.
Portia.
Heya APJ,
Obviously my Best Of will be the best of what I got my nose on. Seriously. I’m smelling ALL YEAR the newest stuff and still I’ve hardly scratched the surface. Some of these may have been released in 2017 but were new to me this year. Soz about that, just doing my best here.
Portia’s Best Of 2018
Kolonya by Rasei Fort
Seriously folks. If you don’t get your nose on this you are missing out. You know I whinge and bitch about people releasing cologne for large sums of money that could easily be replaced by a $20 bottle and the difference is minimal. Kolonya is a game changer for me, pieces of so many fragrances all put together in a way so unexpected and surprising that i smile from ear to ear when I wear it. There is so much in this fragrance and every time I wear it the ride is different, like it’s temperature, weather or venue specific. All the fun of cologne with all the bells and whistles of finest fragrance. SNIFF THIS IMMEDIATELY!
Niral by Neela Vermeire Creations
An homage to British silk maker Sir Thomas Wardle. Niral is a rosy iris backed by dry tea and leather. Wears like the sussurus of silk as you walk down stairs, quiet, expensive and attention grabbing. I drained my press sample and recently purchased a full bottle. Quite distinct from the rest of the NVC catalogue and an interesting new direction.
Memory Motel by Une Nuit à Montauk
We were all blown away by this strangely gorgeous BarBQ sauce and leather fragrance opening that had a smoothness we thought might be elemi or even labdanum. On second smelling I got none of the BarBQ and loads more of the patchouli with tobacco, vanilla and frankincense. Another MUST TRY! I don’t know why the internet hasn’t blown up about these guys.
Taj Garden by DSH Perfumes
Taj Garden’s is lightly floral, like peonies and hyacinths as the sun just hits them and starts to warm the day, a green floral, delicate and calming. It has the spirit of warm water without feeling particularly wet and sunshine seems to be captured perfectly, that feeling of it hitting the back of your neck on a cool morning with incense burning not very nearby.
Le Participe Passé by Serge Lutens
A return to the Serge that we know and love. Fruit mince drizzled in caramel, sweaty cumin and resins with a lovely green overlay that gives a considered counterpoint and surprise. I bought a 100ml bottle it and am glad I did. MMMMMMMMM
Nomade by Chloe
This has not yet been a purchase but when Nomade was released early this year the Duty Free in airports were full of squirt bitches (men and women) trying to douse us. I was initially reluctant and asked for a card. I was back in 15 minutes to get some on my skin and loved it sick for the next couple of hours. A mossy, fruity floral that wears like expensive leather goods on my skin.
Les Eaux de CHANEL
Biarritz, Deauville and Venise are so much better than they ever needed to be. Cologne plus. Loved the new bottles, that soft touch packaging and the carefree vibe of them all. I couldn’t help myself and purchased them all.
Cloud by Ariana Grande
I know! It’s a budget, screechy Baccarat Rouge 540 but still. That freaking bottle is hilarious and the scent is not the worst thing I’ve smelled this year. For almost zero dollars I think it’s cool.
Belgravia Chypre by Penhaligon’s
This series of Penhaligon’s Hidden London doesn’t seem to have been a big hit for them, in Australia anyway. From the moment I tried Belgravia Chypre (doesn’t really feel like a chypre at all to be honest) I fell madly in love. My bottle gets fairly regular outings, but not in the crazy heat of summer and I think it is a very 21st century niche offering, bordering on bro woods. It smells amazing while walking around art galleries and I can so imagine it being the choice of the suit brigade if ever they tried it.
Antique Ambergris by Aftelier Perfumes
Animalic, chocolatey, earthy and rich yet light as a feather. This will fully fit the animalic cravers yet anyone who is terrified of that won’t be overwhelmed. There’s a lot more going on here than the animalics. Lightly salted chocolate covered caramel, woodiness, resins and amber all combine like a sheer gourmand.
UR ± Silk 19 by UER MI
This woody, white floral and fruity concoction has grabbed my heart. It’s so pretty and easily worn yet weird enough to maintain my interest all day. The brand Uer Mi is cool but kinda try hard. I love their scent aesthetic though, good stuff and not ridiculously pricey either.
Hermessence Cèdre Sambac by Hermès
Infinitely more than the sum of its parts, Hermessence Cèdre Sambac is so wearable and yet still a little bit Hermès weird. Christine Nagle has stamped her signature hard but managed to remain well within the oeuvre. I can’t believe how many people, and from such different taste ranges, have fallen hard for this sheer hefty beauty. My 15ml travel is about 30% empty.
