Talk about ambitious! Jordin Sparks is determined as can be and now, besides flashin' that hot bod and pearly white smile 'atcha, she's launching her latest fragrance at the end of November, Ambition.  

“Right now, I feel like I can take on the world,” said the “American Idol” winner and “Sparkle” star, during a recent shoot for the fragrance in Los Angeles. “Ambition is the perfect word for where I am in my life right now.”
Photo: Donato Sardella 

The bottle? For the bottle, she said, “I wanted something that was really sleek, and I wanted something that was very easy to hold.” Of the box, she said, “It kind of looks like leather. I thought that was really cool.”

Is this the next big thing in the world of manicures, and fragrances? Perfumed polish has been sprouting up here and there, and Dior beauty made it no exception to pass the test.  Dior launched two shades to get your fingertips beautiful and smelling great, like waterlilies and lilacs to be exact. 
Waterlily is a lovely lilac color and the second, a soft mint green hue is called Forget-Me-Not.  
According to Dior's site, both nail polishes will release an "intoxicating rose fragrance" once dry.   Both polishes are limited edition, so snag 'em while you can! 

Behold, the tiny citrus fruit that remedies many beauty solutions and has it's plenty benefits for skin. 

How so, you may ask? 

Slowly zap away those zits and have a natural, healthy glow by squeezing some lemon juice into a glass of warm water and top it off with a drop or two of honey.  Sounds gross, but bottoms up ... you are on your way to good health and gorgeous skin! 

Have oily skin? Swipe off that grease by rubbing the fruit on your face and neck area.  Rubbing the citrusy drops of juice on your face will reduce shine and minimize pores.  

Need a natural hair conditioner? Rub some juice into your hair to rid dryness that may cause dandruff and the finished result?  A lovely, lustrous shine! 

Want to look like you got 8 hours of beauty sleep when you really only got half the amount, if that?  Before headin' to bed, add some lemon juice and glycerin to a glass of boiled milk.  Smooth it all over your face and watch the hours of beauty sleep add up! Talk about a fresh, glowing look all day.  

What lemon zest beauty benefit tip would you most likely use? 

Can you believe it's been 5 years since Versace has released it's last men's fragrance?! Versace Eros will launch later this month, first at the Tax Free World Exhibition in Cannes, France,and later launched in November in Italy.  Donatella Versace's inspiration behind it? Greek mythology! After delving deeply into the literature, the key to the scent's position is "unbridled sexual attraction".  

"This was very important for us,” she said this week of the scent developed by Versace’s fragrance licensee, Euroitalia. “I have focused a lot on men’s recently, and this was a chance to do something different for men, something that speaks of desire.”

“For me the fragrance is very iconic, it’s really the DNA of Versace,” added Donatella Versace. “We have the Greek motif that makes you think of ancient Greece and antiquity, mythology, and the color turquoise represents the Mediterranean. It’s very Versace.”

Photo Courtesy: Versace 

This November, Candie's first full beauty line (including fragrances) will be available, exclusively at Kohls.  With 20 nail polish shades, eight lip gloss tubes, and four lip gloss wands, all under $10, these beauty products will make the perfect stocking stuffers! Plus, with a total of 21 fragrances, including eau de toilettes and body sprays, pricing ranges from $25 to $35...we have to say...not bad! 

Candie's will also offer bath and body products, beginning with five lotions and five shower gels.  But wait...it doesn't stop there, it gets better! It's planned that seasonally, there will be limited edition kits for the holiday seasons, and for this year, the set contains items such as eye shadow, mascara, and eye pigments. 

"It’s a natural progression for Candie’s to now give our girl even more of what she wants in multiple scents, different forms like sprays and lotions, and beauty to round out a lifestyle beauty collection,” said chief merchandising officer Lanie List.

The Candie’s consumer, according to the brand, is between the ages of 16 and 21 years old and enjoys all things feminine, which is evident in the line’s packaging. “It has all the elements of what a girl loves most: Some sparkle [and] shine. It really looks like eye candy,” said List. “[It is] decorative so the girl is excited to leave it out on her vanity.” 

With names such as Cotton Candy, Vanilla Bon-Bon and Sugar Plum Blossom, Candie’s fragrances include notes like “fluffy marshmallow,” fresh strawberry and “whipped vanilla cream.” Product names for cosmetics — Mighty Mint nail polish and Skinny Latte lip gloss  for example — are equally reminiscent of a dessert menu.  YUM! 

