Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

July 21, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by TinaG

It is magnolia season here in Sydney, the wonderful lush simple blooms are opening up all over town and I’ve been pressing my nose to as many as possible trying to build up a scent memory of this gorgeous flower.

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaïm for Frédéric Malle 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, moss, amber

Eau de Magnolia is seducingly ethereal. It lives and breathes in the wisps of its silage, turning and teasing, flashing hints of scent which last as long as a breath.

I can understand people dismissing this fragrance quickly because of the familiarity of the top notes and the cologne nature. I nearly made that mistake too. But it is much more subtle and complex than that. It needs to be on skin, paper would do it no good at all. It also needs to be given a lot of air, sprayed at a distance, and needs a few wearings. The continuity of the fragrance is in the cool lemon, the warm magnolia, and a general ‘greeness”. It also has an aquatic aspect, but not marine, just open and clear. But the magic of this fragrance is in the way it changes.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Over the top of the green/lemon strand, I get whiffs of different things – pepper, bergamot, lemon, moss, vetiver…. The image I get in my head is like playing with a heavy silk sheet, there is a linearity to it (the lemon/green base ) but when it moves, it has a mind of its own and it slides like a liquid. And like silk, different parts may catch the light and shimmer at different times. But it also can’t be forced, I gave myself a headache sniffing my wrist, but sniffing 20cm away worked wonders.

I also can’t exactly say how it opens – my first wearing it was all fresh lemon, the second, bergamot and today it’s all about grapefruit. I strongly suspect that it would blossom more in summer too, not really a winter scent. I find myself standing at the window, looking at the crisp blue winter sky and longing for the warmer summer months.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I became enamoured with the magnolia fragrance last summer, having been introduced to Magnolia Grandiflora – Sandrine, and Michel, so much so that I purchased a full bottle of Sandrine. By way of comparison to Eau de Magnolia, Michel is the closer match with its waxy warmth, whilst Sandrine is crisp and dewy, said to mirror a magnolia bud waiting to burst open. Because of the depth of sillage of Eau de Magnolia, I can’t wear them side by side, it’s too confusing and I’m not sure what smells I’m getting from where. And to be honest, sometimes you don’t want to pick apart a fragrance too much, I just want to wear them and enjoy the added beauty and dimension they bring to my day.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Another mistake I nearly made with Eau de Magnolia is that I originally thought that it lasted two hours on my skin. Not the case. I wore it to work, kept smelling lovely florals that were slowly turning woodsy, and after a gruelling 10 hour day I noticed wisps of fragrance still emanating from my chest. It was very comforting. Such a versatile and beautiful scent – I’m a fan.

Frederic Malle Europe has 3 x 10ml/€85 (Perfect for splitting)
Frederic Malle USA has 3 x 10ml/$125
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

Who of you readers has tried Eau de Magnolia? Impressions?

Tina xx

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral: L’Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

July 21, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Heya APJ,

This L’Occitane giveaway seemed to inspire a whole bunch of you. I’m so glad. I hope this finds every one of you happy & well. I know some of you will not be either so fingers crossed for better days ahead.

Portia xx

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane

L’Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, tangerine
Heart: Cypress, pine, rosemary
Base: White amber, cedar, musk

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will each get:
1 x 5ml decant of Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane (from my sample bottle)
1 x 5ml decant of Neroli & Orchidee by L’Occitane (from my sample bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

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 tell me your favourite fresh fragrance, or why you would like to try this one.

As always there was an extra chance for TWEETING

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 20th July 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen berryreview

Renee Groyer (via Twitter)

Patty Pong

MaryJane

Tracey

The winners will have till Thursday 24th July 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.

Lyric Man by Daniel Visentin for Amouage 2008

July 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Heya Happy Huffers,

Today we look at a fragrance often given the boot or a meh from reviewers. I think it suffered from Amouage’s name as a bombastic, sillage and projection monster house. A crew you could rely on to blow the back of your head off and keep people around you confused, if not concussed. I too love their deep, rich and powerful fragrances but here is something different….