Iris Rebelle by Atelier Cologne
I spent about 3 hours wandering Selfridge & Co perfume halls solo earlier in the year. I must have sniffed 50+ blotters and the one that stayed in my hand and at my nose the whole time was Iris Rebelle. A peppery, patchouli/oudh iris and is both creamy and gritty. So unusual. YUM!
Savannah’s Heart by Olibere Parfums
Another one I tried and then HAD TO HAVE in my collection. Coffee, woods, oudh and musks with a sheer veneer of green over the top. It’s fairly standard niche fare but done with a happy, enticing twist. I love it but know that if Val the Cookie Queen smelled it she’d wrinkle her nose. Hot sand, coffee and woods is how it smells on me. Fabulous!
Maison Christian Dior Collection
In 2018 the old Prive collection got a review. Everything is now grouped into the Maison Collection. I’m thinking that means there are some quiet reformulations and the addition of about 700 new fragrances, all of them light, bright and tight. The Asian market and the office seem to be the focus. Lightweight, wearable, pretty and durable scents that will not announce your arrival but will be nice to be next to. My personal faves of the new line up, and now bottles gracing my collection, are Sakura, Purple Oud and Santal Noir.
There are MORE! I can’t bloody remember them off the top of my head.
What did you love (or hate) in 2018?
Portia xx
OK y’all are gonna kill me but you already know what I am going to say…my two favorite releases from 2018 are St. Clair Scents Casablanca and First Cut (I also really enjoy Gardener’s Glove from the same indie house for it’s exquisite usage of tomato leaf). I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a new release…after almost 50 years of perfume wearing you can get a bit jaded…
Portia, you have convinced me to try Cloud…I am not a snob when it comes to perfume and will gladly wear a Bacarrat Rouge dupe 🙂
Still need to get my nose on Cedre Sambac….I know it gets a lot of love! I will retry Iris Rebelle and test Nomade next time I am in a Sephora.
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And you know I’m right there with you on St. Clair Scents! I haven’t yet tried Casablanca, but of the first three, I think my fave is Gardener’s Glove. But I loved First Cut and Frost, too!
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OOO Yes! Frost is wonderful too!
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It’s great that you are so excited about the St Claire Scents Brigitte,
Indie houses need as much love as we can give them to grow and prosper.
Portia xx
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I agree Portia. The large multi million dollar companies that churn out perfumes will survive with or without my business. But the tiny artisanal lines do depend on us enthusiasts….however, i will add that beyond supporting for the sake of supporting I must say that it’s the high quality and beauty of the fragrances that make me part with my money at the end of the day 😉
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Yes, 100%
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Also, I have no idea when Solstice Scents Estate Vetiver was released but if it was this year that would be another pick for me…it’s a gorgeous boozy, patchy dark vanilla with a touch of vetiver….and it’s a powerhouse which can take on my scent devouring skin!
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So glad you named Iris Rebelle! I got that in the Atelier Advent calendar, and really enjoyed it. My iris of choice this year, though, is Tiffany & Co. Intense. Love everything about it!
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Ahhhhh! You know I saw that at Tiffany & Co but didn’t sniff it, expecting it to be a bit of a yawn fest. Thanks for the heads up OH.
Portia xx
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If you’re interested in my experience with it: https://scentsandsensibilities.co/2018/12/09/scent-sample-sunday-tiffany-co-intense/
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Talking about iris, I’ve only recently discovered an iris I could love: Orris Tattoo from Parle Moi De Parfum.
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The name is great! What do you like about it?
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I like that it is actually a true iris but the earthy notes are toned down by the powdery woody notes. It feels like second skin and it reminds me also a lot of V/S Versace for her from the nineties.
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As I read this, in the car, I am hurtling towards the store for a bottle of one of the Eauxs. They are gorgeous. Not sure which one yet. Two maybe? The Venise is like a Misia Cologne. Deauville calling too. Aaaaaaaah. 😫
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HA! Did you get to the bit where I talked about YOU?
Deauville is lovely, I can’t decide which one is my favourite. They’re all so utterly wearable and comfy yet also terribly CHANEL.
HA!
Portia xx
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They are also doing Shower and Body products to match. SHHHH!
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My nose would not wrinkle because I would not go anywhere near the stuff. 🤦🏼♀️
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Next year they will be doing a
new Eaux. Seasonal. Launch. Then discontinue.
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I almost bought both Deauville and Venice. Went for the first, which is lovely, and will likely fed the latter soon. So much for chosing!
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Get not fed. Argh.
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HA! We are fragrance gluttons. Why choose Amy?
Portia xx
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I loved Cèdre Sambac, Musc Encensé and Tiger’s Nest best out of this year’s new releases. MdO Santal Nabataea and Hermès Agar Ébène get an honourable mention too. I wasn’t as enthused about Une Nuit à Montauk’s Memory Motel as I expected to be, but their Suma Oriental turned out to be a surprise winner for me. And I am having a continued love affair with Hiram Green Slowdive and Bruno Fazzolari Ummagumma.
