Hi all,
Just watched this and thought you may all like it. Fun and cute from DIOR. This season’s colours are especially gorgeous!
I think they’ve used stop motion to great effect and LOVE the CD Chairs by the pool. YUMMY!
Enjoy the mini movie,
Portia xx
Photo Stolen TheBeautyLookBook
Hey there APJ Crew,
Thanks for joining in the fun. I hope you enjoyed our Giveaway. We had a HUGE number of lookers but only a few commenters, maybe everyone already has some Vintage Eau Arpege Mist. Thanks to our commenters, you guys make me happy.
Photo Stolen Etsy
There will be 2 winners, each will receive
1 x 2ml decant of my own Eau Arpege Mist
P&H Anywhere in the world
Open to everyone worldwide who left a comment and follows the blog via RSS, WordPress, Bloglovin or eMail. You also had to leave how you follow in the comment to be eligible.
Entries Closed Monday 2nd July 2013 11pm Australian EST.
(Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner.) This did not happen because Jin and I were both completely tired and grumpy last night so I picked the winners, sorry for the misleading information.
Photo Stolen propercourse
The winners will have till Monday 10th July 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or their prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.
See you later today.
Portia xx
Hello Fragrance Family,
For many years tuberose lovers, white flower lovers, would talk lovingly of Fracas: that saucy, sensual, bubblegum fragrance that lured many a perfumista through the doorway and down the wormhole. Even the Fracas haters would compliment its artistry, its sweet green sappiness that could read as erotic or toxic, depending on your viewpoint and skin chemistry. I have a very old spray set of Fracas parfum that has weathered time quite well and a bottle of the modern EdP.
As you may know we had Joe Garces from Robert Piguet in Sydney this week and he kindly offered us a special APJ Piguet Masterclass. You’ll find some of the snaps here at APJ on Wednesday if you’re interested in the fun day we had. It was EXCELLENT!
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, mandarin, pear
Heart: Tuberose, jasmine, gardenia
Base: Cocoa, musk, sandalwood
Recently I got a bottle of Petit Fracas from Libertine Perfumerie and can’t believe how similar and different the Petit Fracas and original Fracas are. Joe Garces tells us that when he went to be CEO for Robert Piguet the house was in deep shit. It needed to be turned around somehow so they decided to add some new fragrances and revitalise some of the old ones with reconstructions that are as close a nod to their same name predecessors as can be produced in modern perfumerie. As they still had a bestseller called Fracas why would they tamper?
Well the story goes that Joe’s daughter hates Fracas, detests it. Which is highly believable in the current age of fragrance tastes. So Joe had the idea to bring something completely new and modern to Fracas to make it more youth oriented, a better version of the fragrances that what many younger fragrance wearers are spritzing now: with its basic body coming from the Fracas mold. I can’t remember who had the idea but someone said gourmand was in and they should add chocolate. ADD CHOCOLATE? To FRACAS?!? So someone DID add chocolate to Fracas, lightened it up, gave it a fruity punch at the beginning and a more interesting and traveling story than original Fracas.
Photo Stolen TelegraphUK
How does it smell on me? Well the fruit leads the way and it’s a milky fruit, like pear and citrus zest whipped cream with a dash of vanilla ( but that could be early chocolate signs). The white flowers are already a part of the equation but they don’t fully take centre stage because there is no room for them until about 20-40 minutes in. It’s fruit, fruit, fruit but not in the ubiquitous modern designer fragrance way, this is hefty fragrance and you feel fully perfumed though in a modern way. There is still some air between the notes, like a glossy, bright and very slightly fizzy aura. The bubble gum, sticky, sappy green candy swoosh heralds the moment of white flower take over. It is regal and alluring, a powerful intoxicant that is less herbaceous than Fracas original and a little bit more fun. Maybe I’m imagining it but Petit fracas is not Petit, it is younger but not smaller and I think it would be an excellent choice for brides and girls on a night out.
The chocolate is not as pronounced as I expected it to be and reads more vanilla in my nose, and milky, and there is something dark that may be a nod to chocolate, but it seems like dark, bitter chocolate, and only a hint.
Wear time is better than average wit whispers left after 7 hours and I think it way too fragrant for most offices but try it, see if they let you. It’s worth it.
