Paris Hilton perfume started in 2004 and has grown into a shelf of more than thirty bottles, so it helps to have a map. Here are the classics, the Rush family, and four sweet, fruity perfumes from other houses that sit well beside them.
Paris Hilton Perfume, Bottle by Bottle: From Can Can to the Rush Family
Paris Hilton launched her perfume line in 2004 in partnership with Parlux, beginning with a fragrance simply called Paris Hilton for women. There are now more than thirty bottles under her name, and that makes Paris Hilton perfume one of the easiest ranges to get lost in. The good news is that the family sorts itself into a few moods, and the classics in this grid are the best place to begin.
The first bottle in the grid, the plain Eau de Parfum, carries the name the line began with, so I would suggest it to anyone who wants to start at the beginning. Just Me, going by the name, is the more personal pick, a bottle for when you want a scent that does not announce itself from across a room.
Can Can launched in 2007 as her fourth women's fragrance and seventh overall, which tells you how quickly she was releasing in those years. It is the one I would reach for on a night out. Electrify and Dazzle both have names that promise a party, and I would wear them that way.
A small test: spray one on a paper card and one on skin, and compare them at the end of the day. Sweet perfumes can change a lot once they warm up.
Rush, in five colors
The Rush family is the part of the line I find easiest to shop, because the names tell you the mood. Gold Rush launched in 2016, and Rosé Rush followed in 2017, so this is one of the younger branches of the range and a handy way into a line as big as hers. The names tell you the mood and the color.
Pink Rush is the one I would start with, for warm weather. Gold Rush, the first of the family, is the one I would save for evenings. Rose Rush is the romantic one, and the bottle I would give as a present to a friend who has never owned a perfume before.
Love Rush is the one for a day when you want something sentimental. The last bottle in the grid, the one with the dressier name, suits dinner and dancing more than errands, and I would keep it for nights when you want to be noticed. All of them are eaux de parfum, so they last longer than a body spray, and one or two sprays is plenty. Try spraying once on your collarbone and once behind the knees, where the warmth will lift it slowly through the day.
If you like the idea of a signature but are not sure yet, buy one Rush and live with it for a month. By then you will know if the pink version suits you better than the gold one.
Sweet and fruity, elsewhere
Sweet, fruity perfumes have a particular charm, and there are a few from other houses that I like to wear in the same spirit. They are a notch more polished, but they share the pleasure of something plainly delicious, and they make good second bottles if your Paris Hilton favorite is running low. Wear them on days when you want your scent to feel a little more grown up, with a blazer, a silk top or a good pair of boots.
Viktor&Rolf's Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum with Vanilla and Jasmine is the floral, sugary one. Miu Miu's Miutine Eau de Parfum with Strawberry and Vanilla is the playful pick, soft and sweet like a dessert. Valentino's Donna Born in Roma Eau de Parfum with Bourbon Vanilla and Jasmine is the one I would pick for something more dressed up. Yves Saint Laurent's Libre Berry Crush Eau de Parfum with Raspberry is the fruitiest, and it feels right for summer.
What I would skip: layering a sweet perfume on top of a sweet body lotion in the same family of scent, because the two will fight and you will smell only sugar. Choose an unscented lotion, or a simple one, and let the perfume do the talking. A light hand matters more with fruit notes than with anything else, because raspberry and strawberry can turn sharp when you overdo them. I would also skip spraying more than two or three times, since these are concentrated eaux de parfum and they carry a long way.
Sweet, fruity perfumes from other brands
Finding your bottle
The easiest way to find your bottle is to buy small and wear it for a week. A perfume always smells different on the third day than it did on the first, and after a few wears you will know if it deserves a place on your dresser.
Spray on pulse points after a shower, on slightly damp skin, and skip rubbing your wrists together afterwards. Keep bottles somewhere cool, out of sunlight, and they will stay true for years. If you like to travel with perfume, decant a little into a small atomizer instead of carrying the full glass bottle, which is heavier than it looks and easy to crack in a bag. And if you notice the perfume gives you a headache or a rash, stop using it and ask a pharmacist or doctor, because a fragrance should be a pleasure and not a puzzle.
