Chanel 28 La Pausa by Jacques Polge for Les Exclusifs de Chanel 2007

October 8, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Post by Dionne

All the Iris Fiends in the House say Yeah…

Hey, my niche nerds!
Today I’ll wax effusive about one of my all-time favorite frags, 28 La Pausa. Not only is this my numero uno iris pick, but it sits in my all-time top three perfumes.

Now I don’t know if anyone else is like this, but as I get to know a perfume, associations start to develop: an image or a painting, a texture, a feeling or scenario, a specific memory, a color, a place. Everything eventually gets a story. And for me, the iris note has turned into a woman. She’s tall and slender, blond hair done up in a chignon, elegant and intelligent and often intimidating. I like that about her, her cool strength. And I borrow some of that strength when I wear iris, it’s emotional armor for me.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

My mental image for 28 La Pausa is that lovely woman now in her early 70’s. She’s still tall and slender, still elegant with her white hair in a chic short cut, but the steel is now tempered with kindness. She adores her grandchildren and has a gentle, easy humor and is quick to smile. Her mind is sharp, but she’s become a master at putting you at your ease. (OK, I’m totally cheating with this particular image, because I know someone exactly like this. She’s marvelous, a good friend, and the perfect match in my mind for 28 LP.)

28 La Pausa by Chanel 2007

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Leather, rose, orris

If I was to place 28 La Pausa in the iris continuum, it’s towards the violet end instead of the carrot, woodsy instead of metallic. Nowhere near as powdery as Infusion d’Iris, and it doesn’t have the cosmetics vibe of Dior Homme, either; the powder aspect in this just seems more natural, like nothing’s been added to augment it. Not as cool as Iris Silver Mist because it’s got a hint of musk, but not as warm as Equistrius either. If you’re starting to sense a Goldilocks theme here, you’re right. This hits my sweet spot of juuuust right in the iris line-up; no wonder it’s in my top three.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Also, there’s one thing about 28 La Pausa that I’ve never encountered in another iris frag, and that’s the vetiver hanging out in the background. Luca Turin’s review in Perfumes: The Guide mentions the vetiver in the base, and for the longest time I had no idea what he was talking about. And then all of a sudden one day there it was…. Tadaa! How did I ever miss it? Actually, I know exactly how I missed it. Somehow Jacques Polge managed to wrestle this very distinctive note into playing backup, which to my mind is no small feat. Ladies and gentleman, this is how you blend perfumery notes. Kudos, Monsieur Polge. It’s interesting to see notes listed for 28 La Pausa, as sometimes vetiver isn’t even listed.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Olfactoria’s Travels
28 La Pausa is still available in CHANEL Boutiques, you may have to hurry though (the SA in Sydney’s Bondi Junction has it in stock)
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Last off, a caveat and a heads-up. You’ve likely heard about 28 LP’s poor longevity. It’s true that scent-glue skin is a real advantage when wearing this frag, but even if you don’t, the quietness of the sillage means you can go crazy with the sprays without gassing out the neighborhood, and the pale color of the just means you can spray on fabric without staining.

If you haven’t had a chance yet to try this lovely fragrance, now would be a good time. With the introduction of 1932 to the Les Exclusifs line, 28 La Pausa is being discontinued. I wish Chanel hadn’t made that decision, but economics rule. And remember how 200ml seemed so large when the line first came out? If you’re going to stock up, it’s good to have options.

Happy spraying!
Dionne

Waterton Lakes National Park: Perfume: Photo Essay

September 4, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Dionne

My Favorite Place on Earth:

Waterton Lakes National Park and How It Relates to Perfume

Greetings, my fellow niche nerds!

This is a post of a different sort than my usual review; call it my “What I Did for Summer Holidays” assignment. Portia has mentioned to me that visiting Banff National Park is on her bucket list (just like seeing Australia is on mine), so I thought I’d let her and you in on one of Alberta’s best-kept secrets and a place very dear to my heart, Waterton Lakes National Park.

First of all, here are some maps to get you oriented:

Photo Stolen Waterton Park

Just to give you an idea of scale, Alberta’s about 1,125 km (760 miles) from top to bottom, bigger than California, smaller than Texas, and almost three times the size of the UK.

