Taklamakan GIVEAWAY WINNER

October 1, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

Heya APJers,

Woo Hoo! Thanks to Sandra and Maison de Parfum in Vienna for their generosity.

Let’s see who won!
Portia xx

Taklamakan GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, rose, Chinese cedar, sandalwood, iris, patchouli, guaiac wood, benzoin, vanilla, labdanum, musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winners who will receive:
1 x decanted sample of Taklamakan
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Friday 30th September 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Angela Pritchard

The winners will have till Monday 3rd October 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

Queen Of Hearts by Steve DeMercado for Queen Latifah 2010

September 30, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Fragrance Family,

Strong women have always attracted me. My family was full of strong women, Mum’s nursing buddies are all strong women and I gravitate to that type of woman in my daily life too. Strong women have been strengthened by some of lifes shit but I think they have the steel inside even before the world forges them. Being strong doesn’t mean they are hard either, though they do have to be sometimes for self protection. Queen Latifah has always struck me as a strong woman, whenever I see her on TV, singing, acting, interviewing or just being her cool self I always want more. There is something completely captivating about her.

Queen Of Hearts by Queen Latifah 2010

Queen Of Hearts by Steve DeMercado

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Green notes, Plum, Cinnamon, Citruses
Heart: Jasmine, Red fruits, White blossoms
Base: Amber, Musk, Patchouli, Vanilla bean, Frankincense

The first thing you notice is the fun bottle. Like a heart being pushed out of a nail tray. It fits well in my hand, has good heft and looks very swish with its turquoise-topped gold lid.

Citrus, jasmine and resins open up Queen of Hearts and the fruits are there in a waxy/radiant whoosh that feels warm, sensual and lavish. It’s hard to believe you can buy this baby for under $20 because it smells really good.

After the initial fireworks die down Queen of Hearts becomes a modern resinous patchouli sweetened by lingering fruits and breathy white flowers drizzled with caramel. Not a gourmand. Not edible. Smooth patchouli with the rest in harmonious background accord. This is no loud, in your face event, people don’t really notice your fragrance after an hour until you hug them, then it’s compliment time.

Wikipedia

The nearest fragrance I have in character to Queen of Hearts is Mona di Orio’s Eau Absolue. They are not dupes but the wonderful uplifting resinous patchouli vibe is similar.

Further reading: Perfume Posse (Yes, I wrote about it before in 2014)
FragranceNet has AU$20/100ml Before Coupon

Are you a fan of Queen Latifah? Have you tried her fragrances?
Portia xx

MFK Sample GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 30, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ,

Thanks to Val for her generosity.
Let’s see who won,
Portia xx

MFK Sample GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Carded Manufacturers Sample Grand Soir
1 x Carded Manufacturers Sample Petit Matin
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 29th September 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Hikmat Sher Afridi

The winners will have till Sunday 2nd October 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.

Memento Mori by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes 2016

September 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Portia

Dear APJ Reader,

Do you ever put fragrance on your skin with no knowledge or expectation of what it will be? With some of my independent perfumer friends that’s exactly what I do. For the sheer joy of experiencing the scent without prejudice. That can make for some pretty far fetched guesses as to what has gone into a fragrance, and the ideas behind it. It’s also one of the reasons I love doing Live Video Sniffs, you get to come on the ride……. Scott and I spend a few minutes smelling the opening and… well, you’ll see….

Memento Mori by Aftelier Perfumes 2016

Memento Mori by Mandy Aftel

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Butter, orris, floral notes (Phyenylacetic acid)
Heart: Turkish rose, beta ionone (woody violet)
Base: Ambreine (amber), ambergris, antique civet, patchoulyl acetate (patchouli isolate)

From Aftelier: A memento mori is designed to “remind the viewer [or wearer] of their mortality and the shortness and fragility of human life” (Tate Museum). Memento mori jewelry was known for its intimate workmanship, beautiful delicacy and close associations with eternal love and remembrance. Mourning jewelry was a way for the bereaved to hold on to the memory of a loved one who had passed away: a way of saying “gone but not lost” or “sacred to memory.” It brought comfort and consolation and was not morbid or ghoulish, but touching and loving.

Further reading: Now Smell This and A Bottled Rose
Aftelier has samples from $6/0.25ml

Just so you know, while Momento Mori opens outrageously it does soften off considerable within the first hour. It’s indolic/fecal/barley butter gives way to the softest and plushest comfort scent. Like cuddling your partner first thing in the morning before tooth brushing and shower, still lived in and slightly rank but the smell of shared sleep and awakenings.

