Street Of Dreams: Martin Scorsese, Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson

December 13, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hello Happy Huffers and Lovers,

In our house there are a few favourite actors and actresses, mostly they coincide like the lovely, versatile and elegant Scarlett Johansson who is Jin’s absolute favourite actress and who I really like too. Then we have the don’t agrees, top of that list is Matthew McConaughey, frankly I will walk over glass to see him but Jin would rather roll in glass than have to see him, in anything. Here is a very interesting pairing of the two and I like the story, the detail, the mood and NYC. Also the fact that Scarlett’s character is coming to Sydney, always a thrill to hear the home town used.

dolce-and-gabbana-scarlett-johansson-matthew-mccounaghey-the-one-for-men-ad-campaign

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, bergamot, litchi, peach
Heart: Jasmine, lily of the valley, white lily, plum
Base: Vetiver root, amber, musk, vanilla

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, coriander, basil
Heart: Cardamom, ginger, neroli
Base: Cedar, amber, tobacco

What do you think? Does this piece make you want to at least sniff the product?
Enjoy
Portia x

Dolce & Gabbana Mini Movie

Street Of Dreams: Martin Scorsese, Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson

PERFUME: The Art & Craft of Fragrance by Karen Gilbert

December 13, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Heya Happy Huffers,

Christmas is round the corner and if there is anyone interested in fragrance in your life that likes to read then I’ve found the perfect book. Karen Gilbert was in Australia recently and a couple of us down Under Perfumistas had the pleasure of lunching with her and her extremely handsome partner. Not only were they excellent company but they were incredibly knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects and had us enthralled and laughing, enjoying a wonderful afternoon. When it was time to go we were all sad but felt like we had made a couple of new friends for life.

Karen Gilbert will be doing a 1 Day Perfume Introduction MASTERCLASS 20 September 2014<<<JUMP

PERFUME: The Art & Craft of Fragrance

by Karen Gilbert

Photo Stolen The Book Depository Perfume AUD$17 including worldwide postage

Here are Karen and I having a look through a pres copy of the book pre-release. As you can see Karen is gorgeous, filled with good humour and knows so much about fragrance. She has worked for amazing groups including IFF, Neal’s Yard and a couple of others I can’t remember, now runs Olfactory Workshops and Classes, creates fragrance lines fort companies and travels the world. Not a bad life.

Perfume takes us on a journey through Karen’s fragrant life, teaches us some perfume basics (that are only basic when you know them), her take on how we smell and its effects, buying, blending and ultimately some recipes for home dabblers in scent. It is beautifully presented and has some sumptuous photos. Readable for anyone from about age 10 upwards and at every level of perfumista knowledge, there is something here for everyone.

Extremely readable, Karen’s personality shines above all throughout the book and I can hear her Pommy accent and inflections as I read.

There is also her first book, still available, called Natural Beauty. Check that out too.

Portia xxx

Photo Stolen The Book Depository Natural Beauty AUD$21 including worldwide postage

PERFUME: The Art & Craft of Fragrance

by Karen Gilbert GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be one winner who will receive:

1 Press Copy of PERFUME: The Art & Craft of Fragrance by Karen Gilbert. It was sent to me by Karen and I am paying her kindness forward.
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.

To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow APJ and tell me in a sentence how you will spend the silly season.

Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie PERFUME by Karen Gilbert GIVEAWAY! http://wp.me/p3PURw-2gz #Giveaway #Book @karengilbert

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 15th December 2013 10pm Australian EDST and winners will be announced in a separate post
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 19th December 2013 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.

Happy Holidays!

ime Natural Perfumes GIVEAWAY WINNERS

December 9, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hey there crew,

This ime Natural Perfumes is a super bunch and are doing excellent work. I have been wearing my Erato (Naughty) for the last 3 days at least for some part of the day, it is VERY addictive. I have been shopping on the ime Natural Perfumes site and the Collections Pack is an excellent Christmas present that some of my frag loving friends will be getting this year.

Here are some Super Great Deals from ime Natural Perfumes<<<JUMP

– Free Australian Shipping until Sun 15th De

– a bonus 10% off total order with the checkout code ‘bonus’

– a free Gift with Purchase when you buy a Collections Pack

ime Natural Perfumes GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week there will be 2 winners who will each receive:

1 ime Collections Pack with 9 x 5ml manufacturers spray samples
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow APJ and then go to the ime Natural Perfumes<<<JUMP site and tell me the name of a fragrance and an ingredient. NO DOUBLE UPS!!

