La Prairie, the luxe skincare company that's made addicts of many a wrinkle-averse lady who lunches, has introduced its latest jar of alchemy-promising cream: Cellular Cream Platinum Rare, which retails for $1,000. The cream purportedly adjusts to heat and humidity to maintain perfect moisture levels and will fight aging harder than Muhammad Ali.

The brand is relying on word of mouth instead of traditional advertising to inspire purchase, a marketing ploy which may backfire among those who are loathe to disclose such an extravagance amidst the economic crisis.

Available at all the usual suspects (Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman's, Saks, Holt Renfrew) or at laprairie.com.

I know I said in a recent post that some days I'm celebbed-out, but darn it, they just keep making news! Case in point: Hot couple David and Victoria Beckham have teamed up for another commercial venture. On September 26, the duo launched their new Beckham Signature Fragrance Collection at Macy's Herald Square in New York City. Let's hope it doesn't go the way of her clothing collection.

Anyway ... about 2,000 fans showed up in the rain to see the dynamic duo release their fragrances -- Signature for Her and Signature for Him. "It's great for me to be able to create a fragrance for him, but he is much more involved than he gives himself credit for," gushed Victoria. "David has such amazing taste!"

"The new venture reportedly represents a foray into more prestige branding and is meant to reflect their new image since their establishment in California," mimifroufrou.com reported. "It is not entirely clear what this means, but it seems to be an allusion to a more ostentatious, glamorous Californian lifestyle and maybe something to do with the myth of the American dream."

Signature for Her, a fruity floriental, was developed by Beckham with Sylvie Fischer from Takasago. It opens with anise flower and candy apple; has a heart of orchid, heliotrope, and vanilla; and a drydown of patchouli, amber, and musk. "I love white orchids, and I wanted something light," said Beckham. "I can't bear it when you can smell someone before you see them."

Signature for Him, a fresh woody oriental concocted by Beckham and Beatrice Piquet of International Flavors & Fragrances, opens with mandarin, watermelon, and marine notes; has a heart of fresh living lantana, cypress, and spicy juniper berry, and a drydown of moss, sensual white amber and patchouli.

The Eaux de Toilette will retail for $52 and $62 for her, and $50 and $60 for him.

Of note: Most of the comments I saw on this news focused on what the two were wearing (David: Tom Ford suit, Victoria: Antonio Berardi outfit and heel-less boots).

In what is touted as the "art of beauty without artifice," Fekkai & Co. introduces its new Au Naturel line, hair care made from luxurious plant-based ingredients such as calendula petals, tonka bean and ginger--and no evil sulfates, parabens or synthetic fragrance. Shampoos, conditioners and styling products start at $23 per 40%-recycled-bottle.

Denim line Rock & Republic has taken their urban glitz ethos into the cosmetics arena. Their new line is decked out in black and chromed-out compacts featuring a bold version of the company logo and the color names aspire to Hollywood decadence with names like "trust fund," "train wreck" and a shade of red lip gloss called "cougar." The bronzing and highlighting powder duo comes in a crystal-encrusted compact that sells for $225 in three shades called Private Jet, Villa and Penthouse. Erin Weinger of the LA Times checked out the line and questioned whether or not the products are more flash than substance. Sounds like the cosmetics are right in line with the denim brand's overall style.

It used to be that if a celebrity had just a fragrance they would just create one signature scent and that would be it. Today's celebrities often create more than one scent and today I'm digging into my prize closet to offer you a choice of two scents from Parlux: Paris Hilton's fourth, Can Can or Jessica Simpson's first since her Dessert line, Fancy.

Can Can Paris Hilton was inspired by the Can-Can dancers of the Moulin Rouge. I'm no fan of Hilton's Heiress which is basically bubblegum in a bottle but this one is a little spicier with some amber and musk notes. It still overwhelms with a big presentation of clementine flower, cassis, nectarine, wild orchid and orange blossom but it settles into a fruity floral that it a little sexier and more grown up than Paris Hilton's other scents.