Joe Garces: Robert Piguet CEO
Joe was honest about the need to continually tweak to maintain currency and to stay within the IFRA guidelines, also the need to keep the juice consistent because some years the naturals that are used come in extremely different to previous years, or way more expensive or less product because of drought etc so every batch is tweaked to make it as much the same smell as every other bottle you’ve purchased as possible. Interesting.
Further reading: The Candy Perfume Boy and Ca Fleure Bon
Libertine Perfumerie has $198/100ml
I could not find a sample of Petit fracas on any of the major sites. SO ANNOYING!! You’ll have to go to your nearest department store that stocks Robert Piguet.
See you tomorrow. I hope your weekend was good.
Portia xx
Hello Vintage frag Hounds,
Recently I was lucky enough to find this beautiful perfume and bottle on Etsy, it was a complete bargain and I bought a few other things at the same time.
Photo Stolen Etsy
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, aldehide, peach, orange bloom, honeysuckle, orris
Heart: Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, coriander, sensitive plant, tuberose, violet, geranium
Base: Sandalwood, vetiver, patchoulis, vanilla, musk
The box (shown in picture) looks scuffed and worn in real life and I think the fragrance has kept its fresh colour due to being encased in the refillable case: meaning it has suffered no light damage. Mum had Arpege at one point, I think it may have been a gift, and I remember loving her in it. This is the mist and aged so the scent is slightly different but WOW!!
Photo Stolen wPapers.ru
The fizzy, sparkling, slightly unreal growl of Eau Arpege Mist is both lavish, grand and feline. Honeysuckle can take over everything on my skin and it goes very urinous quite often, here is skirts disgusting and is completely in tune with the fruit and citrus, maybe the iris keeps it in check with its cool rooty earthiness? I don’t know but you would never in today’s world of fragrance pick this as made for a daughter’s 30th birthday by her mother, who called in André Fraysse and his helper Paul Vacher back in 1927. Jeannie Lanvin even let her daughter choose the name, Arpege, for arpeggio: from my blog reading I find it was so named because an arpeggio is trickling notes like a cascade of sound rather than chords which is the way Arpege is said to flow. You’ll notice the picture above LANVIN on the box above, legend has it that it’s Jeannie and her daughter preparing for a ball.
If you want to read about the notes do please jump to further reading, parsing this little beauty is beyond me. I want you to know that it feels like I’m a movie star when I wear this beautiful vintage Arpege. The flowers, herbs, spices, woods and grasses all combine to maker an incredible statement, that feels both womanly and iconic. If you ever need a spine stiffener then Arpege will do it for you. Ramrod straight back with a head just floating on your neck and hips that could whip the washing with their sweep, swoosh and sashay. Movie star glamour instantly, even for me!
Photo Stolen FoxSaver
There is always room for the new but don’t forget to remember the old, it tells us some stories of how we got here and what we’ve lost.
Further reading: Bois De Jasmine and Now Smell This
There is a surprising amount of Vintage Eau Arpege Mist on eBay and Etsy for under $30/60ml
Surrender To Chance has Vintage Eau de Arpege starting at $5/ml
My Perfume Samples has (the 1993 or 2009 reformulation I guess) starting $2/ml to $6/5ml
Do you have Arpege memories? Have you ever sniffed the vintage? Here’s your chance in our
Photo Stolen lavanyasrecipes
There will be 2 winners, each will receive
1 x 2ml decant of my own Eau Arpege Mist
P&H Anywhere in the world
Open to everyone worldwide who leaves a comment and follows the blog via RSS, WordPress, Bloglovin or eMail. Please leave how you follow in the comment to be eligible. Yes, you can start following to be entered.
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Vintage Eau Arpege Mist GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p2fQBU-1GE @LANVINofficial @lanvin_news
Entries Close Monday 2nd July 2013 11pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post Tuesday 3rd.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner.
The winners will have till Monday 10th July 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.
