Queen is the debut perfume from the multi-talented Queen Latifah, who joins the rest of the celebrity stable at Parlux (Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and Andy Roddick, with Rihanna and Kayne West soon to follow). Latifah reportedly smelled about 50 different fragrances, many of them "a little too mature or a little too sweet", before settling on the final product.1
The resulting fragrance is a woody gourmand oriental. The opening is a bit loud (I like it better dabbed than sprayed, and better on skin than on paper), and features ever-trendy booze notes (in this case, golden tequila and cognac, other notes are bergamot, mandarin, baie rose, jasmine noir, coriander, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, incense and musk) over a sweet, amber-y patchouli, quite clean, with fruity undertones and the usual dollop of pink pepper. The longer it's on skin, the more the emphasis turns to the gourmand part of the proceedings; eventually, it reminds me of buttery caramel + sweetened condensed milk + vanilla, all over a warm and darkish patchouli woods. The incense is subtle, but there's a slightly burnt quality to the woods in the far dry down which helps to temper all the vanilla candy, and the dry down is much softer and drier than the opening.
Queen is nicely done. Some people will find it too sweet, and some people will object to the patchouli — and no doubt some people will join me in objecting to the bottle, which is considerably more blinged than the juice — but it's a very wearable fragrance, and better than average for the celebrity category. It's a wee bit much for late August, but should do better in colder weather. Despite all the candy, it doesn't smell like it's geared towards the 'tween set, nor does it fall into the dreaded "mature" category: it's just a middle of the road modern candied patchouli, with none of the disturbing elements that make the grande dame of the category, Thierry Mugler Angel, difficult to take. If you're after such a thing, it's worth a shot.
Queen by Queen Latifah was developed by perfumer Steve DeMercado, and is available in 50 ($49) and 100 ($59) ml Eau de Parfum and in matching body products.
1. via Women's Wear Daily, 6/19/2009.
Good review, Robin. It’s always a good sign when a celebrity frag is a bit above the cut, which typically means it’s at least average in the department store world of perfumes. Do you find it bears too striking a resemblence to Angel for someone to need to own both? Or does Queen stand on its own two feet (or blingy bottle as the case may be) well enough that the differences make it at least worth a sniff?
I wouldn’t call it an Angel dupe so much as a descendant of Angel — (of which, of course, there are many) and it has a much more modern, smooth, clean feel than Angel. So yes, I’d try it even if you already owned Angel, and even if you hated Angel.
Queen Latifah sure is a pretty woman. This scent sounds more interesting than anticipated – but I sure do wish they would have left out the PINK PEPPER, dag nabbit. However, I will give it a sniff next time I’m @ Macy’s.
Do see if you can snag a sample & try it on skin. I found it annoyingly sweet on paper.
Thanks for the tip.
Oh, and you will appreciate this quote from the ad copy at Macys:
“Fresh bouquets of Baie Rose and Jasmine Noir blend with the rich warmth of Cognac and the exotic spice Moroccan Coriander.”
HA HA, so someone thinks that baie rose, which is pink pepper, is a floral note.
our favorite team of copy writers hard at work….
Brilliant.
yes, thanks for telling us that. i smelled it on paper in a mag and it was so cloying! and i really want to like it, because i like her so much!
Mind you, it isn’t “dry” even on skin, but the sweetness does dissipate.
Sounds like a good gateway frag! I’m glad QL didn’t put out dreck. I have a lot of respect for her and her career choices, and I love the way she seems to enjoy herself…
Agree!
I want to go and look at the bottle. It reminds me of a Van Cleef & Arpels invisible setting from the picture but I agree that it’s a bit much and I don’t love the heart in the middle, but that’s just me!
When I posted the fragrance announcement back in June, some people said they loved the bottle…so your mileage may vary
But I do love Queen Latifah and forgot to mention that!
