Author: australianperfumejunkiescom

Oscar For Men by Oscar de la Renta 1977 (1999 re-release)

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

.

Guest Post by Margeaux

.

Hi all, and thanks for joining me for my very first Junkies review. Please be kind as I am new to discussing the smells that I have loved for some time or have just been recently introduced to. You may have seen me in some of the live sniff movies that have happened – my first was the Cher Uninhibited sniff that Portia and I did way back at the start of 2012. I tend to be quite conservative in what I will buy or try, and tend to stick to the big name fashion houses but slowly over time Portia and the rest of the APJ gang are schooling me on smelling all that the perfume world has to offer. What a great journey ahead of me!

Oscar For Men by Oscar de la Renta 1977 (1999 re-release)

OscarforMen FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin orange, fir resin, bergamot, pepper
Heart: Nutmeg, lily, lavender, jasmine, violet leaf, cloves, rose
Base: Leather, sandalwood, musk, balsam fir, vanilla, incense

So today I’m tackling a scent from one of fashion’s most iconic designers – Oscar de la Renta. This is one of his few men’s fragrances and what he lacks in quantity, he certainly makes up for with quality.  Oscar for Men was launched all the way back in 1977 but relaunched in 1999 so its far from new. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to rate so highly anymore over at ODLR as it doesn’t appear on the website at all – to find out anything about this one you’ll have to go to blogs and perfume sites.

But on to the scent itself, and it’s a lovely fresh, herbaceous fragrance, that is cool and even slightly aquatic to my nose. The opening notes remind me of walking through moss covered forests everything slightly wet underfoot but fresh smells wherever the wind wafts. After it settles down the freshness remains, but it becomes a more subtle blend of woods and pepper, and on my skin I still get just a hint of something sweet – not in a fruity way, but just with this tantalizing hint of sweetness like a not quite ripe granny smith apple perhaps. Still quite tart, but definitely some sugar in there too. When I close my eyes while smelling this, I get lots of images of forest greens rushing my mind.

HerbBouquet bynaturePhoto Stolen ByNature

I was initially disappointed with how long it lasted on my skin as I’m a pretty heavy spritzer to make sure I get a good stink happening, but the first go of this one seemed to disappear quite quickly. In more recent times as my nose is recovering function after many years of smoking, lo and behold, Oscar lasts a lot longer than I initially thought. Now I will often get a waft late into the afternoon that is quite charming, still woodsy fresh and appealing.

LinenSuit mens-fashion.lovetoknowPhoto Stolen mens-fashion.lovetoknow

Other reviewers have noted that this is a good fragrance for summer months and I would heartily agree. Its definitely not one you’d wear in the dead of winter but otherwise I’d be tempted to wear it just about any other time of year. I tend to headache pretty easily (JPG’s Man and the original Tommy Hilfiger were instant headaches for me) when a scent is simply too much, but this sits nicely after it dries so you should be good to wear it just about anywhere you want to.

CheapSmells has 100ml EdT from $26
MyPerfumeSamples from $2/ml.

Smell ya later sassy stinkers!

Margeaux xx

The Enchanted Forest by Bertrand Duchaufour for The Vagabond Prince 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

.

Guest Post by Jordan River

.

The Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince 2013

EnchantedForest EdP

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink pepper, aldehydes, sweet orange (traces), flower cassis, blackcurrant leaf, hawthorn, effects of rum and wine, rosemary, davana.
Heart: Blackcurrant buds absolute (by LMR from Grasse), CO2 blackcurrant (by Floral Concept from Grasse), Russian coriander seed, honeysuckle, rose, carnation, vetiver
Base: Opoponax resinoid, Siam benzoin, amber, oakmoss, fir balsam absolute, Patchouli Purecoeur®, castoreum absolute, cedar notes, vanilla, musk

