Celebrity Perfume

It's official: Madonna is launching her first perfume. Dubbed Truth or Dare ($39 to $68) by Madonna, the scent pays homage to her 1992 documentary, Madonna: Truth or Dare, but it also pays homage to her mom, who passed away when Madonna was just 5.

"My oldest memory of my mother is her perfume. I carry it with me everywhere. She always smelled like gardenias and tuberose, an intoxicating mixture [that was] feminine and mysterious. I wanted to re-create this scent, but with something fresh and new about it as well. Something honest and yet daring — hence the name Truth or Dare," Madonna told WWD. To see more, keep reading.

Nicole Richie just inked a fragrance deal with New York company TPR (they're the people behind Oscar Blandi and Freeze 24/7 products), according to WWD. She's in good company, of course, given how many of her friends and acquaintances already have scents of their own; Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian are just a couple of the names that spring to mind.

In fact, Nicole's already inspired a beauty product albeit not a fragrance. Longtime friend Charlotte Ronson recently debuted an eye shadow quad designed for Nicole. Given the excitement surrounding that shadow, it's not surprising that Ms. Richie decided to give beauty products a go herself. The scent, which is supposed to be "cool and classy with an edge" is slated to be in (department) stores by September 2012.

There's lots of news in the olfactory arena these days. It seems that Madonna (not for the first time, either) is rumored to be in talks with celebrity eau giant Coty to make her own fragrance. Meanwhile, Estée Lauder has already signed a deal with designer label Marni to create a scent, and the brand is also supposedly in talks with Tory Burch about a perfume. (Although there's also word that Burch may be set to make a deal with Coty.)

While companies have wanted to make a Madonna perfume for decades now, her demands have surpassed what any could match. She was rumored to be signing deals in 1997 and 2007, but neither ever came to fruition. This time could be different, though, since she and daughter Lourdes Leon have their Material Girl line, which already includes makeup and even body spray. If a scent does make it to market, let's all hope it's as high-quality as Madge herself.

What's the latest thing in celebrity perfume news? Conan O'Brien's boiling hot new scent, Midnight Potato. Unlike some other celebrity signature fragrances, we're sure Conan's will be totally unique and of the utmost quality. Plus, his commercial is just so . . . sexy. We're betting on flanker colognes like Lust Potato and Au Gratin sometime soon.

Rumors are flying that Snooki from Jersey Shore is getting her own perfume. She wouldn't be the first castmate to have one — Sammi's already got a scent — but if this turns out to be true, we're pretty sure there will be considerable excitement about it. To succeed, though, Eau de Snooki is going to need a great name. Tell us your preferred Snooki perfume names in the comments. As for us, we're rooting for Powder Pouf or Abs-sinthe.