There are some noteworthy new scents among the wave of fragrance launches that typically occur in the last quarter of the year.

Designer Michael Kors' newest women's scent, Very Pretty, lives up to its name with a sultry blend of citrus, coconut, white florals and sandalwood. The 1.7-ounce eau de parfum is $75 at Macy's and Sephora.

Ralph Lauren has introduced 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 sophisticated, 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 luxurious women's scent to date. The juice -- a blend of Bulgarian rose, Chinese magnolia, mimosa, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla -- is housed 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 suspended in a Lucite case.

Prices range from $90 for a 1.7-ounce eau de parfum spray to $2,200 for a .5-ounce, luxury edition parfum at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue New York, Ralph Lauren stores and RalphLauren.com.

Creed's newest fragrance, Love in Black, is a sultry follow-up to the opulent Love in White introduced last year by the prestige brand.

Inspired by places Jackie Kennedy Onassis lived and visited, the eau de parfum is infused with clove, Bulgarian rose, French blackcurrant, Italian violets, 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 an elegant black flacon with a black velvet ribbon around the neck.

A portion of proceeds from U.S. sales will benefit protection of endangered animal species through the World Wildlife Fund. The scent won't arrive at Saks in Pittsburgh until November, but pre-orders are being accepted at 412-297-5383.

Paris-based Creed, founded in 1760, is cited in the October issue of Family Business magazine as the world's 99th-oldest family-owned business.

Meanwhile, in spite of the economic downturn, luxury beauty brands are forging ahead with launches of pricey new products. La Prairie has introduced Cellular Cream Platinum Rare, which contains a platinum extract to help the skin retain moisture and a crystal compound to aid 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, a complexion-repair serum that contains peptides, plant extracts and diamond and quartz crystals. It's $375.

Wednesday: Oakmont native Courtney Capretto returns to her hometown for a trunk show of her Capretta fashions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Capretto, who is in her early 20s, designs silk lingerie robes and dresses from Los Angeles. Call 412-828-1153 for an appointment.

Thursday: Guerlain and Erno Laszlo facial events at Saks. For appointments, call 412-297-5365 (Guerlain) or 412-297-5369 (Laszlo).

Thursday through Oct. 29: Etcetera holiday collection trunk show featuring shoe options from Lucy in Oakmont. For information and an appointment, call Susan Tamburro at 724-516-2217 or Debra Bruckman at 412-519-4088.

Friday: Cosmetics Tailgate Party, 8 to 10 a.m. at Nordstrom, Ross Park Mall. Complimentary consultations and product demonstrations by store beauty advisers outside the first-floor east mall entrance. Call 1-866-732-6025 for more information.

Saturday: The fourth annual Madcap Masquerade event at 7 p.m. at Schenley Plaza in Oakland will feature a "Carousel Couture" fashion show at 10 p.m. with looks by Carl Williams, wearable artist Emma Shutko, Idia'Dega, Karen Page, Lets Get Trashed!, Marla Parker, Mary McVay, Nicole Scarpone, Richard Bryan, Jennie Canning for Diondega, Nami Ogawa for ZETO, Tori Mistick, SABOM Style, Brittney Thieroff for Babylove Designs, Zoe Collins for Threadneedle Street and Kiya Tomlin, wife of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Presented by UPMC Health Plan, proceeds benefit the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Tickets are $275 for dinner and "After Nine" or $65 for "After Nine" only, which includes the fashion show, drinks, food and dancing.

Saturday through Oct. 31: Bill Blass New York holiday collection trunk show hosted by Carleen Gnazzo. Call 412-398-0633 for an appointment.