Val & Vero: Flying Visit: Photo Essay

December 12, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

VISITING VERO KERN.
ANOTHER FLYING TRIP TO ZÜRICH.
A FEW PHOTOS AND KIKI EDP GIVEAWAY

Seasonal Greeting APJ Readers, Lurkers and Investigators!

My ever willing husband booked a hotel, shut the shop and whisked me off to Zürich to visit Vero. We did The Salzburg Cookie Run together and kept on driving. Made it in well under six hours.

Val & Vero: Flying Visit: Photo Essay

Vero and Isi met us in the hotel for late afternoon tea. Chris and I had a dear friend who had a main role in the stage production of Dogville, modeled on the film from Lars von Trier. I had never the wish to see the movie, and was a bit apprehensive attending the theatre but it was absolutely brilliant. It was performed at the Schauspielhaus in Zürich. No piccies of that I´m afraid.

We met up with Vero in her home and visit her atelier the following morning. After half an hour Chris split and jumped on the old bike he brought in the boot of the car. (Obviously, duh!) Leaving me to spend two hours having a crash course in and a sniff of, a number of old vintage Guerlains. My appreciation of Vero´s inspiration and her own creations continues to increase. I am oftened asked if I have a favourite Vero Profumo perfume but I don´t. However I do have my first, second bottle of a Vero. It is the Kiki EdP and the one I have spent much of this year wearing. It is perhaps the least talked about of the Kiki Triptych but it´s fabulous, and we all need an erotic lavender don´t we?

The enameled perfume bottle is Vero’s vintage VdN. She wears it a lot, it flows in her blood!

( Ed: Vero glamour bookmarks! HEAVEN!)

The orange Moroccan ceiling light is in the hallway of her apartment.

The stencilled rose is in Vero’s aromatherapy massage room, her own artwork.

I just might have come back from Zürich with a few drops of the new Vero Profumo, one that has been delayed for a number of technical reasons. I know what I will be wearing on Christmas Day. Have you got your seasonal fragrance planned?

Peace, Love and Yuletide Bussis
May next year bring far less woody accords.
CQ

Kiki EdP GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Kiki EdP decant from CQs bottle
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us where you would wear your Kiki by Vero Profumo

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 15th December 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 21st December 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Christmas in Vienna 2016: Photo Essay

December 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Sandra

Hiya APJ! I hope ya’ll are doing well and enjoying the holiday season.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a kid once a year when the holidays come around and that I love every moment. This year is a weird year as we are moving to the The Netherlands on 21 December and into the house on 23 December. Santa will definitely have to show up but how much decorating will get done depends largely on how many of the decorations I can find. My priority this year is to mark a box which will contain my son’s presents so that he at least can enjoy some of the magic.

Christmas in Vienna 2016

The holidays are an onslaught to my senses in Vienna and this year is no different. The streets are finally all decked out (they prepare for weeks) and lit, brightly lighting our way. It sure makes the darkness of winter seem more friendly and inviting. The Christmas markets are full of bright coloured ornaments, toys and knick knacks which bring grins to many children and panicked faces of their parents trying desperately to ensure that nothing breaks (picture my son reaching for one snowglobe in a stand with over 100 snowglobes). However pale I may be from fear of breaks, I still love seeing his face light up and his eyes twinkle with joy. There are stands selling hot mulled wine all over the city too. The kids can have warm spiced juice and enjoy the delicacies of roasted chestnuts and cookies. Magic is in the air but also the despair of so many who live on the streets. And with this despair I also see strangers performing random acts of kindness on an almost daily basis.

My son and his friend Maxi who were great sales assistants at the Christmas market today.

The holidays are a feast for my senses but especialy for my sense of smell. The caramelized almonds, roasted chestnuts, hot mulled wine, ornaments made with cloves, anise, cinnamon and dried fruits, incense in the cathedral and even the smell of pine needles all around are pure sensory overload. How do I find a perfume that wraps up all of these into a perfume that is even wearable? I have not found a perfume that suits the holidays yet, but I tend to reach for gourmands and vanilla or almond notes. So I tend to veer off on a tangent and think of what perfume would I like to receive for Christmas and I then go and have a sniff.

