DIOR, DIOR, DIOR!
One of my great loves is the house of DIOR. Here we see the making of a DIOR handbag. It’s a beautiful thing and one day I shall own me a DIOR handbag, probably a second hand one but nevertheless.
Photo Stolen DIOR Tumbler
I hope you enjoy seeing how the real deal are made.
Tell me in the comments your handbag fantasies.
Portia xx
Hi Gang,
Nice crew of you with some lovely fragrances mentioned and some great memories too. Thanks for getting involved.
Portia xx
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Parfumo gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, Oakmoss, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose
This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x Fille d`Eve by Nina Ricci decant from the bottle that Michael Edwards gave me
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 favorite vintage fragrance OR a story of a late morning rumpled wake up OR someone you know that rocks vintage frags
Entries Closed Sunday 17th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org
Photo stolen brooklodge
The winners will have till Thuesday 21st May 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.
Hey crew,
Monday was a great morning to L’Occitane. Scottt Steward and I trolled down to the Sydney Observatory area and couldn’t find the damn place so I just kept driving till we came across it, AT LAST! Greeted with drinks and some easy finger food at arrival we were wowed by the lovely transformation that the L’Occitane crew had given a very white old-school hanger of an art gallery. There was colour and bunches of real flowers everywhere.
I apologise that I didn’t get more crowd and happening shots but one of the Sydney Beauty Society Mavins was really rude to me as we arrived and It put me a bit off my game. Not to be deterred we listened to the beautiful French General Manager of L’Occitane Australia Caroline LeRoch who welcomed us and introduced the new Australian face/brand Ambassador of L’Occitane, Australian TV & Radio star Sami Lukis who chatted with Lucy Primrose, international project leader and skincare innovator at L’Occitane.
The spiel was interesting, the finger food delicious and most of the company fun and friendly. The L’Occitane crew are a great bunch of girls and my mate Lesley Bowen the loveliest of them all.
And the swag?
The last photo is the ABSOLUTE FREAKING WINNER! An oil based make up remover that takes every skerrick of my drag make up off in seconds, including waterproof mascara. First time in my life I’ve woken up without PANDA EYES! Thank you L’Occitane.
Portia xx
PS Most of these photos I took but some were donated by L’Occitane after I asked for extras.
Hey Crew,
I often hear women complain about how hard it is to live in a world where every image they are being shown of how they are expected to look is almost unattainable to someone with a real life. I agree, it can be hard looking in the mirror after being bombarded with images of perfection from dusk till dawn.
So instead of decreasing the pressure on women to look a certain way men have been giving them a twisted sense of equality by creating exactly the same stupid unhappiness drain by creating the male Adonis Syndrome. Basically another form of body dysmorphia but this time it’s hitting the men.
Photo Stolen Flickr
It makes me so mad and I feel absolutely helpless in the face of this absolute idiocracy that the media has become. I want real people that I can idolise because they have done interesting, amazing, entrepreneurial or culturally sensitive things, people who have made a difference, people who can talk books and life after having read or thought about them. GRRRR!
End rant, enjoy the video, there is no denying how lovely these men look.
Portia xx
Heya APJ Frag Family,
You might remember that I bought an Hermès 4 x 15ml Travel Set while on holidays. Vetiver is one of my favourite notes, not just for its amazingly versatile scent profile but also because the grass is so useful in many different ways, anyway here is one of the clever ways Jean-Claude Ellena sees vetiver.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Parfumo gives these featured accords in one line:
Hazelnut, Lily-of-the-valley, Praliné, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Tonka bean, Vetiver
I really enjoy the melange that Vétiver Tonka offers up while still wet on your skin; it’s like the whole note list wants to meet you all at once. In the first 10 seconds I smell quite distinctly the austere, dry yet fresh greenness of vetiver, the sweetness of sugared lollies and nutty sweets, creamy sandalwood and a whisper of the dewy fresh prim white floral that is lily of the valley. They all pop out in succession as if you are meeting them on a conveyor belt.
Then something interesting happens on my skin, at about the two minute mark they all decide it’s time to get friendly and create a fragrance. The beautiful slightly salty, little bit bitter green smoky dryness of vetiver is front and center but everything else then becomes a fragrant cushion that surrounds and bolsters the star.
Photo Stolen Hermès
As we go further into the heart of Vétiver Tonka the sweetness starts to really shine through. A lovely shiny patina of creamy caramel with the slightly dry bite of nuts waltz through and around the vetiver creating some very interesting fragrant formations that keep my nose fresh to the scent and my wrist lifted permanently in front of my face. Thank goodness I’m home and not out, it would be embarrassing.
