Hey All,
I know that most of you don’t need to see this, or when you see it you will be thinking, “OK I know this stuff”
Photo Stolen DaveyWaveyFitness
Having said that I did like the way they deal with some of the issies and Davey Wavey always gives me a smile.
Be careful at work, there is adult content.
Underneath that is the most hilarious parody, watch it. Ha Ha Ha ha
Enjoy,
Portia xx
Hi there Fragrance Fiends,
Every time I wear this beauty I am transported to Prague in winter where I bought it with Jin. You would think it a summer only fragrance but it was wonderful in the super cold too. For some reason I never got to Prague when I lived in London in the 1990s, even though my mates would go there often, it was always on the bucket list and going there with Jin made it extra special. Even if L’Heure Convoiteé II smelled like shit, which it most definitely does not, I would still love it for the memories it conjures.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Carnation, iris, powdery notes
Cool, stark, crystaline and beautiful. The opening of L’Heure Convoiteé II would be the perfect fragrance for the cold girl from Frozen, ever since I saw the film every time I spritz the song Let It Go runs through my head. People compare it to Bellodgia by Caron and while they are cousins L’Heure Convoiteé II is cooler, less spicy and hot. They are carnations done in opposite directions for me, Bellodgia is thick, rich and nuanced with warmth and spice burning fiercely inside but L’Heure Convoiteé II is stark, linear, sharp and poised, a crystal Queen on the outside that becomes less intimidating as she makes her way through the story.
Photo Stolen WikiCommons
Clove holds the heart of L’Heure Convoiteé II, clove and iris sharp and earthy, an interesting dichotomy and though it’s not mentioned I think the musk is a lot of what feels fluffy but not human, clean and clear like an washing machine with a brand new rug thrown in for its welcome wash before you add detergents. L’Heure Convoiteé II is the clean lines of modern buildings like Howard Roark’s designs in the Fountainhead or the Brutalist beauty of the Seidler House in Sydney.
Photo Stolen ModernHeritage (Problem using this image, please get in touch)
The clove becomes woodsy towards the end of the L’Heure Convoiteé II ride and the rest of the notes give me a lovely spicy rose weaving through. Still cool and very classy but more welcoming, is there some very dry pepper hiding here? Oooh I like it, I think I’ll respritz and live it all again.
Further reading: Grain de Musc and Olfactoria’s Travels
Cartier stores and some large Department Stores have Les Heures de Cartier
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/.5ml
Do you like the Cartier Hours Collection? Have you tried any? What about other Cartier frags?
Portia xx
Hi Y’all,
A perfume angel sent me this from NYC. I am as flabbergasted as you are. I thought, “What better way to celebrate than do a GIVEAWAY!” I have deliberately not really reviewed what happens through the fragrances life because I want you to experience it first hand, I will say though that it does smell like money……. lots of money
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, citruses, aldehydes, tarragon
Heart: Amaryllis, jasmine, violet, geranium, ylang-ylang, rose, peach
Base: Vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oak moss, clove, cinnamon, tonka bean, orris root, castoreum, leather
Roja Dove says at First In Fragrance: Sweet, sparkling, fresh, warm, dry, spicy & sensual
“While reading a book, I saw a woman described as ‘reckless maybe – foolish never’. I imagined how that woman would be: she was a woman who followed her heart, but was no one’s fool. I imagined her in the half-light, wearing a diamond necklace. Her world would be one of uncompromising luxury – her scent reflected her, she smelt expensive. She always got what she wanted; often taking risks to get it”.
I am surprised how much I’m enjoying it. There are reminders of other fragrances but they are done with what feels like reverence. To be honest I thought it would be much less lovely……
Very much in the styles of No 5, Joy and Arpege though I am currently wearing it on one hand and Mitsouko PdT on the other. Mitsouko is so gorgeously abrasive by comparison. Never has she seemed so green and arch to me. While Reckless is the balmy, warm and soapy, very genteel lady sitting primly in cashmere, with her knees pressed very firmly together and wearing very large baroque pearls. After Reckless has had her third dirty martini though………
Further reading: Persolaise
First In Fragrance €325/50ml (usually €395: special offer) + Samples
Go On, join in the fun.
Portia xx
Photo Stolen kbaird
This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x decant of Roja Dove’s Reckless (from my bottle)
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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.
You must tell me how you follow APJ
and
Tell me about your favourite fragrance from the long past glory of perfumery.
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Roja Dove: Reckless #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3JZ #Perfume @RojaDove
Entries Close Sunday 29th March 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 Thursday 2nd April 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.
