Author: australianperfumejunkiescom

Magnolia: The Note + The Fragrances

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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There’s hype about Magnolia. For us Australians it’s led by the release of Grandiflora’s two Magnolia Grandiflora inspired perfumes, Sandrine and Michel. At Sydney Perfume Lover’s Meet Up this week we met Saskia Havekes in her flower workshop. She talked us through the emotional and fairytale-like journey she has undertaken, getting these two fragrances to market – a 4 year process, plus more than 25 years hard slog as a floral designer!

For those of you in Europe, if you are lucky enough to be seeing the big waxy blooms of a magnolia tree waving at you from above: HOORAY!! Spring is finally on it’s way, breaking through the dreary, dragging grey of winter and bringing a sparkle of hope for longer, brighter days.

Magnolia Grandiflora WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Magnolias are considered one of the most ancient flowering plants, even preceding bees. It was bugs that helped these big blooms to fertilize. If you don’t know what they look like pop to the nearest park or botanic gardens containing one– they truly are something old-worldly and special. Stand near one, shut your eyes and listen. Often you will hear petals crashing through leaves to the ground. Petals are big, thick and kind of tough for a flower. Breathe deep. The blooms smell different when first opened to when closed, by day and by night, in summer and in spring. The big white waxy flower petals weigh heavy and remind me of floppy bunny ears. When I think Magnolia I think about movement and change. Strength and beauty. Spend some time getting to know Magnolia trees and their huge blooms.

Magnolia Grandiflora Flower WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Magnolia as a perfume note is considered creamy, sweet and lightly citrus. Perfumers play with the citrus, green, aquatic and or spice notes to individualize, add dimension and express their interpretations, eg representing the whole tree / the flower/ the surroundings. Many say the Magnolia note is a bit of a “non-event”…perhaps that’s the reason for the artistic license of the perfumer – trying to represent such a magnificent flower, with only so few clues?

Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine

Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine Grandiflora FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lemon, grapefruit, white pepper, green notes, woody notes, watery notes and musk

Michel and Sandrine interpret magnolia quite differently:

With Sandrine I observed notes of citrus, grapefruit and lots of pepper on first whiff, followed by fresh astringent green and dry wood accords, blurring with gentle-ish marine (I’m not an “aquatic” fan…but this passes) and musk undertones. It is the whole tree, growing in Sydney Harbour. It is unusually beautiful and breezy. The journey dances you through the branches of the magnolia tree, passing all its components of leaves, woods, and blooms, in the sea breeze. It was the final fragrance made by Sandrine Videault before she sadly passed away, last year, so there is a very emotional air in the perfume world about this one too. It seems to contain not only the spirit of Magnolia but encapsulates an essence of its creator also.

Magnolia Grandiflora Michel

Magnolia Grandiflora Michel Grandiflora FragranticaPhoto Stoilen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, magnolia, vetiver, patchouli and musk

Michel immediately hits as a white floral, with rounded citrus top notes, lemon, and bergamot, not as sharp or dry as Sandrine. Patchouli and vetivert, add depth. Hints of green – a nod to the tree. Magnolia, Jasmine, Rose and ylang make it more palatable for the masses. It’s like your face is pressed inside one of the big flowers – but, Michel adds a touch more than nature provided the poor Magnolia flower – amping it up somewhat.

Further reading: Grain de Musc and Jordan River on Australian Perfume Junkies
LuckyScent has both US$185/100ml
Peony Melbourne has both AUD$185/100ml

Ainslie Walker x

There are loads of fragrances that list Magnolia as an ingredient here are a few below for you to go sniff ;

Acqua Di Parma – Magnolia Nobile
J’Adore – Dior
Tokyo milk – Paridiso
Chloe – Eu De Parfum
Allure – Chanel
Gucci Flora – Gucci Glamorous,
Kenzo – Eu De Fleur De Magnolia,
Santa Maria Novella – Magnolia,
Yves Rocher – Magnolia

Anyway GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Anyway GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Anyway Juliette Has A Gun FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 5 winners who will each receive:

1 x 10ml decant of Anyway by Juliette Has A Gun
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 2nd March 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Winners Are shannonmayer

Photo Stolen shannonmayer

Jaybee, Katherine Mittas, Azar,

LeanS12 (via Twitter), Damir Gašljević (via twitter)

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners will have till Friday 7th March 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.

