Scent Diary: 25.12 – 31.12.2017

December 31, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Portia

Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,

CHRISTMAS! Fragrance, friends, chosen family. There were adventures and excitement enough for a month.

Scent Diary: 25.12 – 31.12.2017

Monday 25:

Jin came home from work at 5.30am and we had our Christmas moment then.It was lovely. He got some cool Aussie Bum undies, Petrol Cards to fill up his real present which was a car earlier in the year and a couple of T-Towels from his Parramatta Ells football team. I scored 9 pairs of my favourite glasses from Italian brand Campo Marzio in myriad colours, Jin imported them from the South Korean shop in Seoul. VERY freaking cool present buying.

I wanted to smell yummy for the mini Christmas so Rouge Hermès. It was a good choice, soft white floral with a few bells & whistles. Not to mention how Christmassy the bottle looks.

Dogs got a new chew toy each, fed and walked.

While Jin slept I went to Kath’s Mum & Dads to meet Kath and have a quiet christmas morning hang out. We did presents there too and Dad was Jin’s Secret Santa so he got 2 bottles of Spanish Rosé, Lindt chocolate balls and a Bunnings Gift Card.

Lunch with the rest of Kath’s family. It was nice to wander in, eat, do presents and leave. SO EASY!

Home and Jin was awake so we hung out and watched some shit movies together. Dinner was leftovers. HAPPY afternoon and night.

Tuesday 26:

Serge Lutens Clair de Musc from a decant. Yes, I do have a bottle but found this old 5ml decant that needed finishing. Going clean and fluffy for Boxing Day.

Off to Kath’s Mum & Dad’s place for early Boxing Day shenanigans. We stayed to have lunch with everyone and then split. From there I went and collected Wendy and Jin, she and I all hung out into the early evening. We ate a scruffily delicious cheese, ham & fruit platter while watching How To Train A Dragon and drinking lashings of tea.

10 hours later I can still smell soft musk wafts from Serge Lutens Clair de Musc but I’m wanting something else. Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely has won the day and I’m basking in its comfortable glow.

Wednesday 27:

We were woken by the apartment block across from us at 6.40am, they were having a right old barney. Screaming and fighting. It was pretty crazy but not up to their usual standards where I call the police. It raged on for 30 minutes.

Being wide awake I went and got the dogs and they came and snoozed with us on the bed. I’m changing the sheets today so no worries.

Feeling so lazy. It’s hot and humid. How about some James Heeley Esprit du Tigre?

This afternoon I added vintage Miss Dior EdT to go see Jumanji with Eve, Lola and Jin. I admit to being fairly unexcited to see it.

O M G! Jumanji was freaking EXCELLENT!! Cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it. The Rock and Jack Black totally steal this fun romp of a film. I was on the edge of my seat through quite a lot of it and laughed heartily.

IMDb

We came home and had some lunch with a delicious McLaren Vale Spanish inspired red wine and then watched most of Happy Feet till Lola started falling asleep. To be honest, I don’t drink very often so the heavy red wine sent me off to bed to sleep it off too.

Jin woke me at around 8.30pm when he came to bed and so now I’m up and awake. About to walk the dogs on this cooler summer evening. I thought a triple spritz of Peau d’Allures by Starck a perfect choice, green, boozy, swampy with a lovely ruinous undertow. This bottle was a gift from my friend Tim and I adore it.

Thursday 28:

Fort & Manlé Charlatan this morning. Maybe because I showered yesterday it smelled a bit funkier, a little pissy and hairy mannish. It was a good ride.

Yum Cha with Kath, Alice, TinaG and Tim. It was nice, chatty and fun.

You’ll note Alice was wearing the birthday earrings Jin picked out for here. SO CUTE!!

Came home and crashed on the couch. Ate Christmas Cake with cream and custard and watched Daniel Radcliffe in 2013 film Horns. It was OK, one thing I did notice was that after a minute he became this new character and had successfully sloughed off Harry Potter for me.

Jin came home and we had pizza for dinner while watching The Danish Girl (2015) with Eddie Redmayne. IMDb gives this blurb: “A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.” Heavy and deep, we were moved by their plight and Gerda’s unstinting love.

IMDb

For bed I gave myself a solid dousing in Niki de Saint Phalle. It’s parched greenery helps to dry this muggy night.

