The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Choices by Tatianna arrived in 2018, a collaboration between Xyrena founder Killian Wells and Tatianna, the drag performer known for her run on RuPaul's Drag Race. The name says it plainly. Drag, in its sharpest form, is the act of choosing who you are, and Tatianna built her career on that choice. This one was a partnership with a queen who turned reinvention into a recognizable signature. The fragrance itself reads bright and unfussy: the opening carries a clean marine snap with a green water lily lift, the heart unfurls into a trio of citrus that feels juiced rather than synthetic, and cedar and musk hold the line once the splash wears off. The composition stays transparent through every phase, each note given room to breathe without crowding the next.
What makes this composition interesting is how little it tries. Salt and water lily up top, three citruses in the heart, cedar and musk underneath. No smoke, no resin, no dramatic heart-break note. The structure is almost a study in restraint, the kind of formula that could read generic in lesser hands. What elevates it is the ozonic thread that runs through every phase, that hum of moving air that keeps the citrus from collapsing into a standard cologne.
The evolution
The first fifteen minutes are all salt. There's a mineral snap at the top that reads more like ocean spray than table seasoning, a clean marine opening that sits cool against the skin. Water lily floats underneath it, vaguely green and aqueous, and the whole thing feels light and open rather than heavy or sweet. The citruses don't arrive so much as sharpen what's already there. Key lime first, sharp and almost bitter, then lemon smoothing the edges, then tangerine giving it weight and sweetness. The three citruses layer rather than compete, each one adding a different facet to the same bright idea. By the second hour the composition has settled into something quieter. The salt recedes, the citruses dim, and the cedar comes forward, dry and clean rather than soapy. The cedar carries a pencil-fresh character at first, then softens as the hours pass and the musk underneath rises to meet it.
Cultural impact
Choices by Tatianna occupies a particular corner of the celebrity fragrance world, one where the celebrity in question is tied to a specific subculture rather than a broad mainstream audience. Tatianna's name carries weight with drag enthusiasts and Drag Race viewers who already follow her work, and that built-in audience gave the launch a clearer reception than a generic celebrity scent might find. The press coverage at launch framed it as the scent of a drag queen in a bottle, and that phrasing stuck. It wears as a summer fragrance for people who want something fresh without reaching for the usual aquatic mainstream options.
The House
XyrenaXyrena creates niche fragrances that riff on pop‑culture moments and cult classics. Founded by perfumer Killian Wells, the house blends cinematic references with a cruelty‑free ethos, offering scents that feel like scented souvenirs from a favorite movie scene. Each launch arrives in a bottle that nods to the source material, turning a fragrance into a collectible artifact for fans and scent lovers alike.
The Creator
Killian WellsWells favors raw materials that carry a strong identity. He layers smoky accords, such as birch tar or burnt amber, with unexpected bright notes like citrus zest or green tea, creating contrast that snaps the composition into focus.
