B.Balenciaga by Domitille Bertier for Balenciaga 2014 + Ad Campaign

June 11, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Hiya Happy Huffers and Fashionistas,

Not due to be released till mid October 2014 the whisper and advertising mill is already full steam ahead. Balenciaga, once super proud fashion house and fragrance purveyor could be ready to take center stage again with this new piece of magic….

B.Balenciaga by Domitille Bertier for Balenciaga 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lily of the valley, Pea, Violet leaf
Heart: Orris, Cedar
Base: Cashmirwood, Ambrette (Musk Mallow)

Looks like Balenciaga has gone out on a limb to bring us something green and woodsy. Could this be prefacing a change in the wind for mainstream fragrances? Fingers crossed, because I am totally excited already and can’t wait to try it.

Portia xx

B.Balenciaga by Domitille Bertier for Balenciaga 2014 Ad Campaign

Grabbed this from my go-to fashion update blog art8amby

Rising model Anna Ewers is the campaign face for Alexander Wang‘s first fragrance for Balenciaga, B.Balenciaga. The campaign was photographed by Steven Klein and styled by Vanessa Traina. (source)

"14°S 48°E” EdP Natural Terroir Perfume by Vero Kern for Richard Lüscher Britos 2013

June 10, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Hi APJ,

Malvin Richard, Lukas Lüscher and Serena Britos (RLB) contacted Vero Kern with regards to creating a fragrance for their project. Unique fragrances, created around and characterized by certain landscapes, plants and people. Hence “Terroir”. (Please jump to Olfactoria’s Travels and read the account of my visit to the launch!)

I wondered how Vero Kern got involved in this fascinating project, so I asked her! They did not know each other. RLB contacted Vero when they were looking for perfumers for their project. They knew of her from various press articles and blogs. Conveniently, they all live in Switzerland too! Vero fell in love with the concept from the beginning. especially with their Terroir philosophy. She felt that it fit in very well with her personal goals in perfumery. It was a distinct advantage of course that Vero had started her scent career with aromatherapy. Working with
natural materials requires experience.

“14°S 48°E” EdP Natural Terroir Perfume by Vero Kern

for Richard Lüscher Britos 2013

MADAGASCAR “14°S 48°E” – Confidence in the Unknown

Please look at the website: it explains clearly here the three levels of each fragrance. Each of the Terroir perfumers were briefed; the materials they would chose needed to correspond with these levels, the core of the Terroir concept.

Vero´s choices included:

Top: Green mandarin, Bergamotte, Citron
Heart: Ylang Ylang (the main star of 14°S 48°E) Frangipani, Pink Pepper
Base: Vetiver, Cacao, Vanille, Tolu

“Madagascar is known for its incredible biodiversity …… a melting pot of cultures …… the Ambanja forests …….”

The Terroirs are only made from natural raw materials.

Now is the part where I should tell you how it smells. I have been wearing this more on than off for the last five weeks. Walking around with my nose glued to various parts of my body is not the best way to enjoy this glorious fragrance. I realized that when my daughter walked into the room and commented on the lovely vanilla smell. I couldn´t detect that in close proximity. There is a killer burst of sour citrus as the beginning which is totally invigorating. It slides seamlessly into a quite spicy and slightly bitter bouquet, balmy and relaxing. Ylang Ylang buzzing around like a bee. The vetiver is earthy. The vanilla cunning!

My first try out of 14°S 48°S was in the winter. It was nice, but something was being held back. It is completely different in the heat. It thrives in the warmth and releases its aromatic secrets more willingly. I don´t have much experience with naturals, but I would say this is quite tenacious as it lasts, liberally sprayed, about 6 hours on my skin. The flaçons are fabulous.

I am sat here in a big cloud of it: a huge .vero.profumo. fan (have I ever mentioned that) and it has been an absolute pleasure to be able to try some of Vero Kern´s other work. A million thanks to the fabulous Vero for her help and photo and to Lukas for the generous samples.

All naturally yours
CQ

Photos Donated by Val CQ

“14°S 48°E” EdP Natural Terroir Perfume GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x “14°S 48°E” EdP sample
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.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please leave a comment with a reason as to why the Terroir interests you.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Friday 15th June 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
I will crack out my dead armadillo, which did not come from Madagascar, pop the names into it, and get one of the kids to pick one.
The winners will have till Tuesday 19th June 2014 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.

