Portia

One Direction – Between Us 2015 Ad

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi there APJ,

Love them or hate them it’s hard to ignore One Direction. With their catchy tunes, fun matesy boys club attitude and perfectly produced handsome, on trend good looks they are a force to be reckoned with. I quite liked their first offering Our Moment, the sweet but not disgustingly cloying opening to the lingering forever toasted almond dry down. It was way better than I expected.

between-us One Direction

I haven’t tried the new one but the ad came out yesterday. Sadly Zane has moved on but the remaining four guys are here and camping it up again, my favourite is Niall anyway.

Enjoy,
Portia xx

One Direction – Between Us – (New Perfume 2015)

Portia’s Sizzling Summer Scents 2015 + FREE Summer Sampler

/ australianperfumejunkiescom
Hey Hey APJ,

While you are trolling the internet today please  jump on over and check out the newest post on My Perfume Samples. The My Perfume Samples gang have given me a really great new outlet for fragrance writing and this fortnight we decided to look at Summer Scents that may have slipped under your radar. Some really good choices as it heats up in the Northern Hemisphere and even if you want to remember the fun fizz of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

There is also a fabulous FREE Summer Sampler!!

Portia’s Sizzling Summer Scents 2015 + FREE Summer Sampler

top-10-sizzling-summer

So please jump across and check the list out on My Perfume Samples<<JUMP. Leave a message with something you think should be there or a favourite from the group so we can have a bit of a natter about it, I’ll be dropping in regularly over the next week to answer any and all comments.

Be well, waft on.
Portia xx

SAMPLE PACK #2 Giveaway WINNER

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Gang,

Looks like the Sample Packs are popular. Good. I love to pay it forward. We had a great response and I am so happy that you all want to help me clean house. Thanks.

Portia xx

SAMPLE PACK #2 Giveaway WINNER

SAMPLE PACK #2 17.6.15

SAMPLE PACK #2

  1. Champagne de bois by Sonoma Scent Studio
  2. Charogne by Etat Libre de Orange
  3. Rose Anonyme by Atelier Cologne
  4. Amber Woods (oil) by Seplasia by Bruno Acampora
  5. Opardu by Puredistance
  6. Dark purple by Montale
  7. What We Do In Paris Is Secret by A Lab On Fire
  8. Precious Oud by Van Cleef & Arpels
  9. Aromatics Elixer Gel by Clinique
  10. Plume Manufacturers Sample
  11. Tubereuse by Le Galion Manufacturers Sample
  12. L’Homme Infini by Divine Manufacturers Sample
  13. Ambre Rayonner by SOIVOHLE Manufacturers Sample
  14. Mad Madame by Juliette Has A Gun Manufacturers Sample
  15. A Taste of Heaven by Kilian Manufacturers Sample
  16. Flora Azteca by Primordial Scents
  17. Tobacco & Tulle by SOIVOHLE
  18. Vamp a NY by Honore des Pres
  19. Shalimar by Guerlain
  20. Mitsouko by Guerlain

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x SAMPLE PACK
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID 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: SAMPLE PACK #2 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-41b  

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 21st June 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Winner EverythingHealthPhoto Stolen EverythingHealth

Nikki

The winner will have till Thursday 25th June 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.

Tubereuse 3 Animale by Gérald Ghislain for Histoires de Parfums 2010

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

Not long ago I bought this 15ml travel size off one of the FaceBook pages. It’s been sitting here awaiting my attention ever since. I think a few things arrived that day and it got shunted aside. Lately I have been searching out some skank and the word animal when applied to fragrance is a high def pointer for me too, add that to tuberose and……..

Tubereuse 3 Animale by Histoires de Parfums 2010

Tubereuse 3 Animale by Gérald Ghislain

Tubereuse 3 Animale Histoires de Parfums FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Kumquat, Neroli, Tuberose
Heart: Herbs, Plum, Tuberose
Base: Immortelle, Blond tobacco, Tuberose

How come the notes list for Tubereuse 3 Animale doesn’t say honey? What I am hit with immediately is an incredibly rich honeyed tobacco that sits like a big ole can of molasses in the same room as a vase of tuberose. Front and centre is this rich viscous scent that is absolutely beautiful, mesmerisingly so. It’s hard to focus myself to write this piece and not get caught up in the magic. Citrus I get none, maybe a little way in I get some sweetish fruit but it’s only a very soft side dish. I get the feeling of thick, hot, molten amber-glass before it gets made into stuff.