It’s interesting wearing Vétiver Tonka to review rather than as my scent of the day. I am much more able to detect subtle differences in its moods, during a regular wear I get occasional wafts of sweet creamy woods that make me smile through the day but in my room on close inspection the heart is caramelised and smoky, the nuttiness shines through more too. A sweet dryness prevails to the end, very elegant and totally unisex.
Longevity is really good most days but some days I spray on Vétiver Tonka and it seems to disappear before the two hour mark. No I can’t work out why, there seems to be no defining circumstances but I have only worn a 3ml sample in the past and now this is my fourth wear since buying my 15ml four pack.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and Olfactoria’s Travels
Hermessence are available only in Hermès stores or onlineSurrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml
How do you like your vetiver? Dry and stark or warm and delicious?
Portia xx
Hi there Vintage Mavins,
I write often about the amazing gems that Michael Edwards, of Fragrances Of The World fame, gave me in his mammoth fragrance clean out. There are still dozens left for me to introduce you to. Today I’m taking you back to 1956
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Parfumo gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, Oakmoss, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose
On first spritz the words that jump into my head are sweet, soft, lavish, elegant, fluffy and feminine. Fille d`Eve is all about the moss and some whispered animal, everything else is just to it dress up.
In my mind’s eye I see this sensually rumpled young woman, probably awaking in the late morning on a weekend after a fun night out or an athletic bout of lovemaking. She is deliciously and deliriously sated for fun and has slept eight hours straight, now she lies in bed not quite asleep and enjoys the warmth under the doona and lets her mind wander freely.
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
My bottle of Fille d`Eve seems to be 100% perfect and I really want to share my luckiness with you so jump down to the GIVEAWAY.
Further reading: Now Smell This and Black Narcissus
Ebay and Amazon have some VERY expensive bottles
Surrender To Chance has vintage parfum samples starting at $7/.5ml
Photo Stolen Kesha&Co
This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x Fille d`Eve by Nina Ricci decant from the bottle that Michael Edwards gave me
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 favorite vintage fragrance OR a story of a late morning rumpled wake up OR someone you know that rocks vintage frags
Entries Close Sunday 17th May 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thuesday 21st May 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.
Hey there APJ,
Ever struggle? Ever wonder if it’s all worth it? Ever put stuff off till you get through this crisis? Do you ever feel that you’re missing out on the good stuff because you can only see the crap?
I have days like that too. My time is often overcommitted, other people’s inability to organise their shit means mine is behind, or worse means I have to miss something I love because they are stupid selfish assholes, maybe there is drama around you and while you’re in the middle of it it consumes you? There are also times when I feel I have no space, that I’m completely engulfed by work, the world and people. Seriously, I only sleep around 6 hours a day but 18 hours rarely feels like enough.
Here’s a beautiful sentence that reminds me I’m not alone, other people get to this point too and that if I can keep moving through it will calm down pretty soon.
I hope it helps you too,
Waft on my lovelies,
Portia xx
Photo Stolen Flickr
Hey there Frag Family,
One of the few problems that comes with writing about fragrance is that you are constantly testing stuff, old and new, so you can write about it. This means that you neglect your collection. I can’t speak for you obviously but I find that many of my dearest loves languish, so this week I decided to have at least one part of my day in fragrance from my collection. So you know I have 3 major fragrance wearing times: Daytime, Work and Sleep. Sometimes I’ll spritz the same thing three times but rarely.
So this week I challenged myself to use some of my loves, here is how it went….
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Day: Ambre 114 by Histoires de Parfums: Lovely soft amber, lightly spiced and sandalwooded.
Work/Evening: Ambre 114 by Histoires de Parfums: ^^^ Enjoyed it so much I wanted to do it again
Sleep: Sweet Oriental Dream by Montale: Like an ambered Turkish delight. Super sweet but totally wearable.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Day: Ambre 114 by Histoires de Parfums: ^^^ Enjoyed it so much I wanted to do it again
Work/Evening: Shalimar Vint. Parfum + EdP by Guerlain: The one. the magic, the divine creamy lemon vanilla sorbet and cat
Sleep: Tuberose Diabolique perfume oil by Ava Luxe: White flowers with a very sappy green feel, heady and sensual. MMMMMM
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Day: Lys Soleia by Guerlain:
Work/Evening: Un Matin d`Orage by Annick Goutal: Bright spicy white floral with a sandalwood and (musk/vanilla?) base
Sleep: Un Matin d`Orage by Annick Goutal: ^^ Loved it.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Day: ——-
Work/Evening: Kokorico by JPGaultier: Chocolate patchouli with an earthy vetiver backdraft. I think this should have been a huge hit for JPG
Sleep: Neroli & Orchidee by L’Occitane: Spritzed like crazy. I love this juicy fresh and warmly sensual frag. So simple and easy to wear for sweet dreams.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Day: Rima XI by Carner Barcelona: I think it’s the mint in the opening over the warm, sweet vanilla and resins that gets me every time.
