NEWS: Michael Edwards’ Fragrances of the World 2016

March 22, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

To their absolute credit, Michael Edwards, ‘the perfume experts expert’ and his Fragrances of the World team have once again produced the industries only comprehensive, accurate and impartial fragrance classification annual.

Luca Turin accurately states: it is “…a map, the only one in existence, which lets everyone, beginner or pro, set out into the mysterious world of perfume”

Michael Edwards’ Fragrances of the World 2016

32nd Edition: April release

The small team undertakes an immense workload to stay abreast of the wave…or should I say tsunami of global fragrances launched each year. In 2014, 1768 new fragrances were launched and in 2015 there were 2044 – the first time more than 2000 have occurred over any 12 month period. To illuminate you a little into their workday, a minimum of 6 fragrances per day require evaluation, 8 if weekends are excluded and holidays ignored! Considering the rigorous classification methods employed by Michael and the team – evaluating every new fragrance and crosschecking the results with the brands and the perfumers to ensure accuracy – you have to wonder if they ever sleep?!

For this edition, a change in design, binding and layout was necessary to accommodate the sheer quantity of fragrances now showcased between the covers. Michael explains the eruption of new artisan fragrances, more than 800 compared to some 500 in 2014 and the increase in “collections, collections and more collections” as the reason for the steep rise in numbers.

Presented in both French and English, this year’s data is showcased alongside captivating imagery of raw perfume ingredients. The work of internationally acclaimed Australian floral artist Saskia Havekes of Grandiflora. The images define each family and illustrate the raw emotion and textures of the fragrance groups.

A forward by Luca Turin, renowned fragrance critic and commentator, impresses the magnitude of Michael’s work labeling him ‘the Linnaeus of perfume’ and describing Fragrances of the World ® as ‘’the only comprehensive, historically accurate, factually reliable and artistically consistent database of fragrance in existence.’

Michael is indeed the industry’s only impartial and independent authority. He makes no charge for listing or classifying new fragrances, declining both advertising and sponsorship. This year sees feminine, masculine and shared (unisex) fragrances merged into one consolidated index, with gender colour coded. Discontinued fragrances now are separately indexed for easier referencing.

Known fondly as ‘the fragrance bible,’ each edition is a collector’s item, keepsake, object of desire and THE industry’s go-to, exhaustive, encyclopedic reference. A masterpiece. Irreplaceable to the industry and to this day, unmatched. Each volume is an historic capsule of this moment in time, in fragrance, and all that has lead up to it.

“I use his book and database practically every day, and never cease to be amazed at the connections it allows me to make, the insights it provides, the “aha!” moments it springs on me. “ Luca Turin

Available from www.fragrancesoftheworld.com from April. WE NEED THIS EDITION, I can assure you.

Have you ever owned/seen/used a copy? Tell me some of your “aha!” moments.

Xx Ainslie

Hello by Harvey Prince Organics 2014 + GIVEAWAY

March 21, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Azar

Hey – Howzit, APJ!

I recently stumbled upon the fragrances of Harvey Prince Organics, a perfume house named after two brothers, one who went to Harvard, the other to Princeton (hence Harvey Prince Organics). When I first read about how this house got its name I immediately thought of my Hawaiian friend who tends to flow into pidgin at the drop of a hat. I can just hear her referring to these guys as “high maka-maka” or “ivory league”. Now please excuse my pathetic attempts at pidgin. I don’t mean to talk stink here, perfume pals. A fragrance house can call itself anything it wants to. I have a problem, though, with how Harvey Prince uses the terms “organic” and “natural”. What are the two brothers referring to? What exactly do those words mean – to them?

Harvey Prince Organics

What Does That Mean?

As far as I’m concerned, the term “natural”, in reference to perfume, can suggest just about anything taken or processed from nature – and that covers, well, just about everything. The Harvey Prince tag “Organics” is more problematic and gives the impression that the USDA or some other regulatory agency certifies these fragrances to be organic. Defining “natural” and “organic” in relation to perfume brings to mind yet another difficult word – “is”. Who remembers the famous US politician who just couldn’t figure out what the meaning of “is” was? But I digress. Let me tell you a little bit about one of Harvey Prince Organics’ “natural” fragrances.

