Geisha Vanilla Hinoki by Maria McElroy for Aroma M 2016

June 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Hey APJ Vanilla Vamps and Vampettes.

The Fox becomes a mule……..

Dr Fox, my dear friend, CB therapist and partner-in-crime recently spent a few weeks in the U S and A. I decided on the spot that it was time for a blind buy and ordered Geisha Vanilla Hinoki, the most recent of Maria McElroy´s wonderful Geisha collection. The package was posted to Frau Fox-Mule at her US address. It travelled from New York City to Salt Lake City, onto Philadelphia, down to Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, onto Washington DC, and back to New York. From here it took a flight to Munich and then on into Austria by car.

During the three week waiting period, samples arrived of the Vanilla Hinoki, the EdP and the oil. I put them in the cupboard so that the thrill of the blind buy remained. And I left them there. Hahahaha. Did I hell. The next evening I grabbed the EdP and applied a hefty dose. A gleaming flash of bergamot ignited the room making the blind buy an instant success.

Geisha Vanilla Hinoki by Aroma M 2016

Geisha Vanilla Hinoki by Maria McElroy

Fragrantica

Notes include: bergamot, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, lavender, smoky vanilla, incense and patchouli, amyris, cedarwood

The luscious and sharp bergamot delights for quite some time, until the tantalizing trio of clove, cardamom and nutmeg push through. With a barely touch of lavender a calmness descends. Moroccan vanilla, the star of the show bides her time, until she decides to make a lazy entrance. She rises above her costars and lies herself across them all….. and stays there for hours. Occasionally disappearing to take a breath of the revitalizing hinoki, a beloved Japanese wood, the oil of which is used in medicinal treatments. But she returns. She is not loud but nonetheless quite stubborn. People do not die in her wake, those who come in close will recognize her. Staunch and stalwart she comforts and keeps tension at bay.

I am very generous with spraying, it is not a one spritz nuclear bomb. It lasts many hours, but I do know that my skin hangs onto fragrance for an extremely long time. Vanilla Hinoki feels like something I have always had – but haven`t . It won´t be for everyone but nothing ever is, except perhaps cookies.

Further reading: Non Blonde and Colognoisseur
IndieScents has EdP $90/50ml
LuckyScent has the Perfume Oil $60/7.5ml

Maria McElroy mixes her fragrances drop by drop. The bottles are filled by her and wrapped in exquisite imported Japanese paper. A skilled craft worker creating things by hand, the definition of artisanal. May there always be people who care enough to do this.

Have you found a vanilla to wear or do you prefer to eat it?

Bergamot Bussis
CQ

Amsterdam Fragrance Adventures: TinaG’s 2016 Europe Tour

June 13, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by TinaG

The Netherlands is home base to a number of fragrance houses – Mona Di Orio, Puredistance, Hiram Green and Nasomatto to name a few. When visiting in May this year I mentioned this to my cousin Kylie, who was very interested in finding out more – so we decided to spend a day in Amsterdam hunting for Dutch perfume. What a great way for me to introduce her to the rabbit hole that is the perfume world!

Amsterdam Fragrance Adventures

TinaG’s 2016 Europe Tour

World Atlas Book

Annindryia Perfume Lounge

Our first stop also became our longest as I was totally enthralled and excited. We had dropped in to Annindryia Perfume Lounge and I had walked in to a small slice of absolute heaven. They stock a fabulous selection of Dutch and international fragrances. We were warmly greeted and shown around the display room. Kylie took to the whole experience and I’m happy to say she was instantly hooked. We sniffed and chatted for a few hours. Have a look at Annindryia Perfume Lounge site for an idea of their range. Yes they ship to Australia and yes the do samples.

Le Bienaimé by Erik Zwaga

This brand utilises the concept of up-cycling to create new fragrances from existing brands. The bottles would be familiar to most perfumistas – I spotted repurposed Chanel and Etro bottles, tied up with multi-house-branded ribbons. The names of the fragrances hint at their primary constituents: CHA-CHA-CHA-CHANEL, R-I-O-D (Dior spelt backwards), HERMEJESY. I picked up a sample of S.T.I.N.K (how could I not?) that contains Classic Opoponax, Èdition Rare – Petrolium, Floriental, Musk Tonkin, Obsessive Oudh and Song for a Queen.