Work/Evening: Rima XI by Carner Barcelona: ^^^ Really loved it this morning
Sleep: Vintage Mitsouko PdT by Guerlain: I could try to parse this glorious Queen but I think I’ll leave it to smell elegantly MMMMMitsouko.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Day: Fille en A Sorry interrupted when I was about to spritz, didn’t happen
Work/Evening: Miss Dior vintage EdT: OMFG! This is gorgeous beyond my expectations and it has a funky, resinous, amber/chocolate note that is very surprising. Whoa! BIG!
Sleep: Miss Dior vintage EdT on my chest/ Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane on my hand backs
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Day: Aqua Allegoria Tiare Mimosa by Guerlain: I love the gently white florals with only a touch of breathiness in this lovely springlike spritz.
Work/Evening: Fille en Aiguilles by Serge Lutens: Boozy, fruity, spicy roses. Awash in heavenly vapours. MMMMMM.
Sleep: Eau de Magnolia by Frederic Malle: Citrus, soft white floral and sheer warm dry down. A perfect finish to my Shop My Collection week.
Want to sample these lovelies? Try Surrender To Chance and My Perfume Samples
Do you ever find yourself wearing the samples and neglecting your bottles? Does it worry you or are you cool with that?
Portia xx
Hi Crew,
As you know I am now writing fortnightly for the crew at My Perfume Samples. Can’t express fully to you how proud I feel to be asked to write for them. Excellent crew with great prices and service. This week there is also a wicked Byredo GIVEAWAY!.
Please go check out my personal favourite Byredo fragrances. They all have special meaning through my own enjoyment or because they are my close friends fragrances. Byredo has excellent quality and interesting mixtures yet still retain the wearability that I love in a good fragrance.
While you’re there please leave me a hello so I know you’ve dropped by, your response is your entry into the GIVEAWAY.
Also, It makes me happy to see you all around the web.
Portia xx
Hey there Fragrance Fiends,
Embarrassing story. I was given a 15ml pre release sample of this by Nick from Libertine Parfumerie to review if I liked it. The bottle is simple and nondescript and the writing in gold so since there was so much bigger and boxed stuff in my swag that day I have completely overlooked this one. What a dumbass.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Basil, lilac, carnation, hay, magnolia, may rose, patchouli, violet leaf, amber
Green and sparkling herbal opening that feels a little citric and aldehydic, spicy carnation reacts beautifully with the herbs feeling like the new days dawn and yes, there is a lovely fruity rose creeping in that smells like it’s warming in the morning sun. A crystalised rose, completely unsweetened, cool and sophisticated and I get a flawless lemon blossom that floats through the heart absolutely effortlessly. A creamy lemon silk chiffon scarf drifting through the rosiness and a little hint of breathy indole too.
Photo Stolen Geograph
Weird, after about 4 hours all I smell is a fluffy white musk that feels clean and fresh like laundry just out of the dryer.
Having read a bunch of reviews now it’s interesting that so many people call Rose Privée a chypre. I get none of the earthy, bitter or mossy dry down you’d expect from a chypre here at all. Clearly my skin or nose is not giving or getting some notes that are completely obvious to noses that I trust much better than mine. All I get is a soft and fluffy musk, clean and neat. BUM!
It’s a shame because the first hour or so is absolutely lovely and as I have my Aunty Tracey here with me too we are both adoring the opening and keep resptitzing so the opening hour can be relived over and again. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon/evening really especially when you add to it a very healthy serve of Take Away Chinese with Jin & Kath in the middle.
Photo Stolen Flickr
Do I love Rose Privée? No, but I do like it very much. Will I be buying a bottle? I think Rose Privée a little soft and innocent for my tastes though I think it a perfect gifting fragrance or office scent, the quality is lovely and the soft whisper of spring it conjures smells really beautiful on my Aunty. If you like to be subtly scented then Rose Privée may be a perfect choice for you.
Further reading: Megan In St Maxime and Bois de Jasmin
Libertine Parfumerie has Rose Privée
Parfum1 has $120/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5.40/ml
Roses, roses, roses! What are your favourites?
Portia xx
