We’ve been having some problems with our software designed to keep spammers from inundating our blog posts: You know that math question you have to answer before you can post a comment? Sometimes it doesn’t recognize the correct sum.

If that happens, by all means shoot me an e-mail and let me know. I’d hate to think of how many people just give up in frustration.

Fragrances can make great holiday gifts. If you need help figuring out which scent would be a good fit, take a peek at what she (or he) already wears: You can recharge the same product or supplement it with an ancillary item like shower gel or body lotion . And a good sales associate should be able to recommend other scents in the same family, as long as you give them something to go on. Here are three of the newest scents on the market.

SUPERMODEL: Even the packaging for Supermodel, the newest fragrance by Victoria’s Secret Beauty, is designed with mass-market glam: The bling-style bottle is inside a gold foil and pink box. The scent itself is less in-your-face glitzy — it’s actually downright sweet, with fruit and florals making up almost all of the elements. It’s sold at all Victoria’s Secret stores. (Eau de parfum $39-$49, shimmering body lotion $19.50, shimmering fragrance mist, $22)

ILLICIT: Men’s grooming line Billy Jealousy calls its Illicit scent “the perfect prescription for today’s sophisticated bad boy.” Instead of heady tobacco-infused colognes that evoke dark wood-paneled rooms and big mahogany desks, this is a younger, lighter green/citrus scent. Think PDAs instead of fountain pens, iPods instead of console stereos. It’s sold at Men’s Ultimate Grooming at Superstition Springs Center in Mesa. (Eau de parfum, $65)

GUCCI BY GUCCI: Designer Frida Giannini is now creative director of Gucci, overseeing everything from womenswear to menswear and accessories. Gucci by Gucci is her first fragrance for the line — a chypre scent, which means it blends warm, woodsy base notes (in this case, patchouli and musk) with fresh, usually citrusy, top notes (here, guava and pear). It starts off with a little powder accord but soon warms to something deeper. Locally it’s sold exclusively at Neiman Marcus, Scottsdale Fashion Square. (Eau de parfum $80-$100, shower gel $40, body lotion $48)

THEY’RE UP FOR GRABS! Need a good stocking stuffer? I’ve got one bottle of Supermodel and one of Illicit to give away to a Tribune reader this week. (I’m saving the Gucci by Gucci for a different upcoming giveaway.) Click on this link to shoot me an e-mail message that includes your name and mailing address, and use the word SUPERMODEL or ILLICIT as the subject line, depending on which fragrance you hope to win. I’ll draw one winner from the entries received by noon Friday, Dec. 21. Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Kim Pyles and Kiersa Durfee, who won the Illicit and Supermodel fragrances, respectively. Look for a new giveaway — well, look at that Shoe Hot or Not post right nearby!

All the designers are missing Chris already. “There’s a void in the room there,” Sweet P says. Yeah, a really big void! But not for long … or am I giving something away?

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As if Tyra Banks would pick someone besides a girl who’d attended her T-Zone camp win “America’s Next Top Model” … That wouldn’t be good advertising, now, would it?

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You might remember I had a brief falling-out with Target, but a weekend trip to [a city that can't be named, lest certain relatives find out I visited and didn't call them] helped put them back on track with me. Because while I was helping my friends pick up auto-related winter necessities for their car, I remembered to search for those camouflage-print long johns — and snagged the last pair on the rack. (I’m still out of luck with the shaving cream, though.)

So it was good timing that Target is readying its latest limited-edition accessories collection, which was designed by Loeffler Randall and hits stores Dec. 30.

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Covet
4234 N. Craftsman Court, Scottsdale
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
Information: (480) 949-3000 or shopcovet.com (store) or covetnow.com (blog)
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You know what guys don’t want to smell like? Honey. Vanilla. Blackberries, peaches, or any other fruit that could be described as being “juicy” or “luscious.” Roses, sweet peas, gardenias, plumeria — which I thought was a disease before I went to Hawaii — or other flowers. Even tea tree oil now connotes “dandruff shampoo.” So, what do they want to smell like? Nothing — or, as little as possible. These men’s grooming lines, which all fit the bill, can be found at (the newly renovated) Ulta stores.

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Little flashes before the challenge starts: Chris suggests “Project Runway” should have a perfume; he and Rami decide it would smell of tears, sweat and Chinese food. In another room, we learn that Kevin shirtless does not equal Jack shirtless.On to the runway! Because last week’s was a men’s challenge, we’ve got TWO female models who have to go. Long story short: Jack and Ricky switch models, and two others go home. It’s weird that nobody else gets to pick in the order of the black velvet bag, but hey, it’s a time-saver so I’m all for it.

