Bois d’Oud by Detaille 2014 + GIVEAWAY

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Portia

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Hey APJers,

You may remember that I met the owner of Detail and his wife at the Milan hotel we stayed in for Esxence? Louis and his wife Christine. He was so sweet and passionate about their fragrances. Even made one of the newest range especially for Christine, with her involvement. She was wearing it to breakfast so proudly.

As we chattered over breakfast about his company Louis told me that they’d released some new fragrances recently. I tried a couple but the one I liked for me was Bois d’Oud. He gave me a bottle right there on the spot and Jin & I have both enjoyed wearing it since then.

Bois d’Oud by Detaille 2014

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Agarwood (oud), bergamot, labdanum
Heart: Saffron, cedar
Base: Tobacco, agarwood (oud), cedar, patchouli

As I was wearing Bois d’Oud I was telling him what I thought I smelled. Synth oud, loads of pencil shaving cedar, honey & patchouli. Well, I was almost all correct and Louis was thrilled that I had been able to place some notes. Really he was a complete gent.

Bois d’Oud opens with a lightly fecal synth oudh that quickly calms into a animalic, creamy, resinous labdanumwith only hints of the oudishness. Very nice, comfortable, easy. Then the cedar mines in underneath and you can smell it almost rising through thew scent to become front & centre. It’s beautifully played and smells good to me.

 

As the hours pass the tobacco, which smells delightfully honeyed and browned, and patchouli float through. Patchouli is pretty clean, no headshop shenanigans going on here and all backed by a soft blur of creamy oud. Smooth, the whole fragrance is very smooth.

It’s a nice, wearable, synth oud. Not too skanky, won’t scare the Grandmas or the teens away, and has a very comfortable wear. Bois d’Oud is not a groundbreaking perfume, won’t challenge the wearer and is at the cleaner end of the oud spectrum. It is a very nice version of what it does though.

Detaille has €90/50ml

 

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml decant of Bois d’Oud by Detaille
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 tell us your current favourite woods or oud fragrance? 

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 19th April 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 Wednesday 26th April 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

You Or Someone Like You GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Portia

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Hey Hey Crew,

Thanks to ELdO and Chandler Burr for their incredible generosity. Good luck in the giveaway.

Portia xx

You Or Someone Like You GIVEAWAY WINNERS

LuckyScent has it from $52/30ml + Samples

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 10 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of You Or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 16th April 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Jane

JackieB

Susan Farber

Nilam5688

Neva

Koyel

Kate Apted

Jaybee

Fazal

Gina

The winners will have till Sunday 23rd April 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

Scent Diary 10.4 – 16.4.17

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Portia

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Hi There APJ,

Scent Diary 10.4 – 16.4.17

Monday 10:

It’s 3am and I just got a call from Jin who has travelled with the family to Vienna to board a flight to South Korea with our sister in law’s ashes. Korean Air was able to find seats for them all on a flight today at extremely short notice. From Incheon Airport they will take two trains to get to Jin’s hometown near Busan in the south. The rest of his family and hers will all meet at the station and tomorrow there will be a service.

Below is a photo of us all together a month ago in Zilina, Slovakia. Our sister in law making the peace sign. How can this smart, funny, beautiful and sweet woman be gone? We are the wreckage left behind. So sad.

So now I’m wide awake and I have a LOT of Lolita Lempicka EdP on. I reek of it because when I got home and got out of drag I resprayed myself heavily. I’m not bored but I think I’d like to add some extra nuance so I’m going with Mon Guerlain. I think it’s basic lavender/toffee/cake batter will play nicely beside the LLs Fizzy Drink. Yeah, I bought it. No, I don’t hate it but I do feel it’s a pretty close fit to Oriental Brulant if you trade out citrus for lavender. The bottle is wonderful though, perfect packaging. I’m expecting Mon Guerlain Noir in a black version next.

Today was a complete write off. Slept. Spoke to Jin and a couple of mates.

Tonight I got up and did some blogging, about to write Trivia Q&A. My mind is mush, doing the best I can. Ate the last of my Curried Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup. Suddenly I am alive.