Jessica Simpson Fancy recently came out and like the Paris Hilton's scents it's more girly than womanly. The scent has notes of pear, apricot nectar, gardenia, almonds, vanilla and amber. This scent does echo the candy-like scents of the Dessert line but with an added dose of light floral. The scent mellows into a soft amber with a sugary vanilla core. It's not exactly complex but its sweet and uncomplicated nature reflects the woman it was created for.

I'm giving away one 3.4 ounce bottle of Paris Hilton Can Can and Jessica Simpson Fancy Eau de Parfum to two commenters. To enter let me know which one you'd prefer and why.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, September 12, 2008. We'll randomly choose one winner amongst the eligible entries.

Some other important details:

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below answering the question above.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before Friday, September 12, 2008 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* Two winners will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a 3.4 ounce bottle of Paris Hilton Can Can Eau de Parfum Spray valued at $55. One winner will recieve a 3.4 ounce bottle of Jessica Simpson Fancy Eau de Parfum Spray valued at $59.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

See complete contest rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for participating!

Ralph Lauren is betting that some people will be willing to pay over $4,000 for a bottle of perfume this holiday season. His "super premium" perfume titled simply "Love" will be launched at Harrods in October. The fragrance will come in a gold-plated bottle and wlll be aimed at luxury consumers over the age of 25. I haven't been able to find out any details on what it actually smells like yet.

Perfumer Mathilde Laurent has created a couple of new fragrances for women in the past couple of years and now turns her hand to the first men's fragrance for the jeweler in nearly a decade. Roadster is inspired by Cartier's Roadster watch. The cap resembles the Roadster's watch crown and the bottle is meant to be laid on it's side, evoking the look if a car tailight. The fragrance has notes of bergamot, mint, patchouli and vanilla and will be sold in Cartier boutiques and Bloomingdale's stores for a suggested $105 for a 3.3-ounce bottle. There's currently an interesting thread on Basenotes debating the scent.

[via Daily Breeze]

Leonardo DiCaprio's gorgeous Israeli model girlfriend Bar Refaeli appears in the ad campaign for Sean Combs' modestly-named new fragrance, "I Am King." The pix (above) portray Puffy (or Diddy or whatever he's calling himself this week) tooling around in Saint-Tropez and Monaco on helicopters, yachts and so forth with Refaeli (left) and another model in typical mega-mogul fashion. New York magazine reports the new cologne will launch exclusively at Macy's in December with a global launch set for February, and a women's fragrance ("I Am Queen") to follow in 2009; global sales are expected to total $100 million in the first year alone.

Angela Kim may have started with a successful career as a concert pianist but an allergic reaction spurred her to add the creation of Om Aroma & Co skincare and spa products to her resume. Crafted with caviar, champagne, truffles and chardonnay her luscious line of products sound like a fancy dinner for two but combined with amino acids and organic vitamins and minerals the decadent creams make a luxurious spread for your skin instead. From Arizona to Florida, California to Vermont Om Aroma products are available for sale in thirteen states and online as well. Her products are expensive but sound delicious -- I'm thinking the Sachet de Chamomile organic eye tea bags would be a great way to end the day.

[via ForbesLife]

I've never really associated Andy Warhol with shoes but he was actually a dedicated shoe illustrator before becoming a Pop Art phenom. To celebrate Warhol's 80th birthday, Bond No. 9 has created Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue, the third of the Warhol Collectible eaux de parfum from Bond No. 9. (the first two are Silver Factory and Union Square). The shoe covered bottle holds an eau de parfum that is a modern floral woody chypre combined with an epicurean brew of fennel, cardamom, roasted almonds, peony, Florentine orris, creme brulee, patchouli and sandalwood. Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue will be available in 100ml and 50ml sizes in September and starts at $135.

Makeup collectors will be swooning over the latest line from MAC. MAC has enlisted designer Manish Arora on a line with a palette brighter than Bollywood. The new Indian-inspired line includes lipglasses, lipsticks, blush and a colorful eye shadow set in a jeweled case. It will be available from October 2008 at Harrods.

