There was a time when vanilla was the scent of choice for the cool girls. They were hot too. And had an effortless appeal about them that enticed and enthralled all. Somehow they managed to get good grades, score high points with the cheerleading squad (while not being on the team), save the seals, be down with the underground garage bands, and still say hi to you in the high-school parking lot.

The new LAVANILA Laboratories Vanilla Spice fragrance ($56) is just as mysteriously and successfully, enticingly multitasking in its appeal. Carried exclusively by Sephora, the light formula is a spicy, yet subtle, mix of nutmeg, cardamom and, of course, that sexy vanilla.

It's fashioned from organic oils, which helps the scent linger like the memories of those coolio chicas. And like those cool girls, this perfume has a sweet side—it is the first evs to be completely alcohol- and phthalates-free. And a natural blend of gogi berry, olive leaf and kakadu plum promise to hydrate and nourish skin. Plus, there's pretty packaging that's definitively grown-up. Sometimes, you can go back—only better.

What--did he threaten to whack someone?

The Sopranos' Tony Sirico--aka Paulie Walnuts--has his own fragrance, Paolo per Uomo: Inspired by Tony Sirico. I'm frightened to think of what it might smell like (spaghetti Bolognese?), but it has inspired me to count down my favorite Italian frags:

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette. In the ads, the model is always looking refreshed and relaxed, boating around Sicily. Yeah, that pretty much sums up this clear, salty, citrus fragrance to a T. (P.S.: It's an Allure Best of Beauty winner.) $59.50.

Missoni Eau de Parfum Spray. With bitter orange and gianduia chocolate (a sweet cocoa with almond and hazelnut), it's sweet, sophisticated, and unexpected. $60.

Eau d'Italie Magnolia Romana. Imagine freshly-picked basil and sweet lemon, crushed into a refreshing unisex fragrance. God, take me to Capri. $120.

Prada Eau de Parfum. The first time I smelled this warm, cozy amber fragrance, I was hugging my sweet Italian friend, Rose. It just fit her. $70.

Versace Crystal Bright Crystal. Big, bold blossoms of peony and magnolia on a bed of amber and musk--Donatella's fragrance is all curves. $48.

Top that, Walnuts.

If you've ever stepped into a Lilly Pulitzer boutique, you'll know you're in for a colorful, girly experience. So, it's no surprise that that the brand is launching a trio of colorful, girly fragrances.

Named Wink, Squeeze, and Beachy, each fragrance was developed with a theme in mind:

• For the flirty, there's Wink — With top notes of freesia, pear and "lush gardens"; middle notes of rose, lilly, and violets; and base notes of amber and musk, this ultrafloral blend is a bit strong for me.
• For the confident type who "squeezes the juice out of life," there's well, Squeeze — A blend of lychee, pink grapefruit, and candied red currant; middle notes of lotus blossom and rose petals; and base notes of woods and musk. While still a tad too floral for my liking, the grapefruit is the star here, and makes for a less froufrou scent.
• For the sun lover, there's Beachy — A mix of citrus, watermelon, and marine air accord for top notes; jasmine, tiare flower, and frangipani for middle notes; topped off with sea crystals, golden amber, and sweet vanilla. While I like my beachy smell with a little more coconut and some earthy grit, this one's got an exotic quality with a sweet and pungent lingering finish.

Which one sounds like a keeper to you?

You know those perfume sampler sheets that are tucked under flaps in the pages of magazines? I used to find them a bit overpowering and annoying, but now it's quite the opposite. For a Bella like me, they've actually become a convenient way to window-shop in my pj's, all while testing out the latest fragrances in one place.

So, after making a hilarious discovery in my mom's bathroom — she had a secret stash of samplers piled in the drawer for "fancy events" — this got me to thinking. Whether you hoard these testers or just ignore them, what's your take on these fragrant sheets?

What Do You Do With Magazine Perfume Samples?

I rip them out and save them to wear for later.

I rip them out and toss them into the trash.