Special THANKS to LibertineParfumerie for these amazing giveaways. Please visit their site because they are so generous and helpful. If you wonder why they are sometimes more expensive than the discounters or OS retailers it’s because they are the only licensed company selling their fragrances in Australia; where you know you are buying new, fresh and genuine product. The cost of importing, and buying the right to import, alcohol based fragrances (and having the right to send alcohol based fragrances throughout Australia, which are illegal to send in the Australia Post air system) is expensive and they must cover their costs to bring you these luxury goods.

Pentachords White by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2011

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Post by Sister Mary Magdalen, Patron Saint of Perfumers

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Fragrance lovers, today I pray your indulgence as I sing a hymn to my favourite note in perfumery: Violet.

So unfashionable, I know. She has not the vampish allure of look-at-me Tuberose. She lacks the ballsy ubiquitous oomph of oudh. No, gentle reader, I languish in the limpid embrace of a shy flower. Her beguiling gaze from a by-gone time first lured this poor soul into the bottomless, limitless, wallet-emptying world of fragrance obsession.

My adoration for her is such, that I am not content merely to spray and smell, I must also consume violet creme chocolates, candies, liqueurs… anything really. Recently, after much searching, I procured a bottle of violet flavouring. Power up! Now I can have violet cereal. Violet anything!

Hence last week saw me whipping up a batch of vanilla butter cupcakes. They were in the oven and I was taste-testing the intensity of the violet white chocolate ganache that would soon adorn them, when I heard the all-too-familiar knock of my parcel postman at my front door. “My Tauer Explorer Sets!” I realised but even more delight was in store for that Swiss devil had included samples, one of which I had been fantasising about since first I read the list of notes:

Pentachords White by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2011

Pentachords White Tauer Perfumes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vanilla, violet, amber, iris, Brazillian rosewood, orris.

Of course I sprayed away without delay and was immediately delighted by a clear violet and vanilla that stunned me with pleasure. Perhaps this explains my weakness: violet is key to a bliss lock in my brain. Andy Tauer shares his process via a generous and genial blog, so I know that he has used the particularly narcotic violet aromachemical – alpha ironine – in Pentachords White. Despite these gourmand sounding notes and a subsequent dusting of icing sugar that seems to fall on the starring pair of violet and vanilla, the overall fragrant impression is very dry. The blog tells me this is because the composition rests on Ambroxan. The salty, buzzy rasp of it is evident, but to my nose, exquisitely balanced. It radiates and gives structure, but does not dominate.

Pentachords White Tauer Perfumes Violets U.S. Fish and Wildlife... FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

The longevity of Pentachords White is impressive, and the fragrance holds together. No element outlasts the others. To my nose, this is an all-night heavenly disco where Violet and Vanilla dance on a warm wooden floor whilst the Iris smoke machine and Ambroxan mirrorball add haze and scatter.

I’m fascinated by the idea of these Pentachords. I have now tried them all, and Pentachords White is truly the standout for me. This is not just due to my love of the violet, but also to my perception that this one much more than Auburn and Verdant successfully translates the 5 note concept. White truly is an unresolved tension between 5 points in space. It shimmers.

Pentachords White Tauer Perfumes Shimmer danielle defrancesco FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

The play of oppositions in this scent is enthralling. Somehow Pentachords White manages to be sheer and abstract, yet alive on my skin. It oscillates between warmth and coolness. One moment a toothsome hologram of a violet ganache vanilla butter cupcake will loom in view (such synchronicity with my baking!), then a buzzing menace reminds that this sweet little treat just might bite back.

