Journey Man by Alberto Morillas + Pierre Negrin for Amouage 2014

October 3, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Frag Family,

There is no secret how much I admire Christopher Chong his curatorship of Amouage and think him excellent company. So when I first tried Journey Man, with its spectacular box and signature Amouage man bottle in ruby and gold I was saddened by my lack of instant and all moving lust. Expectation is a funny thing, sometimes I hype stuff in my head so much that they can never live up to the dream. It’s a bit of a killer actually so I thought it a good idea to grab a sample from my mate Nick at Libertine Parfumerie recently so I could revisit the fragrance with less expectation….

Journey Man by Amouage 2014

Journey Man by Alberto Morillas + Pierre Negrin

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Sichuan pepper, Bergamot, Cardamom, Neroli
Heart: Juniper berry, Frankincense, Geraniol, Tobacco leaf
Base: Tonka bean, Cypriol oil, Leather, Ambrox

Journey Man smells quite like a lot of other niche offerings for men, a hark back to the woodsy tobacco and smoke fragrances so popular for men in the designer genre. If GUCCI hadn’t forgotten how to make perfumes this could easily have been in their line-up and it sometimes through its life smells like it should have come from Tom Ford. I know we try to shy away from sexual mandate here at APJ but Journey Man really feels rugged, rough and ready yet smooth and cozy. Through the sharp and bitey pepper which tickles my throat just like it does in food, the tobacco that has a faintly green resinous quality and the brand new leather and woodsy burn the whole fragrance feels calm and unruffled. I can imagine a thousand would be lumberjack hipsters showering, trimming and combing their beards, moisturising, gelling, clear mascara-ing and spritzing from this uber glam bottle before dressing in their office attire in their walk through robes.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

By the time these imaginary hip gents made their way to work they would be a softly focused spicy tobacco that fades to lightly salted leather/woods throughout the day. By the time they hit the gym after work there will be a barely there, mixed with their own manly odours, whisper of the woodchoppers life left to entice the gentlemen gym junkies. Tired, pumped and freshly showered they would emerge like lumberjack butterflies from the gym to hang loudly and obnoxiously with a jar of beer at their local cruise and booze joint, eyeing each other off and making coded conversation till someone takes their physical fancy.

First line from intended? “You smell amazing!”

Below is my buddy Darren, he is EXACTLY what I’m talking about when I think of Journey Man. Darren is recently 100 days clean and his Instagram @bobbydazzler_ has photos and videos of him showing his joy at being clean and his abhorrence of wearing clothes. I swear 99% of the shots are him either standing or dancing in his jocks. Pretty freaking hot actually, go see.

What I’m left withof Journey Man next morning is a faded something, still woodsy and a little resinous. Very nice to wake up to. MMMMMMM

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and Non Blonde
Libertine Parfumerie has $445/100ml with FREE Australian Postage
LuckyScent has $345/100ml
Surrender To Chance have samples starting t $4/.5ml
Currently US$345 = AUD$495. That’s a saving of around AUD$50!

What is your favourite Amouage?
Portia xx

HUGE SAMPLE PACK #3

October 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 59 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Crew,

I loved doing this so much, LET’S DO IT AGAIN!!

There are a bunch of 25 samples & decants that sit here all forlorn, most tested but now in the discard pile. Some of the reasons for being there? Maybe I bought a FB, it had an issue that renders it unwearable, I liked it but have something similar, I have double or triple, I hated it, I LOVED it and completely forgot about it, I’ve moved on. So many reasons, so MANY samples. They are mostly used a bit but they have heaps for testing and trying. I know you’re going to love at least something in this pack.

Most of these samples were purchased, prizes, sent in gift packs or GWP.

HUGE SAMPLE PACK #3

Deliria by L’Artisan
Infini vintage parfum by Caron
Juniper Sling by Penhaligon’s
Muguet de Bois by Coty
Eau Mega by Victor & Rolf
Oro by Roberto Cavalli
White Musk by Montale Manufacturers Sample
Eau Perfumee au the Vert Extreme by BVLGARI Manufacturers Sample
Kai Manufacturers Sample
Musc 25 by Le Labo Manufacturers Sample
Rodin RODIN Olio Lusso Manufacturers Sample
Carnal Flower by Frederic Malle Manufacturers Sample
Liliana by TOCCA Manufacturers Sample
Taste Delicious by Jessica Simpson Manufacturers Sample
Ellen Tracey Manufacturers Sample
Red Roses by Jo Malone Manufacturers Sample
Coco Figue by Comptoir Sud Pacifique Manufacturers Sample
Heir Manufacturers Sample
V by Clive Christian Manufacturers Sample
X by Clive Christian Manufacturers Sample
Shalimar by Guerlain Manufacturers Sample
La Petite Robe Noire EdP by Guerlain Manufacturers Sample
Mad Madam by Juliette Has A Gun Manufacturers Sample
Vohina by Huitieme Art Manufacturers Sample
Unknown Fragrance by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier

Please help me with another little clear out.
Portia xx

Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

HUGE SAMPLE PACK #3 Giveaway

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x SAMPLE PACK
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 what you sampled recently that took your fancy

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie SAMPLE PACK #3 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4jo #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 4th October 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 8th October 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.

