Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Halle Berry is set to launch a new line of fragrances with beauty and fragrance company Coty. The 41-year-old is currently expecting her first child with boyfriend and former super model Gabriel Aubry. Other celebrities that also have fragrance collections with Coty Inc. include Jennifer Lopez, Victoria and David Beckham, Gwen Stefani and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Spokesman for Coty, Steve Mormoris said, “Halle is an iconic actress and symbolizes beauty to many generations. She adds another dimension to the celebrity fragrance market.

“Halle has always been a little more mysterious, not quite as open with her personal life as some other stars. Her fragrances will allow her to present another facet of her personality to her fans.”

Though most people were excited to hear about Halle’s new fragrance deal, Revlon was shocked. Halle has been under contract with Revlon for the last 12 years as a spokesperson for the company.

Revlon’s president and CEO David Kennedy told Women’s Wear Daily that he wasn’t aware of Halle’s new deal with Coty. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if there will be some issues with conflict of interest.

In other news from Coty Inc., the world’s largest fragrance company, they have entered into an agreement with Playboy Enterprises, Inc. to develop a new men’s fragrance line under the Playboy name.

“Playboy’s rich history of glamour, indulgence and fun, combined with a cutting edge lifestyle creates the perfect formula for a new men’s fragrance line,” said Bernd Beetz, CEO of Coty Inc. “One of the world’s most recognized and iconic brands, Playboy is known by men and women around the world. We anticipate that this fragrance will quickly become a successful part of our lifestyle brands portfolio at Coty Beauty.”

“With Coty’s global success and impressive fragrance industry expertise, they were clearly the right partner for our fragrance debut,” said Christie Hefner, Chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. “Just as Francois Coty revolutionized the fragrance industry over 100 years ago, my father started a revolution over a half century ago. There is no one better to work with on the development of Playboy’s first global fragrance.”

The new Playboy fragrance will begin distribution in fall 2008. Halle’s fragrance is expected to be released in 2009.

For thousands of years, people have used perfumes and oils to add a fragrant scent to their bodies. The early Egyptians used perfumes as part of religious ceremonies and as a ritual in preparation to love making. Back during ancient times, frankincense and myrrh were extracted from trees to create these scents. Later botantical oils from rose, peppermint and other plants began to be used.

During the early period of Christianity, perfumes stopped being used for the most part because they were considered sacrilegious extravagances. However, the use of perfumes re-emerged later during the Medieval period. At this time, most fragrances were reserved for the royalty and the elite.

Later, during the Georgian Era, a non-oily eau de cologne was first developed. It was applied directly to the body, as well as used in the bath, soap products and even mouthwash!

Modern perfume didn’t really become developed until the late 19th century when chemistry knowledge advanced and synthetic perfumes were created. Because synthetic materials were being used and the perfume making process became less expensive, the cost of fragrances began to drop and the average person could now afford to purchase perfume.

Fragrances are made from a combination of ethyl alcohol and essential oils. As the percentage of essential oils decreases, the strength and cost of the fragrance declines.

Perfume is the most expensive and strongest form of fragrance with 22% essential oils.

Eau de Parfum is next with between 15 and 22% essential oils.

Eau de Toilette has 8 to 15% essential oils.

Eau de Cologne is popular among the younger set as it is cheaper, but it has just 4% essential oils.

Eau Fraiche is the most diluted of the fragrances with just a subtle scent and only 1 to 3% essential oils.

One of the first mainstream perfumes was Chanel No. 5, created by Ernest Beaux for Coco Chanel in 1921. This floral scent has a woody base. It has remained popular through decades. Today, it is said that a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every 30 seconds.

Parfums Givenchy has just announced that pop star Justin Timberlake will be the celebrity spokesman for his own fragrance line for the company. Currently, actress Liv Tyler is the pitchperson on the women’s side for Givenchy.

Timberlake’s new fragrance is expect to debut this fall. The multi-talented Timberlake is currently filming a movie entitled “The Open Road.” In the film, he stars as a minor league baseball player on the Corpus Christi Hooks who is trying to get home to his ailing mother. In addition to his acting and singing careers, Timberlake also has his own fashion line – William Rast, and owns a restaurant.

