Portia

Anima Dulcis and Fleur de Louis by Arquiste from Carlos Huber

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Hiya Gang,

I have a special treat for you all today, a hunka-hunka burning love. A few weeks ago I wrote about Aleksandr by Arquiste for Perfume Posse and I thought we could look at a couple of Arquiste’s other fragrances today, the next paragraph is taken from the Posse expose.


Photo Stolen thenateshow

This is Carlos Huber, New York based, four language fluent, Mexican born architect and avant-garde preservationist, who was lucky enough to do his final study with architect and artist Jorge Otero-Pailos at Columbia where he graduated with honors in Historic Preservation, and now works all over the world fusing old and new in such amazingly braggable places as creating Ralph Lauren stores signature look in historically significant sites to restoring old Venetian Palazzos. Not just uber yummy but clearly clever, likeable and driven too.

The idea behind the Arquiste line is to recreate a moment in time with each perfume, much like Parfum d’Empire, but more a snapshot than a movie, a day rather than an era. It is an interesting idea and ties nicely with Carlos architectural work and need to know everything about his historical contexts. Carlos sees himself as a curator rather than perfumer, much like Frederic Malle, and works with perfumers/noses Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Yann Vasnier. He is like a ridiculously gorgeous, buff, manscaped, adorable, nerd or geek. Very endearing. His partner Nate Berkus is a TV design expert (hosting The Nate Show), New York Times best-selling author and regular contributor to The Oprah Show. This is a power couple if ever there was one.

Photo Stolen guestofaguest

I have stolen some of Carlos Huber’s interview with Marni Golden from TheNateShow

Marni Golden: What was that journey like for you – from conception to inception?
CH: To turn an experimental project like this into a full-fledged product is a long, rocky process that requires a lot of fine-tuning. And I call it a ‘product’ with the utmost respect, because the work that goes into a piece of work that you can share, trust and be proud of is huge. I’ve learned a lot and I can’t wait for what comes next.

MG: What makes Arquiste stand out amongst the very competitive and populated fragrance marketplace?
CH: I wanted to share something that has depth, fantasy and authenticity. To connect with the past, with history and to infuse our life with a real dose of poetry. The fragrances are incredible wearable, and modern, but retain a classical thread to them. I believe in them as masterpieces….


Photo Stolen retrovintagemodstyle

The two fragrances I have chosen to write about today are the two that Carlos himself wears most regularly, as day and night scents, according to the Marni Golden interview. If he loves them so much then we should probably investigate too.

ANIMA DULCIS: November 1695 Mexico City, we are to be transported to a nunnery where they make chili chocolate, for centuries. Well these nuns are a horny bunch, ripe, slightly aroused and lactating. This is chocolate but for the dirty bitch in us all. Yes, it starts out all sweet and gourmand but the problem is when you smell good enough to eat, someone will. He he. The main accords we are supposed to be smelling according to the blurb are Cocoa Absolute, Mexican Vanilla, Cinnamon, Chili infusion. They have kept it streamlined and simple on paper but it is anything but. The cocoa is deliciously bitter, almost burned, the vanilla is clean, fleshy and sensual like privates the day after a wax, the cinnamon and chili sizzle and the dry down is hot, healthy, sweaty humanity in a cup cakery. 4-5 hours is a lovely long wear time before it becomes skin scent and stays for a while longer lost to me but smellable by TSO Jin.

