Top 5 Department Store Scents: Gabriella

August 27, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello perfumed peeps! I must admit that I have felt a bit out of the perfume scene of late. Being out of work until just last week and watching my pennies has meant that I’ve tried to resist the temptation of buying new samples or reading online forums or a blog post that may have me craving a new scent.

However, it’s also taught me that enjoying perfume doesn’t have to be an expensive exercise. I’ve been quite happy just going into stores and spritzing to my heart’s content – no credit card necessary. It also got me thinking that I’m lucky that I have access to and can afford niche scents. But what if this wasn’t the case? If I could only have department store fragrances, what would be my picks?
So here, I present to you my…..

Top 5 Department Store Scents

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

1. Anais Anais L’Original by Cacharel 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Hyacinth, galbanum, orange blossom
Heart: Jasmine, rose, lily
Base: Sandalwood, cedar, incense, amber
I’ve mentioned my love for this previously and have been wearing it happily ever since that post. Anais Anais to my mind remains one of the best designer scents on the market. Soft, feminine and graceful hyacinth and lily. It always brings a smile to my face.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Anais Anais L’Original (available in both EDP and EDT) and Anais Anais EDT are widely available at department stores and online sellers.
FragranceNet has the current EDT starting at $31.19/30ml before discount
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

2. Karl Lagerfeld for Her by Karl Lagerfeld 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: lemon and peach
Heart: magnolia, rose and frangipani
Base: amber wood and musk

My lovely Mum picked this up for me on a recent holiday overseas. She handed it to me saying: “Well I know you’re a perfume snob, but I kept smelling it and thought it was beautiful. But if it’s not good enough and you don’t want it, I’ll have it.” Hehehe! I ended up keeping the bottle because, as Mums often are, she was right. This makes a nice departure from the swathes of fruitchoulis out there. It’s a pretty, demure and elegant mix of lemon, rose and white flowers.

Further reading: Now Smell This
David Jones has $75/45ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

3. Marc Jacobs for Women by Steve Demercado and Loc Dong for Marc Jacobs 2001

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: gardenia and bergamot
Heart: tuberose, jasmine, white pepper and honeysuckle
Base: ginger, cedar and musk

This was launched eons before the niche revival of gardenia scents and still remains one of the best in my view. It’s a watery take on the voluptuous white flower but without the dreaded aquatic/calone vibe, just an amazingly pretty “wet” gardenia. I just wish it was slightly more readily available as it’s a damn sight better than some of the recent releases by the house.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

4. Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Freesia, incense, Chinese osmanthus, tamarind
Heart: Tuberose, iris, peony, orris root, arum lily
Base: Musk, cashmere wood, vetiver

I’ve mentioned this one before too. Whilst it might be shriek tuberose for some, this always feels like a second skin some 14 years after first trying it. It’s a strong tuberose, tempered by freesia and lily before the spices take over and make this all spicy white floral goodness.

Further reading: The Scents of Self
Michael is available in most department stores and online discounters.
FragranceNet has it starting at $41.19/50ml (before coupon)
My Perfume Samples starts at $2.49/ml

5. No 19 EDP by Henri Robert for Chanel 1970

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:

Top: green notes and bergamot
Heart: rose and iris
Base: vetiver, oakmoss and leather
I came late to the Chanel 19 party, but what a party it is! An aloof green icicle of perfumed beauty that just oozes confidence and chic. I prefer the EDP of this one for its much rosier depth and fullness.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Muse in Wooden Shoes

Chanel No 19 is available in most department stores

Surrender to Chance starts at $3.49/ml

So, there’s my take. What would your top 5 be?

With much love till next time!

M xx

Floral Romantique by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2011

July 30, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello fragrance peeps!

Today I want to ‘fess up and review a perfume that has been widely ignored by the perfume community and even reviled and condemned by some bloggers but, nevertheless, has well and truly captured my heart. That perfume is from Guerlain’s Elixir Charnels line.

Floral Romantique by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, orange
Heart: Jasmine, ylang-ylang and tiare, with additional accords of lily, carnation
Base: Cedar, smoked tea, chestnut, ambrette, mate

I happened to discover this luminous gem completely by accident. I was at the Guerlain counter trying Angelique Noire and Cruel Gardenia when the SA suggested I also try Floral Romantique. This sparkling, pretty yet very sophisticated scent kept my nose to my wrist for hours, and like any self-respecting perfume lover, I took to Google to read about my fabulous new find.

