Miss Piggy & Joan Rivers: Behind The Feud

Hiya APJ Crew,

So maybe I’ve told you before. I styled myself on two legendary superstars and their kiddy re-animations. The two stars? Loretta Switt and Divine. Re-animations? Miss Piggy and Ursula the Sea Witch.

Miss Piggy Ann Martin FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Someone who I thought was kind of funny but admired much more for her dedication and ability to rise in a job where women were less than welcome was Joan Rivers. That kind of tenacity is amazing and even more so when you saw her, a tiny little doll like woman. She was quite old when I met her in Sydney at the Mardi Gras for a very short moment, and she was basically being held up by her minders to get through the crowds, but in my two seconds with her she was lovely. Now she’s gone but there is so much to remember her by.

Joan_Rivers WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Here is a super fun piece on the Piggy/Rivers Feud.

After you watch the video, perhaps you’s like to scent these two fabulous women?

Enjoy,

Portia xx

Behind The Feud: Joan Rivers vs. Miss Piggy

Hermès: Observatory of Orange Boxes: Video Series #1

This is fabulous APJ Crew,

You want to talk iconic? The orange box is DEFINITELY an icon in and of itself. I had a blanket box from Hermès  for years till it got ruined. I loved it so dearly, kept it on display like art, and in many ways the Hermès box IS art.

Hermes Box Maegan Tintari  FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I love it when luxury brands give us whimsical and fun pieces. These little Hermès snippets are so far from what I expect of the old school, stylish and magnificent house of Hermès that when I saw the first one I laughed out loud. This is exactly what I love about the modern age of Guerilla marketing

Enjoy,

Portia xx

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 01

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 02

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 03

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 04

Cuir Cannage by Francois Demachy for Dior 2014

Hello Fashion conscious Fumies,

OOOOW! When I first heard about Cuir Cannage it was a thrilling excitement. I couldn’t wait to get my sniff on it. Immediately I knew it was coming I emailed our Australian DIOR marketing arm and was told I would be contacted on arrival. Well, frankly I couldn’t wait for them, I went and ordered from Surrender To Chance a lovely 3ml spritz. It just arrived, WOO HOO! Let’s wear it together for the first impressions……

Cuir Cannage by Francois Demachy for Dior 2014

Cuir Cannage Dior Fragrantica 1Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, ylang ylang
Heart: Jasmine, rose, leather, iris
Base: Leather, Juniper (cade oil), birch

Instant leather on spritz like you are looking inside a new handbag for something, then a cool green sappy-ness then a warm wet suede shoe (all this happens in about a minute) and then I get a beautiful, sensual night flower that is the fatty orange blossom & the ylang, neither is wholly itself and they’re blended so beautifully that they create a whole new flower, glorious. This section lasts much longer than you’d expect from an opening and I’m really glad.

Cuir Cannage Christian-Dior Lady-Dior HelensPhoto Stolen Helen’s

The leather is new and very slightly earthy when it comes in, a soft and supple leather that I think anyone could wear. Smoked and tanned it reminds me of a very softened and gentrified Knize Ten. There is no fruit note to sweeten it like the Bottega Venetta and it’s not as plush and rounded as CHANEL’s Cuir de Russie but it is lovely and I can imagine it being worn by the boys to work and on dates. The girls will smell super retro in it and I can’t wait to smell Cuir Cannage on some of them, elegant and razor sharp cool. The girls will certainly stand out when wearing Cuir Cannage, nice one DIOR.

Cuir Cannage Christian-Dior PinterestPhoto stolen Pinterest

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Black Narcissus
Surrender To Chance has $3/ml
DIOR has 125ml, 250ml and 450ml available (450ml? WTF!)

How did Cuir Cannage live on you?
Portia xx

 

Fragrances Inspired by the Sub-Continent

Hiya All,

You may know that I am a complete India-phile. The whole area including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka call to me and though I have only visited India I wish to travel all six countries before I die.

Fragrances Sub Continent WikipediaPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Today I thought we could look at a few scents with names that link them to my fave journey destination…

Fragrances Inspired by the Sub-Continent

Souffle des Indes Comptoir Sud Pacifique FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Souffle des Indies by Comptour Sud Pacifique: Imagine if you took all the lovely, sweet smells and tastes of India and added them to a creamy milk/yoghurt drink. It’s called a Lassi and I adore them. Souffle des Indies by Comptour Sud Pacifique then is the smell of a Lassi with fruit. MMMMMMM. Sweet, creamy, slightly spicy and lovely pureed or finely chopped fruit mixed in, really it’s worth the ticket to India to taste the real thing.