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Powdery notes, violet, iris, orris root, Turkish rose, Grasse rose, Laos benzoin, tonka bean

Well, needless to say I have found two that I would love to see under the tree – so let me dream please. How about Chanel Misia EdP and Chanel Beige EdP please – and if Santa is being more than generous I would love Chanel Boy too.

I did not read about the Chanel EdP releases because I wanted to form my own opinion and to be perfectly honest with you – I like several of them more in the EdP strength. Beige and Misia smelled pretty similar to the EdT but lasted quite a bit longer. 31 rue Cambon I am torn about – something is different but it does somehow resemble the EdT and yet it lasts. I wore both versions of Coromandel on the same day and even though the EdT has more incense I liked the EdP quite a bit.

What are your scents for the holidays – be it culinary, perfumed or floral? Do you have any perfumes on your wishlist?

Wishing you all a joyful, peaceful and safe holiday season.
Sandra xoxo

Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumers 2016

December 6, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hello Fragrant Friends!

Today I’m looking at a few very interesting samples I just received, entries for the Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumes. How cool is that??!!

Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumers 2016

2nd Annual

Created and spearheaded by one of the leading Russian natural perfumers and authors, Anna Zworykina, the Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumers now enters its second year. This is a way for perfumers using natural and some synthetic materials to connect with perfume lovers world wide. Samples are sent out to reviewers and bloggers far and wide in the hopes of bringing attention to the vibrant and growing natural perfume scene in Russia.

Anna Zworykina

The first festival was held last year with “Rose And Water” being the theme.

The 2016 theme is “Mad Tea Party” with tea being the prominent note, and the 25 perfumers involved were each given an arbitrary perfume classification (Black Tea Chypre, Green Tea Cologne, Black Tea Fougere et al..) and various types of tea (Green, White, Russian Black, Red Rooibos, Herbal, et al..), and just 11 weeks to create a natural perfume based on their given brief.

And may I just say that I love Tea-centric scents, so this was a no-brainer for me! Bring out the dancing Oolong perfume!!

Photo Donated Robert Herrmann

I’ve chosen a few to tell you about….

1.) Shambala by Galina Ani (Oriental Black Tea)

An easy love for me, this one was, with its tarry darkness and smoky Lapsang Souchong vibe. Imagine a pot of black tea brewing over a charcoal brazier, and that’s what this is. Really lovey, and brings to mind Gorilla Perfumes Breath Of God, but without the airy ozonic feel. Dries down to a warm ambery dried fruit scent. Loved it!

2.) Ginger Jasmine Tea by Anna Zworykina (Herbal Tea edc)

A perfect cologne for when the weather is warmer, resplendent with bergamot and citrus. A lovely and fairly straightforward men’s style edc. Classic citrusy (Yuzu?) bracing opening, settling down to a mossy green base. A non-indolic Jasmine, wild rose, spicy ginger, and incense hiding in the background. The citrus and jasmine lasted quite a long time on my skin, and was still evident upon awakening the next morning. Now THAT’S what you want from an edc… pretty, spicy, fresh, herbal and long-lasting.

3.) Japanese Linden Tea by Anastasia Denisenkova (Green Tea Fougere)

Exactly as you would expect a Japanese-themed tea perfume to smell. Minty cool and slightly mentholated, almost toothpaste but held in check by a gorgeous citrus and floral vibe. Light and ethereal, with linden blossoms falling from a tree and floating in a still clear pond. Mingling with the steam from a freshly poured porcelain cup of green tea, and the faint smell of tea cakes and rice powder. Yup, it took me there, and further. Gorgeous!

