Rose Kashmirie by Marie-Helene Rogeon + Francois Robert for Les Parfums de Rosine 2007

June 21, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hello Lovely Fumie Friends,

While in Paris in February Michael and I stumbled across the Les Parfums de Rosine store in the Palais Royal shopping strips after doing a shop in Serge Lutens while upstairs they were having a launch party. I was very sad that we weren’t invited up to have a drink and a sniff.

Don’t forget our AMBER GIVEAWAY<< JUMP

Rose Kashmirie by Les Parfums de Rosine 2007

Marie-Helene Rogeon + Francois Robert

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Saffron, coriander, bergamot, rose
Heart: Myrhh, rose, peony
Base: Vetiver, sandalwood, amber, benzoin, vanille, grass, cypriol oil (nagarmotha)

So I first dabbed my sample of Rose Kashmirie and what I got was a lovely sparkling, very slightly spicy, fresh rose scent. One of those roses that you buy in a bunch that has the merest whiff of fragrance so fragile and tenuous but amped up 1000 times. Very pretty but nothing groundbreaking or really interesting at all, there are at least 100 rose frags doing the same thing for 1/4 the price, meh.

Then, searching through my samples I came across the 2ml vial and decided to decant it into a spritz atomiser. WOW! The difference is beyond compare, they are two entirely different entities in the open. Now that luscious green herbal coriander and slightly plastic saffron add depth and breadth to the rose. Now I’m smelling a garden rose that has bloomed to a plate size, full of the wonderful sweet, spicy, boozy, green magic that is a rose. A riot of rose, loads of the roses with a lovely citrus twang that sets my heart aflutter and my eyes wanting to roll back in my head.

Photo Stolen Flickr

There is a watery, cool breath through the rose that rises through a wind of cool incense born from some temple, this is Srinagar on a houseboat in the cool of morning. I think it’s lovely peony come to waft through the rose, a dewy cool peony plucked fresh in the morning dark. Still Rose Kashmirie is all cool and no warmth well into its heart. At this point the rose becomes slightly generic (that’s the wrong word but I can’t find a better fit), still beautiful but now like a bath product rather than fine fragrance, maybe a lavish body wash or a soap. Yes, we are definitely traveling soapy territory, but it is lovely, exquisite soap. The finest.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Later Rose Kashmirie warms through as the rose becomes more vanilla/amber hued and the incense becomes a lovely smoky crackle. The dried grasses add a tobacco-ish feel and my nose picks out some lovely honey tones too. Is my nose playing tricks or is there an animal lurking beneath all the prettiness? A big hairy animal on heat. WOW! Breathing right down my rose scented neck. Though all of these extras add on still the shining star is rose, rose in its many facets and phases, bud, bloom, petals and leaves. Here they are in one of the worlds loveliest places, war torn, strife filled Kasmir. This is the Kashmirie Rose.

Next morning there is a nearly scent left that hints of roses, powder and healthy compost. Soft but very, very pretty.

Further reading: Chickenfreak’s Obsessions and Scent for Thought
First In Fragrance has €88/50ml and samples
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Interestingly, the other reviews I read either dismissed or didn’t find Rose Kashmirie worked for them.
Damn it, I like it and am seriously thinking FBW. Have you tried it? What did you think?
Portia x

Amber by Alec Lawless for Essentially Me 2010

June 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Hello Uber Niche Nerds,

Not so long ago I got a request from a reader to try some stuff from the Essentially Me range. Instantly I went on point and found myself a sample set from this natural perfume crew crafted by Alec Lawless. Sadly Alec Lawless was killed in an on board boat electrocution in the shower, what a tragic and dramatic way to go. Now his website is no longer functional so you can’t go and buy any of the fabulous creations there either. Why am I writing? Well when I ordered from Essentially Me they were still functioning and I have had this fabulous fragrance sitting here awaiting moderation but something always got in the way of my wearing it, new samples, holiday, deadlines etc etc. Last week I finally bit the bullet……

Amber by Alec Lawless for Essentially Me 2010

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Spice, mint, caraway, thyme
Heart: Jasmine, lavender, rose, clary sage
Base: Labdanum, frankincense, sandalwood, myrrh, vanilla, patchouli

One of things that hits me straight off the bat is how little like an all naturals perfume Amber smells like. The opening could be any mainstream niche opening, big, sharp, spicy, herbal and slightly fetid. EXACTLY how I want my fragrance to open. I think mint is a note that I am drawn to, though here in a minor role it freshens up the green opening and makes it sparkle. It’s a fun and mildly feral extravaganza that every now and then gives me a hint of pizza fresh from the oven, hot, foody and a slight charring of the base, MMMMMM.

