Great to see you all. I thought that you could probably all do with something cool and calm after your big Friday & Saturday nights out, so today I thought a fragrance called Starry Night or Nuit Etoilée would be a perfect balm.
Nuit Etoilée by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2012
Fragrantica gives these featured acords: Top: Citron, sweet orange, peppermint Heart: Siberian pine, fir resin Base: Angelica seed, tonka, immortal
The picture above is for the old bottle, the new clear bottle is below. What a shame Pacific Amore has decided to change the very beautiful blue. The minute I heard I ran out and bought a square mens bottles from one of the Facebook groups because I love them so much, it’s about 99% full and I got a very good deal. YAY!! Happy days.
That sweet minty citrus burst at the open is like drinking champagne punch with little green chewy bits of mint chopped and floating through it. It was my Mum’s favourite family party drink and she would make a large glass punch bowl up as everyone started arriving, we kids were given a beaker when we were small just to have a taste so that we felt part of it all. As we got older we were given glasses and when I finally realised that I was a big kid was when I was handed one of the glass punch cups with grapes and fruit embossed around the outside, there seemed to be HUNDREDS of these glasses when we were young but when Mum died and we had to clean out the stuff she’d amassed there were only 24 and the whole set was packed away perfectly awaiting the next party. Memories!! Joyous, fun, sun filled memories.
Yes, Nuit Etoilee warms up after the open but the lovely minty, citric fizz doesn’t leave for quite a while. Underneath it though comes a warm resinous woodsy melange that flirts underneath for ages before it decides it is time to take over. Like getting out of a cool pool and lying in the sun to dry, warm/cold then warmer and then dry. The immortelle, resins and tonka are sweet and dry. Nuit Etoilee really does dry down, the whole fragrance changes to earthy, dry flowers that have a slight vanilla/amber sweetness that has nothing to do with food.
Nuit Etoilee is not a super long lasting fragrance, I’m lucky to get four hours before I lose all traces of it. Soft enough for most workplaces, great for the calm and cool stuff. In fact, I could see Nuit Etoilee very easily becoming a go to signature scent. I has the lovely fresh opening that becomes a warm bear hug of a fragrance, it could work all year for you.
Here at APJ we did a L’Occitane Divine Cream Review and Challenge, you can watch the progression in L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 1 and L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 2 where we challenged you all to grab a sample and see how it left your skin in 2 weeks. At the time L’Occitane also sent me a set of the first four four of their La Collection de Grasse fragrances to try and if I wanted to APJ could review them. Well, I WANTED TO! These fragrances are beautiful, wearable, spritz and go winners. Last week we did a L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse Review and Giveaway that L’Occitane were so happy with they sent me the THREE LATEST IN THE SERIES!!! We have the BRAND NEWEST available, so exciting.
Pictured above is the L’Occitane 7.5ml La Collection de Grasse Miniatures Christmas pack, an excellent choice and currently only $35 on the L’Occitane Australia Site
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Bergamot, rosemary Heart: Fig leaf, rose Base: Sandalwood, cedar, labdanum, vanilla
I can’t believe that Ambre & Santal is made for this price. It is as warm, rich and complex as some of the VERY expensive niche offerings. This is so good I’m keeping it. Sorry folks.
Right from the beginning you can already smell the vanilla and resins coated in a very light hint of herbaceous green and a tiny glitter of citrus. Fig leaf and rose? Maybe through the heart there is a leafiness but it is a bit less specific than fig, or maybe I’ve been spoilt by so many other fig releases at a much higher price point and the rose is such a bit player I can barely detect it. What does shine so bright about Ambre & Santal is its base, which is basically the whole life of the fragrance, it is the loveliest, creamy woods and resinous vanilla. Ambre & Santal sings on my skin as if they were made for each other. I repeat, I can’t believe this excellent price point. I smell so good and have been asked what I’m wearing a couple of times while I have sported it. Totally unisex and an excellent fragrance.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Orange, bergamot, pine needles Heart: Cardamom, red berries, Virginian cedar Base: Vetiver, musk
I don’t like to create gender boundaries but of the people I’ve tried it on only one woman said she would wear it but EVERY man was very impressed. Jin who usually wears Bottega Veneta original and Mona di Orio Oud asked if he could keep it. I had to do divert and grab to get it back or it would have been lost forever in his frag stash.
