Dab or Spray? Life

June 23, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 41 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

When I mentioned to Portia a few weeks ago that it was sometimes tough to come up with something to write about, he said to write whatever I´d been up to and include the perfume I had been wearing. That would do it. Let´s test it out.

DAB OR SPRAY?

Murmurings from the Uninspired.
Featuring fragrances I have added to my small collection.

THINGS THAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO

Read an undisputedly utterly brilliant book. All The Light We Cannot See. Anthony Doerr.
Set up a date with APJs Azar in September. We´ll be having tea in Seattle very soon.
Gave up Red Bull and Monster and started to drink water.
Helped my son move into his apartment.
Completed my .vero.profumo. collection with the Rozy Extrait and the Onda Voile d´Extrait.
Located a bottle of Cuir de Lancôme. Purchased it.

LONDON VISIT

Finalised a pefume tour party blogger lunch and cake feast not forgetting the epic ice-cream, kind of thing. In London. Getting to hangout with Volatile Fiction, Olfactoria´s Travels, Perfume Candy Boy, Nick Gilbert and more. Amongst other groovy things we are going to visit Penhaligon`s, the new Bloom, the Chanel Store and the new Malle Store. I am of course taking my daughter the BlondesWunder with me and she will report back as to her second experience of hanging out with a bunch of old perfume freaks.

(Yes Portia and Michael, my heart aches that you won´t be there.)

DAB OR SPRAY?

Wearing a lot of extraits, and only dab them. I love the sensuality of using a glass stopper to apply the perfume. I do like to spray the back of my neck though. However, spraying everywhere gives me a grand mal seizure, and since my kids do that to me anyway, I prefer to keep them to the minimum. I reckon I might be in the minority though. This is a much discussed subject but what do you APJ readers do? What interesting application techniques do you use? I stand in front of a mirror and conduct my perfuming ritual. I do not like perfume on my clothing at all and make sure I get nothing on it from the application of the fragrance. Clothing goes on after the perfume.

Am about to start a new book. A Brief History of Seven Killings. Marlon James. “It´s like a Tarantino remake of The Harder They Come but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner ……..” New York Times. And a lot of it is written in Jamaican Patois. I spent some time in Kingston but that is another fragrant story. 😉

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

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

Have been wearing Maria Candida Gentile´s Burlesque for the last two days. Alluring. Gorgeous. Ordered.

Irie Bussis
Peace and love
CQ

Maria Amalia by Morris, Italy 2006

June 22, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ!

I love to shop the discounters. It is not unusual for me to find a fragrance that I once coveted available online for less than half the original price. There is, of course, the issue of fakes. I rarely encounter one of those but when I do I consider it collectable, not unlike the antique replicas of precious wentletrap shells (Epitonium scalare) that are now worth far more than the real thing. There will be more on my fake fragrance collection in another post.

Maria Amalia by Morris, Italy 2006

Photo Stolen Perfume Emporium

Today I am considering the mass marketing mistakes that result in so many fragrances being relegated to the online and the brick and mortar discount bins. One recent find, Maria Amalia EdP by Morris Italy, has me wondering just what it takes to make a fragrance attractive in today’s mass marketplace.

The packaging and presentation of Maria Amalia EdP are beautifully done. Meticulously pleated cellophane, sealed with the perfume logo, wraps a silk textured box enclosing a heavy urn-shaped pressed glass bottle. Information about the fragrance is presented in a tiny foldout illustrated with the art of Pre-Raphaelite painter John Waterhouse (somewhat anachronous) and with stunning photos of the Maria Amalia product line.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

The EdP itself is a bracing, totally unisex brew opening with a cool fruity/citrus accord lasting a moment or two before morphing into a combination of ginger, cardamom and angelica that creates an arresting impression of dusty gunpowder, spice, citrus and sweet herbs. This odd but exhilarating beginning expands to include scents of wet earth, lemon and may rose peppered with nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon. Maria Amalia dries into rosewood, myrrh, sandalwood and a residual aura of lemon and green herbs, a perfectly refreshing summertime spritz.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

This fragrance was purportedly created from an original recipe of the favorite perfume of Maria Amalia of Austria (1764 – 1804). She was the daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I (the Holy Roman Emperor) and sister to Marie Antoinette. Maria Amalia was known for her flamboyant, cross-dressing life style and (unlike her sister) for her genuine generosity to the poor. Her life story reads like a novel.