Gaia of The Non Blonde called it “a Guerlain bastard” while Victoria of Bois de Jasmin said that Floral Romantique “is an orange blossom version of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue with an ultra-luxurious price tag”.

So while others don’t, why do I love this one? Well, wearing Floral Romantique feels like slipping into a perfectly cut ball gown of the purest pink silk. It sits so seamlessly and beautifully on my skin that the first wearing had me wondering how I had lived without it for so long.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Floral Romantique starts with a rich and bright juicy mandarin note and then segues softly into a rich floral accord of jasmine, lily and tiare. The white florals are so well blended here, it’s hard to pick out the individual notes. Ambrette and tea lend a smoky fruity counterpoint to the blend, underscoring but not overwhelming the floral heart.

Wearing Floral Romantique also brings back strong olfactory memories of another great perfume love of mine: the sadly discontinued Eau D’Eden by Cacharel. Although Eau D’Eden was more an aquatic composition, there’s some similarity to the treatment of white florals. However, in Floral Romantique, they are of better quality and feel much more chic and elegant in nature.

Eau D’Eden accompanied me during some great times in my life: a beautiful holiday in Thailand; the Sydney Olympics, when the whole city was alive and in party mode; listening to one of my favourite U2 songs, Beautiful Day, on a clear and bright Sydney morning.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Thanks to these associations, Floral Romantique makes me feel joyous and optimistic. And once I finally land a bottle for my collection, I hope to have some more great memories to associate it with.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde. For a more positive take, see CaFleureBon.
Floral Romantique is available at most Guerlain counters in department stores: $330/75ml.
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $8/ml

So, have you tried Floral Romantique? Was it love or hate for you? What perfumes do you love that others don’t?

With much love till next time!
M xx

Anais Anais L’Original by Cacharel 2014

June 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Anais Anais was my foundation perfume. As I have explained previously, it was my very first signature scent and thus accompanied me on many rites of passage throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was the scent of my high school travails, my first love, my 21st birthday and countless Christmases. I was lucky in that it was not ubiquitous amongst my coterie of friends and so it was truly my scent, inextricably linked with my character and the foundation for my subsequent perfume journey.

The perfume has not been left unscathed by the passing of time. Over the years, the lovely soap, body lotion and deodorant slowly disappeared from shelves. The EDP also went, only to be relaunched in a new guise some years ago with new Kate Moss ads and then became difficult to find. The current EDT, while still lovely, is but a whisper of its former glory: subtle refomulations have rendered it sunbleached and ghostlike as if someone has taken the pastel-hued maidens of the ad campaigns and watered them down: they have become fuzzy and indistinct.

Anais Anais L’Original by Cacharel 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Hyacinth, galbanum, orange blossom
Heart: Jasmine, rose, lily
Base: Sandalwood, cedar, incense, amber

So when I heard that Cacharel was relaunching the 1978 classic under the name Anais Anais L’Original, I was excited but also somewhat worried and perplexed. Here was the chance to go back to a great love. But what if it didn’t match my olfactory memories? Furthermore, if Cacharel had this formulation at hand, then why had it persisted in keeping the current EDT on shelves?

All my worries vanished upon first sniff. Memories flooded back and I felt like I had come home. Here it was again, my scent, my bastion of a perfume.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The only difference I could detect between what I was smelling and my olfactory memory is that L’Original appears a to have a stronger hyacinth top note, rendering the composition brighter and rounder. Comparing it to the current EDT, I was struck by the difference between the two: the Anais Anais EDT is harsher upon first spray, the hyacinth is more astringent and the whole composition a little bit more powdery and dry. The sillage and longevity is also markedly different: L’Original sings on my skin as it did all those years ago and lasts and lasts whereas the current EDT is but a mere shadow after a couple of hours.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I’m very thankful to have an old love back. And I’m comforted by the fact that in these days of IFRA restrictions and reformulations that an old classic has been given a new lease of life.

Do you like Anais Anais? Have you tried L’Original? What was your foundation perfume?
With much love till next time!
M x

New perfumes for a new life

May 28, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello fragrance friends! For those of you that read my last post, you’ll know I’ve been busy with my relocation to Melbourne.
The good news is that we’re here now and besides being really cold and missing my fragrance collection that’s still in transit, there are plenty of things to look forward to. One of these is that perfume shopping is way better in Melbourne than Sydney (I’ll be sure to post some of my shopping adventures soon!). The second is that I’m really excited about introducing some new perfumes into my life.

