Lady Gaga will release her first signature fragrance, Fame, at the end of August. The first ever black eau de parfum is an allusion to the dark side of fame and has three significant accords: dark, sensual and light.

The dark accord, which features incense, was inspired by the deadly plant belladonna. The plant produces fruits and berries which ripen to a shiny black color. These berries are considered sweet despite their deadly quality. Consumption of the berries can cause hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions.

The sensual accord has honey, saffron, and apricot nectar. All three of these elements have long histories as aphrodisiacs. Honey contains boron which stimulates the production of sex hormones. It is said that Cleopatra added the saffron to her bathwater to heighten sensitivity and pleasure. William Shakespeare uses the apricot in this context for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Also, all of these elements are, of course, sweet.

“Lady Gaga talks about how her music has a sweet center and a dark shell and a lot of her music has refrains that have a rough passage that go toward a sweet-spot melody in the middle,” said Steve Mormoris, senior vice president of global marketing for Coty Beauty. “She referenced that a lot and we tried to capture this type of duality in the fragrance, with the incense and something sweet like apricot.”

The light accord features a combination of jasmine sambac and crushed tiger orchid. Jasmine sambac plants open at night and close during the day. Tiger orchids have a distinct fragrance. The flowers are capable of permeating an entire garden without the assistance of any other plant. When crushed, the flowers give off an even stronger scent. To sum it up, the light accord has the qualities of a lady. Ask any of her legions of fans and they will assure you that Gaga is, indeed, the ultimate lady.

Lady Gaga has also stated in a previous interview with Australian radio show, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, that the fragrance contains blood and semen although “it doesn’t smell like it. You just sort of get the after feeling of sex from the semen and the blood is sort of primal.” She also told the hosts that the blood used was taken from her own blood sample. Imagine that: Walking around with Lady Gaga’s DNA covering your entire body in a fine mist. Little monsters worldwide must be thrilled!

The parfum is priced as low as $19 for a 10-ml rollerball and as high as $79 for a 100-ml bottle, so that all of Gaga’s little monsters will be able to smell like Mother Monster regardless of their financial status. Gaga’s fans will also appreciate the design of the bottle. The bottle is shaped like an egg and features a gold claw cap. The claw is a signature to Gaga’s brand and one which fans have come to expect to see.

This is only the beginning of Gaga’s dark-themed product line. The entertainer will also be releasing a black soap (August), black shower gel, and black body lotion (November) as part of the Fame collection. These products are also reasonably priced so that all little monsters will be able to enjoy them.

Fame will be sold at several well-known retailers—three thousand to be exact—in the United States including Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Sephora.

Image Courtesy of  vipflash / Shutterstock.com

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The newest issue of ‘House of Night’ introduces fans to the element of fire; it is an essential element in life but too much fire and passion can burn even the most controlled of vampires. In issue #4 of House of Night, Zoey must not only learn to control her impulsive nature but continue her leadership role of the Dark Daughters.

Aphrodite, former leader of the Dark Daughters has been stripped of what little social status she has left and finds herself a bitter outcast amongst the residents at the House of Night. In her quest to rule the Dark Daughters, she corrupted its ideals and lost her position. In issue #1 of House of Night, the story started off with Aphrodite deep in her bitter hatred for Zoey Redbird and now readers will find out the exact sequence as to how Zoey became the leader of the Dark Daughters.

Fans will recognize the storytelling capabilities of P.C and Kristin Cast, the original mother and daughter team of the literary novels with scripting by Kent Dalian. Art is exceptional as always by Joelle Jones and Jonathan Case, with vivid colors by Ryan Hill and Jonathan Case. Lettering is as always done by Nate Piekos of Blambot. The one and only cover art for issue #4 is done by Jenny Frison. She has also done select cover work for the other three preceding issues for House of Night.

The historical elements for House of Night remains a strong aspect of the comics. House of Night so far has chosen to selectively focus on a leading female heroine within history and changed her into a vampire of great power. If the pattern holds true this may indicate just what sort of future Zoey Redbird may have in House of Night.

The historical lesson for issue 4 has to deal with Cleopatra and her fire. On her journey, she asks the Vampyre Goddess Nyx to give her wisdom and strength. Cleopatra is gifted with fire and she is given the warning from Nyx that the power must be controlled and not recklessly used. When she arrives in Alexandria, her fire becomes the protection that the city and Egypt needs for the next 20 years. It is only when Cleopatra becomes arrogant and obsessed with Marc Anthony that she loses the blessing of Nyx and the power to protect her nation.

Zoey recognizes that for Aphrodite, the passion to lead became an obsession with power just as it did with Cleopatra. Thus, Zoey is cautioned in this lesson to remain humble and to be receptive to the aid of her friends. The practical lessons of this issue translate into Zoey extending her former rival Aphrodite a hand in friendship. Whether Aphrodite actually accepts Zoey’s overture is another matter.

Therefore, fans of the novel may have an idea of what is going on in the upcoming issue, but the fact remains that even knowledge of the series will only increase the appeal of the comic rather than detracting from it. The next issue to come out will be the final lesson from the Goddess Nyx and it should be a pleasing lesson for fans to read about but likely a hard won battle for Zoey Redbird. Issue #5 comes out in mid march but luckily for fans issue #4 is due out the second week of February from Dark Horse Comics.

The article House of Night Issue #4 Review: Where Zoey Meets Fire appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.