Kate Moss is one of the world’s most recognisable fashion models, all the more remarkable since she doesn’t conform to the usual height stereotype of the profession. She shot to fame in 1993 as the poster-girl for Calvin Klein, ushering in a short-lived heroin chic trend in the fashion world, signified by jutting bones, dark circles under the eyes, and pale skin. Moss has since diversified into designing clothes for Top Shop, going out with Pete Doherty, and having a life-sized 18 carat gold statue made of her and displayed at the British Museum. Numerous photoshoots, and plenty of scandals later, Moss has remained in the public’s eye and affections.

Vintage Muse is the latest perfume designed by Kate Moss, and is a companion fragrance to last year’s best-selling Vintage. Vintage Muse is a floral musk fragrance, containing top notes of plum, rhubarb, and blackcurrant; a heart of peony, orchid, and purple violet; and ambergris, white musk, and chocolate at the base of the perfume. We have it available as both 30ml and 50ml Eau de Toilettes.

If the world of fragrance has you scratching your head in a mass of confusion, or if you need the perfect present but have no idea what you’re looking for, Fragrance Mad has just the feature for you. Brand new to our site is the Clueless About Fragrance section, featuring everything you need to turn yourself from a perfume novice into an expert. Features include a Beginner’s Guide to Fragrance, giving you information on how to distinguish notes and styles of fragrance; our Scent Room, where you can browse fragrances according to the different styles available; guides to buying for both men and women: ideal if you’re looking for that perfect present and need some help; our bestselling fragrances for men and women to let you know what’s hot in the world of fragrance; and Summer and Winter advice guides, which will soon be filled with information on how to look after yourself, whatever the weather. We’re hoping that this section will make buying fragrance and cosmetics a thousand times easier, and if you have any ideas for other guides that you’d like to see, please let us know.

Aftershave is used to close the pores after shaving and protect the face against dirt and bacteria, and is a relatively modern solution to an age-old problem. It is documented that the removal of beard hair first began with trapping hair between two shells and plucking it out, the modern style of shaving became possible with the invention of copper tools around 3000BC. In the fourth century BC Alexander the Great encouraged his subjects to shave in order to avoid “dangerous beard-grabbing in combat”.

With the Gilette Mach 3 Turbo not being around, the problem of blunt razors leaving open wounds on faces, which could then become infected, was a pertinent one. Roman barbers formulated plasters soaked in oil and vinegar to stick to the faces of their cut customers, the theory being that skin treated as such would be protected from infection. Aftershave lotions, often containing alcohol, became popular to close the pores and sanitise the skin, and, as male grooming became increasingly en vogue in the eighteenth century and onwards, perfumers added fragrance to the lotions. Today, splash-on aftershave lotion is used to clean the skin and give it a short-term scent, whereas Eau de Toilettes for Men give a longer lasting, more pungent fragrance.

We were very sorry to see in the local news that a British warhero who lost three limbs while serving in Afghanistan, paratrooper Tom Neathway, recently had a quad bike stolen from his home. Tom bought the bike to bring his life back to a semblance of normality after being injured by a roadside bomb, and we were disgusted that somebody had robbed him of this. Unfortunately the quad bike was not insured, so we decided to step in and replace Tom’s bike. Read the full story at the Worcester News website.

The House of Gucci was founded in Florence in 1906 by Guccio Gucci, originally as a family saddlery leather shop. As the company’s reputation grew, Gucci expanded to a new base in Rome, and, after Guccio’s death in 1953, the company went international, opening boutiques throughout the world. Today, despite a tremendous blip in fortunes that was halted by the arrival of Tom Ford in 1993, Gucci maintains its position as one of the world’s leading prestige brands.

We stock a wide range of Gucci fragrances here at Fragrance Mad, including Rush, Flora, Envy, and Rush II, all at prices so low that Gucci-afficionados probably don’t even know they exist.

OK, it may be just a little bit early, but Santa’s been to visit us and dropped off loads of great Christmas gifts on our doorstep, so get onto fragrancemad.com now to avoid disappointment! We have a huge range of Christmas gift sets available, from Gillette Fusion Razor Sets to Dove Weekend Essentials Kits, and a sublime range of cosmetics and skincare products. We even have some very cool Disney items at fantastic prices: Tigger Bedtime Buddies are just £6.99 (65% off RRP), and Winnie the Pooh Cuddly Pyjama Cases are a snip at £7.99.

Get your Christmas shopping done early and feel all smug; just have a browse through our Gift Sets section and pick out the perfect present. And save those baby-soft fingers by getting us to do the wrapping too: our spanky gift-wrapping service is available at checkout for just £1.95.

We are pleased to announce that Fragrance Mad will continue to be the main shirt sponsor for the Aston Villa Old Stars football team into the 2010/11 season. The team was established in 1960, making it the first Old Boys team in the world, and now plays around twenty-five fundraising matches per season, during which they have so far raised over £4 million for various charities. The strip has been graced by many greats of Villa’s past, including members of the 1982 European Cup-winning side, and today players include such names as Dean Saunders, Tony Morley, and Stan Collymore.