Tubereuse 3 Animale Histoires de Parfums Catherine Bee Plum Blossom FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Later I get a lovely dry whiff of immortelle, that strangely dry green sapless dessicated scent that is both raspy and smooth, like the point where sandpaper scours pebbles into smooth, shiny, cool nuggets. Tubereuse 3 Animale also has a furry something that is what I think of as a perfumers version of a very old mink coat, dry and dusty but still with the faintest whiff of the poor creature it was stolen from.

Tubereuse 3 Animale Histoires de Parfums Helichrysum_indicum WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

This is what I imagine the screen sirens of yesteryear would have LOVED to smell like and I can see some of the more famous 21st century cougars getting a thrill from the overt sensuality that Tubereuse 3 Animale displays. What I did not expect was the general size of Tubereuse 3 Animale, it is a sillage and projection monster compared to most other modern offerings and it has a sweetness bordering on urinous, definately skirting the edges of downwind from junkie alley.

Who would and when could Tubereuse 3 Animale be worn? Well let’s just say straight up that for most work situations it is completely over the top, especially for the first hour or two. I think you would have to be careful to use a light hand if food is involved or confined spaces. Personally, I will wear it to my Turbo Trivia work and definitely for my own selfish pleasure at home, it may even get a spritz for the grocery shopping.

Tubereuse 3 Animale Histoires de Parfums supermarket larsen9236 PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Further reading: Smelly Thoughts and Perfume Polytechnic
Parfum1 has $36/15ml
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $4.75/ml

Do you DO tuberose? What about tobacco? Are there fragrances with these lovelies that you wear? Share.
Portia xx

SAMPLE PACK #2

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 44 Comments

Hey there Crew,

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

There are a bunch a samples & decants that sit here, 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, somehow I have double, I hated it, I LOVED it and completely forgot about it, I’ve moved on. So many reasons, so MANY samples. They are all used a bit but they have heaps for testing and trying. This pack has mainly dabs rather than spritzers but there are some with atomisers. I know you’re going to love at least something in this pack.

Most of these samples have been purchased from Perfume Niche, LuckyScent, Posh Peasant, My Perfume Samples and Surrender To Chance since 2010, but some are gifts or manufacturers samples.

SAMPLE PACK #2 17.6.15

SAMPLE PACK #2

  1. Champagne de bois by Sonoma Scent Studio
  2. Charogne by Etat Libre de Orange
  3. Rose Anonyme by Atelier Cologne
  4. Amber Woods (oil) by Seplasia by Bruno Acampora
  5. Opardu by Puredistance
  6. Dark purple by Montale
  7. What We Do In Paris Is Secret by A Lab On Fire
  8. Precious Oud by Van Cleef & Arpels
  9. Aromatics Elixer Gel by Clinique
  10. Plume Manufacturers Sample
  11. Tubereuse by Le Galion Manufacturers Sample
  12. L’Homme Infini by Divine Manufacturers Sample
  13. Ambre Rayonner by SOIVOHLE Manufacturers Sample
  14. Mad Madame by Juliette Has A Gun Manufacturers Sample
  15. A Taste of Heaven by Kilian Manufacturers Sample
  16. Flora Azteca by Primordial Scents
  17. Tobacco & Tulle by SOIVOHLE
  18. Vamp a NY by Honore des Pres
  19. Shalimar by Guerlain
  20. Mitsouko by Guerlain

Please help me with another little clear out.
Portia xx

giveaway TheTruthAboutMummyPhoto Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

SAMPLE PACK #2 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: SAMPLE PACK #2 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-41b  

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 21st June 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 25th June 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.

Gay High School Student Delivers Valedictorian Speech He Was Barred from Giving

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Hey Crew,

Imagine. You’re 18 years old, valedictorian of your class with a 4.5 average and you are about to give your Valedictorian speech to your school. Just before the ceremony starts your headmaster tells you that you are unwelcome to speak because in the speech you out yourself as gay. He also rings your parents and outs you to them. This happened, in 2015, in Boulder Colorado USA.