FLEUR de LOUIS: June 1660, Isle of Pheasants, Basque region, on the French-Spanish border. This must be meant to represent only Louis XIV’s side of the meeting between himself and his Spanish child bride Maria Theresa because I smell nothing childlike or innocent in this fragrance. The note list here is again brief, Orange Flower, Florentine iris, Jasmine, and White Cedar.  It is a beautiful white glamour floral given depth and dignity by its iris, which is a slightly bitter backnote along with its powdery dryness floating above and through all. The woods are slightly sharp too at the beginning of this story, like they have just been cut green and hastily erected but they soften and warm as the fragrance ages and blends with your chemistry. Fleur de Louis reminds me of something I smelled recently but can’t put a name or place to, it is familiar yet not. I swear there is some kind of citrus going on here, bright and popping in and out. Somewhere after 4 hours I have lost Fleur de Louis but it was a lovely ride, warm and cool all along. I understand why this is Carlos Huber’s day scent, it will fit all moods and (except for the absolutely repulsed by perfume people) would still be a perfectly acceptable office wear fragrance. This is my current favourite of the line so far but I still have 3 to fully review.
PS I wore Fleur de Louis for the whole day today and it lasted beautifully, there are some moments at the 5-6 hour point where I get a distinct powder puff and oil stick foundation from the 60’s that came upon me by surprise, it doesn’t last and just hits peaks, then runs to dry down at about 8 hours. Serious longevity.

Photo of Carlos Huber & Roja Dove from RojaDove

As you can see, even the power people of perfume are getting right behind the newest luxury fragrance line, Arquiste. When I did the Perfume Posse post Carlos sent me a tweet saying he was tickled that we’d written about him. It’s this kind of thoughtfulness that I hope will take the Arquiste line far and wide. Good product, reasonably priced, beautifully presented & packaged and a delicious hubba hubba of a man out the front.

You can purchase these 55ml fragrances direct from Arquiste, Anima Dulcis is $165, Fleur de Louis $175
I ordered a SurrenderToChance sampler pack of all 6 Arquiste fragrances where they start from .5ml for $29

Here’s one more photo of Carlos, just for gratuitous ogling pleasure.

Photo Stolen haroldluxuryformen

Thanks for coming along this lovely fragrant road with me today,
Have you tried the Arquiste range? Do you have a favourite? Maybe there’s another hunky perfumer out there you’d like to see more of?
Drop us a line here at APJ and we’ll see what we can do for you,
Till tomorrow,
Portia xx

SUNDAY QUICKSNIFF REVIEW #7

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hey Hey Scent Hogs,

These are quick looks at a few of the fragrances I wore this week for my own fragrance pleasure. The Sunday QuickSniff Review page is opened on Monday morning and every time I spritz and am near the computer I’ll give a 3 sentence review with a rating out of 5 each for, well, see the key after the reviews. Often these are samples I’ve bought or had sent to me by friends, or a FB that I may fully review later, or have done before and want to remind you of its existence.

BELOVED by AMOUAGE 2012. This opens sensationally on me. A big fat old fashioned sparkling spicy floral with depth and character, you can smell the deep drumming of the animalic, vanilla and amberish undercurrents. It’s so sexy as it starts pounding out its syncopated ululation, flowers, animals, herbs, wood, flowers, balsam, spices, cat. Unfortunately after less than an hour it becomes the merest whisper of a skin scent on me (this is my 4th spritz in a day) but everyone else that I’ve read reviews from gets hours and hours, GRRRRR.  S=***** L=** D=****

KENZO FLOWER EdT by KENZO 2000. I received this bottle from Annie, THANKS!! Usually fresh, aqueous fragrances aren’t my thing, but maybe my nose is evolving because this is dynamite!! On my skin the hawthorn is cool GREEN and the resin, vanilla and musk ironically completely overtake any flowers that might have been there making me think of torn leaves and broken branches. A thoroughly delicious, light, bright, sparkling fragrance that has deceptive sillage and longevity too. FragranceShop has 50ml Tester for $38 S=**** L=**** D=****

BADGLEY MISCHKA Parfum 2006. OMFG!! On my skin this opens so SWEET, AARRGH. The peach and red berries are gut wrenchingly, tooth achingly, pant for oxygen sweet and almost had me running to the shower but I pushed through and WOW am I glad I did. This is a serenade, a love song and a poem; it calms down after 5 minutes into an amazing warm and delicious, slightly foody floral chypre that dies down to hours and hours of almost masculine, sexy woods, resins and musky caramel YUM. FragranceNet has 15ml for under $20 S=**** L=***** D=****