Further Reading: Smelly Thoughts and Now Smell This
LuckyScent has $150/50ml
Tauer Perfumes has $34.70/5 x 1.5ml Discovery set

Which of the Andy Tauer fragrances have you tried or did you like?

Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers.

Un Matin d’Orage by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

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Post by SarahK

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Hello all!

Have you ever had one of those moments when a scent hits your nose and you’re stunned by its exquisite beauty? That was my reaction to my first sniff of Annick Goutal’s Un Matin d’Orage (EDT).

Un Matin d’Orage by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

Un Matin d`Orage Annick Goutal FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Sicilian lemon, ginger, green notes
Heart: Gardenia, shiso leaves, magnolia, champaca flowers, Indonesian jasmine
Base: Sandalwood

Un Matin d’Orage opens with the prettiness of a forest nymph in a Botticelli painting. She arrives carrying bridal white gardenias, but they aren’t heady and overwhelming. These flowers are fresh and slightly earthy, with a true-to-life mushroom note, and underneath her prettiness the nymph has a backbone of green wood, like the forest she came from. The heart of Un Matin d’Orage expands to become an entire gardenia-filled garden right after a rainstorm. Under the wafting scent of the flowers is a layer of greener and watery notes, like the stems of plants, broken under the weight of the rain. In summer, the effect is of a tropical rainstorm, or like walking into a hothouse, misty with water-spray, the scent of the flowers suspended in water droplets. In winter, the effect is a touch more bracing on me, like a rain-soaked garden in spring. The verdant floral notes soften over time, but are still there in the dry-down, which also reveals some green sandalwood.

Un Matin d`Orage Botticelli-primavera WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

My husband never makes comments on my perfume, good or bad, but whenever I wear this he snuggles up extra-close to me, so clearly something smells good, though I don’t think of this as a sexy scent at all. In summer I can get away with spraying liberally, but cold weather sometimes brings out a little bitterness in the green notes. It’s not an unpleasant effect to me – in fact I find it adds to the interest of the fragrance – but it does mean that I like to bring my spray count down in winter.

I love to put a single spray of this on my pillow at night for happy dreams. Once, I accidentally aimed a spritz at my mobile phone and for weeks afterwards the heavenly scent would waft up every time I used the phone, putting a big smile on my face.

Un Matin d`Orage Annick Goutal Storms Jason Hunter FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

In cold weather this fragrance can last an impressively long time on my skin. It’s often still detectable on my skin 10 hours in. I should note, though, that the same goes for Chanel’s 28 La Pausa, which is famously short-lived on others so it could just be my skin. In hotter weather, Un Matin d’Orage doesn’t seem to last half as long, but she’s lovely while she’s there.

Further reading:
Beauty Encounter has a $49/50ml EdT and 100ml Body Cream Gift Set
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

What fragrances have brought you up short with their beauty?

SarahK

Annick Goutal (1948-99) on APJ previously.

Annick Goutal Biography,
Eau de Sud/Songes/Mandragore,
Eau d”Hadrien/Eau de Camille/Ce Soir Ou Jamais,
Passion/Un Matin d’Orage/Ambre Fetiche,
Mandragore Pourpe,
Songes,
Grand Amour,
Rose Splendide,
Nuit Etoilée and
Duel
Mon Parfum Cherie Par Camille

SWEET ANTHEM WINNER

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Hi APJ,

 Moments ago the alternate Man of Mystery (son Andy) pulled the winner’s name from my sun hat.  I couldn’t find a picture of Andy (that he approved of)

Sweet Anthem Perfumes US GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have ONE USA winner:

Who will receive:
A 2-season subscription to the Sweet Anthem “SA List” sampling program for one lucky US resident.  The  winner will receive two different sample sets.  The “Spring Anthology” will be sent right away and the “Summer Anthology” at a later date (see the subscription FAQ on the Sweet Anthem Perfumes website).
P&H to the USA

Winner FallOutFactoryPhoto Stolen FallOutFactory

 Stacey

 Congratulations! You have till Thursday 6th March 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.

