Guerlain: Rue de Saint Honoré 2016: Photo Essay

January 31, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 38 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Guerlainophiles,

The Place Vendome store is closed. Sad but the good news is that they are re-opening there at a smaller venue, work to commence soon.

In the interim Guerlain have opened a lovely new store on the Rue de Saint Honoré. It opened last Thursday! So new there is no name on the front. Jin & I had to follow our noses. Inside the crew were extremely friendly and helpful. Our particular hostess was Coraline and she wanted us to have the ultimate Guerlain experience.

Guerlain: Rue de Saint Honoré 2016

Ostensibly I was going in to gran a Nahema parfum and a bottle of L’Heure de Nuit. It didn’t quite pan out that way because there was NEW STUFF! But I did manage to grab the Nahema parfum, There is a new exclusive and I fell heavily so I swapped out my L’Heure de Nuit for a Promenade des Anglais! Fig, Iris and Citrus over a seemingly marzipan base. Freaking gorgeous!

The real surprise was the new multi coloured glas bottles in the exclusives bee bottles. They are 125ml and you can choose any of the 7 or so colours and put in one of the 18 scents. Once you have made your selection your choice of fragrance s then decanted into your bottle from a large industrial urn, like a 21st century Caron adventure, and packed safely away for traveling. It’s quite the experience. As always, Guerlain delivers a magical and exciting ride.

The choice was interesting and it took me nearly half an hour to finally decide on Cuir Beluga. Here is how our afternoon panned out in pictures. You can only get these bottles at the Rue de Saint Honoré store and they are not sending any. It’s a limited offer so get to paris QUICK!

Enjoy,
Portia xx

Guerlain: Rue de Saint Honoré 2016

Photo Essay

Versace Man Eau Fraiche by Olivier Cresp for Versace 2006

January 30, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Designer Fragrance Fiends,

Once upon a time, long, long ago there was a fashion house named Versace that made excellent fragrances. Run by its flamboyant and fabulous namesake Gianni Versace who was gunned down outside his Miami, Florida home July 1997. Since his demise the Versace fragrances have become cheaper and nastier, rarely a gem will lift its head above the dross. This is not really one of them but a mate of mine was smelling particularly good a while back and I asked what he was wearing, “Versace Eau Fraiche in the blue bottle” was his proud as punch answer. How could I disagree with my nose so I went and ordered a decant.

Versace Man Eau Fraiche by Versace 2006

Versace Man Eau Fraiche by Olivier Cresp

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, bergamot, rosewood, rose
Heart: Cedar, tarragon, sage, pepper
Base: Amber, musk, saffron, woody notes

Olivier Cresp is a nose that has created some awesome blockbusters. In my collection I have or had full bottles of Juniper Sling, Kokorico, Angel, Armani Attitude and Kenzo Amour Indian Holi: all so different yet created by the same perfumer.

Opening freshly aquatic with a tingling zing of citrus Versace Man Eau Fraiche has all the hallmarks of a summer sports flanker. Bright, artificial, uber clean and lightly toxic smelling. Under this blast of radioactive citrus floats a pretty herbal greenery made piquant by cracked black pepper and a whiff of dry woods. The citrus has now softened considerably and has become quite likable with a creamy hint of pith.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

As we warm into the heart Versace Man Eau Fraiche becomes quite like many of the eau de cologne style of fragrances. Nothing smells natural but it doesn’t smell bad I’m enjoying wearing it and my mate smelled delicious. More of a household functional scent than fine fragrance, it could very well be related to the scent they use in hospital disinfectant to make the corridors smell a little brighter and more friendly. It smells clean and invigorating and I can see why so many men wear it. Also over the scent of a lightly sweaty, healthy man it’s very nice. I’m surprised that juniper berries aren’t included in the notes but I suppose they covered it with cedar. I also feel that it’s full of a couple of notes that are so ubiquitous that they should jump out at me as what they are, sadly they dont.

Versace Man Eau Fraiche remains pretty linear with little warming through the base on me, projection and longevity are good but it’s the sillage that will have people looking after you with interest. I would love to smell this on one of my girlfriends to see how it lives on the ladies, probably even more lovely.

FragranceNet has $37/50ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples has $7/5ml

Do your friends ever smell freaking amazing in stuff you wouldn’t use to clean your driveway?
Portia xx

N.B. If you hit the My Perfume Samples link and shop I get a kickback.

