Scent Diary: 18.9 – 24.9.2017

September 24, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Portia

Hey Crew,

I’m home. Best place on earth.

What a holiday, heaps more India to share. More friends, fun, food and especially fragrance.

Scent Diary: 18.9 – 24.9.2017

Monday 18:

OK, it’s Monday morning and I’m in Alwar, Rajasthan, India. Can’t sleep because Australia is having a non-binding postal vote about Equality, Marriage Equality to be specific. The hate, lies and vitriol spewed by the NO camp has me nearly hyperventilating with rage and a resurgence of the sinking feeling that comes from external bullying (the internal can be pretty bad too) that I know so well from a basically sunlit youth full of sly, snide, confrontational, half-heard, whispered, shouted, aggressive, implied and ultimately violent homophobia.

If you are Australian and have not yet voted, PLEASE VOTE YES.

FAST DAY!! I know, bet you never thought you’d read me saying that? Well, Varun fasts twice a week, he’s allowed juice and fruit till sunset. We added masala chai to the list and some peanuts for me at around 6pm because I was about to eat the furniture.

Varun and I did some more shopping today. Some final gifts. We sat in the shade drinking soda and watched the world go by for a happy 20 minutes.

Wearing Oliver & Co Vaninger today. It’s a freaky, weird ginger masala chai scent and smells SO GOOD in the Indian heat.

Dinner was with Varun, Mummy and Pappa and Achal (their older son). The food was wonderful. They are a pretty quiet family when they’re together so conversation was happily sporadic.

Afterwards I was ambushed with an after dinner party. The LAST thing on my list of things to do. There’s a particular person at these events who tries to negatively engage people, you know opens with a derogatory comment. This years opening gambit was “Hello, you got so bald.” I shook his hand, thanked him, turned on my heel and walked out of the party. Varun didn’t even have to be asked, he just handed me the car keys and off I went. The bully came after me saying, “Aussies aren’t such wimps” and equally endearing things. Finally he came up behind me, grabbed my shoulders and said in my ear, “Surely I haven’t offended you.” My reply was to shrug him off, say, “Yes….. Don’t touch me” and get in the car, locking the door. The usual going and froing of host and bully entreating me to stay. Nope. I wasn’t angry, passionate or riled, “I am nearly 50 years old. I don’t need to be around and deal with assholes. Thank you for the invitation and hospitality but I’m not interested in joining you. Please take this time to teach your friend some manners. Thank you, goodbye.” Varun got in the car and we drove away.

I didn’t stand up to a bully but I did call his bad behaviour and refuse to engage without raising my voice or even blood pressure. It felt, and feels still, powerful in resistance. Right now I’m proud of how it went.

Now, I’m going to read for a bit and then hit the hay.

Tuesday 19:

It’s my last full day in India. Varun and I had breakfast together, he came to my room and we drank lashings of masala chai with jam toast and fruit. He has some catch up work to do so I’m taking my Kindle and going down to the garden to read in the sun.

When I got back to my room I really wanted some fragrance so chose Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur. The most precious beauty of her collection for me. A perfect fit coming in hot and sweaty, it gave the fragrance a whole new lived in feel.

Painted some signs for the hotel, there were about 7 in all but these two are the ones I really loved.

Varun and I went to a nearby hotel, one of the Neemrana group, for lunch. It was a buffet and the selection, quality, taste and presentation were super fabulous. There were enough waitstaff for one per person because the restaurant was pretty quiet. Can’t compliment the experience enough. Dessert was this incredible dish, like deep fried cookie dough, that you have with ice cream. Words fail me…..

At night we hung out at Varun’s hotel. Very chill last night. We ate, chattered and finished off the signs. The night was tinged with the sadness of me leaving tomorrow but still fun. We are so comfortable with each other nowadays that some thinking time between sentences is expected.

Wednesday 20:

Woke up, showered and drenched myself in vintage Miss Dior parfum.

Varun took me for my farewell and Birthday lunch. He’s so funny. PIZZA HUT! My first fast food since arriving in India. It was bloody delicious and he was so chuffed with himself for thinking of it. How could anyone fail to love someone so wonderful?

Then he took me shopping for my Birthday Present. I protested but to no avail. He was determined, and that happens so rarely that I let him have his moment. It was sweet and lovely. I will wear my gift and think of him every time.

On the road, four hours from Alwar to Delhi Airport. Varun and I said our goodbyes at the hotel and now I have a driver who will drop me. As the miles fly by I’m reflecting on what a perfect two weeks we have had. So lucky to have this guy still in my life after 17 years as a lover and BFF.

