Can we discuss the name of this perfume for a sec? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "illicit" as "forbidden by law, rules or custom." If asked to use it in a sentence, I'd immediately think of covert drug operations and porn. But you know what? The rebel in me totally digs a reference to the danger zone. I dug through the press materials to find out what this pretty bottle, enchanting blend of notes and steamy photos had to do with Merriam-Webster's definition of illicit. What I found made me love the fragrance even more. The ILLICIT girl isn't gratuitously bold. She pushes boundaries and bends rules, but she totally has her act together. She's confident and in control. This is not your hot-mess, after-party girl. This is the chick who dances til dawn, but shows up to her 9 a.m. impeccably groomed and unafraid to challenge the status quo.

She might be the face of this scent. . .but she's also the (well-heeled) feet. You've got to love a perfume campaign that shows its model perched precariously on the edge of a boat, mid-ocean, wearing towering metallic stilettos. But you know she's got it under control. And how about those sea legs? (Note: If I'm ever lost at sea, please send Jimmy Choo gold heels, far left. I will use them to spear-fish. Just saying. #SOS)

First impressions are critical in the fragrance industry. You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a scent by its bottle. Weeks and weeks of thought and planning are spent on everything from the shape and color of the bottle to the cap design. This architectural bottle immediately made by heart race because it looks just like the Art Deco chandelier I've been eyeing for my foyer, from the geometric pattern to the golden glow reflected though the crystal in sunlight. A bottle that doubles as decor? It belongs on the coffee table, not the vanity. 

 

The scent lingers all day without becoming powdery or dull. That, to me, is the sign of a keeper. If you like a scent's dry down, but it only lasts one hour, you'll be scentless by lunch. Just like the woman who wears it, each spritz has superlative stamina and might get you into trouble! 

 

 

Jimmy Choo ILLICIT eau de parfum (3.3 fl. oz.), $112 at Macy's.