The heart maintains Amber’s green tinged opening and for once I can smell clary sage clearly, all wrapped up in its lovely bouquet that still maintains its soft echo of the herbal fresh open for quite a while. So this jasmine is quite breathy sometimes, today particularly so, and the indole is very reminiscent of fragrances of a bygone era. There remains something delightfully fizzy about Amber as it progresses, so unusual, and especially in a natural fragrance.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The base incense and resins have come in under everything and made themselves noticed, they have been there all along in the background but as all the other pieces of the puzzle burn off they are left centre stage with an earthy patchouli and sweet, creamy vanilla. I wonder if the sandalwood is adding that creamy, lactonic touch? Is amber king? No, Amber has too much other lovely stuff going on to let the Labdanum/Vanilla become the ultimate thing in dry down but I enjoy the ride more because it’s still so unexpected, every time.

About 3-5 hours depending, no idea why sometimes it just lasts longer. Good projection for the first hour and then a soft halo around you that gives quite a good sillage till well into the second hour on as normal wear.

I think even if you are not an amber fan that this could be your gateway.

Portia xx

Photo Stolen manoneileen

Amber by Essentially Me GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x 5ml decant of Amber by Essentially Me
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 tell me your favourite Amber fragrance, or why you would like to try this one.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Amber by Essentially Me GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2Jr #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 22nd June 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 26th June 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.

Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani: Ad

June 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hi APJers,

I hope life is treating you kindly, and that you are treating you kindly too.

I stumbled across this beautiful ad while trolling YouTube recently. I love it. To be honest I have never knowingly smelled Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani but they sure know how to make a lovely ad.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mint, Limone Primo Fiore Femminello from Calabria
Heart: Jasmine, peony, pink pepper
Base: Cedar, yellow sugar and labdanum

Have you smelled it? What did you think?
Portia xx

Acqua di Gioia Eau de Toilette – Italian version

“14°S 48°E” EdP Natural Terroir Perfume GIVEAWAY WINNERS

June 17, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

WOW APJ!!

Two giveaways in one week! This place is JUMPIN’ Thanks again for being part of our crew, our family of frag nuts. Glad to have you along in a place where your Fragrant Freak Flag is always welcome.
Portia xx

“14°S 48°E” EdP Natural Terroir Perfume GIVEAWAY WINNERS

ValCQ Vero Tree

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x “14°S 48°E” EdP sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DIDD YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please leave a comment with a reason as to why the Terroir interests you.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 15th June 2014 10pm Australian EST
Val cracked out her dead armadillo, which did not come from Madagascar, popped the names into it, and got one of the kids to pick one.

Photo Stolen dryicons

Connie

Einsof

The winners will have till Thursday 19th June 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.

L’Occitane Ultra Soft Shea Butter Body Cream – GIVEAWAY WINNERS

June 16, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hey All,

We LOVE giveaways at APJ, thank you all for getting involved. This is a super special prize and I can’t wait to see who won this week. Thanks to L’Occitane Australia who are always so generous and friendly, not to mention the fabulous product. LOVE IT!

