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Barbara Orbison Pretty Woman ~ new perfume

Posted by Robin on 26 October 2009 44 Comments

Barbara Orbison Pretty Woman fragrance

Barbara Orbison, widow of iconic singer Roy Orbison, has launched Pretty Woman, her debut perfume:

"I wanted 'Pretty Woman' perfume to convey a scent that creates an everlasting warmth and harmony," says Barbara Orbison. "I believe that within every woman there is a pretty woman and my signature scent helps bring out that inner beauty, confidence, spirit and sensuality."

Barbara was involved in every step of the development of the fragrance from its bottle design in Paris to the formulation of the scent. Like the notes of a song, the fragrance opens to reveal a melody of florals, spices and woods. The top note introduces a crisp bergamot accent and it continues with a vivacious middle note blend of stargazer lily, red rose and carnation, releasing a base note that is a harmonious mixture of fresh amber, patchouli, vanilla, atlas cedar and sacred incense.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Renal Cancer Research Department at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Barbara Orbison Pretty Woman is available in 50 ml, concentration unknown, for $80, and can be purchased at the Pretty Woman website. (via press release at marketwire)

Filed Under: new fragrances
Tagged With: barbara orbison, celebrity perfumes, roy orbison

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44 Comments

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  1. Daisy says:
    26 October 2009 at 1:12 pm

    Well, this is kinda cool….a portion of the proceeds going to cancer research: also cool. The first thing that came to mind was Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman—hooker w/a heart of gold etc etc….THEN I realized “Oh! Roy Orbison–Pretty Woman! ” much better than the hooker association. I think its a generational thing…
    Seems like they have quite a ‘range’ of notes going on there but still gotta sniff it, I mean, who doesn’t like stargazer lilies?

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    • Robin says:
      26 October 2009 at 3:13 pm

      Will wait with you for the lily-haters to appear.

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  2. miss kitty v. says:
    26 October 2009 at 2:08 pm

    Because of the altruistic angle here, I will reserve judgment until I actually smell this. (Which I suspect will never happen.) Related to almost nothing: I always hated that song.

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    • Robin says:
      26 October 2009 at 3:12 pm

      Ditto all of that.

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      • laken says:
        26 October 2009 at 9:55 pm

        Double ditto!

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  3. mals86 says:
    26 October 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Not a big fan of that song, but Roy Orbison’s voice gives me chills. And gosh – rose, lilies, and carnation?? If it’s done well, I’d love to wear that combo. I find that although I generally despise patchouli, I can sometimes manage it if it’s combined with something sweetish like amber or vanilla (witness my enthusiasm for Organza Indecence and That Slut Tocade).

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    • miss kitty v. says:
      26 October 2009 at 2:32 pm

      I’m so out of it this morning that I actually took a minute thinking, That Slut Tocade…do I know that one? The name sounds familiar…

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    • Daisy says:
      26 October 2009 at 2:37 pm

      around here if I say “That Slut Tocade”…..J will invariably finish with
      “I’m drunk, I’ve lost my panties….take me home!”

      just goes to show the kind of stuff that sticks in our heads around here! Thanks for that Mals. 🙂

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      • AnnS says:
        26 October 2009 at 3:28 pm

        Oh, you girls are incorrigible! Now “they” are actually going to have to release a flanker called TST b/c people reading NST will think it is a real fragrance now!!!

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        • Daisy says:
          26 October 2009 at 3:40 pm

          Holy cow! I don’t even want to imagine the ad copy for that flanker!

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          • miss kitty v. says:
            26 October 2009 at 6:13 pm

            Potential Prix Eau Faux entry–hint hint!

      • RusticDove says:
        26 October 2009 at 5:03 pm

        haha I remember those comments also – too funny! 😀

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  4. Dolly says:
    26 October 2009 at 2:38 pm

    Love carnation,but not fond of patchouli unless it’s a good one and we all know that’s difficult to find. The notes in here remind me of Ralph Lauren’s first perfume. All that’s missing is the greens. I’m gonna give this one a sniff and see if it smells similar, just out of my curiosity.

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    • Robin says:
      26 October 2009 at 3:13 pm

      You’re going to order it unsniffed?

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      • Carlos BFL 319 says:
        26 October 2009 at 3:50 pm

        (ahem) I don’t understand how people do that! (hides his head in shame)

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        • Daisy says:
          26 October 2009 at 3:53 pm

          HA! good thing you or I would never do that , eh Carlos? 😉

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          • RusticDove says:
            26 October 2009 at 5:04 pm

            And certainly not me either…

          • Daisy says:
            26 October 2009 at 5:58 pm

            that’s right!! Let’s the 3 of us stand here and look defiant!

          • Daisy says:
            26 October 2009 at 5:58 pm

            …or ashamed….it’s a tough call

        • Robin says:
          26 October 2009 at 8:18 pm

          LOL! You guys stop it.

