Contributors

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

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Post by AF Beauty

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Hi APJ,

So, in the last few years there has been a bit of a move towards products which can be used in the shower in order to save time and make you feel amazing. For me, the verdict is still out on whether they do actually save money or make you feel amazing.

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

Nivea In-Shower Rich Body Lotion Skin Conditioner

First up, Nivea In-Shower Rich Body Lotion. I’ve had this in my shower for about a year. The bottle is massive to start with – and while that might sound great, let me tell you two things. First, massive bottles are difficult to handle with wet shower hands. Second, massive bottles cause massive bruises when you drop them on your feet. (You’re welcome.)

Well, ONCE you’ve managed to dispense some product, then you need to apply and actually it’s not too bad. It has the classic Nivea aroma, which is comforting to me. The product is thick and feels a little waxy as you apply. It’s a very difficult texture to describe – initially you’d not notice anything different to a standard lotion, but if you rub your hands together it feels that you’ve rubbed your hands in lip balm! That said, if you apply as instructed and rinse, basically don’t rub your hands together, it’s not too noticeable.
Once out of the shower your bod is, undeniably, softer and smoother although I did find some parts didn’t sink in as well as I expected.

An hour after the shower and the Nivea scent is gone, which is a bit of shame. However, all that said, I will make more of an effort to use it again and when I run out; I’ll try a different variation. I’ll also look for a pump-action dispenser for my inept hands!

St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower

Next up, a newbie in Australia, St Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan. At a pretty expensive price point compared to other self-tan products ($40!!) I was expecting good things from this. I ordered on a pre-order and was thrilled when it arrived. I went to use it the first time after the gym in the shower at work one day. I have to get lifts into the basement at work to use the showers, it would appear that the lift destination is actually the Antarctic, it’s freezing!

The instruction for this product is to apply with the shower off and let it sit for three minutes. Let me tell you, three minutes in the cold shower without water is actually eternity. I tried this a few times and I was bargaining with myself on how long I would be able to stand the cold. I have no idea how this is so popular in the UK where it’s freezing!

The product still had that biscuity smell of self-tan and I didn’t really notice a change, I guess because I couldn’t tolerate the wait.
Personally I would prefer to use an out of shower self-tan and tolerate the smell.

I’d love to hear if there are any fans of either product here?

Desert Thunderstorm Eau de Parfum by Solstice Scents

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Post by Erica Golding

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Greetings from the frigid winter tundra!

Yes, I’m exaggerating, but winter is in full force where I live, and the cold bite of the icy wind really slices into the soul. On days where I cringe at the very thought of stepping outside into the sub-zero wasteland, I love to indulge in a perfume that evokes blazing summer heat. With that in mind, today I am reaching for a brand new love, one that reaches into happy memories of dry desert heat and white hot sunlight.

Desert Thunderstorm EdP by Solstice Scents

Desert Thunderstorm Solstice ScentsSolstice Scents

Solstice Scents give these featured accords:
Desert Sage, Pinyon Pine & Resin, Petrichor, Sweetgrass, Creosote Bush, Sand, Ponderosa Pine, Smoke

I recently purchased a sample of the new Desert Thunderstorm EdP from Solstice Scents, giddy with anticipation after having drooled over the preview Angela shared online. When I first tested my sample, I braced myself, feeling like it would either be an epic win or a soul-shattering fail on my skin, and cautiously hoped for the former. Immediately, I plunged into a vision of intensely focused awe, deeply inhaled breaths of gratitude and wonder. I had lofty expectations for this creation, and as it rose from my skin, I felt like I already knew it from a dream. It was exactly what I was hoping for – Angela’s poetic description on her website is exceptionally precise.

The opening is complex, a torrent of notes I can’t truly recognize, and the mysterious symphony is absolutely exhilarating. I sense the humidity of hot stone steaming, slick from the sudden downpour, a cooling mineral note. As the perfume evolves and settles, the botanical elements begin to dominate with elegant simplicity.

desertthunderstorm Solstice ScentsSolstice Scents

The pinyon pine resin is the dominant, mystical note for me. I bought a little pot of pinyon pine balm in Arizona on vacation many years ago, and this distinctive, intoxicating aroma glows within Desert Thunderstorm. The sweetgrass lends just the right velvet-soft balance to the composition. Delicate accents of smoke and sage are barely-there, finishing touches executed with refined grace. I am so deeply moved every time I gift myself with this precious indulgence.

