Tom Ford White Patchouli: Not for Hippies

When I smell Tom Ford White Patchouli on my skin, I'm reminded of this bizarre billboard that I used to see near my grandparents' house, when I was a kid. It was for a cigarette brand called 555, and it read, "SMOOTHNESS. ABOVE ALL ELSE."

This pretty much sums up White Patchouli. It's a gentrified patchouli, not dirty or overly earthy or reminiscent of the back of someone's VW bus.

If you walked into a record store in Chicago wearing this, John Cusack would not be tempted to turn around and emphatically yell, "Get your patchouli stink outta my store!" as he did to Tim Robbins. (Please, please, let someone else out there love the movie High Fidelity and remember that line.)

It's very well blended, no sharp edges, just smoothness. Notes include patchouli, white flowers, peony, bergamot, coriander, jasmine, rose, ambrette seed, blond woods, and incense.

And now that we've had a reference to cigarettes and one to a movie, let's add in another pop culture reference for good measure, shall we? White Patchouli's drydown, for some reason, evokes cold, pale white marble, at least in my head. Think...Edward Cullen. And indeed, this scent could work on a man, especially a sparkling, rock-hard, undead one.

I can't say that I like it enough to buy a whole bottle, but then again, I've never really never been drawn to patchouli at all. That said, if you like the idea of patchouli but can't bring yourself to wear it, you might want to give White Patchouli a whirl.

Kenzo Friends & Family: 20% Off

In case you missed the first announcement, Kenzo Parfums is doing a Friends & Family sale for the first time ever, to celebrate the brand's 20th anniversary. From 11/17 through 11/24, you'll receive 20% off your entire purchase at kenzousa.com, with code 08FAMILY.

I've been a fan of Kenzo since my teenage years, when I wore Parfum d'Ete. These days, I'm partial to Summer by Kenzo, Amour, and any of the genius Ryoko travel sprays (in fact, I've posted about those Ryokos no less than three times -- see here, here and here).

You can find Kenzo at Sephora but they don't carry the Ryokos, and the bath and body product selection is pretty thin. Kenzo's site has all these goodies -- and it's been redesigned, so pop over there and take advantage of the discount! Seriously, if you order a Ryoko you will NOT be disappointed.

Oh, and if you spend $75 and sign up for Club Kenzo, you'll get free shipping and 3 samples, too.

Here are a few of my favorite Kenzo picks:

SummerByKenzo Dry Oil ($45) This is going into my cart immediately; I didn't even know they made this, and now I have to have it. Summer is one of my all time favorite warm weather scents, and this moisturizing body oil will be perfect for my next vacation. And it leaves just the slightest touch of shimmer on the skin. Want!

FlowerByKenzo Ryoko ($29) Here it is, the infamous little travel spray. Housed in a smooth little "pebble," it's virtually unbreakable, and at 0.7 oz it can come onboard a plane with you. Available in Flower, Amour, L'Eau Par Kenzo Pour Femme, L'Eau Par Kenzo Pour Homme, and Tokyo.

KenzoAmour Le Parfum ($85) The next generation of KenzoAmour, this more concentrated version is more woody and oriental than the original, while maintaining that comforting, delicious vanilla drydown.

KenzoAmour Holiday Gift Set ($65) Includes KenzoAmour 50ml Eau de Parfum, 100ml KenzoAmour Soft Perfumed Body Lotion and graphic gift box. Worth buying for that gift box alone, it's gorgeous!

Mascara Blitz: DuWop Lash Venom

There's no denying that Lip Venom shook up the cosmetics industry; it jumpstarted the lip plumper craze and put DuWop on the map as an innovator. The brand has since capitalized on that reputation with leading edge products like Reverse Lip Liner and one of my personal favorites, Sub-Surface.

Then they really started banking on the Venom name; there are now 5 varieties of Lip Venom for you to choose from. Plus Venom Gloss. Pure Venom Plumping Lip Stain. Prime Venom. Cheek Venom. At one point, I think there were Anti-Venom lipsticks, too.

