Win Gaultier's new summer scent!

Jack Sparrow was all the rage back in 2007 when Jean Paul Gaultier debuted his pirate inspired Spring/Summer 2008 collection on the Paris runway. And parrots, flamingos, birds of paradise, and tattoos are still dancing in his mind with the new summer edition of his famous "MA DAME" fragrance collection. While his "Les Pirates" ready-to-wear collection hinted at the lush Garden of Eden, this limited edition Ma Dame Eau Fraîche also invites us to an intoxicating, feminine aroma of floral, fauna and divine perfection.

Perfect for summer, this fragrance is a soft floral, reminiscent of the eau de toilette, but a bit lighter for warmer, sunnier days. With top notes of orange zest and middle notes of grenadine, raspberry, and pink grapefruit, this is the perfect fragrance for a hot LA night.

And did we mention that it could be yours? Yes, we have a bottle that we've saved just for you. All you need to do is send an email to comments@lapretty.com with your name and address in the body, and with Ma Dame in the subject line. We'll pick a name at random and announce the winner April 23! (US residents only please.)

Good luck!

Lotus blossoms and water lilys dancing in my shower

Since it's now officially spring, I'm all about anything that has to do with sunshine and flowers. I'm especially excited about Jo Malone's Kohdo Wood Collection of Lotus Blossom and Water Lily and Dark Amber and Ginger Lily. This is the perfect Mother's Day gift because now your mom can have some Pretty pampering time for herself at home. The two captivating fragrances were created as a modern interpretation of Kohdo, the ancient Japanese art of incense appreciation.

I've been using the Lotus Blossom & Water Lily Shower Gel that smells absolutely amazing. The fragrance is strong, but not overwhelming, it makes my shower smell incredible and is the perfect scent to wake up to every morning. The scent encourages energy, inspires confidence and focuses on the mind, hence why it's so useful in the AM. A little of the shower gel is all that's needed to get clean and the bottle is made of thick plastic so it's durable in the shower.

The Shower Gel's Fragrance Notes:

Top Notes: Aquatic Nuances, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Mandarin
Middle Notes: Sacred Lotus Blossom, Freesia, Honeysuckle, Water Lily, Jasmine
Base Notes: Temple Incense, Amber, Sandalwood, Musk, Aloeswood, Guaiac Wood

The scents aren't just for bathing, Jo Malone offers an array of colognes, bath oils, and candles to liven your spirits.

Lotus Blossom & Water Lily Collection Shower Gel 8.5 fl oz; $50

Jo Malone products are available online and at select Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom locations.

water lily source

LA in a bottle

The fragrance masters at Le Labo accomplished the unthinkable - they captured the beauty, the grime, the chaos, the sex, the beauty and the sinful desire that makes up our town, and put it in a bottle marked Musc 25.

Launched last year Musc 25 is exclusively for us LA Pretties. Live out of town? Too bad, they won't ship it, and you can't get it online either. And not because they don't like you, actually the peeps at Le Labo are quite friendly and wonderful. It's just well, this is for LA, so you have to fight the traffic, find the perfect a spot at one of the meters - I learned the hard way that the surrounding neighborhood is a permit only zone - and actually walk into their shop on 3rd Street to get yourself a whiff of this sexy scent.

I experienced Musc 25 last night from Le Labo LA's lab manager Heather. This lovely lady knows fragrances inside and out and will happily pass on her knowledge with whomever stops by the shop. I left with a strip of paper that carries a couple of spritzes of Musc 25. Well now the thing actually has a lipstick stain on it courtesy of my Partner in Pretty who couldn't tear herself away from whiffing the paper all morning. Yes, this is what Musc 25 does to us ladies, so you can imagine the lipstick stains that will be left on the collar of a man who wears it.

Heather described it as "white, angelic, and a little bit dirty." Plus it's a unisexual fragrance, which we love since we're partial to musky, masculine scents anyway. With notes of ambergris, rose, amber and vetiver, Musc 25 is named for the 25 blends of musk in its formula. Le Labo co-founcer Fabrice Penot told the LA Times that he "had this idea of doing a while ball of musk with a black, dirty symbol that would be the symbol of the city." And oh, how we love it.

Le Labo, 8385 W. 3rd St, Los Angeles; (323) 782-0411.

What is the scent of an LA Pretty?