Ambra del Nepal Il Profumi di Firenze FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Ambra del Nepal by Il Profumi di Firenze: A beautiful opener with that medicine cabinet, herbal and caramelised sugar hiding a Crème brûlée sweetness that washes out from under the bold opening and gives the most divine caramel coffee, vanilla cream, bitter chocolate, Ambra Del Nepal is a sweet and spicy Oriental Gourmand frag hit. Ambra Del Nepal is more gourmand that the usual amber that I’m attracted to but I love it.

Nepal Aoud Montale FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Nepal Aoud by Montale: OK so this has the tell tale Montale signature all over it. Their own blend that is their oud, some leathery smell and the plasticky saffron note that I like so much. I don’t see the Nepal correlation but Nepal Aoud is a nice soft, not too in your face, synthetic oud fragrance that melts into your skin and becomes a lovely rough amber then vanilla till drydown.

Mohur Extrait Neela Vermeire Creations FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Mohur Extrait by Neela Vermeire Creations: As if Mohur was not big, beautiful and outrageous enough. Neela and Bertrand got together, tweaked the ingredients a touch and amplified the whole fragrance by doing an extrait. OMG! It is seriously heart stoppingly beautiful. Everything you adored about Mohur but more intense and it lasts for days, on fabric for weeks. If there is a fragrance that has blown out the back of my head by sheer enormity and still retains its rose scented languid beauty, it’s Mohue Extrait.

 

Tibetan Mountain Temple Pacifica FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Tibetan Mountain Temple by Pacifica: Sweet and spicy citrus woods open up Tibetan Mountain Temple and a fun GingerbreadMan accord. There is a cool resinous feeling of incense that evolves through the wear and a delicious creaminess that collides perfectly with the clean patchouli. This is a warming fragrance that smells a LOT more expensive than it is.

 

The Taj Mahal’s Eternal Love Romea D`Ameor FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

The Taj Mahal’s Eternal Love by Romea D`Ameor: Here we have a wet, fruity opening that hints at the very early morning, sunrise at the Taj Mahal. I love this time of day there. If you ever get to Agra make sure your guide gets you to the Taj Mahal about 40 minutes before it opens. If you are the first i line you will see the Taj as few others have ever seen it, empty of humanity. An aquatic floral that ends in woods, very wearable.

So we have had a look at some fragrances inspired by the subcontinent, did I miss something you know or love? Tell me in the comments please.

Portia xx

 

 

 

Karen Gilbert: 1 Day Masterclass : Photo Essay

Hi there Perfumistas!!

Last Saturday saw a crew of us doing a One Day Fragrant Masterclass with the amazing Karen Gilbert. To say I learned a lot is a complete understatement, Karen is so knowledgeable, has the most incredibly diverse history within the fragrance industry and has the gift of making everything seem so simple and gives clear and concise instructions. I work best under those conditions and it seemed that everyone was drinking in the knowledge and we had a super fun time.

Karen Gilbert: 1 Day Masterclass : Photo Essay

Topics Covered In The Class:

  • The History of Perfumery
  • The Sense of Smell and What it Means To Us
  • The Beginners Guide to Training your Nose
  • Classifying Fragrances
  • Top, Middle and Base notes and Why They Are Important
  • Creating Accords
  • Practical Blending Techniques
  • Naturals Vs Synthetics

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #3

The first part of the day was meeting us, giving us some theory, history, insider gossip and news, information that has taken me a few days to percolate because it was completely jam packed. We broke for lunch, which was Sydney pub fare and that gave us a moment to really connect with each other and bond.

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #5

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #6

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #7

Then we went back to the classroom and started meeting accords, molecules, notes and learned a very basic how to for fragrance creation. Karen had brought both natural and synthetics for us to learn about, which was a total bonus. We were able to smell 3 different aldehydes, a bunch of fragrant fillers and smoothers and some that could increase diffusion and volume. It was engrossing stuff and we had so many questions. Each question led to 10 others so we were getting knowledge that only the rarest few are privy to. I cannot tell you enough what an excellent experience the day was or how giving and nurturing Karen Gilbert is. To be honest, I don’t know how Karen supplied so much stuff for the ridiculously small amount of $295 for the day. It was overwhelming how much choice we had when it came to creating our personal fragrances.