Woo Hoo! Even though I’m flying China Southern Economy because they are star Alliance and I am Morning Calm with Korean Air I get preferential treatment! That means Priority Boarding and access to the Delhi Airport Business Lounge. Meaning I get free food and drink, have a comfortable seat and super clean toilets while I wait.

I might have done some Duty Free Shopping. I clearly have a problem but I WANTED THEM ALL!!!

CHANEL Antaeus Deodorant Stick, CHANEL Coco Shower Gel & Soap, Gucci Absolue, Narciso Rodriguez EdT and the NEW Guerlain Les Absolus d’Orient 15ml Travel Set

The girl at the Check In desk could not have been sweeter or more helpful. She even gave me a window seat with extra leg room!!

Thursday 21:

Arriving in China next morning there was a girl waiting at the gate with my name on a board. You have to HURRY only 12 minutes till your plane goes. SHIT!!!! She grabbed me and ran, like a marathon running ex-paramilitary sergeant, to the Transfer Gate. Here she ran me past the lines to the Special Needs line, pushed past a group of wheelchairs, and got me to the front where they stamped my passport. Then she RAN me through security, screaming at everyone along the way, and along to our gate another 500m away. I was puffing and blowing like a steam train by now. We get to the gate and I’m like, “Do I have to run down the gangway?” She looks at me and says, “I’m so sorry. Wrong information. One hour twelve minutes. So sorry.” We look at each other and basically collapse laughing, I can’t even breathe at this point. Hilarious. So I take a seat and get my breath back before boarding at a much more dignified pace.

China Southern came through again with an exit row.

We get into Sydney about 30 minutes late at 8pm. Jin is already waiting at the exit gate for me. I get quickly through the electronic passport control and am only the second from our flight at the Baggage Carousel. So I wait, and wait, and wait. There are three bags left on the carousel, none mine. I go to the Baggage Desk and ask. “Oh yes, your luggage did not get on the plane. It will be coming tomorrow.” OK, no biggie. Poor Jin has been waiting at the gate for nearly two hours though so he is less than impressed.

That first hug, when you get to bury your face in their neck and smell home. NOTHING on earth is so good. It’s only been two weeks but I clearly missed this wonderful man.

Doing stuff around the house till nearly midnight and decided the thing I wanted most in the world was a Bubble Bath. Lalique Homage Shower Gel became my bubbling juice. It’s a wonderful masculine scent and it was the perfect balm to 24 hours of travel.

Friday 22:

YAY! I’m home. Jin has a couple of days off and we can hang out together. Slept in till 10am and woke up to a perfect spring sunshiny day. The smell of him cooking mo-mos was all it took to rouse me from my slumber. No one on earth makes them better. A quick swipe in soy sauce and I’m in heaven. Perfect welcome home meal.

I have caught a bit of a throat infection somewhere along the way and am coughing up some spectacular globs of green and yellow.

ALSO, I spend nearly 3 weeks in India eating street, home and restaurant food. My body loves it and is doing perfect poo. Come home for 24 hours and I’m shitting soup. What is wrong with me?

There was quite a bit of perfumed box mail on the table for me when I arrived home. Here’s a pic of the haul while I was gone. Guerlain Mitsouko EdT, Korres Japanese Rose Shower Gel x 2, Bal A Versailles parfums 30ml & 7ml, Tabac Original Shave Soap refill

Today has been a lazy day hanging around the house with Jin, catching up here on the blog and drinking litres of tea with honey & lemon, hoping to break this cough up.

Wearing the furry, sweet, skanky goodness of Bal a Versailles EdT & parfum. I smell so freaking gorgeous.

We went to Outback Steakhouse tonight for Blooming Onions and STEAK! It was bloody delicious. I’m so full that my tummy physically hurts. OwOwOOOOWWWWWWW but happy.

Tonight at 8.45pm the luggage arrives from the airport. Couriered to my home. Thank you China Southern Airways and Sydney Airport Baggage Department.

Saturday 23:

Good morning Saturday. I’m so excited. The dogs are coming home today! YAY! I love having Paris around to cuddle and walk. The house feels a little empty without them both.

The Pharrell Williams Girl bottle jumped out at me today screaming WEAR ME! I did. Longevity is only very short but it’s fun to respritz. Amusingly Jin asked me if I was wearing Joop!

YAY! They are back and cuddles were in order.

It’s 35C today! WOW! Bloody hot out there.

This afternoon Kath & I went for our first swim of the season. It was pretty cold but after a few seconds my body attuned and I was in for a short while, did a couple of laps and got out. As I was drying myself off we realised that my Tigers Eye bracelet had broken so in I went again and hunted beads, very hard when you’re as blind as I am.

