Portia

Lanvin Spanish Geranium GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hey there APJ,

Another fab contest and you all got involved. EXCELLENT!! We are so happy that you come by and check out our stuff and this is just the best Thank You we can think of. Of course this GIVEAWAY was run by the lovely Azar so big snaps to Azar for going to all this trouble too.

Lanvin Spanish Geranium Giveaway WorthPointPhoto Stolen WorthPoint

Lanvin Spanish Geranium GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

There will be 2 winners this week, each will receive:

1 x 2ml decant from my stash of Spanish Geranium EDT
P&H Anywhere in the world .

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies but to be eligible you had to leave a comment about anything related to geraniums or pelargoniums and mention how you follow APJ
.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday October 6th 2013 10pm Australian EST.
The winners will be chosen by B-Azar or by Gomez the pionus parrot from same sized folded papers on a tray.

Once again Gomez couldn’t be persuaded to touch his beak to the folded papers.  He had a lot to say about my attempts to make him do what he didn’t want to do.  This is one ANGRY BIRD!  I don’t mess with him when he looks like this. Check out his razor sharp, can opener beak.  Once again B-Azar chose the winners from the tray.

Lanvin Spanish Geranium Giveaway Angry Gomez

Winners brooklodgePhoto Stolen brooklodge

Patty P, Trish W

CONRATULATIONS!! Winners have till Wednesday 9th October 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.

Trance by Veronique Nyberg for J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Heya all you Niche Nerds,

My mate Clayton from What Men Should Smell Like and I recently caught up for lunch and a sniff, he generously bought me some of the J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin manufacturers samples to try. Having scanned the notes lists of the four Trance particularly caught my eye, there are two fruity/floral and two oudh based fragrances in the line up but when I see particularly short note lists I am often intrigued.

Trance by  J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin 2012

Trance J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Oudh, labdanum, rose, artemisia (wormwood)

This opens with a beautiful full bodied and sensual Middle East meets West with fireworks and a party. A nod to the history of fragrance from a very elegant and French style, classic perfume, but also so modern and new. It smells at once like everything, and nothing, I’ve ever smelled before. Broad, dazzling brush strokes of fragrance done in an old palette but so interesting and fresh.

Trance J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin Wikimedia Collier-priestess_of_DelphiPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Is this the new Chypre? Have they reinvented the wheel? It seems so effortless, graceful and chic. Artemisia as the crackling green in place of bergamot, rose as the heart and labdanum with oudh as the new oakmoss. Even more startling is that they don’t work to pyramid but are weaving from almost the first spritz through each other and having little star turns before sliding behind another player as that one takes the lead. What an absolute stunner of a fragrance this is on my skin, I can’t tell you because you have to grab a sample of Trance and try it for yourself. So beautifully blended that the notes rarely stand apart after the first hour, They become a beautiful linear melange and stay pretty much like that till tomorrow morning when I’ll still be smelling mighty fine, softer and less sparkly but warm and sensual.

Projection and sillage better than average, a bit strong for office wear unless you work somewhere relaxed about fragrance. Longevity is excellent on my usually scent hungry skin and what does Trance remind me of? A little, but not much, like Midnight Oud from Juliette Has A Gnu (which I adore) but even more ripe, lush and lavish. I could imagine Trance being very popular with the Goth scene.

Trance J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin WikimediaPhoto Stolen Wikimedia

Further reading:Both these reviews have the wonderful history of the house so I didn’t repeat it, What Men Should Smell Like and Ca Fleur Bon
Essenza Nobile has 125€/50ml and samples

Don’t you just LOVE finding new fragrances to lemming? This has skyrocketed to the top of my wish list.
See you tomorrow.
Portia xx

 

CHANEL No 19: Vintage EdC by Henri Robert 1970

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Hello Vintage Lovers,

One of the things that often surprises me is that on Etsy and eBay sometimes you can still find amazing bargains. Recently I was lucky enough to find a 3/4 full 45ml CHANEL 19 EdC, the spritz in thesilver satin finish case with gold waist and CHANEL C’s on top. It’s a beautiful case in its own right before I even get to the juice, so reminiscent of times past and when owning some CHANEL mass market fragrance was to feel rich and pampered.