British designer John Galliano is introducing his debut scent some 20 years after launching his fashion brand. "We had about 360 tests -- more than for a couture collection," he noted in Women's Wear Daily.

Galliano was involved with every step of the scent's development. Its outer box is designed to look like a collage or a book, reminiscent of travel tomes he makes following fact-finding voyages undertaken before creating fashion collections. The bottle's neck was inspired by collars appearing in Galliano's first fashion collection, Les Incroyables, and the flacon is topped with a Gothic G. Model Guinevere Van Seenus is the face on the box.

Galliano, who also is the couturier at Christian Dior, had thoughts of flowers, particularly of rose, peony, iris with its powdery side, and violet. The scent will be launched at the end of September in the U.K., through an exclusive with Harrods, and in Germany. On October 11, it is to be introduced in France, exclusively at Sephora, and then a few days later in Switzerland. The launch in the rest of the world will take place in 2009.

Prices vary: 90-ml. eau de parfum spray, 100 euros, or $158; 60-ml. edp spray, 80 euros, or $126; 40-ml. edp spray, 60 euros, or $95; 200-ml. body milk for 38 euros, or $60; and a 200-ml. shower gel, 33 euros, or $52, will be available at launch. A 150-ml. body scrub, 39 euros, or $62, will come out after the initial fragrance introduction.

Bamford & Sons, the bastion of top-drawer British style whose killer custom Rolex we wrote about a couple months back, has come out with a stunning fall collection that actually has us looking forward to the end of summer. In addition, the company is launching a new Bath & Body line to add to their already impressive lineup of clothing and accessories, which includes everything from cashmere blankets to limited edition sterling silver iPods.

Bamford's sporty classics with a bit of a natty twist - check out this cashmere shooting jacket paired with a purple cashmere sweater - are known for being extremely comfortable and well made. The company's motto is "A man's life should determine his clothes; not vice versa." Their craftsmanship and blend of "innovation and heritage" calls to mind a classic British sportscar with beautiful burled walnut inlays, chrome gauges and hand-stitched leather seats.

For fall, traditional items such as this shooting jacket, the classic pea coat, tweeds and trench coats are given a lighter, more contemporary feel. Organic, sustainable and natural fibers are used, never synthetics. It may surprise you to know that not only is this shooting jacket water-resistant, but it is treated with a natural moisture repellent derived from the lotus flower rather than any nasty chemicals. If you bought one of those beautiful $100,000 Asprey shotguns we wrote about, this is the jacket to do it justice.

Kate Moss may be losing her modeling contracts but she is still powerful as a brand name. She has announced her second fragrance, Velvet Hour which is being done for Coty. The fragrance celebrates dusk, and Kate's love of the nightlife, with scents like patchouli, sandalwood, amber, nutmeg and freesia. Sounds very bohemian. The fragrance is set to launch in the fall with a magazine ad campaign shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, and and TV ads directed by John Mathieson.

Moss isn't the only one with a new second scent. Mariah Carey is readying her second fragrance, Luscious Pink, for Elizabeth Arden. Carey's scent is described as a "sparkling floral" with notes of Sicilian bergamot, Tahitian Tiare petals, lily of the valley and pink peony, sandalwood and white musk.

NYC socialite Tinsley Mortimer (at left in photo, with her sister, Dabney Mercer) is pretty busy these days: a handbag line (Samantha Thavasa by Tinsley Mortimer), a clothing line (Riccimie by Tinsley Mortimer, sold exclusively in Japan), a design consultancy and the ambassadorship of her favorite fashion house, Dior. But "Tins" isn't too busy for a makeup launch with a purpose -- last month she debuted her namesake "Tinsley Pink" ultra-gloss for Dior Beauty ($24.50) at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York. A portion of the sales of this limited edition lip gloss will benefit Mortimer's charity of choice, Operation Smile.

[Thanks to my friend Rose for this tip. We love Tins!]