Timberlake joins a growing list of male celebrities who are lending their names to scent lines. Music superstar Prince has his own fragrance dubbed “3121″ – the same name as his hit album. New York Yankees baseball player Derek Jeter heads his popular line of “Driven” cologne through Avon, and NFL hearthrob and New England Quarterback Tom Brady is the spokesperson for “Stetson.” Another sports star, David Beckham has built quite a following with two fragrances in his own line – “Instinct” and “Intimately Beckham.”

Other male celebrities with fragrance lines include Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs, Usher, Tim McGraw, Antonio Banderas and even Donald Trump!

Though female celebrity fragrances are much more common (and popular) than their male counterparts, in recent years the boys are starting to gain some ground. No doubt Timberlake’s fragrance will be popular among young females buying it for their boyfriends.

Will it smell good? Well, we will just have to wait and see as it is not expect to hit shelves until about September. However as soon as samples become available, we’ll try it out and let you know.

What’s a better gift for your mom than perfume!

Estee Lauder, one of the leaders in cosmetics, skincare and perfume, has introduced eight new limited edition fragrance gifts sets just for Mother’s Day. Each set contains a Eau de Parfum, along with coordinating body products.

This year, Mothering Day in the UK is Sunday, March 2nd, while Mother’s Day in the United States is celebrated on Sunday, May 11th. However, these gift sets are the perfect gift for your mother any day of the year!

The Estee Lauder Mother’s Day lineup includes perfume gift sets for these fragrances: Pleasures, Pleasures Delight, Beautiful, Beautiful Love, White Linen, Pure White Linen and Youth-Dew. Additionally, Estee Lauder provides complimentary gift wrap services with beautiful wrapping paper, a long with a gold bow and gift card.

The Estee Lauder name on a product is recognized all over the world for quality. Over the years, the company has gained a reputation for elegant and luxurious products that uphold the finest standards of excellence.

In addition to fragrance, you can browse the Estee Lauder website for other gift ideas using their Gift Finder. With the Gift Finder, you can filter gift selections by category, price bracket and recepient.

Some of my favorite Estee Lauder items include their All Day Lipstick, as well as their Automatic Eye Pencil Duo. With hundereds of items to choose from, you will certainly find something perfect for your mother, yourself or any special woman in your life.

Visit the Estee Lauder website at esteelauder.co.uk or esteelauder.com. Estee Lauder products are also available in many major department stores.

Many celebrities have attached their name to signature fragrances. And though many times it’s the name rather than the quality of the scent that sells the product, several celebrity fragrances are actually very good.

Here are three of our favorite celebrity scents:

M by Mariah Carey
This sultry fragrance is part of the Elizabeth Arden line. Mariah worked closely with the perfumers to create this scent, which features a floral aroma mixed with a spicy, woody tone. M by Mariah Carey can be found at most major department stores. The beautiful purple bottle is also exquisite with a butterfly perched on the top.

Wrapped with Love by Hilary Duff
This fruity fragrance is light and delicate. If you are looking for a nice fragrance that doesn’t overpower you, this is it. Wrapped with Love is a great everyday perfume that is both sweet and sophisticated.

Curious ÔÖÑ Heart Britney Spears
No matter what you have to say about Britney Spears’ lifestyle or music, her fragrance is still very good. It’s an exhilarating floral scent that has undertones of a vanilla musk. This scent isn’t just for teenyboppers. Women of all ages will enjoy a bottle of Curious ÔÖÑ Heart.

Danielle by Danielle Steel
The novelist Danielle Steel created a timeless classic with this perfume. Danielle is a stronger scent than the others on the list but it’s still very feminine. Like the other fragrances, Danielle by Danielle Steel is also available at most department stores and fragrance outlets.

Next time you are looking for a new perfume, don’t assume just because a celebrity’s name is attached to it that it must be bad. Some of these celebrities work with the top perfumers in the world to create wonderful fragrances. These perfumes would make a great gift for yourself or any special woman in your life.