Eau d’Amsterdam

Eau d’Amsterdam is a fragrant ode to the thousands of elm trees which line the city’s streets and canals. I had noted the springtime ‘snow’ without realising they were elm seeds, which behave like petals caught in the wind as they scatter themselves across the city. It is described as: Sunny green woody
It’s definitely all that, it has the dry astringency of a freshly snapped twig – really light and perfect for a warm spring day.

People of the Labyrinths

After leaving Annindryia Perfume Lounge I visited the store of fashion house People of the Labyrinths. Fabulous clothing, exquisite materials… I thoroughly enjoyed looking around & chatting to the sales assistants. They have two fragrances – A.Maze and Luctor Et Emergo. I tried both on skin and they generously gave me a sample of A.Maze.

Skins Cosmetics

Our last stop of the day was a shop & beautician Skins Cosmetics, located in the Het Conservatorium Hotel. They had a wonderful range of fragrances however most of the brands stocked I do have access to in Australia – Hermès, Frederic Malle, Byredo, By Killian, Le Labo. There were a few fragrances that I tried – the Clean range, and some of the Hermès range such as Eau de rhubarb écarlate, and Eau d’orange vert which I hadn’t tried before.

I had a fantastic day introducing Kylie to the fragrance world and checking out some special places & perfumes in Amsterdam.

Do you have a favourite Dutch fragrance house?

Tina G

Ulrich Lang GIVEAWAY WINNER

June 13, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hiya APJ,

Thanks to Ulrich for his enormous generosity. Whoever wins today will have some very exciting fragrant trials ahead.

Portia xx

Ulrich Lang GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mint, basil, sage, bergamot, tangerine, lime
Heart: Jasmine, geranium, violet, sesame, honey
Base: Patchouli, guava, moss, leather, amber, wood notes

Luckyscent has $120/100ml + Samples

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive these 2ml Carded Manufacturers Samples:
1 x Anvers by Ulrich Lang
1 x Anvers 2 by Ulrich Lang
1 x Aperture by Ulrich Lang
1 x Lightscape by Ulrich Lang
1 x Nightscape by Ulrich Lang
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 12th June 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Suze

The winner will have till Wednesday 15th June 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.

Peter Morrissey Bath and Body Products

June 12, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Hi all, I recently had a quick trip to Sydney and in a hotel in Darlinghurst found a vanity packed with Peter Morrissey products. These days when I travel I tend to take my own bathroom stuff. Hotel soaps and shampoos can be drying, and it’s a waste to use them once and then leave them. If I take them home I find I don’t use them and they kick around the bathroom drawer until I throw them out.

Peter Morrissey Bath and Body Products

Hotel Room Finds

But I had not heard of Peter Morrissey and I was tempted. Peter Morrissey, I discovered, is an Australian fashion designer and entrepreneur. His clothes and homewares are sold in Australia through discount department store Big W. Grey and white seem to be the theme colours; the style is minimalist. Morrissey also specialises in eyeware, luggage, corporate uniforms and gifts.

It looks like his bath and body products – ‘Peter Morrissey Essentials’ – are available only in hotels. That’s disappointing because I really enjoyed the two I tried, the body wash and the body balm. White musk is the scent for all the products and for me, the white musk that many of us dread in perfume works beautifully in products like these. It’s a warm, clean but slightly earthy musk, skewed masculine. I used the balm after my morning shower and sallied forth in search of breakfast feeling elegant, put together and ready to face the day. I imagine the scent would layer well under something like Narciso Rodriguez for her or Chanel No 19 Poudré.

This and the body wash did not dry my skin. (Some hotel room moisturisers do the opposite of what they say on the label.) The claims for the Morrissey products are that they ‘use the world’s purest essential oils, organic plant extracts and avoid the use of preservatives and synthetics … There are no parabens, petrochemicals, artificial colours or animal ingredients’.

Now I wish that I had claimed the shampoo and conditioner, but at least I have the generous 30 ml tubes of body wash and balm. I’m sad I can’t buy more, but I’ll just have to go back to that hotel more often I guess!

So I’m curious to hear about other people’s experiences of hotel (and airline?) products. Are they generally awful, or am I staying in too many cheap hotels?