Arvo 1.30pm I’m beaming as I stroll this enchanted forest. Straight off I hear John Muir say; “The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.” Will you stroll with me? These trees are giant blackcurrent bushes with super fragrant leaves and juicy juicy buds. The light rain is made of pink peppercorns sparking with aldehydes and sweet orange. Once this settles on your skin you feel energized and cleansed. Across the valley is an alembic aroma of wine or perhaps something stronger. Deeper into the heart of this forest you are walking on rose petals, past wild carnations and banks of vetiver until you come to The Balsam Fir Tree and a carpet of pine needles. This spot is where I paused and lay down for a fragrant rest after removing a log from my eye. Which you may need to do too, to appreciate this scent. A dream fragment of been snared by a dictator is chased away by a forest floor of myrrh resinoid, Siam benzoin, amber, oakmoss, castoreum absolute, cedar notes, vanilla, musk and a pure hearted patchouli. The dry down is blended to perfection so I can’t differentiate these base notes; I just inhale. This forest dances in green dappled light – there are no scary places here.

Berries

An absolute of blackcurrent buds strengthened with a CO2 extract of blackcurrent as well as two blackcurrent bases give this eau de parfum it’s solifruit character. No it doesn’t smell like Ribena though this may be your only real life blackcurrent reference. Nor is it sweet. A man or a woman could wear this anywhere knowing that they are wafting a unique fragrance that is right here and right now.

Enchanted Forest

Evening 5.30pm Susurrating nicely as a skin scent.

Those great lovers of perfume, the founders of fragrantica.com (2007), Elena Knezhevich and Zoran Knezevic commissioned this scent from Bertrand Duchaufour for the launch of their own perfume house called The Vagabond Prince. Perfumistas, this is an entire new Kingdom to explore. Flankers would be welcome so we can discover more in this Enchanted Forest. An Enchanted Vetiver would be nice. So would 50ml. The Vagabond Prince has promised us an encyclopedia of scent. Well, I’d go anywhere with a vagabond Prince, wouldn’t you? Predicting Awards, Accolades, and Acclamations for this original 2013 release. A great start to The Perfume Year.

For a more prismatic stroll you can walk this very same route with Kafkaesque or you could meander alongside Lanier.

Jovoy Paris has 100ml EdP for 140 Euros
Lucky Scent has $5 Samples

Enchanted Forest, Enchanté.
Jordan River

All product photos from The Vagabond Prince other photos authors own

1740 Marquis De Sade by Gérald Ghislain for Histoires de Parfums 2008

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

.

Guest Post by Michael

.

Hello fellow Fragaholics

For a kick off I thought I’d review one of my favourite fragrances and, dare I say it, a modern masterpiece –

1740 Marquis De Sade by Histoires de Parfums 2008

1740 is part of the Library of Scents range of Histoires de Parfums and inspired by the: “Birth year of a Parisian gentleman, named Donatien-Alphonse-François, which posterity remembers as the Marquis de Sade. For this man, whose licentious morals had him imprisoned many times, luxury rhymes with literature. The libertine writer would undoubtedly have enjoyed the audacity of this spiced wooded scent, an invitation to pleasure with its bergamot and Davana Sensualis hints, rounded with patchouli and everlasting flower.”

MarquisDeSade FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords::
Top: Bergamot, Davana Sensualis
Heart: Patchouli, Coriander, Cardamom
Base: Cedar, Birch, Labdanum, Leather, Vanilla, Elemi, Immortelle

This fragrance has wonderful depth and volume. The opening combines bergamot, coriander and the high register notes of cedre – you could not call this “fresh” however as sweetness, booziness, leather and naughty spices form the opening too. Cumin and cardamom play they’re dirty little games while the birch and woody notes support the leather undertones. I can understand why some might call out incense however it seems to be more of a fleeting impression than an actual part of the composition. There is a slight persistence of the softer bergamot elements between the opening and the mid offering a soft tone to the dryer spicy woody aspects.

Orgy, Illustration from Histoire de Juliette by the Marquis de Sade, 1797 art.comPhoto of Marquis de Sade Illustration Stolen art.com

The sweetness is a little syrupy but not cloying despite being reminiscent of maple syrup or molasses. The booziness is not entirely specific but it does give off a somewhat dry sweet liquor impression; something akin to oak aged rum or port pipe aged whisky.

