Life, Friends, Collecting, Tea Towels

September 21, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 45 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Beautiful APJers,

Friday is my birthday so I thought we should do something special and only mildly fragrant.

My life is pretty blessed, without going into great detail I feel pretty lucky and have been given an enormous amount of advantages and every now & then good fortune has shone down too. The friends that have shared my life are amazing, fun, self sufficient, supporting, driven, caring, whole hearted and thoughtful (as in Full Of Thought) people with whom I share the big & small triumphs and tragedies, time and sometimes cyberspace. My work is fulfilling and suitable, homelife is sunny & comfortable and I get to travel regularly.

Something that is quite obvious is how much I love to collect things, each piece in the house has a memory attached (or several) and even my wardrobe is filled with happy memories and momentoes, wearable pieces of my personal history and a joyful life shared around the world. There is art collected from nearly 30 years of world travel, my parents 6 seater Royal Doulton mid 1960s wedding-gift starter set is now a nearly full 20 seat set with all add ons. Books have been culled by 50% need another 30% to fit into this apartment and you know how crazy my fragrance collection is.

In that same way I started collecting Tea-Towels. Tea-Towels are the ubiquitous collection for travelers because they are light, transportable, reasonably priced, useful and beautiful. Every time I grab one from the drawer I can instantly see where I bought it or who gave it to me (yes, once people know you collect they feed your collection on their holidays too). I try to use them all in rotation but it is becoming less possible to see any one towel even once a year, which is starting to make me a little sad, which in turn is diminishing my enjoyment. There is also a question of space in the new apartment.

Time to cull. The Tea-Towels have all been washed. The ones that I grab and can be bothered to iron (yes, I know but I find ironing Tea-Towels zen) will get to stay and the rest will be making journeys around the world to grace your kitchens.

So here’s the deal, I know some of you also have Tea-Towel collections and many of you use them only as things to wipe dishes and tidy messes. It doesn’t matter how you use them, or if you’ve never used one before in your life. Here is a chance to be sent a little bunch of Tea-Towels that have my and my friends love, travels, home and away happy memories. What you will be getting is a little package of joy that can be used every day, just throw them in the washing machine after use and they come back to life ready to be used and loved again.

Photo Stolen kbaird

TEA TOWEL GIVEAWAY

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

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.

Please leave in the comments below your country and your fragrance today.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 24th 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 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.

Good Girl Gone Bad GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 21, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Thanks again to my mate Nick from Libertine Parfumerie who has managed to import the by Kilian range to Australia and now it is exclusive to In Store Shoppers at Harrold’s Sydney & Melbourne. Amazing GIVEAWAY buddy, THANK YOU!
Australian’s do go have a look at the Libertine Parfumerie site, it’s amazing.

Let’s see who won,
Portia xx

Good Girl Gone Bad GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine, osmanthus, may rose
Heart: Indian tuberose, narcissus
Base: Amber, cedar

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 20th September 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen thegarfieldshow-diary

sun (via TWITTER)

Greg

Ellen

The winners will have till Thursday 24th 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.

NEW STORE: Arielle Shoshana

September 20, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Crew,

Especially those in the USA, there is a brand new perfumery in town. My mate, blogger from Scents Of Self, glam girl and general fragrant fiend Arielle (Ari) is opening her first store in Washington DC. The Grand Opening Party is on October 3rd 2015! If you’re in the area you MUST drop in and hug her from the APJ crew.

NEW STORE: Arielle Shoshana

I was her very first customer and for a one time only special event she let me buy, and sent all the way to Australia, Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Absolue Pour le Soir. I am totally thrilled by the speed she delivered in, loads of cute stickers on my package, a bunch of interesting samples as well as my beautiful bottle of skankalicious sexy good times horny juice.

Some of the range includes:
Neela Vermeire Creations
Atelier Cologne
Etat Libre d’Orange
Maison Francis Kurkdjian

and many more…….

