Scent Diary: 17.6 – 23.6.2019

/ AustralianPerfumeJunkies

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Portia

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Hey there APJ Crew,

All quiet on the Jin & Portia front. Loads of work for both of us, catching up on our sleep, hanging out when we can. Some sensational perfumes on my skin this week, a wide range of styles and note lists. This is what contentment feels like.

Scent Diary: 17.6 – 23.6.2019

Monday 17:

Gorgeous cool rainy winter day. Snuggled in bed till about 10am. HEAVEN!

Got up and did the dusting and a load of clothes washing.

SOTMorning: Rahele by Neela Vermeire Creations. The more I wear this subtle beauty the more I notice its depths and intricacies. The leather is so prominent in cool weather.

Jin is working nights so he got up around 11am, we had some breakfast together, he was around for a couple of hours and then went back to bed.

I am doing my Trivia Q&A early. If I get it done while Jin is sleeping, and get a bunch of the clothes washing done and hung, then tonight I can give the house its Monday clean.

SOTAfternoon: More Rahele.

Jin left at 5pm and the house was completely done by 7pm. PHEW! Even in this winter cool I worked up quite a sweat. Gave the house its incense and walked around with it saying “Capture all negative energy, Leave only positive energy.” I know, it sounds dumb but the house always feel utterly cleansed after doing it. Placebo effect maybe but effect nevertheless.

Phil came over. We had tea and chatter. It was fun.

Finished the TRIVIA Q&A quite early. Around 10pm, maybe a bit later.

SOTEvening: JOY EdT by Jean Patou. I’m trying to empty this gorgeous old bottle before it goes nasty.

Made some tea and hit the couch. Watched Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson film, the Hitman’s Bodyguard. Fairly terrible fun film, enjoyed it immensely.

Tuesday 18:

DAMNIT! I forgot to turn my phone on silent. Who messages at 8am? Seriously.

Got up. Hit the social media, checked the blog etc etc.

I’m re-reading James A Michener’s The Drifters. It’s as involving and immediate for me now as it was when I first read it in the 1980s. There’s so much I didn’t grasp or understand then that has me goggle eyed.

SOTMorning: So Nude by Costume National. Such pretty white florals, so wearable and just a little bit weird.

Did some grocery shopping. Bloody Hell. Suddenly there was $200 worth of stuff in my trolley. Mainly consumables. It spends like the cupboard was bare, but really it was just a few things. I did buy myself some yummy cheese though.

Made us some lunch when I got home. For Jin it was breakfast because he’s on nights. I had Tomato/Onion/Avocado Sandwich and Bacon Sandwich, both on Dark Sourdough. Jin had Bacon/Eggs/Sourdough Toast. It was yum.

All my Trivia is in the bag and ready to go for the week.

This came up on my FB feed and I laughed till I couldn’t breathe. Tears streaming down my face. Had to share.

Bath time.

SOTAfternoon: When you thought it was going to be Shalimar but you spritz 4 big blasts of Guerlain Vol de Nuit vintage extrait. Spritzed! YUM! HUGE!

Paris and I went for a nap. It was blissful.

For work at Parramatta RSL tonight I added some Guerlain Vol de Nuit EdT. It’s the modern-ish stuff and still quite good. Brighter and less melancholy than the vintage. They play perfectly together.

Work was excellent. 72 people playing TRIVIA tonight. We had a wonderful time. Jin came up and brought his friend Yoon Mi for dinner. Excellent fun.

Came home and lazed around in front of the computer.

SOTBed: Vetiverus by Oliver & Co

Wednesday 19:

Slept late. Fed & walked dogs.

SOTMorning: Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. I thought it’s what I wanted to smell like, and it was nice, but really I wanted something much more amber/woods driven. Oh well. Later.

Jin is off today so we went and ordered our new passports then had a spot of lunch out.

Sent off a bunch of mail at the Post Office. Jin got a card from Aunty Tracey. He’s pretty happy about that.

Made Pumpkin Soup. The house smells amazing.

