Portia

Miss Dior Cherie Review

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hey hey,

How good was Evie C’s interview with Aussie Perfumer Howard Jarvis of Bud Parfums yesterday?

I found this somewhere on FaceBook a while ago, or maybe one of my friends sent it to me. Thank you to who ever it was. Every now and then I come back to it and worry about how silly we are as a race. Will the earth survive us?

MISS DIOR CHERIE

Photo of Natalie Portman Stolen from beautysorority

On a completely other track. Below is the incredible Natalie Portman for Miss Dior Cherie. I love her most in the bath with sunnies. HILARIOUS! Don’t you think so?

For me Miss Dior Cherie was too Fruit Tingle-esque, it sizzled away on my skin and though others thought it almost gone; every time I went to sniff, there it was larger than life but not in a good way. This is what the girls of today like to wear and good luck to them. My question though is, “Aren’t there a hundred fragrances out there that smell almost the same but half the price?” On a $20 bottle of Ambre de Cabochard the bow is cute, here I find it offensive and desperate, even though I know it’s a re-representation of an old school Miss Dior bottle. I’m sorry to anyone who loves this fragrance, it just did not work on my skin or for my nostrils. And, of course, because I hated it, it lasted on my skin for HOURS! which has made me tetchy with the whole shebang.

Yes, not a great literary endeavor today, nor is it sufficiently objective, sorry. Didn’t like it, can’t pretend. You may love it, try it at any department store for free. The DIOR SA’s are usually lovely, helpful and smiley.

Have you spritzed something lately that tried your patience? Tell me in the comments, I love to read others tales of fragrant torment too.

Have a lovely day all,

Portia xx

SUNDAY QUICKSNIFF REVIEW #1

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hiya all,

Picture Stolen from dazzlejunction.com

I wear a lot of perfume and write about surprisingly little of it, hard to believe isn’t it? So I’m going to try something new. I will open this Sunday QuickSniff Review page 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

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.

* 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.

AMBRE de CABOCHARD by GRES 2006.  This has a bright, warm, almost plastic opening like so much else these days and warms down nicely to a nutty, floral, fruit buzz. Tania Sanchez call this a “chemical fruitcake.. with a thin, oddly waxy floral-and-spice formula so cheap…” and while that is true Ambre de Cabochard is affordable, wearable and fun, FragranceX has it for under $25. S=** L=*** D=**

AROMATICS ELIXER by CLINIQUE 1971. Every time I spritz this massive fragrance on myself I feel joyous, sexy and gorgeous. It is a sure fire compliment fragrance and has uber wattage that lasts and lasts. Flowers, wood, herbs, spices, it has them all in abundance; go to your local Clinique counter and ask for the 4ml tester. S=***** L=***** D=*****

COVET by SJP 2007. In 2007 this was probably very new and cutting edge, 5 years on it smells fresh, light, crisp and harmless. I like this as a daywear/worklife nothing but the bottle is really fun/camp/silly/cute and I wanted it on my dresser, FragranceShop has a coffret for under $25 with 15% discount. S=*** L=*** D=***

EAU MEGA by VIKTOR & ROLF 2009. This is pretty flowers, fruity pears, leaves, musk in a light but slightly muddy scent that never quite reaches lift off for me. I like it, but the bottle that looks cool in ads is cheap and awkward in your hand. People that want a fragrance but not a statement piece will love this because it’s so easy to wear and no one will be offended; 2.5oz $50 and up. S=** L=** D=**

FRACAS for MEN EdC by ROBERT PIGUET. (Not to be confused with Fracas by Robert Piguet) This is a lovely fresh, cheap, sexy fragrance with light but persistent staying power, for someone who likes to smell barbershop, woods and sexy leather all day long. Amazon has 100ml from $10. S=*** L=**** D=**** (extra for the ridiculous price point)

RUSH 2 by GUCCI 2001. Everyone gripes about this bottle but I think it’s fun and quirky, great for a gym bag or purse where you don’t have to worry about a cap. The scent is an interesting soft linear scent that just needs to be ramped up a bit for me but is nicely unusual on a man if you can get him past the hot pink casing. FragranceX has 5ml for $10. S=** L=** D=***

I hope you have enjoyed reading through the new Sunday Quicksniff Review. I’d love your feedback please. Any comments, advice, things you like or hate, any way you think Sunday Quicksniff Review could better cater to you.

