Sarah Jessica Parker's latest is Covet Pure Bloom, the first (and if I had to guess, the last*) flanker to last year's Covet fragrance. Covet may or not be discontinued, but it has disappeared from several department stores so I can only assume that it was not the instant crowd pleaser that Lovely was.
I liked Covet, in fact, I picked it as the best celebrity fragrance of 2007 (as I noted at the time, some people really hated it, but at least it wasn't so mind-numbingly dull that nobody cared either way). Covet's opening was more challenging than Lovely's, and to my mind, it was considerably more challenging on paper than it was on skin — on a test strip, it was very lemony-green and sharp and reminiscent of citronella, and it stayed that way a good long time. I didn't think of it as a wildly risky fragrance, but perhaps anything that isn't an instant crowd pleaser (especially on paper) is risky given today's competitive celebrity fragrance market.
Enter Covet Pure Bloom. I sort of expected Covet Pure Bloom to be the pinkified, floralated version of Covet, with the challenging parts tamped down. It isn't exactly that, in fact, they've mostly dispensed with Covet altogether. Covet Pure Bloom is a very sweet tropical floral (the notes: mandarin, purple plum, coconut water, tuberose, pikake, jasmine, amber, iris, sandalwood and creamy musks). There is the vaguest flash of some of the greenish citrus top notes from Covet, but it's buried under lots of sweet floral right from the start, and once that was over, I wouldn't have pegged it as any kind of relative to the original at all.
Other than "sweet tropical floral" I haven't a whole lot else to add — it's sweet, it's fruity, it's tropical, and the floral notes are rich (too rich for my blood; it verged on strident for a time), but as is usually the case with celebrity fragrances, mostly indistinct, as though they wanted to be very sure that it didn't smell like any particular flower that might be found in nature. The coconut water is subdued (it isn't nearly as piña colada-ish as Sean John Unforgivable), and the far dry down is more vanillic, less "masculine" than Covet's.
There's nothing in the least unique about Covet Pure Bloom, and yes, I found it dull, especially in comparison to Covet, or even Lovely. But I suppose it isn't any worse than any other sweet tropical floral from a celebrity — I do like it better than Baby Phat Fabulosity — and it's bound to find more fans than Covet. If you like sweet tropical florals, it's worth a try, and if I'm extra cranky about it, it's only because I expected better from Sarah Jessica Parker. Hopefully her (rumored) upcoming unisex fragrance will be more interesting.
Sarah Jessica Parker Covet Pure Bloom is available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum. The lasting power is very good and the sillage is excellent. I had assumed it was a limited edition, but I haven't seen it described that way anywhere online so perhaps it is a permanent addition to the line. Please comment if you know.
* Although who knows, maybe they're working on Covet Strawberry Fantasy already. Extra points for anyone who comes up with a really good name for the next Covet flanker!
Sarah Jessica Parker Covet Covetous Extreme Lychee Fantasy Eau Fraiche
I'm running the focus group data right now.
No, this doesn't sound interesting at all, waay too sweet. I do have hopes for a SJP unisex frag though, if it's really a possability.
I tried BP Fabulosity recently. OMG, couldn't get it off my wrist fast enough…
LOL — even Covet Covetous Extreme by itself ought to pass!
LOL! I don't think Coty will go for the first one
This one is less fruity, and certainly way less vanillic than BPF — the emphasis is more on the florals. People on MUA who like it seem to describe it as “bright”, but if you don't like it you'd more likely call it “loud”.
Unlike Lovely, I guess SJP is not doing a huge advertisement with this one?
Well poo. I'm one of those people who disliked the original Covet –and I even like tropical stuff!– but this sounds pretty disappointing. This epidemic of vague fruity-florals…*sigh*. I admire scents that do SOMETHING…at least Covet went down fighting (on me at least). Well, I hope we'll see this rumored unisex.
R, do you know if SJP had a hand in designing this, or if it's something that Coty threw together?