SOTAfternoon: Kasbah by 19-69. Love this weird ass plasticky amber.

Jin and I cuddled up on the couch with the dogs and slept for two blissful hours. I’ve awoken refreshed and ready to go.

Got up and ready for work, noticed the bathroom Zygocactus is flowering. It’s an offcut from the ones my Mum had on the windowsill of our house. She died in 2001 and I’ve kept them alive since. Sometimes when bits drop off I let them sit for 3 days, swipe the base with honey and pop them in soil. About half of them flourish. They particularly like to be in with other plants. Annoyingly all the others were on the fading side of blooming when I got home from holidays, they must have made a lovely show for the neighbours.

SOTWork: Gold Man by Amouage. I’m loving it lately.

Work was fun at Greystanes Inn. We had quite a few teams to start.

Home watching Korean TV with Jin after work. Happy times.

Thursday 20:

Jumped out of bed and fed & walked the dogs with my breath puffs of cloud in this 5C morning. Jumper. scarf and beanie were almost not enough. By the end of the walk I was starting to feel the chill.

Warmed up with breakfast Pumpkin & Cauliflower Soup! YUMMERS!

SOTMorning: Le Participe Passé by Serge Lutens. All the spicy stewed fruit and resinous goodness of old school Serge. So good.

I had a full day planned in my head but circumstances conspired to mean almost all my adventures were curtailed for today.

Dropped some food around to Kath’s Dad and had a cuppa with him today. So nice to see him and chat.

Also dropped a food parcel to Kath. It means that a few of her lunches are made now for this week. She hates photos and I always forget till her finger is up declaring it.

I’d like you also to notice my new scarf! It was a gift from my buddy Neela Vermeire! Isn’t it posh? Three colours of green. My favourite colour. (Yes, my living room looks lived in, it is)

Spent the afternoon cocooned on the couch (with the dogs) watching Netflix. The two John With movies. They are fun.

Jin brought home Korean Fried Chicken for dinner. A naughty no no for me but sometimes you just have to splurge right? Bloody delicious.

In bed by 10pm.

Friday 21:

Had a weird nights sleep. Woke up at 2am with the foulest tasting mouth. I jumped out of bed, drank some water and recleaned my teeth.

SOTBrokenSleep: Aromatics Elixir by Clinique. I wanted to be wrapped in a warm spicy shawl of delicious. It was perfect.

Read my book for about an hour then went back to sleep.

SOTMorning: Majaina Sin by The Different Company

Went to the Doctor and Dietician to get my blood results. Since September 2018 my 3 month sugars have gone from 8.8 down to 5.9, everything else well within normal ranges. Just need to lose another 10kgs but even that is still 2kgs less than last visit, even after holidaying. HAPPY DAY! I haven’t been a perfect eater but still keeping it within acceptable limits, you have no idea how happy this makes me. Wearing my beautiful Neela scarf again.

Sushi train lunch with Kath. I forgot to get a photo of our left over plates. We ate well.

Then we went around the corner and bought Jin some Wirra Wirra Church Block, 6 x 750ml and 12 x 375ml. It’s his favourite red wine and he just ran out.

Walked the dogs in the cool winter sunshine to warm us all up. Beautiful.

Hung around the house not doing very much really.

Had a HOT bubble bath. SOO lavish.

SOTAfternoon: Vintage Miss Dior extrait. Just one little spritz and it’s perfect.

Jin came home and was really excited about his wine, especially the 375ml bottles. They are only a couple of dollars cheaper than the full bottle so he has never bought them for himself. He then feels like he has to finish the full 750ml or it goes to waste (I usually have one glass with him, just to be social). This is a very easy fix and he was totally chuffed.

We had dinner. Jin hit the hay.

Dog walks in the cold winter night air had my eyes and nose streaming.

SOTNight: La Fille de Berlin by Serge Lutens.

Later I am writing blog posts and have Freeway by 4160 Tuesdays on, MMMMMM.