Grateful you’ve dropped by, please do so again,

Portia xx

The Making of Amor Amor by Cacharel ad, WINNER ANNOUNCED

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hey all,

Thanks for leaving your wonderful stories on Thursday, I enjoyed reading all of them and hope you’ll continue to come read and comment here at AustralianPerfumeJunkies.

THURSDAY COMPETITION GIVEAWAY!!

To win you had to leave a message in Thursday’s comments about an exceeding expectations retail/hotel/service experience. This is what our winners will receive.

  • Each of our 4 winners will receive a 3ml spray decant of GUCCI RUSH 2
  • One each of the 4 winners will also receive a 1.5ml spray decant of either Chanel No 5 EdP or Liberte by Cacharel, or 1ml manufacturers sample of River Town by SOIVOHLE or a surprise Tommi Sooni
  • Plus free P&H anywhere in the world

Our winners this week are.


Photo Stolen from sistersavealot.com

Tara, Vinery1, KillerRabbit and Annie

Please send your addresses to portia underscore turbo at yahoo com au
You have to get in touch by Wednesday 16.5.12 midnight Australian EST or I will give your prize to someone else.


Photo Stolen from Cacharel

Here’s a little present for you all. I don’t know about Amor Amor by Cacharel but the making of the ad is lovely, the kids are so believable in their making of roles.

Have a super lovely weekend. I have a new thing starting on the blog tomorrow, it’s an idea that’s been percolating away in my dizzy head for a while now. Please come and look and give me some feedback about it. I would be honored by your input.

Love and gratitude that you have bothered to drop by,

Portia xx

Annick Goutal Reviews III

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Hey all,

Last month we did a 3 day epic Annich Goutal story that talked about the woman, her family and the business (Annick Goutal Story) then we went on to review some of the houses better known and loved fragrances (AG Reviews #1, AG Reviews #2) but there are so many more in this lovely collection that I felt the need to show you three more. Here is a link to the Annick Goutal site, but I have also found some great deals on FragranceNet and Parfum1. In Australia if you are desperately looking for Mother’s day, David Jones has a selection of Annick Goutal and there is something for everyone in the range.

Ambre Fetiche: Yes, we had the lovely Dionne from Beauty On The Outside give us a glowing report but at the time I had not smelled it. Well I went straight to the Surrender To Chance site and ordered 5ml, while I was there taking a sneaky peek (and purchase) at the Daily Chance specials, He He. This starts out raw and sexy, anyone whose personality is strong enough to carry such a statement scent will smell amazing wearing Ambre Fetiche; men, women and inbetweenies. I am sure I’ve smelled a woman wearing this at the local mini mall and remember registering olfactory delight. My nose gets loads of incense, balms and leathers right from the outset, almost a clean synthetic oud smell without the cow poo backdrop. It’s rich and ambrosial, there is a honeyed sweetness here too alongside the vanilla. After such a bam bam bam start we settle into a very comfortable, soft and warm leathery vanilla. This is haute couture gown, frock and jeans wear if you want to smell warm, delicious and sexy.

Fragrantica or Anick Goutal’s site says

Classic and modern at the same time, a very textured and sensual interpretation of the amber.

  • Creation date : 2007
  • Olfactory family : Amber, Vanilla, Leather (Frankincense, labdanum, styrax – Benzoin, absolute of iris – Vanilla, geranium, patchouli, Russian leather)

Un Matin d’Orage (A Morning Of Storm): “OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS!” is what I say in my head every time I spritz myself with Un Matin d’Orage. Does it smell like a stormy morning to me? No. Maybe the sunshine an hour after a stormy morning, when all the flowers are getting their scent on as if to make up for lost time. The lemon and ginger are so fresh, green and crisp, the warm jasmine as it saunters in swinging its hips is doing sexy dances with the gardenia and magnolia (I wouldn’t know what champaca smelt like if you hit me with it but it’s name does remind me of the hairy guy in Star Wars, I’m pretty sure I can’t smell him though) calling, yearning, begging you to come closer and sniff deeply and luxuriously, the sandalwood giving a creamy and delicious base for this all to float above. This smells like money to me, loads of it.


Fragrantica or Anick Goutal’s site says

The perfume of a flower of gardenia floating in the mist of a Japanese garden.

