GUCCI Envy Me by Karine Dubreuil for GUCCI 2004

September 17, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Howdy APJ Fumies,

The other day Jin and I went to brunch with the lovely Cassandra F and her daughter. We had some serious perfume business to attend to and what better way to do that than with a meal and some frag sniffing? So Cassandra and I happily chatted about frags as I was buying a couple of Cassandra’s unloved bottles (which you’ll get to meet here in the near future) while the other two ate and chattered about other stuff. I have often wondered about today’s fragrance, the bottle has always intrigued me with its fun pink repeat GUCCI linked logo pattern, so reminiscent of the linings, bags, ties and shoes of the label but most reviewers are so outraged that they changed GUCCI Envy that they miss this ones merits completely.

GUCCI Envy Me by GUCCI 2004

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Peony, peach, cassia, pineapple, mango, pink pepper, jasmine
Heart: Peony, litchi, rose, pomegranite, white tea, jasmine, musk
Base: Tobacco, musk, tonka, sandalwood, teak wood

GUCCI Envy Me is no incredible, earth shaking fragrance that will change your life and send your mind spinning in heretofore undreamt directions, nor will it need you to sit down and follow a lengthy story progression. GUCCI Envy Me will though be an excellent, wearable fragrance that I could imagine becoming a signature fragrance for a non perfumista. This is spritz and wear perfume for people who want to smell pleasantly fragrant, who enjoy wearing perfume and feel undressed without it.

Photo Stolen Hartwig HKD Flickr

Opening with a green and fruit fizz the synthetic pink pepper reminds me of so much else available now but done nicer, it feels more expensive than a lot of the zingy fruit openings currently but is also eerily similar to some of the celebuscents we’ve seen in the last few years, it also feels cooler. Remember that GUCCI Envy Me was released in 2004, Tom Ford’s last year as Creative Director. I can’t remember but if he had anything to do with it it must have been a bit cutting edge then.

Photo Stolen See-ming Lee Flickr

The heart gives me a musky blur of fruity flowers, it’s a bit like one of those fruity roses in the garden but sweeter than any I’ve smelled. If the tea were a little heftier or blacker it may have been more rose-ish and more interesting. The dry down doesn’t happen on my skin, one minute I’m a musky fruit tingle and then musky and then scentless. Around 3-4 hours on my scent hungry skin but the good thing is you will never overspray or skunk anyone.

As it is GUCCI Envy Me suffers on my skin from a lack of base, it’s a pretty, amorphous and ethereal sweet wash that has quite good sillage but not too much projection, maybe elbow length away in the first 2 hours thewn it’s come in to hug me and get a waft.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Scent Addicts and Ellen’s Blog
Fragrance Shop has 50ml starting at under $50 ($41 with coupon)
My Perfume Samples starts at $2.50/ml

Did you try GUCCI Envy Me? Thoughts?
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Ocre Doré by Shyamala Maisondieu for Scent on Canvas 2013

September 16, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Michael

So I’m sitting here somewhat annoyed. I don’t know if my nose is broken but the fragrance I’m wearing just isn’t doing it for me. I was sooo very excited to try this line and perhaps the expectation was too high but I cannot escape my impressions of this scent and how it runs on my skin.

Ocre Doré by Scent on Canvas 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Iran galbanum, tea, mate
Heart: White truffle, oakmoss, dry undergrowth
Base: Guaiac wood, Paraguayan wood, Virginia cedar, Indonesian patchouli leaf, labdanum
Ocre Dore (translates as Golden Ochre) opens dense, somewhat resinous and vanillic. The most interesting aspect of the fragrance then becomes apparent – a lovely lactonic green tea accord that I very much enjoy. This part of the development lasts around 30 wonderful minutes on my skin. From here an earthy, mossy, truffle-ish accord appears.

Photo Stolen ShockinglyDelicious

There’s also an accord that I can’t quite place that’s reminiscent of makeup, or a womens fragrance of the 80s, but it’s oh so subtle. No, actually, it might even be the scent I’ve experienced in a cold cream..but not quite as nice…

Essentially I find this to be a soft, lactonic, tea-ish scent with subtle green resinous notes weaving their way throughout. The “woodiness” (and intermittent olfactory fatigue) seems to be courtesy of a boatload of aroma chemicals. Personally that’s not how I prefer my “woody” notes and at this stage of the fragrance I’m heartily sick of the aroma chemical overdosing that seems to have been employed.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

After only a couple of hours the fragrance collapses leaving a vague wood/amber scent on my skin. This is parfum strength!? I’m confused…..

