Contributors

Parrot Perfume – Smell Like a Pionus

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 48 Comments

.

Post by Azar

.

Hi APJ!

Did you ever want to smell like someone or something else – a flower perhaps, a celebrity or a parrot? A parrot you say? Some of these birds can smell pretty foul (sorry). Many psittacines have distinct, oily, dusty, musky odors. If you have ever walked into a parrot shop or indoor aviary you know what I’m talking about – a kind of sweaty, hormonal scent. While some parrots have a pleasant version of this musk, others smell like wet, dirty socks.

Parrot Perfume – Smell Like a Pionus

Azar 4.9.16 Blue Headed Pionus #3

The parrot I want to smell like is Gomez, the beautiful Blue Headed Pionus (Pionus menstruus). Wild Pionus parrots hail from Central and South America and are common birds in their home range. The fragrance of each Pionus is unique and, like human scent, changes depending on individual chemistry, diet, environment and myriad other factors. Gomez has three distinct “perfumes” that I’ve noticed in our 14-year relationship.

The first is the musky odor – Gomez’ “I am pissed off.” smell or “I’m really horny!” smell or “You are wearing a red dress therefore I am going to bite you.” smell. Pionus are shy birds and don’t like change. New earrings, radically different clothing or unfamiliar scents will, with luck, result in warning wafts of musk.

Azar 4.9.16 Blue Headed Pionus #2

Gomez also has two beautiful fragrances that tell me he is happy or that something interesting is in view. The original Pleasant Pionus Perfume (PPP) is a honeyed, dusty floral with notes of mimosa, nuts, milk, iris and a light parrot musk. The second (PPP II) is a flanker and I believe an intentional reaction or response to a new fragrance I’ve been wearing lately. The other day I was hanging out near Gomez’ cage and smelled something very familiar – Note Fragrances Blood Orange Chocolat. Previously I detected a similarity between PPP and BOC but this time it was full blown Blood Orange Chocolat. I moved my nose closer to Gomez’ cage, calling his name in dulcet tones. Gomez wafted what was unmistakably the dry down phase of BOC. Had he, at some point, noticed me wearing Blood Orange Chocolate and reformulated his original PPP into PPPII to better communicate with me? Was my intelligent, albeit bird-brained companion, trying to augment his limited vocal vocabulary with scent-based inter- species communication?

Azar 4.9.16 Blue Headed Pionus #1

For several years I have been suggesting someone come up with a parrot perfume – perhaps one will show up sooner than later! Now I’m wondering if anyone is currently researching reciprocal, scent based inter-species communication? I’m also wondering what message Gomez was really trying to send to me via PPP II and what did my wearing Blood Orange Chocolat really mean to him.

Azar xx

giveaway hemodernhome

Pionus GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

The winner will receive:
1 x 5 ml of Note Fragrances Blood Orange Chocolat
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

Tell us if you have experienced inter-species communication or know which fragrance your significant other (any species) prefers you wear

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 7th September 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Saturday 10th September 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.

Summer Holiday Smells 2016 + Photo Essay

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

.

Post by Sandra

.

Hiya APJ!

I hope ya’ll are enjoying a summer or winter break and that life is good for you.

Summer vacation started and my son and I left the house at 0400 to get to the airport to catch the first flight on our way to Seattle. It had been 2,5 years since my last trip to the US to see family – to see my sister’s new home in Seattle.

I hope you enjoy my olfactory and visual trip of my travels this summer.

Summer Holiday Smells 2016 + Photo Essay

One of the first smells that I encountered was the airplane petrol that hits me every time I get to the airport and puts me right into vacation mood. I love it.

Summer Holiday Smells: Seattle

Smell of the BBQ at home and the smoke of the fireworks on the 4th of July on Lake Union.

Smell of flowers and raw fish at Pikes Market. Crocosmia with the vibrant red flowers have a very distinctive smell. The hydrangeas so big and colourful..

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #3

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #4

Smell of tossed Copper River salmon at Pikes Market. Seriously – we picked out the fish we wanted to buy and the fishmongers put on a show of tossing the fish to each other. The Copper River salmon was sublime.

