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Extrait de Parfum, contains 15% to 40% of perfume oil; Eau de Parfum, contains 10% to 20% of perfume oil; Eau de Toilette, contains 5% to 15% of perfume oil; Eau de Cologne, contains 3% to 8% of perfume oil. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne

Each scent, developed by a different fragrance company between 2010 and 2014, proved to be a success for the Queen B, helping her secure her grip on the pop music sphere. Of note, 'Heat' proved to be a lasting fragrance, at least in business terms, because it was revised to become 'Heat Ultimate Elixir', 'Heat Rush', the aptly-named 'Heat The Mrs. Carter World Tour' (descriptive, no?), 'Heat Wild Orchid', 'Heat Kissed', 'Heat Seduction', and 'Shimmering Heat'. It was one of the best-selling fragrances in 2013, the same year Beyonce performed the Superbowl Half-Time Show. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Celine Dion

"Rihanna, nude" is a phrase that has often crossed my mind but I never expected to find it in a bottle. The lady herself said of the scent, that it was a more personal blend than its predecessors and encouraged women to "make sure you smell sexy, especially naked, this fall." Difficulty: Easy.

 

Joan Armatrading, Jada Pinkett Smith, Livvi Franc

Perfume was a popular commodity at a time when personal hygiene was considered an indulgence only to be undertaken a few times a year. Perfume was a substitute for soap and water. King Louis XV helped make perfume a necessity as opposed to a desire. The King's court was known as "The Perfumed Court" (le cour parfumee). Perfume was applied to the persons, the furniture, and the clothing worn at this court. So great was the desire for perfume that certain regions of France took to growing the natural ingredients used in perfume so that it did not have to be imported. Since that time, France has continued to be the foremost center of the modern perfume industry. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Italy, Wales, Albania

Joy was created in 1931 by the designer Jean Patou. It is a flowery fragrance created by a man who was a French designer, then an army captain and then once again a designer. Patou was a man of firsts. He was the first designer to develop a designer label and he was the first to preview his collections to the press. Influenced by Art Deco and Cubism, his clothes were considered quite modern. "Joy" is said to be in advertisements 'the most costly perfume in the world'.

"Ode to Joy", by Beethoven is the last movement of his "Ninth Symphony" completed in 1824. The movement is based on a famous poem by Friedrich Schiller dating back to 1785. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Beauty, Rose, Happiness

Castorium is collected from the follicles in the genital area of both the male and the female beaver. Castorium has a very strong odour. It can also be used in Homeopathic medicines and to flavour chewing gum (yuck).

Difficulty: Hard.

 

Bee, Civet cat, Hyrax

A genuine Chic Parisien, the House of Guerlain was founded in 1828 by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain. The first store was located in 42, rue de Rivoli, Paris. The Guerlain family owned the House until 1994 when it was sold to the LMVH group, the French luxury goods giant. As of 2008, Jean-Paul Guerlain, a fourth generation perfumer of the family, is still active as an adviser.
Difficulty: Easy.

 

1818, Madrid, 1838, Milan, 1848, Tokyo

Estee Lauder also has some other delightful frangrances available. Beautiful, Beautiflul Sheer, and Pleasures to name a few. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Liz Claiborne

Launched in 1989, this is a spray for men and women. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Ralph Lauren, Armani, Chanel

Shalimar,introduced in 1925, is considered to be the first modern oriental. Opium was introduced in 1977, Poison - in 1985 and Aprege is not an Oriental, but a floral-aldehydic perfume. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Poison (Dior), Arpege (Lanvin), Opium (Y.S.Laurent)

Hammam Bouquet was inspired by the aroma of the Turkish Bath (Jermyn Street). The Turkish Bath was adjacent to William Penhaligon's barbershop.

Hammam Bouquet was created and launched in 1872 and was dominated by flowery scents. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Blenheim Bouquet, Luna, Quercus

It's hard to talk about a perfume when it's alleged that it was inspired by a singer's 'light', but one would have to assume that 'S by Shakira' transcends the senses or, at the very least, allows the rest of us to comprehend synaesthesia. Apparently, Shakira's light combines Oriental notes like vanilla and gardenia (amongst more than a dozen other common scents). But I might be too critical (or unknowing) because the fragrance was popular enough to sell millions of dollars worth of the bottle becoming one of the most popular and most awarded celebrity fragrances in 2011. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Gwen Stefani, Sade, Shania Twain

