Scent Diary: 12.2 – 18.2.2018

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

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Portia

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Hey there APJ Crew,

This week has been full on. Every day has been filled with friends and fragrance. We’ve had guests to stay, guests to eat, guests to work. It’s Mardi Gras season, Winter Olympics and Lunar New Year. In between I’ve managed to get some serious TV time watching GRIMM.

 

Scent Diary: 12.2 – 18.2.2018

Monday 12:

Was up VERY late watching Grimm on Netflix. I knew I had to hit the hay because the birds had started singing.

Woken at 7am by the new Apartment Intercom Installer, followed quickly by the annual Fire Alarm Health Check guys.

Jin cooked us brunch.

We wanted to go see Kath’s Mum & Dad. Jin fixed the screen door while I splashed around in the swimming pool. Then we went and chatted to Mum & Dad for a while. It was a nice way to spend the early afternoon. Mum looks much better  and was her usual lovely smiling self. There was a special bowl of Lindt chocolates, be rude not to really.

Once we got back I took the dogs for a wee. Hardly walked 300m but came home sweating like a farm hand.

It’s Pierre Guillaume’s birthday today so I’m sitting here in a cloud of Parfumerie Generale’s Indochine. Bloody good stuff.

 

Tonight for dinner I cooked Sea Shanties, MoMos, Chips and Salad (it was the last of our lettuce). Very simple remembering my Mum food with added Momos for Jin. Not the healthiest meal but it was yummy.

Tuesday 13:

Up early to finish the Trivia Q&A. Then did some blogging. My morning spritz was Cartier Baiser Volé. I was looking for my Cartier hours II but this jumped into my hand.

Fed and walked the dogs and then Scott arrived. We worked hard and I was sweating the most ridiculous amounts so we put the AC on. While he was here I kept spritzing myself with Jacomo Silences PdT because its dry cool waft was the only thing stopping me combusting.

My Aunty Tracey sent a postcard that arrived today. I bloody LOVE getting them from anywhere in the world.

Bathed in B&BW Rainkissed Leaves and took this heavenly shot of my bubbly legs. New filter found on the phone.

Super spritzed my decant of Noorah by Bulgari. It’s nice enough, smells pretty but sinks into my skin within 15 minutes leaving only the faintest amber/woods/resinous glow behind. Not awful but maybe just doesn’t like my skin.

Work was fun tonight. I meant to take a pic because my make up was beautiful but totally forgot.

Now I’m back off to watch GRIMM>

SOTBed: Hiram Green Slowdive. A mildly urinous honeyed white floral that ends up sweetly resinous and animal. I think the 10ml will not be enough. Yes, that is perfume ALL OVER my desk.

Wednesday 14:

OMG! It’s too hot to function today. Even walking the dog up the block and back had me sweating like a farm hand.

Wearing Mugler Kryptomint for its cool rush opening and patchouli rock candy dry down. Freaky damn shit. LOVE IT!

Scott came over and we Spring Cleaned the place in anticipation of our guests arrival this evening. Windows, walls, carpet, couch, dusting, polishing, bathrooms and beds all cleaned to a high shine. I sweated so much my shirt was wringable, we both did. If you ever come to our home please don’t expect it to be as clean as this.

Mazz and her girlfriend Debbie arrived and we all had the lavish Chinese Take Away with Australian Sparkling Shiraz. It was a lovely evening. Jin had to hit the hay because he’s working tomorrow at 4am and the girls were bushed after their travels from the UK via Singapore.

I’m going to grab some water and watch more GRIMM.

SOTBed: Sweaty old fat boy in Sydney summer. VERY niche. Added a large amount of Guerlain Shalimar EdP over the top of that and it’s working fine. MMMM extra animalics.

My head went funny tonight, a black dog spot. No rhyme or reason. I felt myself spiralling into a pit. More Shalimar, cuppa and sleep.

Thursday 15:

WOW! I must have been tired. Woke up to the smell of our guests cooking eggs and toast at about 7am. It was the perfect wake up. Who can have the black dog hanging over their head when such company is in town? Not me. We sat around drinking coffee and chatting till about 10am. Stories, catch ups, people and places. Having lived with Mazz for a few years in our late teens there is always a wealth of history to be sifted and remembered. Perfect morning.

Vintage Miss Dior EdC.

Had a bath. Not a luxuriating bath, a clean the stench of sweaty summer man off bath.

Watched more GRIMM.

Reheated Chinese for lunch.

Had a nap.