Smell of the wet trees at Mr. Ranier National Park and fresh clean mountain air. I could actually smell the fresh water cascading down the waterfall at Paradise.

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #5

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #6

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #7

Smell of my hand after squeezing a ripe apricot at a roadside farmers market and of the juice from a Rainier cherry after biting into it. The Rainier cherry is incredible in its texture, flavor, sweetness and juiciness.

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #1

Smell of the lowest of the low tides at Carkeek Beach and searching for crab under the rocks – seaweed, moss and anemones on my fingertips. We found a largish crab and all sorts of little crabs.

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #2

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #8

Summer Holiday Smells: Atlanta

Smell of hand disinfectant and medicines at Urgent Care and doctors offices while getting my son’s broken arm in a cast. But we got to see colourful Australian Gouldian finches and their babies.

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #9

Heat and humidity creating a wall of comfort for me outside while everyone else ran for the AC. The humidity has a smell in Atlanta. Try to describe it? Sorry.

Smell of sun screen and chlorine every day. Yes – waterproof casts exist and we went swimming every day. That is what I enjoyed as a child and obviously so did my son. Vienna is not warm enough to have warm swimming pools outdoors.

Smell of the steam coming off of the side walks and roads after an afternoon thunderstorm and shower. How I miss the thunderstorms!

Smell of fresh boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce. Reminds me of my summer on Tybee Island where my friend’s parents caught 70 pounds of shrimp and all of us kids had to peel them all.

Sound of the cicadas in the trees. The night comes to life and the sound is magical and takes me back to my childhood in Atlanta.

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #10

Sandra Summer Holiday 2016 #11

I had forgotten of how abundant Crepe Myrtle trees are in Atlanta. They were in full bloom and my favourite colours were bright pink and deep red.

Pichola Neela Vermeire Creations fragrantica

Perfumes I wore during the trip – Chanel Beige in Seattle and Neela Vermeire Creations Ashoka and Pichola in Atlanta.

Chanel Beige Chanel Fragrantica

All in all it was a great trip. Next summer vacation perhaps a different destination with sights, smells and sounds that will make memories for a lifetime.

I would love to hear from you. How are you doing and which perfumes are you reaching for?
Sandra

Equipage Géranium by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2015

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

.

Post by Robert Herrmann

.

Hey there Frag Friends,

Robert H. here writing from my small island home in the Pacific Northwest. Lately I’ve been wearing the beautiful Equipage Géranium by JCE…..

Equipage Géranium by Hermès 2015

Equipage Géranium by Jean-Claude Ellena

Equipage Geranium Hermes FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Spices, geranium, rose, mint, sandalwood

Imagine a summer’s day, warm and dry and perhaps you’ve been invited to a friends house in the countryside. Your first day there, you decide to go horseback riding, so you throw on a pair of jeans and a well-worn pair of boots. You cross the drive to the stables and immediately the smell of damp hay hits your nose.

You notice a wine barrel planter next to the stables, with bright red and spicy geraniums growing next to some errant mint plants. The geranium has that dusty/floral/spicy aroma, almost rose-like, as you lean in to sniff. You take a mint leaf and crush it between your fingers, the aromas mingling and melding to create an almost floral vibe but cooled and tempered by the mint.

From inside the stable you catch a whiff of freshly groomed horse and the leather tack hanging on the wall.

This is Equipage Géranium.

The first flanker to the now iconic Equipage, this gorgeous scent goes one better to me, the addition of the geranium spiciness and mint sitting on a base of creamy sandalwood amps it up to a new level. Yes it is masculine, but with a classic Jean-Claude Ellena soft-focus edge.

Jean-Claude Ellena has created a scent that is assertive, bold, and nothing like his lighter, spare scents of the past.

«I tried to capture the smell a thousand times, a thousand times it escaped me. Drawn by its complexity, its sumptuousness, I took this perfume with me when I travelled, to discover it.» Jean-Claude Ellena

Prehome_GeraniumHermès

Further reading: Black Narcissus and Colognoisseur
Hermès Australia has Au$145/100ml

And although marketed as a men’s cologne, I can see a woman easily wearing this, commanding attention and exuding confidence, like Joan Crawford’s first meeting with the board of directors of Pepsico… “Don’t F#*k with me boys, this ISN’T my first time at the rodeo!”