Woo Hoo! Exciting times! The second annual Art & Olfaction Awards has announced its nominees for 2015. I feel so naughty, haven’t sniffed them all yet. Must get onto that immediately.
Have a look through and tell me what you think of their choices.
Portia xx
MILAN— The Institute for Art and Olfaction is pleased to announce the finalists for the second annual Art and Olfaction Awards, to be held at the Goethe-Institut in Los Angeles on April 17, 2015.
Two winners will be selected from the categories Artisan and Independent, and one Sadakichi Award for Experimental Scent, a new category added for the 2015 Awards. Each winner will receive The Golden Pear, which has quickly become a prestigious achievement in the perfume world.
The finalists were selected by a group of highly qualified judges from the perfume, art and other industries. The artisan and independent category submissions were judged blindly, presented in generic vials and tracked by a numerical code. The preliminary round judges selected the finalists, and the finalist round judges select the winners.
INDEPENDENT & ARTISAN CATEGORIES
Preliminary Judges
Ashley Eden Kessler, Brent Leonesio, Daniel Krasofski, Hank Jenkins, James McHugh, Laura Johnson, Neal Harris, Persephenie, Steven Gontarski, Sherri Sebastian, Yvettra Grantham
INDEPENDENT & ARTISAN CATEGORIES
Finalist Judges
Luca Turin, Mandy Aftel, Miriam Vareldzis, Sarah Horowitz-Thran, Sebastian Fischenich
SADAKICHI AWARD FOR EXPERIMENTAL SCENT PROJECTS
Allison Agsten, Bettina Hubby, Dr. Kóan Jeff Baysa, Marcos Lutyens, Mark Allen
ARTISAN CATEGORY FINALISTS
A City on Fire, by Imaginary Authors
Perfumer: Josh Meyer Portland, USA
Eau de Céleri by Monsillage
Perfumer: Isabelle Michaud Montréal, Canada
Foxglove by DS & Durga
Perfumers: David Seth Moltz + Kavi Moltz New York, USA
Tobacco Cognac by House of Cherry Bomb Perfumers: Alexis Karl + Maria McElroy New York, USA
Woodcut by Olympic Orchids Perfumer: Ellen Covey Seattle, USA
INDEPENDENT CATEGORY FINALISTS
Ombre Indigo by Olfactive Studio
Perfumer: Mylène Alran Paris, France
Boccanera by OrtoParisi
Perfumer: Allessandro Guialtieri Amsterdam, Holland
Pashay by Ray Matts
Perfumer: Christophe Laudamiel New York, USA
Black Pepper & Sandalwood by Acca Kappa Perfumer: Luca Maffei
Treviso, Italy
Skive by Canoe
Perfumer: Jessica Hannah Austin, USA
SADAKICHI AWARD FINALISTS
Catalin
Team: Charles Long, Carrie Paterson, Karen Reitzel, Seth Hawkins, Emery Martin, Michael Mascha
The Contemporary Austin, USA
Chroma
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Denver Art Museum, USA
Crime and Punishment
Team: Mike McGinley, Charles McGinley, Noah Bremer, Ben Heywood
Minnesota Fringe Festival, USA
Famous Deaths
Team: Marcel van Brakel, Frederik Duerinck, Wander Eikelboom, Caro Verbeek
MOTI, Holland
In Libro De Tenebris
Paul Schütze
Maggs Gallery, England
AWARDS CEREMONY
Invitation Only
Friday, April 17, 2015, 7 p.m.
Goethe-Institut: 5750 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Cocktail attire is highly encouraged.
AFTERPARTY
Public with limited attendance.
Register: http://aoafterparty.eventbrite.com
Friday, April 17, 2015 10:30 p.m. (following the award ceremony)
The Institute for Art & Olfaction: 3023 W. 6th St., Los Angeles, CA. 90020
Hey Hey APJ,
Another great GIVEAWAY! Thanks for getting involved. The more I know the Ramon Monegal line the more impressed I am with their product.
If you didn’t win today
First In Fragrance has the range €145/50ml
Peony Melbourne will be getting the range any moment!!
Surrender To Chance has samples
Portia xx
Photo Stolen Romon Monegal
This week we will have 2 winners who will receive one of (NO you don’t get to chose):
1 x 15ml splash sample Mon Cuir by Ramon Monegal
1 x 15ml spritz sample Lovely Day by Ramon Monegal
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 Ramon Monegal<<JUMP, find a fragrance and ONE of its notes…. NO DOUBLE UPS!
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Ramon Monegal GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3xG #Perfume #GIVEAWAY @ramonmonegal @mrgratacos
Entries Closed Sunday 22nd March 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen markmontanoblogs
The winners will have till Thursday 26th March 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.
