Fashion footwear brand Nine West will launch their debut fragrance, Love Fury, in January, under arrangements with Inter Parfums. At the same time, they will introduce the Love Fury pointed toe platform pump...

According to Women's Wear Daily, the Italian denim-wear brand Diesel needs to amp up their women's business "following a long period where it became heavily reliant on men’s sales". Expect to see higher prices, better fabrics, more shoes and bags, and a more feminine look. Also key: Loverdose, their latest fragrance and part of their overall strategy to attract "a somewhat older customer than before, between the ages 25 to 55, with a sweet spot of around 30."¹

The ad copy for Loverdose is mostly about sex — quelle surprise! — with a splash of rock 'n roll: yes, sex sells, apparently, whether you're 15 or 25 or 35. Loverdose is meant to be a "beautiful but deadly narcotic for the senses" and reportedly it includes molecules that "stimulate the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that induces attraction and desire".² If it all sounds like the usual fragrance marketing fol-de-rol, luckily, the floriental juice has the same sense of humor as the television commercial, which features model Ashley Smith in a series of more-comical-than-sexy scenarios, and ends with her boyfriend not bothering to wake up when she comes home and kisses him.

Loverdose opens sweet and fizzy...

Britney Spears will launch Cosmic Radiance in August. The new fragrance for women is a flanker to last year's Radiance. The tag line: "be the brightest star in the universe"...

Justin Bieber will launch his first prestige perfume (as you might remember, he has already gotten his toes wet with scented dogtags), Someday, in June. The fruity gourmand scent is geared towards teenagers...

It's getting hard to keep up with Jennifer Lopez, not least because my local Macy's no longer carries all of her fragrance releases (Britney Spears has likewise been relegated to mass market). I sniffed My Glow quickly on paper when I ran across it in Walgreens (and pretty promptly forgot all about it), but Blue Glow and LA Glow will have to remain unsniffed mysteries. Love and Glamour is her latest effort, and apparently Macy's consented to provide it counter space...

On first smelling Yves Saint Laurent Belle d'Opium, two words came to mind, and they weren't "must buy." No, they were "hairspray oriental." I like some of Opium's flankers — the lovely Fleur de Shanghai* is a treat on a summer's night. But rather than referring to Belle d'Opium as a flanker, YSL calls it the "next generation" of Opium. If that's the case, somebody please talk to Opium about birth control.

Perfumers Honorine Blanc and Alberto Morillas developed Belle d'Opium, giving it notes including Casablanca lily, sandalwood, gardenia, white pepper, jasmine, and narguile accord. After a generous spray of Belle d'Opium, I smell a hint of orange before gardenia takes over. The gardenia isn't the wet, tropical gardenia of Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia or even Jovan Jungle Gardenia, but is a thin, synthetic flower coated in Aqua Net. A thread of tobacco and fruit run through the gardenia. The tiniest bit of jasmine hums along, too. Because of a little resin and amber, Belle d'Opium does smell like a high-pitched relative of Opium, but without Opium's drama and deep, clove-y spice...

Beyoncé will launch Heat Rush, a new perfume for women, in February of next year. Heat Rush is a daytime variation on the "overtly sexy" Beyoncé Heat fragrance which launched earlier this year...

Gwen Stefani will launch a new set of limited edition Harajuku Lovers fragrances next month under the name Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style:

The Harajuku Girls and G have made their way back to where it all started, the streets of Harajuku...

Britney Spears will launch Radiance, her latest perfume for women, in August.

Radiance is a white floral fragrance...