Home to change and thought I’ll just lie down for a minute with Paris. OOOPSIE! Woke up hours later. Missed out on seeing Phil and it was already time for dinner. Jin and I had Chinese at a BarBQ place he’s wanted to eat at for ages. The place smells dirty and the food is presented in varying shades of brown, no colour or excitement. I will say that it tasted delicious, seriously great. He will have to go there alone next time or do take away.

I’ve got this weird phlegmy cough. Jin has made a Tupperware container of his fave Korean remedy. Sliced Lemon, Lime, Dates and Ginger. Steep in water with or without tea, add honey to taste.

Before bed I drank two jugs of the remedy, a bunch of water and spritzed Neela Vermeire Creations Rahele. Who doesn’t feel better when smelling of fruity osmanthus leather? Goodnight all.

Sunday 24:

GAWD! I’m so sick. Nose running uncontrollably. Coughing like a 70 year old chain smoker. Sweating.

BLEAUGH!!!

Tried to get a fill in for work tonight. The girls are busy. Going in feeling like shit.

Had a super hot bubble bath in LUSH Rose Jam, used Amouage Dia lotion and Parfum.

OK, enough about me. How was your week? Anything fun, fragrant, food or friend related happen?
Share, we love it.
Portia xx

Saturday Question: Do You Budget?

September 23, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 63 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.

I’m currently away on holidays in India and will have limited internet but be assured that I’ll read every comment and answer when I can.

Saturday Question: Do You Budget?

Something I always tell the newbies to the perfumed rabbit hole is to set a budget. This addiction is expensive and ultimately frivolous. Here Warren Buffett puts many of my Dads lectures into a very simple sentence.

“If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to sell things you need.” — Warren Buffett

It’s very easy to get carried away with our hobby and especially so with the way the market has become in aspirational pricing. Is that 50ml bottle of whatever REALLY worth $400? No, of course not but we are so crazy in love that the sensible part of our brain goes of holiday. Most of the time I know exactly how much work goes into earning $400 and respectfully weigh the spend but somehow with fragrance I have a good sense bypass.

I’m looking for advice today on how you keep your spending reined in.

Flickr

My answer to Do You Budget?

Short Answer: No

How I wish I was better at money. I’m terrible at it. Not super terrible but sometimes I reflect on dollars squandered on living a full, fun and fabulous life and my stomach drops.

My parents worked hard all their working lives to make sure my sister and I were fully provided for after they left this mortal coil. Without their legacy I could never live the life I have. So my circumstances aren’t that usual. My basic need of shelter is provided.

I’m also incredibly lucky that my idea to save my own fading career as a showgirl (Turbo Trivia) has become a Sydneywide phenomenon and that we are now employing 8 Drag Queen Contractors including myself. This story would have entirely different outcomes if I had not made a few desperate changes 16 years ago.

So while I’m not rich in any sense of the first world hierarchy, compared to billions of the earths other citizens I am extremely comfortable, and grateful for it.

My Saturday Question to you is:

Do you budget for your perfume consumption? How do you do it? Is there a spend limit weekly or annually? How do you check yourself?

Tacit by Céline Barel for Aesop 2015 + GIVEAWAY

September 22, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Portia

Hey Crew,

Sweet Fern is a perfume store in Australia’s town of Ballarat. Kate the proprietor (who seems absolutely beautiful from the little I know her) got in touch recently and asked if we’d like to smell some of the stuff she stocks. Sure, send it through.

Aesop, the Australian cosmetic house was founded in 1987 in Melbourne by Dennis Paphitis. I was particularly glad Kate sent us some of this through because a bunch of my friends rave madly about the product and even Val the Cookie Queen and Judith her BFF paid full retail for some skincare from the Milan store earlier in the year.

Tacit by Céline Barel for Aesop 2015

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus, yuzu
Heart: Basil
Base: Vetiver, cloves

Smells like I’ve walked into a spa. Incredibly hesperidic with a herbaious back beat and florals. This smells like one of those all natural essential oil compositions from an aromatherapist. Its light, zingy, energizing. Scent of basil is really strong – I can smell basil! Tina can smell basil too! Actually she smelt it first…. Tina thinks the citrus smells like yuzu but I’m not sure as I don’t know what yuzu smells like, but I do smell citrus. On Tina Tacit smells much more like clove, on me it smells like dry, fresh cracked pepper and oily, grassy vetiver.

Who would wear this is my question. I reckon it would be fantastic on someone who would put a fragrance on to keep them buoyant through the day, but didn’t need to worry about their fragrance, just wanted to smell fresh. Perfect for Mums or Dads, great for the weekend. I can imagine wearing this on a yacht having lunch with my mates.

I particularly like the sample application method with a swab, would be fantastic for travel and unexpected booty calls. The scent stays beautifully in the swab itself for a couple of days so you could apply and then put the perfumed Tacit swab in your wallet or purse, very fragrant.

