Gardenia by Aurelien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2014

September 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Hi there APJ Family,

One of my fragrant highlights has been to meet and speak with Joe Garces, ex top man at Robert Piguet. Basically, he’s the guy that resurrected the Robert Piguet line and added a slew of fabulous new fragrances. Many of them instant modern classics like his riff on Fracas, Petit Fracas: where he oversaw the adding of an enormous juicy fruit note at the top and sliding in a dry cacao not into the base creating a super floral gourmand, Bois Noir: the Piguet answer to the deep, dark, woods experience and Alameda: their stunning lily, rose and animal extravaganza only available in very limited outlets worldwide.

Today we have the last of Joe Garces overseen fragrance releases. I wonder if Piguet will now sink back into the shadows or if it can continue creating masterpieces?

Gardenia by Aurelien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Gardenia, lily, ylang ylang
Heart: Madagascar vanilla
Base: Black leather, cashmeran, spice, woods

I was lucky enough to sample Gardenia at Libertine Parfumerie pre release, Nick was so freaking excited and it was infectious. The sample he gave me leaked in my bag so I still have gorgeous remnants of it still wafting around in there but I never got it on my skin. Shame because I love Gardenia scents and I have a definite favourite, the Gardenia by Skincare & Perfume Co here in Australia.

So, how does Piguet’s Gardenia measure up? My first impressions are creamy, vanilla and ylang. Warm, sensual and inviting. TOTALLY tropical and I’m surprised that there is no coconut note listed. A warm tropical night on some remote island, I love this kind of fragrance, heavy and hefty but filled with the memory of sunshine and maintaining a lovely, vibrant, comfortable heat. What is maintained throughout is a delicate, soft and alluring vanilla that is like fresh skin, or the dreamiest fresh, healthy skin you could ever imagine.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The woods arrive and basically I get very pretty and completely wearable vanilla woods with the softest and cleanest hint of gardenia till the fragrance fades from my ability to smell anything other than a warm wash at around the 4-5 hour mark.

Lovely. Gardenia is enchanting and lovely. Not really a gardenia on my skin so if the idea of the note scares you then this could be a perfect gateway for you. A lovely sketch of a gardenia perhaps? Also if applied sparingly I think it could be a sensational work scent.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

(Funny but disgusting aside: I went to the toilet while wearing this and suddenly I had the most perfect and beautiful gardenia scent, it was a profoundly extraordinary olfactory moment)

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon and Fragrantica
Libertine Parfumerie has $239/100ml
Harrods has £150/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

This would make a perfect gift buy. The fragrance is lovely but not challenging, bottle is excellent and that black glass will keep the juice fresh for years longer than clear glass.

Portia xx

Photo Stolen manoneileen

Gardenia GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
1 x 2ml Gardenia by Robert Piguet decant (nearly full remnants from my sample)
P&H to the USA

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 comment on Gardenia: it’s is a hard one to replicate, what are your favourite gardenia fragranes and why?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Gardenia by Robert Piguet GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3dG #Perfume #Giveaway @LibertineParfum

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sundayday 28th September 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org or a fun other way
The winners will have till Thursday 2nd October 2014 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.

Paris by Chanel – Inside CHANEL Movie

September 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hi there Fashionistas,

Here we have another block in the Gabriel “Coco” Chanel story/myth/legend. She has been so painted, glossed and glammed that she could be a decoupage. The house lives on in splendour and Karl Lagerfeld is the reigning monarch. Still the house CHANEL is a major player and an international billion dollar money making factory.

I hope you enjoy their latest mini movie, a piece about the atelier, store and apartment at 31 Rue Cambon and Coco. Magic.

Portia xx

Photo Stolen WallPaperMine

Paris by Chanel – Inside CHANEL Movie

Femmes Savantes GIVEAWAY Winner

September 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hey there APJ Crew,

Great response and thank you to the lovely Azar for doing another amazing GIVEAWAY.

Portia xx

Femmes Savantes GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen La Comédie des Parfums

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
For today’s drawing Mr. Abraham has generously provided a sample of Femmes Savantes for one lucky winner residing in the continental US.
P&H to the USA

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone USA ONLY 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 comment on any of the fragrances from La Comédie des Parfums or tell APJ about your favorite citrus perfume (or fruit).

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Femmes Savante: La Comédie des Parfums GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3cx #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 25th September 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org or a fun other way

Photo Stolen HighestSelf

CAROLINE

The winners will have till Sunday 28th September 2014 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.

BIRTHDAY WISHES 2014

September 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 61 Comments

Hello lovely APJ Friends and Family.