Jin came home totally tuckered out. We walked the dogs, had dinner & he went to bed early. I waited up for the girls to get home. They were so tired they showered and slept.

SOTBed: Bogue OE

Friday 16:

Cacharel Liberté this morning. It’s like a chemical meltdown in an orange juice factory. Bloody ripper stuff.

Made us all left over Chinese Cabbage Scrambled Eggs & Toast, the girls had Baked Beans and I had Bacon as our sides. Percolated us some coffee and we sat down to chatter, plan, reminisce and laugh.

The Harley Davidson guy came to pick up Jin’s bike. He had it in for service and since then the battery light has been on. Great service, they come to your house, collect the bike and then take it to the service place. Guy was sweet.

Mazz and Debbie left around midday and I lay down with Paris on a blanket on the couch for a GRIMM binge. SO GOOD!

I’m up again to make coffee and stretch my legs, thinking I need a spritz that is sweet and marshmallowy. Guerlain Cuir Beluga sprang to mind, and then hand. Good choice. I’m cocooned in sweet, fluffiness.

Met Jin after his work up at the centre of Parramatta where we wandered the Lunar New Year Celebrations. So many people, lights, colours and smells. There were shows running on stages and in the crowds. Overwhelming to be honest.

We ran away and had Sushi Train as a belated Valentine’s Day celebration. That was so nice and we chattered amiably and made plans for stuff. Pretty poor effort on the eating though.

Sat up late watching GRIMM

SOTBed: Creed Iris Tubereuse.

Saturday 17:

Jin and I went for waxing today. Jin goes Hollywood and I go Brazil. Too much information? Nope, TMI would be video.

Still wearing Creed Iris Tubereuse

Lunch with Stevie, Hyun, Jin and I. We chatted and drank and ate. Very nice catch up.

Then Hyun and I hit the couch to watch the first 4 episodes of Sense8, which she’d not seen before. So good. I’m enjoying it even more second time.

After Hyun left I blogged, walked dogs and watched more GRIMM. Seriously addicted.

SOTBed: Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Cologne

Sunday 18:

Woke up with the hearty desire to wear CHANEL No 5. So got out an old bakelite cased EdT and went a little spritz crazy. Good choice. Why don’t I wear it more often?

In the USA they’ve had another school shooting. FFS AMERICA! If you spent a fraction of the money creating Real Gun Controls as you do on anti-terrorism there would be zero shootings. Thousands more of your people are killed from guns within your country every single year than from terrorism. From WKRG: ‘While some of the incidents reported as school shootings this year by Everytown are questionable, the group tells the Washington Post their criteria is ‘crystal clear’ in that “every time a gun is discharged on school grounds it shatters the sense of safety for students, parents and the community.”‘

 

Jin and I watched some Winter Olympics and GRIMM together. He’s on nights so once he gets home he sleeps till about 11am then eats, watches TV and has a couple of hours lazing. At 2pm he’s back to bed till 5pm, gone by 5.10pm

Tonight for work I wanted something a little glamorous and over the top. Not pretty but interesting and powerful. Juliette Has A Gun Midnight Oud. Rose/Saffron/Oud with a leathery woods dry down. A little rough and ready but legendary performance, both projection and longevity. Can’t believe it’s been around since 2009.

 

 

It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?

Did you do anything Fragrant, Fun, Friends, Family or even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx

47 thoughts on “Scent Diary: 12.2 – 18.2.2018”

  1. Loved reading about your week, Portia! You’re the perfect example of a person who makes things happen in their world.
    BTW, did you trying watching Supernatural TV series?

    My week, on the other hand, was terrible. My cat died on Friday, – got hit with a car, – and I’m still processing it. You know, the Scarlett O’Hara way: “I’ll think of it tomorrow”.

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  2. I will take all of your food (including the chocolates)….thank you very much!

    Jin is just so adorable….I want to send him a virtual hug 🙂

    You have convinced me to add Grimm to my Netflix cue (and while we are here I am going to secretly confess that much to the chagrin of Mr. Marzipan this beyond middle aged person is addicted to Made in Chelsea..I have been binge watching…the antics and wash , rinse , repeat of the cast makes me chuckle and all of their lovely British accents can actually lull me to sleep..please don’t judge me-LOL!)

    a pretty normal week although we spent this morning shoveling more snow (upwards of 7 to 9 inches)….I am crossing my fingers that this is the last of it.