  • Creation date : 2009
  • Olfactory family : Floral, fresh, white flowers (Sicilian lemon, green perilla leaves, ginger, magnolia, jasmine Sambac, Indonesian champaca)

Passion: Passion was the Annick Goutal I thought I would definitely love, Love, LOVE!!! And to an extent, I do. Like a very excited young lover the party is over long before I’m ready for it to finish. The opening is spectacular, all white flowers, broken leaves and stem and as it warms up the ylang-ylang and jasmine bring some vanilla with them for a very short sashay past my nostrils and then the whole shebang is eaten by my skin. This is not what I’d hoped for. At times like this I feel jealousy for those lucky enough to have scent keeping skin, rather than scent eating skin. It does make Passion a super good choice for days when I want a short sharp burst of delicious before moving on to something else, or for a nap fragrance so I can enjoy the ride and wake up ready for new scent vistas. This was the first fragrance Annick Goutal made for herself.

Fragrantica or Annick Goutal’s site says

The mystery intoxicating of chypre accented by Egyptian jasmine and Grasse tuberose.

  • Creation date : 1983
  • Olfactory family : Floral (Jasmine, ylang-ylang, tomato leave, tuberose, patchouli, oakmoss, vanilla)

Thanks for coming along for the ride again today. I love the Annick Goutal range so there will be another update soon. I did notice a new blue fragrance on the site and am intrigued. Hmmm, do you have a favourite Annick Goutal? Is there one I should try but haven’t? I’d love to read your thoughts so leave a comment.

I hope you have a happy and safe weekend.

Portia xx

All the pictures today are stolen from Fragrantica, except the Annick Goutal image from multibrand. AustralianPerfumeJunkies is not affiliated with any of the businesses talked about or recommended, except as a customer.

Good News Story, Thursday Competition Giveaway

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Hey all you beautiful smelling people,

A couple of weeks ago I finally took the plunge and ordered a bottle of GUCCI RUSH. I love it, it’s been discontinued for a while and I wanted to have it in the collection before it’s gone forever and then I’ll be sad and angry at myself. One of the joys of perfumery for me is the hunt for a good price, the ordering, waiting, box arriving, opening box, looking at packaged fragrance for a while, opening ceremony, spritz, wear, love to be me of it all. So the whole web shopping is perfect for me.


Photo Stolen from yournextperfume.com

I ordered from a crew I’ve not used before; California Perfumes. Being a first time buy I ordered 2 fragrances and kept well under my $100 first time use limit including P&H. I waited for a couple of weeks and the package arrived, opened the box and……. GUCCI RUSH 2. OH NO!!! Now I don’t have a problem with GUCCI RUSH 2 but it was not what I ordered or wanted. Hello heartbroken.


Photo Stolen from crazysales.com.au

Onto the email and sent a complaint on the 26th and a follow up received on the 28th April offering a 50% discount on miss sent item. Wrote back asking if they had GUCCI RUSH could they please send me a Paypal for half the cost and send immediately. On Friday 4th I received an apology for response delay but the department head was away on leave, they would be with me as soon as they had an answer. This was the answer received Wednesday 9th May,

Ma’am,
Unfortunately, we do not have Gucci Rush in stock.  A request has been submitted to our suppliers but it could take weeks to ship if they have it.  I could offer you a refund of that missing item instead.  Please advise.
I am looking for your kind consideration.
Best regards,
Kate

Yes please California Perfumes. I will have that lovely refund, that as I write has already been transferred. Although there was some email delay, you have shown yourselves to be interested in your clients continued support and have so far exceeded my expectations that I will definitely shop with you again. Even through the email delays I was kept in the loop as much as possible. I am deeply impressed.

THURSDAY COMPETITION GIVEAWAY!!

So in the spirit of my story today there will be not one but 4 winners of our Thursday Giveaway Competition. How to win? Leave a message in the comments about an exceeding expectations retail/hotel/service experience. I’ll pick 4 winners on Saturday 12.5.12 at around 10pm Australian EST, all you have to do is get in touch by Wednesday 16.5.12 midnight Australian EST or I will give your prize to someone else. So if you enter please check back on Sunday to see if you’ve won. Last weeks prize was not collected so our new winner is Julieswhinge.

Each of our 4 winners will receive a 3ml spray decant of GUCCI RUSH 2

One each of the 4 winners will also receive a 1.5ml spray decant of either Chanel No 5 EdP or Liberte by Cacharel, or 1ml manufacturers sample of River Town by SOIVOHLE or a surprise Tommi Sooni

Plus free P&H anywhere in the world

No, you can’t pick which one you get.  Hello UNGRATEFUL!

