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Portia
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Hey there APJ,
It’s Mood Scent 4 week. This is the first Mood Scent 4 that was my idea. It feels super special for me today. As we both got into Mid Seasons in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern I love that the temps are very similar. Fewer extremes and a much more mild adventure than the summer and winter we are both leaving behind. Mid Seasons are my favourite, so much choice for fragrance because there’s so much variation in weather. So I’m picking five fragrances that work well for me in both Autumn and Spring.
So excited to be blogging with these three superstars again: Esperanza L’Esperessence, Megan Megan In Sainte Maxime and Samantha I Scent You A Day. Check theirs out too.
Mood Scent 4: Mid Season Magic
Alahine by Teo Cabanel
A floral vanilla with the creamy banana vibe of ylang, Alahine is a cozy wear in chilly winds but also a refreshingly tropical sunny day fragrance. Loads of amber and resins give it a depth and lustre unusual in a fragrance so lightweight. It seems to fit perfectly in so many situations and gets loads of skin time in both Autumn and Spring around here.
Cuir Amethyste by Armani Prive
Cuir Amethyste is a little like Daim Blond and Bottega Veneta EdP but for me it is more interesting, intense and versatile. Also, the longevity is unbelievable. A violet, iris, patchouli and amber perfume that wears like a gourmand leather. A refreshing leather that works on balmy days and on those cooler nights of the Mid Seasons. It also manages to cross the casual/couture lines perfectly.
Divine EdP by Divine Parfums
OK, an aldehydic floral along the lines of CHANEL No 5 but done with a panache and flair No 5 only dreams of. Ironically Divine EdP smells like the vintage, animalic, wealthy older sister who is both naturally stylish and a grand rule breaker. Divine EdP is perfectly named, it really smells like the people who make the word divine contain all the vowels in every breathy syllable. When I wear Divine EdP I’m instantly a tomboy and a movie star simultaneously.
Five O’Clock au Gingembre by Serge Lutens
OK, I’m not sure why my juice looks this colour in the pics, it’s not nearly so khaki in real life but it is decidedly greener than the apricot coloured juice that I bought. Five O’Clock au Gingembre was the first Serge fragrance that really felt like it was made for me. Sweetened spicy ginger tea over an amber and patchouli base, perfect fare for Mid Season and wearable anywhere.
Vanille by Mona di Orio
Vanille is Mona di Orio’s great masterpiece (in my books). A citrus, booze and clove fragrance with a dried out vanilla bean lurking throughout. Vanille smells like it should be much heavier than it is. It will wrap you in its tendrils like a fine, sheer pashmina from the necks of Kashmiri goats. Never too hot and never cold, it is the perfect solution for the changeable weathers of mid Seasons.
So what do you wear in the Mid Season?
Portia xx
Portia I love your picks!! Alahine is gorgeous as is MdO Vanille! I still need to get my nose on 5 O’clock as it sounds like my jam.
Not sure what I will be wearing mid season as we segue from summer to fall. Maybe Niki de Saint Phalle, Noa, Safari, Reglisse Noire, First Cut and Vanilla Vera Cruz. But right now I am on a sampling bender so I have to come up with a schedule to squeeze in some of my full bottles during the week.
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And oh my gosh, how could I forget my new acquisitions….la Fille de Berlin, Habanita and Smoked Poppy. I think these will be great on a chilly morning. The youngest Marzipan also left behind the bottle of Serge Lutens Leau Froide which he stole from me but now I may steal back because it’s a perfect in between weather incense.
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Hi Brigitte
I really like Habanita.
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It’s new to me but I like it too. I think it will also perform brilliantly in the cold.
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You will love Habanita in cold weather. It is so cozy!
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I finally got Habanita this year and I like it a lot! I agree, it will be great again in the fall once it cools off. We’re still hitting 90 degrees F with high humidity here.
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WOW! This comment and the next have a stellar array of Mid Season frags Brigitte. You will be smelling fabulous. Lucky colleagues and NOW you get to waft around the house in the NUDE!!
Portia xx
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Oh yes baby!!! Wafting in the nude LOL 🤣 😂
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Nice choices! Must dig out the Cuir Amethyst and Bottega Veneta. But today I must have woken up a bit bolshy because I wore something to work I would normally not dare….Koh I Noor by Areej Le Dore. It’s a fecal jasmine with smoke and oud. So there.
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OOOOH! JackieB,
That’s a BIG fragrance for work. I bet you loved yourself sick at every whiff.
Portia xx
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Now im dying to know, what does bolshy mean?
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I totally want to try Cuir Amethyste and Divine EDP! They sound so up my street. What i love about doing Moodscent Four is that we never tell each other what we’re going to put and we always learn about new stuff. It’s such a lovely surprise. Those are two I am definitely going to track down. Big kisses Portia. *bear hug*
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Hey Samantha,
For some reason you are going to spam. WordPress has been really glitchy this year. I think they are trying to improve the whole experience and we are getting caught in the ripples. I can’t comment on Esperanza’s site at all. We do our commenting via PM on FB.
Yeas, SO LOVE doing this with you all. We have such different tastes and takes on fragrance that there are always a couple ofd surprises. Thanks for having me, it’s super fun.