You’ve done it again Mandy, bravo.
Portia xxx

Taklamakan by Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 2016

September 28, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 36 Comments

Post by Sandra

Heya APJ!

Hope ya’ll are doing well.

School started at the beginning of September, the leaves are changing ever so slightly and I am getting excited about heavier perfumes already.

I have been a fan of Stéphane Humbert Lucas for a while now and once I heard that he was creating a vanilla centered perfume my ears perked up and I could not wait to sample it in Vienna.

Taklamakan hit the stores in August this year and truth be told I did not know what to expect. The name Taklamakan had me looking it up on wikipedia which states ‘It is the world’s second largest shifting sand desert with about 85% made up of shifting sand dunes ranking 16th in size in a ranking of the world’s largest deserts.’ The desert is in northwestern China and was part of the Silk Road route. This desert has also been nicknamed “the sea of death”. One can imagine why a desert would have that nickname but a perfume to bear this desert’s name? Intrigued I am…

Taklamakan by Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 2016

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, rose, Chinese cedar, sandalwood, iris, patchouli, guaiac wood, benzoin, vanilla, labdanum, musk

Mr Lucas has a deft hand at creating some beautiful perfumes with incredible lasting power. As my skin usually eats up perfumes very quickly, I am always looking for some tenacity in that area. So, naturally I was curious as to what awaited me. Fragrantica gives us the following as notes for Taklamakan: bergamot, rose, chinese cedar, sandalwood, iris, patchouli, guaiac wood, benzoin, vanilla, labdanum and musk.

The perfume opens with a sharp spicy note reminiscent of cinnamon. The cinnamon is quite strong at first and I wondered if this was going to be off-putting at all – but thankfully this subsides quickly and then I do detect the delecate iris which is beautiful. Taklamakan shifts very quickly to a linear state and I will try to describe that as best a possible for you. The initial perfume dries down quickly to a contemplative, spiritual and quiet perfume not so much dark, brooding and extremely dry. This is more of a woody vanilla scent with little to no sweetness on my skin. In fact it has a hint of incense and smoke with amber and only a touch of vanilla in the dry down.

Wikipedia

Having tried this in solely warmer weather and receiving the woodsy vanilla incense drydown with no sweetness I understand the link to a desert comprised of shifting dunes. Take a look at some of the pictures of the Taklamakan desert and the varying colours of the sands and dunes. However, I also wonder if the colder temperatures will bring forth more vanilla, more sweetness, or more incense and dryness. I will be going back to test this again as soon as the temperature shifts because this could possibly be a full bottle purchase in the near future.

Flickr

Thanks to Maison de Parfum in Vienna, I have one sample decant for a lucky winner to try.

SmoochyWoochy,
Sandra

Taklamakan GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winners who will receive:
1 x decanted sample of Taklamakan
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 let me know what scents you consider to be meditative or spiritual in character. I would love to hear what you have to say.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Friday 30th September 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Monday 3rd October 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

Random Fragrant Ramblings + MFK

September 27, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Good Day APJ

It has been chipmunk on crack mode the last couple of weeks. I am in the process of developing and selling vegan brownies and blondies, we have a trial run going on, and a new store has opened, one of the chain that offers my cookies. Absolute fun but hectic.

Val the CQ´S Random Fragrant Ramblings

CHANEL Boy, MFK Petit Matin and Grand Soir and a trip to London

CHANEL BOY EdP by Olivier Polge 2016

It opens with the radiant and gleaming brilliance of grapefruit and lemon wrapped in a muted lavender. The blend is very Chanel, the
lavender short lived. As these more volatile components evaporate, a sweet rose arises, perhaps a little orange blossom, and it effortlessly glides into a warm and a delectable heliotrope, swirling with sandalwood and musks. This is the first EdP in the Exclusifs collection and it does stay the course for a good twelve hours on my skin. Fab. I bought a bottle.

LONDON – A Conclave Of Bloggers

I fly to London tomorrow and am combining a trip round London with more than twenty bloggers and perfumers with a visit to my family. So excited to see everyone. Tara from A Bottled Rose is meeting me on the day that I arrive. We`ll fit a shifty sniff in, go on a red lipstick crusade, lunch together and drop into Bloom Perfumery to deliver some cookies. I don´t really have a sniff list but will take a look at the Grandifloras, and Le Galop from Hermès. Stay tuned to find out how it all went.