Solstice scents LogoSolstice Scents

Solstice Scents has $85/50ml

What do you wear on a blistering cold winter’s day? Do you have a special Solstice Scents fragrance that warms your heart?

Best wishes to keep you roasty-toasty and finely fragranced, my friends!

-Erica

Australian Sandalwood Oil Spectacular

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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Hello APJ Peeps!

I hope you are all well and fabulously fragrant. I wanted to share a captivating documentary I discovered today. It takes an hour to view, but well worth the time invested for its fascinating content, based in Western Australia and France, all about delicious Australian Sandalwood and more!

Australian Sandalwood Oil Spectacular

The documentary outlines the Australian Sandalwood and Indian Sandalwood oil industries in Australia and highlights environmental issues, indigenous community involvement, poaching, uses of, industry’s worth and traces the oil right through to Givaudon’s laboratory in France where they now use both species of oils for fine fragrance and beauty products.

How would you describe the smell of Sandalwood Oil? Have you had the luck to smell both Indian AND Australian native sandalwood oil? What differences did your nose perceive?

I learnt so much from watching and hope you do too! Make yourself a cuppa or some popcorn, relax and enjoy!

Australian Sandalwood and Indian Sandalwood oil industries in Australia Documentary Link <<<JUMP

Here is an additional ABC news story, which outlines the dodgy poaching industry that is occurring in greater volume than the legal exporting of Sandalwood Oil from Australia. Who knew?!? SO interesting!

After watching the above my mind was inspired, racing in all different directions. My legs took me to my bathroom where I found a bottle of Mecca Cosmetica: Scrub Up Smoothing Body Polish. The reason I raced to find it was I knew it was the only product I had containing Sandalwood KERNEL (i.e. not from the wood) oil CO2 extracted AND the nuts themselves as the exfoliation component. It is from the species Santalum Spicatum which is indeed the Australian Sandalwood kernels. If you remember from the program they were the bigger nuts and sound like they often go to waste…perhaps not anymore!? It seems they have made a slightly more “luxurious version” of the traditional indigenous “chew and spit” kernel poultice/scrub. (..And I do recommend it!)

Sandalwood Mecca Cosmetica

We at APJ would love to hear your thoughts on the above programs including anyone who has personally visited the plantations in Western Australia.

Finally, which are your favorite Sandalwood containing fragrances and do you think they contain Australian or Indian oil…or synthetic molecules?

Pas De Mal(le)! EDP by Le Bienaimé Parfums

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Post by Robert Herrmann

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Hello Fragrant Friends!

This is Robert H. again, writing from my small island home in Washington state, exactly halfway between Seattle and Vancouver B.C. I am an inveterate fragrance lover, occasional writer, full-time business owner, world traveller, ex-Broadway singer, and happily married to an ever-suffering spouse who descends into allergic hell at the faintest whiff of perfume. Just my luck.

“Everything Old Is New Again….”

Pas De Mal(le)! EDP by Le Bienaimé Parfums

Now this is a perfume that speaks directly to my heart!

I live in a community that takes recycling VERY seriously! At our local dump (tip) you not only drop off your trash, but also separate ALL your recyclables (up to 20 various categories) and there’s also a section called the “take it or leave it” if it can be reused, you can drop it off, and someone else can walk off with it at no cost. (Ron and I have found some great treasures, like a vintage Oleg Cassini Jackie O-style suit which we ended up selling for $600!)

Le Bienaimé #1

So when I got word of a new European perfume house dedicated to perfume “upcycling” my fragrant heart went pitter-pat! I went to their website, loved what I saw, and blind-bought 2 bottles right out the gate.

The first one I’m wearing is “Pas De Malle” (a play on words meaning ‘Not bad’), an amalgam of different Frederic Malle perfumes that is far beyond “not bad” and more like “bloody brilliant”!

Le Bienaimé #2

The perfume is composed of various amounts of the following:
Bigarde Concentree, Cologne Indelible, Lipstick Rose, Un Rose, Vetiver Extrordinaire, and a splash of Oud by Robert Piguet.

This was an easy buy for me, I LOVES me some Frederic Malle, and what is most interesting to me is how very vintage the perfume wears on my skin! Categorized as a woody floriental, it is indeed that. Powdery, floral, with a darkness that you can’t exactly put your finger on yet vaguely familiar. This is a wonderful unisex perfume. Who would wear it? Someone who doesn’t want to smell like anyone else. On earth. Ever.

