Lumiere Noire Pour Homme by Francis Kurkdjian for Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2009

November 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Niche Nerds,

Few perfume creators get as much respect and adoration as Francis Kurkdjian. From his early Le Male for JPG and Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea, through Elie Saab Le Parfum and Narciso Rodriguez For Her to his own eponymous line we have watched and smelled a man in love with orange blossom create some of the most memorable scents of his time, and some dross but let’s ignore that today. I thought that with LVMH circling to buy the brand that I might look at the few MFK fragrances I have in my collection over the next few weeks. I was happily surprised for Francis Kurkdjian to read that the business is generating 25 million euros per annum, that’s quite a slug of money for what my mind had pegged as a small niche house. I hope LVMH pays through the nose but my advice is to buy what you love ASAP because LVMH is a monster and the whole line will be castrated beyond recognition.

Lumiere Noire Pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2009

Lumiere Noire Pour Homme by Francis Kurkdjian

Fragrantica

Maison Francis Kurkdjian gives these featured accords:
Spiced Rose, cumin, cinnamon, patchouli, mugwort herb

My Lumiere Noire Pour Homme is from a decant I bought in a split a year or so ago. Of the 10ml I have used about 2ml in the intervening time, which is pretty normal for something that I really liked but did not go DooLally over. If I had less fragrance choice there would be much more of it gone. Now I think part of the reason that I didn’t go especially crazy over Lumiere Noire Pour Homme is because I don’t seem to get the same ride as everyone else in the blogs professes to have had. My skin throws such a different set of scents that I was wrong footed by the unexpected. So let’s look at how my skin and nose read it and later in the comments you can tell me how it smells for you.

WikiCommons

Roses? Chance would be a fine thing. I hardly get any bloody roses. My skin throws radiant patchouli, lightly herbaceous greenery, soft focus clean cumin and resins, balmy smooth, cool and comforting resins that smell like they have a hint of fluffy, old fashioned musks running through them. Maybe even a whisper of white flower washing everything clean. It smells great in an elegant, understated way and lasts forever on my skin but all the dark roses completely pass me by.

Lumiere Noire Pour Homme does smell expensive and though I’m fully fragrant it manages to feel under the radar and I would really like to spray it on one of my friends after a workout to see how it smells on muscleman.

Wikipedia

Further reading: Fragrance Daily and Memory of Scent
LuckyScent has $195/75ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $4/ml

So, have you tried Lumiere Noire Pour Homme? How did it smell for you?
Portia xx

Melbourne Launch of Penhaligon’s Portraits Collection

November 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Heya Melbourne crew,

Nick from Libertine Parfumerie asked me to pass along this invitation to you guys for Wednesday 30th November. It looks like it will be a fabulous evening and a great way to get your sniff on the newest range with the outrageous brass animal caps. You can see my reviews of the Penhaligon’s Portraits Collection. RSVP dan@agencedeparfum.com.au cost is $49/person redeemable against cost of any of the Galerie de Parfum range.

Portia xx

Melbourne Launch of Penhaligon’s Portraits Collection

Fragrantica

Diorissimo EdT vintage by Edmond Roudnitska for DIOR 1956

November 28, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 45 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Vintage Lovers,

Recently a family that I know had a tough decision, their mother/grandmother finally went to a home. Alzheimers has ravaged her mind and sadly it was becoming impossible for the family to keep her with them. Interestingly, she has calmed down considerably, is much happier and more relaxed in the care of professionals. They keep her clean and understand much more how to deal with the moods, aggression, nudity and lack of memory that goes with this debilitating disease. I watched the decline till Nonna was too far gone to come to trivia. Heartbreaking. We used to have so much fun, even in the early stages of Alzheimers she was sharp as a tack and hilarious.

Anyway, the family just cleaned out Nonna’s fragrances and brought then to me. One of the bottles is 1/3+ full 100ml vintage bottle of Diorissimo. Flawlessly perfect with all notes intact. Thing is, I already have a bottle of each strength with more than I’ll ever use in my lifetime. So I thought I’d share the love.

Diorissimo EdT vintage by DIOR 1956

Diorissimo EdT vintage by Edmond Roudnitska

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Green leaves
Heart: Amaryllis, Boronia, Lilac, Jasmine, Lily, Lily-of-the-valley, Rosemary, Ylang-ylang
Base: Sandalwood, Civet

OK, I have to tell you this to effect full disclosure. My love for Diorissimo has been outshone by both Jessica Mauboy’s Be Beautiful and Muguet Porcelain by Hermès, their melon/LotV mix has me enraptured.

I thought I would add in a vintage parfum to sweeten the deal, just opened the cellophane and had a sniff to make sure that it’s real and fresh. It is. So perfect you will weep. It still has its plastic stopper in place!