Hello Fragrant Fumies,
As spring hits the Northern Hemisphere properly I thought it time to look at one of my personal favourite tuberose fragrances. I have drained a bottle of the parfum and now I’m wearing the oil.
Photo Stolen Ava Luxe
The Ava Luxe website has this to say:
A French legend of tuberose warns young girls not to breathe in its intoxicating fragrance after dark for fear that it would put them in an amorous mood. we, on the other hand, would encourage you to wear this tuberose fragrance after dark (or anytime) with wild abandon.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Indian tuberose, wild gardenia, Egyptian tuberose, amber, spice, white carnation, bitter orange
Tuberose Diabolique opens with a lush tropical miasma so thick and treacle-ish that you feel like you must wade through the scent to get across the room. In the oil I find a muted, softer scent. The projection is much less pronounced but the silage is still excelent. Here we have a greener tuberose with little of the parfums outrageous overbearing demeanor. Don’t misunderstand me, you are still extremely fragrant and into its heart the whole fragrance warms and does become bequiling. A buttery green-ness very like having a vase of tuberose slowly dying in your home, the heady and wondrous death of tuberose. GORGEOUS!
I get a lovely helping of amber but the crispness of carnation and the sizzle of citrus and spice are blended beyond my ability to really smell them other than by note list reading.
Photo Stolen AusGardener
Spraying Tuberose Diabolique is making a statement. Though the oil is not as enormous as the parfum it is still big and heady. If you need something to help you take charge, or to fuddle the oppositions brains, then I think this could be the necessary fragrance for you. Should you wish to take an hour out of your life I suggest rubbing a fair amount into your chest and arms, grab yourself a cuppa, put some music on and let yourself go. Completely and utterly lose yourself in a sensual sense overload that is completely and utterly selfish.
Photo Stolen Pixabay
Where would Tuberose Diabolique be wearable? Outdoor activities, shopping, cleaning, bed if you’re lucky enough to have one to yourself or if you are after raunchy sex acts, washing day, al fresco dinning, the beach, anywhere that you are not enclosed for the first hour.
Do I like Tuberose Diabolique in the oil form? YES!!!
The Ava Luxe site has 5ml Perfume Oil $25 & 5ml Parfum Extrait $27.
Do you have an oil that you also have in another form? Which do you wear most?
Till tomorrow we wish you enough wealth, good health and enough sense to be happy with those 2.
Love.
Portia xx
Yoo Hoo Crew!
I love this ad. Beautifully shot, the music is perfect both thrilling and calm, the girls are a multicultural mix and all doing stuff that takes courage. I like very much the blend of drama and beauty, so good.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cassis
Heart: Freesia, ,may rose
Base: Vanilla, patchouli, ambroxan, woody notes
Sadly the fragrance is a washout on me but I hope it’s better for you.
Enjoy the advertisement.
Portia xx
Hi there lovely fragrant APJers,
I have a nearly empty 50ml of this beauty bought early on and recently my mate Michael who writes for Olfactoria’s Travels was having a Sell-Out so I grabbed a 100ml from him. It’s in the old packaging but much newer and I was a little worried there might have been a few cuts and pastes as the company changed hands over the years. I’m sure there have been but Un Matin d’Orage is remarkably intact. Happy day…..
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Sicilian lemon, ginger, green notes
Heart: Gardenia, shiso leaves, magnolia, champaca flowers, Indonesian jasmine
Base: Sandalwood
Imagine happy moderately wealthy women heading for lunch. Their morning has been full, woke up, breakfast, husband to work and kids to school (unless she has decided to live her life her way), gym, work or housework, ready for lunch, spritz. In my imagination Un Matin d’Orage is exactly what she wafts. Stylish, distinctive, sensual and elegant is how she lives, and how she smells.
Photo Stolen WomensLifeStyle (Problem using image? Get in touch please)
When I wrote about Un Matin d’Orage before this is what I said: “OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS!” is what I say in my head every time I spritz myself with Un Matin d’Orage. Does it smell like a stormy morning to me? No. Maybe the sunshine an hour after a stormy morning, when all the flowers are getting their scent on as if to make up for lost time……. This smells like money to me, loads of it.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
My first whiff of Un Matin d’Orage is always with surprise that there is no ylang mentioned in the notes. My nose gets the lovely fatty, warm, buttery sensuality of it. Backed up by light sheen of lemon and ginger that sparkles dewily across the top, and yes I get the idea of being out after a storm. A very clean gardenia is there, maybe the indole has washed away in the storm, and it’s not a flower in your hand but a bush a couple of doors down wafting up to you in the early morning as the scent awakes. Champacca is an extremely fragrant magnolia that has a flower remarkably reminiscent in its look of ylang, though I’ve not smelled it alone I think it’s the progenitor of the ylang-ish headiness, the sandalwood is helping too.
