Portia

Opus III by Karine Vinchon Spehner for Amouage 2010

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hello Fragrance Family,

Yes, I know i’ve come late to the Library Collection. I don’t know why but earlier I found them boring or awful. Ever since I fell madly in love with Opus IX in Vienna while shopping with Val CQ, Sandra, Anna-Maria and Jin last year. I bought it on the spot at full retail without even thinking about it because it’s so damn gorgeous. So i thought I better give the rest of the set a respritz and Bloody Hell, they are wonderful.

Opus III by Amouage: The Library Collection 2010

Opus III by Karine Vinchon Spehner

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top:  Carnation, Broom, Mimosa, Nutmeg, Thyme
Heart: Jasmine, Orange blossom, Violet, Ylang-ylang
Base: Ambrette, Benzoin, Gaiac wood, Musk, Papyrus, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Cedar

The opening is sharp but mellowed by a smoothly waxy violet leaf with sizzling, spicy green-ness and already the creamy ylang is present. Opus III is a chunky violet/waxy/lipstick and hairspray fragrance that for me smells like I imagine kissing one of the glamorous Hollywood stars in the 1940s & 50s. It’s all cool fresh and floral up top and I’m surprised there’s no narcissus because I am getting some raunchy vegetal something, probably the jasmine, ambrette and orange blossom. Woody dry down is dry and resinous, lightly sweet. Charmingly innocent.

Flickr

One of the reviews I read mentions the word sleek and suddenly the whole fragrance makes real sense to me. Opus III is a sleek and flawless beauty that still manages to be friendly and approachable. Very easy to wear and love.

My imagine takes me to a well heeled businesswoman at the top of her game. Confident and talented in whatever role she’s in. A likeable, generous boss who also manages to get the job done. Though Opus III is happily unisex smelling this is my vision.

PDI

Further reading: Now Smell This and Australian Perfume Junkies
Libertine Parfumerie has $487/100ml with FREE Australian Delivery

What fragrances have you dismissed and returned to love?
Portia xx

Emeraude Agar by Jerome Epinette for Atelier Cologne 2016

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hey Hey APJ,

Do you remember Coty’s Emerald? Well I love it, even in its modern form, but in the interests of full disclosure I rarely wear it anymore. As soon as I saw the name of todays fragrance I couldn’t wait to get my sniff on it. Add to that the lovely green (my favourite colour) of the label and it being brand new to the Atelier Cologne Metal Collection and I was practically panting. Not too far from the truth in the very hot summer we are having here in Sydney, Australia.

So I’ve poured the whole sample vial on at once, arms and chest.

Emeraude Agar by Atelier Cologne 2016

Emeraude Agar by Jerome Epinette

 

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Angelica, Bergamot, Black pepper
Heart: Eucalyptus, Geranium, Turkish rose absolute
Base: Gaiac wood, Malayan oud, Mysore sandalwood

Black pepper with a tinge of green over bro-woods is my initial thought. In the rose/oudh category this little baby is leaning to the masculine but in a 21st century niche woodsiness that speaks to me of gym changing rooms and boozy middle management on Friday night. TBH I was expecting more from the note list. Very little Angelica on me, the Eucalyptus passes me by and the geranium fails to even add its perky kick in any meaningful way.

I just read that back and it reads like a diss. Nah, not a diss. I quite like the way Emerald Agar smells but it’s hardly a boundary pusher or even feeling very niche OR it feels like all the lazy formulaic niche. Maybe I’m just feeling bitchy in the  41C humid heat.

PDI

The sandalwood is a very nice approximation. Creamy, soft, supple sandalwood like running your hand over one of those beautifully carved and polished wood bowls you see in country style stores for extravagant prices. Add that to the plethora of other wood in the base, and the super subtle hint of oudh, it’s my favourite part of the whole experience. Lasting power is good for an Atelier too. I could imagine a one fragrance person going through a bottle of Emerald Agar in the cooler months of the year in record time and even have it work well into the summer. If you told me there was ambergris in the base here I’d believe you, salty driftwood dry down with a creamy smooth overlay, seriously the end is wonderful.

Flickr

LuckyScent has $130/30ml
Surrender To Chance has $4.80/ml

Can you be tempted by name and bottle? Does the colour of the packaging ever help you decide?
Portia xx

Black Afghan by Mad et Len 2016

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hello lover of NEW!