Do you really want Jenna Jameson telling you how to smell? Or even Halle Berry? We're drowning in celebrity perfumes, and the true value of an expertly crafted fragrance is getting lost in the crowd. After reading about Strange Invisible Perfumes on LA Magazine's Chic Leak blog, I couldn't wait to try the new Spring Trio created by company founder (and a native LA Pretty!) Alexandra Balahoutis. She is a true perfumer and her Venice boutique is the go-to place for completely botanical fragrances. Fragrance is way of life to her, as she described to Style.com, "I’ve looked to scent to change my mood and mark the subtle beginnings of new eras."

Three fragrances make up her recently debuted Spring Trio collection. Each are from three flowers: the gardenia, lily and rose. Though each fragrance is inspired by one flower, their scent is anything but one note illustrating Alexandra's genius at drawing upon each flower's complexity and depth. Aquarian Roses is a unisexual perfume described as "crisp aquatic notes of wild roses brighten a warm sea of marjoram and sandalwood." Gorgeous and bold, I was grateful to find it resembled the real essence of a rose, not some overly flowery artificial rose-scent that I'm, sadly, more used to. Urban Lily not only has the best title ever, but also was soothing, and beautiful. Its description as "a stunning bouquet for the ages" is accurate as I can't ever imagine getting sick of this beautiful fragrance.

The fave of us LA Pretties was surprisingly the Epic Gardenia. Surprising to me, as I'm not a flowery kind of gal, but oh my, we both let out a gasp at Pretty headquarters after catching a whiff of this fragrance sample. Described as "scandalous and head-turning" this perfume has my whole heart.

But yes, I know that getting a $200 perfume probably isn't a high priority, so do this Pretty a favor, buy all three of the Spring Trio samples for $5 each and see which one you love. Or better yet, stop by the Strange Invisible boutique in Venice. After wearing the sample for a few days, the BF will surely want to know what that intoxicating scent is. And you know, your birthday is coming up and you just know the perfect thing for him to buy you...

Strange Invisible Perfumes; 1138 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice; (310) 314-1508

Elizabeth Arden's bringing the Pretty

We at Pretty Headquarters are certainly hoping that Elizabeth Arden's new fragrance is as Pretty as it's name. "Every day, everywhere. Every woman wants to feel pretty," they say. Yes, we know, hence the name of this absolutely fabulous site.

Get it here.

Oscar-winning perfume

When she's not busy being totally hot, Halle Berry makes her own perfume. Well she's teamed up with Coty so all you Pretties can have a chance to buy her creation when it hits stores next week. Yes another freaking celebrity perfume. When will the madness stop???

We do love the packaging that reminds us of the 70s. Halle by Halley Berry features mimosa and fig essences that are supposed to create "the spirit of a woman who is effortlessly sexy, stylish and elegant," i.e. Halle Berry. Who knows? It may be a little bit classier than smelling like a porn star.

What is the scent of a porn star?

Well now you can know for yourself because Jenna Jameson is releasing her own perfume called Heartbreaker and we should wear it because "life is short, break all the hearts you can." Okay.

For the unenlightened, Jenna has a really, really bad tattoo on her right butt cheek that brands her as a heart breaker. It was drawn by an ex BF of hers. I know all this because I read her absolutely amazing book How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale

While I can't recommend the perfume because I have yet to experience the heartbreak, I totally recommended this book, it's really an amazing page-tuner.

Romantic fragrance for Valentine's Day

OK Pretties, we have less than a week until Valentine's Day! Does your lovely lady like romantic perfumes? Get her the newly released and festive looking Fleur d'Amour. Sophisticated and sensual, this is the perfect fragrance for one who wants to treat herself in a distinctively French way. We love how it's light, refined and subtle.

It's a blend of bergamote essence and other floral notes with a touch of sexy patchouli and oak moss for an added spice. A combination of Mediterranean citrus, luxurious woods and rich musk, top notes include sweet bergamot mixed with Bourgeons de Cassis; middle notes include Lily of the Valley, Moroccan Jasmine, Pink Peony, and Bulgarian Rose; and bottom notes include White amber mixed with modern musks, Australian Sandalwood and a drop of vanilla from Magagascar.

Plus we love how it's bottles with a special rose cap that will remind her of V-Day way into the Spring.

Get it online or by calling 888/308-7066.

xx,
N

Weekend sale at Juicy Couture

There's no better motivator than "free stuff" to get me out of the house on a Saturday afternoon. And this weekend, I'll be heading Juicy Couture in Beverly Hills for their Viva Rodeo Drive event. They'll be giving away samples of their famous Viva La Juicy fragrance and body lotion, plus hand massages with the lotion will be given out. Hooray for Pretty Pampering!