Tacit by Aesop GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 2 winner3 who will receive:
Aesop Collection of Beauty & Fragrance Samples
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 go to Sweet Fern and find a product you like the look of. Put it in the comments. NO DOUBLE UPS!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 24th September 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 Sundayday 1st October 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

Musc Kalirii by Jean-Claude Gigot for Maison Incens 2014

September 21, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Portia

Hey Hey APJ Crew,

The lovely Kate Apted sent a Frag Care Package recently. In it were a bunch of new-to-me samples. A selection of Maison Incens, a Diptyque and a couple of Goldfield & Banks that I’m leaving till last because I’m so excited that a new Aussie house has formed.

Musc Kalirii by Maison Incens 2014

Musc Salirai by Jean-Claude Gigot

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, orange
Heart: Orange blossom, rose, jasmine
Base: Leather, vanilla, sandalwood, musk

Ahhhh, interesting opening. Yes I can smell the citrus but already the rose and leather are making themselves known with some herbal greenness that is sharp and cool like artemisia. The white flowers are clean and sweet like marshmallow or chewing gum and Musc Kalirii reminds me happily of five star hotel lobby bathrooms through Asia.

WikiMedia

An interesting mix of musk, flowers and candy that veers towards Turkish Delight but without the oppressive sweetness of Keiko Mecheri’s Loukhoum. It’s dense and rich but here we feel space between the notes, space to smell rather than being punched repeatedly with it for 18 hours. Still, big enough to change the way food tastes in a restaurant though and projection is excellent if you sit still for a minute it creeps out and grabs people by the nostrils.

I’m having trouble placing a demographic for Musc Kalirii. It doesn’t seem sugared enough for the kids, not bakery or fairy floss enough for the gourmand lovers, not souk-isa enough for the Arabic inspired fragrance lovers and not weird enough for perfumistas. Having said that it does the job of fragrance and smells good to me, certainly is nose catching. I find myself drawn again and again to sniff myself when I wear it. There’s something completely other about Musc Kalirii that I would never have chosen to try for myself but I’m really glad I have.

Musc Kalirii Maison Incens dewet Turkish delight Flickr Flickr

Maison Encens has €139 and Sample Sets
Free World Shipping

Has anyone else fallen madly in love with a surprise perfume sent by a buddy?
Portia xx

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2010

September 20, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Kate Apted

Voice of an Angel!

Oh, sorry…I mean Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer

My deepest welcome to you APJers,

The world isn’t making much sense to me right now. I am watching my boys grow up with a lack of innocence I had at their age. While I sit outside and watch the birds go about their nest building business, my boys are inside reading up on the news via social media. There is a strange dichotomy between hope and despair that exists within me. Nevertheless, I try to make our home a place of safety and trust.

To capture a sense of innocence I turn to a scent that is probably one of Andy Tauer’s less lauded offerings, but the one I consider to be his magnum opus. Let me introduce you to Carillon Pour Un Ange.

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Tauer Perfumes 2010

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, ylang, lilac, lily of the valley
Heart: Jasmine, leather, lily of the valley
Base: Ambergris, moss, woods

The name translated into English is Chime for an Angel. This gives absolutely no indication of what lies in the bottle. And to be honest, I don’t give a care for what the official notes are. The star of the scent is Lily of the Valley. I am so mesmerised by the star that I just don’t register any other players. The Lily of the Valley is so high pitched in it that I think of Carillon as Voice of an Angel rather than chime for an angel. From opening to dry down hours later, Carillon is linear and carries that high note all the way through.

Carillon pour un ange Tauer Concierto_de_angeles WikiMedia WikiMedia

I suspect Mr Tauer is unapologetic in his creation of Carillon. If you do not like the opening, then there is no chance you will enjoy the scent at any stage. It was made to carry the glory of the Lily of the Valley. There is no taming of the notes sung. Unadulterated, perhaps amplified, but in no way tame or smoothed over. Mr Tauer has simply used his hand to elevate the Lily of the Valley to be seen (or smelt) by all.

I find it ironic that a delicate bell shaped flower which harks from a dip in the earth’s crust is one that Mr Tauer associates with angels so high up in the proverbial heavens. There is a poetic beauty in it. This is where I find the hope. If a little flower can sing so strongly to reach the heavens, then we can each hope that our small acts of kindness will reach outwards and have an effect. Like prayer beads used to focus the mind on worship and supplication, Carillon acts like a chime when I smell it. I am brought back to a moment of stillness and a reminder to stay focused on the ample good in the world.

