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Portia
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Hey Hey Perfume Junkies,
OK I’m adding a THUNKED section here too. It’s becoming an APJ obsession and I love the idea of us using our fragrances and hoiking the vial, decant or bottle. Thunk is the sound of an empty hitting the bin so you must empty it for the thunk to count.
Anything worthy of comment, either good or bad, that’s passed under my nose through the week will get a short write up. If I think something is terrible, shamefully lazy, greedy or stupid and you should know about it, it will be said. As always YMMV.
I’d love it if you get involved: agree, respectfully disagree, have any thought-out opinion and want to share, do so in the comments below. The point is starting a conversation.
New Sniffs + Thunked: 14.2.2019
Over 100 responses I will draw a Secret Scent Sample Pack (from my collection)
Last Weeks Winner: Diana
eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with your address please
New Sniffs:
Gold Flowers by Montale
Tuberose done up as narcissus with resinous amber, oudh and the dry rasp of pepper over a creamy, Samsara-like sandalwood. SO pretty and I don’t know why I’ve not heard of it before. Like a drug store scent ramped up to niche.
CHANEL 1957
Nice. Polite. Pretty. Citrus, aldehydes, jasmine, woods, white musk. I might have bought a bottle and split it with the Aussies. Easy spritz and go fragrance that probably would have better suited the Eaux range.
Thunked:
Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden
100ml THUNKED! In the bin. Done and dusted. I’m not repurchasing till my Bulgari Eau Thé Noire is empty.
Prada Amber Bath Gel
Gone in a bubbly Bath. So good. I’ll miss this beauty.
Musc Nomade by Annick Goutal Shower Gel
I’m really going to miss this beauty. It’s musk was sweet and cozy, smelled seriously gorgeous through the whole house.
So not really a THUNK as such but I did empty these decants while doing my send outs to you lovely APJers.
Camellia Intrepid by Atelier Cologne
Figment Woman by Amouage
Maravilla by Bulgari
Musc Nomade by Annick Goutal
Musc 25 by Le Labo
Bronze Goddess by Estee Lauder
Have you tried any of these? How did they work for you?
Portia xx
Of your entire list, Bronze Goddess is the only one I know. No thunking here this week, but some new samples – Ummagumma, Gallivant Tokyo, Byredo Eleventh Hour, Nicolai Neroli Intense. Might buy a 30ml of the Nicolai at some point – I don’t have a straight up Neroli in my collection and the price point is so good.
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Oh yes, PdN is so clever doing 30ml bottles. It means we can have a great selection and who of us will ever wear 100ml of anything not a complete favourite, use every day scent?
Portia xx
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Between you and Val I now want to try 1957. Plus as I was thinking about it this morning the year is a significant one for me.
Thunked large spray samples of Fum Ariose, Nerola and Winter Crocus and even larger spray samples of three fragrances from Boyd’s of Texas.
And your send outs count as thunks because they are out of your collection.
And congrats, Diana!!!!
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Thank you, Brigitte!!
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A nice little Valentine’s surprise 💙💚💛💜
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It is!
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Brigitte,
I am surprised that I like 1957 so much. It’s basically a Body Shop style scent done with excellent ingredients.
Portia x
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1957 looks like a well-done scent that’s getting a lot of love round here. I’d be interested to smell it, but I think unlikely to wear it. I really suck at straight up pretty.
Nothing new for me, except the sniff session of over-priced and under-whelming Gucci Alchemist’s Garden stuff the other day… which I have already grumbled about in SOTD threads. But… a little parcel of Heeley samples dropped through my door this morning so a couple of new things and some re-acquaintances to come.
One thunk: that gag-inducing scented deodorant from hell. I hate throwing away barely-used things, but there are limits.
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Oh NOOOO! Chucking new stuff is hard but better put of you’re sphere than tormenting you with its disuse.
Gucci is so weird, it’s got these amazing Absolute range and is also doing dross. Weird!
Portia xx
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How absurd is it to fret about chucking away a three quid toiletry?
I don’t think I’ve ever knowingly smelled any of the Absolute range. I’ll have to have a sniff around next time I’m in a relevant store.