SUNFLOWERS by ELIZABETH ARDEN 1993. Years ago I used to wear this all the time, I was going through a phase where I decided one perfume in my cupboard was enough. I loved it so much and thought I smelled delicious until someone had a word, I was devastated and stopped wearing it, throwing the bottle in the bin. Tonight I was working with a girlfriend and the most glorious fruit juicy white floral and warm spicy perfume was wafting around, it was so divine I thought it must be an expensive niche tuberose but it was Sunflowers and she smelled awesome. FragranceX has 100ml under $20  S=***** L=**** D=*****


Photo Stolen from shirtsays

Scent, Obviously the number 1 priority here is how does it smell. My reviews are completely subjective and will differ widely from your own experience with the scent but it’s a good starting point. As yet I am not a trained perfumer so any and all descriptions are merely that, descriptions. There are plenty of blogs that offer technical details and chemistry, in 3 sentences I’ll pass.
Longevity, This is a biggie for me because like enfleurage where flower petals are left in fats to steal the scent, my fatty body works the same and eats it up, yum. So for a scent to last well on me, it will probably last a whole day on you and need a radioactive decontamination shower to defuse it from your skin.
Desirabilty, Wrapped up in this is scent, price, house, history, longevity, packaging, availability and a billion other things.

Photo Stolen from bittbox

* in any of these being the, “You couldn’t pay enough to spray this God awful stink on me again, it smells like public toilets in India, long time fridge malfunction while on Summer holiday and the vile stench of poverty all rolled into one.” You are putting innocent people in danger if you wear this.
** means it’s a nothing, wearable, boring, maybe the price is prohibitive for what you get or it’s ubiquitous. You should definitely get a sample of this to stop a buying boo boo.
*** is a perfectly good product that smells good and lasts a while at a decent price. You should definitely think about trying a sample or squirt but should you miss out your life will continue. Sample size worthy.
**** is the one you try, want a lot but can wait for a birthday/Christmas. It’s better than most of the stuff you’ve sniffed and may fill a void in your library. This is also an excellent decant product 5ml will get you through the season and maybe buy it next year.
***** meaning, stop reading this, grab your cash, credit card (or partners), roll the elderly or rob a petrol station and purchase this product. NOW! If you don’t have this fragrance you could die.

Hopefully this has given you a little inside track on fragrances to might buy, want, avoid, sample. What delicious bits and pieces did you try this week?

Portia xx

Emily Blunt in Opium 2009 by YSL Video

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey all,

Running late from a gig. We have 2 winners to announce tonight

10,000 GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Picture Stolen covenantbuilders

We reached our June goal of 10,000 total individual views last weekend so it’s an extra special giveaway, there are 2 because we smashed our goal so early. Thanks. If you are loving AustralianPerfumeJunkies don’t forget to spread the word, you’ll be surprised who is a secret fume head amongst your buddies; lost and alone thinking they’re the only crazy who is perfume obsessed.
How do you win?

Giveaway #1 you had to TWEET

1ml manufacturers sample OLYMPIC ORCHIDS ARTISAN PERFUMES Siam Proun
1.5ml spray decant of GUCCI No 3
1.5ml Spray decant of TAUER’s Lonestar Memories
Manufacturers sample TALLULAH JANE NATURALS Alyana Perfume Oil
P&H anywhere in the world

Giveaway #2 all you needed do was Congratulate us on our 10,000 IVs in the comments

50ml BNIP LANVIN Homme Sport
4ml travel size SMELL BENT Frankin Smellie SII#900
P&H anywhere in the world


Picture Stolen berryreview

GIVEAWAY #1 winner is Dr. Talson T. Jose

GIVEAWAY #2 winner is Sam Duncan

Winners will have till 10pm Wednesday June 27 Australian EST to send address details or I’ll give the to someone else.

