Avon has launched another collaboration with designer Christian Lacroix (see Rouge & Noir, Absynthe Her & Absynthe Him): Nuit de Christian Lacroix...

Oscar de la Renta will launch Live in Love, a new fragrance for women, in October. The name is taken from a tattoo on his atelier director's arm...

Yves Saint Laurent will launch L'Homme Libre in September. The new fragrance for men is a flanker to 2006's L'Homme Yves Saint Laurent, and is fronted by dancer Benjamin Millepied...

It's disconcerting to consider Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds, a perfume supposed to represent the actress. After all, which Liz are we talking about? The ingénue of National Velvet? The tempestuous, alcohol-sodden seductress of Butterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Senator's wife, depressed and overweight? Or maybe the laid-back Mrs. Fortensky?

I knew White Diamonds was wildly popular, but I expected it earned its sales among soap-opera-watching, chain-smoking elderly ladies. I figured it would smell of sharp aldehydes, cheap white flowers, and rubbing alcohol. Boy was I wrong. White Diamonds Eau de Toilette is a gentle white floral chypre with a soft, clean feel. Spring-sweet and soapy fresh. Classic, really. I'm hooked.

It seems crazy, but when Parfums International launched White Diamonds in the fall of 1991, it was the first time a celebrity had released a second feminine fragrance. Elizabeth Taylor Passion for Women (1987) and Passion for Men had already hit the market...

You might think my failure to keep up with celebrity news and gossip would be a handicap when it came to reviewing celebrity perfumes, but it's really an asset: it's much easier to consider a perfume objectively when you know little or nothing about the person fronting it. And since most celebrities have little or nothing to do with developing the perfumes released under their names, it seems silly to worry about who they are and what they do anyway, other than insofar as their shenanigans might affect perfume sales.

Elizabeth Taylor is another matter. She's an icon, for heaven's sakes — even I know who Elizabeth Taylor is. Plus she's 78 years old, and not in the best of health. I readily admit that if her latest perfume, Violet Eyes, turned out to be hilariously vile, I'd have a pretty hard time saying so...

Cacharel will introduce Amor Amor Delight, the latest limited edition flanker to their popular Amor Amor fragrance for women (see also: Amor Amor Sunshine & Amor Pour Homme Sunshine, Amor Amor Tentation, Amor Amor Sunrise), in April...

Elizabeth Taylor will launch Violet Eyes, a new fragrance for women, this April:

Violet Eyes is an expression of Elizabeth Taylor, an intriguing global icon. Her timeless beauty...

Aramis has launched Aramis Cool Blend, a new limited edition fresh chypre for men. The new fragrance aims to bring the "next generation" into the Aramis fold...

Helena Rubinstein's new Wanted fragrance was built around an abstract accord of magnolia wood, and is meant to be a "a vibrant woody floral filled with sensual and carnal tension".¹ Sounds good, no? And while I have no particular feelings about Demi Moore either way, it's always nice to see someone over the age of 40 (or let's face it, even 25) fronting a new perfume.

Wanted doesn't quite live up to its steamy advertising, but it's not bad. The opening is a fruity-lemony blend of ylang ylang and magnolia (other notes include iris, cedar, sandalwood and vanilla). It's rather high pitched — yes, even vibrant — in the early stages. The dry down falls squarely into the modern "fresh floral" mode: it's airy and clean, slightly watery, and very smooth...