Remarkable People by Quentin Bisch + Cecile Matton for Etat Libre d’Orange 2015

January 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Australian Perfume Junkies,

It’s excellent having an Etat Libre d’Orange online here in Australia with the whole range. You can buy some in Sephora if you’re in a big city, or Peony Melbourne, but Etat Libre d’Orange Au will ship Australia wide. How freaking exciting is that?

Remarkable People by Etat Libre d’Orange 2015

Remarkable People by Quentin Bisch + Cecile Matton

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Grapefruit, champagne, cardamom
Heart: Jasmine, curry tree, black pepper
Base: Labdanum, sandalwood, lorenox

Sweet champagne with a grapefruit twist and a herbal thread woven through? Remarkable People opens a bit like your first sip of champagne punch at a garden party. Simultaneously tart and warming, you can even smell the anticipation in the air. The fizz is maintained into the heart and the smell of sun warmed skin mingles with the woody smell of a BarBQ being organised and the first sizzle of spices as marinades hit the grill.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Remarkable People smells like a lavish reinterpretation of the cologne style of fragrances. A bit warmer and more engaging, unisex and the citrus seems to follow the resins into the base as a pithy, white musky cleanliness. The most close resemblance in a fragrance is Royal Bain de Caron but I wonder if I am being led by the idea of the champagne note. Lorenox is a Mace accord (according to fragrantica) and it has some leather/amber/woodsy facets.

The dry down is pretty, wearable and though no big new reveal it is interesting for a few hours before fading out. I think Remarkable People will be a hit for ELdO because it’s totally wearable and smells very nice. Remarkable? I think yes, if you smelled someone walking by with it on.

Photo Stolen ArtEllsta

Further reading: MeganInSaintMaxime and Colognoisseur
Etat Libre d’Orange in Australia has $100/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting from $4.50/m

Do you have an Etat Libre d’Orage yet? Which one and why?
Portia xx

Datura Noir by Serge Lutens: LIVE Video Sniff

January 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello My Lovelies,

This was a Blind Buy! Yes, I know, that’s the way to penury but I was pretty sure I would adore it. So you guys get to come along for my initial Opening Ceremony and sniff!

Datura Noir by Serge Lutens 2001

Datura Noir by Christopher Sheldrake

Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Coconut, tuberose, tonka bean, almond, lemon blossom, mandarin orange, musk, chinese osmanthus, heliotrope, myrrh, vanilla, apricot

It’s always fun with Scotty on the lanai and as usual we blunder through a fragrant masterpiece missing all nuance and generally behaving like a bull in a china shop.

Amaranthine by Bertrand Duchaufour for Penhaligon’s 2009

January 28, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Crew,

Way back in 2009/10 when Amaranthine was first released it caused uproar. Nobody could quite believe that very British house Penhaligon’s would bring out such a naughty little firecracker of a frag. I have a bottle from Birgit at OT but while going through my decants I refound Amaranthine and decided to give myself a big fat spritz.

Amaranthine by Penhaligon’s 2009

Amaranthine by Bertrand Duchaufour

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Banana leaf, Green tea, Cardamom absolute, Coriander seed, White freesia
Heart: Rose, Carnation, Clove bud oil, Orange blossom, Ylang-ylang-oil, Egyptian jasmine absolute
Base: Musk, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Evaporated milk, Tonka bean absolute

Yes, it opens green and fresh yet curiously tropical and already you can tell there will be white flowers in abundance. Amaranthine is large and forthright, filled chock full of creamy flowers, their stems and a little of their vase water that has perhaps been left a day too long before changing.

As we leave the opening extravaganza behind Amaranthine becomes totally tropical. A warm rich and radiant white/yellow floral with a healthy green punch and fruity byplay. Creamy seems to fall short of how smooth and glutinous Amaranthine becomes, not sticky or lumpy but perfectly, silkily, gloriously thick and luscious. With my nose up close I feel that it’s so thick and viscous that perhaps I will drown in its vegetal embrace. Once I put my arm back by my side it softens to a gently and warm vanilla and floral bouquet, Amaranthine become charming and harmless again. Beautiful, alluring and enchanting but in a safe way, then I bring my arm back to my nose and I’m lost. It’s a heavy scent, a brocade bouquet.

Photo Stolen Flickr

March on Perfume Posse uses the word refulgent and when I looked it up it means shining brightly. It’s as accurate a word as I can find to explain how dazzling Amaranthine is. Strange that we read or hear so little about it nowadays because it was a game changing fragrance at the time and now I can only think of Amoureuse by Parfums DelRae being anywhere near as outrageous.

