Hi there Fragrant Family,
The other day a few of us met for lunch and a sniff. Willa who is a contributor here at APJ, a mate of mine Millenia and the lovely Sonya who used to write for APJ. We had lunch and chatted, sniffing stuff and Sonya opened a bottle of vintage Fidji parfum for us all to try. We did it with all reverence and made it a real Opening Ceremony. It’s nice to have clever noses to sniff with and lunch with. Sadly Millenia has had his nose broken so often that his sense of smell is virtually zero so he just provided fun and eye candy.
Courtesan by Pierre Bourdon for Worth 2006
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, pineapple, red berries, bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom, magnolia, jasmine, rose
Base: Sandalwood, peach, raspberry, caramel, dark chocolate, cacao, amber, vanilla, musk
Sonya had a bottle of Courtesan for me. I have smelled it before in the Surrender To Chance Animalic – Skank Sampler and it was all sweet fruit salad and sweaty body.
The modern Courtesan is much lighter on everything. The fruit opening is a lovely synthetic pineapple spiced up a bit and sweetened by citrus. Not nearly as big as I remember it, muted, a watercolour but still very nice. The pineapple continues well into the heart and only slowly fades to a less distinct amorphous fruitiness that dances around a pretty bouquet of vaguely green florals.
Underneath all this lovely floaty floral fruitiness is a sweet fleshy, slightly worn but basically clean scrotum accord. I know right! Totally unexpected with what’s gone before but there it is. That warm flesh as yet unripened by a day of movement and life fragrance. It’s both animal musky and laundry musky. Imagine a man who has showered on waking up a little late on Sunday. He’s thrown on some fresh jocks and then padded down to the kitchen to make you some raisin toast done as French Toast and a big pot of tea with a couple of slices of lemon in the pot. He’s fed you and flirted over breakfast and you decide to give him a thank you treat. While you’re down there before his undies are off, THAT’s the smell.
Photo Stolen Pinterest
But. Here’s the thing. You have showered and spritzed your favourite summer type fruity whisper of a fragrance and the two have met….. you are smelling him and you. NOW you know what Courtesan smells like. Courtesan smells like heaven.
I get around an hour of fragrant and then Courtesan sinks into my skin and leaves a soft warm wash of amorphous yumminess that hangs around for a while. To be fair I haven’t let it dry down properly because I keep madly spritzing. I got the bottle a few days ago and I reckon over an eighth is gone already. Freaking sensational.
Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $50/90ml before Coupon
Surrender To Chance Animalic – Skank Sampler $19/9 x .5ml ( I went crazy and bought 2ml spritzers $67)
What is your sexy sweet smell? Do you have one?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
I’m more interested in your impressions of Fidji than Courtesan. I would so love to sample a vintage bottle of the Parfum! So, what did you think?
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Miz Portia you do have a knack for sourcing the darnedest photos 😉 My ‘sexy’ smell is Wella hair conditioner because a long ago intimate friend conditioned his bush with it. Oops! Too much? Today On Radio National I heard a rebroadcast of a 2010 Richard Fiedler interview with the one and only Michael Edwards! I have tried to send you info about this to your email account.
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Hey there Bernadette Winfield-Gray,
Isn’t that photo heaven? I just could not help but use it.
Wella conditioner!! HILARIOUS! Good for him keeping it all happily fragrant. Nowadays hardly anyone has hair so that particular use of conditioner has gone out the window.
Got the Michael Edwards interview and will spend a quiet half hour listening tomorrow. Thanks.
Portia xx
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Hey there Jane,
The Fidji blew us away. Even more than expected. I would like to spend a day enveloped in its cloud so I could really enjoy the ride. We were smelling other things so I got a confused story.
Portia xx
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Perhaps a little terrifyingly, my ‘sexy/sweet’ go to is Absolue Pour Le Soir. I guess unwashed man parts and honey are more my thing 😀
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Aelfrik, You show perfectly good taste and sense. Honey dripped hairy and sweaty ballbag is all the rage. Double spritz.
Portia xx
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Did people really condition their body hair Bernadette?! How hysterical!
I remember my first love used to wear Aramis which was a turn on back then but Goddess forbid I have to endure it now.
Men wearing patchouli also had a certain earthy attraction too!
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Hey JackieB,
I Shampoo & Condition the beard. It keeps it feeling and smelling nicer.
Portia xx
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Woah! Evocative Portia!
My favourite ‘sexy’ smells happen to be from the same perfumer – Roudnitska.
I find Eau Sauvage to be magnetically attractive in an austere sort of way … However in complete contrast Eau D’Hermes has a bit of that sultry attractiveness tossed with a very appealing dirty note. Great!
-Liam
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MMM Nice choices Liam. I like Eau Sauvage very much also and can’t really remember Eau d’Hermes. I shall search some out.
Portia xx
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Love love the description at the breakfast table naughty but nice!
Another on my list to try Portia xo
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I also heard the interview of Michael Edwards and Richard Fiedler on 702, now I wish I went to masterclass.
Sexy sweet smell, Johnny after a shower.
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Johnny after a shower. MMMM How lucky you are Anna Maria.
One day I’ll introduce you to Michael Edwards, he is a lovely gentle man.
Portia xx
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I am beyond delighted that Courtesan is finally getting some exposure. I think my perfumey tribe gets sick of me going on about it all the time! It’s one of my all time favorites. I’ve not sampled any of the older formulations but will now find some for comparison. Thank you, I love your reviews – and the pics here are great too 🙂
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Hi there MaryP,
YAY! Another Courtesan fan. I think we are few & far between at this point. Hopefully some others jump on the bandwagon and have a sniff too.
Portia xx
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Portia! You make this sound so great. I would like to try Courtesan one day. But as a big fan of Fidji I am so green with envy that you got try the vintage Parfum! Do tell – please. You lucky dawg you!!!! Sandra xoxo
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Hey Sandra,
Vintage Fidji Parfum was pretty breathtaking but I need a day to really immerse myself in its beauty with only it on my skin.
HOPEFULLY that can happen.
Portia x
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Your descriptions never cease to amaze. I really like Courtesan but I don’t recall it smelling all that sexy on me. I’m going to dig out that sample and give it another try.
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HA! Thanks. Please do Poodle and then I want to know how it wore for you please.
I reckon EVERYTHING you wear smells pretty damn pretty.
Are you still wearing the Poodle necklace? I can’t believe I didn’t add it all up in NYC when you showed it to me.
Fingers crossed we can come to where you are next time and spend more than a quick moment.
Portia x
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Yay! I love Courtesan. In fact it is the very first bottle that I bought. Unfortunately, I don’t find it to be that well received, at least not on me. I work with a woman who usually loves the way I smell. I wore my Courtesan the other day and she asked if I could please, ‘stand over there.’
HA!
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Stand over there and give yourself an extra spritz?
Portia xx
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Lmao Portia…I have an old decant of this and I’m definitely going to search for ‘the ballbag’ note….also have a vintage bottle of Fidji which was a fave of mine back in the 80s….love posts like this to remind me of the lovelies in the collection x
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Heya Chris.
He he he! I am so glad you like the review and that you can go check the scent. I hope you get the same happy experience that I do.
Portia xx
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Great review, Portia!
I like Courtesan (and own a wear the modern version) but, in my opinion, it smells completely innocent. Well, at least on me 😉
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Excellent! Undina, you are living proof that we all change the scent when it hits our skin. I bet it smells innocent to you while on you but devilish to the world.
Portia xx
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