Author: katesplace356115470

Donna by Trussardi 2011

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Kate Apted

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Hello APJ people!

Hey, it is almost spring. This is the time of the year I bring out the flowery scents that are a little higher pitched, less tinged with incense or honey, give the impression of warmer weather and longer days, and preempt the floral bounty we will shortly receive.

Donna by Trussardi 2011

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Yuzu, Citron, Water fruits
Heart: Orange blossom, Jasmine tea, Waterlily
Base: White patchouli, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla

One such perfume is Donna by Trussardi. Released in 2011, it has nothing to do with the 80s version housed in the white plastic shell. This modern Donna brings forth all the flowery descriptions Mrs Bennett has of Mr Bingham upon meeting for the first time in Pride and Prejudice. In fact, the scent seems to fit with the delightfully Regent style portrayed in the BBC adaption from the 90s, though more Jane’s image than Lizzy’s or Lydia’s.

Donna is a pretty jasmine mixed with the fruity palatte of a mid summer sweet white wine. It is possibly a staid and matronly scent when compared to the niche and oud heavy releases of the same year. It does not surprise me there has been little discussion of Donna in the perfume community. Scents similar to it released recently have not attracted much favourable attention either.

Given that Donna is so different to the fruchoulis and rose-oud combinations popular lately, it struck me immediately as a light hearted, quirky fruity floral that I find more and more endearing with each wearing. I love that it is so ordinary and congenial. It is also a standout from the somewhat insipid women’s scents to have been released by Trussardi since.

Donna opens with a burst of citrusy yuzu and orange blossom. The jasmine is creamy and rich on this occassion with no trace of anything indolic. The dry down is quite similar to that of Woman by Ralph Lauren. If you have come across Bella Blanca, the new Oscar de la Renta, you’ll have an idea of what Donna is about. Donna, though, is more vicacious and fruity sweet. Chanel No.18 EDP has a zingy fruit that is in the same ball park as Donna.

The bottle is a classy looking porcelain sort of flacon. White with gild down its side seams and the lettering on the front. It is a heavy bottle, so don’t drop it! The downside to it is I cannot see the level of liquid left, as it is completely opaque.

I absolutely love wearing Donna on a very early morning when the birds are sensibly feeding and finding a shady spot to rest when the mid morning heat hits in the height of summer. Being alone with that creamy jasmine and citrusy fruit punch is a simple joy that makes life worth living. I can savour the little nuances that peek out as the scent develops and it seems so in tune with my surrounds.

I really must get a back up bottle of Donna. I know I’ll kick myself if I don’t.

What is early spring like where you live? Have you scents that you wear to anticipate spring’s arrival? What can you recommend I try from your spring wardrobe?

Sexy, Sassy, Springtime loving Kate!

NIVEA: When the blues hit, Nivea to the rescue

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Kate Apted

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Hey APJ community!

Now and then we all get hit by the blues. Life seems devoid of joy and the usual things we do for comfort lose all appeal. It has been one of those months, and worst of all, I have hardly any interest in perfume.

NIVEA 2015

When the blues hit, Nivea to the rescue

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, Bergamot, Lavender
Heart: Lily-of-the-valley, Rose, Freesia, Ylang-ylang
Base: Sandalwood, Musky notes

I devote an hour everyday to doing things fragrance related, such as taking a bubble bath in my latest shower gel, researching on my favoured perfume sites, catching up with perfumistas and/or re-sorting my collection. I haven’t even been doing that!

The only things I have been taking little sniffs of are related: my tin of Nivea cream that I never put on my skin, and my little sample of Nivea edt I bough a few weeks back. There is a gentle comfort to the Nivea scent that goes all the way back to when I was 8 years old.

I did try to wear Monsieur by Frederic Malle, but it made me kind of itchy in an internally restless way, so I washed it off. The smell of food has been off putting and actually made my appetite weaker than normal. I am definitely in the midst of something rather unsettling and only time will tell what it is.

Strangely, I am not inclined to sell any of my perfumes, yet a week ago, I put aside a stack ready for me to list on Facebook in various markets. Some bottles are even annoying me. My shower gels are unused and I have taken to using a bar of Allure (Chanel) soap I tucked away  for when I needed a soap with minimal scent.

See? I am not myself right now. I have faith I will come out of this and my zeal for perfume shall return. But in the meantime, I need to ride out whatever it is.

