Portia

Holiday Photo Essay Slovakia, Poland, Austria

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Hello All,

We are having a wonderful time on our fragrant journey, this first picture is Jin and I on top of a ski mountain. In Poland then later in the day with his wonderful brother and family at lunch.
Then we move to our Prague shopping madness which was a blast.
You’ll see in Vienna that first we met up with our newest foreign corespondent, Val, who is the owner of Armadillo Cookies and Bikes with her husband. The cookies are beyond incredible and you can find them in a few select places throughout Europe but I think in 2013 that she will be going global. Val will do her first Guest Post in March.
Lastly, we went to dinner with the amazing Birgit ( beer-git with the g like gum) and Michael (the husband) who are the most beautiful couple. Birgit is willowy, blonde and with an ethereal beauty that is a little otherworldly, is also extremely clever and was a nurse and psycho therapist. Who knew? Of courses she is the worlds most loved frag blogger for a reason and we were prepared to love her, as we did, from the outset. The big surprise was Michael who is a SPUNK! Sure, he is very smart and funny, has a great sense of humor and some good stories but Michael stole both Jin and my hearts before entree was served. If you are reading Michael, we are smitten.
Food was awesome and conversation flowed until I felt my head starting to nod with the warmth and the wine, we skipped dessert and had a coffee but it was not enough to keep me from fading. Jin and I walked home and fell into bed exhausted.
More next week,
Portia xx

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Shopping In Prague, Czech Republic

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Hey Ho Gang,
As you can see Jin and I have been doing our bit for the Czech economy. The DUNE Esprit de Parfum and Guerlain Vetiver were our first buys from a wonderful and quite mad perfume lady who reminded us of Sophie from “2 Broke Girls” a total hoot called Evita!!

Next day we went to Yves Rocher because my mate Birgit from Olfactoria’s Travels sent me a Vanilla Noire recently and I am totally loving it. Now it has a sister.

Cartier, another Birgit enable, came as a 4ml sample with some stuff I bought and it’s been rolling around me head awaiting a European tour. Jin is falling in love with VI but no one so far has had a sample for him to live with and I refuse to let him spend that kind of money without a few wears. Even though we are on holiday and he pouted, beautifully, for nearly a whole afternoon. The Cartier crew were fabulous with us coming back 3 days in a row before we bit the bullet.

Jil Sander Sun is a complete impulse buy and I am so happy that I did, it’s full of youthful memories of days spent at the beach with the family.

Lastly, Jin saw Bottega Veneta for 20% off and couldn’t resist. It smells beyond amazing on him and I have loved my 2 large decants to dregs so it will be getting double skin time at Chez Turbo. That was from Sephora at the main Prague Railway Station. The girl there was so friendly that we decided she deserved a sale.

We also spent some sniffing time at a parfumeurie called Madeleine which was awesome fun with Boris but the prices were beyond our ability. it’s a shame.

We are having a great time. Tomorrow we are in Vienna, going to dinner with Birgit and her husband.
I hope you are all really happy and well too.

Portia xx

Rosae Mundi by Profumum Roma 2012

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What’s HAPPENING everyone?

Well, more brand spanking new stuff is happening here today. You may know that lately I’ve been having a bit of a rose explosion in my library. All of a sudden I can’t get enough of them and I’d like to thank Neela Vermeire for reminding me that the rose is Empress with her glorious Mohur.

Rosae Mundi by Profumum Roma 2012

Rosae Mundi FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accord in one line:
Rose, patchouli, vetiver, cedar

LuckyScent describes Rosae Mundi thus: Sometimes a rose fragrance can take a quiet and docile path, blushing and giggling with an innocent and soapy freshness. Classic and traditional – she’s a safe bet and a loyal friend. Rosae Mundi is not that rose fragrance, and prefers not to show up to her boring parties. If she did decide to show, she’d kick down the door in a low cut dress and demand a man and a martini.

PinkRoseWeddingCake showusyourcakesPhoto Stolen ShowUsYourCakes

The first whiff of Rosae Mundi by Profumum Roma is not about the rose at all but cedar, patchouli and vetiver!! Licorice? A sweet and sugared rose emerges through the tangle of herbaceous woodsiness. Like a marzipan rose. I don’t get that the ad copy sells Rosae Mundi as a bad girl fragrance. This is nice, sweet as cherry pie, the innocent and fresh face of rose. A musky rose that hints more at confectionary that sexy siren, it does though have that wonderful perfumey smell that men can identify and compliment and I could imagine it being quite addictive if he was already enamoured. In fact, if this was your signature scent it would be totally transportative when you wear it for those around you. Though it’s not a huge factor during the heart I get something Gothic and haunting that weaves around for a while, it is an interesting by story and it also has a rose water baklava undercurrent at times too. The vetiver gets a little coastal towards the end and the musks are very noticeable, which is unusual for me.