Portia xx

L’Occitane Ultra Soft Shea Butter Body Cream – GIVEAWAY

Karité Douceur de Crème - Zeste de Citron Photo Stolen L’Occitane France

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x 100ml L’Occitane Ultra Soft Shea Butter Body Cream
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Go to L’Occitane Australia<<JUMP and find any fragrance, tell me one of its note please. NO DOUBLE UPS!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 15th June 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen berryreview

Christine Higgs

Kath

Felanilla PG21 by Pierre Guillaume for Perfumerie Generale 2008

June 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hiya Happy Huffers,

I hope this finds you happy and well. Obviously, it may not. If you are not either or neither happy nor well then I hope at least we can take your mind off your troubles for a few minutes. If you can, or want to, go grab a cup or glass of your favourite. I have a cup of Korean tea here, it has a freaky nutty flavour that is both repulsive and more-ish. Jin also tells me that it is a good aid in digestion, cool, I’ll take that too. Hang on, I’m going to grab a refill…. I put some honey in this one to soothe my throat, trying to make yourself heard above rowdy pub crowds can take it out of your voice and my throat is a little tender tonight.

Felanilla PG21 by Pierre Guillaume for Perfumerie Generale 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Italian iris, amber, hay, saffron, Tahitian vanilla, banana leaf

My mate Lakshmi swapped me a 10ml split decant of this for something in my collection, I didn’t even try it for a while after he gave it to me. One day though it made it to the front of the to try box and I think I was running out the door and grabbed the first thing to hand without really looking, mmmmm warm was all I thought till in the car I was assailed by the most beautiful and sensual vanilla/amber and I was lost. That 30 minute journey became all about Felanilla,

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Felanilla is beautiful, interestingly I can’t find most of the listed notes, for me and on me Felanilla is a vanilla/amber/saffron bomb that has some other stuff in the background that stops it smelling like a bake sale and keeps it firmly in the un-gourmand sweet range, a warm, dry, comfortable, sweetness that is both enveloping and welcoming. A hug, fire, fresh coffee, hot bread feeling. There are definite nods in Felanilla to the perfumery of years gone by. The amber is soft and resinous with none of the dark or scratchy backbite of an Ambre Russe, here we smell a caramelled amber both smooth and weathered. The story is not a long one, basically Felanilla continues in much the same vein till dry down only getting slightly dryer through the heart (I think it may be the iris/hay), a little bit of a bed-head/fur thing happens and comes & goes and then the whole fragrance grows sweeter towards the end as it fades. Having now read a few reviews and most people get a much more varied journey than I do with Felanilla, maybe I’m not paying enough attention or maybe my skin throws a different ride.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Longevity is excellent but after the first couple of hours Felanilla gets very close to the body and you need to be quite close to notice fragrance.

Even though there is not much story on my skin I totally enjoy wearing Felanilla, the fragrance hits a sweet spot with me and I find myself reaching for it quite regularly, of the 10ml there is now only about 3ml left. Will it be a full bottle in my future? I’m not sure, though it’s different I don’t think it enough different from L’Eau d’Ambre by L’Artisan or Ambre Ceruleen by Huitieme Art. When I finish those bottles though it could be the one I go for.

Further reading: The Non-Blonde and Grain de Musc
First In Fragrance has €94/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/ml

Have you tried Felanilla? Did you enjoy its warm silky caress?
Portia xx

A day in a life of a toilet – Villeroy & Boch

June 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hi there,

We don’t normally put non-frag-related ads up on the blog but this new Villeroy & Boch toilet has me wanting to re-renovate the bathrooms. The ad too is pure genius and such a fun representation of life that I really wanted to share it with you too. It had me smiling the whole way through. Great stuff.

Photo Stolen DiscoverOutlets

Villeroy & Boch seem to get it, almost every time.

Nice one guys,
Portia xx

A day in a life of a toilet – New Villeroy & Boch commercial

Orris Ochre by Liz Zorn for SOIVOHLE 2012

June 14, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Hello Indie Lovers,

One of my favourite Indie Fragrance Houses is SOIVOHLE with it fabulous Artist turned Perfumer Liz Zorn, who still paints incredibly evocative images that have become less attached to pictorial representation and more to finding and conveying emotion. So too with her perfumery, when I wear a SOIVOHLE fragrance I find it completely mood enhancing or changing, depending on the scent and my intention.

Today I would like to introduce you to a fragrance that Liz currently has in her Sale Section for $15/11ml. I know, outrageously affordable and in a perfect size to fit in your purse or as a travel frag, it also looks very nice on the dresser.