That is all well and good but why did Maria Amalia – the perfume – end up in the discount bin?

I suspect that the historic references did not resonate with today’s consumer. Maybe the packaging and presentation were too old fashioned. Was 2006 too early for a real unisex fragrance or was Morris, Italy too closely identified with its German parent company, the hair-coloring experts, Schartzkopf/Henkel? Perhaps the demise of Maria Amalia had nothing whatsoever to do with marketing but was simply a result of the EU or IRFA fragrance regulations. Whatever the case may be I feel lucky to have stumbled upon Maria Amalia the fragrance. I have stocked up.

Further reading: Fragrance Bouquet and BaseNotes
Perfume Emporium has $15.29/50ml

Azar xx

Photo Stolen Kesha&Co

Maria Amalia GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 USA winner who will receive:
1 x 5ml decant of Maria Amalia by Morris, Italy
P&H USA ONLY

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to USA ONLY who follow 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. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you have heard of or have tried the Maria Amalia fragrance or give us your take on marketing perfume in the 21st century.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 25th June 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Monday 29th 2015 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.

This review of Maria Amalia EdP first appeared last week on Ellen Covey’s blog. You can win there as well!

Budget Beauty Reviews

June 21, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by A F Beauty

I love beauty products. I love them more than my wallet loves them. So to try and balance desire with budget I like to keep my ear to the ground for bargain products that do a great job at a brilliant price. I wanted to test genuinely well priced products, not just a fabulous lipstick on 90% discount so I have aimed for items under AU$15.

Budget Beauty Reviews

First the oldies but goodies. I’ve been re-testing Rimmel’s Hide the Blemish concealer – AU$9 and Barry M’s Showgirl Extra Lengthening Mascara – AU$10.

Hide The Blemish. So, it transpires I am the biggest idiot! This concealer is great – why did I stop using this as a teen?!! I’ve gotten on great with the texture and coverage and the way I can layer to build coverage – I will add this as a staple to my make-up bags. (Yes, both!)

Barry M Mascara. This says it is extra lengthening; maybe it is, but in that case, so is it extra time consuming! The wand is one of those plastic spikey ones, not an old fashioned brush, which I think do a better job of lengthening or volumising. That said, it goes on well without clumping, it’s great colour and texture, you just have to apply a few coats to get the extra lengthening.

Next the supermarket products. Here I got lucky! I was in Aldi, which has some well-reviewed products at amazing prices. I tried the 3-in-1 Primer at AU$5.

At $5 I didn’t have massive expectations, but Aldi consistently receives great write ups for their budget skincare line. I really liked the primer, much more than I expected. I am not a huge fan of the silicone type primers which feel overly silky but this is more of a light moisturiser. I used my daily moisturiser followed by the primer, then foundation. The primer instructions were to apply over the face concentrating on fine lines – this seemed odd to me given the lightness of the fluid, but I think my foundation applied well, evenly and smoothly. Although much lighter, I found this similar in concept and result to Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, smoothing the face and leaving me looking marginally, inexplicably, better, but it was less sticky (good!).

Lastly, a wildcard, an eyebrow kit from Priceline (Walgreens/Boots equiv), a brand known as Model’s Prefer. Model’s Prefer Eyebrow kit from Priceline AU$13, the most expensive item in this group, but worth the little extra.
The kit contains a brow powder, coloured gel, a slanted brush to apply and a mini tweezer. I’ve learned to spend 30 seconds of the few minutes I spend on make up each morning on brows to frame the face. I used just the coloured gel usually and this is both reliable and easy to give a decent lasting result.