Recently the LuckyScent Unboxing Day pack arrived. I love to buy them because usually half the things in them are stuff I would never go out and try. Part of that is living on the other side of the world but another part is the sheer enormity of fragrance released. I had not even heard about this brand until I saw the pack. Things slip under everyone’s radar when we’re busy living life. So, I trust the LuckyScent guys to do a lot of my culling for me and send me the newest, best and most saleable from their ranges.

This time I was particularly interested in the new Atelier Cologne stuff but what a nice surprise to meet a new brand also. This is my favourite from the Mad et Len range from sniffing the samples in the pack, come and do my first full wearing with me.

Black Afghan by Mad et Len 2016

http://www.luckyscent.com/product/75207/black-afgan-by-mad-et-lenLuckyScent

Panful gives these featured accords:
Leather, Musk, Resins, Woody notes

From LuckyScent: Welcome to the dark side of musk- midnight-black velvet layers of oud-tinged mystery with fiery spice lurking beneath the surface. This is fragrance as a holy garment, a cloak of powerful sensuality to connect you to a different plane of reality. You don’t wear Black Afgan- you let it envelop you.

Slightly poopy oudh with a nose tingling chilli, black pepper and cinnamon zing (I have no idea if these are the spices used but they do smell present to me). I don’t know about a holy garment, I would expect more smoke and incense, a cloak of powerful sensuality would have more animalics that smell sweaty, fleshy, sweet and raunchy but I mainly get poop and a little medicine. The heart smooths everything out and I question if there’s a white flower present?

I am wondering if the ride might be different spritzed? Hang on a sec while I decant my sample

PDI

A softer open when sprayed, cleaner, clearer, less poopy and more floaty. Once the coolness burns off there is much more of a honeyed resin smell, as if it’s been warmed but not yet smoking. You know when you walk around the spice markets and come across bags and bags of resins? When you walk into that shop you get a smell like this. It’s dry, warm and enveloping. The leather comes through and dark lightly decal woods. Spritzing is a whole different beast. More interesting but less confronting. Beautiful.

Smoke and leather with mild oudh-ishness to finish. I’ve really enjoyed wearing Black Afghan. It’s strange that there are no other reviews, it’s worth a sniff.

PDI

LuckyScent has $165/50ml and samples

Do you ever get the LuckyScent Sample Packs? Have you then ever bought a FB from one?
Portia xx

Scent Diary: 30.1 – 5.2.17: Sample Week

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hey Crew,

So it’s Monday and I just realised last night I’m going on a cruise on Saturday. By the time you read this I’ll be deep in the South Pacific living it up. It was a mad scramble, as always, so the posts will be scarce. Not empty but less full definitely.

Sample Week Scent Diary 30.1 – 5.2.17

Monday 30:

Woke up this morning in a panic. I’m leaving on Saturday for the South Pacific Cruise and NOTHING is organised for my trip. I have to write 3 weeks of Trivia Q&A and get the blog set so you all have something to read while I’m off. It’s sample week so I did a huge 12 spritz of Atelier Cologne Camelia Intrepide. Very pretty floral tea scent, a creamy tea. Super fresh but comforting and with enough bells and whistles that I’m kept interested while writing Q&A. I spent so long at the computer my eyes went googly.

Then, because I was at the end of my tether, Kath, Alice, Jin & I went and tried a new pizza place that wins prizes in Napoli. The food was really good but it was just too hot to have any fun. I thought Jin was going to expire.

Having just had the most fabulous cold Lolita Lempicka bubble bath I decided to spritz Annick Goutal Les Colognes Neroli. About 2ml of it. Pithy orange peel and maybe cardamom?
One downer is that I’ll probably only get one more bubble bath from the LL.
More Trivia Q&A and off to bed in another glorious cloud of Annick Goutal Les Colognes Neroli, and that’s my 5ml done.

Tuesday 31:

OMG! So freaking hot. We let the dogs sleep inside with us last night. They’re well behaved and quiet on their inside beds. I took a couple of pics for Undina from Undina’s Looking Glass, hope you like them. BTW It’s Undina’s 6th blog-versary. Drop on over and say hi, you’ll get to meet her handsome owner Rusty.
Jinx (Jin’s dog) is the top shot and he’s saying, “Leave me to sleep please Daddy.”
Paris (my baby) is already awake and chewing his newest rope toy. Few things make him so happy as a new toy.