Carillon pour un ange Tauer gerson_rodriguez Pixabay PDI

Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
Men’s Biz has $249/50ml FREE Australian Delivery
Tauer Perfumes has samples from $5

Do you have a scent you turn to when you have conflicting emotions? Do any of your scents bring you to a centred internal peace?

Love, peace and mungbeans,

Kate xxx

Concrete by Comme des Garcons 2017

September 19, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

TinaG

Hi APJ,

Any new Comme des Garcons fragrance is bound to cause a stir in the fragrance community, and Concrete is no exception. I was intrigued, as I enjoy industrial notes in fragrances and was excited to see what this may entail. Then I started hearing rumours that the fragrance was actually a sweet woody floral. Huh? How does that work? After reading some of the press releases, it is exactly how it was supposed to be.

Fragrantica

Candy Perfume Boy gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, Rose Oxide & CDG Spice Signature

So, my preconceived ideas were quickly demolished when I sprayed Concrete on skin. First impressions were of a sweetness, a pink floral with green undertones. There’s a pepperiness to the sillage and I realise the green note is cardamom, one of my favourite aromatic spices. The pink floral has an initial wateriness to it and it reminds me of cactus flower. There is a distinct CdG signature hovering in the background of a quirky synthetic, which my mind associated with a pink dishwashing liquid. After about 10 minutes I get a plastic rose note, and pink lolly musk.

As an aside – you know you are Australian when you can easily differentiate between variations of pink musk. It is a common ingredient in many sweets – musk sticks, musk lifesavers, and Fruit Tingles which have slightly different citrus flavours and the prized “multi-coloured” tingle. So when I’m talking in this case about pink lolly musk, I’m referring to musk sticks. I’m sure these are available in other countries but they don’t seem to be globally ubiquitous.
PDI

The fragrance settles and loses the cardamom, to feature plastic rose and the musk. Then I lose the plastic over 2 hours for a residual musk-rose which stays for the remainder of the dry down. There is supposed to be sandalwood in here but I can’t find it, and I thought that the sillage was quite low until I met up with a friend for coffee. She immediately identified that I was wearing a CdG, and she could smell the sandalwood. I think that I just don’t have enough experience with sandalwood notes when they have been disintegrated from each other, whereas my friend has much more perfume-creating experience than I, and clicked on to the smell immediately.

The main selling point of this fragrance is the aesthetics of the packaging – the funky bottle made out of concrete is a winner, and the familiar shape will slot neatly into any CdG collection. I’d recommend leaving expectations behind when testing the fragrance – as, really, you should with any CdG. I’d also be curious when this becomes more widely available to see what people think of the paired-back sandalwood note. Currently (August) Concrete is available at Selfridges in London, and Dover Street Market in New York City and London, but I understand it will be distributed more broadly during September 2017.

PDI

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy and Persolaise

Do you have a favourite CdG scent?

Till next time,
Tina G

Airport Perfume Story

September 18, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

AF Beauty

Hello peeps!
If you’re like me, you regard packing as a dark art, regardless of all preparation and planning, SOMETHING will be forgotten at home – for me the thing I forget most frequently is perfume. 😦

However, luckily, for the people who live in Sydney – or near another well stocked airport, you can find a range of exciting smellies to enjoy from their sample ranges and be on your way – often smelling a little different because you’re not sampling your favourites, so you can add the excitement of new smells to your journey, yay!

I recently returned from a trip to the Gold Coast, so I was lucky to have a large and quiet store almost to myself at Sydney where I tried a few perfumes…

Airport Perfume Story

The first, a brand I’ve not heard of before, Shay & Blue. A British brand, packing not dissimilar to Pecksniff; I started with a perfume called Shay & Blue Blacks Club Leather, which I DID NOT LIKE at all. It is not my thing, but I can imagine it is popular with the right crowd. I moved to another in the same brand called Shay & Blue Blood Oranges, which was orangey and citrusy, very nice.

I then moved onto a Michael Kors perfume, Michael Kors Sexy Ruby, really I was only attracted to the bottle, it was a lovely shape and colour, like a ruby – makes sense. I didn’t spray any of this on myself because I had a sniff of the bottle and wasn’t impressed. I now can’t remember why, but I tend to have immediate reactions to smells, so I just go with it!

Perusing the Amouage range – I sniffed a number of them, most of which I didn’t enjoy – I am fussy, can you tell? But I did notice the ones I preferred were also the most expensive – most of them costing more than double the price of my flight (!!) – so, I moved on from those to Tom Ford which is pricey, but a bargain in comparison!

Tommy Ford <3… always draws me in because of the turquoise bottles, my favourite colour, I feel like the inside of the bottle MUST be as gorgeous on the inside as the out. I started at first with my usual favourite Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, but I was distracted by another I’d not noticed before, Tom Ford Fleur De Portofino. This is relatively new, to me at least, I hadn’t spotted it on previous visits. I had a good spray of that, probably at least $10 worth up and down my arms, it was so light and citrusy, I was properly sniffing my own arms for hours afterwards like a weirdo.