1740 does not change drastically during wearing but the middle phase does see some development. The little there is of fresh notes retreat and the spices are turned down allowing a greater overall balance. The sweetness loses its syrupy edge and moves into a subtle amber accord. The tobacco and leather are still there in dryer incarnations. There is a slightly peppered note but I’m not sure if it’s black pepper or an aspect of the patchouli combining with the cumin and dry woods. Certainly it helps add to the perception of tobacco’s presence. This is where the fragrance is at its best– the warm Indian spices, immortelle , tobacco, dry leather and amber swim and dance on the skin and it smells oh so wonderful and comforting. It’s the olfactory equivalent of a big warm hug from your SO or burying your nose and forehead into the nape of your lover as you cuddle up at night.

LS008465Photo Stolen developmentagezim

The drydown sees a further drying of the composition. A somewhat gritty but non head shop patchouli has been at play all the way through but it seems more prominent now with the immortelle, spices, tobacco and leather still rumbling along, albeit at a lower volume. All in all a masterful unisex masculine; hah!

1740 has moderate projection and excellent longevity.

Further reading KatiePuckrikSmells and Olfactoria’sTravels
LuckyScent has 60ml/$125
SurrenderToChance starts at $5/ml

See you soon,
Michael

Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez 1962

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Hey APJ Family,

On this day in 2001 my Mum died, it was a years battle against leukemia and the leukemia won. She was a tough lady and fought hard for the first half of that year and then the fight seemed to go out of her completely. I have so much to thank her for and still randomly talk to her picture as if she is in the room. If ever I have had a conscience it is all due to her reprimands, which I can still hear today when I pee with the door open or don’t put my knife and fork down between mouthfuls or even choose unwisely in  love. I think she would approve of the current one though. Her unconditional love even though I was often an ungrateful, snide or screaming bundle of TNT, and constant vigilance over my future wellbeing has left a stamp upon me and I am so lucky that she chose me when I was a baby.

We were kids and always playing with dolls, cars, lego etc etc. One of our favourite games was dressing up the Barbies and putting Mum’s perfume on them so they smelt like they were really going out. You can see where this is going right? We thought that the little bottle was a toy bottle of perfume that Mum had put on her make up, jewellery and fragrance shelf in the wardrobe. What a cute little bottle, just the right size for the Barbies and that gorgeous technicolour reproduction of a Fragonard painting (Sorry, can’t find the original online and there seems to be much conjecture about the pic! I love drama). How could it not be meant for the Barbies?

I don’t remember Mum being angry or upset with us using it ALL on the Barbies, not like the time I dropped a 16oz bottle of Joy EdC or gave away a bottle of Shalimar to a girlfriend because she liked the gold toned case or a million other deserved rants.

Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez 1962

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rosemary, orange blossom, mandarin orange, cassia, jasmine, rose, neroli, bergamot, Bulgarian rose, lemon
Heart: Sandalwood, patchouli, lilac, orris root, vetiver, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, leather
Base: Tolu balsam, amber, musk, benzoin, civet, vanilla, cedar, resins

I have had the EdT of this in a modern incarnation for a while and I love to spritz its dirty great feline self on and go about my business but I have often been intrigued by the reasonable priced Extrait and ordered som. Well, it was the Barbies bottle!! OMG!!

This seems to be particularly dark juice and BOY does it take the back of your head off. Right at the start the cat is out of the bag and ready to roar!! All the flowers and citrus are completely overshadowed by a rich, dark purr of animal. After a short time the flowers decide it’s time to shine and fly in above the animal and do their very best in an orgy of florals, fruit and woods. What a fragrance! I love the powdery iris that takes control for a while and the bitter leather side by side with the ylang ylang. Bal a Versailles warm, sweet dry-down is also the welcome reprise of the animal with a lusty growl, till it becomes a purr of amber nothing. It doesn’t seem as intense as my memories of Barbies perfume but maybe my childhood nostrils were more acute, still this is a fragrance that you must try before you earn full perfumista stripes.

