Paris Hilton 'Tease' Perfume Launch an Ode to Marilyn Monroe

by Kelly Bryant (Subscribe to Kelly Bryant's posts)
Posted Aug 11th 2010 at 8:10AM

Paris Hilton as Marilyn Monroe at the launch of her fragrance, "Tease." Photo: Getty Images

Overzealous paparazzi and starstruck fans convening in front of an exclusive Hollywood nightclub to catch a glimpse of an iconic celebrity – it was a scene that easily could have been meant for Marilyn Monroe back in her day.

Instead, the evening celebrated our modern day blonde bombshell, Paris Hilton, dressed as her favorite actress of the silver screen, celebrating the launch of her 10th fragrance, Tease, or perhaps we should call it Eau de Marilyn, since that's who Hilton drew her inspiration from for the scent.

Dripping in Chopard diamonds and outfitted in a white Herve Leger bandage dress, Louis Vuitton cream colored heels and jewel-encrusted clutch and a faux fur jacket, Hilton played the part of her idol to a tee and the anxious crowd gathered in front of MyStudio nightclub on Hollywood Boulevard seemed to eat up every moment of it.

"I love Marilyn Monroe," purred Hilton as she slinked down the hot pink carpet, blonde locks styled in voluminous curls and her pout painted red. "She's always been one of my fashion icons. Doing my tenth fragrance I just thought, she's a 10, and I have to do something to honor Marilyn."

Tease is a delicious blend of fruits such as Fuji apple, white peach nectar and bergamot, with sunny sea mist accord and accented by frangipani, jasmine and tuberose, finished off with base notes of amber, blonde woods and warm sand accord. Hilton herself describes Tease as, "Sophisticated and glamorous. It's flirty and fun, confident and sexy."

Marilyn Monroe and Paris Hilton. Left: Monroe in the 50s with husband Joe DiMaggio. Right: Paris Hilton at her "Tease" fragrance launch. Photo: AFP | Getty Images

Sounds like Hilton in a bottle to us, a glass bottle colored by a gradient of purples but a bottle nonetheless, however the starlet continued to reference Monroe when asked how she chose the name of her new fragrance. "I just thought the name (Tease) represented Marilyn because she was very flirty and fun," she revealed with a smile. "I think every girl wants to live like that."

On hand to celebrate the launch with her were pals like" American's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan, who is rumored to be in negotiations to replace Larry King over at CNN, and Entourage hottie Adrian Grenier, who gave Tease his seal of approval by commenting, "It smelled good on her tonight," after posing with Hilton on the pink carpet.

While the hotel heiress handled the screams and demands of the paparazzi like a pro as she posed with the fragrance, even puckering up to the bottle at their relentless request, she admitted that being in front of a firing squad of photographers and press never really gets any easier, no matter how many high-profile events you attend.

"It's always a little nerve wracking when you do red carpets because the photographers are screaming your name and there are the flashes which are blinding sometimes, but it's part of my business," Hilton said matter-of-factly. And, despite a lagging economy, the business of Paris Hilton shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. An eleventh fragrance is already in the works and is actually being rushed out so that it can be available in time for the holiday shopping season at the end of the 2010.

Fans and fragrance lovers alike can take home Tease in three different forms: a 3.4 oz Eau de Parum Spray ($55), 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray ($45) and a 6.7 oz Shimmering Body Lotion ($28); available in department stores and wherever fine fragrances are sold.

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