Mosaic District

2920 District Avenue

Suite 145

Fairfax, VA 22031

Please go have a look at Arielle Shoshana Scented Luxuries site, prices are competitive and Ari is such a sweetie. Let’s help a fellow frag maniac begin something new, create a place for perfumistas to shop by a serious perfumista. Ari, I’m so proud of you and proud to call you my friend.

GOOD LUCK PRINCESS!
Portia xx

Inside Vogue Fashion Editors Wardrobes: Film

September 20, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ,

Wardrobes! That breeding ground of clothes, the stockpile of a life well lived. Memories of people, travel, times, adventures. Every piece of clothing I own has a story and I treasure all of them, which has made the culling harder and harder over time. Having to keep two wardrobes for two sexes is also a bit demanding. It got to the point where I had to make myself some rules. 10 pairs of shoes for each sex, one in and one out theory. Don’t wear it for a year? Let it go….

Photo Stolen Flickr

I freaking LOVE this series. How great! Recently we saw in Lily Allen’s wardrobe and it was even better than expected, such diversity. In this little piece we are given a sneak peek into two VERY DIFFERENT fashion editors/personalities wardrobes. It’s almost as if they came from different tribes but yet they both do the same job for the same company. Interesting and fun. Inside I harbour both these people who I think are pretty extreme, can’t wait to read what YOU think and how you treat your wardrobe in the comments.

Portia xx

Inside the Wardrobe of the Vogue Fashion Editors

Cuir Amethyste by Michel Almairac for Armani Privé 2005

September 19, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Portia

Heya Fragrant Fumies,

I came late to the Armani Privé line, it wasn’t until 2011 that I first got my sniff on them. Jin and I had been doing some shopping and one of the nearby malls had the first Armani Privé line in it’s own area that I’d seen. To be honest, I had worn Armani Pour Homme and Emporio Armani Lui in the 1980s & 90s but nothing from the line had spoken to me for years and I figured that the quality of the fragrances had nose dived considerably like so many other brands. It was the bottles that caught our attention with the lovely simple black squares, the smooth cool rocks on top and gold plaques very much like the front door of an expensive restaurant or doctors/lawyers/dentists. We spent a lazy half hour sniffing them all and I had two favourites, Cuir Amethyste and Bois Encens.

By the time I realised that Cuir Amethyste was my favourite Michel Almairac had reworked the idea in a sweeter, suppler version for Bottega Veneta and I was so lost in its spell, especially when it became Jin’s signature, that Cuir Amethyst was forgotten. Step in Aelfrik, I bought a decant from him recently and my love is rekindled sevenfold……

Cuir Amethyste by Armani Privé 2005

Cuir Amethyste by Michel Almairac

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, coriander, rose
Heart: Birch, patchouli, violet
Base: Benzoin, incense, Bourbon vanilla

How could I forget this glorious and majestic beauty, it’s so damn good I just want to lick myself all over and then cuddle up in a ball and suck in the divine scent of myself until I am breathed away on a whisper of wind. I SMELL SO GOOD!

My nose gets sweet citrus, leather and patchouli straight away, the mix is a little bit oud-y and Cuir Amethyste shows me little of anything else up front. Slowly I get a cool, bitter hint of burnt incense and then after about 5-15 minutes depending on the day I get a friendly little violet tap on the shoulder and suddenly Cuir Amethyste is an old, much loved leather bag with some powder and lipstick traces. Cool and friendly, like when we were sent looking in Mum’s bag for coins to buy ice-cream as kids, it’s a real memory scent for me. Maybe that’s why I love it so much.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Later, much later the vanilla/amber combines with the leather to create the perfect skin scent, the scent you wish your skin had. A fleshy, endearing, healthy breath that warms and sweetens my own body fragrance to something compelling and luscious.In the morning there is still a whisper of leather handbag and makeup, I love Cuir Amethyste so much.