Will have to give this a try … definitely sounds like a fall/winter scent. The drydown sounds like it could be in the comfort scent category? The bottle is not great, but I don’t hate it.
Yeah, probably, although might depend on your taste — I don’t find patchouli comforting, I think?
I generally don’t think of patchouli as comforting either.
It’s the butter in the buttery caramel that put me off this and the Halle Berry – although this is a much nicer scent and has much less of the butter. That butter caramel just makes me queasy. Unless I’m actually eating it.
This is not quite so buttery as the Halle, I think. Not as unusual either though.
Wow, this might be the first celebrity fragrance I actively *want* to try! I wonder if it smells Gucci-ish at all? (Gucci by Gucci, the confusing new one). The bottle is damn ugly, though.
I’m not a ‘fan’ of Queen Latifah, but I always enjoy seeing her in film. She’s cool in my book.
To my nose, QL is less fruity, less floral, less dark than GbG, and the dry down is more candied, more feminine.
Less dark? Boo.
Well, do try it and see what you think, and tell me which you think is darker! I do know many women found the dry down of GbG “too masculine”.
You know, it’s my fickle nature that has me lemming ‘darker’ but that could change any minute.
all those gourmand notes make my mouth water… too bad this won’t make it over to Europe. i guess?
Jigsaw distributes some of the other Parlux scents in the UK, I know, but don’t know what the plans are for this one and don’t know how widely distributed they are elsewhere in Europe.
the H Duff frags are at Boots in the UK but not in parts of continental Europe.
HD is not from Parlux, so don’t know that that matters…I’d think you’d need to find out where you can buy Paris Hilton & Jessica Simpson.
I’ve wanted to sniff this one – I’ll have to make a trip to Macy’s at some point (there’s one about 50 miles away!) for free sniffage.
If I may ask, how would Queen compare to Organza Indecence? OI is about my top limit for patchouli, and I find the fragrance sweet. Seems like Queen would be more floral, and possibly more gourmand, but I was interested in knowing whether the patchouli and sweetness levels might be similar. Thanks!
Hmmm…I would not even have thought of them together. OI is way spicier, and to me, way less patch-y than QL (but bear in mind that I don’t think of OI as a patch-heavy fragrance), and QL has less smoke. And OI is creamy and sweet, but doesn’t smell like caramel or sweetened condensed milk to me — QL is more “obviously” candied/foody.
And meant to add: I think this one is going to Dillards & Bon Ton too, if that helps. And would think it end up at Sephora evenutally.
Ha. There’s a Dillards about 80 miles away (in the other direction, of course), and I’ve never heard of Bon Ton. Seriously, the nearest mall is 20 miles, and its anchor stores are Belk, Sears, JCPenney, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. No wonder I stalk ebay, huh?
but you could pick up a gallon of that Buck Lure at Dick’s no problem……or perhaps some of this stuff the pest control guy used when we were trying to get the muskrat out of my koi pond…I asked what that yucky stuff was and he says it’s called “Muskrat Love”
That’s when I decided it was time to go back to my house and let him set his traps on his own.
On perfume stores ….all we’ve got around here is an Ulta but nothing even close to niche….Thank goodness for the internet!
Exactly! Remember the Burger King Flame post awhile ago? Dick’s Sporting Goods may be just the place to pick up some kind of Man Lure scent!
Ebay is our friend
How does the amount of patchouli compare to, say, EL Pleasures Delight? I can handle the patchouli in that one and enjoy it.
Going on memory (not always a good thing in my case, since I do wear Organza Indecence fairly regularly but haven’t smelled Pleasures Delight since it came out), I’d say about the same, but QL is marginally less sweet-foody and marginally darker & warmer. Pleasures Delight did not seem sexy to me at all, QL smells like it’s meant to be sexy, if that makes sense. If you get to compare them, do come back and tell me if that seems accurate!
That does make sense … I don’t find Pleasures Delight sexy either, more “wholesome gourmand”, LOL. I’ll compare if I try Queen and report back!
