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Post by Portia
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Hey Hey Crew,
You know how I love the fragrance ads. This one is fun and I can’t wait to sniff the juice.
Have any of you tried it yet? How is it?
Portia xx
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured acccords:
Top: Orange, bergamot, pink pepper, grapefruit
Heart: Almonds, neroli
Base: White musk, vetiver
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Post by Portia
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Hiya Happy Huffers,
I love it when new Indie perfumers come along and surprise me with their beautiful and interesting creations. Here are an Australian crew who have a line of fragrances available from their Criminal Elements site. Today I have been lucky enough to get my sniff on one of their to be released in 2016 advance samples. Um, WOW! You all know that I love green fragrance and recently fell madly in love with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s Giverny in Bloom. Here is the other side of green, the stark, solitary, deep green.
Photo Stolen Geograph
Criminal Elements give these featured accords in one line:
Grass, violet, moss, soil, bullrush, thistle
WOAH! Green and swampy but with a beautiful airy lift.What does stand out for me in Blackwater Thistle is how sweet the whole fragrance feels on me. There is nothing in the note list to suggest the lovely sweet green I’m getting so I asked Aelfrik what could make that happen. “As for the sweet edge – that’s purely from the actual thistle. We solvent extract dried thistle, and the results are actually quite syrupy. A pain to extract, but worth the effort…..“
Imagine standing on the edge of the moors and spring is here. There’s been plenty of rain and everything is growing apace, grass covers your ankles and there’s a purple blush across the landscape. The soil is thawing and though it’s pretty muddy you can walk without losing a shoe. A cool, fragrant breeze sweeps across the moors and you are standing in dappled sunlight breathing deeply, finally free of winter and ready to wander all day with your hairy hound.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
In my head I’m saying stupid things like, “This is what Charlotte and the other Bronte siblings smelled” and “Jayne Eire would have smelled this when she was poor and living rough”. Ha! I’m an idiot but the journey is really fun with Blackwater Thistle. At around the 4 hour mark I am sweetly washed in a soft hued fragrance that I have no words to describe other than rich, sweet and green. Beautiful.
Want to try it? See below
Portia x
Photo Stolen kbaird
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Blackwater Thistle pre-release sample
P&H Anywhere in the world
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 go to Criminal Elements site<<JUMP and pick a fragrance + one of its notes NO DOUBLE UPS!!!
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Criminal Elements: Blackwater Thistle GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4f4 #Perfume #Giveaway
Entries Close Thursday 10th Septembert 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Sunday 13th September 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.
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Post by Portia
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Firstly, thank you to Barb Stegemann for trying to change the world from the ground up. She is so inspirational but also very friendly and wonderful fun. A great way to be a part of this change is to buy the 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box, which contains four award winning vegan fragrances made with natural essential oils from troubled countries trying to rebuild. Buy them for yourselves and for friends, it’s only a few weeks to Christmas.
If you’d like to be a part of changing the world for good then you can do it by emailing Barb Stegemann {barb (at) the7virtues (dot) com} and she will get it sent ASAP.
Portia x
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 7 Virtues Sampler (from my own 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box bottles)
Afghanistan Orange Blossom
Noble Rose of Afghanistan
Middle East Peace
Vetiver of Haiti
P&H Anywhere in the world
Entries Closed Sunday 6th September 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen amberinblunderland
The winner will have till Thursday 10th September 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.
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Post by Portia
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Hi there APJ Frag Family,
I’ve had this Alfred Sung bottle for years and at one point it was a favourite. Since falling well and truly down the fragrant worm hole it has been sitting at the back of a boxless bottle box getting zero love. I was sure it was a BWF but couldn’t put my nose-memory on how it smelled so at about 3pm today I opened up my shirt and double spritzed…….