Thanks for wandering through my fragrant thoughts,
See you tomorrow,
Portia xxx
Hello Fragrant Fairies,
While in Europe this was an impulse buy, it was a good deal and I love the packaging. It’s not something I’ve seen available in Australia which is funny because I think it the perfect Aussie scent.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Amalfi lemon, bergamot, cassis, palisander rosewood, fruity notes, African orange blossom
Heart: Iris (orris root), ylang-ylang, heliotrope, carnation, lily of the valley,
Base: Vanilla, tonka, cedar, benzoin, styrax, amber, patchouli, sandalwood, musk
The night after I bought Sun, Jin and I were having dinner with Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) and her adorable husband Michael and I decided in the minus 5-10 Celcius weather that I definitely needed a little Sun. Interestingly it was Michael who said he recognised the fragrance and Birgit was so surprised, it was one of her favourite fragrances when they were first dating. How uncanny is that?
I can understand it being a great love of a fragrance because it’s so fun and easy to wear. While not being a super force power frag it is beautifully blended and noticeable, quite often people will ask what I’m wearing when I am in Sun. Honestly I find it extremely hard to pick out the notes listed in Sun but like the sun it’s warm and I also find it comfortable like an old jumper or jeans that you love and they fit perfectly. That’s how Sun makes me feel. Like the feeling of contentment, you don’t have to push to enjoy it, it just is.
Photo Stolen hdwallpaperslist
I get the green, fruity, citrus opening and the flowers all come rushing in dressed up as a fabulous bouquet with a lean towards white floral and as it warms into amber woodsiness after about 6 hours I know there will still be remnants tomorrow morning that will smell fresh and clean and beautiful. No wonder Sun has been around for so long, every year it gets a couple of flankers too but Sun continues and there are hardly any in the online discount stores.
I think you could definitely wear Sun as a guy or a girl, it would be a super work scent as long as your office isn’t frag-phobic and it even goes beautifully with date night, sensual rather than siren but they’ll get the idea. Sun has stayed on my bureau since we returned from Europe and gets quite a lot of skin time, it’s a spritz and forget frag that I know smells awesome and goes with everything. Tonight I wore it out with friends for dinner at a bar and Trivia and then Bingo at another bar, Sun was a perfect fit.
Photo Stolen MeetUp
Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels
Essential Mall has $50/75ml
ThePerfumedCourt is the only place I could find samples and start at $4/ml
Have you ever tried Sun? Or any of its flankers? Did you love it?
Portia xx
The ad is KILLER!!
I’d like to thank the gorgeous Neela Vermiere for telling me to change perfumers name from Bourbon to Bourdon. THANKS!!
Hey All You New Niche Nerds,
I found this wonderful new (to me) fragrance house and their idea through Perfume Shrine yesterday, and this is what they had to say about Le Cherche Midi:
This is the page on the Kickstarter site and they have 11 days to run till completion. There are clips and information on the new fragrances there and you can see the rewards for the pledges (yes, there is some instant gratification built in too)
As you can see the participation starts extremely low (just 1$!) so everyone can help out.
Le Cherche Midi 3 Pack
Nathan and I had to chat because originally it was only being shipped to the USA. So Portia, the most annoying Aussie on earth, wrote and begged for a worldwide shipping availability. Guess what? Within an hour Nathan had organised it so with a little extra payment you can get your lovely new fragrances shipped around the world. That’s the kind of Customer Service that deserves rewards! So I bought the fabulous 3 pack of 100ml bottles for under $200 including shipping! What a great deal.
If you happen to have $1000 lying around they will do a bespoke fragrance for you! I know it sounds a lot but Mandy Aftel starts at $1600 and Francis Kurkdjian goes from $15,000-$250,000. There are many in between too.
Jump to KickStart now and help this wonderful company grow by pledging some money, and get terrific gifts for doing so.
Le Cherche Midi Bespoke
http://www.bespokefragrance.com
Thank you!
Portia xxxx
Hi there Perfumistas,
It’s getting so close to our APJ EVENT brought to us by Libertine Parfumerie (who are always so supportive and generous with APJ), David Jones and Robert Piguet. I hope you are all as excited as I am.
Photo Stolen vk.com
What is happening? The CEO of Robert Piguet fragrances, Joe Garces, is in Sydney, Australia in June to celebrate the 65 years of Fracas by hosting four one hour Masterclasses that will take us through some of the Piguet fragrance line notes, creation and intent with a Q&A section afterwards. The seats are limited to only 14 per class and Libertine Parfumerie has offered the 2.30pm class on Wednesday June 26 to AustralianPerfumeJunkies!