So after a full days wear I understand the parfum strength is there in the aroma chems and, after many hours, a good helping of cleanish musks.

A brief office survey did not garner compliments, with one of the girls commenting on the weird chemical smell about five hours into the wear.

Thankfully samples of the Scent on Canvas range are quite cheap so please test them yourself and tell me what you think. Perhaps it will perform differently on your skin. Mind you, those with an aversion to the usual synthy suspects best steer clear.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine
Scent on Canvas Site has a 5 x 2ml Sample Set for 10€ and sell bottles for a very reasonable 130€/100ml

What a bummer! I so love the concept of this line. Fingers crossed that Noir de Mars is more up my alley because Portia gave me both of them from her sample set to try.

Have you tried Ocre Dore? I’d love to know what you think of this fragrance and how behaves on your skin.

Trefle Pur by Jerome Epinette for Atelier Cologne 2010

September 16, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Maya

Hello APJ,

When my daughter Tamara found out that I was working on a review for APJ, she asked me to pick one of her favorite perfumes and do a review on it. I agreed to work with HER on a review. She has a great nose and her perfume impressions are as she puts it “abstract” and I should add, usually, but not always, single words which I make into sentences. That’s become my job in this collaboration.

We decided to pick one of 4 fragrances. We sniffed the first one and I asked, “What do you get?” She said with a big smile, “It smells good!” After I stopped laughing, I asked, “And what else?” She replied, “It smells good!” This happened with 2 more fragrances. We chose the one that when I asked the question, she answered, “Leprechauns”. So leprechauns it is!

Trefle Pur Atelier Cologne 2010

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bitter orange, cardamom, sweet basil
Heart: Clover, violet leaves, Tunisian neroli
Base: Moss, patchouli, musk

Trefle Pur opens bright, crisp, citrusy, and slightly green. After about 5 minutes, a little sweetness comes in and the crispness lightens a little. It stays sweet, but it’s not a floral type of sweetness. It keeps an underlying citrus note and a subtle spice appears. It’s during this opening that “I think of leprechauns, lush green fields, four leaf clovers, and streams.”

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Later on the “notes combine so I can’t really pick out anything specific. It becomes a little, bright, sweet, and spicy (not like pepper or cinnamon, a subtle spice) scent. It smells good!” Now is when it’s spring – a combination of sunlight, budding flowers and moss.

It wears close to the skin and lasts a few hours.

I asked her, “When would you wear it?” And she answered, “When I felt like it.”

Photo Stolen pxleyes

Then I asked her if she minded me writing about her and how this review came to be.
“As long as you don’t tell my personal secrets, we’re all good.”
“What personal secrets?”
“The ones I don’t tell you about, so we’re all good.”

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and EauMG
LuckyScent start at $70/30ml to $175/200ml and have samples
Surrender To Chance have $3/ml or $19/7.5ml manufacturers mini

Now that I’ve stopped laughing, I have to ask: Have you tried Trefle Pur and what are your feelings about it if you have? I’m afraid to ask what you think of this review.

Maya

L’Artisan + Piguet GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 16, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hey there APJ!

We have been having some super draws lately, aren’t you all the luckiest EVER! Thank you to Nick at LibertinePerfumerie for being so amazingly generous, please drop in and see them because they are the best. The more shopping traffic they get from us then theb more freebees they will give us for giveaways. Now there’s a WIN for everyone.

Here’s a little pressie for you all, I love the way these boys do So Sick by Neyo. Enjoy!!

L’Artisan + Piguet GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

1 x 50ml Robert Piguet FUTUR
1 x 2.5 gram L’Artisan Parfumeur Concrete de Parfum Solid of Premier Figuier

P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

All I need is a HELLO with how you follow for you to be eligible for the draw.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie @LArtisan @RobertPiguet GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-1Xp #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Photo Stolen YouTube

Mihaela U

You have till Wednesday 18th September 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Special THANKS to LibertinePerfumerie for these giveaways. Please visit their site because they are so generous and helpful. If you wonder why they are more expensive than the discounters or OS retailers it’s because they are the only licensed company selling their fragrances in Australia; where you know you are buying new, fresh and genuine product. The cost of importing, and buying the right to import, alcohol based fragrances (and having the right to send alcohol based fragrances throughout Australia, which are illegal to send in the Australia Post air system) is expensive and they must cover their costs to bring you these luxury goods.