Pretty good scent bubble, when I wear Rosae Mundi Jin can smell it from the moment he walks in the house, and the sillage is excellent leaving a rippling wake, I think a bit too fragrant for office work but great to wear for lunch and by the time you return safe enough to work in. I lose track of Rosae Mundi after about 4 hours but Jin can still smell it on me.

RoseWoman layoutSparksPhoto Stolen layoutSparks

NowSmellThis has to say of the line: Italian niche line established in 1996 by the grandchildren of Celestino and Lucia Durante, who had established a chain of stores featuring hand-made soaps, fragrances and the like. Today the Profumum line produces 15+ fragrances, has several boutiques in Rome and is sold in selected stores across Italy.

LuckyScent has 100ml/$265 or .7ml/$5

Are the roses taking ovewr your life too? Is there something in particular that has caught your attention? Please share, we love golden perfumista nuggets to pan for.

Waft on gentle perfumistas, till tomorrow,

Portia xx

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EdT by Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian 2004

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Hey Happy Huffers,

This is one of my favourite go to scents. It seems to be a good fit for almost anything. Dressy, casual, close or far. It never interferes with what I’m doing or those around me yet it also manages to garner compliments often when it gets some public skin time. And while that happens a bit, with no other fragrance is it so regular. I have also got other people in my orbit hooked on its luscious softness.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EdT 2004

NarcisoRodriguez FragranticaPhoto stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: African orange flower, osmanthus
Heart: Amber., musk
Base: Vanilla, amber, vetiver

Whenever I get the first waft of Narciso Rodriguez for Her I immediately feel light, lovely, happy and thankful that I am a perfumista and that Narciso Rodriguez for Her came into my life. It’s a little like the feeling as you take off in an airplane to go somewhere lavish and interesting. SWOOSH up my nose flows a translucent shimmer of what I always thought was a sweet rose but it turns out to be African orange flower and osmanthus! Oh well, I’ve been wrong before. The musk is already there, soapy and sugary like musk sticks that we ate as children. I still eat them sometimes! Jin can’t eat them because to him they are exactly like eating cheap Korean soap from his youth.

The amber I get on my skin is sweet and dry, no bitterness just a creamy vanillic amber that presents as smooth and cool as the big fat opaque pale eggs of low grade amber that I find so distinctive and beautiful in jewellery. Together the whole blends during the heart to give the impression of beautiful skin fresh from the pool, just dried so still damp but slightly salty and the blood is pumping so the flesh is warming quickly. I find the heart of Narciso Rodriguez for Her to be nearly narcotic in its peaceful pleasureability. I swoon with a Stendhal syndrome effect because it’s so damn lovely. When I wear Narciso Rodriguez for Her I sometimes wish I could be a one frag person, don’t worry it doesn’t last.

How did they get it so sheer and so hefty? Sillage is fabulous and the scent bubble is too yet it’s never overwhelming and I think it a perfect working scent, as well as the sexy come hither scent, and one you can pick the kids up from school in. It seems there is nowhere that would be inappropriate. No wonder this has been such a popular, game changing scent.

imagesPhoto Stolen sevanya

Further reading PerfumeShrine takes you through all the variations available and BoisDeJasmine contrasts it with sister scent SJP Lovely
FragranceShop has 50ml/$48.50 after discount
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2.50/ml up to $7.50/5ml

Have you spent some time with Narciso Rodriguez fragrances? Do you have a favourite iteration?

Thanks for wandering through my fragrant musings,
Love to you and yours,
Portia xx

Narciso Rodriguez Spring/Summer 2013

Songes by Annick Goutal + 25:43 by LUSH + Louis Vuitton = FABULOUS!!

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Hey Stink Monkeys,

I’ll tell you a secret. I love Songes by Annick Goutal but I know it won’t last a full work night on me so I under layer on my stomach and backs of knees with LUSH 25:43. The Annick Goutal lasts about 2-3 hours and then 25:43 takes over and they are brilliant together. Every time I wear them as a duo people ask, compliment etc.

Songes by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2005

Songes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Frangipani, tiare flowers, jasmine sambac absolute, ylang-ylang, French vanilla

A floaty, dreamy, white night flower and vanilla glamourpuss of a fragrance that is fun, festive and elegant for the flirty seductress that you are inside. Songes will let her out and make the world aware of your intentions.