Versailles chateauversaillesPhoto Stolen chateauversailles

I get between 6-8 hours of fragrant bliss before I can detect only myself, even in the summer heat of Sydney today I’m pushing 6 hours and still growling. Wear this while at home for your own enjoyment. Leaving the house please take bodyguards.

Further reading MuseInWoodenShoes and ThePerfumePosse
Parfum1 starts at $12.50 for a 50ml Tester. This is where I found my Extrait but it is now sold out.
SurrenderToChance has all sorts starting at $3/ml but I particularly like the Vintage Parfum + EdC combo for $11

marieAntoinette habituallychicPhoto Stolen habituallychic

I’m wearing Bal a Versailles tonight to work. Let’s see if the punters can take the heat! Do you ever wear outrageoius scents just because? What is your fave and where would you really like to wear it that would be less than PC?

Off to splash some on now, see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

La Petite Robe Noire by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hello Fragrant Fume Family,

It’s no secret that I love house Guerlain. I enjoy their famous oldies, am constantly pleasantly surprised by many of their new releases and a few lately have had me gasping because they are so incredible. Somehow, though I love the movie that advertises today’s fragrance I thought I would hate it and that it was going to be basically a bad squeaky sugar dripping CelebuScent but at a higher price point.

It is my sister’s Birthday today so if you’re reading Jodie. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain 2011

LaPetiteRobeNoireGuerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Sicilian lemon, almonds, anise
Heart: Roses, raspberry macaroons, licorice
Base: Vanilla, patchouli, smoked tea, musk

There has been some exciting goings on with La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain. Originally small release, then a big release sequel and now a tweaked big release original. Guerlain light is how I want to describe what I smell on my skin. It is fruity, flirty and fun, smells expensive and modern but also pushes a few of my perfumista buttons. the opening is all the frightful fizzy sweet now frag but the almonds and anise give it a heft and warmth that is quite unexpected. Though it is a gourmand the raspberry macaroons and vanilla are only mildly bakery-ish, this is a slightly grown up, sophisticated version of what is a very mainstream acceptable fragrance. Thierry Wasser has walked a very fine line and while maintaining the integrity of the Guerlain history brings us, and the youth market that is moving on up from Bieber and Beyonce, something wholly wearable and wholly Guerlain, or should that read Holy Guerlain.

LittleBlackDresses frannyLovesMariiePhoto Stolen FrannyLovesMarie

Thomas at TheCandyPerfumeBoy notes that in this incarnation the rose steals the heart and I’m inclined to agree. A marvelous fruity and slightly spicy, honeyed rose that does a continued dance with the anise/licorice and the sugary, fruity macaroon. As the base comes through it is the vanilla and musk that really perform on my skin leaving a sweet laundry smell, more like the laundry liquid than the clean garments, over a vanilla. The patchouli must be washed clean because I barely notice it at all and very little smoke or tea. This could just be my skin and out weather here in Oz.

SpiritOfTheBlackDress polkadotbridePhoto Stolen polkadotbride

About 3-6 hours on different days of real fragrance and a little too fragrant for work I think unless you are the boss or not in close contact. Excellent dress up or date night wear and surprisingly for something skewed so feminine it is ripper on TSO Jin.

Further reading TheCandyPerfumeBoy and NowSmellThis
FragranceX has 100ml/$94
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $4/ml or $12/5ml

Do you ever believe something is going to be ghastly and then try it only to find out that it is lovely and wearable? You must have at least one story to share, please do in the comments below.

Till tomorrow. I’m off to have a cup of tea and a biscuit, really I feel I’ve earned it.
Loads of love,
Portia xx.

La Petite Robe Noire – GUERLAIN

Tropic Lime Vanille by Liz Zorn for Siovohle 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hey Fellow Fumies,

One of the things I love, and hate, about being a fragrance addict is short release fragrances, usually summer releases that stay for one season. Sometimes they are rebottlings, flankers or in very special cases a whole new fragrance that a niche perfumer may only make one batch of.