A Scented Afternoon Tea – with Sydney Perfume Lovers Meet-Up

September 15, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

(Ed: Grab a cuppa or a drink, this is a fabulous LONG story of an amazing day the gang went for)

A Scented Afternoon Tea – with Perfume Lovers Meet up

Catherine du Peloux Menage, a true perfume passionista who writes for the Good Weekend magazine about fragrance, really was the hostess with the mostest on Saturday, at the Sydney Perfume Lovers’ annual Scented Afternoon Tea!

Catherine has a desire to share her lifelong love (and HUGE knowledge) of perfume with others and wants to provide courage for people around her to enjoy experimenting with scent and add new dimension to their lives…. she did just that on Saturday – their were giggles and shrieks, jaws dropping, gasps and a general buzz from the moment people began arriving until the very last person dashed off laden with perfume samples, prizes and edible goodies!!

The event took place in a private room at Baroque, a hidden gem of a venue at The Rocks. We were dazzled with a fabulous view of both the Harbor Bridge and Opera House out the window, and by the collection of Tom Dixon copper bauble lights dangling above the long set table for 30…

Catherine explained to us the afternoon was inspired by the French word gourmand which literally means a person who enjoys eating and often eats too much…they are also a connoisseur of good food…apparently the true French mean liking a little bit of something ’nice’. Either way the event was unfolding and we were about to become (high class) GLUTTONS for perfumed cocktails, scented teas and tasty tidbits!!

Le Menu!

1. “Little black dress” Cocktail- sour cherry liqueur, rose flower water, burnt tea and essence of French earl grey tea (bergamot)

– Cherry and Candy Floss – Angel by Thierry Mugler
We smelt a perfume ingredient called ethyl maltol and agreed it was somewhere between a crème Brule smell and a candy floss – this was an important note in the oriental vanilla perfume, Angel by Thierry Mugler, released in 1992, the first of its type, fusing sweet red fruits, rose, bergamot, candy, caramel and vanilla.

– Sour Cherry – La Petit Robe Noir – Guerlain
Elegant, La Petit Robe Noir represents the sleek effortless style of the infamous little black dress. The fragrance features top notes of black cherry, bergamot, red berries, Bulgarian and Turkish rose in the heart, smoked black tea, Tonka bean, vanilla in the base.

2. A Bay leaf infused Brioche, filled with a coriander, dill, and lemon crème fresh and topped with rock salt

– Coriander, Bay Leaf, Oregano, Black pepper – Ambre Sultan By Serge Lutens
An almost savory gust of Amber overtakes the air. Ambre Sultan is no ordinary Amber fragrance and features many food notes including coriander, bay, oregano, black pepper and vanilla, along with sandalwood, patchouli, angelica, myrrh and benzoin to ensure it does not smell like a kitchen, but more of a spicy sultry friend on a balmy day…many in the group refer back to this savory and grounding fragrance as the afternoon continues becoming sweeter and sweeter…

3. Oolong Tea – Served Black

– Oolong Tea, Leather and Bergamot – Oolang Infini – Atelier Cologne
This woody, leather fragrance exudes tea, tobacco flower, guaicwood, neroli and vetivert. There was debate as to whether the tea was really the strongest feature in the mix. The group had fun picking the citrus, woods and smoke.

4. Chocolate Macaroon filled with rosewater infused cream

– Cocoa, Rum, Black Pepper, Vanilla – Elixir Charnel Gourmand Coquin- Guerlain
Chocolate, rose, vanilla and spiced rum make this fragrance rich and decadent, with the same allure of fine silk lingerie – your lover will never resist a nuzzle in the cleavage of this sophisticated scent. The Cocoa in particular creates a cozy sultry note, that, with the spices is warm and inviting. Days later my paper strip is still exuding sweet, sexy chocolate.

5. Rose infused Macaroon filled with Rosewater and White Chocolate infused cream

– Rose, Vanilla – Rosewater and Vanilla Intense – Jo Malone
Smelling exactly like the sweetest of Turkish Delights, this rose fragrance evokes visions of the Middle East. Ingredients of rose, neroli, petitgrain, vanilla and syrup-candy belly dance their way towards our nostrils. We are now giddy with sweetness – this one is definitely for those with a sweet tooth! I overheard someone mention it was just too sticky and that they would need to shower!!