I have happily added the concealer, primer and eyebrow palette to my daily routine and it’s some of the best money I’ve spent! What are your favourite budget beauty products?

A F Beauty xx

Obsession by Jean Guichard for Calvin Klein 1985

June 21, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

“When one makes love, there is a certain scent we that give off. I think it’s very sensual – that’s the scent of Obsession.”
– Calvin Klein

Obsession was released in 1985 and by any measure is a mighty fragrance. It is so much more than the sum of its notes….

Obsession by Jean Guichard for Calvin Klein 1985

“Oh, the smell of it!”

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green notes, mandarin, peach, basil, bergamot, lemon
Heart: Spices, coriander, sandalwood, orange blossom, jasmine, oakmoss, cedar, rose
Base: Amber, musk, civet, vanilla, vetiver, incense.

It’s the damp herbal first blast of Obsession that I adore. Yes, there are softer, easier things to come, but that dark, slightly bitter opening is for me, addictive. After that I get spices of course, although not the florals.

The base for me is mostly amber and vanilla, with incense keeping things cool and dry. The vanilla is far from being sweet and foodie – which is just how I like it. I wear the modern EDT, the stuff you can get for a song just about anywhere perfume is sold.

Obsession is usually classified as an oriental, but through its marketing, Obsession rejects conventional oriental fantasies and metaphors. We get no lacquered spice jars, no souks, no Buddhas or Indian princesses etc. Obsession does not weave sentimental fairy tales; it is about nothing but sex.

The early TV ads were directed by Richard Avedon and make you feel as if you have wandered on to the set of some weird modernist play. Everything is in monochrome, but clearly the scene is vibrant with sexual obsession. In one, an older man laments a young woman (played by South African model José Borain) who has left him (“Was it me? Did I somehow driver her away?”).

In another, that woman is the object of obsession for a beautiful teenage boy (“ … the whispers at my bedside … her arms … her mouth … her amber hair … and oh, the smell of it.”).

The early print ads were shot in Puerto Villata, Mexico, by Bruce Weber and feature, in blue sepia, two (or three) naked, entwined bodies.

Famously, Kate Moss also modelled for Obsession, but that came later, in 1993 when she was 17. Shot by Mario Sorrenti and still in monochrome, the location was a shack on the beach: “Just me and him and loads of film,” Moss later recalled. The ads speak to the photographer’s obsession with his model. Moss was his girlfriend at the time but the relationship did not survive.

All of these ads are edgy. “You walk a fine line, especially in advertising,” Calvin Klein admitted, “if you try and do something sensual.” Sometimes I find them more disturbing than, say, Tom Ford’s quite sexually explicit ads for his perfumes.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Non Blonde
FragranceNet has $10/15ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml

A lot of people have memories of Obsession, good and bad. What are yours?

‘Til next time, have fun!

Anne-Marie xx

ICONS: Oudh Perfume Oils by Nocturne Alchemy

June 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Erica Golding

Hello to my favorite fragrance lovers!

Let’s say the O word.

Oudh.

Sigh! You say you’re SO over Oudh Fever. It is trendy, it smells funky, and from Jovan to Dior to Kilian it has become ubiquitous. You roll your eyes, waiting impatiently for this hipster nonsense to just go away already! You probably haven’t experienced genuine oudh, though. As a fragrance nerd, you may already know this. Most of the oudh fragrances on the market (even the expensive niche ones) use synthetics to mimic the aroma, and genuine oudh is by far the most expensive perfumery material out there.

So, are you jealous? Right now I’m luxuriating in gloriously deep, complex, addictive perfume oils rich with ethically, sustainably harvested authentic oudh. But you know what else? They are at an affordable price point. What the what?! How??