Just yesterday, my eldest, H, sprayed his usual haze of Lynx (or Axe) Australia around his body and I felt I had been gassed with WWI mustard gas. I had to leave the house for frezh air! It is a pretty decent oud-like scent and I have no qualms with him spraying with abandon.

So, back to the blue tin of Nivea cream. There is something so simple, so universally appealing about the vibrant dark blue tin with the bold white lettering. It is a piece of ‘home’ found the world over. The tin makes a marvellously alive sound as it is opened. And inside is the thick cream that used to remind me of the purest double cream I’d see at the dairy as a child. Then the scent… Oh, how does one even put that heavenly powdery, metallic, hyacinth smell to words?!

I guess I want to be around the familar; things that are pleasant, yet not overbearing or complicated. I don’t even need to think about the Nivea experience. I can visualise everything about it with hardly any effort.

What brings you comfort when the blues hit? Are there any scents you warm up to, or perhaps avoid?

May you shine on, you crazy diamonds,

Kate xx

Day to Day Perfumes (My Dailies)

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Kate Apted

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Hey there, APJers!

I had to go to trade school for 3 years as part of my apprenticeship. The guys in my class were the best thing about my time as an apprentice. They would talk about their cars, but more specifically, their dailies. It is their short hand for the cars they use on a daily basis; the ones they don’t invest lots of time and money in as a hobby, but are functional and reliable.

Day to Day Perfumes (My Dailies)

I have a selection of scents I call my dailies. I can wear these at any time, to any place and I know they will work. They are beautiful and well loved in their own right, yet I know I can call on them without having to worry about my emotional attachment (or lack of) to them. They provide a sweet ride without maintenance or expectation.

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Photo by Kate Apted of her favourite daily fumes.

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L’Instant de Guerlain and it’s many flankers.

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Kate Apted

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Hello there and welcome to APJ.

Do you get lost in the myriad of flankers? Guerlain is most certainly guilty of pumping out copius amounts of flankers each year, but it does not mean they are necessarily bad, inferior or unwelcome.

The lesser known series of L’Instant de Guerlain attracts very little attention in our community. Part of that is the fact they were issued almost a generation ago and are harder to source. I also suspect the range is now considered dated. But you can let me know what you think about that. I do, however, hope they will enter the cannon of Guerlain greats eventually.

Today, I want to showcase four from the series; simply because I own four and they are the only ones I have come across. They are L’Instant de Guerlain (LIdG) eau de toilette, eau de parfum, the Iris limited edition and L’Instant Magic.

L’Instant de Guerlain EdP

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Concrete by Comme des Garçons: Architecture + Perfume

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Kate Apted

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Welcome to APJ!

In researching the link between architecture and perfume, a lot is made of linking a smell with a place, or trying to recreate the scent of the inside of a building. I think it is too far a literal understanding of the two. I believe there is a more subtle joining that allows each their artistic and symbolic existence aside from the other, yet in mutual complimentarity.

Architecture + Perfume

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Vintage vs Modern Perfumes

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Kate Apted

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Well, well, APJ family, we meet again. Don’t… the pleasure is all mine!

This morning, I was filling up my car with petrol before work, and I was mulling over the vintage Coco parfum I was wearing. I love the opulent fullness of the notes and the complexity of the scent, even though the top notes have almost evaporated away. Later in the afternoon, I was to pick up a vintage Safari parfum and was already anticipating the lush dry greenness.

Vintage vs Modern Perfumes

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The Pain of Pleasure and Perfume

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Kate Apted

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G’day APJ family. Really great to have you here!

I have been to a few perfume meet-ups now and I have been able to hear other like minded folk talk about perfumery and scent. It has been brilliant to learn how you all feel about, discuss and approach perfume. But what has become very obvious to me is how differently I process, not just my emotions regarding scent, but the pleasure, and pain, I get from smelling things.

 

The Pain of Pleasure and Perfume

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Calvin Klein Women 2018

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Kate Apted

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How’s things, APJers?

Our summer is pretty much over, and as short as it had been, I found it one of my best summers yet. I discovered a wide range of hot weather loving scents that are not the usual citrus, cologne style or 90s breezy, aquatics. Needless to say, Chloe Nomade got a lot of wear, as did 34 Boulevard St Germain by Diptyque.

Calvin Klein Women 2018

Honorine Blanc and Annick Menardo

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