4.) Marsala Chai by Elena Markova (Oriental Black Tea)

Yes you read that right, MaRsala not Masala, this is a black tea to be sipped in the late afternoon, a tea meant to represent the ruby-red glow of the color Marsala, based on the wine of the same name. A black tea tinted with rose petals and redolent of ozymanthus, sandalwood, lychee, and benzoin among others. Slightly boozy and acidic floral note supported by citrus and wood. But aged wood, like the walls of the evenings paneled library where the steaming hot tea is served.

There are so many more to try, but I fear I’m getting tea drunk and might stay up all night!! Do you have any tea-scented perfumes you love? DO tell! But first, let me just put the kettle on…..

See you soon schnooki cookies,
Robert Herrmann

Elixir des Merveilles by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2006

December 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

Hello APJ!

Christmas time is a-coming! Time to talk about orange scents, in other words. First up – Elixir des Merveilles.

Elixir des Merveilles by Hermès 2006

Elixir des Merveilles by Jean-Claude Ellena

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Peru balsam, vanilla sugar, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, patchouli, Siam resin, caramel, oak, incense, orange peel, cedar

God, Elixir des Merveilles is such a weird perfume. The first time I tried it, I remember thinking –this right here is why people hate perfume. It was overly rich, sweet, muddy, with all the elements jumbled together in that overdone blur that defines “Rich Bitch” perfumes to me. The second time I tried it, I thought “I should learn how to read labels better” because I’d been aiming for the Ambre bottle.

Third time round, something clicked for me and I began to like it. Now I have odd, sudden cravings for it. I think it’s because I was finally able to figure out its structure. There are two sides to Elixir des Merveilles – the syrupy orange peels dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt on one side, and on the other, a massively butch clutch of resins and moss. It’s basically a super-gourmand grafted onto a super hairy-balled aftershave.

Flickr

Both sides are as oversized as clown shoes. The oranges dipped in caramel and chocolate are sweet to the point of being grotesque. One minute you think it’s gorgeous, the next you think, Christ, this stuff is absolutely gross. The sprinkling of what feels like celery salt over the treacly mass is probably one step too far. I swing between feeling repulsed to wanting more. The countermanding element is rather chypre-like: a brusque, musky cedar, smoky balsams and resins, moss. It’s really quite dry, bitter, and smoky.

The exaggerated forms of the two parts give the perfume a cartoonish Jessica Rabbit shape. It’s like watching an overloaded plane trying to take off or Kim Kardashian walk across the road in a tight skirt. You half fear it’s going to topple over any minute. But somehow the whole thing seems to hang together and work quite well. It’s a great winter gourmand, and the oranges and resins make me think of Christmas and oddly, Theorema.

Just don’t put this on if you’re not in the right mood for it, because it sticks like glue and seems to grow grander by the minute. At times, I find it enveloping and rich – just right for a cold winter’s day. But at other times, it begins to wear me down. When my hand glides over the small bottle of it that I bought, I have to think twice before putting it on.

PDI

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Non-Blonde
Hermes stores and department stores stock Elixir des Merveilles
FragranceX has it around the $100/50ml mark
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3/ml

What about you guys? Do you have any perfumes that you hesitate before putting on because they are either such a huge commitment? Or because sometimes you enjoy them and other times they make you want to hurl? M/Mink and Myrrhe Ardente are both a little like Elixir des Merveilles in that way for me.

Slán!

Claire

Claire also writes for Take One Thing Off<<JUMP

Guerlain: Sylvaine Delacourte in Sydney: Photo Essay

December 3, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Hello lovely Perfume Junkies!

How are you all coping in the slippery slope into the festive season? Have you sent your fragrant orders to Santa? Have you been naughty or nice?

I have a confession: I couldn’t wait! I just bought a bottle (with a free additional bottle) of Sylvaine Delacourte’s new Florentina from her new La Collection Muscs. (An independent side project, i.e. not Guerlain)If you’ve not tried them, go on her website and pay a tiny 4 euros and order the sampler – then it’s a one off buy one get one offer on a full bottle – irresistible!

Sylvaine Delacourte Adventures Down under!