Harvey Prince Organics

Hello by Harvey Prince Organics 2014

Harvey Prince Organics gives these featured accords:
Meyer Lemon, White Grapefruit, Satsuma Mandarin, Summer Forsythia, Pink Plumeria, Wild Verbena, Tahitian Vanilla, Sensual Musk. Style: Welcoming. Loving. Refreshing…”

Hello is one of the house’s newer frags. The following description is taken directly from the website: “…The world’s a busy place. Let time stand still for a moment and with one spritz taste the sweetness of Meyer lemon in your cold glass of lemonade. Smell the pink plumerias budding and revel in the jubilant tweets of the nearby hummingbird. Before diving back into reality, say “Hello” to your body and soul…

Pixabay

I was surprised to find that my body and soul actually enjoyed Hello. This perfume is reminiscent of my favorite cheapie, Curve Kicks, minus the effect of the screaming synthetics. It is highly likely that the same synthetics (AKA aroma chemicals) are used in Hello, but with a bit more subtlety and sophistication. The overall impression is that of a well-crafted, light, invigorating lemon/tropical floral combo. I am very fond of several other Harvey Prince fragrances too, including Bailando and Yogini but find their Ageless perfume to be a total scrubber. I have to admit that it is comforting to know that Harvey Prince Organics “…WILL NEVER CONTAIN any harmful chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, sulfates, benzene, GMOs, or triclosan.” HP goes on to describe their products as “karma-free”. What the heck does that mean?

Azar xx

myprettypaints

Harvey Prince Organics GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

Today we will have one winner who will receive:
1 x 7ml roller-ball of Hello
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you have ever been put off by the name of a fragrance or the image of a house. Also, have you ever heard of a “karma-free” perfume or experienced Harvey Prince Organics?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 24th March 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 Sunday 27th March 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.

Spock you latah! In the meantime learn some Hawaiian pidgin here:

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP by Christine Nagel + Francis Kurkdjian for Narciso Rodriguez 2006

March 20, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Curse you Narciso Rodriguez! Why are your fragrances packaged and named alike? Brand cohesion is one thing, but have you no sympathy for your customers (or their hapless friends who try to buy for them)?

Well, applying my attention to the list on Fragrantica, I realised that the 31 listed NR fragrances are all just variations on just four pillar fragrances: For Her, For Him, Essence, and Narciso.

Got it? You’re welcome.

Today I’m going to cover NR’s second release, Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP. This is the one with the PINK bottle and the BLACK box.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP 2006

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP by Christine Nagel + Francis Kurkdjian

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: rose, peach
Heart: musk, amber
Base: sandalwood, patchouli

Portia has done a stellar review of the original EDT, but there is a difference in emphasis in the EDP. Intimate and sensual, both are musky florals with very clean (fractionated) patchouli and amber. On me the sillage and longevity of both are just moderate.

However, I remember the EDT (I’ve sold my bottle) as sharper and drier – more masculine perhaps – than the EDP. What distinguishes the EDP for me is a prominent note of peach, juicy but not too sweet. This is what I hoped Lancome’s Tresor would be like if it did not collapse into a sickly sweet, artificial mess on me.

Narciso Rodriguez – Fall 2016 – NYFW

However, not everyone seems to particularly notice the peach in NR For Her EDP. The fascination with Narciso Rodriguez fragrances is that there are wide variations in how people perceive them. You might love the EDP but utterly disagree with my take on it.

While musk is the common accord in both concentrations of Narciso Rodriguez For Her, people nevertheless react differently to other notes and accords. They will detect more or less rose, more or less amber, more or less citrus, more or less orange blossom (I get none), and so on. Musk anosmia means that some people can hardly smell them at all.
For years I eked out a large decant of the EDP. Mostly I wore it when travelling for work. Its casual but professional style was perfect for meetings, but even better was to save it for the evenings when I was in the hotel and at could at last take a shower and relax. Any parent of young children will understand the heaven of being alone in a hotel room with the bathroom, room service and the TV remote entirely at your command. NR For Her EDP easily complements moments of simple enjoyment such as this.

Pixabay

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $78/50ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples has from $2.50/ml to $7.50/5ml

I’m now the possessor of a partial bottle of the EDP, and very happy I am too.