Le Bienaimé #3

Yup, that would be me. Renew, re-use, recycle, re-spray!
Check out their website Le Bienaimé

(Ed: LATE NEWS: “Annindraya Perfume Lounge” in Amsterdam. The owners name is Tanja Deurloo and she’s a total sweetheart, and made my transaction smooth as silk! RH)

Do you have a favorite Malle? (Besides Carnal Flower, because…well….Carnal Flower.)

 

Chanel No 19 EdP by Henri Robert for Chanel 1971: Vintage + Modern

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Post by Anne-Marie

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The good thing about loving a perfume by Chanel is that Chanel does not discontinue its fragrances very often. You can have an affair for life with a Chanel perfume, and know that you will be rewarded by the company’s constant investment in high quality raw materials and packaging. If you wear a perfume for years you get to know it well, and will notice differences even in newer bottles of the same concentration. Although of course many classic fragrances have been reformulated out of all recognition, sometimes the distinctions are very subtle, and may even be improvements.

Today I’m going to talk about Chanel No 19 EDP, but please do chime in down in the comments if you have had experiences like this with other long-time perfume loves.

 Chanel No 19 EdP by Chanel 1971

 Chanel No 19 EdP by Henri Robert: Vintage + Modern

Chanel No 19 Eau de Parfum Chanel FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, bergamot, green notes
Heart: Iris, narcissus, rose, lily of the valley
Base: Sandalwood, leather, vetiver, oakmoss

Although the EDP is not my favourite concentration, when I noticed that my old one, bought in 1999, had started to turn I instantly bought a new one. I was prompted especially by having spritzed from department store testers and noticed a greater emphasis on vetiver in the current EDP compared to my old one. Sure enough, when I opened my new bottle (a Christmas present to myself!), the vetiver is indeed, to my nose, more prominent than of old.

My old EDP demonstrates more rose and powdery orris than the new. The difference is not great, but it’s there. And actually, I quite like it. To me there is more structure in the newer version, and it’s more masculine and less powdery.

Years ago when I first smelled the EDP I wondered why I found it a bit depressing. I didn’t know the notes for No 19, and didn’t know that orris (iris) can induce a feeling of melancholy. Once I learned that – the feeling magically went away, and I began to wear the EDP with more enjoyment.

Chanel No 19 Eau de Parfum Chanel William_Blake_Melancholy WikipediaWikipedia

I’m liking my new bottle very much and strongly recommend it to vetiver lovers, male and female.

A word about the other concentrations: the parfum to me is quite dark and leathery, with yes – lots of vetiver. Portia”s review. The EDT is my favourite. It is (to me) the least powdery; it sparkles with a mixture of spring sunshine and rain. I adore it, and I’m on my … ahem … fourth bottle. I’ve not smelled the old EDC but here’s Portia”s review.

It can be a complex business to maintain a perfume to an even standard over the years, not just because of restrictions on raw materials, but because the natural materials will vary from place to place and harvest to harvest. Ensuring that the materials are produced ethically and sustainably is another consideration.

Chanel No 19 Eau de Parfum Chanel Sara Beneath Rain FlickrFlickr

Further reading: Now Smell This and Olfactoria’s Travels
CHANEL counters everywhere have No 19, go grab a FREE spritz
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.50/ml

So – over to you. Do you have a long-time favourite fragrance which has let you down, or does it continue to bring joy?

Everything’s Coming Up Russian Roses

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Post by Poodle

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Hey APJ,

I was recently sent a lovely box of samples from the 1st Festival of Indie Perfumery in Russia. The non-commercial event is creative exchange between Russian Perfumers and bloggers and reviewers who love perfume. It’s a way of sharing Russian Indie perfumery with the world and was organized by Anna Zworykina. Anna has been making perfume for more than 15 years and has published a book in Russian about natural perfumery. The theme of the event was “Rose and Water” and all the perfumes were created during a six week time period with that theme in mind. There were 18 perfumers who participated and the perfumes covered every aspect of the theme. Some were all natural, others natural and synthetic. It was interesting to sniff so many interpretations of roses and water. The perfumers really managed to show the versatility of roses.

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So I picked out my favourite five to highlight for you.

