Interlude Man by Pierre Negrin for Amouage 2012

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Guest Post by Azar

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Ed: Hi all. You may remember we had a giveaway recently and the deal was that our winners would write a short speil about one of the fragrances they won. Here is our very first winner review, I think you will agree that it is an excellent first review, evocative and intriguing. Please welcome the lovely Azar. Maybe we will be able to talk Azar into a monthly spot here on APJ. I think she shows the kind of promise that needs to be cultivated. What do you think?

Interlude Man by Amouage

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, oregano and pimento berry oil
Heart: Amber, frankincense, opoponax, cistus, labdanum and myrrh
Base: Leather, agarwood smoke, patchouli and sandalwood

Hello Portia!

The Amouage and Jacques Zolty samples arrived today. All three are beautiful but the Interlude Man just blasts me into an alternate universe…yes!
It isn’t fair to any other scent to sample it after Interlude Man. I suppose what I like best is that for just an instant it seems herby, green and sweet and then WHAMMO!
Excessive Arabian smokey, oudhy, incense, opoponax. The sillage is really out there too. Brad got a whiff two rooms away (and he loved it).

Thank you so much for this draw. When I wonder why I am a perfume junkie, oudh head and frag hoarder with an obscene collection of scents all I have to do is spray a little Interlude Man.

STCh Interlude Man PICPhoto Stolen SurrenderToChance

The art on the sample card is great too, a visual description of the scent. The pattern almost suggests the “alternate universe” and the contrasting colors reflect how the various notes play off one another over time.

Thanks
Azar

Further reading: Olfactoria’sTravels and TheCandyPerfumeBoy
In Australia Libertine Parfumerie has 100ml $326 delivered in Australia (Special thanks go to LibertineParfumerie for supplying the giveaways, go see them)
Elsewhere LuckyScent has 100ml $290
SurrenderToChance starts at $4/.5ml

Leaving for India! What fragrances did I pack?

Hey Crew,

It’s time to pack bags and jet off again.I have written and sent all my Trivias to the girls. There are some REALLY curly Q&A this time ladies. The APJ family has worked overtime to make sure all their contributions are ready to launch while I’m gone, they’ve all been edited and pictures, notes and all the frills have been added and linked. THANK YOU GUYS!! My clothes are all washed, the beds are changed, food has been bought, prepared and frozen and I am almost ready to go. The plane leaves at 10.15 and I am writing to you from 2pm. How organised is that? Normally I’m throwing crap in my bags as we should be leaving.

incredible-india_1822 incredible-india-1 Taj Mahal

This trip I know there wont be much fragrance shopping like in Europe or LA sop I’ve decided to do a decant set for my travels 5ml & 8ml. It’s always so hard to choose and today is no exception. So what made the cut?

Ava Luxe Tuberose Diabolique Parfum
Caron Royal Bain de Caron
L’Artisan Parfumeur Cote d’Amour
Iunx Splash Forte Friction de Iunx
Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur de Male
Tauer L’Air Du Desert Marocain

I am also taking from Neela Vermeire Creations a bottle of Bombay Bling. How could I not? And a Vintage Chanel No 5 Parfum.

'Incredible_India'

So I just watched this video below and I’m crying like a baby, its been nearly three years since I’ve been back to India am I’m so excited to get back and see my buddy and his family and the magic that is India. I can almost smell it it’s so real in this little Incredible India ad. I can’t believe I’m going back……

See you tomorrow!!
Portia xxx

All photos stolen from the Incredible India Campaigns

Rêve by Van Cleef n Arpels 2013 Ad Campaign

Hi APJ family,

This new fragrance launching May 2013. This girl in the picture, Anabela Belikova, is so fresh and pretty and doesn’t look like a bag of bones on heroin. I love her look and she makes me want to try

Van Cleef & Arpels Rêve Fragrance 2013 Ad Campaign

Reve Van Cleef & Arpels FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pear and neroli
Heart: Osmanthus, peony and lily
Base: Sandalwood and amber

Image via TFS. Stolen with huge thanks from art8amby

Camilla Akrans photographed top catwalker Anabela Belikova for the latest fragrance campaign from Van Cleef & Arpels, Rêve.