We had the pleasure of greeting Sylvaine Delacourte in Sydney in November – THE QUEEN BEE OF GUERLAIN. She really is personable, fun spirited and of course extremely talented and knowledgeable in person. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to read my interview with her for APJ while I was in Paris in October, which fills you in on all things Sylvaine Delacourte.

Guerlain: Sylvaine Delacourte in Sydney

Photo Essay

Cosmax, the distributers for Guerlain in Australia hosted a lovely lunch in Paddington at the Four in Hand Hotel for press and important people like Michael Edwards from Fragrances of the World. Here we ate and drank amongst beautifully set tables full of flowers and bee bottle factice. Sylvaine talked about her more than 20-year history with Guerlain and she held the group captivated. It was also at this lunch the newest Guerlain Exclusif was launched, Neroli Outrenoir.

Table setting at the Neroli Outrenoir launch in Paddington

Michael Edwards and Sylvaine Delacourte

Guerlain Bottle Porn

Now available instore – David Jones – the exclusives collection is to die for and worth popping on your list to Santa. I bought myself Angelique Noire (the greenest one) when I was in Paris, however I have popped pretty much the rest of the collection onto my wish list. DEELICIOUS! The core theme is Sylvaine’s desire to showcase raw materials in unexpected spotlights so the gardenia is presented in a lacey way. In Cuir Beluga we have leather, however it is more of a light soft caress of suede rather than something tart from a tannery. Neroli Outre Noir’s magic lies in the top notes seeming to remain throughout nearly the whole dry down. Any perfumer will tell you this can almost only happen by pure MAGIC. Notes of combined citrus, orange blossom, smoky, earthy tea for me also makes it a win.

Angelique Noire I bought in Paris in Septermber!

Bee bottle Factice from table setting to swoon at

Lily of the Valley that was on my table setting at home in my Mud vase!

Sylvaine then spent a few days upstairs at David Jones level 7 where she did a question and answer style talk for VIP’s and the Sydney Perfume Lovers Meetup Group. In addition and a highlight for me were two workshops where participants created their own Guerlain-esque floral fragrance. After learingin all about the raw materials from Sylvaine herself! I spent the entire time with jaw on the floor, inspired and absorbing everything. How lucky we were to have her visit and share this wonderful insider knowledge and experience!

Have you experienced the Exclusifs range? What are your thoughts and favorites?

Xx until next time! XX Ainslie XX

Perfumed Streets

November 23, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Hi all,
What are the perfumes you notice on other people when you are out and about? Do you recognise specific perfumes, or just a generic ‘perfumey’ aura around your workplace and on the bus?

Perfumed Streets

Fragrantica

My most memorable moment was in a hotel lift in Paris. I stepped into the empty lift and I could smell Terre d’Hermes so distinctly I could almost touch it. The wearer must have stepped out mere seconds before.

Queuing for coffee at a railway station in Paris I again seemed to catch Terre d’Hermes, but I couldn’t be sure. Railway stations are a cacophony of smells.

Fragrantica

I smell Chanel No 5 EDT a fair bit. Once I noticed another mother at a school concert sending clouds of it several rows forward and back. I was surprised that anyone could conjure that much sillage out of No 5. I never thought of it as a sillage monster. Later though I worked with someone who had No 5 as her signature and it could be smelled EVERYWHERE she had been, or was yet to arrive. Outside her office, up and down the corridors, in the bathroom, in the carpark. Yeeesh!

Fragrantica

Once I caught a whiff of something delicious on a woman as I walked past her in a department store. I wheeled back and followed her up the escalator, trying to figure out what the perfume was. This is the only time I have stalked anyone because of their perfume. By the time I got to the top I’d figured it out. It was Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew.

Fragrantica

Smelled Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche on an elderly lady I’m slightly acquainted with. She is a smart, beautifully dressed and fascinating woman and what she was talking about was so interesting I forgot to ask about her perfume. But it was certainly Rive Gauche and it suited her perfectly. I wish now that I had mentioned it because she would probably have had an interesting story to tell about it.