I sniff them or dab them right from the mag.

Other — I'll tell you in the comment section below.

Thinking you might want to get in on some secret spy action? Well, here's your chance. Avon's got a new James Bond-inspired fragrance called Bond Girl 007 ($30). And though smelling the hunky Daniel Craig might not be so bad, you won't have to worry about smelling like the manly 007 himself. This one's just for the ladies.

Produced in conjunction with the release of Quantum of Solace, the 22nd (whoa!) Bond flick, the bottle is shaped like the female form with a grenade-like gizmo for the cap. It's both sweet and sexy, just like the fragrance itself.

Upon initial whiff, there's an intense, pastry-like quality from the peach and orange notes. Jasmine, orchid, and freesia lend a bit of fresh, feminine qualities, while wood, amber, and patchouli round it off for a somewhat musky, deeper base.

All in all, Bond Girl 007 isn't my personal favorite, but it isn't displeasing either. If you're into sweet scents with a hint of warmth, I'd give it a shot. Bang.

Cheap perfume — doesn't exactly conjure up pleasant images, now does it? But, there are several on-the-cheap perfumes available that are actually quite low on the funk factor. For last week's Beauty Mark It challenge, I asked you to share your opinions on perfumes under the $25 mark. Thanks to all who submitted their reviews, and here are my three favorites:

• Team member Ranksubjugation gave Aquolina Pink Sugar Rollerball ($19) five stars — "Floral perfumes give me headaches for days, but I swoon at the gourmands. This smells like yummy cotton candy, and somehow communicates a sense of warmth, too. Very comforting, sweet, fun, cozy!"
• Saucymerlot was a fan of Fresh Sugar Lemon To Go ($24.50) — "The lemon top note is a bit too intense initially, but after a couple hours, it is subtly sweet and citrus-y, though complex. . . You definitely think sugar and sweetness when smelling this, though it actually smells nothing like sugar. I also use in a pinch as a home fragrance. That being said, my boyfriend thinks I smell like lemon dish soap when I wear it."
• It was a great "accidental find" for Smashedpotatoe13, who reviewed Lucky You Perfume ($21.89) — "A friend left her sample-sized Lucky You in my makeup bag a while back. . . let's just say I 'forgot' to give it back to her. I like that I can buy it at any Target in case I forget to pack my everyday perfume when I'm going out of town."

Paris Hilton was at Macy's San Francisco today, meeting an enormous throng of feverish fans to talk about her latest fragrance, Fairy Dust. Paris came up with the concept for the scent on her own. "I just always loved fairy tales," she explained. "I just wanted to make a fragrance that was magical and special." Consensus at Sugar HQ is that the fruity floral scent is more sophisticated than her last one, Can Can (which did fairly well in a blind sniff test).

Before heading down to meet fans, Paris took a few minutes to talk about her fragrance empire, her skin care routine (seriously, her complexion is flawless) and what it's like to be talked about. For the scoop,

read more

The term "cheap perfume" doesn't exactly have positive connotations. But just because it might cost less, does that mean a fragrance should be discredited? Nope — there are plenty of good ones lumped into the inexpensive category.

So, for this week's Beauty Mark It challenge, fill me in. Which on-the-cheap fragrances are so fabulous, people stop you on the street to ask what you're wearing? Don't forget about the flip side, too. Which of these cheapos are also stinkos?

Just go to the fragrances under $25 section of our wildly popular Product Reviews website and review away. So, get spritzing and dabbing — I'll pick my top three favorites and feature them here next Tuesday.

Source

Remember the Beverly Hills, 90210 fragrance? In fact, there were more than one of them. Television shows from All My Children to American Idol have long inspired fragrances as well as other forms of media. What does Baywatch smell like anyway? Wait, don't answer that.

Instead, check out this gallery of scents past that may make you reconsider why Donald Trump has a fragrance.