 

Grigioperla Essence by Pierre Bourdon for La Perla 2009

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Post by Margeaux

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Hi all you lovely smelling people. This is my 5th review for APJ and I hope you’re enjoying reading them as much as I am enjoying writing them. I seem to have had no real structure or direction when purchasing scents until Portia started sharing his love of perfumes and I realised there was so much more to learn and get excited by. Today’s frag is one that I discovered quite by accident but I have fallen mightily in love with.

Grigioperla Essence by La Perla 2009

Grigioperla Essence La Perla FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cypress, Pink Pepper, Bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, Lavender, Jasmine
Base: Pine tree, Thuja, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Cedar

Grigioperla Essence for Men was created in 2009 by master perfumer Pierre Bourdon. Now that little titbit had completely passed me by til just now, as I started to research for my review. He was the nose behind more than 40 fragrances but probably best known for the commercial smashes of YSL’s Kouros (1981) and Davidoff’s Cool Water (1988). Amazing, right?

Woody, much? I do love my woody scents, and this was precisely why I bought this one completely on spec (unsmelled).

I’ve just blasted three big juicy sprays onto my forearm to get a good whiff of it going and I just love that super cypress and pepper opening. Wow. Wow. It wakes me up and makes me feel so good. Like the day ahead is one that I can do anything with. Grigioperla Essence settles quickly into the lavender and jasmine – they gently play together while running down the side of a fresh meadow.

Lavender Jasmine FrenchRevolutionFoodPhoto Stolen FrenchRevolutionFood

The magnolia takes a little longer to get there but when it does, it joins the flowers to add a sense of masculinity that it would otherwise lack. I think the combination is delicious.

The final phase brings together the last of the woody notes, and for me, it’s where this fragrance really shines. There’s not one ingredient that takes centre stage here, but they all work together to create a harmonious forest of smell that I find incredibly sensuous. They aren’t heavy but exude a freshness and crispness, much like a cool autumn morning on a wooded track. I just love it.

Grigioperla Essence La Perla Chopped Wood wikimediaPhoto Stolen wikimedia

A lot of other reviewers have mentioned the poor sillage, and I have to agree. It does fade quite quickly and is basically non-existent around 4-5 hours. I like to think that my skin loves it as much as my nose and just gobbles it right up, hungry for more. My poor little 50ml bottle is already nearly empty but a replacement is so reasonable. It seems its not stocked widely these days, which is a shame, because this is very wearable and enjoyable.

EssentialMall starts at $23/50ml

See you soon, M x

Autoportrait by Nathalie Lorson for Olfactive Studio 2011

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Post by Jordan River

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Autoportrait by Olfactive Studio 2011

Autoportrait by Nathan BranchPhoto Taken by Nathan Branch

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot and elemi
Heart: Benzoin, incense and musk
Base: Oak moss, cedar and vetiver.

Boys, here is one for the 21st century man, not a flower petal in sight. The brief to the perfumer was a photo – create a fragrance inspired by the picture below. I first encountered this scent in December at World Beauty. When I trial a new scent I make sure not to read reviews or the even the notes on the packaging. February came and Autoportrait was still wafting through the scentmills of my mind. Back to the shop for another spritz. Back to the shop twice in a day. On my fourth visit the SA read out the marketing notes before I could protest. When I heard the words Nathalie Lorson I swooned as the attraction made sudden sense.

Autoportrait LUC LAPÔTRE olfactive studio

The photo that inspired Autoportrait. Photographer: Luc Lapôrte

Natalie created one of my best-loved ‘fumes, the warm masculine vetiver that is Encre Noire from Lalique. Autoportrait is Encre Noire released from the woods and flying above the clouds. The vetiver smells like the roots have been washed by a waterfall leaving a clear hint of something that is usually more vegetal.