The tagline continued to assert the fragrance was aimed at men "who are determined and confident about reaching their goals in life". All this from a bottle! Sign me up. Apparently the fragrance " begins with the crisp citrus note of Italian bergamot touched by the Mediterranean Sea wind woven with juicy green fruity notes perfectly balanced, giving a unique top note" and the description continues from there, getting ever more poetic, more poetic than one would expect a hairy world class sportsman to ever be. Akram was a left-arm fast bowler for Pakistan, and is rightly regarded as one of the best bowlers ever, playing for his country between 1984 and 2003. The name "414" refers to the number of wickets he took in his test career. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Geoff Boycott, Imran Khan, Sachin Tendulkar

This famous French designer met his muse in 1953 on the set of the movie "Sabrina". It is said that when called to do the costumes for this movie, he thought he was to work with Katherine Hepburn, not Audrey. Givenchy was only 26 at the time of this meeting. In 1957, Givenchy created a perfume for Audrey's personal use as a gift. She begged him to share this scent with the public. "L'Intredit" was released and was produced into the 1990s. In 2002, it was re-released with some changes made to the original formula. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Emilio Pucci, Giorgio Armani, Yves St Laurent

Muguet is a fragrance used by some of the top perfume houses, including Yves St Laurent and Floris. Lily of the Valley has a very sweet perfume and is used very often as a flower in bridal bouquets.

Difficulty: Hard.

 

Holy Wort, Heliotrope, Myrrh

It is said that at a certain stage Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain produced custom-made fragrances for half of Europe's royal houses. The first recorded one is "Eau de Cologne Imperiale" (1853) concocted for empress Eugenie of France, the spouse of Napoleon III. By the way, it is still part of the Guerlain range.
Difficulty: Easy.

 

Queen Victoria, Queen Isabella II of Spain, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria

Ralph Lauren is most famous for his line of POLO clothing. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Estee Lauder, Giorgio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger

Coco Chanel was first (with N 5), Jeanne Lanvin was second, but neither Arden, nor Lauder had ever been clothing designers. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Jeanne Lanvin, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden

Penhaligon's awarded the prestigious Royal Warrant of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in 1988.

This establishment had previously received a Royal Warrant from Her Royal Highness Queen Alexandra (1903) and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh (1956). Difficulty: Hard.

 

1989, 1990, 1987

While all of those Catwomen might have been purrfect answers in hindsight, the correct answer is actually the singer who named her own cat 'Kitty Purry', which is just a bit too clever in my opinion. 'Purr' was Perry's first fragrance, launching in 2010, and it led into a follow-up scent known by the name 'Meow!' (which was also bottled in a cat. Both scents started deep and ended fruity but were criticized for not lasting long, and I would make a note about her music, but I don't think it's necessary. Upon release, Perry described 'Meow!' as "an edible scent", whatever that means. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Halle Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Anne Hathaway

"Meow" was her follow up to "Purr" which had been released the previous year. It was described as edible by Perry and gave off scents of pear, honeysuckle and vanilla. You would expect someone who writes lyrics for a living to to able to continue with the cat theme, but apparently these two were her limit as her next fragrance was "Killer Queen" in 2013. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Tabby, Pussy, Grizabella

Thierry Mugler was a performer before he was a designer. A trained ballet dancer, his in your face designs are made to enhance the performance for the artist and the viewer. In 1992 he created the "Angel" perfume. It was a way for him to try to capture his childhood memories. This fragrance is considered to be the first of the oriental gourmands. Difficulty: Average.

 

Saint, Sun and Moon, Star Shine

Indole is a synthetic material, derived from coal tar. Indole is also naturally formed in human feces, with an strong fecal odour. When used in a very low concentration, it has a sweet flowery smell akin to orange blossom.

Difficulty: Hard.

 

Violet, Carnation, Rose

Although they also make products for women, 'Joop!' is the scent I wish all men would wear! Difficulty: Hard.

 

Lancome, Gucci, Hugo

Everyone who is serious about perfumes knows that the cradle and the capital of modern perfumery is in Grasse, a small town in Provence, France! Difficulty: Hard.

 

Paris, Milan, New York

I could go into greater detail about Spears' other major perfumes ('Curious', 'Radiance', etc.), but her 'Fantasy' line is a great place to do a deep-dive into how fully-formed her branding really was during the 2000s and 2010s despite the obvious tabloid gossip about her life. Launching in 2005, 'Fantasy' was followed up by multiple spin-offs, occasionally to celebrate album releases ("Circus", notably). Coincidentally, Spears released the Sia Furler-written single "Perfume" in 2013...a month after celebrating 'Fantasy: Anniversary Edition'. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Ariana Grande, Jessica Simpson, Selena Gomez

I have absolutely no idea what a pink pepper or a tonka bean is, but if you want to be both glamorous and fierce at the same time, then this apparently, is the fragrance for you. RuPaul said, "I am committed to helping the world look and smell more beautiful", so who knows, pretty soon we could all be going to the pub or standing in the mosh pit smelling like a tonka bean. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Dusty Springfield, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow

The Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. The excavation of ruins found on the island yielded a perfumery that was dated to be at least 4,000 years. Funnels, bowls, and stills, as well as numerous perfume bottles were found at the location. Old perfume recipes found at other locations indicate that the people of this island used myrtle, almond, coriander and local flowers in their perfumes. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Java, Iceland, Bahrain

Originally launched in 1921, this scent (due to the name) was part of an early legal battle. In 1925, Guerlain prevailed and "Shalimar" (sanskrit for Temple of Love) was born. Jacques Guerlain, a premier perfumer used vanilla and labdanum to create a French interpretation of an Oriental composition. A more modern pictorial interpretation of this fragrance might be an Erte lithograph. This is a very feminine fragrance, powdery and warm. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Samsara, Opium, Byzance

Schiaparelli's Shocking fragrance, came in a bottle shaped like a headless dressmaker's dummy. The bottle was reputed to have been styled on the curvy figure of Mae West. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Shulton, Paloma Picasso, Cacharel

Shalimar (1925) was created by Jacques Guerlain (Aimé's nephew). As its name suggests it is an oriental fragrance. In the Guerlain website it is described as a voluptuous, sensual and bewitching perfume (quote: "wearing Shalimar means surrendering control to the senses").

Ode (1955) was the last creation by Jacques Guerlain.
Habit Rouge (1965) by Jean-Paul Guerlain is, allow me to confess, my favourite men's perfume.
Samsara (1989), also by Jean-Paul Guerlain, is an oriental perfume launched a century after Jicky, the forefather of oriental fragrances.
Difficulty: Average.

 

Habit Rouge, Samsara, Ode

Tommy Hilfiger has a whole line of body products in many of his scents for men and women.
Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein

A bit of a give away, really! 'Chanel No.5' has the reputation of being very expensive, and is sought after by many women. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Calvin Klein, Kenzo, Liz Claiborne

Because of Aguilera's tendency to release a new fragrance every year, this Grammy Award-winning singer has amassed more than a dozen individual perfumes starting with Xpose as far back as 2004, two years after the release of her mega-hits "Beautiful" and "Fighter". Interestingly, few of her fragrance names had any connection to her songs, instead appealing with vague titles like 'Secret Potion', 'Royal Desire', and 'Definition'. In 2016, Aguilera made the switch from Procter & Gamble to Elizabeth Arden, Inc. as her distributor. And before you ask, none of the perfumes had anything to do with the idea of a 'Genie in a Bottle', though that would've made sense, right? Difficulty: Hard.

 

Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Pink

Michael Bublé, the songwriter behind hits such as "Home" (2005), written for then girlfriend, Debbie Timuss, "Everything" (2007), written for then girlfriend Emily Blunt and "Haven't Met You Yet" (2009), written for then girlfriend Luisana Lopilato, has also found time to create fragrances. "By Invitation" has a scent of praline according to ladies that use it, and was followed by Bublé creations "Peony Noir", "Rose Gold" and "Signature", all in 2018. Difficulty: Hard.

 

David Suzuki, Ryan Reynolds, Pamela Anderson

This is a quote from Coco Chanel, who was known for her classy clothing designs as well as for her perfume. Chanel No.5 was one of the most popular perfumes in the 20th century. Chanel received free publicity when, during an interview, Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe had this interaction with her interviewer:
Q. What do you wear to bed?
A. A few drops of Chanel No.5
At the time, in 1954, this risque comment was big news.
Difficulty: Easy.

 

Oscar Wilde, Avon Williams, Queen Victoria

Ask any "nose" (a creator of fragrance) these notes must be balanced perfectly to create not only pleasing scents, but memorable ones. The best "noses" in the business know their chemistry and a bit of alchemy. The layering of ingredients in a perfume are the essential building blocks of the scent. Top notes are what we smell immediately. These are also called the head notes because they will form our initial impression of the fragrance. The heart notes, or middle notes are the ones that appear once the top notes have dried down. Here is where you smell the subtleties of the fragrance. The base notes are the scent that lingers and are usually formed by the most fragrant of the oils or compounds used. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Heavenly, Earthbound and Green Notes, Oriental, Floral and Spice Essences, Animal, Vegetable and Mineral Applications

'L'interdit', was launched in 1957 for Miss Hepburn, who was featured on the Givenchy advertisement for the perfume.

Difficulty: Hard.

 

Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe

Jennifer Lopez not only has two great fragrances, but she also has a whole clothing line. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Missy Elliot

This is my mum's favourite! Difficulty: Average.