I find that relocating gives a new outlook: not only do you feel different, but it is often a great time to try new things, like a different fashion style, a new lipstick and of course, new or different perfumes. When I moved to London, my tastes in perfume changed quite a bit and gems like Chanel No 19 EDP, Lipstick Rose, Musc Ravageur and Habanita became new loves. So, what beauties will Melbourne bring perfume-wise? Here’s five scents that I’m looking forward to adding to my permanent rotation:

New perfumes for a new life

Dans Tes Bras by Maurice Roucel for Frederic Malle 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Heliotrope, jasmine, woodsy notes, patchouli, pine tree, cashmeran, sandalwood, musk, incense, violet

This beautiful but quirky violet scent has always intrigued me, but I have never really found the perfect time or place to wear it. It’s woody sombreness never quite fit with Sydney’s warmer clime, but it strikes me as the perfect accompaniment to Melbourne’s chill. A good choice for the weekends when I’m swathed in a big black jumper, jeans and boots and mulling over life, sipping an espresso.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $142/30ml
Surrender to Chance has $7/.5ml

Louanges Profanes by Pierre Guillaume for Parfumerie Generale 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lily, benzoin, hawthorn, incense, neroli, woody notes

I’m including this one because I’m dying to wear it after experiencing a massive olfactory memory the other week. While packing boxes, I smelt it there and then, even though I last time I sniffed it was more than three years ago and only from a small sample vial. Does anyone else ever experience this? I’m thinking this opulent oriental with its smoky lily accord and smattering of hawthorn will be lovely in the cold weather when I want to feel glam: it’s all plush red velvet, cashmere and patent heels.

Love by Calice Becker for By Kilian 2007

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, bergamot, pink pepper, coriander
Heart: Iris, jasmine, rose, honeysuckle, orange blossom
Base: Musk, vanilla, civet, caramel, sugar, labdanum

I’m by no means a gourmand lover but I’m finding that the cold, dry air has me hankering after something sweet. Love is a good fit for me, given the neroli and jasmine give me the much-needed white floral hit within the sweetness of caramelised sugar and vanilla. This is cotton candy and marshmallows, pink and pretty. A somewhat frivolous and light-hearted scent when the grey skies will make me want to take my girly-ness to the max.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Smellythoughts

Luckyscent has $145/4 x .25oz
Surrender to Chance has $4/.5ml

Moor Street Gardenia Eau De Parfum by Klein’s Perfumery 2014

Photo Stolen Klein’s Perfumery

Anyone who’s read my posts will know of my love of gardenia. Like many, I’d given up on finding a really good one given Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia is discontinued. Klein’s Perfumery Moor Street Gardenia is part of the boutique’s new line up that I discovered on a hasty reconnaissance visit here a few weeks ago. It’s as perfect a gardenia as I’ve ever encountered. A heady, slightly green composition that evokes the creamy petals in full bloom. A good choice for when I’m longing for the Sydney mugginess and just that little bit homesick.

Klein’s Perfumery has $110/50ml

Ta’if by Geza Schoen and Linda Pilkington for Ormonde Jayne 2004

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these notes:
Top: Saffron, date, pink pepper
Heart: Orange blossom, white peach, rose, freesia, lily of the valley, jasmine
Base: Amber, tonka, musk, vanilla absolute

It’s now clear to me that I’m craving orange blossom, since Ta’if is the third scent that I’ve mentioned, along with Love and Louanges Profanes that includes a hefty dose of the note. However, Ta’if is first and foremost an opulent rose scent. I’m pretty picky with roses, preferring them dark, and Ta’if satisfies this want with a spicy opening of saffron and pink pepper. The rose is full and lush, tempered by a breath of jasmine, lily of the valley and freesia before the voluptuous orange blossom comes to life in the dry down. This is the scent to wear when I want to feel powerful and confident whilst job and flat hunting: regal, rich and very sophisticated.

Further reading: Now Smell This and EauMG

Peony Melbourne has $195/50ml
Surrender to Chance has $4/.5ml

So, do you like any of my picks?
What new perfumes have you discovered when moving to a new place or traveling?