Neil Rioch, chairman of the Aston Villa Former Players Association, said: “We are delighted to have such a prestigious company as FragranceMad.com as sponsors of the team and I know many Aston Villa former players and their partners and families have already been online to take advantage of the excellent range of discounted products that are available”. For full information about the history of the Aston Villa Old Stars team, details of the current squad, fixtures and results, and the events and activities of the Aston Villa Former Players Association, please visit the website at – www.astonvillafpa.org

Since her days as one third of the chart-smashing girl band Destiny’s Child, Beyonce Knowles has seen her career launch into the stratosphere. Destiny’s Child slogged their way up from the American South, making their breakthrough in 1997 with a song featured on the Men in Black soundtrack, before releasing their hit album The Writing’s on the Wall in 1999, which sold over eight million copies. The band went from strength to strength, scoring a huge worldwide hit with Independent Women Part 1 in 2000, as the music-buying public seemed unaware that their songs alternately spoke of the paradoxical desires of wanting a man to buy them stuff and then not wanting a man to buy them stuff, because they can buy it for themselves. Beyonce made the leap to solo success in 2003 with the chart-topping Crazy in Love and, by the time Destiny’s Child disbanded in 2006, Beyonce had established herself as the only member of the group likely to remain in the public eye.

Beyonce is now one of the most recognisable names in music, continuing to churn out hit after hit, and has also made the transition to a Hollywood star, garnering critical acclaim for her role in 2006’s Dreamgirls, and winning the prestigious MTV award for Best Fight for Obsessed in 2009. That was some fight. As well as this, Beyonce has turned her name into a fully-fledged brand by designing her own clothing range.  It has taken her a little longer to break into the fragrance market, however. Beyonce Heat is her first effort, new for 2010, and is anticipated by many market experts to be one of the bestselling perfumes of the year. The scent certainly backs up the hype: it’s a fiery fragrance with top notes of magnolia, neroli, vanilla orchid, and blushed peach; a sensual heart of almond, macaroon, honeysuckle nectar, and musk; and a sexy dry-down of sequoia milkwood, tonka bean, and amber at the base. Despite its brand-new-ness, your bargain-hunters at Fragrance Mad have managed to make it available at 25% off the RRP. You can get it from us at the bootylicious price of £26.99 for a 50ml EDP, and if you’re buying for a special somebody, we’re proud to announce that you can now have it giftwrapped and sent directly as a present for just £1.95. This includes gift wrap, a nice little ribbon, and a personal message for your recipient. Sorting the perfect gift for a loved one just got easier.

Nina Ricci was born Maria Nielli in Turin in 1883, but moved with her family to France when she was twelve. She was nicknamed Nina, due to a presumably hilarious reason now lost to the annuls of time. After marrying to become Maria Ricci (or possibly for more romantic reasons), she joined the Raffin fashion house as a designer, later becoming a partner in the firm. Aged fifty, and yearning to make her unique stamp upon the fashion world, Ricci formed the Nina Ricci fashion house with her son, Robert, in Paris. She designed gowns that became renowned as classy and romantic, and the business quickly took off. Nina (or Maria) herself mostly withdrew from design in the early 1950s, before her death in1970, at the tender age of 87.

The Nina Ricci label has become synonymous with classy and elegant perfumes since they first launched the L’Air du Temps scent in 1949. Fragrance Mad has a wide selection of great Ricci scents available, but our favourite at the moment is Nina, launched in 2006. The perfume is a fresh, mouthwatering floral that opens with top notes of lemon and Caipirinha lime; a heart of love apple (whatever that is), peony, and moonflower; and a sweet base constructed of vanilla praline, applewood, and musk. It all comes in a beautifully designed bottle, and we’ve got an 80ml Eau de Toilette available for the great price of £32.99. That, by the way, is the price you’ll pay, none of these stealth postage charges tacked on in the manner of our woeful competition.

Donna Karan grew up in New York and has since made her name synonymous with the world’s most exciting (and violent) city. Contrary to the incredibly diverse ways that many of the top designers seem to get into the trade (check out other blog posts for weird and wonderful routes to the top), Donna was more traditional: she went to fashion school; she got a job in fashion; she started her own label. How fun. Today, Karan mostly passes her time being hassled by anti-fur protestors, who spent 2008 attacking her until she agreed to remove fur from her range.

Karan revealed her uber-successful Be Delicious line, available in both men’s and women’s fragrances, in 2004. The scents supposedly evoke the sophistication of NYC in the guise of a crisp scent encased in an apple-shaped bottle. It really is a very nice fragrance, like walking around an orchard on a balmy Spring day, or being in the fruit department at ASDA; anywhere that you can smell nice apples, really. For those bargain-hunters among you, we’ve managed to source a sensational price on the men’s 30ml Eau de Toilette: on sale at Fragrance Mad now for just £9.99! That’s a staggering 58% off the RRP!