Tuesday 11:

4.30am and I’ve just finished this weeks Trivia Q&A. I know it sounds late but I particularly like to work at this time in the night. My brain gets this weird late night focus and things that would take forever in the day time take half the time and I do a better job of it too. My Trivia Q&A scent tonight was Amoureuse by Parfums DelRae, freakiest damn lily I ever smelled. So good and beautiful, it’s thick and ropey with this amazingly dense floatiness. This is my second bottle, if anyone has one they’re not loving let me know, I’ll buy it.

Spent today doing office work with Scott before getting ready for work. Wore Palissander d’Or by Aedes de Venustus woodsy deliciousness through the day.

Then for work I wore vintage Nina EdT by Nina Ricci. Smelled unbelievably fabulous through work and kept getting lavish huffs of myself. Weirdly, no one noticed it at all.

Wednesday 12:

Today was the birthday of one of my most loved, enduring friendships. We lived together in the late 80s- early 90s and have remained constant buddies through continental changes, marriages, divorces, kids and all sorts of excitement. I made her wedding dress, TinaG and I are godparents to her beautiful son and fortuitously she happened to be in Sydney for her birthday this year so a small core of her family and close buddies congregated at our place in Parramatta for lunch. Loads of laughs, champagne, food, tea, baklava and the warmth of hanging with wonderful people were the order of the day. TinaG & I went shopping together for the party.

Jin is coming home today from South Korea. Getting on the plane. Will be home by midday tomorrow. I’m so happy that I’m getting a bit emotional.

Thursday 13:

Jin arrived home. He is tired and wretched. He basically lay on the lounge like Camille all day snoozing on & off. He gets a couple of days of this before he goes back to work. He is so worn out that he has refused to meet friends or go anywhere.

Wearing Umbra by Ramon Monegal during the day.

Got ALL the bought and gifted bottles from the Europe 2017 holiday out and took a pic today, did a post about it. Kind of made myself sick at my own gluttony.

For work I wore Burberry Brit Woman EdP & Extrait. I smelled bloody gorgeous. So good I then respritzed before bed.

Friday 14:

Woke up with a stinking sinus headache. OMG! I feel like my heads left hand side is about to explode. So instead of perfume I decided to scent the house with Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Soup. Smells really good. Hope it tastes so yummy when cooked.

OK so my headache persisted till 4pm when I could take it no more and took some pain relief tablets. It’s so rare for me to get such a monumental ouch headache that I usually can ride them out but not today. Blessed relief.

Wearing Etat Libre d’Orange: You Or Someone Like You made with Chandler Burr. Yeah, kooky and fun, very ELdO. Review to come.

Saturday 15:

Bloody Hell! It’s 4.30am, I’m for bed. A quadruple chest spritz of Jacomo Silences PdT and I’m off. NIGHT!

Today we are off to get our dogs back home from the kennels. Jin and I didn’t wan’t to collect them because they really do have a master each and we were worried that Jinx would be upset without Jin home. I’m pretty excited to have them home. I wore my vintage Miss Dior EdT today, perfect warm autumn day fragrance.

Went over to my BFF Kath’s house. She was minding a beautiful ginger cat called Mango for a friend of a friend while he moved to Melbourne from Sydney. Anyway, this asshole gets to Melbourne and tells Kath she should keep him or send him to the pound. So now she is looking for a new home for Mango, sadly she is highly allergic to cats or she’d keep him. What is it with some people, imagine leaving your fur baby like that?

Anyone in Sydney want a gorgeous, people and other pet friendly, house trained, healthy, inside cat. Not to be let outside. He had a car accident a while back so his face is a little lopsided but otherwise heaven. Softest little purr I ever heard.

Perfect Easter Saturday night. Sushi Train dinner with Jin who is still way too tired to be photographed, walked the dogs, hit the blogs and now a sky high bubble bath in the Bath and Body Works Anti-Stress bubbles and a cuppa in my Free Parking mug that I got for Christmas. This is about as comfortably happy as I get, blissful evening.

After the bath and in honour of meeting Mango today I wore my super spectacular pussy cat socks. Fragrance provided by my sample of Rose Omeyyade by Atelier des Ors. A very interesting gourmand, fruity rose backed by a deep and mysterious creamy oriental oud base. Clever and beautiful.

