When it came to partnering with Coty to create the ultimate perfume, Roberto Cavalli was primed for the challenge.

“I was waiting a long time to have such a special fragrance,” he told PEOPLE recently. “I spent a lot of time to create something that I really like.”

Sitting low in his chair, and surrounded by lanky employees with thick Italian accents, the storied designer detailed whittling the scent down to three key ingredients. “At the beginning they gave me a lot of small bottles and I didn’t know which one to choose because one was too sweet and the other one was too …” he trailed off. Clearly, creating a fragrance is hard work.

Comprised of a trifecta of harmonious scents — orange flower, roasted Tonka bean and peppercorn for a spicy note — the eponymous scent was created as a tongue-in-cheek homage to the designer’s late mother.

“She adored perfume,” he said, his eyes glassing over with remembrance. “She used to buy the most horrible, cheap perfume. It was strong, strong perfume. I like mine because it is soft, delicate … not too much.”

So when asked which of his A-list fans would best embody his “sexy, feminine, aggressive” scent, Cavalli was quick to choose Jennifer Lopez. “It’s for a woman full of energy,” he mused. “I can see Jennifer singing and dancing with my perfume. I would love that.”

–Justine Harman

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Fresh off of her sexy Super Bowl commercials, Adriana Lima is gearing up for a romantic Valentine’s Day with husband Marko Jaric. But surprisingly, she’s not out looking for any gifts.

“It’s Valentine’s Day — shouldn’t guys be out shopping for us?” she jokes.

Lima is the face of Victoria’s Secret’s new, limited edition Bombshell in Love fragrance, a follow-up to the successful Bombshell scent and “passion in a bottle,” the supermodel says. The perfume — which has notes of pink grapefruit, Asian pear, purple freesia, sandalwood and cedarwood — is $49 for a bottle (and $25 for body mist).

But Lima is hoping for roses this Feb. 14 — and some sexy underthings, too. “Lingerie from Victoria’s Secret is the best gift to receive since it’s the sexiest present in the world,” she says. “I especially love the Body by Victoria Demi Bra and Hiphugger Panty … it comes in a heart print for Valentine’s Day, which is fun and flirty.”

However, if you don’t have a Valentine to celebrate with this year, Lima thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to celebrate yourself: when asked if it’s OK for a woman to buy herself a Valentine’s Day gift, she answers enthusiastically, “Yes!”

But until the calendar hits Feb. 14, Lima will be focused on another holiday: New Year’s. Specifically, her aspirational New Year’s resolutions, which include learning to play piano, doing more boxing, getting a driver’s license and meeting the Dalai Lama. So … how are those going? “It’s still early,” she says. “Still working on those resolutions!” Tell us: What do you want for Valentine’s Day?

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Avril Lavigne, who already lends her vision to a clothing line and two fragrances, wants to add some punk rock to your polish.

Sally Hansen has partnered with the singer for a limited collection of Salon Effects nail strips, launching in April. “I was really excited about the Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips — especially since they’re superquick,” she told WWD. “It’s supercool because the designs that I came up with are my personal style and vibe — they’re rock ’n’ roll and fun and bright and colorful. You have sparkles and little stars …”

Each $9.99 kit will include 16 nail polish strips, a cuticle file, a mini-file and a buffer for quick and easy application. But the 27-year-old, who calls herself “a really visual person,” says she wants to continue to add to her beauty empire: “I think it would be cool to do hair color.”

–Justine Harman

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A provocative fragrance needs a provocative model, so Lindsay Lohan seemed just right for the job as the face of FCUK Friction. The actress — who’s had her own share of troubles in the past couple of years — appears on boxes and in advertisements for the mischievous, sensual fragrance, available for both men and women.

Lohan holds tight to model Petey Wright in her sexy photo, originally shot for Muse magazine by photographer Yu Tsai. But according to a spokeswoman for FCUK Beauty, the image was reused for the Friction launch because it “evoked the feelings of passion and seduction that Friction would achieve.” Yowza!