Yes, “wholesome gourmand” is spot on. QL has that “meant to be sexy” smell — it isn’t the sort of thing I actually find sexy because it’s too clean…but if they had amped up the earthy notes, it would be sexy to me.
I’m going to have to pull out my Pleasures Delight again – I don’t remember patch at all and it didn’t smell foody-gourmand to me either. I thought that it was a bright, soapy floral. I wonder what the heck I was smelling?
Are you sure you’re not thinking of plain ole Pleasures? Or one of the other Pleasures flankers?
Robin, just as an aside on OI. I wore it when it first launched in the late 90’s, and have a mini from then as well. I know it got discontinued then re-released with a few other Givenchy frags a year or two ago.
Considering the price for the first production on Evilbay and the like, have you tried both versions side by side to see if any tweaking was done to the newer formula? I’m so tempted to buy a newer and less expensive bottle, but I’d be really disappointed if the Organza Indecence now available at Dillard’s and the like isn’t the same as the version from about ten years ago that’s such a “scent memory” in my mind.
If anyone has any info on this, I’d be really grateful.
No, I have not tried them side by side, but would be very surprised if *anything* that was 10 years old was completely unchanged.
Regarding OI: My Mother in law works for Givenchy and she states the ‘new’ release is different, but subtle. I still have 1 teeny original mini left that I hoard for ‘special occasions’ (oh, who am I kidding? I’m too afraid to wear it because then it’ll be GONE – I just take it out and sniff it once in a while!) She also thinks the ‘new’ Hot Couture is even more different, and disappointingly so.
Thanks Robin and alltheprettythings. Looks like I’m buying the original then, if I can find it. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but how I wish fragrance manufacturers weren’t so reformulation happy. I never know which version of something I’m buying. I still want to snag another bottle of Shalimar Light after receiving a gift set, but even there I have no ideas which version’s witch and doubt I can return a purchase for being “the wrong Shalimar light.” *facepalm*
You know what, Robin? I said the exact same thing! I like this wayy better when I dab on my sample! I bought the big bottle and the big lotion because I love it, but it’s a lot boozier when you dab it on. A lot less sweet. I don’t know why that is. I still love it to no end, don’t get me wrong, but that’s very strange. I love the lotion as well! Its thick and creamy. Not all watery like some lotions (Gwen Stefani’s L feels just like water and porus out like water!). I hate watery lotions.
I’m glad you liked this! I can’t wait to see what Queen does next! I just can’t get enough!
My only complaint is that I hate the bottle! It feels and looks so cheap!
You could always try decanting the juice itself into a splash bottle, maybe that would help?
I look forward to seeing what she does next too. I do think this is the best thing Parlux has produced so far.
I tend to like gourmand scents….as long as it doesn’t get too sweet.
So far I would say this is the most interesting sounding celebriscent of the year, can’t wait to try it. The bottle however is bad. It reminds me of a little girls dress-up purse…just needs a shiny red vinyl strap…
Little girl’s dress-up purse: exactly!
little girls dress-up purse! So apt. My 1st impression of the bottle was that it was dime-store-ish, but now that I’ve had it for a while, I find it quite endearing, Blingy and approachable all at once. It’s part of a trio of spicy gourmandish orientals I have, along with Ralph Hot and Carlos Santana for Women. The Santana is for summer, the Ralph Hot for when I’m wearing jeans, and Queen for when I’m wearing mink.
please tell me this is a Joke? oh my Nose! this is one over fondled marketing trick. Forgive my use of the word fondled, cos that’s how i feel.
Don’t mind the word fondled at all, but not entirely sure I know what you mean, sorry!
Hey Robin –
I bought a bottle of Halle (Berry) after your review of that fragrance and have enjoyed it on a few occasions. How does QL compare to Halle? Are the celeb scents getting consistently better?
