Sandra

Hiccups, Perfume and a Winner

/ Sandra / 32 Comments

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Sandra

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Hiya APJ! Anybody smell anything wonderful recently?

First things first, the winner of the Neela Vermeire Creations sample pack is AnnieA. Congratulations! Please get in touch with Portia with your address at portia (_) turbo (@) yahoo (.) com (.) au so that I can get your package out to you.

Hiccups, Perfume and a Winner

Stress?! Did somebody say STRESS? I am not one for coping well with stress so I have decided to call it hiccups. I am a creature of habit and when I get thrown a curveball or two or twelve, I start to fall apart. Continue reading →

Neela Vermeire Creations: Summer Vacation Memories + GIVEAWAY

/ Sandra / 51 Comments

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Sandra

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Hey there APJ! How have you all been doing?

Summer has gone by in a flash here. The schools only have six weeks of vacation which in my mind is too short. That aside, it was a fantastic summer here in the Netherlands with high temperatures and no rain. You see, I love the heat and sunshine.

Neela Vermeire Creations

So, in order to get my yearly fix of heat and sunshine I flew with my son to Atlanta to visit my parents and see family and friends. I decided to travel with a couple of Neela Vermeire Creations perfumes.

Continue reading →

Musc Immortel by Atelier des Ors: Midsummer Nights

/ Sandra / 12 Comments

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Sandra

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Hey there APJ! How are you doing?

Summer vacation has finally arrived in The Netherlands and this year we are blessed. The weather is so warm and sunny that we are in fact in a mini drought. Every day we are greeted in the mornings with the birds’ love songs and then we are rewarded with the musical chorus of crickets chirping in the evenings. This has been a truly stunning summer so far.

Atelier des Ors: Musc Immortel

Continue reading →

Shalimar Eau Legérè Parfumée by Guerlain: Summer Dessert

/ Sandra / 14 Comments

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Sandra

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Hi there APJ?

How have you been?

I don’t know about you, but it has taken me years to come to fully appreciate Guerlain’s Shalimar and some of its flankers. I am not sure what put me off of it for so long, but about a year and a half ago it was as if a light switch went off in my head. The mental block was lifted and I started to savor the current version of the EdP. Continue reading →

Bruma + Mortel by Maison Trudon 2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

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Sandra

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Hello dear APJ readers. How are you all doing?

Life is quiet here at the moment. Loving the routine and no added stress this week. As I sit and write this post, the sun is shining and the sky is a brilliant blue. The trees and bushes are starting to bud and as I walk around doing all of my errands each day, I stop and smell flowers along the way. Not much is out yet, but give it a couple of weeks and it will be gorgeous. Continue reading →

Monbloom by Ramon Monegal 2016

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

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Sandra

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Hey there dear APJ readers! How are you doing?

There comes a time in February when I can start to feel the seasonal changes that are about to come. Let me try to explain. Since November, we leave the house in the dark in the morning. It is still dark when we get to school and only after I leave the school do I see the sunrise. Well, this past week (first week of February) we saw the sun rise Continue reading →

Finishing a Bottle – To Repurchase or Not…

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 54 Comments

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Sandra

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Hi there APJ! How are you doing?

We are two weeks into the new year and I am feeling the January blues. After all of the merrying, socializing and festive lights, I feel down with the grey weather, short days and routine. This happens every year and I know it will pass soon. In order to get myself out of my funk I do a bit of tidying up and organizing. Sounds weird I know. But after I get through the general house cleaning, stowing away all the Christmas decorations and getting back into the school rhythm, I like to get into my perfume closet and shuffle things around a bit.

Finished bottle replacements Ann Larie Valentine Party mess FlickrFlickr Continue reading →

Eau de Velours by Michel Almairac, Mylène Alran for Bottega Veneta 2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

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Sandra

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Happy New Year dear APJ!

Wishing you all a healthy, happy and safe 2018. 2017 was a turbulent year for many and I hope that the new year will show us a kinder side.

We spent the holidays with my folks in town. It has been wonderful having them here and my son has enjoyed the extra attention. We have been blessed with an extraordinary mild winter so far and I can only hope that continues.

I gifted my mum the new Bottega Veneta Eau de Velours and I find myself sneaking a spritz or two here and there. It is such a surprise for me that I love this one so much. The original Bottega Veneta was not a huge love – it was far too creamy for me.

Eau de Velours by Bottega Veneta 2017

Eau de Velours by Michel Almairac, Mylène Alran

Eau de Velours Bottega Veneta FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accord:
Top: Bergamot, pink pepper
Heart: Rose, jasmine, plum, spices
Base: Patchouli, leather

The first impression of the deep burgundy (leaning towards purple) bottle tied with a velvet ribbon makes me think that a luxurious perfume awaits me.

First sprayed, it starts out with a fresh blast of bergamot. It is quite refreshing but moves along quickly turning a bit spicy, rosey and plummy, with just a hint of leather in the background. I personally love the plum and spices because it reminds me of certain aspects of vintage Shiseido Feminite du Bois with its rich and deep plum note. Most fresh plums I have eaten have been rather tart in taste with only a hint of sweetness that could have been had it been left on the tree to ripen. The plum note in Eau de Velours is not juicy, nor is it sweet – it is slightly tart at the beginning. Then the plum is mixed with the intense rose and floral notes. Speaking of floral notes, the Bottega Veneta website says that Eau de Velours includes iris butter. Personally, I do not detect any iris butter, but hopefully others will experience the iris.

Eau de Velours Bottega Veneta edro_de_Camprobín_Still_Life_of_Iris,_Lilies,_Roses_and_Carnations_In_Elaborate_Urn WikiMediaWikiMedia

The rose accompanies me from first spray all the way to the late dry down. It is a lovely deep and velvety dark rose with the natural scent of actual rose. I bury my nose into my wrist and inhale deeply feeling the opulence surround me. Throughout the development, Eau de Velours has a sophisticated smooth leather note reminiscent of new kid leather gloves. Patchouli is added and it is quite prominent at first but dries down differently than what I normally expect from patchouli. It is faintly beautiful leaving me feeling elegant and dressed up. Now it is time for the red lipstick to come out!

Eau de Velours Bottega Veneta still life PXHerePDI

Further reading: Colognoisseur
David Jones has $170/50ml

Do you like dark, gothic rose perfumes? What did you do for New Year’s? What did you wear on New Year’s Eve?

Oodles of fragrant kisses,
Sandra