Until next time everyone, keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie

Olympic Amber by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2011

June 11, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Fabulously Fragrant Fumies,

One of the fragrances that I come back to again and again in my fragrant journey is from the Indie Perfumer Ellen Covey. Her fragrances are usually very compatible with my chemistry and this one in particular gets a lot of skin time. It’s the easiest and most likeable amber in my collection, wearable all year round but especially nice in the cool of evening.

Olympic Amber by Olympic Orchids 2011

Olympic Amber by Ellen Covey

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Labdanum, vanilla, benzoin, incense, resins, patchouli, woods

Originally this glorious, burnished beauty was made to be the base of other fragrances but once created Ellen decided it needed to be a fragrance all its own. Olympic Amber was born.

Vanilla, patchouli and lovely smooth resins waft straight out of the gate. It’s a dry sweetness, slightly bakery but more balmy. A crunchy toffee or caramelised sugar effect very reminiscent of the first crackling spoonful of creme brûlée. Crunchy and creamy, yes perfect analogy. Olympic Amber is hefty and I am fully fragrant but it manages to covey an air of spaciousness, not sheer but less dense somehow. Fragrant but not ferocious.

I could imagine this being the signature scent choice of a parent and this smell being part of what the children run to, a scent of comfort and safety. It’s as if Olympic Amber reminds me of something or someone who I felt safe around, there is no memory attached though or person.

Fairly linear, I enjoy the stability of knowing I’ll smell this good all day and evening. Perfect for extra long work, drinks, dinner days because longevity is out of this world. Spray Olympic Amber on your clothes and they will stay fragrant till the next wash. Even in the laundry basket, when I grab the clothes out I can tell if I had it on this past week from the delicious waft I get while putting stuff in the machine.

WikiMedia

Further reading: Perfume Posse and BOTO
Olympic Orchids has $18/5ml Travel Spray
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/0.5ml

What is your amber?
Portia xx

Oriza L. Legrand Sample Set

June 10, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Portia

Heya Gorgeous People,

I recently bought the Oriza L Legrand Sample Pack. Sheesh! There are SO MANY fragrances in this line in only 4 years. 16 fragrances! That’s a lot. €38 for 16 x 2ml samples and FREE World Shipping is a rare opportunity to smell them all. So begins the rather daunting Oriza L Legrand adventure….. I’m going to test some for the first time and give you my 20 minute run of them in word association.

Oriza L. Legrand Sample Set

Oriza L Legrand

Heliotrope Blanc Oriza L. Legrand 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, heliotrope, violet leaf
Heart: Almond, heliotrope, mimosa, iris
Base: Musk, heliotrope, rice, benzoin, tonka bean

Soapy, powdery, breathy and all together fabulous. Very waxy, a little bit make-up-ish and quite pretty. The green is squeaky under the powder and then the creamy nuttiness of almond comes through just enough to balance it out. There is something quite alcoholic about Heliotrope Blanc, the sharp tang of rice wine in amongst the maquillage. Once the breathy opening is gone all humanity leaves and we are left with a cold powder, a shimmering eye shadow and a waxy lipstick. Perfect for a Drag Queen, wearing it tonight.

Reve d’Ossian Oriza L. Legrand 2012

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Incense, aldehydes, maritime pine
Heart: Cinnamon, benzoin, elemi, tonka bean, guaiac wood, opoponax
Base: Balsamic notes, sandalwood, leather, labdanum, amber, musk

Sparkling incense, dry, desiccated and shimmering over a woodsy, dusty heart of resins. Hints of make-up and fur coats, cool winds and chanting monks. Reve d’Ossian reminds me of McLeodgang in the Indian Himalayas where the Dalai Lama and his monks live in exile. The smell of wet wood, dry incense, humanity and hope is all hidden in this beautiful gem. The dry down is sweeter and warmer, almost cozy but still holds the cool unburned incense smell inside.

Muguet Fleuri Oriza L. Legrand 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green leaves, grass, lily-of-the-valley
Heart: Galbanum, angelica, violet leaf, lily-of-the-valley
Base: Lily-of-the-valley, oakmoss, lily

If you like Muguet des Bois by Coty and are unafraid of ultra green, thick coiling ropes of galbanum then you may have found your fragrance. Muguet Fleuri is a cool, green, lotv powerhouse that bypasses all cleaning product references and goes straight for the ice cold metallic modern style. Backed by violet leaf and lily with a medicinal sweet/sharpness I find it arresting, aloof and vegetal, verging on bitter. Relentlessly green even as it fades to nothing. LOVE it.