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        • Dolly says:
          27 October 2009 at 3:11 pm

          I am hanging my head in shame over the assumption! Tsk!

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      • Dolly says:
        27 October 2009 at 2:57 pm

        Oh no! I will see about obtaining a sample. Or as rich as I am I will just order it! TEE-HEE! Shame on you folks!

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        • Robin says:
          27 October 2009 at 7:37 pm

          Oh, I just didn’t see a way to get a sample!

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          • Dolly says:
            28 October 2009 at 3:24 pm

            If they say no sample- I say no dice!

  5. JillS says:
    26 October 2009 at 2:43 pm

    What about l’Interdit by Givenchy? I love that fragrance.
    Jill

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    • Robin says:
      26 October 2009 at 3:14 pm

      Lost, sorry…what about it?

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    • Daisy says:
      26 October 2009 at 3:21 pm

      you mean for Monday Mail, right? I have the Les Mythiques version and it is really wonderful. Soft floral, great for day wear and out to lunch with friends etc.

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  6. AnnS says:
    26 October 2009 at 3:24 pm

    I think I’d rather wear “Purple Rain” if we are looking for iconic music fragrance perfumes…. gak. Nothing against charitable concerns, mind you….

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    • Robin says:
      26 October 2009 at 8:18 pm

      I think truly I’d rather musicians not release any perfumes at all. But nobody asks me 🙂

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      • AnnS says:
        27 October 2009 at 11:13 am

        They should ask you first!!

        Have you ever seen the one Absolutely Fabulous when Eddie is getting her award for PR? I think it is called “Trophy”… Anyway, she is on a drunken ramble and says to the ad men & people at the reception something like: “… you take everything good and real and attach it to a toilet bowl cleaner…” about how everything is marketable now to the point where it is meaningless and without quality. “Cheer up it may never happen” becomes the by line of her new ad campaign, and she finally wins the award…

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        • Robin says:
          27 October 2009 at 1:32 pm

          I can’t remember that one…I have such a terrible memory! But I must have seen it because I’ve seen them all. Boy do I miss that show.

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    • lsnuing says:
      27 October 2009 at 6:48 am

      I like the sound of that – Purple Rain! Wasn’t that a movie too or am I getting my colours mixed up?

      I’m thinking a warmer version of Apree l’Ondee …

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    • mals86 says:
      27 October 2009 at 8:44 am

      I never see or hear a reference to Purple Rain without quoting Mulder in The X Files: “Purple Rain – great song, deeply flawed movie.”

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      • AnnS says:
        27 October 2009 at 11:14 am

        Snickering over coffee.. indeed. So true. But then you’d have to see Under a Cherry Moon to appreciate how good Purple Rain is!!

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  7. Liane says:
    26 October 2009 at 4:51 pm

    I sampled Pretty Woman at Bendel’s during Sniffapalooza last week. Way too heavy on the amber/patchouli for me.

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    • Robin says:
      26 October 2009 at 8:19 pm

      Thanks for the warning!

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    • Carlos BFL 319 says:
      27 October 2009 at 12:32 am

      Then I’ll probably dig it! <3

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      • Carlos BFL 319 says:
        27 October 2009 at 12:33 am

        Oopsie…hearts don’t show up on here like on FB. HA! 🙂

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  8. RusticDove says:
    26 October 2009 at 5:08 pm

    I don’t remember seeing carnation as a note in a long time & it’s a floral that I like. I suppose because it’s sorta spicy. I always liked my mom’s Bellodgia – haven’t smelled it in eons but I have a positive scent memory of it.

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    • Robin says:
      26 October 2009 at 8:19 pm

      I like carnation too.

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  9. Lulubear says:
    26 October 2009 at 8:34 pm

    This is a perennial quandary, ain’t it. The notes of the perfume, haha, sorry, didn’t mean to pun, sound right up my street, very me indeed, but I can’t walk into my local department store and ask for a test, so do I buy it unsniffed, risk not liking it? I’ve done that quite a few times, bought a perfume on review, or on ingredients, I’ve won some, I’ve lost some. I guess this one isn’t quite what, at this time, I’m really looking for, so it won’t get my dollars. Now the violet perfume I’ve been reading about, that might! Have a great day everyone!

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    • Robin says:
      27 October 2009 at 11:15 am

      I am not worried. I know it’s snobby, but the likelihood of this being a great perfume strikes me as minimal.

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  10. quinncreative says:
    27 October 2009 at 12:09 am

    Hmmm. . . that sound you hear when you unscrew the top? That little whirring sound that gets louder? That’s Roy, spinning in his grave. On a bed of stargazer lilies, roses and sacred incense. Because we would never use un-sacred incense to hawk his memory. To use a phrase from those long-gone days: Gag me with a spoon.

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    • Robin says:
      27 October 2009 at 11:15 am

      LOL! Yes.

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