Contributors

Aramis by Bernard Chant for Aramis 1966

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Guest Post By Tim
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Aramis by Aramis 1966

(current formulation)

In this day and age where fragrances are sold through the art of embellished story telling, celebrity endorsement and multi million dollar advertising campaigns, I look to the past to see how much times have changed! In an era where themes were simpler, all you had to work with was the truth. We were not so seduced by faux inspirations, someone else’s ideal of femininity and masculinity or that sudden moment you fall in love. There was a different notion of what smelt clean and fresh. Fragrances were made with a vast variety of non synthetic accords,  giving perfume outstanding character and brilliance. Although many fragrance category’s were still to be discovered it seems to me perfume had more to offer its wearer, a list of notes as long as your arm for example,  and the simple promise of what fragrance was designed to do, to make u smell good.

Advertising quote-
“Aramis was created to be the most elegant mens cologne in the world.
Somewhere along the way it became the most provocative.
Aramis, the impact never fades”

If you research Aramis you will see the opinions in black and white! Love and hate, the men who can take it and commonly, the women who can’t . What could be more provocative than this, and I’m sure you already know it’s the fragrances that polarise opinions that are usually the most interesting and the bottles you want in your collection.

1966, Estée Lauder and her cosmetic chemist uncle Joseph Lauder formed brother company ‘Aramis’. Named after the fictional character in Alexandre Dumas  vintage classic novel ‘The Three Musketeers’ they  presented the world with the first line of prestige mens grooming products. This included the company’s debut namesake Aramis by Aramis , a leather chypre created by long time collaborator Bernard Chant (Estee,  Azuree, Cinnabar) Aramis raised the bar higher and went on to become an instant best seller for the brand, and continues to be over 56 years later.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica lists notes –
TOP          Artemisia,  Aldehydes, Bergamot, Gardenia, Clover, Myrrh, Thyme
MIDDLE  Jasmine, Patchouli, Orris, Sage, Cardamom and Sandalwood (PerfumeShrine also adds Cumin and Castoreum)
BASE       Leather, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Amber, Sandalwood, Musk, Coconut

Aramis opens as discreetly as a king hit in a bar room brawl. Do you know that moment when a tradie sparks a blow torch and it ignites into a searing flame, well such is the first hit of Aramis.  It’s challenging to describe perfectly the initial rush as it presents multi- dimensional and busy. My nose reads Body odour over antiseptic pine and parched grass enhanced by  recognisable Lauder style Aldehydes. Any florals have been dialed down to give full impact to the spicy cumin kick start that aims to crash tackle you in the opening. At first it’s rank, dirty and unclean but before u have time to pinpoint what exactly your smelling it blends into one of the most overtly masculine openings of any fragrance I have. The  Artemisia adds bite and bitterness which is wisely balanced out by the Alderhydes.  This creates a manly playoff between unwashed arm pits with subtle hints of soap. It’s animalic  and shockingly beautiful.

Photo Stolen crosswordcorner

You better be in it for the long hall as Aramis has stamina and longevity. The middle reads like a anthology dedicated to my favourite category…. leather!  Chapter one through ten, the heart notes come together to deliver. The credit belongs to the leather, castoreum and musk which seem to meld early on to deliver a ballsy leather accord. Cumin lingers to give it undeniable carnal funk.  A earthy patchouli manages to pull the bergamot a little further as I can detect citrus well into the first 2 hours wearing.  Still spicy and ripe well into half a  days wear Aramis is a obvious and unapologetic. I can only imagine the damage caused  if allowed to fall in the wrong hands. Proceed with caution reader.

FragranceX has Aramis EdT 15ml/$8.40 & 100ml/$51
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2/ml

Till nest month,
Fragrant Regards,
Tim

Lavender Palm by Yann Vasnier for Tom Ford 2011

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Guest Post by EmmaKate

Hello hello Fumies,

It is Emma Kate here again with my monthly review. This month, with thanks to Portia Turbo, I will be reviewing Tom Ford’s Lavender Palm.

