Britney Spears is not just a singer, she’s a woman that simply has staying power. Despite her spectacular ups and downs in real life, her collection of fragrances that bear her name seem to keep growing and getting better all the time. The latest is Cosmic Radiancem developed by perfumers Honorine Blanc and Harry Fremont, who also worked on the original Radiance.
The original Radiance fragrance was inspired by Britney’s spirited sensuality and magnetic energy and each ingredient was hand-picked to express the essence of Britney Spears. Apparently, her essence is luscious berries florals plus a heart of white flowers, and a base of precious amber, woods and sexy musk. It was romantic and young, not terribly complicated but nice for a fruity floral.
Cosmic Radiance is a more grown-up, featuring fruit forward top notes, another white floral heart, and a drydown also of ambers, woods and this time, vanilla instead of musk. It’s less sweet with more substance. The actual notes include: mandarin, lychee, pear, jasmine, gardenia, tuberose, peony, musk, amber, sandalwood and vanilla. One of my reviewers, an esteemed sniffer with a very good nose, kept insisting that there was a strong, pineapple smell, but in reality, Cosmic Radiance smells just a bit tart and light like tangerine, with a true heart of gardenia. You can really smell this lovely white flower, it’s the real star in this cosmos called “Cosmic Radiance.” The end result is light and not too sweet, pleasing and still youthful, but not as innocently girly as earlier Britney Spears fragrances. She’s getting older, too.
As with any fragrance, what you like is a matter of personal choice. Even if this fragrance is not to your taste, the bottle can’t help but wow you. It’s a melange of black, white and clear “marquise, emerald cut, rectangular and round “gems” on an otherwise classic, perfume flacon. A black rectangular faceted gem is the topper, that pulls off to reveal a hot pink metallic spray diffuser. Gems of all sizes in marquise, round, square, and rectangular shapes are encrusted on the front and back of the flacon, but the sides are clear. When you hold the bottle on the side you see an elegant, curvy view that looks almost like an hour glasss. The nearly clear juice reflects the glass and makes the gems sparkle in the light. It looks extravagant and exciting!
The outer carton is hot pink and black, with a design of what looks to be thin strings of white and black beads, curving around the clear, peek-a-boo cello window in the middle. On the back of the box is a flattering photo of Britney in a white halter dress that is bare in back concealed just a bit by a froth of her blonde extensions. She looks pretty, not sassy or slutty (or should I say, sexy) as in previous incarnations of her image. Maybe Britney is growing up, but her fragrances will appear most to younger women as well as young at heart fans (yes, they’re growing older, too). At under an SRP. of $59.50 for the largest size (3.3 fl. o) Eau to Parfum Spray, it will make a nice mother’s day gift. If you collect beautiful bottles, you won’t be disappointed with this one. You can get Cosmic Radiance at many online and popular fragrance stores, and online retail sites such as Amazon.