Lyric Man by Daniel Visentin for Amouage 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lime
Heart: Rose, angelica, orange blossom, galbanum, nutmeg, ginger, saffron
Base: Pine tree, sandalwood, incense, vanilla, musk

Straight out of the nozzle I get a citrus blast with that waxy feeling that saffron gives me (like imagine feeling the skin of a ripe healthy orange or the stem of a hyacinth, both of these feelings remind me of the smell I get from saffron) and before long I get a greenness that is probably angelica and some zing which I will attribute to the ginger, it all adds up to something only mildly rose-ish. Then something happens and the whole fragrance seems to shimmer and shift into galbanum mode. A soft, fuzzy, rounded galbanum that is nowhere near as cool as in CHANEL No.19, here on my skin is a warm and spicy galbanum with a very pretty rose holding it up. This is lovely. Lyric Man is the most casually wearable Amouage I have yet had on my skin.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

As we get further in to the fragrance wear it warms considerably and I can’t work out why, it could be orange blossom, vanilla and sandalwood but Lyric Man is blended beautifully and I think the whole lot just sing alongside each other in a lovely harmonious whole. The heart is where I feel Lyric Man really shines in a completely unpretentious way. I can imagine it becoming a very easy wear, go to fragrance for a guy or woman. Daniel Visentin has made a fragrance as smooth as a piece of green glass, long rubbed by the seashore and transparent yet still quite dense. The notes so ethereal yet intertwined beautifully and very late in the development the musks come through giving the feeling of having been worn, lived in, healthy yet used body smell. All this overlaid with a subtle spicy rose, a woodsy greenness.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Yes, I can understand that expectations were not met with Lyric Man but if you put all that aside and wear it just for itself it is a lovely fragrance. A soft, muted, wearable fragrance that I think you could wear even to the office, unless you have a frag-phobic workplace. For dates and dinner, killer, and quite an unexpected scent. I think it could be the hook that catches your partners attention and though there are plenty of unisex roses out there now none are like Lyric Man.

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and The Non Blonde
Libertine carries the Amouage line for Australia and has 100ml/$364 Delivered within Australia
Beauty Encounter has 100ml/$220 deep discount currently
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

I would like to thank Michael Edwards for generously giving me his Lyric Man. Don’t forget Michael Edwards Masterclass: Sydney & Melbourne<<JUMP. If you are in Sydney or Melbourne DO NOT MISS THIS. These opportunities do not come along very often….

Lyric Man,who knew that Amouage could nail comfortable and casual so well? Have you tried it? Do you have a favourite Amouage?
Portia xx

Chanel No. 22 by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1922

July 19, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

HEYA APJ Family & Friends,

One cool morning in Paris out with Michael in early 2014 we stumbled across 31 Rue Cambon, CHANEL Headquarters and once home of Gabrielle Chanel. Inside I tried for the very first time Les Exclusifs de Chanel No 22, thinking it would be a soft and retiring scent like much of the rest of the Les Exclusifs de Chanel range I opened my shirt and 3 big blasts, one then on each wrist ( I really wanted to live this fragrance for the hour it would last on me) and……….. BOOM! Wowzas, damn near blew the back of my head off, I was incandescent with No 22 and Michael could still smell me across the room at dinner that night.

Les Exclusifs de Chanel No. 22 Chanel by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1922

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lily-of-the-valley, neroli, aldehydes
Heart: Oriental jasmine, rose, Comoro island ylang-ylang
Base: Haiti vetiver, Bourbon vanilla

Turned off? NO WAY!! It made me want CHANEL No. 22 like crazy. What a fragrance. So recently I was trotting through David Jones (the oldest department store trading under the same name in the same location in the world) with my girl friend Ainslie Walker and we came across the new CHANEL counter with all the lovely exclusives and parfums. YAY!!! The girl serving was so lovely, could not have been more helpful and wanted nothing more than to have us understand the range. Woo Hoo! An SA who knows their job. Delighted is an understatement.

Michael & I @ 31 Rue Cambon CHANEL (Photo donated by Michael)

I must say that I was definitely not in the market for product on this particular day. Had I been more financially flush this SA would definitely have had a sale. What I did get though was CHANEL No. 22 Extrait on my arm and on a porcelain. So that was about 2 weeks ago. Tonight I opened the porcelain expecting to get a base only reminder of CHANEL No. 22. WOW! My whole office is filled to the brim with this wonderful, green aldehydic like a glass filling with a fizzy, metallic, soda pop of a fragrance that is both bold and restrained. A cool character on a huge scale, that doesn’t make sense but that’s how it feels in this room right now. I am engulfed, happily, enthusiastically overcome by scent.

Photo Stolen SeedOfHappiness

When I wear CHANEL No. 22 the aldehydes are the complete and utter star of the show, flowers are mown down, fruit is pulped and what I end up smelling is a metal/citrus/vanilla/vetiver creature. It’s a bit like putting snow in your mouth with a stainless steel spoon in a rose house with them all blooming. CHANEL No. 22 is one of the few vetiver fragrances where I get the soil/dirt/wood of the vetiver without salt hints, maybe the very dry vanilla cuts it?