Giddyup!!

Have you tried this Geranium? Which Jean-Claude Ellena creations do you love?

C Ya Sweet Smellers
RH

White by Antoine Lie for Puredistance 2015

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

.

Post by Poodle

.

Hi folks! It’s Poodle again.

I wanted to love it, I did. I tried to. Sadly, White just wasn’t that into me.

White by Puredistance 2015

White by Antoine Lie

White Puredistance FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
French may rose, Venezuelan tonka absolute, Italian orris root absolute, Mysore sandalwood, Italian bergamot, musk, Haitian vetiver, Indonesian patchouli

Sometimes I get caught up in the hype around a product. By all accounts I should love Puredistance White. It’s supposed to be almost magical. Happiness bottled is what they promised me. One sniff and I’m going to be grinning from ear to ear. That’s what the press release said. That’s what the bloggers said. It took a while for me to get a sample but finally I did. I was almost afraid to try it for fear I would fall hard and then have to figure out how to save my pennies to buy a bottle. The only reason I didn’t blind buy is the price. (I do have limits on how much I’ll spend on blind buys.) When the sample arrived I gave myself a couple of good sprays from the sample vial and then sniffed.

Hmmm…did I get an instant shot of happiness?

DCIM100GOPROPDI

No. Not exactly.

A few days later I tried again. My impressions were a bit different the second time and the third time I tried it but I can tell you with certainty this one is not for me.

The first spraying was sweet. Toothache sweet. I’ve never snorted any type of white powder but each time I brought my wrist to nose I couldn’t help but think of how this must be what it’s like to do lines of confectioners sugar. I like a lot of sweet perfumes but this wasn’t working for me. It was very dry, powdery, and saccharine. I couldn’t pick out any notes. It stayed linear and sugary and either faded away or my nose just stopped registering it. My guess is my wacky skin chemistry amplified the Tonka and orris root and turned them into a powdery sweet mess.

The next try was a bit different but still not much better. I got a bit of rose which was soured by the bergamot and again dusted with a dry, confectioners sugar. This was followed by the musk which was very clean and white.

I wish I could say all the wonderful things everyone else did but it seems that White and I were just not destined to be friends. I’m not blaming the perfume at all. I’m quite sure it’s made with the best ingredients and is totally quality like other Puredistance perfumes. It’s all me. My skin can take notes in perfumes that smell horrible on others and make them magical but it also can do the exact opposite which is what I think happened here. I know the rest of the world loves this fragrance but I do suggest you try before you buy just in case.

White Puredistance White Sugar PixabayPDI

Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
LuckyScent has $190/17.5ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/0.25ml

Do tell, what perfume just didn’t play nicely with you?

Hugs
Poodle

Dilettante by Hiram Green 2016 + EASY Orange Cake Recipe

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

.

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

.

Sunny Salutations APJ

“It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine.” Francis Hodgson Burnett.

Dilettante by Hiram Green 2016

Dilettante Hiram Green FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
French orange flower, petitgrain, orange

I prefer not to write about a fragrance that I do not have at least 10mls of and in most cases a full bottle. I make an exception in the case of Hiram´s Dilettante as it is just so gorgeous. And I used up two whole samples, four full wearings and would like more. Hiram Green informs us “Dilettante is an enchanted and light-hearted celebration of summer” but it would have healing power in the dark and cold long days winter.

“Based on a triptych of orange flower, petitgrain and essential oil of orange” Dilettante springs into life sharp, sweet and bitter. Succulent and mouthwatering, exuberant and effervescent. Unhurriedly it winds its way into a floral waxy orange blossom, sweet and delicious to the senses. The muskiness in the base combined with the bitterness of the petitgrain is sultry on the skin. A very beautiful perfume.

14012965_499867330223946_1395782269_o

LuckyScent has $165/50ml

It is interesting to note that orange oils, and especially petitgrain are known to promote clarity of mind and to aid concentration. They balance the emotions, clearing off mental depression.