Sunday 16:

Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Jin & I only slept till about 7.30am. For a treat I went and brought the dogs in and we all slotted around the bed for another hour. Jin manages to snore like a steam train even with the dogs on board. I love the sound, it soothes me and I feel so relaxed with it.

L’Eau d’Ambre by L’Artisan Perfumeur today. Smells great! Mine is the older bottle but the new one smells good too.

Today is also Jin’s first time seeing our mates since his return. We are having Yum-Cha and then seeing BFF Kath’s parents. I’ve made them some of my Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Soup.

Done. Now I’m going to be a lazy sloth.

So what did you all get up to this week? Smell anything new or go back to an old favourite? What about Easter? Do anything for that?
Portia xxx

You Or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange

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Portia

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Hi Lovers of NEW!

Yesterday we chatted about You Or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr + Etat Libre d’Orange 2017. It’s brand new, only just appeared at LuckyScent and Chandler sent me a bottle. Suddenly last night after the review went live I thought, how churlish I am not offering a GIVEAWAY! So though we don’t post here at APJ on Saturdays anymore I thought maybe I could make an exception so some of you could get to try it too.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Scents Memory
LuckyScent
has it from $52/30ml + Samples

You Or Someone Like You GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 10 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of You Or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange
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 tell us any of the Etat Libre d’Orange scents you like or if you’ve read any of Chandler’s books and enjoyed them? 

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 16th April 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 Sunday 23rd April 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

You Or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr + Etat Libre d’Orange 2017

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Portia

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Hey Crew,

I got home from my holiday to find a box awaiting pick up. I had no idea who the sender was but guessed it was fragrant in nature. There were also a couple of messages in my email inbox from Chandler Burr. That’s kind of unusual because he has been holding radio silence lately. So when I opened them and saw that he has creative directed a fragrance with the kooky crew from ELdO I was immediately on high alert.

Based on the heroine of his book You Or Someone Like You, a rollicking read that I found provocative, informative and unpretentious. The ad copy is just as provocative but lacks information thus presenting itself as audaciously pretentious. From the Press release: I find that the smells mesmerize. Astringent mint/green of eucalyptus, wild jasmine from vines climbing the stop signs, catalyzed car exhaust, hot California sunlight on ocean water (although “You” contains no jasmine, eucalyptus, car exhaust; if you need to know what it’s made of, “You” is not for you).
When Etat Libre d’Orange approached me about creative directing, my perfumer Caroline Sabas and I created not a “perfume” — people in Los Angeles don’t wear perfume – but a specific scent, the scent someone like Anne would wear, this woman high in the Hollywood hills, imported like the palms into this blue air.

Nevertheless, if head-up-your-ass ad-copy was a problem for me I’d definitely not be loving the perfume industry as much as I do. So I took all of that with a grain of salt and went to the box.

You Or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange 2017

You Or Someone Like You by Caroline Sabas

So, though the idea is to wear this scent experientially, I know you want to know what it smells like. Sharp herbaceous green opens. Like a tart unripe orange and grapefruit with the green of basil, cardamom and grass. Mint! There is a minty note running through too. There is no note list so I’m guessing here, we’ll all have a good laugh at my guesses when the note list is revealed. There is an awkward creamy note that is disturbing and alluring, like matcha tea.

Not long in and a spiky green that really does seem like eucalyptus comes through and suddenly I’m transported to bush walks through the Australian Mallee Scrub with the Cadets as a boy. Also we had a Wildflower Park and National Park not too far from where we grew up and we would picnic in them as a family.

I like that ELdO have allowed this slightly freaky niche fragrance to be born. The first couple of hours You Or Someone Like You doesn’t sit quietly and comfortably but there is always a lightly curdled feeling running through. Later in the development there feels like definite references to the LA air seen and smelled from the pinnacle of the Hollywood Hills. There is also the warmth and cool of lying in the sun with a foot or hand draped into the pool.

Dry down is a soft focus creamy-mint with a shitload of white musks, nothing particularly distinctive but it smells nice enough and hums away in the background for hours.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Scents Memory
LuckyScent
has it from $52/30ml + Samples

Then there is the final question. “Is it art Chandler?”

