Huge Lips Skinny Hips Lipgloss – From Purple Labs NYC, HLSH has everything you could want in a lip gloss – plus some stuff you never realized you missed! The “huge lips” come from vitamin B3 to plump your lips without the sting or burn, and the “skinny hips” comes from Hoodia extract, a natural appetite suppressant. The formula is light, creamy, and non-tacky – perfect for smooching away. Our favorite shade: Kitty Poledancer, a wonderfully neutral pink with just a hint of shimmer.

Sexy Smile – If your lips don’t need any more plumping, try Sexy Smile. This double duty gloss contains a long lasting blue-based gloss on one side (to avoid making teeth look unnaturally yellow). The other side contains a breath-freshening mild tooth whitener. Drink that red wine with confidence!

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Perfume – If you can’t get away to France, smell like it, with APOM fragrance from Maison Francis Kurkdjian. At once sensuous and light, this Oriental whiff combines orange flower, cedar wood, and ylang ylang flower. It will have him going “oh la la!”

Scandle – Finish the evening off with a Scandle. These wonderfully fragrant soy candles double as body oil. The wax burns two degrees higher than normal body temp, and is formulated with soy, shea, jojoba, and vitamin E. Pour a little bit for a moisturizing and fragrant massage – just remember to extinguish the flame first!

Dr. Perricone High Potency Eye Lift – Perfect for the morning after a night full of champagne and chocolates, High Potency Eye Lift has Perricone’s patented DMAE as well as phospholipids and pycnogenol to increase collagen, reduce dark circles, hydrate, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and fights the loss of skin elasticity.

We Tried: Egyptian Jasmine, a heady, pure, exotic jasmine scent that never overwhelms.

Pros: Made with beeswax, jojoba oil, and vitamin E, the perfume is creamy but doesn’t let the scent overwhelm. Solid means it won’t spill or leak (but you do have to watch out for meltage).

Cons: The scent doesn’t last long – maybe a half-hour. The small perfume pot means that, halfway in, it is hard to get any perfume out without getting it under your nail. Also, you will want to make sure you have clean fingers before applying.

Verdict? Intoxicating scents in a natural base make up for the short lifespan. Far more appealing to travel with than a delicate glass bottle. It’s a winner.

The Deets: Solid perfumes will set you back $23. Other products run $12-$65. Purchase at Amazon.com or khalldesigns.com

While Tocca started out as a clothing line, the popularity of its beauty line quickly became what the brand is best known for, with a small selection of elegant, luxurious candles and home fragrances. They have slowly expanded into a collection of fine fragrances and bath & body products, in a handful of fragrances.

Good things come to those who wait: over ten years after the launch of Tocca Beauty’s first experimental line of products comes their newest fine fragrance: Brigitte. Named for Brigitte Bardot, the scent is a soft, exotic combination of ginger, rhubarb, papaya, Moroccan rose, iris, saffron, sandalwood, and musk. It’s a fruity-oriental scent that I could swear had vanilla notes, even if it is not listed. Staying power is about average – won’t last all day, but it will certainly last through a dinner date and then some. I love that it is “softly heady” – it is the kind of scent that, if not properly mixed, could be cloying and nauseating. But it most certainly is not – no headaches here.

As delightful as the fragrance itself is the bottle. A heavy globe, topped off by a weighty metal cap. The cap is etched with birds and scrolling vines to match the glittering gold motif of the box. Yup, it’s luxury from store shelf to vanity to your dainty wrists.

Scent to Sleep promises an end to insomnia with their linen sprays. I tried out the Luscious Lavender scent (it is also available in Decadent Green Apple Vanilla). I have long been aware of the relaxing properties of lavender, but often find the scent to be overwhelming. The Luscious Lavender spray does not suffer from this. It is mild, blended with peppermint oil, and not overpowering.

It smelled nice, but I don’t think it is going to cure my insomnia. I didn’t fall asleep any quicker, but I slept through the night without nightmares. The second night I tried it I again passed on the nightmares, but my sleep wasn’t as restful. The scent was mild enough that it was gone by the next morning, and it didn’t disturb my husband. At $11.99 per 2.5 oz. bottle, it is reasonably priced enough to give it a shot. Don’t be fooled that this is a miracle cure for insomnia. It smells nice, but almost any pleasant scent will help you relax. There is something indulgent about resting your head on a pillow infused with fragrance, though.