Friday 29:

It was already warm this morning when I walked the dogs. They were puffing so much that I brought them home after only walking around the block. They gratefully came inside afterwards and sat on their beds in the cool.

Thinking tropical I went for Guerlain Lys Soleia. It was a good fit.

Hung out with Jin, Kath and Mum and had a swim with Kath in this outrageously muggy heat. It’s drier than the last couple of days but trying to get stuff done means I’m sweating much more.

Jin and I had KFC for lunch that we grabbed on the way home. It was freaking delicious.

After that I basically fell into a food coma and didn’t snap out of it till 9pm. While food coma-ing I started watching Luther on Netflix.

BTW, did you notice Netflix has been removing content? A few times this fortnight I’ve gone to rematch stuff and it’s disappeared. BUMMER!

Tonight I wear Sarah McCartney 4160 Tuesdays Up The Apples and Pears. Fun and freaky. LOVE it.

Saturday 30:

Stayed up VERY late watching Luther on Netflix. Idris Elba is my new celeb crush. Let’s get him to make a fragrance. I’ve put on some Gres Cabochard parfum in his honour.

So I fell asleep watching Luther and woke up with a mouth that tasted like the bottom of a cat litter box. GAH! Awful, ran straight for the bathroom to clean my teeth.

Feeling a little more human after feeding and walking the dogs. L’Artisan Batucada got some skin time today. I don’t understand why this is not lauded as a freaking genius perfume. It smells like a Pine Lime Splice, an Australian ice block with pine lime icy coat and creamy vanilla ice cream inside, with a hint of coconut. Batucada is YUM!

Went and had a coffee and baklava with my mate Nikki but TOTALLY forgot to take a photo. We chattered away a very happy hour.

Back home and doing some blogging for next week. Wearing a melange of scents.

Cool bath. No bubbles, just Radox Bath Salts.

Alice sent me this genius Scarf Knot map.

Sunday 31:

2am and I’m for bed. Tonight I’m wearing Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise Blue to bed, from the teardrop bottle that I love so much. That cold gasoline opening that melts into a white floral waterfall with lightly creamy and lavender touches.

It’s New Years Eve. I have a bunch of running around and organising to do but before I get started on all that I’m meeting Kath at her Mum & Dads for a SWIM!

Today I’m rocking Tom Ford Jasmine Rouge. It requires respritzes every two hours but that’s part of the fun!

Tonight I’ll be at Parramatta RSL ringing in the New Year with my besties Kath and Phil. Can’t think of a better way to do it. Can’t decide on my fragrance for tonight yet but I’m thinking Madonna Truth or Dare or Mugler Taste of Alien.

I would like to thank everyone involved in Australian Perfume Junkies. If you write, read, comment or are in any way involved THANK YOU for making 2017 a really wonderful year. Got to meet a few more of you too this year which is always special.

Wishing you and your crew a fun and fragrant 2018 chock full of all the good stuff and hardly any of the other.

It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?

Did you do anything Fun or Fragrant, with Friends and Family or maybe even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? How is or was your New Year?
Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx

Saturday Question: What 3 Things Are You Grateful For 2017

December 30, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 110 Comments

Portia

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Every Saturday we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a $10 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Over 200 responses I will draw a $20 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Comment purposefully on yours or anothers comment & you’ll have a chance, random.org will draw on Friday.

Last Weeks Winner:

eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with the eMail you’d like me to send your Gift Card to.

Saturday Question:

What 3 Things Are You Grateful For 2017

Gratitude. I think consciously saying Thank You for things reminds us how lucky we are. It’s easy to make a litany of complaint but it’s also easy to find things that are good. In the same way we thoughtlessly complain about lifes rotten moments, we need to thoughtfully be grateful for the good.

My Answer:

Most obviously I am grateful this year for Jin and our friends. They are the soul of my life, the blood that keeps everything functioning. Without their daily injections of time, fun, conversation, advice, reassurance and love this life would be worthless.

Work. Yes, I know that’s not most peoples gratitude point but I am so grateful for having work, helping others have work and all the fun we have while doing our job. Sure, like every job there are nights when I’d rather hurdle in a ball than leave the house but seriously, I have one fabulous job.