“I’m happy, I’m feeling glad, I got sunshine, in a bag ……….” Gorillaz

Super Citrus Bussis
CQ

Mouth watering from all this talk of orange, why not make a cake?

Orange Juice Loaf Cake + Fresh Orange Juice Syrup

(Works well with lemons too)

Val Orange Cake #1

Ingredients.

168 grammes of butter (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream/yoghourt/buttermilk
1 generous teaspoon of vanilla
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Syrup
4 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/2 cup of sugar

1. Line the bottom of the 9 x 4 inch loaf pan with baking paper and lightly grease the sides of the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C

Val Orange Cake #7

Val Orange Cake #2

 

2. Cream the butter and the sugar well with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
Chuck in the sour cream (or whatever you use), the vanilla, zest and orange juice. Mix well.

3. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt mixture. Gently mix it in.

Val Orange Cake #3

4. Spread the batter into the pan. Bake about 40 minutes. Grab a bike spoke if you have one handy, otherwise a toothpick will do.
Insert it into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean it´s done. Otherwise give it a couple of more minutes.

Val Orange Cake #5

Val Orange Cake #6

 

5. While it is baking, put the 1/2 cup of sugar and 4 tbsp of orange juice into a small pan. Cook it until the sugar has dissolved and then for another minutes or so. Take it off the heat and stand on the side.

Val Orange Cake #4

6. When the cake is out of the oven let it cool for a few minutes. Remove from pan and set it on a rack.
Then prick it all over with the spoke or toothpick, I pay particular attention to where the cake is cracked
along the top. Brush or spoon the glaze over the warm cake. Leave to cool, or not!

Val Orange Cake #1

(Ed: All Photos Donated by Val the Cookie Queen unless otherwise stated. Thanks Val, gorgeous!)

Tocade by Maurice Roucel for Rochas 1994

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

.

Post by Anne-Marie

.

Hi all,
Ah … Tocade! This is one of the perfumes forever associated with critic Luca Turin. A bit of ‘harmless fun with roses and vanilla’ is what he called it in Perfumes: the Guide, but so beautifully done from top to bottom, with simple materials normally taken for granted, that it deserves five stars.

Tocade by Maurice Roucel for Rochas 1994

Lullaby of Broadway

Tocade Rochas FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green notes, freesia, bergamot, geranium
Heart: Magnolia, iris, orchid, jasmne, lily-of-the-valley, rose
Base: Patchouli, musk, amber, vanilla, cedar

I have no quarrel with a perfume that sets out do nothing but please receiving a top rating. Why not? Aren’t Shakespeare’s comedies masterpieces as well as entertainments? Does something have to be cool, dark or moody to deserve the highest accolade? No indeed. No-one – not even me! – can wear Chanel No 19 every day.

That said, I don’t completely love Tocade. It is a bit too loud and too artificial (LT likens it to nail varnish) for me. I enjoy the sillage much more than the scent on skin. Vanilla is Tocade’s key message, and I can only take vanilla in moderate amounts, usually.

There is a darkness to Tocade as well though. I think its ‘pretty, dancing feet’ have seen a few tawdry dance floors over the years. You know that beautiful song ‘Lullaby of Broadway’? It’s been recorded many times but I love Diana Reeves’ version, which pulls the tempo right back to a sweet, wistful imagining the life of a Broadway performer. Behind the ‘hip hooray and ballyhoo’ is a weary existence for a girl who works all night, every night. It’s early in the morning before she can go home to sleep; the ‘milkman on his way’.

Tocade is her perfume. It’s a pretty, showy piece but with a haunting density of patchouli and cedar underneath. The vanilla is smoky as well as sweet. Backstage, as our ‘broadway baby’ she waits for her next cue, she rubs her calloused feet, mends the laced on her dress, and longs for her rest. Sure, her ‘daddy’ buys her ‘this and that’. Perfume, sweets and roses adorn her corner of the dressing room. But when she goes home, she sleeps alone.
Tocade has strong sillage and lasts ages. I snapped up a bottle in the old, crazy packaging, but in 2013 Rochas shoved Tocade into a uniform bottle. I don’t know if the formula has changed, so do comment if you have compared them.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Non Blonde
FragranceNet has the 2013 edition under $50/100ml Before Coupon!
Surrender To Chance has samples of the original starting at $3/ml

The apparent simplicity of Tocade never fails to give me something to think about. And what about you? Do you have a perfume in your collection which is as puzzling as it is beguiling? Sweet but sad?
Until next time, keep spritzing everyone!