Is it a fragrance? Or is it jewelry?  No matter what category you decide to categorize them to be, Lisa Hoffman and jeweler Tom Binns have collaborated in creating beautiful accessories that are fragrant and a definite must have  

Photo: WWD 
Lisa said that she had always been a fan of Binn's jewelry, and about a year a go, the two discussed creating jewelry to carry scents. Binn was intrigued that jewelry and fragrance are in fact worn on the same places on the body, the neck, the collarbone, the wrist...“What was so wonderful and thrilling for us was the organic connection between jewelry and fragrance,” said Hoffman.

Photo: WWD

The jewelry pieces are encased with beads made of flour with scents including Japanese Agarwood, Madagascar Orchid, Tunisian Neroli, French Clary Sage and Tuscan Fig. 

Not only are pendants for sale but the two have created cuffs and earrings to follow  in late 2012 and January 2013, respectively. 

Would you wear fragrance jewelry? 

The Chanel marketing team, you and I , as well as any other fragrance and beauty industry insider are all very interested and eager to see if a man can effectively sell a woman's fragrance, and Chanel has chosen Brad Pitt to test it out.  
Mid October, Chanel will do a global unveiling of it's first project with Pitt, a commercial and print ad for the iconic Chanl No. 5. 

Brad Pitt & Joe Wright
Photo By Sam Taylor-Wood for CHANEL 

“To keep a legend fresh, you always have to change its point of view,” said Andrea d’Avack, president, Chanel Fragrance & Beauty. “It is the first time we’ve had a man speaking about a women’s fragrance. We think very much that the perfume is a seduction between a man, a woman and the perfume. No.5 is our leading fragrance, and we are willing to make the investment to keep it on that level.”
The Pitt commercial is planned for an Oct. 15 global launch, while the print ad is expected to begin appearing in November fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines. D’Avack added that the campaign will also include extensive social-media outreach. “We are reaching the ecosystem of communications vehicles,” he said. “We believe this dynamic, modern campaign will make people think in a completely different way about No.5.” 

Try, But Don't Buy ...immediately.  We get it, you try it and you love it, but rid that temptation to buy and hold off.  Why? Sample, sample, sample and figure out what you really like. Admit it, how many perfumes do you have that you just won't or don't wear anymore?! Exactly!! Draws full! That's why it's best to try it, but don't buy it...right away.  Plus, it does take a few hours for the true scent to work with your body. 

Ask A Friend....what they think.  Getting a second opinion can help you break it off or help you make a decision to buy it! Get your friends or a family member to smell the scent on you for that second opinion.  

Shop Online...why pay full price when you can pay a fraction of the retail cost? Seriously, we have gotten some great buys and bargains for the same scents for way less. Plus, the convenience of shopping from home, well nothing beats it! 

What is your perfect perfume or cologne scent for you?  

If you are like us and have, what is safe to say an obsession with fragrances, than read on for our favorite, read-worthy, perfume books we think you'll love too! 
In Perfume: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Finest Fragrances by Nigel Groom, not only will you get the history and story of perfume, but you will get information on the ingredients and the processes used to create them, as well as classification and categories of perfume, how to choose the right perfume, bottles, perfume designers, etc.  This is a great read from someone who is just getting their nose into the fragrance industry. 

Photo: Amazon.com

Thinking of becoming a collector? Capture the love of perfume the right way with Perfume Bottles: A Collector's Guide by Madeleine Marsh.  This book is jam-packed with information for those who are beginning their perfume bottle collections.  More a guide than a read, this book will tell you how to get started and will help you be on your way collecting perfume bottles based on designers, makers, and manufacturers. 

Photo: Amazon.com
 

Have a leg up in the industry? You'll love Perfume: The Art & Science of Scent by Cathy Newman. Dig a bit deeper to the knowledge you already have and dive into 'an investigation' of perfumes, as well as athe perfume industry.  While many books, perfume books specifically, are ramble and filler, this book is certainly not one of those.  

YES! A female version of Dsquared2 Potion, hitting shelves this week.  The new eau de parfum for ladies is a floral, oriental chypre, "positioned as a luminous love potion that can turn women into seductresses".
Photographer Mario Sorrenti shot the new ad campaign, which is due to break on TV, print and the Web in October and features models Malgosia Bela and Diego Miguel shedding clothes and locking lips in a passionate love scene.

Seductive? To say the least! Will you be getting your hands on this sexy scent?  Top notes include bergamot, blackcurrant berries and violet over a heart of rose petals, jasmine flowers, lily of the valley and rhubarb, while the drydown includes white and black musk, black amber, patchouli and golden vanilla.

Photo: Dsquared2