Yet another reason not to believe breathless media hype: During a video shoot, Mariah Carey allegedly was so slim and trim, the size 6 Louis Vuitton outfits were just too darn big! Stylists had to rush to find garments in a size 4 instead!I’m saying it here: The only size 4 Mariah Carey might be able to squeeze into is a shoe. She might be losing weight, but she’ll never fit these into anything smaller than an 8.Then again, when has she ever worn something that fit? (3 links)

Remember when I said I didn’t care what Jessica Simpson is wearing? Now I guess the issue is what she hasn’t been wearing. Tarrant Apparel Group is suing the singer for breach of contract for not promoting four clothing lines she "developed with the company" (read: agreed to slap her name on) by "wearing or using the products, particularly at events, shows and appearances."The company claims it’s already paid Simpson $2.2 million (and she’s due another $6 million through 2007), but she hasn’t worn or been photographed in the clothing — and even named another brand of blue jeans as her favorite. (Wild guess: It wasn’t the Jessica Simpson Jeans at Fashion Bug or plus-size store Avenue, either.)Simpson denies the claims and will fight the suit, her lawyer says. My suggestion for defense: No invitations to events, shows or appearances. When’s the last time you saw a photo of her at something cool, like a movie opening? It’s always her shopping or drinking or in a parking lot after an alleged tryst. Tarrant should be happy she’s not besmirching their reputation by wearing them.

Sephora is a cosmetics mecca, and starting this week south East Valley residents don’t have to make the pilgrimage up to Scottsdale to get their fix: A 5,000-square-foot store will open April 14 at Chandler Fashion Center.Never been? The shelves brim with open displays for sampling everything from hair care to cosmetics to fragrances. The staff will even make you take-home samples. The store’s near the main escalator at the mall’s epicenter.To celebrate the opening, the company gave us two goodie bags — and what bags!Co-workers have been circling my desk like she-jackals for a week now, dropping not-so-subtle hints how much they like the ripstop cotton pink-and-gray camouflage totes. ("So, that’s for a reader contest, huh? Are you just giving away the stuff inside? Because that bag is really cute, and they sent you two …")And inside: Full-size products of Hope in a Jar moisturizer by Philosophy; MyQueen eau de parfum by Alexander McQueen; Triple Layer Cake Hair and Body Wash by Sephora; Dallas rose-glow pressed powder by Benefit; Jasmine Oil hair serum by Oscar Biandi; and All-Over Face Color in Soft Focus True by bareMinerals. Total value of bag and goodies: More than $200.To enter the giveaway, click on the box on the eastvalleytribune.com home page and fill in the form. I’ll draw two winners from the entries received by noon Wednesday, April 12.Sephora is having its own sweepstakes on a grander scale: Visitors to the Chandler store can enter to win a $500 gift card; they’ll draw one winner May 14.

Bad news: Mariah Carey will work with Elizabeth Arden to release her own fragrance line.The company said Thursday that Mariah will be involved in "all aspects of product development, packaging and marketing." That means the fragrance will smell cheap and annoying and, despite being 36 years old,* the bottle will barely squeeze into the box it’s sold in.Why would you want to smell like anything these other celebrity/perfumers thought was a good idea? Look at their bad judgment: Andre Agassi, Donald Trump, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears.Who’d I miss? Which other celebs have scents that should be pulled from shelves?___* And yes, I also am 36.

Before I just blurt out the names of the readers who won the Anthony Logistics body sprays, a little explanation: There actually are four different scents in the line, but we only had the three varieties pictured above to give away. I think due to a mixup, I got two of the "green spice" one — and no "fresh incense" one. (In other words, too much Spirit and no Strength, which wouldn’t really be the first time I heard that.)So although there were four winners, they only got to choose from three scents. The winners (in alphabetical order): Orion Davies of Chandler, Philip Guzelf of Tempe, Kevin Miles of Phoenix and Anthony Sheerer of Mesa.If you didn’t win, you can still pick up a bottle at Bath & Body Works stores. It’ll set you back $18.

The women who created Proactiv skin care have introduced a new line for older users: You know, those who would probably not be influenced by an endorsement from Jessica Simpson or P. Diddy. Rodan + Fields instead focuses on anti-aging, like the Reverse kit designed to fade brown spots and uneven pigment, diminish fine lines and wrinkles and improve tone and texture. The kit ($135 at Nordstrom at Chandler and Scottsdale) contains an exfoliating cleanser, skin-lightening toner and lotion and SPF 15 sunscreen.Are you willing to put your skin in Reverse? I need someone to take the products on a test drive; shoot me a message so I can find the right reader. I’ll report the results in a future posting. In the meantime, you can catch company co-founder Katie Rodan explaining more about all the Rodan Fields products (and hawking them) on QVC at 2 p.m April 26.

Ever had a smell you just can’t place? It piqued my nose — and plagued my memory — when I got a sample of the new Nautica Voyage; I kept thrusting my arm under friends’ noses and asking, "What does this remind you of?" (Their answers have never been right, but I do grab a hint of the Fresh fragrance Hesperides in there.) Every once in awhile I’ll put it on and challenge my olfactory recall: Smell for yourself at department stores or cosmetics giants like Sephora and Ulta; eau de toilette spray is $44 to $58.As part of the fragrance launch, Nautica will give away trips to Tahiti, Costa Rica and Chile (and $500 worth of the company’s clothing and scents). Enter at www.nauticafragrance.com by May 29.

The challenge: A birthday present for Mark, a laid-back lawyer in his 30s who lives and breathes the Texas Longhorns, loves retro-rockabilly music, makes his own spice rubs for grilling steaks and agreed to name his second son Sam after a beloved ancestor me. He arranged a trip for his parents to Las Vegas, complete with a surprise renewal of wedding vows. (Elvis officiated.)The decision: This T-shirt has a hint of Texas-lawless flavor — without that damn steer head! (They get enough of that in Austin, anyway.) $26 at Defunker.Got a challenge? Put me on the case: Give me the particulars and I’ll try to find a great gift.

So, I’ll try not to refer to things that appear in the print edition too often, but our men’s spring fashion section that ran April 9 is worth all the self-aggrandizing promotion I can muster.We’ve got online slide shows of the photos, but I don’t think you’ll really get the full impact of some of the photos at a mere 500 pixels deep. I really think it’s worth it to spring for the $1.50 just to appreciate the photos as published: One of them fills an entire newspaper page. Even if you’re an online subscriber, you’d need to have your hard drive hooked up to a big-screen TV to get the full impact.

A friend just gave me a copy of "Gentleman’s Guide to Grooming and Style" by Bernhard Roetzel, which he found in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble. It’s got some interesting little tidbits: Did you know those little bars that get wedged into the corners of finer dress shirts are known as "collar bones"? And the section about how to tie an ascot really makes me want to start wearing one, randomly, just to see what happens.But then there are anachronistic little moments for a book that was published in 2004 — like this passage that I’ve copied, odd punctuation and all: "It is usually men who work in (barber shops), true to the old rule that, apart from his wife, a real gentleman does not allow himself to be touched by a woman. His doctor, his tailor, and, indeed, his hairdresser, must be male." And any book that recommends using a postshave styptic pencil is leading its readers down a wrong path. "Gentleman’s Guide" is better as an almanac, than an advice column.