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top Bergamot, Galbanum, Hyacinth, Mandarin, Orange, Ylang-ylang, Lemon Heart
Heart: Iris, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Osmanthus
Base: Amber, Orange wood, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Vetiver
WOW! Tania Sanchez wasn’t wrong when she called this a “Jasmine Diaper”. We have some serious poopy action going on and I LOVE it. Sung is so 1980s it hurts, we have a creamy citrus floral opening. HA! I know right. What the f*%@k does that even smell like? Well it smells big and naughty and completely over the top. Beyond your wildest BWF Skank Dreams Sung delivers.
Then Jin came home and we went and saw a movie (Ricki and the Flash – Meryl Streep and her daughter play with Kevin Kline and Rick Springfield. It’s wonderful. Do yourself a favour.) so I got to really appreciate the fragrance through the film.
Photo Stolen Nordstrom
Sung smells good in an “Allergies to fragrance, you must be joking dear” kind of way. The “I couldn’t care less if you do anyway” or ” Oh do choke quietly darling, we have guests” school of thought and action. It’s big, it’s floral aldehydic, it’s fruity, it’s poopy and it is obnoxious. I freaking LOVE IT!
The photos I’ve chosen are some of Alfred Sung’s designs. Yes he is still designing and nowadays he is doing some really fun retro bridesmaids dresses that are affordable and fun. Loads of jewel bright colours but there are also a lovely lot of very pretty more muted shades to pick from too. If you’re thinking Mad Men Wedding then these are totally going to rock your socks off. Below is a ferocious bride-zilla photographed among the chandeliers looking exactly as Miss Haversham must have looked when she was given the news. Aghast, beautiful, rich and terrified. It’s probably how every bride feels inside somewhere deep down.
Sung is exactly the fragrance she would be wearing, to make a big impression as she walked down the aisle. Her sillage a wake that dolphins could gambol in. The unforgettable, once in a life time (yeah right) dream moment when every guest takes a deep breath in homage to a perfect bride.
Photo Stolen Wedding House
So to be honest Sung was a little overwhelming in the film. I was glad that there were only 3 other people in the cinema and that they were up the back. Though I did not find it disatracting, there were a few times when I moved and great gouts of floral and fertiliser flavoured air swooshed out of my top. It was a perfect accompaniment to the film and I bet it’s what Meryl Streep’s character Ricki wore, so it was kind of perfect.
Fragrance Shop has $20/50ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml
What has been hiding in your cupboards that should get an airing?
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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Heya APJ,
I love Lily Allen. When I met Jin she was his favourite and he would make me listen to her stuff every car trip we took. So ingrained with the happiness of finding this cool and funny guy is a soundtrack of Lily Allen’s voice overlaying everything. Every adventure we embarked upon in those first months, dates, shopping, meeting friends, everything we did: Lily Allen was with us.
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
So when I found this fun video showing Lily Allen’s wardrobe I was super happy because she seems as fun and cool as I imagined her and so much of how she dresses is how I like to live my life. Grab great bits from loads of random places and try everything, keep what you love, curate and create a life of bits & pieces that you like and love.
I hope you like this sneak peek into the wardrobe of someone who seems to have looked at life with wit and intelligence and made it fit her.
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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I’ve always loved these Eau d’Italie bottles. They are sleek and heavy, love that they are opaque so I don’t need to worry so much about light damage and I imagine they look super elegant on your dresser if you are a one bottle person and you like to show your choice off prominently. It seems a very nice mix between stark, modern design and old fashioned porcelain.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lily of the valley
Heart: Vanilla
Base: Musk
Vanilla is king in Morn to Dusk. My skin gives the most incredibly warm vanilla opening that doesn’t show a hint of the bergamot and lily of the valley until I’ve been wearing the fragrance for a couple of minutes. Then they come through and add this lovely wet green vibe that seems to be neither and both, it floats above the vanilla giving life and lift, creating a cool breeze over the dry sands of this interestingly desiccated vanilla. Through the heart the vanilla becomes sweeter and warmer like it was originally, not foody but a furry/fleshy vanilla. A rich, chewy consistency like glutinous toffee yet unpalatable in a cake/sweets sense.