Heidi tells the designers Tim has a guest in the workroom – and she’s brought some old friends with her. Sweet P thinks that means “senior citizens”; I thought maybe the already-booted designers would be back already for a chance to get back in the game. Instead, it’s Nina Garcia with some illustrations of outdated fashions from past decades – everything from zoot suits to pleather. “These are definitely out,” Nina says – much to the chagrin of Jillian, who’s wearing the overalls shown on one of the cards. The designers then pick one each.

They’ll be working in teams to create a collection of three looks that incorporates all three trends and makes them “cohesive and relevant for today.” They’ve got 1 minute to pick teams. Some pick by proximity (Jillian/Rami/Kevin); others by compatibility of trend (Victorya/Elisa/Ricky); others by “fun factor” (Kit/Jack/Christian). Oh, and (Chris/Steven/Sweet P ), too.

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I might cry a few more days, but I’m gonna pull it together.

Because, seriously, that last episode of “America’s Next Top Model” will be even more excruciating thanks to tonight’s elimination of the last contestant I had any affinity for.

So, despite her ouster, I remain a devout member of Team Bianca, thanks to willful, blind determination. (Sort of like how Heather managed to nab Cover Girl of the Week again, even though she got eliminated two weeks ago.)

Chantal, of all people, called it early in the episode, while the girls are still packing up to go to Beijing. “America’s Next Top Model is standing in this room right now,” she says … while three girls are standing and Bianca is on her hands and knees, looking for something under the bed.

In Beijing, they are subjected to a history lesson from Twiggy and J Alexander – it involves the “four beauties” of China. We get to see them reading off big books into a hand-held microphone while one by one, Chinese women perform. One great beauty shamed the swans, another the flowers, blah blah blah. I, like Bianca, am thinking, “OK, is this over?” But of course it is not: When they get to their new pad, they find the four dresses and instructions to wear them tomorrow.

They arrive at The Place Shopping Centre, where they’re given cash and told to accessorize their outfits. There are many pairs of yellow shoes tried on, and I can’t believe that they flew all the way to China to shop at an Aldo store. Did they hit a Claire’s Accessories on the way out, and grab an Orange Julius?

Bianca wastes time in an area across the street and, never missing an opportunity to mess with someone, tells Jenah that part of the mall is great and she should run over there. Which Jenah, being an idiot, does. I should really dislike Bianca for this, but because I dislike Jenah so much more, Bianca actually goes up in my book instead. For that and for saying, “When in China, do as the Chinese do.” Romans, Chinese, they’re all overseas.

Then they walk down a giant runway to a giant audience of three spectators: Twiggy, J Alexander and Ann “cornier than a cornfield!” Shoket, editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine.

Jenah somehow wins this challenge, even though she continues to confuse “wearing sunglasses” with cool and starts out her runway walk with her hands spread way out like an Elizabethan queen trying to keep a hand on her giant skirt. (She is, instead, holding a filmy coat.) She and a friend – Chantal – win a “couture dress,” which somehow morphs into a ready-made garment that’s already ready by the time they get to the store. Maybe there was some altering, but that Suzie Wong dress – more traditionally a cheongsam or qipao – was not couture. Both girls say the dresses are beautiful but they have no idea where they’re going to wear them. Because these aren’t just cheongsams – they’re like Evil Disney Villainess cheongsams with foot-high collars (in Jenah’s case).

Jenah also gets one-on-one walking tips with J Alexander. This does little to allay her homesickness. She, like Mary J. Blige, is tired of all this drama. She doesn’t want to play any more games. But she does want to go home. She wants to get this over with. “God, blond chicks,” Bianca says, making me miss her all the more.

They get to their shoot on the Great Wall and while I had hoped for this to be one of those extreme challenges like where the girls had to race up the stairs of a skyscraper and immediately do a photo shoot, this is instead more taxing: They will be photographed by Tyra.

In a change from every other season where Ansel Banks picks up a camera, these photos will not be in black and white and rely on runny eye makeup. They will portray warriors trying to get over the wall. She wants to see empowered strong women! Then she should go to an Oprah taping.

Chantal’s hairpieces make it look like she’s stuck her head in a deli roll wrapped in hair. Jenah’s got the same look. Tyra starts going into sensitive mode, asking Jenah what’s wrong, and Jenah replies that she wants to know “who she is” in this competition. You’re the cocky one with the bravado that comes with ignorant youth, dumbass. Has she not been there all along? Has she already forgotten her boasts about beer pong and rockin’ the shoots?

Bianca gets to skip the deli haircut and just has a blob of weave plopped atop her head. Jay Manuel, that little beeyotch, gets things started on a positive step by whispering in her ear, “No stiff poses today.” No white elephants. No sucking. No disappointing me like you do every week no matter how hard you try. Thanks, JAY.