Saturday 22:

Got up early to walk the dogs then went back to bed. Jin is already at work but I don’t have to start getting ready till about 2pm. Going to have another lazy couch day with a mixture of book reading and TV.

SOTMorning: Le Cri De La Lumiere by Parfum d’Empire. I’m not using the decants anymore, the box is open and I spritzed like a madman. There’s a grainy goodness to this fragrance that smells a little like Korean grain tea.

Started watching Jessica Jones again from the beginning on Netflix. It’s so good. Definitely worth reseeing before I get to Season 3.

Alice and Kath surprised me with an afternoon visit. We sat and chatted and had tea. Very civilised. Such a nice interlude.

Bathed, shaved and napped. Made sure everything was ready for tonights event.

SOTEvening: Velours by YSL

Wonderful gig raising funds for a Kids Football Club. It was the parents social event for the year and they had a ball. We were at the prestigious Roseville Golf Club and took over the whole place.

Came home and Jin & I watched a new Korean competition show. Suddenly it was 3am!!! How the buggerance did that happen. Off to bed, night.

SOTBed: Honey Blossom by Aftelier Perfumes

Sunday 23:

Jin and I walked the dogs together then had breakfast. I cooked an eggy deep pan omelette with some garlic, onion, green capsicum, cheese, dill and parsley through it, with bacon, tomato and toast. Excellent start to the day.

We watched more of this Korean competition show till I completely lost it. Too sad for me to watch. I came into the computer and did some desultory blogging.

Anna Maria came over for tea and perfume. We sniffed new Guerlains, Montale’s, some CdG Incense series and a couple of Pierre Guillaume masterpieces. Then I opened my Aftelier satchel from Mandy, with my order and the newest scent and the most beautiful, personalised note. BLISS!

Now I’m wafting around the house smelling very fragrant and wondering what to do with my free evening. Jin’s at work and I have the house to myself. I might get some TRIVIA Q&A done so it will be less stress tomorrow. There is definitely a bubble bath on the cards too.

 

 

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

44 thoughts on “Scent Diary: 17.6 – 23.6.2019”

  1. Who texts at 8 am? Ummm….you would hate me because I email and text sometimes at 4am lol 😂
    Congrats on achieving your health goals! You are such an inspiration to me!!
    Middle one is home for the weekend and catching with her before she heads back to university for work and class. I wake up every morning asking which if my three marzipan’s are home because I lose track!
    Perfume wise have been enjoying my full bottles and also some sampling this week.
    A few more days and I have a mini vacation…..a staycation which is fine by me.

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    • Catching up with her boyfriend….. not before…..in fact he spent three days with us! I love him ..he is bright, attractive and spoils her rotten 😃

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    • So there are still a few friends who used to call our family home phone regularly who remind me of my mother’s rule 9am-9pm. Anyone calling outside those hours would be roused on mercilessly for causing Mum to worry about what could possibly necessitate calling so early or late. I’m much the same and they rib me for it.
      You need a clock like the Weazley’s.
      STAYCATION!! Woo Hoo! That sounds like a dream Brigitte.
      Portia x

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      • Portia, the ringer on the house phone is turned off at 7 pm cause half the time Mr Marzipan is passed out by then! And the phone is in the charger on the kitchen because he wakes up every time it dings.

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        • You don’t only live in a different time zone to me, you live in an entirely different living-time zone. We’re night owls here, and if I’m in bed by 11p.m that’s kind of early. And because I fell back asleep this morning until 10a.m. I can’t even think of going to bed yet, and it’s 1:30 now. I’d be jumping around if I did, and hubs has not long fallen asleep. He was talking to his Mam, so she’s also a night crawler😉

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  2. What a great week you had! I had fun meeting Dimitri of Goldfield & Banks, bought Velvet Splendour, then wore it out the next day to the movies with a friend and they said it smelled great on me. Score! Made a very distressing discovery of my Profumum Roma Rosae Mundi split having gone off due to a bad seal, so I spent the next few days wrapping all my detachable screw-off atomizers with plumber’s tape and made the decision to swear off decants.