Tropic Lime Vanille by Liz Zorn for Siovohle 2012

TropicLimeVanille SOIVOHLEPhoto Stolen SOIVOHLE

BaseNotes gives these featured accords:
Top Notes: Lime, linden (lime) blossom, coconut
Middle Notes: Jasmine, apricot, white violet, clean linen, petigrain sur fleur
Base Notes: Bourbon vanilla, benzoin, musk

From Liz Zorn’s blog (edited): A completely new formulation. Tropic Lime Vanille is a fun summery indulgence. It is a refreshing scent that has just enough of the creaminess from the coconut and apricot notes to keep it from being too flimsy, and enough of the citrus to keep it light. My goal was to weave that lime essence as far into the dry-down as possible. I love lime, it is one of my favorite things. so it is really the centerpiece here.

For a refreshing spritz or a memory of summer and holidays abroad there is no better fragrance than Tropic Lime Vanille. The instant burst of lime and coconut is a burst of energy for the enervating long days of summer, yesterday it was 42C (108F) here in Sydney, still 35C (95F) when I came home from work at 10pm!! Seriously hot weather folks and after I’d taken my gear off and had a swim it seemed the only choice.

TLVanille CaFleurBonPhoto Stolen CaFleurBon

After the initial citrus and creamy coconut opening the fruit and flowers settle very nicely and quietly. I become nearly anosmic to the scent but if I return to my office after making a cup of coffee or a chat the smell is glorious. Jin says it leaves a wonderful soft sillage too, or when I’ve been sitting with him for a minute or so he’ll say that I smell lovely. Interesting huh?

The vanilla end starts from early in the heart and slowly takes over Tropic Lime Vanille as the other ingredients burn off leaving and very soft musky vanilla that is only a smidge of scent overlain on my own skin. This takes around 4 hours in summer but a bit longer in the cooler weather. This morning after sleeping in that terrible heat with the AC on till 3am I can still smell something good that isn’t me and it’s 10am. Just  the merest something that is nothing better.

CoconutLime fallForwardPhoto Stolen FallingForward

Recently Liz Zorn has refined the SOIVOHLE range to Absolutes and Demi-Absolutes and you can find her incredibly beautiful and interesting works on the SOIVOHLE site.
There is a limited amount of Tropic Lime Vanille in the Clearance Section of the site 15ml EdT for $15 BE QUICK!!
They have a fantastic selection and the sample program is really good too. Check out my faves: TOBACCO & TULLE, LEATHER KREM, ANUBIS

Which short term fragrances have you loved and maybe do you miss? Have you tried SOIVOHLE’s fragrances? Tell us in the comments, we love a chat.

See you tomorrow,
Till then do something thoughtful for yourself,
Portia xx

Something fun and uplifting to go with Tropic Lime Vanille. Danni Minogue does Put The Lime In The Coconut

Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant by Sylvaine Delacourte and Christine Nagel for Guerlain 2008

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Another split that has taken me a while to get my review sniffer onto, thanks again Ruth K from FFF, and Sydney has turned inexplicably cold just so I could feel really comfortable rocking a fully fledged glorious Oriental in Summer (honestly! Who am I kidding? I wear anything ANYTIME the mood grabs me!). For all the Northern Hemisphere people this will be a super dooper winter WINNER!

Oriental Brulant by Guerlain 2008

OrientalBrulant fragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tangerine
Heart: Almond
Base: Tonka bean, styrax, vanilla

Tangerine? Nope. Nougat? YES!! Maybe some citrus but it is a soft counterpoint to almond essence and vanilla/tonka beans. MMMM This is gourmand but not sweet, sweet. Bakery but the combined smell of a bakery, not the foodstuffs themselves. Maybe the dream of a bakery or a cartoon one. What does happen though is a fabulous fragrance that has enormous scent bubble and sillage while not being a punch in the face. Oriental Brulant is a sheer, seductive vanillic force of nature that makes even me feel pretty and feminine, like the seductress below. Less confrontational than its older sister Shalimar yet still with that enthralling super waft of vanilla cleanness. Like a very fit athletes skin after a shower, but even more delicious. Quite linear but with a little extra warmth and depth through its long dry down, over 6 hours.