Photo Stolen pc.gc.ca

You see that liiiitle green blob in the southwest corner of the map? That’s Waterton. It’s a lot smaller in size than Banff or Jasper, the two much larger green areas on the west edge of the map.

Photo Stolen pc.gc.ca

So here we are in the southwest corner of the province, about a 3 hour drive from Calgary. Waterton shares its southern border with Glacier National Park in the United States, and the two combined are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/354

So with the technical stuff out of the way, it’s time to gush. As much as I love Jasper and Banff, Waterton is a truly special and unique place. As you’ll see from the pictures, the prairies come right to the feet of the mountains, so there is a sense of airiness and grandeur here I’ve never experienced anywhere else. Waterton has been called the “Anti-Banff” because it’s quaint and quiet, with very little development.

Both The Engineer and I had spent time here as kids, and I remember distinctly our first visit back as a young married couple. I said to him, “I feel like a dried-up sponge that’s been thrown back into water. There’s just something about this place.”

Since then, we’ve come back every year. One of the things that struck me on that first visit as an adult was how strong of a scent memory Waterton held. It’s mountain air and water and the prairies all mixed together. Portia asked me what perfumes I wore when we were camping there this year, and I told her I hadn’t worn any. I brought a passel of decants, and I typically enjoy working my way through a bunch of samples whenever I camp but….. I just couldn’t do it. Stepping out of our trailer that first morning and breathing in, I wanted nothing to get in the way of that smell. I thought to myself, “What is that? Is that sage? I wonder if there’s anything that smells like this in perfume form.” So that’s become one of my latest quests, finding a perfume that smells like sage and mountain air, something that reminds me of Waterton. Will I find it? Not sure, but it’s going to be fun trying.

So before I show you some of our family photos, here are a couple of questions for you: 1) Have you ever been somewhere so special you chose not to wear perfume? 2) Sage and mountain air, people. Any recommendations for my sampling quest?

Here’s hoping you all have places that touch your spirit and soothe your soul. Mwah!

Dionne

The Engineer and Dragongirl hiked to the top of Bear’s Hump, a short but steep trail on the edge of the townsite that gives an amazing panoramic view of the area. This is facing south, and it also shows one of the reasons why the town has stayed small. Basically, there’s no room to get bigger.

The same spot facing north. Waterton’s combination of prairie and mountain makes for an extremely diverse and unique biosphere.

Mainstreet. Most of these stores haven’t changed since I was a kid.

The Playground in town.

A plaque at the playground

Our site at Crandell, facing west.

Same spot facing north.

This fellow was in a neighbor’s site. There are deer EVERYWHERE here.

It’s typically for bears to be around the Crandell campground as it’s away from the town, and we usually see one or two every year we come. For some reason, possibly the abundance of berries, we saw three or four *every single day* this year. It got to the point where I just left the camera with the zoom lens on my lap everywhere we drove.

Because of the bears, we saw this sight all the time too, typically referred to as “Bear Jam.” This is on Red Rock Parkway on the way to our campground, there are mountains to the left and the right of this photo.

Strawberry Passion Green by Kedra Hart for Skye Botanicals 2012

August 7, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Dionne

Hello APJ,

“Why Don’t You Ever Smell Like Strawberries?” My oldest son, Bones, asked me that one day about three years ago when he was 17. I’d fallen down the rabbit hole about six months previously, and was still in the first flush of my new obsession: chatting about perfume incessantly and lifting my wrist as a smell offering to anyone who walked through my front door.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

My husband, The Engineer, and Archimedes (then 15) were interested, and each would eventually discover fragrances for himself that he liked, but Bones just didn’t get it. I have to give him credit that even at the age of 17 he showed enough self-restraint not to tell me how silly he thought the whole thing was, but I’m willing to bet he worked hard not to roll his eyes whenever I proffered a wrist.