When I finish this 10ml there is a bottle in my future.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Cuir Amethyste
Cuir Amethyste by Armani Privé is available in large department stores

Did you fall for any of the Armani Privé line? Which and why?
Portia x

Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian 2012

September 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Post by Portia

WOO HOO! Another pack arrived from my mate Nick from Libertine Parfumerie. A package from Nick is ALWAYS a sweet surprise and he is a lovely guy who wants to have the best range of niche fragrances for Aussies to choose from. Today we are celebrating that Nick has managed to import the by Kilian range to Australia and now it is exclusive to In Store Shoppers at Harrold’s Sydney & Melbourne. Near pissed myself with excitement when I heard and had to keep it under my hat for a while. Now you know….

Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine, osmanthus, may rose
Heart: Indian tuberose, narcissus
Base: Amber, cedar

So I have an apology to make to by Kilian. I completely dismissed this fragrance when it came out. My reasoning was sound: a soft focus tuberose that opens lightly green and finishes sweet vanilla white flower was hardly groundbreaking, nor was it even slightly outrageous, it wasn’t even a little confronting. Now all of that is true, I do have high expectations of Kilian Hennessey’s brand because quite a lot of it is absolutely glorious, back arching, eye rolling, throat achingly beautiful and when his company makes something so safe and delicate I need to readjust my perceptions and levels.

Fracas Light would smell something like Good Girl Gone Bad. The heart is a very similar bubble gum tuberose only slightly greened through yet her we find no indole but an almost ylang-ish banana butter, a creamy and fatty smooth textured tuberose that is clean. Interestingly it’s not the sheer, radiant white flower that is so popular but a heavy, thick fragrance made spare, given some space between the notes as if you are smelling it from a couple of steps away. Good Girl Gone Bad is not the glutinous mass of Truth or Dare either (that I love) but a warm, illuminated, golden white floral that floats softly and insistently around me in a languid, pale, golden feeling aura. Not synæsthesia but a feeling, like warm sunshine that unfrosts you as you stand with your back to it, it feels golden though in fact it’s colourless.

Kilian, Tom, Portia, Christina, Barbara, Andrew @ LuckyScent 2014

So then, here’s the question I often ask myself, would I cough up for a bottle? The answer is twofold. Yes, if I didn’t already have so much tuberose in my collection, much of which wears bigger and more outrageous (one of the reasons I love it so much) but some like Nuit de Tubereuse and La Chasse aux Papillons that wear silkily sensual like this, though they are quite different. I would definitely buy this as a gift though for friends who like white flowers but cannot wear the big guns, it would also make a magical bridal scent, even the bottle is perfect for that special day.

The more I wear Good Girl Gone Bad the more of a hold it’s getting on me……. Maybe I would wear a bottle worth…….

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and EauMG
Available in Australia exclusively in store at Harrold’s Sydney & Melbourne
LuckyScent has $160/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

Good Girl Gone Bad GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a by Kilian fragrance you love and why

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4gZ #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 20th 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 24th 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.

The Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy: 3 Minute Film

September 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ,

Sometimes the world seems to be a pile of shit. Often being thrown into an unhappy memory will trigger a downward spiral for me, and I seem to be most susceptible when I am also overwhelmed with other parts of my life and tired. It feels really selfish to be depressed and that further speeds my downward spiral. Yes, I know I don’t suffer depression in the deepest and blackest pit of hell sense but everything is relative and for me down is down, it’s not a race to the bottom and I don’t need to big note my pain. Sometimes life looks less lovely from inside me.

So, taking that into account and knowing that many other people suffer some level of depression then I think it important that we ALL watch this 3 minute lesson in empathy. Some really simple steps to help someone else through the rough times. Nothing feels better than being a light for someone when their world seem dark.

Please watch this,
Portia xx

Brené Brown on Empathy: 3 Minute Film

The Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy

Diorissimo EdC GIVEAWAY WINNER

September 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there crew. I am so excited to share these babies from my collection. All vintage: Diorissimo EdC, Miss Dior EdT, Dioressence EdT. Can’t wait to see who our lucky winner is.