I think I will start saving my pocket money for this one, I am often caught in the trap of buying something good and well-priced rather than amazing and a bit more expensive, but I think in terms of the joy it would bring me each day, the Tom Ford would be well worth it.

So tell me, what fragrances do you search out at the airport? Found any unusual favourites? Or do you use the airport as a good way to test new fragrances for yourself? What’s your MO?!
AF Beauty xox

(Ed: All photos supplied & taken by AF Beauty.)

Scent Diary: 11.9 – 17.9.2017

September 17, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Portia

OMG APJ!
India. I forgot how amazing this mercurial land can be. There are parts up here in the North East that are definitely NOT for the faint hearted and also warm, human connections that happen every time you turn around. The peoples English is the best I’ve come across on the sub-continent, that makes communication easier.

Varun has decided that we need to walk as exercise and so I follow along in his fit, firm and fabulous wake sweating like a farm hand and puffing like bellows. It must look very comical to the average Indian.

Scent Diary: 11.9 – 17.9.2017

Monday 11:

Monday morning. Slept like a baby for 7 hours straight. That is such a rare occurrence that I wanted you to know. WOW! It feels wonderful. Talk about revitalising.

The sun has come out in Shillong and the air is bright and crisp with promise of adventure. I’m currently enjoying my first lazy coffee of the day and Varun is having his Bucket Bath.

I found a couple of extra frags in my emergency section of the suitcase so today I’m wearing Oliver & Co Vaninger. Its warm spicy lactonic vanilla is very reminiscent of masala chai and Yuvrag will later comment how beautiful I smell.

Our destination today is the Natural Double Root Bridge. We have an extra passenger because our driver Yuvrag brought his cousin Shurag to help with driving. The misty mountains were beautiful.

On arrival we then had to walk about 500m down into the bush to get to the root bridge and falls. It was well worth the walk, as we reached the area the sun came out and bathed us in its warmth. Yuvraj said he’d only once seen it in sunlight before, normally it’s draped in clouds anmd drizzling.

The way back up was not nearly so easy. The sun made everything hot and humid. Still, we took it relatively slowly and ate the pre-cut pineapple prepared by the locals at the halfway point.

We got back in the car and cloud once more closed in.

We didn’t get home till well after 10pm and we were all bushed. Bedtime.

Tuesday 12:

5am wake up. Out the door and off to the airport to our next destination Sikkim, an Indian state set between Nepal and Bhutan on either side and China above. We drove from the airport straight up into the Himalayas. I needed to get a permit which was quickly and easily arranged at the border at no charge. I did need a passport photo, photocopy of my passport and my Indian Visa stamp. The gent was charming and helpful and we were duly driven yet higher towards Gantok.

The capital Gantok is a multi hilltop town and we are in one of the highest areas, just below the main tourist shopping boulevard M G Marg. The state university is here and so while not being a university town there are a large percentage of youth around. It’s got an excellent welcoming atmosphere.

There are few tourists here at this time because there has been some insurgency so basically the area is at war with internal guerrillas and Varun thinks that China may be trying to reclaim the area too.

As we climbed in the car this view took me by complete surprise, it was shot as the vehicle was moving.

The beginnings of Gantok at the bottom of our mountain.

View from our room is epic. You can see the village atop the next peak. We are hopefully going there to a temple for sunrise prayers Thuesday.

Wednesday 13:

Lazy day. Well I say lazy day but Varun had me up at sparrows fart walking down the mountain and back up in the drizzle before breakfast. Bastard. It was lovely to be out & about though.

Did the undies and sock wash & had a bucket bath. I freaking love them and prefer it over a shower.

Later we walked up the mountain to drop off some laundry. Then onwards to MG Marg and I did a little souvenir shopping. As we reached the street the sun broke through the clouds and it was surprisingly warm. We also went down through the Lal Bazaar and that was a fun way to see the people of the town shopping and having haircuts. I also bought some Darjeeling, Assam and Sikkim tea as gifts.

Suddenly we were cloudy again and a cool, persistent rain fell so we took refuge in The Coffee Shop. It was lovely and we read magazines, chatted on the phone to Jin and Neela Vermeire and looked out over the nearest buildings as the clouds billowed and flowed around us. It was so peaceful and happy.

Thursday 14:

Mona di Orio Myrrh Cassati accompanied us today. It is a perfect fit for this holiday.

Varun had us up so early that we were ready to leave by 7am. Then, oh joy oh bliss, we walked up and down vertical mountains for over two kilometres till we got to the Chortan Temple. The stupa looks especially lovely in Varun’s blurry pic.