6. Orange and Paw Paw infused Rooibos Tea

– Orange Blossom – Orange Blossom By Jo Malone
This lighter orange blossom fragrance combines winter Lily and lily of the valley making it a dewy white floral. Quite linear, but pretty. A welcome break, and almost grounding after the sugar rush of the previous macaroon moments (…I must admit I actually ate 3!!) Uplifting with hints of clementine and some rounded lilac notes.

7. Citrus tarts drizzled in chocolate and sprinkled with Gold!!

– Lime, Basil and Mandarin– Jo Malone
Continuing with a strongly citrus theme, lime, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, orange and bergamot, but with the addition of some common culinary herbs such as basil and thyme. Summery, almost soapy on my skin, with patchouli really coming through, giving it an earthy edge

– Fig and Caviar – Womanity By Thierry Mugler
Yet another food filled, slightly savory fragrance, combining figs, fig wood and caviar this fragrance packs a punch and lasts for days. It was made for women, but can certainly be worn proudly by men

– Baking Biscuit– Lann-Ael By Lostmarch
Someone at the table exclaims “it’s just like the smell at cookie man!” And it’s true. The sweet wheat, dairy notes, slightly cinnamon is very reminiscent of baking cookies. The scent is light yet warm, sweet.

Goodie Bags!!

By now the group is inspired and filled to the brim with new knowledge of sweet vapors and sugary delights. Catherine announces we are all going home with
Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noir 1ml in a black leatherette zip up cosmetic case
Jo Malone Red Rose Cologne 9ml, Lime, Basil and Mandarin Body Cream 15ml
AND a pack of 5 macaroons!!
We were spoilt to say the least!!

BUT IT WAS NOT OVER!

Catherine then drew our names from a hat:
2 people went home with Le Petite Robe Noir
1 with Oolang Infini
1 with Jo Malone Orange Blossom
I won a Rose water and Vanilla, Jo Malone
Talk about AFTERNOON DELIGHT- they were all full sized bottles!!

I had invited a friend who is not really a perfumista, but loved high teas when we lived in London and she was absolutely blown away that the event was only $45 and included all the food, drink, endless information from Catherine AND so much to take away!

An event like this would also be perfect for a girlie bachelorette afternoon or baby shower…we just have to talk Catherine into doing it again for us real soon!!

Ainslie Walker x

(Ed: If you weant to join the Sydney Perfume Lovers just hit the word and it will jump you to their page)

Ashoka by Bertrand Duchaufour for Neela Vermeire Creations 2013

September 14, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Hello Perfume Junkies,

One of the most written and talked about perfume curators is my mate Neela Vermeire. I know that she is a complete perfume idealist, putting in more money to her perfumes ingredients than most other niche houses and always insisting on the absolute best available. Neela works in fragrant guidelines rather than budgets and has a much smaller profit margin than you would expect. Yes her perfumes are pricey but that is not a value inflated by advertising, brand name or ego, it is a very real reflection of the money spent creating her masterpieces. When you pay for a Neela Vermeire Creation scent, you are paying for the highest quality personal fragrance available. I am extremely proud to be friends with Neela because she is good people and a great fragrance curator.

Ashoka by Neela Vermeire Creations 2013

Ashoke Neela Vermeire Creations Fragrantica

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:

Fig leaf, leather, white lotus, pink lotus, mimose, fig tree, osmanthus, rose, water hyacinth, vetiver, styrax, incense, sandalwood, myrrh, tonka bean and balsam fir

Neela Vermeire Creations gives these featured accords:
Top: Lotus, rose, water hyacinth, fig leaf, parsley leaf

Heart: Osmanthus absolute, cassie absolute (acacia farnesiana), iris, incence absolute, jasmine sambac, fig milk, geranium, ylang ylang

Base: Fir balsam absolute, myrrh, cedarwood, sandalwood, vanilla accord, abregris, birch, Haitian vetiver, leather, styrax, heliotrope

While Jin and I were in Paris earlier in the year we were used by Neela as guinea pigs for three of her very last mods before making decisions. They were all different but built around the same warm, woody theme and their longevity was amazing. Jin and I both got an armful of the two samples we liked and Neela acted as if it were an imposition and she was sorry to put us through it. UM, OMfreakingG. testers for one of the most beautiful and prestigious brands of fragrance in the world? What a terrible imposition! Outrageous! All of them were exquisite and all Neela really had to do was pick one at random depending on how her vision matched because any one could have gone straight to market in my opinion. I don’t know which one Neela went with and I don’t have a sample so instead I will tell you about the name Ashoka. I have taken most of my story from Wikipedia on Ashoka and the Mauryan Dynasty.

