When it comes to fragrance, Thierry Mugler never did things by rote. Their perfumers take their time and explore all options to put together a solid offering. Like their previous gourmand fragrances Angel (1992) and Alien (2005),  Womanity, which launches at Bloomingdale’s this August, comes packed with surprises.

First on the list: Caviar. You read that right. To appeal to the multi-faceted woman, Mugler wanted a fragrance that combined both savory and sweet elements. For the sweet top note, he tapped into the mellow fruity scent of fig, and buttoned the fragrance up with a bottom note of fresh green fig wood and leaf, but to balance that, he needed . . . fish eggs? I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t smelled it myself.

The caviar adds a clean oceanic note and keeps the scent from erring on the side of saccharine. Mugler and company extracted these off-beat scents using the new technique of molecular extraction. I won’t go into the scientific details here, but just let me say that in involves liquid gas and it makes it possible to duplicate the exact fragrance molecules from any substance.

All of this comes to a more universal point: Mugler made this fragrance to celebrate all women, and he plans to include it in a larger movement. In March, the website Womanity.com launched as a platform for women all over the country to share their own ideas on womanhood. Users can log on and submit their thoughts for Womanity’s next big idea, be it product, project, or technology. A jury including Mugler himself will select one winning idea and fly its creator to Paris for a week to develop it for the Womanity brand. This move gives a little creative control over to the brand’s namesake.

To upload your own ideas of womanity, go to www.womanity.com. To purchase a travel-size ‘teaser’ of Womanity, visit us.boutique.thierrymugler.com, and stay tuned for the August launch of the full-sized fragrance and its shower gel, body milk, and body cream counterparts.

- Katharine McKenzie

Editorial sample was provided for consideration.

It’s really not that cool to smell. Iffy, we mean. It’s not cool to smell like you’re a person that’s not dateworthy, or that you just came back from a visit to the zoo. Especially for Valentine’s Day. Please, don’t do it.

The science of smell is so linked to memory, and that’s one of the reasons why so many researchers labor away to discover the new magical molecule that will make you smell like a McSteamy or Mrs. McDreamy. If you want to impress your significant other, your beau or even the girl next door that smiles as beautifully as Julia Roberts, then we’ve got the ultimate fragrance gift guide for you. Guaranteed to knock their socks off.

FOR THE SENSUOUS WOMAN (OR MAN)

Natori Perfumed Candle ($75)

This is a dream candle, for all you dreamers and lovers out there. Created by Caroline Sabas, Natori’s candle is completely feminine with florals and a hint of mystery: rose petals, and dark plum notes. You’ll notice the satin musk in this candle as it floats through the air — a perfect prelude for your Valentine’s Day evening!

There is a complementary Silk Body Cream that goes along with this and it is a study in deliciousness. It will leave the body immersed in mysterious Natori notes. Even the most stoic man or woman would say, “TAKE ME” after they applied this.

Fracas by Robert Piguet ($95)

Although the name means “brawl” in English, if there’s anything “brawl-worthy” about this fragrance, it would be if it’s stolen from your vanity. This fragrance brims with audacious, sexy notes of tuberose, jasmine, gardenia, lily of the valley, sandalwood and musk. Think essential Parisienne style: for a sensuous Coco Chanel you’re dating perhaps, or a Julia Ormond who has a sure sense of self worth.

FOR THE YOGA BUNNY

Sacred Glo Candles ($24.99)

For the woman who loves to do her downward facing dog (now get your mind out of the gutter!), the candles from Sacred Glo make a great, peaceful gift. They are all natural, and we recommend a very calming, mind-clearing candle called Sacred Clarity which is made of pure, natural soybean oils, shea butter and infused with lavender and rose oils.

Once the candle melts the oils, you can even dip your fingers into the pool of oils and anoint a little area of your temples or pulse points to really inhale the aroma. INHALE this scent, breathe and be at peace!

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Gee, this Avatar movie is spurring a lot of makeup launches, and one of the latest companies to jump on the merry go round set off by movie magic is Avon Cosmetics.