And now with Lash Venom, I think they've finally jumped the shark.

This new mascara promises to "wrap each lash completely, delivering superb magnification and length," thanks to spheroidal powders and flexible fibers, while "Procapil, an amino acid-based hair strengthener, plumps lashes while keeping them healthy and strong."

Tall order. So, does it deliver?

First of all, even though the "venom" effect refers to a plumping action, the word association implies something that you'd never want near your lashes. Not to mention that Lip Venom BURNS, strengthening that poisonous connotation.

So it was with an apprehensive hand that I brought the Lash Venom wand to my eye. There was no burning, of course, so now let's move on to my next quibble with this product: why has "plumping" become the new "volumizing" or "thickening?" Are we really supposed to believe that this product somehow plumps up each individual lash from the inside out? I'm not buying it, amino acids or not.

The results didn't do much to change my mind. While I really liked the matte black, almost sooty color of this mascara, I didn't see a whole lot of plumping going on. (And wait a sec: it promises a glossy finish, but the effect is decidedly matte.) The formula was on the dry side, almost cakey, and fibrous, making it difficult to get a smooth lash effect.

Several coats did thicken up my lashes a bit, and they looked longer, but the ends seemed stubby and choppy rather than tapered and sweeping. My Venom'd lashes looked downright puny next to the lush fringe created by Estee Lauder TurboLash.

Not the worst mascara out there, but I expected better from this brand.

Get the Look: Alicia Keys at the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball

Alicia Keys rocked space-age silver eyes at the 5th annual Keep a Child Alive Black Ball on November 13. She's a co-founder of this charity. Go Alicia!

Celebrity makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff created Alicia's dramatic-yet-sophisticated look for the event. "I wanted to make Alicia look a little more sophisticated and grown compared to years before," said Sheriff.

Here's Ashunta Sheriff's breakdown of Alicia's look:

"I made her complexion a radiant and creamy beige using DermaBlend Quick Stix in Natural to conceal eyes and then sprayed DiorSkin AirFlash Spray Foundation in 400 for a flawless finish. Then I set makeup with Black Opal Invisible Oil Blotting Control Powder.

I wanted to focus on her eyes since she would be performing for two hours so I used Dior Eye Show in White Disco as a base, then layered using the Dior 5-Colour Eye Palette in Moonlight.

I finished the look with three coats of DiorShow Iconic Mascara in black and Urban Decay Liquid Liner in Oil Slick. I used an entire pack of Shu Uemura's individual lashes to create volume and length. Finally, I used Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Linen Beige on the lips."

Steals & Deals: 30% Off Urban Decay; 20% Off Kenzo; Freebies from Beautyhabit, Clinique, More

• Urban Decay: Get 30% off your entire order during the Friends & Family event! I'm a little bit late in posting this and there are only two days left, so take advantage while you can. Enter code FFH30 at checkout. Valid through 11/18. [get it]

• Kenzo Parfums: More Friends & Family! Get 20% off your entire purchase with code 08FAMILY. Valid through 11/24. [get it]

• Beautyhabit: With any $85 order, receive a box of assorted scented soaps from Ortigia Sicilia ($45 value). Enter code BHORTIGIA at checkout. Valid through 12/9. [get it]

• Beauty.com: Don't forget about that incredible Rachel Roy beauty case stuffed with goodies! Free with any $100 purchase. [get it]

• Clinique: If you still haven't taken advantage of the Clinique + Trina Turk GWP, it's still available at Nordstrom through 11/22. All you need to do is spend $25! [get it]

• PeaceKeeper CauseMetics: Snag a 50% on UNIFEM Lip Gloss if you sign your name to UNIFEM's Petition to End Violence Against Women. Click here to find out more.

• Bobbi Brown: Get free standard shipping and two free samples of your choice, with code DELUXE. Valid through 11/18. [get it]

• REN Skincare: 30% off your entire order during the Friends & Family event. Just enter code FRIEND at checkout. Valid through 11/27. [get it]