Let’s take a quick side trip to the Moonlight Waterfall in Issan. Will you stroll with me? There is a path behind the waterfall. The waterfall will be an olfactory reference.

Sang Chan Waterfall Issan

Sang Chan Waterfall

image

Sang Chan waterfall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tzJx25falk

Sang Chan Waterfall

Sang Chan Waterfall, Issan, Thailand Photos: Jordan River

Back to Autoportrait: A tonal quality like a chime is what wafts from the bottle. Back in the office I sprayed this new delight. My Social Media Manager said “I’ve tasted that scent”. He was saying he had eaten elemi berries from the Phillipines. Resin from the elemi tree make up the top notes along with lemon and orange. We are seeing a lot of berry notes this season; the blackcurrant Co2 extract and absolutes hidden in The Enchanted Forest is another example of this direction.

After 30 minutes the scent becomes nice and dry. This is a skin scent meaning that you have to be reasonably but not intimately close to smell this. Your skin ++. Benzoin resin from Thailand, incense and oak moss or more likely a well composed synthetic substitute with a tiny drop of oak moss, are the other notes which all evaporate on me within 4 hours. No worries there, just top up.

image

Autoportrait is smooth with a clean feel but not in the laundry musk or American sense. Maybe clear is a better word. It’s not about the notes; this is a harmony of composition. A beautiful blend by a woman I admire.

Nathalie Lorson

Perfumer Nathalie Lorson

Love your work Nathalie. But this is not really work is it? This is an artistic expression which moves the vetiver story higher into the fragrant stratosphere. Next I am expecting vetiver in outer space.

Careful if you wear this: someone may want to eat you if they move close enough within the first 30 minutes. I know I like to taste everything.

Perfume Fridge

Center shelf, a welcome addition to the fridge

Autoportrait from Olfactive Studio is an EDP available in 50ml and 100ml.

Céline Verleure

Founder and Creative Director of Olfactive Studio, Céline Verleure

The photo is included in the box. My solution to flatten the curl of the cheap paper stock is to frame the photo for my office. At this price point ~ $US145, €85 (50ml) a higher gsm would be appreciated to carry this beautiful piece of art.

Further Information
Elemi is a berry tree from the Philippines. You can taste a dried version of the fruit at most Asian food stores.
Luc Lapôrte photography
Olfactive Studio website
Picturing Perfume – The Olfactive Studio story by Denyse Beaulieu

Reviews
What Men Should Smell Like – Clayton Ilolahia

Olfactoria’s Travels – Olfactoria

The Non-Blonde – Gaia Fishler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tzJx25falk

Vetyver 46 by Mark Buxton for Le Labo 2006

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Post by Michael

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A couple of years ago a decided to try the Le Labo line. None really jumped out and grabbed me and I decided the Le Labo vibe just wasn’t for me. Then, only a few months ago, I found myself craving….

Vetyver 46 by Le Labo 2006

Vetyver 46 Le Labo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tahitian vetiver, labdanum, pepper, guaiac wood, cedar, olibanum, amber, bergamot, vanilla and cloves.

The reason I enjoy this fragrance so much is that it’s beautifully balanced. Cedar is a note that I often have trouble with. It can be too “scratchy”, too harsh, too much like pencil shavings. And then, adding pepper to the mix!? Yet these notes are treated with a deft touch and balanced perfectly with the vetiver, labdanum and olibanum. These are what I get though most of the life of Vetyver 46 by Le Labo. They weave together with not one part or nor another standing out too much – always moderately woody, moderately smoky….always in moderation. The fragrance feels full and alive.

