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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
This week on Facebook Fragrance Friends was Indie Week. Now I wasn’t so religious with it as last weeks Guerlain Week but I did manage to get some of my favourite Independent Perfume Houses on my skin and up my nose.
Otherwise the week was pretty low-key. Home, work, trivia Q&A and a couple of social engagements.
Scent Diary: 22.4 – 28.4.2019
Monday 22:
Good morning Monday. Fed & walked the dogs but halfway through I really needed to go to the toilet. Last few minutes were VERY uncomfortable. HA! Maybe that’s TMI.
SOTMorning: Lolita Lempicka EdP
Bloody bollocks. I had a fabulous crew to lunch. They all just left and I forgot to take a photo. GRRR! Julie, Stew, Karim and Brad came over and we had Quiche & Salad.
Julie makes Folded Book Art. This is her gift to us. J heart P. So fabulous.
Phil came over and I forgot to take a photo of him too.
SOTAfternoon: Myrrhiad by Huitième Art
For dinner Mazz, TinaG and Oliver came over. Jin joined us after his Parramatta game. It was an evening full of fun. For dinner we had Vegetarian Quiche, Roast vegetables and Salad with loads of White wine. I bloody love my friends.
We watched the Grand Final of SOTD and Courtney Act came second. Amazing! What a superstar she has become. A household name on three continents.
The crew left, I cleaned up and did some computer stuff but all that entertaining tuckered me out.
SOTBed: Vintage Miss Dior extrait
Tuesday 23:
SOTMorning: Lea by Calypson St Barth
Had a lovely lazy day today. Walked the dogs around the block.
Went to the Chemist to collect my Beard Dye. Post Office to collect mail and tell them our away dates. Had my pedicure done in bright blue! It looks fantastic, so happy.
Did some desultory TRIVIA stuff.
Dyed my beard, into the bath, lovely long laze in there, shaved and cleaned myself.
SOTAfternoon: Crème de Cuir by bdk Parfums
The whole crew at Trivia were baying for blood tonight. O M G! It was like they were so ANGRY! They were fun, as always, but SO pushy.
Home and hung out with Jin for a while. He’s gone to bed and I’m up at the computer. Going to watch some TV and then bed.
SOTBed: Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations
Wednesday 24:
Up early . Aquarobics. Took Jin who worked out at the gym and BFF Kath’s Dad to see how aquarobics runs. After we had breakfast in an al fresco cafe near the Olympic Aquatic Centre.
This stuff might have arrived in the mail. OOOOOH Surrender To Chance order!
SOTMorning: Aftelier Honey Blossom extrait
Went to town and had lunch with my mate Amelia in the Opera House Green Room. LOADS of lovely catching up to do. Stories and reminiscences. Catching the train home this was the view from Circular Quay Station. Perfect. No filter, no augmentation. This is the picture I took on my iPhone.
Came home. Had a nap.
SOTEvening: Tea for Two by L’Artisan
Work was BUSY tonight. Almost every seat taken, everyone ate. It was huge.
Home to watch ARROW! Jin is at work, I get the living room to myself. YAY!
SOTBed: Adjatay by The Different Co.
Thursday 25:
Slept in till about 10am. WOW! I clearly needed some extra ZZZZs.
SOTMorning: Amoureuse by Parfums DelRae. White flowers and lilies left in the vase a little too long with a seaside twang.
Jin and I hung out in the morning. General chit chat, breakfast etc
More Trivia Q&A.
I did take a pic of my current Desk Collection.
Had the afternoon to myself. Got one week of Trivia Q&A finished off and another complete one done. Only three more weeks to get sorted.
Made some Savoury Mince for dinner with wholemeal pasta. It was filling but not so delicious.
SOTBed: So Nude by Costume National
Friday 26:
How is it FRIDAY already.
Jumped out of bed and had my bath. Walked the dogs.
SOTMorning: Amor Amor by Cacharel. A present from Anna Maria that I love. So juicy sweet.
Some small runnings around today. Fill up Jin’s SCUBA tank, grab some milk etc.
GOSFORD! Opening night for a new Trivia Venue. Millenia and I went up early. Got set up at the Gosford Sailing Club and had some lunch at the new place Bon (what about that mural?). Very swish.
This is the club in the afternoon sunlight. What a heavenly place to spend some time.