When he asked why I wasn’t wafting strawberries, my response at the time was a sarcastic, “Because I’m not a seventeen year-old girl.” To me the question seemed ludicrous; strawberries made me think of Bonne Bell Lip Smackers and Strawberry Shortcake and I, well *I* was a serious perfumista, discovering that iris and incense smelled fantastic on me and getting packages from France and Switzerland and England. Good grief, did he think I shopped at Bath & Body Works?

I cringe a bit now when I type that and face my past snobbery. It’s quite ironic too, when you consider my present love for Pulp, Bombay Bling, Pear + Olive, Philosykos, Bronze Goddess and that apple note in Wazamba. So thankfully I was past my anti-fruit snobbery by 2012 when Monica Miller of Skye Botanicals announced her Strawberry Passion Project.

Strawberry Passion Green by Skye Botanicals

Photo Stolen Perfume Pharmer

PerfumePharmer gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink Pepper/Red Mandarin/Bergamot/Tangerine/ Lemon/ Natural Ivy Accord
Heart : Rose/Tuberose/Boronia/ White Water Lily/ Black Currant/ Natural Peach Accord/ Natural Strawberry Accord
Base: Green Tea/ Amber/ Sandalwood/ Patchouli/ Vanilla/ Vetiver/ Oakmoss/ Beach Found Ambergris

If I understand correctly, the project came about because she’d created some strawberry flower essence at her home in Martha’s Vineyard – flower essences don’t have a smell – and approached Kedra Hart of Opus Oils to create an all-natural strawberry perfume to go with the essence. In the end, two of the mods were so good she offered them to reviewers as semi-finalists with the names Cream and Green, and you could buy samples from her Etsy store.

Cream didn’t get along with my skin chemistry (a pretty common occurrence for me, unfortunately), but oh, that Green! I tend to pull out the sweet notes in a fragrance, so it’s not as green-smelling on me as most of the reviewers reported, but there’s a hint of leaf and stem in there. As I read the list of notes provided, I must admit my nose is not good enough to pick up the disparate threads of pink pepper and mandarin and boronia and tuberose and other ingredients. Basically, I get the most amazing and natural strawberry smell overtop a rich base of vanilla and sandalwood. Holy cow, this is sensual stuff; every time I wear it I get compliments.

Photo Stolen Tricia Flickr

And I have to give major props to the perfumer Kedra Hart. First off, for the 2013 Fifi nomination in the Indie category. But even more than that, this has truly phenomenal sillage and longevity for a natural perfume. Seriously, how did you pull that off? Ten hours in, I still smell fantastic. In fact, even though it’s EDP, I find it wears more like a parfum and prefer it dabbed to sprayed.

Photo Stolen michellehebert Flickr

Considering the fact that 30ml is $115 at Monica’s Etsy store, that’s a fantastic deal. My bottle is going to last me a looooong time. It’s a good thing I’ll never be too old to wear it.

Dione x

(Ed: Dionne is off camping with her lovely family so she may take a day to respond to your messages, Please do leave a “hello” because sometimes it’s nice to get a line to the real world when you’ve gone bush)

Strawberry Passion Green comes in sample form, a 6ml purse spray and a 30ml bottle.

Queen by Parlux for Queen Latifah 2009

June 5, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Dionne

Hello,

Being a frugal perfumista, few things make me happier than smelling fab without spending a lot of money. In my Cheap Thrills category, Queen by Queen Latifah sits at the very top. I bought a bottle about three years ago from the discount shelf at my local Shopper’s Drug Mart, and after all this time it’s still a favorite.

Queen by Queen Latifah: Big, Bad and Beautiful

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Italian Bergamot, Mediterranean Mandarin
Heart: Baie Rose, Jasmine Noir, while Cognac, Moroccan Coriander
Base: Indonesian Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Tonka Absolute, Egyptian Incense, Musk