While Un Matin d’Orage is a white floral extravaganza something I really enjoy about its unfurling is the hint of green that is present through its whole life, a slightly wet/dry green like palm leaves in a greenhouse and some resinous green too (galbanum?) that steadies the whole fragrance and keeps it wearable and give subtle shade to the glow from the white flowers.
Photo stolen WikiCommons
Like many Annick Goutal fragrances only the first hour is very fragrant but Un Matin d’Orage hums along quietly after its initial huge opening as a lovely airy, softly woody white flower that huffs up from my shirt occasionally and surprises me. Too big for confined spaces initially but given some burn off time perfect for any occasion. Smells KILLER on a guy too.
Further reading: Smelly Thoughts and Grain de Musc
FragranceNet has old packaging $79/50ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml
Have you worn this remarkable beauty? Is there another Annick Goutal you love?
Portia x
Hi there APJ Frag Family,
Here is another of my Birgit from Olfactoria’s Travels pick-ups (EDIT: This was not from Birgit but from SusanB). I am so thrilled to have it in my collection now. The weighty, gorgeous ink pot bottle. The thrill of lifting its cap like a cigarette lighter and the wonderful joy of spritzing liberally. Life doesn’t get much better than this…….
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Iris, mimosa, raspberry, ylang-ylang, jasmine, Virginian cedar
I love to soft wattle, cardboard, bread and sweet floral opening. Impossible Iris smells like no other iris fragrance to me. It smells a little leathery and lightly fruity, the mimosa (wattle in Australia) is clean and pretty and all the fatty elements of the white flowers are shaved off. Impossible Iris is like a calm space in the mad world we live in. Imagine being in a cool pool on the second floor of a building surrounded by skyscrapers, freeways, shoppers and noise. You go underwater and suddenly you are in an oasis of serenity, just you, your heartbeat, the cool water lapping and the play of sunlight above and around you.
Photo Stolen WikiCommons
Refreshing, uplifting and calming. What a perfect warm day scent. I love how through the heart the berry gives Impossible Iris a little hint of sweetness, a very nice (not overly sugared or sweet) addition like opening an expensive lollipop.
I get soft but persistent longevity from Impossible Iris and after the first hour I get little huffs of reminder as I go about my day but you will never skunk anyone even if you drench yourself. A one hour respritz gives it extra fullness and lifespan.
Photo Stolen Romon Monegal
Romon Monegal Site says: Mysterious and ambiguous, the legendary iris root only gives off the extreme beauty of its perfume on rare occasions. It is blended only with the finest cedar, in the presence of the exotic ylang-ylang flower, with traces of violet and jasmine, fleshing out its full glamour so that it may become the most attractive perfume in the world
Notes: Italian Iris Concrete, Cassie d’Egypte Absolute, Raspberry, Comoran Ylang-Ylang, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute and Virginian Cedarwood.
Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
First In Fragrance has €145/50ml
Peony Melbourne will be getting the range any moment!!
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/.5ml
Which of the Ramon Monegal line do you love?
Portia xx
Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy
Thanks to the Romon Monegal crew, especially Fracisco Gratacós, for their amazing generosity.
This week we will have 2 winners who will receive one of (NO you don’t get to chose):
1 x 15ml splash sample Mon Cuir by Ramon Monegal
1 x 15ml spritz sample Lovely Day by Ramon Monegal
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 Ramon Monegal<<JUMP, find a fragrance and ONE of its notes…. NO DOUBLE UPS!
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Ramon Monegal GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3xG #Perfume #GIVEAWAY @ramonmonegal @mrgratacos
Entries Close Sunday 22nd March 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 Thursday 26th March 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.
Hi there Crew,
I am less taken with this show, Raf Simons does some great and exciting stuff with surreal animal print, fabric uses are interesting and some of the colours are killer. I love the side ponytails and the long plastic boots (which seem to be a favourite of his) but the collection has only rare highlights for me. There is quite a bit of repetition through the DIOR couture and pret a porter ranges and over seasons. It has me wondering if Raf is creating a signature for himself at DIOR or if he is doing a timeline of incremental change?
The reason that he created this show as he did it is much more interesting so I’ve given you the interview today instead of the show. you’ll see enough of the frocks to make your own decisions.
Photo Stolen DIOR.com
I’d love to read what you think about it in the comments,
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 