    Have been sampling away all week and still working on making my way through that divine package sent to me by my best friend. While I have liked many none really stood out as me absolutely needing a full bottle of. Which makes me kinda happy because after your Saturday question I realized that having a small collection of no more than ten bottles would be my ultimate goal…once the younger Marzipans are all out of the house and have taken whatever bottles they desire I will see what is left and then figure it all out.

    Hope everyone else has had a wonderful week!

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    • oh and I also want to add that I really enjoyed Midsommer Murders if you like that genre…..also on Netflix…beautiful views of the English countryside….Portia, are there any Australian series on Netflix that you would recommend?

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      • Hi cM. I think we might both be on the US East Coast. If so, just think, Wednesday is supposed to be in the 70’s. I’m already doing a happy dance. I love Midsommer Murders so I’ll throw in my 2 cents worth about an Australian show – Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Love it. Set after WWI. A newer favorite is a British-French series, Death in the Caribbean – a drama-comedy. Takes me away from winter.

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      • I watch Midsommer Murders too. Miss Fisher and Dr Blake and George Gently and Janet King and Vera. Thank goodness for the DVR!

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      • Hi Maya! yes, I am indeed on the East Coast! The weather is going to hit in the upper 60s in my neighborhood on Tuesday and I am very excited about that! Let’s both cross our fingers that this will be the last of the snow.

        Well, it seems that you and I have the same taste in TV shows as I finished Phryne Fisher a while ago and the same for Death in Paradise-LOL! I have also finished Hinterland, Father Brown Mysteries, Rosemary and Thyme, Shetland, the Five, Dicte, the Last Kingdom, Cromo and Republic of Doyle….

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      • 🙂 That’s too funny! We do indeed have the same taste. I’ve watched all the same mysteries you have. They’re not on Netflix right now but I also love both Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

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    • Hey CM,
      Jin is indeed adorable. I will give him a real life hug from you.
      I will google Made In Chelsea.

      Ten bottles! WOW! That will be a cull. Good luck with that when they’re gone. Can’t wait to read which ones you pick.

      I don’t have any Aussie stuff for you to watch but I will ask Jin, he is the TV knowledge base here.
      Portia xx

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  3. This has been a week of trying to buckle down and get *on* with my studies. I’m trying to ignore the absolute terror of deadlines and the big picture, and deal with the smaller terrors of getting to grips with my data, and with writing.

    I set up a virtual “Shut up and write” group for other doctoral students in my department, and we had out first meeting today. Turns out that I wasn’t the only one in writing paralysis. And just by us all committing to spend the same time online together, writing, it happened. They got some words out! I got some words out! The words are garbage, but any words are better than none. And they can be rewritten. The total sticking point has been kicked over.

    I rewarded myself by opening the bottle of Civet that I was keeping sealed until this happened. YAY.

    In the meantime, I am trying to keep my head down and not think too hard about work shenanigans. We have been taken over by a much larger company, and they have… a very different culture with an unnerving combination of pseudo-whacky and deeply corporate strictness. I’m just trying to get the job done, not fret, and hope they leave us alone (they are several hundred miles away, which helps.)

    Not much play. Precisely bugger all socialising. But I’m starting to make some progress. Which feels really good. So does listening to old Beastie Boys albums…

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    • p.s. totally with you on the school shootings, Portia. I was horrified to see the numbers: an average of one school shooting every sixty hours in the US this year. I can’t begin to imagine the damage to those children, living in fear and anticipation of a horror that has become *normal*.

      I still remember the shock of the shooting at Dunblane Primary School in 1996. The UK banned handguns (semis and pump action and others had been banned after a mass shooting about ten years earlier, in Hungerford.) There was an amnesty and a buyback, and about 170k guns were handed in. We’ve not had another school shooting since. (There has been one more mass shooting in the last 20 years, but not at a school.)

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    • Hey Crikey,
      Congratulations on getting your writing started. That first hurdle seems insurmountable. Great idea to organise a crew to keep each other motivated.
      I know it’s hard to find time to be social but I really think an hour a week in the company of people not your family keeps mental health sound. Even going to a coffee shop and sitting there watch other people interacting normally can level me out.
      GUNS! F**king outrageous. People with guns kill. We also had a gun amnesty and buyback in Australia after our first and only mass shooting. There has not been one since.
      Beastie Boys! You are BAS ASS!
      Portia xx

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  4. I woke up this morning and decided I needed to wear Chanel No5 as well! One of my favorites; however, I haven’t worn it in awhile. All week I’ve been wearing my samples of Serge Lutens fragrances from STC. I haven’t ever explored that line for some reason and so thankful I can purchase all of these samples and immerse myself in SL world. I’ve already purchased Feminite de Bois, Bois de Vanilla, CHergui, and Ambre Sultan, all found discounted at FragranceNet.com. I also have Fleur D’Orangeur, El Attaire, and Bois Viollete on my wishlist and I’m only halfway through my samples!
    Fun to read about your week and fragrance purchases!