CHANEL Two Tone Shoes: Making of Film

October 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ,

I love to watch craftsmen. The way they make the impossible for me seem so easy and commonplace. How they are so involved in the creation of their product and the rendering of their craft that there is a kind of graceful flow to every movement. Of course, at CHANEL they employ artisans of the highest calibre and in this 2.2min film it shows. Gorgeous McGorgeous!!

Photo Stolen CHANEL

Enjoy,
Portia xx

Making of the CHANEL Two Tone Shoes

Todd Oldham GIVEAWAY WINNERS

October 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Super fun vintage draw, thanks Azar. it’s lovely to have you back after your break. we missed you.

Portia xxx

Todd Oldham GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, mandarin orange, peach
Heart: Jasmine, cinnamon, rose, fruity notes
Base: Musk, sandalwood, patchouli, amber, benzoin

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

Today’s giveaway: There are two prizes.
One US resident winner will receive one extremely cute, 6.5 ml, boxed, vintage Todd Oldham EdP mini.
One NON US winner will receive one 2ml decant spray of Todd Oldham EdP and one 1ml decant of vintage Anne Klein II EdP.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 1st October 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen dryicons

In the US: ElizabethC.

Outside the US: Pats

The winner will have till Sunday 4th October 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.

Fracas Silkening Body Lotion by Robert Piguet

October 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Fragrance Fiends,

One of the ideas we grew up with in the 1980s was the idea of layering. I know it was a push by fragrance manufacturers to sell more product but that doesn’t lessen the fact that it really works. I know if I use a moisturiser that is infused with the fragrance I’m wearing that my fragrance will last longer and often have a richer texture. The added benefit is that my skin is soft and glamorous too, so touching it is an even more pleasurable experience.

Fracas Silkening Body Lotion by Robert Piguet

Photo Stolen Galaxy Perfume

BaseNotes gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Mandarin, Hyacinth, Green notes
Heart: Tuberose, Jasmine, Orange Flower, Lily of the valley, White iris, Violet, Jonquil, Carnation, Coriander, Peach, Osmanthus, Pink geranium
Base: Musk, Cedar, Moss, Sandalwood, Orris, Vetiver, Tolu balsam

I bought my bottle of Fracas Silkening Body Lotion a while ago online and I have about half left, it was around the $45 then and I have thought of it as a complete bargain. Sadly I can’t see it almost anywhere anymore except a couple of sets or pricey ones on eBay and the Robert Piguet USA site has them too. i think I’ll be stocking up next time I’m in the US.

For those that don’t know Fracas is a tuberose scent that takes all the super sweet, bubble gum bits of the flower and creates a fun and lighthearted blockbuster that will stop traffic.

So what’s so special about Fracas Silkening Body Lotion? Well it’s PINK! Light pink but pink none-the-less. It’s smooth and sinks into your skin in moments leaving it beautifully perfumed. You could wear the moisturiser alone if you wanted to be softly fragrant all day at work, only your really close intimates would really understand why you are particularly attractive today. It also gives Fracas EdT a much longer fragrant life cycle and boosts projection. Tonight at work I had a compliment on my fragrance after we’d been there over 2 hours, usually I find Fracas softens to a very muted scent by then. Clearly I was still pumping out the Fracas well into the second hour and that makes me happy. The photo below is how Fracas makes me feel: young, lithe, lovely and free.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Robert Piguet USA has $50/195ml
Galaxy Perfume has a 100ml EdT and 195ml Silkening Body Lotion Pack for $198

What do you like to layer in your scent wardrobe? Do you ever mix & match?
Portia xx

Paradise Lost by Yann Vasnier for Keiko Mecheri 2011

September 26, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ Frag Family,

I found this random sample in my clear up around here. I have no idea where it came from, or whom, and certainly can’t remember ever ordering it. I even went and checked my order histories, no luck. So I think the universe is telling me to put some on and wear it. Let’s see how this baby purrs……

“Then wilt thou not be loath
To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess
A Paradise within thee, happier far.”
― John Milton, Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost by Keiko Mecheri 2011

Paradise Lost by Yann Vasnier

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gices these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lime
Heart: Jasmine, tuberose
Base: Sandalwood, musk, Bourbon vanilla

Softest wash, barely there, citrus open with white flowers and vanilla already noticeable. A young, extremely sheer, elegant, out of focus white floral that smells like the fruits are way more tropical, maybe it’s the banana facets of the tuberose and there feels like a coconut kick. All drenched with clean musks and Paradise Lost makes me think it was made for people who love the smell of clean clothes and hair rather than perfume, it’s not a laundry scent but it makes me think virile.