Gay High School Student Delivers Valedictorian Speech He Was Barred from Giving

See how well he speaks and his community responds when he finally gives the speech at an Out Boulder fundraiser.

Portia x

From YouTube:

Published on Jun 1, 2015

http://democracynow.org – Eighteen-year-old Evan Young was supposed to be the 2015 class valedictorian of Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School in Longmont, Colorado. But his principal prevented him from giving his graduation speech after learning he would announce he is gay. Instead, two weeks later, Young got to give his speech at an Out Boulder fundraiser before an audience of hundreds, a number of them politicians who congratulated him for his bravery. We air Young’s full address and speak to him about his experience.

Gay High School Student Delivers Valedictorian Speech He Was Barred from Giving

Silences by Jacomo 1978

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

.

Post by Holly

.

Hi guys!

I recently saw a basenotes link for fragrances to be discontinued this year, and Silences is one of them. I’m not astonished or outraged, there’s no hissy fit lurking about nor rants about IFRA. I feel grief.

Of all the fragrances I own, Silences is THE ONE. I can’t say it’s the most beautiful, but to me it is a friend and a lover who embraces me at my core and allows me to fully inhabit my own skin and self. There are a lot of fans out there and many reviews, but what they describe is not at all my experience. Thus it feels quite singular in the way it belongs to me. It is a relationship.

Silences by Jacomo 1978

Silences by Gerard Goupy + Jean-Claude Niel

Silences Jacomo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, galbanum, bergamot, lemon, green notes, cassia
Heart: Iris, jasmine, narcissus, hyacinth, rose, lily-of-the-valley
Base: Vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oakmoss, cedar, ambrette (musk mallow)

Like all the best things in life, Silences is difficult to describe. It transcends description in the way that meaningful dreams do. In this way, it is both corporeal and yet other-worldly. It shimmers on the edges. When I look at the notes listed, many of my favorites are there. But to be honest, if I didn’t cheat and read them, I would never be able to tell you what they are when I smell Silences. I simply can’t pick them out at all. So, I can only offer you my own personal sensations, impressions.

Silences Jacomo Rock_Pigeon WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Silences is usually described as being intensely green, a floral chypre or a green floral. When I think of green, I actually think of very bright, brash scents. Cut grass, clover. If I had to pick an epitome, it would be either vintage Lauren or Aftelier’s Trefle Pur. Silences may be a chypre, but I feel it does not have that density. Standing apart from those, Silences is pigeon-coloured. Muted dove grey, flashes of green and mauve iridescence. Weeping willows, fog, silvered trees in a mist viewed wistfully from a window. The sound of wind as it ripples through spring leaves in anticipation of rain, a slight hiss and sigh, the leaves gracefully dancing with anticipation. The dense somber sense of thunder in the distance.

It is gentle, reflective, introspective and yet there is a subterranean shadow, a bruise. Walking alone through a carefully constructed maze at Sissinghurst, a hint of danger and excitement implicit. Beyond the maze, the quiet white gardens thrive but do not beckon. Silences is a spector, bestowing grace as a nimbus, an enigmatic presence that you can sense but cannot fully know. It is enigmatic. At times it is a Mary Cassatt painting of an all-embracing mother, and at others it is a minotaur.

Silences Jacomo Mary_Cassatt The_Child's_Bath WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Silences has beguiling floral notes with wisps of glowering deep forest shaded green on a moonlit, austere base. It does not sparkle or shine, but shape-shifts from inviting to threatening. A fairy tale and a dream that resonates and invites you to explore what is on the surface and what lies beneath. You may carry this secret with you wherever you go.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Olfactoria’s Travels
FragranceNet has $29/100ml before coupon

Silences is my Goldilocks fragrance. Do you have one? And on a more practical note (heaven forbid!) what would you do if you discovered your Goldilocks fragrance was to be discontinued?
Holly xo

SAMPLE PACK Giveaway Winners

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Crew,

Thanks for getting involved everyone. Whoever wins this one will have loads of fun sniffing I hope.