Here are some pics of what you’ll win.
Portia xx

Diorissimo GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 100ml bottle vintage Diorissima EdT (around 30-40% left)
1 x 7.5ml bottle vintage Diorissima parfum
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 why you’d like to try Diorissimo or if you have a Lily of the Valley favourite

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 30th November 2016 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 7th December 2016 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

Diorella GIVEAWAY WINNER

November 27, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

Hey Crew,

Thanks for getting involved. Let’s see who won,
Portia xx

Diorella GIVEAWAY WINNER

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Basil, Bergamot, Green notes, Melon, Lemon
Heart: Cyclamen, Carnation, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Peach, Rose
Base: Oakmoss, Musk, Patchouli, Vetiver

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Sample from my vintage Diorella EdT
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Saturday 26th November 2016 10pm Australian EdsT
Winner was chosen by random.org

Bernadette Winfield-Gray

The winner will have till Thursday 1st December 2016 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! Chinchilla by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes 2016

November 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ Fumies,

Recently I got the DSH Perfumes Chroma Collection Sample Set and with it Dawn sent a sneaky extra of her newest baby Chinchilla. Are you ready to have your presumptions about fragrance challenged? Dawn has used honey in the most flagrantly animal composition I’ve smelled in ages.

Chinchilla by DSH Perfumes 2016

Chinchilla by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

DSH Perfumes

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Hyrax, ambrette (musk mallow), bergamot, vetiver, oakmoss, carnation, castoreum, rose de mai, cinnamon, civet, beeswax, gardenia, honey, musk, nard himalayan (jatamansi), tonka bean, white pepper

WHOOSH! Sweetest, amberish, animal, urinous, caramelised sugar, thick, glutinous, honeyed. The first few minutes of Chinchilla areas outrageously powerful. If the upper echelons were wearing something this over the top then they are animals making their territory, social X-Rays who need to smell like greed, power and hunger, people who want to put the frenemy off guard by smelling like a carnivorous beast. The first 15-20 minutes are so disconcerting and then suddenly everything blends and softens.

The change is remarkable because what was vaguely disturbing has now become plush and luscious. Still honey/animal sweet but now a little breathy and I can imagine this being the cuddly goodbye of a society mum going out for the night in her dress, fur, make-up, sparkling diamonds and hair French rolled. When she is perfected and ready to leave the house a triple spritz of perfume for her and a squishy hug and lipstick flavoured kiss for the kids. My Mum & Dad were never a super socialite couple but they had their fair share of grand evenings and events, especially around Dad’s Paralympics and Mum’s golf and I remember that last fragrant blonde mink tickle as she hugged and kissed me goodbye and my pyjamas smelling of Mum’s fragrance as I went to sleep.

WikiMedia

From DSH Perfumes: At the Grand Hotel, where the elite and gorgeously tailored meet for soirees, dancing parties, and other hedonistic (and luxurious) meetings, the elegant always wear their chinchilla. Dreamily soft, sensuously cozy, and yet so chic; only the finest would do.
Our vintage-inspired Chinchilla is as sexy as the name implies, and imbues the wearer with the scent of warm skin, fur, and a cozy honey-musk animalic. Go ahead…wrap yourself up in Chinchilla.

Recently I told Scented Hound that I keep imagining some top-flight male exec wearing it to work and leaving a steaming trail of broken hearts in his wake every day. It would definitely shake things up around the office.

Further reading: EauMG and Scented Hound
DSH Perfumes has Chinchilla starting at $6

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: Via Dawn: The new site is up AND that it is open to international shipping.
We now offer voile formulations (same concentrations at the alcohol versions, just in IPM which isn’t flammable so we can ship it). The shipping is a flat rate of $55 **HOWEVER** if you are just getting small things or samples we will refund the rate to what it actually costs. It was the only way we could accommodate the international shipping.

Via rosarita313: Dawn is having a sale through January 9, the code thanks2016 gets you 20% off the entire website.

Do you like the sound of Chinchilla?
Portia xx

Steals, Deals & Holiday Gift Giving

November 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Post by Portia

Woo Hoo APJ,

More and more fabulous things are being dropped in my email inbox every day. Here are a few of the highlights.

Portia xx

Steals, Deals & Holiday Gift Giving

Oliver & Co has their 8 x 16ml Travel Set available for a short time. I love this brand and their freaky frags for people who don’t even understand the concept of playing it safe. You can check out the whole set, and the range, at Oliver & Co Illustrated Series Travel Set.

Smell Bent’s biggest sale of the year is back! Till Monday 28th November, save up to 40% off all your favourite smellies. Everything is on sale! and like that’s not enough, shipping is free on all orders over $40 – anywhere in the world. Stock up on classic scents or try our newest holiday collection. Smell Bent is your oyster until Monday, go to Smell Bent Sale Of The Year.

