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Every pretty woman has her beauty secrets, from DIY facial scrubs to expensive jars of creamy miracle goop, but the ultimate Pretty Woman (Barbara, widow of singer Roy Orbison) is known for her secret, signature scent. Well, it was a secret for about 25 years, but now she's bottled it and released it for everyone to share.
Mrs. Orbison stopped by Apothia at Fred Segal on Melrose to talk fragrance and share samples of her scent, appropriately called Pretty Woman. The blend of florals, spices and woods has been Barbara's signature scent for over two decades, and she's been self-mixing the blend from scratch all this time. Now that's some serious dedication, especially considering that she started mixing fragrances when she was thirteen years old using leftover perfumes and oils from her family members. Which we're thinking resulted in a lot of mandatory showers, open windows and headaches.
But now Barbara is practically an expert at creating good smells, and finally has an official formula for her scent. What makes Pretty Woman even more note-worthy is the fact the perfume ($80) is actually a 25 percent concentration (most American perfumes are 20 percent or less). And if that's not enough for you, there's a perfume rollerball ($50) that's just pure, straight up perfume oil. Surprisingly, the scent isn't overpowering, and it truly lasts all day (trust us). It's a mix of sweet and robust, earthy smells that's very every-day-wearable.
Barbara kept the packaging simple--the logo is just her own handwriting--to keep the focus on the scent, and tells us that there's a Pretty Woman lotion and candle in the works. Mercy.
· Pretty Woman Perfume [Official Site]
· Ron Robinson [Official Site]