Jin surprised me with pancakes for breakfast, made from scratch and served with brown sugar and lemon juice. MY FAVOURITE!!! This is the Sunday dinner Mum used to make us when she ran out of money. We never knew and thought it was the biggest treat ever, still do. Look how pleased Jin is at making such a surprise. He’s having Maple Syrup on his.

I had to go get my sea sick pills, sleeping tablets, sunscreen and ginger tablets for the cruise. While I was there I grabbed a tetanus injection too, just in case. He took my heart rate and was so surprised at how perfect it was and then asked me to weigh myself which was only 113KGs. I was expecting 125KGs. So though I’m no skinny Minnie it felt like a real win. Anyway, as I was waiting for my script to be filled I noticed this Elizabeth Arden Cherry Blossom Green Tea tester and as I was scent naked proceeded to give myself 6 big blasts. Punching well above its $10/50ml price tag I found it a lovely dry floral tea. It gives me the same ache in the back of my throat that a cuppa of Green Tea does and smells quietly creamy and refreshing. Sadly it was gone after an hour but for that money…. NOPE. I did not purchase.

Tonight for work emptied a sample vial of Emeraude Agar by Atelier Cologne on my arms & chest. Opening very pepper & bro-woods generic, dry down is lovely salty driftwood and creamy sandalwood. I can’t believe it has ended up so gorgeous. Review to follow. 6 hours later I’m still gorgeously fragrant.
Sending off a sample of Oriza Legrand Reve d’Ossian and while making up the pack gave myself a spritz. Perfectly posed Catholic liturgical incense BOMB! Love it. Why didn’t this beauty get more love?

Wednesday 1:

Today is all about getting stuff done. All the invoices, postage, tidying the house and doing the laundry pre-holiday. All of it today. This morning I’m wearing Black Afghan by Mad et Len, a pepper rich, woodsy oudh. It came in a LuckyScent Sample Pack. Review to follow.

In the afternoon I decided something cooler was in order and recently I had an Amouage Opus III arrive. When these beauties first came out I found them less than thrilling. In a full 180 degree turn I now I seem to have suddenly realised their magic, since falling so heavily for IX & X. IX being a full retail purchase last year, couldn’t wait because I loved it so much. Opus III is a chunky violet/waxy/lipstick, smoke and hairspray fragrance and a fair whack of green/resinous animalics.

Duck dinner with TinaG & Alice (A F Beauty) because I’m cruising on Saturday. We had soups, a whole duck as pancakes and then San Choy Bow, desserts. Excellent farewell. Jin has officially stolen my L‘Occitane Cedrat L’Homme and it smells terrific on him. An aquatic wood, yum.

Thursday 2:

Cleaned the house, washed the linen and some last minute clothes, blogged and organised and did stuff that took forever but feels like I’ve only slightly dented the list. Have worn so much fragrance today for blogging purposes and now at 4pm I’m sitting in the middle of a fog of Surrender, the Dominique Durban creation for Surrender To Chance. BLOODY HELL! It’s the thickest, most chewy jasmine I ever smelled, unbelievable petrochemical opening that becomes this incredible jasmine soliflore. You MUST get some.

Friday 3:

FINISHED all posts for APJ while I’m gone by 10am, that’s about 5 hours ahead of my planned schedule. BIG relief.
Fragrantly I’m wearing Spiritus/Land by Miller & Bertaux. Ginger, pepper, incense and woods. It’s beautiful. This crew is woefully unrecognised for their lovely work.
Now some minor cleaning, packing and organising. Tonight Jin & I are going to wander down the road to town and get some dinner, maybe have a wine, come back here and snuggle on the couch watching TV.
Here are my Travel Fragrances for the cruise….

 

Back:Mohur EdP, Divine EdP, Mitsouko EdT, Vaninger, Stash, Miss Dior parfum, Niki de Saint Phalle EdT, Bombay Bling EdP
Front: Epice Marine, Cuir d’Ange

You’ll notice every one of these is a manufacturer travel size of 30ml or less. Please take note perfume creators. If you make it small, I will buy it. 15 – 30ml is perfect for travel, respritzing and having handily in handbag or backpack.