There is a fleshy component but imagining it’s a guy he’s fresh from the shower, dry and cooling on the bed. You are still sleep rumpled but the sheets have been slept in only once and you can smell his clean skin as he wraps you in his still warm embrace. Paradise Lost is a modern fragrance that I could easily imagine myself exhaling for, though it’s not groundbreaking or even very different to a lot of other stuff on the market. What I smell is a beautifully blended version of them, an excellent, better remake done for people who want to smell quietly and subtly luxe.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Paradise Lost could very easily be dismissed as boring, and I almost did, but as you wear it a few times it becomes a second skin. Even well into the heart there is a shimmer of fruit through the flowers and vanilla. After a couple of hours I become almost anosmic to it but I have had someone say how nice I smell nearly 5 hours after application. That’s pretty good for something so amorphous.

Work, date, opera, dinner or casual Saturday with the crew, Paradise Lost will fit them all. I think it especially good though for Booty Calls, this is exactly how I would want someone to show up smelling.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Libertine Parfumerie has $229/75ml with FREE Australian Postage
First In Fragrance has €145/75ml

What do you like your lovers to arrive smelling like? Past or present favourites?
Portia xxx

Friday Night Fragrance Choices: Cartier, CHANEL, Hermès, L’Occitane?

September 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Hello Party People,

It’s Friday night. You’re dressed up, looking fine. You’re off with your crew or your partner to do something fun, foody, outrageous, or a film. There’ll be loads of interaction with someone or a group and while you have all the other bases covered there is always the burning question: What fragrance do I wear? I have put together a short list of some long term faves and reasons why I would choose them.

Friday Night Fragrance Choices

FUN!

OK! So it’s a party night, the gang is getting ready and you want to be a super scent siren with the whole world’s nose leading straight to you. How can you stand out from your mates and be the Queen Bee of fragrant memories? Firstly, choose something very different from what the rest of your friends wear. I’m figuring if you are reading this for information (rather than pleasure) that you are young or new to perfume and that many of your friends are probably wearing fruity/floral/patchouli fragrances that are extremely popular and at a reasonable price point. Let’s step outside that box then:

Queen by Queen Latifah: So think oranges, vanilla, booze and resins. This super cheap thrill is totally different from the current fruit/choulis, is fun and flirty, lasts forever and smells awesome. Queen Latifa had her nose on the prize while creating Queen, sultry and sexy, yum.

Petit Fracas by Robert Piguet: Here we have an old favourite, Fracas, remade in a 21st Century way by adding loads of chocolate and pear. Still an outrageously glamorous white floral but with a depth and breadth that Fracas lacks. In Petit Fracas you will definitely smell head and shoulders above the crew but be such a fun burst of fragrance that it will fit with them too, and you’ll probably cause a small disturbance wherever you go.

Oriental Mint/Noir Marine by Phaedon: Here we have something totally different to anything the crew will be wearing I bet. Cold salty sea water, mint, leather and a bunch of resins (I also detect a lovely creamy dark chocolate not mentioned) all combine to make a super alluring, fizzy, fun waft of fresh, but not your 1990s fresh, this is twisted by Pierre Guillaume into something new and very exotic but still so fun. The mint is not too outrageous but it does add a wonderful sizzle.

FOODY!

Here is a different kettle of fish (pun intended) because now you are trying to be alluring across a table but don’t want to skunk the room or hamper the enjoyment of everyone’s food. What you wear to dinner needs to be subtly insinuating and has to last all night because after dinner you’ll want a bit of a walk or a cuddle and that’s when your fragrance needs to do the hard work, making you the most delicious and desirable thing your date, or crew, has smelled all night. This is tricky but let’s look at a couple of options:

Épice Marine by Hermès: Created by Jean Claude Ellena and Breton “pirate chef” Olivier Roellinger it is both totally and completely not foody. Being a soft focus salt, spice and woodsy fragrance it will be both alluring and unexpected once the dinner is over and you really get close enough to smell your scent. I find Épice Marine to be an epic stayer, still pumping out its magic hours and hours later.

Vanille & Narcisse by L’Occitane: OK, so this one has become a go-to spritz as I walk out the door for everything. Cool or warm, dressed up or down, anytime Vanille & Narcisse seems to fit. Not overpowering or weird it is a comfortable scent that will work wonders at dinner, no matter who you’re with. If it’s someone special then let lovely sensual vanilla do all the hard work, you just enjoy your meal and company.

