ime Natural Perfume: First Birthday Celebration!!

August 31, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

WOW!!

Tonia from ime Natural Perfumes<<<JUMP got in touch this week and they are having a great GWP (Gift With Purchase) for the FIRST BIRTHDAY WEEK! We did a story about ime Natural Perfumes a while back on APJ and I fell madly in love with Erato, buying a bottle that has disappeared, all gone because I really enjoyed it and was spritzing with abandon (30ml in 6 months is pretty quick for a perfumista).

The GWP today is excellent. Who doesn’t need something in their bag to hold frags?

Go have a squiz.
Portia xx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ime Natural Perfumes

ime Natural Perfume: First Birthday Celebration!!

Photo Stolen ime Natural Perfume

The promo details are as follows:

– Free Gift with any purchase

– Limit 3 gifts per order

– gift valued at $26.00

– offer valid Fri 29th Aug – Fri 5th Sept

(Excl. individual 5ml bottles. AU residents only)

Gift – These very cool key purses are made totally of washable paper, that’s right, no animals were hurt in the making. They look like leather and they feel like leather, but are actually a very clever paper purse! They also fit a 30ml ime natural perfume bottle perfectly or the collections pack set of 5ml bottles. Very handy to have in your bag.

ime Natural Perfumes<<<JUMP

Shanghai Tang 20th Anniversary Art Collaboration Project

August 31, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi there Art & Beauty Lovers,

We have a book here in Australia, written by a buddy of mine Bruno Bouchet, The Beauty of Truth. It was about everyday items wrapped in the art of masters. You could have a Da Vince fridge, Picasso kettle, Pollock microwave. A bit like a Ben Elton book it was a fun look at the world of art, the world and snob value. There was a bunch of human interaction stuff too. I re-read it every now and then and laugh.

Anyway, enjoy these lovely pieces from China.
Portia xxx

Shanghai Tang 20th Anniversary Art Collaboration Project

Stolen lock, stock & barrel from art8amby. You need to know what’s happening in fashion>>>art8amby.

Shanghai Tang celebrates its 20th anniversary as the global curator of Modern Chinese chic with a series of collaborations with visionary creative talents.

Shanghai Tang: A Garden of Vibrant Dreams

Inspired by the beauty of nature, Shanghai Tang released a captivating pop-art short film entitled “A Garden of Vibrant Dreams” that will take you on a mesmerizing journey through a series of six artworks by the talented Shanghai-born artist Jacky Tsai. His recent works include an exquisite large blue and white porcelain egg for Faberge Big Egg Hunt in New York City, which was auctioned in Sotheby’s New York in April 2014.

The mystic spiral made of round artworks imitate a hypnotic fall where one enters a world within a world (mise-en-abime). The original cinematic music by Charlie Nguyen Kim combines sounds of the East with a modern twist.

The six original artworks (Lotus Porcelain, Flying Tiger, Ginger Flower, Carved Dragon, Petrol Rainbow and Mix Landscape) were inspired by the beauty of nature and filled with colourful energy which reflect the optimism of modern China.

Floral Play captures attention with the opening gates of leaves, followed by acrobats and ballerinas dancing on tree branches, among a kaleidoscope of butterflies, forming a surreal universe embracing the vitality of life. The sudden splash of ink introduces the world of peaceful Lotus Porcelain inspired by Chinese porcelain. Carved Dragon grown from Chinese motifs of wiggly tree branches and birds on a glowing red sunset.

The vibrant vegetal universe of Ginger Flower takes you through a tunnel of birds, dragonflies, and koi fish to come together in a picturesque portrait. Petrol Rainbow set in the landscape of an iceberg with dolphins and gold fish and colorful valley. Last but not least, Chinese acrobats and Western performers work together jumping and swinging up in the sky to celebrate the prosperous Chinese New Year on a festive background of Chinese lanterns and dancing lions for Flying Tiger.

The Jacky Tsai x Shanghai Tang collaboration inspired a limited edition capsule collection of apparel and accessories for women and men. These include the traditional qipao dresses, box clutches, cashmere shawls, porcelain dining set, home products, iPad and iPhone cases and even skateboards.

Source art8amby.

Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger GIVEAWAY WINNERS

August 31, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi there APJ Family and Friends,

What an Excellent couple of weeks of giveaways we have had here at APJ. I particularly like the bottles of these beauties and am coveting them for my own collection. Thanks Val the Cookie Queen and Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger for doing all the hard work.
Portia xx

Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Donated Cookie Queen

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 Winners who will all get:

Decanted spray sample of
Lavande Ombrée
Neroli Blanc Intense
Rose Iriseé
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 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 which of todays Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger reads most you and why

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger + GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-377 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Friday 29th August 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were pulled out of Random.Armadillo.

Photo Stolen LifestyleSolutions

Damir (via Twitter)

Joaquim

Darkrose

I wish I could send some to everyone.

The winners will have till Monday 1st 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.

Bussis
CQ

With thanks to Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger for the über-generous samples.

Shop Your Collection Favourites: Scent Task #2

August 30, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Hey there APJ,

A couple of weeks ago on the Facebook group For Love Not Money: Fragrance Appreciation Group we were asked to write for 5 days about frags we rarely wear. This week I asked if we could do ones we LOVE! Sometimes when I spritz my favourites I smell the first few seconds and then it becomes background smell, basically I know I smell good and ignore it. By choosing our favourites this week I hoped to be able to examine a few of my faves and live the fully present enjoyment rather than missing the fun.

Here’s how my week turned out.

Shop Your Collection Favourites: Scent Task #2

Scent Task #2: Tell us about your most worn scents.

Following on from our group task last week, when we wore neglected scents from our collections for 5 days, next week we are going to do the opposite. Wear and write about your favourite and/or most worn scents for 5 days. Portia Turbo-Gear suggested we do this, and I think it’s a fabulous idea.

Here’s the format:

1. Wear 5 of your most worn scents from your collection for 5 days, starting next Monday the 25th August. No posts on the weekend as we are all too busy.
2. Tell us what you like about these scents, and why you think they get the most wear out of all your scents. What makes them special, dependable and favoured?
3. Try to keep your post brief, no more than 150 words. Creative interpretations welcome.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Monday: Liberte by Cacharel:

I love this mad fun fizzy beauty. Imagine Fizz Wizz in searing citrus and you have a taste equivalent of Liberte. Remember having a SPIDER? Of all the fizzy fruity frags out there this is the one that stole my heart.
Often when I am unsure of what to spritz I find the violently coloured orange tube spritzing away already. MMMMMMMMM

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Tuesday: Jardins d’Armide by Oriza L Legrand:

Honey, Powder, Almonds, Soap, Flowers all rolled together in the most fabulously unusual way. I think the iris is treated in a sweet, sugared musk way and while the fragrance is not loud or BIG, it has the ability to change and charge the air around me and be completely present yet not intrusive. Jardins d’Armide is one of my favourites because it feels plush and super exclusive but I can wear it with anything,

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Wednesday: Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids:

I love roses. There I’ve said it. Ballets Rouges is the ultimate rose soliflor for me. Yes it has the smell of roses on the bush, it also has the smell of the earth that the roses grew in, the humus, fertilisers, mulch, add to that the smell of the cut stem and the torn leaf and on top of all that it has the smell of life and living to my nose. Bright and dark simultaneously Ballets Rouges is everything I love about Independent Perfumery: it has not followed a formula, never been panel tested, is full of gorgeous ingredients that are probably banned in 27 languages and it has a wonderful big voluptuousness and scent story. Almost every time I wear Ballets Rouges someone compliments and asks what it is. WINNER!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Thursday : Shalimar by Guerlain Vintage Extrait:

Shalimar is QUEEN! I know it’s been written about a thousand times but EVERY time I apply it lavish, lovely, silky caress I am overcome with so many emotions. It symbolises a scent that has followed me through my life and still I get shivers and goosebumps as it envelopes me in it glamorous embrace. Creamy lemon sorbet, a floral bouquet and a vanilla leather dry down that frankly brings me undone. If I had to take only one fragrance with me for the rest of my life, Shalimar would be it.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Friday: Sharp by Andrea Maack:

Sharp is anything but. In fact sharp is the real smell of the feeling of fiberglass roof insulation. Imagine how feeling it would be, both soft and prickly and a little suffocating yet Sharp also manages to be warm as a hug from a loved one. The vanilla is totally un-foody and wears like sandalwood, white flower (orange blossom is the note but I just get a breathy white flower) and then the whole thing draped in lovely musks both laundry and animalic. Excellent wear time and so plush.