CHANEL No 19: Vintage EdC by Henri Robert 1970

Chanel No 19 Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, bergamot, green notes
Heart: Iris, narcissus, rose, lily of the valley
Base: Sandalwood, leather, vetiver, oakmoss

BaseNotes gives these featured accords:
Top: Galbanum, Bergamot, Neroli, Hyacinth
Heart: Rose, Orris, Jasmine, Narcissus, Muguet, Ylang-Ylang
Base: Musk, Sandal, Oakmoss, Leather, Cedarwood

WHOA BABY!! I love the snappy green opening, so fresh and buoyant, all sparkly green galbanum and citrus. There is a wet feel to CHANEL 19 opening, like there is dew on the world that you’re smelling, or maybe those lovely flowers have been washed before becoming a bouquet. As the bouquet takes over, slowly it eclipses the citrus but the green freshness stays right into the heart. So many people use CHANEL 19 as their back straightener fragrance, and I understand why they feel like that. It certainly has a very stiff upper lipness about it to begin that reflect the cool and aloof that we all sometimes strive for.

Chanel No. 19 Chanel Canon FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Though the opening is magic and the heart softly beautiful it is the base of 19 that I love the most, sadly it doesn’t last long enough on my skin but I do get a couple of hours with the lovely warm, sexy, sensual floral woods that still maintain a very discreet nod to the green open, like the job is done and the hair has been let down. CHANEL 19 becomes less restrained, more open and engaging, like SJP as Meredith Morton in The Family Stone as she unwinds in the bar with her fiances brother. Often when I wear CHANEL 19 I catch myself smiling in remembrance of the film and its now associated fall from uptight. It was never an Oscar winner but it’s one of my favourite go-to films, here’s a peek.

Further reading:
Beauty Encounter has a terrific selection starting at $12/4ml mini
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

I bought my Vintage CHANEL 19 EdC at Odona on Etsy and they always have an excellent selection.

Chanel No. 19 by Chanel Beauty EncounterPhoto Stolen Beauty Encounter

Are you a CHANEL 19 fan? Where do you prefer to wear it? Does it give you a straight back?
See you tomorrow,
Portia x

Mandragore Pourpre GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Hello crew!

We are having some spectacular giveaways lately, thanks for getting so involved and enjoying the fun. Today we announce the 3 lucky winners of Mandragore Pourpre by Camille Goutal and Isabella Doyen, one of their more niche leaning offerings in the range.

Mandragore Pourpre GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Mandragore Pourpre Annick Goutal MimiFrouFrouPhoto Stolen MimiFrouFrou

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

We will have 3 winners this week. It would be more but postage is outrageous! Each winner will receive

1 x 5ml decant of Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal EdT
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.

All I need is a HELLO with how you follow for you to be eligible for the draw.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 3rd October 2013 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

WINNERS markmontanoblogsPhoto Stolen markmontanoblogs

Belle, Kandice, LaurenW

CONGRATULATIONS!!! The winners have till Sunday 6th October 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.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Grain de Musc
FragranceNet has $90/100ml before coupon
The Posh Peasant starts at $4/ml

Thanks gang,

Have a super great day,
Portia xx

Buying Single Perfume Notes + GIVEAWAY

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 70 Comments

Hiya all.

I don’t know if you ev er think about the solo pieces of a fragrant puzzle? Recently I was buying some Scent Strip Cards for sampling fragrances wit the crew from Perfumers Apprentice which they sell for around $5/100. They also have a selection of single note oils, now there are many different accords used in perfumery for each facet of fragrance here they use just one of those accords and they seem to be mainly synthetic creations. Nevertheless they are an interesting thing to have samples of in case you can’t discern a note particularly well and want a correlation point. Perfumers Apprentice also has selections of aroma molecules that you can buy but I’ve not tried them yet.

(Ed: This post jumped up on the blog too early so if you’ve read it before, apologies. This is it’s right time)

Perfumer's Apprentice logo

 

From Perfumers Apprentice site:
What are Fragrance Oils?
Fragrance Oils are blends of Aromachemicals and Naturals that have been diluted for ease of use. They are easy to work with because they actually smell like what they are named after.
There are two reasons, however, that professional perfumers do not use Fragrance Oils.
1. Because they are pre-diluted by the manufacturer.
2. Because they are of unknown composition, with the manufacturer not bound to continue making the same product the same way.

Single Perfume Notes: Fragrance Oils

Perfumers Apprentice Frag Oil#1

These are so reasonable priced at around $3.50/15ml

Almond: Almond oil is a bitter almond smell like marzipan but it also has the milky quality behind it that makes almond so alluring. I can see when I smell this where so many perfumes use almond as a smoothing agent and a dry down component.

Carnation: Carnation is a sweet/buttery/pepper combination, not nearly as spicy as carnation in my head but I can see where Bellodgia by Caron gets its carnation fix now.

Geranium: Geranium smells like rose to me, the spicy, fruity, dry peppery rose that reminds me of but it not really like my garden geraniums.