I find that when I talk about perfumes I use a lot of different ways to describe them: visual images, quirky phrases, songs, food, textures, feelings, whatever seems to “fit” that particular perfume. The very first time I sprayed Queen, a full scene popped into my head, and it’s how I’ve described this fragrance ever since. Imagine a dark and smoky jazz club; slow and sultry music is being played and everyone’s sitting back feeling languorous and nodding their heads slowly to the groove. Now we’re zooming in on the upright bass player: he’s wearing a hat and shades. Zoom in even further to the bottom of that upright bass, and we discover it’s slowly dripping maple syrup on the floor.
Basically, this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7xk4rhhNa8
In less atmospheric terms, Queen is dark, sweet and boozy. So dark, only my Black Cashmere sits in the same category. It’s chock-full of vanilla, but no worries, this is not your little girly-girl vanilla; she’s all grown up because of the incense, cognac and patchouli. And when Queen goes out for a night on the town, she’s out aaaall night. 24-hours-and-a-shower later, I still smell fabulous.

Photo Stolen BodyShapeStyle

There is only one caveat about this fragrance, and it’s one where Portia and I have a difference of opinion. I think the bottle is Ug-Uh-Lee, and she delights in the trashiness of it. In my opinion, the fragrance is a great fit for the woman, and I adore Queen Latifah, the bottle…. not so much. However, since we’re all responsible perfumistas and keep our bottles in their boxes in dark, cool closets or fridges, (you are doing that, right? Riiight? Do I need to come over there and give you my mom scowl?) it’s not that big a deal.

I spent some time looking for just the right fit for this review, and the one and only Stan Getz fit the bill. However, I did have a lot of fun going through the semi-finalists. If you’ve got a mo’, see below and check out Queen Latifah’s spots in Chicago “When You’re Good to Mama” and Hairspray “Big, Blond and Beautiful.” Isn’t she just fabulous?

Further reading: NowSmellThis
GalaxyPerfume has $20/100ml
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2/ml up to $6/5ml
Happy smellin’ y’all!
Dionne

Dionne’s Spring + Fall Top 5’s

May 8, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

Post by Dionne

Greetings, fellow ‘fumies,
Portia wrote a post a little while ago (Portia’s 2013 Spring Top 10) listing her top ten for spring/fall, and I was intrigued to learn that she reaches for the same fragrances for both seasons, since they have warm days and cool nights in common. My own list for the two seasons is not similar at all, so instead you’re going to get a shorter list for each season.

Dionne’s Spring + Fall Top 5’s

Photo Stolen WallpaperPin

SPRING

Ahhh, my favorite season! Maybe that’s because it’s so welcome after six months of winter, and since it’s such a short, ephemeral thing that lasts only a month I always feel a combination of hope and wistfulness. Spring is when I reach for my light florals, and that in itself is a special event. Most higher-pitched florals don’t play well with my skin, so this list represents perseverance and many, MANY samples.

Après l’Ondée by Guerlain

This is the pre-2011 formulation, when heliotrope still sang alongside the iris and violet. So gorgeous that if I was forced to choose only one Spring fragrance, this would be it.

Mimosa pour Moi by L’Artisan Parfumeur

I did a major sampling of the mimosa note, and out of about 14 contenders, this was my favorite. And oh, such a tender thing. Fuzzy yellow pom-poms in a bottle.

Heure Exquise by Annick Goutal

The prettiest of my green quartet, this floral green pulls off the trick of freshness and elegance at the same time. The highest praise my Scottish father-in-law would bestow on something was the phrase, “Oh, that’s just lovely,” and that’s what this is.

Le Temps d’une Fete by Parfums de Nicolai

Supposed to be a green floral, on my skin the green doesn’t really show up because narcissus and hyacinth in all their lush glory has completely taken over the conversation. Heady stuff and just a hint of naughty.

After My Own Heart by INeke

I adore the scent of lilacs so it’s no surprise my very first bottle after falling down the rabbit hole was After My Own Heart. I must respectfully disagree with Coco Chanel – sometimes I DO want to smell like a flower. And after comparing AMOH with the lilac bush outside my window…. oh yeah, I definitely do.

Photo Stolen WallpaperPin

FALL (Autumn)

It’s harder for me to choose specific Fall fragrances because I usually wear the same ones this season that I do in Winter, with one exception. My favorite perfumes are the spicier, warmer fragrances, and after a few months of fresh, floral, green or fruity options, I’m ready to give all my snugglies a go again.