Portia xx

SAMPLE PACK Giveaway Winners

Most of these samples have been purchased from Surrender To Chance in 2015

Sample Pack Giveaway June 2015

SAMPLE PACK

  1. 222 by Le Galion Manufacturers Sample
  2. Aoud Heritage by Montale
  3. A La Rose by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
  4. EO3 by biehl parfumkunstwerke
  5. Surrender by Surrender To Chance
  6. Tudor Rose & Amber by Jo Malone
  7. Forbidden Games by Kilian
  8. Kiss of Agnayi by Primiordal Scents
  9. Rose de Grasse by Aerin Lauder
  10. Eclair de Tubéreuse by Il Profvmo
  11. SnoBirds by SmellBent

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x SAMPLE PACK
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID 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 single 2014/5 fragrance you would like to sample if there were no money constraints and you were given the chance

Extra Chance?
Tweet: SAMPLE PACK GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-330  

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 14th June 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

winner-is HighestSelfPhoto Stolen HighestSelf

JESSI

The winner will have till Thursday 18th June 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.

FAREWELL Badgley Mischka FAREWELL

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Hey there Peeps!

In honour of the recent discontinuation of the Badgley Mischka fragrance line I thought I would take a reminiscent look at the original in parfum form. While finding the EdP too sweet, tooth achingly sweet, I was surprised at my reaction to the parfum.

Badgley Mischka by Richard Herpin for Badgley Mischka 2006

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Chinese cassia, Peach, Red berries
Heart: Jasmine, Osmanthus, Peony
Base: Amber, Caramel, Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood

The bottle has been mocked but I quite liked it. Looking, as Tania Sanchez says, like “a set designer’s idea of a classy bottle, with a metal nameplate making it look like an executive paperweight” if you want to be mean and snarky, or looking very streamlined and 80s elegant if you like it. The Badgley Mischka Parfum comes in a cool square silver-tone column, it’s heavy and cold to the touch. Picking it up I get a thrill of luxutry, even though I bought my bottle pretty cheaply and it came with a refill.

How does Badgley Mischka smell? It’s a tart, sweet juicy explosion that is a bit like a tropical fruit punch leaning heavily on the mango and apricot nectars with a lovely fizzy champagne undercurrent. The flowers, when they arrive, are second fiddle to fruit but add a lovely dewy green, sappy freshness. They are a side note on my skin because already the sweet creamy base is coming through creating a fruity caramel melange. Imagine nougat with fruit instead of almonds, that’s the vibe for me.

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka Champagne punch cocktail HeraldHeuser PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

It has been said that Badgley Mischka is the grown up fruitchouli and I can see where that has come from. It is an elegant version of a lot of other fragrances on the market and if I wanted something to push the limits of my fruit craving if I didn’t already have Badgley Mischka my choice would be Byredo’s Pulp. What I do tend to reach for more often and vaguely in the same ballpark is Liberte by Cacharel, using sizzling citrus instead of the peach (which reads mango/apricot nectar on me). If you like the original Miss Dior Cherie, Angel or any of the popular fruitchouli genre then this could hit your hot spot. To be honest I think that Angel did it so effectively and with so much panache that most of the wannabes are a pale imitation, Badgley Mischka parfum is very nice though and I’m on my second 15ml so that gives you some idea.

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka Spring2011 Maegan Tintari FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy and Bois de Jasmin
SweetBabyPerfumePlus has EdP and Parfum still available
Surrender To Chance has EdP samples starting at $3/ml

Did you ever wear Badgley Mischka? Are you able to do sticky sweet fruits and booze?
Portia xx

Hermès – Voyage en Ikat: Mini Movie

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi All,

Hermès, even the name conjures images of wealth and luxury. Now the designers at Hermès bring us a beautiful tablewear set inspired by the ancient art of Ikat.

Hermès - Voyage en Ikat porcelain tablewear HermesPhoto Stolen Hermès

From Hermès: Inspired by ikat, an exceptional weaving and dyeing technique originating in Asia, Voyage en Ikat celebrates intermingled uses and an ongoing dialogue between East and West. More than twenty hues centered on sapphire, ruby and emerald, are enhanced by 24-carat matte gold and come to life in designs composed ‘thread by thread’.

I hope you enjoy the under 2 minute mini movie of the Hermès inspirations for their new porcelain,

Portia xx

Hermès – Voyage en Ikat