Photo Stolen AllSteele

Scent Task #2 GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:

1 x decanted sample of all 5 Scent Task Fragrances
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell me a favourite fragrance in your collection and why.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ Facebook Scent Task #2 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-37Q #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Tuesday 2nd 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 Friday 5th 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.

Jean Paul Gaultier for Lindex Fall Winter 2014 Ad Campaign

August 29, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Ok Fashionistas,

When I was studying fashion, and after, one of my favourite designers was Jean Paul Gaultier. His fun, sexy, silly and naughty street to couture ranges would always make me smile. When I moved to London in the mid 1990s I went a little crazy on the Gaultier. I had a cow print skivvy in cashmere, some navy blue stirrup tights with huge JPG badge appliques, a stripy very low v necked striped midriff top and a couple of belts. It looks like he has brought all his signature fun and nautical signatures into this Lindex range. Great to see him back on board.

Jean Paul Gaultier for Lindex Fall Winter 2014 Ad Campaign

I grabbed this piece from my fave fashion image crew: art8amby

Raven haired model/singer Karen Elson stars in the new campaign image of Jean Paul Gaultier‘s collaboration with Lindex along with the namesake designer himself. The images were shot by Jason Kibbler. (source)

AROMANTIK GIVEAWAY WINNERS

August 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hi there Frag freaks,

Great response this week. I’m glad you’re all loving the Australian stuff too.

Thanks for joining in the fun,
Portia xx

AROMANTIK GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Flickr

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 Winners who will get:

1 x 15ml(?) spray sample bottle of AROMANTIK Strangers In Blood EdP (-2ml I have used)

1 x 15ml(?) spray sample bottle of AROMANTIK Dark Side Of The Spoon EdP

AROMANTIK Natural Perfume Oil Sampler with 7 x 1ml samples

P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Go to AROMANTIK Site<<JUMP and tell me a Fragrance and one of its notes…….. NO DOUBLE UPS

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ AROMANTIK Natural Perfume GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-369 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 24th August 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen prospectsplus

Roslyn

Ferris Égoïste (via Twitter)

Kandice

The winners will have till Thursday 28th August 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.

Oud Caravan No 2 by La Via Del Profumo 2011 review

August 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Heya Indie Frag Fiends,

I love Independent Perfume Houses. They are less restricted in their ingredients, much more creative in their styles and are unafraid of taking enormous chances. Many Indie perfumers make sensational fragrance for a fraction of the mainstream prices; filled with love and a little bit of magic. Today’s fragrance from La Via del Profumo is part of a BaseNotes creation thread where AbdesSaalam Attar asked everyone their thoughts on Oud Caravan No 1 and how he could make it more wearable to a greater audience. Here then is the outcome…

Oud Caravan No 2 by La Via Del Profumo 2011

Oud Caravan No 2 by AbdesSalaam Attar

Photo Stolen La Via Del Profumo

I love the dirty leather and poo opening, it doesn’t last long so you have to be quick before Oud Caravan No 2 goes slightly Band-Aid and medicine. A prettier (if that term can be applied to a scent still quite outrageous) and smoother version than number one with a creamier feeling, a suede leather, an earthy, vegetal dankness both beautiful and alarming. When I wear Oud Caravan No 2 I get a big, dumb, happy grin on my face. When I smell this treatment of oudh that has a sweetness and warm humus rich, fecal waft teamed with whatever it is. The blurb says tuberose but my nose reads fatty cream, birch tar and amber. A resinous and woody poo. He He He. Not making it sound very appealing am I? It is appealing, enticing and sensational.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

While the initial 40 minutes of Oud Caravan No 2 are big and alarming the whole fragrance softens and calms considerably after that. It melts into my skin and becomes very lovely. An expensive leather item, vanilla and resins. Still with a soft fecal overlay, an earthy, rich and peaty smell that becomes softer and sweeter, and softer and smoother till all I can smell is a very slightly sweater and sweatier me somewhere around the 6-8 hour mark depending on the day and my application rate.