    My collection is too big and they dry up or go off before I can use them up, so manufacturer’s bottles only from now on. I’ve also had a Kilian go off in the past, so I sealed those up as well.

    Congratulations on your health improvement, you deserve it! And you look great in that green scarf, green is my favourite colour too. Neela is a sweetie.

    Oh, and puppy naps are the best, I love curling up in the afternoon with my little girl Mila. 🙂

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  4. Green is your colour Portia, you look gorgeous in your beautiful scarf. And congrats on your improved blood sugars! I still can’t get used to you talking about emerging winter in June, when summer has officially arrived in my part of the world.
    Cuddling on the couch with dogs is bliss! Those Aftelier perfumes look wonderful, I need to place an order for the Embers and Musk. I just love her fragrances and the tiny sample bottles. Her packaging is exquisite, even for only sample orders.
    I had a fragrant week with Solange Stoned, Laura Mercier Ambre Passion, Annick Goutal Songes, vintage Shalimar, Chanel Cuir de Russie, Chanel La Pausa, Alien sample after reading Fragrantica Best of Jasmine 2019, and Victoria Secret Heavenly modern version (don’t judge! I have always loved this perfume for some reason!).

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    • No judgement here Kathleen, that looks like a stellar scent lineup for your week.
      Yay for the scarf, it’s exactly my colour so I’m glad you all approve.
      Sugers + doggy cuddles = JOY!
      Aftelier does beautiful packaging and fragrance. I can’t wait to use the rose face oil. EXCITING! Plus there is a sample of Embers & Musk! So I’ll be wearing that this week.
      Portia xx

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      • I look forward to your review of Embers and Musk! Enjoy the rose face oil, I’ve read good things about it, and also want to try her jasmine oil and geranium cleansing oil. I love Ms. Aftel’s Alchemy, Amber Tapestry, and Secret Garden perfumes.

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    • Heavenly is gorgeous! I wore it when it first came out. The original Victoria secret fragrance was also stunning. Victoria…a beautiful 🌹 Amber .

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      • Oh my goodness, you remember and loved those!? Victoria was beautiful, I wore that a lot. I’d love to have a bottle and smell it again! I also wore the original Dream Angels Heavenly, my fave of the original three Dream Angels. I happened into Victoria’s Secret the other week during their big sale, and sprayed myself with the current Heavenly and it smells almost the same. Now the body lotion and body oil live with me, purchased for half price!

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        • Very few folks remember the original!!! Wasn’t it gorgeous!!! So different from most of the current offerings ( which I will confess I also like because my eldest buys some of them when they are massively discounted and they smell great on her!)
          I still have a splash bottle of Victoria in my basement with maybe 1-2 ml left in it.

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          • Enjoy those last few precious drops of Victoria! I was actually quite impressed with some of the current Victoria’s Secret fragrance and body product offerings. I was smitten with the original Victoria and Heavenly when they were new on the scene. I can understand your daughter loving the products now. She smells gorgeous!

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            • Thank you Kathleen! She also has several niche bottles too so it’s a good balance.
              Yes, I hoard that bottle and open it once in a while just to sniff.

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  5. Green is definitely your color, Portia! We are in San Francisco this week. Went by the Chanel boutique yesterday and acquired a 50ml Paris-Deauville. (Birthday present from son – so I won’t open until August.). Nice SA who included several samples. Today we are heading over to Berkeley for brunch with friends, stroll the Cal campus for son’s benefit and enjoy the sunny day. Tomorrow I will visit Tigerlily Perfumery while husband has a work conference call – excited for that sniffing adventure. (Husband may end up “buying” me a Birthday bottle there 😂). Have a great week!