Saturday 4:

 

Sunday 5:

 

 

3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hello Fragrant Family,

We have suddenly jumped into 2017 and we’ve had some time to reflect. I’ve been madly going through my fragrance wardrobe to find things that need to be culled. Already 31 full bottles and some excess lotions have found new homes and I’m pretty chuffed about that. Hopefully I can sell or gift at least another 70 so my cull will reach 100.

Obviously the cull will merely make space for more fragrances. It’s a vicious cycle and Scott & I have a theory that it’s the hunting & buying that brings me the most pleasure anyway. Especially the vintage stuff.

Anyway, in my cleanup I’ve found a bunch of my 2016 fragrant purchases and was wondering which of them I get the most wear and enjoyment from.

3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys

Here are my regulations for the choice:
1: Only bought in 2016, release or manufacture date irrelevant.
2: Must be a bottle, can be used or new at purchase time.
3: Can not be a backup
4: Can not be a replacement

So here are my 3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys

Fragrantica

Morn To Dusk by Eau d’Italie: 
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lily of the valley
Heart: Vanilla
Base: Musk

Crunchy vanilla with a few bells & whistles. Probably too simple for most perfumistas and could very easily be a perfect ambient scent rather than fine fragrance but I love it. So warm and enveloping. It really does last from Morn To Dusk too and goes through some cool to warm and then lightly fleshy to end.

Le Jardin de Monsieur Li Hermes FragranticaFragrantica

Monsieur Li by Hermès:
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Kumquat, jasmine, mint

I know. Most of you didn’t adore this baby. JCEs Hermès swansong, but it smells good on me and people notice it and comment favourably. It is the perfect spritz and go, or spritz and sit. Today I wore it while paying bills and it kept me calm as my available cash reserves dwindled. No mean feat.

Sang Bleu Le Galion FragranticaFragrantica

Sang Bleu by Le Galion: 
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Galbanum, orange, bergamot, lemon, wormwood, rosemary, eucalyptus, geranium, jasmine, rose, violet, pink pepper, carnation, cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver

The Le Galion crew make wonderful fragrances. Why the hell isn’t EVERYONE madly in love with their shit? Sang Bleu is as perfectly composed as the rest of the line, smells great but not challenging and lasts well throughout a hectic day. Not to mention how lovely the bottles are visually and tactilely. Sang Bleu is a unisex cologne loaded for romance.

So of all my fragrant buys in 2016 these three have the most air in them and are most regularly used around the house on personal scenting time.
What are your 3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys?
Portia xx

 

Celestial Rose by Ramón Béjar 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hello Rose Freaks,

Having had a boxed sample of this fragrance on my desk winking at me since Josie at OSSWALD NYC gave it to me as a GWP in 2014 I finally felt compelled today to open it and have a sniff.

You can come along on the ride too.

Celestial Rose by Ramón Béjar 2014

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Artemisia, bergamot
Heart: Turkish rose oil, geranium, peach
Base: Turkish rose, musk, amber

Rose, geranium, broken rose stem and torn leaves. Clean, clear rose that is very upper register.

OK, so the opening of Celestial Rose reminds me strongly of Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose. All of a sudden I’m a kid again and I can’t remember who it was but someone I knew wore it back then. It’s a funny sensation of memory because recently I was out with a drag girlfriend and she smelled of the most fabulous roses. Upon asking what she was wearing, expecting it to be a high end niche beauty she replied Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose. It smelled freaking amazing on her and all night I kept coming in for sniffs.

PDI

When I asked some mates one in particular agreed that it could be a reminder but told me to wait for the velvety, luxe dry down. Yes it went velvety and yes it is lovely but I still have the Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose playing in the background 5 hours on. Admittedly the whole fragrance has softened and become creamy musk and amber but still the roses are there catching my attention and singing softly.

Do I love Celestial Rose? Nope. I do really like it though. If you are after a luxurious 21st century version of Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose then this will definitely hit the spot. Add to that the spectacular bottle and maybe…… but nah. Not this one.

Further reading: EauMG
Feeling Sexy has $279/75ml (a special New To Australia price till Jan 31 2017)

How do you like your roses?
Portia xx

Rubis Rosé by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hey Fumies,

This week is Use My Samples & Decants Week. You’ll be reading a bunch of first time experiences of fragrances that have been here in vials or decants and sat unworn so far. Yes, if it’s a 1ml vial I will pour the whole thing on and wear it for a day. Obviously they have been sniffed before and often dabbed but got put in the Must Further Investigate pile and then left. So hopefully I will get to use at least 7, hopefully more.