Longevity? FOREVER! Sillage? You could ride the waves of it on water skis. Projection? It will blow the back of the heads from people in the next suburb, a little moderation with CHANEL No. 22 is probably a good idea. Of course I spritz with abandon some days and the world be damned.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Posse
You can try or buy CHANEL No. 22 at any of the stand alone CHANEL stores or a very few department stores.
Surrender To Chance has CHANEL No. 22 samples starting at $4/ml and Extrait at $8/ml

Are you a CHANEL No. 22 fan? Is it a bit overwhelming for you? Which in the line do you particularly like?
Have a great and fragrant day. Waft on my loves, waft on.

Portia xx

Mer & Mistral by Karine Dubreuil for L'Occitane en Provence 2014

July 18, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 65 Comments

Hey Hey Crew,

Want to read what’s NEW NEW NEW!! L’Occitane will be releasing a brand new fragrance in the Collection de Grasse series in Australia during August 2014 and we have a special preview pack here at APJ! Woo Hoo! And today we will have FOUR winners!

Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane en Provence 2014

Karine Dubreuil

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, tangerine
Heart: Cypress, pine, rosemary
Base: White amber, cedar, musk

From the USA L’Occitane site: A fresh breeze passes through the town of Grasse, which lies between the mountains and the sea. The mistral wind from the mountains, filled with the scents of the foliage in its path, blends with air from the Mediterranean, laden with sea spray. Inspired by this Provençal breeze, La Collection de Grasse introduces Mer & Mistral, an aquatic fragrance with soft ripples of aromatic notes. Zesty top notes of lemon and mandarin give way to a generous heart of cypress, pine and rosemary, so emblematic of the Mediterranean coast.

On my skin Mer & Mistral opens VERY fresh, good old fashioned, mens locker room in the 1990s: citrus and salty sea breeze. You know I am against fragrant gender boundaries but my scent memory is so strong with this style of fragrance because it takes me right back to my days in the gym, hanging their with mates or partner, hitting the showers and then in the locker room the guy getting dressed right next to me spritzing 4 or 5 times. It smells as much like a Mediterranean seaside resort town as it can without adding the bad smells, this is pure and fresh and even the herbal greenery is washed out in the sunshine of summer. I can imagine Mer & Mistral becoming a very easy wear go-to for anyone who needs to cool and refresh, or who wants to smell that way. It’s like a salty lemonade in India, I know it sounds weird but it is crazy delicious and here I am wearing it as a fragrance. What it does smell like to me is a subtle version of the current fragrance that I spritz through the bathrooms and laundry every Wednesday after I’ve finished cleaning, GANT Liquid.

The opening is big and fresh then Mer & Mistral calms to a lovely clean green woodsy fragrance and this part of its life last really well. Anyone who loves to smell like they recently bathed and are totally calm and cool will enjoy wearing L’Occitane’s latest. Where it ends is a slow overtake by the musks and a minimal warming through with the amber, otherwise Mer & Mistral stays very poised. I like the part about 2-3 hours in when everything gets a lovely powdery feeling, so cuddly soft. After about 5-6 hours depending I lose almost everything but my skin still smells as if it’s fresh from the pool/bath/shower and fit.

Mer & Mistral has a very CdG synthetic effect but on a softer, less combative level and I don’t feel courageous wearing it. Just healthy, happy and clean. I like it.

Whatever you do today, be nice to yourself. A little forgiving and very loving. You are worth it.
Portia xx

Photo Stolen hemodernhome

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral: L’Occitane GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me your favourite fresh fragrance, or why you would like to try this one.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Mer & Mistral, Neroli & Orchidee #GIVEAWAY @LOCCITANE @LOCCITANE_au http://wp.me/p3PURw-2VX #Perfume

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 20th July 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 24th July 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.

Jimmy Choo Fall Winter 2014 Ad Campaign

July 18, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hey Fashion Fiends,

What could be better than seeing a new Jimmy Choo campaign? Well, it could be that Kit Harrington has taken the job, it seems Nicole Kidman has stepped aside, so nice to have a sexy guy in her place.

Down the bottom is a very lovely Mini Movie of Kit Harrington in his Jimmy Choos.