EMILY BLUNT in OPIUM 2009 by YSL VIDEO

Picture Stolen fashion.telegraph

As a speciasl gift here is the lovely Emily Blunt for OPIUM by YSL.
I hope you stay happy and well, I am touched and thrilled that so many of you have come and looked. Thank you,
Portia xx

10,000 Thursday Giveaway Competition, Brain Cancer Fundraiser, STC Giveaway Video!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 36 Comments

Well Hello There,
I have had a hectic but enjoyable week. It has felt non stop, even though I have had some delicious me time too. Last night I hosted trivia at a very swanky do for Brain Cancer with a room full of TV, Radio, Fashion & Sport Celebs and the big boys/girls in Aussie business held at Sydney’s IVY. Very fun and they raised a fortune, $64,000. Here is a picture of the lavish greenroom, empty showroom and full with MC and keynote speaker Jim Wilson, Sports reporter and husband of Channel 7’s Chris Bath, who sadly lost his young son to Brain Cancer. A super fun night and the prizes were awesome, from Armani ties, Lancome beauty products, Vogue packs and Lisa McGuigan wines to a $7,000+ all inclusive ski holiday for a family of 4. Here is the donation link to help research a cure

http://braincanceraction.com.au/donate/

THURSDAY GIVEAWAY COMPETITION

It’s been a full week and I have some very special things to give away to say Thank You to you all for coming and joining in the AustralianPerfumeJunkies fun.

Photo stolen rmhcaustin

We reached our June goal of 10,000 total individual views over the weekend so it’s an extra special giveaway, there are 2 because we smashed our goal so early. Thanks. If you are loving AustralianPerfumeJunkies don’t forget to spread the word, you’ll be surprised who is a secret fume head amongst your buddies; lost and alone thinking they’re the only crazy who is perfume obsessed.

How do you win?

Giveaway #1 you must TWEET this
https://australianperfumejunkies.com/2012/06/20/lou-lou-by-cacharel/ @OzPerfumeJunkie Congratulations on 10,000 IVs
Most tweets and retweets with your handle in wins, if there is a tie the first to the highest number wins the goodies.

1ml manufacturers sample OLYMPIC ORCHIDS ARTISAN PERFUMES Siam Proun
1.5ml spray decant of GUCCI No 3
1.5ml Spray decant of TAUER’s Lonestar Memories
Manufacturers sample TALLULAH JANE NATURALS Alyana Perfume Oil
P&H anywhere in the world

Giveaway #2 all you need do is Congratulate us on our 10,000 IVs in the comments below

50ml BNIP LANVIN Homme Sport
4ml travel size SMELL BENT Frankin Smellie SII#900
P&H anywhere in the world

Both Giveaways will finish around 10pm on Saturday June 23 Australian EST, please come back and check if you’ve entered. Winners will have till 10pm Wednesday June 27 Australian EST to send address details.

AND SURRENDER TO CHANCE IS HAVING SUPER DRAWS!!! Have a look at the video.

Well, there you have it gang, totally easy stuff for major rewards.
Wishing you all painless, easy and harmless world domination,
Portia xxx

LOU LOU by CACHAREL

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Hiya Everyone,

Last weekend I was lucky enough to pick up a bunch of Tester bargains at a closing down sale. One of those bottles is a nearly full 50ml Lou Lou by Cacharel, a house I quite like because they’re stuff is all so off the wall; it seems they do it harder, better, with much more tongue in cheek and flair than many of the mass market crews, making them a super lot in my eyes. Snaps!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Today we are talking about a fragrance that brings back such wonderful fragrant memories of all the girls loving it while we were at drama school and having one girlfriend in particular deciding it was her signature scent. BAM! In your face. Hah, I’m smiling writing this. Launched in 1987 and still available widely but quietly for really great prices, this is a classic. An outrageous, fun and flirty masterpiece. I am loving having this on, loving it. Even the bottle is awesome, that bright turquoise and red are basically 2010, 11, 12 fashion done in uber-kitsch retro plastic. So now; it hurts!