The opening is bright and fresh and very clean, this is what all those sport and blue fragrances wish they were. It is the richest and prettiest of that genre that I’ve yet smelled and I can definitely see it being a good gift for the guys. Cèdre & Oranger warms up very slightly through the heart but essentially stays green and woodsy to its still clean musk dry down. After about an hour Cèdre & Oranger is very close to the body, maintaining a just showered freshness without pushing itself far beyond your skin. Ideal for even the closest office work and later for drinks an extra spritz will freshen it, and you, up considerably and last till next morning, quietly clean.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Lemon, bergamot Heart: Mimose, genet Base: White woods, musk
Fleur d’Or & Acacia is the latest offering from the L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse and I predict it being the biggest seller of them all. It is a very pretty Acacia/Mimosa fragrance that opens refreshingly citrus/green, invigorating and happy enough to make a grey sky blue and then the Acacia/Mimosa steps in and they all become that lovely waxy sweet crushed wattle flower green. Fleur d’Or & Acacia is sweet but not sugar sweet or vanilla sweet just sweet and pretty flowers over a sappy green-ness. Simple and wearable, a perfect mid season go to that will become a staple of your wardrobe and make an excellent gift. Surprisingly good longevity and though not a big fragrance has a lovely sheer penetration into your surrounds. The dry down is very easy wear, no surprises, but good solid fragrance that you’ll be happy to spritz and go in. BTW the Body oil above is also TO DIE FOR!!!
One of the jokes around this house is that seven out of ten things I spray on Jin he says, “Acacia” so today when I spritzed him I was hoping he would not say it but, damnit, he did.
L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse GIVEAWAY
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will receive one used for review purposes only bottle of L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse (NO you don’t get to chose)
1 winner will receive:
Cèdre & Oranger EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
1 winner will receive:
Fleur d’Or Acacia EdT 75ml
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 the APJs and tell us any L’Occitane product that you’ve used or like the sound of
Entries Close Sunday 24th November 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 28th November 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.
Louis Vuitton, as so often is the case, have made something beautiful and luxurious. These ads are clearly the start of a story to be continued throughout the world. I wonder where we will be taken next in the magical Louis Vuitton Balloon? I hope this keeps you interested while we wait for the Louis Vuitton fragrance, I do hope it’s soon……..
Portia xx
Photo Stolen replicaguide
L’Invitation Au Voyage (Paris)
Louis Vuitton featuring Arizona Muse
L’Invitation au Voyage (Venice)- Making Of
Louis Vuitton featuring David Bowie and Arizona Muse
L’Invitation au Voyage (Venice) – Director’s Cut
Louis Vuitton featuring David Bowie and Arizona Muse
How lucky are you all APJ? We keep doing AWESOME GIVEAWAYS and the response has been great again. Thank you all and special thanks to L’Occitane for their incredible generosity. Do take a moment to jump across and have a look at their spectacular range. There seems to be something for EVERYBODY there, and some super great Christmas/Gift giving Season presents.
Pictured above is the L’Occitane 7.5ml La Collection de Grasse Miniatures Christmas pack, an excellent choice and currently only $35 on the L’Occitane Australia Site
L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse GIVEAWAY WINNERS
WHAT COULD YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will receive one used for review purposes only bottle of L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse (NO you don’t get to chose)
1 winner will receive:
Magnolia & Mure EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
1 winner will receive:
The Vert & Bigarade EdT 75ml
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.
To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any L’Occitane product that you’ve used or like the sound of
Entries Closed Sunday 17th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST
Winners were chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen thegarfieldshow-diary
Mary K, BoringzLifez
CONGRATULATIONS!!! The winners will have till Thursday 21st November 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.
WOW! Super excellent response this week, you guys must all really want to pee in your perfume!! You will have to wait till January for me to grab some and have a go. I hope you enjoyed the fun of this one and of course we have another giveaway running right now, go check the L’Occitane Full Bottle L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse 2013 GIVEAWAY
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tobacco, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, tonka bean and pink pepper
WHAT COULD YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will each receice
2 x .8 ml vintage carded sample of KL EDT
1 x 2ml decant of vintage Opium EDT
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.
To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow APJ and if you make any attempt to solve this problem or comment on your favorite oriental fragrance or voice you opinion about perfume marketing you will be included in the draw.