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Thunked a small decant of ambre sauvage from annick goutal today, it’s cloudy and cold here. I’m trying for years to smell some of the bronze goddess fragrances by estee lauder. Is it any good? A lot of ppl talking really nice about it.
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Hey Alen,
I really liked Ambre Sauvage. Had it been two thirds the price I would definitely have purchased.
Yeah, Bronze Goddess is very nice. Next time you win remind me and I will add a sample to your pack.
Portia xx
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I own Bronze Goddess. She’s lovely. I own Musc Nomade, too. I have or had Green Tea and loathe that fragrance. I’ve had problems with tea fragrances.That’s all that I have experience with on your list!
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Hey Gina,
Interesting that you loathe tea fragrances. How do they make you feel or is it something in the smell?
Portia xx
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1957 is my new sniff this week. I blind bought a bottle because the notes and Chanel. Like Val, I love it! I agree with Portia it is light and airy like the Eauxs. (I love Venise as well). I also put it in same category as Exclusifs 1932 and No 18,
1957 is so pretty with a peppery spicy aspect. I get initial blast of aldehydes which makes me so happy! (More difficult to find these days). Then orange blossom, iris, and musks. I wore it out yesterday and first person I saw asked about it because she thought it was so beautiful.
Per Portia’s new sniffs, Gold Flower sounds interesting and I really like Prada Amber.
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YAY Kathleen,
I’m so glad you’re loving you’re 1957. It will get loads of wear around here too I think.
Portia xx
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I have Musc Nomade (full bottle) but never wear it. I can’t even remember what it smells like.
Nothing thunked this week. Tried Tauer’s L’Eau from a beautiful sample pack from him. Andy does elegance in a very modern, straightforward Swiss way. The metal sample box with the sliding top was sophisticated and utilitarian in the best possible ways. That said, I did not care for L”Eau. Clearly he uses the best components for his scents but I don’t care for his “Tauerade” dry downs. I have the February “blahs,” so I have been combating that with lots of deep inhalations of lemon essential oil that I keep on my work desk for eo therapy.
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O M G! If ever you want to pass that bottle along I will happily buy it from you Cee. Older bottle right? I think you have my eMail, it’s above.
Obviously no sweat if not.
Portia xx
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From your list I have tried three and none were for me. I recently ordered some 4160 Tuesdays samples and last night I thunked three: London, Another Kiss by the Fireside, and Captured by Candlelight (this one on my list for fb purchase). Several more to try, it’s going to be an enjoyable weekend in a perfumed haze. 🙂 I love it when I can go all out soaking myself in scent and not have to care about offending my work mates.
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Sounds absolutely heavenly Verbenaluvvr,
Enjoy your fragrant weekend.
Portia xx
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I’ve noticed that Bronze Goddess gets a lot of love. I must try it.
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Oh do. And let us know what you think.
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I will have a spray when I go into a big dept store. Will report back
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I will have a spray when I go into a big dept store. Will report back
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Yeah,
If I remember I’ll put some in your win bag Matty.
Portia xx
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Thank you so much Portia. You are a darling XXXXXXXXX
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I have Musc Nomade but it’s so fleeting on me that it doesn’t really get any skin time. I’d need to spritz every half hour. Bronze Goddess I have in every single format that it comes in, so you could call me a fan, I guess. From your new sniffs – Gold Flowers. Want. And I haven’t even smelled it!😉 You’ve sold it to me unsniffed. All the notes with a mention of Samsara. I’m on the hunt. Again. I thunked something but I can’t remember what it was.???
I got your PPP which kept me sniffing for a few days. My favourite, by a country mile was Palindrome III. ❤️ Unfortunately it’s only available in 100 ml bottles. When oh when are they going to realise that they’re losing business by not including a 20 or 30 ml option for those of us who’d never use up 100 ml?🤨 First world problems again.
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I will talk to the Santi Burgas crew Casieflower,
A 30ml bottle would be a game changer. Do you mind paying extra per ml?
Portia xx
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Congratulations Diana. Goodies alert,
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Thank you, Cassie! I thought me taking me to the cinema would be my only present today but Portia has surprised me once again 🙂
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Portia ❤️You today Diana😉
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🙂
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Congratulations, Diana! What were you watching today?
