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Gi_zel – :
What a mess. I get no frangipani, no tiare, no amber, and definitely no patchouli. Just a fruity sweet cheap mess. Sorry Jane this one is a flop. (I was utterly unimpressed by Shh also btw.)
smdk – :
Wearing this on a warmer Spring day. I wasn’t too keen in colder months, but this is just what I’m looking for now.
Warm amber, sweetened and slightly floral. I need a comforting one right now and this fits the bill.
Jade, you were a real character and I rather liked your controversial ways and your straight talking. This is a lovely cheapie, which I think is worth every penny. A lovely legacy.
hinc – :
I am not a fan of Jade Goody, but the end of her life was tragic and she left two small children motherless. I hope that any profits from the sales of the two perfumes to which she put her name benefit those boys.
Really not sure why anyone would think this smells like Adam Levine’s signature for women (or why it should remind them of it, even)! I haven’t done a side by side comparison, nor do I need to; they have no notes in common, so it’s not surprising that they smell absolutely NOTHING alike.
The Levine is a spicy, woody Oriental with moderate, bordering heavy, sillage. I love it and agree that sandalwood is the most prominent note. It smells far more expensive than it is, which isn’t surprising given the perfumer to whom it is attributed.
Back to Controversial: I am wearing it right now; it is a surprisingly pleasant soft floral, with frangipani easily the most dominant note, and amber behaving very quietly in the background. Having said that, I tend to love spicy perfumes, but I definitely wouldn’t have put this in the “fruity floral” category – it is a floral (to my nose, anyway).
It is also completely misnamed; there is nothing controversial about this very pretty perfume; even the sillage is soft. Suitable for mild summer days, although it may bloom better in cooler weather.
I bought a bottle from The Perfume Shop in the UK for £4.99 – so cheap I could afford to bin it if it was a complete scrubber. Not sure how they are making any money on it to be honest, as it was delivered two days after ordering by tracked delivery through Royal Mail (with text updates, too!). I dropped it almost immediately on opening and broke the cheap plastic lid – no loss there though.
Anyway, this definitely deserves to be better known and worn; it is far better than its price tag would suggest. I rather like it.
ETA: Longevity is weak on my skin, but that is nothing unusual! It’s virtually undetectable 3 hours after spraying. This may fare better on clothing, but – at the price – respraying is hardly going to be an issue.
bci336speagoessenda – :
Back in the late 80s, early 90s TV presenter Paula Yates brought out her own perfume named Paula, I loved it. It became one of those bargain bucket perfumes then disappeared, now they’ve renamed it Controversial by Jade Goody!! It’s the same fragrance. Nice but dated now.
gariman – :
Just beautiful for winter months. Strangely reminiscent of Popy Moreni original.Fantastic sweetness but not cloyingly feminine. Better than Madonna’s Naked which some compare it to. A hidden gem this one. Bargain on ebay at £7.50 for 100mls. Will stock up on this for Xmas pressies.
vitalik zzz – :
This is a warm,ambery gold liquid. It makes me feel warm and cozy. Controversial leaves a trail of spices behind that lingers. The slight infusion of berries inside is a nice touch.
CAUTION:FOR AMBER LOVERS ONLY.
Audetfewo – :
This perfume is Charlie Gold but in a different bottle. How could I end up with two blind buys that smell exactly the same, that I don’t particularly like the smell off? After I put either of these perfumes on, I crave a sweet perfume straight after…. the smell is too amber almost a bitter quality of amber (usually I love amber). So both bottles (jg contraversial and Charlie gold) are going to be given to relatives.
Edit: I gave the JG contraversial away but kept Charlie gold because I have this new found love and appreciation for Charlie gold. 🙂
plast 2 – :
At Xmas I throw in a few cheapie bottles for my niece and sister’s gifts – got them for £4!, 100ml EDP from The Fragrance Shop (UK).
A friend of mine loves Shh! and has for years, but, I must admit, the name put me off. Will have to give it a sniff sometime.
The other cheap bottle I got was Sam Faiers’ La Bella EDP, which is lovely, feminine, soft, sweetly-floral. Controversial is spicier, but on the dry-down has an awful sour note on my skin. I really think this could be worn by a man or woman. Seems to last longer on my skin than La Bella, which is a shame, as I’m not keen.
The bottle is awful with a cheap plastic cap and horrible garish gold print, probably one of the tackiest bottles I’ve seen on a perfume! Not one you’d want to display on your dresser. The spray seems to splurt out a lot of juice too!
Carcinus – :
I got this as it was such a bargain, 100ml for £8, and as i’d always been a fan of hers, i thought why not.
I expected something quite cheap smelling and loud, but in all honesty, i am very pleasantly surprised!! It smells expensive, elegant and not what i thought at all, and has an almost vintage feel about it.
It starts off with a red berry and frangipani hit that is sweet and a little sharp, then as it dries down, the amber and tiare flower turns this into a warm, deep powdery scent with just a hint of patchouli. It would be perfect for a winter’s evening as it’s so warming and cosy.
Such a shame this isn’t more well known, or that a lot of people wouldn’t buy it purely because of its creator- i know she was a love/hate character. But i personally love this perfume, it really is beautiful, and now i’m on a mission to try her other one!!
alex yolshin – :
starts off really nice but then begins to smell very synthetic. it’s not a quality scent.
tbi940speagoessenda – :
Sweet but fresh with massive projection but poor longevity.
satrap – :
Beautiful underrated perfume, as is jade goodys first perfume shhh. Ignore the name and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
tritybync – :
I used to have this fragrance. For a celebrity fragrance it was really great and so affordable. The main player here is Tiare flower. It’s a very rich, warm and almost syrupy fragrance which has a bit of a “throwback” feel. Definintely not your average floral fruity.
If you’re not familiar with the smell of Tiare, think Mariah Carey’s “M” perfume without the marshmallow and incense. Hate to compare but…sometimes it has to be done.
Surprisingly enough I found it very classy smelling and quite glamorous. The Tiare and Frangipani together make for a really opulent night time fragrance. It has a smooth smelling tone to it also with some red fruits thrown into the mix. It’s just as good as her first perfume but nowhere near as well known or popular due to the fact that her first fragrance was televised as a documentary of how she made it.
The bottle was very cheap looking and very heavy with a plastic lid, but the perfume inside was not a reflection of that at all. It is one of the best celebrity fragrances I’ve smelled. I wish more people could try it, especially fragranticans. I think it would have a few fans for sure.