Go check out Oriza L. Legrand Sample Set: 16 fragrances! €38 for 16 x 2ml samples and FREE World Shipping

Do you like the Oriza L.Legrand fragrances? Which of these piques your fancy?
Portia xxx

Nightscape by Ulrich Lang New York 2009

June 9, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fumies,

Jin and I were in Paris earlier this year, it was supposed to be a calm and quiet three days but it was CRAZY!! The day we arrived was the opening day of Tranoï Paris 2016 and the Le Galion guys had invited us. Rude not to really. So I just opened a bag that I kept my Kusmi Teas in and inside was a selection of the Ulrich Lang fragrances in carded manufacturers samples. YAY!!!

Ulrich is a lovely man, from the little I know him, and so super cool. We had a great time hanging out at Tranoï and I hope to get to hang with him again.

I particularly loved Lightscape a while back and it was excellent to get to see the whole range. Obviously a frag convention is a terrible place to smell fragrance because there are too many warring bits and pieces of scent flying about so I brought them home to try, and some extras to share.

Nightscape by Ulrich Lang New York 2009

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mint, basil, sage, bergamot, tangerine, lime
Heart: Jasmine, geranium, violet, sesame, honey
Base: Patchouli, guava, moss, leather, amber, wood notes

Nightscape begins with a flurry of tangy green, a bit like the mixings for an alcoholic drink without the booze. Crisp, refreshing, herbaceous and very quietly sweet. Within the first 5 minutes the patchouli makes an entrance, modern patchouli sheer and radiant but with just enough oomph to give a saucy wink to the headshop patchoulis of old.The bouquet is all melded so seamlessly that it reads to my nose as an amorphous floral hum and I’m not sure if I can really smell honey or if the note list has planted that idea in my head.

There is a joyful feeling of anticipation through nightscape, nothing scary or ferocious. It feels grand but not in a baroque way, more grand like the feeling of expensive hotel sheets, understated and simple but luxurious. It’s the satin finished patina of a years old platinum wedding ring.

A couple of hours in and the sheerest patchouli and maybe violet, something sweetly green and waxy hum quietly around me. Nightscape is calm and cool. I really like it.

Ulrich Lang

Further reading: EauMG and Now Smell This
Luckyscent has $120/100ml + Samples

Have you tried any Ulrich Lang fragrances? Do you have a favourite patchouli fragrance?
Portia xx

Ulrich Lang GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

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

Tell us have you tried any Ulrich Lang fragrances? Do you have a favourite patchouli fragrance?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 12th June 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Wednesday 15th June 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.

N’Aimez Que Moi by Ernest Daltroff for Caron 1916

June 8, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Willa Zheng

Hi reader,

“Love no one but me” from the venerable but nowadays much overlooked House of Caron is, in my humble opinion, one of the great romantic perfumes of 20th century. Launched during the height of WW1, it also happens to celebrate its 100 year anniversary this year.

N’Aimez Que Moi by Caron 1916

N’Aimez Que Moi by Ernest Daltroff

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lilac, violet, rose
Heart: Iris, cedar, vetiver, sandalwood
Base: Vanilla, amber, musk, oakmoss

Fittingly for a perfume that sounds like an Edith Piaf love song, N`Aimez Que Moi opens like an old skool rose fragrance – geraniumy and drenched in clove-like eugenols that IFRA could banish this juice at any moment. My 22 year old, Miu Miu wearing work colleague says it smells just like her grandma. Well darling, your grandma has excellent taste.

Five minutes in, powdery, cosmetic-like notes such as violets and lilac emerge to join in the waltz with garden roses. Ever prised open the lid of Caron’s famous loose face powders? This is its fragrance!

Ten minutes later, woody chypre base notes creep in to give the fragrance a bit depth and some character. The main experience of wearing N’Aimez Que Moi conveys a big, radiant rose fragrance sitting on a dry layer of sandalwood. Emotionally, it’s the olfactory equivalent of an operatic Aria. The wearer of N’Aimez Que Moi is beautiful, assertive and yet lamentful.

The drydown of N’Aimez Que Moi, which emerges after about 4 hours, is a classic vintage chypre-base comprised of amber, musk and oakmoss, not dissimilar to the base of vintage Arpege. It creates a heavy, dark, rounded base that is a nuanced melange of the sweet, the skanky and the dirty.