The climate here in Sydney. We have four seasons but none of them are dreadfully extreme. Though this year has been a little dry mostly we have a good balance of rain and sunshine. Even in winter we can get out and about, catch public transport or drive, meet friends and basically live. I love how much light we have and the length of the days. We are so lucky here and I’m totally grateful.

My Saturday Question to you is:

What 3 Things Are You Grateful For 2017

Up The Apples and Pears by Sarah McCartney for 4160 Tuesdays 2016

December 29, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Portia

Hey there APJ,

Sarah McCartney has been trying to get samples to me FOREVER! It has been a complete labour of love and finally it has happened thanks to a perfume mule who brought the set all the way from the UK and then sent it to me here. I won’t name you but a million thanks indeed.

The box arrived and I couldn’t stop myself from jumping in and finding something to spritz. One of the names that has often stood out, among a series of names that could positively beguile you, as fun and fabulous. From cockney rhyming slang Up The Apples and Pears means up the stairs to bed.

Up The Apples and Pears by 4160 Tuesdays 2016

Up The Apples and Pears by Sarah McCartney

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Hops, apple, pear, gin
Heart: Whiskey, woody notes
Base: Bread

From 4160 Tuesdays: Up the Apples & Pears – an unusual fragrance that evokes the scent of a London pub in 1933; apple pie, pear syllabub, gin, beer, roll-ups, wooden floor and bread rolls.

Now I can’t say the note list looks particularly promising. Terrifying in fact, and the blurb from the website is equally freaky. An old drinking pub from 1933? Sounds ghastly, right? Well, I’m going to give it a go anyways….

Sweet fruits and tart gin, like apple lollies done sour. It’s an attention grabbing opening, fun and reckless. Can’t help but smile at the utter whimsy Up The Apples and Pears begins with. It’s lovely.

This fun opening takes a few minutes to segue into the whiskey section and its booziness rem,ends me faintly of Jessica Simpson’s Fancy Nights but the treacle thick patchouli is missing, or greatly diminished.

Now HERE is where I get the idea of a pub. Having lived and worked in the UK in 1994-5 I was lucky enough to work in some of the smaller country gay bars. We’d catch the train out, work, stay the night and come back to London next morning. These smaller pubs would have a lived in a loved smell about them that was partly old beer and carpets, but also had fruity cleaning products and a woodsy smell. Though not captured exactly and definitely glamorised into a fragrance form Sarah has definitely hit the memory mark.

Flickr

Without the story and knowledge of the meaning I think anyone could wear Up The Apples and Pears and smell good doing so. It is a lovely smelling fragrance.

One thing I really love here is the fearlessness, the bold adventure undertaken and the immediate, raw and fun look at how perfume can be created from a story. That is the grand prize that small batch independent perfumery can bring to the table. Clearly not created to sell billions of bottles and make Sarah McCartney the next by Kilian or Annick Goutal in department stores the world over. This is for lovers of the fun and whimsy of perfumistahood.

Further reading: I Scent You A Day
4160 Tuesdays has £120/100ml and Samples
ParfuMaria has a great selection of 4160 Tuesdays and ships worldwide

This is so exciting for me, which 4160 Tuesdays should I try next?
Portia xx

CHANGED!! Fleur de Lalita GIVEAWAY WINNERS

December 29, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Portia

Hey APJ,

Wonderful giveaway! Thanks to Dusita and Val for their generosity.
It was so good to read all your amazing comments. Each and every one of you gave us a piece of yourselves.
Portia xx

Fleur de Lalita GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Fleur de Lalita 7.5ml travel atomizer
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 28th December 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
I´ll chuck all the names into my dead armadillo basket and pick one out.

Fleur de Lalita 7.5ml:

Jillian

Runner Ups: win a Dusita Sample Set

Elaine Richard

Diana

The winners will have till Sunday 31st December 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

NEW! Souffle de Soie by François Demachy for DIOR La Collection Privée 2017 + GIVEAWAY

December 28, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 38 Comments

Portia

Heya DIOR fans and lovers of fine fragrance,

Sorry I didn’t get to this beauty earlier but there has been a slew of new and old that needed my nose on it. Having already written about Sakura I put the others to the side and continued to work my way through the backlog. For some reason though Souffle de Soie jumped into my hand this morning and this evening I thought I’d give it another round and report on it for you all.