Ashoka Mauryan

Photo Stolen Movie Poster

Ashoka Mauryan was an Indian ruler long before there was such a thought as unified India and came from the Mauryan Dynasty (322 to 185 BCE) which ruled on the eastern side of India where the modern Bihar is. Following Chandragupta Mauryan (who was a Jainist) into power, who had taken advantage of the disturbance left in the wake of leaving Alexander the Great armies and annexed large swathes of India to his rule. The Mauryan Dynasty was the largest India had seen and one of the biggest empires of its time.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

So Ashoka was a warrior from a warlike race who desired power and more lands above all. He continued his forebears conquering ways until after the Kalinga War, which his army won though none of his ancestors had been able to. The mass deaths of his own and his enemies people, which had caused more than 100,000 deaths and 150,000 deportations, stirred something new in Ashoka and he slowly came to embrace Buddhism as his religion, “Ashoka regarded Buddhism as a doctrine that could serve as a cultural foundation for political unity.^“ Ashoka is now remembered as a philanthropic administrator, a man who led his people to 50 years of peaceful prosperity. A man who brought Buddhism to the world and changed the way his people lived for the better.

Ashoka Neela Vermeire Creations Guatama Buddha Wikipedia

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

H G Wells wrote in The Outline Of History, “Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history, their majesties and graciousnesses and serenities and royal highnesses and the like, the name of Asoka shines, and shines, almost alone, a star.”

Ashoka is released Friday September 13 2013 and can be purchased direct from Neela Vermeire Creations.

There’ll be more once I get a sample,
Portia xx

Ashoka Neela Vermeire Creations Ashoka Mandala Wikipedia

Photo Stolen GoogleCommons

L’Artisan Parfumeur + Robert Piguet

September 13, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 62 Comments

Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,

Recently I was on the phone to my buddy Nick at LibertinePerfumerie and he was in the middle of his sale, apparently it was BEDLAM up there which is great as long as your super prepared. Are any of us ever? So I bought a bunch of gorgeousness and just as a throwaway line he said, “I’ll put some extra stuff in for you to do a giveaway.” So I thought, lovely a few samples are always welcome. In the pack arrived a 50ml Robert Piguet Futur and a 2.5 gram L’Artisan Parfumeur Concrete de Parfum Solid of Premier Figuier!! WOW! Both brand new in their plastic!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, neroli, green accords
Heart: Violets, jasmine, ylang-ylang
Base: Vetiver, patchouli and cedar

Aurelien Guichard was the perfumer and Futur was re-released in 2009, it’s green, green, green. A beautiful fresh and striking fragrance for everyone who likes a little green.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Fig leaf, asafoetida
Heart: Fig, sandalwood, almond milk
Base: Lime, coconut, dried fruits, sandalwood

More green, Olivia Giacobetti creates a green, milky, matte with a touch of sweetness. The fig is unripe and the story more about the tree than the fruit, though there is fruit here and the dry down is really fun and interesting.

Photo Stolen kbaird

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

1 x 50ml Robert Piguet FUTUR
1 x 2.5 gram L’Artisan Parfumeur Concrete de Parfum Solid of Premier Figuier

P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

All I need is a HELLO with how you follow for you to be eligible for the draw.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie @LArtisan @RobertPiguet GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-1Xp #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 15th September 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner.
The winners will have till Wednesday 18th September 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

James Franco: Made To Measure by GUCCI Mini Movie

September 13, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hello lovers of fabulous frag ads,

GUCCI has made a stunning choice in James Franco, looking debonair and dangerous he owns the screen and makes me want to retry Made To Measure. As I was profoundly disappointed with my original testing I think I need to go back and give Made To Measure by GUCCI another chance, James Franco has turned my head, and how…..

Made To Measure by GUCCI 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot, Tunisian orange blossom, French lavender and aniseed
Heart: Sri Lanka nutmeg, water lily, juniper berries, plum and cinnamon
Base: Labdanum, patchouli, leather and amberLabdanum, patchouli, leather and amber

James Franco: Made To Measure by GUCCI Mini Movie

Photo Stolen GUCCI

Do please enjoy these.
Portia xx

The Making Of…

The Made To Measure Mini Movie

Lanvin GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 13, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hey there all you lovely entrants in the Lanvin Giveaway.

Thank you to Azar for hosting this wonderful chance for someone in the USA. I know whoever wins will be thrilled. Thank you all for your fab responses. we love to learn more about you.

