Sunday, June 7, 2009

What perfume does Michelle Obama wear?

In an article by Roxana Sarmiento on Stylelist.com the elusive answer to many people's question as to what the current First Lady in the White House, Michelle Obama, chooses to wear as a personal fragrance is answered. The reporter credits The Financial Times with the info scoop and goes on to say:
"What's interesting is that she bought the fragrances based on scent alone (the bottles are identical) yet the names of the fragrances say a lot about her. Which did she choose? Noble, Divine, and Delicate (which is currently sold out). Sounds perfect for a First Lady, don't you think?"

The scents are created under the brand Boedicea the Victorious, a name which is a throwback to epic-making Celtic figures in the UK's history of fight against the Romans.
Noble ("en exotic calling card") is encompassing bergamot, rose, vanilla and patchouli. Divine takes jasmine as the core and calls us to "breathe in the ripeness of this fecund and sweet flower" garlanded with aldehydes, mandarin, styrax and sandalwood. Delicate is considered "a delightfull old fashioned quintessential British scent that is destined to be a cult classic" and is exploring the olfactory landscapes of fields of bluebells, hyacinths, rose, lily and jasmine underscored by galbanum and the spicy caravan of clove and cinnamon.

All in all, mrs Obama has chosen a true fragrance wardrobe, something for every mood!

According to Harrod's who carries the UK-exclusive brand (along with Selfridge's): "Prepare to be seduced by Boadicea The Victorious. Historically inspired, this brand takes its name from its muse, Queen Boadicea of the Iceni, who led her people to a glorious war against the Romans. The result? A range of scents which evoke and celebrate feminine strength with an urban edge - ideal for the modern warrioress. Renowned stylist Michael Boadi, in partnership with a royal English perfumer, using only the purest scents". [sic]

You can see the whole line on the Boadicea the Victorious site.

12 comments:

  1. I can't find the blue one on their website!

    I need to say that guessing from looks what a person would wear is highly misguiding. Or, on one perfume forum, we played this game of Post a pic and we'll tell you... and I ended up being recommended basically anything that has a sweet, sexy and fragile blonde girl in the advertisment, anything chocolatey plus Chamade which makes me sick. And you know my tastes:D

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  2. very interesting indeed- I was just discussing this line with someone recently who knows them very well. Michelle Obama definitely seems to have discerning taste! I am going to have to go and test these, although my wishlist is horribly long at the moment.

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  3. I don't know this line at all, but all three of those sound highly acceptable, judging by the list of notes. Ms. Obama must have a good nose. Of course, we don't know whether she bought all those for herself, do we? Maybe she has some lucky friends or family who are going get one of those pretty bottles.

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  4. Oi!
    SEDUCTIVE tem notas olfactivas muito interessantes.
    Erva mate ou green maté (ilex paraguaiense) é cultivada na América do Sul, principalmente no Sul do Brasil onde moro.
    O aroma e sabor são deliciosos.Mais gostosos quando misturado com limão . beijocas.

    SEDUCTIVE has very interesting olfactory note. Erva mate or green maté (ilex paraguaiense) is cultivated in the South America, mainly in the South of Brazil where I live. The aroma and flavor are delicious. More delicious when mixed with lemon . XOXO elisabeth

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  5. Is it sad how long I have been wondering what Michelle wears? I am a huge fan of hers and have been wanting to know for awhile and now I want to know what these smell like.

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  6. L,

    I think I made a mistake! I will edito. It's Boudica Wode that is blue. (there you go, those people mixing up the tribal customs and lores of the British Isles> confusing!)

    I'd venture that the mere concept of "assign me a perfume" would meet with little success for a simple psychological reason: one always wants to be more than the eye meets... ;-)

    And I do know your tastes somewhat, so no......

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  7. K,

    they have made me curious as well. The notes sound nice and she's a very attractive lady.

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  8. M,

    excellent point and they don't quite specify although they seem to imply that she got them as a "consultation" with the team behind the brand. But that could be marketing cues or exagerrated journalism. Who knows?
    They do sound fabulous! I'd be interested in sampling the Boadicea the Victorious line now.

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  9. E,

    hi darling, how are you?

    Green mate is indeed a very interesting note! And deeply ingrained in cultural customs. I believe Ayala Moriel also has a green mate fragrance. You might want to check it out!

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  10. J,

    indeed the famous have a weird fascination over us, don't they? Michelle is a very attractive, well put-together lady and seems very smart, so it's natural that we would be curious. I am curious myself! Well, hopefully we will find out for ourselves how these rate and report back!

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  11. I've sniffed most of these (they make a lot of scents, so my memory is hazy). IIRC, Divine struck me as something Gwyneth Paltrow would wear, with a white linen dress. It was very nice, but not me. I can't recall the other two.
    I bought Explorer - all patchouli warmth. Yum.

    Rose,
    the Boadicea 'island' is in Selfridges Beauty Hall, not the fragrance department. Definitely worth a visit, even if the prices are a little high! I really enjoyed my sniffathon there.

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