PS. This morning I woke up with quite decided fragrance residue, mmmmmmm. It’s really good.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

From the La Via Del Profumo site: I have added Laotian Oud to the Bengali and also a subliminal flowery note of Tuberose, more woods to give substance to the heart and I diminished the spices.
A somehow nobler and deeper Oud perfume that may also appeal to more and may also entice many women.
A perfect Rubi can be exhibited and admired for itself, but when you set it into a golden ring with small diamonds, the rubi’s perfection is underlined and even enhanced by the other gems. This is my idea, an Oud better than Oud, “the ultimate Oud fragrance”.
This is a very ambitious aim and I have asked help to Basenotes Oud fans and perfumistas to realize it.(Oud project)

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Perfume Pharmer and Ca Fleure Bon has a very interesting interview with the perfumer
La Via Del Profumo starts at €49,59/10ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $11/.5m

Yes, this is a spendy fragrance but something so fabulous and far away from anything else you’ll get to smell of the genre. I think AbdesSalaam Attar is so connected with his creations and really cares that he is pushing boundaries and creating fragrant masterpieces. I am happy that we live in a world where it’s possible for La Via Del Profumo to be a viable and available concept.

Try it.
Portia xx

BBC Perfume Documentary Part 3 "The Smell Of The Future"

August 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Hey

Over the last two Sundays we showed the “Something old, something new” Part 1 BBC Perfume Documentary and “Bottling The Memory” Part 2 BBC Perfume Documentary. Today we”ll be able to watch the last of these 3 wonderful documentaries. You’ll need to grab a cuppa/juice/wine and maybe some breakfast/lunch/dinner and settle in for an hour, there are no ad breaks but you can pause and come back through your Sunday.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Grossmith, Axe and Avon. From the royal houses of the middle east to the ghettos of Brazil we are taken on a tour of innovation through some very different price points and customer bases. I particularly enjoy this very glammed up go to whoa fragrance build as we follow Ann Gottleib the AXE fragrance evaluator as she tries to predict a Brazillian blockbuster. Cool video.

Enjoy,
Portia xx

BBC Perfume Documentary Part 3 “The Smell Of The Future”

Kashan Rose by Emilie Coppermann for The Different Company 2013

August 23, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hi there Frag Fiends,

One of the companies in the fragrance world that I really love is The Different Company. I bought some of their 10ml travelers from Zsolt at Le Parfum in Budapest in 2013, and then dropped my Oriental Lounge in the Thai First Class Lounge Shower Room in Bangkok early 2014 (I know, what an asshole I am) but the lounge never smelled better. I still wear Sel & Vetiver regularly and will one day own a FB of Tokyo Bloom. There never seems to be a lot of reviews for The Different Company, they fall through the cracks. Well, I just grabbed Kashan Rose from Surrender To Chance and I think you should know about it, a very reasonable price for 100ml of top quality niche fragrance.

Kashan Rose by The Different Company 2013

Kâshân Rose by Emilie (Bevierre) Coppermann

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Sage, litchi, pink pepper, cardamom
Hearet: Persian rose, hawthorn, peony
Base: Ambrette, sandalwood, musk

Pink pepper done beautifully. A sweet, wet fruity opening that is made interesting and unusual with what I think is a nod to sage & cardamom but really just reads as a herbaceous green-ness to me. It offsets a very realistic fresh litchi, just peeled from its cocoon. Transparent fragrance, like a shimmering fine silk sari, wraps me delicately but I am still obviously fragrant.

Photo Stolen IranReview

Luminous, that is the word that comes to my mind while wearing Kashan Rose. The colour of the juice is almost exactly the colour you would expect it to be. A fresh pink, light, bright, bubbly and effervescent. The rose when it arrives is a soft garden rose, light and cool and softly green like a fresh cut, not too fragrant garden rose. Very pretty, though a bit sheer for my taste. I can imagine Kashan Rose becoming a favourite work scent, or a first scent for a young woman. The mother of two next door would swoon for Kashan Rose, I will give her my decant and she will drain it in a week. Like the picture above, the rose petals are floating on air. A whispered swish of fragrance that is subtle but noticeable, especially up close.

Tonight I wore Kashan Rose to work and though no one commented I did get soft wafts through the night and now that I’m home I can still smell what I think must be hawthorn and some lovely musks, there may be sandalwood but I don’t get it prominently. Yes, even at the 6 hour mark there is still some fresh rose.