Its new perfume, Eternal Magic, taps into Avatar heroine Zoe Saldana for its spokesperson. The fragrance embodies timeless grace, beauty and elegance. Saldana will also be featured as the spokesperson for Avon’s color cosmetics line in the coming months.

The inspiration of the fragrance comes from the rare Princess Monaco Rose. Eternal magic debuts in April 2010 through Avon representatives everywhere.

The lingerie label Natori ($80 for 1.7 ml at Saks.com) has released its first fragrance this year, and it’s just what you might expect: classy and mysterious. The top notes of rose petals and plum lead into the middle of ylang-ylang, purple peony, and night blooming jasmine. As if that isn’t dark and enigmatic enough, the blend finishes off with black patchouli, amber, and satin musk.

This spicy combination reminds me of an exotic silk dress, and it delivers the same shot of confidence a daring garment would. Spray on liberally, and enjoy your night. The fragrance retails for $110. The line also has a silk shower body creme ($75), Silk Shower Creme ($50) and a brand new addition to the family – the Perfumed Candle ($75) which is ornamented with a river stone.

Good things — especially fragrances — come in apple packaging. We fell in love with several DKNY fragrances over the past year (especially Be Delicious Fresh Blossom) and although the DKNY apple cart keeps visiting the stores with a new offering every few months, we’re not getting tired of it.

DKNY Delicious Candy Apples

The latest additions to the DKNY fragrance line are three DKNY Delicious Candy Apple bottles that look as though you’ve dipped old-fashioned sticks into their juicy skins.

DKNY Delicious Candy Apple Scent in Ripe Raspberry

Here are the flavors:

Sweet Caramel: This green bottle is crammed with luscious fruit, flowers and edibles with apple and pear notes. There’s a touch of marshmallow for holiday comfort, as well as caramel and vanilla.

Ripe Raspberry: This ripe and rich fragrance offers raspberry notes with crisp crunchy apples and sparkling lime. There are notes of peonies and lilies too.

Juicy Berry: This is our favorite because it reminds us of blackberry picking on a ripe fall day. It is filled with notes of black currants and juicy blackberries with notes of lychee, nectar, rose petals and apple blossom. Being partial to sandalwood and musky notes, I was delighted to find a delicate balance in this scent between florals and sandalwood.

These are available now for $55 each here.

“The essence of a woman who is incredibly free. She is not from Paris but Paris adopts her. Because she knows how to love, how to live. PARISIENNE, the fragrance of ultra femininity, ultra sensuality. ”

Parisienne is the latest fragrance from Yves Saint Laurent. This ultra feminine scent is inspired by the city of lights and the strong women it attracts. The Parisian woman has personality that is paradoxical and plays with convention – she is an Yves Saint Laurent woman. Though not born in Paris any woman can be a Parisienne.

A combination of floral, berry and woody scents, Parisienne was created by famed perfumers Sophia Grojsman and Sophie Labbe who are the masterminds behind many beloved fragrances. With notes of vinyl accord, cranberry, blackberry, otto rose, peony, violet, patchouli, musk and vanilla – the scent is sweet and elegant all at once.

A scent as luxurious and mysterious as this can only be packaged in a flacon intricately carved in the shape of a labyrinth – a shiny pink bottle that will dress up any vanity in a very chic Parisian way. The bottle evokes a quiet opulence and reminds me of Rive Gauche– an old fashioned Paris that’s stamped with gold letters and post War elegance.

Though I wake up closer to the city that never sleeps than the city of lights, this luxurious scent transports me all the way to Paris and unleashes the Mademoiselle in me. Find your inner Parisienne: $39-$85 at sephora.com

-Catia Carvalho Trooskin

Some astute critic once said that if brown velvet could talk, it would speak with Alan Rickman’s voice. An attractive thougth, yes? No one objects to hearing velvet. Victoria’s Secret goes even further in the velvet sensory experience by attempting to capture the smell of the fabric with their latest addition to their Parfums Intimes, Velvet Amber Blackberry.

I layered the Fragrance Lotion ($24 at victoriassecret.com) under the Eau de Parfum ($55.) The collection also includes a Fragrance Mist ($28) and Shimmer Fragrance Powder ($25.) Above all, the sweet, dark scent of blackberries took center stage, with amber and Turkish rose playing supporting roles.