Visit ScentToSleep.com to purchase

The current line includes: Luv, a blend of rare pink gardenias, Hawaiian white flowers, vanilla, and white musk; Soul, papaya, coconut, pineapple, and clean musk; and Truth, a citrusy blend of lemon-lime, exotic floral, and sheer musk. All of her scents are light and fresh. No cloying or headache-inducing scents here. I can’t decide which I like best, so let’s let Sharon tell us more about them.

Tell us about your background. Have you always wanted to be a perfumer?
I have been layering/blending solid perfumes and perfume oils since I was a teenager. I have always been a “perfumey”, but my background is not a traditional perfumer background. It’s rather intuitive.

When did you create your first scent?
I guess when I was a teenager layering and coming up with my own concoction. But I would have to say my first real scent is Luv. That was finished its final formulation in 2004.

How did you decide on the notes for each of your fragrances?
I looked at what notes I prefer, but also wanted to appeal to a range of women’s and men’s preferences. Generally the types that are preferred are citrus/green (Truth), floral (Luv), gourmand/fruity (Soul) and oriental/chypre (Dream).

What is the inspiration for your scents?
We get emails and calls all the time from people saying how much they love our scents, or it reminds them of their honeymoon, or of a childhood memory or their husband loves it… it goes on and on. That is extraordinary for me, very touching and so inspirational. Also, I am from Canada and I love, love, love anywhere warm after growing up in the cold. My heart belongs in Hawaii and Santa Barbara… they are both absolutely gorgeous and tropical and capture my soul. Those places, plus my travels and experiences are inspiration for the scents.

Which one is your favorite?
Oh, tough question…. I wear them all depending on how I feel, but I would have to say Luv, followed by our new limited edition scent [Dream].

If you sniff one of your friends/family wearing a scent that is not yours, do you give them a hard time?
LOL! I try not to. Truthfully, no. There are some amazing perfumes out there! And our scents smell different on everyone. I was hugging a friend of mine goodbye and said “Oh my, what have you got on? You smell amazing!” She looked at me with surprise and said “Sharon, it’s yours… it’s Truth.” I didn’t recognize it on her.

What new scents do you have in the works?
Our limited edition scent is launching November 15th. It’s called Dream: bergamot, white freesia, and mimosa with accords of sandalwood, amber and exotic musk. Its getting rave reviews. For the holidays, the scent comes in a white satin pouch embroidered with our logo. On each end of the drawstrings there are 24kt gold dipped treasures from nature. The treasures being a sand dollar or a maile leaf and a pearl. So, the recipient can then take the “treasures” and string them on her own favorite gold chain. It is a complete “Dreamy” gift. It will be available at Harmony Lane in Beverly Hills.

Visit SharonBoltonScents.com to order Sharon’s perfume oils, body lotions, shower creams, and soy candles.

Celebrity fragrances are big business nowadays. It seems like every celebrity and why-are-they-a-celebrity has a perfume. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, Paula Abdul, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff, Celine Dion, Antonio Banderas… it’s like a who’s who of fading divas. Their fragrances are never remarkable.

When I told my husband that Prince was releasing his own fragrance line, he said, “um, what?” Almost any other celebrity, I would just roll my eyes and ignore it. But Prince is different. He is odd by nature, so this just doesn’t seem odd at all. And all of his odd stuff has (or seems to have) a modicum of thought and quality behind it, so I did not discount Prince.

Glad I didn’t. 3121 is a surprisingly complicated scent. An initial sniff made me wary – it was quite heavy, almost oriental, and I am not a fan of either scent. But a quick spritz on the wrist and it immediately mellowed. It was still somewhat heady, but not overwhelming, and did not induce headache. The notes in 3121 are numerous: bergamot, jasmine, gardenia, patchouli, sandalwood, musk, and tuberose are just some that you will find.

