Everyone loves a multitasker and this Marc Jacobs Lola perfume ring is a bit of a powerhouse.

Not only is it a glamorous, over-the-top cocktail ring (I’m in love with the colours), but you can also open the top of it to reveal the solid version of Marc Jacobs’ Lola perfume inside.

As the name suggests, solid perfume is… well… solid perfume. You can rub a little on your finger like balm then distribute on your wrists, neck and wherever else you usually wear your perfume.

This is a far better idea then having to carry a bottle of perfume with you if you think you might need it for a night out. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has broken bottles and ruined bags this way.

The Marc Jacobs Lola perfume ring is available now from Myer, David Jones and selected pharmacies. Its recommended retail price is $65.

By Caroline Warnes

Marc Jacobs’ newest perfume is called Lola and despite the fact I haven’t so much as caught a whiff of it yet, I’m already in love.

Can we start with the gorgeous packaging? I am totally sold on the bottle alone. Yes, I know it’s stupid to buy perfume based on the bottle, but I can’t help it. It’s just so unique and pretty.

Then there is the name. Lola. I love that name so much. I love it so much I even have an animal called that. It means “sorrows” in Spanish and is quite a beautiful and poetic name.

Then there is the fact that Marc Jacobs has never produced a perfume that I don’t like. The original is still the best for me, but Daisy and Blush are nice too. Marc Jacobs Lola, however, sounds like something else altogether, thanks to the base notes of pink peppercorn, pear, and ruby red grapefruit; the midnotes of rose, fuschia peony and geranium, and the top notes of vanilla, tonka bean and musk.

I can’t wait to get to a Myer store to check it out. A 50ml bottle of Marc Jacobs Lola costs $120.

By Caroline Warnes

When I was at high school it was pretty much de rigueur to dowse oneself in perfume oils from The Body Shop.

This was back in the day before anyone could afford the pricier fragrances from the department stores, with the exception of Calvin Klein perfumes (I seem to remember one year during my teens where every moment was spent in a hazy cloud of CK One).

Eventually my budget allowed me to buy the department store designer perfumes and and for the last 10 years I’ve favoured the likes of Gucci Envy, Chanel Allure, L’Eau d’Issey and more recently, Marc Jacobs.

But in recent times I’ve noticed that everyone seems to smell the same. Walking down the street, I constantly catch a whiff of someone’s scent, and I can usually identify it because there seems to be a list of about 10 favoured by most people. Frankly, I am sick of paying $100 a bottle to smell like everyone else.

So I have decided to revert to The Body Shop perfume oils, at least until I can afford the $200-plus for a bottle of Bond No. 9 Chinatown. I’d forgotten how nice some of them are, and they are so affordable (prices from $17.95). My current choice is Ananya, which features top notes of bergamot, peach, melon, coconut and violet; middle notes of jasmine, rose, freesia, tubersoe and ylang ylang; and base notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, vanilla and musk. Plus, it makes me feel like I’m 13 again. Which is a more appealing proposition with each new wrinkle I identify.

There are heaps of oils to choose from in store, including vanilla, strawberry, white musk and neroli jasmin.

By Caroline Warnes

I have to admit that I am not one of those people who intends to wear the same fragrance every day for the rest of my life.

My fragrance personality tends more towards wearing a perfume to death for a couple of years then moving on to something else.

My current favourite, Marc Jacobs by Marc Jacobs, has had a solid three-year run that will most likely come to an end soon, and I am keen to start sniffing around for something new.

I’m yet to get to a Myer store to sample it, but the new fragrance from luxury jewellery house Bvlgari, Jasmin Noir, looks promising. It’s described as having “the essence of a jeweller” and is aimed at women between the ages of 25 and 40.

Obviously, Jasmin is the main ingredient in the blend, however there are also unexpected top notes of green plants and gardenia combined with base notes of precious wood, licorice and accords of Tonka.

The only catch? Jasmin Noir is pricier than previous Bvlgari scents and will set you back around $160 for the 100ml bottle in most retail outlets.

By Caroline Warnes

It may be an unpopular point of view, but I really don’t get all the hate for Victoria Beckham, AKA Posh Spice.