The nitty gritty, will I buy a bottle? Though I really like Kashan Rose very much the answer is “probably” not for me. Why? Well, I have a LOT of rose fragrances from Red Roses to Mohur, Diabolo Rose to Sa Majeste la Rose and on to Midnight Oud. That’s just off the top of my head. This sheer, transparent rose seems too prim for my flamboyant tastes. I will be buying Kashan Rose for friends though. It’s a great price, wonderful scent and the packaging is super luxe. They will be thrilled to have something so unavailable here in Oz.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

First In Fragrance has €90/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

I am leaving you with a 35 second video of the Kashan Rose & Rosewater Festival 15-31 May each year. This is something I would DEARLY love to do.
Portia xx

Rose & Rosewater Festival, Kashan

AROMANTIK: Australian Natural Perfume reviews

August 22, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 46 Comments

Hi there APJ,

Recently we talked on APJ about a sampler from an Australian Natural Perfumery: AROMANTIK. So I am still loving AROMANTIK oils. They are earthy, deep, interesting and beautiful and I am incredibly impressed wit their smooth rounded fullness. After 5 minutes on your skin they could be from the very best niche house, here is an Australian small batch independent perfumer to be proud of.

AROMANTIK: Australian Natural Perfume

The site doesn’t have a lot of EdP choice as Sally seems to prefer to work in oils. I am trying today two of the EdP versions. From the AROMANTIK site: Natural eau de parfum in a base of water, alcohol & glycerine. A gentler alternative to a straight alcohol base.

Photo Stolen Flickr

AROMANTIK: Dark Side Of The Spoon EdP

Key notes:
Vanilla bean, roasted coffee beans, maple syrup, caramelised butter, immortelle absolute, spice.

On my skin maple syrup is the opening, hot butter and spices. Imagine that you’ve put maple syrup on raisin toast and you are drinking a mocha. The taste in your mouth as they combine would most closely resemble what I get from Dark Side Of The Spoon. As this lovely open subsides I get toffee, caramels and sweets. A gourmand that is still dry enough to be wearable as a fragrance, not a joke. Later the resins really smooth the whole fragrance out and Dark Side Of The Spoon has excellent staying power.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

AROMANTIK: Strangers In Blood EdP

Key Notes:
Italian blood orange, coriander seed, Madagascan vanilla orchid, roasted brazilian coffee beans, certified organic Haitian vetiver, campfire smoke

BarBQ orange, Jaffa cake, dry and sweet, dark and light. Strangers In Blood is a story of contrasts, a very natural smelling story that is the least like a store bought fragrance that I have smelled from the AROMANTIK range. Obviously a natural product that is so dark and nuanced and feral while still managing to remain light as a feather. Interestingly it takes nearly 20 minutes for the orange to really shine through the rest, once it does you will fall madly in love with this dark gem. Then the earthy, woodsy vetiver takes blood orange for a waltz. (Whoever wins this I have used about 2ml from the bottle, LOVE IT)

From the AROMANTIK site: AROMANTIK is a natural perfume studio started in 2010 by independent natural perfumer & designer Sally Woodward-Hawes. All of our products are hand-blended in small batches using only the finest natural essential oils, resins & absolutes sourced from all over the world. Sally is a professional perfumer with the Natural Perfumers Guild – the world’s largest trade association dedicated to natural fragrance.

AROMANTIK has natural perfume oils $50/5ml roller ball
AROMANTIK also has a Sample Pack $49/7 x 1ml samples
There are 7 fragrances in the sampler and previously I wrote about The Blossom Thief and Love & Strife on APJ.

Please go and have a look at the AROMANTIK site, they are a very small business trying to make it in a tough world and would certainly appreciate your business.
Portia xx

Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

AROMANTIK GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 Winners who will get:

1 x 15ml(?) spray sample bottle of AROMANTIK Strangers In Blood EdP (-2ml I have used)

1 x 15ml(?) spray sample bottle of AROMANTIK Dark Side Of The Spoon EdP

AROMANTIK Natural Perfume Oil Sampler with 7 x 1ml samples

P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Go to AROMANTIK Site<<JUMP and tell me a Fragrance and one of its notes…….. NO DOUBLE UPS

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ AROMANTIK Natural Perfume GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-369 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 24th August 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 28th August 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.