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I too really liked Suma Oriental. Forgot it was from this year. Many of the same favorites here, although Tiger’s Nest didn’t work at all for me.
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Hey TaraC,
Oh yes, Slowdive and Ummagumma were excellent. I knew I’d missed a truckload. Tigers Nest was really yummy too.
Portia xx
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I have no clue when my favorite discoveries of the year were released, but they were huge winners to me.
Agreeing with Portia on Antique Ambergris. In cahoots with Mrs. Marzipan for First Cut. And agree with Tara C in naming Tiger’s Nest.
Also causing major nostril flare were: Masque Milano Russian Tea, Parfum de Thérèse, Salome, Anubis, Dryad and Le Mat.
Still lingering on my to try list are POAL, Rozy VdE and Niral.
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👍👍👍🤸🙋
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😎
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and I will be curious as to what you say about Casablanca if you ever get around to trying it…BWF….
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Oh! I did try it!! I’m sure I posted about it. It was just too much of a big mother on me. Lots of indoles and just too huge. I think you posted somewhere about decanting your sample and dabbing. And I understand why, it’s incredibly powerful. I can certainly appreciate it’s merits, but I felt like a walking wall of syrupy, indolic orange blossoms wearing it. I’m happy to have tried it, but sadly it’s not for me.
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Good luck finding ANY Vero perfumes. They seem to be sold out everywhere Marcella.
How good is Antique Ambergris? MMMMMMMM Yummy!
Portia xx
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I know. It’s so awful. I just got a bottle of Rozy EDP off eBay, arrived today smelling amazing. Also a small decent of Rubj Voile de Extrait. Fortunately I’ve for Mito, Onda, and Naja already, all in EDP. My dream to someday have the parfums will be put on I hope not infinite hold though.
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And I hate that in the face of someone’s death I am worried about perfume.
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That doesn’t surprise me about the Vero fragrances. I’ll bet you some unscrupulous people snapped them all up and they’ll start showing up on eBay and elsewhere for $$$$$$$$$.
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YUP! which is why I am kinda glad I never really tried too many of them..now i am not longing for them.
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That’s some pretty cagey thinking!
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Luckyscent still has Rozy extrait and edp and Kiki extrait. First in Fragrance in Germany might have some Kiki left, and ParfuMaria in the Netherlands had several of her scents as well last I checked.
I admit that the first thing I did after hearing of Vero’s death was to place an order with Luckyscent for five bottles, but you can be sure they will not turn up on ebay. I am cherishing them for my own personal consumption.
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Ok, so you like almost the whole Papillon line 😉 I trust you so they are the first on my to try list.
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Individual preferences not withstanding, I do not think you will be disappointed. Very eager to hear your opinions!!
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Chloe Nomade for the win. Took me a mighty long time to understand it, but now I crave the opening plum note and FINALLY see the point to the dry down.
Deauville grabbed my attention. Instead of that, I bought the 4 releases of colognes by TRNP. These are my daily staples. Easy to transport in my cross body handbag, beautiful scents that are breezy and dense, and can be worn anywhere. I also adore Arjuna by Teone too. A wild white floral with a sunny yellow belly. It is dandelions, daisies and afternoon sun sleepiness in a bottle. Well, no, it isn’t, but it makes me that kind of happy.
Another surprise win was Ralph Lauern’s Woman. Mild tuberose with an equally mild fruit base. Nothing ground breaking, but simple, kind and confident.
Needless to say, the almighty Cedré Sambac has me round it’s little finger too.
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Heya Kate!
Yay! I’m so glad someone else likes Nomade, it’s yum. That bottle feels really nice in my hand too.
Teone makes good fragrance, I’ve got a couple here to write about in January, don’t let me forget.
Portia xx
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I even went so far as to get the shower gel too. Layers beautifully with the Chance range too.
No probs. Teone will be tickled pink.
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Loved your lists, APJers. There are a lot of blank spaces to fill but I try. Here’s what captured my attention this year: Molinard in general and Molinard de Molinard in particular, – it’s got such a vintage feel, Je Reviens etc. I’ve talked about other Molinards in the SOTD thread so I won’t bore you again;
I loved Fleur de Lalita and Blouse YSL, as well. Mugler Aura was interesting enough, – not my style, but I’d love to smell it from someone.
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Hey Diana,
YSL Blouse! I’m definitely heading into the city to try it this week or next.
Portia xx
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I wonder what you’ll think of it. I’d get a bottle if it weren’t so damn pricey!
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LOVE Molinard de Molinard…such a classic scent!