With much love till new time!
M x

Top Five Scents for Turbulent Times

April 23, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello fragrance peeps! It’s good to be back on APJ after some time away. And my, can I just say how crazy my life has been since my last post. It has been a rollercoaster ride indeed! In just over a month, I’ve turned 40 and had an amazing birthday, had a shocking time at work, had flu, had gastro on top of flu, experienced more craziness at work, fallen flat on my face and bruised myself from head to toe, been thrilled that Mr M was awarded a terrific new work contract in Melbourne, resigned from my job, made a joint decision with Mr M to move to Melbourne, given notice on our rental and booked the removalists. As I write, I am surrounded by boxes and packing tape and getting prepared for moving day at the end of the month…

Top Five Scents for Turbulent Times

In all this hubbub of activity I have found that my perfume choices have narrowed. When things are crazy, I don’t tend to try scents that overly challenge me or anything new. So today, I would like to share my top five scents that have got me though the turbulence of the past few weeks:

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

1. Champs Elysees by Jean-Paul Guerlain 1996

My “everything-feels-overwhelming-and-I-want-to-feel-supremely-happy-again” scent. I have the lovely Miss Portia to thank for this gorgeous recent addition to my collection. The radiant mix of mimosa, rose and peach is as sparkling and uplifting as the fizz of champagne and the sun’s golden rays. It’s hard not to have a smile on your face when wearing this and it’s a damn sight cheaper than therapy.

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blackcurrant, almond, anise, melon, peach, violet
Heart: Lilac, lily of the valley, hibiscus, almond flower, rose, mimosa, peony
Base: Almond tree, cedar, benzoin, vanilla, sandalwood

Further reading: Scents Of Self and EauMG

Beauty Encounter has $20/30ml EdT, $55/50ml EdP and $125/30ml Parfum
Surrender To Chance only have $5/.5ml Parfum

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

2. Datura Noir by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2001

My “Oh-my-God-I feel-trapped-and-want-to-get-away” scent. Datura Noir’s sultry vibe means that there’s an island holiday at hand whenever it all gets just a little bit too much. However, Datura is so much more than your typical tropical suntan vibe scent: the almond and myrrh lend a mysterious edge to the steamy mix of tuberose and coconut.

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Coconut, tuberose, tonka bean, almond, lemon blossom, mandarin orange, musk, chinese osmanthus, heliotrope, myrrh, vanilla and apricot.

Further reading: The Scented Hound and SmellyThoughts

Luckyscent has $130/50ml and Mecca Cosmetica has $148/50ml
Surrender to Chance has $3.99/.5ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

3. Fleurissimo by James Henry Creed for Creed 1956

My “I-don’t-know-what-perfume-to-wear-today-and-I-don’t-want-to-have-to-think-about-it” scent. Creed Fleurissimo is my absolute scent of choice nowadays, so much so that I’ve almost finished a 75ml bottle in under six months. Supremely elegant and yet unbelievably airy and light; a soft wash of pastel tuberose underscored by whispers of rose and violet.

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Tuberose, Bulgarian Rose, violet, Florentine iris
Base: Ambergris.

Further reading: Perfume Smellin’ Things and Sweet Diva

Luckyscent has $275/75ml and Libertine Parfumerie has $289/75ml
Surrender to Chance has $3/.5ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

4. Isabey Gardenia by Panouage 2006

My 40th birthday present and my “little-bit-of-luxury” scent. Despite being a gardenia fan, it took me a long time to go from like to love on this. It’s more of white floral medley than a gardenia soliflore per se, but it does what it does beautifully. A heady and warm mix of ylang ylang, gardenia and rose, Isabey Gardenia manages to be impeccably chic and comforting at the same time.

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: african orange flower, ylang-ylang and tangerine
Heart: iris, jasmine, gardenia and rose
Base: musk, sandalwood and amber.

Further reading: Scent for Thought and The Black Narcissus

Luckyscent has $165/50ml
Surrender to Chance has $3.99/.5ml

Le Parfum de Therese Frederic Malle Fragrantica

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

5. Le Parfum de Therese by Edmond Roudnitska for Frederic Malle 2000

My scent of joy and rapture. Every time I wear this, I wonder why I don’t do so more often, such is its beauty. Others have done such a wonderful job of describing this luscious chypre that I don’t have much more to add to the conversation, except that I absolutely adore it.