Portia xx
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Not sure where my comment went as WordPress and I are having a row at the moment! What i wanted to say is that I love the surprises that come out of collaborating like this. Without discussing it, we all manage to come up with completely different fragrances. I am totally tracking down Cuir Amethyste and Eau Divine EDP! big kiss to Portia xxx
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I love all your picks! For me, it will be lots of Mitzah and Ambre Nuit, Hypnotic Poison, Amouage Fate, Arquiste Anima Dulcis and my recent anniversary gift from hubby, Goldfield & Banks Velvet Splendour. If you haven’t smelled it yet, you must, it’s divine. My favourite of the line so far.
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WOW! High praise for Goldfield & Banks Velvet Splendour TaraC,
I will get my nose on it on Thursday hopefully. Flying down to Melbourne so hopefully it will be in the airport.
AMBRE NUIT! I just bought a bottle and am enjoying it immensely. It would have made the cut but hasn’t been around long enough to know exactly when I’ll reach for it.
Portia xx
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Many, but the main ones are:
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir
Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois
Serge Lutens Chergui
CB I Hate Perfume Gathering Apples
Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendre
Chanel Cuir de Russie
Chanel Bois des Iles
Prada Infusion D’iris Absolu
Caron Parfum Sacre
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Hey PL67,
What a list!
Hey, I just noticed that my Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois is the old bottle with the Palais Royale print on the label, pre SL logo. Pretty chuffed about that.
WOW! Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendre, Chanel Bois des Iles, Caron Parfum Sacre! Three of my faves right there.
Portia xx
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Hi Portia, the Divine sounds divine! Gotta try it.
My mid season perfumes include Orris Tattoo from Parle Moi de Parfum, Tiempe Passate, Gucci Rush, Feminite du Bois and vintage Trussardi Donna.
And now, I’ll be checking out the other lists…
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Rush!!!!!
So nice to see you! I was thinking about you and Diana last night….and here you are 😃
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Hi, dear Brigitte! I spent almost a month at the coastside. I usually transfer my work there every summer for a while. It is more quiet and many companies have summer closures so I take the chance and spend less time at the computer. I will be more active on APJ soon 😉
I hope you and your family are okay 🙂
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I am glad you are back!
Everyone is doing well. Hope the same for you and your family 💛💚💙💜. Cassie will be getting some goodies from me via Marcella and hopefully can pass them on to you eventually.
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Oh great! So Marcella will be travelling to Europe? How nice!
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LOL 🤣 😂. The birthday card full of samples will.
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Hey Neva,
Lovely to see you. That vintage Trussardi Donna is one of my all time favourites. Really wish I’d bought a backup when it was going for a song at the discounters. GRRR!
The lists are basically ENABLERS, be careful.
Portia xx
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Hi Portia. Fantastic picks and you have me intrigued by Divine and Cuir Amethyste as I haven’t heard of these before. Curious – does your Gingembre still smell the same as it did with the colour changing? My Gingembre changed slightly so wondered if yours did.
I also like the comments left here with their picks too. Ir makes me want to hunt a few things out from my cupboards!
xxx Megan
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Hey Megan,
YAY! Glad to have given you a couple of new interests. Divine EdP is stellar, I also have the perfume but it’s a much more restrained wear.
The gingembre seems to have lost a little of its white floralcy, the ginger really shines from first spritz now. I think I like it better. Could it just be the ageing/maceration process over time?
Oh yes, the lists get added to every time we ask questions. My list is more of a novel by now.
Portia xx
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I wore Bottega Veneta today! Other picks are Covet, Felanilla, Jicky and Fils de Dieu
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AHHHH Thanks for the Falanilla reminder. Mine’s been sitting neglected in the cupboard for ages.
Jicky is so good for me in all seasons Tanja, I bet you smell fab in it.
Portia xx
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I am continually intrigued by how many new (to me) houses and fragrances are mentioned every time I read APJ! It makes me dizzy. I am unsure as yet about mid-season fragrances as I am still holding on desperately to winter. I know I am in the minority, but I love cool temperatures and the big, gutsy fragances that suit them so well. I hope to research this a bit and I might even find that I enjoy the warmer weather if I love the fragrances I’m wearing.
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Hey Sue,
ME TOO! Jin and I love the cold weather. While Australia is baking in sweltering summer heats we like to run away to Europe for some snow. Yes too to the best perfumes for me are all for the cold weather.
The mid seasons are good too because they DO have cool nights for the winter frags and warmer days so you can get your cologne and floral magic happening. MUCH more versatile.
Portia xx
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Oh i miss Alahine, alas its safe in its box up in the Northern Hemisphere. But I get buy nicely with Spanish Amber, Reglisse Noire and some lighter incenses. Have also started eyeing my summer fragrances 😁
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Hey Mariann,
Bummer when you’re trans hemisphereal and you left what you want in the other. I feel your pain, though it’s not a problem I need worry about.
Réglisse Noire! So good. I’m really loving lavender lately.
Portia xx
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I love your choices Portia, I’ll need to wear Alahine and investigate Divine which is new to me but sounds like a fragrance I would love.
With the cooler autumn air, I reach for Chanel Exclusives which I didn’t wear much in the summer. I’m also looking forward to wearing Parfum d’Empire Ambre Russie which I loved last year in the colder weather.
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Great picks, Portia! Divine edp sounds wonderful. Need to try it again. MdO Vanilla is lovely as is this vintage bottle. Love our joined Moodscent4 project and picking a perfume each month for a mood or occasion. Yeah!!! XXX from Amsterdam, Esperanza
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