Azar xx

Sweet Anthem #1Photo Stolen Sweet Anthem Perfumes

Oude Arabique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes

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Hello my APJ Family and Friends,

As you may have noticed I love the independent perfumers that make good fragrances. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is one of them for me, her work is innovative, original, fun and sometimes challenging. She can take a tired note and refresh it so even the most jaded of palettes will be brought back to full attention.

Oude Arabique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes

Oude Arabique DSH Perfumes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tolu balsam, resin, mastic
Heart: Agarwood, incense, sandalwood
Base: Australian sandalwood, buddahwood, Himalayan cedar, tolu balsam

So straight out of the decant I get a very heavy Pine-o-Clean disinfectant note that lasts about 5 seconds and then turns into a medicinal, bitter scent that lasts under a minute. It’s ferocious and fun. Sadly it doesn’t last and the whole fragrance softens off considerably. My advice is take a deep breath and spritz, letting your breath out very slowly if you want to miss the opening fireworks. Give Oude Arabique at least 30 seconds to burn off before your initial sniff.

Oude Arabique DSH Perfumes prophets-mosque FotoCommunityPhoto Stolen FotoCommunity

I am unsure about the oudh here, it smells pretty damn real to my nose (which we have ascertained over two years is not always on point). There is a faint hint of bandaid and barnyard but really the resins and woods are the stars in Oude Arabique for the main part. They are raw and fresh hewn, only slightly buttery through the heart of the fragrance and the resins supply some fat and animalics. I read in one review that there is some ambergris floating around which could be the something tangy and beachy, working with the oudh to create an extremely pleasant fragrance that is obviously niche and with what smells like some quality natural ingredients too. Subtle, nuanced and pretty yet still a fragrant wear, projection is not huge but you do change the air around you if you sit for some time. It’s a creeper of a fragrance, sending out woodsy tendrils to capture the unwary. About 2 hours of fragrant before going close and then another couple of hours humming on your skin softly, waiting for someone to come close enough before it can lure them in.

Oude Arabique DSH Perfumes bath_house WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Although this would generally be thought of as a masculine any women with the want could definitely rock this like crazy. I’d love to smell it on some of my very girly girlfriends, it would create a super interesting disconnect that would be incredibly alluring. MMM My mind is wondering who of my friends to take it to.

Further reading: EauMG and All I Am A Redhead

DSHPerfumes has EdP and Parfum strengths starting at $5
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $11/ml

To Russia With Love: Courtney Act: 2014

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Heya All,

This is one of my mates, Courtney. She is currently starring on RuPaul’s Drag Race and here is her latest single’s video clip. The song is her best so far and I have had it on repeat since returning back from overseas. It’s also a big fat finger to Russia’s Vladamir Putin who seems to think it’s one rule for him and another for his people.

Today is Mardi Gras in Sydney, our biggest celebration of the year. Though we are not equal in the eyes of the law we hope it may come soon.

You can follow Courtney Act on FaceBook to see some of her crazy adventures.

To russia With Love Courtney Act

I hope you enjoy To Russia With Love, it’s available on iTunes.
Portia xxx

HAPPY 2 YEAR BIRTHDAY APJ!

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YAY!

Thank You, every one of you. The Contributors, Readers and Commenters because you have all made this remarkable and wonderful APJ Family. 2 years seems like a long time to me, but it also has flown by in a moment. I think we are staying true to our fundamental idea to show and document our fragrant journeys, meet some perfumers and curators, find out more, smell more and enjoy the journey while creating a space for anyone to come and hang out and natter about fragrance. There has been zero cyber bullying and I think we have one of the friendliest and most positive blogs in the scentbloggosphere.

Don’t forget to enter our ANYWAY: Juliette Has A Gnu GIVEAWAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rainbow Cake Courtney Walker FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

HAPPY 2 YEAR BIRTHDAY APJ!

