100 fragrances coming out each year both from stars and regular companies, the market has become flooded. The competition has become fierce for celebs to have their scent be the next big hit. So many celebs in the music industry are scheduling their fragrances to coincide with their CD releases. This can be a risky move if the album totally bombs, because then the fragrance becomes a reminder of that failed album and then in turn becomes an embarrassment to wear to most.

Some celebs fragrances have stayed around for a while, like Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely and Covet .  Covet debuted two years ago when her Sex In The City Movie was released. Perhaps Sex in the City’s popularity has kept it’s ratings up? (the perfume that is)

I am sorry, I just think the whole celebrity fragrance thing is so cheesy. What’s next celebrity scented candles?

Especially for the fact that these fragrances’ popularity stem from whether or not the star is hot or not. If you find a fragrance you like and it was put out by a star that everyone now thinks is washed up or has failed in the popularity poles… would you stop wearing their fragrance even if you liked it? Would you be embarrassed to say,  “oh yes I still wear Clay Aiken’s Evening In The Stable” *snicker*
But this is exactly what happens.

I am not a big fan of perfume to begin with. I can’t tell you how many times someone has walked by me and I literally choked from whatever perfume that took a bath in before they stepped out their door. Some people slather it on so heavy, that their perfume arrives before they do and stays long after they’re gone. Thank God Poison is no longer popular. That stuff used to literally kill me. It was appropriately named.

One time I actually had to change my seat on an airplane due to the women sitting next to me. She must have dumped an entire bottle of Woah! Do I Stink! all over herself. I got an immediate headache, my throat was closing up, and I couldn’t even breath. I say wearing heavy perfume should be banned on airplanes. And that goes double for any of my gal OR guy pals who want to climb in my car. Whatever happened to the oh so silly move of spraying the room and then walking into it? *snicker*

Ok, enough of my drama on perfume.
Except I have to say that I would never buy something based on a star’s popularity and I have never bought a celebrity fragrance.
I have been wearing Alyssa Ashley Musk by Houbigant for ever. It’s less than $30.00 for a good sized bottle and I have received mega compliments on it over the years. It’s all I wear AND I am proud to wear it. I am just not caught up in the whole perfume mania. You will never hear me say “oh I am wearing The Beckhams Intimately Line” (you would actually have to pay ME to wear it)  Their promo picture alone is beyond pretentious.

Look How Sexy We Are!

Speaking of which, I wonder why Beckham’s  BFF Tom Cruise hasn’t come out with an entire line of Scientology cult scents yet? I am sure he would be able to talk Scientology cult members into buying Galactic Spice, or how about KSW Cologne (their acronym for Keeping Scientology Working), OT Orchard  for the gals or perhaps a line of body splashes like Body Thetan Splash. Oh I can go on forever, the possibilites are endless.

Of course Cruise would never use those particular names because….what is the first rule about Scientology? Don’t talk about Scientology.
So maybe he would have to kick it old school and name it something like Risky Business. After all, the name Risky Business does describe any company investing in any new movie projects with Cruise now. Oh snap!
But at the very least, we all know he would be the authority on fragrances. *tee hee*

Awesome! Got My First Order!

Aaaaanyways….
If you are going to buy celebrity fragrances in the first place, than you should buy it because you like it. Don’t be like all the other sheeple who buy what’s popular because the celebrity had another hit movie or a CD release. Because if this is the way you think, then that sixty clams you once plunked down for Jaylo’s Glow *snicker* has surely been wasted. Unless you want to lie about what your wearing. Yes some people are that ridiculous.

One fragrance that has stood the test of time is the hilarious Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds (of course with the much older crowd)

Sorry Liz, no dis intended, but White Diamonds always reminds me of a friend of mine whose husband bought her White Diamonds for Christmas. She hated it, but didn’t want to hurt his feelings so she acted appreciative. She left the bottle in plain site unopened, hoping he would get the hint that she never used it. But the following Christmas she received yet another bottle. We laughed are asses off. Men!

Perfume’s popularity has gone through many changes over the years. Sure the old standards like Channel No. 5 are here to stay. But the classics are a breed all their own, and cost a lot more to boot. I think celebrity fragrances have their own little group.

bellasugar posted The Top Ten Fragrances that You Loved or (Hated) in Jr High School.
 Which was a blast from the past.
They listed Jean Nate, Charlie, The Body Shop Perfume Oil, Heaven, Electric Youth,The Entire Roster of Designer Imposters, Sunflowers, Exclamation, Ck One, and Love’s Baby Soft.

The most popular fragrance when I was in school, was Patchouli Oil. And yes I wore it for quite a while, and I stil like it, but I haven’t worn it since then. So I guess I am guilty of changing fragrances for the changing times. (I also don’t want my car searched if I am pulled over) *snicker*

I also remember using  “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo, which was so fragrant, it killed two birds with one stone. Sure wish I can find some of that stuff today just to smell it once again.