25:43 by Mark and Simon Constantine for LUSH 2012

25:43 FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tonka bean, lime, lemongrass, ylang-ylang, myrtle, vanilla, litsea, hay

Still dreamy but less float and more heft. Greener and more resinous 25:43 is way more tenacious and really starts its most beautiful section at about the 2 hour point where the vanilla, tonka and ylang shine to a soft vanillic whisper at about 6 hours that lingers and lingers.

This mini movie has nothing to do with today’s topic but it’s too lovely to let slide another moment. Till tomorrow, ENJOY!!
Portia xx
Louis Vuitton Presents 2012 Digital at a Glance

Blu EdP by Bruno Acampora 2012

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Hey Ho All,

I love it when the LuckyScent Sample Pack arrives. Always some new and interesting stuff. My only bug bear is that they don’t do a 2ml spray sample set. I get only 2 wears from .7ml and it is enough to test the product but not enough to fall madly and deeply in love. I have only bought one full bottle from the sample sets and that is not a very good strike rate in any person’s books. Wearing a fragrance only at my desk and round the house is a review not a life changer, or a shopping inducement.

Blu EdP by Bruno Acampora 2012

Blu FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tuberose, ylang-ylang, orange, sandalwood

A bit of background, this crew has been popular in Italy for years and Bruno Acampora, according to IndieScents, was a beautiful jet setter in his heyday and there is an Andy Warhol portrait of him!! Blu was a Fragrant Oil till last year and was created in 1974.

ZOOM! From zero to tuberose in seconds. the opening of Blu is ridiculously beautiful, capturing the buttery and the green facets of this glorious flower.Blu is so in your face at the beginning it’s almost a drug store Tuberose, my favourite kind. A big sappy blast of green and white flower with ylang ylang buoying it up and helping it float. If you could see me right now pushing the back of my wrists together in a downward V to get more fragrance up my nose. Close to there is a fabulously poisonous extremity in the fragrance that at arms length becomes a beautifully blended dream. The orange that I’m getting is white pithy and juicy, and the sandalwood hums below everything.

Blu’s facets weave a harmonious blanket, that sometimes lets surface one of more in prominence. After an hour or so the orange really makes a dash for centre stage, it comes back again later too. As the fragrance develops I get a salty seaside twang hiding that hints at dark places, a slight minty skew and some smoke/incense too sometimes. The only mentioned note that stays constantly in the middle to background is the sandalwood until the end where it’s all that’s left, still pumping out lovely velvet softness for hours after the rest have packed up and gone home.

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I have never been to Capri but Blu certainly conjures the memories of fabulous nights spent on islands in Australia, Greece and the South Pacific. The heady, intoxicating aromas of white night flowers, citrus and surf. Scent bubble is incredible for the first 2 hours before it dies back to a dull roar, sillage likewise but you will leave a beautiful coruscating trail for up to 5 hours before Blu becomes a skin scent of sandalwood.

Further reading IndieScents introduces Bruno Acampora and MimiFrouFrou really gets to know Blu
LuckyScent has 50ml/$135 and .7ml/$5

Have you tried Blu? Any of the Bruno Acampora scents?

So today I am going to spend 10 minutes with Blu on and close my eyes and dream about my holiday. I know it will relax and refocus me so please don’t bother me till I’m done. Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you after my internal gloating meditation is over.

Love to you all, till tomorrow,
Portia xx

Axe Excite Movie: Behind The Scenes At Firmenich

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Hello Fragrance Lovers,

I love the heading today, it reads like a snuff film, doesn’t it! Sorry to let you all down but back in September last year Victoria on BoisDeJasmine showed this Behind-The-Scenes movie of the way an Axe fragrance is created, I imagine much the same as fine fragrance with a miniscule budget. It shook me a little because though I kind of understood that millions of people were involved in creating the smells of our daily lives I do sometimes forget that these people who, even though they can and do, aren’t making fine fragrance and are still about doing the best they can within extremely rigid parameters. It really opened my eyes.

AxeExcite dailydesigninspirationPhoto Stolen DailyDesignInspiration

The patent excitement shown for getting the job of Axe Fragrancers is wonderful and genuine. No one is even hinting that they’d rather be doing JPG’s next blockbuster, there is no embarrassment. Just some great people doing a job that will bring fragrance to a bunch of people. Interesting.

I am very conscious that sometimes I come across as condescending. I mean none of it here and am seriously happy that these guys are great at their jobs and love it, whatever end cost level they are working at in the moment. In fact, a big Axe contract would net the manufacturers way more money that a niche fine fragrance win would.