We had a wonderful turn out! There were about 10 tables all up. Including some really good friends, WHO WON!! Woo Hoo! I really loved tonight. Hopefully it continues to grow and can become a weekly event.
SOTBed: Pluie de Soleil by Phaedon. The fruitiest EVAH!
Saturday 27:
Jin must have woken me as he left this morning to go SCUBA diving. I got up and he was gone. So went back to bed for another hour. BLISS!
Fed & walked the dogs. I’m loving this crisp, cool weather.
SOTDay: Rose Oud by Yves Rocher. This is a fabulous cheap pickled up in Paris a couple of years ago. LOVE it.
It is BFF Kath’s niece Rachel’s Birthday this week. Sweet 16. Met the family in Parramatta at The River Cafe. It was perfect. Some laughs, brunch and she got some fun presents.
Came home and started in on TRIVIA Q&A. I’m getting so numb to it at the moment and EVERYTHING is a distraction. Focus is getting harder and harder to maintain. I’m giving myself little breaks at the end of each mountain climbed, just to keep my sanity. So slowly but surely the overwhelming feeling is subsiding.
Jin came home from SCUBA and his buoyancy vest had exploded underwater. Luckily he was close enough to shore to get back without drama but it was a hairy moment apparently. Expensive too. Poor bugger. No biggie really because he won’t be going back out till we get home from holidays.
He cooked us the Jin version of boscaiola for dinner. Bloody divine with a crisp white wine from the Barossa Valley. MMMMMM
SOTEvening: The Afternoon of a Faun by ELdO
After dinner Jin commandeered the couch. He’s so funny. I said “Smile for the Camera” This is what I got. Ha Ha ha ha ha. What an asshole.
I tried to do more TRIVIA Q&A but my head wasn’t in it. watched some ARROW before my head started lolling and I hit the hay.
SOTBed: CHANEL Boy. Sheer perfection.
Sunday 28:
O M G! What a beautiful day. Cool sunshiny autumn magic.
SOTMorning: Miss Dior vintage EdT
Got a small amount of TRIVIA Q&A organised. I’m on my very last weeks worth of it for while I’m away. Feels so good to be this near the end. It also means that I’ll have all day tomorrow to get Australian Perfume Junkies sorted for the break. PHEW!
SOTLunch: Gold Map Of The Heart
Gave my beard a close trim and dye.
Big, boiling, bubble bath of ACs In Paris, a bubble bath gift from Anna Maria. It smells a little like J’Adore.
SOTAfternoon: Secret Joly by Oriza LeGrand. Had it since last year but just opened it then. So pretty, springlike.
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
Australian Perfume Junkies 
You have fitted a lot in to say that you don’t really feel motivated.
My daughter in law has made some lovely folded page books. Very intricate.
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Hey Matty,
The work still has to be done but really it was a struggle this week.
YAUY! I never knew Folded Page Books was a thing.It looks wonderful.
Portia xx
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She tried to show me how to do it. You have to have “pattern book sort of thing” Graphs etc. Far to complicated for me !!! They do look impressive when they’re finished. Does anyone on here do them,I’d love to know.
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That book!
Your toes!
That photo of Miss Dior against the gorgeous background!
That huge bottle of Lea ( so hard to come by) !
I am in a rut so quiet week perfume wise. Two days commando and two days in my oils. But your package arrived and I have been enjoying the decant of Pacific Rock Moss.
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Hey Brigitte,
Oh yes, the book is beautiful. What a thoughtful gift.
Miss Dior taken from our hotel balcony in Gantok India.
Lea is gorgeous. It was in a friends Sale Doc and I pounced.
YAY! Glad it came. Perfume ennui comes & goes.
Portia xx
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Hey Portia,
How nice Mazz was over. Fun times.
OMG never knew about folded book art. Would make a great present for a friend of mine. Will look it up over here.
So happy the sailing club gig went well. They’d be mad not to keep it going.
I’ve been feeling a crazy desire to spend all my money this week which is worrying. Booked my trip to Amsterdam for June which was good. Hope your holiday prep is going well!
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Hey there Tara,
Yeah, seeing Mazz is always good fun.
Yeah, that book is so good. I think you’d be really good at that kind of thing.
Yeah, hope they do keep it running. Let’s see how it goes.