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #8

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #9

Mine ended up being these accords/notes:
Top: Coriander, lemon, Virginian cedar
Heart: Ylang ylang, orange blossom absolute, listea cubeba (May chang), P.E.A.
Base: Labdanum, galbanum, oakmoss

PEA is a synthetic aromachemical that gives lift and brightness to the naturals. Often used in perfumery apparently to add volume and enable diffusion. I used 4 drops and the difference to heart of the frag was astonishing.

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #11Photo Donated Ainslie Walker

I have been spritzing my fragrance quite a bit and am so happy with the outcome. As I said on Facebook: Perhaps Malle, YSL or Hermes will never be knocking on my door asking for recipes but I think it’s a rather lovely, simple fragrance.

From a one day class I wasn’t expecting to learn so much. I think it will help enormously with my own purchasing in the future and definitely gives me some insights that I will put towards my blogging. I would take the class again in a heartbeat, I know that I will learn even more next time.

Portia xx

Gardenia GIVEAWAY WINNER

Hey there crew,

I hope this finds you all happy & well. Sorry this is a bit late but Jin & I were on a Motorbike Course today and both of us are now solid gold certified P PLATE Riders. Woo Hoo.

Portia xx

Gardenia GIVEAWAY WINNER

Gardenia Robert Piguet FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Gardenia, lily, ylang ylang
Heart: Madagascar vanilla
Base: Black leather, cashmeran, spice, woods

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
1 x 2ml Gardenia by Robert Piguet decant (nearly full remnants from my sample)
P&H to the USA

HOW DID 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 comment on Gardenia: it’s is a hard one to replicate, what are your favourite gardenia fragranes and why?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Gardenia by Robert Piguet GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3dG   @LibertineParfum

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sundayday 28th September 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner was chosen by random.org

Winner EverythingHealthPhoto Stolen EverythingHealth

LYUBOV

The winners will have till Thursday 2nd October 2014 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.

Caleche Parfum + EdT by Guy Robert for Hermes 1961

Hello Fumie Family,

Recently there was a sale down in South Australia. Early 21st century Caleche Parfum by Hermes refills for a staggering $10, in their cellophane! OMG! So the excitement here was quite expected. I know I should have bought a few but I only got my friend Susan to grab me one and for Dinner on Friday night I decided it was the perfect accompaniment.

Caleche Parfum + EdT by Guy Robert for Hermes 1961

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top:
Aldehydes, lemon, bergamot, cypress, orange blossom, neroli, mandarin
Heart: Iris, gardenia, ylang ylang, rose, lily of the valley, jasmine
Base: Sandalwood, tonka bean, musk, amber, oakmoss, cedar, vetiver

Caleche EdT by Hermes
(Vintage)

This is one of the bottles that I was given by Michael Edwards. Kept perfectly and the fizzy citrus and white flower open is devastatingly beautiful. Sheerer and a touch more green than I remember but so fragrant and rich. The buzzing, metallic overtones of aldehydes that lighten and throw the citrus is breathtaking and I swoon.

This is opulence, the feeling of running your hand over very expensive leather and silk brocades. When the flowers fully arrive they are a bouquet, it takes a much better nose than mine to pick them and I think the oakmoss lays a smoothing veil over all. Later, the shiny patina of the resins and smooth undercurrent of woods comes in but they are soft and furry to fade.

Caleche Hermes SabyaSachi_Mukherji brocade_sari WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Caleche Parfum by Hermes (Vint-ish)

Now imagine the above twice as intoxicating. Thicker, richer and treacle thick that is more diffusive to open, in fact one tiny little spritz fills the room with fragrance instantly, and wears more animalic and honeyed (though honey is not a note listed). Caleche Parfum has 100% more growl, is way less bright and glittery, creates a warmer and more intense ambiance and is in every way more luxurious. Though I think my EdT may be older than the Parfum there is a burnished depth in the Parfum that makes me feel ultra sensual. Like looking into those incredibly glossed parquet floors made of 10 different woods, loads of light and shade but over all an extremely beautiful whole fragrance.

Caleche Hermes Elizabeth1_Phoenix WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Lasting power is excellent too, having worn the Parfum to dinner Friday I spritzed at 6pm and was still deliciously fragrant at 1am when I got to bed. So much so that I curled up against my forearm and fell into blissful sleep almost immediately.