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Fruity aquatic accords, tangerine, melon
Heart: Rose, plum
Base: Cedar, vetiver, leather

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Olfactoria’s Travels

Mecca Cosmetica starts at $155/3 x 10ml
Surrender to Chance has $6.99/ml

So, what do you think of my top five? What are your choices when life gets a little crazy?

With much love till next time!
M xx

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

February 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello perfumed peeps!

The best experiences on my perfume journey are those times when I have few expectations of a scent and it then totally rocks my world. So it is with Verveine d’Eugene by English perfumer James Heeley. While I adore his Ophelia and have a big soft spot for Sel Marin, Verveine d’Eugene (originally just named Verveine) never really attracted me. I had dismissed it unsniffed as a simple verbena, cologne-like scent. How wrong I was.

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

Photo Stolen LuckyScent

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, rhubarb, cardamom
Heart: Blackcurrant, lemon verbena, jasmine
Base: White musk

Verveine does indeed open with the tartness of bergamot and lemon verbena that is instantly refreshing and dazzling in its brightness. One is reminded of drinking cold iced tea or languorously sipping a citron presse in the south of France. However, there is much more than meets the eye (or nose) here and the aromatic, almost herbal quality of the tomato leaf lends a dark, enigmatic vibe to the cheery beginning. It’s akin to entering a secret enclosed garden at the height of a midsummer’s day. There’s welcome relief in the shadows and the earthiness of the place. There’s the scent of the lemon trees dappling the light at the perimeter and the damp pungency of vines and grass, the leaves of many little shrubs fluttering in the breeze.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Just when you think you’ve managed to breathe in all this green beauty, you notice something else: is that jasmine you can smell? If you peer carefully, you can see the damp tendrils of the flowered vines peeking over the back wall. The small, white flowers lend a gentle sweetness to the verdant, damp surroundings.

Verveine may appear a simple composition of citrus, green and jasmine, but its story is much richer. There is a sense of elegance among the duality of fresh and dark and an overriding sense of mystery. Whilst it’s perfectly enjoyable and refreshing on a hot summer’s day, it is also a contemplative scent for those days when you just crave solitude.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwyoumeflickrcom/8096552203/player/d1fd02a7f7

And despite some issues with longevity, it’s very much full-bottle worthy for me.

LuckyScenthas $180/100ml and samples
Peony Melbourne has $210/100ml

Have you tried Verveine d’Eugene? What scents have you had no expectations for and then fallen in love with?

With much love till next time!

M x

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

February 11, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Gabriella

So much has been written about this revered yet polarizing fragrance that I debated for quite a while whether it was worth adding my two cents to the conversation. But sometimes a fragrance is so moving and compelling that you just need to write about it. Serge Lutens’ Muscs Koublai Khan is one such fragrance.

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Civet, castroneum, cistus labdanum, ambergris, Morrocan rose, cumin, ambrette seed (musk mallow), costus root, patchouli

The scent begins with the oft talked about animalic civet blast but I don’t find it nearly as scary or ugly as some reviews would lead me to believe. In fact, this whoosh of unripe skankiness is something that I find quite compelling and thoroughly enjoyable. Muscs Koublai Khan is very much a jolie-laide fragrance: it’s the nerdy, not very good looking guy that you initially dismissed in your early twenties only to find out when you’re 32 that he is he is the crazy, charismatic guy, full of depth, adventure and the one you should have picked all along. As the cliché says, beauty is only skin deep and so it is with this fragrance.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Given that, Muscs Koublai Khan takes some time to unfold its captivating charm completely. All the unwashed notes of the opening do indeed transport the wearer to other worlds and olden times when women and men roamed the land, ready for battle clad in loincloths; invincible in their leathery hirsute armour. The fetid character also transports me back to sometime in my not too distant past, say the late 1970s or early 1980s, when it was still ok for women to have a fur coat. I would go to my Mum’s closet and smell the slightly mildewed aroma of her cast off handbags sitting in garbage bags ready for a garage sale and her mink coat smothered in dry cleaning sheets. The slightly perfumed mothballed aroma of the fur spoke of sparkled nights and unspoken deeds.

