In the run-up to the launch of her latest fragrance - Killer Queen’s Royal Revolution, pop princess Katy Perry took time out from the London leg of her Prismatic World Tour to chat to our Beauty Director Joanna McGarry about her love of perfume, her handbag essentials and why garlic and baby powder are among her top scents of all time ... 

Beauty begins with inner confidence
‘As a young woman, I still get insecure and go through awkward phases. I still have zits and scarring on my face from acne and things like that. I think people go through all kinds of awkward phases growing up, even into adulthood. So when it comes to beauty, I think it's important to have an inner perspective. My goal here in creating a beautiful product is not to say that this will make you who you are, but - I like to think - will help enhance what you already have. I think we should be confident with what we have and just highlight our beauty. I actually need some braces, but I just can’t commit, ‘cause I know that they hurt so bad!'

"I actually need some braces, but I just can’t commit, ‘cause I know that they hurt so bad!"

Everyone has an inner beauty rebel
‘I guess I’m a bit rebellious right now. Sometimes I can be presenting myself in a soft, romantic way or very feminine way with long hair and wigs. This fragrance is a little rebellious, and I feel that way myself. I’m about to hit 30, so before I get there, I will go for one more hair colour! I do like a bit of a soft grunge 90s look - that would be my favourite right now. There was one time specifically on the red carpet when I was going to an awards show and my hair was very long and purple. I was wearing a little flower thing and a dress. I was trying to do a cleaner version of Courtney Love, but still have that little grunge-fairy vibe. I’d still do that today. I’ve been all kinds of different women.'

The perfect fragrance is all about the details
'It takes three years to grow the tree to extract the sandalwood - it’s so precious. I like stories like that because it makes you appreciate every little thing. This sounds a bit tripp, but you know when you’re eating something and you look at all the different ingredients - even if it’s a simple salad - and think how much time it takes to grow, harvest and ship them ... I know that’s going a little off topic but our perfumes have six to nine ingredients and these different ones have to be infused with each other… It’s just all the detail that goes into a fragrance.’

"I love musk because it’s very mysterious to me; it’s a little bit androgynous, which I always appreciate in my perfume."

A little androgyny goes a long way
‘The top note of Royal Revolution is very bright and clean. The middle one is a bit yummy and citrusy, but it has that milkiness to it too. It’s almost like a Creamsicle. Do they have those here? It’s like an orange-vanilla Popsicle. And it’s an aphrodisiac. Very important to draw in the bait! Then you reach the musk part. I love musk because it’s very mysterious to me; it’s a little bit androgynous, which I always appreciate in my perfume. The unexpected element is blackthorn, which is an interesting ingredient because it used to be used in the Dark Ages. They believed that it held magic powers, so they used it in spells when making their potions. We researched a few different ingredients that could be possible in the perfume and this one really popped out. The blackthorn is like a white flower, it's a bit simple-looking and grows in hedges over here. But I love how it has a history and a narrative that really goes along with our Royal Revolution.’

Beauty comes in small packages    
The Royal Revolution range comes in all different sizes. The 15ml is so adorable and small enough to pop in your purse. I like to spritz a lot of it at the beginning of the day and walk through it (I never spray it directly on my skin). I even put it in my hair, because sometimes if you put it directly on, it’s a little bit too intense with any fragrance. But if I’m out all day and I can’t go home it’s nice to be able to carry it with me. 

Besides that I always have headphones in my purse - because I’m always listening to music - and a rose quartz crystal, to make sure I attract the right kind of love. I always have a small hairbrush and a miniature Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. Oh and green tea. Plus, I love hand lotion. I’m one of those girls that loves washing their hands, but if there’s no hand lotion I won’t wash them – is that weird? I don’t want to have dry hands and be a dinosaur at the end of the day. I’d rather have dirty hands than dry hands.That’s weird!'  

"I’m one of those girls that loves washing their hands. But if there’s no hand lotion, I won’t wash them – is that weird?"

It’s never too late to learn
‘As a young child, I was pretty focused and always very open-minded. I asked a lot of questions. And unfortunately, I didn’t have a fantastic education because I was moving around a lot and being pulled out of school all the time, so it’s not as if I could control that. But now, I make up for it by going to museums and reading a little bit here and there. My favourite thing on tour now is to be taken around museums ... by the curators - I want the curator! I feel like I learn so much and am so inspired by the art and by the history. If I was to go back to school, I would go back for the history and the art definitely. So I’m catching up on all the things I didn’t get to properly learn as a child.’

Knowledge is a more powerful tool than beauty
'The biggest weapon for a woman is education and knowledge. With knowledge comes power. The more you know, the better you can arm yourself when you get asked a question. I find that that is the best asset to have beyond all things. It’s never too late to start that thirst for education. Even though I’m about to turn 30 at the end of this year, I want to learn even more now - more so than when I was 15. I believe that if you have a good education - and I don’t mean a wealthy education, just focused - then I think it will serve you very well along your life.’

The biggest gift you can give is time
‘If I could, I would tell my teenage self that there are plenty more fish in the sea. There are so many fish in the sea! When you’re young, you tend to be a little boy crazy and your family gets put on the sidelines for that. You devote all that energy towards grabbing that guy and there’s none left over for your sister or your parents or whatever else. But, everything’s turned out pretty much good for me so far.’

"Even though I’m about to turn 30 at the end of this year, I want to learn more now - even more so than when I was 15."

Surround yourself with positive role models
'Growing up, my beauty role models were people like Gwen Stefani and Chloe Sevigny - and they're mostly the same as they are now. Someone like Natalie Portman is a classic beauty. But I also appreciate the kind of eccentric style of people like Daphne Guinness. I love a bit of classic Liz Taylor style too. And Drew Barrymore – especially in the 90s. I mean, she’s so pretty now, but I love all those pictures of her with daisies in her hair.'

'There’s a real '90s youthful rebellion' feel on Tumblr right now, so that’s probably why I’m so influenced by it. I loved watching what Chloe Sevigny was doing in the early 00s. I thought it was so cool and she has this very androgynous look about her.’

Certain smells can change your mood
‘I’m a huge fan of vanilla. It’s such a wonderful, simple smell that makes everyone happy, and it’s not invasive. And musk too. Outside of perfumery, some of my other favourite smells would be garlic – I love when it's used in cooking. Come on, we all do! When we smell it, we’re like ‘ooh, what’s cooking?’ I love the smell of fire, a wood burning fire. I also love the smell of the lobby of the Park Hyatt in Paris - it’s on the [Place] Vendôme. I think they have their own scented candles - I like that. And finally I like baby powder smell. My sister just had a baby so it’s just like, everywhere!' 

'And you know what? I like the smell of falling in love. Like, someone’s skin. When you’re first falling in love, that’s always really fun. Or when you lay underneath that person and they breath on you and it’s like ‘ahh.’ That’s what we call oxytocin. It’s a very important chemical. If only we could bottle it! We’ll put it into our next perfume.’

Killer Queen’s Royal Revolution is £38.50 for 100ml, available nationwide from July 23rd.

Need another fix of Ms. Perry? Check out our round-up of her best hair and make-up looks.