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Thursday 14th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST
Once again the names were pulled from a hat by B-Azar.
Photo Stolen berryreview
Jaybee, FeralJasmine
CONGRATULATIONS!!! The winners will have till Tuesdayday 19th November 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.
You may remember recently we did a L’Occitane Divine Cream Review and Challenge, you can watch the progression in L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 1 and L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 2 where we challenged you all to grab a sample and see how it left your skin in 2 weeks. At the time L’Occitane also sent me a set of four of their La Collection de Grasse fragrances to try and if I wanted to APJ could review them. Well, I WANT TO! These fragrances are beautiful, wearable, spritz and go winners. Let’s meet them:
Pictured above is the L’Occitane 7.5ml La Collection de Grasse Miniatures Christmas pack, an excellent choice and currently only $35 on the L’Occitane Australia Site
Jasmine & Bergamote by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featuired accords: Top: Bergamot, pettigrain, mandarin Heart: Egyptian Jasmine, jasmine Base: Sandalwood, cedar
This opens with sheer, watery citrus and the jasmine already floating below, like fresh water from the tap and cut sappy flower stems. Pretty, fresh, light and wearable Jasmine & Bergamote was grabbed by my assistant Katie and getting it back, nearly one third used already, was quite a chore. Jasmine & Bergamote is way too simple for my tastes but Katie can’t stop raving about how much she loves it. It smells wonderful on her and I can see why she likes it, the clean brightness that washes over everything is like a spring sunlit early evening warm but turning cool. Katie has bagsed the bottle, could I give a better recommendation?
Magnolia & Mure by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Bergamot, blackberry Heart: Magnolia, rose Base: Patchouli
Here we have a very interesting blackberry opening that is full on and in your face, a tart reminder of Enchanted Forest but a gentler, less intimidating version that is extremely modern and sheer but with a great sillage a scent bubble. Noticeable without being intrusive Magnolia & Mure is a true perfume of the teen years of the 21st century and if you want to smell in tune with the times I think it an excellent choice, a fruit-chouli that I enjoy!! Very hard to believe. The heart and dry down are surprisingly still filled with the sizzle of blackberry till the uber clean patchouli quietly fades to nothing. I can imagine Magnolia & Mure being a good gateway fragrance too for the young ready to step away from celebuscents and into the world of fine fragrance.
The Vert & Bigarade by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Bitter orange, green tea Heart: Mate, thyme Base: Musk, cedar, hay
The citrus and tea opening is tart, fresh, sparkling and very Eau de Cologne-ish. So delightful and very wearable, I can imagine this becoming a simple, no nonsense go-to fragrance for anyone who wants to smell fresh, vibrant and relaxed. The green continues into the heart and only warms through slightly in the dry down into a soft, clean, woodsy musk. The Vert & Bigarade is not a hugely groundbreaking fragrance but it is a good bet for someone taking their first steps outside the regular department store fare that wants to smell good and not have to worry. Excellent work choice and I think a LOT of gym bags will be sporting The Vert & Bigarade after the gift giving season.
Vanille & Narcisse by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Black current, bergamot Heart: Gardenia, narcissus Base: Tonka bean, vanilla
This is the fragrance that sent me looking for the L’Occitane people in the first place. I can’t believe it’s not 10 x the price in a very chi chi niche perfume line. This has all the interest and elegance of a much more expensive fragrance with a very soft black current and citrus open that is sweet but not that modern hyper-sweet, diabetic with one spritz and the black current showing none of its urinous tendencies. I think the open is tamed by the flowers in the heart and cake sweet rather than lolly sweet vanilla base, Vanille & Narcisse could easily be a Guerlain Aqua Allegoria, CHANEL Exclusive or a DIOR Couturier, it could even be a Patricia de Nicolai.
L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse GIVEAWAY
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will receive one used for review purposes only bottle of L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse (NO you don’t get to chose)
1 winner will receive:
Magnolia & Mure EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
1 winner will receive:
The Vert & Bigarade EdT 75ml
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 the APJs and tell us any L’Occitane product that you’ve used or like the sound of
Entries Close Sunday 17th November 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 21st November 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.
Interview with Karine Dubreuil, Perfumer for L’Occitane En Provence.