Enjoy!
Portia xx

AXE EXCITE Story stolen BoisdeJasmin 13/9/12


Axe Excite Movie I

Axe Excite Movie II

Leaving On A Jet Plane COMPETITION!!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 61 Comments

Hey Gang,

Jin and I are off on holidays. We leave today and I’m FREAKING EXCITED!! I haven’t taken a holiday in over 2 years and we are doing some catching up. I thought you might like our itinerary in case you happen to be in or around the cities we are visiting and would like to meet in person for a coffee, dinner, fragrance sniff, tour, dance, show or maybe you would like to meet me so you can slap my face. WHAT EVAH!! We’ll be glad to meet you no matter the reason and we can do pictures to show on the blog. It will be awesome!! Leave a comment here. If you follow the blog via email then I will be able to reply easily.

19th jan Slovakia (Meeting and hanging with Jin’s brother and family)
21th jan Prague
25th jan Vienna (Birgit and family! Dinner and shopping)
30th jan Budapest
4th feb  Venice
7th feb Paris (Neela Vermeire!)
12th feb Korea (Meeting Jin’s parents)
19th feb Australia

Daily Fragrance Reviews will continue as normal, barring serious incidents. I have pre-done a few and some will be done on the road. Most of our Guest Posts are in but a couple missed the boat, and if you think I’m editing on my HOLIDAY you can go get nicked. Saturday and Sunday may suffer from can’t-be-bothered-itis. I am hoping to do some happy snaps and bought this week stuff but it may not happen. Honesty reads like laziness and you can be pretty sure there’ll be some of that around. If I am a bit less diligent in my comment answering I know you’ll understand too.

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COMPETITION

Please try and guess which of these frags I’ll be wearing on the plane from Sydney to our stopover in Korea? The first and second to get it right will get a 5ml decant of one of the fragrances I buy in Paris or Venice.

Bulgari BLV Pour Homme
CHANEL No 5
Aftelier Parfum de Maroc
Narciso Rodriguez for Her
Guerlain Lys Soleia
Annick Goutal Mandragore
Bal a Versailles
Versace Dreamer
Diorissimo Vintage Parfum
Estee Lauder Brasil Dream
Olympic Orchids Ballets Rouges
Paris Hilton Siren
Versace Blonde
CHANEL no 19 Parfum
Royal Bain de Caron
DKNY Gold
Patou 1000
SOIVOHLE Rosa sur Reuse
Nikki de Saint Phalle
CdG Incense
Estee Lauder Azuree
Guerlain Shalimar Vintage EdT
Hermes Un Jardin Apres La Mousson
Gucci Guilty
A Wing & A Prayer Berkeley
Annick Goutal Songes
Guerlain Jasminora
One Seed Courage
Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights

I’ll still be in touch. Cherio!!
Portia xx
Peter, Paul & Mary LIVE

Plum by Francois Robert for Mary Greenwell 2010

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hello Frag Friends,

Do you ever rummage around in your samples and find things you have no memory of getting? That is exactly what happened today. So finding something I vaguely remember reading about but not remembering a damn thing about it except the is it a Chypre or not question I was thrilled to find it to try for myself. I couldn’t find a lot of it for sale on the net and wonder if it’s been discontinued? Amazon has a few, so does Parfum1 but elsewhere there is merely white noise. Of reviews though there are many and they range from completely beserk adoration to thoughtful and questioning disdain. The premise and pedigree of this fragrance seemed to divide perfumistas and I though that was interesting too. So what we are going to do today is try

Plum by Mary Greenwell 2010

Plum greenwell FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Peach, bergamot, lemon, plum, black currant
Heart: gardenia, tuberose, orange blossom, rose, jasmine
Base: sandalwood, oak moss, patchouli, amber, white musk

Well Plum opens with a dirty great punch in the nose with a fruit basket, it’s fizzy and fun and harks back to some of the big ole perfumes of yore. Citrus, black current and plum, but not like you’ve taken a bite of a plum more like plum jam or an ideal plum plus sugar. The flowers follow behind, winding through the sweetness with a white flower trumpet call that, like the horns in a 70s disco song, call the fragrance towards the chorus, the top and heart play off each other for a while showing flashes of themselves before settling down to a slightly human, breathy bouquet with a bit of spice. Of course the modern re-inventions of oakmoss aren’t the same as the original, they are less deep, dark and humus rich but I do get a sense of them among the woods and the amber is not sweet on me but a little dry, maybe the patchouli has the upper hand here? The sandalwood is the last impression I have with Plum by Mary Greenwell, it warms the fragrance back up at the end while it gently becomes my skin again.