Lavender Palm by Tom Ford 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

The notes as listed on Fragrantica
Top notes: lavender, lemon, bergamot and clary sage
Middle notes: lemon blossom, pink nerium oleander
Base notes: vetiver, oak moss and olibanum, also known as frankincense

Barack Obama Photo Stolen Squidoo

This fragrance opens with a soft lavender, and builds quickly to this romantic full bodied floral. There is a citrus burst that pops through and slowly melds with the lavender to make this Lavender Palm sing.
A warm silky, slightly smokey sense makes me think of a cashmere scarf, the perfect weight for that in-between weather.
This fragrance is listed as unisex and I would have to agree, if anything this is more of a masculine scent to me. It reminds me of a freshly shaven man, in his Hugo Boss suit, freshly pressed white cotton shirt and a purple tie about to walk out the door for, or into, a big meeting. He is on top of his game.

Photo Stolen from gardenofeaden

In terms of wearability this fragrance lasted very well on my skin, which says something as I am a scent drinker! Around the eight hour mark, though I have read reviews of others saying it has lasted in excess of 12 hours.

Portia got my sample at David Jones, Market St, Sydney from Joel the world’s most helpful and desirable Tom Ford SA, most of the Tom Ford SA’s will happily make you a 2ml sample vial
SurrenderToChance also has Lavender Palm $6/1ml

Overall this is a stunning fragrance, one that I would give to a man in my life who needed a power boost 🙂 Below is a very interesting look into Tom Ford the creative.
Happy Smelling!
EKxx

Les Deserts D’Orient by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2012 LIVE Video Sniff

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YIPEE! Welcome back,

EmmaKate and I are back in front of the camera proving to one and all that we love perfume but know only the outer edges of anything important relating to it. This time we put the Guerlain Les Deserts D’Orient under our microscope.

Photo Stolen aromamore

Yes, we know that bois means wood, now! Ha Ha Ha what a pair of dunderheads. Doesn’t matter. Enjoy this for what it is. Two mates having a sniff after work and a couple of bevvies, you are supposed to feel like you’re sitting at the table with us having a crisp, dry white/scotch/coffee/sparkling mineral water and we are all having a first go together. If it was perfect it wouldn’t be so much fun.

As always special thanks need to go out to Kath for filming and editing, EmmaKate for being a good sport and Jin for making it blog ready. Thanks gang!!

Gerome, The Harem Bath Stolen melbourneblogger

Here is a short featured accords list for each from 1000Flowers:
Rose Nacrée du Désert: Ispahan rose, saffron, patchouli, oudh, benzoin.
Songe d’un Bois d’été: cedar, jasmine, saffron, cardamom, leather, laurel leaf, oudh, myrrh, patchouli, leather.
Encens Mythique d’Orient: frankincense, musk, neroli, moss, saffron, Ispahan rose, amber

For further reading see 1000Flowers and OlfactoriasTravels

SurrenderToChance has a pack of all 3 at $13/.5ml of each

Whatever you do between now and tomorrow when you come back, make sure you take the time to do something YOU love. Even though you may be shit at it, like we are at doing perfume videos sometimes.
Portia xx

De Profundis by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2011

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Gabriella

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Hello everyone! Hope you’ve all been well and had a lovely fragrant month.
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Today’s post is part review and part confessional. The confession is that, until recently, I have somewhat overlooked the Serge Lutens line. Pre-perfumista days, I tried Fleurs D’Oranger and thought it was nice, but a little too much for me at a time when Marc Jacobs was my perfume of choice.  Once on my perfumista journey, I tried a few, but the whole stewed fruits and woods thing that Serge Lutens is famous for scared me a little. Somehow, I also got busy trying other things and the rest is history. Thankfully, I’ve now righted my transgression and have been delving into Serge’s world quite seriously of late, so much so that it now ranks as my favourite line with as many full bottle wants as the line which incited my passion – Frederic Malle.
Photo Stolen marathi.wunderground
Exploring Serge has also been a wonderfully informative journey. The perfumes I thought I would like and that get a lot of love in the blogosphere – Chergui, Ambre Sultan – simply don’t work on me. However, Serge’s weirder florals that I’ve tested with ambivalence are the ones I’ve swooned over and are ones that simply bloom on my skin. These include Datura Noir, Vitriol D’Oeillet and the magnificent Paris exclusive, De Profundis.