Jour Ensolleilé by Sonoma Scent Studio

This is THE fall fragrance for me. Laurie Erickson combines orange blossom with tuberose and jasmine in a way that’s golden, and it’s the perfect match for the rich sunshine filtering through the trees.

Tilda Swinton Like this by Etat Libre d’Orange

Ginger, pumpkin, maple syrup and all things orange, this is the way celebuscents should be made.

Kyoto by Comme des Garcons

It turns out that incense + green tea + vetiver = a Zen state of mind. Calming and reflective.

Traversée du Bosphore by L’Artisan Parfumeur

At first smell, it’s sweet Turkish delight, but give it a whirl and you discover there’s some intelligence under the hood as well as the leather, saffron and tobacco come to the fore. It’s the Dolly Parton of gourmand fragrances.

Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne

OK, now I’m really cheating, because this isn’t a Fall fragrance by any stretch; it’s my signature , my Holy Grail. It’s just that the Lady gets worn less in the summertime and I’ve missed her. Dark green forests wrapped in amber, a one of a kind.

Photo Stolen WallpaperPin

SurrenderToChance has samples and decants of all of these beauties if you’d like to try any of them. Samples start from as little as $3/ml and they are a great way to test a fragrance.

So, what are your top five? Do you reach for the same thing in Spring and Autumn like Portia, or do you mix it up like me?
Dionne

L’Eau D’Hiver by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle 2003

April 3, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Guest Post by Dionne

Hello frag heads!

It’s been my plan for a while now to write a review of the fabulous Frederic Malle scent L’Eau d’Hiver, created by Jean-Claude Ellena. Part of my trifecta of season-less scents, which also includes Lumière Blanche and Art Collection #08 by Jacomo, this is one of the few perfumes I can wear year-round, no matter what the season.
“No matter what the season.” I’ll admit to a knowing chuckle as I type out that phrase, because March is the craziest month of the entire year where I live. Here in southern Alberta just west of the Canadian Rockies, spring doesn’t really arrive until late April, but it doesn’t feel like winter anymore either. Which is strange to say because we get more snow in March than any other month; it’s just that we also regularly get an interesting phenomenon called a Chinook, a warm wind that blows from the west and can raise temperatures 30 degrees in a matter of hours. So you never quite know what you’re going to get.

Photo Stolen HolidayVelvet

What does this all have to do with L’Eau d’Hiver? It’s that no matter what the day is like, it’s been a great fit. I’ve worn it a lot this last month, when it’s plus 15, clear blues skies and I’m lifting my face to the sun while my little ones happily jump in all the puddles and rivers that are everywhere. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a sunny, joyful day. It’s also worked when it’s minus 20, there’s been a 25cm snow dump and whiteout conditions and I can barely get out of my driveway without getting stuck. Since staying home and declaring a snow day isn’t going to happen, (Albertans just lace up the Sorels and dig ourselves out, we’re kinda Boss that way) spraying L’Eau d’Hiver and enjoying its snuggly comfort while Getting Stuff Done is an enjoyable second option.

Back and forth, back and forth, that’s what March is like. How Jean-Claude Ellena managed to create a perfume that works on such different days, I’m not quite sure. All I know is that I’m impressed.

L’Eau D’Hiver by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle 2003

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Notes according to Fragrantica:
Bergamot, heliotrope, jasmine, iris, honey, angelica, white musk.

L’Eau d’Hiver is JCE’s tribute to Après l’Ondée, and I tried them both shortly after falling down the rabbit hole. For some strange reason, I had this idea in my head at the time that I needed to choose which one to own, as if there was some sort of contest. Fortunately I eventually realized how silly that was, and now have both.

If you ever want to try a fascinating experiment, do a wrist-to-wrist of the two and see what happens – just make sure the Al’O is the pre-2011 formulation. I love doing wrist-to-wrist comparisons as it helps me get better at this whole smelling thing, and in the three years I’ve done comparisons, I’ve never encountered anything quite as interesting as these two together. They seem to dance around each other, smelling alike for a moment, than different 5 minutes later, than alike again ten minutes later, then different again, back and forth, back and forth. To expand that particular image, it’s like a dance couple where the male, L’Eau d’Hiver, moves within a tight circle and the female, Après l’Ondée, twirls and leaps and runs off all pointy-toes before flitting back and smiling and then twirling off again. This is a very fancy way of saying that JCE has made L’Eau d’Hiver streamlined and modern, the essence of heliotrope, and its beauty lies in that simplicity.

