Le Grand Tour des Parfums: An Uber-Exclusive Offer from LE LABO

The number in the title refers to the exact amount of raw ingredients used in the formula, inviting you behind the scenes of perfume creation, offering a made-to-order experience. Each perfume is built around a primary natural essence, each scent mixed on demand right after the order is placed. Utilitarian-chic bottles and packaging are then personalized with the wearer’s name...the epitome of uber-niche exclusivity.

Mention Le Labo to a perfumisto and expect a hush, followed by a sigh.

With their avant-garde, strikingly modern - yet beautifully classic - fragrances created by many of the world’s top perfumers, co-founders Eddie Roshi and Fabrice Peno have been revolutionizing the industry since establishing Le Labo. And until now, each perfume has only been available in its "own" city (Paris, Tokyo, London, LA...) and nowhere else. But for the first time ever, aficionados of the brand will have access to the entire cult collection. "ONLY 25 bottles per scent only will be available during the month of November," explains Penot. "And as we are not masochists, you will be able to send in your original bottle once it is finished and have it refilled at a 20% refill discount at our stores in NY and LA."

The collection includes:

21st Century Erotica meets Victorian Heritage in Penhaligon's Amaranthine

Born in Penzance, William Penhaligon was a Wildean, Byronian rebel who enjoyed a reputation as an alchemist and iconoclast.  After moving to London in the late 1860s, he founded his eponymous business, a barber shop on Jermyn Street in Piccadilly. Located between the houses of government and the gentlemen's private dining clubs, Penhaligon's was situation at the crossroads of power, its clients amongst the great leaders of the country during the era when the sun never set on the British Empire.  In 1903, Her Majesty Queen Alexandra awarded Penhaligon's with Royal Warrants, as did His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 and, most recently, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in 1988. 

Timeless quality and luxury, yes, but their women's fragrances have tended to evoke Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austin...not Anais Nin. Enter Bertrand Duchaufour, the French perfumer who rocks out to Radiohead and has a cult following rivaling Thom Yorke's. Amaranthine is as sensual a fragrance created for the House in its history, and so erotic, it would make Queen Victoria blush.

FUTURISTIC CHIC: Work Style Inspired by Spring 2010 Fashion Trends (Video)

An interesting trend emerged from the Spring 2010 runways we're calling Futuristic Chic. It's very Blade Runner'y, tough, and in some cases, androgynous. In today's episode, we examine the coolest looks from the Spring 10 runways that are a fab source of inspiration for work chic. We also find some great pieces that will allow you to rock the trend right away (for more info on any of the goodies featured in this episode, CLICK HERE).

Also, to celebrate the holidays Daily Dose style, it's all about diamonds...for YOU! We're giving away almost $2500 in glamorous diamond jewelry. How do you win? All you have to do is:

Fashionable Links to Stuff we Love

CollegeCandy: the most ingenious boot accessory...ever

Racked: now you can wear Forever 21 on your face

Daily Dose of Style (video): futuristic fashion

Mom Generations: win over $2000 in glamorous diamond jewelry

Daily Dose of Style (podcast): the Top 5 must-have fall shoes & boots

Refinery29: slip on some edgy, Steampunk jewelry

Stylelist: style worth stealing

The Cut: Carolina Herrera for...Target?!

Red Carpet Fashion Awards: Katy Perry rocks one of our FAVE out-there (but fabulous!) looks from the Spring 2010 runways

- Lesley Scott

Nicole Richie in All-Black Parisian Chic: Get the Look!

Love this Paris-via-Cali look from a normally hippie'ish Richie.  Many chic Parisiennes walk a alot and value footwear that is as comfy as it is goodlooking. These Modern Vintage "Mack" spat/buckle boots are all that, plus the rest of the outfit - down to the classy coiffure, vintage lace gloves and Chanel bag worn bandolier style (how very French!) - all gets a big "mais oui, madame!" from us.

Where to get the look:

Customize your YSL Roady Hobo Bag

The bag may have better fans than you - Rihanna, Mary Kate Olsen, Courteney Cox Arquette, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, Rachel Bilson, Leighton Meester - but for a limited time pre-holiday (Nov.19 - Dec 1) you can customize the Yves Saint Laurent Roady to better suit your #1 fan (you).  