DON’T spend all your money. The only thing worse than being old and rickety is being old, rickety and POOR!
Amsterdam will be HUGE!!
Holiday prep is going great guns.
Portia xx
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You are doing well getting your work done and organized for vacation ahead of time Portia. When departure time arrives, you will deservedly be ready for relaxation and fun. Such a unique gift the folded book page, cool!
Usual work week for me, and a fun week of new sniffing and purchasing perfume. I am oscillating between exploring and hunting for oldies, and sampling new niche. I am enjoying all of these fragrant experiences; however, what is becoming clear is that the oldies are so much more fragrant with sillage and longevity, and the newer scents are fleeting and disappear quickly on my skin. I love to be encompassed in a fragrant cloud and therefore, for me, am finding more value in old and newer vintage.
For example, I finally found a bottle of Mona di Orio Musc for a decent price, a beautiful soft rose and heliotrope fragrance, love it on first spray. It disappears very quickly and therefore, I layered it with Ombre Rose EDP which is similar but richer and lasts on me.
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Ombre Rose!!!!!! Blast from my past! Am fairly certain that fragrancenet sells the pure extrait for a very good price. Thanks for the comparison to MdO Musc. Now I feel less of a need to try it if it’s similar to Ombre Rose.
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Mono di Orio is lovely, well-done, and a very light version of Ombre Rose to my nose, perfect for our office environments. I have Ombre Rose Parfum in the black bottle. It is a very complex heliotrope, rose, iris, honey, vanilla etc perfume, a long-standing favorite of mine. And yes, fragrance.net has the 0.5 oz black bottle parfum for $50 with 37% coupon, and the clear bottle minis on clearance for $3.15!
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Ombre Rose was gorgeous. I wore the EDT in the early 80s. Good to know that it sells for a song online!!
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Hey Kathleen,
Yeah, that MdO Musc was aa complete let down for me, also her Ambre. Both of them dead in the water on my skin.
I love how much you’re enjoying the whole discovery. It’s a fun adventure.
Portia xx
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It is a let down that MdO Musk doesn’t last on skin. However, it is so beautiful and I found a bottle for a good price, that I decided it would be perfect for when I go to work. It sits very close to my skin, and my workplace is not fragrance friendly. So now I have another option to wear to the office!
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OK, so kind of a win then Kathleen. YAY
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I’m leaning in that direction too. My vintages wear well on me. Though some of my new sniffs this week are gorgeous.
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Did you get your 1000Flowers sampler coffret cassieflower? I hope soon, curious what you think. I think they are all gorgeous and very well done, my favorite is Narcotic Flowers. I wish llongevity was as good as my vintages,
Reglisse Noire is one of the most unique and unusual fragrances I’ve sniffed. Not something i’d wear, but I really like it and can understand addictive for licorice fans!
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Yes, it arrived during the week. Narcotic Flower is also the first one I tried, and it’s gorgeous. Unfortunately it doesn’t last on my skin. I’m really going to get cracking on testing them from tomorrow. Was too busy this week to really give them the due attention.
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Yay! Enjoy the new sniffing! I’m still enjoying the sniffing experience. They are so beautiful but fleeting on my skin sadly. I’m loving Narcotic Flowers and Rose Cassis Paradis.
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I always go to the toilet right before I take the dog out, no fun being trapped in public with nowhere to go! 🙂 Love the folded book art, that is so cool.
It’s been cold and rainy here all week, I’m enjoying my winter fumes still. But it would be great if it could warm up – only 2C here this morning.Brrr. Busy working on home organisation and decoration projects, got a pretty new perfume cabinet at Ikea that looks fab. It’s the Brimnes glass door cabinet if you want to check it out online.
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You’d think I’d know TaraC but the cool air often makes me want a wizzer.
I’ve got an IKEA perfume cabinet too. It’s a bit like yours but wider and in black outside and red & glass doors.
Portia xx
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I need me a smaller size version of what you and TaraC have. But I am holding off on organization until I truly know what’s to remain when they all fly the coop. For now it’s all over the place. Like you, P, I also keep things by the computer as well.
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I love having them here at hand Brigitte,
For sneaky spritzes while doing other stuff. So glam.
Portia xx
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That cabinet looks great and very functional!
