There are some striking new scents among the wave of fragrance launches that normally take place in the last quarter of the year.

Designer Michael Kors' most recent women's scent, Very Pretty, lives up to its name with a sultry blend of citrus, white florals, coconut, and sandalwood. The 1.7-ounce eau de perfume is $75 at Macy's and Sephora. Ralph Lauren has brings in two new scents. Polo Modern Reserve commemorates the 30th anniversary of Polo, one of the all-time best-selling men's fragrances. The woodsy, basil-infused cologne is more stylish, replacing chamomile and tobacco with cardamom, vetiver and leather.

It's $62.50 for 4 ounces or $200 for one of 3,500 8-ounce limited-edition eau de toilette sprays with 24-karat-gold plating on the bottle; at Nordstrom, Bon Ton and polo.com. The designer calls Love, Ralph Lauren his most comfortable women's scent to date. The juice -- a mix of Bulgarian rose, mimosa, Chinese magnolia, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla -- is homed in a refillable heart-shaped flacon that is topped with a hand-faceted 47-karat amethyst dauber, hand-painted in 24-karat gold, signed by the designer and balanced in a Lucite case. Prices vary from $90 for a 1.7-ounce eau de perfume spray to $2,200 for a .5-ounce, luxury edition perfume at Neiman Marcus, New York, Saks Fifth Avenue Ralph Lauren stores and RalphLauren.com.

Creed's most recent fragrance, Love in Black, is a sultry follow-up to the opulent Love in White introduced very last year by the prestige brand. Stirred by places Jackie Kennedy Onassis lived and visited the eau de perfume is infused with clove, Italian violets, French blackcurrant, Bulgarian rose, night-blooming Greek wildflowers and Virginia cedar and irises. It's $130 for one ounce in a clear bottle and $230 for 2.5 ounces in a stylish black flacon with a black velvet ribbon just about the neck.

A part of proceeds from U.S. sales will promote protection of endangered animal species through the World Wildlife Fund. The odor won't arrive at Saks in Pittsburgh until November; however pre-orders are being accepted at 412-297-5383. Paris-based Creed, founded in 1760, is mentioned in the October issue of Family Business magazine as the world's 99th-oldest family-owned business.

In the meantime, despite the economic downturn, luxury beauty brands are forging ahead with launches of costly new products. La Prairie has introduced Cellular Cream Platinum Rare, which contains a platinum extract to assist the skin retain moisture and a crystal compound to help the skin's adjustment to climate changes. It's $1,000 for 1.7 ounces at Saks. In two weeks, La Prairie will debut Skin Caviar Crystalline Concentre of $375, a complexion-repair serum that contains peptides, plant extracts and diamond and quartz crystals.

Source: post-gazette.com