Thanks,
marko
I think Halle was more distinctive & unusual — as I said then, wish they’d done a more “high end” version of it, maybe a bit less sweet. This is less unusual, but probably more wearable. If I had to pick a “best celebrity scent of 2009” right now, I’d have trouble deciding which of those 2 to pick.
I don’t think celebrity scents are getting better, but I do think you can very nearly predict how good a celebrity scent will be by using a formula based on the age of the celebrity, the average age & presumed socioeconomic status of his/her fans, and the company that bought the name.
Except for the heart, I kinda like the bottle. I’ll be waiting until it cools down to try it though – I don’t want another repeat of my horrid Halle experience.
LOL I’m still scared of the Halle…..
It’s not all that scary, Daisy. I sprayed on a bit at … Sears… a couple months ago. Figgy sweet, but really not bad at all. A little goes a ways.
I rubbed the sample on (it was steamy hot out) and something in it caught and grew! 50 foot Halle monster on the rampage! It didn’t smell bad ….it just smelled a LOT. Certainly I should have used more discretion in application.
I think it’s a love-it-or-hate-it fragrance. When I tried it on in the store, the two friends I was with ran away screaming, but two random strangers gravitated towards me, murmuring, “Ooohhh!!” So there you have it. And have I told this story before? I feel like I have. Early onset Alzheimers.
I tried Halle when I was at Kohl’s and thought it was rather nice — but it DID kind of saturate my car on the way home!
It’s all PEACH on me, the strawberry shortcake doll-type peach.
That could be exciting…
Ack. Sorry.
It’s not poor Halle’s fault – I should have known better than to spritz it on in Walgreen’s when it was over 100 degrees out. I still think that I would have been okay had I not then got into my boiling hot car. Daisy’s experience is all my fault – I sent her the sample. And she’s sent me such lovely things, too.
hahaha but I had fun with it!
complaint fodder for hours and I made J sniff my wrist so many times that she started running from the room if I began yet another approach with arm outstretched….
It was worth it just for the entertainment value. It’d be better tested on a nice snowy day. But then I would get cheated out of all that teen-torture that I so enjoy!
Nice review Robin, as I wear Angel, I might give this a try. It kind of sounds like Sensuous but more woody, we’ll have to see.
Gourmand and woods are a good thing in my book so I just might like it.
I tried the new Laura Mercier scent (Minuit Enchanté Parfum) and it was heaven! Spices/woods/incense. Just perfect for the holidays.
Oooh … I’ve been wanting to try that Laura Mercier. Sounds wonderful …
2nd, I need to try that!
Smokeytoes, have you tried the first? If so, can you compare between the two? Thanks!
Hi alltheprettythings,
To me, the Sensuous was more smooth/ambery and the Laura Mercier had a little more spice, and the woods/incense were a touch dryer. The lasting power on both were great, about 8-9 hours.
I love Queen Latifah, but I don’t think this is going to rock my world. Which is just as well, when there’s money to be spent on splits of Une Rose Chypree and Havana Vanille…
So true, so true! But in defense of QL, it is a fraction of the price of either.
I have to say, it doesn’t sound bad. It just doesn’t sound like anything I have to have. But who knows? I may end up loving it.
Hey, I don’t have to have it either, so was not knocking your assessment at all!
I’d rather buy a fraction of a bottle of the others with the same money.
This doesn’t sound like my type of thing at all.
What the heck is up with pink pepper I can’t even smell it
when i tested this out at Belk i found it better than most celeb frags but sadly not enough to buy it maybe it was just the odd boozed out opening that turned me off to it the fragrance just didn’t seem constructed right
See, and I would have amped up the boozy notes! So it’s all personal taste.
Literally just got back from trying this and the new D&G’s. Your “caramel + sweetened condensed milk + vanilla” description is totally spot-on, to my nose anyway. The bottle is cuter than I thought it would be, but also still a little adolescent for ~The Queen~. But, more power to her!