ICONS: Oudh Perfume Oils by Nocturne Alchemy

Several years in the making, Nocturne Alchemy’s new limited-edition ICONS line is absolutely mind-blowing. There are currently five oudh oils, each strictly limited to 125 bottles. Let’s walk through them like a wine tasting, from brightest to deepest.

Iconic: Rose, oudh, and a hint of jasmine.
Breathtaking, it makes my whole body feel all the emotions! ICONIC opens with a tender, true, subtly gentle fragrance of newly opened roses blossoming on their bush, the first rays of the sun kissing the morning dew. The harmony of a hint of sweet night-blooming jasmine accents the rose ever so slightly, not really noticeable on its own but rather almost absorbed into the rose bouquet itself. The darkness of oudh smoothly curling around the base is truly a caress, graceful and confident. Unprecedented to my nose. I have never smelled anything this beautiful before.

Leviathan: Woody, distinctive NA amber and oudh.
The finest, perfected signature NA amber blends with just the right balance of shadowy, pure oudh to add a new facet to my beloved NA solar amber. The amber is woody, musky, and lightly sweetened with a whisper of vanilla bean and maybe even a dash of cardamom. This gorgeous amber is transformed with majestic true oudh gliding mysteriously at the base. The oudh, tempered by the softly golden amber, is smoky, woodsy, earthy, and slightly medicinal – but the honeyed facet of the oudh really shines, highlighted in this context.

Samar Oudh: Oudh spliced with vanilla orchid.
Samar opens with a blast, an almost sharp intensity. Creamy vanilla and floral orchid notes hover over hay and forest floor. A hint of fresh rose petal hides quietly. The floral tone of the vanilla orchid smoothes and settles over time, nuzzling into the skin. Every second reveals more depth, darkness, and beauty as the vanilla sweetens and the earthy oudh hums proudly. The vanilla orchid note reminds me of NA’s Kobalt single note perfume oil. My prediction is that this beauty will be the first to sell out, it’s unbelievable!

Arabian Oudh: Smoldering Arabian oudh.
This varietal opens with an almost dirty vibe, distinctly salty and smoky, like smouldering wood chips. Then, a slightly medicinal, almost rubbery note comes in. As it sinks into the skin, the magic starts to reveal itself. In comes the musky, honeycomb shade, rounding out the fragrance and honing all of the strangeness into addictive, exciting uniqueness. A swirl of dark cocoa is even detectable if you narrow your focus. This is the real deal.

Egyptian Temple Oudh: Smoky Egyptian oudh.
Thicker than honey, this beauty is a richly viscous precious gel. The scent starts out with bonfire smoke and a bit of that distinctive “barnyard” note that typifies genuine oudh, as well as the rubbery medicinal note (again, normal for true oudh). Slow to absorb into the skin, it gradually smoothes and deepens, and the notes become polished and gleaming with burning incense smoke languishing in the air. This is not the perfume of unlit incense; this is the thickly smouldering scent of resin incense combusting in a censer. Meditative, centering, peaceful.

I highly recommend going after this line before it’s gone forever. I am so impressed, and have bonded deeply with each oil on an emotional level.

Nocturne Alchemy<< Jump to visit store

Scented hugs,
-Erica

Santal Massoïa by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

June 17, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Liam

There is no secret that I dislike gourmand perfumes: I can’t stand them! But, there’s another side of myself that secretly adores the sort of gourmand that doesn’t make itself out to be one. Shalimar and L’Heure Bleue are considered gourmands to an extent, but perhaps because whilst they themselves are totally and utterly edible perfumes (Shalimar oscillates beautifully between incense oriental and vanilla dessert amazingly), they do not actively come across as perfumes designed to be eaten. This is where my distinction is drawn. I am a gourmand loving anti-gourmand fan, who happens to love vanillas, chocolatey patchouli and milky woods when they don’t market themselves as edible.