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    • Hey Kathleen,
      FragranceNet is my absolute Go-To. I even go looking if I’m thinking of buying niche, it’s always surprising what they have in stock. I think 1/4 of my collection comes from there.
      Love that you are wending your way through the hallowed halls of Serge Lutens. What a wonderful adventure.
      Portia xx

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  5. It was a stressful week with vet visits and worry about my little doggie, thankfully things have calmed down for now. I am on day 17 of Iris month on Undina’s blog project and I am getting really sick of iris. Desperate to wear something else. I may start just putting a spritz of iris on my wrists and something else on my chest.

    The gun situation in America is ridiculous, I have come to the conclusion that the country is being run by nutters and sociopaths who just don’t care. So glad to be Canadian.

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    • Why don’t you just save the iris wearing for bedtime? I have been wearing Arz el Rab every night for iris month as I just don’t have enough iris samples to do an entire month and I also want to test out other samples during the day.

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    • O M G You are REALLY wearing iris all month! You’re a freaking superstar. I would have collapsed by day 5. Only 9 days to go TaraC.
      Portia xx

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      • Thanks for the encouragement! I have over 28 iris scents so I feel like I need to make the effort to wear as many as I can.

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      • Thanks Diana. She’s old and has chronic degenerative heart/lung conditions, so she has good days and bad days. I am hoping for more good days before things get too much worse. We love on her every day and give her the best care we can.

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    • I am a proud Canadian but feel so blessed and fortunate to be living in the USA. No country is perfect but the blessings abound.
      I had never heard of Undina’s blog, another fun one to follow! I love to learn and read other’s experiences.

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  6. You manage to fit so much into your week Portia – thanks for sharing. Pretty quiet for me –
    housesitting, watering their garden and work. I finished watching Riveria and then onto S5 Ray Donovan. This series has everything! I love it! Home for two nights then at new house sitting gig for a week. Its close to work so i can walk. And they have two dogs so more walking!! Onto House of Cards S5 on their netflix. Perfumes = enjoying my Mark Evans Evocative Perfume samples.

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    • Hey Melanie,
      You’re a House Sitter! Ever want to come sit in Parramatta while we are away?
      How good are the Evocative perfumes? Mark’s really clever.
      Portia xx

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      • Sadly Portia my house sitting is state based. And i think a divorce might be on the cards if i took another house sitting job! Ive been ‘sitting’ for the same people for 20+ years so i’m kind of exclusive to/for them. They fitting in lots of travel while they are able to. The new gig is a bit of a one off favour to my boss (brownie points ha ha)

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  7. This gun situation in America is really out of control. I have no hope from my generation and older generations, it is the young people I look forward to who will bring an end to this insanity. Among my friends who are Americans(from my generation and older generations), there are only few that are sane voices but that may also be because I went to college in a red state and now live in a blue state so lot of people I know happen to be from red states. For those outside America, red states are republican and conservatives such as Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Kansas etc. and blue states are democrats and liberals including my beloved New York, California, and Massachusetts.

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    • Fingers crossed for the youth to overturn the mess that the USA has made Fazal. Democracy is dead there and Oligarchy has a lot to answer for.
      Portia xx

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  8. I don’t think my scent diary could be any more boring than this week’s. My entire collection has been packed away except for just one bottle: Acqua di Parma Essenza. So I have worn that every day.

    I found a sample of O’Driu L’Infedele in the back of a drawer that I was packing today, so maybe I’ll give that a run for a bit of variety.

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    • Hey Tara,
      River dale doesn’t have enough Eps. I hate having to wait. watched the first half of this season and will watch the rest when they’re done. Isn’t it fabulous? What a perfect reimagining.
      Mazz is the bomb. It was great having her here.
      You’ll be here soon!
      Portia xx

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  10. Portia, I didn’t have an exciting fragrance week (Chanel No. 19 parfum and EdT, on different days) but it was a very sad week, since I’m in the US. Thank you for making me laugh out loud while in mourning (not that I knew anyone personally in our latest shooting, but I am sad and tired of the availability of guns and the hypocrisy that follows). I am inspired by the activism shown by the young of Florida and beyond. When they start marching, I will go with them.

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