Vetiver vetiver.orgPhoto Stolen Vetiver.org

The vanilla is always there too, hiding in the base, and becomes more apparent as the fragrance dries down and makes the drydown wonderfully cosy. I remember the first time I wore this fragrance. I was away for work and after a long day I finally made it back to the hotel room. As I climbed into bed and tucked my arm under the pillow to fall asleep I noticed the wonderfully mellow and calming drydown of Vetiver 46. I suppose I should have known back then, that this was going to be a keeper.

Vetiver 46’s sillage is moderate and its longevity strong.

Vetyver 46 Le Labo CedarHillLongHouseArt Thompson Photo Stolen CedarHillLongHouse

Further reading: PerfumeSmellin’Things and TheNonBlonde
Le Labo has an eStore landing page (that delivers to most of the world) starting at 45€/15ml
SurrenderToChance starts at $4/ml

Have there been fragrances that you’ve dismissed only to crave a long time later?
Arabie is another of mine, but I’d love to hear about yours.

Until next time
Michael

Mecca Balsam by AbdesSalaam Attar for La Via del Profumo

Hello folks,

I was lucky while in Vienna to catch up with one a the scentbloggospheres most loved bloggers, Birgit from Olfactoria’sTravels. Sitting pretty at breakfast with the gorgeous Sandra they both plied me with samples and Birgit handed me the most fabulous bottle ever. I wish I had known that gift giving was a traditional perfumistas handshake, so embarrassed, but the girls are so wonderful that they didn’t even bat an eyelid at my gaucherie, for which I will be forever grateful.

Photo Stolen La Via del Profumo

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Labdanum, tonka bean, Arabic frankincense, raw tobacco, Indian tuberose, damask rose, incense, agarwood, benzoin

From the La Via del Profumo site: In Mecca, the scents of Labdanum resin, of Benzoin, frankincense and of the precious Agar wood invade the streets together with the 4 million pilgrims who pour to the streets 5 times every day, walking to the great mosque like river. The trail of a million scents in the wake of the pilgrims at Mecca raptures the nose of the visitor and make this travel an unforgettable experience for a westerner little used to such a profusion of olfactory stimulus.

Mecca 22h22Photo Stolen 22h22

AbdesSalaam Attar is the name that perfumer Dominique Dubrana goes under to create his all natural, astounding fragrances. I have a little sample set of them on my desktop that I’ve almost used entirely and one of my favourites has always been the Mecca Balsam. The bottle Birgit gave me had the name Balsamo della Mecca on the base, in our excitement I did not put 2 and 2 together and realise that these two names could be one and the same. Oh joyous rapture, oh bliss eternal!! They are the same and I now have this extraordinary bottle on my desk.

Straight out of the atomiser and onto skin it is resinous and sweetly balsamic, bitter, herbal, dark and still light. Tobacco notes both sweet and burnt, burning, smoky. Oudh adding its cow poo/medicinal/acrid/beautiful voice and the whole is so complex and happening at once and big, brash, shouty. It picks you up by the hair and shakes you till your teeth clack like castanets, then it throws you to the ground a laughs at your incapacity. OK it doesn’t really do that but this is certainly experiential perfumery of a class that you will never find in department stores. This is the real thing and I love it. Loving it SICK!!

After an hour or so it calms to a dull roar, the size is considerable less but the fragrance is pretty linear, at this stage though there’s enough air between the notes that it’s not the bombardment of before. Now you have time and the ability to savour the resins and the flowers make a very quiet and pretty descant over the base notes of everything else. It softens and softens till gone, hours into the dry down.

Mecca Pilgrims abcPhoto Stolen ABC

Further reading PerfumeShrine and TheNonBlonde
La Via Del Profumo starts at €13.22/5.5ml up to €396.69/10gr of Attar
SurrenderToChance starts at $7/ml

Have you seen the website and do you have favourite names? They are all so evocative for me. Maybe you tried these fragrant masterpieces? What were your impressions?

Till tomorrow, take care of yourself and those in your orbit,
Portia xx