MFK Sample GIVEAWAY

The two new fragrances from Maison Francis Kurkdjian were on my London list, but I came across them in Linz yesterday. I tried both on paper and the lovely SA gave me carded samples of each one, Petit Matin and Grand Soir. I can get samples anytime I want but I know not everyone can. The Petit Matin is a delicious creamy lemon floral number and the Grand Soir is a kill you with vanilla benzoin and tonka bean number.

Drop me your thoughts on any of today’s randomness and you are in the draw. I will be extremely fast at sending them out because they are already prepared! Whoohoo. I hate decanting with a passion.

Loving Bussis
CQ

(Ed: All Photos Donated by Val. Thanks buddy)

MFK Sample GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Carded Manufacturers Sample Grand Soir
1 x Carded Manufacturers Sample Petit Matin
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell us:
Anything you think I should look for in London?
OR Do you like vegan baking?
OR Have you tried Boy yet? Thoughts?
OR Which MFK, if any calls to you?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 29th September 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Sunday 2nd October 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.

Moonlight Patchouli by Van Cleef & Arpels 2016: Revisited

September 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Post by TinaG

Hello and welcome to another fabulously fragrant week!

Back in June APJ & I gave away five decants of Moonlight Patchouli by Van Cleef & Arpels, to help me gather some feedback on the fragrance and whether I was going nuts in smelling some of the more unusual notes that I found.

Reviews have been received back from Koyel and Patsi, thank you! Neva, I’m sorry the post missed you while you were on holidays, I’ll resend, I promise! Bridget I hope you enjoyed the fragrance/s! Greg, offer is still open if you wish to get in touch. 🙂

Moonlight Patchouli by Van Cleef & Arpels 2016

Collection Extraordinaire

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cacao, patchouli leaf, woodsy notes
Heart: Iris flower, Bulgarian rose
Base: Fruity notes, leather, suede

Koyel wrote:
Moonlight Patchouli starts out in-your-face boozy for a moment, then burns off to a gorgeous, sweet, very green patchouli. There is a warmth to it that might be the cacao. After half an hour, a buttery iris starts poking its head out. Unfortunately, another half hour later, the sweet, buttery side of the iris has left behind a more cardboard-y iris note that I don’t like very much.

Maybe an hour later, the green-ness of the patchouli becomes more pronounced, and the sweet butter scent comes back. It mixes with a skin scent/warm leather (suede?) to make the absolute softest leather note. The soft, buttery leather/suede sticks quite close to the skin. I’m not quite sure when the smell faded away completely, but it lasted for far less time than a workday on multiple occasions.

I don’t get salty/seaweed/chlorine at all, luckily! Dewy, perhaps, at times, particularly in the beginning. I like this scent a lot, and find it quite wearable, though not FB-worthy. The cardboard note in the middle is a bit off-putting, but mild enough to be tolerable.

Patsi wrote:
Moonlight Patchouli is reminiscent of something familiar from way back. It reminds me of a sweet wine at the beginning becoming richer and syrupy like but with the patchouli and suede/leather notes keeping the sweetness from running over and ruining everything. The Iris and patchouli are soft and beautifully blended together with a light suede note.

The patchouli is not too strong and I love its presence with a bright fresh lemonade-like citrus, accompanied by white flowers and rose. I find it very comforting, not overpowering and it dries down to a wonderful sensual, rich base.

I kept getting wafts where the perfume had gone on my hair and I thought – who is that – what is that beautiful smell – ohhh its me!!! 🙂 I find it to be long lasting – a good 7 hours. The ladies at work loved it and declared that I smelled really good! 9/10 for me – Beautiful fragrance and definitely full bottle worthy!

Flickr

Harrods has £126/75ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $4/0.5ml

Thank you both so much for your lovely reviews! I’m glad you enjoyed the decants.

What it has shown me is that the salt/chlorinated water note is just me, that it’s something to do with my skin or the way I interpret the smell. It is a consistent note, for a while I thought it might be the chlorinated water is stronger where I live, but I think not. I’ve been wearing Moonlight Patchouli this week and that middle note is consistent.

Thanks again guys!! It’s been fun.

Has anyone else had a chance to smell Moonlight Patchouli as yet?

Have a great week everyone.

Tina G xx

Extreme Perfumes

September 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Hi all
I’m interested to know what are extreme perfumes for you? How far can a perfume push a genre for you before it’s too much?

Extreme Perfumes?

What Pushes You Over The Edge?