What: FREE Fragrance Masterclass hosted by Joe Garces
When: 2.30pm Wednesday June 26 2013
Where: Meet 2pm David Jones Sydney City Store cnr Elizabeth & Market St Sydney
Should you purchase any Robert Piguet Fragrance Product on the day there will be a VERY special gift to take home.
Should you like I thought we could sniff through the halls of David Jones, have a spot of afternoon tea and then trot down to Christian Dior’s flagship store and smell the Couturier range.
Would you like to come and talk perfume with people who are TOTALLY interested and won’t think your habit absurd or you mental? Maybe you can’t wait to pick the brains of someone who makes the perfume world run? It could be that you have never yet smelled Fracas, or any of the other wonderful Robert Piguet line and you’d like to remedy that. Personally, I hope we get a run through of one of the newer fragrances, Bois Noir, which I love and am already considering a purchase of.
Please add your interest in the comments below.
I AM SO FRICKEN EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!
Portia x
Hey All,
I hope you like this cutie of and ad from DIOR. The girl is sweet looking, kind of drag queen-ish and having a laugh. Perfect
Portia xx
Hello Frag Hags and Friends,
When Ramon Monegal released their fragrances I thought they made a decided tactical blunder: 14 new fragrances all at once was overwhelming and the few reviews they got either had all 14 mashed together with a paragraph each or they zoomed in on the 4 most interesting/outrageous/perfumista-ish of them. I wish, for them and me, that they had released three a year over five years. That way I definitely would have tried more than one of their fragrances already. What has inspired me today? Birgit from Olfactoria’s Travels added a large sample in her perfume gift pack and after reading her absolute dismissal of the fragrance I am intrigued.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Citron, bay leaf, pepper, moss, sandalwood, cedar, cashmeran, amber, woody notes and satureja
Firstly, I think Dry Wood is a rotten misnomer. Dry Wood is neither specifically Dry or Woodsy, at least not till the very end. Maybe this is why Birgit was so dismissive. Dry Wood opens with a very old fashioned masculine citrus and herbs, the kind of scent reminiscent of something that you can buy very inexpensively at the drug store but smoother, the herbs are green and interesting and there is a very human breath-ish something in there too. The pepper is wet and spicy and I think there is a watery (not water but wetness) feel too, which is why I don’t get the name. Here we have a beautiful spring meadow after rain and we’re driving through it in a new convertible so we also get the torn grass, wildflowers and earth. The sun is shining coolly and as we drive up to the house there is a woodpile all freshly chopped and ready for the fire. As Dry Wood dries down there is a warming by the amber and slight drying towards woodiness but I would have called this Spring Fling or Country Cottage.
Photo Stolen 1ms.net
Personally, I have enjoyed this ride immensely and will use up my sample in a jiffy. It is a reinvention of barbershop fragrance, classy, interesting and absolutely wearable. I could imagine this going on after sport or gym and going back to work having people ask what smells so damn good. Great date frag too. Ladies, don’t be shy here, you will find this beautiful too.
I thought these two short reviews so fabulously different that I wanted to include them both:
BoisDeJasmine: Dry Wood contains a sharp and bracing white sandalwood note beneath a flurry of pine/turpentine “aftershave” notes. This is the most masculine and the least softly focused of the line. It’s a bit sharp at the edges, but this is a quality I find stimulating. I easily used up the sample; while I might not wear this with a gown, I found its stereotypical “male” aesthetic pleasing (I like sharp sandalwood).
Olfactoria’sTravels: Dry Wood: This is the only one of the fourteen I absolutely hate. It is a harsh, overly manly, wooden “screecher” of a scent. It smells artificial and frankly, cheap. Well, every line has to have a bummer and for me, this is it. But one out of fourteen is not a bad cut.
Photo Stolen colourbox
LuckyScent has $185/50ml and samples
Ramon Monegal has 107,44€/50ml (not available to Australia sadly)
Which of the line did you try? I really want one of their gorgeous bottles in my collection so I’m going to have to try them all.
Portia xx
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Guest Post by Jordan River
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Hello APJ Family,
Many of you will be familiar with the smell of synthetic Oud in modern perfumes. This is not what we are talking about. We are talking about oud from nature, from a tree. Most of you would not have come across this smell in daily life unless you have spent some time in an Islamic culture. We will explore this culture today through the prism of scent.
