The name of the perfume was drawn from Beyonce's past tours, which she says in a recent WWD interview, have always had some element of fire involved. Red and Gold are two of her favorite colors, so these are also incorporated in the bottle design (and the current ad and TV campaigns).
Beyonce worked with Givaudan’s Claude Dir and Olivier Gillotin, to create the scent.
I should start out by saying that even if you are over the whole "Celebrity Fragrance" trend, I encourage you to still give this one a try. I think Heat is a fantastic first effort from Beyonce to create a scent with layers and facets that are often not seen in mass perfumes right now.
So what's different about this fragrance? The notes themselves are actually quite interesting in that they do represent a common "fruity/fresh/warm" theme in perfumes, but it's the types of fruity, fresh and warm notes which are really beautiful and make this scent stand out.
The top notes are red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach; the middle notes are heart of honeysuckle nectar, almond macaroon and crème de musk, and the bottom notes for the drydown of giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber.
The first and most prominent notes I got on my skin were the peach - this was a little surprising, but the peach/red vanilla was sweet and slightly dry, so it wasn't overwhelming at all. This fruity element did stay with me throughout the fragrance, but next the beautiful almond and musk notes came in and added another level of complexity to this scent. (For the record, it's not surprising to me that Beyonce commented that she received many compliments on this fragrance while she was wearing it on tour when she met people backstage - my husband and many people complimented me all the time when I was wearing this!). The drydown takes a while to reach, which I didn't mind. That's really when the "heat" of the fragrance starts to come in, and I could really smell the woods and amber, that were warm and soft.
I liked that they created a perfume around the concept of Heat - without resorting to the usual notes that come to mind for many people - spices, patchouli, etc. This perfume's "heat" arises from the slow melding of the fruit and flowers with more herbal and dry wood notes.
As for the bottle, Beyonce said in WWD she loves antique bottles, and that her mother had a collection of them when she was growing up. What she was going for was "something with an antique yet modern feeling". I think she hit the nail right on the head with this. The bottle design reminds me of a vintage "I Dream of Jeannie Bottle"- but more chic and modern. I also love the gold to red color gradations (they look amazing along with her print ad, by the way).
What will also make this a winner in the marketplace is that is truly is a scent that can be worn for any occasion - day or night, weekends, for a big event - it's not overwhelming, but people will definitely walk away saying to themselves, "boy she smells nice". I think this is one of the greatest feats of all in the vast world of fragrance creation - don't you? - RLB
If you're in the NY area on Wednesday, February 3rd 2010, join Beyonce at Macys Herald Square for a special appearance at 5:00pm. Purchase the exclusive Heat fragrance set for $122 and have your picture taken with Beyonce!
Fragrance Notes:
Top notes: Red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach;
Middle notes: Heart of honeysuckle nectar, almond macaroon crème de musk
Bottom notes: Giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber.
Go--> Beyonce Heat Perfume for Women Collection.
*Heat was provided courtesy of Coty for reviewing purposes.
Fragrance Notes:
Top notes: Red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach;
Middle notes: Heart of honeysuckle nectar, almond macaroon crème de musk
Bottom notes: Giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber.
Go--> Beyonce Heat Perfume for Women Collection.
*Heat was provided courtesy of Coty for reviewing purposes.
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