Rihanna Reb’l Fleur



Rihanna. I mention on Twitter all the time– can’t stand her. Well, her voice. Which is kind of, the point. Okay, she’s interesting looking. She wears weird things. She’s quirky – I get it. Questionable taste in men. But always true to herself– it’s clear this girl doesn’t give a you-know-what about what anyone thinks of her. Maybe I like her as a person, but that doesn’t change the fact that I think she can’t sing a lick.

However, unless a perfume sings every time you open it, like one of those annoying greeting cards (oh god, did I just give someone a really bad idea for the next wave in perfume bottles? no. no. NO!) a celeb perfume can be enjoyed even if you don’t like that particular celeb’s work. Rihanna collaborated with Parlux to create Reb’l Fleur, her first fragrance.

The name Reb’l Fleur comes from a nickname Rihanna’s grandmother gave her: “rebelle fleur” or rebel flower (ok, grammar police here, in French it would be “fleur rebelle”…-ahem- ok). She has the phrase tattooed on her neck.

I don’t know what made her decide to spell it like this and add an apostrophe. Whatever girl, do your thing. I kind of expected the perfume bottle itself to look more uh, flowery. But Refinery29 nailed it when they said it looks like an 80s liquor bottle. An 80s liquor bottle. Fashion and design were weird in the 80s y’all. I’m not a fan. The first thing I said to my boyfriend when this came out of the box was “this is the tackiest perfume bottle I’ve ever seen in my life”. HOWEVER. That being said, it certainly keeps in tune with Rihanna’s overall aesthetic, so in that way it is effective.

I really think that looks like something you ought to drink, not spray on your body. But it’s a fragrance. Oh yes! Fragrance. We should probably talk about that. This perfume is meant to create a “daring, sexy, and truly memorable” fragrant experience. The top notes are of plum, peach, and berries, followed by florals (tuberose, violet, and hibiscus) with a dash of coconut, and warm base notes. Ok that’s what they describe. Here’s what I smell.
At first ‘sniff’ – floral. I’m overwhelmed by tuberose. All the fruity fluff on top is completely lost in the mix for me. The musk and patchouli in the base notes are vaguely detectable. Don’t get me wrong, I love tuberose. Love it. Gimme. But I was kind of excited to smell the fruity notes, and I can’t smell them at all because tuberose is stealing their spotlight. The base notes are musk, patchouli, amber, and vanilla. They add a warm bottom and some depth to the fragrance. The vanilla and amber also add a lot of sweetness. Normally I’m not one for patchouli, and too much amber can give me a headache, but it’s welcome in this fragrance and it works without any of the negatives (just thank god there isn’t also sandalwood or I’d smell like a hippie holding a bouquet of flowers). If you’re like me and the word ‘patchouli’ typically sends you running the opposite direction, it’s still worth a try.
Also worth mentioning is this fragrance comes on strong. It’s not for someone who wants to be subtle, and please please do not over apply. You’ll hurt someone. It’s quite long wearing, too. For example today I’m on my 8th hour after spraying and it’s still going. It’s definitely not nearly as strong now, and I can smell the violet less, and coconut a little bit more than I could before. I think it smells even sweeter now. If you are sensitive to strong scents, I would suggest not applying this to the throat/decollete area. This fragrance will better serve you sprayed somewhere like your wrist, or the small of your back. Keeping it under your nose all day may result in a headache if you are very sensitive to strong smells.
Overall, when I read the scent description I had high hopes. I love fruity fragrances and I love tuberose, so this should have been right up my alley. However, because with my particular body chemistry the fruits are all but completely absent, it’s kind of a miss. It’s not bad it’s just not what I wanted it to be on me. Fragrances are extremely personal as they mix with your body chemistry, so your experience almost definitely will vary. If you’ve tried this fragrance I’d love to know what you think.
Rihanna’s Reb’l Fleur is available at Macy’s for $59 (for the 3.4 oz bottle).
Sample provided by PR for consideration.

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