Teo Cabanel sent me a link to this fun mini movie showing part of the Teo Cabanel experience. It’s fun and the girl is definitely an aspirational choice, I’d give my left nut to look so pretty.
Barkhane by Jean-Francois Latty for Teo Cabanel 2013
I’m so happy you all got involved in this fabulous giveaway. I know you are all going to adore these frags from A Wing & A Prayer, do rock over and check the Etsy site out if you get a moment and don’t forget the super great 3 x 7.5ml sample spritz deal, it’s hard to believe such good value.
Photo of the New A Wing & A Prayer bottles
A Wing & A Prayer has an ETSY Store<<<JUMP. The 1oz is selling for $75.00 and the 2oz is selling for $150.00, both are in the etched bottle. I love the $10 3 x 7.5ml Sample Set, it’s a great way to try 3 of the fragrances at a time.
HOLLY, wOUD & VINE GIVEAWAY WINNERS
WHAT COULD YOU WIN?
This week there will be 3 winners
1 winner will receive:
1 x 7.5ml A Wing & A Prayer mini of either Kismet or HOLLY, wOUD & VINE, you get to chose!
P&H Anywhere in the world
2 winners will receive:
1 x 1ml decant from my own test mini
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.
To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any green perfume that you like
Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie HOLLY, wOUD & VINE: A Wing & A Prayer GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-29a #Perfume @janetheperfumer
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Sunday 10th November 2013 10pm Australian EDSTt.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen shannonmayer
#1 7.5ml Kismet or HOLLY, wOUD & VINE, you choose
Lyubov
#2 1ml HOLLY, wOUD & VINE decant
BreathesGelatin (from Twitter), Hotlanta Linda
The winners will have till Thursday 14th November 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.
While I was in LA during May 2013 for the ScentSation bus tour my buddy Tom Pease, who was the most wonderful guide and friend you can imagine, took me up into Roxana’s 1950s ranch style home in Woodland Hills, tucked away in the Santa Monica mountains outside LA, that she shares with her artist husband Greg Spalenka. It’s a fabulous community that grew up around the idea that near the madness of LA there could be a corner for artisans, like a hippy commune but that is way too simplistic. It was near the beach and away from the excruciatingly high LA prices so a gentler, more romantic and artistic lifestyle was born. There are still pockets of the lifestyle remaining but in reality the area has become an outside suburb of LA.
Roxana and Greg are throwbacks to a simpler time and their home is a very comfortable and inviting place full of both their art where Tom and I were introduced to Matte which is a green tea drink, art, fragrance, bees and joy in living. Can I also tell you that this portrait, while looking a bit like Roxana, does not do her beauty any justice, it has captured the outline but completely bypassed the gorgeous elegance and friendliness that is Roxana.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Amber Accord, Jasmine, Rose, Spice and Mandarin
One of the things I have to tell you straight away is that if you have only ever worn department store or designer perfume then Roxana Illuminated Perfumes are going to be a complete revelation. No mass production fragrance can ever match the nuanced, natural depths and heights of a handmade, independent fragrance creation. Though both are beautiful and both have their pros & cons there is something of the magical re-engagement with the earth and our place within it that happens when I put on a Roxana Illuminated Perfume. It’s like being hardwired to the energy around me, showing me that I’m part of the infinite bigger picture.
How does Aurora wear on me? The opening is warm, sweet, balsamic and spicy, the pictures in my head are honeyed outback Australia, floral, scrubby, red earth, sap from trees, leaves, humus, animals fur, the moment between day and dusk, the warmth of the happy memory of love, the bittersweet of absolute freedom, the joy of achievement, the eternal story and intertwining of a life well lived. All these emotion pictures have fleeted across my inner eye as I sit at my desk sniffing and typing.
The initial blast has burned down and I am left with the beginnings of a sensual, sweet floriental. The flowers are overlaid with an earthy melange that reminds me of freshly turned, healthy humus and walking through pine needles on the way to the beach, there is a salty breeze blowing through that and then all of a sudden at about the 1.5-2hour mark Aurora becomes a soft silky alluring fragrance that stays around as a sweet murmur for another hour or so, sometimes when I wear Aurora it is still smellable next morning as a wash of peaty resins. Quite a good scent life for a natural, which are notoriously short lived especially on my scent hungry skin.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
Photo Stolen Annick Goutal
Photo Stolen 
Photo Stolen 