Annual Seattle Artisan Fragrance Salon 2014

June 9, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Hello APJ,

It’s May 4th, 2014! Welcome to the Second Annual Seattle Artisan Fragrance Salon (and chocolate show) at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on the Seattle waterfront.

As we enter we see the Olympic Orchids booth tended by perfumer Ellen Covey and friend Stacey Gilbert. Ellen Covey’s 2013 Blackbird was a finalist in the recent Art and Olfaction Awards and her newest offerings, Sakura and African Orchid, are at least as beautiful as Blackbird. Sakura, a light and realistic cherry blossom fragrance, seems to remind my grand daughter Allie that Spring is actually in Seattle, despite the foul weather. Ellen’s soaps and oils are a also treat and I hear she may be venturing into yet another format in the near future.

We take our time enjoying Olympic Orchids fragrances before moving on to NomadTwoWorlds. Nomad is by no stretch of the imagination an artisan perfumery. The house perfumer is the extremely talented master perfumer Harry Fremont who, while working with Firmenich, has been the nose behind over 70 top designer and celebrity fragrances. That being said, Nomad’s perfumes are lovely. I especially enjoyed their signature oil FireTree. The company’s commitment to supporting indigenous peoples, while bringing their raw materials to market (via Firmenich?), is very interesting indeed. Harry Fremont is not manning the booth (no surprise) but here is a photo of a couple of the Nomad crew at work.

For a real artisan, all natural and local experience we head over to Meshaz Natural Perfumes and perfumer Mesha Munyan assisted by her son Evan Winter. Mesha operates a small farm on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula near Sequim where she grows and distills lavender and creates her own perfumes from botanical tinctures and oils. Mesha is a nationally known expert on lavender and lavender oils. My current favorite in her line is Zauvage, but all of her perfumes are exquisite, powerful and carefully crafted, a must try for botanical (and all) fragrance lovers .

We would like to stay at Mishas’s booth for hours but, moving along, we find two new faces at this year’s salon! Perfumer Kenneth Cory and friend Michael DeLong are here for the first time, in fact this is one of Kenneth’s initial fragrance shows and what a fabulous collection of perfume he is offering! Son A-1 and I love his entire line, especially Fougere Osmanthus. I know husband B-Azar will also take a shine to this one. I am bringing home samples of everything and looking forward to learning more as well as writing more about Kenneth Cory and his beautiful fragrances.

Next door to Kenneth, award winning veteran Pacific Northwest perfumer, Karyn Gold-Reineke, has set up her Pirouette booth. Karyn’s gorgeous soaps, perfumes and lotions have been enjoyed by so many of us for several years now. My favorite of her fragrances is the botanical perfume Moss Garden. Her sets of tiny sample soaps are works of art, beautifully scented and exquisitely wrapped. I am buying some for gifts but know I will have a hard time parting with them.

Also, I noticed that Karyn is displaying a small box labeled “Indie Fragrance Criterion”. This is a sample set of PNW perfumers co-curated by Meredith Smith of Sweet Anthem and Tigerlily Perfumes in San Francisco. The set includes samples by 6 PNW perfumers including Sweet Anthem, Rebel and Mercury, Sweet Tea Apothecary, Olympic Orchids , Pirouette Perfumes and Blooming Dreams. Look for more about this set and a possible give-away soon.

As we turn the corner Rosarium Blends grabs our attention. Catamara Rosarium is the talented perfumer, master herbalist, ritual artist and real live alchemist behind the line. Her partner Marcus McCoy is an accomplished distiller. The calibre of their fragrances reflects their depth of knowledge and experience. One of my favorite Rosarium Blends is Satyr. Catamara and Marcus are both fascinating personalities and it would be great fun to bring their perspective on perfumery to APJ sometime in the future.

Our final visit of the day is to JT Siems’ Sweet Tea Apothecary. JT’s love of history and literature inspire her 16 currently available fragrances. Sweet Tea Apothecary perfumes are rich, mixed media scents with interesting, evolving profiles, classically evocative with timeless appeal. A couple of my favorites are Archibald (for Archibald Menzies, one of the first scientists to explore the PNW) and Dharma Bums (what else but a patchouli fragrance referencing who else but Jack Kerouac)!

I hope you have enjoyed this visit to the Second Annual Seattle Artisan Fragrance Salon. Now off we go to the Chocolate Show!