In fact I get endless enjoyment out of her whole lifestyle, not because I think she is a suitable role model for anybody, but because she has a few things down pat:

1. The posing

Victoria Beckham’s compulsive posing is out of control, and I love it. How does anyone do that in public and not feel like Zoolander? Check out the photo above from a recent Marc Jacobs show. She’s even posing with her hand on her hip WHILE SHE’S SITTING DOWN. Even Jennifer Lopez - who isn’t really known for her unwillingness to pose - looks embarrassed and bemused, and that’s really saying something. I giggled like a schoolgirl when I saw this photo.

2. Everything is an event

In Posh’s world, everything is an event-cum-photo opportunity. There is no such thing as nipping out to the shops to get some bread and milk in your trackies. She recently turned up to a kid’s birthday party at some sort of family restaurant in a designer dress and four-inch Christian Louboutin heels. On anyone else, it would be a vulgar display of wealth. On Victoria Beckham, it’s… well, still a vulgar display of wealth. But funnier, somehow.

You just know that she lives her life to upstage everyone else. She’s the girl who you could never invite along to your birthday drinks or wedding because she would go all-out to be better dressed and attract more attention than you.

3. She shops indiscriminately

There isn’t a trend that Posh hasn’t tried and ruined for everyone else. All that money spent on designer items, and yet still she manages to pull off cheap and nasty so effectively. There was a rumour going around some years ago that a top designer was trying to ban Posh from buying and wearing his clothes because he felt it would damage his high-class image. I hold her up as a shining example of the fact that money can’t buy style.

4. She snared a hot guy

Posh has admitted in the past that she is not naturally the best looking woman around, and yet she still managed to grab one of the most wanted men in the world - David Beckham.

Although Becks is not my cup of tea (what the hell is going on with that voice), many women love him and hate Posh for having him. And she knows it.

5. She doesn’t care what you think of her

Well, actually, anyone who has had that much surgery probably DOES care what you think, but at the end of the day, she has big piles of money she can go home and cry herself to sleep on.

What’s not to love?

Photo courtesy of WireImage.com

By Caroline Warnes

I am yet to join social networking site MySpace as I find the whole thing utterly cringeworthy, however the MySpace Fashion Channel has piqued my interest.

According to the press release, the Fashion Channel is a “tight-knit community of 18,000 Australians which provides direct connection with designers such as (Chanel’s) Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Miuccia Prada, Viktor & Rolf as well as Australians Alice McCall, Lover and Ksubi”.

From what I can tell, these direct connections are links through to the designers’ MySpace profiles, however what is more newsworthy is Oyster Vision, a new faeture that provides you with Australian fashion-related video content, including artist interviews, runway coverage and more.

Trender Bender is another a great feature - you can see photos of what everyday people on the streets around the world are wearing (great for providing fashion inspiration). Users can also upload their own photos.

There are also forums and blogs where the community meets to discuss everything fashion-related.

By Caroline Warnes

I always go into a state of mild shock when December arrives for the year.

Although I always have a general vague sense of time passing throughout the year, it isn’t until the final month arrives that I start to panic about clocking up another year, not doing most of the things I resolved to do last year, generally wasting time, etc etc.

But of course, the end of the year isn’t all bad. There’s also the bonuses of having a break from work, spending time with your family and, of course, an excuse for presents.

I personally don’t expect gifts from other people at Christmas, and I definitely don’t ask people to get me certain things (my father, bless him, famously gave me a $20 Caltex voucher one Christmas, and I definitely didn’t ask for that, though naturally it came in handy). I think gift giving should be entirely voluntary, otherwise what’s the point? But I usually do treat myself to one gift at the end of each year. This year I’m tossing up between:

* These Marc Jacobs pumps. I love the fact that they are sexy and feminine enough to wear out at night, but are also practical and demure enough for work. Marc Jacobs shoes are sold at Myer locally. I’d recommend trying shoes on instore rather than buying them online, unless you have bought shoes from that particular designers before. Sizes do vary greatly between designers. They can even vary within a designer’s range.