Dua Fragrances

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

.

Post by Erica Golding

.

Hello, all of you fragrance-frenzied fanatics!

Today, I’m pumped to dive into a fresh new fragrance house. Dua Fragrances are crafted and sold in the US, using accords and concentrates made in Dubai from globally sourced raw materials. Some of their creations are influenced by other popular niche or mainstream scents, while others are inspired organically. All the ones that I have tried so far turned out to be unique, attractive fragrances that stand out on their own merit.

Dua Fragrances

Totally shocked to win a generous giveaway from Dua after being curious in their line for the last few weeks because I have been building an Arabic perfume sub-section in my collection, so these beauties are right up my alley! I’ve been so curious that I purchased several extras to travel with my much-appreciated prize. Here are mini reviews of three of my Dua parfum extracts.

Dua Fragrances Erica GoldingPhoto Courtesy Erica Golding

Hypnotic Santalum

NOTES: Sandalwood, Oud, Leather, Cinnamon, Neroli, Amber, Rose

Leather and oudh leap forth at the opening on my skin. The combination is focused, rich yet refined. Neroli and rose enter gradually, luxurious blossoms that add grace and a high-end edge. As the cinnamon, amber, and sandalwood warm up, the aroma begins to sweeten and the overall fragrance up shifts into addictive territory. Cinnamon often drags an imaginary apple note along in my mind due to scent association, a delicious effect that saturates my senses with pleasure.

Bois Oudh Dua FragrancesDua Fragrances

Bois Oudh

NOTES: Tonka Bean, Cardamom, Amber, Teak Wood, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Agarwood (Oud)

My favorite so far! The scent starts out subtle and the agarwood is just the right hint of rubber (in a good way) without being pungent or overwhelming. Sandalwood glows warm and smooth and familiar, giving a gorgeous tone. Accents of cardamom and amber impart a magnetic complexity. Later in the drydown, the hay-honey tonka bean sings.
The aroma isn’t particularly intense, which I was braced for, but was rather a very smooth, harmonious blend that left me huffing my wrists and wanting more. The scent is passionate without being overbearing. It won’t impress those looking for an aggressive nuclear bomb of scent, but it’s an exceptionally pleasing composition.

Mukhallat

NOTES: Orange Blossom, Amber, Rose, Jasmine, Resins, Musk, Oud

Oudh comes out first, leathery and confident. Classic floral notes add lift and harmony to the scent, with rose at the forefront of the bouquet. Creamy woody amber and furry musk smooth the base, a luxurious impression. On my skin, the drydown is dominated by tea rose.
Overall, Mulhallat is a classic Arabian perfume, along the lines of Ghroob and Kashkha (though a distinctly unique creation).

I’ve had a blast exploring these affordably priced delights. I admit I’m hooked, and I’m plotting what to try next. I hope they have the bandwidth to start offering samples soon, I know they plan to and just can’t yet handle that work stream as they’re firing up this new venture.

Dua Fragrances $45-$50/30ml

Have you gotten into Dua Fragrances yet? Did you already miss out on one of their LEs (goddammit Vanilla Lemon Gelato, why have you forsaken me)? What new perfume house have you recently discovered; or, perhaps you’ve excavated a line that’s just new-to-you?

Until next time, stay fragrant and have fun sniffing!

-Erica

Fragrant Books

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

.

Post by Ainslie Walker

.

Hello Fragrant Friends,

Today I’m talking fragrant literature, as I have some new, beautiful books in my clutches. My “fragrant library’ brings me so much pleasure. If I remember to stop, breathe and read I always feel inspired.