L’Heure Convoiteé II by Cartier: For me L’Heure Convoiteé II Cartier wears like a beautiful cool crystal dream made up of lovely powdery carnation and iris. Itr doesn’t say it in the notes but I get amazing wetness, and some slightly metallic twang. So otherworldly and not so strong to overpower your meal but still enough ooomph to be noticed. Meant as a summer scent but I love to wear it in the dead of winter too.

OUTRAGEOUS!

Centre of attention fragrance, traffic stopper, blow the back of your head off fabulousness? It’s your party, you are being feted, book launch, presentation at an event, wedding, or so many other reasons. This is the fragrance that you want bookmarked by every nose in your orbit. Every time they smell it you want YOU to be the scent memory. A glorious diamond of a scent that will make you shine.

Bombay Bling! by Neela Vermeire Creations: I love how Bombay Bling opens with a supersonic blast of fruit and sweetness, morphs into a sweet bouquet and then grinds down to a woody/earthy dark and sexy thing that will have everyone sniffing around you curiously. All the stages are lovely and exotic, you will smell killer from go to whoa and if you need to stand out in a crowd then Bombay Bling! will definitely get you across the line. If serious money smelled captivating, this is what it would smell like.

Jardins d’Armide by Oriza L Legrand: One of my pick ups in Europe earlier in 2014 and what an excellent choice, Jardins d’Armide is a cool iris, floral, powdery and animalic wonder that smells drop dead gorgeous on me and always garners attention. You really have to live up to this amazing scent and it will help to lift your game, just deep breaths of Jardins d’Armide.

FILM!

2-3 hours sitting so close your arms and legs are touching, here subtlety is the key. A whisper of lavish loveliness that will draw your partner in to your neck for some sniffing. A great way to get them close enough to kiss.

Splash Forte by IUNX: I have worn Splash Forte through the heat of India in summer, the cool of French winter and in Sydney’s summer and autumn. In that particularly sparse way that Olivia Giacobetti has it is a beautiful, haunting, modern masterpiece. That’s my opinion anyway. Spices, herbs, woods and a very naughty musk. All done just below the radar in terms of projection, your partner will smell you but won’t be aware how devastatingly your fragrance is playing and luring them into your light. Excellent close wear, silent assassin.

Ma Folie de Noël by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz: Seriously scrummy, sweet spiced cream and incense. Opens big but pretty soon is a soft edible waft from your shirt whenever you move or your wrists every time you gesture. If this doesn’t get your date to snuggle in closer then you are with some poor bugger who has anosmia. Be extra nice to them and enjoy the film and your fragrance selfishly. MMMMMM This is the good stuff.

What do you wear for Friday nights? How do you like to spend them?
Portia xx

BIRTHDAY TIME 2015!!!

September 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 59 Comments

Post by Portia

YAY!!! Out celebrating with the crew!
I wore:
SOTM: Midnight Oud by Juliette Has A Gun
SOTD: Vintage CHANEL No 19 EdT
SOTN: Blonde by Versace

BIRTHDAY TIME 2015!!!

It’s a great day to turn 47 and enjoying it with my mates. It’s also a good time to think about the many who didn’t last this long, thanks all for looking out for me in the whatever happens next.

For my birthday please close your eyes and think of three things in your life that you like or love. As simple as stationary or complex as partner.DO IT PLEASE.

Done it?

My gift to you is three things to be grateful for. HOW LUCKY ARE YOU?

Thanks for being my fragrant family. Each and every one of you has made this journey special so far, and it’s only just begun.
Portia xx

Inside the Wardrobe of Olivia Palermo

September 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

I’m not sure if you all know who Olivia Palermo is? US socialite and model turned beauty/fashion blogger off the back of a turn on MTV reality TV show: The City. She now seems to have her finger in everything.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Here is a fun and interesting look into the wardrobe of a modern mavin of style.

Enjoy.
Portia xx

Inside the Wardrobe of Olivia Palermo

TEA TOWEL GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Portia

This was a fun one APJ. Thanks for all getting involved.

Vintage Beauties samples the winners will be getting are:
Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant
Mitsouko parfum by Guerlain
Oscar by Oscar de la Renta
Magie Noire by Lancome

Let’s see who won!
Portia xx

TEA TOWEL GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 5 winners who will receive:
Tea-Towels (some will be Aussie or International)
4 x Samples of Fragrance from my collection (Vintish/Vintage Beauties)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 24th September 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen brooklodge

Fifi

Lavanya

jalesley

Pats

odbayar

Azar (extra)

The winners will have till Sunday 27th 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.