Have you ever gone to a fragrance counter and felt overwhelmed by the amount of options to choose from? You’re not alone. Fragrances are created based on several types of scents. Both perfumes and colognes are classified according to these fragrance types, which include floral, woody, citrus, and many more. Additional types, such as aqua, were created over the past 20 years, and many perfumes on the market, particularly celebrity fragrances, actually combine two or more types. Some perfumes and colognes may fit you better and some may not. So, how do you know where to start at a counter or a website?

Estee Lauder, the fragrance and cosmetics giant, recently developed an iPhone app for such a purpose. Called Ascent, the app is designed to help you find your favorite fragrance based on a series of questions based on aromachology, psychographics, and kinesthetics. The app is designed to help you at a scent counter, particularly when a sales person may be trying to get you to buy a product that might not suit your tastes. Additionally, the app is available in 10 languages and debuted at the end of May in the US. The app has already been in use in several countries already.

One drawback for this app has been its obvious product placement. While, inevitably, having an application created by Estee Lauder means the company gets to hawk its products to the buyer, some more variety for each fragrance type would be more helpful. Although the app also promotes scents by Michael Kors and Donna Karan, this is only a small portion of perfumes and colognes on the market for various fragrance types. Essentially, while this app means well for the user, it will merely direct the person to an Estee Lauder counter for the “perfect” fragrance.

The Daily Mail recently spotted the Black Eyed Peas leaving their hotel to go to a gig for the European leg of their tour. As the hip-hop-meets-pop-meets-dance quartet left the hotel, nearly all members were spotted with a different look of designer sunglasses. Singer Fergie, for example, was seen with oversized mirror sunglasses, while Taboo was spotted with all-black wayfarers and Will.i.am was seen with aviators with colored frames. Practically every hot trend in sunglasses for the moment was displayed on this group after they left the hotel to go to a gig at the LG Arena for their END World tour.

Out of these three styles, Fergie’s sunglasses stand out by being the most unique. In terms of oversized sunglasses, the most common looks consist of a thicker plastic frame and dark or colored lenses. The lenses may also have a gradient look. Fergie’s shades, on the other hand, have all of the components of typical aviator sunglasses: a thin metal frame and reflective lenses. Instead of the style for most aviators, however, the glasses – designer unknown – cover like oversized ones. Fergie’s face, then, is half obscured by the mirrored lenses.

As far as the other members of the Black Eyed Peas are concerned, their sunglasses appear to be standard variety aviator and wayfarer styles. Wayfarers, as we’ve seen over the past few years, have been making a comeback, particularly with the variety of colored plastic frames offered. The wayfarers, most likely a pair of Ray Bans, spotted on Taboo are simply a black-on-black style. Aviator sunglasses, similarly, have taken on a similar style, with plastic colored frames being one of the latest styles. Several designers offer this style, and, from the side, Will.i.am appears to be wearing a pair with black lenses on an orange frame.

Lindsay Lohan must really want to break into fashion, more so than to revive her now nonexistent acting career. With a leggings line doing modestly and her one season appointment at Ungaro, her experience in the field has been polarizing. Her Ungaro collection, seen here in New York Magazine, was a disaster, with nearly every fashion critic giving the line a bad review. The clothes themselves appear to mix club wear (harem pants, anyone?) with stripper garb (pasties on most of the models), although such concepts weren’t entirely new to Ungaro. Lohan also has her leggings line, which appears to do modestly and hasn’t been met with as much disgust.

Lindsay announced recently, however, that she’ll continue to dabble in the fashion world by designing handbags for Ed Hardy. Of course, with the amount of rhinestones and glitter added to the Ungaro collection during her brief time there, such news isn’t really surprising. But, then again, the trashiness of Ed Hardy’s line (designer condoms, clothing spotted on Jon Gosselin and the Jersey Shore crew) may make Lohan feel somewhat at home – and her fashion ideas appreciated. Although there’s no word yet on when her collection will debut, there’s a good chance that it’ll stay within the brand’s image of tattoos-on-everything.

If Lindsay Lohan is serious about fashion, Ed Hardy is probably the best place for her. According to various articles about her time at Ungaro, she was brought on to give the brand a more youthful perspective. Of course, “youthful” can mean anything – even designs inspired by the student-turned-stripper film I Know Who Killed Me. Lohan, clearly a mainstay at many Hollywood clubs, appears to fit the Ed Hardy brand well. In spite of their high priced t-shirts and gaudy designs (do rhinestones need to be put on everything?), the brand is essentially geared toward club kids – which is exactly what Lohan appears to have transformed into.

Considering her outlandish fashion choices, Lady Gaga still hasn’t shown up as a subject on our blog. Then again, many of her choices simply defy mainstream trends and most of her styles you’d need to make on your own. But, speaking about creating your own style, it appears that Gaga did this to a Hermes Birkin handbag recently by adding her own studs. Although some of the highest priced handbags on the market, Hermes Birkin bags combine aspects of a tote and hobo handbags, and Lady Gaga put several sharp metal studs through the surface.

Gaga’s trend isn’t really anything new – which is somewhat surprising. After all, we’ve seen countless celebrities sport the studded trend for the past year now that it appears tired. Not even adding gold studs seems to enliven a handbag. One characteristic for these other studded handbags has been the organization of the studs – everything seems too perfect. As with studs and the emulation of punk rock trends (or are they western trends?), the less orderly, the more believable it is. In the case of Gaga’s Hermes bag, it appears that all studs were added after and they end up having a disorderly appearance. And, when considering the emulation of punk or rocker chic styles, this is how it should be done. Having studs added in even rows to black leather just seems phony.

Of course, this isn’t the only time Gaga has altered a Hermes bag. A few months ago, she wrote on one with a Sharpie marker to Japanese fans. Fashion purists are probably now agape. Nevertheless, studs are still a hot commodity on handbags. If you can’t add studs yourself to a leather purse, consider purchasing one with studs added, such as this studded black leather handbag from Best Handbag Wholesale.