Also, tried the Paris Hilton mermaid one, too! Ah yes, adventures at the Macy’s Parlux tray…
And which did you like better, Queen or Siren?
I’m totally biased: I was always going to like Queen better, even before I tried either!
Too vanillic and sweet for me, but I didn’t test it on skin; didn’t have any left after passing through Sephora earlier.
I can’t remember a single thing about Siren, to be honest.
the “buttery caramel + sweetened condensed milk + vanilla, all over a warm and darkish patchouli woods” sounds edible~~ makes me want to eat dessert… yummy lol
but the pink pepper~~ very mind boggling?? i’ll try smelling it personally@
It’s worth a try!
This one’s all over in macy’s-
i took the sprayed paper from the sales person and put it in my bag- the scent is really sweet, like vanilla icecream. and it didn’t go away till the next day.
I didn’t go crazy about it but I liked it- ><
I agree with you on the idea that it doesn't smell too mature nor too young-
I do think it’s better on skin than on paper, and the sweetness seems to dissipate faster on skin.
It was the “not too mature” that scared me away. I like my scents mature. In fact, I like them to smell mature enough to have been worn by people who have been dead for a century. Call me old fashioned. (Oh, and that wasn’t too imply that I like to smell like dead people. I can see where it would sound like that.)
LOL…yeah, it is not that mature.
this one’s all over in macy’s- so i took the sprayed paper from the sales rep and put it in my bag.
the scent didn’t go away till the next day, so it’s pretty loud.
It smelled like vanilla ice cream-
although i didn’t go crazy about it, i liked it. Maybe i’ll try it on my skin.
I agree with you on the point that it didn’t smell too young nor too mature-
Although I usually avoid celebrity frags like the plague, the notes make me want to try it (especially the “boozy” ones, LOL). And I like the blingy bottle!
Doesn’t hurt to try!
Queen from Queen Latifah is fantastic!!! I have been having great feedback about it. People have been complimenting me about the scent. Numerous positive compliments. It’s a soft and refreshing scent. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad you love it
Full disclosure; I didn’t put this on my skin, but my test strip impression was a cross between Angel, which I definitely don’t love and Carol’s Daughter Groove, which I do.
Have not smelled Groove…but will take your word for it
Well, I will have to go sniff it to know, but I’m not much on faux food scents.
However, I do remember reading that they did some research with men to find out what scents were actually the most arousing to them. The winner? Fresh baked cookies. Go figure.
So, maybe we the potential buyers aren’t the only targets for this stuff.
Freshly baked cookies works for me too
By fondled I mean this industry being so ready to use celebrity endorsements to entice revenue. I know some people get hooked immediately, but for me it’s such a presumptuous thing to assume I will be enticed by a celebrity when choosing a scent. It actually cheapens the perfume drastically. It will take a lot for me to consider buying a fragrance by a celebrity, maybe if it had the goods of what Guerlain is made of. Anyway that’s what I meant by fondled, I wonder what’s next ” Enrique Iglesias” oh wait they’ve done his father already..
Oh, gotcha.
There’s not doubt that many people are turned off by a celebrity endorsement, but it’s clearly working perfectly well on others…there have been warnings for years now that the celebrity category is going to take a dive, but I’ve seen no evidence of it!
To say this is a descendant of “Angel” is putting it mildly…. to me it seems like a slightly smaller-in -scope, (possibly more wearable???) knockoff of Oliver Creso’s weird and wonderful masterpiece. I sell perfume at a department store and tend to groan whenever new “name” fragrances are launched, since they are normally boring to unbearable, taking up precious shelf space, and gathering dust after an initial surge of interest by those with unsophisticated noses and an avid appetite for tabloid magazines.
.In this case, however, I was pleasantly surprised and wore
“Queen “rather addictively for days and days, even forsaking my beloved Hypnotic Poison and Bulgari Black, until I finally overdosed on the relentless sweetness. I have the same reaction to “Angel”.
