Appearing in ads for a fragrance is nice, but taking the creative reins and making your own perfume is even better. For models with the entrepreneurial spirit and an understanding of the beauty business, fragrance is the next frontier. Following in the footsteps of countless celebrities who have lent their names to fragrances, these enterprising beauties have gotten into the game by partnering with master perfumers—or simply blending essential oils themselves. Get to know modeling’s scent stars and their unique perfumes just in time for spring.
Anja Rubik
Anja Rubik
Photo: Paola Kudacki
As a tastemaker, provocateur, and businesswoman, Anja Rubik already had her hands full when she decided to delve into fragrance. Her niche scent Original embodies the visual cues Rubik presents in her eroto-chic magazine 25 and in her daring personal style. She told Tim Blanks that she crafted the scent in order to “trigger a state of mind, to use the power of our sense of smell to connect with a message of empowerment,” so Rubik’s creation isn’t for shrinking violets. Working with nose Patricia Choux on the composition, Rubik went for an alluring blend of pink peppercorn, green tea, and lilies, with a seductive amber base note. When combined, the elements make for a fragrance that is provocative while remaining fresh and chic—much like Rubik herself.
Leilani Bishop
Leilani Bishop
Photo: Courtesy
In the 1990s, Leilani Bishop was the face of sporty, energetic beauty, frequently appearing in ads for labels like Tommy Hilfiger and in the pages of Vogue. Hawaii-born Bishop has channeled her love of nature into an eponymous collection of roll-on scents focused on single-note elements like orange blossom, lilac, and pikake, a bloom native to Hawaii and used in making authentic leis. Cruelty-free, portable, and refreshingly uncomplicated—Bishop’s fragrances are addictive.
Helena Christensen
Helena Christensen
Photo: BFA NY
Supermodel, photographer, and Renaissance woman Helena Christensen has always flexed her creative muscle, so it’s fitting that her fragrance is the most esoteric of the bunch. Created in collaboration with Christophe Laudamiel, the man behind blockbusters like Ralph Lauren’s Polo Blue, Christensen’s oud-heavy Dead of Night is heady, intoxicating, and, at $690 a bottle, decadent. With the model taking on the role of creative director of artisanal perfumery ERH1012, you can expect to see plenty more Christensen-approved fragrances very soon.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Photo: Courtesy
As a true scent aficionada, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley approached the fragrance-making process with enthusiasm, describing her experience putting one together a bit like being “a kid in a sweet shop.” When it came time to settle on a top note, the superstar went with, what
else, roses. Working with master perfumer Ralf Schwieger—who has had a hand in countless rose-based scents, from Frederic Malle’s sultry Lipstick Rose to YSL’s girlish Baby Doll—Huntington-Whiteley settled on a classic combo of rosa centifolia, magnolia, and jasmine, all meant to evoke the lush gardens of her hometown of Devon, England.
—Janelle Okwodu, Style.com