Photo Stolen Amazon

It’s a frothy almond milk with a sprinkling of sugar on top. If that sounds really gourmand to you, surprisingly, it’s not; the iris in here adds a cool, elegant vibe that keeps L’Eau d’Hiver from getting cutesy. The perfume is full of these kinds of contrasts: warm and cool, cuddly and elegant, close to the skin but distinctive, straightforward but with a lot to say.

Further reading WhatMenShouldSmellLike or Olfactoria’sTravels
MeccaCosmetica has 50ml for $195 in Australia
FredericMalle has 50ml for $150 in the USA
SurrenderToChance start at $6/ml

I’m in the mood for a dance. L’Eau d’Hiver, shall we?

Dionne xx

Lumiere Blanche by Sidonie Lancesseur for Olfactive Studio 2012

February 6, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Guest Post by Dionne

Hey-O, perfumed peeps!

I typically trundle along at a turtle pace in the frugal corner of fragrance-land, as my budget and my personality both keep me from going crazy ordering massive bunches of samples. Plus, my skin chemistry is such that unsniffed purchases are a baaaaad idea – rate of failure in this area is embarrassingly high. Now I’m totally fine with keeping to my budget and plodding along, but I’ll freely admit one of the downsides is I’m REALLY behind on all the exciting new releases everyone else is talking about, and don’t usually participate in splits of the latest thing all the rest of you are groveling over.

However.

Being a frugal fumehound, one of my weaknesses is inexpensive sampling programs. I am a sucker for a great deal. So when I discovered that the relatively new line Olfactive Studio would send spray samples of their four fragrances, shipping included, for a whopping 6 Euros all the way from France (I LOVE getting mail from France!) I jumped right on it. And I’m glad I did.

Lumiere Blanche by Olfactive Studio 2012

Still Life and Autoportrait are lovely, but it’s Chambre Noir and Lumière Blanche that make my knees weak; because the line is relatively new, I was able to get in on a split over at Facebook Fragrance Friends.

Lumière Blanche showed up on a bunch of “Best of 2012” lists, and it was nice to feel in the loop for a change, because I’d actually smelled this, bought it, and loved it myself. Hey, it’s fun hanging out with the cool kids! And speaking of cool, I really enjoyed the concept behind the brand. Artistic Director Celine Verleure has paired photography and perfumery, and although I don’t know the details about who chose the photographers or the photos or the noses – Olfactive Studio has been very interactive right from the start with social media – it’s fascinating to smell how the four perfumers interpreted their respective photos.

Photo Stolen from OlfactiveStudio

What is especially interesting about this photo by Massimo Vitali is that my initial reaction of “Whoa, is that an iceberg?” followed by the realization it’s actually a beach in the summertime is mirrored in the perfume itself. Typically, I cannot wear my winter frags in the summertime, or my summer frags in the winter; there’s something simply too jarring about wearing them out of season, and in the case of my winter perfumes in summer, far too oppressive.

Up until now I only owned two that were season-less: L’Eau d’Hiver and Jacomo #08. Lumière Blanche now rounds it out to a aesthetically pleasing trio. Major kudos to the perfumer Sidonie Lancesseur; creating a perfume that wears equally well at minus 40 degrees and plus 35? That’s impressive.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica and OlfactiveStudio give these featured accords::
Top: Cardamom, cinnamon, star anise
Heart: Iris, almond milk, cashmere wood
Bottom: Cedarwood, sandalwood, tonka bean, white musks

I think Lumière Blanche manages to straddle the summer/winter divide because it wears very lightly for a spicy fragrance. I mainly get cardamom and almond, and there’s a creamy milkiness woven in that keeps everything airy. Don’t be fooled by all the woods listed in the notes; if this was a dessert, it’d be a Pavlova.