Monogram the inside with your initials or a message free of charge, and select from 29 different handles, including ostrich, croc, or lizard for an extra fee (typically ranging between $225 to just over $500).  Available at YSL.com. 

- Lesley Scott

For Her Alone: Cimabue Fragrance by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

More and more perfumistas and perfumistos are sharing fragrances...after all, would you market a Monet to a woman and a Rothko to a man? Art is meant to be shared. And yet, on occasion, there is a fragrance that clearly is meant for a woman. Not a girl, mind you, nor something sugary sweet like many commercial offerings...but a perfume for a Golden Goddess. 

Cimabue (pronounced : Chim - a - boo - way) is such a perfume - the feminine incarnate, named for the artist who created Byzantine art, most notably with gilded portraits of the Virgin Mary that preceded and paved the way for the Renaissance. 

Created by independent cult perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, who began her career as a painter progressing to work at Boston's famed ESSENSE Perfumery, she still imbues her work with the principles of fine art - texture, color, line, light, shape, and expression - in her own line, Parfums des Beaux Arts, LLC. 

Diamonds Are Forever, Fabulous & FREE (We're Giving Away $2400 Worth)!

The only thing stronger than a diamond is love itself (& in our case, love of diamonds). Despite the economic downturn, a recent study revealed that 7 out of 10 women think "diamond jewelry is the most romantic gift a man can give a woman." 

To celebrate a diamond of our own, Daily Dose of Style, a daily 5-minute fashion video filled with style tips, tricks, and trends which we recently launched with the fabulous Audrey of Momgenerations.com...we're giving away close to $2500 in ice, ice baby, courtesy of SAM'S CLUB. Arguably the best-kept secret in diamond & jewelry buying, Sam's Club is a treasure trove of high quality bling, the majority of which is certified...whether you're dropping $2,000 or $200,000.

First up are these stunning $400 diamond-studded hoop earrings: .96 ct wt. diamonds set in 14k white gold with H-I color and clarity of I1. The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 19th at 9pm NYC time on the Daily Dose of Style Twitter: @DailyDoseStyle. A one-hour Twitter Party will follow directly (hashtag #ddos), lasting until 10pm, when we give away yet MORE diamonds - a Grand Prize worth $2000 from your new jewelry BFFs at Sam's Club - this Everlon Solitaire pendant, elegant diamond studs, and this eyecatching "fashion" pendant necklace.

To enter to win these pre-Twitter Party earrings giveaway, you have to do a few things (don't worry, they're fun!):

Set the Clock Back: Hand Perfection

Did you know your hands and feet are similar to rings of a tree?

According to reflexologists, no matter how well you maintain your face and body, your age can always be determined. Small wonder I don't see a reflexologist too often.

And while you can fool mother nature, your manicurist and just everyone else, even if you aren't genetically blessed with baby soft hands (women's hands are notorious as one sure sign of aging) with products from  HAND PERFECTION, created by one of the most successful hand models ever, it's possible to turn back the hands of time in no time...regardless of whether the signs of aging are from exposure to the sun, pigmentation, or dryness.

Floral Seduction for Skin & Soul

After suffering through yet another “Confiscation of Liquids” check in at the airport (just how much can YOU stuff into a small Ziploc baggie), I discovered In Fiore.

Fashiontribes girls are resourceful, so I searched online for a solid perfume to allow me to squeeze in a precious few inches for my mascara and glosses. At one of my favorite I beauty websites, BeautyHabit.com, I found a selection of In Fiore’s solid fragrances, and ordered one “unsniffed’. The fragrance was Bois d’ete, an unusual blend of all natural orange blossom and vetiver developed by Julie Elliot, In Fiore’s founder and creator; she lives in San Francisco, but travels the world in search of fine, rare and organic ingredients for her eponymous products.

 As of November 9, she is introducing In Fiore HAUTE CONCENTRÉ bath and body oils, highly antioxidant and replenishing dry oils for daily moisturizing and nourishing hydrotherapy.

Futuristic Fashion: A Hot Spring 2010 Trend (video)

For Spring 2010, and interesting trend has emerged which we're dubbing "Futuristic Chic" - it's very Blade Runner'y, very tough, and in some cases, quite androgynous. In this episode of Daily Dose of Style - brought to you by Audrey of Momgenerations.com and yours truly - we ferret out some of the coolest daytime "future'y" looks from the Spring 10 runway, plus we find some pieces you can pick up right now to rock the trend right away. For more info on any of the goodies we feature in this episode - CLICK HERE.