Thank you for reading. I hope you are commenting because we love to read your stories,

Much love,

Portia xx

Bedtime Perfume; Chanel No 5 Review

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Hey gang,

“To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,” Hamlet; Shakespeare

Does anyone else wear a different perfume to bed? It’s a ritual with me. I like to put on a favourite to send me off to sleep, quite often it’s a perfume that doesn’t get much daytime or work wear, for any number of reasons. To loud, too floral, too celebuscent, too often ignored. Sometimes you just pass fragrances over for a while because other things have caught your attention or you are testing, on you or a room of Turbo Trivia players. When your scent wardrobe starts to become a scent library you need to find new times to wear perfume so they all get smelled. I know, these are the most shallow of first world problems but I like it.


Photo Stolen from bootsandcateyes

The other night I decided to put on some Chanel No 5 EdP before I went to bed. No 5 is an old memory scent for me, of my Mum. She left me a black bakelite and gold large refillable spray when she died that must have been almost full because it lasted for ages. At the time though she’d not thought to tell me they were refillable so it has been lost to eternity. Through my mind ran the most wonderful memories of my Mum, always smiling and glamorous when wearing No 5 because it was one of her grown up “going out” scents, a swirl of skirt, swish of hair and a wall of perfume. It was the 80’s and 90’s so she was unafraid to multispritz. Nowadays she would be frowned upon probably as an olfactory pollutionist and not allowed into restaurants, cinemas, workspaces or buses. Back then you were supposed to have a scent that entered the room before you and left weeks later, and all the curtains in every venue felt as if they’d been dry cleaned nightly.


Photo Stolen from bookdepository

Evie C wrote us some great No 5 stories recently and I find it hard to believe that any of you wouldn’t know what Chanel No 5 smells like because it was as ubiquitous as Shalimar, Georgio, Joy et al but I think the world has moved on in some respects, so…

Chanel No 5 is a big, fat, delicious, glamorous, gorgeous, mouth watering, head turning, man pulling siren of a fragrance designed by one of last centuries style icons, Gabrielle Coco Chanel in 1921 with Ernest Beaux, to grab you by the nose and take you to places you never thought you’d be. It was released 5/5/21 because 5 was Coco’s lucky number, and so last week it celebrated its 91st birthday. They say it was a stolen formula from the Russians who were fleeing the collapse of their empire. They say a million things. If you want a history The secret of Chanel No 5 by Tilar J. Mazzeo is a rollicking great read and could even be the true story. You may have heard Marilyn Monroe’s scandalous quote about wearing only Chanel No 5 to bed. What matters is the scent; reformulated many times over the years, even the great Luca Turin is amazed at how true to its ancestors it smells. I have a few different bottles of Chanel No 5. A fairly recent EdP, an 80’s EdT and a 1940’s US made, wartime .5oz Parfum, still wax sealed and waiting for an enormous opening ceremony. I think maybe a perfumista dinner party where we can all sniff, snort and snuffle unashamedly.

Fragrantica gives…

Top notes; neroli, ylang-ylang, bergamot, amalfi lemon and aldehydes;

Middle notes; iris, jasmine, orris root, rose and lily-of-the-valley;

Base notes; vetiver, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, oak moss, amber, vanille and civetta.

…but you can’t read this litany and think you know what it will smell like. That’s like looking at a Claude Monet painting of Giverny and thinking you know what spring is like, though you’ve never left your home.


Monet’s Spring at Giverny (1886) from thecultureconcept.com

The wonderful thing about Chanel No 5 is that you need only go to your nearest department store and try it. It costs nothing to go and spray yourself silly with it. But beware, Chanel No 5 is magic, even still. There is a little drop of white witch in every bottle. You will become a walking siren should you dare to cross the threshold. Go on.

I dare you

The ad below was recently on Olfacroria’s Travels and it thrilled me. I’d not seen it before and it felt so gorgeously expensive, even for a fragrance commercial which are notoriously spendthrift. Now whenever I put Chanel No 5 on I feel transported to this imaginary story as well. It is a hard working fragrance that takes me to a million places.

What do you wear to bed? Is there a special fragrance or are there many?

