How do you apply perfume so it lasts?

There are a couple of things you can do to make a perfume last longer on your skin . Firstly, make sure you apply the perfume to bare skin—you don’t want any clothing or accessories to obstruct the fragrance. Secondly, it’s a good idea to apply the fragrance to your pulse points, including wrists, neck, inner elbow, and back of your knees. This is because fragrance reacts to heat, and applying the perfume to these various spots will help the scent emit throughout the day. Finally, try not to rub the fragrance into your skin when you spray it. Just allow it to sit on your skin so that it doesn’t absorb and lasts longer.

The 10 Best Celebrity Perfumes of 2023

The 10 Best Celebrity Perfumes of 2022 — Ulta / Fenty

It turns out celebrities have many more talents outside of singing, acting, and dancing—they have created some wonderful, iconic fragrances, too. What is so incredible about celebrity fragrances is that the truly outstanding ones have stood the test of time. Some celebrity scents have been best-selling fragrances for over 30 years.

Lucky for us, we were able to test out a bunch of classics (as well as some newbies) that brought us back in time. Some picks delighted our senses, while others had us wincing. To help narrow down the plethora of perfumes, we’ve saved you time and picked the best celebrity perfumes on the market.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Perfume at Amazon

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Best Budget:

Jennifer Lopez Glow at Amazon

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Best Splurge:

Fenty Eau de Parfum at Sephora

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Best Packaging:

Ariana Grande Perfume

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Best Floral:

Dolly Parton Scent from Above at Walmart

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Best Woody:

Katy Perry Killer Queen at Amazon

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Best Gourmand:

Billie Eilish Eilish Eau de Parfum

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Best Fresh:

Paris Hilton Fragrances "Love Rush" at Parishiltonfragrances.com

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Best Fruity:

Britney Spears Fantasy at Amazon

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Best Classic:

Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds at Amazon

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In This Article

Our Picks
What to Look For in a Celebrity Perfume
FAQ
Why Trust Byrdie

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Walmart

What We Like

Classy-looking bottle
Good price point

What We Don't Like

Loose-fitting cap; potential to spill

Launched in 2005, Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker truly smells just that: Lovely. With notes of mandarin, bergamot, rosewood, lavender, and apple martini, this pick has a nice floral and musky scent that smells like a rich Manhattanite. We love that this fragrance smells much more expensive than it costs. Plus, many reviewers rave about all the compliments they get while wearing Lovely. The only negative is that the cap comes loose very easily—if traveling with this bottle, we recommend putting it in a plastic bag in case it spills.

Price at time of publish: $24

Type: Eau de parfum | Size: 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Mandarin, Bergamot, Rosewood, Lavender, and Apple Martini

Amazon

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What We Like

Low price point
Smells clean and soapy

What We Don't Like

Not long-lasting
Packaging looks and feels cheap

The Glow by JLo fragrance is one of those picks that has stood the test of time—it was released in 2002! Still a best-selling celebrity fragrance, this perfume features notes of neroli, grapefruit, and orange blossom. When she created this fragrance 20 years ago, Lopez is said to have wanted to capture the fragrance of freshly washed skin: soapy, sweet, and clean. If you don’t love that clean laundry smell, this pick isn’t for you. While we admire the fresh scent, we’re not in love with the packaging—the bottle looks a bit cheap compared to other celebrity fragrances on the market.

Price at time of publish: $24

Type: Eau De Toilette Spray | Size: 1.0 to 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Neroli, Orange Blossom and Grapefruit

Fenty

View On Sephora View On Fentybeauty.com

What We Like

It has a unique spicy, floral scent
Elegant bottle
Scent lingers

What We Don't Like

The high price tag

Rihanna has once again nailed another category in the cosmetic industry: perfume. The Fenty Perfume boasts a lovely warm, spicy floral scent that will have you hooked. The top notes include magnolia, musk, tangerine, and Bulgarian rose. We love that this pick is very long-lasting and comes in a simple yet elegant bottle. One of the biggest downsides is that this perfume is expensive. At $140 per bottle, it’s our priciest pick on this list.

Price at time of publish: $140

Type: Eau de parfum | Size: 2.5 ounces | Top Notes: magnolia, musk, tangerine, Bulgarian rose

Ulta Beauty

View on Ulta View On Amazon View On Target

What We Like

Very fun packaging
Warm, sweet, spicy scent

What We Don’t Like

Scent doesn’t last very long

One of the most popular celebrity fragrances, the Ariana Grande Cloud perfume, is a young, uplifting scent with warm and spicy notes. This pick sets itself apart because it smells sugary yet woodsy and includes notes of creme de coconut, praline, and vanilla orchid. Plus, we love the fun packaging and bottle. The gourmand scent is said to be a great dupe for the popular Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 fragrance (a whopping $325 a bottle). While we love the scent, we noticed that the scent doesn’t last super long.

Price at time of publish: $56

Type: Eau de parfum spray | Size: 1.0 to 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Lavender Blossom, Juicy Pear Bergamot, Heart, Crème De Coconut, Indulgent Praline, Vanilla Orchid

Walmart

View On Walmart View On Dollyfragrance.com View On Walgreens

What We Like

Pretty bottle

What We Don’t Like

The scent is very sweet and powdery

If you love very sweet-smelling fragrances, Scent from Above by Dolly Parton may be your next signature scent. This pick has a floral and fruity scent profile, with top notes including mandarin, blackcurrant, pear, and peony blossom. We love how pretty the bottle is (that little pink butterfly is just so cute) and also like the price point, too. The scent, on the other hand, might not be for everyone—this pick is very, very sweet-smelling and might be off-putting to anyone who is looking for more of a woody or musky fragrance.