Plus, if you buy a bottle of Viva La Juicy or Dirty English (a great V-Day gift for your man!) you'll receive a free lipstick. You'll also have a chance to enter to win a $250 Juicy Couture gift card plus a Viva La Juicy Tracksuit. (Maybe it will look like the one they're planning for Barbie!!)

Juicy Couture (456 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills)

Use common scents

Since the current retail economic state is shaky, our shopping habits made a paradigm shift to strictly brick and mortar sales coupled with online steals and deals. Obviously we're all trying to save more these days, so why are you still paying retail for your favorite fragrance / hair care /skin care item? Enter in, FragranceNet, they carry every brand from high to low that a girl or guy could want.

For V-Day I'm going to practice the scent of seduction with My Givenchy Dream from Givenchy. This scent is made from the ultra-luminosity scents of black currant, sandalwood, amber rose, lily of the valley and jasmine. Its retail price starts at $55, but FragranceNet has it for $50.19 for 1.7 oz of the Eau de Parfum Spray. I even compared FragranceNet with other discount retailers and they're still the cheapest price. Not bad, okay so yeah it's only $5, but think if you're purchasing lots of items, that adds up fast and so will the savings.

Find your common scents on FragranceNet.

Energize your mind, body and spirit with Golden Earth's essential oils

It really doesn't get any better than 100% natural essential oils. And with Golden Earth, you can make aromatherapy part of your everyday life.

Offering seven different blends in their Chakra collection, Golden Earth's oils are of the finest quality and nourish both my mind and spirit. Each are designed to enliven a certain energy center of your body and include Life Force, Miracle Energy, Self-Esteem, Inner Nurture, Communication, Insight, and Higher Knowledge.

When I use them, I feel both soothed and energized. Sure, I smell damn good, but the Prettiest part about these oils is how they make me feel. And their healing properties are 100% from nature, not a drop of synthetic materials is in any of Golden Earth's oils. Each of the Chakra Wellness Therapy Roll-Ons are essential oils blended together and infused with crystals to create balance and harmony. I especially love how they come in a cute pyramid packaging - an homage to Egypt, the birthplace of perfume.

Each Chakra Roll-On is $24, available online here.

Bring out your inner Geisha with aroma M perfumes

Oh Pretties, just "accidentally" leave your BF's computer open to this post as a little hint, hint before Valentine's Day. These Geisha Roll-Ons from aroma M are as beautiful to smell as they are to look at. Designed to relieve daily stress and promote composure and well-being, each roll-on is named for a color. Plus I love how they are available in these slim, portable, gorgeous containers that take up no more room in your purse than a lipstick.

Our Pretty picks? Geisha Rouge, a spicy and seductive blend of tonka bean, tobacco (yes, really), vanilla, cinnamon, anise, clove and sandalwood - all traditional Japanese incense ingredients. And we also adore Geisha Pink, a feminine combo of sugared plum, fresh orange, and vanilla, a perfect fragrance for a romantic date.

Get it at Scent Bar, 8327 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles.

Courteney Cox, our new Avon Lady

Get ready to see some more Courteney Cox on TV! Avon has signed her to be the exclusive spokesperson for their new fragrance Spotlight which will launch in the U.S. this April (a global roll out is scheduled for the summer). As you may recall, Cox has also been busily promoting the Kinerase skin care line since 2005. This LA Pretty is busy!

Spotlight is described as including an icy, silver accord, fresh mandarin pur and Italian bergamot essence, extracted via cold press from the peel of the fruit. Middle notes include white freesia, tuberose absolute and mimosa pur. And the base includes notes of cashmere sandalwood, vetiver and white vanilla musk.

This "oriental" scent will be house in a glimmering, quilted glass bottle and will sell for $22.50 for 1.7 oz.

Images via WWD.

Fragrance by Caroline Chu, a true "must have"

As I mentioned before, growing up with a mother that was a little too into dousing herself in perfume every morning literally had me running away from almost any fragrance I came across. Most scents struck me as "old lady perfumes" and I would crinkle my nose at all of them. It took the magnificence of Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue to finally get me to succumb to the notion that not all fragrances were bad. And while I've devotedly used it often I may have to retire it after discovering. Fragrance by Caroline Chu.

Herein lies the problem: trying to elaborate on just how wonderful this fragrance is through words. It's far from an old lady perfume as it's super light and airy. It's online description is spot on about it being "delicate," a quality that is of the utmost importance. The fragrance is chic and feminine, but not too feminine. It's floral elements don't overwhelm, but instead are subtle and sophisticated: a dewy mix of rose, sandalwood and lily. The Scented Life is right about how the floral scent "gives way to a soft and powdery dry-down." (She also calls it "Spring in a bottle," with which I agree completely.