Portia xx

Liz Zorn’s SOIVOHLE: reviewing the uber-niche

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you happy and well but if not, remember; It gets BETTER.
Recently I came across an interesting niche perfume company. I can’t remember where I heard or read the name but I was intrigued. Googling today I couldn’t find anyone in my blog reader list who’d written about SOIVOHLE and now I’m completely flumoxed. When I wrote to Liz Zorn the ranges creator I mentioned Muse In Wooden Shoes but now I can’t find the pithy intro about how they have the best named fragrances of all time, interesting new potions etc etc. If you were the person that put me onto this crew; Thank You! Seriously, I went and purchased smallish sprays of Harbinger and Rose Sur Reuse and am gasping at the contradictions in one and the divine, must wear it again, can a fragrance really smell this good-ness of the other. (So update- I found the piece and if you click Muse In Wooden Shoes you can read it)

SOIVOHLE = Sending Out Inspired Vibrations Of Healthy Loving Energy (pronounced See-Vo)

Liz Zorn the creative genius behind the SOIVOHLE range describes herself and her motivations on the website thus:

“I have always been somewhat of a dreamer, the old saying I suppose, that artists live in their heads. I am no exception, if I were not constantly mulling over ideas about my next project, I might be able to get to that Zen place everyone raves so much about. In the moment, I can do that. For an artist it is the process or being in the creative zone. A place where the intangible becomes tangible. Where ideas (the head stuff) gets worked out in real time. I can not remember a time in my life when I was not on a mission. I am a purpose driven individual. A pragmatist that lives in her head. A practical dreamer.”


Columbine: Liz Zorn 2000 from http://www.lizzorn.com

Liz Zorn comes from a fine arts background, is a poet, painter, photographer, songwriter, is featured in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who of American Women. As if that’s not enough for one lifetime, now Liz is conquering the fragrance world with delicious, confrontational, sparkling and story filled scents, some of them all four at once.

Liz uses both natural and synthetic ingredients in her fragrances, in many the naturals are alone, in mixed media compositions synthetics are blended with naturals. Currently she is having to add all the IFRA restricted ingredients to her labels so you can make your own choices.

Rose Sur Reuse: Eau de Toilette


Roses are ubiquitous in fragrance, like musk, bergamot, orange blossom and patchouli. Roses are also hard. It is hard for me to like a rose fragrance although when I say that there are a few in my library (No 5, Shalimar, Samsara, Rush, Dreamer, Tresor, Fracas and others) and mostly they are old favourites revisited regularly, but none of these feel like a rose soliflor. I know it’s Rose and Tuberose but for me the rose is way on top throughout the lifespan of Rose Sur Reuse. This is an intoxicating fragrance; warm, boozy and musty it springs to life warming on my skin to a symphonic boom. It is a gentle but pervasive scent. Every now and then as I move a rush of spicy gorgeous bursts from my top and surprises me with its rich and voluptuous tapestry of roses. It’s a changing, never cloying or too rose-ish, fragrance that dances along beside you for around 5 hours when it dries down to a whisper of the orient. This is as FBW as a scent can get. Liz and her crew tried for an all weather rose scent and I think they’ve found it, this was released in 2012 so you’ll be the first person you know with Rose Sur Reuse. To me, a very accessible fragrance that fills a void I never thought I would have. Rose Sur Reuse notes are intense roses and tuberose, black raspberry accord, cinnamon, cloves, violet and a light oriental base.

Harbinger: Mixed Media Demi Absolute (18-22% concentration)


I am surprised that my assessment of Harbinger as a perfume of contradictions is exactly what the website says (moment to huff on nails and buff on jumper) in its opening gambit. Maybe I remembered from buying. This is a grown up scent that I think is currently beyond my ken as a baby perfumista. I don’t particularly like the slightly fetid smell of the sea in this fragrance, it’s a little bit like summer yabbying on the salty mudflats of my childhood in Coal & Candle Creek, is this cumin? The Muse In Wooden Shoes says it smells dirty and sexy but I don’t get it. I think I’m missing a major point though. I cooked with cumin tonight for dinner and it didn’t smell like this in the Tupperware or pan. I will come back to this bottle and try it again in a while. I do love its journey, there is a sweetness and lightness about Harbinger that I enjoy but like its name I feel that there is another scent coming that does not seem to appear on my skin. The notes on the site list cumin, honey absolute, white roses, Saigon cinnamon, ripe peaches, white orchid, roasted coffee beans, caramel, labdanum absolute, radiant musk accord and SOIVOHLE’s own Chypre base. (These notes sound more like Tobacco & Tulle smells, it’s like they were mixed up) Interestingly, Fragrantica doesn’t mention cumin but has caraway instead. This fragrance is tenacious, nearly 12 hours and still powering away in a softer, less invasive way but I am still not loving it.