Photo Stolen sale-action

As it opens I get a big smack of mimosa (Korean Jin calls it Acacia) that is caught up with ivy, spicy cinnamon and other flowers including a big fat cream and buttery tuberose. The ivy and orris root keep Lou Lou from becoming too fly away flowers, almost grounding the fragrance; and the sandalwood is definitely there too with the vanilla and other resins like a counterweight. I get slightly indolic humanity in there too, not skank as such but a very lived in feel, like a freshly waxed ballbag after some light sport and hefty foreplay. My freaky nose completely misses the incense, plum and anise, it’s probably there I’m just too poorly schooled in fragrance to smell it.

The sillage and lasting power are extremely impressive here, tomorrow morning I will still be a fragrance pump, sending out a musky, vanillic, slightly floral booty call. Woo Hoo!

Photo Stolen vintage-ladivas.

PerfumeShrine does an awesome review with loads of historical knowledge and Fragrantica lists the accords
Top notes: Violet, plum, black currant, marigold, ivy, jasmine, iris, lily
Heart notes: Sweet Tiare flower, tuberose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, anise, heliotrope, orris
Base notes: Sandalwood, musk, tonka bean, incense, vanilla and balsam

GlobalBeauty has 100ml for $92 including P&H.

I’ve dropped the video in here for you. We thought it was the height of mystery and that the model was so seductive back then, it all looks a bit cheap now after some of the incredible movies we now get. Enjoy,

Portia xx

DIOR HOMME Fragrance Review and Video

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Heya Stink Junkies,

I hope this finds you happy and well, I have an admission to make. I am poorly prepared for today’s topic and nearly out of time to present it. A busy weekend doing Jin’s Birthday celebrations over a 4 day period left me little time to prepare my week. I have just finished my Q&A for 5 nights of Turbo Trivia this week. OOOPS! So I decided to chat about a scent I smell quite often around the house….

2005 DIOR Homme Photo Stolen Fragrantica

2011 DIOR Homme Photo Stolen DIOR

DIOR HOMME 2005. This is not to be confused with the Francois Demachy 2011 version that comes with a black central suction pole, 2005 Dior Homme has a silver suction pole. An Olivier Polge superstar fragrance that takes you on a journey through the scent scale. It is bold and fearless, majestic, manly and feminine, herbs, spice, flowers, food, leather, so rich and diverse its like looking at a Kashmiri 10×7′ silk hand knotted rug. The closer you get and the more time you spend with it, the more you will see. This is TSO Jin’s favourite scent and I can rarely tell he is wearing it because every time it’s a different story. This is regularly the scent I ask him, “What IS that?” Some days it will be a back street market stall in India, others we might be on Bond St London, a Spanish leather shop, a desert town in Australia or an African campfire. A panoply of visions with what seems a surprisingly short accord list. There is a grunt to DIOR Homme 2005 that is hard to find in modern perfumery but it still manages to become Jin, meld with his scent and seem like him. It is also tenacious, giving him up to 12 hours of story. We can wake up and I still smell something deliciously other about him, but it’s him plus. It is a sensual, easy wearing fragrance that can be worn with a suit, sweats or jeans and is not so strong that you couldn’t wear it to a movie or dinner.  I think women should give it a go to0, it could become your new go-to, DIOR Homme 2005 will definitely invite the beast out to play.

It is getting increasingly hard to find pre-reformulation and I have not tried the new one yet.

DIOR Homme Intense Photo Stolen luxuryes

Fragrantica gives the notes but I find that they don’t particularly run in this order and that you get revisitations of top notes and middle notes all the way through to dry down.
Top notes: lavender, sage and bergamot;
Middle notes: iris, amber, cacao and cardamom;
Base notes: patchouli, leather and tahitian vetiver
NowSmellThis didn’t love DIOR Homme 2005 when it was released and sadly is the only non video review I could find on the first 5 pages of google by a blog.