You may know it’s my birthday today. It couldn’t go by without some cake. But today’s cake is a little different, YOU get to make a wish and blow on the picture.

BIRTHDAY WISHES

Close your eyes

Wish for something simple and achievable in your life

Hold the thought for 3 seconds

Now say THANK YOU for 4 things that you are grateful for. Doesn’t matter how small or big.

Here’s the cake……

Photo Stolen Flickr

Here are the candles….

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Blow!

So I don’t know if your wish will come true but you know you have 4 things to be grateful for. You’re doing better than almost everyone else in the world.

What will I be wafting on this special day? The Blossom Thief by AROMANTIK and I will be smelling F I N E

See you later,
Portia xx

Arlesienne by L`Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 22, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Crew,

Thanks for getting involved again. This is a super great draw and I am madly in love with the L’Occitane range, to be honest I quite wanted to keep this set for myself.

Portia x

Arlesienne by L`Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, pepper, saffron flower
Heart: Grasse rose, lily of the valley
Base: Violet, sandalwood, blonde woods, tonka bean

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:

1 x Arlesienne by L`Occitane 250ml Shower Gel
1 x Arlesienne by L`Occitane 75ml Body Oil
1 x Arlesienne by L`Occitane 75ml Eau de Toilette
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

Tell me a favourite soft & fresh fragrance in your collection and why.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ Arlesienne by L`Occitane GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3ap #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 21st September 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen thegarfieldshow-diary

UNDINA

Congratulations!! The winners will have till Thursday 25th September 2014 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.

Equistrius by Marc Antoine Corticchiato for Parfum d`Empire 2007

September 21, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hello Fellow Fumies,

One of the sad things that happens in the perfumista world is that we often have only time to try the new and many of the veteran niche fragrances get left behind in the rush to smell the MILLIONS of latest and greatest. So I thought that I would dedicate as many Saturdays as possible to reviewing fragrances that are older than this current decade. Today we look at….

Equistrius by Parfum d`Empire 2007

Equistrius by Marc Antoine Corticchiato

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Iris, violet, green notes
Heart: Iris, chocolate, woody notes, powder, rice
Base: Amber, sandalwood, vetiver, suede, ambrette (musk mallow)

I thought I’d start with a fragrance that I tried once a while ago and always had on the retry list but it got pushed to the back of the cupboard. Last night for some reason I grabbed Equistrius and spritzed before I went to work. WOW! What most attracted me in the opening is a lovely smokiness, weird because its not talked about and then I wonder if my nose is playing silly buggers but I have just drained my sample for my third wearing and it is most decidedly smoky behind the earthy green opening.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Then the scent kind of blurs and becomes a soft focus fragrance that never really settles on a note but waltzes through the heart as a sweet bouquet, this is quite long lasting and smells great but no notes jump out and accost me. Sadly the rice note doesn’t appear on my skin or to my nose. One of the yummiest and freakiest smells in our house is the rice cooking in the pressure cooker. It always smells so enticing and I wish someone would capture that exact scent and bottle it.

Dry down is soft and very close, a mere breath of fragrance shimmering softly above my skin. A sweet vegetal nothing that you have to be very close to notice, pretty and a lovely surprise for someone undressing you……..

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

How do I feel about Equistrius? While I enjoy it very much and love the ride I am not fully taken by Equistrius. Something in it doesn’t sing on my skin and after reading some other pieces on it I think the fault is me, not the frag. There are pieces missing from the puzzle and I wonder if its a sign that Equistrius and I are not buddies. There are so many others in the line that I adore so I can’t really complain. It’s a shame because the notes list and others reviews make me want to smell what they all smell, I think it would smell killer on the right person.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and BOTO
Libertine has $150/50ml with FREE Australian P&H
LuckyScent has $145/100ml in the new bottles
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.50/ml

Did you ever try this line? What about Equistrius? Did it ever spend skin time with you? What did you think?
Portia xx

Acqua Di Giò by Giorgio Armani: Scent of Freedom Movie – Introducing Luca Dotto

September 21, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Woo Hoo APJ,

Who better to advertise a fragrance for men than the Italian Silver Medalist swimmer. He is handsome, great body, successful and has a killer smile. This ad is so freaking beautiful I wanted it to go for 15 minutes.

Acqua Di Giò by Giorgio Armani 2014: Luca Dotto

Photo Stolen ftape (Problem using image, let me know)

Giorgio Armani has always known how to sell their product but this is taking it to a whole new level.