De Profundis by Serge Lutens

Photo Stolen zuzafun

De Profundis is a composition based on chrysanthemum, a flower traditionally associated with funerals and death. The name, translated from Latin means “out of the depths” or “a cry of appeal expressing one’s deepest feelings of sorrow or anguish”.  Indeed, literary and biblical references of the term emphasise feelings of melancholy and despair: Oscar Wilde’s letter written during his imprisonment, Christina Rossetti’s poem and Psalm 130, which starts with the line: “From the depths, I have cried out to you, O Lord”.
The copy accompanying the release also emphasises morbidity, stating: “the chrysanthemum invites Death to leave the cemetery and offer us its flower.” For me, however, this fragrance is not so much about death, but a story about the cycle of a complete flower, from the first signs of buds to petals bruising, brown and overripe.
 De Profundis Serge Lutens for women and men
Photo stolen from Fragrantica.
De Profundis’ notes are chrysanthemum flower with additional notes of violets, green and earthy notes.
The perfume’s opening is very sumptuous, green and radiant. It is the smell of a garden after a winter’s storm, a cold wind against dew on stems, bright and chilly. It is reminiscent of other green florals, but here the green notes are voluptuous and full, not austere or astringent in nature. The vivacious opening is tempered by the slight pepperiness of the chrysanthemum and powderiness of violets.
The composition is fairly linear in character, but as it warms on the skin, the wood notes become more prominent, giving the perfume a richness and earthy feel.  It becomes a portrait of flowers left in their vase too long, their blooms now pale and wan, the stems slightly fetid and decaying.
Photo Stolen paranoias
But De Profundis is not nearly as melancholy or moody as I expected. Whilst somewhat haunting, it still manages to have a fresh, sparkling quality that is joyful and bright. What I love most about it is that it full of contradictions: bright but dark, happy but sombre, elegant but vampy, restrained but voluptuous.
De Profundis is a must try for anyone who likes green scents or for those who appreciate some of the stranger Serge florals.  For me, it’s very much full bottle worthy. Mr M and I are now hatching a plan to try and secure one of those bell jars from Paris.
For other reviews, please see Bois de Jasmin, Perfume Posse, and The Non-Blonde
Samples available from Surrender to Chance starting at $4/ml
Have you tried De Profundis? What are some of the more bizarre Lutens creations that have worked for you? Is there a fragrance line that you’ve overlooked and then come to love?
With much love till next time!
Madeleine x

Youth Dew Amber Nude by Christophe Ludamiel for Estée Lauder 2005

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Guest Post by Tim

Estée Lauder

Youth Dew Amber Nude

Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,

Back in my days as a Beauty Advisor and Resident Makeup Artist at Estée Lauder, Myer Sydney City there was an extensive line of fragrances on the counter.  I wanted to know them personally, to wear and experience the releases Estée Lauder gave the world. Decade after decade, a historical time line of fragrances show casing perfumery styles.  It was the trend setters vs the best sellers. The name sake Estée and a whole Private Collection.  6 Men’s fragrances and a swag of flankers. It was my job to wear, recommend and sell fragrances to the customers of Estée Lauder.

Photo Stolen imagesdeparfums

I was completely spoiled for choice!  I started with the ground breaking and historic vintage classic Youth Dew, which was originally conceived as a bath oil in 1953, then quickly fell in love with the 1969 animalic leather stunner Azuree.  I admired the ultra feminine aldehydic florals Alliage and Beautiful and to be totally honest I only fell in lust with naughties starlet Pleasures.  You should have seen the number of Pleasures flanker Christmas gifts packs I had to count one afternoon in the store room of late October 2010. ‘Ridiculous’

In 2005 Tom Ford lent his talents to recreating the first fragrance that pushed Lauder into the stratosphere she orbits today. Sending in a man to reinvent a woman’s work, how would he pay homage to Youth Dew. Could he produce a perfume variation even Estée herself would be proud of?  It sounded risky and bold, but on the other hand a genius idea to give the old girl a dressing up by Ford, adding modern nuances and flavour while honoring its heritage.