I have shown the video before but Jude Law is always worth a second look.

Before I sign off, Thank You for coming and reading, and commenting. It makes me happy that you do and I hope you enjoy it also. What “mens” fragrances have you been trying on?
Love, Love, Love
Portia xx

Best Value Shopping Day EVER!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hey Everyone,

Firstly, I am back on Perfume Posse! WOW!! That’s 3 pieces in 3 weeks! I am over the moon, please hit the jump to read my interview with NYC Natural Perfumer Eleanor Jane from TALLULAH JANE NATURALS. Life smells good!

Saturday was a busy day around here. TSO Jin and I had a few stops to make.

Our first stop off was at a chain of Perfume stores about to close down, our friendly SA Amanda gave us the heads up last week so we knew there’d be some awesome bargains going on but had no idea they would be this astounding. An almost full 50ml Lou Lou by Cacharel $10, a half full 50ml pre-reformulation Dior Homme $15 and about 30ml left in a large bottle of L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme $5. It gets better, they were having a 60% off sale which brought everything down to $12! Seriously! They are all testers and fresh, although I think the Issey Miyake is on the turn but maybe my recollection of the fragrance at second hand on my last partner has influenced the way I expect it to smell. No complaints here, I think the Lou Lou is the real bargain because I haven’t been able to find a 50ml of it in Australia for years, there is an unopened 30ml in the back of my perfume cupboard with all the rest of the OhMyGodHowCouldTheyDiscontinueThisFabulousFragrance section.

We then had some Jin stops for stuff and then we went to Perfume Warehouse, that had been promised recently but due to circumstances out of everyones control hadn’t happened. Well, these guys are amazingly well stocked and the shop area would be easily 200sq/m of fragrance. OMG! On some things they were $30 cheaper than I’d seen them anywhere else but on others they were up to double the best online prices I could find. You would have to know your products before going in or write down your list of wants, go home and check then come back. They did have only LED lights though making it cooler for the fragrances but does anyone know if LED still ruins perfumes?

Well, after trolling almost the whole store and chatting to the owner and SA, both handsome gentlemen who were friendly and knowledgable BTW, we finally made it to the Guerlain section. There it was… L’Heure Blue EdT, in its pre 1990s packaging with an old price tag torn off. My heart stopped and I asked if there was any more Guerlain in this old packaging. Yes, there’s a Shalimar out the back. WHAT? I think it’s Shalimar he said. The boy ran out the back and comes back out holding a 100ml Shalimar EdC, he had it out of the package and was going to spritz it to see if it worked. NOOOOO! It worked, one spritz less of this incredible find. ARE YOU CRAZY? A price was reached, less than you’d expect. They were the last 2 pieces of Guerlain from someone they had bought out and they really wanted to get rid of them. I am joyous! Ebullient! The bottles have had their single photo and are now residing happily in the fridge awaiting my pleasure. Soon I will try them and see if they are still working models. I’m too scared to in case they are ruined.

We did a bunch of other stuff on Saturday too. Lunch for a friends birthday at the Bowling Club, Jin kindly bought and installed a new car stereo for me, the Sydney Observatory with a wonderful crew to celebrate Jin’s birthday. Awesome day. I wish you could have been with us. What fragrance did I wear? During the day I had Dark Passage on and in the evening I wore Lonestar Memories, both by Andy Tauer the genius.

Thanks for joining me in my fragrant ramblings. I am so happy that you have bothered to drop by and read all the way to the bottom.

Portia xx

SUNDAY QUICKSNIFF REVIEW #6

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hey Fellow Fumies,

These are quick looks at a few fragrances I wore this week for my own sniffing pleasure. The Sunday QuickSniff Review page is opened on Monday morning and every time I spritz and am near the computer I’ll give a 3 sentence review with a rating out of 5 each for, well, see the key after the reviews.

