Hey, hey, hey APJ!! What’s up?!It has been such a long time and I have missed you all and all of the chats here. Needless to say, I am thrilled to see APJ up and running again. Truth be told at first I did not know what to do with my free time. I ambitiously thought that I would continue to write during the break and come back with stories to tell and then … life took over. Haha, so much for my goals. Life has been hectic but wonderful and full of surprises. I am going to tell you today about my love affair with Scotland. As my husband had a business trip to Hawaii during my son’s spring break, I decided to go to Edinburgh and the Highlands with my son. Of course I have travelled alone with him, but this was our first sightseeing adventure without Dad there to entertain or be an adult conversationalist in the evenings. I could not have been more thrilled with the experience. We put away the iPad and iPhone (couldn’t talk to husband anyway because of the 11 hour time difference) and hit Scotland with loads of energy and excitement.As my son so eloquently stated on our first day in Edinburgh, Scotland completely surpassed all of our expectations with its beauty, people, history and sites. My son surprised me with his knowledge of some history and when I enquired where he had read that he told me Donald Duck was not as useless as I always claim. 
Edinburgh is a city of contrasts with the Old Town and the New Town. The architecture is stunning and the sheer determination of humans to occupy the Castle Rock, where Edinburgh Castle is positioned is unfathomable to my feeble brain. Edinburgh has stolen my heart with its magnificence.
The 19th century Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson described Edinburgh so eloquently when he wrote the following in Edinburgh Picturesque Notes. “Into no other city does the sight of the country enter so far, if you do not meet a butterfly, you shall certainly catch a glimpse of far-away trees upon your walk; and the place is full of theatre tricks in the way of scenery. You peep under an arch, you descend stairs that look as if they would land you in a cellar, you turn to the back-window of a grimy tenement in a lane: -and behold! You are face-to-face with distant and bright prospects. You turn a corner, and there is the sun going down into the Highland hills. You look down an alley, and see ships tacking for the Baltic.”
Our tour of the Highlands was a highlight on this trip and has ensured that we will return next year to further discover what the Highlands has to offer. As a child I believed in Nessie the Famed Loch Ness Monster. My son is not quite the believer I was but he had a wonderful conversation with one of the crew on our cruise of the Loch. Maybe one day he will believe. Ben Nevis was clearly visible on a partly cloudy day and the air was so fresh and clean that it reminded us of Austria. But our absolute favorite part of the Highlands was Glencoe, the famous glen surrounded by snow capped mountains, waterfalls, lush greenery and clean air. We could have spent hours leisurely walking around and discovering the wilderness there. We spotted a herd of red deer grazing which elicited squeals of joy from both of us.
Scotland is fantastic and I will go back next spring break with my son. We plan on exploring the Highlands a bit more. Perhaps The Isle of Skye and the surrounding area.
I was monogamous in my perfume choice for the entirety of the trip as well. This past winter I fell in love with Frederic Malle’s Dries van Noten and it was a perfect choice for the trip. Due to the chilly air I needed something cozy and warm. The opening is a tad bit harsh but Dries van Noten quickly dries down to a soft vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, woody dream. I am not a light sprayer and the more I spray of Dries the better my experience. It melds beautifully into my skin creating this wonderful aura. I usually stick to one perfume if I am traveling to an unknown destination, I don’t want any challenges to my olfactory senses when I am trying to focus on the new destination. If it is a family vacation I tend to bring samples or decants so that I can vary things up a bit.How about you? Do you travel with perfume? Please tell me what you have all been up to. Any trips? Any new perfumes?KissesSandra xoxo(All photos taken by me.)
Contributor
Neroli Outrenoir by Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk for Guerlain 2016
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Portia
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Hi there APJ,
I tried Neroli Outrenoir when it was first released while Jin and I were in the Champs Elysees flagship store. I was totally overwhelmed by the venue and underwhelmed by the scent and really haven’t given it another thought. Recently though I bought a 10ml decant in a split. To be honest I don’t remember putting my name down for it. You know that late night cyber crawl after a couple of cuppas and Continue reading
Boxwalla October Beauty Box
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Val the Cookie Queen
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November Greetings APJ
From L.A. The Boxwalla October Beauty Box
From L.A. to New York, from New York to L.A.
I chatted a lot with the charming Lavanya as she was in the process of setting up www.theboxwalla.com. Talking about it is one thing, and doing it quite another. Two years on Boxwalla continue to offer four different subscription boxes; the Beauty Box, Food Box, Film Box and Book Box. The boxes themselves are superb. Boxwalla have them made by a small company in India, who make the paper from cotton scraps. Tree-free handmade paper. I keep my decants in an empty box. They are very strong and tough.
