Portia

Hedonist by Cult of Scent

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Heya Perfume Junkies,

I have a small sample of Hedonist. There is no note list online and the brand is so fledgeling that I can’t even find a website for it. There is a Cult of Scent Facebook Page but it doesn’t have a price list, just some beautiful pictures, a couple of meetups and some fragrant knowledge exchange. I don’t even have a picture of the bottle for you all. To be perfectly honest I did not even purchase these scents, my mate Casssandra gave me some tiny test samples that I have put into spritzers.

Hedonist by Cult of Scent

Cult Of Scent

So I do know that Jocelyn is the perfumer though I’m yet to meet her, she is a Sydney based perfumer and very pretty. I spent some time in the delicious citrus/white flower/green extravaganza that is Cult of Scent’s Magnolia ’13 a while ago and loved it sick.

So Hedonist, it opens slightly citrus and balmy but what immediately knocks on my olfactory door is leather. Slightly tar-ish, smoky, woodsy leather. New leather before it’s been made into its final product, the act of walking into a leather shop and being greeted by hundreds of skins in their multi-hued entirety. Hedonist is not big but it does have a fairly ferocious opening on my skin. More Lonestar Memories than Cuir d’Ange if you know what I mean, but not really like Lonestar Memories at all. Michael Borg just told me that the hefty darkness is probably oud assisted, now that he mentions it I tend to agree.

Hedonist Cult of scent VIC_River_Downs WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Hedonist is a bitter brew yet behind it I smell softness, a creamy something, a white flower. Michael says it’s the tiare flower, he could be correct, I am just going to say creamy white flowers and maybe some lactonic fruit like fig. No matter what it is the smell is beautiful, exquisite, both hefty and during the heart also pleasantly sheer. Wearable to most occasions where people are happy to have you scented, and not overpowering enough to preclude it from dining or the movies. Very wearable.

Hedonist Cult of scent book BonnyBBX PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

The Middle East? A little tease of an introduction to it, yes. A soft core, wearable beauty. Hedonist? Not nearly as overblown or outrageous as I was expecting though towards dry down it does become quite animal and lived in but so soft that it could really be you, just warmer and sexier. GGGGRRROWLL

What fragrance would you call your Hedonist fragrance? For me I think Songes by Annick Goutal, Guerlain’s Shalimar and Parfum de Maroc by Aftelier. These hold something big, overblown and indulgent. What’s yours?
Portia x

Miss Dior 2015: Natalie Portman: Mini Movie

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Aha! Hey gang,

I was not crazy about Miss Dior really but recently my mate Natalie from Another Perfume Blog (now defunct) gave me some vintage Miss Dior Cherie and I have to admit it rocked my socks off.

miss Dior 2015 Natalie Portman YouTubePhoto Stolen YouTube

As always Natalie Portman is perfect in her role. This time as the grand daughter of the super wealthy. DIOR has done a wonderful job dressing her and the sets.

Enjoy a couple of minutes of pure escapism.
Portia xx

Miss Dior 2015 – The new film (Official Director’s Cut)

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Creations 2015

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

Guess what arrived in the mail Friday morning!! Neela has sent me a sample! WOW! WOW! WOW!

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Creations 2015

Pichola with Bertrand Duchaufour

Pichola Neela Vermeire Creations fragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, juniper, magnolia, neroli oil, clementine, bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom absolute, rose absolute, tuberose absolute, sambac jasmine, ylang-ylang
Base: Benzoin absolute, sandalwood , driftwood, Haiti vetiver

As you may know India is somewhere I have spent a lot of time, 15 visits so far and hopefully back there again in 2016. Of all the beautiful, magical, amazing spots that my last partner Varun and I saw (and BFF Kath too in 2008) Udaipur is right up there in my Top 3 beside McLeodgang (where the Dalai Lama is in exile) and Agra (where the Taj Mahal is). When we stay in Udaipur we stay in the Taj Hotels Lake Palace on Lake Pichola. It’s pretty close to heaven. When Kath & I stayed in 2008 we were upgraded to a gorgeous, water view suite with 3 rooms. Incredible.