Photo Stolen Pixabay
This short note list is totally missing large chunks. The vanilla towards the mid wear mark that lasts for hours is a crackly honeycomb and amber mix and I get something dry grass-ish like bamboo, vetiver or papyrus cutting through the rest making it less intensely vanillic.
I can’t believe the tenacity of Morn to Dusk, it will certainly wear for that length of time, longer on me today in the soft spring warmth. I put Morn to Dusk on at around 10am and now it’s about to turn dusk and I am still nicely fragrant. I like it. A lot.
Morn to Dusk is the kind of spritz & go frag that I longed for before I became a serious perfumista. It lasts all day, smells great and goes through some interesting phases without being a completely different scent. From leaving the house in the morning to getting home after a dinner you will smell good, sweet and dare I say it, delicious. I can imagine the guys wearing it in suits or jeans and the girls in gowns or jeans, across the board yummy.
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
Further reading: Colognoisseur
LuckyScent has $140/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml
Morn to Dusk is so wearable. What is your Vanilla? Which Eau d’Italie do you like?
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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You may remember we have done some stories on the incredible Barb Stegemann (Olfactoria’s Travels), Noble Rose of Afghanistan (APJ), Afghanistan Orange Blossom (APJ) and her world changing idea of creating perfumes from ingredients grown in areas of the world where the poppy is grown for heroin, and basing the campaign towards the women of these countries. Barb is paying more money for flowers that go into our fragrant addiction than the heroin barons pay for their narcotic harvest. What that does is gives women an income, thus a voice. Having an income means they can educate their daughters. Making the world a matriarchy isn’t a bad idea, it’s got to be a better deal than what having it run by men has made it. Imagine…….
Anyway, Barb got in touch this week and they now have a distributor here in Australia. That means that if you’d like to be a part of changing the world for good then you can do it by emailing Barb Stegemann {barb (at) the7virtues (dot) com} and she will get it sent ASAP.
My mate Alice bought me the 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box, which contains four award winning vegan fragrances made with natural essential oils from troubled countries trying to rebuild. I wear them solo or layered.
So I thought it would be interesting to chat to Johanna who will be bringing the 7 Virtues into Australia.
How did you hear about Barb Stegemann and the 7 Virtues?
Barb and I met at University. Once out of Uni, we forged a close friendship when we both began working for the same company. I remember evenings spent in fabulous conversation about how we were going to make a difference in this world. We didn’t know then where life would take us but Barb has certainly been true to her word.
What is your personal favourite 7 Virtues fragrance and why?
I adore The 7 Virtues Noble Rose of Afghanistan! The femininity of the Rose is balanced beautifully with the spicy notes. Coming in a close second is The 7 Virtues Patchouli of Rwanda which I find fresh and easy to wear. Recently, I was having a difficult time making up my mind on which fragrance to wear, so I decided to wear both layered together and the blended results are divine!
How did you become the 7 Virtues distributor in Australia?
Barb and I have been talking about the possibility of bringing The 7 Virtues Fragrances to Australia for four years. Barb contacted me at the end of 2014 and said that the time was right. I jumped at the opportunity, I believe in The 7 Virtues with all my heart. It is such a privilege to be involved.
What kinds of trials and tribulations have you suffered to get 7 Virtues to Australia?
No suffering yet but with any “new to you” experience you don’t know until you know… Now that The 7 Virtues Fragrances are finally available in Australia we want to be able to share them with as many people as possible, so far they have been received extremely well. The fragrances are beautiful and the 7 Virtues story is empowering to everyone involved in the process, from farmers to consumers. It touches everyone along the way, including me!