I walked the Prayer Wheel circuit praying for some of my besties. Strangely calming when you wish good things for people you love.

These small cup lights had all been bought this morning to honour a recent decease. The female monks were in charge here lighting and praying. Beautiful.

They were kind enough to offer me a large candle for my Mum. These candles are prayers that help people reach Nirvana. If anyone deserves it, then my Mum does.

Then Varun, bastard supreme, suggested we walk back. ASSHOLE! So we did in the warm sunshine and I was most uncomfortable by the time we reached the hotel. Dripping wet and only able to breathe in ragged, desperate gasps.

I complain but really it was lovely, just a bit overly energetic.

Breakfast was really yum. I know, it looks disgusting but it is so freaking delicious. Aloo Mutter, spicy Sambal, Yoghurt and Puri. MMMMM. Washed down with sweet milky coffee.

We went up to MG Marg later and then the heavens opened. It was belting down for a little while. Great gouts of water splashing all over the pavements. MONSOON in Gantok. Actually, they are saying that this part of India has had a very soft monsoon and that we were very lucky.

Super yummy Chinese. Quite different to the Aussie and Chinese versions. How good are those two story dragons?

Every day I try to have at least one Garlic Naan. It was Kath’s favourite and we called her the Naan Devi while she was here in 2012. I send her daily pics.

Wandering back to the hotel (a 1500m descent at an alarming angle with cars whizzing by inches away and 100m drops at your elbow with no railing) in the cool drizzle we HAD to stop at the Tara Palace and see what all the fuss was about.

Well, it is indeed worth the raves. From the back verandah where we had coffee the view was breathtaking. A constantly changing mountain and cloud show over the rice paris and farms of the hill villagers all the way down to the river in the valley. Magic!

Tonight we stayed in the hotel, read, chatted, listened to some music and I wrote some postcards. Very chill evening. Now I’m for bed.

Friday 15:

Slept like dead people. Woke up to sunshine streaming in the windows. Miss Dior parfum. Off to breakfast.

Walked to the top of the drive, no mean feat as it’s 100m upwards, as we get there a cab appears and we ask how much to do our days adventures. 1500 rupees. There are 50 rupees in an Australian dollar. Basically this kid has offered to drive us around all day for AUD$30, and he has jacked the price up by a third so we can haggle him to the 1000 he expects to get. I smile and say fine. He has already saved us 2000 extra rupees the hotel was going to put on top to call and have him come to the front door.

So you know, we took him to lunch with us and had him sit with us to eat. Drivers in India sit outside in the car and wait. Then after a gruelling day of about 7 hours taking us to temples and the zoo I paid him 2,100 rupees (what I had) and he was so sweet. First he reminded me how much he had quoted, then he got really emotional and happy. 7 hours for AUD$42. It’s heartbreaking. When will the world become a more level playing field? Sometimes the injustice gets to me.

The temple, monastery and university is the first refugee temple in the world. The Tibetan buddhists had to flee Tibet before China stole their country. India gave them this site first and another in McLeod Gang.

This is the university. Monks must study for 13 years then do six years of service.

We grabbed a thali for lunch at a roadside hole in the wall.

Then off to the ZOO! We saw this incredible leopard. They are so much bigger than I expected and we were about 5 feet from him. He was lovely.

Then we went to the Ganesha Temple where the priests prayed for us and gave us tikas & wristcords.

Off to the Tara Palace for chai. This is the view from the balcony. It’s one of the more expensive hotels in Gangtok but it looks worth every rupee to us, inside and out. Very swish.

Here is Benjamin, our nighttime driver and will be driving us tomorrow. HOW CUTE?

Saturday 16:

Good morning Gangtok. It’s our last morning in the Himalayas and I’m feeling a bit glum about leaving. This week has been a perfect idyll, really relaxed and seeing so much. The people up here are some of the most welcoming I’ve met anywhere.

Driving, flying, arriving, eating, sleeping.

Did spritz original Burberry Women on my way through Delhi Duty Free. Smells so otherworldly here in India. That seems to make it even more interesting. Also I really noticed a peony note in it that sprang out. Mix that with some sweetness and almonds and voila, smells good.

Sunday 17:

Morning. I’m lazy. Slept in, awake of my own accord, got up and did some computer stuff. I will have a shower in a minute, or 10. Hopefully a bucket bath.

Breakfast of champions and the view from the Matsya Aravli room where I’m staying.

Went and visited Varun’s Mummy and Pappa. Always great to see them. His niece was home sick from uni and we took her shopping with us. So much fun buying new saris and ordering the tailor to make them into coats for me. Mine are starting to fall apart.