Rubis Rosé by DSH Perfumes 2014

Rubis Rosé by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Ambergris, black tea, Bulgarian rose, rose, olibanum, rose oil, oakmoss, green tea, guaiac wood, green leaves, myrrh, neroli, orris, pink pepper, raspberry, fruity notes, tea rose

Rubis Rosé opens dry, sweet and fruity. It’s an unusual opening that brings to mind rose petals in black tea with a lemon slice. The fruit isn’t quite lemon though, a bit less antiseptic and friendlier. Maybe more a Rosé wine, a dryer, less fizzy one, lightly chilled.

If you like the tea scent of roses in your garden then this will definitely be a winner. It’s as subtle and close as garden roses but every now and then I get a luscious, rich, fruity, red rose waft that’s just overblown at dawn and I’ve come across it as all dew has dissipated. Considering the extensive note list Rubis Rosé is surprisingly simple at first sniff. It ages greener and dryer, becoming more woody and leafy. The teas become more prominent too. Is this a rose chypre? is a question I have asked myself more than once on the journey.

PDI

 

Personally I have a plethora of rose scents here and the ones I reach for most are the heavier, denser and more swampy or oudh-ish like Midnight Oud by JHaG, original Agent Provocateur, Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations or Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids. If these babies scare the shit out of you then Rubis Rosé could be a perfect rose for you.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and EauMG
DSH Perfumes has samples from $6

How do you like your roses? Radiant or swampy?
Portia xx

Scent Diary 23 – 29.1.17

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hey Crew,

Welcome to week two of Scent Diary. Really it’s a meandering wander with me through my life with scented asides. Hopefully you like this shit, sorry ’bout it if you don’t.

This week has been fun and mildly hectic. Come along for the ride.

Scent Diary 23 – 29.1.17

Monday 23:

Jin was on night shift last night and when he got home this morning, unusually, he woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep so I bumped out of bed and started getting stuff organised. One spritz of Cacharel Liberté to give me a zingy citrus wake up. Very nice.

In the mail today were a bunch of Neela Vermeire Creations 15ml Take Twos. Trayee, Mohur and Ashoka came to be shared. I love the idea of having 15ml travel bottles and my ones will be coming on the South Pacific Cruise next week. Best thing about the Take Twos is that I can buy one for me and one to share. Luckily I have a mate in Europe who can send my stuff across (Thanks V!) but they are available from LuckyScent who ship worldwide.
Went to visit an old work buddy who is now managing a hotel within a group. He has expressed interest in having Turbo Trivia so I took him some info and fingers are crossed that we get a few of the pubs on a weekly basis.

Then Jin & I went for Yum Cha, you can tell he is pretty happy because he just spotted the Battered & Deep Fried Crispy Tentacles. They are his absolute favourite. He’s bloody easy to keep happy really.
Monday night writing the weeks Trivia Q&A I wore the original Lolita Lempicka EdP. Sweet liquorice cotton candy. It’s a great fun wear.

Tuesday 24:

At 3.19am I finally finish writing Trivia Q&A. I’m going to heavily spritz Liberté by Cacharel and hit the fart sack. Jin’s already 4-5 hours of Zs ahead.

Up at 8am to walk the dogs because they were whinging at the door and I didn’t want to clean up doggie accident. Respritzed Liberté because it’s so comfortable, I’m nearly halfway through my second 75ml bottle. Even this early, got home from our walk about 8.45am, the sun is ferocious and I could feel myself burning. Note to self, wear sunscreen for extended walks.
Scott came today and we went frag shopping with Jin. Woo Hoo! Found a Tester bin with some excellent stuff. Grabbed a 30ml Mitsouko, 50ml JPG Fragile EdT, 50ml JPG Classique, 100ml Lolita Lempicka Eau Masculine and 100ml Emporio Armani She all for about AUD$70.

To celebrate Jin took us all to Hawa, our favourite Middle Eastern Chicken Shop in Granville. It is the yummiest chicken and comes with tour, pickles, chips and flat bread. We scoffed it down.