These experiences are relatively unusual for me. Terre d’Hermes, yes. That is so distinct and full of character that you cannot mistake it for anything else. But mostly when I smell perfume on someone I don’t recognise it. I just smell ‘perfume’: a pleasant (or not) floral, sweet, woody or sporty something-or-other.

WikiMedia

The market is jam packed with smell-alikes, after all, and most people don’t want to make much of a statement with fragrance. I know someone who has a wonderfully quirky style in clothes, but her perfume is Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle. Or at least I think it is; it’s a bit hard to tell when there are so many copies and derivatives in that style.

So – over to you? Are there stand-out perfumes in your world? Or does everyone smell of hotel shampoo these days?
Bye for now everyone, and keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie

Arbolé Arbolé by Hiram Green 2016

November 22, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Foggy November Greetings APJ!

Perfume Excitement

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I prefer not l to write about anything that I don´t own. There are however exceptions to every rule. I had an email from Hiram Green of Hiram Green perfumes informing me that there was a sample of his new perfume on its way to me. His work is consistently excellent and I have enjoyed each fragrance. Yesterday I had a call from a perfumista friend I trust one hundred percent, raving on about Arbolé Arbolé. And then I read Claire Vukcevic´s post, of Take One Thing Off and APJ. Shifting into perfume excitement mode, I waited anxiously for the postman.

Arbolé Arbolé by Hiram Green 2016

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean

“…… with the grey arm of the wind wrapped around her waist”

Arbolé, Arbolé takes its name from Frederico Garcia Lorca´s exquisite poem of the same name. It is new to me though written in 1955, and acutely expressive.
I wish I could read Spanish.

Flickr

Arbolé Arbolé is so impressive I am speechless, sat here with my head in my hands wondering what to write. My husband just yelled from the living room “nicht zerreden”. Which means don´t talk it to death. He also said to order a bottle. I have never smelled anything that is remotely similar. I have been wearing it for six hours now, longevity is great.

Hiram Green writes: “Arbolé Arbolé opens with a burst of earthy patchouli that slowly merges with dry cedar wood and velvety sandalwood. Vanilla and tonka bean anchor the fragrance and provide a sweet powdery base.” I guess he should know. Jump over to Hiram´s website and have a look.
Hiram Green are offering Arbolé Arbolé in a 10ml travel spray along with a full bottle AND what is particularly brilliant is that you can buy all of the HG perfumes in 10 ml travel sprays. Superb.

Our world has changed greatly since my last post. Political disaster encourages great music, so bring it on.
“Music is the emotional life of most people.” Leonard Cohen

Green Perfumed Bussis
CQ

PS. Hmmmmmm. A full bottle or 10mls, that is the question. I never order at night when the flesh is weak, tomorrow will tell. Watch this space!!

Arbolé Arbolé by Federico García Lorca, 1898 – 1936

Tree, tree
dry and green.

The girl with the pretty face
is out picking olives.
The wind, playboy of towers,
grabs her around the waist.
Four riders passed by
on Andalusian ponies,
with blue and green jackets
and big, dark capes.
“Come to Cordoba, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
Three young bullfighters passed,
slender in the waist,
with jackets the color of oranges
and swords of ancient silver.
“Come to Sevilla, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
When the afternoon had turned
dark brown, with scattered light,
a young man passed by, wearing
roses and myrtle of the moon.
“Come to Granada, muchacha.”
And the girl won’t listen to him.
The girl with the pretty face
keeps on picking olives
with the grey arm of the wind
wrapped around her waist.
Tree, tree
dry and green.

Adelaide, South Australia with TinaG + Photo Essay

November 21, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by TinaG

Hi APJ,

I’ve been travelling a lot this year, and last week was for work in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. I thought I’d share my journey and fragrance choices for the trip, along with my travellers notes.