For some reason today my skin skips the sexy boudoir completely and goes directly to plush, sweet vanilla/sandalwood and a hefty dollop of clean skin musks. This lovely comfortable dry down can last for a full day & night and is basically indelible on fabric.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Perfume Shrine
Libertine Parfumerie has $239/100ml with FREE Australian delivery
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

How was Amaranthine for you? Is it something you’ve loved, hated, never tried?
Portia xx

Erdenstern by Tanja Bochnig for April Aromatics 2014

January 27, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Joseph Sagona

Hi APJ,

SOTD April Aromatics Erdenstern EDP: classified as a Woody Floral Musk.

Erdenstern by April Aromatics 2014

Erdenstern by Tanja Bochnig

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Musk, ambergris, vetiver, tobacco leaf, tonka bean, cacao, opoponax

I get the Tobacco, Cacao, Musk, Vetiver, Opoponax and Tonka Bean, it opens up with a warm, botanical, musk and a spicy, vanilla tinged Tonka bean, the musk is strong, the Tonka bean is mild. Then after thirty minutes, the Tonka bean dissipates, the musk softens, in comes a earthy, damp vetiver and a dusty cacao with a touch of bitterness, the vetiver is mild, the cacao is soft. Four hours on and the musk and cacao dissipate, the vetiver softens, in comes a sweet, dry tobacco and a warm, honey tinged opoponax. The tobacco and opopnax are mild.

Erdenstern reminds me slightly of Frapin’s Speakeasy, Speakeasy is more musky, boozy, floral, citric and herbal. It also comes off fresh and slightly fruity. There is a very subtle gingerbread cookie with almonds and honey smell I get out of Erdenstern. The warm spiciness, bitter almonds and syrupy honey are really lovely.

Flickr

A very aromatic fragrance, balmy, warm, comforting, nutty, complex, smoky with a touch of sweetness and soft woody undertones.

From April Aromatics: The mystery of Avalon, the holy place between the worlds of gods and mortals, is the inspiration for Earth Star. The “Earth Star”/ Erdenstern symbolizes this connection and provides a conduit between these two worlds. Earth Star/ Erdenstern shimmers through wet leaves within mystical landscapes.
The masculine merges with the feminine; they become one and rise together with the forces of Nature. When the Earth exhales softly, in Autumn, she exudes a scent of completion and everything comes to rest. Then, gently the veil lifts, like a mist above the valleys, and transports us to time beyond time. Soft Musk and warm notes of ambergris captivate our senses, while earthy Vetiver reminds us to luxuriate in the memories of summer. Tobacco leaves intertwined with the mild sweetness of tonka and cocoa, merge into the sacredness of Opoponax. This blissful balance between the worlds, genders and emotions, warms and guides us to a personal place of comfort and peace.

Flickr

April Aromatics has €169/30ml

Erdenstern would be lovely in the Fall and Winter, I get average projection and average longevity, this was my first introduction into the April Aromatics house and it was a good one.

Which is your April Aromatic? Have you tried them?
Joseph

Cookie Queen on Portia, Perfume & Packing Less

January 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 33 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Happy Australia Day APJ!

My bag is packed and I´m ready to go. Lalalalalala.

Portia, Perfume & Packing Less

I am leaving on a small jet plane tomorrow for London, and I have packed very little. I am positive that any able-bodied adult going away for a few days can easily get all their stuff into a 10 kilo cabin bag. No? Try it. It is liberating. You are instantly more mobile, probably better off as it usually costs for checked baggage on the economy flights, and you reduce the risk to zero that your bag will end up in London, Texas. Straight through the gates and no eternal lining up with thousands of people to check your bag in, thus saving on meds.

I am so excited to see Portia and Jin. Have you ever had a Portia hug? I feel inextricably linked to him. It has been just over three years of a friendship that changed the direction of my life. As you may know from a previous APJ post Portia Turbo will be presenting a Perfume Lovers London event on the 28th of January. Whoo-bloody-hoo!! I shall have a couple of batches of fudgey white chocolate chunk brownies stuffed into my small case to celebrate. Easier to travel with than cookies.

I want something new to wear something for the event. A few drops from the lab testers of the up and coming Vero Profumo tobacco fragrances should suffice.

Not going to take any other perfumes with me. I have no doubt at all that my leather perfume pouch will fill up very quickly on its own.