Caleche is definitely a brocade fabric, full of life, glitter, colour and movement. It shimmers and glistens like canary diamonds under LED lights. All the notes come together in a beautiful, sparkling fizz of a fragrance that is like champagne cocktails at brunch.

Pool-side Mimosas at The Standard HotelPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: The Black Narcissus says it all perfectly, better ever than I could.
FragranceNet has $89/50ml EdT (old packaging) before Coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples EdT $3/ml Parfum $7/.5ml

Are you a fan? Is Caleche something you like? Maybe your family has a Caleche wearer?
I’d love to read your Caleche stories too, leave them below in the comments.

Portia xx

 

Gucci Presents: Bamboo Confidential Movie

Hi there GUCCI lovers, and haters,

GUCCI is a brand with heaps of awareness through the ages. Even when no one was buying GUCCI it was still a name associated with lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous. Then came the dreary years when you may have bought GUCCI shoes, they were exquisitely produced even to the turn of the century, but not much else. Then Tom Ford came and reignited the brand, brought it to a whole new world of middle classes who wanted to feel rich & famous and who could afford some fragrance, a belt, some shoes or if very lucky a suit/gown/skirt etc

Gucci Bamboo Confidential amsterdam-ftvPhoto Stolen AmsterdamFTV (Problem using this image? tell me)

Now GUCCI is on the slides again but they are doing some fun and interesting advertising, love this mini movie and maybe they will get back to making excellent shoes.

Portia xx

Gucci Presents: Bamboo Confidential

Palimpsest by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes 2014

Hiya Niche Nerds,

The other day I went and had lunch at the Sydney Opera House with a cool frag crew: Karen Gilbert (evaluator, perfumer, author, teacher, business coach), Ainslie walker (perfumer, candle creator, Jasmine Award winning writer, project manager, business woman) and Clayton Ilolahia (What Men Should Smell Like blogger, Director of Mens Fragrances for The Perfume Magazine, ex-Louis Vuitton Australiasia trainer and current Sydney Opera House trainer). Yes, these people are really inspirational, knowledgeable, interesting and fun. It was a fun lunch and I loved seeing these go-getters bouncing off each others energy. You know what they say, If you’re the smartest person in the room then you’re in the wrong room. I was in the RIGHT room, just sitting with them I learned so much, and their noses are spot on.

So, Mandy Aftel had sent me a spritz of her newest fragrance and I wanted to see how the super-clevers would like it. The deal was we would all get a spritzed touche, biro and writing paper and I would spritz my hand back. Then over the next 5 minutes we would record our first impressions as 10 words. That was the plan anyway….

Palimpsest by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes 2014

Palimpsest Aftelier  FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords in a circuitous line:
Grapefruity Yuzu essential oil, Gamma dodecalactone (a natural isolate exctracted from apricots) brings a soft, milky peach/apricot, vanilla absolute, banana facets of ylang-ylang, jasmine, suede, rose, tobacco, honeysuckle, chocolate, firetree, ambergris, phenylacetic acid (an organic compound with a dirty honey aroma and animalic tones)

Aftelier Perfumes gives these featured accords:
Top: Gamma dodecalactone, phenyl acetic acid, yuzu
Heart: Jasmine grandiflorum, peach, ylang ylang
Base: Firetree, vanilla, ambergris

Gamma dodecalactone: Waxy, fatty, sweet aroma with green-rind undertones
Natural Occurences: Found in apricot, bilberry, guava, papaya, pineapply, blackberry, strawberry, celery, cheese, butter, milk, meats, rum, beer

Phenylacetic acid is used in some perfumes, possessing a honey-like odor in low concentrations, and is also used in penicillin G production.

SPRITZ!

THE WORLD EXPLODED!

Seriously, we are sitting in the Green Room of the Sydney Opera House, there are maybe 50-70 people around eating their lunch from all parts of the theatre and our table goes freaking ballistic. We are all speaking at once, sniffing chatting, getting louder so we can get our points across and gesticulating, talking, laughing. This was a totally fun experiment and using such a polarising fragrance made it even more fun.