Pichola Neela Vermeire Creations Udaipur_Lake_Palace WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

From Wikipedia: …built between 1743- 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace and was initially called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder.  The palace was constructed facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to the Surya, the Hindu sun god, at the crack of dawn. The successive rulers used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens.

Neela has worked with Bertrand Duchaufour to recreate the play of light across the waters of Lake Pichola, the luxurious feeling of being part of the majestic history of India’s Maharajas yet with all the mod-cons that make current day life comfortable. Water in the desert, which Udaipur’s state Rajasthan is, is not just beautiful it is life. Twice, that I know of, since the turn of the century Lake Pichola has been bone dry with crops and livestock growing.

I have only had one wear of Pichola but I will say that is you love white flowers then Pichola is going to blow you away.

I will review Pichola in the next week or so after I have worn it a couple of times and have a real feel for its loveliness. Does it remind me of Lake Pichola? Well it certainly is as rich and luxurious as staying at the Lake Palace.

Neela will be revealing Pichola in Milan. I wish I was coming to hang with you all there.

Portia xx

Néroli & Orchidée by L`Occitane en Provence!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments
Hey Crew,
As you may already know one of my mates is on the marketing team for L’Occitane Australia. We often get together to chat about the world of fragrance, beauty and L’Occitane (we also chat about heaps of other stuff but none, or very little, printable HA!) and how the crew at L’Occitane have repositioned the company and its products in the last decade or so. From what was a small, provincial French company making really good products on a small scale to a huge brand that has really good recognisability the world over and stores in around 60 countries. They have tried to stay true to their great product, reasonable price credo and I think they’ve largely achieved that too.
One of the things that L’Occitane really wanted to do this decade was take their fragrances to the next level. That’s how La Collection de Grasse came into being with perfumer Karine Dubreuil. Designed to be easy wear, casual fragrances that are better smelling and filled with more expensive ingredients than their price competitors. In Australia a 75ml bottle of the La Collection de Grasse fragrances is around $80. As a comparison at David Jones online $80 will buy you 30ml Versace Bright Crystal, Armani Acqua di Goia or Belle d’Opium, 50ml Crabtree & Evelyn Evelyn Rose, Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl or Gucci Flora By GUCCI.  I think La Collection de Grasse as good or better than these mainstream offerings and you get more juice. Win win.

Néroli & Orchidée by L`Occitane en Provence

Néroli & Orchidée L`Occitane en Provence 1 FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, mandarin
Heart: Neroli, lily of the valley, fig milk, peach
Base: Madagascar orchid absolute, iris, musk

Néroli & Orchidée opens bright and fresh, a crisp citrus with a slight pithy undertone. If it reminds me of anything it is a Guerlain Aqua Allegoria, the same pretty and energetic opening so summery and lively. Suitable for young girls, mums and grandmas Néroli & Orchidée seems happy and uplifting, also excellent for the gents. I could imagine it being a go-to fragrance for the warmer weather or when the dreary greys and cold days of winter are starting to get you down, then Néroli & Orchidée would be a fabulous panacea.

Through the fruity floral heart L’Occitane has cleverly kept it bright but left out the sugar hit so many modern frags have, I would love to try it in a more concentrated parfum form. The base is a soft, furry wash that smells clean and fresh. Nothing terribly groundbreaking here and the die hard perfumistas will be bored but Néroli & Orchidée is definitely good value and you will smell great.

Portia xx

AllSteele giveaway 1Photo Stolen AllSteele

Néroli & Orchidée by L`Occitane GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will each get:
1 x 75ml bottle of Néroli & Orchidée by L’Occitane (Australians will get a special surprise extra)
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 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 L’Occitane and find me a fragrance and one of its notes. NO DOUBLE UPS!!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Neroli & Orchidee    http://wp.me/p3PURw-3E6

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 1st 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 5th 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.

Is Your Perfume Making You FAT? GIVEAWAY WINNER

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hello Lovelies,

Another stunning Giveaway from Azar. Thank you all for getting involved and being part of the fun.