The subtlety of this fragrance keeps the sillage close to the skin, so this would be very appropriate for work or anywhere else where you want to keep things low-key. Of course, the downside is it doesn’t have the longevity of a typical oriental, on my scent-glue skin it’s gone in about 8 hours, about the same period of time that most naturals last on me. Thankfully the milky appearance of the jus means you could spray this on a shirt or scarf without staining, and then it’s still going full-strength the following day. My laundry basket’s been smelling really good lately.

4 piece Sample Set or Full Bottles from OlfactiveStudio

As far as glowing reviews go, here’s my final word. My 15ml decant arrived November 30^th, and it’s almost half-empty. Let’s hear it for the impulsive spending of six Euros!

Till next month,
Dionne x

Pulp by Ben Gorham + Perfumer for Byredo 2008

January 2, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

.
Guest Post by Dionne
.

You Want Fruit? You Can’t Handle the Fruit!

or Happiness in a Bottle

Hey-o, fume fiends! It’s good to be back post-Christmas, and I’m hoping you all had a wonderful holiday as well.

One of the fun and interesting challenges of writing for APJ is deciding on a perfume to review, because I typically want to write about what I’ve been wafting lately. But like many of you, what I wear is influenced by the weather, and where I live it’s cooooold right now (was -25°C in these parts Christmas week) . I’m rocking my heavy snugglers. I had every intention of writing a review of Queen by Queen Latifah until someone at Facebook Fragrance Friends mentioned how hot it was in Aussie-land right now, and since there’s no way in Hades I could wear Queen in the heat of summertime, I’ll hold off until….hmmm…. maybe the southern hemisphere’s autumn when winter is still lingering around here?

SummerVsWinter trojannewsjpg Photo Stolen TrojanNews

So, what to pick instead? An idea came because of a discussion I had on Christmas Eve. We had a bunch of people over for our annual fondue, and as the evening wound down a good friend checked out my fragrance collection. As we smelled and chatted, she asked which ones influenced my mood most. After showing her one of my I feel really smart right now category, and my how YOU doin’? fragrance, and an I feel pretty, oh so pretty perfume, I mentally slapped myself in the forehead for not bringing out today’s offering at the start. “You have to smell this one. It’s the happiest perfume I own.” And sure enough, just the waft from the piece of paper I sprayed it on brought a gigantic grin to both of our faces.

Pulp by Byredo 2008

I first smelled Pulp in Las Vegas about two years ago, when The Engineer and I got away for our 20th anniversary. Good man that he is, he was perfectly willing to tag along for a day while I hit a bunch of perfume counters and squealed over a bunch of lines I’d read about but never encountered before. The SA’s at Barney’s were especially delightful: “Ohhhh, a perfumista. Take your time, we like you guys.” After a good hour moving slowly through different collections, sniffing and generally geeking out, the Byredo rep said, “Try this. I think you’ll like it.” Cue my first big Pulp-induced grin; it was love at first huff.

Pulp Fragrantica Photo Stolen Fragrantica

That first rush of delight whenever I smell this has never gone away. Like many perfumistas, I have crushes and infatuations that come and go as some hot new thang comes along, but Pulp belongs to a select group that I can’t ever imagine myself going without. In fact, I don’t think The Engineer would let me be without this. I wear a lot of things he likes, but he can only remember the names of two of my fragrances, and asks for them regularly. Black Cashmere, and Pulp.

Notes from Fragrantica:
Top: bergamot, cardamom, blackcurrant
Heart: fig, red apple, tiare flower
Drydown: cedar, praline, peach blossom

Technically, Pulp is big dollops of fig and blackcurrant and apple, but once they’re all thrown in the magical pot of the perfumer and bottled, the vibe I get is rhubarb. Juicy, tart, in-your-face rhubarb. And did I mention juicy? Technically again, this is supposed to be a fruity-floral, but screw that. Pulp went and created its own category: the fruity-fruity. I get great longevity off of this, but it’s rare that I don’t, so take that for what it’s worth. Also, this has some serious waft. In my experience that just amounts to oodles of compliments, but be advised. Grinch-type people could find their hearts growing three sizes when they smell you.

