Passion. It’s a heavy word, honestly. When you think of Elizabeth Taylor, you probably think of the diamonds or the seven husbands or maybe those violet eyes that everyone swore were real but looked too good to be true. But in 1987, she did something that basically changed the way we buy scent forever. She launched Perfume Passion Elizabeth Taylor, and let's be real: the fragrance world was never the same after that purple bottle hit the shelves.
It wasn't just another celebrity name on a glass vial. Before Passion, celebrity scents were sorta considered cheap or tacky—just quick cash-ins that smelled like drugstore hairspray. Liz Taylor changed the math. She didn't just sign a contract; she lived in the lab. She was the first "influencer" before that word became a job title, and she treated her fragrance like a blockbuster movie.
What Does Passion Actually Smell Like?
If you walk into a department store today, everything smells like marshmallows or clean laundry. Passion is not that. It’s loud. It’s dramatic. It’s what people in the industry call an "Oriental Floral," but that’s just fancy talk for a scent that hits you like a velvet sledgehammer.
The first time you spray it, you get this massive blast of gardenia and ylang-ylang. It’s heavy. Then, as it sits on your skin, it turns into something much darker—think incense, patchouli, and sandalwood. It has over 20 notes. Twenty! Most modern perfumes have maybe five or six distinct layers. Passion has cedar, musk, vanilla, jasmine, and even a bit of civet. It’s complex. It’s moody. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a woman who owned the Krupp Diamond.
Some people hate it. They really do. They say it’s "too much" or it smells like an old theater curtain. But for the people who love it, it’s the ultimate "power" scent. You don't wear Perfume Passion Elizabeth Taylor to blend in. You wear it when you want to be noticed before you even open your mouth. It’s a 1980s powerhouse fragrance through and through.
✨ Don't miss: How to Sign Someone Up for Scientology: What Actually Happens and What You Need to Know
The Elizabeth Taylor Revolution
Elizabeth Taylor didn't just want to sell a bottle of liquid. She wanted to build an empire. She partnered with Elizabeth Arden, and together they spent millions on marketing. This was 1987. Ronald Reagan was in the White House. Wall Street was booming. Everything was about excess.
Passion fit that vibe perfectly.
Taylor famously traveled to malls across America to meet fans. Can you imagine a superstar of her caliber doing a mall tour today? She sat there for hours, signing bottles and talking to women about why they deserved to feel glamorous. She was selling a dream of Hollywood royalty for about $25. It worked. Within a few years, Passion was doing hundreds of millions in sales. It paved the way for White Diamonds, which eventually became one of the best-selling fragrances of all time. But Passion was the pioneer. It was the one that proved a movie star could be a serious businesswoman in the beauty industry.
Why Passion Still Matters Today
You’d think a perfume from the 80s would have vanished by now. Most do. But Perfume Passion Elizabeth Taylor is still in production. You can still find it at Walmart, CVS, or online retailers like FragranceNet. Why? Because it’s a survivor.
🔗 Read more: Wire brush for cleaning: What most people get wrong about choosing the right bristles
The vintage community is obsessed with it. If you go on forums like Basenotes or Fragrantica, you’ll see people hunting for "vintage" bottles from the late 80s. Why the hunt? Because the original formula used some ingredients that are restricted today by IFRA (the International Fragrance Association). Oakmoss, for example. The modern version is still good, but the vintage stuff? It’s thicker. It’s animalic. It’s got a bite that modern scents just aren't allowed to have anymore.
It’s also surprisingly affordable. While brands like Tom Ford or Creed charge $300 for a bottle of perfume, you can grab a bottle of Passion for less than the price of a fancy lunch. That accessibility was part of Liz’s mission. She believed glamour shouldn't be gated behind a high price tag.
How to Wear It Without Overwhelming the Room
Seriously, be careful with the nozzle. This stuff is potent. If you spray five times like you might with a light citrus scent, people will smell you from a different zip code.
- The "Walk-Through" Method: Spray it once in the air and walk through the mist. It sounds cliché, but for Passion, it’s the only way to keep it subtle.
- Layering: Some people use the body lotion instead of the spray. It’s a bit creamier and stays closer to the skin.
- Night Only?: Historically, people say this is a "night" perfume. Honestly, wear it whenever. But maybe don't wear it to a crowded elevator at 8:00 AM on a Monday unless you're prepared to make some enemies.
The Legacy of the Purple Bottle
The bottle itself is iconic. That deep, royal purple. The Art Deco lines. It looks like something that belongs on a mahogany vanity next to a silver hairbrush. Taylor was involved in the design, choosing the color because purple (or violet) was her signature. It wasn't just branding; it was personal.
💡 You might also like: Images of Thanksgiving Holiday: What Most People Get Wrong
When she died in 2011, her fragrance empire continued to thrive. It’s estimated that her perfumes have earned over a billion dollars. A portion of the proceeds from her fragrance sales still goes to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. So, when you buy a bottle of Perfume Passion Elizabeth Taylor, you’re actually supporting the work she started when she was one of the first major celebrities to fight for people living with HIV/AIDS. That’s a legacy most modern celebrity brands can't even touch.
Is It For You?
If you like "clean" scents, stay away. If you like "fruity-florals," you'll probably hate it. But if you like history, if you like drama, and if you like perfumes that tell a story, you need to smell it at least once. It’s a piece of pop culture history that you can actually wear.
The perfume world moves fast. Trends come and go. One year everyone wants to smell like a cupcake, the next year everyone wants to smell like a campfire. But Passion remains. It’s a testament to the fact that Elizabeth Taylor knew exactly what women wanted: to feel bold, to feel powerful, and to feel just a little bit like a movie star.
Actionable Next Steps
- Test Before You Buy: Don't blind buy this one. Go to a drugstore or a department store that carries Elizabeth Taylor scents. Spray it on a card, wait ten minutes, then smell it. If you like it, spray a tiny bit on your wrist and see how it reacts with your skin chemistry over the next four hours.
- Look for the Gift Sets: Often, you can find Passion in a gift set with the lotion and the dusting powder. The dusting powder is actually a great way to wear the scent in a much lighter, more diffused way.
- Check the Batch Code: If you find a bottle at a garage sale or an estate sale, look for a batch code on the bottom. You can use websites like CheckFresh to see when it was made. Older bottles (pre-2000s) are highly sought after for their richness.
- Embrace the Intensity: If you decide to wear it, own it. Confidence is the most important "note" in any Elizabeth Taylor fragrance.