I tried to convince Gomez to do the draw but he is such a chicken pionus he is even afraid of slips of paper.

B-Azar has been home sick with a raging fever for a week but he was able to draw the names.

This is a photo of Gomez examining the names for the draw, just before he flew up to the ceiling scattering the papers everywhere!
Azar

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

There are 2 prizes this week in our Lanvin Giveaway. Each winner will receive:

1 x 2ml Eau de Lanvin
1 x 2ml Lanvin Extrait
P&H USA ONLY

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone USA who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible.

All you have to do is tell me a favourite perfume from yesterday and who used to wear it around you: along with how you follow for you to be eligible for the draw.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 12th September 2013 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and someone at Azar’s house will pick a winner. (It was B-Azar)

Photo Stolen thegarfieldshow-diary

Monoatomic, HotlantaLinda

The winners will have till Sunday 15th September 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Thanks again everyone,

Portia xx

Creature by John Pegg for Kerosene 2012

September 12, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Post by Poodle

Hello APJ,

It’s hard to know just how some perfumes turn up on my radar. Sometimes a name catches my attention, sometimes a note. With Creature by Kerosene I found the name interesting and when I saw mint as a note I simply had to try it. I’d never really experienced mint in perfumes so I thought it would be a good scent to explore.

Creature by Kerosene 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Sweet birch, mint, lemon, jasmine, green tea, sage, violet leaves, cypress, cedar, patchouli, moss.

The best way I can describe this scent is try to imagine sitting out on the porch on a warm summer day. You’ve just cut the grass and now you’re relaxing with a glass of iced green tea with mint and the glass is rimmed with lemon and sugar. As you finish your drink a little sun shower passes through and dampens things just enough so that you smell a little of the dirt in the flowerbeds. It’s bright and green and just a little earthy.

$Creature Kerosene Moss_Creature RefractedMoments$ Photo Stolen RefractedMoments

Creature opens with a blast of minty freshness. I remember reading somewhere that for the average perfume buyer it’s the top notes that sell the scent. If that’s the case, then Creature would be a challenge because the mint smacks you in the face and I’m sure the mouthwash factor might cause some people to give up quickly. Itʼs a sweet mint to me, not really herbal, if that makes sense. The lemon is there, but barely. After the initial blast Creature tames a bit and I find it worth the wait as the mint gives way to a touch of fresh sage and green tea. It’s green, grassy, and fresh. I can’t honestly smell the jasmine or patchouli. I can smell a touch of cedar. My guess is these notes give the fragrance a little bit of earthiness and keep the whole thing from smelling like mouthwash even though they aren’t that apparent to my nose. There is a good bit of time when it does smell like mint muddled with sugar. Or perhaps it’s a sweet mint gum. Oddly enough, I like it. It seems to go back and forth between sugared mint and fresh, clean green and gradually just fades away. I get a few hours out of it but I wouldn’t mind refreshing this one, like popping a fresh piece of gum in your mouth when the flavor is gone. For something with a name like Creature I find this to be surprisingly soft and wearable by either a man or a woman.

Photo Stolen Johan J.Ingles-Le Nobel Flickr

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Creature at first, didnʼt think I liked it, thought the mint was too much, but it stayed on my mind and I kept wanting to test it again. (I have to admit when I see mint in a perfume I always think its going to smell like I’ve pulled a muscle and used some pain relieving rub.) I find the minty burst in Creature to be fun in a weird way and once it subsides it actually becomes a rather lovely green perfume on me. There was no swampy odor, nothing slimy or moldy either. It does smell green, but any other mental associations I have with the word creature donʼt seem to fit.
As I was writing this, hubby asked what I was up to and I shoved my wrist under his nose. He took a good sniff of it and gave it a thumbs up. Despite all that I fear that poor Creature will be a scent you either love or hate based on how you feel about mint. Even though I’m known for making blind buys, I recommend sampling this one. I did find a few comments online that said it did smell swampy to some people. I detected nothing of the sort so oneʼs chemistry and nose may play a big part in whether this one works on you or not. Iʼm not even sure why I like it. It is an unusual perfume and probably not for everyone. That being said, I totally want a bottle of it.

Photo Stolen Robbert van der Steeg Flickr

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and FromPyrgos
MinNewYork has $140/100ml and also you can buy samples
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

So, are you a mint lover, or do you like it only in your toothpaste? Iʼm intrigued by the whole minty perfume thing. Are there any others I should try?

Thanks,
Poodle