Packaging is a very important part of product marketing. In the beauty industry, this seems to be even more important. When asked why they like Stila cosmetics, for example, most women will first answer that the adorable packaging caught their eye over everything else. 3121 fragrance doesn’t disappoint in the looks department, either. The faceted bottle is meant to resemble an emerald-cut diamond (or an amethyst since, in keeping with Prince’s tradition, the bottle is clear, but the fragrance itself has a faint purple tinge). And that gold panel on the bottle? That’s not painted on; that’s 22 karats of gold, baby. Yes, even your dressing table deserves some bling.

First it was Prince and purple. Then it was his symbol. Now he is identifying himself with the number 3121, the address on his Hollywood Hills home. His new album is titled 3121 (with several 3121 number combinations hidden throughout). His Las Vegas club at the Rio Hotel is called 3121 (incidentally, rumor has it that he chose the Rio Hotel to host his club because the exterior is purple). And now his fragrance is called 3121. But it doesn’t stop there. The 30 ml bottle will retail for $31.21. Fun-with-numbers doesn’t stop there. The fragrance debuted on 07/07/07, and in the first 24 hours of sales, 7% of sales of the 30 ml bottle were divided between 7 different charities.

The fragrance is available for purchase from 3121perfume.com and at select Macy’s stores. How can you say no to these eyes?

It’s not designer. It’s not rare or exclusive. It’s not very expensive. But it is one of my favorite scents.

I am addicted to The Body Shop’s White Musk fragrance. Musk normally connotes a heavier, sometimes cloying scent. Not this musk. This sniff is light, it is clean, it is slightly creamy. Fresh enough for warmer days, comforting enough for colder days.

Of course, the downside is that the scent fades very quickly. It is meant to be “layered” with other White Musk products, which I take to be something of a scam to get you to buy more Body Shop products. I’m not a fan of the other products, like the lotion. It is too light and the scent just isn’t the same. White Musk is inexpensive enough that I can reapply frequently and feel guilty about it. I have searched for a comparable White Musk scent that lasts longer, but after trying dozens, I haven’t found one I like nearly as much as this one from The Body Shop.

I am loving this new boutique-y fragrance by Estilo. Called “Inhale,” it is a blend of lily of the valley and jasmine, with a light amber base. Since the fragrance has only three notes, it keeps things pure and uncomplicated. The florals are fresh and watery, and they are complimented nicely by the rich amber. No chemical notes here, and nothing that will induce a headache. It is a wonderful, fresh fragrance that is great for spring, but might be a little too heavy for summer.

Estilo comes from the Portuguese word for “style.” And they encompass all areas of style – besides fragrance, they also design clothing and accessories with a European influence. At press time, the Estilo site was, sadly, under construction, so I have not had a chance to check out any of their designs.

“Inhale” is only available via the Estilo website, and at select salons in New Jersey, so if you are looking for an exclusive signature scent that no one else will be wearing, this is a good choice.

Kai Fragrance is my “signature” scent. Before I discovered Kai, I was a real fragrance nut. Between bottles and samples, I probably have nearly 100 different scents. I found many that I liked, even loved, and changed my scent like I changed my clothes. Then I found Kai.

Kai was created by Gaye Straza Rappaport as a way to capture the memory of a youth spent in Hawaii. The scent is tropical with strong notes of gardenia.

I received a sample of it, and gave it a shot. I was in love. I immediately bought myself a full-sized bottle, despite the hefty price tag: $45 for 1/8 of an ounce. It was worth every penny. It is warm enough to be a winter fragrance, and bright enough to be a summer fragrance. The tiny roll-on oil bottle fits perfectly in my purse, and is easy to travel with. Kai is the only fragrance I have ever purchased, finished completely, and purchased another. I still have all of my other perfumes – many of which I still adore – but I can rarely ever get passed the Kai bottle.

I am quite sensitive to perfume. I pick up on chemical and alcohol notes very quickly – it burns my sinuses and gives me a headache. I get none of that with Kai. It is pure and clean. It is not carried in most department or perfume stores, which I like because it is special. You can walk in to a party and identify the perfume on most women as Dior, Lancome, Shalimar. But few – if any – will be able to identify Kai.

Since I started wearing Kai, I have not felt the need to purchase another new fragrance.