Santal Massoïa by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords: in one line:
Massoïa wood resin from New Guinea, coconut, peach, butterscotch, sandalwood, milk sweets, dried fruits

Jean-Claude Ellena (my favourite perfumer) has treated Santal Massoïa as a meditation on the characteristics of wood notes in perfume. ““There are linear, vertical woods like cedar, and others that are horizontal, round, supple and velvet-smooth, such as sandalwood and massoïa”. Ellena grapples the curvaceous facets of sandalwood and massoïa, and bolsters it to intensify comfort, like an embrace or a soft blanket. Gone are the vertical conventions of wood found often in masculine scents, as Santal Massoïa has been scrubbed down to reveal a genderless woods fragrance, with its apparent lightness an overall illusion.

The result then is a creamy creation, round and indirectly delicious, pushing Ellena’s trademark minimalism to the very edge, described by Chandler Burr as: “maximal minimalism”. Massoïa wood and sandalwood maintain inherent lactic qualities, cradled gently in a bath of warm milk and carmel. To add complexity, Ellena adds an additional dimension of florals and fruits, taking indolic creamy white florals (jasmine, and perhaps tuberose stripped of its carnal severity) with moreish fruits, such as apricots and the sweet skin of green figs. Together, this creates an encompassing impression of coconut and dulce de leche (custard), again, this is warm, decadent and skin-like. A sort of luminism with a clear depiction of calm, and a natural stillness creating beauty.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The sandalwood here is assertive and importantly doesn’t smell synthetic, opening with a tropical humid quality that at certain angles appears wet and nutty, with a tame oiliness. Thus, there are pleasantly pungent aromatic hits from time to time, which is nasally very pleasing and thankfully breaks the wooded monotony. Inviting yet distant, Santal Massoïa trails away with frothy lactic notes and a green fruitiness, but always pulls back into familiarity with gourmand impressions of creamy desserts and scintillating florals.

This fragrance becomes a very elegant second skin that moulds with the wearer and additionally with the seasons. It smells clean and inviting, with it smelling dense in nature but not heavy. I wear this for quiet periods and nervous moments, as I closely project a welcoming and warm presence.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Non Blonde
Hermès stores stock the Hermèssence range exclusively
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

What’s your second skin fragrance?

-Liam

Ainslie's Fragrant Cocktail Recipe’s

June 16, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Hello all,

Hope you are having a lovely week and are ready for some scent inspired cocktail recipes to help you on your merry way! These delicious cocktails are some of the ones I tasted recently in Melbourne at Galerie de Parfum’s cocktail and perfume masterclass in Myers Melbourne. Mixologist Justin Ryann Forsyth has been kind enough to provide the recipes we tasted on the night.

Ainslie’s Fragrant Cocktail Recipe’s

My recent APJ post shared the Empressa cocktail (Penhaligon’s) and last Saturday’s “drop in #1” shared with you Frapin 1270 and Keiko Mecheri Loukoulm

Today I am sharing with you two fresh and zesty scent inspired cocktails to help you feeling brighter and get the feeling that summer is somewhere on the horizon.

Gentlewoman (Juliette Has A Gun)

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Launched at the end of 2014, the “Eau de Cologne Parfum” and launch was reviewed for APJ. An Eau De Cologne for the “Dandy Woman” is not a typical cologne with its almond and coumarin notes energised by a strong and lasting citrus accord.

Here is Justin’s lovely sparkling citrus cocktail inspired by Gentlewoman:

10 ml Cointreau
10 ml Monin Blood Orange Syrup
10 ml Lemon Juice
10-15 ml Vanilla Syrup
5 ml Aperol
Rose Sparkling wine

Shake all ingredients vigorously over ice, double strain into a champagne flute, filling only about 2/5 of the glass. Top with sparkling wine of your choice (we used Chandon rose). Garnish with a spritz of orange blossom water and an edible flower if desired.