Honey: The sweet, animal, urinous scent of perfumers idea of honey, normally this particular blend doesn’t seem like fresh honey to me but today when I opened the bottle to sniff it made my mouth water in anticipation and left and back taste in my mouth like I’d eaten honey. MMMM

Peony: Peony smells like perfume to me, not like a peony at all. It reads to my nose as a complete and finished fragrance and I have used it on myself as such. It’s pretty, light, fizzy and fun and smells like there was a lot of it in Burberry Brit.

giveaway ThinkDigitalWorldPhoto Stolen ThinkDigitalWorld

Fragrance Oils GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

We will have 2 winners for this draw. It would be more but postage is outrageous! Each winner will receive

1 x 1ml sample vial of all 5 Fragrant Oils (Almond, Carnation, Geranium, Honey, Peony)
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.

All I need is you to tell me your favourite perfume note and how you follow for you to be eligible for the draw.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Tuesday 8th October 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner (unless he asleep or studying then I’ll use random.org).
The winners will have till Friday 11th October 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.

Good Luck Everyone,
Portia xxx

DIOR: J’Adore the Movie

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hello Frag Heads!!

One of the best known perfumes in the world is J’Adore by DIOR. That fabulously iconic bottle, so simple yet so evocative, elegant and luxe. I have a recentish 2011 EdP. This little beauty by Calice Becker was launched in 1999 and has become so outrageously successful that for a while it was all you smelled, you could pick people in the street wearing it. Sensational projection and sillage it gives a very definite nod to the power frags of the 1980s. A fun, rich, sizzling fruity floral that is so far beyond all the other department store offerings of the genre that it stands alone. even now that it has had some surgery, is leaner and more transparent. So many copy cats have missed the whole allure of …

J’Adore by Calice Becker for DIOR 1999

J`adore Dior FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Magnolia, melon, peach, pear, mandarin, bergamot
Heart: Freesia, orchid, rose, violet, lily of the valley, plum, jasmine, tuberose
Base: Musk, vanilla, cedar, blackberry

An opening that all the celebuscents and drug store offerings try so hard to imitate, but they never seem to get the melon just at that point of pre-dustbin overripeness, the magnolia doesn’t have that gorgeously plush waxinessand the background fruit salad never seems like it could lead you astray with a wink.Here the proportions are perfect and when I smell J’Adore I think of all those fabulous women that are secure and wonderful enough to wear such a beauty.

The bouquet in the heart is pretty and wafts for hours with its plummy, very slightly indolic, siren call. Even through the heart of J’Adore’s 7-8 hour lifespan the woods and vanilla plump up the flowers and give them a cozy breadth, the musks may be helping too at this point but I miss them completely. Towards the end J’Adore goes transparent and has a pretty woodsy/vanilla/musk wash that has become a little generic because it smells good and everyone wanted their inferior products to smell like that. The dry down reminds me of the Our Moment dry down but it lasts less long and can be washed off, unlike the One Direction offering.

If you spray J’Adore on your scarf or in your handbag it will smell like that for the whole season with one spritz.

DIOR J'Adore Ana_Cotta FlickrPhoto Stolen Ana_Cotta  Flickr

Most of the time we aren’t trolling the department stores for our scents now the wormhole has claimed us, but if you happen to be walking by spritz a card, or skin if you have some spare, and enjoy the ride.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin takes a look at the changes that have happened to J’Adore and Perfume Shrine
FragranceNet starts at $75/30ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has EdP in current $3/ml and vintage $5/ml

Today we have a wonderful film about J’Adore, created by the DIOR company so it’s really a 22 minute advert. There is some very interesting stuff in here too though if you have the time.

See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

J’Adore the film

Sous Le Vent by Jean Paul Guerlain 2005

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Hey Everyone,

While in Paris recently we went to the Guerlain counters in Galleries Lafayette. One of the new fragrances I was introduced to by our gorgeous SA was today’s offering. Not wanting to madly buy at Galleries Lafayette and saving myself for the Guerlain Flagship Store on the Champs Elysees I didn’t grab a bottle of it. We left the Guerlain store till our last evening, thinking it would be the Paris highlight. Sadly, that afternoon they started their renovation and we were unable to go in and purchase. No worries said I, next January I’ll come back and get one…….. DISCONTINUED!!!!! So off to my mate Ruth K, now at least I have 5ml.

Sous Le Vent by Guerlain 2005

Sous Le Vent FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lavender, tarragon and bergamot
Heart: Green notes, jasmine and carnation
Base: Iris and woodsy notes

Originally created by Jacques Guerlain in 1933, re-orchestrated by Jean Paul Guerlain in 2005 for the renovated flagship Guerlain store on the Champs-Elysees which has been fully renovated again in 2013. The style here was a chypre, named for Cypress the island and its evergreen trees, goats, crisp flowers, fresh sea air and dark mossy, earthy, fruit groves. The 2005 reformulation has taken much of the darkness and depth.