Extra Chances? Tweet

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 8th December 2013 10pm Australian EDST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen brooklodge

Ferris, Patricia Acev__o (via Twitter)

WOOO! HOOOO! Congratulations!! The winners will have till Thursday 12th December 2013 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.

Happy Holidays!

Rose Splendide by Isabelle Doyen + Camille Goutal for Annick Goutal 2010

December 8, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Hello Happy Huffers,

Yes, I have spoken about Annick Goutal (1948-99) before. We have done days of the Annick Goutal Bio, Frag#1, Frag#2, Frag #3, Mandragore Pourpe, Songes, Grand Amour and Duel. You can tell how much I love the whole Annick Goutal aesthetic, it has been a constant house that I love. The fragrances are beautiful, smooth and totally wearable and even the slightly quirky or more arty of the line are still easily worn in most situations.

Rose Splendide by Annick Goutal 2010

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Musk, Centifolia rose, magnolia, pear (Basenotes add vanilla)

A fruity rose, sparkling and shimmering, a gorgeously decadent, full blown, home grown with love bloom that takes flight from your skin the instant you first spritz and initially you can smell the cutting of the plant to bring the bloom inside, or maybe it’s the body of the rose bush as you brush it to smell the bloom. There is a fresh, dew-ish, watery hint of a vase awaiting your plunder. The initial fireworks are great fun and never fail to delight me. Once they calm Rose Splendide stays pretty linear throughout its 4-6 hour journey on my skin with the notes taking different centre stage times but really the whole character of this magnificent rose flower stays in the forefront. Warming slightly as it fades to dry down I am ready for a respritz by the 4 hour mark to relive the opening again.

Photo Stolen T.Kiya Flickr

Rose Splendide and Jo Malone Red Rose are my two photo realistic roses that I go to. Very different in scent they are quite similar in feel and freshness, both feel like early morning all day and both remind me of times in the garden with my Mum when I was a kid and watching the roses grow from sticks to blooms through spring, it was always a magical thing to me.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: Sniffapalooza Magazine and The Scent Critic
Fragrance Shop has $55/100ml EdT before coupon
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

What is your go-to rose? Is it photo realistic like Rose Splendide or amongst a cornucopia like Mohur by Neela Vermeire or maybe hidden in the depths like Shalimar(another two of my faves)?
Portia xx

DIOR Glamour: a book of photographs by Mark Shaw

December 8, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Hey APJ,

Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for someone who has everything? here is a beautiful looking book presented by two of Christian Dior’s most famous models. It looks really swanky and elegant and brings us an as yet untold story of the beginning of the relationship between the photographer and the houses of fashion. WOW!
Portia xx

‘Dior Glamour’ by Mark Shaw – Interviews – Victoire & Kouka

Photo Stolen HuntLogoPhoto stolen wicked-halo

Oroville: Shooting Stars Collection by Christian Rostain for Xerjoff 2010

December 7, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hello Tobacco Lovers,

Thanks to Michael for passing me his sample which I decanted into a spray. You know those great photos of women wearing killer dinner suit inspired suits or gowns. They always look so elegant, except poor old Celine Dion who put hers on backwards. Remember the whole YSL Le Smoking? We studied that phase of his design life at fashion school. Remember also Alexander McQueen’s love of tailoring, fit and suits that worked perfectly with women’s bodies, often camouflaged by the OTT overlaying of belts, buckles and other pieces of drama? This is the fragrance I would spray lavishly on a person wearing such costume.