Azar xx

Korea 2014 GIVEAWAY WINNERS

June 8, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Hey Scent Jockeys,

Thanks for all getting so involved in this crazy giveaway. I know its not fragrance but it will still be super fun for our two lucky winners to get their Korea packs. So, let’s go….

Korea 2014 GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Ebay

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x Etude House Fresh Cherry Lip Tint
1 x mixed bag of 6 Etude House, Skinfood & Shu Uemura samples
1 x pair faux LV socks
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me a memory that involves a travel fragrance experience or a beauty product someone brought back from overseas for you.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 8th June 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen brooklodge

LizK

LubkaK (via twitter)

The winners will have till Thursday 12th June 2014 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.

DIOR: Secret Garden III – Versailles – The Film

June 8, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Hi Ho APJ,

I love this series of DIOR Secret Garden videos. They are so ridiculously lavish and show us bits of Versailles that the regular visitor never gets to see.

I grabbed the photos from my go-to fashion blog art8amby and the film from YouTube

I hope you enjoy the glamour as much as I do.

Portia xx

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin are once again working together with model Daria Strokous and high end label Dior to create the brand’s latest Secret Garden campaign. (source)

DIOR: Secret Garden III – Versailles – The Film

Eau d'Epices by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2010/14

June 7, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

Today I wanted to look at one of my first Indie fragrance buys. It was not too long after I found you all here online, maybe 6 or 9 months and all everyone seemed to be talking about was this mystery genius Andy Tauer. First I grabbed a Sample Set which was used to the dregs and then I took the plunge, some LDDM for my BFF Kath and Eau d’Epices which ended up with me. Wonderful. Then it was discontinued and I put it away for special, bringing it out rarely to enjoy and savouring every drop in each spritz. Now it’s back in the shops….

Andy TauerPhoto Stolen The Tangential

Eau d’Epices by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2010/14

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, coriander, red mandarin
Heart: Orange blossom, jasmine, orris root, incense
Base: Cistus ladaniferus resin (French labdanum), ambergris, tonka bean, vetiver

The opening rush of Eau d’Epices is so fabulously extravagant, like every note in the fragrance from top to bottom needs your attention immediately and is shouting to be heard. You need to spritz and walk for about 30 seconds so you are not overwhelmed. It’s a wonderful, outrageous and fun opening that brings a huge smile to my face whenever I reach for Eau d’Epices. Once the initial fireworks are over though we are left with a very pretty spicy citrus that really does have a juicy mandarin as its center piece and I love its reminder of my times in India. Whenever the local cuisine got too much for me in my early days of going to India my then partner Varun would go and find me mandarins, such a simple thing but it really felt like a connection to home and my culture shock would abate.

Often the words soapy are leveled at the heart of Eau d’Epices and I can see where the connection is made but for me the heart is more like a floral bouquet and make up, the spices are cool and awaiting the pan by this time, with the iris and incense adding another cooling layer, and the orange blossom/jasmine are pretty and tamed, not clean but certainly not sensual sirens either. Here I find no breathiness or body, Eau d’Epices is cool and aloof and not a big projection bomb. Yes, I am fragrant and it is lovely but after the first hour there would be no problem wearing it even to work, soft enough to be a moisturiser fragrance and more a wash than perfumed. There is still enough heft to be noticeable and if my shirt billows I get a fabulous puff of Eau d’Epices that sends me back to smiling swoon mode.

What happens then is a slow fade to Tauer-ade. That sweet, spicy, resinous long lingering magic that has some swooning in delight and others screaming for a shower. Luckily on my skin it is warm, lipstick-ish and I think very sensual. That’s good news because I will smell like ultimate dry down for hours, even having lingering remnants next morning. Perfect!!

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

From Jeffrey Dame: As an aside, the formula is exactly the same as from 2010. If your current sample smells a little fresher and more “toppy” with the fragile top notes more evident it is because this sample was made less than 30 days ago.

IndieScents has $135/50ml (with FREE North American postage)
First In Fragrance has €105/50ml
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $6/ml

Which of the Tauer’s have you loved? Were you excited to read that Eau d’Epices is back?
Portia xx

PS All photos unattributed donated by Jeffrey Dame

Korea 2014: Photo Essay

June 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

Hey Crew,

I hope you are all happy and well. So we are back from our Korean adventure and it was hectic! I have had to spend the return week recovering from the amount of stuff we packed into 17 days. There is no way I could show you the whole trip and all that happened because it was just too full on.