Photo Stolen parfumes4u

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Magnolia, ginger, cinnamon, tea, grapefruit
Heart: Carnation, jasmine, ylang-ylang, black rose
Base: Sandalwood, amber, patchouli, vetiver.

Opening
From the very onset it is clear Amber Nude has Youth Dew graciously riding shotgun! Like a conscious voice in your mind it still has that famous recognisable balsamic undertone. Youth Dew Amber Nude is amped up with a boozy and brash opening. A giant rum soaked sucker punch that is entirely intoxicating, causing me to inhale as much of the bright citrus top notes as possible.  Its a muddled cocktail that is just too divine to sip. Waxy lemon tinged magnolia, tangy sweet grapefruit and cinnamon spice create a superb introduction that marries old with new! Tea is also included but I think the pot has been spiked! hmm?

Heart
Its not until you live through the opening and get settled that you realise Amber Nude is in fact from a totally different gene pool to the Youth Dew mile trailing sillage monster. Clove-ish Red Carnation and narcotic Jasmine replace orchid, lilly of the valley and cassia (earthy, spicy, aromatic cinnamon).  To my nose the tweaking of Youth Dew Amber Nude has added beautiful softness that was absent in the original, giving it modern refinement. Where there once was hefty tumbler of pure malt whisky now sits black rose and rich banana toned ylang ylang that harmonise with the floral bouquet. Compliments guaranteed!

Dry Down
Amber Nude’s dries down to base notes sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver and ‘the concentration has been halved’ (quote) according to Ford.  Genius if you ask me.  I felt Youth Dew was sometimes too much of a good thing.  Absolutely a iconic fragrance I wanted to wear out of love, respect and honour but it just demanded too much attention.  And then there’s that classic association, I won’t even breath it.  Here is a fact Perfume Junkies!  Youth Dew’s reputation spans almost 60 years.  Its clear we have another Queen celebrating a Diamond Jubilee.  Tom Ford lastly adds a dark chocolate accord that recalls bitter dark squares of 80% cocoa.  A noticeable skin scent that lingers on the skin up to 10 hours after the first spritz.

Photo stolen Elle

Did I mention Youth Dew Amber Nude is sexy as hell.  I have decided the Amber Nude experience is the best of Youth Dew with a Tom Ford frock and accessories to match.  Vintage Retro is now runway ready.

Further reading Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Smellin’ Things
Fragrance Shop has 50ml @ $62
The Posh Peasant starts Youth Dew Amber Nude at $3/ml

Fragrant Regards,
Tim

Perle de Mousse by Bertrand Duchafour for Ann Gerard 2012

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Gabriella

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Ann Gerard

Perle de Mousse

Hello APJ friends! Hoping you’ve all had a wonderfully fragrant time over the past month and that you enjoy today’s post.

It’s a very warm spring day. Sitting under an expanse of huge oak trees you feel the gentlest caress of a breeze. The air is rich with the smell of greenery: the lush grass, the ivy curling its way around the tree trunks, the fresh stemminess of white flowers. You feel the warmth of the dappled sunlight on your face, relish in the way it washes over you with its honeyed rays.Your significant other has surprised you with an impromptu picnic: it’s a treat following your decision to take a half day from work. It seems like you’ve spent years chained to your desk staring at a computer screen. You’re loving your newfound languidness. Sipping your champagne, you delight as its fizziness tickles your nose, quenches your throat. You take a deep breathful of mossy greenness.

Photo Stolen cntraveller.