There were plenty of fragrances that used to be popular way back when. (including the guys stuff)
Some biggies were English Leather, Old Spice, Aqua Velva After Shave, Tabu, Tigress, Shalimar, L’Eur Du Temps, Windsong, O’ de London, Rive Gauche, and the infamous Evening in Paris, just to name a VERY few.

Whoops! Almost forgot Hai Karate After Shave!
Who can forget their commericals of girls going wild?

Today it has been replaced with the more updated AXE which uses the same girls gone wild idea for their AXE “you have been warned” commercials. YouTube has many parodies of their commercials, but one of my all time favorite fragrance parodies was for a pseudo cologne, called Douche Cologne. Click here and giggle. (it’s a tad racy in one part, so if you are easily offended, you may want to pass)

It’s any one’s guess which celebrity fragrance is going to be the next big seller and if it has any staying power in today’s economy and the fickleness of the market. With over 100 fragrances coming out each year world wide, the market has become flooded. The competition has become very fierce to have that next big hit.

I am surprised others in the music industry haven’t come out with their own fragrances. Doesn’t seem to be any rocker’s fragrances . The Stone’s Brown Sugar would be a no brainer, and I am sure with all the Beatles flap lately, if they were to come out with a fragrance it just may work. It would probably have hints of Apple *tee hee*

OR how about for the younger crowd? Perhaps Green Day Garden or Blink 182 Bouquet would sell? Probably not. The target audience is not the same. But you never know. Hey I want 10% if I see any of these on the market!

Even other celebs like Donald (ick) Trump and Simon (ick) Cowell jumped on the fragrance band wagon. I guess they needed the cash?
Wonder how Donald Trump’s stuff is selling? Maybe it’s selling better than his Trump Water?

Who would ever admit to wearing Trump or Cowell’s stuff anyways?
Or maybe your more of an Antonio Banderas fan? Look he even has his hand extended on the display, as if to say (in Antonios’s accent of course) “Come… come… take a whiff of sexy” *snicker*  

Speaking of celeb fragrances that people may be (or should be) embarrased to wear…
How about Britney Spears new Circus Fantasy?

Some how the name Circus Fantasy doesn’t sound appealing to me. I know it is a reference to Britney’s album and tour, but Circus Fantasy? Really? Has Elizabeth Arden lost their damn minds?

Even the packaging looks tacky. Looks like it comes with candy circus peanuts (the worst candy ever). And at $55.00 a pop, it should come with popcorn or a candy apple at the very least.

Sorry, but a perfume with the word circus in it, reminds me of  clowns and something that would smell like elephant poop stuck to a clown’s shoe and cotton candy all in one. Others may be reminded of a sexy trapeze artist, or perhaps a day at the circus with their family? Or dancing circus dogs in little hats and tutus? Ummm…. again, I just dont’ get it.

But hey, maybe she will be laughing all the way to the bank with this one. After all her fragrance Curious was a best seller in celebrity fragrance world.

For me, the word circus makes my mind go right back to the image of CLOWNS. Scary freakin’ clowns.
And clowns have always freaked me out! *shudder*

Do YOU have $16,000 to spend trying to attend a movie premiere?  Apparently the families of two girls from British Columbia did, only to be turned away at the New York debut of the film:

They wore sexy high-heels and designer dresses hoping to walk the red carpet like their idol Carrie Bradshaw.

Instead, Jen Ferguson and her pal Devon Cross had to lean on umbrellas to ease the pain in their feet, and cower for cover when the heavens opened.

The best friends from Virginia, British Columbia – who paid $16,000 for the New York trip to see “Sex” – were among thousands of disappointed “Sex and The City” fans who waited for hours outside Radio City Music Hall Tuesday only to be told the venue was overbooked. [...]

Security officials said up to 2,000 people – who had bought tickets through promotional giveaways authorized by movie studio New Line Cinema – were shut out of the screening.

Ferguson said her father bought theirs through a similar promotion from Bluefish Concierge services but had no idea if they would be refunded.

Their tickets were marked “first come, first served” but they arrived at Radio City at 3:30 p.m. and with more than 6,000 seats up for grabs, they never imagined they would not get inside.

“First come, first served.”  Kind of self-explanatory, don’t you think?  You may get in, you may not…soooooo, what’s not to understand?

Well, apparently there was some sort of a snafu at Radio City, where there were too many tickets and not enough seats:

“The movie studio gave out way more promotional tickets than could fit in the orchestra,” said one insider. “Radio City managers told the New Line people, ‘You can solve this by opening up the mezzanines, which have 2,700 more seats – but they wouldn’t do it.”

However, a New Line source countered, “It was Radio City Music Hall making that decision. They took control of the fan line. They turned the fans away.”

After the orchestra section’s 2,900 seats filled up, some 500 ticked-off promotional ticket holders were walked over to the DGA Theater on West 57th Street. The rest were issued vouchers to see the picture for free at cinemas tomorrow.