Portia xx

Diorissimo EdC GIVEAWAY WINNER

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Green leaves
Heart: Amaryllis, Boronia, Lilac, Jasmine, Lily, Lily-of-the-valley, Rosemary, Ylang-ylang
Base: Sandalwood, Civet

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Diorissimo EdC vintage sample from my bottle
1 x Miss Dior EdT vintage sample from my bottle
1 x Dioressence EdT vintage sample from my bottle
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 17th September 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen nodepositforum

Michelle U

The winner will have till Sunday 20th 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.

Post Relationship Debrief: 2 years later

September 15, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Heya APJ,

Val has been busy on her sensational tour and we will see her back in a fortnight with loads of pics and fun stories.

I thought I’d post this amazing video. Most of us have been there. You dated someone, it was awesome, you started to see the cracks, you break up, it’s freaking horrendous, you both go your separate ways. Have you ever wondered why, what you could have done, wished back wasted years? Here are two such exes, the interesting thing is how quickly and easily the hurts are reopened, the pain back in full force, yet there is hope. Can the future be brighter for having a real and honest look into each others motivations and growth?

These two short pieces are worth watching,
Have a tissue or hanky ready, this is as raw as it gets.
Portia xx

Ali and Andrew: Post Relationship Debrief

Ali and Andrew Part 1: Why Did You ………. ?

Ali and Andrew were college sweethearts who dated for seven years and then broke up two years ago. See what happens when they sit down face-to-face to talk honestly about what made their relationship fall apart

Ali and Andrew Part 2: Would You ……….. ?

Ali and Andrew are real people who used to be in a relationship. In part two of their sit-down talk, they get honest about what made their relationship fall apart, and whether they would ever get back together.

How did you go? I was a mess. Would you? Could you? Do you think they should have?
Portia xx

Diorissimo EdC Vintage by Edmond Roudnitska for DIOR 1956

September 14, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Portia

So I’ve learned something about vintage fragrances recently. They are quite different to the original intention. Please don’t shut me down. I’m not saying they are bad, wrong, inferior or unworthy of your attention: they are super worthy. Even the most badly decomposing vintage fragrance can still give you a hint of the majesty once curled within. So the top notes are wonky, who cares? Those base notes made of real animals (and no I don’t condone the killing of animals for our vanity. I do think though that if those creatures are being murdered anyway that we should use every single bit of them, even the fragrant parts for our scents) last forever and ten minutes into the ride you are coasting on a wave of deep furry burnished beauty unattainable today.

Diorissimo EdC Vintage by DIOR 1956

Diorissimo EdC Vintage by Edmond Roudnitska

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Green leaves
Heart: Amaryllis, Boronia, Lilac, Jasmine, Lily, Lily-of-the-valley, Rosemary, Ylang-ylang
Base: Sandalwood, Civet

Recently I grabbed a bottle of vintage Diorissimo EdC. It came fully and perfectly preserved in its original cellophane wrapping, flawless. When I opened it, a 26ml splash, the juice was crystal clear and only slightly coloured, even less than the colour of Milly-la-Foret. I think the lid on a splash lets zero air in, unlike a spritz, because this is the most perfectly preserved version of Diorissimo of any age that I’ve smelled. Ainslie Walker and I were trying it yesterday because she is writing the Miu-Miu fragrance currently and she wanted to be able to compare the treatments of lily of the valley. We were both seriously enraptured by this perfectly demure dirty slut scent. Unbelieveable that it was the fragrance of young wealthy girls everywhere.

Lily of the valley and civet, frankly I’m a little surprised not to see ambergris in the accord list. The rest of the flowers are a beautiful bouquet with some fresh greenery that has still the soft green sappy scent of torn leaves.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfumed Dandy
eBay and ETSY have the vintage, department stores the current versions
Surrender To Chance has vintage samples starting from $6/ml

So today we have a very special giveaway which includes samples of Diorissimo EdC, Dioressence EdT and Miss Dior EdT from my own bottles, all VERY vintage.

Portia xxx

Photo Stolen kbaird

Diorissimo EdC GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me your favourite DIOR, old or new, and why

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 17th 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 20th 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.