Imaginary Authors have Free Shipping from 21-28 November
USE CODE: THETRAVELERTOO

Have you seen the new Imaginary Authors 14ml Traveler? You probably need to get yourself over to Imaginary Authors Shop

LuckyScent has a trillion fragrant gifts for yourself or the ones you love. The LA based crew are always grabbing the best of the best for you. You can check out gifts from candles to manufacturers sample packs, I’m particularly lemming the Diptyque set this year, at LuckyScent Holiday Gift Guide.

Twisted Lily has a great selection of gifting stuff too. This Brooklyn NYC based store is a great place to source inspired scented gifts from around the globe. They often have things I’ve seen nowhere else and the staff are so helpful, knowledgable and friendly too. Check them out at Twisted Lily Holiday Gift Guide.

SYDNEY Cosmax Sale 2016

November 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Heya Sydneysiders,

Every year COSMAX has the most incredible sale. This year will be no different. I picked up a Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir extrait a couple of years ago for AUD$25 and every time I’m there I find gems that I thought were long discontinued.

This weekend!

Get to it,

Portia xxx

Diorella EdT Vintage by Edmond Roudnitska for DIOR 1972

November 24, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Hey Vintage Frag Hags,

Last week heralded the arrival of a VERY vintage bottle of Diorella by DIOR. Having never smelled the vintage it was tantamount to a blind buy and I was really nervous. In the listing the bottle looked pristine and the box dirty but perfectly formed still, a tester no less. It wasn’t very expensive but not a bargain either. So I waited for it to arrive and it has…..

Diorella EdT Vintage by DIOR 1972

Diorella EdT Vintage by Edmond Roudnitska

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Basil, Bergamot, Green notes, Melon, Lemon
Heart: Cyclamen, Carnation, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Peach, Rose
Base: Oakmoss, Musk, Patchouli, Vetiver

The top notes are fleeting and I get the oily slick tingle of aldehydes, I think the top notes have disappeared really because my nose gets almost immediate floral bouquet and already the furry cocoon of oakmoss wraps my nostrils tight and snug. Scott and I have a theory that I’m hypernosmic to oakmoss because it softly jumps out at me from the very first sniff till the last whispered gasp of fragrance.

Diorella has a sweetness to it, not like the modern gourmands or Guerlains, but the sweetness of fruit just about to go over the edge of usability. I think it’s the honeysuckle and peach working together to produce a very mildly urinous underlay. Not especially noticeable unless my nose is right at the scent source, from arms length the whole of Diorella is refined young woman in twin set & pearls from yesteryear. Nowadays is the modern equivalent the white mens style T-Shirt and straight or boot leg jeans wearing women?

PDI

Dry down comes hours and hours later, the vetiver is dried and lightly salted and surprisingly the patchouli is a backing player that merely enhances the oakmoss and vetiver swirled through with musk that smells like the real deal.

Want to try some?

Diorella GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Sample from my vintage Diorella EdT
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us why you’d like to try Diorella

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Saturday 26th November 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 1st December 2016 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

Perfumed Streets

November 23, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Hi all,
What are the perfumes you notice on other people when you are out and about? Do you recognise specific perfumes, or just a generic ‘perfumey’ aura around your workplace and on the bus?

Perfumed Streets

Fragrantica

My most memorable moment was in a hotel lift in Paris. I stepped into the empty lift and I could smell Terre d’Hermes so distinctly I could almost touch it. The wearer must have stepped out mere seconds before.

Queuing for coffee at a railway station in Paris I again seemed to catch Terre d’Hermes, but I couldn’t be sure. Railway stations are a cacophony of smells.

Fragrantica

I smell Chanel No 5 EDT a fair bit. Once I noticed another mother at a school concert sending clouds of it several rows forward and back. I was surprised that anyone could conjure that much sillage out of No 5. I never thought of it as a sillage monster. Later though I worked with someone who had No 5 as her signature and it could be smelled EVERYWHERE she had been, or was yet to arrive. Outside her office, up and down the corridors, in the bathroom, in the carpark. Yeeesh!

Fragrantica

Once I caught a whiff of something delicious on a woman as I walked past her in a department store. I wheeled back and followed her up the escalator, trying to figure out what the perfume was. This is the only time I have stalked anyone because of their perfume. By the time I got to the top I’d figured it out. It was Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew.

Fragrantica

Smelled Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche on an elderly lady I’m slightly acquainted with. She is a smart, beautifully dressed and fascinating woman and what she was talking about was so interesting I forgot to ask about her perfume. But it was certainly Rive Gauche and it suited her perfectly. I wish now that I had mentioned it because she would probably have had an interesting story to tell about it.

