10 Weird and Wonderful Perfume Bottles.

Article by BR Natalie

Fragrance is a hard thing to market.  When a brand is selling a scent it needs to get creative with packaging, how else do they catch our eye?

Whenever fragrance happens to arrive at BR HQ more often than not we don't actually get to smell it - we do get to admire the bottle, which proved very fun a few weeks ago when the vault stock started to arrive. So we got to talking about our favourite bottle designs, throwing around the classics like Chanel No 5 or Christian Dior Dolce Vita.  And then we uncovered the Nicky Minaj fragrance and the conversation turned to what other weird (and wonderful) perfume bottles we could find. 

In no particular order, here's our top 10!

 Agonist - Liquid Crystal

We should probably get something out of the way.  This perfume will set you back around $1000.

The bottle was designed by an award winning glass designer and is a breathtaking sculpture of molten shades and depths, draped in gold and silver.

Liquid Crystal is inspired by the process when at 1000 degree molten glass slowly but intensely changes in shape, and suddenly freezes and solidifies for eternity.

The scent consists of bergamot, lavender, vetiver and courmarine.

Christian Dior - J'Adore L'Absolu

Yes I am in love with all things Dior, so it is with much bias I include this bottle in the list.

Inspired by previous J'Adore bottles, the J'Adore L'Absolu bottles embrace the grace of a woman's curves and a long neck (albeit in strange proportions) The true wonder in these bottles are the 300 limited edition bottles hand made in Venice.

Murano glass with 24 carat gold spiraled around the bottle and gold neck, finishing with a gold flecked stopper.

Betsey Johnson - Too Too

Fishnets?  Check.  Lace?  Check.  Bodice?  Check.  You might think these are the ingredients for the Moulin Rouge, you'd be wrong!

A former ballerina, the designer Betsey Johnson designed Too Too as a tribute to the art, complete with it's own tulle tutu.

The fragrance is described as being 'aimed at young, free-spirited and lively girls, conceived as a fun, fresh and sparkling blend of floral and fruity aromas.'

Akon - Konvict

No prizes for guessing the theme of this fragrance!

There's a Konvict Homme in silver tones and a Konvict Femme in gold tones.  And get this - both handcuffs contain 50ml of fragrance!

The scent of the Femme fragrane is 'fresh notes of lemon and mandarin, and ideal for evenings with its sensual enticing notes of vanilla and almond musk.'

We wonder if they'll bring out a limited edition fluffy pair?

Marc Jacobs - Dot

Admit it, the thought of a ladybird bottle is just too cute not to love!

You might be surprised to discover that the bold bottle isn't a tribute to the most friendly insect, but rather to designer Marc Jacobs' love of the polka dot.  This much loved bottle is happy and the butterfly-inspired cap is the growning glory, while the collar is wrapped with gold coil for a touch of luxe detail. 

The scent is described as 'floral-fruity, surrounded with exotic notes of coconut and wrapped in soft vanilla embrace'. It even sounds happy!

 Lolita - Illusions Noires Si Lolita

What do you see?  Hearts?  A flower?  A four leaf clover?  A squiggle?

Of this bottle, the designer says 'Si Lolita is shaped like shamrock with four leaves and it is made of glass with golden edges. Each of the leaves is shaped like a heart and it represents woman's beauty, her imagination and emotions'

Illusions Noires is described as being the 'extreme version of the original (Si Lolita) with the oriental, floral, ambery character. It includes accords of sweet pea, patchouli, amber and vanilla absolute.

Nine West - Love Fury

Let's be honest, combining a woman's love for shoes with a gorgeous scent is never likely to go wrong.

With the stiletto heel piercing the bottle of a lovely light pink fragrance, simplicity becomes striking.

Described as 'a floral-fruity story continues with rhythms of Tiare Tahiti NaturePrint, Jasmine Samback FirAbs and sandalwood at the heart'

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

Would you really expect anything less from the Pink Pop Queen?

Complete with the famous pink wig this bust is everything we expect to see from Nicki.  It's bold, it's blinging, it's out there.  It's also just a little bit weird.

The scent is described as being 'intoxicating floral - a musky one as it mixes playful fruity notes, pink flower petals, creamy vanilla, musk and woods.'

Nina Ricci - L'Air du Temps

The fragrance was launched after the World War II, in 1948, and the dove on the top is a symbol of peace.

Why does this perfume deserve a spot on our weird and wonderful list?  The bottle has been re-released several times in special editions, from a midnight blue version, to a sheer black bottle.  We just love this feather adorned couture edition.

The scent is described as having a 'floral-spicy note of the carnation is in centre of its composition. Bergamot and rosewood support the development of the carnation theme, refined with the notes of rose and jasmine.'

Jean Paul Gaultier - Fragile

Sadly discontinued, Fragile remains one of the most simple, yet strikingly different perfume bottles ever.  A lady draped in couture, surrounded by gold-tinted liquid and gold sparkles.  Once you've owned it, you'd wonder how your dressing table ever looked without it.

The evening gowned lady and her long gloves are an indication of the type of fragrance that surrounds her.  Fragile is an evening perfume. 

Created in 1999 the perfume scent is described as 'intoxicating smell of tuberose in the top notes, followed by raspberry leaves and sweet orange blossoms; pink pepper and other spices compose the heart, while the warm woody notes and light musk create a dazzling lingering trace'.  To the non-scent connoisseurs, it's light, floral and citrusy.

And just to finish with something we discovered in our quest for weird and wonderful perfume bottles:

Nothing is sexier and more appealing than a bacon shaped like a nude lady right?  And yes Bacon is a real fragrance, featuring vetiver, guaiac wood, virginia cedar, bergamot, grapefruit, lime, orange, pepper and erm bacon.

So there you have it, 10 weird and wonderful perfume bottles and one extra for added weirdness.

What fragrance bottles do you love the most?  Do you prefer something bold and out-there or do you prefer your perfume bottles to be more classic?

Get chatting below!

Thanks to Fragrantica.com for the scent desriptions.

Jean Paul Gaultier - Fragile Sadly discontinued, Fragile remains one of the most simple, yet strikingly different perfume bottles ever.  A lady draped in couture, surrounded by gold-tinted liquid and gold sparkles.  Once you've owned it, you'd wonder how your dressing table ever looked without it. The evening gowned lady and her long gloves are an indication of the type of fragrance that surrounds her.  Fragile is an evening perfume.  Created in 1999 the perfume scent is described as 'intoxicating smell of tuberose in the top notes, followed by raspberry leaves and sweet orange blossoms; pink pepper and other spices compose the heart, while the warm woody notes and light musk create a dazzling lingering trace'.  To the non-scent connoisseurs, it's light, floral and citrusy.