Agarwood, Oud, Aloeswood, Gaharu, and Jinko are all names for the Aquilaria tree which grows in South East Asia. This tree can be invaded by tree eating insects. To self-inoculate the tree produces a fragrant resin to repel the invaders. Not every wild tree produces resin and the older the tree the better the resin. The best resin was found in trees that were 60 to 80 years old. These trees have been over harvested and it is now rare to find a wild resin producing tree. They have all but vanished.
The best agarwood is called sinking wood as the amount of resin causes the wood to sink in water instead of floating. This grade of wood is usually reserved for Japanese incense. Chinese carvers also use this grade of agarwood for making fragrant beads and statues.
Khao Yai Oud wood chip. Private Collection: Jordan River
Portia and I have often spoken about how intense a particular Oud Artisan is. So tonight let’s talk with him. His name is Ensar from Ensar Oud. Ensar Oud specializes in Artisanal Oud oils that are traceable to specific jungle locations. In April 2012 Ensar rang the bell on the end of wild harvested oud by traditional gaharu hunters. He then researched organic Oud sources and re-imagined his business into the 21st century.
Oud Artisan Ensar at work.
Let’s zoom over to Medina now for a chat with Ensar.
Welcome Ensar, Peace.
Peace to you too Jordan.
Outside al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, after morning prayer. Photo: Americophile
What are the smells of Medina?
The copious smoke of Oud wood and burning bukhoor reaches you from all sides as you walk down the street. But to quote one vendor: “Oud is finished. There is no more wood these days. Back in 2004, you had Indian wood that was mumtaz (excellent). You had Malaysian as late as 2006 that used to boggle your mind. Real chips, solid. Now all you get is this stuff… (he points to a drawer of well polished Papuan gyrinops agarwood that feels as light as packing peanuts when you hold it) Nothing is real. Fabricated wood is all you get these days.”
This is known as Black Magic wood because it is impregnanted with synthetic scent and streaked with black paint to give the impression of Oud resin.
Indeed. As for the oils that you smell here, that’s an even bleaker story. I hate to say, none of the stuff you find is natural. Everything (literally) is a scent chemical, whether it be from the so-called ‘big houses’ or the small timers tending the corner shops. The French perfume industry is booming; that is certain; and Medina is one major outlet.
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, The Prophet’s Mosque
How do Muslim men think of fragrance?
As Muslim men, we are taught that to wear perfume is an act of charity towards others around you. Enabling others to smell something pleasant is equal to giving them a gift.
Why is incense burnt in the Middle East? Is this for fumigation or for spiritual reasons?
Incense burning for remembrance and invocation as well as personal scenting is woven into Arab and Muslim culture. Again, an innate love of anything that perfumes one is what drives Muslims to bukhoor and Oud wood. Fumigating the house, scenting clothing, and cleansing an area of evil spirits who abhor beautiful fragrance; spreading an unearthly scent to facilitate remembrance in circles of invocation;these are some of the uses of incense in the Middle East.
Do you scent your beard? Under your chin?
The way I apply Oud oil is by first taking a swipe on the inside of my left wrist. Then I rub the insides of both wrists. Then I apply that sheen to the left and right sides of my neck, right under the beard. I do not apply any Oud to the beard itself as the scent would be too overpowering.
What terroir of Oud are you distilling next?
We have some logs of incense grade wood, of the quality that was offered by Baieido back in the day, going into the boilers this very week. They were harvested in Chanthaburi Province (in Thailand) a few years back, and are the last specimens of wild Thai oud wood of this calibre that I’ve seen in a very long time.
Ensar, thank you for your time and for sharing your fragrant thoughts. Let’s catch up with you soon in Amman. Khuda Hafiz.
The end of wild harvested Oud has become the beginning of organically farmed trees. All over South East Asia there are plantations, many of which need several more years to age the resin.
Ensar on an Organic and Sustainable Oud Plantation
See you soon,
Jordan River
(Ed: This is a much edited version of an incredibly interesting interview. If you’d like to learn how Ensar gets his oils, some of his best selling fragrances and a whole lot more go to TheFragrantMan<<<JUMP)