WhiteWeddingBouquet VictorTheFloristPhoto Stolen VictorTheFlorist

I get quite good lifespan with 4 – 6 hours of noticeable fragrance, depending on my day. Where would I wear it? If I needed to be fragrant but not overpowering, if I wanted to be reminded of some of the fabulous but now defunct chypres, enticing or trying to befuddle then this is your frag. It is a strong persons fragrance, or someone needing a bit of strong, and sassy. This is what I imagine Charlize Theron and Anne Hathaway wearing to the Academy Awards.

CharlizeTheron USMagazinePhoto Stolen USMagazine

Further reading NowSmellThis and CaFleurBon
Parfum1 has 50ml/$100
SurrendetToChance starts at $4/ml

Did you try Plum when it came out? What did you think?

See you tomorrow for more merry frag madness.

Portia xx

Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez 1962

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Hey APJ Family,

On this day in 2001 my Mum died, it was a years battle against leukemia and the leukemia won. She was a tough lady and fought hard for the first half of that year and then the fight seemed to go out of her completely. I have so much to thank her for and still randomly talk to her picture as if she is in the room. If ever I have had a conscience it is all due to her reprimands, which I can still hear today when I pee with the door open or don’t put my knife and fork down between mouthfuls or even choose unwisely in  love. I think she would approve of the current one though. Her unconditional love even though I was often an ungrateful, snide or screaming bundle of TNT, and constant vigilance over my future wellbeing has left a stamp upon me and I am so lucky that she chose me when I was a baby.

We were kids and always playing with dolls, cars, lego etc etc. One of our favourite games was dressing up the Barbies and putting Mum’s perfume on them so they smelt like they were really going out. You can see where this is going right? We thought that the little bottle was a toy bottle of perfume that Mum had put on her make up, jewellery and fragrance shelf in the wardrobe. What a cute little bottle, just the right size for the Barbies and that gorgeous technicolour reproduction of a Fragonard painting (Sorry, can’t find the original online and there seems to be much conjecture about the pic! I love drama). How could it not be meant for the Barbies?

I don’t remember Mum being angry or upset with us using it ALL on the Barbies, not like the time I dropped a 16oz bottle of Joy EdC or gave away a bottle of Shalimar to a girlfriend because she liked the gold toned case or a million other deserved rants.

Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez 1962

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rosemary, orange blossom, mandarin orange, cassia, jasmine, rose, neroli, bergamot, Bulgarian rose, lemon
Heart: Sandalwood, patchouli, lilac, orris root, vetiver, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, leather
Base: Tolu balsam, amber, musk, benzoin, civet, vanilla, cedar, resins

I have had the EdT of this in a modern incarnation for a while and I love to spritz its dirty great feline self on and go about my business but I have often been intrigued by the reasonable priced Extrait and ordered som. Well, it was the Barbies bottle!! OMG!!

This seems to be particularly dark juice and BOY does it take the back of your head off. Right at the start the cat is out of the bag and ready to roar!! All the flowers and citrus are completely overshadowed by a rich, dark purr of animal. After a short time the flowers decide it’s time to shine and fly in above the animal and do their very best in an orgy of florals, fruit and woods. What a fragrance! I love the powdery iris that takes control for a while and the bitter leather side by side with the ylang ylang. Bal a Versailles warm, sweet dry-down is also the welcome reprise of the animal with a lusty growl, till it becomes a purr of amber nothing. It doesn’t seem as intense as my memories of Barbies perfume but maybe my childhood nostrils were more acute, still this is a fragrance that you must try before you earn full perfumista stripes.

Versailles chateauversaillesPhoto Stolen chateauversailles

I get between 6-8 hours of fragrant bliss before I can detect only myself, even in the summer heat of Sydney today I’m pushing 6 hours and still growling. Wear this while at home for your own enjoyment. Leaving the house please take bodyguards.

Further reading MuseInWoodenShoes and ThePerfumePosse
Parfum1 starts at $12.50 for a 50ml Tester. This is where I found my Extrait but it is now sold out.
SurrenderToChance has all sorts starting at $3/ml but I particularly like the Vintage Parfum + EdC combo for $11

marieAntoinette habituallychicPhoto Stolen habituallychic

I’m wearing Bal a Versailles tonight to work. Let’s see if the punters can take the heat! Do you ever wear outrageoius scents just because? What is your fave and where would you really like to wear it that would be less than PC?

Off to splash some on now, see you tomorrow,
Portia xx