Boxwalla October Beauty Box
The October Beauty Box is nothing short of divine. I am most impressed that products are either full sized at least a large travel size. I am not partial to tiny samples that you need to rip open with your teeth, squeezing out the three drops from within. Boxwalla´s Beauty Boxes treat you to amazing green beauty products. We have most certainly moved on from what my daughter and I refer to as “Müsli products” which we wouldn´t touch with a bargepole.
The October Beauty Box showcases www.hforlove.com products. The Rapha Harmonizing Cleanser feels stimulating on the face. I wear a lot of makeup, which I chose to remove in my normal way. I followed it up by massaging the cleanser into my face, soothing my skin and removing with a hot flannel. Skin is noticeably softer each time I use it.
The Propolis Regenerative Mask felt wonderful, I don´t know if anything has regenerated yet as I have only used it once! The Kinu, a decadent body balm is so good, leaving my skin hydrated and amazingly soft for hours. It smells divine, laced with essential oils of grapefruit, cedar wood, bergamot, rosemary, and vanilla.
Shipping within the US is free, and Boxwalla ship their boxes abroad too, with the exception of the food box. Fifty bucks every two months? Worth every cent and more.
Next time: We go to New York: Aroma M Geisha Marron Eau de Parfum
From sea to shining sea.
Roasted marron bussis
CQ
(ED: All Photos supplied by Val. XX)
Apollo Hyacinth by Alberto Morillas for Eric Buterbaugh Florals 2015
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Portia
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Hey fumes,
I wrote about Apollo Hyacinth back in 2015. It has remained in my head and on my To Buy List since, so recently I bought another 3ml decant to see if I’ll go through it. My major concern, and why I haven’t gone FB on this green beauty is the bottle. I really love how it looks and think it’s perfectly gorgeous but if I had to decant it out to wear I think it would just not ever get used. Yes, I know how petty that sounds but let’s be honest here. If I have 17 green fragrances to choose from and 3 of them need to be decanted out to be worn then you can be bloody certain that those three will end up being totally ignored while I spritz some CHANEL No 19, Giverny In Bloom, Silences or Niki de Saint Phalle.
Apollo Hyacinth by Eric Buterbaugh Florals 2015
Apollo Hyacinth by Alberto Morillas
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, pear, galbanum
Heart: Hyacinth, lily of the valley, angelica
Base: Haitian vetiver, oakmoss, cedar
Candied pear, or pear with sugar on top, galbanum and greenery. Imagine a stinking hot day and you’re walking through the shaded bushland eating a pear and drinking pear fizzy soda. That’s how Apollo Hyacinth opens for me. Elegant, spacious and yet friendly. This is no austere No 19 or arctic Giverny in Bloom, no, this is welcoming green. Even the angelica has a sweetness to it and I’m not sure how it has happened but it’s so different that I am surprised every wear. About an hour or so in I smell the soft, drippy, green stalk of cutting flowers from bulbs as plain as day. Also the LotV makes an appearance around this time but not as a lead player.
Because I’m wearing Apollo Hyacinth today in 35C heat my own sweat has added an extraordinary saltiness that I have never noticed before that skews the whole fragrance a little towards the salty white floral. Very interesting.
Lasting power is excellent, though after 4 hours you have to be very close to notice.
I’m thinking I will buy the Discovery Kit at $315 with 8 x 10ml of the whole range except the new one. They are all spritzers and come with a Travel Case.
Further reading: Perfume Posse and Australian Perfume Junkies
Eric Buterbaugh Florals has EdP $295/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $5/.5ml
Would you be bothered decanting?
Portia xx
Boy EdP by Olivier Polge for CHANEL 2016
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Post by Robert Herrmann
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Hi Fragrant Friends!
Heres I am writing from my small island home in the great Pacific Northwest….
Funny thing about this new Chanel…when I first wore it I was decidedly ambivalent about it. So I wore it the next day, just to be sure. And then the next day and and and…..now I am completely obsessed with it, and find myself reaching for it at some point almost every day!!!
Boy EdP by CHANEL 2016
Boy EdP by Olivier Polge
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lavender, rose, lemon, grapefruit, rose geranium, orange blossom, sandalwood, heliotrope, vanilla, musk.
The CHANEL website also adds fern to the list.
Boy EdP is classified as an Aromatic Fougere. Now admittedly, the fougere family of scent is not one of my favorites, I find the notes to be scarce and repetitive, and they often go bitter/sour on my skin. However this new Chanel for the Les Exclusifs range is working out just fine and dandy, actually WAAAY beyond my expectations!
CHANEL
Named after one of Coco Chanel’s early lovers, Arthur “Boy” Capel, was a famous sportsman and self-made millionaire who was tragically killed in an auto accident on his way to a rendezvous with Ms. Chanel at Christmas in 1919. Their tempestuous affair lasted for twelve years.