Gently, you arch your back, loosen your hair from its tight chignon, smooth your crisp white shirt and remove your heels, delighting in the sensation of tingly grass blades on your soles. You lie back on the soft cotton rug, reach over to lay your head on your man’s shoulder. His shirt gently caresses your face, you smell the gentlest whiff of his citrus cologne. Your eyes close and you drift towards sleep in the soft yellow light.

Very few perfumes conjure up a complete story in my mind on first sniff, but Perle de Mousse is one of them.

Ann Gerard Photo Stolen elsa-vanier

The fragrance is a green chypre, composed by Bertrand Duchafour for Parisian jeweller, Ann Gerard. It is part of a trio of scents, the others being Ciel d’Opale, a linden-based fragrance and Cuir de Nacre, a leather perfume originally sold in a limited edition under the name Pleine Lune.

Perle de Mousse features notes of: aldehydes, pink pepper, bergamot, green mandarin, galbanum resin, ivy, lily of the valley, hawthorn, Bulgarian rose, clove, jasmine, gardenia, lentiscus absolute, ambergris, musk and a hint of vanilla.


Photo stolen from http://www.anngerard.com/
The perfume opens with a sharp burst of aldehydes and a sumptuous accord of galbanum and ivy: rich, verdant and dense. After this initial green spark, the composition quietens down quite rapidly and becomes linear in feel. The mandarin note is interspersed with lily of the valley and the other white florals, with no one note standing out.

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Perle de Mousse is an extremely soft and delicate chypre that gives a cursory nod to the Dior greats by Edmond Roudnitska: Diorella, Eau Sauvage and Diorissimo whilst still being completely its own scent. Anyone looking for a powerful tenacious green chypre or a typical Duchafour composition won’t find it here. Perle de Mousse is extremely gentle, with average sillage and longevity. Despite its ethereality, it is still a stunningly beautiful fragrance and a must try for any green or chypre fans.

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SurrenderToChance has the range starting at $4/ml
LuckyScent has a Discovery Collection 3 x 9ml in a coffret $65 or 60ml/$165
With much love till next time,
M x

Sui Love by Jean-Louis Grauby for Anna Sui 2002

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Guest Post by EmmaKate

SUI LOVE

Sensational day to you perfumistas!

My life is currently going full throttle, no brakes, all change, so for this Guest Post I have chosen to share with you my adoration for Sui Love from Anna Sui from my dresser.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured notes:
Floral-fruity composition is in perfect harmony with warm musky and vanilla base. Sicilian bergamot, Japanese osmanthus, and passion fruit create an aery floral introduction into a gorgeous blooming garden of the middle notes: Italian violet, orange blossom, water lily, Egyptian jasmine, white rose and tuberose, spiced with a touch of pink pepper.

Australian christmas dinner by Daniel Forsell

This fragrance always reminds me of Christmas at my parents place. I LOVE Christmas, family and friends, good food, good wine and everyone in great spirits.There is a real tree, freshly cut gardenias, a fruit salad on the table and it is sunny and warm outside.

Sui Love makes me feel girly and happy. It is a feel good fragrance.

Photo Stolen pharmacymix

The passionfruit gives a fizzy aroma that is juicy and full bodied. The tuberose is grounding and provides the green feel to this particular perfume. There are lots and lots of other white flowers too, which lends what’s usually thought of as femininity to this perfume.

Not overly sophisticated but the perfect girly fragrance with a bit of depth and a little something extra.

FragranceShop has 50ml $30

See you next month,

EmmaKate X

Spring Fling with Clayton Ilolahia 2012

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Guest Post by Clayton www.whatmenshouldsmelllike.com

Spring Fling

Hi AustralianPerfumeJunkies. Last month I met with your cherished author and we decided to do a blog swap for a post on spring fragrance. For me it is a season of renewal. I love watching the trees that line the city streets, which were stripped of their deciduous clothing by winter, regain their green foliage and celebrate the spring season with bursts of colourful blooms. With nature providing so much visual imagery and scent, it is easy to see why spring is such an exciting season in the perfume industry.

When Portia and I discussed this idea of hijacking each other’s blogs to give a round up of spring suggestions, I had this in mind; I wanted my list to be more than just flowers, I wanted the list to be about seasonal renewal. Each fragrance I have chosen breathes new life into a familiar theme.