Everything’s Coming Up Russian Roses

Festival of Indie Perfumery in Russia 2015

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Pool by Anastasia Denisenkova.
Pool is a bright juicy rose perfume with Rose de Mai, Rose Otto, and Rosa Damascena. It’s highlighted with melon and ozonic notes and grounded with amber, musk, and oakmoss. Melon can be a difficult note for a lot of people but it really does help to give a watery feel to the perfume. Imagine rose petals floating on crystal blue water and you’ve got Pool.

Ophelia by Art of Perfume
This one is an herbal interpretation of roses and water. They could have called it noir if they wanted. It smells like the blackness of water in the moonlight. Walking along the bank there’s the crush of wormwood, lavender, and daisies underfoot, the brush of rose blossoms against you as you pass by. Resins and fir balsam add more darkness and earthiness. I love how this one reminded me of absinthe because of the wormwood.

Russian Roses Snow rose PixabayPixabay

Winter Rose by Anna Zworykina
The snow might be fluffy but this rose is not powdery at all. The rose’s scent is tempered by the snow. I can smell an almost citrusy sweetness. Although its called Winter Rose it’s not cold or metallic but warm and ambery. Starts cool and frosty but warms to a bouquet seen through Russian amber.

Rose Garden After the Rain byAnna Vtyurina
Think of the rosiest rose you’ve ever smelled. This is a big rose perfume. It opens with a bold citrus and rose. It’s juicy and watery, crisp and green. On me there’s a little tough of mintiness but it’s barely there so I could be mistaken. Remember when those bouquets of roses from the florists actually smelled like roses? This is that smell. The bouquet, the fern green filler, the water in the vase. Early summer bottled.

Russian Roses Marilyn_Monroe WikipediaWikiMedia

Marilyn’s Kiss by Galina Anni
This perfume isn’t as rosy as some of the others but was really fun to smell. There’s just enough mint to give it a watery feel along with some citrus. At the heart of it the rose blends with ylang-ylang and fruits. It’s sweet but not like a fruit punch. It’s creamier than that. It’s vanilla pudding with rose petals and buttery ylang-ylang. I didn’t expect to like this but the mint and ylang really make it work.

I’m so happy I got the opportunity to sample all the perfumes from this event. It was interesting to see how each perfumer approached the theme. I hope this will be the first of many such festivals.

Hugs
Poodle

Scent Eating Skin: Fact or Fiction

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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New Year´s Salutations APJ.

I saw the New Year in wearing Bandit EdP and Extrait together. An old fragrance but new to me. I received a large decant of the EdP as a gift and went straight out and bought the Extrait. Sometimes you just know. I have made two perfume related resolutions for the new year. Not to walk around with my nose glued to my wrist, as it totally distorts my impressions, being the first. The scent sticks in my nose cavity and that is useless. Second, I am not going to investigate note lists before trying anything new, which will mean walking round the Esxence in Milan with a blindfold on I expect. Just looking at a list stops me from trying so much. Not that I expect to like any more than I usually do, but you never know!

Scent Eating Skin: Fact or Fiction

Each time I come across the phrase “on my scent eating skin” I roll my eyes loudly. I have done absolutely no research on this subject matter, presuming it to be a myth; but a more serious interest wast triggered by a panic phone call from a dear perfumista (S) friend about a month ago. She had ordered and received a bottle of perfume that she had loved on me. Not exactly a blind by as she had spent the best part of a day continually sniffing my hand. As we perfume geeks do.

“Val, I generously sprayed this perfume on and in less than ten minutes it is GONE.” Dead. Deceased. Departed. Finished. Spent. Exhausted. It is no more. Bringing to mind Monty Python´s Dead Parrot Sketch. I quietly rolled my eyes, a little unsure at this point. “Perhaps there has been mistake at the production end?” she asked me. I doubted it but stranger things have happened.

Belvedere Palace, Vienna - AUSTRIA WikimediaWikipedia

Weird. I hopped on a train to Vienna to smell this thing for myself. It is always better to have a witness in a serious situation so we called in the help of another perfumista (M). The three of us sat comfortably around a table, ordered breakfast and cracked out the bottle in question. With intently serious faces, for this was a scientific analysis, S and I heftily spritzed. M remained on the sideline as an impartial judge.