As you read this I am running around Salzburg like a chipmunk on crack, delivering cookies.

My husband is coming with me, without his bike.

I am also taking my therapist with me. Not in my suitcase. She bought her own ticket.
All bases covered I believe.

Great British Bussis
CQ

White Cattleya by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015 + GIVEAWAY

January 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 66 Comments

Post by Azar

Happy New Year APJ!

I am a citrus junkie. I love eating and smelling the new crops of grapefruits, pomelos, lemons, limes, oranges and tangerines that come into our local markets in November through early December. I also adore the flowers of the early winter blooming (Northern hemisphere) Cattleya orchid hybrids that, coincidentally, often smell like citrus fruits or flowers. On December 15th Ellen Covey introduced her new White Cattleya fragrance happily coinciding with the arrival of fresh citrus in the stores and the opening of cattleya blossoms in greenhouses everywhere.

White Cattleya by Olympic Orchids 2015

White Cattleya by Ellen Covey

Olympic Orchids

Olympic Orchids give these featured accords:
Citron, lemon, neroli, jasmine, heliotrope, orchid accord, light vanilla, musk.

White Cattleya was created as a wedding fragrance but to me it is the ultimate semi-gourmand citrus perfume opening with an oily-sweet lemon zest. Imagine the pores of a yellow lemon rind exuding droplets of fragrance and you have an idea what I smell right off the top. There are almost fifty varieties of lemons grown commercially these days. In our local stores we see a lot of “Meyers” lemons (a lemon x orange hybrid), “Villafranca”, Florida’s leading lemon and “Eureka”, the top US commercial variety. For me the zesty, sweet opening of White Cattleya is very close to the fragrance and flavor of the sweet Persian lemon “Limoo Shirin” (C. limetta). This mildly sweet, slightly bitter, low acid fruit has a smooth, thin skin and is about the size and shape of a tennis ball.

Wikipedia

As we all know certain citrus top notes are flighty and evaporate within moments of application. Not so in White Cattleya. What I perceive as Persian lemon zest stays in place on my skin for at least 30 minutes before its starts to shift to the scent of one of my favorite Italian liqueurs – Limoncello. As Limoncello comes to the fore I begin to detect one of my least favorite florals, the dreaded heliotrope. Fortunately for me, the gooey sweet marzipan aspect of heliotrope is tempered with jasmine and the tenacious citron. The floral/citrus heart of White Cattleya stays in place for hours, eventually morphing (but not fading) to an ethereal vanilla and musk. White Cattleya is a powerful fragrance with strong to moderate sillage, easily lasting for 14 to 16 hours. Also, on my skin, it does not wash off even after a hot shower. If you are not a lemon lover, be careful how you apply this fragrance! That being said, lemon and jasmine scents are both known to sharpen our wits and help us feel better about ourselves

Further reading:
Olympic Orchids has $65/30ml + Samples

Azar X

myprettypaints

White Cattleya GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 5ml refillable purse spray of White Cattleya
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you love or hate lemons. BTW – have you tried the new White Cattleya?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 14th January 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 Sunday 17th January 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.

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

January 24, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by AF Beauty

Hi APJ,

So, in the last few years there has been a bit of a move towards products which can be used in the shower in order to save time and make you feel amazing. For me, the verdict is still out on whether they do actually save money or make you feel amazing.

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

First up, Nivea In-Shower Rich Body Lotion. I’ve had this in my shower for about a year. The bottle is massive to start with – and while that might sound great, let me tell you two things. First, massive bottles are difficult to handle with wet shower hands. Second, massive bottles cause massive bruises when you drop them on your feet. (You’re welcome.)

Well, ONCE you’ve managed to dispense some product, then you need to apply and actually it’s not too bad. It has the classic Nivea aroma, which is comforting to me. The product is thick and feels a little waxy as you apply. It’s a very difficult texture to describe – initially you’d not notice anything different to a standard lotion, but if you rub your hands together it feels that you’ve rubbed your hands in lip balm! That said, if you apply as instructed and rinse, basically don’t rub your hands together, it’s not too noticeable.
Once out of the shower your bod is, undeniably, softer and smoother although I did find some parts didn’t sink in as well as I expected.

An hour after the shower and the Nivea scent is gone, which is a bit of shame. However, all that said, I will make more of an effort to use it again and when I run out; I’ll try a different variation. I’ll also look for a pump-action dispenser for my inept hands!