Floral

Tom Ford Jonquille de Nuit

Are jonquils the new tuberose? There is always a market for white flowers and for this 2012 release; Tom Ford explores a waxy white floral with green undertones. Jonquille de Nuit is a refreshing addition to any white floral lover’s collection amongst the jasmines, tuberoses and gardenias.

Oriental

Chanel Coco Noir

Every time Coco is looking a little tired, Chanel dusts her off with a flanker. Chanel is describing their new Coco Noir as a luminous oriental. The twist comes at the start with a fresh burst of bitter citrus. As the floral heart moves on, the original Coco peeks out at you wrapped in powdery tonka bean.

Woods

Guerlain Homme L’Eau Boisée

I was a fan of the original and this latest offering by Guerlain is, in my opinion, the most interesting Guerlain Homme flanker yet. They’ve stripped out some of the sugary mojito juice in favour of an aromatic accord laced with wood. It’s an easy fragrance to wear, a great option for the aussie bloke (does he still exist?)

Chypre

Parfums MDCI Chypre Palatin

Many perfume fans are lamenting the death of the Chypre style since IFRA regulated the use of oakmoss in perfume. Modern chypres lack the mossy base provided by their unregulated predecessors. For Chypre Palatin, perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour cleverly reworks the Chypre concept to overcome the obvious. It’s a paradox of classic and new ideas. While Chypre Palatin feels so familiar at the beginning, Duchaufour takes chypre to a whole new place as the fragrance evolves.

Fougere

Christian Dior Eau Noire

While this is not a new fragrance it still continues to push the definition of a fougere. Described as an oriental fougere, Eau Noire was made for Dior by Francis Kurkdjian before he went off to do his own thing. It’s a kind of curried lavender, owing to the rich use of immortelle. I love to wear this in the warmer months.

Thanks for reading and I wish you all the very best for the spring season ahead. Let Portia and I know by commenting, if you have other suggestions for spring. Also, check out Portia’s list over at What Men Should Smell Like (www.whatmenshouldsmelllike.com)

Best,
Clayton

PS Here is a jump to our APJ Interview with Clayton if you would like to read further about this interesting, urbane, clever and sexy man.
All perfume pics from Fragrantica. Clayton supplied his portrait.

Kiss My Name by Ramon Monegal 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

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Gabriella

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Ramon Monegal

Kiss My Name

Hello Junkies!

Hope you’ve had a great time sniffing since my last post. I had hoped to post a review of the Bex London range today, but sadly I’m not. London is my second home and I was really looking forward to talking about how these fragrances evoked my memories of the city, but they just didn’t work on my skin. So, I’m shelving that.

Instead of taking you on a trip to London, we’re going to go to Spain and look at one of the new perfumes by Ramon Monegal. Portia’s already reviewed one of his scents, Lovely Day, in her Sunday quicksniffs and today I am going to review the white floral in his line: Kiss My Name.

Photo stolen from Fragrantica

First things first, as Olfactoria has mentioned in her review, it’s a strange name for a fragrance with unfortunate connotations. I’m not sure whether it’s an awkward translation from Spanish, but just thinking of the following exchange makes me want to laugh:

“What are you wearing?”
“Kiss My Name.”
“Hmmm, ok then.”

Strange title aside, when I read the description of this perfume at Luckyscent, I was expecting a full-on tuberose. While tuberose is listed as one of the notes, this is not anything like the tuberose classics: Fracas, Carnal Flower and Tubereuse Criminelle. In Kiss My Name, tuberose plays a quiet supporting act to the main notes of jasmine, neroli and iris. Kiss My Name features notes of indian tuberose absolute, iris cedre, egyptian jasmine absolute, tunisian neroli and tolu balsam.