Boy opens with a blast of sweet lavender and heliotrope, but the sweetness quickly dissipates as the herbal qualities of the fougere step forward surrounded by musk, and what I think of as the classic Chanel (Chanelade?) notes found throughout the perfume range.
Solidly unisex, with a feeling of a vintage Chanel, but given a contemporary twist from grapefruit and lemon giving this an almost cologne-like vibe.
Yes there might be better scents in the Les Exclusifs range in my opinion, but I would (and have already) gladly add “Boy” to my full bottle collection! Sorry….gotta’ go re-apply!
Further reading: BLeauG and The Whale & The Rose
CHANEL has €320/200ml
Recently CHANEL stopped all sample/decant stores from selling their products so you must go in store to try boy
Do you have a favorite from the Chanel Les Exclusifs range??
Muguet Porcelain by Hermès GIVEAWAY WINNER
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Post by Portia
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Woo Hoo APJ!
Thanks for joining in.
Let’s see who our lucky winner is.
Portia xx
Muguet Porcelain by Hermès GIVEAWAY WINNER
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lily of the valley, green notes
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
The winner will receive:
1 x 4ml Muguet Porcelain by Hermès
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Saturday 28th May 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner chosen by random.org
Koyel
The winners will have till Wednesday 1st 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.
Une Voix Noire by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2012
Hey there APJ,
This is what I wrote about Une Voix Noire in a mini review. With more wear my views have changed, not hugely but a bit.
Une Voix Noire by Serge Lutens: Gardenia done with a berry intro and a dark breathy dry down. A boozy gardenia that sits quietly on my skin, extremely beautiful, sensual, exotic and alluring but a close set beauty that has good sillage but not too strong projection. Excellent movie or theatre choice.
Une Voix Noire by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2012
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
The stars rise in chorus. The night sky is filled with the light of the moon.
Une voix noire : jazz, drinks and the night, and, beyond all that, a troubling line of white, gardenia-scented smoke. 
GOSH! This is an extremely polarising fragrance. Made in honour of Billie Holiday, the sultry voiced chanteuse whose life was grim, grim and tortured. She was abused, a drug addict who came from very little and ended up with tragedy. Yes, her voice was velvet and she sang so heartbreakingly because her life was what it was and so she could sell her pain and angst in song. How does Une Voix Noire bring this life and voice alive?
Hairspray, booze and white flowers to open, that fabulous old fashioned hairspray that they called Lacquer. It is still used by Drag Queens to hold our wigs firm for months. The white flower is not at all Gardenia to me but a mix & match of all the white flowers and there’s a plastic/make up feel like the swipe of an expensive lipstick over a heavily powdered greasepaint and pan-stick. These smells are a Drag Queens stock in trade, so beautifully woven together in Une Voix Noire. I can imagine this being a part of how Billie Holiday would smell after a performance, there is something very lived in about Une Voix Noire.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
The heart feels sweaty and floral, white flowers and some wet-ish lily of the valley or peony perhaps. I’m getting a herbal back beat but no idea what it or they are, it’s sweet green and a little spicy and I think some buttery ylang goodness floating through too. Sweet white flowers, not sugared but like marzipan is both sweet and not sweet, actually there is a mintiness and the whole heart has a very interesting smell that reminds me of those fake teeth you used to get, remember? They were so fun to pretend you had these glamorous buck teeth in ultra white.
Sadly I miss out on most of the smokiness and Une Voix Noire stays pretty linear after the heart merely warming through with some sweet resinous vanilla/amber but still over the top is this white flower, not living Gardenia but kind of a drug store fragrance simile to it, and hairspray.
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
From my description it reads like I don’t care for Une Voix Noire, you couldn’t be more wrong. I freaking LOVE it. The lasting power is not so great for me though so I rarely reach for it to leave the house for work or play. Maybe I’ve used four or five of my 10ml decant that I bought in a split from AndreaW ages ago. When I do wear it I love it sick though.
Further reading: Now Smell This and
Une Voix Noire is available in the Exclusives line from Paris, Barney’s New York (I think) and online at Serge Lutens
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml
How do you feel about Une Voix Noire? Is it one of your Serge Lutens favourites?
Portia xx
Valentine's Day 2015
Hi there APJ Crew,
Don’t forget it is Valentine’s Day tomorrow.
Valentine’s Day 2015
If you are your only Valentine then treat yourself nice. Bathe and moisturise with your favourite, most luxurious lotions and potions, wear something that you love and take yourself and your book or interactive device down to a coffee shop and spend some quality time with you, a cuppa, some good reading (what a great time to get you blog reading up to date) and the knowledge that it’s only YOU that you need to please.
Photo Stolen Pixabay
For the rest of us, good luck picking something your partner likes, a place they feel special in for dinner and a card that doesn’t sound too cheesy. Valentine’s Day is so business oriented now that there is no way anyone will come out happy. I’m not a Scrooge but I like my special gestures to be spontaneous, not contrived and boxed.