So here is a mini view of some of our highlights, obviously I couldn’t include every meal but some of my favourite stand outs were Korean Bar B Q beef (bought for us in a very chi-chi restaurant in Yangsan) and pork (in a tiny street food restaurant in Gangnam near the Zaha Hadid designed arts centre). We also fell in love with the Lotte Burgers and Paris Baguette. The rest of the crew had loads of extra fresh seafood and pronounced it wonderful and I even ate some of the fish we caught on our fishing trip.

As we were with a local, Jin my partner was born and raised in Korea, we had the inside skinny on what was good and crap so we went to a couple of important temples, Jeju Island which is the honeymoon destination of Koreans where newlyweds wear couples outfits (super cute). We were also lucky enough to go to the JSA (Join Security Area) in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between North & South Korea which was both incredible and frightening because we went into the border house where talks happen and crossed over into North Korea, we were supposed to be there for 15-20 minutes for photos etc but the armed guards who were escorting us got new information and we were ushered out after only about 2 minutes, the guards and our guide becoming very nervous and agitated. Jin could only catch some of the conversations but there was a drama and we needed to be out PRONTO. It was all quite disturbing but so amazing to have been there. If you are in Seoul; there is a small tourist market for trips there, ask your Concierge.

We also did a bunch of shopping. South Korea has an amazing array of excellent makeup and fragrance chains of their own (Etude House, Skinfood and Japan’s Shu Uemura) and every time I shopped they gave me some testers of their other products, which brings us to

Photo Stolen manoneileen

Korea 2014 GIVEAWAY

Photo Stolen Ebay

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me a memory that involves a travel fragrance experience or a beauty product someone brought back from overseas for you.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Korea 2014 Beauty Product GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2PW #Beauty #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 8th June 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 12th June 2014 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.

Korea 2014: Photo Essay

All photos donated by Kath, Matt and Portia.

I hope you enjoyed this little look into our trip. Sadly I was so busy seeing and doing that I didn’t capture enough vistas or places of interest. Also you’ll notice that there is often someone at the table using their iPhone, this is ONLY allowed after mains are finished and the time I would remember to take a snap.
Portia xx

Neela Vermeire Creations 4 x 8ml Discovery Set

June 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

WOO HOO!

Now you all know what a huge fan and friend I am of Neela Vermeire. You also may remember that I am such a devoted fan I went and met her and her husband T with Jin in 2013 and then hung out with her again this year in Paris with Michael. We chat as often as we can on Skype and I love her to the core of my being.

Last time we were together I questioned the luxe value of her samples and discovery set. Well, she told me that it was a problem already being dealt with by the company and that I had to wait and see what was on the cards for later this year. I am extremely pleased to announce the most elegant and lavishly presented…..

Neela Vermeire Creations 4 x 8ml Discovery Set 2014

Yes, it now has 4 x 8ml. Your gateway to incredible fragrances created by Bertrand Duchaufour with Neela. Every one a tantalising taste of India done in a very French style, an amazing quartet and each one very different from the other. In my nose these are the diamonds in Duchaufour’s work and Ashoka recently won the Art & Olfaction Award for Independent Perfume. A huge honour and Neela is completely chuffed.

Neela & I in Paris 2014

If you don’t know about Neela Vermeire’s fragrances here is some further reading:
Ashoka: Val the Cookie Queen on APJ and Portia on APJ
Bombay Bling: Val the Cookie Queen on APJ and Portia on APJ
Mohur: Portia on APJ
Trayee: Portia on Perfume Posse

Do you want one of these lovely sets?
Currently sending to Europe and the USA at €100 including postage
Write to Neela Vermeire Creations<<<JUMP because the EBoutique is currently under reconstruction. You can buy Discovery Sets and Bottles from NVC directly.

I will definitely need to spend some more time with Trayee now I have this set. I promise a review in the not too distant future.

Portia xx

Flashback by Olivier Cresp for Olfactive Studio 2013

June 5, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by TinaG

Perfume holds a vision of truth – a truth which can strike deeply to our core, a trigger which can bring to the surface a crazy mix of visions in a flash of memory, borne only from a single, deep breath. It is such a personal sensation, that rush, corners of the mouth relaxing into a smile and just the enjoyment of being swept away in an all-encompassing pure experience, if only for a few moments.