Batucada (L’Artisan)

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

The name of this fragrance is a style of samba from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and one spritz instantly provides some escapism and optimism in the depths of winter. Inspired by Brazil and its infamous caipirinha cocktail, notes of lime, mint and cachaca are combined with tropical ylang ylang and tiare flower, drying down with a salty-sour coconut note. I believe it is the coconut with citrus that makes this an enjoyable wear for winter. I had never thought to wear it in winter before the event, so thank you to Ricky and Lucy of Galerie de Parfums for shedding this light on it. (I now have it on rotation)

Justin served the cocktail with a roasted coconut rim, which provided an additional textural element. The magnificent barbequed pineapple flavor mixing with the rum had me on the beaches of Brazil in seconds! (hic!)

45 ml Appleton VX Jamaican Rum
30 ml lime juice
15 ml Sugar syrup
Shredded coconut
Barbequed pineapple

Add lime juice and sugar syrup to cocktail shaker, and then drop in a few cubes of grilled pineapple (or fresh if you prefer). Muddle until incorporated, then add rum and fill with ice. Shake hard for 7-10 seconds, and double strain into a short glass of choice, rimmed with coconut (toasted if you prefer). Garnish with a sprig of mint and a pineapple leaf if applicable.

Batucada and Gentlewoman can be sampled at Surrender To Chance<< Jump to them

Cheers!!

Perhaps you can experiment and try coming up with a cocktail of your favorite fragrance?

Xx Ainslie

Celebu-Pet GIVEAWAY WINNERS

June 12, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Heya APJ,

Woo Hoo! Another fabulous GIVEAWAY! You guys are so lucky. Thanks for getting involved and thanks for beiong a part of our APJ family.

Portia xx

Celebu-Pet GIVEAWAY

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink pepper, grapefrui
Heart: Vanilla orchid, passion flower, suede
Base: White amber, creamy musk, Madagascan vanilla, Haitin vetiver

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 ml decants of four of the perfumes mentioned in this post. Here they are in the order of my personal preference:
1) Fender’s Holiday Berry Kiss
2) Fender’s Rainforest Cologne
3) Taylor Swift’s Incredible Things
4) Jennifer Aniston Lovalie
(Hmmm…I seem to prefer pet perfume to celebuscents!)
P&H Anywhere in the world

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us about your favorite pet perfume, celebuscent or most recent fragrance adventure!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 11th May 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen amberinblunderland

JAYBEE

The winner will have till Sunday 14th May 2015 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.

Adam Levine for Women by Yann Vasnier 2013

June 11, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Poodle

Yes, I’m back with another celebrity scent this time by Adam Levine. I found it at a discounter so took a chance on a blind buy. I couldn’t name a Maroon 5 song if my life depended on it but I now know Adam Levine is the lead singer. I respect him for putting his name on a pretty good fragrance.

Adam Levine for Women by Yann Vasnier 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Saffron, citruses, marigold, spices
Heart: Indian jasmine, Australian sandalwood, rose petals
Base: Benzoin, vanilla

Before we even talk scent, how fabulous is the bottle? It’s inspired by a microphone. It’s young and fun and I wish I had it when I was 14. I am completely honest when I say if I had this back then I’d be dancing around my room singing into the darn thing. (I might even do that after I finish writing this.)

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

At first spritz I smell sandalwood and for a moment I think 10 Corso Como. It’s a fast burst and then other notes come into play. The note list makes me think warmer, spicy, heavy perfume, but on my skin this is not heavy at all but bear in mind not much is. I don’t smell marigolds (which smell a bit skunky to me) but rather a touch of saffron and I’m not sure what. I keep thinking coconut. I’m not a huge fan of coconut in perfume but I do like this suggestion of it. It could just be my nose distorting things. There is a brightness to the perfume but I never think “citrus” at any point during the development. Whatever the spices are in here they’re not dominant at all.