Fragrant Books

FRAGRANCES OF THE WORLD 2016$195 Fragrances of the World

Fragrances of the World 2016

Released this year in May and even better than last year. Gorgeous photography and floral art, utilising fragrance ingredients, by Grandiflora’s Saskia Havekes and Gary Heeley. Charming forward by amazing and witty Luca Turin. I love spending time highlighting the fragrances from my collection under their Fragrance Families. Then I oooh and aaaah about which fragrances are under the same subheadings of the same group. For example just this afternoon I was comparing Naomi Goodsir’s Or du Serail with Olfactive Studio’s Ombre Indigo, both classified as Dry Woods and subdivided under Rich/Profound. Two of my favourites, completely different and yet somehow so similar in style. I am in awe of both Michael Edwards and Erica Moore who have categorised pretty much every perfume known to mankind and actually agreed where each belong. This year the book also has a separate ‘discontinued’ section so we can clearly see what to stock up on and hold onto from our collections! Available from Fragrances Of The World (incidentally they have just launched their fabulous interactive website – well worth taking a look)

An Odyssey of Flavours and Fragrances – Givaudan BookDepository$64 Book Depository

An Odyssey of Flavours and Fragrances – Givaudan

Released early this year featuring photography from Denis Dalilleux and Lilli Roze. With accompanying, fascinating and informative prose by the likes of Annick Le Guérer, Caroline Champion, Brigitte Proust, Sean Rose, and Percy Kemp. Beginning with a 70-page history of Givaudan, photo essays on Jasmine and Tuberose from Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Madagascar Ylang Ylang and Vanilla from the Comoros. Mouth-watering images which interpret and present a ‘snapshot’ of fragrances such as J’Adore, 1 Million, Shocking, Angel, L’Air du Temps and Opium. Discussions on Natural vs. Synthetic. Niche vs. mainstream. Production – from raw ingredients to bottled fragrances. Tasting, smelling and sensing in general. This will bring HOURS of pleasure and make an amazing gift for anyone into scents, taste, flowers and flavours. Just beautiful! I got mine from Book Depository, which delivers to Australia for free!

Why Does Asparagus Make Your Wee Smell? And 57 Other Curious Food and Drink Questions BookDepository$14 Book Depository

Why Does Asparagus Make Your Wee Smell?
And 57 Other Curious Food and Drink Questions

For those of us curious about everything smelly, be it good or bad this Andy Brunning book features scientific snippets exposing all! Not just aromas but full of biochemistry and facts. Why does garlic make your breath smell? Why do Durian fruit smell bad? What causes blue cheese to smell so strong? It’s all in here and more! I read some of these to my friend’s kids whilst babysitting…!

Transports of Delight BookDepository$72 Book Depository

Transports of Delight:
An Aromatic Journey in Verse from East to West on the Wings of Perfume

Transports of Delight – David Pybus “An Aromatic Journey in Verse from East to West on the Wings of Perfume” is a cute anthology quoting verses from literature, all linked back to smell. Each evoking memories, emotions, romance and adventure from all over the world. Translated from Japanese and about one of my favourite fragrance notes: Fragrance of the Orange

“ Fragrance of the Orange,
Flowering at last in June,
Wafts through the summer night
The memory of scented sleeves
Of someone long ago”

I hope you find some of the above and enjoy them as much as me. Feel free to recommend what’s in your fragrant library?

XX Ainslie

Tomato Leaf: Sweet Anthem + Illuminum reviews

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

.

Post by Azar

.

Hello Perfume Pals,

New perfumeries pop up everyday and it is inevitable that some will fall by the wayside. The ability to create beautiful fragrances does not mean a house will be around forever.

In 2016, after 9 years in business, Meredith Smith sold her Seattle based Sweet Anthem to a Portland, Oregon perfumer. While the name and the logo have not changed, my favorites – Joan, Lolita, Red Queen – are missing from the new website. Meredith will remain involved as a perfumer, but I have to admit that I miss her presence and my visits to her tiny shop in West Seattle.

Today I’m reviewing two perfumes that include the illusive scent of tomato leaf.

The Trouble with Tomato Leaves!