* This five-piece champagne set from Target. I think it’s a bargain at $49.99. At the start of summer I always have visions of hosting a fantastic cocktail party on a balcony somewhere wearing an equally fantastic cocktail dress, however this never actually happens. In any case, the champagne set would still come in handy.

* A Leona Edmiston dress. I have been absolutely in love with her dresses for years, but have never actually owned one. They are so flattering and feminine. I could seriously see myself buying any of the dresses in her current collection, however I’m particularly enamoured of the Emerald Style.

* A PlayStation 3 games console. My last games console purchase was the original Xbox several years ago and I think it’s time for an upgrade. And seeing as I have an high-definition ready flatscreen at home, I want to play HD movies as well! Thankfully, the PS3 is an all-in-one device and allows you to do that.

* Anything from the Cartier Panther collection. Okay, this one is in no way realistic given that Cartier jewellery tends to be without a price tag, well within the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” category. However I can always dream, right? A similarly animal-inspired (and more affordable) option is the Karen Walker Owl Ring. Still not cheap, but it’s an absolutely gorgeous piece of jewellery.

Lastly, I was excited to hear that Evelyn Miles is having a BIG sale for three days only (until Sunday). With up to 40% off new season stock and up to 60% off the already reduced sale stock, my credit card is already groaning in protest…

By Caroline Warnes

I try to remain open-minded about most fashion and beauty trends. However there are certain trends that have made a reappearance in recent times that I want absolutely no part of. Mainly because I saw them up close and personal the first time around.

1. Ray-Ban Wayfarers

I know a lot of people loved their Ray-Ban Wayfarers the first time around back in the 1980s. In fact, some people loved them so much that they didn’t realise they went out of fashion for a good 20 years. However I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Wayfarers don’t suit approximately 90 percent of the population.

Lately we’ve seen them on everyone from the Olsen twins to Sienna Miller as well as your average fashion plate on the street. However no matter which celebrities try to tell me that Wayfarers are cool again, you will not catch me wearing them.

You see, everytime I think of Wayfarers, I think of Tom Cruise prancing around the house in his underwear in Risky Business and I cringe. I just can’t get that association out of my head. Add that to the fact that the shape of the glasses is unflattering on most faces and to me you have a no-go zone for most of us.

2. Head-to-toe fluoro

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was slightly confused to hear that fluoro clothing (yet another 80s throwback) is making a comeback. Weren’t we making fun of that sort of thing fairly recently? Well at least I know I was.

The trend started in the summer 2007 collections with the likes of Christopher Kane and now has trickled down to most chain stores to the point where it’s impossible to hit your local Westfield sans sunglasses. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but there’s still an awful lot of fluoro clothing going around.

For me, even a little bit of fluoro is too much.

3. High-waisted jeans

Moving onto making fun of clothes from another era: let’s talk high-waisted jeans. I don’t have much to say on this trend except that if even Kate Moss can’t make something look good, chances are nobody can.

I prefer mid-rise jeans for most body shapes: they’re high enough to cover everything that should be covered when you sit down and low enough to give your armpits some breathing room.

4. Grunge

Ah yes, anyone who came of age in the 80s or 90s is sure to remember the era of grunge dressing. In my world of mid-1990s Sydney it came watered down as flannel shirts, scuffed sneakers and corduroy pants, preferably unwashed. After all, who had time to do a load of washing with all that angst and pain to suffer. If you went to see a band play you might even get lucky and see some hipster wearing a tu-tu and knee-high stripey socks.

While this trend hasn’t come back overwhelmingly we have seen whispers of it in some recent collections, particularly at New York Spring Fashion Week earlier this year (Marc Jacobs is a repeat offender). Personally, I’m hoping the whole thing stays back in the 90s, where it belongs.

5. Doc Martens

Well, really Doc Martens are an extension of the grunge factor. Back in the day every grunge fanatic and their dog had a pair of these heavy boots, modelled on army all-terrain boots.

I was a bit scared to hear from friends in the UK that Doc Martens are becoming popular again. This gives me bad memories of clunking around in my first pair of Docs back at highschool on a summer day and nearly dying of heatstroke. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realised how ridiculous I probably looked.

In fact I would be quite happy if I never saw a pair of Doc Martens again!

By Caroline Warnes