One of the challenges I find is conveying that feeling, those emotions to other people. How do you capture that? You can’t photograph a smell, but you can convey the sense of a moment through an image. Sometimes we write beautifully crafted landscapes to try and explain what it is that we are experiencing – I think that is often the most successful way, but ultimately one may need to go on that experience themselves to see whether they agree, disagree, or are led down a completely different olfactory path.

Flashback by Olivier Cresp for Olfactive Studio 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rhubarb, orange, grapefruit
Heart: Granny Smith apple, pink pepper
Base: Vetiver, cedar, amber, musk

Olfactive Studio’s fragrances have taken a different approach to their scent creations, by starting with photographic art, and creating a fragrance which reflects that moment. Sometimes I get it, like the half-light of a distant hotel room with Chambre Noir, other times I’ve been taken my own journey like the amazingly visual images I got whilst testing Still Life – albeit quite different from the photograph Still Life was created in conjunction with. And I’m OK with that, it is all part of the story.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

So here on another Olfactive Studio journey, I give my wrists a light dewy dusting of Flashback, allowing the fragrance plenty of breathing space. The reward is a whoosh of gentle pink pepper and a deep moist green rhubarb. The rhubarb here is freshly picked, the stem snapped in half with juices flowing. This fresh bitterness is countered and lifted by the beautiful understated warmth and sweetness of the pink pepper.

After half an hour it is joined by grapefruit, such as one which has just been cut and squeezed. It is crossing over between smell and taste in a big way as I can feel my tongue tingling from the sharp juiciness. The wallflower orange is shyly floating in the background but never really makes a stand. At two hours cedar comes through along with some pink musk which help soften the citrus, but this seems to fade after an hour and I get the predominant grapefruit back again but this time with a lingering underlying touch of vetiver, and this combination lasts and lasts.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Olfactoria’s Travels
First In Fragrance have €72/50ml and samples

Libertine Parfumerie has 100ml/$195 including postage within Australia
Peony Melbourne has 100ml/$195

Because of the tanginess of this fragrance I’m considering it for a travel scent, as the rhubarb and citrus would be a refreshing pick-me-up after a long haul flight. So perhaps there may be stories in our future – always happy to make some new & fun memories!

Tina G

CHANEL "Paris-Dallas" Collection: Savoir Faire 2014: Making of

June 5, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Woo Hoo Fashion Fragrance Lovers,

CHANEL seems to be powering ahead still under the guidance of Karl Lagerfeld. Seriously I think he is a machine, able to change tack and style effortlessly and still bring us outrageously extravagant showings season after season. I can’t think of anyone who has been on the fashion scene this long who can match him, can you?
Portia xx

Photo Stolen BelloBlog (any probs using this image please get in touch)

Making of the CHANEL “Paris-Dallas” Collection: Savoir Faire 2014

Details of the CHANEL “Paris-Dallas” Collection: Organza, Feathers, Pleats

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Month: June 2014

B.Balenciaga by Domitille Bertier for Balenciaga 2014 + Ad Campaign

B.Balenciaga by Domitille Bertier for Balenciaga 2014

B.Balenciaga by Domitille Bertier for Balenciaga 2014 Ad Campaign

Annual Seattle Artisan Fragrance Salon 2014

Korea 2014 GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Korea 2014 GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

HOW DID YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

LizK

LubkaK (via twitter)

DIOR: Secret Garden III – Versailles – The Film

DIOR: Secret Garden III – Versailles – The Film

Eau d'Epices by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2010/14

Eau d’Epices by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2010/14

Korea 2014: Photo Essay

Korea 2014 GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Korea 2014: Photo Essay

Neela Vermeire Creations 4 x 8ml Discovery Set

Neela Vermeire Creations 4 x 8ml Discovery Set 2014

Flashback by Olivier Cresp for Olfactive Studio 2013

Flashback by Olivier Cresp for Olfactive Studio 2013

CHANEL "Paris-Dallas" Collection: Savoir Faire 2014: Making of

Making of the CHANEL “Paris-Dallas” Collection: Savoir Faire 2014

Details of the CHANEL “Paris-Dallas” Collection: Organza, Feathers, Pleats