Contributors

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2010

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Kate Apted

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Voice of an Angel!

Oh, sorry…I mean Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer

My deepest welcome to you APJers,

The world isn’t making much sense to me right now. I am watching my boys grow up with a lack of innocence I had at their age. While I sit outside and watch the birds go about their nest building business, my boys are inside reading up on the news via social media. There is a strange dichotomy between hope and despair that exists within me. Nevertheless, I try to make our home a place of safety and trust.

To capture a sense of innocence I turn to a scent that is probably one of Andy Tauer’s less lauded offerings, but the one I consider to be his magnum opus. Let me introduce you to Carillon Pour Un Ange.

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Tauer Perfumes 2010

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer

Carillon pour un ange Tauer Perfumes FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, ylang, lilac, lily of the valley
Heart: Jasmine, leather, lily of the valley
Base: Ambergris, moss, woods

The name translated into English is Chime for an Angel. This gives absolutely no indication of what lies in the bottle. And to be honest, I don’t give a care for what the official notes are. The star of the scent is Lily of the Valley. I am so mesmerised by the star that I just don’t register any other players. The Lily of the Valley is so high pitched in it that I think of Carillon as Voice of an Angel rather than chime for an angel. From opening to dry down hours later, Carillon is linear and carries that high note all the way through.

Carillon pour un ange Tauer Concierto_de_angeles WikiMediaWikiMedia

I suspect Mr Tauer is unapologetic in his creation of Carillon. If you do not like the opening, then there is no chance you will enjoy the scent at any stage. It was made to carry the glory of the Lily of the Valley. There is no taming of the notes sung. Unadulterated, perhaps amplified, but in no way tame or smoothed over. Mr Tauer has simply used his hand to elevate the Lily of the Valley to be seen (or smelt) by all.

I find it ironic that a delicate bell shaped flower which harks from a dip in the earth’s crust is one that Mr Tauer associates with angels so high up in the proverbial heavens. There is a poetic beauty in it. This is where I find the hope. If a little flower can sing so strongly to reach the heavens, then we can each hope that our small acts of kindness will reach outwards and have an effect. Like prayer beads used to focus the mind on worship and supplication, Carillon acts like a chime when I smell it. I am brought back to a moment of stillness and a reminder to stay focused on the ample good in the world.

Carillon pour un ange Tauer gerson_rodriguez PixabayPDI

Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
Men’s Biz has $249/50ml FREE Australian Delivery
Tauer Perfumes has samples from $5

Do you have a scent you turn to when you have conflicting emotions? Do any of your scents bring you to a centred internal peace?

Love, peace and mungbeans,

Kate xxx

Concrete by Comme des Garcons 2017

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TinaG

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Hi APJ,

Any new Comme des Garcons fragrance is bound to cause a stir in the fragrance community, and Concrete is no exception. I was intrigued, as I enjoy industrial notes in fragrances and was excited to see what this may entail. Then I started hearing rumours that the fragrance was actually a sweet woody floral. Huh? How does that work? After reading some of the press releases, it is exactly how it was supposed to be.

Fragrantica

Candy Perfume Boy gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, Rose Oxide & CDG Spice Signature

So, my preconceived ideas were quickly demolished when I sprayed Concrete on skin. First impressions were of a sweetness, a pink floral with green undertones. There’s a pepperiness to the sillage and I realise the green note is cardamom, one of my favourite aromatic spices. The pink floral has an initial wateriness to it and it reminds me of cactus flower. There is a distinct CdG signature hovering in the background of a quirky synthetic, which my mind associated with a pink dishwashing liquid. After about 10 minutes I get a plastic rose note, and pink lolly musk.

As an aside – you know you are Australian when you can easily differentiate between variations of pink musk. It is a common ingredient in many sweets – musk sticks, musk lifesavers, and Fruit Tingles which have slightly different citrus flavours and the prized “multi-coloured” tingle. So when I’m talking in this case about pink lolly musk, I’m referring to musk sticks. I’m sure these are available in other countries but they don’t seem to be globally ubiquitous.
https://pixabay.com/en/sugar-sticks-candy-sweet-tasty-2099736/PDI

The fragrance settles and loses the cardamom, to feature plastic rose and the musk. Then I lose the plastic over 2 hours for a residual musk-rose which stays for the remainder of the dry down. There is supposed to be sandalwood in here but I can’t find it, and I thought that the sillage was quite low until I met up with a friend for coffee. She immediately identified that I was wearing a CdG, and she could smell the sandalwood. I think that I just don’t have enough experience with sandalwood notes when they have been disintegrated from each other, whereas my friend has much more perfume-creating experience than I, and clicked on to the smell immediately.