Photo Stolen AllSteele
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 7 Virtues Sampler (from my own 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box bottles)
Afghanistan Orange Blossom
Noble Rose of Afghanistan
Middle East Peace
Vetiver of Haiti
P&H Anywhere in the world
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 fragrance that makes you feel empowered
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie 7 Virtues Sampler GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4ek #Perfume #Giveaway @BarbStegemann @the7virtues
Entries Close Sunday 6th September 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 10th September 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.
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Post by Portia
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So my mate Ainslie Walker sent me this and through it I was smiling like a fool. It’s SO FREAKING CUTE! Nearly 5 minutes of CuttleFish Facts done in such an entertaining way that you will definitely want to pass on the link. Who knew that CuttleFish were such quiet little creatures of such excellent factoids? Certainly not me.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
I hope you enjoy True Facts About The CuttleFish as much as I did.
Thanks Ainslie,
Portia xxx
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Post by Portia
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Hey Hey APJ,
This has been totally fun. Thank you all for getting on board and thank you especially to Nick at Libertine Parfumerie. We love you buddy.
Portia xxx
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blood orange, bergamot, mandarin orange, peach, pink pepper
Heart: Rose, geranium, neroli, dewberry, cassis
Base: Vanilla, cacao, olibanum, amber, musk, patchouli, sandalwood, brown sugar
This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml Empressa by Penhaligon’s (decants from my bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world
Entries Closed Thursday 3rd September 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen propercourse
The winners will have till Sunday 6th September 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.
Please Aussies, go and have a look at the amazing fragrant beauties that
Libertine Parfumerie has for sale, you will be astounded.
Lately Nick’s buying power has become so good that some (not all)
of his products are the same numerical value
as you would buy them for in the USA,
that means with the current Aussie dollar that they are in fact
20-30% cheaper!!! AMAZING! Currently €195 is AU$309!
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Post by Portia
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Hey there APJ,
Lately we have been unpacking boxes and I’ve bought some new plastic decant cases to house my ridiculous collection in. Jin found them for me at Bunnings (our hardware hangars) and they’re meant for tradesmen to put their bits & pieces in for easy access.
Photo Stolen Bunnings
Well, now my decants are easy access. Yes this is only the first of two. Yes I will need a smaller one also for all my 2-3ml decants, anyway…..
While doing the reorganising I found a couple of my old loves that have been packed for over a year….
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Carnation, rose
Heart: Jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, violet
Base: Musk, clove, vanilla, sandalwood
Tonight I had a bath with a couple of drops of my original Bellodgia Bath Oil. You have no idea how lavish it feels to be submerged in a bath and to smell only the sweet, crisp, warmth of Bellodgia wrapped around you like a cashmere shawl. Quite overwhelming and it sent me off to fairy land. As you can see in the pic below I am very sparing and have only used a small amount of my 15ml, one drop in the bath is enough.
Bellodgia has been reformulated many times and I did try the new one in the square bottle recently. It’s very nice but has lost quite a bit of what I feel makes Bellodgia so special. If you’ve never tried the old you will still think it very lovely and so do I if I think of them as separate entities.
I love the opening, so rich with promise and pungent. The crisp minty/clove/carnation/rose crackle cutting through the hearts floral vanilla bouquet and to a rich warmly spiced dreamscape of woodsy vanilla at the end. The lasting power is extraordinary and one hefty vint-ish EdT spritz over my already lightly scented skin and a couple of vintage parfum dabs are all I need to sail through an evening and into morning smelling ferociously good.
Photo Stolen EssentialMall
If you want to read a full appraisal please go check my earlier Bellodgia post on APJ, it gives a much fuller account of the ride but tonight I really want to enjoy the gorgeous full Bellodgia experience without taking it apart and stealing a little bit of the magic. Tonight is all about the ride that Ernest Daltroff created for us to take. I’m going right now…
Further reading BoisDeJasmin and Olfactoria’sTravels
EssentialMall has the purple leather encased 30ml EdT for $51
SurrenderToChance has a selection of Bellodgia samples
How is your decant and sample collection housed? Don’t you just love my plastic packers?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 