Whatever.  Don’t really care.

Gas is $4 and up a gallon.  More people are dealing with bankruptcies and foreclosures than ever.  Jobs are being cut, and those who keep their jobs are having to deal with having their pay slashed.  Milk is almost $4 a gallon and you can’t afford to even look at meat and fresh fruits and vegetables.  The economy is going in the toilet.  There’s a war in Iraq, earthquake devastation in China, and people starving in third world countries.  Overall, prices are going up while paychecks are going down.  And these people have $16K to blow on a trip to see a movie that glorifies (along with promiscuity) overspending, brand worship, and blind materialism?  Where do I sign up for their job?  The only thing worse would be if they financed all this with their credit cards and will have to pay on this fiasco for the next umpteen years.

Go ahead.  Bring on the “you’re jealous” comments.  I encourage it.  Because all that will show is that I have a firm grip on reality while others excuse the ridiculousness of wasting good, hard-earned money on a movie.

Um…HELLO?  I’m not against going to the movies, and I’m not against having a good time, and I’m not against vacations, but come on.  It’s a movie.  Yeah, okay…they should have the right to spend their money however they see fit, even if it is stupid, but if they’re going to talk about it to the New York Daily News then I have the right to comment on the foolishness of it. Hey, girls…call me when you get some real problems, okay?

I am going to admit something that certain women will find unbelievable:  I have seen only one-and-a-half episodes of Sex And The City.  Why?  Well, for one thing, we don’t have HBO, and the only reason I saw what I did of the show was because there was a free promotion going on at the same time the SATC series was wrapping up, so I saw half of the next to last episode and all of the last.  That, and oh yeah…I found out I just don’t care.

In an attempt over the years to try and figure out the appeal, I’ve seen pieces of episodes here and there, but I have come to the conclusion that I just don’t get it.  If it’s your kind of show, great…it just isn’t mine.  Frankly, there were two reasons I tuned in to the episodes I did…Baryshnikov and Noth, two yummy pieces of man flesh.

So with that in mind (and don’t say I didn’t make it clear), we go to the movie premiere of the superfluous SATC movie, which took place in London over the weekend.

But wait, there’s more…

Not so long ago, my sister, an avid music listener and the foundation for my music taste (she’s older and I used to steal her records, HAHA, you can’t do anything about it now sis!) turned me on to The Weepies, a duo featuring a folk/pop sound and their song “Gotta Have You” and I loved it.

Well, it seems their sweet indie sound has garnered them a fair amount of soundtrack work (songs from Say I Am You have been featured on many popular TV shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, Everwood, One Tree Hill, Scrubs, The Riches, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girls, GRΣΣK and Kyle XY) on both the small screen AND now the big screen.

A secret source passed this on to us:

The Weepies In The City?

Not only is The Weepies song ‘All This Beauty’ featured on the Sex & The City movie soundtrack, the band members themselves make a CAMEO in the movie! Look for Carrie and Charlotte out on the town drinking martinis at a NY hotspot where The Weepies just happen to be performing! Sarah Jessica Parker, herself, was even heard humming the tune during filming!

You can hear “All This Beauty” here.

While k and I haven’t seen the big screen version of “Sex and The City” yet, there was much discussion of this hideous ensemble worn by SITC star Sarah Jessica Parker at the premiere yesterday. Seriously, WTF?

No amount of whiskey, no amount of wine, no amount of crack, no amount of crying will ever make that outfit not look ridiculous.

There are images circulating which show a lovely brunette naked and engaged in various sex acts from artistic angles who looks vaguely like a famous actress. Or to put it another way, some chick with brown hair, who may or may not be Kristen Davis aka Charlotte from Sex In The City (and Melrose Place before that) allowed her picture to be taken while she was taking it.

Before we get into the specifics of the aforementioned photos, the first thing that struck me is why on earth would a famous woman allow herself to be photographed in the nude, with penises near her vajayjay or her face? I mean isn’t that the sort of cardinal sin any self-respecting actress would never commit? Sure Paris Hilton would, or Lindsay Lohan, or porn stars (wait are Paris and Lindsay porn stars? nevermind), but not sweet, innocent Kristin Davis!

Well, yes, even sweet girls like to be naughty and apparently having yourself photographed while doing the nasty is like, totally hot. Or something.

Kristin has denied the photos are hers, and since the angles are such that we can’t get a straight shot of her, then really it’s her word against the totally creepy scumbag who leaked the photos to the press. Did I mention that was a really scummy and creepy thing to do? What does this say about society when you can’t pick up some random dude, have unprotected sex with him, allow him to take pictures of you while having unprotected sex, and trust said guy to not leak these pictures on the eve of your first major film debut?

I guess it says we like naked pics of celebs, that’s what. So without further ado, some naked pics after the jump. NSFW

But wait, there’s more…