Also very girlish, young and accessible scent that would be a super great Sweet 16 or 21st Birthday first fine fragrance, if you can meet the price tag. There is also an underlying sophistication to Oriental Brulant that will appeal to the more mature woman and a nod back to the old days of perfumery while being bang up to date. Now that it’s gone onto my skin it’s surprising how quickly the decant is emptying, I think 4ml of 10 is gone. I think a likeable, loveable, cuddly, delicious, sensual, easy, go-to scent for cool weather but wearable even in Sydney summer.

Underneath the review you’ll find a recipe that will give you a very similar scent, if you like the cake then the fragrance will bowl you over.

Woman layOutSparksPhoto Stolen LayoutSparks

Further reading TheNonBlonde and OlfactoriasTravels
PoshPeasant starts at $6.50/ml
From your Guerlain counter you can grab 2.5oz/75ml for $250, not sure about Australia

Have you tried Oriental Brulant? Any of the Charnal Elixers from Guerlain? What did you think? Would you like to? Why?

Till tomorrow I wish only the good stuff for you,
Portia xx

Carrot, Almond and Orange Cake

CarrotAlmondOrangeCake Taste.com.auStolen from Taste.com.au

  • Melted butter, to grease
  • 1 orange, unpeeled, coarsely chopped, deseeded
  • 150g butter, melted
  • 155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 (about 320g) carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
  • 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
  • 1 x 110g pkt almond meal
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 50g (1/2 cup) flaked almonds
  • Double cream, to serve
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper.
  2. Place the orange in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the butter, sugar and eggs and process until well combined. Add the carrot, flour, almond meal and baking powder and process to combine.
  3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Top with flaked almonds. Bake in oven for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 1 hour to cool. Cut into wedges and serve with cream.

Paris Hilton Fairy Dust by Cecile Krakower 2008

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hey Fragrance Fiends,

I have a fragrance find for you all. You will probably be outraged that I even put this Drug Store dross here on a fine fragrance blog. I’m not sure I’m 100% thrilled at myself. Back up a few months, early last year, I tried for a gag one of the Paris Hilton line of fragrances. It was deeply discounted and you know, what the hell right? Tragically I LOVED it. Loved the damn thing SICK!! Bought a bottle of it and wear it quite a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I knew and still know it’s crap. It smells AWESOME on, and to, me though and I’ll be damned if I’ll give up frag enjoyment to snob value. Some of you are nodding, others are retching violently. It was a bitter pill for me to swallow too. That was Siren, now there’s another and I swear they put something addictive in this stuff because I CAN’T GET ENOUGH!!

Paris Hilton Fairy Dust 2008

FairyDust FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the featured accords:
Top: Pink peony, orange blossom
Heart: Gardenia, peach nectar, lotus
Base: Patchouli, cashmere, musk, vanilla cream

So, mildly funny story. I thought this was a rose perfume before I read the notes list. HA HA HA!! That’s how perfectly indistinguishable this fragrance is. It opens waxy and orange blossom with a slight greenness. It stays like this for around a quarter of an hour or so with a borderline breathiness, underneath that though there is a rich fruity rose smell, like one from your garden. Apricot Nectar is the name of the rose that this reminds me of and when I read that it’s peach and lotus it kind of makes sense to me, the gardenia could easily be a part of the orange blossom, an extension rather than its own note. Then Fairy Dust becomes a waxy super clean patchouli and vanilla. I get 3-4 hours, sometimes longer.

If you wear Fairy Dust you could easily get away with saying the fragrance is your fabric softener clinging tenaciously to your clothes. There is something very clean laundry about it. That sounds like I hate it but I’m thoroughly addicted. I’m going to go respritz right now!!

FairyDust parksonPhoto Stolen Parkson

Further reading NowSmellThis and CelebrityPerfumeStore
FragranceShop has 100ml/$16
MyPerfumeSamples start at $2/ml but I became hooked with 5ml for $6

Do you ever feel fragrance shame? Maybe feel like you are letting all the incredible niche perfumers down? I certainly do and would love to hear your stories of loving the Dark Fragrances… Come out of that closet and share.
Loads of love.
Portia xx

Portrait Of A Lady by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle 2010

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

.

Gabriella

.
Hello fellow perfume lovers!

The advent of another new year has got me thinking about all the wonderful things that have happened to me over the past 12 months. Perfume-wise, it has been amazing, bringing me experiences that I would have never thought possible just a year ago. Not only did I meet the lovely Portia, start blogging and talking to all you wonderful people, but I bought my first vintage perfume (Chloe), acquired a Serge Lutens bell jar, added wondrous things to my collection, finally swooned over Mitsouko and also fell completely in love with a perfume that I had previously completely and utterly loathed.

Portrait Of A Lady by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle 2010

Portrait of a Lady FragranticaPhoto stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Clove, cinnamon, rose, black current, raspberry
Heart: Incense, sandalwood, patchouli
Base: Musk, amber, benzoin

News of Portrait’s launch a couple of years ago sent the perfume blogosphere into a spin but some were disappointed at first sniff and due to the fact that it was yet another oriental composition dominated by rose and patchouli. I was one of those people. Upon my first test, it did indeed fail to move me. Portrait was just OK, a bit ho-hum and I was deeply frustrated. I love Frederic Malle and especially Ropion’s creations, but Portrait seemed lacklustre against the rest of the treasures in the line. And why yet another rose when the line up already included Une Rose and Lipstick Rose?

Earlier this year, I got the temptation to revisit it. One evening, I tentatively dabbed some from a sample before heading out for dinner with Mr M. Mr M was in raptures and proclaimed his love instantly, but Portrait was so overwhelming I couldn’t concentrate on eating. It was practically screaming at me: “Rose, spices, oud, berries, patchouli!” in a discordant, off-key coloratura. It almost made me feel queasy.

How things change. Recently, I have been falling in love with darker scents and was tempted to sample Portrait again, both on skin and on a card. It was magic. Portrait’s screechiness was now a beautiful aria on my skin; the scent strip lying in my living room sending me into raptures each time I walked in. I was smitten.
The real beauty of this creation for me is that it is a perfect union of seemingly opposites: voluptuous Middle Eastern opulence and poised elegance.

NicoleKidman GuardianPhoto Stolen Guardian

Luscious raspberries and blackcurrant open the composition with a tart but slightly bruised quality as if they have been macerated, dripping viscous red and purple juices. Then there’s the rose, but it’s not a fresh dewy rose, but deep and rich. Its black petals thick and warm against the skin; the plushest black velvet enveloping the skin in a warm embrace. The composition then begins its journey into its Arabian Nights movement with oud and cinnamon the perfect support act for the rose; the scent of a souk in the early twilight of a summer’s evening. The rose, spices, oud and patchouli are seamless here in their harmony, no one note dominating the overall chorus.
The drydown for me is why Portrait of a Lady is called thus: the rose become gentler, the patchouli and oud soften their volume and the presence of musk gives the perfume a dusky elegance.

Since discovering this newfound love, I have been testing many dark roses for a comparison as one of the initial complaints about Portrait was that the dark rose oud patchouli thing had been done so many times before. But I’d have to argue that Portrait is special amongst these compositions: it weaves its intricate harmony so beautifully and stoically that it stands alone.

Lady oddballfilmsPhoto Stolen oddballfilms

For other reviews, please see NowSmellThis and for another equally enthusiastic take KatiePuckrikSmells
Portrait of a Lady is available at Mecca Cosmetica, Barneys and Les Senteurs.
SurrenderToChance start at $9/ml

Have you tried Portrait of a Lady? What are your favourite dark rose perfumes? Are there any perfumes that have gone from hate to love for you?
With much love till next time,
M x