Then home for a nap.

What all have you been up to?
Tell me in the comments please, I love to know.

Portia xx

Saturday Question: Dressed Up Perfume

September 16, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 38 Comments

Portia

Hello Fellow Fumies,

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.

I’m currently away on holidays in India and will have limited internet but be assured that I’ll read every comment and answer when I can.

Saturday Question: Dressed Up Perfume

You’ve been invited to a Gala Fundraiser. It’s not exactly the Met Ball but you’ll be required to wear a dress or suit. Not necessarily a gown or dinner suit but if you have such refinements then by all means go all the way. The question today is about Dressed Up Perfume. What do you wear when you have to look and smell a million dollars? Do you go soft and refined? Is it a wall of scent situation? Do you want to fly your freak flag? Maybe you want to keep your scent deliberately low key?

Unlike most of our APJ readers my job is dressing up and wearing gowns, looking well over the top and shimmering. So my chances to wear Dressed Up Perfume are far more numerous than most. At least four times a week I’m glammed up to go host rooms. I have a range of scents depending on mood and weather but the ones I reach for most when going for Dressed Up Perfume are these.

What Are My Dressed Up Perfumes?

Fragrantica

DIOR Mitzah

The original Mitzah herself was famous as Christian Dior’s fashion muse. I can’t think of a more dressed up place in the world you could find. She was not a typical beauty either but a fun and frivolous gal pal who was often seen decked out in outlandish leopard print everything. She could command a room with her style and Mitzah the fragrance reflects that chutzpah. Honeyed and spiced rose over a lightly feral labdanum and patchouli with a whisper of burning incense. VERY dressed up.

Fragrantica

Mugler Alien The Taste of Fragrance

Original Alien done with a salted caramel twist. There is something commanding and elegant hiding under the sweetness. I feel like the world is mine when I wear this beautiful fragrance. Sometimes when I really want to stand fragrantly head & shoulders above the crowd I layer Alien The Taste of Fragrance over Amouage Dia Woman lotion. Seriously, you have no idea how magical a concoction it is.

Fragrantica

Divine EdP

There is something restrained and effortless about the slightly OTT aldehydic white floral glamour that is Divine EdP. It’s like CHANEL No 5s uber wealthy, less abrasive sister.Presence without pretence, Divine EdP manages to feel society luscious. A grande dame of a scent that sparkles and shimmers exactly like the most fabulous gowns.

My Saturday Question to you is:

Who would be your three Dressed Up Perfumes, where would you where them and why?

Trouble by Jacques Cavalier for Boucheron 2004

September 15, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Portia

Hiya Frag Heads,

From the man who brought us Kingdom, L’eau d’Issey, JPG Classique, Stella, Zanzibar and M7. The man who is now the head perfumer at Louis Vuitton. A fragrance that was panned by the critics, Luca Turin famously wrote it was a one star dismal oriental, a murky broth the colour of mud in which float shreds of past fragrances. Ouch! Harsh indeed. It may be all of that and a mess but I love it. Impossible to find nowadays I have stockpiled enough for this lifetime and the next.

Trouble by Boucheron 2004

Trouble by Jacques Cavalier

Trouble Boucheron Fragrantica Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Dyer’s-broom, Lemon
Heart: Jasmine
Base: Musk, Sandalwood

Trouble has been sitting unloved lately. I wore it a lot for years and then it got put in a box and ignored. Searching for something else I rediscovered my Trouble cache and now have worn it for at least part of three days running. The notes seem so straight forward, I’m pretty sure they’ve left out dozens of ingredients, but they are also irrelevant. I don’t smell the parts but the whole scent. Trouble smells like itself only to me and interestingly the fragrances that it’s most often compared to (Allure, Cinema, Addict) are not perfumes that I like for myself at all.

Trouble Boucheron Henri_Rousseau_-_Eve_in_the_Garden_of_Eden WikiMedia WikiMedia

An oriental fragrance with loads of amber and vanilla all the way through, a crunchy biscuit base accord, creamy white flowers and some soft focus woods are how my nose smells Trouble. Let’s be honest here it’s about as much trouble as a cuddle from a loving mother.

Longevity is excellent and though pretty linear it does head even more amber/woodsy in the base. Probably too thick and bombastic for modern workplaces and definitely interferes with your palate at dinner but for smelling fabulous while doing the vacuuming and housework I can think of no better glam scent to life you far above the hum of domestic boredom.

Trouble Boucheron Thomas_Cole_The_Garden_of_Eden_detail_Amon_Carter_Museum WikiCommons WikiMedia

Further reading: I Scent You A Day
eBay sometimes has bottles pop up

Do you have an ignored or soundly trashed fragrance in your favourites list?
Portia xx