SJP is going to be at Macy's in Pleasanton, Calif., this Thursday. I was thinking about going to see her. I don't think I will, but anyways she will be signing people's bottles of Lovely. Included in the special fragrance packages are Lovely and Covet Pure Bloom. No Covet at all. I liked Covet. Great name. (I recently hand washed several slips and sprayed Covet on a couple. Along with the jasmine soap I used, they smell terrific.)
I did a quick look around the frag. dept. and saw NO Covet, but a lot of Lovely signage. At the escalators on another floor, I saw a big sign of SJP holding a bottle of the Pure Bloom flanker. It looked like the ad for Covet, but looked like the art dept. at Coty subbed in the Pure Bloom purple art.
I'm sorry but I don't know…
Driftingcowgirl, this is fruity, but doubt it will be classified as a fruity floral — I'd call it just a floral.
Yes, I've seen that ad and they clearly just messed w/ the colors…it's the same thing. Ah well, have a feeling it will be hard to buy Covet in the US anymore.
No, no idea. I sort of hope not.
I'm not a fan of sweet or tropical or even sweet tropical so I guess i'll pass on this one. I like the bottle though, cute but not overly so.
The next Covet should be Covet Cruise; with a tangible marine note and it will be unisex.
Yeah, I was gonna go to the Plesanton Signing also, but I'm not paying $167 for a fragrance I'm not going to use. I don't like Lovely like that.
Robin, WHERE did you find Pure Bloom???
Macy's! They don't seem to have it online yet (or at least, they didn't this am) but they have it in store.
Will the ads for Covet Cruise feature Captain Stubing and very special guest star Charo? Or the evah-sexy Isaac, instead?
Covet Cruise–perfect! Maybe a porthole on it somewhere, or a life preserver. I got it, a Life Saver–in fruity floral.
GRRR! My Macy;s STILL doesn't have it! Hopefully they get it today!
I liked the original Covet too, so this is very disappointing. My prediction for the next flanker: Covet Chocolate Dream. They've done fruity floral, so now they'll go for sweet and foody, perhaps adding an ice cream note and making it a sundae. Actually, I could see a serious version of this: just call it Covet Chocolate (a bit witty), then make the chocolate note in the original Covet more prominent, taking care to keep it bitter…that could be good. But no ice cream notes, please ;-).
If Oprah had backed Covet like she did Lovely, I'm sure it wouldn't be discontinued now… I wouldn't buy it, but just saying..
Hey, if they kept the chocolate nicely bitter, I'd buy that! But the ice cream is more likely
Oprah does seem to have the Midas touch, doesn't she?
What's interesting to note, is that SJP hasn't introduced a fragrance product through her Bitten clothing line.
Guessing her own name is better known?
Chocolate Coveture?
Sorry…
Reposted to remove long link:
On July 16, 2008 TwoPeasInAPod said:
IDK if it made it to the “Favorite Things” show, but I do seem to remember Oprah giving it some heavy promotion on her show.
Here we go: http://tinyurl.com/5no3vs
In September 2005, Sarah Jessica launched a signature perfume named Lovely, something she says she's been dreaming of doing for years. “This was a girly dream,” she says, “but actually completely real in my brain.” She says her mother's love of perfume rubbed off on her as a young girl. “I remember hugging her before she'd go out in the evening and smelling her,” she recalls. “Scent is such a big part of our lives and it creates so much nostalgia.”
From formulating the perfect scent, to designing the perfect bottle, Sarah Jessica took the task of creating Lovely very seriously. “Not only is it an art form … it's an enormous industry, and that is daunting enough,” says Parker.
Oprah says she's a fan of “the perfume with social skills,” as Sarah Jessica calls it. “For me, who doesn't wear fragrance, to say, 'I will wear this.' That's a big deal!”
Reply to this comment
Good one!
Thanks!
Getting a bit OT: SJP's BITTEN line will be looking for a new home. Steve & Barry's is basically going under. There was a WSJ article about it earlier this week. It is not clear what the fallout will be: SJP could shop her clothing line around to other retailers or S&B's could get bought by an entity and then force SJP to deal with it exclusively.
