Curious by Claude Dir for Britney Spears 2004

December 23, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Katrina

Today I am reviewing my perfume of choice for exercising. I have so many cheap and cheerful celebrity scents that are perfect to use as a body spray. Do you wear perfume when you exercise and if so what is your choice? This year I have started doing hot yoga classes. It can get really smelly in there so I started wearing Britney Spears Curious to class to hide the bad smells. Curious is refreshing and uplifting which is what I need when I feel exhausted from the heat and exercise.

Curious by Claude Dir for Britney Spears 2004

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: fresh lotus, mouthwatering pear and magnolia.
Heart: tuberose, jasmine and pink cyclamen.
Base: musk, vanilla and precious woods

Curious is the first perfume from Britney Spears and Britney Spears perfumes are generally very good, Curious is no exception. The packaging of Curious looks great as well, with its blue glass bottle and dangly pink charm. You can get larger bottles of Curious with an atomizer that makes it so pretty and girly and would make a lovely gift. I think this would be very special to a teen girl and the perfume is perfectly suitable to that age group.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Curious opens with the distinct smell of fresh crisp pear. It is as cool and refreshing as the sparkling pear cider I crave after hot yoga. It feels light and breezy making it perfect for summer. There is also an aquatic element to Curious matching the gorgeous blue glass of the Curious bottle. Slowly the white florals emerge from the fragrance and they smell beautiful but not very strong. This is a good introduction to white florals for anyone new to perfume.

The strength and longevity of Curious is reasonably good until we get to the base notes. The soft sweet vanilla and musk smells lovely but fades away too quickly. Luckily by then I am home and showered after my hot yoga!

Photo Stolen Sam Lavy Flickr

Further reading: Now Smell This
FragranceShop has $14/30ml with Coupon
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml

If you are interested in more Celebrity Perfumes, check out my website at Celebrity Perfume Store

Happy holidays everyone!

Katrina xx

Here is the ad.

The destruction of Issaquah, WA, USA

December 23, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 43 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ,

During the winter holidays we enjoy our cut Christmas trees and evergreen bows fashioned into wreaths and swags. Evergreens brighten up the dark winter days, scent the dry air and bring the beauty of the forest into our homes. The City of Issaquah, WA USA, my home for over 35 years, prides itself on its concern for the forests and proudly announces on its website the designation by the Arbor Day Foundation as a “Tree City USA”.

The Arbor Day Foundation awards the “Tree City” designation to communities who “meet their core standards of sound urban forestry management”. Sadly, preserving old, established urban forests does not seem to figure into The Arbor Day Foundation’s idea of urban forest management or into the City of Issaquah’s permitting plan that allows for what is simply “clear cutting” of established forests within the city limits.

Earlier this year the acre of forest upslope from our home was sold to a developer and permitted for one large spec house. I had seen this man in action before as he clear cut another lot in the vicinity. I was concerned about the forest, potential run off and the habitat that would be destroyed. I approached the city several times with my concerns and was assured that they would be monitoring every step of the process and would preserve as many of the large trees as possible. HA!

As the old trees were felled and their roots were ripped out by backhoes I felt like I was experiencing a personal assault or a physical trauma. The smell of “tree blood” was almost overwhelming. Eventually two large logging trucks hauled away the remains of the huge cedars and firs. What I describe below in a letter to the city is not an isolated incident but has been going on in Issaquah for sometime now. I knew that this “permitted” destruction of forests and habitats was nasty and wrong but I just didn’t know how horrible it was until it literally happened “in my own backyard”.

Azar xx

(ED: Dear Azar. This makes me sad. I think it should be shared so people can get angry enough to stop it one day. P xxx)

The destruction of Issaquah, WA, USA

Hello,

Issaquah promotes itself as a “Tree City USA” and posts that information on its website. I would like to know what it means to be a “Tree City” and wonder how Issaquah can consider itself to be tree friendly.

Over the past three days the acre of old cedars and fir trees adjacent to our property was permitted by the city to be basically “logged off” by a developer. I’m sure a few of these felled trees were growing here well before our house was built in 1969. I spoke with the city several times before this happened hoping that, in line with the tree cutting permit process, some of these large, old trees could be preserved. All that the city was able to manage was the preservation of one large fir, several small acer macrophyllum and a small cedar.

