Carolina Herrera has launched 212 VIP Men, the masculine counterpart to last year's 212 VIP:

212 VIP MEN is a masculine fragrance that completes the 212 VIP universe and represents the style and attitude of VIP men in New York...

A contemporary take on the eternal symbol of love: the rose. Inspired by the perfect love between two people, P.S. I Love You encapsulates the giddy excitement and shared secrets of timeless love...

When the 12 Tom Ford Private Blend fragrances were released simultaneously in 2007, I threw up my hands. I was already drowning in untried samples of new fragrances, and obtaining samples of the Private Blends would have required either begging friends in New York to trudge to the Tom Ford store or ordering the samples online myself (clicking “BUY NOW” 12 times didn’t sound like fun). I ‘forgot’ about the Private Blends until recently when a reader of Now Smell This (a fragrance lover from Brooklyn, NY) decided my ignorance of the Tom Ford Private Blends was inexcusable; he sent me samples of 10 of the fragrances immediately and I obtained the two other fragrance samples from a friend in Los Angeles who got them from Neiman Marcus. (Thank you both!)

I don’t dislike any of the Private Blends; they are made from high-quality ingredients and many of them provide a level of complexity and development that is lacking in most fragrances I sample. After wearing all the Private Blends, my favorites are The Classic (Neroli Portofino) and The Weirdo (Purple Patchouli)...

Last week I sat down to try Usher She and Sean John Unforgivable Woman. She went on one arm; Unforgivable Woman on the other. Within an hour I'd forgotten which was which and had to put them on again, but pretty soon I forgot all over again. It isn't that they smell exactly the same, but they feel the same, that is, it is pretty clear that they're reaching for the same audience.

So, a face-off. First, the facts. Usher She is designated for "a woman of mystery and confidence", and was created by perfumers Honorine Blanc and Richard Herpin. The notes: red currant, pink freesia, apple blossom, frangipani, apricot nectar, jasmine, passion rose, amber wood, musk, cashmere wood, vanilla orchid and incense. Sean John Unforgivable Woman is a "sensual, creamy floral" by perfumer David Apel, with notes of bergamot, orange, neroli, cassis, grapefruit, apple, cucumber, piña colada, orange flower, jasmine, violet, muguet, freesia, cyclamen, amber, tonka beans, coco de mer, vanilla tears, cedar, sandalwood, oak moss, patchouli, vetiver and iris.

Freshly applied: Usher She is juicy and fruity and sweet, with just a touch of tartness. It has a slightly creamy feel right from the outset. Unforgivable Woman is also fruity and juicy, but it is not nearly as sweet, and it has a nice warmth to it...

Like the first fragrance, it was developed by perfumer David Apel. The "sensual, creamy floral" includes notes of bergamot, orange, neroli, cassis, grapefruit, apple, cucumber...

Bleecker Street is the 24th and most recent in Bond no. 9's series of perfumes celebrating famous neighborhoods in New York City. Bleecker Street is a fashionable shopping destination in the West Village, and also the location of the newest Bond no. 9 boutique. The fragrance was created by perfumer David Apel and features notes of violet leaf, cassis, thyme, jasmine, cedar, cinnamon, oakmoss, suede, patchouli, amber and vanilla.

Early reports that the Bleecker Street fragrance would pay tribute to the Magnolia Bakery (initially famous for their cupcakes, now famous for being featured on Sex & the City) down the street led me to assume that it would be a sweet, dessert-like gourmand. That is not quite what it turns out to be. Bond no. 9 is calling it a "woody gourmand oriental", which is somewhat closer to the mark...