Rihanna On Empowering Perfumes, Smelling Like A Badass And Her Pregnancy Scent Obsession

When you've been described as Lil Nas' favourite scent, and everyone from Cardi B to Jennifer Lawrence have publicly declared how amazing you smell, it seems like a pretty natural move to create your own perfume. Which is exactly what Rihanna (aka the best-smelling celebrity ever) did. Making her Fenty Beauty debut in the fragrance world, Ri's self-titled Fenty Eau de Parfum is more than just a celebrity scent, it's a little bit of Rihanna in an amber bottle. Unsurprisingly, it's already sold out. Twice.

Now, you can get your hands on it IRL in the hallowed beauty halls of Harvey Nichols where the beauty entrepreneur first launched Fenty Beauty. To celebrate, ELLE UK caught up with badgalriri herself to discuss empowering perfumes, what women should smell like, and the surprise pregnancy craving she couldn't get enough of...

What’s your earliest memory of scent/perfume?

'My mum actually worked in the beauty and fragrance industry, so she used to get a lot of free samples. She would always come home and introduce me to the different scents. I grew to love all the different aspects of fragrance. I remember watching my mum going to get ready for work and just look so beautiful. The last thing I always remembered after she left was the smell she left in the house. It was very comforting. I’ll never forget that.'

What scent makes you feel empowered?

'In my mind, a woman is supposed to smell powerful, and confident, and sexy. That means whatever makes her feel that way. Whatever scent connects her to a memory or a feeling of empowerment, confidence, and sexiness - that’s what I want to smell like. I wanted Fenty Eau de Parfum to exude everything that I feel, everything that I am, and everything that I want to evolve to be. That feeling, that raw, badass, just confident, no apologies necessary. I am who I am. I love it. I’m living in this space, and this is what I feel like. That scent is the Fenty scent.'

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What’s the first scent you smell in the morning/last scent you smell at night?

'I wanted to create a scent for all people, for all occasions. Fenty Eau de Parfum can be the first thing you put on in the morning and the last thing you smell at night. That’s what I do. The energy of this fragrance is very vibrant and very spicy and is something you’ll never forget. That’s what we did with Fenty - magnolia, musk, tangerine and Bulgarian rose.'

What scent couldn’t you stand when you were pregnant?

'I usually hate desserts, but when I was pregnant, I was obsessed with chocolate-covered donuts. And tangerines, but it had to be with salt and only with salt. In Barbados, we take our fruits to the ocean and soak them.'

Cardi B and Jennifer Lawrence, amongst many others, have said you smell incredible, who is the best smelling person you’ve met?

'My mother had a natural scent that was so lit, it was like everything to me. It was so comforting. I remember I would just lay there and smell her, my entire childhood. Memories are the thing that you can hold onto for life. The experience, it comes, it goes. What is connected to that experience is one memory, and a lot of the time it’s triggered by scent. That’s the thing I love most about fragrance - it’s an experience, it’s a memory, encapsulated into a fragrance. One smell, you never forget it.'

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