Perfume

Rooney Mara has been tapped by fragrance giant Calvin Klein as the face of the brand's latest fragrance: Downtown. The announcement came last night during Calvin Klein's Cannes party. "I am very excited to be included in the group of amazing women that have been featured in the iconic advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein fragrances," Rooney told WWD. "The Downtown fragrance holds true to the chic, confident, and simple feeling of the Calvin brand." And with notes of bergamot, violet leaf, incense, and velvet musk, as well as Downton's bright fuchsia bottle, Rooney's statement couldn't be more true.

Rooney's stint as Calvin Klein's Downtown chick includes TV spots directed by David Fincher, print ads shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, and a huge social media push. "We want to create a dialogue with consumers," Marc Rey, president of Coty Prestige US, said. Rooney's character for the campaign is a young woman who plays by her own rules. The fragrance is set to drop in select global markets in July, with US consumers getting their first glimpse in September.

Cate Blanchett has served as the recent muse for Giorgio Armani, frequently wearing his creations on the red carpet, but now her role is expanding into the designer's beauty brand, too. The actress has been confirmed as the face of Armani fragrances, according to WWD. The contract will include a print magazine campaign for the brand's new eau de parfum called Sí, slated to hit shelves by the end of the Summer. Cate will serve as the first celebrity to represent the Giorgio Armani fragrances, which has relied on models in previous years. Who better than the woman who inspires Armani's fashion designs to also front his fragrance offerings?

When we spotted the print ad for Amanda Seyfried's fragrance campaign with Givenchy, we should have guessed the commercials would also have a masculine vs. feminine theme. As the new face of the Very Irrésistible scent, Amanda dons a fedora cap and trench coat, taking on the role of the sexy stranger. However, designer Riccardo Tisci doesn't miss the opportunity to showcase Amanda's feminine wiles. The spot ends in a sultry striptease (a somewhat strange thing to see in the midst of a Parisian cafe).

Fifty years after the arrival of the original Estée Lauder scent, Youth Dew, the brand is launching a new note in fragrance. Already a powerhouse in the beauty industry, the iconic company has been surprisingly absent from the fragrance arena in the last decade. Its last scent, Beyond Paradise, was released back in 2003. So, the arrival of Modern Muse this September is right on time. "This is the most important fragrance moment we've had in a decade," Jane Hertzmark Hudis, global president of the Estée Lauder brand, told WWD. "Modern Muse captures what it means today to be independent and confident in one's own sense of self and style."

The scent is a mix of jasmine and woodsy notes with lavender, lily, patchouli, and vanilla. It seems a coincidence that its spokeswoman for the campaign is Arizona Muse, who inked a deal with the brand last Spring. You'll notice Arizona wears a multitude of bows in the print and television spots (and there is one on the Modern Muse bottle itself). The bows actually honor the nine muses exalted by ancient Greek artists and philosophers. Arizona Muse plus the mythological muses yield one inspired perfume.

Last Summer, everyone was abuzz about Marc Jacobs's scent Dot, and now the fragrance is getting a sweet flanker called Honey. The new fragrance comes with an updated bottle that converts the original ladybug print into a bee theme. Notes include pear and mandarin at the top, which melt into orange blossom, peach, and honeysuckle at the middle. Bottom notes of honey (of course), golden vanilla, and smooth woods round out the scent. Think of it as a fruitier iteration of the more tropically themed Dot.

You can look for Honey on shelves in August, along with a matching body lotion and shower gel. The launch is just ahead of the Fall release of Jacobs's first color cosmetics collection and nail lacquer line. Soon you'll be able to dress in Marc Jacobs from head to toe, and Honey is one warm-weather companion that's more than welcome.

Fragrance is highly personal, and generally, as long as it smells good to you, there's no real "right" or "wrong." However, if you want to get the full experience of your favorite perfume and have it wear as beautifully as possible, then there actually is an optimal way to put it on. To find out how, see our tips below.

Beyoncé is already a busy bee in 2013. Somewhere between the inauguration lip-syncing debate and practicing for her Super Bowl performance this Sunday, the superstar found time to shoot this behind-the-scenes look at her new scent. Pulse NYC is her fifth fragrance launching later this year. If you hadn't guessed, it's inspired by the energy of the Big Apple.

The video shares a sneak peek of the print ad featuring Beyoncé in a slinky metallic number in front of the city skyline. With the opening shots of the streets of New York, we wonder if this is a glimpse into her upcoming HBO documentary, Life Is But a Dream. You'll have to wait until Feb. 19 to see inside her life. But watch this short flick to learn personal details about the songstress, like her New York accent and her favorite color (as if you didn't already know).