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You smelled and looked wonderful this week! And I really like the pic of Jin on the coach…I’ve been a bit under the weather and many days of migraine, haven’t had them for quite a while but back with a vengeance, hopefully not to stay. Wore mostly AA Purple Reign, and Vero, Mito and Naja today. Naja in some ways reminds me of Mona’s Ambre, and her Musc, both which I love, and I love. Had some mail contact with Val while she’s in Milan, lovely.
We watched Secret City, I wonder what the resident Aussies take is on this, it seems a bit far fetched but then the world is a heck of a crazy place.
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Thanks Hamamelis,
Isn’t Jin the cutest?
Fingers crossed the migraines settle down.
YAY! Val is having a ball. They called me from dinner last night with Neela Vermeire. I couldn’t be more jealous.
Portia xx
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Went to an unboxing this week, as we’d clubbed together on an online perfume order to get a discount/free shipping. We then sniffed one another’s purchases – I got a travel spray of Baccarat Rouge 540 extrait, a backup bottle of SL Bas de Soie, and a bottle of SL 5 O’Clock au Gingembre, since for some reason I am now in a gingery mood.
I might need to get a pedicure, possibly in a lapis lazuli or other gem tone…
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Hey there AnnieA,
I love the idea of an unboxing party! Our crew lives all over Australia though so the usual unboxing party is Scotty and me trying to get the order straight, repacked and sent ASAP. Also i always do some samples of stuff from my collection to go out with them because the stores rarely send enough to go around.
5 O’Clock au Gingembre is my favourite SL by far. It gets 10 x the wear of all the others.
Portia xx
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I love your tootsies 😍 You and Jin must be getting excited about your holliers now. It’s great having something to look forward to. Amor Amor was a favourite of mine when it came out. Great fragrance week for you and well done on the new venue. Hope it really takes off, it looks fab. I was busy with Smallies for first half of the week. I nearly have to take to my bed after they leave. I understand now how my sister feels🤣 I’m getting to be such an old biddy. Family has certainly kept me busy, stripped beds and cleaned the rooms ready for the next onslaught. My house has been like a hotel this week. All very enjoyable, though. I have the place back to myself now. Bliss. Will give it yet another going over tomorrow. For now I’m slobbing on the couch. Yippee. Tried a couple of my new acquisitions and love what went on my skin so far. Still several more to try. And after Kate’s comment about Francesca Bianchi in SOTD I may have had an event where money disappeared from my PayPal account😉 A new listing popped up for a decant so what else could I do? It would have been rude not to. Have a good week everyone xx
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Thanks Cassieflower,
Having a pedi makes the world seem brighter.
I’m still in prep mode for the holidays. As soon as the blogs and TRIVIA Q&A are done I will be able to get really excited.
Having visitors is a blessing and curse rolled so tightly together that sometimes they’re inseparable. I love having people around but, of course hell is people. HA!
Woo Hoo on your new Francesca Bianchi on its way. Can’t wait to read what you think about it.
Portia xx
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My friend just posted a pic of the group of us from last year’s Ladies Day at the horse show. Even I look good in it. Ha, nothing to do with perfume, but of course I would have smelled fine.
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That book art is amazing. Does Julie have a website? Amor Amor is a lovely creation. I am glad I took a blind buy risk at it since the auction price was so low
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Hey there Fazal,
Yeah, I agree. No this is a brand new hobby for Julie. Only her second book. I think it’s going to be quite a thing though. So beautiful and apparently more about taking the time than being incredibly artistic.
YAY! We can SOTD snap with Amor Amor!
Portia xx
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Ooo and I have a huge assortment of SSS vials….things that I haven’t worn in 7 years!! I was on our 🛏️ last night sniffing the dabber sticks. I am afraid to use them!!
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Today’s plan is to comparison test no 19 EDT vs EDP. Will report back to you later.
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That book is fantastic! I’d love to have one made in a copy of “The Princess Bride” to gift to my Dear Husband.
Whatever happened to Parfums DelRae? Haven’t seen them around anywhere recently.
Took the train to The City last Thursday to meet Dear Husband and Dear Daughter after work for dinner and a museum visit. Stopped in the Chanel boutique beforehand. I spritzed Boy on one arm and 1957 on the other. I asked for a sample of 1957. But during cocktails both Dear Daughter and Dear Husband said they liked Boy better. Darn, I asked for the wrong sample.
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