Sunshine by Sidonie Lancesseur for Amouage 2014

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Post by FeralJasmine

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Originally from Musette on Perfume Posse: Sunshine, is that brightest gold!  It’s the summer sunlight as you emerge from a shaded canopy in a primeval forest, where darkness really does have its own backstory.  You can sense the spirits of Nature that have gone before but there is also a thread of new life that is woven within that forest and once you come out of the canopy the brilliance of the sun affirms that life.  Sunshine weaves all of those feelings into its composition – this is no sparkly little citrus, with a frilly sort of charm.  It’s a grounded, warm scent, with a core of burnished brightness…….

Sunshine by Sidonie Lancesseur for Amouage 2014

Warm Sun on Skin: Amouage Sunshine

Sunshine Amouage FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Artemisia, black currant, almond
Heart: Osmanthus, jasmine, magnolia, vanilla
Base: Juniper, patchouli, papyrus, white tobacco

This is a pretty perfume. From the rush of blackcurrant softened with almond and apricot (probably the davana and osmanthus),through the jasmine-floral musky heart, to the drydown of blond tobacco and an earthy touch of patchouli, this one is just plain pretty on me. I love warm florals, and this one is definitely warm. It has some fresh notes but they aren’t obnoxious. It is light. It sparkles and effervesces. It smells like spring. It comes in a bottle that reminds me of a yellow Chanel handbag that I once desperately wanted for most of a day (I got over it.) It lasts about four hours even on my skin, which means it would probably last eight on normal skin. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

unshine Amouage Sunshine Flowers danigeza PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Sure, I’ll take a bottle. It will be a nice addition to my summer line-up. And it costs what? Really??? Areyoufuckinkiddingme? You are trying to charge me 450 American dollars for this? I’ll give you $150. Okay, 200, I’ll throw in 50 for the bottle, and that’s my final offer. What do you mean, you won’t haggle?

So I will never own a bottle of this, as much as I want one. Like that brilliant Chanel handbag, I long for it but the value-for-money factor just isn’t there. I am not among the reviewers who think it’s an awful synthetic mess; I like it a lot. But I just can’t get my mind around the idea of paying that sort of money for it. At the end of the day, it’s a warm and pretty floral in a nice package. No more, no less.

Sunshine Amouage AlzirrSwanheartStock DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse
Libertine Parfumerie has $499/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/.5ml

What was Amouage thinking? What do you think?
FeralJasmine xxx

Pop Star Perfume Challenge

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Post by Trésor

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In lieu of my usual style of review I’ve decided to try something new this time around and take you guys on a little journey with me as I eschew my usual diet of niche obscurity and inky subversion for something a bit different. Instead I’ve decided to take 5 days to explore an area of fragrance which has become a bit maligned within the fragrance community: the pop star perfume. Here we go!

Pop Star Perfume Challenge

Fame

Day One: “Fame” by Lady Gaga (2012)

What I find so fascinating about Fame is what an incredible departure the actual composition itself is from the flacon in which it is contained. Judging from the inky black fluid and particularly aggressive, claw-like cap one would be coaxed into thinking that upon pressing the atomizer they would be met with a rather subversive brew but that’s simply not the case at all. Jammy apricots doused in saccharine sweet honey, bathed in the gentle aura of incense holograms and swirling tendrils of saffron spice. I’ve found this little potion rather pleasant to wear and I can see myself exploring it further in the future.

FragranceNet has $9/10ml RollerBall

Killer Queen Spring Reign

Day Two: “Killer Queen: Spring Reign” from Katy Perry (2015)

I actually purchased a bottle of Killer Queen: Spring Reign just for the packaging alone, I thought the facets of the jewel-like bottle reflected light in the most lovely way; dancing off the edges of the glass in lambent pirouettes. I am saddened to to say, however, that I didn’t have the same affection for what was contained inside. On my skin Killer Queen: Spring Reign reads very much as a functional fragrance, something that is in my humble opinion better suited to a fabric softener or shampoo; laden with screeching laundry musks and nondescript candyfloss florals. Though the formula isn’t without beauty, graced with a delicate flourish of may rose, I found that on my skin it registered at a rather jarring pitch that remained present the majority of its life on my skin.

FragranceNet has $19/50ml

M

Day Three: “M” by Mariah Carey (2007)

I will admit right now, M by Mariah is one of my absolute favourite celebrity fragrances and one I have worn consistently since its launch back in 2007. I would easily count it among my roster of favourite comfort scents. Before you take away all of my fumehead street cred, do try to remember that it was authored by Carlos Benaim who’s also responsible for gems like Frederic Malle’s Eau de Magnolia and A Lab On Fire’s Liquidnight. M opens on the skin in a delicious, beautifully confectionary cloud of toasted sugar and unctuous marshmallow. Delicate threads of creamy gardenia weave throughout and a gossamer haze of salty skin musks that cascade gracefully upon tendrils of luminous incense.

FragranceX has $23/50ml

Incredible Things

Day Four: “Incredible Things” by Taylor Swift (2014)

First impression: Boy, is this ever sweet! Sweet and rather sharp but beneath this visceral flashbang of neon saccharine there is something that I find so incredibly comforting. It takes me a few minutes to recalibrate and begin to decipher just what that is. Dewy grapefruit makes way for a dense, oozing vanilla and unexpectedly…suede! A genuinely lovely, buttery soft suede hidden beneath layers and layers of tooth-aching sweetness. Did I mention that it’s sweet? There is a tender current of coconut running throughout as well which calls to mind the fragrance of vintage tanning oil. The dry down of this little potion also takes a rather unexpected twist, beneath the expected menagerie of clean musk and crystalline amber there is a twist of vetiver! How unusual for a fragrance of this nature. I look forward to wearing this again and seeing what other surprises it may have in store.

Amazon has $41/50ml

Truth or Dare

Day Five: “Truth or Dare” by Madonna (2012)

Now this one, this one I like a lot! I am actually on my second bottle. Truth or Dare from Madonna is easily another of my favourite celebrity fragrances and if I am being absolutely honest it’s one of my favourite tuberose fragrances as well. Right out of the gate Truth or Dare captivates with one bloody gorgeous aria of voluptuous, dewy tuberose underscored by an exquisite gardenia; so creamy that you can almost imagine the glorious tactile sensation. Lush jasmine emerges from beneath, her essence in fusion with glistening droplets of oozing benzoin that dance sensually in radiant sunlight. Her last moments on the skin are spent as a plush cloud of warm, vanillic musk. I’d easily recommend this to any lover of tuberose. Top marks for Truth or Dare.

FragranceNet has $24/Gift set

To sample these fragrances try My Perfume Samples

Would you take the Pop Star Perfume Challenge? What fragrances would you choose?
Trésor xx

vero.profumo. Aficionados

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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vero.profumo. aficionados. Shared thoughts.

“Vero Kern is one the real gems of the perfume world. She is an amazingly talented and inspiring woman who proves that you can make your dreams a reality at any age. Her perfume line, Vero Profumo, is a master-class in excellence and demonstrates the way perfumes used to be made, but rarely are now.”

TARA SMITH. Olfactoria´s Travels

vero.profumo. Aficionados #1

“Vero’s fragrances honour the classics while having a strong identity of their own.”

“My first encounter with Vero’s fragrances was a couple years ago in Milan, around the time she introduced Mito at Pitti Fragranze (in Florence). I had been wanting to try Rubj for quite a long time (I had even pondered -insane me- to purchase it unsniffed), so I headed straight to a small but smartly stocked perfume shop which I knew carried the line. I was a bit puzzled by Rubj because it was not what I had been expecting (a few days later I realized we had mistakenly sampled Onda for Rubj!) but was amazed at its complexity. There was something extremely compelling in that dirty almost fetid aroma that kept my wrist glued to my nose, it felt almost perverse.
Some days later, at Pitti, I was finally able to meet the creator herself and sample the whole of her line and, after a few wearings of each sample, Kiki chose me. I didn’t want to love it. A lavender? Something so lacking in drama? Something my father wore? But Kiki grabbed me and refused to let me go and I became fascinated by it. I had never before found a fragrance I felt so represented by if it makes any sense. I felt like someone had distilled me 🙂

I affectionately use the word “chanchito” when referring to Vero’s fragrances (chancho = pig). That naughty dirtiness that is both repelling and compelling.
Though I am not too often complimented on my Veros, when I am, I find the compliments come from people with an artistical background who notice and appreciate them: the opera lovers, the ballerinas, the actors, the film directors.
These are perfumey perfumes but they meld with the skin in a special way, becoming something infinitely more powerful than either the perfume itself or my skin.. When worn, they seem to radiate from within, like an aura. I love the fact that they smell rich and substantial, yet not “in your face” or agressive.
There are a few -VERY few- other lines I feel a special affection for but this was as if I had discovered a whole new dimension.
They have soul and body (and most definitely sex), they are perfumes for those who aren’t afraid of their own bodies.”

CARO. Té de Violetas May 2015

vero.profumo. Aficionados #2

vero.profumo. Aficionados #3

“I will swear on a pile of ripening passion fruit, ravaged roses and caramel-drenched lavender that Vero Kern is an addictively fabulous olfactive pornographer. In Spring 2013, I was asked by the Scottish Poetry Society to curate nine poems to nine fragrances. One of these just had to be Vero’s extraordinary Onda, still my fetish VP scent. I married it to one of the most poignant poems of the 20th century, ‘For My Lover Returning To His Wife’ by the doomed and torn Anne Sexton, a woman driven by desire and the rollercoaster shocks of life and love. Of the nine scents, there was only ever one I was going to wear. I wore Onda on the night, my skin drunk on sex in the truly beautiful setting of the Victorian Palm House of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. When Vero knew I would be wearing Onda and writing on her perfume, she very kindly sent me a bottle of her divine Onda Extrait as a gift to wish me luck. It was a heartstopping gesture. I wore the two strengths together. On the night, people inhaled me greedily, dirtily. It was glorious.”

THE SILVER FOX. 12 May 2015

vero.profumo. Aficionados #4

vero.profumo. Aficionados #5

FREDDY ALBRIGHTON. May 2015. Tattoo Artist. No words needed.

“I’ve tried to write about Vero’s work for the past few years but I feel like I haven’t quite gotten it right. Reviewing the individual perfumes is a start, but there’s a bigger picture when I look at her entire body of work. I recognize how beautiful her perfumes are, but it’s more than beauty. How is it that all of her perfumes have such a strong effect on me? And why can’t I put my finger on why her work is so significant to me?

The real question is why on earth I would fret over these details. The fact is that I’ve found the perfumer whose work speaks to me like no other. I might not be able to put words to it, but I’ve found the artist whose work strikes something deep in me and inspires my spirit. The artist and the audience seek each other out, but it’s rare to find such a good fit. I’ve learned to stop worrying and love Vero.”

JTD JTD. Scenthurdle May 2015

vero.profumo. Aficionados #6

“New Year´s Eve 2012. I had a small vial of Rubj EdP. I had been saving it since the autumn. The rest is history. The sociality I share with the above people
has come to be through our mutual love of .vero.profumo.. Perfume is the common interest – Vero Kern´s perfumes the connection. Vero creates with heart, honey
and passion. A piece of her soul in every creation. To some it speaks. The collection from Vero Kern is an olfactory piece of art, each fragrance representing a different part
of the picture. My painting is nearly finished. I am often asked if I have a favourite. Today it is the Mito Extrait. Tomorrow?”

CQ APJ contributor May 2015

vero.profumo. Aficionados #7

First In Fragrance has the vero.profumo range
LuckyScent does too
Surrender To Chance has samples of quite a lot of the range

Rubj Tuesday Bussis
CQ

Mardi Gras by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015

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Post by Azar

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In 2011 Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids sent me a very unusual gift, two 15 ml prototypes of one of her best selling fragrances. The bottles were labeled Version #1 and Version #3. For whatever reason these perfumes had not made the cut and had never been offered for sale.

Version #3 was a beautiful honeyed citrus with plenty of sandalwood and amber. #1 was also a honeyed fragrance but much louder and more angular, opening with a sharp, synthetic, edgy orange blossom, progressing to a heart of dark, earthy labdanum/cistus/honey and drying down over several hours to a musky, slightly cheesy, animalic civet and amber. I fell in love with Version #1 and so did my husband.

While very different from and not quite as skanky as that quintessential “parfum de puta” – Tabu, Version #1 was definitely in the same league. As far as I knew no one else was wearing this prototype dazzler and I began to consider #1 my personal, one of a kind fragrance.

Late last year Olympic Orchids (with a little prompting) reconsidered the possibilities of Version #1. Ellen toned down the slutty first impression with natural orange blossom and neroli, smoothed and reinforced the cistus with benzoin and tweaked the animalic dry down. The new fragrance, aptly named Mardi Gras, debuted in early 2015.

Mardi Gras by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015

Mardi_Gras Olympic OrchidsPhoto Stolen Olympic Orchids

Olympic Orchids gives these featured accords in one line:
Orange blossom, neroli, cistus, benzoin, vanilla, civet and special musk blend.

Mardi Gras is a much more sophisticated, refined and wearable scent than Version #1. She is a southern belle who has managed to retain the dark magic of her native New Orleans. Of the two fragrances Mardi Gras is probably the better perfume, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for her brazen older sister.

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
Mardi Gras is available online at Olympic Orchids in 1ml or 30ml

Azar xx

Giveaway Kesha&CoPhoto Stolen Kesha&Co

Mardi Gras GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2 ml decant of the new Mardi Gras
1 x 1 ml decant from my bottle of Version #1
1 x mystery sample of a dark and musky perfume oil
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me (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 tried Olympic Orchids new Mardi Gras fragrance or about your favorite “parfum de puta”!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 28th May 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 Sunday 31st 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.

Ella perfume oil by Phoenix Botanicals

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Post by Erica Golding

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Warmly fragrant greetings to all of my scented loves out there, I hope these words find you well and swimming in a beloved gorgeous aroma today!

I don’t wish to sound conceited, but I must proclaim that I am appreciating this precise zone of scent euphoria on this fine morning. You know that magnetic pull, when you anoint your skin with a precious potion and you just can’t stop huffing your wrist constantly? That’s the pure pleasure of my choice today, the all-natural and extremely limited:

Ella perfume oil by Phoenix Botanicals

ella-phoenix-botanicals EtsyPhoto Stolen Phoenix Botanicals @ Etsy

Phoenix Botanicals @ Etsy gives these featured accords in one line:
Galbanum, vintage Hyacinth, Tahitian Gardenia, Ylang Ylang, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Clove, Vanilla, Tobacco, Sweet Clover, vintage Vetiver, vintage Hay, sustainable Sandalwood, Moss.

Ella is a rare example of natural perfumery in its highest art form. I’m hardly able to withstand the intensity of my bliss with each inhale! This perfume was created using a treasure trove of vintage essences dating back as far as the 1920s. The effect is modern and timeless all at once, a young dewy maiden rocking her grandmother’s silk scarf and looking way too goddamn gorgeous!

And the fragrance – oh, it is just astonishing. The first impression wet on the skin is of richly bohemian, luxurious oakmoss. If you love resonant oakmoss at the base of your tender florals, Ella is seriously your holy grail! As the essences sink in and meld with the skin, the serene blossoms begin to unfurl and reveal their innocent brilliance. A lightly sweet bouquet releases fluttering petals into the warm late spring atmosphere, highlighted by darling hyacinth and accented with the nectar of white flowers. A hazy, languishing hum of sweet dried grasses softens and deepens the perfume. It is in this stage that I am transported to a windless hot summer noon, with bits of hay and clover tangled in a playfully tousled mane.

ella-phoenix-botanicals hay-bales drozdzok PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

The musky smoothness of genuine sandalwood unites the composition, helping to extend the pleasure of a divine beauty that would be ephemeral otherwise. The wearlength of this natural tranquility is impressive to say the least – the vintage, aged absolutes cast a lingering spell indeed.

I highly recommend experiencing this masterpiece while you still have the chance. Ella was composed as a one-time formulation, and once she sells out, she is gone forever. Some of my other favorites from Phoenix Botanicals include the charming jasmine of Night Bloom, the tropical moonlit breath of Ka Pueo (The Owl), and the simple ecstasy of Triple Vanilla.

Phoenix Botanicals @ Etsy has Ella samples from US$10

Thank you for indulging me with your attention, much love to you all. Have a spectacular day, happy scenting!

Erica Golding XoX

NEW APJ Beauty Editor: Night Cream

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Post by A F Beauty

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(ED: Please welcome our newest member of the APJ Family, APJ Beauty Editor: A F Beauty)

Night Cream

There are two types of people in the beauty world; sniffers and feelers. Here’s how you know which you are. Imagine, you are in a beauty emporium and in haste you have agreed to try a new wonder crème. Following a brief sales pitch, a blob of crème will be applied to the back of your hand and the assistant will gently sweep your skin and offer your hand back to you. A sniffer will, without second thought, lift their hand to their nose and hope to smell something that reminds them of indulgence. A feeler, will follow the sales assistant with a further touch of their hand to experience the texture of the crème applied.

L’Oreal Revitalift Laser X3 NIGHT

revitalift-laser-x3-night-cream-maskPhoto Stolen LorealParisAU

Now I am assuming you fumies are sniffers, like me! Smell is important, nay critical I’d guess. But fellow sniffers, you must, for the sake of your skin, learn also to touch and feel, especially now, as seasons are changing, you will probably have noticed your skin is starting to feel different. Down here in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s getting cold. I felt, it seemed overnight, my skin feeling and looking dry. My skincare routine was letting me down! There are options, change cleanser, serum, day or night cream, but I’ll argue your quickest fix is a different night cream. My present favourite is L’Oreal Revitalift Laser X3 NIGHT. They have to draw attention to NIGHT in case you accidentally think night means day!

 

The texture is one of the most unusual I’ve found, a thick cream but with a slight jelly like texture and appearance that settles back to perfect evenness by the time you come back to the jar the following night. I’ve wondered, but not yet investigated, whether it has similar properties to Astalift Jelly, now only available in Asia – tell me if you know! Now I lack sophistication in describing smell, to me it smells like chemical flowers, which I know sounds hideous, but it’s not overly offensive and once on, I can’t notice it.

It’s definitely thick and takes a while to settle in. You’d not tolerate it as a day cream, but just before bed is fine. Even 20 minutes after applying my skin feels slightly greasy and almost velvety to the touch as it sinks in, but sink in it will and what I particularly like is no oily residue on my skin in the morning.

Since reverting back to this a fortnight ago, I’ve already noticed much less dryness in my skin and it has become a key part of my winter routine. Don’t underestimate your night cream, the right amount of moisture helps tackle those fine lines from drying skin, it provides the best base for make up as well as keep your skin looking bright without makeup. I’d love to hear whether you’ve used this cream or whether you have a different favourite.

Next time: Bright Lipstick!

Galerie de Parfum: Niche Winter Perfume and Cocktail Masterclass: Photo Essay

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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Galerie de Parfum in Myer Melbourne held Australia’s first niche Perfume and Cocktail Masterclass in May. The event paired niche winter fragrances with bespoke cocktails designed by passionate mixologist Justin Ryann Forsyth. I travelled to Melbourne especially as it sounded like far too much fun!

Ainslie Booze frags #8

Ainslie Booze frags #14

Ainslie Booze frags #1a

Ainslie Booze frags #10

Guests experienced fragrances whilst tasting the partnering cocktails. Presenters Lucy Borland, Training Director and Ricky Katyal, Business Development Manager for Galerie De Parfum explained the fascinating history of niche, the fragrance wheel and seasonal fragrances in focus.

Ainslie Booze frags #13

Ainslie Booze frags #11

Galerie de Parfum

Niche Winter Perfume and Cocktail Masterclass

Cocktail/Fragrance Menu:

– L’Artisan- Batucada lime, Jamaican rum, fresh muddled barbequed pineapple with roasted coconut rim. The beaches of Brazil inspired the fragrance, like a holiday in a bottle.

Ainslie Booze frags #3

– P. Frapin & Cie -1270 combined intoxicating Drambuie honey scotch, whisky, lillet rouge and orange. Frapin first planted vines for champagne and cognac making in 1270, making them the oldest family run business in the world. The gourmand and woody fragrance proved popular with guests.

Ainslie Booze frags #1

– Keiko Mecheri – Loukhoulm contained chocolate and cherry liqueur, amaretto, almond syrup, Campari and orange. The fragrance itself is inspired by Turkish delight and has notes of almond -a flawless selection for dating.

Ainslie Booze frags #7

– Juliette Has A Gun- Gentlewoman champagne based, with peach liqueur, aperol, lemon and orange blossom to capture the Eau De Cologne style perfume which has a surprise additional note of almond.

Ainslie Booze frags #2

– Penhaligon- Empressa dry brut based with muddled strawberry, lemon and vanilla. Already a seasonal hit, Empressa has recently launched in Australia. Classed as a woody oriental – Chanel Mademoiselle fans will undeniably love.

Ainslie Booze frags #6

Empressa Cocktail:
60ml Belvedere Vodka
30ml Lemon Juice
30ml Vanilla syrup
1/2 muddled strawberry
Place strawberry in bottom of cocktail shaker, add vanilla syrup and lemon juice. Muddle strawberry thoroughly until liquid becomes pink and small bits of strawberry are visible. Add vodka. Fill with ice, and shake hard for several seconds until ice softens. Single strain into crystal champagne flute filled with ice. Pour only half way up, and fill the rest with chilled sparkling wine. garnish with a strawberry slice and a red striped straw.

Alongside the theatrics of cocktail making, fashion blogger and illustrator Alexia Petsinis demonstrated her fascinating artistry skills, illustrating live, the exquisite bottle packaging of niche fragrances – with Loukhoum and Batacuda as her subjects. Absolutely amazing, I promise to write more on her soon!

Ainslie Booze frags #15

Ainslie Booze frags #4

Ainslie Booze frags #5

Ainslie Booze frags #16

Each guest left with a generous niche goody bag and cocktail menu booklets. The majority of guests made purchases from the hand picked niche selection – taking with them a special keepsake of the night.

Ainslie Booze frags #9

As you can see from the pictures, it was well worth the trip! Stay tuned for some fragrant cocktail recipes you can make for yourself over the next few weeks on APJ

Ainslie

All photos Donated by Ainslie Walker

Arabian Horse by Pierre Guillaume for Parfumerie Générale 2012

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Post by Holly

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Situated in a picturesque cobblestoned mews in the heart of London is the Ross Nye Stables. As a young girl, I spent two glorious years there learning manners, comportment in every situation, sensitivity and of course, how to ride. I was hooked, and fifty years later I am still captivated by these noble animals. I love to watch the elegance and refinement of dressage, the thrilling speed of the Triple Crown. I can sense the rough-and-tumble of buzkashi, I sigh over images of kohl-eyed Arabs racing their thoroughbred stallions across the desert. When I want to experience all of that at once, there’s this:

Arabian Horse by Parfumerie Générale 2012

Arabian Horse by Pierre Guillaume

Arabian Horse Parfumerie Generale FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green notes, wildflowers, narcissus
Heart: Musk, cypriol oil (nagarmotha)
Base: Woody notes, amber

It’s a beautiful spring day, and we’re feeling frisky. Let’s go for a ride!

Arabian Horse opens with a high-spirited burst of slightly animalic leather. It’s raw, warm and unpolished, reminiscent of leather goods in a Middle Eastern bazaar. Within a minute or so of leaving the paddock, flashes of bright wildflowers appear in a meadow that is dotted with bales of green hay. Some of the blooms smell dazzlingly spicy and sweet, somewhat like carnations but denser, richer and almost syrupy like a fine attar. I’m not familiar with nagarmotha, but I suspect that is what this scent is. Vibrant yellow narcissus dot the landscape, and as we gather speed the scenery flashes past and each note is experienced briefly and separately in dazzling pops of exuberance, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye. Thrumming underneath is the low hum of leather warming, and faint wisps of musk and sweet honeyed amber radiate out from our now-sweating steed.
After a while, the landscape changes and the narcissus are more bountiful and the other wildflowers are mere specks dotting the fields. The narcissus beckons, glowing in the sunlight, and we slow down to enjoy the view and the damp greenish-gold honeyed scent. Dappled woods are seen on the horizon, and the scent of cedar is faintly detected when a breeze blows across the meadow. Our horse’s coat is gleaming underneath the leather saddle, and the musky note is a velvety vanilla balm.

Arabian Horse Parfumerie Generale Arab horse WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Before turning for home, we approach the woods. The sun is starting to set, and we’re drawn to the calm shadows underneath the trees. After a full day soaring over the hills and meadows, we’re ready to bask in the calm that comes after an intense and exhilarating ride. The scent of cedar is astringent and restorative and in its presence we gather the strength to make our way back home. It’s been a glorious day.

Arabian Horse has excellent sillage and longevity, but is not overpowering. It is incredibly well-blended, and the progression of the notes is smooth and elegant, each phase lasting for hours on me. The name conveys everything you need to know about the spirit of this fragrance. It’s simultaneously unrestrained and yet firmly grounded. There’s an exquisite tension combined with a sense of expansion that is deeply sexy. I think that both men and women would be comfortable wearing Arabian Horse in any season, in any venue, from dawn ‘til dusk.

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon and Now Smell This
Parfumerie Générale has €260/100ml
Surrender To Chance has $8.50/ml

Arabian Horse Parfumerie Generale pierre-guillaume Ca Fleure BonPhoto Stolen Ca Fleure Bon

If horses aren’t your thing, you can always be inspired by pics of the creator of Arabian Horse, Pierre Guillaume.

Arabian Horse Parfumerie Generale pierre-guillaume  BeauteTestPhoto Stolen BeauteTest

Have you found a fragrance that just makes you feel expansive, unrestrained and free?
Holly x

Tihota GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Another great GIVEAWAY APJ! How lucky are we all. Thanks Val for making the magic happen. Let’s see who our winner is.

Portia xx

Tihota GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Tihota Indult FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vanilla, musk

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x decant from Val’s Tihota bottle
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 a favorite vanilla fragrance or food

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Friday 15th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org

giveaway-winners quiltelegancePhoto Stolen quiltelegance

Empliau

Kandice

Angie

Anka

The winners will have till Tuesday 19th 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.

Sweet Anthem GIVEAWAY WINNER

Hiya APJ,

Thanks for getting involved in another wonderful GIVEAWAY! Thanks to Sweet Anthem and Azar for organising.

Portia xx

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Sweet Anthem GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Complete set of 1 ml of the Enchanted Fragrances
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 a favorite fairy tale character and a perfume he/she might wear

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 14th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Winner Is amberinblunderlandPhoto Stolen amberinblunderland

rincoglionita

The winners will have till Monday 18th 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.