Van Clef & Arpels

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Raspberry, Mandarin, Peach, Black currant
Heart: Carnation, Hyacinth, Orris root, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Narcissus, Orchid, Tuberose, Turkish rose, Ylang-ylang
Base: Amber, Oakmoss, Honey, Musk, Sandalwood, Tonka bean, Vanilla, Vetiver, Civet

I got thinking about this when I read Portia’s Van Cleef & Arpels’ First post which, as I said in a comment, is too rich and opulent for me. No matter how I wear it or try to dress it down, it seems to demand silks and satins, furs and pearls. I might aspire to that sort of glamour occasionally, but it’s like getting mum’s old patent leather stilettoes out of the dress-up basket and stumping around the lounge room in them. Fun, but I’m not going to step out the front door. Indeed I think that on release in 1976 First took us to the zenith of the aldehydic floral genre, beyond which no fragrance has ever gone since.

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Basil, bergamot, amalfi lemon, tangerine, artemisia
Heart: Jasmine, rose, peach, pepper, white honey
Base: Oak moss, woodsy notes, patchouli, leather, Virginia cedar, civetta

The civet and oakmoss in Paco Rabanne’s La Nuit make it unwearable for me – me! A chypre lover! But La Nuit out-chypres all chypres and I’m really not surprised that it was discontinued ages ago. Were it released today on the niche market, La Nuit would be a darling of the cognoscenti.

Fragrantica

BaseNotes gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Mandarin, Hyacinth, Green notes
Heart: Tuberose, Jasmine, Orange Flower, Lily of the valley, White iris, Violet, Jonquil, Carnation, Coriander, Peach, Osmanthus, Pink geranium
Base: Musk, Cedar, Moss, Sandalwood, Orris, Vetiver, Tolu balsam

Piguet’s Bandit and Fracas, now: they both take us to the edge – over the edge – in the leather chypre and white floral families, respectively. I can’t wear either of them. Bandit is too bitter and Fracas just too freakin’ weird for me. I’ve tried them, though. You need to test the boundaries, or you won’t know where your boundaries actually are.

I don’t wear orientals much, or certainly not extreme spicy or skanky ones, but I know that they are out there. Do share your experience with these. Love them or hate them?

And what about extreme powder in fragrances? Where does that take us?

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, basil, bergamot, cumin, lavender, fruit
Heart: Jasmine, rose, carnation, iris root, coriander, patchouli, sandalwood
Base: Oakmoss, vetiver, musk, amber

Ultimately I think I must believe in that old maxim: restraint in all things. It’s not just a style choice, it’s a fundamental personality trait. I rarely go to extremes in anything. I can stop at two chocolate biscuits, two glasses of wine, and one (okay two) pairs of red shoes. Cheese is harder, admittedly.
Here’s a parting thought. Are there extremes in the citrus cologne genre, or are they inherently minimalist? Dior’s Eau Sauvage (or 4711, or insert your favourite here) may be the very best citrus cologne ever, but no-one is going to back away and call the scent police on you, are they?

Most of these fragrances are available at Surrender To Chance to sample

Bye for now everyone, but do drop in a comment and share your thoughts!
Anne-Marie xx

Teazzurra GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

Heya APJ,

Thanks Guerlain, and thank you all for getting involved.

Portia xx

Teazzurra GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, yuzu, grapefruit
Heart: Green tea, chamomile, jasmine
Base: Musk, calone, vanilla

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Carded Manufacturers Sample Teazzurra by Guerlain
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell us your favourite Guerlain Aqua Allegoria fragrance or which one you’d like to try

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Saturday 24th September 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Sue Mills

The winner will have till Wednesday 28th September 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.

The Spirit of the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2016/17 Collection

September 24, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Fashion Lovers,

I love to watch the runway shows. This one is especially fun because CHANEL have recreated an Atelier for the parade. At the end Karl Lagerfeld even gathers four of the women that works for CHANEL and they take his walk of honour with him, very nice touch. Bravo KL.

I love the first video because it’s shot in the Palais Royale where Serge Lutens and Parfums de Rosine have their shops. Every time I see it I get a thrill of recognition. The second one shows quite a bit of how a garment is created on the model stand and then how all the work progresses painstakingly by hand. The third is the full runway show and quite a lot of it is hideous this season but the rare jewels are worth waiting for.

All the CHANEL perfume sales go towards keeping these ridiculously extravagant fashion shows alive. No wonder they keep upping the prices.

I hope you enjoy,
Portia xx

The Spirit of the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2016/17 Collection

Making-of the Fall-Winter 2016/17 Haute Couture CHANEL Collection

Fall-Winter 2016/17 Haute Couture CHANEL Show