Price at time of publish: $32

Type: Eau de Toilette | Size: 1.7 ounces | Top Notes: Mandarin, blackcurrant, pear, and peony blossom

Amazon

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What We Like

Scent lasts all day

What We Don’t Like

Bottle shape is not practical

This fruity pick from Katy Perry includes top notes of forest fruits, plum, and bergamot. It’s a playful, fun scent that’s anything but “old lady.” We love that the packaging gives off Queen of Hearts vibes, but the actual bottle is a bit impractical. It doesn’t sit upright on its own, so you’ll have to have it lay on its side when displaying in your perfume collection. That being said, we do love the price point for the amount of product you get (the bottle is larger than you expect) and love the originality of the elegant-looking bottle.

Price at time of publish: $35

Type: Eau de Parfum | Size: 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Forest fruits, plum, bergamot

Ulta Beauty

View on Ulta View On Billieeilishfragrances.com

What We Like

It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free
One-of-a-kind packaging

What We Don’t Like

The bottle isn’t practical

Bad guy Billie Eilish has created her own scent in a stunning bottle. Eilish is a sweet-smelling, amber gourmand fragrance with a grownup twist—you’ll get whiffs of a subtle and warm scent with a hint of vanilla. The top notes include sugared petals, warm berries, and mandarin. We love that this scent is vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free. Unfortunately, the bottle shape isn’t very practical and is a bit difficult to hold and spritz on your skin. Additionally, we noticed that this scent isn’t super long-lasting compared to others.

Price at time of publish: $68

Type: Eau de Parfum | Size: 1.0 to 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Sugared petals, mandarin, warm berries

perfume bottle shaped in the silhouette of paris hilton's body

Paris Hilton Fragrances

View On Parishiltonfragrances.com

What We Like

The fresh, floral scent
Fun bottle and packaging

What We Don’t Like

It’s hard to find

Did you know that Paris Hilton has created 29 fragrances since 2004? Love Rush is her latest addition to the collection and was released this year to accompany her wedding day. The top notes in this fresh floral fragrance include Italian bergamot, Mandarin zest, and white apricot nectar. We love the packaging and think it would look great on anyone’s dresser. Plus, it would be a nice beauty product to incorporate into your wedding day. One of the drawbacks of this fragrance is that it’s currently only available on her website.

Price at time of publish: $75

Type: Eau de Parfum | Size: 1.0 to 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Italian bergamot, Mandarin zest, and white apricot nectar

Amazon

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What We Like

It brings back major nostalgia
The fair price point

What We Don’t Like

The bottle looks cheap

A whiff of this pick from Britney Spears brings us straight back to the mid-2000s, and we’re not hating it. This iconic fragrance from Britney Spears was released in 2005 and offers fragrance notes of luscious fruits, fresh florals, and warm woods. And while it does have notes of fruitiness and musk, many folks like to compare this fragrance to smelling like cotton candy—it’s super sweet. The cons of this pick include the cheap-looking packaging, the loose perfume cap, and the fact that the scent doesn’t last very long on the skin.

Price at time of publish: $27

Type: Eau de Parfum | Size: 1.0 to 8.0 ounces | Top Notes: Lychee, Quince & Kiwi

Amazon

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What We Like

It’s a true classic
It’s available at many drugstores nationwide

What We Don’t Like

It may remind you of your grandma’s perfume

White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor was first released in 1991 and is still the best-selling celebrity perfume there ever was. The bottle is iconic, as well as the scent—the top notes include aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, orange, and lily. Because this perfume is so old, it’s unsurprising that many will find the scent to smell vintage, and maybe not in a good way. While we love this iconic pick, it might not be for those who are looking for a “younger,” fresher, more modern scent.

Price at time of publish: $24

Type: Eau de Toilette | Size: 0.5 to 3.3 ounces | Top Notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, orange, lily

Final Verdict

Fragrance preferences are truly subjective, and everyone has different tastes (and smells). What our favorite was might not be yours. That being said, we’re confident that our overall winner, Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker, can be enjoyed by most perfume lovers. Not only are we fans of the scent, but we also love how classy and elegant the glass bottle is, too. While we dubbed Ariana Grande Cloud the best-packaged perfume, we are big devotees of the fun, youthful fragrance as well.

What to Look For in a Celebrity Perfume

Fragrance Notes

Beyond just the celebrity that you love, you need to take a peek at the list of ingredients to find the best scent for you. If you're a spicy or musky fragrance fan and choose a super sweet floral scent, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Think of the scents you are drawn to—or, you know, mesh well with your body chemistry—and look for those notes. Words like fresh, woodsy, floral, and gourmand (sweet) can also help guide you through this list as well.

Packaging

We normally say to not judge a book by its cover, but in this case, we're giving you a pass: You can judge a fragrance by its bottle. Now, if you love a scent but hate the bottle design, it may still be worth giving it a shot. However, perfume bottles are often little display pieces too, so, ideally, you would love the whole thing—the fragrance as well as its packaging.

FAQ

How do you apply perfume so it lasts?

There are a couple of things you can do to make a perfume last longer on your skin. Firstly, make sure you apply the perfume to bare skin—you don’t want any clothing or accessories to obstruct the fragrance. Secondly, it’s a good idea to apply the fragrance to your pulse points, including wrists, neck, inner elbow, and back of your knees. This is because fragrance reacts to heat, and applying the perfume to these various spots will help the scent emit throughout the day. Finally, try not to rub the fragrance into your skin when you spray it. Just allow it to sit on your skin so that it doesn’t absorb and lasts longer.

Why Trust Byrdie

Daley Quinn is a contributing writer for Byrdie, where she covers all things beauty, health, and lifestyle. After doing extensive research on the best-selling and most loved celebrity perfumes, Quinn personally tested about half of the ones that made this final list and used her insights to craft the story.

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