Souffle de Soie by DIOR La Collection Privée 2017

Souffle de Soie by François Demachy

I could only find on Basenotes that Iris and Black Pepper are the notes but nothing else so I’m flying pretty blind as we meet Souffle de Soie together. Once the note lists come out we can all laugh at what an incompetent I am at parsing notes.

Light wet and cool like peony but warmed through with pepper, resins and spices. Creamy herbal green like basil or cardamom, some clean, lightly tropical white flowers. The iris is wet cardboard and cool earth with a very small whisper of dough. We are about 5 minutes in and Souffle de Soie seems to have become a skin scent. It’s still changing the air around me but is not noticeable as a perfume. It’s become a soft wash of scent that could almost be me but is far more beautiful.

If you need your fragrance to stand up and shout across a room, or even a table, then Souffle de Soie is not for you. BUT if you love the idea of smelling luxurious buy don’t think it’s anyone else business then this could be your new go to. Only those you hug will even know you have such a gorgeous scent.

Souffle de Soie GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 2 winners who will receive:
1 x DIOR Souffle de Soie decant (from my decant)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a DIOR scent that you love or hate and what it is that makes it so

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 31st December 2017 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 4th January 2018 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Camel extrait de parfum by Christian Carbonnel for Zoologist 2017

December 27, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Erica Golding

Hello and loving winter greetings to you all, whether you’re steaming in the southern hemisphere or shivering up north with me!

Here’s a beauty that has already received a tsunami of glowing praise, and I’m here to offer up my thoughts. I’ve got a sample of Zoologist Camel!

Camel extrait de parfum by Zoologist

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Dates, dried fruits, rose, olibanum, amber, jasmine, myrrh, orange blossom, incense, cedar, cinnamon, musk, agarwood (oud), sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla, vetiver, civet

I have sampled a few Zoologist offerings, and they’ve been fun and unique, but this is the first one that has me breathing deeply with ecstasy! I’ve noticed by reading reviews that this perfume seems to vary quite a bit from person to person, and my experience is unique as well.

On my skin, Camel opens with a delicious ripe red fruit accord, which makes me think of sweetened pomegranate juice. This sweet fruit-forward cloak is intense and addictive, and completely dominates the majority of the wearlength on me. I can practically taste the sensual delight! It’s juicy, really it is. When I over-apply with fervor, I can faintly detect the oud, but only at the beginning and not very noticeably. The resinous notes are very quiet to start, and have a crackling dry quality thanks to the woody frankincense and cedar. They warm up a bit more once the fruits have calmed, but overall Camel is really a fruity perfume on me.

Flickr

LuckyScent has $135/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $4/0.5ml

So there you have it, Camel is a softly delicious fruity delight for me! Have you gotten your nose on this perfume yet? What is it like for you? Everyone seems to report back different impressions, it’s fun to read them as they pop up!

Love and light,

-Erica

2017. Music, Films, Book and Fleur de Lalita by Dusita

December 26, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 105 Comments

Val the Cookie Queen

Happy Feast Of St Stephen APJ

It has been one fabulous year for music, I have a deep rooted love for the older stuff, Velvets, Stooges, MC5, Doors, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Bowie etc etc. But I love pop music and crank up the commercial music in the car too. Mostly though I listen to my music on headphones in the gym. It motivates and inspires me to get right into both cardio and weights. So what have I been mainlining this year?

Cookie Queen 2017. The Music, The Films, A Book

Plus A Boxing Day Perfume Giveaway

MUSE. Everything.
Imagine Dragons. Going to see them next May,
Placebo. Never get sick of them.
Rag and Bone Man. Human. Love this hip-hop, rap, grime influenced stuff. He has such a wonderful voice.
London Grammar. Although they have been around for a few years, I only came across them in 2017. Check out there amazing cover of Chris Isaac´s “Wicked Game“.
Eminem. Eminem. Eminem. The new album Revival. His recent 5 songs for the BBC with Skylar Grey. I’m dying. It makes every nerve in my body stand on end.
(And Blondeswunder wants to marry him. I want to see him. Would travel.)
The Lumineers. Everything.
Lorde. Everything.
Stormzy. Gang Signs and Prayer. English rapper. First grime album to reach number one. Great for pushing weights.
Foo Fighters. Never tire.