Does this read like something you’d try?
Portia xx

 

 

 

Holiday Bought & Gifted Full Bottles Europe 2017

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Portia

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Dear Fragrance Lovers,

By now you all know the extent of my sickness. well, it’s all brought home here in this series of photos. This is the combined collection of full bottles, some new and some bought second hand, that I acquired through our months adventures. Yes, I am appalled, no I’m not sorry.

Holiday Bought & Gifted Full Bottles Europe 2017

Here they all are lined up.

TOP: Nivea EdP, Ramon Monegal Umbra
BASE: Rose Oud by Yves Rocher, Aether Methaldone, Parfum d’Empire Equistrius, DIOR Mitzah, Mon Guerlain, Ulrich Lang Lightscape

TOP: Terre D’Hermès Parfum, Annick Goutal Ambre Fétiche, Hermès Cologne collection, Guerlain Cologne Travel Set, Hermès Eau de Marveilles Blue
BASE: Atelier Cologne Trefle Pur, Aedes de Venustas Palissander d’Or, A*Men, Guerlain Santal Royal, e_o Bogue, Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon,

TOP: Parfum d’Empire Tabac Tabou (2016), Le Galion Travel Set
BASE: Bois d’Oud by Detail, Vero Profumo Kiki extrait, LM Aldheyx

Yes, I’m a disgusting glutton. Yes, my credit cards are groaning under the weight. Yes, it will be Ramen noodles for a while. Yes, I’m glad I did it. Yes, there are reviews coming.

Did you shop in March? What lovelies did you get?
Portia xx

 

 

 

Methaldone GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Portia

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Hey Crew,

So glad to be home and have giveaways again. Thanks for getting involved.
Portia xx

Methaldone GIVEAWAY WINNERS

 

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Metallic notes, incense, amber, woody notes, resins, musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml decant of Methaldone by Aether Parfums
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 12th April 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners were chosen by random.org

Lillibet

BBMc

Alice

The winners will have till Wednesday 19th April 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

New York Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Nicolai Parfumeur Createur 2014

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Anne-Marie

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Hi all!

Have you ever sold or given away a perfume, only to regret it later? I bet you have!

I once re-homed a 5ml decant of New York by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur. This was the original EDT version, not the Intense (EDP) which came out in 2014. I liked the citrusy and aromatic aspect, but something about the spices bothered me. It felt very dry and scratchy and, well, hot … like a spice market on a hot day. It was like the perfume was burning into my skin.

I had no regrets giving it away until about two years ago when, having smelled a lot of other fragrance in the meantime, I got curious. What did that stuff smell like again? I was a bit too lazy to act on this question, but I brooded on it all the same.

Finally I’ve had the chance to snap up a large decant, this time of the Intense.

New York Intense by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur 2014

New York Intense by Patricia de Nicolai

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, lemon, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, pimento, oakmoss, vetiver, amber.

New York Intense arrived today and although I’ve only had it on a few hours, I’m delighted with the re-acquaintance. Citrus and herbaceous notes are as intriguing as ever, but the spices seem a bit less prominent, allowing the smooth ambery base to make itself felt. Maybe because of this, the fragrance seems less solidly masculine than I remember. A lot of Fragranctica readers detect oakmoss. Really? I don’t get any at all. But I’ll see how things go over more wearings. I definitely get a subtle whiff of vanilla, which I like. Also, the longevity is better.

PDI

This is how the Intense strikes me. I can’t do a direct comparison of the two versions but if you have, do comment.

For various reasons, good reasons, we prune our collections to share them, spray forward, or to create space and raise a few dollars for other stuff. Perhaps we keep a sample for reference, although I admit I’ve never been that organised.

I don’t think I’ve ever had any terrible regrets, just a small sense of loss occasionally. After all, there’s a good chance that the lost one will find its way back to you if it is meant to be, as it was in this case for me.

WikiCommons

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies
LuckyScent has $62/30ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $5/ml

So what about you? Have you managed to reclaim some gems you had let go? How did it work out?
Until next time everyone, keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie

Naja by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2017

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Salutations APJ

It might be fair to say that Vero Kern considers NAJA to be the jewel in her superb collection of fragrances. A triumph celebrating ten years of the .vero.profumo. perfume house. This is no mean feat in an age of disposable scents and the ‘here today, gone tomorrow, and forgotten’ releases. Behind the facade of promising pictures, engaging copy, and olfactive promises from hell to breakfast, this is one bitch of a business to be involved in.