Byredo has 50ml/$145 but only send to USA & Europe
MeccaCosmetica in Oz have 50ml/$158 with FREE Oz Shipping!!
SurrenderToChance starts at $6/ml

happy-new-year fabiovisentin Photo Stolen fabiovisentin

Have a joyous 2013!

Dionne

Fleur No1 by Jessica Buchanan for 1000 Flowers 2011

December 5, 2012 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Guest Post by Dionne

Fleur N^o1 by 1000 Flowers

Hey you great-smelling crowd, you!

It’s an honor to be here at Australian Perfume Junkies, and many thanks for Portia for inviting me to write a post. I’m the odd duck of Portia’s guest bloggers, as this is coming to you from the Great White North, aka the Canadian Rockies, where it’s white and hoarfrost-y and brisk as all get-out right now. However, my lovely mother-in-law was Australian, so I’m sorta-related through marriage and hoping y’all will grant me pretend-Aussie status. (It’s on my bucket list to visit someday.)

My initial plans for a first review got thrown out the window upon the arrival of an anticipated sample about two weeks ago. At the end of October I’d bought myself a larger bottle of Réglisse Noir, a stunning licorice floral that is one of the most unique and elegant perfumes in my collection, and figured I‘d throw a sample of Fleur N^o 1 into the cart for curiosity’s sake. Both perfumes are from the line 1000 Flowers, a Canadian indie brand created by perfumer Jessica Buchanan. The artisanal perfume scene is not as big in Canada as it is in Australia but we’ve got some neat lines, and in my opinion Jessica is a nose worth watching.

I don’t typically sample green frags anymore, as I did a massive exploration of the note about a year and a half ago at the request of my other half, The Engineer, who is a sucker for the smell of freshly-cut grass. After several months and lots of vials, I found my top three (Silences, Bel Respiro and Heure Exquise, if you’re wondering) and figured I was done. Boy was I wrong. Fleur N^o 1 is different from anything I’ve tried before, and changed my top three greens to a top four. This is a big deal for me, because I like things all neat and tidy, and “trio of greens” sounds so very prime number-ish and aesthetically pleasing, but what could I do? Fleur just wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Green notes, galbanum, narcissus, hyacinth, iris, magnolia and violet

So, how does this beauty smell? There’s an initial hit of galbanum similar to the beginning of Silences, but it’s a bit softer in Fleur N^o 1. After about ten minutes the spring flowers join in, mainly narcissus and hyacinth, with just a hint of earthiness. Envision a child clutching a freshly picked bouquet of flowers snatched out of the bulb garden that she really wasn’t supposed to pick complete with lots of leaves and the root ball still attached and she’s trailing clumps of dirt into the house and aren’t they pretty and I picked these for you because I love you mummy…………. yeah, that’s pretty much it. (I sound like I’m speaking from experience, don’t I?)

Photo Stolen Pixabay

28 La Pausa by Chanel 2007

My Favorite Place on Earth:

Waterton Lakes National Park and How It Relates to Perfume

Strawberry Passion Green by Skye Botanicals

Queen by Queen Latifah: Big, Bad and Beautiful

Dionne’s Spring + Fall Top 5’s

SPRING

Après l’Ondée by Guerlain

Mimosa pour Moi by L’Artisan Parfumeur

Heure Exquise by Annick Goutal

Le Temps d’une Fete by Parfums de Nicolai

After My Own Heart by INeke

FALL (Autumn)

Jour Ensolleilé by Sonoma Scent Studio

Tilda Swinton Like this by Etat Libre d’Orange

Kyoto by Comme des Garcons

Traversée du Bosphore by L’Artisan Parfumeur

Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne

L’Eau D’Hiver by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle 2003

Lumiere Blanche by Olfactive Studio 2012

You Want Fruit? You Can’t Handle the Fruit!

or Happiness in a Bottle

Pulp by Byredo 2008

Fleur No1 by 1000 Flowers

Fleur N^o1 by 1000 Flowers