Enjoy,
Portia xx

Jimmy Choo Fall Winter 2014 Ad Campaign

As always I have grabbed this from my Go-To fashion forward blog: art8amby

Actor Kit Harrington (27) from Game of Thrones is replacing Nicole Kidman as the new campaign face for Jimmy Choo, shot by Peter Lindbergh on location in a Los Angeles home designed by the architect John Lautner.

“Kit has an innate confidence and projects a playfully rebellious nature,” said Sandra Choi, Jimmy Choo’s creative director. “He has an overtly masculine style that feels effortlessly cool, and a great sense of humor, and beneath that intensity he is a true gentleman.” (source)

Jimmy Choo AW14 Men’s Campaign starring Kit Harington

Waikiki Pikake by Brook Harvey Taylor for Pacifica

July 17, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Poodle

Pikake (pee’ kah keh) means peacock and is the Hawaiian name for jasmine sambac, a flowering bush that is prevalent on the Hawaiian islands and often used to make leis. It was so named by Ka’iulani (1875-1899), the last crown princess of Hawaii. She thought pikake were beautiful, just like the birds she named them after. As a young girl she lived on an estate near the ocean surrounded by trees, flowers, and her beloved peacocks.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Iliahi is Hawaiian for sandalwood and since Hawaii was known for its native sandalwood, one can assume she was familiar with those fragrant trees as well. Ka’iulani also had a white pony (doesn’t every princess?) which she rode by the ocean. She referred to Pikake as the flower of love and once said that she would only marry if she were in love and no other reason would persuade her. She was known for her strength as well as her beauty and grace. It has been said that it was impossible not to love her.

Waikiki Pikake by Brook Harvey Taylor for Pacifica

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Pikake (jasmine), sandalwood

The perfume Waikiki Pikake is all about jasmine and sandalwood. There’s a definite tropical feel to the fragrance but without the fruitiness commonly associated with tropical scents. The jasmine here might just be a gateway drug for people who are usually afraid of it. There’s nothing here that says “dirty girl”, it’s more a beautiful jasmine fit for a princess. Never having been to Hawaii I imagine this is what the Pikake flowers smell like on an ocean breeze. Green leaves and ocean waves mingle with the jasmine and then swirl around a heart of warm, creamy sandalwood. A perfectly clear day in an island garden is what comes to mind but overall this isn’t a smothering white floral. It’s reminiscent of new love, fresh and innocent. On my skin it wears nicely in the heat without becoming overwhelming. Oddly it seems the heat tones it down but you might have a different experience. Waikiki Pikake wears somewhat linear on me, not changing much but gradually softening and fading away. I love it as a bedtime scent but I think it could be worn anytime.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

My first sniff of this came from the body butter that I found at the discount store. That’s one thing I love about Pacifica, companion products. I love layering my scents once in a while and having a body cream that matches my perfume is so much easier than trying to coordinate which scent goes with which. That being said, you could easily get just enough fragrance from the body butter alone. I had the body butter first and loved the fragrance and the longevity of it so I bought the perfume to go with it.

Pacifica has Waikiki Pikake in $12/10ml roll on and loads of other stuff too.

So tell me, do you have a favorite Pacifica scent? Have you tried this one? Ever been to Hawaii and is it as fabulous as I think it would be?

Until next time…hugs.

poodle

Shalimar by Guerlain 1925

July 16, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Erica Golding

Hello! My name is Erica, and I’ve enjoyed a lifetime obsession with scent. In all my journeys, I never gave Shalimar a chance on my skin. Shalimar, the bottle waiting patiently at practically every perfume counter, mysterious yet familiar. Recently, I was inundated with a torrent of love for this perfume by fans of all ages, all over the world. In the face of such genuine devotion, who was I to resist? I headed straight to a perfume counter, and my first impressions of modern-day Shalimar EdP are as follows:

Shalimar by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1925

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citruses, mandarin orange, cedar, lemon, bergamot
Heart: Iris, rose, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli
Base: Civet, musk, tonka bean, opoponax, leather, incense, vanilla, sandalwood

This scent opens with a citronella-like, sharp, insect-repellant bergamot. I just really don’t like the beginning. Much brighter on the card than on my skin. The aroma becomes a little more interesting after settling. Nicely spicy, but with some undertone that comes across as almost rubbery. I’m still not into it, but I admit that I am starting to be hypnotized by the unique, complex puzzle of it all. I keep sniffing, curiously. Later, the fragrance begins to warm into something more harmonious with my aesthetic. I am starting to sense precious woods, amber, and sandalwood, maybe a waft of vanilla as well.