How about you? How do you go navigating the Narciso Rodriguez line? What are your ‘simple pleasures’ perfumes?

N.B.: If you click and buy from the My Perfume Samples link I get a kickback

Coccobello by James Heeley for Heeley 2013

March 16, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Poodle

It’s painfully cold out. I’m not going to say its freezing because we dropped below that about 30F degrees ago. The wind is making it feel worse but by the time you read this I will be slightly warmer I hope. I’ll be heading towards spring and you folks down under will be trying to hang on to your summer.

Coccobello by Heeley 2013

Coccobello by James Heeley

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Palm leaf, gardenia
Heart: Coconut, sea salt, vanilla
Base: Virginia cedar, benzoin, sandalwood

I knew nothing of this scent when I received it in the mail. I glanced at the name and gave it a spray expecting something gourmand with either cocoa or coconut, something cozy to warm my heart. What I wasn’t expecting was a blast of green and saltiness. Oh sure, there’s some sweetness in there as well but instead of a warm fuzzy blanket, Coccobello is a trip to the beach.

PublicDomain

Coccobello opens with the smell of crushed palm leaves. It’s potent and a bit harsh at first. Don’t go sticking your nose into it just yet or you might go running for the sink to wash. If you hate green notes the opening might be a little difficult but it doesn’t linger here for long before some other notes shine through. The coconut starts to emerge but it is also green and unsweetened. It’s not the coconut oozing with sugar that I’m used to smelling. There’s a faint gardenia note but it’s quite subdued and never enters big white floral territory. It adds sweetness but not in a sugary way. Now drench all that with salt water. I smell a hint of cedarwood as well. At no point do I think dessert, cocktails, or anything fruity which is the usual direction of beachy tropical perfumes.

Once my initial shock of it not being a sweet gourmand wore off I enjoyed Coccobello as a beach scent. As you wear it the perfume loses the sharpness of the palm note and takes on the aroma of sun warmed skin cooled by salty water. It calls to mind Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder but Coccobello seems far more unisex to me. Guys, if you’re looking for a coconut scent that isn’t too girly this might be it. For those of you who find typical beach or tropical perfumes too sweet, fruity, flowery, or aquatic I think Coccobello might be worth a sniff. I will say again that that heavy green up front might be a deal breaker for quite a few folks. I know salt is also a love/hate note for a lot of you too. This is a grown up tropical scent and I think it deserves more attention than it gets but I can understand it will be challenging for some.

Pixabay

Coccobello reminds me of summer, suntan lotion, and the beach. Right now all of those things seem worlds away.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Scent for Thought
LuckyScent has $180/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5.40/ml

What perfumes have you tried that were completely different from what you were expecting?

Hugs
Poodle

Family, Friends and the Smell of England

March 15, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 42 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Family, Friends and the Smell of England

MY FOLKS.

My parents came to visit me each year between 1992 and 2003. My children were always extremely excited and would hang over the balcony railings waiting to see their car arrive. It was a thousand miles door to door and they always drove. I begged them to fly but they always replied that they needed the car to bring all the stuff for us. My father would fall out of the car, a fair shade of grey having driven the whole way. My mother would be bouncing, the excitement of seeing the kids nearly too much to bear. And up they came, three flights of stairs, lugging suitcases and cardboard boxes full of England.
Weetabix, Ready Brek, Branston, spaghetti hoops, salt´n´vinegar crisps, twenty packs of Trebor Extra Strong Mints, extra strong Cheddar,
Marks´n´Sparks undies, Action Man, Barbie, newspapers, a bunch of roses out of the garden wrapped in wet paper towels, sprigs of rosemary and a bundle of English lavender from the from of their home.

My daughter gave them her room and it would become England, nestled in our Austrian apartment. When they left
for the long trip back home she would ask me to leave the bedding on because it smelled of Nana and Grandpa and that made her feel safe.
And then they passed away.

WikiMedia

MY FRIENDS.

Dear friends, K and B, slipped into the once a year visiting slot. They flew and brought crisps, cheese and the smell of England. Security, memories and love. And then B passed away.

Wikipedia

MY FRIEND.