Wait! Since feminine woods is the next smelly thang in juice what about …
Covet Woods?!
Don't even know what Steve & Barry's is (I don't pay attention to fashion) but thanks!
Steve & Barry's carries the BITTEN line in their stores. That was the only place someone could buy the clothes. I've only been in a S&B's once and it looked worse than a Ross store on Christmas Eve.
Was in my TJ Maxx today at lunchtime and saw dozens of bottles of Covet on the shelf….a sure sign they are downsizing, if not eliminating, its presence in the department stores.
Too bad, really. Covet wasn't for me, but I liked it, it had attitude.
Covet has hit TJ Maxx, and I gave in and bought a bottle for $20 an hour ago, unsniffed. It is …. interesting. Modern, but nice. But isn't appearing in TJ Maxx kind of the beginning of the end?
It did have attitude, and Covet Pure Bloom really does not.
It is often the beginning of the end, but not always. Those are probably all the bottles from the dept stores that won't carry it any more, but it's up to Coty to decide if they're going to keep producing it. I'd guess not, but we'll see.
I love Covet! Covet Pure Bloom sounds booooorrring. Well, at least the bottle more appropriate matches a fruity floral than it did the original Covet. A pretty little purple flower (instead of a putrid green and brown flower).
There are more boring florals to be had these days, but it certainly isn't as interesting as Covet. I like the bottle colors though! That green & brown did not appeal to me.
Ugh, Robin, I don't like this at all! After the 50th spray, I kiiiinda started to like it, but I just couldn't buy it for 68 bucks! For 68 Bucks I got Covet, Covet BIG lotion, a mini covet, a covet broach, a covet box with a lock and key, and a small covet pouch. I'm very dissapointed!
After the **50th** spray?!? You put 50 sprays on your person? Or on a card? That is a lot of juice!
But sorry you didn't like it.
Oh, hahahah! I apologize! I meant I sprayed it once on my hand and I sprayed it on card after card. I still smell it. I just left Macy's. It just smells like something I've smelled before. I'm very dissapointed. I'm PRAYING Mariah's doesn't dissapoint me. I'll be verrrry mad :(. Though I'm sure outta Gwen's upcoming 5 I'll find one of those I like. I can't wait to see Mariah's ads! I'll be verrrrry mad if I don't like Mariah's new fragrance!
I did not like the original covet.
To me it smelled oddly of rancid chocolate and rancid citrus.
I would never eat (nor smell) lemon sprayed chocolate bars.
This (pure bloom) sounds like a concoction designed to be a crowd-pleaser and perhaps to re-utilize the bottle matrix and design. Right from the name to the colouring.
I expect the next one to be called “Covet Sakura Pure Hanami” and to be designed for the Asian Market exclusively only tweaked by the addition of cherry and using only 50% of the rest of the materials, to make it softer and more asian-appealing.
I hope the unisex is nice, but certainly it being a SJP creation and after the SATC movie, once that is out, half the city will be wearing it before you can say abso-***ing-lutely with all the over 30 women and the “queens” speed buying the stuff.
Perhaps after the fad is over we could revisit it
(Am I planning in advance or what!)
Hey, you tried hard to like it! I am not hopeful about Mariah Carey's but that's mostly because of the name — Luscious Pink just doesn't sound like something I'd love. Maybe she'll surprise me
Ha, I love chocolate w/ lemon, or with orange. Just finished off a dark chocolate bar w/ lemon & black pepper the other day. It was perfect! But now I know not to send you one
LOL at “Covet Sakura Pure Hanami” — yep, that's probably what's next.
The new SJP Covet Pure Bloom smells, to me, just like Goofy Grape drink mix.
I have to tell you, I LIKE SJP I admire her, but her fragrances…not so much. Lovely smells like someone put on Mennen Speed Stick then went on to sweat horrendously.