Tobacco & Tulle: Natural Absolute extract (30-50% concentration)


This is a delicious wonder, it smells like fresh, hot, buttered raisin toast to me; quite close to apple crumble. I can’t believe these notes give such a fruit, yeasty, cinnamon, buttered and toasted, almost a burnt, scent. Warm, cosy and inviting but with some darkness and depth underlying, notes include tobacco absolute, tuberose absolute, earthy natual musk from hyrax tincture and ambergris. This is a showstopper of a fragrance, I used the merest dab from a sample wand and it has filled my senses to overflowing with deliciousness. I probably used too little but Tobacco & Tulle was gone after 4 hours with no traces left. I will try it again soon and edit this post if more juice equals more staying power.

OK update, yes I had too little perfume for my perfume hungry skin. Using more gives me lasting power around 5-6 hours before I lose all sense of it.

Rivertown Road: Absolute Pour Homme


A sample vial of Rivertown Road was my Free Gift with purchase. The spiel says inspired by rivers, river towns and river people. Headstrong, Independant and Proud! It rides the fence between Chypre and Fougere.
It is a warm lusty fragrance that speaks to me of river towns in Vietnam, Thailand and India, especially the Kerala riverboat adventures. It’s almost like the Indian fragrance oils. So many flowers, leaves, twigs and spices all in one place, it is hyper fragrance for fearless adventurers. Bold and bright, Rivertown Road burns an indelible trace across my memory rewriting much that has gone before. The notes on the site read like a roll call of everything ever put into a fragrance
Opening Notes: French Lavender, Dominican Bay, Key Lime, Bergamot
Heart Notes: Dry White Violet, Seville Lavender Absolute, Jasmine Sambac, Green Roses, Saigon Cinnamon, Mimosa Absolute, Tobacco Absolute, Carnation Accord, Foin Coupe (mown hay) Absolute,  Tonka Bean Tincture
Base Notes: Tolu Essence, Animalic Musk, Cedar Wood Oil, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Haitian Vetiver, Beach Ambergris, Liquidambar, Nutmeg Absolute, Oakmoss Accord, Aged Patchouli

You want to try this fabulous crew? Click> SOIVOHLE and it will take you to the Home Page.

Thanks for reading all the way. It was a long one today.

Much love,

Portia xx

PS All pictures from the SOIVOHLE site

DIOR: Shanghai Spring/Summer 2012 highlights

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Hey Fellow Fumeheads,

Having adored it all my life I studied Fashion in the 1980’s and there is a thrill still left for me in the words Yves Saint Laurent, Vivenne Westwood, Hermes, Donna Karan, Gucci, Thierry Mugler, Louis Vuitton, Gianni Versace and of course Christian Dior. There are many more names that could have been in this list but these names are the ones that have stuck in my head and which I associate with the longing I felt for high fashion while having neither the budget, body or where with all to be it. There was a spate of label purchasing through my 20’s and 30’s of usually off beat, unwanted, ready-to-wear pieces that had found their way to the discount stores in Europe and the USA, some house store sale shopping and the very rare in-season piece that I couldn’t live without. What I did do through these years though was buy ties, shoes, belts and fragrance from the big guys, giving me a taste of my dreams without losing the shirt off my back.


Photo Stolen from gatshfros.blogspot.com

For the rest I have stolen runway ideas and thrown them into my costumes; a collar, cuff, colour or treatment that moved me each season. Not to be up to date but because I was inspired by the bevy of amazing things done. Most of it was grown out of and handed down to the next generation and sometimes I see a newbie in bits and pieces of something I made 20 years ago.


Photo Stolen from internationalposter.com

My favourite designer purchase I ever wore was a gold/orange and dark coffee Thierry Mugler footed catsuit with the Thierry Mugler TM as the LV in open mockery of Louis Vuitton luggage. It was funny and silly and I wore it a lot. Its first ever wear was at the Cannes Film Festival to be interviewed by Ruby Wax while we were there promoting Priscilla: Queen of the Desert in 1994, or 1995? Cool huh?