Azar 2015 tomatoes

Azar 2016 tomatoesTomato Photos by Azar

First let me say something about tomatoes. Last year the 100 + tomato plants in my garden produced a bumper crop in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. This summer I’m growing half that number of plants and the season has been cool. We won’t have a glut of tomatoes this year. However, we will have the fragrance of tomato leaves – but not for long! The leaf scent is produced by glandular trichomes in the epidermis that secrete a yellow substance giving each variety a characteristic odor. As the nights get cooler and the days shorter the trichomes no longer function and the scent of tomato leaf is history. At this point I resort to manmade perfumes for my tomato leaf fix!

Tomato Leaf: Sweet Anthem + Illuminum reviews

Tomato Leaf Illuminum FragranticaFragrantica

Tomato Leaf by Michael Bondi for Illuminum 2012

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Tomato leaf, carrot seeds, orange, jasmine, freesia, osmanthus, musk, vanilla

Tomato Leaf is a green, raw, and crisp white floral, chilly and slightly acrid, lacking the vegetal warmth of the real thing. It seems the perfumer tried to create warmth using osmanthus and something like clove, but instead managed to push the fragrance into the realm of Tiger Balm – Baume du Tigre Fraîche! Don’t get me wrong! I like Tomato Leaf but would adore it if the green floral lasted longer and the Tiger Balm was less prominent.

sweetanthem_joanEauMG

Joan by Meredith Smith for Sweet Anthem 2010

Basenotes gives these featured accords:
Beeswax, coriander, peony, tomato leaf, white mint

Joan, on the other hand, is a warm, sunny floral – herbal, minty and full of beeswax. The tomato leaf is entwined with peony creating the scent of an early summer garden. While not a true tomato leaf, Joan captures the essence of a tomato plant soaking up the sunshine. I prefer the solid version to the EdP, as Joan is quite long lived with serious sillage.

Both fragrances have been discontinued. So – why am I even reviewing them? Good question! What do you think? Should reviewers write about impossible to find fragrances? Has one of your favorite houses been sold or gone belly up? Do you like the scent of tomato leaf in perfume?

Azar xx

Jimmy by Bruno Fazzolari 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

.

Post by Robert Herrmann

.

Hey there frag friends! Robert H. here loving the warm weather and rocking….

Jimmy by Bruno Fazzolari 2013

Jimmy Bruno Fazzolari FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, yang slang
Heart: Rose, geranium
Base: Violet leaves, heliotrope, sandalwood

Hailing from my hometown of San Francisco, award-winning Indie perfumer Bruno Fazzolari creates gorgeous perfumes often built around a work of art created by, who else…Bruno Fazzolari! Here is how he describes his range…..

“Idiosyncratic and uncanny scents that merge classic and contemporary styles of perfumery. Some were created for exhibitions, others draw inspiration from poets, composers, and film.

Each scent is offered as a boxed artist’s edition and includes an image reference card that connects the perfume with its visual counterpart.”

Bruno Fazzolari Dat RoseBruno Fazzolari

Fazzolari has created some now-iconic scents including Lampblack (2013), Seyrig (2015), and this years collaboration with Bogue Profumo’s Antonio Gardoni; Cadavre Exquise (2016)

Jimmy is best described as fresh flowers and daylight: violets and roses with a base of moss and ambergris, enlivened with a hint of spice. Essentially a really stunning floral built around Ylang Ylang, Rose Otto, Geranium, Violet Leaf, Heliotrope, Sandalwood, and is named after Pulitzer prize winning American poet James Schuyler, who among many other things was quite passionate about flowers, and all things garden-related.

It wears like a dream, perfect for warm sunny days, and those cool winter days when you need a blast of Spring!

Bruno Fazzolari Dat Rosa (BFP 218)Bruno Fazzolari

Jimmy is one of those every-minute-huff-worthy scents, you know the kind. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you are COMPELLED to keep your wrist glued to your nose. The scent you MUST buy a full bottle of within 20 minutes of first application. And then a back-up bottle. Or two. It’s just that pleasing and ubër-gorgeous. Yup. THAT’S the one.

LuckyScent has $110/30ml

(And if you can find it, snag a bottle of his annual limited edition Au Dela-Narcisse Des Montagnes. It’s rarer than hen’s teeth and worth every penny!) Have you tried any of the Fazzolari line? What are your favorites?