The perfume starts off very tropical and green, but it’s not the suntan-lotion-with-a-pina-colada kind of tropical, but rather that of a humid rainforest at the start of a blisteringly hot summer’s day. The sun is peeking through a lush green canopy, the humidity and steaminess warming up the white floral shrubs and releasing their narcotic aroma. A cool vegetal iris underlines the composition and is reminiscent of the moist dense earth of the rainforest floor. The jasmine and neroli are quite heady, but the iris becomes stronger and lends a sharp metallic vibe to the composition. The cool metallic note versus the warmth of the white florals gives a nice duality to the scent.To my nose, the three notes or neroli, jasmine and iris also combine to give a distinct ‘green mango’ vibe.

Photo Stolen LiFE

Kiss My Name is rather linear on my skin, although it has felt quite different upon each wearing. Sometimes it’s all about the jasmine and neroli. Other times, the iris is the dominant note, with the metallic element sometimes soft and sometimes overpoweringly screechy. It’s obvious that Kiss My Name is meant to be the diva of the Monegal line, but it’s not the sophisticated diva of Fracas et al. It is the scent of a diva at on holidays, happy and at play. When wearing it, I’ve been thinking of Brigitte Bardot at Cannes or Marilyn Monroe in chic capri pants and white shirt, complete with cats-eyes sunglasses and ruby red lips. It’s a joyous fragrance and one that white floral lovers and any iris fans should try. I’m not completely sold just yet, but I think I might enjoy this on the upcoming humid nights of a Sydney summer.

Photo stolen themarilynmonroecollection

One other thing: I love the packaging. The inkwell-style bottle looks really sophisticated and sturdy. One of the nicest bottles I’ve seen of late.

Have you tried Kiss My Name yet? Have you tried any others of the Ramon Monegal line? What’s your favourite happy summer fragrance?

With love till next time! M x

Lipstick Rose by Ralf Schwieger for Frederic Malle 2000

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Guest Post by EmmaKate

LIPSTICK ROSE

Hello hello Australian Perfume Junkies!

EmmaKate here again for my monthly guest blog appearance. This month I am going to be talking to you about one of my favourite fragrances, Lipstick Rose from Frederic Malle.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
As you may know I was lucky enough to meet Frederic Malle himself while I was working at Mecca Cosmetica. While he was in Australia I was able to ask him about his fragrances and learn more about the range. I have always had a soft spot for this perfume and I had NO idea why (except for the fact that it was gorgeous)…Until Frederic enlightened me that it is designed to smell like lipsticks and powder compacts from a bygone era. As a beauty junkie I knew that certain brands continued to make their products with that luxury in mind, so this fragrance was two of my favourite things combined, fragrance and makeup.
The story goes: Ralf Schwieger (the nose behind this, Eau des Marveilles for Hermes and 3 scents for ELdO in 2012) created this fragrance based on a memory from his childhood. When he was young his parents would go to society events and his mother would come to kiss him goodbye before she would leave. The scent that he associates with this memory is the scent of his mothers lipstick and a sense of love and safety. He brought these memories to life in Lipstick Rose.
Lipstick Roses Long 75Photo Stolen globalrose
Fragrantica gives these featured notes/accords all in a line:
Rose, violet, musk, vanilla, vetiver, amber and grapefruit
Lipstick Rose opens with an orchestra of rose and violet followed by a softer powdery style vanilla and musk. It is then rounded out with vetiver and dries down to smell like candied roses and lilacs. It is reminiscent or Turkish delight and children’s lolly bracelets but with a sophisticated edge. It is well worth checking out if you like a sweeter scent, and even if you don’t. Let it sit with you, you might be surprised.
When I smell this I have visions of pink and red roses. For me it evokes romance and a sense of beauty, inner and outer. I wear this fragrance when it is cooler as I find it a bit overwhelming during the warmer months, I love to wear it when I am feeling a bit sassy and a lot girly.
Kiss Clipart Image: Lipstick Kiss

Photo Stolen Valentineclipart

SurrenderToChance starts at $5.99/ml
I also have a DIY blog full of fun, simple things to do, please come by and have a look at TheOriginalEmmaKate
Can’t wait to see you next month here on APJ,
EmmaKate XOX