The main selling point of this fragrance is the aesthetics of the packaging – the funky bottle made out of concrete is a winner, and the familiar shape will slot neatly into any CdG collection. I’d recommend leaving expectations behind when testing the fragrance – as, really, you should with any CdG. I’d also be curious when this becomes more widely available to see what people think of the paired-back sandalwood note. Currently (August) Concrete is available at Selfridges in London, and Dover Street Market in New York City and London, but I understand it will be distributed more broadly during September 2017.

PDI

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy and Persolaise

Do you have a favourite CdG scent?

Till next time,
Tina G

Airport Perfume Story

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AF Beauty

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Hello peeps!
If you’re like me, you regard packing as a dark art, regardless of all preparation and planning, SOMETHING will be forgotten at home – for me the thing I forget most frequently is perfume. 😦

However, luckily, for the people who live in Sydney – or near another well stocked airport, you can find a range of exciting smellies to enjoy from their sample ranges and be on your way – often smelling a little different because you’re not sampling your favourites, so you can add the excitement of new smells to your journey, yay!

I recently returned from a trip to the Gold Coast, so I was lucky to have a large and quiet store almost to myself at Sydney where I tried a few perfumes…

Airport Perfume Story

The first, a brand I’ve not heard of before, Shay & Blue. A British brand, packing not dissimilar to Pecksniff; I started with a perfume called Shay & Blue Blacks Club Leather, which I DID NOT LIKE at all. It is not my thing, but I can imagine it is popular with the right crowd. I moved to another in the same brand called Shay & Blue Blood Oranges, which was orangey and citrusy, very nice.

I then moved onto a Michael Kors perfume, Michael Kors Sexy Ruby, really I was only attracted to the bottle, it was a lovely shape and colour, like a ruby – makes sense. I didn’t spray any of this on myself because I had a sniff of the bottle and wasn’t impressed. I now can’t remember why, but I tend to have immediate reactions to smells, so I just go with it!

Perusing the Amouage range – I sniffed a number of them, most of which I didn’t enjoy – I am fussy, can you tell? But I did notice the ones I preferred were also the most expensive – most of them costing more than double the price of my flight (!!) – so, I moved on from those to Tom Ford which is pricey, but a bargain in comparison!

Tommy Ford <3… always draws me in because of the turquoise bottles, my favourite colour, I feel like the inside of the bottle MUST be as gorgeous on the inside as the out. I started at first with my usual favourite Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, but I was distracted by another I’d not noticed before, Tom Ford Fleur De Portofino. This is relatively new, to me at least, I hadn’t spotted it on previous visits. I had a good spray of that, probably at least $10 worth up and down my arms, it was so light and citrusy, I was properly sniffing my own arms for hours afterwards like a weirdo.

I think I will start saving my pocket money for this one, I am often caught in the trap of buying something good and well-priced rather than amazing and a bit more expensive, but I think in terms of the joy it would bring me each day, the Tom Ford would be well worth it.

So tell me, what fragrances do you search out at the airport? Found any unusual favourites? Or do you use the airport as a good way to test new fragrances for yourself? What’s your MO?!
AF Beauty xox

(Ed: All photos supplied & taken by AF Beauty.)

Nuda by Alessandro Gualtieri for Nasomatto 2010

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Erica Golding

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Greetings all of you fragrance lovers! I hope this little note finds you well.

Today I am having a nostalgic mommy moment. I took a pause to think about what kinds of perfume my 7-year old tends to react to, and he is just all about the florals! Every time I ask him to help me pick a scent, he always selects a floral aroma. Sometimes I let him sniff a few sprayers and he chooses my perfume that way. Other times, I name general categories like “woodsy, sweet, soapy, or flowers?” Without exception he always picks florals, with a high affinity for jasmine and orange blossom.

Nuda by Nasomatto 2010

Nuda by Alessandro Gualtieri

Nuda Nasomatto FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
French jasmine, animalic notes

I got to thinking why he might lean this way, and I truly hope that it’s because of the following shared scent memory.

When my little boy was just a baby, I had a soft blue sling to carry him in, nuzzled into my chest. I didn’t wear perfume when he was an infant because I didn’t want to risk harming him or causing irritation, but once he was about 6 months old, I started lightly applying very small amounts. One of the first perfumes that he probably ever experienced was Nasomatto Nuda.