#1: Jasmine, honey, honeysuckle, sweet sherbet, effervessence, civet, narcissus, ambergris, much

#2: Honey, heady, animalic, spicy, Absolue Pour Le Soir, hippy shop, patchouli, incense, karma

#3: Auto rickshaw ride through Mumbai, outdoor toilet, spicy, bubblegum, fun

#4: Heavy, sweet urine, floral, gods, hair/fur, back of neck, musk, amber, sensual

As the fireworks became less intense a friend of mine walked past and I jumped up to hug her, the first thing out of her mouthy after “Hi Portia!” was “Wow! What is that perfume? Is that you? You smell amazing!” and then she leant over my Palimpsest by Mandy Aftel and swooned. What better expression of love can a fragrance get. That is one spritz on the back of my hand.

Here are some pics of us MADsters

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #1

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #2

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #3

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #5

Palimpsest: noun
1. a parchment or the like from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text.

Sweet, feral, delicious and naughty Palimpsest is not for the faint hearted, is full of the joy of natural perfumery while smelling as finished, buoyant and aerated as the best niche offerings. Mandy Aftel seems to have captured the idea of rewriting fragrant history and planting her own delightfully wicked animal version on top of everything else we have. I was going to do a giveaway of the remaining juice but I have used it up. Sorry everyone. This is a fragrance all dedicated perfumistas are going to need to try….

Aftelier Perfumes has samples from $6

Portia xx

 

Gardenia by Aurelien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2014

Hi there APJ Family,

One of my fragrant highlights has been to meet and speak with Joe Garces, ex top man at Robert Piguet. Basically, he’s the guy that resurrected the Robert Piguet line and added a slew of fabulous new fragrances. Many of them instant modern classics like his riff on Fracas, Petit Fracas: where he oversaw the adding of an enormous juicy fruit note at the top and sliding in a dry cacao not into the base creating a super floral gourmand, Bois Noir: the Piguet answer to the deep, dark, woods experience and Alameda: their stunning lily, rose and animal extravaganza only available in very limited outlets worldwide.

Today we have the last of Joe Garces overseen fragrance releases. I wonder if Piguet will now sink back into the shadows or if it can continue creating masterpieces?

Gardenia by Aurelien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2014

Gardenia Robert Piguet FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Gardenia, lily, ylang ylang
Heart: Madagascar vanilla
Base: Black leather, cashmeran, spice, woods

I was lucky enough to sample Gardenia at Libertine Parfumerie pre release, Nick was so freaking excited and it was infectious. The sample he gave me leaked in my bag so I still have gorgeous remnants of it still wafting around in there but I never got it on my skin. Shame because I love Gardenia scents and I have a definite favourite, the Gardenia by Skincare & Perfume Co here in Australia.

So, how does Piguet’s Gardenia measure up? My first impressions are creamy, vanilla and ylang. Warm, sensual and inviting. TOTALLY tropical and I’m surprised that there is no coconut note listed. A warm tropical night on some remote island, I love this kind of fragrance, heavy and hefty but filled with the memory of sunshine and maintaining a lovely, vibrant, comfortable heat. What is maintained throughout is a delicate, soft and alluring vanilla that is like fresh skin, or the dreamiest fresh, healthy skin you could ever imagine.

Gardenia Robert Piguet lake-macquarie tpsDave PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

The woods arrive and basically I get very pretty and completely wearable vanilla woods with the softest and cleanest hint of gardenia till the fragrance fades from my ability to smell anything other than a warm wash at around the 4-5 hour mark.

Lovely. Gardenia is enchanting and lovely. Not really a gardenia on my skin so if the idea of the note scares you then this could be a perfect gateway for you. A lovely sketch of a gardenia perhaps? Also if applied sparingly I think it could be a sensational work scent.

Gardenia Robert Piguet Gardenia_jasminoides WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

(Funny but disgusting aside: I went to the toilet while wearing this and suddenly I had the most perfect and beautiful gardenia scent, it was a profoundly extraordinary olfactory moment)

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon and Fragrantica
Libertine Parfumerie has $239/100ml
Harrods has £150/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

This would make a perfect gift buy. The fragrance is lovely but not challenging, bottle is excellent and that black glass will keep the juice fresh for years longer than clear glass.

Portia xx

giveaway manoneileenPhoto Stolen manoneileen

Gardenia GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
1 x 2ml Gardenia by Robert Piguet decant (nearly full remnants from my sample)
P&H to the USA

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 comment on Gardenia: it’s is a hard one to replicate, what are your favourite gardenia fragranes and why?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Gardenia by Robert Piguet GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3dG   @LibertineParfum

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sundayday 28th September 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org or a fun other way
The winners will have till Thursday 2nd October 2014 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.