Let’s see who won!
Portia xx

Is Your Perfume Making You FAT? GIVEAWAY WINNER

fennekin geckomania DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will receive:
One set of 5 x 1ml (more or less) samples of natural/botanical fragrances from my collection, perfumes I know or imagine to be phthalate free:
Olympic Orchids – Tropic of Capricorn
On the Nose – Smoked Amber
Illuminated Perfumes – Impromptu
Pirouette Essentials – Wild Spruce and Tobacco
Rosarium Blends – The Rosarium
P&H

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 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 us if you’ve observed that your perfumes are making you fat (or skinny)? Or do you know (or care) if your favorite fragrance contains phthalates?

Extra Chance?
Tweet:  http://wp.me/p3PURw-3Ee GIVEAWAY!   @RoxanaVilla @RosariumBlends

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 26th February 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners were chosen by some fun honest way

Winner FallOutFactoryPhoto Stolen FallOutFactory

ElizabethC

CONGRATULATIONS ElizabetC (not Elizabeth). The winner will have till Monday 1st 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.

Bottega Veneta: Emotion of Sound: Mini Movie

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hi there Fashion and Fragrance Fiends,

Like so much of the work done by Bottega Veneta this 1.45m mini movie is beautifully crafted. As one of the leading new forces in designer perfumery as well as being my favoured brand of leathergoods, that woven leather is just irresistible.

Bottega Veneta says: Bottega Veneta is pleased to present its latest creative collaboration through a unique endeavor that seemingly brings Tomas Maier’s Spring-Summer 2015 collection for Bottega Veneta to life. The film, entitled “Emotion of Sound”, is the centerpiece of a unique initiative designed to emotionally engage and indulge the senses.

emotion-of-sound Bottege VenetaPhoto Stolen Bottega Veneta

I hope you enjoy this lovely piece,
Portia xx

Emotion Of Sound: Bottega Veneta

Wisteria Hysteria by Nathalie Feisthauer for CdG/Stephen Jones 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Hi there Niche Nerds,

Sometimes I look at a notes list and an idea of what a fragrance will smell like pops into my head, an olfactory guess. When I first wore Wisteria Hysteria it was a complete surprise. That pretty white bottle, those interesting green/spicy notes, I thought they would be a blind for a modern, sweet, light, slightly green, spicy and creamy composition. BOY was I wrong.

Wisteria Hysteria by Nathalie Feisthauer for CdG/Stephen Jones 2014

Wisteria Hysteria Stephen Jones FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cloves, mate, carnation
Heart: Wisteria, rose, incense
Base: Musk, styrax, benzoin, amber

Wisteria Hysteria opens GREEN, so outrageously green I find it hard to believe this is a mainstream UK designer release, well Stephen Jones is a milliner and hats are part of design right? This is a fabulously edgy green, very Comme des Garcons metallic science fiction and also verging on a natural perfumery style, quite the dichotomy.

Wisteria Hysteria Stephen Jones Millinery FashionStrokePhoto Stolen FashionStroke

Sweet green, a funky, gothic, marshland fragrance. There is nothing here of my memory of our enormous wisteria vine that grew over two 30 foot tall tree stumps in our back yard. Spicy green, that only softens slightly with the introduction of the bouquet in the heart yet still has a cool unburned incense mixed with old BarBQ coals. Weird, unusual, interesting and moreish.

Wisteria Hysteria Stephen Jones wisteria Cliff FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

After about an hour Wisteria Hysteria calms down considerably, becomes a softer, creamier version of itself but still holds the green tight. At some point through the heart I get a scent that reminds me of Indian spices on some of their packet snack foods, spicy and delicious but HOT!

At this point I am instantly transported to some of my earlier visits to India. I would be there for around 6 weeks and the first 2-3 weeks I would be eating as much Indian food as I could and loving every bite. Then at around the 3 week point I would suddenly get overwhelmingly homesick and turn bitchy. Varun would be waiting for this and produce some Indian snack foods and mandarins or mangoes depending on the season. Those delicious snack foods would tide me over and I would be OK to deal with till the end of the trip. So Wisteria Hysteria brings to mind some incredibly happy reminiscences of some of the best times of my life.