Later still, even more attractive, almost like vanilla pipe tobacco.

And then….

Yes.

Now I understand. It takes about 30 minutes to get there for me, but – wow. Gorgeous and singularly exceptional, yet hauntingly familiar. Woods and amber with a hint of vanilla, but so much more that defies my recognition. Indescribable. A sensual poem.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Next, I sought out vintage bottles. My first scores were EdC in the “watch” bottle and Parfum in the “rosebud” bottle. I decided to review them side by side:

Shalimar EdC:

A quieter, softer opening. Morphs into soft vanilla incense tobacco magic within a few minutes. Fades fast on my skin, a quiet haze that hugs my body closely and shares its presence only with those I allow in that space.

Shalimar Parfum:

A sharp, bold opening. Spicy, and the citronella note is not as bright as with modern EDP but surprisingly still pronounced. Throw is fairly intense, yet somehow focused for me – not a diffusive cloud of fragrance, but a moonbeam piercing the humid summer night’s sky. The aroma drifts into a powdery stage before reaching the equilibrium of the true intent of Shalimar: a warm, almost indescribable perfume that slows my breathing and makes me feel powerfully magnetic. Sultry, mysterious, dark, thickly sensual.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Shalimar lasts anywhere from 5-8 hours on my skin. It is definitely an evening, date-night fragrance by tradition ~ and I am a very non-traditional person, so I wear it whenever and wherever the hell I please! That being said, I often crave it at night and wear it as my midnight aromatherapy.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies EdC and Australian Perfume Junkies Parfum
FragranceNet has $48/74ml EdC and other selections
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Erica’s Shalimar Collection Photo Donated Erica Golding

I hope you have enjoyed my account of how I lost my Shalimar virginity; and I hope that I’ve either conjured precious scent memories of your own, or piqued your interest in sampling this beauty for your own first time.

With warmly fragrant hugs,
Erica Golding

Junky by Anais Biguine for Jardins D’Ecrivains 2014

July 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Some perfume names give us a preconceived idea of the vibe of the fragrance in question. I was keen to get my nose on this from the minute I heard of it. I was born at the end of the fifties which threw me into the Punk Generation at exactly the right time. Had I been born earlier I like to think that I would have been part of the Beat Generation. This group consisted of a groups of American post World War II writers who came to the fore in the 1950s. The main elements of this “Beat” culture included experimentation with drugs, an interest in religion, alternative sexualities, a rejection of materialism and some unrestrained portrayals of the human condition. The best known writers and examples of the Beat Literature are probably William Burroughs (who wrote Junky), Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

It was Kerouac who coined the phrase “Beat Generation”. Thanks to the punk era into which I was thrown – I was turned onto the Beat Generation literature. Junky, Naked Lunch and On the Road being my top three reads.

Junky by Anais Biguine for Jardins D’Ecrivains 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Top: Hemp, Palisander Rosewood, Galbanum
Heart: Iris, Violet, Gardenia
Base: Cashmeran, cedar, vetiver, incense, juniper, moss and myrtle (From Jardins D’Ecrivains box: Cashmeran, Cedar, Javanese vetiver, Sweet myrrhe, Frankincense, Cade, Moss)

So Jardins D’Ecrivains taking on Junky as a literary influence for a perfume was really quite formidable and perhaps a little abstract.

Green, green, green. Thick and ferocious. Straight to the amygdala, located deep within the brain. The hemp, combined with galbanum is legally intoxicating. Sticky and skunky and did I mention green?. I wish this moment would last forever but that might be too much to bear. It slides effortlessly into the beautifully smooth middle notes. This is very pleasurable and comfortable. Heady but controlled. Three beautiful floral notes intertwined one with another. And then the comedown. In this case, it is soft and sweet and lasts some hours. Quite dry, but a narcotic sweet feel nonetheless. It harks back to the opening green notes. A clever twist. It´s funny what a name can do. I was wondering if Jardins D’Ecrivains had called this Peter Pan, would it have made my experience any different? I think not. It would have just have been a wasted Peter Pan!

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Jardins D’Ecrivains succeeded with the Junky vibe. I was impressed with the journey that Junky takes you on. From the instant hit, to the agreeable middle, and a peaceful descent. Unlike the real thing.

Absolutely worth checking out. You could read the book too.

With thanks to First in Fragrance who rushed me a generous sample upon request.