Photo Stolen from egodesign.ca

Why have I included this long and seemingly pointless preamble? I came across this awesome video of the Shanghai DIOR show from March and realised that I am completely without a fragrance from Christian Dior in my Wardrobe. I love Diorissimo, Dune, J’Adore, Poison, Eau Savage, Fahrenheit and Dior Homme but have not purchased any of them for years, maybe because it’s so easy to go to a counter and get a squirt when the mood takes me, maybe not. It seems a glaring omission and I think I’ll have to rectify it during the week.

No reviews or anything today. Sorry. It’s Sunday and sunny and I want to be out among it. Wearing Soivohle; Rosa Sur Reuse and am quite liking it though. Maybe I’ll review it for you someday.
Have a super lovely day,
Portia xx

Please enjoy this short and sweet look at Shanghai DIOR Spring/Summer 2012.

Giselle talks Liberte by Cacharel, WEEKLY WINNER ANNOUNCED

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hi Gang,

We had a wonderful set of COMPETITION GIVEAWAY responses this week and I enjoyed reading them all. Some great and personal stories you shared. In the prize pack;

Opus Oils Jitterbug Perfume Parlour Venus perfume oil sample

1.5ml decant spray of Miss Boucheron EdP

1.5ml decant spray of Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete EdT

Part manufacturers samples of Parfum d’Empire Cuir Ottoman EdP and Ambre Russe EdP

plus postage and packing to anywhere in the world

Tonight’s


Photo Stolen from sistersavealot.com

is Penny Cascio

Congratulations Penny! Please get in touch by Wednesday May 9 or I’ll give your prize to someone else.

In the video offering tonight Giselle Bundchen talks about life, love and Liberte by Cacharel (orange, patchouli, white flowers, vetiver, bergamot). A surprisingly effortless conversation with depth and understanding, Giselle shows she is more than the images we get of her in the press. I enjoyed watching it and I LOVE Liberte (Portia’s APJ Review), which is sadly discontinued but available at many of the online fragrance sale stores (FragranceNet 2.5oz under $40)

Have a great Saturday, see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

PS> I am not affiliated with any of the companies I extoll.

The New Cupboard

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Hi All,

Don’t forget to leave a comment in the COMPETITION GIVEAWAY post yesterday

Since being inspired and awed by Victoria who recently won the 2012 Editorial Excellence – Blog/E-Zine Fifi for “Luxury vs Function in Perfumery” Bois de Jasmin, March 15, 2011 (Congratulations and snaps Victoria, all hail the reigning Queen) I have been trolling the web even more to learn what makes a great and interesting blogger, to me. There is so much out there. All of us at different levels, everyone getting their say. So democratic. It’s hard to keep up with everyone, especially when many blogs don’t have a delivered to your inbox button. So the people I read every day come to my inbox (about 17) and then I troll for the rest, yes I know about RSS feed but always forget to check it till Sunday.

According to the scentbloggosphere there are a few stages we go through from regular Jo to Perfumista. On the Posh Peasant while purchasing decants from my GIFT CERTIFICATE!! (thanks to TSO Jin, what a guy) I found a 2007 article by Angela, who seems to have hit my story on the head at Now Smell This with her Becoming A Perfumista story . Although it doesn’t mirror my experience exactly it did feel spooky and familiar. It’s good to know I’m not alone. Here is the crux of her story;

Stage One; Strong Interest. Love perfume, have a few, follow releases.

Stage Two: Beginning Perfume Mania. Nearly finished here. Learning ingredients, looking for something special, finding like minded people.

Stage Three: Full Blown Perfume Mania. Moving towards here. Must try every fragrance ever made, writing blog, doing course (soon)

Stage Four: Connoisseurship. Love perfumes, have a wardrobe of incredibly special ones, follow releases but with knowledge

So The Significant Other, Jin, and I trotted off to IKEA to buy a new cupboard for perfumes, decants, decanting supplies, mail needs, and boxes on one side and all my Turbo Trivia and P T Palace homestay needs on the other. It has changed my life having a handyman superhero around the house, imagine being this happy putting a cabinet together. Thanks universe. It’s the woolly winter house socks that give him special powers BTW. Ari on Scents of Self recently did a gag about the suspenseful IKEA how to booklets but watching Jin whip up a complete unit in around an hour was Ah May Zing! It would have taken me the whole day and not turned out looking like a cupboard at all.

When I get my office to a state where photographs won’t incriminate me as a messy desk person I will shoot some in situ shots. It does look rather good all set up and full of the businesses of being me.

Thanks for dropping in I thought you might like this super model laden D&G ad.
It’s fun, and they make it look effortless.

Much love,
Portia xx