Some stats:

Posts – 881
Views – Nearly 291,000
Most Viewed Post – Salvador Dali EdT 1983/1985/2011 – 21,359
Comments – 15,100
Contributors – We have had 28 different contributors in the 2 years, most still with us
Followers – Nearly 900 – Including WordPress, RSS and Blog Organisers like Bloglovin’ & Feedly

Please continue your amazing support. We are thrilled and amazed every single day. THANK YOU!

Portia and the incredible APJ TEAM

Santal Massoïa by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

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Hey Hey APJ,

While out in London with the mad London Frag Crew a bunch of us that just couldn’t let the day finish went to Selfridges in the evening and ran amok. It was bittersweet fun because we all knew the day was coming to a close and it felt that we’d made some really great new friends who GOT us. Know what I mean? Anyway, I think it was the beautiful Tara of Olfactoria’s Travels who came to Hermès with me because I wanted to try Epice Marine (FABULOUS BTW) but annoyingly they had no samples left for me to take and review. The SA was so embarrassed at their lack that she gave me two samples of other things and today we’ll look at the first. I have decanted to a spritz so I get the same ride as you would from a bottle. Just for fun today I thought I’d let you travel through my mind on a first wearing of a fragrance…….

Santal Massoïa by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

Santal Massoïa Hermes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Massoïa wood resin from New Guinea, coconut, peach, butterscotch, sandalwood, sugar, milk, dried fruits, floral notes

Well, Santal Massoia is a bit of a surprise. Now that I look at the notes it makes sense but I was not expecting a tropical alcoholic drink out of a coconut, with a paper umbrella, in a freshly made wood and thatch bar by the pool. Honestly I am smiling broadly and feel as if the holiday is at day 5 when you just realise you are away and can relax for another 5 glorious days.

Santal Massoia Hermes Evening Beach Matt Rudge FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Something that I often feel about Jean Claude Ellena’s work and here in Santal Massoia especially is that the notes are part of a chorus, though there is a buttery, waxy, fatty wood at the centre it is not really about that so much as it’s about a feeling of quietly luxuriating in the sun, having a silly drink for the hell of it and either reading a trashy novel or playing meaningless games on your phone. It has been a long time since I’ve had a holiday like that, I don’t think in the last 25 years, but my childhood and early adulthood was full of exactly those kind of holidays, it was ONLY trashy novels then as the internet was still being used only for governmental/war games. We did used to get those great puzzle books though like find trhe word, crosswords or other game type books. There were also cards, canasta was the family game of choice and it was used as a tool to show good game play behaviours and how life was often ready to throw a curve ball. OH MY GOD! I am lost in a complete memory cycle and all through two spritzes of a fragrance.

 _MG_6220rPhoto Stolen Flickr

Yes, I can pick the woods, fruits, coconut, mmmm sort of get the butterscotch but in a Schnappsy kind of way and if you asked me to pick some flowers I would say a fruity/boozy rose and the buttery fat of ylang, is there fig? Maybe the milk and fruit are giving me a fig reference? I could understand if you were to complain that Santal Massoia is linear, the story is more a rotating of notes that become more pronounced than a change in fragrance per se. After the first hour to two hours Santal Massoia softens to a nimbus of soft focus fragrance, very close to the skin and you really need to be hugging someone for them to notice how lovely you smell, that is no bad thing especially at work or in confined spaces. By the 3 hour mark I’m finding it difficult to smell anything but I think anosmia has set in because Jin still smells something nutty.

Santal Massoïa HermesPhoto Stolen Hermès

 

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Perfume Shrine
Hermessence are only available at Hermès stores or very rarely they come up at auction sites
You can buy in Australia from the Hermès site $665/100ml with leather cover
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Which of the Hermessence range have you tried? Do you like Jean Claude Ellena’s style?

Portia xx

Wonder Woman

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Dear APJ,

Sometimes something found on facebook resonates so completely and utterly that I feel I have to share. This made me snort my coffee because it felt like it was speaking to me so loudly. Please take this gem out in the world with you today with my love.

Portia xx

Wonder Woman