Before breakfast arrived the perfume (an EdP by the way) on S had disintegrated. Disappeared. Time elapsed was probably around ten minutes. I got about 12 hours out of it. WTF? M was equally stunned. S told us that this was not the only fragrance that disappeared on her. I must admit over the years I have been gobsmacked at the amount of fragrance that S sprays not to even mention the fact that she FINISHES bottles, something I have never done. I should add here that I also generously dabbed S in a favorite extrait of mine (guess) and within 45 minutes it was also history. Perturbed.

vienna austria assisi church building PicabayPixabay

I don´t think I own a perfume that gives me less than 12 hours of pleasure minimum. It has truly got me wondering. Are skins really that different? Is that why S smells a million dollars in Amouage and I do not?

There is a happy ending to the story. I received the aforemetioned ordered bottle for Christmas. 🙂

Dear readers of APJ, perhaps you could be kind enough to take time for a quick comment? Do you have an opinion on the scent eating skin theory. Do some skins just outright reject fragrances? Are S and I at opposite ends of the spectrum, both being extreme? It is no wonder that I am scared spitless of spraying something unknown onto my skin if I have to live with it for the next fortnight.

Vienna Scott Swigart some statue in vienna FlickrFlickr

Wishing you all strength for 2016.
Keep on truckin’.

Bussis
CQ

Bat by Ellen Covey for Zoologist Perfumes 2015

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Post by Azar

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Hello APJ,

There has been a lot of buzz about bats on perfume blogs of late directly related to the new Bat fragrance created by Ellen Covey for Victor Wong of Zoologist Perfumes, Toronto. Ellen has an uncanny ability to recreate the ambient fragrance of places where she has lived, worked and visited. On her Olympic Orchids website, there is an entire category devoted to “Scents of Place”. The Bat fragrance, to my nose, is definitely about a place (a cave) and does not, thankfully, smell like its namesake. On the perfume bottle, the portrait of the bat created by Victor Wong’s colleague Daisy Chan, appears to be some kind of leaf nosed fruit bat (Dermanura sp.), While a few bats are reported to have pleasant odors most do not, at least as far as we humans are concerned.

Over the years, as part of her university work on bat hearing and echolocation, Ellen has visited bat habitats throughout the Americas. If any perfumer on the planet is qualified to create a fragrance for a bat cave it is Dr. Ellen Covey!

Bat by Zoologist Perfumes 2015

Bat by Ellen Covey

Bat Zoologist Perfumes FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Banana, fruity notes, soil tincture
Heart: Fig, tropical fruits, myrrh, resins, green notes
Base: Musk, leather, vetiver, sandalwood, tonka bean

My first impression of Bat recalls the smell of parched earth moistened by rain, the fragrance of roots, vetiver, lime and a breath of banana (a la Todd Oldham). There is something about this combination of fruit, dirt, wet stone and vetiver that evokes not only the damp darkness of a cave but the magical lore surrounding the creature itself. As the fragrance dries the smell of petrichor changes as Bat takes on the scent of raw beets, decomposing leaves, friable humus, peat moss, musk, figs and myrrh. This description sounds a bit heavy but, like the smell of peat moss, it is vegetal and light. To me the heart of Bat is a scent for gardeners and people who love the smell of cool, rich earth and green growing things. As time passes the fragrance becomes progressively lighter and cooler with a kind of effervescent quality that suggests the airborne grace of bats in flight. At about 40 minutes sandalwood and tonka bean lift Bat into a woody, vanilla realm that, combined with earth elements, musk and banana, create a comfortingly sweet, fuzzy effect lasting for hours.

Bat Zoologist Perfumes Teacher Traveler Flying Foxes (aka Fruit Bats) FlickrFlickr

With the exception of the initial impression of petrichor, Bat is really quite shy. Sillage is, at the most, moderate and the fragrance remains relatively intimate for hours.

Have you tried Bat or any of the Zoologist perfumes? Tell us what you think. Also stay tuned for more about Bat. In March I will be doing a Mega-Draw for all the fragrances I’ve reviewed in January and February 2016.

Zoologist Perfumes has $125/60ml

Azar xx

 

New Year, New You? Beauty Resolutions

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Post by AF Beauty

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Hi APJ,

So we’ve had Christmas and New Year – if you’re reading this on the right day, you might still be swearing to never drink again, you might be cancelling your credit cards because you’ve lost them in a cab and you might be looking in the mirror at your face and wondering where the last year went!

But rather than look back, this week I’m going to challenge you to start anew and set some beauty resolutions! Here are my three:
I’ve had a few busy weeks through November and December and I’ve fallen into the bad habit of…. *hides with shame*…. going to bed without washing off my make up! GASP!!!

This is up there with the most heinous beauty crimes of all time. Of course, few things could be worse for your skin. You’ve had makeup on all day – or you might’ve exposed your face to the elements, including pollution, sun and a dozen other nasties. If you fail to wash it off, well, this way madness lies. You skin’s pores get clogged, your skin dries out and you wake up looking like you’ve partied all night, not worked all day!

New Year, New You? Beauty Resolutions

Beauty Resolutions Facecloths Elin FlickrFlickr

So my first resolution will be to wash my face every night. My first choice will be nanna-cleansing and next choice will be Simple’s Micellar water wipes.

 Beauty Resolutions Sun WikipediaWikiMedia

Second, and this applies specifically to those of us who either like the sun, or find ourselves in the sun through location (*waves from Sydney*) The sun is an interesting beast, we can’t live without sunlight, but equally overexposure can lead to leathery dry skin. Type leathery skin into google and switch to images for the full horror.

My point is that sunshine is not good for the aging of your skin. Yes it’s good for Vitamin D, but you can get this through very little sun exposure but also, depending on the time of year and your location, maybe not at all. This article explains it simply.

So you have a few ways to avoid over exposure to sun. The first is the simplest, avoid it! Stay out of the sun during the hottest hours, you could use an umbrella shade or wear a hat. Your second option is to wear sunscreen. There is a LOT of debate about sunscreen and which is the most effective. For the purposes of skin protection, I’d be going for a zinc oxide base – the downside is it’s not very attractive, but then, neither are age spots.

Beauty Resolutions Face Mask PixabayPixabay

The last resolution is face masks! I’ve written about masks before – a few different sorts, yet as much as I’ve written about them, I use them inconsistently and probably don’t get all the benefits. There is, I think a balance here of not going over the top with masks, I won’t be wearing a different mask each day of the week! This year I am planning to evaluate my skin monthly and choose a monthly mask that I’ll wear once or twice a week, depending on what challenges I face.

What are your top three beauty resolutions? Did you make resolutions last year? Which did you keep?

Vanilla Weddings in the South Pacific

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Post by Suzanne R Banks

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Hi APJ,

A vanilla wedding in the South Pacific? How about hundreds of them every year? Forge on to discover how organic vanilla is grown on the tropical island of Lifou in New Caledonia, with my gorgeous pics!

Vanilla Weddings in the South Pacific

img_5924The vanilleraie on Lifou

On my recent trip to New Caledonia I found a small organic vanilla plantation in the Botanic Garden on the island of Lifou. Watch the story unfold ….

In a nutshell:

  • Mexican vanilla was introduced by the missionaries in the 1800’s
  • The plantation is growing each year as more vines are planted – cuttings are taken from the original vines
  • It takes about 7 years from planting to produce beans
  • The plant flowers in October to November
  • The flowers are not scented

img_5744This is the beautiful vanilla flower

  • As the plants are an introduced species the local insects and birds do not pollinate the flower – this has to be done by hand
  • The male organ in the flower is gently touched to the female organ – this is the pollinating process
  • Pollinating must be done in the morning as the flowers close in the afternoon
  • Once the flower has dried and died, the vanilla beans grow

img_5745The young vanilla bean

  • When the time is right the beans are picked and plunged into boiling water for 3 minutes
  • The beans are dried in both sun and shade for 3 months then placed into aging boxes to develop – just like wine
  • Lifou currently sends all its harvest to Noumea but is aspiring to export worldwide when the crops are more bountiful

img_5778My wonderful guide

It was so hot and the tour continued onto other beautiful sights, like a tribal hut and he Cliffs of Jokin. I wish I had asked a few more questions but the tour party pressed on. And I can’t believe I forgot my guide’s name. The heat got into my brain!

img_5764The Cliffs of Jokin

The picture does not do the water justice – it was a stunning turquoise blue. We also spotted a shark swimming around.

(Ed: All photos donated by Suzanne R Banks)

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

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Like our Facebook page to stay tuned for more info on the inaugural

Australasian Artisan Botanical Perfume Expo in Sydney, 24th April 2016

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Suzanne R Banks Blog
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copyright suzanne

 

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