Orris Ochre by Liz Zorn for SOIVOHLE 2012

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Orris root, wild orange, violet, honey, narcissus, cedar, suede, muhuhu (very hard to find wood), palisander rosewood

Orris Ochre opens on my skin with honey and orange peel, there is a soft powdery fuzz too that reminds me of pith. Dabbed I get much more iris in the opening and it is clear and clean, carrot rather than dirt but with a vegetative depth that may be the violet leaf. When I sprayed though I get a lovely warmth, a feral animal heat both sexy and intriguing. They could be two entirely different fragrances. Most interesting.

Photo Stolen Flickr

It takes about 20-30 minutes for the two different applications to merge into more related scents and they seem to come together as the woods appear, old dry furniture wood made even more reminiscent of old through the honey. It smells like my 1960s sideboard that has been beeswaxed every few months by my mother and now me since it was new. There is a beautiful richness to its smell now that is both waxy honey and wood. The lovely iris goes all soft and fluffy on me, weaving through the woods and after about 4 hours my skin smells like that lovely, fresh washed, just worked out, healthy young flesh smell.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

It is absolutely intoxicating and I can’t help putting my nose down my top and huffing hugely. I smell like the lovely nubile young musclebound men I used to tryst with many, many years ago after the disco. It is an extremely specific smell of health: fresh, soft skin over rock hard muscles that have been dancing and are now fresh washed and ready to cavort. This is the EXACT smell. Gorgeous.

This lovely scent stays around for about 4 hours on my skin, much longer on my clothes. My jumper still smells beautiful at lunch time the next day, it will need a wash but maybe not this week. Really excellent scent.

Don’t miss the SOIVOHLE SALE<<< JUMP

Which of the SOIVOHLE fragrances have you tried?

Portia xx

Brand New – L'Occitane Ultra Soft Shea Butter Body Cream

June 13, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 42 Comments

Heya Gang,

Boy oh boy, do I have something exciting for you all today. Recently I had lunch with my newest girlfriend who works at L’Occitane, she was really excited about the stuff we had done for them and wanted to show me some Brand New, not even available online yet products that have swept in from France. I think they will be available in stores but we have the Original French Product to give away. WOW!

Also, L’Occitane are having their ONE WEEK WINTER 20-50% SALE off their amazing product. YIPPEE! I just grabbed a couple of Hand Creams, Magical Leaves Exfoliating Shower Gel and a Lavender Body Duo. All gone in the

L’Occitane Ultra Soft Shea Butter Body Cream

Both my Office helper KT and I have been using this new product. KT says: I found the cream to be what is says – “Ultra soft on my skin”. I loved the smell of the crème when I applied it after a shower. My skin felt nourished & taut and not oily as it does with other products.

Personally I am really enjoying the feel and how it makes my skin gleam. I also find if I’m wearing a fragrance that has corresponding notes that I get a deeper and longer lasting fragrance ride. excellent stuff.

I know you all want to try it. I have a Bouquet de Vanille and a Zeste de Citron up for grabs. No you don’t get to choose.

Portia xx

L’Occitane Ultra Soft Shea Butter Body Cream – GIVEAWAY

Karité Douceur de Crème - Zeste de Citron Photo Stolen L’Occitane France

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x 100ml L’Occitane Ultra Soft Shea Butter Body Cream
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Go to L’Occitane Australia<<JUMP and find any fragrance, tell me one of its note please. NO DOUBLE UPS!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie NEW L’Occitane Body Cream GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2Sb @LOCCITANE @LOCCITANE_au #Beauty #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 15th June 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 19th June 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.

CHANEL: 5 Colours

June 13, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hi there Fashion and Frag Peeps,

Another fun and beautiful CHANEL ad. Explaining the use of CHANEL’s 5 main colours. Some interesting insights and quotes from Gabrielle Chanel and the image she hoped to portray through her fashion house.

Please enjoy.
Portia xx

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

CHANEL: 5 Colours

From CHANEL: Black. White. Beige. Gold. Red.
In Chapter 11 of Inside CHANEL, five colors come alive as we delve into the history, the anecdotes, and the quotes from Mademoiselle herself that immortalized their significance for CHANEL.

The Colors – Inside CHANEL: Video