K still comes. He flies and brings newpapers, peppermints and the smell of England. He left a week ago. The kids are grown up and gone now.
I shut the windows, pulled the blinds down and closed the door. As each of my children have dropped in I have had them go into the room and inhale deeply. “England.” they say.

WikiCommons

Earth. Sage. Mint. Rain. Salt. Rose.
This is England.

St George Bussis
CQ

Wearing Perfume: Different Ways of Testing

March 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Post by Tina G

Hi APJ!

I’d like to talk a bit about how fragrance application can have a pronounced effect on how it presents on your skin. It is one of the reasons that it is usually worthwhile to test a fragrance a few times to get to “know” it before making judgement calls.

Wearing Perfume: Different Ways of Testing

Burlesque by Maria Candida Gentile 2015

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blood orange
Heart: Iris pallida, rose
Base: Incense, patchouli

Maria Candida Gentile – Burlesque is a case in point. It was put onto my fragrance radar by Tara from A Bottled Rose, and it sounded like my kind of thing, so a sample was ordered.

On my first two spritzes I held the nozzle close to my arm with a heavy application. And the results were horrifying. All I got was an insipid limp wet patchouli with a hint of smoke in the background. I quite like patch, but there was nothing nice about what I was smelling. It was less ‘Burlesque’ and more ‘fetid water nymph’. One of my written notes was “try a lighter spray”. So I did.

A gentle swish of a spritz at a distance, and wafting my arm through the residual aerated fragrance was a totally different result. At once I could smell a warm rounded orange, which was totally absent previously, and it came through with a fab sexy powdery iris and sweet pink rose. That brought a smile and a nod – so that is what this fragrance is all about! It was balanced very differently, warm and inviting with the patchouli grounding it instead of swamping (good word, actually…) and the pale smokiness bringing an interesting dimension to the whole picture. Really gorgeous and very wearable.

There are some fragrances which are better dabbed – for me most of the Serge Lutens work really well like this, even though they come with sprayers. Of course, be really wary of spraying Parfum strength *anything*. I’ve done serious (temporary) damage to my nose trying this approach. Unless it is a Vero Profumo in which case they are designed for spraying. (and if you’ve never tried any of Vero’s fragrances, drop everything and order samples NOW).

Chimaera by Paolo Terenzi for Tiziana Terenzi 2014

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Black pepper, lemon, saffron, leather, tolu balsam, thyme, bay leaf, soil tincture
Heart: Iris, red pepper, carnation, peony, honey, magnolia, sage
Base: Patchouli, cashmere wood, labdanum, benzoin, caramel, agarwood (oud), tobacco, canadian balsam, leather, pine tree

Another worthwhile trial is to give fragrances a run through in different seasons. Something which does not work for you in summer may be altogether fabulous in winter. Tiziana Terenzi – Chimaera is like this for me. In winter it is complex and kinetically marbled with a lemon and honey keeping a weaving thread through leather, bay and basalm. I found at four wonderfully distinct stages during dry down – so exciting! In summer, on my skin it turns into a gourmand thick with caramel and saffron, the honey and lemon are still present but it is much more linear and to my nose not so interesting.

Have you had any successes or failures with your fragrance testing? What have been the lessons learnt?

Tina G xx

Beauty Surprises: Finding The Good Shit!

March 13, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by AF Beauty

Beauty Surprises

L’Occitane

I had been reading online about the shower oil from L’Occitane, so on my recent shopping trip I popped in store and had a look at the oil with a plan to purchase. When I arrived and checked out the oil, first there was a sharp intake of breath at the price and then a furrowed brow at the packaging.

The oil was in a container with a press lid, that looks like this. I wasn’t impressed, so much so that I didn’t make the purchase. These sorts of lids make product dispensing almost impossible and if I dropped the bottle in the shower it would surely spill oil everywhere and I would likely slip and die, only to be eaten by the cat. Death in mind, I moved on.

Finding The Good Shit!

L’Occitane

However, I had the idea of oil in my head, so I carried on looking around and found this body oil, aptly named Shea Fabulous Oil. Here, breath intake was even sharper for this costs an eye watering $45. But for me, so far, it is worth every cent. The oil is designed for use on hair and body, I’ve not used it on my hair, but my body has had a good lathering. My usually flakey and scaley legs have been transformed. For the first time in a long time, I have legs that look like they belong on my body and aren’t some lost limbs of an aged dinosaur.