What does this famous fragrance smell like on me?

The opening is green, bright, soapy and citric and as soon as you put it on it smells like a Guerlain, heavenly, rich, beautifully blended and the citrus crescendos over the top of the herbs like a wave that peaks, breaks and then recedes. It’s like the world has disappeared and I am sitting alone on the lovely rock mount, under the tree in the picture below but there’s no salt just fresh, bracing air.

Lone Cypress Tree DanielPaulKleinPhoto Stolen DanielPaulKlein

The heart melds seamlessly and the citrus comes back at quite unexpected times to say hello, as the opening notes say farewell Sous Le Vent quiets and softens. The floral heart is pretty but unremarkable on my skin, actually I think my skin is eating some of it because it smells quite thin, maybe I am anosmic to the notes? I have a lovely floral wash that has nothing discernible. I was hoping for much more of the animal, labdanum and also mossy darkness. I understand that the world has changed and that it’s not possible to use those products anymore, still I am sad.

Please don’t think I do not love Sous Le Vent. I do love it and once I got over the initial surprise I have been able to visit and spend time really enjoying what it is. It still carries an amazingly bright and wonderful opening, though it softens considerably upon repeated wears it’s quiet dignity has impressed me and I think I am getting more of an understanding of the elegance that Sous Le Vent delivers. Perfect scent for glamour occassions but not so rigid it couldn’t be worn as a daytime signature scent. It is pricey at around the $300 mark, if you can get it, but if someone was rich, only wore a few scents and didn’t spend all their money on collecting then I think it makes sense to have a scent that is this perfectly proportioned and while harking back to the old days is still bang up to date.

I have a 10ml decant and that will probably do me till it’s re-released.

Sous Le Vent Cyprus Goats FlickriverPhoto Stolen FlickRiver

Further reading Olfactoria’sTravels and BoisDeJasmin
Sous Le Vent can be bought at very select Guerlain boutiques worldwide, I have not seen it in Australia though.
SurrenderToChance starts at $7/ml

I’m sure Sous Le Vent is old news to you, how did you enjoy the experience? Or if you haven’t tried it, will you?
Till tomorrow, be nice to yourself,
Portia xx

Mandragore Pourpre by Camille Goutal + Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 96 Comments

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

Just recently Natalie from Another Perfume Blog landed in Sydney and to welcome her I took her and another buddy out to a couple of SALE Stores. While at a particular one we found this gorgeous purple bottle of Annick Goutal reduced to next to nothing, I begged for the Tester and got it for even less! So now I have a huge amount of it and think it’s only fair to share the largess.

Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal 2009

Mandragore Pourpre Annick Goutal FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives rthese featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, mint, star anis
Heart: Aromatic herbs, spices, amber, rosemary, geranium, black pepper
Base: Heliotrope, incense, patchouli, myrtle

Sweet minty fresh opening and it’s a fun herbal blast. Mandragore Pourpre is supposed to be reminiscent of the deep, dark, enchanted Mandrake Root that looks like a person and can change your life for good, a poisonous, hallucinogenic, aphrodisiac all in one root. No wonder people think it’s bewitched. From my reading Isabelle Doyen has said more of the Harry Potter Mandrake than the old world witchy tales. Because of the sweetness cutting through the green it doesn’t give me much darknesss, though it becomes spicy and tingly through the heart with all the pepper and geranium the ambers warmth keeps it friendly and cozy. My skin even makes the dry down soft and powdery rather than the cool incense and earthy green I was expecting. Clearly it’s me because everyone else seems to have had a different ride. Still a green-ish powder but hardly any incense, to my nose anyway.
.

Mandragore Pourpre Annick Goutal Mandrake GoldenArmorjpgPhoto Stolen GoldenArmor

Life around 4 hours max but fragrant for the first 2-3 hours with good sillage but only moderate projection. If you sit with a group for about 10 minutes they will start asking who smells good after 9 minutes. So it’s a bit of a creeper in company.
.
Edited from the Annick Goutal site: An olfactory creation born of the fascination felt by Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen for the mandrake. A plant which had magical and aphrodisiac virtues in ancient times. Mandragore Pourpre  fuses aromatic and Cyprus scents.
Illustrating a darker and more mysterious facet of the mandrake, different from the original Mandragore whose fragrance is based on refreshing and woody scents. A contrasting interpretation for an ode to mystery. A spicy, sensual and captivating composition.
.
Further reading: Now Smell This and Grain de Musc
FragranceNet has $90/100ml before coupon
The Posh Peasant starts at $4/ml

Mandragore Pourpre Annick Goutal MimiFrouFrouPhoto Stolen MimiFrouyFrou

Giveaway lavanyasrecipesPhoto Stolen lavanyasrecipes

Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

We will have 3 winners this week. It would be more but postage is outrageous! Each winner will receive

1 x 5ml decant of Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal EdT
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.