Yesterday the air outside was thick with the odor of cedar and fir sap. Huge piles of logs and limbs were everywhere. A large female bobcat and two almost fully grown kits were running around our yard in fear and climbing our trees, while the backhoe on the adjacent lot ripped the cedar roots from the slope. The day before a large buck wandered through our property looking frightened and puzzled. The whole scene reminded me of the destruction depicted in Hayao Miyazaki’s animated movie Princess Mononoke. How can the city of Issaquah consider itself to be environmentally friendly when it allows this kind of habitat destruction?

According to Issaquah’s website it looks like, with the loss of this acre of trees, we will now have 13 more tons of dust and gas in the atmosphere. I know it is too late, that the damage has been done and cannot be repaired, but I think someone on the city staff should come out here and take a look at this mess before the developer hauls it away! I would like someone on staff to see what the permitting process allows to happen in “Tree City USA”.

Sincerely,
Azar

Tihota by Francis Kurkdijan for Indult 2006

December 19, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Chairman Meow

Hey APJ,

By the time I tripped over my signature bottle of Narciso Rodriguez and plummeted headlong down the proverbial rabbit hole, Indult was already an extinct house, and Tihota had already joined the ranks of Bigfoot and Chupacabra in acquiring mythical status. It was blogged about in hushed, reverent tones, but blogged about infrequently (presumably because of said status) and I knew very little about it, aside from it being a Gold Standard Vanilla [Perfume Posse Best of Vanilla List].

Indult Tihota by Francis Kurkdijan 2006

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the following accords in one line:
Vanilla, musks

Indult themselves are no more helpful, their website providing us with the following enigma in Engrish that even Hello Kitty would be huppy with:
“When the skin is « sugar » under the Polynesian sun: it’s an exotic marriage of muscs in fusion and infusion with the sensual vanilla pods”

So when news came of Indult’s resurrection, what choice did I have other than to do the perfumista’s equivalent of pitching a tent and queuing all night for Bieber tickets? I signed up for a split of the first available bottle of Tihota. But before I tell you what Tihota is all about, please indulge me whilst I tell you what it is not:

It is not the sozzled, macerated fruit compote of Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille.
It is not the incense smoked, clove studded orange pomander of Mona di Orio’s Vanille.
It is not the Cuban cigar laced with the fresh urine of herbivores, that is Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille.
It is not even the “straight up” vanilla touted by many.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Tihota is probably better described as a glamour shot of a vanilla, spray tanned in caramelised sugar and poised in front of a creme anglaise schmeared lens. From here, I wish I could offer you an intimate dissection of its various nuances, to describe, in licentious detail, the story of its top notes unfurling into a heart unfolding into a base, imploding into a crunchy tortilla shell, but it’s a pretty straightforward fragrance. The opening is the crack of the amber carapace of a creme brulee, with the first few seconds dominated a lightly burnt sugar, soon joined by a scrummy, velvety vanilla-flecked custard. And thus it remains, as immutable as an everlasting gobstopper, for hours.

Photo Stolen -Coral- Flickr

I will be the first to admit that I had been expecting a scent that was less literal an interpretation of a desert trolley and something more, shall we say, highbrow. But then I found myself wanting to gnaw at my hand in a slightly troubling, auto-cannibalistic fashion. I noticed that strangers, lips curled asunder, would sniff lustfully in my direction at the shops.

And I noticed that my decant was very quickly running out, and that I was day dreaming of a full bottle.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Ca Fleure Bon
LuckyScent has $200/50ml
Surender To Chance starts at $6/.5ml

Have you tried Indult? Old or new? Are you interested?
Chairman Meow

Eau des Merveilles by Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer for Hermès 2004

December 18, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by ElizaD

Holiday Greetings from the Emerald Valley! Here in Eugene, Oregon we have had the most extraordinary weather: it was sunny and bracingly cold, and then it started to snow. Snow in this valley is rare. When the weather gets like this, I always turn to one perfume, which I am wearing today. In fact, it will probably remain my scent of choice through Christmas. And here’s why.

Eau des Merveilles by Hermès 2004

Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, lemon, elemi
Heart: Amber, pink pepper, violet, pepper
Base: Fir, oakmoss, cedar, vetiver

Eau des Merveilles reminds me of fir trees, rum toddies and those chocolate oranges you can only find around here during the holidays. You know the kind–their yumminess is enjoyed by smacking the foil package against a table and eating the “sections”. The tradition in our family is to receive one in our stocking from “Santa”, and to enjoy it a bit at a time.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Eau des Merveilles opens with that amazing squirt of orange, which never fades throughout the wearing, it just gets warmer and saltier, like the smell of someone who has just come inside after playing outside in the cold. After a half hour or so, the wood notes start to appear, and while I often find wood notes to be screeching, they are again softened, this time by the oakmoss. To me the vetiver and violet are barely detectable, but perhaps they are what also give Eau des Merveilles its saltiness. I am just beginning to learn how different notes play off each other to make another completely different smell. There has been some discussion about whether this fragrance contains ambergris, a waxy substance produced inside of sperm whales as a response to irritants in their digestive tract, and as precious as pearls, but since I have never smelled ambergris, I couldn’t say. With or without it, I love this perfume for its veritable lack of flowers: the salt highlights the sweetness of the other notes the way a few grains sprinkled on an orange bring out its juicy sparkle.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

The whole package conspires to transport me into the snowy mountains, where I have spent many happy hours cross country skiing through the glistening snow amongst the same evergreens that are used in this perfume.

Eau des Merveilles has decent sillage and longevity and fades away to soft woods and amber after a few hours. I find that this scent is best enjoyed when I wear it on the back of my neck or behind my knees–I am able to wear many fragrances this way, even though I work in a public office where strong fragrances are not always welcomed. And until the weather warms and it starts to rain and the holiday festivities are over, I’ll be sprinkled with drops of marvelous water.

Photo Stolen Alex Flickr

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and The Non-Blonde
Beauty Encounter has $20/15ml
My Perfume Samples start at $3/ml

Have you tried and did you like Eau des Merveilles or is it something that doesn’t interest you?

ElizaD xx

Scents of an Australian Christmas 2013 + Recipe

December 17, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Christmas 2013 will be my first summer Christmas in 14 years. It’s already scorching and I am in a conundrum about what fragrance to wear on the day…its got to be lighter, brighter, cooler and less spicy than what works for Europe… and yet it needs to be perfect.

In colder climes it’s a time to rug up and reach for spicier, smokier, coniferous, wood and resin filled frags…for those of you out there in the cold this year, here is my hint list:

– Spicy Floral like Carnation by Comme De Garcons
– Frankincense, smoking, straight from a church is Tom Ford Sahara Noir
– For Frankincense, clove and red fruits, I would douse in Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir
– Fir/Pine/Woods – a woody gourmand, like Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice, which combines both the evergreens pine and fir and some gourmand sugary, vanilla odors
– Spicy, Clove and Herbal would be Pot Pouri by Santa Maria Novella. There is even something about this one that will help mask the hangovers, colds and flus of the season…perhaps a medicinal quality and a breath of health!
– Cinnamon and Ginger notes from 5 o’clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens
– Resinous and Smoky Myrrh, like Eu Sauvage – Dior

NB I have a feeling some of the above would also fair well, even on a hot Christmas day – see how you go!

Scents of an Australian Christmas 2013

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Australian Christmas smells include…pine, fir, cherries, raspberries, sunscreen, aftersun, leather (err cricket balls), salty air, coconut, mandarins, vanilla,, frangipanis, lemon merange, trifles, chocolate, mangoes, lychees, tropical fruits and flowers, melons, gardenias, honeysuckle, figs, dust, grasses and tropical summer storms…and the odd bbq!!

A few fragrances containing the above:

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Chanel Les Exclusif Bel Respiro feels to me like the end of a hot summer day, gives the feeling of showering and using after sun lotion after a day at the beach. It’s a gusty summer holiday house. Conjuring lots of green –grass and evergreen trees-fir/pine, some citrus, some crisp moisture as a cool breeze starts to take temperatures down…its definitely outdoorsy…I can almost hear the cicadas now….Oh, and a leather note

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche 2013 warm, sparkling sunshine, beach, sand between your toes, exotic and sensual this is my top choice for summer nights, hot dates, romance and Christmas parties. When I spray this, I melt…it’s HOT, glamorous and gorgeous – milky white floral, coconut oil, tropical flowers, neroli, and a touch of mandarin, something sweet and edible like caramel all combine. So many ‘Pacific Island” style fragrances smell too sweet, cheap and tacky – not this one

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Cacherel Scarlett From a retro white flacon, blasts a zesty summer, fruity floral fragrance containing jasmine, honeysuckle, citrus, pear and melon. It’s flirty. Drydown is very fruity and strong , good for an outdoor event- barbeque, a park picnic, something sporty, like Frisbee in the back yard.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Comme Des Garcons Amazing Green unisex, green and leafy, aquatic with spice and smoke, woody and fresh –an Australian Rainforest Christmas! When I sprayed this I got green and citrus, followed by a yummy first rain on bitumen/slightly smoky type of lingering scent. It’s fresh, yet smoky.

My gift to you: Here’s my fave fragrant recipe for Christmas Down Under

Mandarin Ice, with Lychees and Vanilla Ice Cream

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

625g can lychees
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
315g can mandarin segments
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier
¼ cup lemon juice
315g can mandarin segments (extra)

1. Put sugar and water into pan and stir over low heat until dissolved, boil uncovered for 3 minutes – allow to cool
2. put 1 can of undrained mandarins in blender and blend 1 minute- sieve
3. Add mandarin juice, lemon juice, and Grand Marnier to syrup, stir
4. Pour into tray, pop into freezer until set, stirring occasionally
5. Chill lychees and extra segments, drain and reserve syrup of lychees
6. Put lychees and segments into serving bowls with syrup spooned over
7. Flake mandarin ice with fork and spoon on top of lychees
8. Add scoop of vanilla ice cream

A Series Of Sandalwood Dreams: Jordan River on BaseNotes

December 17, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Guest Post by Jordan River

On ya APJ,

This is a night flight…

Fasten your web-belts dear readers. Tonight we are journeying across the web for A Series of Sandalwood Dreams. Let’s see if these dreams take us to a heightened sense of reality over the next 8 nights. Will you dream with me?

Perfume Observant readers may be able to sample something very special somewhere along this journey. Tonight we will meet Mr Purna who is so old that he now resides in the Pali Canon. Tomorrow we will visit The Perfumed Chamber, an ancient place shrouded in the mists of time. I have discovered that the remains of this chamber exist today. There will be clues as to how you can find recreations of The Perfumed Chamber in your own city, home town or village. After that we will explore the northern reaches of a continent that broke away from Gondwanaland many eons ago. We will be visiting perfume plantations and a thriving distillery which uses the principles of alchemy and modern science to turn your sandalwood dreams into reality.

We are starting with a mytho-historical story and this story begins over here at Basenotes…

Let’s go web-traveling.

A Series of Sandalwood Dreams
Basenotes – Part 1 – Myths and Legends

Photos Supplied by Jordan River

Moon Garden by Alexandra Balahoutis for Strange Invisible Perfumes 2006

December 16, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Maya

Hi APJ,

It’s become too cold for me. I love warm days and warm nights. I want a fragrance that makes me think of warmth and lovely places.

There is a waterfall in Hawaii that I love. It is not especially dramatic and I have seen others that are more beautiful, but I love it. It can be seen from very high up in a botanic garden and is in the jungle. I mentioned to a man in the garden how much I loved this waterfall.

Photo taken by Maya

As my daughter and I were leaving, this man was at the exit gate – we were the last to leave – and he asked if I wanted to go to the falls. Of course I said yes. I discovered that he was the owner of the botanic garden and of the land the falls are on. He had closed off the area of the falls to the public and unless you knew where to go, you wouldn’t find them. He told me where to drive and where to park and told me to go to a stone wall, climb over it and walk the path to the falls. It was in the late afternoon when we walked this path. It was surrounded by jungle growth making it semi-dark. The light that did come through seemed to almost shimmer. It was a bit spooky, so quiet and so still. While walking, I was getting constant and delicate whiffs of pikake, Hawaiian jasmine.

Moon Garden by Strange Invisible Perfumes 2006

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Jasmine, tuberose, African resins

Moon Garden opens with an awful note of kerosene. It hits you with a blast and lasts a very long minute or two. I think it must be the African resins – definitely not pleasant. I’m not sure whether this scent will work for me. Then, thankfully, the kerosene starts to weaken for the next 5 minutes or so. It is during this time that the pikake jasmine appears, but the kerosene note still overwhelms it. The kerosene finally quiets down, still popping out here and there, but it’s become friendly with the pikake jasmine. After about 10 minutes, it’s all but gone and the beauty of the pikake jasmine can show itself. This pikake jasmine is not the ethereal, first opening of the blossom, nor is it the last stage of the bloom when the decay has started. Moon Garden is a clean, not soapy, pikake jasmine in full bloom, at it’s pinnacle and takes me to the path to the waterfall.

Photo Stolen Danny Thompson Flickr

I wish it lasted longer than 4 hours on me, but it’s worth it to reapply and go through the opening to get to it’s beauty. It stays close and wafts wonderfully around you.

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Deborah Lawson
Strange Invisible Perfumes has $160/50ml EdP and $255/7.5ml Parfum
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/.5ml EdP

Do you have fragrances that remind you of beautiful places and special times?

Mayaxx

Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone 2005: Smells Like Christmas

December 12, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Post by Poodle

Smells Like Christmas Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone 2005

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Raspberry, pomegranate, plum, rhubarb, watermelon
Heart: Lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, rose, pink pepper, clove, olibanum, opoponax, guaiac wood
Base: Virginia cedar, patchouli, musk, amber

Pomegranate Noir is the only Jo Malone fragrance I own and I really do love it. It always makes me feel warm and cozy and somewhat happy but I never realized why until I wore it to work one day. Someone came by my desk and said it smelled like Christmas in the office that day. They were right. It did smell like Christmas and I was the source of the aroma.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

When I was younger I loved Christmas. I had many happy memories of it usually involving my favorite aunt. Aunt Wanda loved Christmas. She started shopping for Christmas on December 26th and had a collection of Santa Claus figurines that she displayed year round in her home. She put extra thought into finding everyone the perfect gifts as well. She never used pre-made bows; she bought ribbon and made her own. She was a large joyful woman and some would say she looked like what Mrs. Claus should look like. Sadly, she’s been gone for many years and Christmas just isn’t the same without her.

Photo Stolen Elizabeth Ellis Flickr

Pom Noir does smell like Aunt Wanda’s house during the holidays which is why it makes me smile. The fruity opening calls to mind the fact that she did a lot of canning and I get the smell of jams and spicy compotes that always lingered in the air in her house. Pomegranates were a favorite of hers as well. She’d also make those clove studded orange pomanders. A real Christmas tree was a must for her so the scent of evergreen was in the air and the wood burning stove added that warm cozy aroma that only wood can do. Her house really had that New England holiday feel to it. All of this is in Pom Noir. The florals never dominate and I barely notice they are there. It’s all spicy berries, evergreen, and warm wood. This is a comfort scent to me and it smells like my memories of Christmas.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

It’s definitely unisex and has pretty good lasting power on my scent eating skin. It lasts longer if sprayed on clothing. I don’t think it’s very sweet since the fruits are offset by the spices and woody notes.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Memory Of Scent
You can buy Jo Malone Products at many Department Stores
In Australia Essential Mall has a range of Pomegranate Noir online
Beauty Encounter has sold out of their bottles but have $5/2ml spray samples
Surrender To Chance start at $3/ml

I love the fact that Pomegranate Noir smells like the holidays to me but what perfume, if any, smells like the holidays to you?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope you all have a wonderful season and I wish all of you a very Happy and Fragrant New Year.

Poodle XXX

RICHARD LÜSCHER BRITOS Terroir 44°N 03°W EdP by Andy Tauer 2013

December 11, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Before we start please hop over to my piece on Olfactoria´s Travels for an introduction to Richard Lüscher Britos (RLB) and their fabulous natural perfumes.

Yuletide Greetings APJ Peeps

RICHARD LÜSCHER BRITOS (RLB)

Terroir 44°N 03°W EdP by Andy Tauer 2013

Photo Stolen Olfactoria´s Travels

RLB´s Terroir 44°N 03°W is drop dead gorgeous. Forget everything you ever knew about naturals. What is it with Swiss chemists? I know of two.
Albert Hoffman and Andy Tauer. They both created potions that last a very long time, whether used internally or applied externally. The average trip, olfactory or otherwise,
being between eight and twelve hours. Terroir 44°N 03°W lasts about ten hours. I was stunned. I thought naturals had a short life span. But this is a Tauer.

Andy says 44°N 03°W is free of any isolate and consists exclusively of essential oils, resins and absolutes. It includes wild mountain lavender harvested in the
The Cévennes, a mountain range in south-central France,hence the coordinates), black pine resin, the green fragrance of juniper, and of course, a hint of rose oil!
Thie lavender smells nothing like any lavender I have ever smelt. It´s fruity and herby and soft. Creamy, vanilla-y and lemony. I don´t start to even recognize lavender until a few hours into
the trip. (Check out Andy Tauer´s blog for an in-depth write up on his Cevennian lavender picking adventure.)

French mountain air. In a bottle. Stunning. Astonishingly divine. And no, it´s nothing like any Tauer I have ever tried.

http://www.richardlüscherbritos.com (You´ll need to brush up on your German folks!)

I had the honour of being invited to the launch for RLB by Andy Tauer and Vero Kern, followed up the next day by tea at Tauerville. Spoilt, I know. Here´s a few piccies.

May you have a peaceful holiday season, wherever you are.

Bussis under the mistletoe.
CQ

Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000

December 10, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello perfumed peeps!

Well, I had a totally different post planned for today but something happened fragrance-wise over the weekend that I felt compelled to share with you.

I became reacquainted with one of my old favourites. The sexy, sultry tuberose had been sitting in one of my drawers for ages, silver cap taken off as the bottle had leaked from time to time, looking forlorn and neglected. I spritzed some on Saturday morning and haven’t looked back since.

Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Freesia, incense, Chinese osmanthus, tamarind
Heart: Tuberose, iris, peony, orris root, arum lily
Base: Musk, cashmere wood, vetiver

Michael has been in my collection ever since I first tried it back in 2001. I was living in London with my brother and a friend. Most Saturdays we’d wander down to the local shopping centre at Brent Cross and we’d part ways for about half an hour or so before going grocery shopping at Tesco. They would look at useful stuff such as clothes and household goods and I’d go sniffing at Sephora and a department store, Fenwick’s. Once they’d come back, I’d annoy them for ages, wrists held aloft with the command: “Sniff!” It was on these sojourns that I first became acquainted with Creeds, Diors, Fracas and finally, Michael. I’d gladly take one of the textured camel spray blotters from the SA each visit and tuck in in my handbag. I sniffed and sniffed for months before I begged my brother to but me a bottle for my birthday.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The scent is powerful throughout its development and a complete sillage monster, which is exactly how I like it. It starts off with a big blast of tuberose, tempered with the bright sweetness of osmanthus and freesia. The lily appears and then the woody spices unfold, providing some depth to the heady tuberose core. It stays pretty much this way throughout its development.

I did say in a recent review that I thought Nasomatto’s Narcotic Venus is a poorer, albeit much higher priced, relation of Michael. I still stand by this claim. The main difference between them is that the spices are rounder here, whereas in Narcotic Venus, they feel more angular and almost metallic. If you have Michael, Narcotic Venus does seem like a bit of a extravagant frippery.

Photo Stolen July staff Sino Flickr

Needless to say, I love that I rediscovered this and that it remains part of my collection. There are naysayers though: Luca Turin and Tanya Sanchez gave a scathing review in Perfumes the Guide, and I concede that overspraying it could lean towards suffocation territory. But I think it is a lovely tuberose for the price point and it’s always been a compliment getter for me.

However, the thing I like about it most is that it was part of that old bastion of department store scents that took a chance and developed something with attitude and personality and very un-focus group like before Aquolina Pink Sugar and the sweet fruity patchouli things became the new normal.

Photo Stolen Filip Maljković Flickr

Further reading: The Scents of Self
Michael is available in most department stores and online discounters.
FragranceNet has it starting at $58.19/50ml (before coupon)
My Perfume Samples starts at $2.50/ml

So, have you tried Michael? What are some of the best department stores scents in your opinion?

With much love till next time,

M x
Michael Kors talks Signature Fragrance

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Contributors

Curious by Claude Dir for Britney Spears 2004

Curious by Claude Dir for Britney Spears 2004

The destruction of Issaquah, WA, USA

The destruction of Issaquah, WA, USA

Tihota by Francis Kurkdijan for Indult 2006

Indult Tihota by Francis Kurkdijan 2006

Eau des Merveilles by Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer for Hermès 2004

Eau des Merveilles by Hermès 2004

Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer

Scents of an Australian Christmas 2013 + Recipe

Scents of an Australian Christmas 2013

Mandarin Ice, with Lychees and Vanilla Ice Cream

A Series Of Sandalwood Dreams: Jordan River on BaseNotes

Moon Garden by Alexandra Balahoutis for Strange Invisible Perfumes 2006

Moon Garden by Strange Invisible Perfumes 2006

Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone 2005: Smells Like Christmas

Smells Like Christmas Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone 2005

Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000

Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000