Priceline

I have been raving about this oil, mostly to myself, for the last couple of weeks, but I wasn’t necessarily convinced that *this* particular oil was that special, (hi, my name is AF Beauty and I’m a cynic.) so I went off and found a cheaper option and found this Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil costing $12. At face value, this oil isn’t too bad. It promises to be a dry oil, not affect your clothes and to moisturise the skin. I used this after the gym for the first time and it was good. It is light and my skin did feel smooth after using it. As I’ve been using the Shea oil for a few weeks already, I can’t say at this point whether it would have had the same long term effect – I will have to wait until the Shea is all used to answer that. *BUT* I did notice, that despite saying it was a dry oil, the Garnier oil did linger on the skin a bit too much, to the point where I couldn’t cross my legs without them feeling very greasy – a feeling I don’t get from the shea oil and it’s a horrible feeling.

I really can’t recommend the L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil enough, it is truly a surprise find for me that has been well worth the cost. One of my favourite things about beauty products is finding that one that surprises and delivers more than you ever expected, it is an unusual treat.

What products have you found that have surprised and delighted?

Tea and Sympathy: Scent Memories of Mum

March 12, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Anonymous

Hello APJ,

She died in the early hours of a Monday morning. There was no pain, just hours of quiet ragged breathing interspersed by pauses until, finally, one pause became permanent.

My mother had always loved tea. In the last years of her life she hardly ever ate a full meal, but she was always up for a cuppa and a biscuit. She loved visitors and was always quick to offer a cuppa and a chat to anybody who dropped by.

Pixabay

Once she had left, I decided a good way to remember her would be to wear tea fragrances for a while. No great thinking lay behind this, just one of those things you reach for to help you deal with the news. It was a way of reminding myself of what she liked.

Tea and Sympathy: Scent Memories of Mum

Fragrantica

On the day of her passing, I chose Masque Russian Tea. This is the most overt tea fragrance that I own, a real hit of lapsang souchong, almost exactly like breathing in the heady fumes of a stiff brew in one of mum’s fine china cups.

Fragrantica

Tuesday was dreadfully hot, and I was in no mood to deal with that. Creed’s Silver Mountain Water was the right tea fragrance in the heat. This one is a crisp cup of white tea, not huge in flavour but elegant and refined. Like a lot of Creeds on me, this one didn’t stay long in the extreme heat, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

Fragrantica

My favourite style of tea is oolong, and I thought Atelier Oolang Infini would be a good one for me. Sad to report, it isn’t. I could barely tell that I had perfume on, even after applying it for a second time. Atelier have a few stars in the line-up, but this was a disappointment.

Fragrantica

Green tea is another favourite, and Bvlgari Au The Vert was my pick as the classic green tea style in my collection. This never disappoints; a really nice scent that doesn’t impose itself on people and it can deal with the heat. A fairly linear bergamot and tea concoction; is this what Earl Grey would smell like with green tea instead of black?

Fragrantica

L’Artisan’s Tea For Two takes a different direction, blending tea and tobacco notes for a rich, warming fragrance rounded out by spices and wood. This one is a winter fragrance for me, and didn’t work too well on this hot Friday, but it is one of my favourite tea scents, and I wasn’t going to leave it out.

I had my doubts about Saturday, the day of the funeral, and seriously considered not wearing any perfume at all, out of respect for the occasion. But this is not our way; funerals are sad occasions, sure, but they are also celebrations of a life lived, and a rare occasion where our far-flung extended family can get together. People came from interstate and all around the world to join us, and I decided that celebrating was the best way to think of the day.

Fragrantica

I chose By Kilian Bamboo Harmony for the funeral. It might sound macabre, but there is something about the plush-lined black box that it comes in that seemed appropriate. This is another white tea and bergamot blend, like Silver Mountain Water, but it nods towards Asia rather than Europe. It’s discreet and long-lasting, and proved to be a good choice.

Fragrantica

Sunday was worse than Saturday. An empty, numb feeling all day, now that something truly was missing. Brunch with the family, but I really didn’t feel like it. What I wanted was to be by myself at last, go for a long walk in the sunshine and listen to some music. I did all that later and my feeling was buoyed by the perfect tea scent for a bright sunny day – Lorenzo Villoresi’s Yerbamate.