Sandalwood is always humming in the background and the jasmine, roses, and base notes are blended beautifully. No sour roses here. It’s not a beachy perfume yet somehow it makes me think of the beach on a cool summer evening. The jasmine is a little dirty. Maybe it’s the saffron and spice but there’s the smell of warm skin which is surprising to me. It’s not sweaty or skanky just a little sexy. I have to admit this is much better than I thought it would be. It’s not overpowering or long lasting on my skin but where it does get mileage is on clothing. Whatever I’ve been wearing while wearing Adam Levine for Her smells fabulous the next time I pull it out of the closet. The sandalwood and vanilla are really nice in this perfume. They’re probably completely synthetic but no matter, they smell great.

Photo Stolen Twitter

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
FragranceNet has $18/50ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Adam Levine for Her is easy to wear and I could also see this as a cuddle up scent. I’m pleasantly surprised by this perfume and find myself reaching for it when I want something that just smells good. Or when I want to sing into the microphone bottle.

Are you an Adam Levine fan?

Hugs
Poodle

S-ex by Christophe Laudamiel for S-perfume 2004

June 10, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Trésor

“Im a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.”

If you just so happen to be a 90s kid like me chances are you will recognize those lyrics from Aqua’s Barbie Girl, a song which was essentially the soundtrack to my childhood. Much like the synthetic starlet herself this Danish bubblegum electropop anthem immediately calls to mind one of my absolute favourite fragrances, a composition by Christophe Laudamiel for niche concept house S-Perfume called S-ex. Perhaps one of the most terribly fascinating and unconventionally beautiful fragrances in my collection.

S-ex by Christophe Laudamiel for S-perfume 2004

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Oxygen, salt, camellia, willow, skin musk, strawberry, baroque musk, white leather, black leather, pepper, nutmeg, bergamot, wheat, woodsy notes, malt, birch, patchouli, sandalwood, jasmine

I will admit, the opening sequence of S-ex was not an immediate affection for me and I can remember so vividly the very first time I sprayed it on my skin. A glacial surge of metallic ozone bursts forth from the atomizer, illustrating so viscerally a hyperborean landscape of frigid metal and ice. Soon though, this frozen thalassic vista begins to recede into the distance and the breathtakingly sensuous aroma of buttery leather begins to unfold and lend an unusually beautiful tactile, skinlike quality to the composition.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Beneath this narrative is where my reference to Barbie truly translates as the underpinning of this sumptuous leather is an accord not unlike the aroma of our darling doll’s trademark plastic. It’s an instant rush of nostalgia for me, and I’m certain for anyone else familiar with this particularly iconic smell. The nostalgia factor is only further reinforced by an rather curious note that to me smells of strawberry flavoured chewing gum that I was terribly fond of as a child. Though this combination sounds rather dissonant and peculiar, something about it is interesting and has kept me coming back again and again for years now. The longer the composition has to develop on the skin the more an astoundingly exquisite kaleidoscope of synthetic skin musks seems to develop and it is within this olfactory symphony that I find my greatest affection for the fragrance. The only way I can can think to explain this is to imagine dancing rays of lambent sunlight refracting haphazardly though the facets an intricately cut diamond. They seem as if they are ricocheting off of each other, ebbing and flowing into infinity. It is within the magnetism of this lustrous symphony that S-ex fades into the skin completely, leaving only delicate whispers of gossamer light in its wake.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The sillage on S-ex is respectable but not particularly loud and longevity is significant, closing out on my skin at around 10 hours. I will say, this is not a fragrance I would recommend buying blind as those anosmic to particular synthetic musks might not smell much of anything at all. S-ex also happens to be a fragrance I would wholeheartedly recommend every honest-to-goodness fume head try at least once for I genuinely believe it is a masterpiece in its own right.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Shrine
LuckyScent has $155/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

What fragrance would you recommend everyone try at least once?

Until next time!
Tresor xx

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