First in Fragrance has €93/100ml and samples

“Silence is only frightening to people who are compulsively verbalizing.” William S. Burroughs

Bussis
CQ

Mito by Vero Kern VdE + EdP

July 14, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers

Oh faithful ones please ready yourselves to hear of divine beauty. Sometimes to fall into blissful sleep, I count on green floral chypres. In my fragrant world, nothing could offer greater pleasure than the idealised landscape that a wonderful perfume in this genre can conjure.

Mito Voile d’Extrait – Vero Profumo

and

Mito Eau de Parfum – Vero Profumo

And here are two distinct but related olfactory paintings of delightful garden scenes, both inspired by the gardens at Villa d’Este in Tivoli.

Mito Voile d’Extrait

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Citruses, magnolia, champaca, jasmine, galbanum, hyacinth, cypress, moss

This is a scented garden drawn from the perspective of someone who, eyes drawn to a cool shaded corner, has launched herself into and across a wide lawn and thrown herself down on the grass. She did not pass time in detached strolling and admiring from a paved walkway, no she ran straight in to be amongst the damp greenery, to experience dark cushions of moss and inhale the loamy smell.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Here where she lies there’s a grassiness and I won’t say wetness, lest you imagine it aquatic, but a damp and earthy mossiness. As she lies looking up through branches to a clear autumn sky, wafts of ripe fallen fruit reach her from the ground beneath nearby trees. The fruit is rich, full and ripe, but not over-ripe or winey in the way of Roudnitska’s Femme or Parfum du Thérèse, instead this is fruit that has fallen full of juice and most certainly split upon landing to release the complex uncultivated aroma of something like a guava.

Flowering trees most certainly grow in this garden, she lies distant from them, their fragrance reaching her on the breeze. It is one of the particular achievements of this fragrance that the sometimes heavy florals of tuberose and champaca are here restrained, seeming to float down from their high places. The effect is naturalistic, as though the scent of them truly did waft through on a breeze. They unfurl on my skin, mirroring perhaps how the fragrance of blooms in sunshine becomes warmer and creamier. This mid-afternoon glow carries on for quite a few more hours.

Mito Eau de Parfum

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Citruses, magnolia, champaca, jasmine, galbanum, hyacinth, cypress, moss

Here she returns to the garden on a warmer drier day. On this visit she is out in the open walking the paths. In the sunshine pungent volatile oils are releasing on the breeze. There is a resinous pine. Galbanum and verbena fizz and sparkle. The verbena recalls the opening of Jean-Paul Guerlain’s Eau de Guerlain, but where that one continues on a calm and cool trajectory, this Mito whirls and dances on my skin, it’s a live thing! A light fresh jasmine sends its sweet breath her way. As she strolls, her body becomes warmer. The dusty smells of the gravel kicked up by her feet and the muskiness of her own skin mingle with the aromas of the garden.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

What Vero Kern has done here is a minor miracle, she has composed two beautiful observational perfumes. They are clearly pictures of the same garden seen in different seasons. They come with my highest recommendation and a warning to wear only if it is safe to be distracted by the beauty for several hours.

Further reading: Val the Cookie Queen at Australian Perfume Junkies

LuckyScent has the range
First In Fragrance has the range
Surrender To Chance has samples and decants of a range of the Vero Products

Pray tell, have you experienced the holy sweet waters of Saint Kern?

Go in peace,
Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Author: australianperfumejunkiescom

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaïm for Frédéric Malle 2014

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral: L’Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane

L’Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

HOW DID YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Renee Groyer (via Twitter)

Patty Pong

MaryJane

Tracey

Lyric Man by Daniel Visentin for Amouage 2008

Lyric Man by Daniel Visentin for Amouage 2008

Chanel No. 22 by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1922

Les Exclusifs de Chanel No. 22 Chanel by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1922

Mer & Mistral by Karine Dubreuil for L'Occitane en Provence 2014

Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane en Provence 2014

Karine Dubreuil

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral: L’Occitane GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Jimmy Choo Fall Winter 2014 Ad Campaign

Jimmy Choo Fall Winter 2014 Ad Campaign

Jimmy Choo AW14 Men’s Campaign starring Kit Harington

Waikiki Pikake by Brook Harvey Taylor for Pacifica

Waikiki Pikake by Brook Harvey Taylor for Pacifica

Shalimar by Guerlain 1925

Shalimar by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1925

Shalimar EdC:

Shalimar Parfum:

Mito by Vero Kern VdE + EdP

Mito Voile d’Extrait – Vero Profumo

Mito Eau de Parfum – Vero Profumo

Mito Voile d’Extrait

Mito Eau de Parfum