Oroville: Shooting Stars Collection

by Christian Rostain for Xerjoff 2010

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Roman chamomile, clary sage, orange
Heart: Leather, orange blossom, Italian neroli, carnation, Cuban tobacco leaves, galbanum
Base: Mysore sandalwood, vanilla, amber, white musks

You’d think by reading the notes that I would be expecting a lush, green, herbal opening but it surprised me. I always expect Xerjoff to be hefty oudh or amber. Not here, this is extremely fresh, like CHANEL 19 but nothing like it, that is just the nearest correlation I can give you. I think it may be the sage and galbanum, but of course I could be dreaming. Reading Ca Fleur Bon, Mark Behnke got indole and when it comes in it is beautiful, before reading his review I had missed it because it doesn’t stay indolic for long and it is only up close that I can smell it so put your Oroville on the back of your hand and then rest your chin in your hand.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

When I see tobacco as a main note my mind goes straight to the pipe tobacco of my Grandma’s second husband Jim who put up with her nagging in return for the cleanest house and best cooking I’ve ever tasted. His smell through my earliest memories up until I was about 12 years old was a thick boozy miasma of stale pipe that had sunk into his cardigan and was ultimately “His Smell”. I really loved that smell and him. Sadly when he gave up the pipe all he smelled like was old man and cuddles were a lot less enjoyable. I digress, this is NOT what Oroville’s tobacco gives me, I get fresh plucked tea leaves/tobacco with a mini dose of leather, supple and plush early on which opens up into a very slightly toastiness both unusual and enjoyable, still crisp and snappy due to the flowers and resin. Curiously honeyed and not as green as I was expecting. The heart stays solid for about 3-3.5 hours, I continue to get wafts of the notes listed and the clove-ish carnation especially maintains.

Photo Stolen mrhayata Flickr

Sadly the base has been eaten up by my skin leaving only the merest whiff of what seems like clean laundry musks. I did get three good fragrant hours with a small projection and soft sillage. Worth the $$? You need to try it, my skin is notoriously scent hungry. I’ve given this sample 3 good wearings, 1 x dab and 2 x spritz. The spritz gives me nearly 4 hours of fragrant life, and the scent is excellent till it all sort off collapses at base level. If I had the money to burn I would buy a bottle and reapply every 4 hours because the top and heart are lovely.

Further reading: Ca Fleur Bon and The Scentuary
LuckyScent has $260/50ml
First In Fragrance has €199/50ml
Surrender To Chance starts at $5/.5ml

What did you think? Tried it? Want to?

Till tomorrow, be good to yourself and those i your orbit,
Portia xx

ime Natural Perfumes by Tonia Walker 2013

December 6, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 46 Comments

Hi there APJers,

Recently Catherine de Peloux Menage (from Sydney Perfume Lovers) and I were lucky enough to lunch with a very interesting lady. A natural perfume curator that worked with a fragrance company and perfumer here in Australia. Unusually for a Natural Perfumer she has worked within the NICNAS (National Industrial Chemicals Notification & Assessment Scheme of Australia) and IFRA (International Fragrance Association) guidelines. Her bottles are produced in Italy and the lids in China. The look is very cool, calm and collected and will look beautiful on dressers, vanities and popping out of your purse for a respritz. Who is this lady? Tonia Walker from ime Natural Perfumes.

Normally I wouldn’t steal wholesale from a site but I think Tonia has covered a lot of the stuff that you are interested in knowing and it’s so easily understandable that I need not change it so:

ime: the phonetic Greek word for eimai meaning I AM.

Explore and experience life a little different each day. ime will naturally inspire you to experience the unique individual you desire to be day to day. And who says you can’t be driven, naughty, cool, flirty, expressive, beautiful, intuitive, enlightened and elegant whenever you want to be!

The nine Muses of Greek Mythology have been known throughout time to inspire and guide those who seek their radiance. ime is a series of perfumes where each scent is uniquely blended with 100% botanical ingredients that are designed to encompass the essence of each muse.

The Natural Facts

Each Eau de Parfum uses 100% natural ingredients from quality botanical sources. Which means each fragrance is naturally unique. Designed with nature, these perfumes evolve with your skin, changing over time to bring out the subtle qualities of your own personal scent.

Ingredients:
Pure botanical extracts and essential oils sourced from around the world,
Sugar cane ethanol from locally produced Australian sources.
FREE of artificial and animal fragrances, colours, phthalates, parabens or synthetic ingredients.
A whole lot of inspiration!

Erato [naughty]

Mood Inspired: Naughty, Irresistable
The muse of Love is devlish and sexy. Her romanitc prose will ignite you, inspiring you to love, be adored and find the moves to express the irresistably naughty goddess within.
Scent: Woody, Oriental, Floral
A sophisticated, warm, exotic, and silky scent that will softly intrigue and seduce the romantic side. Devilishly feminine.
Inspired Notes: Mandarin, Cardomom, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, Tolu Balsam, Labdanum Balsam, Sandalwood.