I had a treasured sample vial from Luckyscent, and one day I swiped a little on. The narcotic fragrance washed over me with a wave of pure euphoria, intensely lush and passionate. I was overcome with the joy of finally enjoying the extravagant yet simple adornment of perfume, after sacrificing that pleasure for so long. I will never forget that snapshot in time, his warm little body cozy against me, his sweaty baby head soaking my blouse, feeling peaceful and like a living safe haven for the miraculous life developing in my very arms. For several days, the sling hung onto the spellbinding perfume, a haze of luxurious delight. I like to think that this sensory association is something that we share, and that subconsciously, he associates the intoxicating perfume of sugared jasmine sambac to my boundless love.

Nasomatto Nuda Erica and Jimmers

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Memory of Scent
Nuda is discontinued but eBay sometimes has bottles

Have you built a shared scent memory with a loved one? Was it intentional or a happy coincidence? Tell me your story!

With love and light,

-Erica

(Ed: Love the photo Erica. You two look so peaceful)

Individualistic Perfume Behaviour and Biking for a Burger

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Hello you gorgeous fragrant peepsie poohs,

Individualistic Perfume Behaviour

As I headed off to the hairdresser the other day, not a rare thing as I go every fourteen days, I grabbed a spritz for my wrists and jumped into the car. I never spray my neck as I don´t want the stylist to have to breathe in what they might not like. And to be honest a good haircut is a notch above my perfume habit. Years of perfecting my OCD I´ll be damned if I am just gonna let it go. Actually I take care a lot not to get up anyone´s nose. Dentists, meetings, doctors, stuff like that. I find myself thinking ahead before applying perfume to make sure the people in my day can handle it, or not. Probably another reason I love pure perfume and the sublime art of The Dab. Perhaps I should change my attitude and just Spray for England, whaddayareckon?

Biking for a Burger

There is this great place for burgers, unique Austrian burgers, about a 35km bike ride from here. Well, it would be a 35 km car ride too, but I don´t allow myself a burger unless I have ridden my bike to get. (70km round trip 🙂 ) Talking of OCDs ……… So we took off yesterday on the bikes for a late lunch.

When I was a ten year old I had mega bike crash, one that puts all my husband´s downhilling buddies to shame. I fell off as I was steaming down a hill, and actually have no idea to this day why exactly happened. I was found lying in the street with a couple of teeth next to me, with their roots attached. I had a fractured jaw, and a massive hole in my lip. One could say fairly traumatic. I didn´t look in a mirror for about nine months and spent the next eight years having work done on my teeth, some really weird shit I can tell you!! I didn´t step on a bike again until I was 26 years old, when my now husband
made me get on a bike when we lived in Amsterdam. I was terrified. But yeah, I got used to it and started to love it and even spent a year riding around the city at top speed on an old piece without brakes. Just using my feet. Ha! Can hardly imagine that now. Some sucker stole that bike outside of The Melkweg.
I hope they fell off.

Yesterday I fell off again. Forty seven years after my first fall. Hard to believe it took so long. Luckily Chris was there to take a pic for a later Instagram post before picking my bike up. I was riding so slowly it didn’t matter, although I got seriously nettled. Was glad I had a helmet on as I did knock my head. Teeth stayed in place.

Here’s a few pics.

The stone lion is a statue along the lake, in Traunkirchen. A local artist was commissioned by the Emperor Franz Josef. He cast several bronzes. When the Kaiser inspected it, he saw it had no tongue. He mentioned it to the artist who was so upset he later chucked himself into the lake and died. The Emperor felt so bad he vowed never to criticise someone who had done something for him again. The locals celebrate this event each year.

The coffee is a double espresso Affogato in our favourite place in Bad Ischl We have that after our burger. The mirror in the loo is in the same place. How totally cool is that, that you can fix your makeup whist on the bog? Talk about mirrors in the bathroom ….. lalalala.

 

Ride on.
Bussis.
CQ

Summertime Favourites and Sharing a Dream

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BlondesWunder

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How you all doing APJ?

I guess I am in a very lucky position still being able to chose what I want to do with my life. I pretty much have no boundaries (except money, haha), and a world welcoming me with open arms. That makes it freaking difficult to make a choice. It is hard enough selecting a perfume each day, how the hell am I supposed to choose between studying, au-pairing, work and whatever else? (I think I am gonna study and do freelance makeup, but watch this space)

Summertime Favourites and Sharing a Dream

Being honest with you, I do have a dream; one that I have pushed aside for a few years, always finding an excuse not to quite start it. It is scary and even a bit embarrassing. Now that I am going to tell you I will have to go through with it! Maybe some of you will follow along. My big dream is to make YouTube videos, and lots of social media. There, I said it.

Flickr

I know how much work it will be, well actually I probably don´t, and I will need to learn everything, especially editing. I am sure I will get the hang of it.

When I tell people this is what I want to do the first thing they say is “don´t you think there are enough people doing it?” My passion is still makeup. However, as a makeup artist I think there are too many extreme makeup tutorials out there. Working for MAC has really made me see that the majority of people don´t want to wear neon eyeshadows or green, blue and black lipstick. At least not every day! Here is where I hopefully step in and show you how the right concealer and a touch of mascara not only makes you look fresher, it also changes your mood. I want to do vlogs and short #scentoftheday clips too. I will be myself and see where it leads me. I am going to start working in some videos. If you have any advice for me ….. Join me on my crazy journey if you have time.

Perfume!

This has been my first summer that I have worn perfume. I never liked perfume in the heat, but my nose seems to have changed drastically over the last year and I have been enjoying it a lot. I have been lavishly wearing:

Fragrantica

Guerlain Terracotta
Malle´s Dries van Noten and Malle´s Carnal Flower (The Carnal Flower hair mist is on my shopping list, it is divine.)
Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle (I have nearly emptied my Mum´s old bell jar)

Fragrantica

What have your summer staples been?

If you wear perfume, wear a lot of it! I want people to faint next to me on the train because I smell so fab.

Love and peace, follow your dreams,

xxx Blondewunder
@b.londedswunder

Carner Barcelona Floral Collection 2017

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Sandra

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Hey there APJ! How are you all doing? Are you already changing seasons? It is still August as I write this and I am blown away that we have already entered autumn and all I can think is – stop it! It is only August! This is NOT supposed to be happening yet.

Carner Barcelona launched three new perfumes in 2017 starting the Floral Collection and described them as Three luminous perfumes that talk about love, passion and seduction through the flower, which has been and will always be the best expression of love.

Carner Barcelona Floral Collection 2017

Besos Carner Barcelona FragranticaFragrantica

Besos by Carner Barcelona

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Italian mandarin, Madagascar pepper
Heart: Jasmine sambac, iris
Base: Benzoin, vanilla, musk

Carner Barcelona describes it as A come-hither kiss, sensual and deep that leaves you wanting more, Besos has an air of romance with a robust sprinkling of lust.

Besos which means kisses in Spanish is an aptly named perfume in my mind. It opens with a delicious mouthwatering citrus with a hefty sprinkling of pepper. It really is scrumptious and lasts for about an hour in this stage. The floral heart moves in and I get a predominantly jasmine powdered puff with the hint of spices humming along in the background. It rounds out a bit powdery, but not sweet at all. I find this romantic and billowy – it is a white blouse with long cuffs.

Latin Lover Carner Barcelona FragranticaFragrantica

Latin Lover by Carner Barcelona

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, ylang-ylang, magnolia
Heart: Violet, jasmine sambac, French narcissus, lily-of-the-valley
Base: Benzoin, Indonesian patchouli leaf, white musk

Carner Barcelona describes Latin Lover as a fine balance between smooth seduction and hot-blooded passion… What do you think of the name Latin Lover? I find it fun to be honest. Latin Lover opens up with a cocktail of flowers exquisitely tied in a bouquet. The flowers are so intricately intertwined that it is next to impossible to pick them apart. The narcissus and lily of the valley are inviting, intoxicating, yet tempered with the other flowers and patchouli – all of my senses are aware. Well worth a sniff in my books.

Sweet William Carner Barcelona FragranticaFragrantica

Sweet William by Carner Barcelona

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: White pepper, cardamom, Chinese cinnamon wood, galangal
Heart: Dianthus, ylang-ylang, rose water, tobacco blossom
Base: Ambraromei, styrax, Tuscan iris, vanilla absolute

Carner Barcelona describes it During times of gallatry lovelorn bachelors sat to have their portrait painted with a red carnation, a sweet william, symbolizing their search for true love.

Sweet William is decidedly the more unisex leaning perfume of the three entries. With warm spices throughout the development of the perfume, this is also the most complex of the three. There is a sense of lush green, almost vegetal green, which has been warmed by the sunshine that mingles with the spices. It is a element of the unkown that captures my interest. Could it be the galangal that is keeps me thinking green? It is a rich perfume which lasts all day with intriguige – pulling me back in for a further sniff.

ParfuMaria has the collection starting at €95/50ml
Career Barcelona has 3 x 1.7ml Samples €15 (EU Only)

Summer vacation here was a mere six weeks and we had a wonderful fully packed vacation in Spain where we lapped up the abundant sunshine, warm sea air and water and friendly people. What have you all been up to? I would love to hear from you.

Sandra xoxo

Summer Scentsations: Heat Busters

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TinaG

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Hi gang!

Last year I struggled to find fragrances which I could wear on a daily basis, which cut through the ridiculous heat of summer. I gravitated towards modern watery aquatics and fruits. My mainstays were Hermès – Un Jardin Apres La Mousson, and L’Artisan Parfumeur – Mandarine, and the occasional blast of Serge Lutens – Borneo 1834 for sultry evenings.

I was discussing summer fragrances with friends recently – Here’s a list of a few that we talked about for our wish lists:

Summer Scentsations: Heat Busters

Fragrantica

Heeley – Sel Marin

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, green notes
Heart: Salt, sea water, sea grass, moss
Base: Musk, cedar, leather.

I’ve been craving more of this fragrance – I had a quick sniff last year when I was in the UK. There was something intimately sexy about it – underlying clean funkiness, like a salty sun-kissed person’s chest at the end of a very active day. A far cry from your regular ‘marine’ fragrance.

Fragrantica

Estée Lauder – Bronze Goddess

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, ginger, mandarin
Heart: Indian samba jasmine, coconut, jasmine
Base: vanilla, cashmere wood, musk, amber.

I know that this is a general favourite for summer, but both my friend and I weren’t all that familiar with it. We will get together and split a bottle when the next round hits the shelves. I think this would definitely cover off the tropical beach coconut vibe for a summer’s day.

FrFragrantica

CB I Hate Perfume – At The Beach 1966

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Coppertone, North Atlantic, wet sand, seashell, driftwood, boardwalk.

This transports me back to the days of kicking around the beach as a kid. I remember using Coppertone, usually SPF 2 of 4….. I don’t know how we didn’t get absolutely toasted. This perfume smells like a day at the beach. Totally. It’s brilliant.

Fragrantica

BeauFort London – Fathom V

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Juniper berries, tangerine, black currant, green notes, soil tincture
Heart: Thyme, lily, jasmine, ylang ylang, ginger, cumin, black pepper, mimosa
Base: Patchouli, vetiver, oak moss, salt, incense, atlas cedar, amber

My friend Kerri recently purchased the BeauFort London – Come Hell or High Water discovery set, which in itself is magnificent. It is a leather roll with generous 7.5ml travel sprays of each of their fragrances. I had been lusting after this for a while so I was both dead jealous and super excited to have a look at them. The green hit in the opening of Fathom V is a mix of bright freshly cut flowers and deeper greens, which we likened to walking into a cool florist shop. I need to spend more time with all of this range, they are both amazing fragrances and an intriguing aesthetic.

Fragrantica

Le Labo – Lys 41

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Jasmine, tuberose, lily, woody notes, vanilla, musk

Lys 41 is a beautiful cool white floral. The lily is subtly sweet and there’s nothing I find overpowering. There’s a time in the morning just before the sun rises where a blue-grey haze lights up the frosted panelling of my bedroom door. I’ve been finding myself spritzing Lys 41 at this time as part of a gentle fragrant wake up, and then re-spritzing throughout the day while the sun moves through its daily arc casting different shadows and colours through the house. I really enjoy it and I will definitely be bringing this routine over into the summer months.

You can get samples of most of the at Surrender To Chance

So how about you, APJ? What have your worn this summer, or are planning to?

Till next time,
Tina G

Yin & Ylang by Laurie Erickson for Sonoma Scent Studio 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

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Erica Golding

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Hello fragrance junkies all over the world!
It’s summer all up in my hemisphere, and I’ve just discovered a gorgeous perfume that I wager would be equally perfect to bring a breath of wanderlust to a chilly Aussie winter’s day. This morning, I am sampling:

Yin & Ylang by Sonoma Scent Studio 2014

Yin & Ylang by Laurie Erickson

Yin And Ylang Sonoma Scent Studio FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, blood orange, aldehydes
Heart: Ylang oil, jasmine sambac absolute, tuberose absolute, beeswax absolute, rose damascones, ginger CO2
Base: Mysore sandalwood, oakmoss absolute, patchouli, amber, vanilla, musk.

The lush roundness of tropical blossoms is shot through with an effervescent zing of bright freshness, while being grounded by a patient hum of gentle musky woods and amber. The balance is striking. This perfume takes the concept of Big White Floral and gives it a whole new edge and versatile wearability. The floral absolutes are exquisite and luxurious, while the sunshine citrus notes aren’t the least bit contrived or sharp. (I guess I should say Big Tropical Floral since ylang ylang is yellow, heh!) As the perfume continues to develop, a hint of oakmoss anchors the composition, conjuring visions of wild adventures in the forest.

Yin & Ylang was released in 2014, and I am so thrilled that I have discovered it even though I am a bit late to the party. This perfume is an absolute dream. I am insanely picky with floral fragrances, and this is just over the top magnificent. Hearts in my eyes over here! I have two more samples from Sonoma Scent Studios in my little package waiting for me to try, and I’m super stoked.

Yin And Ylang Sonoma Scent Studio Henri_Rousseau_-_Exotic_Landscape WikiMediaWikiMedia

Further reading: Now Smell This and Scented Hound
Sonoma Scent Studios has $21/5ml and samples

Have you stumbled upon a perfume recently that made you wonder “how the hell did this escape my radar?!” Tell me about your treasure excavations!

Love and light,
Erica

Hot House Roses for Knackered Queens

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Beloved APJ Readers!

It´s 21.30 and my APJ deadline has been and gone and I am late. I just got back from work where I have been prepping the cookies for the up-and-coming Cookie Run. That is four days of work, several hours a day. As of today I have the BlondesWunder helping me. For money, not love. It cut my work load immensely. In my last post I mentioned a new My Indigo store had opened in Innsbruck and this week another opened in Vienna. Wipes brow. That makes uhm, thirteen stores.

As I pondered this post and what to write about it made me wonder, why do y’all read APJ? Why do we read perfume blogs in general? Fun, information, humour, updates? I don´t read as many as I used to. I have my favourites and there are a couple I will not even give a click to, because I dislike them SO much. But you´ll never know which ones, hahahahaha!! I totally enjoy the English perfume blogger scene as I have got to know many of them in person, not least of all A Bottled Rose and Bonkers About Perfume. The three of us regularly chat and share our joys and worries, personal challenges and probably some tears too. I could not imagine my life without them.

tired peach rose Marisa04 pixabayPDI

It has been extremely hot here, up in the centigrade thirties. I have been wearing Serge Lutens la Filled de Berlin and Malle´s Portrait of a Lady. A lot.

Hot House Roses for Knackered Queens

La Fille de Berlin by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2013

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, geranium
Heart: Palmrosa
Base: Patchouli, moss, honey

I wonder if it is a little dramatic to say that this is my very favourite of all the Lutens? Jammy, rich and smooth. Rubescent. There is a slight greenness to it, but it is rather understated. It dries down to such a musky, richly honeyed amber and lingers for hours. I have only recently started to wear it. It has been BlondesWunder´s signature for the last three years and for that reason I left it alone. I bought a 50ml bottle for her a few weeks ago, before they are sold out. But now it´s mine. As Tara says LaFdBisthebombdotcom.

Portrait of a Lady by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle 2010

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Turkish rose, raspberry, blackcurrant, cinnamon, clove
Heart: Patchouli, sandalwood, incense
Base: Ambrosian, benzoin, white musk

As far as I understand it this is a fairly divisive perfume? I wonder if people are wearing it in the wrong temperatures? POAL needs heat and skin and lots of both. The materials used are superb. Don´t be put off by the long list of notes. The main players are rose, patchouli, frankincense and the sticky resinous feel of maybe labdanum? Earthy, mature, and strong, it bleeds confidence. In amongst the warmth of rose and patchouli is a damp incense. Like breathing in the chill of a cement floored cellar. Melds into the skin. Very beautiful.

david austin rose sunlight WikiMediaWikiMedia

So for whatever reason you read and mingle with the APJ crew, we´re thankful for every one of you. Do you like your roses in the heat?

Knackered Bussis
CQ

(Ed: Photo credits to Val unless specified. Lovely huh?)