- Lesley Scott

Louis Vuitton Celebrates 150 Years of Fabulous with Charity...& Bags!

Louis Vuitton's storied Asnieres workshop turns 150 this month, their sole production facility from 1859 to 1977 and where all hard-frame luggage, special orders, exotic leather and limited-edition bags are still made today. To celebrate, Louis Vuitton North America is donating a percentage of sales made during November from LouisVuitton.com on four of their iconic bags - the Keepall, Noe, Alma, and Speedy - to the American Red Cross. "We are delighted to be able to support the Red Cross as part of our tribute to Louis Vuitton's tradition of exceptional know-how," says Daniel Lalonde, President & CEO of Louis Vuitton North America. "The Red Cross is committed to preventing and appeasing the sufferance of people weakened by instability and ever-growing de-humanization of our society. Louis Vuitton is honored to be aligned with such a significant and impactful organization."

100% LOVE: A Deliciously Fragrant Collaboration of Legends

Why do some fragrances have a cult following?  Commercial success is not an ingredient; passion and talent are.

Even before Luca Turin - dubbed by fragrance critic Chandler Burr as The Emperor of Scent in his book on Turin - published his acclaimed and critical guide to perfume with Tania Sanchez, Parfums: Le Guide - I have been wearing 100% Love by S-Perfumes.  "Both superlative oddness and mind-numbing comfort at the same time is pure brilliance," penned Turin in praise of the fragrance in his tome, arguably one of the most important books on the subject in a world of consumers hungry for information and knowledge, looking for an "expert's" stamp of approval (or disapproval) on the thousands of perfumes cluttering the market and wreaking chaos on our noses. "If there is a parallel universe in which smells are theorems, 100% Love would be something like a proof of Riemann's Conjecture Theorem," Turin continued, after which he proceeded to give the fragrance his highest rating of five-stars, anointing it a Masterpiece.

While Riemann conjectured what is now the most glamorous unsolved problem in mathematics, we conjecture that olfactive esoteric language aside, 100% Love smells great - evoking rose petals dipped in white chocolate, but without the cloying sweetness of a linear gourmand perfume. The nose was none other than the legendary Sophia Grojsman, given the Living Legend Award by the Society of Perfumers in 1996, and the Achiever Award by Cosmetic Executive Women in 1994.  She created Lancome's Tresor, YSL's Paris, and more recently Parisienne; Calvin Klein Eternity, also her creation, was inducted into the Fragrance Hall of Fame.

Over the years, I have developed a friendship with the founder of S-Perfumes, Nobi Shioya, aka the sculptor Sacre Nobi, a deeply private man and revered artist.  He recently granted Fashiontribes this exclusive interview:

The Big Cover-up from Cover FX: Diverse & Divine

In the US, nearly 50% of the population is Hispanic, multi-racial, African American or Asian...so why is there such a lack of options in color and treatment foundations? As someone who is tired of mixing and matching (and spending extra $$$) to find a color that suits both my combination skin (that doesn't require a lot of coverage) AND is a medium-yellow (Hispanic/ Mediterranean) complexion, I love being able to buy a single foundation from Cover-FX. It is one of my favorite beauty lines because it addresses the skin concerns of all women, not just color but skin condition as well. Their Big Cover Up! Complexion Perfecting Kit, available exclusively at Sephora.com, contains proven color-trios for custom-blending, plus everything you need to prime your skin, set your foundation, and get your technique right.

Fashion Made Easy (or Easier at Least)

Everyone wants to look their best 24/7, but like anything worthwhile, it takes work.  However, judging from the amount of closets stuffed to the brim with "nothing" to wear, women are definitely willing to spend the time and money; what's missing, obviously, is some schoolin' on how to build a closet that works.

"Getting dressed in the morning should be fun," says Jill Martin, fashion expert on the Today Show and author of the new Fashion for Dummies. "I believe there is a formula to looking and feeling good every day when you leave the house, and over the years, I've developed a few tricks to help you get through your busy day while always looking your best."