Next up, a newbie in Australia, St Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan. At a pretty expensive price point compared to other self-tan products ($40!!) I was expecting good things from this. I ordered on a pre-order and was thrilled when it arrived. I went to use it the first time after the gym in the shower at work one day. I have to get lifts into the basement at work to use the showers, it would appear that the lift destination is actually the Antarctic, it’s freezing!

The instruction for this product is to apply with the shower off and let it sit for three minutes. Let me tell you, three minutes in the cold shower without water is actually eternity. I tried this a few times and I was bargaining with myself on how long I would be able to stand the cold. I have no idea how this is so popular in the UK where it’s freezing!

The product still had that biscuity smell of self-tan and I didn’t really notice a change, I guess because I couldn’t tolerate the wait.
Personally I would prefer to use an out of shower self-tan and tolerate the smell.

I’d love to hear if there are any fans of either product here?

Turtle Vetiver Front by Isabelle Doyen for Les Nez 2012

January 23, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by Portia

Hiya Fume Family,

Do you have a few scents that got away. You tried it when it was released, loved it but couldn’t afford it at the time? Or you were going to buy it but something else caught your eye? Or the craving didn’t start till well after your first sniff?

Turtle Vetiver Front by Les Nez 2012

Turtle Vetiver Front by Isabelle Doyen

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vetiver, coconut milk, moss, ambergris

I don’t remember when or how I got this decant. Turtle Vetiver Front was never on my radar and though I’ve loved vetiver as a note and also for its innumerable uses in modern society it’s not a note I pursue. My skin throws much different fragrance to me than what I read about in others reviews too so maybe I was let down in my expectations on first sniffing. Anyway, I dismissed Turtle Vetiver Front on my first round with it.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Fast forward a ways to quite recently and I was writing about Vetiver Dance 07 by Tauer Perfumes and trying to see if anything in my history would correlate. Anyway, I came across this decant again and had a little sniff and though it wasn’t what I was looking for at the time the soft focus sweet swamp and light, lilting greenness of Turtle Vetiver Front made me want to come back and wear it again. I wanted to get my thoughts down because this is the last dregs of my decant and there are no bottles to be found. Maybe I’ll buy a decant from Surrender To Chance and get to live it some more.

Imagine vetiver. All the ink, swamp, smoke, dry rasp, oily, grassy, twiggy, metallic and salty aspects. Now take all of these amazing facets and remove the spikes and rough edges, shake to blend and give the wearer little or no hint of notes, create a new scent of them all like looking at the world through a lightly frosty green tinted pair of glasses. The edges are blurred and vegetally sweetened, one spritz and the whole world seems a little cooler and a lot smoother and there is air between the notes, sheer yet fragrant.

As the heart burns away my skin chemistry leaves me with a dry vetiver and a lightly salted breeze over sun warmed skin which dwindles and dwindles without collapsing to fade.

DAMN, I wish I had more of this….

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Grain de Musc and Non Blonde
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

What is one of your lost scents? Which one got away for you?
Portia xxx

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Author: australianperfumejunkiescom

Guerlain: Rue de Saint Honoré 2016: Photo Essay

Guerlain: Rue de Saint Honoré 2016

Guerlain: Rue de Saint Honoré 2016

Photo Essay

Versace Man Eau Fraiche by Olivier Cresp for Versace 2006

Versace Man Eau Fraiche by Versace 2006

Versace Man Eau Fraiche by Olivier Cresp

Remarkable People by Quentin Bisch + Cecile Matton for Etat Libre d’Orange 2015

Remarkable People by Etat Libre d’Orange 2015

Remarkable People by Quentin Bisch + Cecile Matton

Datura Noir by Serge Lutens: LIVE Video Sniff

Datura Noir by Serge Lutens 2001

Datura Noir by Christopher Sheldrake

Amaranthine by Bertrand Duchaufour for Penhaligon’s 2009

Amaranthine by Penhaligon’s 2009

Amaranthine by Bertrand Duchaufour

Erdenstern by Tanja Bochnig for April Aromatics 2014

Erdenstern by April Aromatics 2014

Erdenstern by Tanja Bochnig

White Cattleya by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015 + GIVEAWAY

White Cattleya by Olympic Orchids 2015

White Cattleya by Ellen Covey

White Cattleya GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

Turtle Vetiver Front by Isabelle Doyen for Les Nez 2012

Turtle Vetiver Front by Les Nez 2012

Turtle Vetiver Front by Isabelle Doyen