There are 9 fragrances in the ime set, inspired by the Muses. Each has a very distinct reference to the muse in question and that muses area of control. Obviously the one that I fell in love with was naughty.

Erato (Naughty) is fun and flirty and has a lovely sensual, woodsy back beat that growls under the fizzy, fun citrus, herbs and flowers. I grabbed a bottle and have been enjoying it a lot. The opening is so dynamic, it pops out at you full of life and fresh vitality. If you have tried naturals before and been scared of their deep, dark and dank stories then the ime experience will disabuse you of that preconception. Erato is filled with light and the goodness of natural essential oils. I smell, and feel, bright and cheerful. It’s had not to smile while wearing this excellent fragrance.

Currently ime Natural Perfumes is only allowed to ship within Australia but they soon hope to resolve this problem.

Here are some Super Great Deals from ime Natural Perfumes

– Free Australian Shipping until Sun 15th De

– a bonus 10% off total order with the checkout code ‘bonus’

– a free Gift with Purchase when you buy a Collections Pack

ime Natural Perfumes GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 2 winners who will each receive:

1 ime Collections Pack with 9 x 5ml manufacturers spray samples
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow APJ and then go to the ime Natural Perfumes<<<JUMP site and tell me the name of a fragrance and an ingredient. NO DOUBLE UPS!!

Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie ime Natural Perfumes GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2gz #Giveaway #Perfume @imenatperfume

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 8th December 2013 10pm Australian EDST and winners will be announced in a separate post
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 12th December 2013 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.

Happy Holidays!

Cat Lovers! Have you seen this video?

December 6, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hey there Cat Lovers,

This is clever, dumb and fabulous. Great story, voice and writing, even the ending where it becomes an ad is excellent.

WIN!
Portia xx

Hope for Hope Day – One Seed

December 5, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom

We are thrilled to be able to support Australia Hope International with our annual Hope for Hope Day.

On the first Saturday in December, any purchase you make from our online store will directly help the people of Uganda & Congo. We will be donating 100% of profits from all sales made on Saturday December 6th to this valuable work.

Read more here about Hope for Hope Day.

Learn more here about Australia Hope International.

Mark the date in your diary, and thanks so much for loving us, and supporting the things that are close to our heart.

Liz Cook

founder

L’Artisan Explosions d’Emotions GIVEAWAY WINNERS

December 2, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hello Happy huffers,

Excelllent response this week, and of course it has been because the prizes are EXTRAORDINARY!!! Thanks again go to the incredible guys at Libertine Perfumerie. They are so generous and so want us ALL to smell absolutely incredible.

L’Artisan Explosions d’Emotions GIVEAWAY

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have TWO main winners and each will receive:

1 x 100ml TESTER bottle with lid of a L’Artisan Parfumeur Explosions d’Emotions fragrance (with about 15ml missing) and no you don’t get to choose
P&H Anywhere in the world

There will also be THREE other winners and each will receive:

1 x decanted sample of all three L’Artisan Parfumeur Explosions d’Emotions fragrances
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ and go to Libertine Perfumes<<<JUMP and find me a perfume and its manufacturer. NO DOUBLE UPS!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie @LArtisan ~~Explosions d’Emotions~~ GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2fb #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 1st December 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners were chosen by Random.org (sorry Jin is sound asleep and he was too tired and bleary while awake after 7 days straight at work)

Photo Stolen thegarfieldshow-diary

FULL BOTTLE WINNERS

NEMO, RUTH F

DECANT WINNERS

WILLA, UNDINA (Twitter Entry), MIM

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners will have till Wednesday 4th December 2013 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.

Special THANKS to Libertine Perfumerie for these amazing giveaways. Please visit their site because they are so generous and helpful. If you wonder why they are more expensive than the discounters or OS retailers it’s because they are the only licensed company selling their fragrances in Australia; where you know you are buying new, fresh and genuine product. The cost of importing, and buying the right to import, alcohol based fragrances (and having the right to send alcohol based fragrances throughout Australia, which are illegal to send in the Australia Post air system) is expensive and they must cover their costs to bring you these luxury goods.