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    • OH MMKinPA!
      That sounds like a fabulous few days.
      I’ve never met the Tiger Lily peeps but everyone says they are the loveliest. That will be super fun.
      Paris-Deauville is gorgeous! Did you get to try the newest addition to the range?
      Thanks! Mum was a green girl, it’s clearly hereditary.
      Portia xx

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  6. LOVE the scarf Portia! Those shades of green are very beautiful! Congrats on your health achievements. Keep going! I wish I could take better care of my health, but it is always difficult for me to get serious about it. I love Jin’s expression on his face when he received the birthday card. He looked very happy!
    I am a very early bird, so after 4am I always check emails and text messages from work and answer to them at that time if they are urgent. I usually check my personal emails and text messages very quickly after, but I usually respond later if they are not urgent, since I am always rushing at that time to get ready to work. I barely get 4 hours of sleep every night. Go to bed by midnight and up by 4am. During that time I put my phone on “do not disturb”, leaving only the phone calls feature active, in case of an emergency call from family arrives. If I have insomnia, I cancel the “do not disturb” and get active online until I fall asleep.
    As usual, nothing exciting happened to me this week. Lots of work, because we are at the end of the fiscal year and we are rushing to meet deadlines. New projects for the new fiscal year are already waiting for us, so it is impossible to have a minute to breathe. But I am grateful to have a job that allows me to survive.
    I received my bottle of Courreges Blanc, which I like a lot, even though I do not get any iris at all. It reminds me of a smell from my teenage years, but so far I do not remember exactly what it was.
    One of my sister’s birthday was yesterday, so we met her at her place for some cake very briefly, since she was traveling overseas for work after midnight.
    I am in the kitchen now doing some cooking and trying to make falafel for the first time. Wish me luck!

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    • Good luck with the falafel!!
      Praying 🙏 that your fiscal year is ending soon! Amen to the fact that we have jobs and can feed and support ourselves, despite the drama and craziness. Mr Marzipan always says, collect your paycheck and head home 😁
      Courreges Blanc is fantastic! I love it too and the price is amazing!

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    • Thanks PL67,
      Jin has a plethora of faces that he brings out at unexpected times. I try to capture as many of them as I can because they are all so damn cute.
      Work! I hope you are enjoying the mad end of year rush. Can it get disheartening when there’s so much to do?
      Is the Courreges Blanc a splash or spray?
      O M G!! You make falafels! That is a big deal.
      Portia xx

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      • It definitely gets disheartening when the load of work becomes overwhelming.
        The Courreges Blanc is a spray and the heavy, solid white bottle is beautiful. I love it!
        The falafels turned out so delicious! I ate a lot with salad (tomatoes, lettuce, asparagus, artichoke, walnuts and cranberries). I guess I will be making them now more often.

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  8. Hello Green Goddess. Yes, that’s your colour. Beautiful pressie. How fantastic that you’re so close to your target weight. And your blood work results are fantastic. Keep that foot on the pedal and fabulise yourself even further. You’ve had a very nice week, eh? No dramas, snuggling, great fumes, life is good. Same with me, mooched through work week, nothing of note except a big surprise yesterday. My nephew and his lovely wife gave us a beautiful framed photo of our much missed diva, cue the tears. They have her sister, who’s called Pepper, so we’re going to give her the cosy bed that our girl spent many hours curled up in, with a long leg sticking out somewhere. It’s all washed and fresh, with a ghost of Cassie still on it. Maybe she’ll have sweet puppy dreams 🐶 🐕

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  9. Thanks for sharing Portia, what a lovely week xx do you have new glasses?
    Not much happening here – too much work, not enough time, but, fingers crossed some real help is on the way! I just have to soldier on until it all comes together. And sometimes it’s hard to be patient!

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    • Good catch Melanie.
      Yes, Jin bought these new woodgrain glasses for me in Paris. A few years ago in Japan we saw real wood glasses frames and though I wanted them a lot we decided that they were ridiculous and I’d never wear them, plus they were super spendy. Well I moaned my ass off about them every time I thought about them. This time he just grabbed them and said You Have To Have These.
      Good luck with the work situation. Fingers crossed here for you too.
      Portia xx

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