The scent brought images of dusky rose or lavender velvet without being heavy or overpowering. It’s not quite the same as wearing Mr. Rickman, which is perhaps good and disappointing at the same time.

You, too, can now have your own portable rose garden, thanks to Guerlain’s newest fragrance, Idylle. Swiss perfumer Thierry Wasser makes his debut for Guerlain with a floral chypre. The top notes consist of an ensemble of lilies of the valley, peonies, freesia, lilacs, and rose; no one flower stands out. For the middle, Wasser used Bulgarian roses blended with raspberry and litchi. Since some find a traditional chypre scent a little bold, the perfumer added base notes of patchouli and white musk to brighten the over all feel of the fragrance.

Devotees of Guerlain perfumes will notice that the Guerlinade, which used to appear in every Guerlain offering, has gone missing from Idylle’s repretoire. Thierry Wasser conciously stepped away from the proprietary blend of the six scents of jasmine, bergamot, tonka bean, vanilla, iris, and rose. Instead, he chose to honor a small part of Guerlain’s scent history by only including rose.

The pure florals here just don’t quit – I want to spray this perfume on before bedtime, so when upstart reporters ask me what I sleep in, I can say, “Guerlain Idylle – and Old Navy pajamas.” A beautiful scent deserves an equally beautiful package, and thanks to French designer Ora-Ito, Idylle comes in a sleek yet curvaceous bottle that makes any vanity ultra chic. The grand concept behind the scent and bottle come from the notion of the Ideal Love – be it lasting or ephemeral. I don’t know about that, but it lends a little dignity to my otherwise slapdash lifestyle. And if Idylle can do that, there’s no telling what else it’s capable of.

Guerlain Idylle is available in 35ml ($75,) 50ml ($90,) and 100ml ($130) exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The world has always loved a good romantic story: Casablanca, Sleepless in Seattle, Breakfast At Tiffany’s…and let’s not forget Scent of a Woman.

If love does enter through the nose, then surely there’s room for a fragrance that captures the power of flirting. Harvey Prince, the company that brought us Ageless Fantasy, the world’s first anti-aging perfume (the core note was pink grapefruit), has launched Eau Flirt - the world’s first flirting fragrance.

After sitting down with Kumar Ramani, Harvey Prince’s founder and CEO, I asked him whether other “romantic” brand name perfumes could not be labeled as “flirtatious” scents as well. “The companies are not marketing the other perfumes as being flirtatious,” Ramani says. He believes that while there may be notes that are floral and flirty in other brand name perfumes, they’re not putting those scents in a particular bucket.

What makes Eau Flirt truly flirtatious? The notes, for one, which Ramani says are a “closely guarded secret” on the box. Inspired by a study done by Drs. Alan Hirsch and Jason Gruss of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, Eau Flirt’s proprietary blend of lavender, pumpkin and other secret scents have been clinically shown to provoke passion in men with a whiff.

My husband loved the perfume (after all, it matters what men think, right?). He said that it smelt very “vanilla.” I dig the notes as well: I’m a sucker for anything vanilla and lavender, and the scent lingered on my skin for hours.

I especially love the packaging too – the cartoonish flirty box and the kermit-green eau de toilette bottle are unmistakable and prominent. This is definitely a strong scent, although if you spray sparingly you can dilute the strength a bit (but men love the stronger version!).

Remember what Christian Dior said: A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.

Eau Flirt comes in 3.4 oz. eau de toilette spray that retails for $98; a 1.7 oz spray that retails for $66; and a 1 oz. purse size that retails for $36. Mini roll-ons are $19.For more information, visit www.harveyprince.com

Following the heels of rocker/ singer chicks like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, pop icon Avril Lavigne is launching her new fragrance called Black Star in the Fall of 2009.

Black Star uses floral and rich notes: Pink Hibiscus, delicious Black Plum and rich Dark Chocolate.
It is being released by Procter & Gamble Prestige Products and will be available in the US in Fall 2009.

Lavigne says, ”"I wanted to make sure it was really me- me in a bottle.”