IMDb

Two films stick out. Both of which I went to twice.
“Hell or High Water” A Neo-Western crime thriller. With Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Gil Birmingham. Superb music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
Brilliant cinematography.
“The Party“. A British black comedy. A sharp satire of love and politics. Very very good.

Books.
Just one. Philip Pullman. His dark materials Trilogy. Twenty years later than most, but just in time for his new trilogy, The Book of Dust. Part one, La Belle Sauvage. I read other books, but these were my highlights.

My good friend Kirk, who has featured several times in posts, found himself hanging out in Jovoy this year, and seems to have been buying rather a lot of `fumes. I believe young perfumista status has been reached. I claim all responsibilty. I began to train with a personal trainer five months ago, coincidentally Kirk was with me when I started. He showed an interest in the perfume conversation we were having. As Kirk conveniently purchased a bottle of Malle´s Monsieur the next day, we grabbed him some samples. Now he’s spiralling.

Fleur de Lalita by Dusita 2017

Fragrantica

Which brings me to my Giveaway. I missed the Parfum Dusitas party last year. Getting to try every new thing is just not possible. Pissara Umavijani was kind enough to send me a couple of travel sized samples of her new creation Fleur de Lalita. It will not be launched until next year. A very lovely white floral, including jasmine, with a bitter galbanum threader through them. It slowly dries down to a soft sandalwood and tonic base. It is very elegant, quite feminine and beautifully done. I have a 7.5ml travel atomizer to giveaway.

Happy New Year to the APJ Family.
Bussis
CQ

Fleur de Lalita GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Fleur de Lalita 7.5ml travel atomizer
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us in the comments: Music, films, books? What have you been listening to, or reading or watching

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 28th December 2017 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
I´ll chuck all the names into my dead armadillo basket and pick one out.
The winners will have till Sunday 31st December 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

SOTD 25 – 31 December 2017

December 25, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 136 Comments

Portia

Hi APJ,

I see these SOTD (Scent Of The Day) threads all the time on Facebook and they are really good conversation generators.

SOTD 25 – 31 December 2017

The idea is you’ll chime in through the week with whatever scent you are wearing. You don’t need to be super knowledgable, have high faluting tastes or be a published author to comment. Just tell us what fragrance you’re wearing, smelling, buying etc.

You probably won’t have time to write every scent, every spritz but whenever you feel the mood take you share your current spritz and a few things about it. Maybe you love/loathe it, want it, are excited by the notes/bottle/SA who sold it: WHATEVER! As always here at APJ, taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a Scent Sample Pack (from my collection)
This week:

Thierry Mugler Womanity
Oliver & Co Vaninger
Neela Vermeire Creations Trayee
Etat Libre d’Orange Yes I Do
Evocative Perfumes Vanille Tonique

Comment purposefully on yours or anothers comment & you’ll have a chance, random.org will draw on Sunday.

Last Weeks WINNER: Jyotsna

Go To It Crew.
Portia xxx

Manguier Métisse GIVEAWAY WINNERS

December 25, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Portia

Hey Hey Crew,

Another excellent giveaway. Let’s see who won.
Portia xx

Manguier Métisse GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Manguier Métisse by Pierre Guillaume

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Fruity notes, mango, tea, sugar, frangipani, woody notes, powdery notes

LuckyScent has $125/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $5/ml

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x Manguier Métisse decant (from my decant)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 24th December 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners were chosen by random.org

Sue Mills

Saffyishere

Undina

The winners will have till Thursday 28th December 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Merry Christmas 2017

December 25, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hi APJ,

Whether you celebrate and believe or not, the idea of Peace On Earth and Goodwill To All People cannot be overlooked. It’s so simple and should everyone try to incorporate it in our lives the world would be a happier and safer place.

No matter your colour, creed or favourite fragrance the whole APJ Crew wish you a safe and peaceful Christmas period.

For those doing it tough emotionally this year
LifeLine Australia Call them on 13 11 14
BeyondBlue Support Call them on 1300 22 4636

If you are in immediate danger or know of someone who is Call 000
Australia National 1800RESPECT Domestic Violence Call 1800 737 732