Sean John Launches 'Empress' With Kelly Rowland in the Hamptons

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Sean John Fragrances shipped thirty beauty and lifestyle bloggers to a poolside party in the Hamptons yesterday for the launch of their new women's fragrance Empress, inspired by the power of beauty that is within every woman. The scent's celebrity spokesmodel is former Destiny's Child and current X Factor UK judge Kelly Rowland. The day began at the Sean John offices as we boarded a party bus to the Ciroc Cabana Club in Sag Harbour, complete with donuts and mimosas for those bloggers who somehow managed to tear themselves away from the office on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.

On arrival at the Cabana Club, guests could avail of free manicures, massage, vodka cocktails and mini burgers served by staff in t-shirts reading "The most powerful thing about him is me" and "Be Empressive" before being treated to a preview of Kelly Rowland's new album Here I Am. The woman herself dropped by for a quick speech extolling the merits of the fragrance, which is, apparently, "a crisp, fruity floral" with top notes including "a fresh blend of Key Lime Pie, Mandarin Imperial, Starfruit and Imperial French Berry", something which Kelly said she believed in, saying "it's one thing to attach yourself to something and it's another when you believe in it as a whole", citing her time spent promoting female empowerment as a member of Destiny's Child. Whether or not Kelly will be exclusively wearing the perfume, which we thought was just a tiny little bit on the sickly sweet side, from now on wasn't discussed.

And why was Kelly chosen to represent the new perfume? According to brand manager Erica, it was down to the involvement of Sean 'P Diddy' Combs, who unfortunately couldn't be present to greet the beauty blogging community yesterday. Erica said that Mr Combs, who is "very particular about scent", felt that Kelly was the ideal embodiment of the attributes of the fragrance: "She does an amazing job of being present and being heard without being ostentatious. She's beautiful, she stands for so much as it relates to women and empowerment and we thought that she could help us to spread the word about the idea that beauty is from within and not necessarily just what we see... You may not be perfect every time but that's what truly makes you beautiful." Ms Rowland herself was not available for comment, but it's evident that Diddy takes his scents very seriously. After the launch of his first women's fragrance, Unforgivable, in 2007, he told Rachael Ray that he knows "exactly what a woman should smell like, especially when they are looking to attract a mate." Perhaps something to bear in mind when considering his new scent.

After Kelly left and the sun had gone in, the bloggers again boarded the party bus back to Manhattan, tired after a long day of manicures, vodka, BBQ and the heady scent of celebrity. Empress will be available exclusively at Macy's from tomorrow, Friday August 5th.
— Sean John [Official Site]