Photo Stolen Who Cares? Flickr

Underlying all this unripeness is a blast of cedar and the composition then becomes considerably more sotto voce: all soft honeyed rose and the smell of salty damp skin after a night of passion and romp. Mr M immediately dismissed Muscs Koublai Khan as something rank and I hate to say that most of my close circle of friends would probably have the same aghast reaction. Thus, Muscs Koublai Khan is destined to be a very personal scent for me: one when I choose to shut out my benign petiteness and become a warrior princess: six foot tall, bound in swathes of tight leather and high heels and just completely indestructible.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Muscs is now back in the Paris Exclusives line, but export spray bottles can still be found online. Amazon has it at $113.99/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $4/0.5ml

What’s your take on MKK? Are there any skanky scents you love?

With much love till next time!!

M x

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

January 28, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello perfumed Peeps!

I’ve loved the Frederic Malle range ever since it launched here in Sydney years ago but Jean Claude Ellena’s pared down aesthetic has never really been my cup of tea. It therefore took me some time to first appreciate and then fall in love with his masterpiece for the Malle line. And it’s been well worth the wait.

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

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, heliotrope, jasmine, iris, honey, angelica, white musk.

The real beauty of this scent is its enigmatic quality. It manages to feel both cool and warm at the same time and the gentle unfolding of these polar opposites is what makes L’Eau d’Hiver so magical. There’s the slight cool tang of the bergamot in the opening underscored with the piquant pepperiness of angelica.

The addition of iris exacerbates the detached coolness and earthiness before the soft powderiness of heliotrope is joined by sweetness of honey. Even as the scent warms up, the angelica and iris continue to peek through the layers like soft droplets of snow or sparkling white ice.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

L’Eau d’Hiver is somewhat of a mesmerising drug of a fragrance. Under its spell, I manage to detach from my normal frazzled self and become a calm, serene, contemplative being. It also makes me feel completely elegant. It is the olfactory equivalent of a white silk blouse, fluid and graceful and something that just makes you feel “put together”.

And as Dionne noted in her much more comprehensive APJ L’Eau d’Hiver review, despite its name, L’Eau d’Hiver works in all sorts of temperatures and seasons. I’ve been enjoying wearing it recently on temperate summer’s days.

L'Eau d'Hiver Frederic Malle Harkness_Tower WikiMedia

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Chemist in the Bottle and Olfactoria’s Travels
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $124/3 x 10ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $6/ml

Have you tried L’Eau D’Hiver? What are your I-just-feel-complete fragrances?

With much love till next time!

M x

New Years Resolutions 2014 (The Fragrant Version)

January 14, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Happy New Year perfumed peeps!

Today I want to share with you three fragrant wishes for 2014, or more aptly, three good things I started to do last year and want to continue.

New Years Resolutions 2014 (The Fragrant Version)

1. Sharing my perfume hobby more with friends and family.

Case number one: My Mum. Mum’s been faithful to Giorgio for several years now. It smells great on her and she likes it, but can’t really smell it anymore. Several attempts to get her to try other things have usually been met with much protest. So, when I gifted her with some samples on a recent visit to Sydney, I fully expected them to lie unused in her dresser. Not so. When we went to stay with my parents at Christmas, she happily announced that she was wearing Aurora Nomade by The Different Company. She then proceeded to be utterly charmed by Beyond Love By Kilian and Manguier Metisse by Parfumerie Generale and Cocobello by Heeley. She’s loving it and she’s still going….

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Case number two: a family friend, Miss L, who asked me to help her find a new perfume several months ago. After some time sniffing, testing and sample gifting, my brother announces at Christmas that she’s hit the jackpot. The chosen one is “the Guerlain with the Japanese name”. “Ahhh, Mitsouko!” Mr M proclaims (I’ve taught him well people). Miss L wanted a bottle of the EDP but couldn’t find it anywhere and contacted me in desperation. I had a partial bottle that was lying around unloved that I happily gave her. She was thrilled and I haven’t felt better about a perfume experience for a long time.

2. Exploring more scents on the very masculine end of the spectrum.

I’m as girly-girl as they come and so are my perfume tastes, mostly. I realise that it’s a no-no to speak of a gender divide in perfume, but I have not smelt enough (or reviewed enough) scents that lie in what I deem to be the more masculine camp. This was prompted this was Mr M’s request for a fourth scent for Christmas. He has Autoportrait by Olfactive Studio, Pour Homme by Paco Rabanne and Antaeus by Chanel and isn’t going to be wearing Fracas or even something more unisex anytime soon.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I chose Bois du Portugal by Creed. It smelt great on me, great on the card, and even my Mum loved it. But it was a disaster on him: waaaaay too sweet and too much lavender. The whole exercise made me realise that I haven’t smelt any of the masculine Amouages, Knize Ten, most Chanels for men and lord knows what else. In 2014, I want to rectify that.