My N`Aimez Que Moi edp (vintage 2007) has moderate to heavy silage, depending on the body heat of the wearer. Like an olfactory forget-me-not, this edp sustains itself for an impressive 12hrs +.

Further reading:
LuckyScent has $100/7ml extrait
Surrender To Chance has extrait samples from $5/0.5ml

Do you have a favourite Caron?

Queen Of The Night by Bertrand Duchaufour for Grandiflora 2016

June 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Hello gorgeous APJ people! I have some local Sydney fragrant goings ons to share with you today:

You have to be very swift if you wish to chat to Sydney based, floral artist, Saskia Havekes about any particular project, as the minute she completes one she dives head first into the next. I find her humble, inspirational and extremely driven. Beautiful in both looks and personality, I always enjoy and feel privileged for the times I’ve popped into her “flower cave,” Grandiflora in Potts Point for a catchup.

Queen Of The Night by Grandiflora 2016

Queen Of The Night by Bertrand Duchaufour

Saskia Havekes of Grandiflora – A Head Spinning Catch Up and a new fragrance!!

Later this month Saskia will travel to France where she will release Grandiflora’s fourth fragrance – Queen Of The Night by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. BERTRAND DUCHAUFOUR!! My mind boggled at how she came about working with one of my (and many of your) favourite perfumers: “ I made contact with Bertrand on a bended knee after I was formally introduced to him by by a dear mutual friend in Cabris. He had heard of our work and of course I always loved his Calamus he created for Comme des Garcons…..An all time favorite of mine” said Saskia.

The transient Queen of the Night flowers open for only 1 hour at night and are rumoured to be a very strong aphrodisiacs, hypnotic, “stirring up the loins.”(Oh my!!) After it flowers, it is spent, thus it is a real privilege to experience it – both the scent and visually. Late night parties do occur to observe the flowers bloom – attending one is now firmly on my bucket list!

Saskia is behind the enlightening floral artistry within the pages of Michael Edwards – Fragrances Of The World, 2016 guidebook, releasing this month. Her partner, Gary Heery is a renowned photographer and together they truly have made magic happen, ensuring every composition is emotive and captivates. The pictures tell the story of each fragrance-family group. Saskia uses her materials – flowers, woods, greenery, spices, honey and more, just like a painter, focused on colours and textures. Materials are overlapped, teased and made prominent. Increased attention to space and light around the materials was given, compared to the dense nature of the beautiful work she did for Fragrances Of The World 2013 guidebook.

Last month I was lucky to work with Saskia and her team as part of Australian fashion label, Aje’s Sydney Fashion Week show at Carriageworks, Sydney. It was my job to fill the huge space with Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine fragrance, creating an unexpected and much talked about scented ambience for the runway – a first for Sydney fashion week!

In April, Grandiflora released their first candles, Madagascan Jasmine and Queen Of The Night, collaborating with France’s oldest candlemakers, Cire Truden. Both are encased in gold dipped, Italian porcelain vessels and housed in beautiful Magnolia Grandiflora packaging and available from the Grandiflora store and online.

Busy, right?! What an incredible woman and just so great for us she is Sydney based. I’ll be back soon with some more on the Queen of the Night launch in France later this month and hopefully a giveaway or two! In the meantime I think we should all be rushing to find some of these incredible plants so we can all experience the magic of the Queen of the Night in bloom! Have any of you experienced this phenomenon?

Until next time,
Ainslie XX

Week Of Giveaways WINNERS

June 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey Gang,

Haven’t heard from all our Week Of Giveaway Winners yet. Please check below. You all have till Wednesday night here in Oz to get your addresses to portia_turbo@yahoo.com.au.

If you’ve sent through your details I’ve crossed you out.

Thanks,

Portia xx

Week Of Giveaways WINNERS

Belle de Jour GIVEAWAY WINNER

Katherine Mittas

Equinox Bloom GIVEAWAY WINNERS

~~Lena~~

~~Despina Veneti~~

Tauer Perfumes Sample Pack GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~Lindaloo~~

White Spirit by JHaG GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~SaffyIsHere~~

Hermann ELdO GIVEAWAY WINNERS

~~Greennote2~~

~~Ellen M~~

~~*sophi*~~

Lori L

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~Tim~~

Thank You to those I’ve heard from. HURRY UP to those I haven’t.

Portia xx