I liked her first 2, this one, not so much
I really like this, I'm glad it's distinctive. I'm not sure why they've done it as another version of covet when they could marketed it as a new one.
Glad you like it! I suppose it's a flanker because it's cheaper — no advertising to speak of, they just inserted the pink bottle where the green one used to be in the visuals, and they've already got the name recognition. But since Covet didn't do so well, might have been worth coming up w/ a new name.
Its cheaper where you live, Robin??? Its 68 bucks here (Same price as Covet)
No, no — I meant cheaper for Coty to launch (no new bottle design or advertising), not cheaper for me to buy
I did not know SJP had a clothing line…huh, maybe that's the clothing they were selling on the HSN (Home Shopping network), when they were selling the Lovely(which I already own) and the Covet Bloom together. I was thinking, “What an odd pairing?” Why wouldn't you put the original with the flanker when they sound so different anyway? And for that matter Lovely sounds way different than Covet Bloom. Covet Boom—what an odd name. Is that Covet's offspring? What was the baby daddy? Not Lovely. Lovely Bloom sound's nice. I did not care for covet. The juxtaposition just smelled weird on me. Now this one sounds too sweet in my head, which considers *Sweet* tuberose, jasmine, too many lush white flowers and/or foody..too much vanilla, cookies… perfect example:Fancy by Jessica Simpson.
I fear for the next scent-Unicovilovey.
I love you Ms. Parker! Don't let the man tell you what will sell! Don't let them cheap you out! Tell them “Pikaki! I don't need you!” “I won't sell Pure Covet Loveit! or whatever.” Go Girl and be true to yourself. Don't let em mess in your pikaki!
-I don't know what's wrong with me ;ob
Becca
After reading the Chandler Burr book, I really don't think it is as simple as the man telling her what to sell…she appears to want her line to make money.
I was being silly. I'm sure she has creative control. And really, doesn't pikake sound like a swear word. But I can't believe she come up with something that isn't different. She is a respected actress, not a pop star.
But in thinking deeper, sales and marketing *can* pressure you. I mean that niche scents aren't commercial. And unless you look you wouldn't find them.SJP wants commercial appeal, so you get Covet Bloom. Covet probably didn't sell well.
Does the dry-down on Bloom downplay the flowers? The base sounds like it might tame some of the sweetness you spoke of, is this true?
To me, it doesn't sound very adventurous, but it doesn't sound boring either. Does it smell like she was going for something softer..more romantic and girly? It sounds like it.
It really isn't soft to me at all, but it's certainly more overtly feminine.
Too much attitude for me. I remeber smelling Covet (or maybe it was lovely?) in nordstrom and thinking it smelt nice but to old lady for a 13 year old give me ed hardy or pink sugar any day
)Maybe I'll try this one. Seems more my taste,
Hope it will work for you!
I've been liking this more and more. My Macy's never has any samples of this though. Hmmmmm. If I can find it for cheap I'll get it
My Macy's rarely has samples of any of the celeb scents — they seem to go very quickly.
I disagree, I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the scent it carried on paper, in the air, and on my skin! It was, as you mentioned “fruity, floral, and tropical,” and also to me it was a scent I've never scented before and that intrigued me! I'm a big fan of Sara J.P and newsflash I don't think its fair for you to say that you expected more from her, she's an “actress” not a “professional perfume maker,” I'm sure she got proper input from the proper professionals, and as for her future scent ( which will not be your so-called “flanker”), I'd call it “Enchanted.”
Glad you loved it. Her next project is a trio called The Lovely Collection (Dawn, Endless, Twilight).
This is gone now, also. If I can find it for a good price on ebay I'll get it. I want to own both Covets
I read that COTY wanted to release Covet Pure Bloom, not sure if that was the name, first and they would've continued with Covets after that, but SJP wanted the green one released first.
It's still on her website, and still in stock at beauty.com
It’s at Marshall’s for $19.99…..for the big bottle. The scent is soft and lovely but does not have lasting power.
Thanks!