Karl Lagerfeld's Kapsule fragrances, as discussed, are sold separately but can be worn together—all on the same day, according to the Kaiser himself. While usually more than one perfume is a guaranteed headache to me, I actually loved doing it with these.

I started with Light, a fresh scent with vibrant bitter orange, watery jasmine, nutmeg and clove. It's a lovely, well-thought-out scent, but certainly best experienced in the morning—it's distinctly daytime. In the middle of the day, I remembered that I was packing Floriental in my purse and spritzed some on. My favorite of the three, Floriental is more modern, green scent with a hint of violet and black tea leaves. It's the perfect amount of sexiness for early afternoon. The most evening-appropriate, and my third perfume of the day, is Woody, which is a drier smell, and includes cedar and plum. It's a little sexier, sure, but Floriental is still my favorite. Do you need all three? No, but if you're looking to build a fragrance "wardrobe" of sorts, it's a good way to start.

The Sarah Jessica Parker fragrance empire is expanding. Her first scent, Lovely, was an enormous success that led to a complex scent called Covet. That one is no longer in most stores, and she's still working on a genderless scent. But beginning in February, she'll extend the Lovely line to include three new scents based on the concept of time: Dawn, Endless, and Twilight (no relation to the vampire series of the same name).

“Dawn is the fresh and clean scent,” Parker told WWD. “Its inspiration was morning, sunrise. It’s about enjoying those few moments for yourself, stepping out and welcoming what the day has to bring your way. Endless is the fruity, floral scent. The inspiration for this one was those moments you find yourself in a state of pure happiness, loving life. And Twilight is the sexy, musky scent. This one is for those moments of intimacy, of love, and being close. It’s slightly complex and mysterious.”

To see previews of SJP in the ad campaign,

read more

Don't call it a comeback: Fresh on the heels of the launch of Britney Spears' Believe fragrance comes word of yet another—Hidden Fantasy, which will be in stores in January. According to the perfumer, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, “The original inspiration for this fragrance comes from Britney’s love for white florals, vanilla, and luscious desserts. Drawing from a cherished memory of my own, I built this fragrance with a heart of sensual jasmine and sweet Napolitano cake.”

Indeed, Hidden Fantasy ($55 for 3.3 oz) is a very saccharine scent, with discernible notes of Mexican vanilla bean, orange and clove. If you like the singer's other fragrances, you'll probably appreciate that it smells a little more grown-up than her previous scents. Which is not to say it's sophisticated by any means, but a true Britney fan will not be disappointed.

"They're really modern fragrances, not boudoir scents," says Karl Lagerfeld in a promotional clip about his new fragrance trio, Kapsule. "It's a proposal of fragrances, that's why there are three. I think in French, they say 'never two without three.' A woman can choose all three or just one of the three... I like to switch them around: in the morning, the evening."

Because I can't decide which of the unisex scents—Woody, Light and Floriental—I like best, I'm going to wear them like The Kaiser, and let you know how it works out. The fragrances, which will be available next month, each have a tagline about why you'd put them on that does seem to correspond to times of day (Light: "To make a bright start to the day," Floriental: "To find adventure at every turn" and Woody: "To make the mystery linger"). Stay tuned to see if I decide to start carrying around three bottles of perfume.

As the name might suggest, the citrus family of fragrances includes such notes as bergamot, lemon, orange, tangerine and grapefruit. Typically, other parts of the orange tree (petit grain, orange blossoms, and/or neroli oil) are added, which lend a slightly exotic feel.

Words used to describe these types of refreshing fragrances are: fresh, light, tangy, crisp, sharp, energizing, and uplifting. Loved by both men and women alike, notes of florals or chypres are often mixed in for complementary effects.

One of the oldest classifications of aromas, the first Eau de Cologne was a spirit-citrus perfume developed by an Italian perfumer in Cologne, Germany in 1709. A classic example of a citrus aroma in modern times is Mugler Cologne ($48 to $68), a unisex fragrance that has notes of bergamot, orange blossom, neroli, petit grain, green sap, and white musk.

Source