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Thank you, Neva. I watched Alita: Battle Angel. I didn’t have high hopes so I wasn’t disappointed 😉
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Thank you, Neva! I watched Alita: Battle Angel. The visual aspect of the film is pretty great but it wasn’t enough to make me care for the characters. Still, it was fun.
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LOL, I thought my comment got eaten.
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No thunking here! Wearing Iristible, I am in the suede dry down phase. So funny how we experience scent so differently, I’ve read perfumista’s not getting along with Iristible at all, they get turnips, carrots and more vegetables. I get beautiful golden iris, with touches of suede and a sort of cottony velvety texture.
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I love a carroty iris.
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Woo Hoo! Jackpot on you. Excellent news Hamamelis.
Portia xx
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Portia! Our noses and skin are so different. I could not disagree more on the 1957 front. On my skin it is not spritz and go. It lasts at least 18 hours and through a shower. It has a sillage that even my son commented on. It’s transluscently rich, and the musks glow with …… my APJ post up next week. Oh – I’m getting carried away. I wanted to say I thanked my spritz sample and am now onto the mini. ❤️
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*thanked, then THUNKED. Hahaha.
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WOW!
By spritz & go I mean it’s one of those fragrance that you don’t need to make sure you’re going to be in appropriate settings for. It can be sprayed liberally anytime and will work. Not that it is fleeting, though I don’t get more than 2 hours of scent waft.
I agree that it smells good, drug/department store idea done with CHANEL quality ingredients.
Portia x
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No thunk this week. I have only smelled the Bronze Goddess once, it was a good summery scent. Now i am wearing Fils de Dieu and enjoying the vanilla rice pudding smell with shiso mint. The shiso is much more prominent in the cold…
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That sounds gorgeous Tanja.
Portia xx
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Thank you so much, Portia! This day was supposed to be just like any other but you decided otherwise, didn’t you 😉 ?
Yesterday I received a bunch of samples from Portia, have tried three so far (they’re all very potent): Micallef Style (my first Micallef), Agonist Black Amber and Cuir de Russie (have worn this one, of course, but it’s always interesting to try a newer or an older batch). Martine’s Style reminds me either of Armani Prive Myrrh Imperial or Gerakinis Immortelle. I’ll probably do a side-by-side test later. I like Agonist and will give it proper skin time: always curious to discover a new incense scent.
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No thunks but I’ll be sending a fragrant package to a frag friend one of these days.
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YAY! So glad you enjoyed your last pack Diana,
random . org loves you lately. I’m glad.
Portia xx
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I love Musc Nomade and it lasts all day on me, just like all the Goutal Orientalistes. That is my favourite set of releases ever from Goutal.
Been traveling for a week, brought three decants and thunked none of them. It is hard to enjoy perfume with umpteen layers of clothes burying the scent, so I kind of gave up. Really excited to get back to normal!
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YAY! Another Musc Nomade fan TaraC,
I love winter scents, when it’s really cold outside and i’m rugged up. As I wander around my body warms up and I get surprise sniffs of stuff.
Portia xx
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No thunking last week but I’ll keep on trying.
I’m a fan of Bronze Goddess and bought my third bottle last summer. I thunked it a month later because it’s so light and I was spraying all the time. I love Green Tea also but I’d never manage to spend a whole 100 mls.
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Hey Neva,
So Green Tea lasts about 40 minutes on me. It’s so refreshing that I would often reapply it every 10 minutes in massive doses. 100ml took a few years but still, it’s thunked.
Portia xx
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I think I might have a 15ml mini of musc nomade. I dont remember how it smelled but I think it was quite light
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It sits quietly alongside my skin after about 30 minutes Fazal and could even be my smell unless you already know that it’s not.
Portia xx
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Don’t know any of this week’s sniffs or thunks, although I am sure I have tried Musc Nomade and probably even have a sample of it. I realize that AG just generally doesn’t work for me. And things that say musk in the name are almost always a pass.
I finished a sample of Pont des Arts A Chaque Instant, which was an immediate love for me. It’s very mossy, which is about all I need. I’m easy that way.
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MMMMMMMMM MOSSY is king Amy.
Sad that the Goutal don’t work for you. They are such a pretty line and one of the original Indie Niche brands. mainly super pretty but some happily weird ones in the mix too.
Portia xx
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