Juliette has a gun Perfume: Is It Worth It?

I have always liked a perfume brand that invents a woman and then sends her off to misbehave. Juliette has a gun begins with a real man, Romano Ricci, and a fictional Juliette, a Shakespearean heroine recast for this century. Ricci is Nina Ricci's great-grandson, which makes his rebellion feel almost funny, and he created the house in France between Paris and Grasse in 2006 hoping to loosen the rules of niche perfumery. The brand's own account treats scent as an emblem of style and originality instead of something made only to smell pleasant.

That idea gives the collection a point of view before you ever reach a bottle. Not A Perfume is the clean, spare counterpoint, built around a single ingredient, Cetalox, and it is the one most people seem to start with. Around it, Juliette changes moods: a bright Miami Shake, a soft cloud of Powder Love, and the same perfume idea carried into body oil, candles and small sets.

Antina Ricci joined the business shortly after launch, and the house has kept growing while holding on to its independent, modern heroine. I like that. A character who gets to choose her own scent is more fun to shop than a list of notes.

Before the scent, the real decision is what kind of entrance you want. Not A Perfume Eau de Parfum 50ml keeps the formula spare, and Not A Perfume Superdose Eau de Parfum 100ml turns the volume up. Powder Love Eau De Parfum 50ml and Miami Shake Eau De Parfum 50ml are two very different daydreams, one soft and powdery, the other creamy and fruit-bright.

If choosing one bottle feels premature, I would start with the Discovery Set, and the Deluxe Mini Set would ride along happily in a travel bag. The Not A Perfume Body Oil 100ml and Not A Perfume Candle carry that clean, close-to-the-skin idea into a daily ritual. My rule: wear a fragrance on skin for a whole afternoon before committing to the full size.

I come back to this collection when I want perfume to feel like a character choice instead of a polite finishing touch. The strongest idea is the contrast between restraint and theater: the single-ingredient Not A Perfume beside a whole cast of fruit, flower and powder moods. What I would skip is a full size bought just because a name sounds right. Fragrance is intimate, and the wrong bottle sits untouched. Live with it for the afternoon, and then decide whether Juliette is yours.