From now on the scent of tea will unlock something in me that it never has before,
Thanks for reading.

Naomi Goodsir Interview

March 8, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

“A perfume can be viewed as an invisible accessory. It is a personal choice which creates a statement of style”
Naomi Goodsir

Naomi Goodsir is a tremendously talented Australian, taking the world by storm with her couture designs – hats, bags, body accouterments…and since 2012 niche fragrances.

Fantastic news in February, when I spent an afternoon with her in Sydney, was that her most recent release, Iris Cendré had been announced as a finalist for the Fragrance Foundation Awards, France (THE FIFI’S) in the Prix des Experts category!! Naomi has no idea how it was chosen as one of the top 12 out of 350 entries as usually one must nominate their own fragrance and yet she did not. Perhaps she will find out who the mysterious initiator was when she attends the awards in mid April for the big announcement! (I have my fingers crossed for her)

Naomi Goodsir Interview

The fragrances are currently available in 28 countries, here in Australia Peony Melbourne has carried them since 2012. In fact Naomi tells me proudly that Jill was the first buyer in the world to order any of her fragrances, recognizing instantly their beauty and appeal.

Originally studying fashion design in Sydney, Naomi worked her way into millinery, molding, stitching and creating her pieces by hand. She relocated to France, near Grasse to be near her life and business partner Renaud.

Today her creations are in demand, with Naomi also collaborating with designers for their collections, fashion catwalks including Kanye West’s in Paris, window displays and National Opera Houses. From 2008 Naomi expanded into handbags and body accouterments fashioned from luxe raw materials including buffalo/veal/cow/goat/kangaroo leather, horse hair, lace, felt, silk, feathers, barramundi, crinoline, Bakelite, American alligator skin, and Australian and African crocodile skin.

Naomi and I discussed her process for her perfumes, where she collaborates with independent master perfumers Julien Rasquinet and Bertrand Duchaufour. She says, like with her designs, she always starts with a raw material she loves and ideas develop from there. The raw material provides texture and inspiration and further ingredients add layers, similarly to when she creates her hats and bags. With Cuir Velours, it was leather, immortelle, rum, with Bois d’Ascèse it was incense, tobacco and whiskey, Or du Sérail, which featured on the cover of Fragrances of the World 2015 annual, features golden honeyed tobacco and Iris Cendré, of course has delicate orris at the core.

Naomi was wearing Bois d’Asèse when I met her and divulged the very personal and moving story behind the scent. Its inspiration coming from the warm incense smells she remembers from within a church in the rural NSW town of Coonabarabran – the last place she visited with her dad before he passed away. It also embraces the scent of bushfire from her childhood memories. When I sprayed her personal bottle on my arm we both observed the “fatherly” aspects -my skin amplifies oakmoss and I did feel a warm sense of fatherly comfort.

The following day I wore Cuir Velours from a handmade gift Naomi gave me and I texted her saying “I feel I have awoken, bewildered and happily crawled out of one of your giant leather handbag creations into a boozy dream…complete with immortelle stuck in my messed up hair!” She replied with “A wonderfully apt description- the labdanum, rum et immortelle work perfectly together- a ‘bon mariage’ “ (yes she is beautifully spoken and fluent in French)

Her next release is collaboration with Isabel Doyle, Annick Goutal’s in-house perfumer which they have been working on for some years and are calling it Nuit de Bakelite for now.

Fascinating and elusive, usually Naomi avoids the camera, however she agreed to just a few just for me to share and even shared with me her very first selfie!!

Have you tried the fragrances from the collection? Which is your favorite and why?

Azar’s Jan + Feb Giveaways and Winner Announcement

March 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 40 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello Perfume Pals!

As you probably know, during Portia’s recent “working” vacation to the UK and European destinations, my January and February announcements and draws have been postponed until TODAY.

Azar’s Jan + Feb Giveaways and Winner Announcement

WINNER!!

So, without further ado, let me first announce the winner of the Olympic Orchids White Cattleya 5ml refillable purse spray related to

The winner of the White Cattleya is:

Elizabeth

Please contact Portia with your mailing information no later than (date) or your prize will go to someone else.

myprettypaints