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It smells like a springtime morning, don’t you think?
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Yes it does!!!
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I’ve visited the house of Molinard in Grasse this summer but I wasn’t able to sniff all of their perfumes. They really have a huge range. I’ve got out with a bottle of Chypre Charnel and a small bottle of Un Air. I’ve got to try Blouse too.
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I must have a spray of Blouse when I’m in a dept store. It seems to get a lot of love
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Yeah Matty, I have seen it mentioned a few times too. Quite exciting to have a YSL that’s getting some love.
Portia xx
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YSL Le vestiare collection gets a lot of great reviews, I wish I could try them all. However, it doesn’t feel fair that people have to pay through the nose to get a decent YSL or Dior.
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How do purple oud and santal noir smell like. You got it right, I also felt new Dior line is meant to be safer than original and aimed at selling more rather than offering something unconventional to clients. Is Cloud really close to BR540? Many say so but there are others, too that deny though its possible their niche snobbery is influencing their opinion
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Imagine the safest, prettiest versions of both oud and sandalwood and you’ll be right on the money Fazal. No one could be offended by either.
Cloud is a much cheaper, sickly sweet, screechy version of BR540. But BR540 is so smoothly and lavishly orchestrated anything going for a similar vibe is going to smell a lot less, especially up close. I reckon if someone walked past you in the street you’d be fooled. Also, I’m not a regular wearer of BR540 so my smellovision of it is less honed.
Portia xx
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Thanks, your description is very helpful 🙂
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Fazal, as I’ve already pointed out, there’s a difference between the EdP and Extrait version of BR540. I don’t know of which one Cloud is supposed to be a dupe. I like the Extrait version but I’ll gladly try out Cloud if I come across it somewhere.
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Is cloud cheap in Australia? Here, it is selling for about $55/bottle. That is not nearly free to me.
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Hey Gina,
Yeah, 30ml is about AUD$35, around US$24. 100ml around AUD$55 which is under US$40. Compared to the niche offerings like BR540 70ml at AUD$350 then the Ariana Grande is cheap as chips.
Nearly free being an expression for inexpensive, not to be taken literally.
Portia
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Wow, P, that’s a great price! In the States a 1 oz is 40 USD so it’s a bit pricier but definitely a heck of a lot cheaper than BR540 !!
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Super list Portia, so many more for me to add to the ever growing samples wish list! For me, my love this year was my purchase of L’artisan Al Oudh. I know it’s not new to the world, but it’s new to me and I kick myself for not having come across it sooner. It’ll be a stayer in my collection. I think the other love for me this year has been when you give something a second try and it smells altogether different to the first time. Eg, Le Labo Labdanum – first try was yuk, too harsh but tried it weeks later and was like wow – I want more!
And one last perfume love has been sharing samples with some of the lovely people on here – which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when they wear their treasure and comment. I hope to extend this with some more friends here in the new year as I seem to have collected lots! Someone did say that those little samples multiply in the night 😉❤️
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Hey Melanie,
Al Oudh is great unsung hero of the oudh world. It was quite an early entry too.
Sharing is caring, and yes, samples DEFINITELY breed.
Portia xx
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One new line from this year that’s gotten very little mention, except I think from you Portia, is 19-69. I love Capri and wore it a ton this summer. Also like Chinese Tobacco and Purple Haze.
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Hey Amy! I loved that range. sadly it’s not coming to Australia. My pick was Kasbah and I bought a bottle in Paris but I also like the rainbow one and am hoping to scoop it up next year!
Portia xx
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As always your list turns into a lust list!!
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True that!
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HA HA HA HA! Sorry Anicasuny!
Portia xx
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Thank you so very much, dear Portia, for such a wonderful description for Taj Garden! ❤ I really love that you LOVED it…and that it made your Best of 2018 ❤
I'm sending HUGE love and wish you (and your whole community) blessings, health, and sensuous joy to you all! ❤
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YAY Dawn,
You are a damn SUPERSTAR! Thanks for dropping by. Happy 2019 to you and the crew darling.
Portia xx
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I love “best of” lists and I’m happy that you’ve included many smaller and less popular houses. The Kolonya immediately caught my attention. I love a good cologne but avioid buying them because of the poor longevity. Niral is wonderful and the Chanels too. I’ve got to try Belgravia Chypre. I’ve only started discovering the Penhaligon’s line and there are some lovelies among them: The Duke from the Portrays Collection – a spicy rose with cumin and I like Blasted Bloom – which doesn’t seem to be popular but I think it will be my first buy in 2019 when I decide to break my no-buy resolution 😉
I explored the Zoologist line and found some beauties there – Camel, Panda and Civet. Sisley’s Izia and Diptyque’s Tempo are also high on my list for 2018.
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