All I need is a HELLO with how you follow for you to be eligible for the draw.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie @AnnickGoutal_FR Mandragore Pourpre: Annick Goutal GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-21D #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 3rd October 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner (unless he asleep or studying then I’ll use random.org).
The winners will have till Sunday 6th October 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.

Good Luck Everyone,
Portia xxx

 

Parfum Sacre EdP by Ernest Daltroff for Caron 1991

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Hello Fragrant Friends,

I have had this beautiful fragrance in my wardrobe for a while, it is often grabbed for but then I think, “Oh No there’s only 30ml” and go for something else. As it’s been an unusually warm winter down here in Sydney the warmers have largely stayed in the closet. As you are about to go into Autumn up there in the Northern Hemisphere though, and I decided to wear this beauty, it is time I gave you a heads up on how it wears for me….

Parfum Sacre by Caron 1991

Parfum Sacre Caron Shopping.comPhoto Stolen Shopping.com

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, pepper, mimosa, cinnamon
Heart: Clove, orange, tincture of rose, jasmine
Base: Myrrh, vanilla, musk

Caron has chosen an interesting name for Parfum Sacre. Every person on earth has a different version of what’s sacred in their heads, combined of their upbringing, study, travel, personal thoughts and doctrine. Ernest Daltroff had his work cut out for him and I wonder what the brief was? It was 1991 so CdG wasn’t yet taking the incense by the horns and Lutens had only begun the idea of his Palais Royal. From my readings it appears that Bellodgia is an Italian town on Lake Como, somewhere near George Clooney’s Laglio house I’d hope. Could he be considered sacred? Plenty of people adore him….

Parfum Sacre Caron George Clooney House Lake Como LonnyPhoto Stolen lonny

So how does Parfum Sacre smell? On my skin it is bright, spicy and waxy at first, sharp and herbal as it burns off giving me a lovely pepper, cardamom and clove burst that if it was a good deal sheerer could be a modern wash opening, but it’s dense and fragrant, lovely in its complexity though I think I miss quite a bit of the nuance because the jasmine, cinnamon and rose are not featured players to my nose. The myrrh is king down the end and Parfum Sacre lasts for hours and hours. Even my scent hungry skin keeps it there, WOO HOO!

If you want to feel like a retro glamour movie star making a grand entrance and smelling like a billion dollars then Parfum Sacre is for you. NSFW unless you work alone or in a very airy office, Parfum Sacre can and will skunk if over applied. I was overly generous the other night at work, someone came in to give me a hug and started coughing with eyes streaming. It was a decidedly unglamorous moment and I felt really bad for him. It was the closeness I think but certainly less than ideal. So be careful with Parfum Sacre, sparingly unless you know you have 4 good hours of uncloseness. After 4 hours it calms to a dull roar and is pretty acceptable but still unsuitable for close working conditions or dining. Needless to say Parfum Sacre is one of my all time favourite cool weather fragrances, ever!!

Parfum Sacre Caron Gustave Moreau_-_The_Sacred_Elephant Google_Art_ProjectPhoto Stolen GoogleArtProject

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Another Perfume Blog
FragranceNet has $35/50ml unboxed before coupon.
Surrender To Chance has modern EdT & EdP from $3/ml, Older Version from $4/ml and Vintage Extrait from $15/.25ml

Parfum Sacre Caron St_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque_Contemplating_the_Sacred_Heart_of_Jesus WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Are you a Parfum Sacre fan?

See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Note on new Bellodgia reformulation from Perfume Shrine: Nothing to do with Parfum Sacre: Piu Bellodgia means “more Bellodgia” in Italian (fitting language since the original Bellodgia was inspired by the Italian countryside) but doesn’t appear to add more oomph to the already rich bouquet of the classicCaron Bellodgia. Reworked by Richard Fraysse, this was a composition that needed to adhere to the new IFRA directives on the regulation of eugenol/isoeugenol (spicy components used in fragrance replicating carnations, such as this one). The newer version is rosier than I get from my old bottle (which is a fuller floral symphony), with less of the spicy kick.
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Parfum Sacre Caron Allah-eser-green WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikimedia