Jumping on the fragrance train, Christina Aguilera is nothing short of inspiring.

Like most celebs, in person Christina Aguilera is small. Sitting across from me, she’s, well, tiny. Surprisingly so for someone with such a big voice and strong presence. We’re lounging in the stunning penthouse of the Hotel on Rivington in New York, and Aguilera—dressed in a bright pink-and-purple Pucci dress paired with purple Alexander McQueen heels and Stephen Webster rings—is sharing the inspiration behind the notes of her new hit, Inspire. Not to be confused with her latest musical offering, Inspire is Aguilera’s fragrance, launching later this month.

“The fragrance is another outlet for me creatively. It’s a complete blend of everything that inspires me,” says Aguilera.

With multiple Grammy-winning albums, a husband she calls “a strength in my life” and a baby boy named Max, Aguilera’s a busy girl. It’s amazing that she has time to think, let alone create a perfume. But she’s done it. “It’s a product that I thought all women could enjoy and would make them feel more confident. It’s the greatest thing to alter your state of mind or how you feel about yourself before walking out the door, adding that little splash of something extra,” she says, when I ask why she decided to enter the fragrance arena. Clearly it’s a natural extension; Aguilera says she has loved escaping into the fantasy world of beauty ever since she was a little girl—she’d play with her mother’s perfumes and makeup, and sometimes get into trouble for doing so.

So with what is most likely another fragrance success on her hands—last year, her first foray into the fragrance industry resulted in a self-titled scent, which was released only overseas and took home a European FIFI award (the Oscars of the fragrance world)—Aguilera seems to have the role of perfume “nose” down.

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