GUCCI No3 EdT by GUCCI 1985. There has definitely been some reformulation going on here, while the initial rush is much as I remember it there is absolutely no longevity to the juice in the bottle of Gucci No 3 that I recently purchased. A hollow, thin, reedy shell of the fragrance bomb my partner and I used to wear in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the flowers, leather and resins quieted to a whisper, maybe my bottle has been left in the light. Having said that, it’s still better than much of the aqueous, boring and clone-ish crap we are served up time and again lately. FragranceShop has 30ml for under $45.  S=*** L=** D=***

DIRTY ENGLISH by JUICY COUTURE 2008. On my skin this is a bit of a let down to tell the truth, I love the buttery, cool incense and citrus feel to the opening, if only they could have made the entrancing first 3-5 minutes last longer. Too soon the wondrous opening becomes a safe light wood and herbs that would be a perfect scent for close working conditions. It becomes a skin scent in under an hour but lasts as that for around 8 hours; so if you want the perfume to become you and make you, up very close, smell totally warm, sexy and inviting then you’ve found a winner. FragranceNet has 50ml for under $25   S=**** L=***** D=***

SOIR DE LUNE by SISLEY 2006. A friend sent, THANKS! This Modern Fruit Chypre has a dynamic opening where the pepper, coriander and nutmeg give the citrus top a warm depth and keep it singing in chest voice rather than the current trend to squeal. At around the 30 minute point the next step takes us into a kitchen garden with lush blooming flowers, herbs and spices being picked so I’m getting a hint of the broken stalks and a soft honey is starting to create some sweet interest.  CosmeticsNow have 30ml for around $100 S=**** L=*** D=****

LONESTAR MEMORIES by TAUER 2006. Leather in your face POW! This is an incredibly long lasting, deep, dark, glorious leather. The smell of a saddle ridden all day by a cowboy and recently vacated but still filled with the aroma of man, horse, dust, sun and sheep in a jaw droppingly magic fragrance that is not for the faint hearted. Can still smell Lonestar Memories after 18 hours of busy Saturday shopping, eating, star gazing, celebrating. Tauer Perfumes does 50ml for around $100 S=***** L=***** D=****


Photo Stolen from shirtsays

Scent, Obviously the number 1 priority here is how does it smell. My reviews are completely subjective and will differ widely from your own experience with the scent but it’s a good starting point. As yet I am not a trained perfumer so any and all descriptions are merely that, descriptions. There are plenty of blogs that offer technical details and chemistry, in 3 sentences I’ll pass.
Longevity, This is a biggie for me because like enfleurage where flower petals are left in fats to steal the scent, my fatty body works the same and eats it up, yum. So for a scent to last well on me, it will probably last a whole day on you and need a radioactive decontamination shower to defuse it from your skin.
Desirabilty, Wrapped up in this is scent, price, house, history, longevity, packaging, availability and a billion other things.

Photo Stolen from bittbox

* in any of these being the, “You couldn’t pay enough to spray this God awful stink on me again, it smells like public toilets in India, long time fridge malfunction while on Summer holiday and the vile stench of poverty all rolled into one.” You are putting innocent people in danger if you wear this.
** means it’s a nothing, wearable, boring, maybe the price is prohibitive for what you get or it’s ubiquitous. You should definitely get a sample of this to stop a buying boo boo.
*** is a perfectly good product that smells good and lasts a while at a decent price. You should definitely think about trying a sample or squirt but should you miss out your life will continue. Sample size worthy.
**** is the one you try, want a lot but can wait for a birthday/Christmas. It’s better than most of the stuff you’ve sniffed and may fill a void in your library. This is also an excellent decant product 5ml will get you through the season and maybe buy it next year.
***** meaning, stop reading this, grab your cash, credit card (or partners), roll the elderly or rob a petrol station and purchase this product. NOW! If you don’t have this fragrance you could die.

Hopefully this has given you a little inside track on fragrances to might buy, want, avoid, sample. What delicious bits and pieces did you try this week?