Friction Her features notes of apple blossom, coconut, amber and sandalwood, while Friction Him smells of mandarin, black coconut, rum accord, amber and leather. Both fragrances are available at fcukfriction.com and retail for $20-$75 depending on size; ‘May Cause Friction’ and ‘Remove for Friction’ underwear is available, as well. Wonder if Lohan has a pair? Tell us: What do you think of Lohan’s sensual ad?

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In a plunging pantsuit, gilded choker and auburn waves, Emily Blunt has never looked as glam as she does in the video for Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium fragrance — but she’s not quite sure she pulled it off.

“God, I’m so un-French in that trailer,” she laments to U.K.’s The Telegraph of the video (below), in which she deftly dodges a lunging leopard while wearing sky-high heels.

Asked why she was invited to join the ranks of supermodel Linda Evangelista, who once fronted the fragrance, The Muppets star says, “I don’t know. I’ve no idea.” Perhaps “there was no one else?” before asserting: “They made a mistake, a terrible mistake.”

And though Blunt maintains she doesn’t deserve the role, it’s the only beauty campaign she has ever said yes to. “I think that I’ve been wanting to make sure that when I did it, it would be the right thing,” she says. “I’d been asked to do a couple of things but none were as classy as this,” she explains before adding, “And I got to work with a leopard. ” No brainer!

–Justine Harman

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Chris Evans earned points with his pals when he scored the role of Captain America, but his choice to strip down for Gucci’s new Guilty Intense fragrance earned more than a few raised eyebrows.

“My buddies in Boston give me a hard time,” he admits to PEOPLE. Although the final result — those sexy ads costarring Evan Rachel Wood — are probably cool with the guys.

“I love that girl,” Evans says of Wood. “We hit it off right away. We had to roll around naked together, so it very easily could have become awkward and difficult, but we just laughed the whole time.” In fact, by the time the four-day shoot in Italy wrapped, Evans says they were “good friends.”

Evans, who calls his role as Gucci Guilty spokesman “the best gig,” doesn’t consider himself a style guy. But a fragrance guy? Definitely. “Even if I’m in my T-shirt and jeans, I’ll make sure I smell good,” he says. After playing around with his dad’s colognes as a kid, Evans graduated to Polo Sport and later, Abercrombie scents. “It’s not too classy what I was dousing myself with,” he jokes, “but I always made sure I used something.”

Gucci Guilty Intense, a deeper version of the sensual original, features notes of orange flower, Italian lemon, patchouli and amber in the men’s scent, and mandarin, pink pepper, lilac and patchouli in the women’s eau de parfum. “I like it,” Evans says of the cologne. “Thank god — wouldn’t that be horrible if it smelled terrible?”

So where does a sexy star like Evans spray his favorite fragrance? “I know some guys go direct skin contact,” he shares, “but not me. I give the little mist, then do the walk-through.”

–Kate Hogan

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And you think your job is tough! Flanked by four hunky guys, model Chanel Iman hit the streets of New York on Monday carrying some very precious cargo: a million-dollar bottle of DKNY’s new fragrance, Golden Delicious. OK, so maybe it’s not that tough of a job. But who better to guard the goods than the DKNY fragrance spokesmodel?

“It was fun,” she told PEOPLE of the task. “I had no idea that it was a whole production — as a model, you never know what you’re getting into.”

What Iman, the face of DKNY’s Be Delicious, was getting into was promoting the sale of the million-dollar scent, which is actually a bottle of Golden Delicious designed by jeweler Martin Katz and covered in 2,909 rare jewels from around the world, including 2,700 brilliant white diamonds, 183 yellow sapphires and one 2.43-carat yellow canary diamond.

The bottle will be available for auction on the DKNY Core Club Facebook page; proceeds from the sale will benefit Action Against Hunger. “It’s a wonderful cause — you’ll be buying something in good spirit,” Iman offered.

The model, who celebrated her 21st birthday on a private island in Jamaica over the weekend with family and friends (“It was off the chain,” she gushed), said she’s been wearing Be Delicious since she was a child. “But I really love Golden Delicious,” she said of the new scent, “especially for the holidays.” The perfume combines notes of orange flower water and golden delicious apples with white rose, vanilla orchid, sandalwood and musk.

So where does Iman spritz her scent? “I’m the type of chick that just sprays it all over,” she shared, “and then goes about my day.”

SHOP STARS’ SIGNATURE SCENTS

With holiday parties piling up and the New Year just around the corner, we’ve got beauty on the brain in a big way. Whether it’s picking our own special fragrance, like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s Burberry, scent, scoring the perfect pair of heels or finding the best pair of jeans, we’re all about what makes us feel sexiest. And for next year, we’ve got a whole list of beauty must-dos to try. But we want to hear from you, so check out the polls below and let us know: What makes you feel sexiest? What beauty trends will you try next year?

She’s addicted — to her new perfume! Emily Blunt plays a woman on the hunt for Yves Saint Lauernt’s intoxicating Opium fragrance in new ads for the scent, which debut in December. In the behind-the-scenes clip above, eager fans can catch a glimpse of the starlet in action as she leaves a mysterious party — and even encounters a snow leopard — as she searches for the scent.

“It was thrilling,” Blunt says of filming the campaign. “I was given a story to play, and for me as an actress that’s very exciting. I’m not just posing or just trying to sell something.”

Announced as the new face of Opium in September, Blunt says this is the first time she’s served as the spokesmodel of a brand. “For me, it’s particularly exciting that it’s YSL just cause I’ve admired them for many years,” she explains in behind-the-scenes video interviews. “I have great respect for what the fashion house does.”

Blunt says she particularly likes fragrances because they’re easier to remember than a name or a face. “I think really that’s what I love most about it — it evokes so much for people. Everyone always says they’ve smelled something, and remember this beautiful memory they experienced maybe many years ago,” she says. “There’s something very powerful about it.”

The same can be said for Opium: Blunt says her character in the commercial is “on a mission, which is not that easy to do in really high heels!” But she perseveres. “That’s what Opium does to you — you suffer through it because you know you need it.” Look for the full Opium commercial in December.

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Country music’s first couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, are making beautiful music together again — with a new fragrance duet.

Soul2Soul, which is comprised of a woodsy His and a floral Hers scent, was inspired by their joint 2000 tour of the same name. “When our fans think of us together, besides thinking of family, they probably do think about their experience with [the tour],” McGraw tells WWD. “It was important to us to give them something that was familiar.”

Though both husband and wife have had their experience concocting scents — McGraw’s first scent with Coty Beauty launched in August 2008; Hill’s first followed in October 2009 — this is the first time they’ve put their noses together. “I like the collaborative process with her, for sure,” McGraw says, ultimately giving Hill the credit for the finished product: “I get to a certain point and finally just say, ‘What do you think, Faith?’”

And though McGraw claims his scent is for the type of guy who’s “going out on the weekend to have a few beers to [the] guy going out on a nice dinner with his wife,” his understanding of the delicate process belies the tough-guy act. “There’s a science to it, but it’s really, truly almost like baking,” he explains. “It’s the same way with creating a scent. It’s all about emotions.”

“…And memories,” adds Hill.

–Justine Harman

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“I consider myself extremely preppy,” stylist Brad Goreski tells PEOPLE. “I always have been. I’ve been looking at a lot of my baby pics, and I’m always in a three-piece suit and bowtie.”

Thanks to that association with all things preppy — which he defines as “plaid, seersucker, stripes, polka dots and oxford” — Goreski was recently tapped to promote Tommy Hilfiger’s new Eau de Prep, scents for men and women in Macy’s stores now.

Goreski says he counts fragrances as accessories; they “put the finishing touch” on an outfit. “It’s the last thing you put on before you go out the door,” he explains. “People see you, but you also want people to smell you. It’s two reactions: you get the visual and then you get the sensory.”

Thankfully, those who’ve been missing their weekly visual dose of Goreski on The Rachel Zoe Project won’t have to wait too much longer to see him in his new series. “You can look forward to a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, a lot of fashion and a different look into the world of fashion through my eyes,” he explains. But fans get another dimension, too, with a glimpse at “my home life, and how I live,” he says — including the relationships with his boyfriend and family.

Goreski says he is exposing a lot more of himself through this new show, and is excited for people to see “business Brad, fashion Brad, homebody Brad, sweatsuit Brad and even the return of crying Brad.” He hopes to inspire wannabe fashionistas, too. “A lot of hard work goes into styling, but you can be nice in fashion and you can be a good person,” he shares. “I think it’s important for all the young people who have watched me start out as an assistant and work my way up.”

Underlying messages aside, Goreski just hopes that viewers have fun watching his series. “If people aren’t laughing,” he says, “there’s a problem.”

–Elyse Roth

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If model Bar Refaeli could create a perfume, it would smell just like Especially Escada. The new fragrance, a light blend of roses, is a scent she “really likes.” And good thing — the Israeli starlet is the perfume’s first face.

“For a model, the biggest thing is to get a perfume deal,” Refaeli told PEOPLE in New York last week during a luncheon for the scent. “And when I heard they wanted me to do it for a few years, I was like, ‘Wow, finally!’ I’m really excited about it.”

Refaeli shot the campaign images in Los Angeles recently, in a French-inspired garden in Los Angeles where flowers had been trimmed to create Escada’s iconic double E. “It was a funny day,” Refaeli recalled. “In Los Angeles the weather should be perfect, but it was pouring rain. But somehow the photographer was able to nail it, and light it in a way that looks like a spring or summer day. We were lucky.”

The model — who’s done campaigns for Rampage in the past — says she wears perfume constantly. “I like my perfume to be suitable for day and night, and not change it,” she shared. “I like to have my smell, so when I’m around, people notice me and my smell and it comes together … almost like a second skin.” As long as the fragrance isn’t too overwhelming. “I enter a room, they know I’ve arrived … well, not because of the amount,” she joked.

Growing up, Refaeli’s olfactory system was constantly stimulated. “My mom loves perfume — she also wears it day or night — so I took that from her,” she shared. “We have the same taste in scents, definitely.” Her dad “also has this really good smell.” But when it comes to the men she dates, Refaeli likes a cleaner, lighter redolence. “For guys, I prefer the just-shaved smell,” she shared. “I love that.”

–Kate Hogan

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October may be winding down, but finding a cure for breast cancer is always at the forefront of our minds. With this being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite pink products to share — and proceeds from all of them help support the cause.

Pomega5
Pick up the Pomega5 Pom-Berry Medley Kit — which includes a delicate almond oil moisturizer, Bulgarian rose moisturizing beauty bar and daily revitalizing concentrate ampoules — and know that 20 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. $75 at pomega5.com

OPI
Give yourself a manicure — and give Susan G. Komen for the Cure a boost! OPI’s 2011 Pink of Hearts nail lacquer (left) is a slick Shatter that covers another coat of your favorite color. $8.50 at Ulta, JCPenney and Dillard’s stores

Murad
For each of Murad’s Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture duos (bottom right) purchased, the company will donate 10 percent of profits to City of Hope. $85 on murad.com

Sonia Kashuk
A breast cancer survivor herself, Kashuk created the proudly pink brush set — containing five pink brushes with white handles and silver trim — to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation year-round. Fifteen percent of the purchase price goes toward the organization’s work. $14.99 at target.com

Caswell-Massey
When you purchase any of the company’s Fresh Cut Flowers products — soaps, hand-wash gel or lotion — they’ll donate 15 percent of the profits to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. $15-$40 on caswellmassey.com

Angelo David Brush Collection
Every time you brush your hair with one of the salon’s paddle brushes, you’ll know you’re helping the Breast Cancer Research Foundation: 10 percent of sales this month benefit the non-profit. $35-$65 at angelodavid.com

Pureology
To celebrate its breast cancer awareness bundle (center) — a limited edition box containing PureVolume Shampoo, HairCondition and BlowDryAmplifier — Pureology is donating $20,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. $39 at salons nationwide

Versace Bright Crystal Parfum
When you purchase a 3-oz. bottle of Versace’s Bright Crystal fragrance, the company will donate one dollar to Breast Health International — and give you a pink umbrella, a symbol of their determination to find a cure. $88 at bloomingdales.com

Dream Organics
It’s a donation with a twist: for every jar of Dream Organic’s Heal Me Crème de Luxe (top right) purchased, the brand will give another jar to a breast cancer patient. The lotion’s organic ingredients — lavender water, aloe vera, vitamin E — help heal scars left by surgery and treatments. $68 at dreamorganics.com

Deborah Lippmann
Lippmann’s mother-in-law received cancer treatment at the Hoag Breast Cancer Center in southern California, so the nail polish pro decided to donate 10 percent of each sale of her Shape of My Heart nail lacquer to the facility. $16 at deborahlippmann.com

Redken
To help fund cancer research, Redken is donating $20,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure — and selling rough paste 12 working material and a mini-version of quick-dry 18 instant finishing spray throughout the month of October. Prices vary at salons nationwide

Glowology
It couldn’t be simpler: indulge in one of Glowology’s moisturizing honey and shea butter bath bars and know that 50 percent of the profits will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. $8 at glowologyskincare.com

Upper Canada
The company is donating 50 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for each waterproof Shower Queen Shower Cap sold on its site. $12 on uppercanadasoap.com

Gianna Rose Atelier
Scented with fresh linen, the brand’s four French-milled guest soaps are embossed with a pink ribbon, and 15 percent of sales benefit the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. $25 on giannarose.com

Visit cancerandcareers.org for a list of additional beauty brands donating funds to the Cosmetic Executive Women Foundation’s Cancer and Careers program. And read up on our charitable apparel picks here.

Dakota Fanning just celebrated her move from Los Angeles to New York at her first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, but the star is busy tackling an even bigger milestone now: starting her freshman year at NYU.

“Going to college is a bit different than going back to high school,” the new student told PEOPLE recently at a Marc Jacobs bash. “You can kind of wear whatever you want, and I had a uniform in high school.”

But don’t think you’ll catch Dakota, who’s living in a Manhattan apartment instead of the dorms, taking on sloppy student style. “If you ever catch me in sweatpants in class, that’s not good,” joked the star. “I’ve tried not to dress like that.”

However, the former Angeleno did come prepared for the East Coast temperature changes — sans sweatpants. “I knew to bring a lot of coats, and my Hunter rain boots,” she shared. Still, Fanning admitted that shopping for school is intimidating. For instance, “What pencil case do you buy for college?” she asked.

Fanning might have a little help in the wardrobe department courtesy of her pal Marc Jacobs. The actress — a muse for his line (as is her sister) — serves as the face of his latest fragrance, Oh, Lola! “It’s been such an honor to work with someone who you admire and actually love wearing their clothes and love their brand,” she said. “I think Marc is such a genius and so creative, and I think he proves time and time again that he can do anything. To be involved in anything he touches is a pleasure.”

Though the Oh, Lola! campaign stirred a bit of controversy thanks to its provocative imagery, Fanning said she had a blast during the photo shoot. “It was amazing,” she told reporters at a recent Oh, Lola! event in N.Y.C. “Getting to work with Juergen [Teller] again, it’s always so much fun.”

And she definitely had faith in her crew — and the designer. Fanning showed up to set without having seen the bottle, and unaware of the scent’s smell. “I got there … and it was exactly what I love, and it’s pink — which is my favorite color,” she shared. “So it couldn’t have been more perfect for me.”

–Kate Hogan and Catherine Kast

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She plays one tough chick in her new film, Colombiana, but Zoe Saldana tells PEOPLE she’s always up for ladies’ night.

“My beauty tip for a girls’ night out is … the girls,” she tells PEOPLE in the clip above. “We’re all putting each other together while listening to a good playlist.”

Depending on where she goes at night, Saldana says she keeps it casual or goes “very va-va. If you want to go for a glass of champagne somewhere you put on the heels and you do your hair,” she says.

The actress is dishing beauty advice as the face of Avon‘s Eternal Magic Enchanted fragrance, a scent featuring notes of black raspberry, velvet iris and creamy vanilla. “When I want to escape to a serene, magical place, I spritz Avon Eternal Magic Enchanted — it instantly transports me to paradise,” Saldana says.

But sometimes paradise really is a night with her best friends. “We always have a blast,” she says. “As long as the girls are out, that’s all that matters.”

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It’s midnight in Paris … with a twist! In her first commercial for Lancôme, Emma Watson loses her hat and finds love in the City of Light, all while falling under the spell of the brand’s Trésor Midnight Rose fragrance.

“There’s something modern but also timeless about that kind of story,” the Harry Potter star said in July. Describing the scent as “very sweet and warm and playful,” she said she hoped the campaign would bring consumers a “sense of optimism and fun and a sense of youthful energy … life is just kind of like magical and full of surprise. I wanted the love story to be about that.”

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Is it a trip to France … or a trip back in time? In her new ad for Dior’s just-launched J’adore Eau de Toilette, Charlize Theron meets some of Hollywood’s style icons before walking the runway at the famed Hall of Mirrors inside France’s Château de Versailles. But that isn’t the only eye-catching moment in the Jean-Jacques Annaud-directed clip.

Backstage, Theron exchanges kisses with Grace Kelly and shares her bottle of J’adore with Marilyn Monroe, before changing into a stunning gold lamé Dior dress and turning heads on the runway. Check out the clip above and see if you can spot any other famous faces.

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She recently showed us what it’s like to be behind the scenes at a photo shoot and now, model-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is presenting the fruits of her labor in the official Burberry Body fragrance commercial.

In the video above, the sexy starlet models a taupe Burberry trench coat (and not much else!) as she sprays herself with the new scent. The campaign was directed by Christopher Bailey and shot by famed photographer Mario Testino in London; look for the new scent on shelves Thursday.

–Kim Peiffer

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She gave us a peek at her famous assets as the first face of Burberry Body fragrance and now, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is revealing a little more skin in a behind-the-scenes clip from the campaign. The Transformers star shows off her soft and sultry sides in footage from the campaign shoot, which was photographed in London by Mario Testino and directed by Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey.

“It’s a huge honour to be working with Burberry again, a brand that put my career on the map and helped launch me,” Huntington-Whiteley said in a statement. “To be asked to be the first ‘Burberry Body’ is an amazing compliment.” The scent hits counters Sept. 1.

–Kim Peiffer

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Selena Gomez may not want any opinions about her relationship with Justin Bieber, but when it comes to her new fragrance, she’s open to suggestions.

According to WWD, later this fall, fans can visit selenagomezperfumes.com to vote on the accords and ingredients they’d prefer for the singer’s fragrance. When the voting period ends, the most popular notes will be incorporated into the finished scent. Plus, the first 50,000 participants will receive a free sample of the fragrance and be entered into a drawing to win a tour of the fragrance lab with Gomez.

“I am excited to make my own fragrance that is romantic, rich and sweet — I wanted to make a fragrance that is able to make my fans feel special,” Gomez tells WWD. “I’m excited, [because] it’s something I’m interested in … I’m already doing the whole process of smelling things and designing it and the campaign and everything, so it’ll be fun,” she adds to E!

The star’s fragrance is expected to hit stores in the spring of 2012. Tell us: Will you vote on Gomez’s fragrance?

–Kim Peiffer

SHOP STARS’ SIGNATURE SCENTS