3. Cull more of my collection

After many impulse buys and hence a few bottles lying around untouched, I have finally realised that there’s a huge distinction between the perfume I want to wear most of the time and the perfume I want to experience, wear on the odd occasion, or write about. This hobby certainly doesn’t mean I have to have 30 bottles that get worn once a year, it’s about enjoying what you have. And in saying that, sometimes less is more. So, full bottles only for the ones I regularly use and samples or decants for everything else. I really would like to get my collection down to eight or ten bottles and the rest is going to be sold.

Photo Stolen Vogue Tumbler

So, what do you think of my list? Do you have any perfume goals or wishes for this year? What perfumes do you want to buy or experience this year?

With much love until next time!

M x

Christmas Trilogy: Tom Ford, Profumi Del Forte, L’Artisan Parfumeur

December 24, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello fragrance friends!

Right now most of you are probably preparing for Christmas festivities. It’s Christmas Eve here in Australia and I’m up visiting my Mum and Dad on New South Wales’ north coast. It’s nice and hot and I’m really looking forward to some quality family time, sunshine and good food and, of course, smelling gorgeous.
So, what perfumes did I bring with me and what am I looking forward to scent-wise in terms of Christmas gifts? I present to you my Trio of Fragrant Christmas Trinkets:

Christmas Trilogy: Tom Ford, Profumi Del Forte, L’Artisan Parfumeur

1. Velvet Gardenia by Tom Ford 2007

The scent that I packed

Photo stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Gardenia, orange
Heart: Plum, tuberose, beeswax, honey, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley
Base: Frankincense, labdanum

Christmas and summer for me is all about the smell of pool chlorine, Christmas cake and gardenias. I’ve waxed lyrical about my love of the white flower before and the meaning it has for me. Tom Ford’s scent is the most realistic, buttery and intense gardenia I know, so it was a natural addition to my fragrance packing. The only problem it’s been discontinued and I think I’ll feel a bit lost when my bottle finally runs out.

You might be able to find Velvet Gardenia on eBay.
Surrender to Chance starts at $5/0.5ml.

2. Vaiana Dea by Profumi Del Forte 2013

My Christmas present to myself

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, peach, coconut, bergamot, milky notes, violet leaf
Heart: Tuberose, ylang-ylang, orchid, jasmine, lily, white rose, cocoa, honey
Base: Benzoin, white musk, sandalwood, vetiver, vanilla, oakmoss

This is a recent addition to my collection and an absolutely swoon-worthy one at that. Reading the notes list, one might be expecting a true gourmand fragrance with a hint of tuberose, but on my skin, these roles are reversed. It starts off as a bright and fresh tuberose before becoming a bit more lactonic and sweet. The peach, coconut and jasmine blend seamlessly with the cocoa and the tuberose to create a soft, sweet but dazzlingly pretty scent. And who was I to try and resist that gorgeous art deco bottle?

LuckyScent has $195/100ml and samples

3. La Chasse Aux Papillons by Anne Flipo for L’Artisan Parfumeur 1999

What I am expecting Santa to bring

Photo stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine, lime blossom, white flowers

Well, saying I am expecting Santa to bring this is a bit of a lie as I actually supervised Mr M’s purchase of this the other week. I’d forgotten about this beauty until recently but it is such a pretty girly pink scent that I had to have it again. And it brings back some fond memories. I was visiting Paris with my brother and a friend years and years ago. Already been bitten by the scent bug, I wandered into Galeries Lafayette and asked the saleswoman in (my then perfect) French that I was looking for a pretty white floral perfume. This is the bottle she handed to me. The scent inside is as attractive as the name that adores it. A fun, frivolous blend of linden, tuberose and jasmine, it is indeed summer in a bottle.

Libertine Parfumerie has it for $169/100ml
Surrender to Chance start at $4/ml.

Well, what do you think of my trinkets? What are you wearing over the holiday season? What are you giving or receiving scent-wise this Christmas?

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Madeleine x