Enjoy,
Portia xx

Acqua di Giò: Scent of Freedom – Giorgio Armani

Acqua Di Giò: Scent of Freedom – Introducing Luca Dotto

Scent With Love: CHANEL No.22

September 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hi there APJ,

My mate Rose M sent me a package a while ago. It got lost in a drawer during a clean up and since we have been organising the house for Open Houses a bunch of forgotten magic has turned up. What is in the package? Modern & Vintage CHANEL No.22 EdT and some Vintage CHANEL No.22 parfum. OH MY! You may remember I discovered CHANEL No.22 in Paris earlier this year with Michael. Rose M thought I should get some historical juice on my skin and be able to compare, I’ll do my best but this wonky old nose will probably just smell the same thing at different strengths…..

CHANEL No.22 by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1922

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lily-of-the-valley, neroli, aldehydes
Heart: Oriental jasmine, rose, Comoro island ylang-ylang
Base: Haiti vetiver, Bourbon vanilla

OK, so the vintage EdT comes out sweeter and more aldehydic. Current EdT has a fresh, nutty and much cooler vibe than the vintage. Vintage smells animal and sensual while the modern has a metallic edge, a little reminiscent of No. 19. As the top notes blow off the two become more alike and though still different they coulod be the same fragrance family now. Vintage seems smoother and warmer, like the ultimate softness of room temperature ivory against your skin and still the current is cooler, more transparent like cool crystal.

Photo stolen Flickr

Photo Stolen Flickr

Suddenly, at about the 20-30 minute mark it’s like they both come into clear focus and smell nearly exactly the same, there are differences but only the difference that a wear on different days woulds NEVER tell apart. It’s like you are wearing the same fragrance but in different weather or after you’ve used a different body wash in the shower. Vintage lasts for hours longer in the heart section and when modern has almost completely disappeared I can still smell glorious aldehydic bouquet pumping its lavish tune from the vintage. Dry down is warm and subtly earthy but through CHANEL No. 22s life it never loses that aldehydic magic.

They are both incredible and I am going to grab some of the current EdT and Parfum. The die is cast.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Posse
You can try or buy CHANEL No. 22 at any of the stand alone CHANEL stores or a very few department stores.
Surrender To Chance has CHANEL No. 22 samples starting at $4/ml and Extrait at $8/ml

Thank You Rose M. I have enjoyed this throw down immensely and you have ultimately made me a complete slave to CHANEL No.22 EdT.

Portia xx

Arlesienne by L`Occitane en Provence 2014

September 19, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Hey Hey APJ Family,

As you may know one of my girlfriends here in Australia works for L`Occitane en Provence. well this month she has sent me a great set. I gave the hand cream to another girlfriend and she was most impressed by the scent and the softening properties, Anna Maria wore the hand cream for a week to make sure and was very pleasantly surprised with the results.

Arlesienne by L`Occitane en Provence 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, pepper, saffron flower
Heart: Grasse rose, lily of the valley
Base: Violet, sandalwood, blonde woods, tonka bean

Something light, fresh and breezy. A lovely wash of fragrance in which the singular notes don’t make huge statements but are a very harmonious and gentle waft. I can imagine Arlesienne being the spritz and go daywear for sunshine days, through spring to autumn. While Arlesienne does not smell wildly expensive or extravagant it does have a sheer, shimmering and youthful zing that will put a spring in your step and a smile on your face.

From L’Occitane Press release: The fragrance is inspired by the Venus of Arles, a Roman statue discovered in 1651 and everything that it represents—the woman of Provence, the ideal of female beauty and the muse of artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Léo Lele, Mistral, Bizet, Christian Lacroix and many others.

Photo Stolen AllSteele

Arlesienne by L`Occitane en Provence GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:

1 x Arlesienne by L`Occitane 250ml Shower Gel
1 x Arlesienne by L`Occitane 75ml Body Oil
1 x Arlesienne by L`Occitane 75ml Eau de Toilette
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell me a favourite soft & fresh fragrance in your collection and why.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ Arlesienne by L`Occitane GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3ap #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 21st September 2014 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 25th September 2014 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.

Louis Vuitton Celebrating Monogram Collaboration Video

September 19, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Hey Fashionistas,

Louis Vuitton has been doing some collaborating and I wanted to show you this fun 1 minute Louis Vuitton Celebrating Monogram Collaboration Video. Asking some super great designers, artists and innovators to take their monogram and make something entirely special and new. I think you’ll be suprised with some, desperately want others and be impressed by the sometimes discrete, sometimes overt, pushing of boundaries.

Enjoy,

Portia xx

Photo Stolen Louis Vuitton

From Vuitton: 2014, Six Iconoclasts, One Icon: Christian Louboutin, Cindy Sherman, Frank Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Newson, and Rei Kawakubo take inspiration from the icononic Louis Vuitton Monogram.

Louis Vuitton Celebrating Monogram