“Queen” is a fun perfume, though some may find it a bit cloying. I detect a slightly off- beat overripe cheese note buried beneath all the fruity patchouli, which makes this fragrance much more witty than most forgettable celebrity juices. The price is right too.Too bad about the tacky red bottle !
It really is too bad about the bottle. Hope it will sell anyway.
Fruity patchouli? Ugh. (crosses Queen off the sniff list).
I smelled this today, and actually loved it. It’s the perfect Fall and Winter perfume. Spicy vanilla and some sensual florals. The patchouli does not stand out. Some are saying it smells like Angel, but I don’t smell that in any way. I think she did a good job, and the lasting power is outstanding. It’s not a gross combination, they mix well. Not incredibly complex, but very wearable for me. I give her credit for making an unusual celeb perfume. She went a whole other direction than fruity floral boredom.
So glad you liked it!
Am curious about it. Would like to try it, as Angel is too much, but I do not think it will come over the ocean. I haven’t seen it here yet.
So, I traded the Body Lotion for the Body Butter. I’m into Body Creams/Butters more now. Mmmmm, good choice! I can’t WAIT to smell Queen’s next scent!
This smells great, i wish a new about it sooner. I feel sexy, proffessional, and lastly like a women should
Glad it’s working for you
I usually don’t do the whole perfume thing because I get headaches really easy and all those years of my gran doushing me in Windsong and Obsession*shudders* was enough to kill me on the frangrance aisle. However, I got this for mother’s day this year and my husband begged me to try it-because he never buys me perfume/cologne, but he seemed really excited about this. OMG-I’m so glad he did-not only can I wear this and be headache free but it’s long lasting and the smell…it’s romance in a bottle ladies and my husband is definately a man who doesn’t do that whole scentology when it comes to “being in the mood” however he couldn’t stop sniffing me-lol…I wish I had the vid I would post it for prosperity! However Queen is an exotic blend of scents that make you feel beautiful when you were it….I know I do!
So glad the gift worked out and makes you *both* happy!
Are we not wearing perfume to entice the upposit sex, or are we dooing it to please ourselve? every time i wear Queen people, strangers stop me and say you smell amaizing,or you smell like something good that i can eat. i do a certain sport and it was at the end of the day at about after six in the evening and i had been out there form seven that morning, its a mixed sport women competing with men, we were all tired so i leaned up against a table and this guy was sitting there and he just looked up and took a deep breath and in a soft voice said “mmm”,and i knew what he was thinking, now my husband was standing a couple of feet away so idident expect him to say something he might be sorry later.But girls i knew what i was doing,thats how i test my perfume, i was confident because my perfume was kicking.I baught Jessica and Paris hilton at the same time as Queen and I have given away Paris.I love Queen”s bottle,it’s like a big rubby in my hand, it makes me feel good.this is my flag ship perfume.
Sounds like it’s working for you both ways — for yourself & to attract the opposite sex.
I can’t waaait for Queen of Hearts! Parlux told me August! We should be seeing the ad soon. I’ve already e-mailed them about it :). I hope it has a body butter
Oh good, look forward to it!
I really HATE how Parlux is doing Queen Latifah’s second scent! They told me late August and we have YET to see the ad or the notes! What the heck gives? They didn’t do Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton’s fragrances this way!!!
Maybe they have just pushed the launch into September? It does seem late…
But we should’ve at least seen the ad, the bottle and notes, don’t you think? We barely know the name or the concept. We saw Jessica Simpson’s ad a month in advance. This is ridiculous!
True…that’s why I’m wondering if it has been pushed back. Who knows.
You can see the bottle on Parlux.com. No notes yet. I LOVE the gold bottle much more than the red! : )
^GODDAMN YOU, JON! Here’s the bottle
http://brownsista.com/queen-of-hearts-by-queen-latifah/
Heres some more info on Hearts. Who knows if its correct? : ) http://www.s2smagazine.com/node/3322
I saw that, & also don’t know that publication.