What will Jin & I do? I don’t know. Jin is working all day and I’m looking at houses. When we get home I’ll probably order us some take away and we will watch a movie, maybe we’ll go out but the night of Valentine’s is HELL. Maybe I’ll give him an IOU? He knows I love him, that I’m proud to be his partner and that I genuinely enjoy his company 99% of the time. He gets (and gives) little mini gifts and dinners every week, we still hold hands in the movies and sometimes on the street. We love to plan stuff, do stuff, even arguing with him is fun, we laugh a lot. That’s enough for me.
What are you guys up to for Valentine’s Day 2015? Whatever you do, I hope it’s with a joyful heart.
Portia xx
Everlasting (Immortelle) Essential Oil
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Post by Suzanne R Banks
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Everlasting Essential Oil
Connects us to Our Immortality
Hi APJ,
This cute little daisy comes from the Asteraceae family along with the chamomiles, sunlfowers, safflower, marigold, globe artichoke, echinacea and chrysanthemum among many others. Also referred to as “immortelle”, can you guess what this essential oil is good for? Immortality and the fountain of youth spring to mind when I think of everlasting, it’s great for skin and has many other benefits.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
I was very excited to get a new bottle delivered the other day. It has a sweet, honey-like aroma with undertones of spice. Sometimes called the “curry plant”, everlasting does have a complex scent, maybe with a hint of curry – but don’t let that put you off. A few drops of this beautiful oil may be all you need to electrify and bend and add depth and sweetness to the scent. You may find everlasting n a 3% blend or on it’s own but it will be more expensive this way.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
In aromatherapy today everlasting (Immortelle) is used for:
– formulations in skincare to promote cell growth and act as an anti-inflammatory agent
– as a stimulant to the lymphatic system to aid lymphatic drainage and therefore allow the skin to expel toxins more efficiently
– aiding the symptoms of dermatitis and excema
– diminishing scar tissue
– healing wounds
– coughs, coughing and asthma
– according to Salvatore Battaglia (The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy) everlasting is great for liver inflammation and the organs of the gall bladder, spleen and kidneys – all the organs helping in detoxification of the body. We can see how this relates to lymphatic drainage too.
infinity
I use everlasting energetically as a way to connect us to our immortality. The Fountain of Youth lives within us if we are able to see we are simply a manifestation of the energy of our spirits. Our souls will return to the oneness of the universe when our mortal bodies fade away. It’s seems so poetic to use the french word ‘immortelle’ for this beautiful oil, and I encourage you to use it with this thought in mind.
Here are a few recipes for sweet immortelle:
1. Nourishing Body Oil Blend
For a coat of your body use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil in a little dish and, add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil.
***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.
For a 50ml bottle of oil add 25 drops
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“Sophia Loren”
Be as beautiful as this amazing lady who has said the Fountain of Youth lies in your creativity-
Everlasting 3% 12 drops
Rosewood 3 drops
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“Immortality”
Enjoy life in this moment for it will change form soon –
Everlasting 3% 9 drops
Sage 1 drop
Pink Grapefruit 4 drops
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“50 is the New 30″
Be young through the expression of your unique qualities, and youthful looking skin –
Everlasting 9 drops
Palmarosa 3 drops
Lavender 2 drops
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Happy blending and remember to use your intention when you are creating your formulas. See my article about intention.
Suzanne R Banks XX
Suzanne R Banks Blog
Suzanne R Banks Aromatherapy
Suzanne R Banks FaceBook
Kampot Pepper from Cambodia GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!
Hello all.
We had a sensational response to the Cambodian Kampot Pepper Giveaway. Thanks to the amazing Jordan from TheFragrantMan and to all of you who participated. I love a little pepper in my food too, and in my fragrances.
Kampot Pepper GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!
Gifts – one bag of black and one bag of red Kampot peppercorns from Cambodia
HOW COULD YOU WIN
You had to leave a comment below telling us your favourite use of pepper in food, fashion or fragrance or Like The Fragrant Man on Facebook to be in the random draw.
WHAT YOU CAN WIN
One of 8 gifts consisting of one bag of red peppercorns and one bag of black peppercorns each so that you can taste the difference.
Included is P&P to anywhere in the world
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Friday April 19th 2013 10pm AusEST.
Winners were chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin picked them while he was cooking Terriyake Sauce for our Nori Rolls. YUMMY!! Whenever he cooks it the house smells AH MAY ZING!
Photo Stolen berryreview
Mim, SuzanneRBanks, Patricia (FB), Brie, Musette, Azar, Tomate Farcie, Tora (FB)
CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners have till Wednesday 24th April 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or Portia will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.
Excellent work everyone,
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 