These experiences are relatively unusual for me. Terre d’Hermes, yes. That is so distinct and full of character that you cannot mistake it for anything else. But mostly when I smell perfume on someone I don’t recognise it. I just smell ‘perfume’: a pleasant (or not) floral, sweet, woody or sporty something-or-other.

WikiMedia

The market is jam packed with smell-alikes, after all, and most people don’t want to make much of a statement with fragrance. I know someone who has a wonderfully quirky style in clothes, but her perfume is Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle. Or at least I think it is; it’s a bit hard to tell when there are so many copies and derivatives in that style.

So – over to you? Are there stand-out perfumes in your world? Or does everyone smell of hotel shampoo these days?
Bye for now everyone, and keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie

Arbolé Arbolé by Hiram Green 2016

November 22, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Foggy November Greetings APJ!

Perfume Excitement

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I prefer not l to write about anything that I don´t own. There are however exceptions to every rule. I had an email from Hiram Green of Hiram Green perfumes informing me that there was a sample of his new perfume on its way to me. His work is consistently excellent and I have enjoyed each fragrance. Yesterday I had a call from a perfumista friend I trust one hundred percent, raving on about Arbolé Arbolé. And then I read Claire Vukcevic´s post, of Take One Thing Off and APJ. Shifting into perfume excitement mode, I waited anxiously for the postman.

Arbolé Arbolé by Hiram Green 2016

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean

“…… with the grey arm of the wind wrapped around her waist”

Arbolé, Arbolé takes its name from Frederico Garcia Lorca´s exquisite poem of the same name. It is new to me though written in 1955, and acutely expressive.
I wish I could read Spanish.

Flickr

Arbolé Arbolé is so impressive I am speechless, sat here with my head in my hands wondering what to write. My husband just yelled from the living room “nicht zerreden”. Which means don´t talk it to death. He also said to order a bottle. I have never smelled anything that is remotely similar. I have been wearing it for six hours now, longevity is great.

Hiram Green writes: “Arbolé Arbolé opens with a burst of earthy patchouli that slowly merges with dry cedar wood and velvety sandalwood. Vanilla and tonka bean anchor the fragrance and provide a sweet powdery base.” I guess he should know. Jump over to Hiram´s website and have a look.
Hiram Green are offering Arbolé Arbolé in a 10ml travel spray along with a full bottle AND what is particularly brilliant is that you can buy all of the HG perfumes in 10 ml travel sprays. Superb.

Our world has changed greatly since my last post. Political disaster encourages great music, so bring it on.
“Music is the emotional life of most people.” Leonard Cohen

Green Perfumed Bussis
CQ

PS. Hmmmmmm. A full bottle or 10mls, that is the question. I never order at night when the flesh is weak, tomorrow will tell. Watch this space!!

Arbolé Arbolé by Federico García Lorca, 1898 – 1936

Tree, tree
dry and green.

The girl with the pretty face
is out picking olives.
The wind, playboy of towers,
grabs her around the waist.
Four riders passed by
on Andalusian ponies,
with blue and green jackets
and big, dark capes.
“Come to Cordoba, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
Three young bullfighters passed,
slender in the waist,
with jackets the color of oranges
and swords of ancient silver.
“Come to Sevilla, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
When the afternoon had turned
dark brown, with scattered light,
a young man passed by, wearing
roses and myrtle of the moon.
“Come to Granada, muchacha.”
And the girl won’t listen to him.
The girl with the pretty face
keeps on picking olives
with the grey arm of the wind
wrapped around her waist.
Tree, tree
dry and green.

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Author: australianperfumejunkiescom

Lumiere Noire Pour Homme by Francis Kurkdjian for Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2009

Lumiere Noire Pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2009

Lumiere Noire Pour Homme by Francis Kurkdjian

Melbourne Launch of Penhaligon’s Portraits Collection

Melbourne Launch of Penhaligon’s Portraits Collection

Diorissimo EdT vintage by Edmond Roudnitska for DIOR 1956

Diorissimo EdT vintage by DIOR 1956

Diorissimo EdT vintage by Edmond Roudnitska

Diorissimo GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Diorella GIVEAWAY WINNER

Diorella GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Bernadette Winfield-Gray

NEW! Chinchilla by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes 2016

Chinchilla by DSH Perfumes 2016

Chinchilla by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Steals, Deals & Holiday Gift Giving

Steals, Deals & Holiday Gift Giving

SYDNEY Cosmax Sale 2016

Diorella EdT Vintage by Edmond Roudnitska for DIOR 1972

Diorella EdT Vintage by DIOR 1972

Diorella EdT Vintage by Edmond Roudnitska

Diorella GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Perfumed Streets

Perfumed Streets