Portia xx

Abercrombie n Fitch VIDEO, Winners Announced

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hey gang,

Sorry it’s late been out at the Sydney Observatory with the crew, it was fun.Photo Stolen Sydney Observatory

Photo Stolen Powerhouse Museum

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

THURSDAY GIVEAWAY COMPETITION

All you had to do this week was go and find the code wrds for $5 off Olympic Orchid Artisan Perfumes. EASY PEASY! and you’d be in the running to win one of 2 GIVEAWAY PACKS:

1ml Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes manufacturers samples of Carolina & Olympic Rainforest or A Midsummer Days Dream & Arizona.
2ml manufacturers sample of Fugue or Barocco by new fragrance house Esther produced by the crew at Fragonnard
Plus P&H anywhere in the world


Picture Stolen berryreview

SaffyIsHere and Kymme

Please get in touch via email or Twitter DM by Wednesday 20.6.12 9pm Australian EST or I’ll give your prize to someone else.

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH MODELS

Here’s a little video of the A&F models doing the latest US #1 Billboard hit, Call Me Maybe. CAMP!!!

Oodles of love to you all,

Portia xx

DARK PASSAGE by Andy Tauer

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hi everyone,

Don’t forget to go and enter our THURSDAY GIVEAWAY COMPETITION, you have till around 10pm Saturday Australian EST

It finally arrived.

Photo Stolen TauerPerfumes

“…DARK PASSAGE, the super limited edition that is only available in March through the Kickstarter campaign for ONLY CHILD. Afterwards , when the financing and support campaign for Brian Pera’s latest film project comes to an end, then the perfume will be gone. ONLY CHILD is the next Evelyn Avenue full feature film project.” Andy Tauer from his blog March 2012.

Really good blog reviews of Dark Passage include I Smell Therefore I Am and Perfume Shrine.

When I first read that Andy Tauer was doing a new short release perfume for a fundraiser I was excited beyond imagining. I love his work, it is definitive and solid and statement making, as well as having extraordinary sillage and staying power. There is often a quirkiness, edge and diversion from the norm and Mr Tauer has a special accord that is oft called the Tauerade because of its incredible tenacity. Awesome if you want to stay smelling amazing for a night out, lovemaking and waking up, it will stay on clothes for months if you don’t wash them so is perfect for scenting hankies when loved ones go away or your purse so it’s always like a magic fragrant cave from which anything may come. Nasty if you have a bad on skin scent reaction, headache, just want to change scent; showering is not enough you need to undergo a post radioactivity radiation wash cycle. Thankfully they are all magic on my skin and I love the dry downs.

I thought I would present Andy Tauer’s Dark Passage (He He He that means 2 things) today in mainly visual storybook fashion. See below the photo’s for story….


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Dark Passage opens underneath the city with a weird swampy, burning tyres and fetid air accord BAM!, then it moves into back alleys as the close aromas of human habitation and their feral pets, you come across a cafe, smelling the cigarettes of the al fresco diners and then the coffee itself, the slightly burnt bitter smell of an imperfectly cleaned barista bar, and then past an Indian furniture shop with the bee wax polish and resins they use to colour the wood and give it shine overlaid on freshly finished wood, underneath all this the patchouli has been pumping unnoticed but comes to the fore as we drive outside the confines of the city with the top down smelling the exhaust, we get out and the fresh tree laden air, with humus and earth and maybe there has been a sprinkle of rain that is burning off in the sun. Then it comes in waves, interesting different visions pass before your nose, it is an olfactory movie, Film Noir and the bitch is going to get it in the Dark Passage.

UPDATE: I get this great story for maybe an hour and a half, it softens to a soft, slightly burnt vanilla and leather accord that was still ever so slightly there this morning, skin scent. It has only left the mildest trace on my clothes too, like this is my bodies scent left in the shirt. A new sophistication for Mr Tauer, bravo.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this, writing it was FUN!
Portia xx