I have observed the pleasure and the pain in watching Vero bringing NAJA to life. It is the inclusion of a small part of Vero Kern´s soul in each of her perfumes that give them their strength and vitality. How can one create with no heart?

The origin of NAJA is the Sanskrit NĀGA, pronounced with a hard “g”, meaning snake. NAJA is the genus of venomous snakes known as cobras. Vero took the attributes of these serpents as the inspiration for her jubilee creation, with their embodiment of two opposing symbols. Healing and death, order and chaos, life and destruction. Shamanism is a practice that involves the practitioner reaching an altered state of consciousness, a trance, to practice divination and healing. Tobacco is considered to be one of the shamans’ most powerful drugs and is found in many of their rituals.

Naja by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2017

Naja: Vero Profumo 10 Year Jubilee Scent: Floral Tobacco

Tobacco absolute. Linden blossom. Osmanthus absolute. Melon. A combination of contradictory elements.

GREEN, FLORAL AND TROPICAL! Let´s think South America, Caribbean, New Orleans. NAJA opens with a remarkable lime green surge, which is made up of Vero´s own citrus accord, including both neroli oil and bergamot. The neroli is sweet, and somewhat metallic with a green and piquant dimension, the bergamot both zesty and floral. Spices in the background, enhancing the lushness. Continuing the idea of contradiction the linden adds a bright floral as well as a honeyed shading, the osmanthus a flowery suede. As a consequence of Vero Kern´s understanding as both an aromatologist and aromatherapist, the tobacco absolute spreads its aromatic, golden and therapeutic warmth, and depth of character throughout NAJA.

“Take me in tender woman
Take me in, for heaven´s sake
Take me in tender woman,” sighed the snake
“I saved you,” cried the woman
“And you´ve bitten me, but why?
You know your bite is poisonous and now I`m going to die”
“Oh shut up, silly woman,” said the reptile with a grin
“You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in …..”
The Snake. Written by Oscar Brown Junior. Sung by Al Wilson.

I am indebted to Vero for having been allowed on the NAJA journey over the last two years, with all of its ups and downs.

Further reading: Bonkers About Perfume and A Bottled Rose
LuckyScent will have Naja when it comes in

have you tried any of the Vero Profumo scents yet? Have a favourite?

Jubilant Bussis
CQ

Methaldone by Rodrigo Flores-Roux for Aether 2017

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Portia

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Heya Fumies,

Life is a roller coaster. Jin and I had the most amazing trip around Europe last month. One of the highlights was catching up with Nicolas and Enno. They are the guys behind Le Galion and Aether Parfums. We took them out to Jin’s favourite Korean restaurant in Paris because we love them. Clever, funny, handsome and really passionate men about their fragrance, lives, love; just about everything. Seeing them is always a joy.

Methaldone by Aether 2017

Methaldone by Rodrigo Flores-Roux

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Metallic notes, incense, amber, woody notes, resins, musk

The Aether perfumes line is dedicated to using only captured molecules and they have done a very interesting job with this one. Methaldone is created to the brief of recreating the scent of hot metal.

My nose smells sparklers and cooking popcorn. So that’s my experience and these two leading images last in  my head for the first hour or so until the fragrance warms through with resins and sweet amber coming up from underneath and gradually taking over. Personally I am loving the way it smells and the way it lingers so tenaciously, especially on clothes and you’ll need to wash them before the scent goes. My washing basket has never smelt so good.

As you can see in the pic I’ve already used quite a lot of my bottle, it’s YUMMY!

I wore Methaldone last weekend to a party where it got 3 unsolicited compliments, which rarely happens for me in party situations. One friend coming in for an extra cuddle so they could smell it more. So Methaldone is a WIN!

Surprisingly for something that sounds so out there it is remarkably wearable and would be a superb go-to scent for everyday wearings.

Below we have a fab giveaway, thanks to Nicolas & Enno, get to it
Portia xx

 

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml decant of Methaldone by Aether Parfums
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 tell us where you would like to wear Methaldone 

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 12th April 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 Wednesday 19th April 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