Adelaide, South Australia with TinaG + Photo Essay

Fragrantica

Day 0 – For the flight down I wore Junky by Jardins d’Ecrivains. A friend gave me this sample a while ago but I hadn’t tried it before now. It’s supposed to have a cannabis note, maybe its fresh picked cannabis? It’s nothing I recognised. The fragrance felt a bit ordinary to me, a green based floral with iris & violet. Pretty, but I was expecting more. How we interpret the meaning in the name is probably the selling point, we’ve all got some level of addiction, don’t we?

Cocktail at 2KW

Fragrantica

Dinner on the first night was at a trendy top floor bar and restaurant, 2KW. Scent for dinner was Daim Blond by Serge Lutens. I wanted to wear something with a backbone but not so much of a monster it affected other people or my enjoyment of the meal. This suede/peach frag was perfect for a casual but upmarket restaurant meal with colleagues (well, they are all friends, really).

Fragrantica

Day 1 – I was a bit nervous going in to the work event so I chose Muschio, Santa Maria Novella, for its warmth and comfort. It was a great choice, gave me a bit of oomph to get through the day.

There was an dinner at Adelaide Town Hall that was semi-formal. I wore black on black with a brass coloured double chain long necklace and rock-star high heels from Nine West. It’s been ages since I dressed up and I felt totally uncomfortable. Haha! Swapped the heels for flats to walk there which was much better, and a respritz of Muschio helped. Fun night.

Fragrantica

Day 2 – Adelaide was getting warmer as the week wore on, so Precision and Grace: The Beautiful Mind Series was my choice for today. It’s got a great fresh pear/jasmine/osmanthus thing going on, but I swear I get a blast of lemon in the opening as well. Perfect refresher. It has been the highest complement-receiver of any fragrance I own, and it did receive a comment on the day. Yay.

That afternoon a friend & I walked across town to the Haigh’s chocolate factory. The walk was 40mins each way (slightly longer with a few Pokémon critters to catch on the way back). I respritzed Precision and Grace as it was still 32 degrees centigrade out there…

Adelaide is know as ‘the city of churches’ and there is one in almost every corner in town. The city is very flat, and surrounded on each side by parkland, which made for a pleasant walk. Haigh’s was great, I got a bunch of their experimental chocs and factory seconds which they package up – only available at the factory, they don’t ship these out.

Chocolates at Haigh’s

Fragrantica

Because of the Pokémon factor we only had 15 minutes to get changed before dinner, so in lieu of a shower I wore Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens. It smelt bloody brilliant on dusty sun-kissed skin over the top of the base Precision and Grace musks. Damn sexy if I do say so myself.

Inside Casablabla

Drinks and dinner were down Peel Street in the city, a must-visit if you’re in town. My friend & I shared an alcoholic lychee iced tea at Casablabla, a mixed cultural tapas bar. Dinner with the crew was at a restaurant called Peel Street (same as the street name). Fabulous meals, like my fave the banana flower blossom salad, and it had amazing options for those on special diets because everything was made fresh.

Fragrantica

Day 3 – The last day I went for another osmanthus-based fragrance, Inlé by Memo. I really like this as a travel scent, I wore it almost exclusively when travelling in South Korea with Portia & the crew two years ago. It’s light enough to fit most circumstances, but has an inherent beauty. The work day finished about 3:30 for us as we caught a cab for a flight back to Sydney.

So grateful for the opportunity to have experienced our sector work event in a great city with amazing people. I learnt so much.

Do you have a favourite travel fragrance?

Till next time.

Tina G xx

(Ed: Photos donated by TinaG unless specified. Thanks TinaG, they’re fab)

En Voyage & Facebook Fragrance Friends SNIFF! + Photo Essay

November 15, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey APJ Frag Darlings.

To help commemorate reaching 7000 members, 20 folks from Facebook Fragrance Friends met in Portland Oregon on Oct. 22nd 2016, for a (very) full day of perfume fun and happiness at an event hosted by Shelly Waddington, owner/perfumer of the fabulous En Voyage Perfumes.

En Voyage & Facebook Fragrance Friends SNIFF!

We started the day at Shelly’s apartment, pawing and sniffing our way through her fabulous range, pawing and sniffing our way through her amazing workshop and perfumer’s organ, before setting off to visit two perfume emporiums, the brand new niche-centric Fumerie Perfumerie, followed by a pilgrimage to the venerated Grand Dame of Perfume shops, The Perfume House.

What a day it was! So much fun, total insanity, perfume, lots of “nasty women” talk, pizza, Hello K_tty, Shelley and Rich’s’ gorgeous new digs and Shelly’s new workshop, their amazing hospitality, new wonderful friends, and finally meeting people after 2.5 years on FB, Barbara Carters’ custom cocktail (with flankers..) Release The Kracken, an amazing finger-food supper and finally the ‘fume swap to end ALL swaps, and so very much more. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

Kind of like the BEST grown-up slumber party/cocktail party EVER!! It was simply magnificent!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

RHX

Sex and the Sea by + for Francesca Bianchi 2016

November 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

Hello lovely-smelling APJ people!

I’m supposed to be writing an article on ambergris for Basenotes, but instead of finishing up, I keep ordering more samples of stuff I hear has ambergris in it, and so we are already at 6,000 words and counting….But I can’t help myself – I am simply fascinated with ambergris and how different perfumers choose to work with it (or a synthetic replacement).

Sex and the Sea by + for Francesca Bianchi 2016

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Mimosa, pineapple, coconut, immortelle, rose, iris, sandalwood, myrrh, labdanum, benzoin, ambergris, civet, vanilla

Francesca Bianchi’s Sex and the Sea is a good example of how perfumers can take a material you think you know and find a completely new angle on it. Here, Francesca takes all the usual markers of tropicana (pineapple, coconut, lactones) and twists them into something far less comfortable than the creamy, sweet sun-tan oil smell we expect to smell.

Using a dry, urinous ambergris material (Cetalox, a synthetic replacement for ambergris), the fragrance drags the pineapple through salty sea water until it dries up into a weathered old fruit leather.

Imagine a pile of dried, salted pineapple mixed in with discarded coconut husks and ancient sea tackle, ropes, and flotsam washed up on the shore of an island somewhere. The heap of materials is dry and crusted over with salt, and if you get close enough you will notice a searing smell of old seagull piss, dry and ureic – not honeyed and wet.

Francesca Bianchi

Underneath this dry, acid-toned salt-and-fruit-leather tangle, there is a queasily warm mix of milky lactones, fruit, and salt that comes off a little metallic and iodine-like. I’ve never smelled Secretions Magnifiques – not even by accident – but based on what I’ve read, I’d venture a guess to say that they are at least thematically related. Later on, there is a warm, unwashed body funk to this that is appealing.

Early reviews on Fragrantica are rhapsodic, with most pegging it to be a sexy or sensual fragrance. But I think that Sex and the Sea, while a very interesting way to use ambergris and pineapple, is not that easy or pleasant to wear. It contains a similar idea to Slumberhouse’s Sadanne, that is, a schmear of bright fruit over a layer of ambergris marine filth and bilge, but whereas Sadanne is sparkling and sweet, in Sex and the Sea, the result is far too urinous and tinder-dry to be a comfortable wear.

Longevity is everlasting. I would be surprised if cetalox ever truly dies on the skin or just eventually get scrubbed off. The kind of person I see enjoying this would be a fan of challenging perfumes that do animalic/sexy in a metallic, harsh, salty way.

Francesca Bianchi

Hats off to Francesca Bianchi, though. She is certainly not playing it safe. Instead, she hands us a pile of salt-encrusted sea tackle and says, here, this is my idea of sex on the beach. It’s as far from the Eau des Merveilles take on ambergris as you can get, but, in my opinion, all takes on this fascinating material are welcome.

Further reading: Pierre de Nishapur
ParfuMaria has €98/30ml

What ambergris perfumes have you guys tried and liked?

Slán libh!

Claire

Claire also writes for Take One Thing Off

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