Wisteria Hysteria Stephen Jones Indian Snack Foods OpenCagePhoto Stolen OpenCage

Then it is softly, softly green to sweet, warm, still green dry down.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Grain de Musc
LuckyScent has $165/55mlSurrender To Chance has samples starting at $4.50/.5ml

Did you get to try this? Is Stephen Jones a milliner that you know?
Portia xx

 

 

Fendi by Fendi 2004

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Hello Sniffer Peeps,

Many years ago I wore Fendi Donna, wore it like a wall of fragrance, spritzed and spritzed. It was more than a signature scent, it was armor. Sadly it was discontinued, as so many of the greats are, and I bought all I could get my hands on and used it up. Because I freaking loved it so much. What a fragrance.

Then in 2004 Fendi launched a Fendi with a white saddle on the bottle and i thought they had re-released my long lost love. I spritzed it and was so let down that I walked away. This was not what I was expecting or wanted. Where was my screaming, fizzy, superpowered scent?! Too saddened by my let down to ever give Fendi 2004 a chance. Until one day a couple of years ago my friend Cassandra had a bottle of it on her sale list. I’ll buy it, said I and buy it I did.

Fendi by Fendi 2004

Fendi 2004 Fendi FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Freesia, Tunisian neroli, Sicilian mandarin
Heart: Iris, tiare flower, gardenia
Base: Amber, sandalwood, vanilla

You are dreaming. It’s the most lavish greenhouse in a tropical paradise. As you wander though you pass citrus in flower and fruit, bulbs are being forced in pots and the profusion of flowers is both heady and mesmerising, all so perfect it smells totally unreal. Warm and sensual as you wander through in your sarong your calves and knees brush the gardenia flowers on their bushes and you can reach out and pluck the gloriously outrageous tiare flowers and smoosh them right into your nose. If your dreams had an olfactory facet, this Fendi from 2004 is exactly what it would smell like.

Fendi 2004 is sweet but not sugary or bakery style, it is sweet flowers with that fabulous vanilla/amber wash running through the bouquet creating a very elegant warmth over all and really giving that tropical feeling. Like you’ve been plucked from your life and landed in a Paul Gauguin painting.

Fendi 2004 Fendi Paul_Gauguin Three_Tahitians WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Quite a noticeable fragrance but not a BWF, just a beautiful tropical wash that will float you away to another place and time…..

Universal Perfumes & Cosmetics have $80/50ml

Am I glad that Fendi 2004 is in my collection? Yes. Will I search out another bottle when this one is empty? No. Very pretty, super wearable but a little synthetic smelling. No, I have nothing against synthetic fragrances but this has a cheapish, drugstore feel about it more reminiscent of a Paris Hilton price range than a Fendi one.

Did you try it when it was available? Is there a Fendi fragrance that you love?
Portia xx

The Talk – Dame Edna on 60-Year Career & Joan Rivers: Video

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

One of my heroes is Dame Edna Everidge. She paved a form of drag that made it a good deal more acceptable to make my own career choices. With her fun, caustic, witty and well researched brand of humour she reached millions of people who would never have even thought about seeing a drag show in its Gay Land form but who would cough up big bickies to see this mad maven mock and reduce everything they were and loved. Did it in such a way that both victim and audience were laughing. That is an amazing talent.

Dame_Edna_at_the_royal_wedding WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

I have only met Barry Humphries on a couple of occasions and he was extremely charming. When I thanked him for making my career choices easier, made it so much easier to say to Mum that I was going to be like Dame Edna, in fact made what I do verge on acceptable he was so humble and modest. It had never occurred to him that his being Dame Edna changed anyone’s life for the better other than the moments he spent making them laugh and think in theatres and on TV around the globe.

60 years in a profession notorious for its brevity. Amazing.

Here you see a chat on The Talk in America. Even though Dame Edna is her usual caustic self you can tell there has been long, hard thought about life and the place in it that Barry and Edna hold by both the cast and Edna. A lovely 3.20 minutes.

Enjoy,
Portia xx

The Talk – Dame Edna on 60-Year Career & Joan Rivers