It's available in a convenient roller and I love that I can carry it in my purse so that I'm always ready for a little sophistication.

Get it online.

Perfume bottles that win the grand prize of fug

After my partner in Pretty's coverage of the new LA Gear release, it looks like we're all about the nostalgia this week! I absolutely loved Bella Sugar's pictorial report Eau No: 33 Worst Perfume Bottles, but the best part was reacquainting myself with the awesomeness that is Exclamation. (!!!)

Didn't we all want to "make a statement without saying a word?" I remember being so happy when I got my own bottle for Christmas. I felt so grown up! And yay! I could put it in my Caboodle! I can't give an objective opinion of this bottle design, it's just too close to my heart.
But I can agree with Bella Sugar's inclusion of Revlon's Absolutely Fabulous. I would assume this bottle design was just due to bad trends of the 80's but apparently this scent launched in 2001. WTF, did they hire a moody Bobby Trendy to do the design? Because that's the only explanation for this monstrosity.


One bottle that's missing from the fug list is Gaultier's aptly named Le Male. With this masterpiece of a bottle,you can't help but think to yourself "check out the package on that package." Lol! It's a shame because I absolutely adore this scent. It's musky, spicy and very masculine - a great BF gift idea. Now if it only came in a different bottle...

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

Men everywhere are struggling to find that *perfect* Pretty gift for the women in their lives and usually turn to some kind of fragrance. Us Pretties beg of you please do not get suckered into all the advertising out there and stick with classics. We can't even open a magazine anymore without being bombarded by massive scents, most of which are not so pretty.

Take a Chance!

Classic brand Chanel doesn't disappoint with this youthful scent. Gift sets including the fragrance, body lotion, and body wash come in a sleek Chanel bag.

$70 at Nordstrom.

Make Her Happy!

As we said earlier, Clinique's Happy is a fresh scent that you can make one-of-a-kind with customizable bottles. Upload your best glamor shot for Mom.

$52.50 at Clinique

Cool in Blue!

Light, airy, and fresh Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue is like scented clouds in a bottle!

$70 at Sephora

The ways to wear Happy

Great gift idea alert! Clinique's Happy makes me, well, very happy. A scent that's pretty, breezy and very, very fresh, Clinique is offering a some cute ways to cheer people up with this wonderful perfume. Instead of just buying someone a plain ol' bottle, Clinique is giving a way to turn Happy into a one-of-a-kind gift with their bottle customization tool. So cute!

They're also thinking outside of the bottle with their limited edition Happy To Go Set that includes three fragrance pencils -- perfume in pencil form, how sweet! -- of Happy, Hint if Citrus, and Wealth of Flowers. Scribble on just one scent, or mix and match to your own personal flavor. Plus it comes in an easy to carry bag with a sharpener. With a purse loaded down with all the LA Pretty essentials, a fragrance pencil is a lighter, more convenient alternative to heavy perfume bottles.

But if you'd still like to stick to a bottle, at least the limited edition Happy Thoughts combo is a great choice. A smaller 5 oz. bottle is a more manageable size to carry around, plus the roll-on bottle is great for those special "I want to look fancy and hip and use a clutch" nights. Plus yummy root beer flavored gloss?! I'm in!

Light Blue: A fragrance that won't make you car sick

I hate perfume and, like a lot of my quirks, I blame my mother. She was obsessed with perfume, or rather, obsessed with dousing herself in it to the point of causing total nausea to those around her. Ech, terrible memories of desperately trying to roll down the window while she drove me to school. But I digress...

My hatred of perfume left me wearing either no scent save for essential oils. But recently I succumbed to the very fresh, musky -- but not too musky-- sweet -- but not too sweet -- wonder that is Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue.

It's obviously difficult to write about a scent, so here is D&G's take:

A stunning perfume overwhelming and irresistible like the joy of living. (Ed note: HAHAHAH!) Surprising and colored: the liveliness of Sicilian citron, the happiness of Granny smith apple, the spontaneity of Bluebells. Feminine and resolute: the intensity of jasmine, the freshness of bamboo, the charm of white rose. Deep and true: the character of cedar wood, the fullness of amber, the embrace of musk.

I don't know if I can confirm all these claims, after all we don't get Bluebells in LA, but I do know that I love wearing this stuff. And, since it's apparently a 2008 Sephora award-winner and bestseller, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

But a word of caution -- don't be like my mother. Two spritzes on the neck and STOP!

Try it at Sephora.