Fragrance Review

The name of this perfume may be Girlie ($98), but it's a womanly scent all the way, from its accord to its reason for existing. Girlie's creator, Debra Rodman, designed the perfume to mimic her experiences of time in various parts of Africa. Half of the scent's sales go to supporting a children's primary school in the town of Lamu, Kenya.

The juice is pretty powerful stuff — one spritz is all you need. If you like plenty of sillage and warmth, Girlie won't disappoint. The smell is dominated by ritzy note-of-the-moment oud, a resinous, slightly smoky wood that's unique but roughly akin to incense with a hint of metallic licorice. I found the drydown lovely even though I wasn't a big fan of the out-of-the-bottle smell (a perfume-y floral for the first couple of minutes). Since it's the oud, not the top notes, that you'll be wearing all day, I would say that's the part of the scent best to focus on. This is not a light scent by any stretch of the imagination; it's something for women who enjoy heavier fragrances from the Oriental genre. So if you're big into fruity florals, maybe take a pass. But if you like sexy, big fragrances with a lot of depth and staying power, this one is a good pick.

We all know that Patrick Dempsey has a passion for racing cars, and perhaps one day, when Grey's Anatomy goes off the air, he should also consider a career in fragrance-making. Fresh off the success of his first scent, Unscripted, Patrick's sophomore fragrance, Patrick Dempsey 2 ($30), has just been released. And that's not all. "We definitely have the next one we’re working on, and it’s almost completed. I’m really excited about going out with the third one, and the concept behind that, as well," the longtime actor told me in our one-on-one interview. To find out what I thought about 2, which pays tribute to the relationship he has with his wife, Jillian, just keep reading.

You might know Jil Sander as a German designer with a minimalistic style, and that's exactly the kind aesthetic you'll get with her new fragrance, Jil ($58—$70), a floral amber that just launched last week. The scent, which has powdery characteristics, contains top notes of pink pepper and tangerine for a bit of brightness, with lavender mellowing it out. At the heart is where you get most of the action, with lily of the valley bringing a hint of sweetness, orris lending an earthiness, and heliotrope providing a musky quality. To round it off, musk, vanilla, and ambergris make for a slightly exotic, sensual finish. To find out what I thought about the fragrance, just keep reading.

Flowerbomb, Viktor & Rolf's first fragrance, has been a cult hit since it came out a few years ago. But this week, the brand quietly released its second scent, Eau Mega. Just so you all know how dedicated I am to good-smellin' stuff, I trekked all the way down to Nordstrom during lunch to sniff it, since only a few locations have the fragrance so far. Luckily, the reconnaissance on this baby is good.

V&R didn't play it safe at all, and Eau is totally different from the F-bomb, though just as playful. The atomizer is also too cute to be believed, and well worth playing with (you spray it by squeezing the big gold V&R seal on the side). To find out whether the juice smells as awesome as the bottle looks, just keep reading.

In my mind, there are two Marc Jacobses: the slightly nerdy guy who appeared in Sonic Youth videos, and the slick, slim cool-guy megadesigner he is now. And maybe it's just me, but I kinda miss the dorky Marc who loved the more obviously offbeat. Fortunately, there's a bit of both Marcs in his latest fragrance, Lola ($65-85).

Like Daisy before it, Lola is a scent for the young — which makes sense for a fragrance whose name has Nabokovian connotations. Like so many recent launches, it's another fruity floral fragrance, filled with notes of pear, grapefruit, pink peppercorn, peony, rose, and geranium. After the initial burst of brightness, it settles into a warmer, more nuanced vanilla-musk scent that makes Lola feel a little more grown-up than its first moments suggest. It's pleasant and soft, and it's bound to be a hit among the young. But if you're old enough to remember the Reagan administration, this candy-sweet scent might not be the right fit for you.