I was looking through Self magazine w/ Beyonce on the cover and Queen of Hearts was mentioned and it only mentioned the cinnamon so maybe the notes are correct on s2smag. And the new issue of Allure w/ Kim K on the cover has an article about perfumes and has short interviews of 5 perfumers. : )
Oh good, hope I get my Allure soon!
I really hope Queen Latifah leaves Parlux. Looks like I’ll be getting my wish soon, anyways. 1)No official press release with the full notes listen 2) It only comes in one size 3) There won’t be any other products sold by itself. Only in a set. 4) NO PROMO
Parlux just doesn’t know what to do with Queen Latifah. Too busy throwing Paris Hilton in our face. My Macy’s had been launching Tease for two weeks and tried to do a launch for Fancy Nights and two days later went right on back to Tease. I’m sure Paris is their top earner but if they TRIED to promote some of their other scents I’m sure the others would do well also. They barely promoted Queen
Well, the possibilities are endless: Queen Latifah may not be doing as much to promote her line as Paris. They may also have spent more on her than they did on a single Paris scent (she did get a MUCH classier ad and “making of” video) only to find she doesn’t translate into sales as well. Who knows? Also don’t know if she’ll get other (or at least, other BETTER) offers if she does leave Parlux…and I’d say the same for Jessica Simpson.
But it is probably only in the 1 size because it’s a flanker…to date, Paris has never done a flanker, just an endless stream of new scents.
Jessica had a flanker and she got a lotion and two sizes.
I think Paris doesn’t get too many “Making of” videos because if you listen to her talk during the making ofs she HAS done the horror is exposed.
Also, the majority of people I talk to I try to tell them about Queen Latifah’s fragrances and they didn’t even know she had a perfume. I wish Queen would’ve went to COTY or Elizabeth Arden. Follow Guess, Queen!
I hear you, but I don’t think Queen Latifah has the same kind of following Paris does…the kind of people who can sell celebrity perfumes are the kind of people who appear constantly in the celebrity gossip magazines & blogs & what not. And I could be wrong, but I always assume that many of the celebrities who go with these smaller companies do so precisely because they can’t get a deal from Coty or Elizabeth Arden.
Well, the fragrance DOES really exist. Macy’s in New York has it. I called yesterday
Bought QOH Yesterday! Verry differenrt from Queen. I’ll talk about it when you post about it
I received a sample from one of the perfume counters at Belk’s. I just finished it this morning. I really like the scent. Dabbed it at my throat and have gotten a whiff from time to time (8 hours and counting). Will certainly buy a bottle (to dab, not spray).
Did you try the new Queen of Hearts?
Queen Latifah may be known here in Australia, I am a bit out of the loop of pop culture, but none of the shops have her perfumes. In fact the sales clerks always just look blank when I ask for it; finally gave up and got a sample from TPC. I really like this one, with its little echoes of Badgley Mishka, Angel, Lolita Lempicka but still its own lovely scent. And now I want that blingy bottle!
Not sure if this got distributed outside of the US at all. Glad you got to try it!
To me this is a dead ringer. Initially smells like Red Door Velvet, then mixes in some Angel for good measure. Nice!
just scored a 50ml bottle of this in a box set with lotion and body butter for $13. The opening is lusciously rich and boozy I’ll be said to see that drydown after this.
Love the scent, the bottle looks dimestore. otoh, I love the bottle for Beyonce Heat, and hate the frag. Queen in the Beyonce bottle would be perfect.
Just smelled this when I went perfume shopping at my local Gordmans. I enjoyed the first of the application and by the time it dried down, I swear this smelled JUST like a toasted marshmallow. It struck me as what “Pink Sugar” by Aquolina would be like after it graduated with a doctorate in sensibility.