Saleisha announces that she’s got to bring it-bring it, not just bring it-bring it. There are about three more bring-its in there somewhere. I hate her. The only place I want saccharine sweetness is in my diet soft drinks, thank you.

Then, the girls must be photographed together! They pose in a very tight shot. “Saleisha put her bun in front of my face,” Bianca complains. And, really, looking at the framing of that photo, it’s true. Considering all the “chin up just a millimeter” type of instructions, you’d think “get your giant-ass bun out of the bottom half of her face” might spring to mind.

Back home, Chantal says something about how “you always remember the top three.” I immediately flash back to last year, where it was Jaslene and Natasha and … Renee? I was mad Renee didn’t win. The year before that it was … who won? … CariDee. And Melrose. No. Danielle and Joni. Yeah, you “always remember” the “top three.” Your clock is now ticking, Chantal … make good use of it and find a Brady while you can.

Jenah is still talking. She feels like she’s losing herself. I propose this might not be a bad thing.

At judging, Jenah and Chantal are wearing their new dresses. J Alexander’s nod to Chinese garb is a satin sash used scarf-style. It has skulls on it. Ann Shoket is there, too. …

(As always, click on each thumbnail to be taken to a full-size photo in a new window.)

At the unveiling of the first photo, all we hear is Twiggy kissing ass: “Oh, Tyra, you’re SO GOOD!” Apparently she was unable to sell this with much feeling, since she will be replaced by Paulina Porizkova next cycle..

Tyra rags on Jenah for being unmemorable. “Do you want this?” she asks, and Jenah talks on and on about how she wants to be someone to look up to for her sisters. Being a master at beer pong, she’s already halfway there. Tyra, not at all being egotistical or self-important, announces: “This is the best experience of your life,” whether Jenah wins or loses. More infinite wisdom to come.

Bianca is told modeling isn’t something that comes naturally to her. She wisely points out she is new to the industry – what, 11 weeks and she’s not a pro? But they get a whopping 50 photos per shoot!

Chantal’s photo is good – “that’s what I’ve been waiting for,” Twiggy says. (That and early retirement, apparently.) But Saleisha’s photo is better – she is in full leaping lady mode.

In the group shot dissection, each judge champions one particular girl. Jenah’s eyes are “piercing blue jewels,” Saleisha is “holding the center” … by the time they get to poor Bianca, all Tyra can muster is “I like that your eye is hooded and slanted.” Like the ASIANS, see?

Deliberations: Saleisha has “never been this high fashion.” Ann says she has “more sparkle than Tinkerbell,” but that this photo “is literally evil fairy dust.” Evil fairy dust? Literally? I think Ann needs to stop smoking her evil fairy dust. I never thought I would miss Atoosa Rubenstein, but Ann managed to make that happen.

Chantal is called first and gets two photos – her individual and the group shot. “Spread those photos apart,” Tyra urges. “Yeah, take those photos. You like those photos, don’t you?” OK, maybe she didn’t say all of that, but it would have held my interest a little longer. Saleisha’s next.

Bianca, you’re from Queens and “way too urban” (which we all know is a nice way of saying “black”), but you haven’t performed without training wheels on. Except for winning last week’s challenge and all. Forget that happened.

Jenah sounds like a loser. And we love losers on “ANTM” – look at our past winners! – so she’s in.

“Let me tell you what you need,” Tyra says to Bianca, and sadly, Bianca does not reply, “To slap you across the face?” and do so. No, she allows Tyra to talk about how she needs to go home an find friends and relatives who are photographers and let them shoot simple snapshots of her while she learns to pose! pose! pose! Because that’s what’s going to make modeling agencies want to take her on.

Yeah, not that crappy photos she’s earned from week after week on this show, that’s for sure.

As Bianca walks toward her fade-out, I realize she’s got almost no luggage. Part of her stuff is in a plastic bag. “I might cry a few more days, but I’m gonna pull it together,” she says.

You and me both.

I’ve been to the Kohler Academy several times since it opened a little more than a year ago — my friend Eric used to work with founder Jill Kohler at the Professional Beauty Association before she decided to start her own school for cosmetology and skin care students. They use only Dermalogica skin, Goldwell color and Bumble + Bumble hair care products.

If you’re looking for services at greatly discounted prices — facials for $40, pedicures for $25, haircuts for $15 — consider giving the north Scottsdale academy a try. Services are supervised and approved by educators, so there’s little chance for error. And the environment doesn’t look like any other cosmetology school I’ve ever been in — stunning.

The academy just announced its December special: Schedule any waxing service on a Wednesday and get an extra $5 off. That’d drop the price to $25 per full leg, $20 for bikini, or $5 for brows. And tips aren’t allowed.

Information: 480-222-9540 or the Kohler Academy’s web site.