Tonight for work I wore Magie Noire by Lancome. Not quite sure of its age but it’s a lovely chypre that feels fuzzy and firry yet cool & sophisticated. Very elegant. MMM
They had special Peking Duck Pancakes for Chinese New Year at the bistro tonight and they were bloody delicious. We had a really busy night too with 74 people playing.

Wednesday 25:

I love Jin’s days off, especially when I have a day free too. As we left the house I dabbed some vintage Chloe extrait and Jin triple spritzed Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations.
We jumped on a bus to Parramatta and Jin organised his new credit card and savings account. He’s trialling a new bank because we are thinking of moving.

It also became haircut day with both of us getting sharp new dos.

After that on the train we went to town to meet one of our besties for lunch. Indian and Guylian chocolate were on the menu, Jin had ramen. Afterwards we dropped into Hermès tie shopping and I drenched myself in Hermès Equipage Geranium which was really good but I can’t really remember it because we were busy.
Tonight our friend Latai came over for Pizza and Tomorrowland movie with George Clooney, it was a fabulous idea put poorly into action.
Now it’s bed time and I’m going to drench myself in Annick Goutal Songes.

Thursday 26:

Australia Day here in Oz. I’m ambivalent about this celebration. It’s the day the English arrived and stole the continent from its rightful owners and the Aborigines have not fared well in our ensuing takeover, so I feel bad for them. It’s also a day to celebrate my homeland, one of the most beautiful, interesting and diverse countries geographically in the world. I love our flora and fauna, yes even the deadly stuff, and our climate.
Celebrating fragrantly I am wearing loads of Australian Independent Perfumery, Vanille Tonique by Evocative Perfumes. Sweet amberish vanilla with a dry core, very nice. Wears well on a super hot summers day.

Had a Shalimar Bubble Bath and thought I was spraying Shalimar parfum afterwards but it was Mitsouko by Guerlain. That was perfect for work and I got two lovely compliments but when I got home I headed straight for the Shalimar EdP by Guerlain and went crazy.

Friday 27:

This morning, inspired by a comment on Perfume posse, I am luxuriating in wafts of Nuit de Tubereuse by L’Artisan. Why don’t I wear this more often. While I’m fully BWF fragrant I’m replying on APJ and Perfume Posse. About to start packing and sending the fragrances that have been sold this week on FaceBook. All up 51 sold in my cull! Amazing.
Spending a little time today while eating left over Pizza watching The Expanse on Netflix. I like it.
For dinner Alice & I snuck off to the Ryde/Eastwood Leagues Club to have Peking Duck. Best In Sydney. EXCEPT it’s fricken Chinese New Year, booked out and Set Menu. So we went to Billus Indian in Harris Park which was bloody ripper: service, food, outdoors in the evening cool. Heaven. We had samosas, pakora, some spicy capsicum chicken dish and aloo mutter with gravy. After Alice had mango kulfi and I had a mango lassi.

My dinner fragrance was Eau Parfumee au The Noir by Bulgari. It’s smoky tea and wood was the perfect accompaniment to our adventure. By the end of dinner though I needed a respritz so Lys Soleia by Guerlain came out. After a long summer day the creamy jasmine and ylang blend with a my man sweat to create a salty seaside scent.

Fragrantica

Saturday 28:

Chinese (ALL of Far East Asia really) New Year and Jin is eating Rice Cake Soup to celebrate. I spritzed Sushi Imperiale by Bois 1920 to feel part of it all.

For a 40th birthday gig tonight I wore Samsara vintage extrait & EdT. Perfectly gorgeous creamy sandalwood bomb. I wish I had a photo. It was a backyard gig and they’d built a stage & hired a microphone setup but forgotten lighting and proper sound equipment. The sound was quiet and muffled but the crew came to the rescue and sang the choruses of Carpenters On Top Of The World and Marcia Hines Ain’t Nobody. The birthday boy was super stressed but it all went off splendidly with only minor hiccups.

Sunday 29:

DUMPLINGS!! Breakfast at Din Tai Fung in Chatswood with one of my longest and dearest friends Eve and her daughter. I wore Monsieur Li by Hermès again because it fits with Chinese New Year, wears beautifully in the heat and smells great on. Then we had a little wander around the shops. It was a perfectly lazy start to the day. How great are Jin & Evie in this shot? Check the peacock wallpaper too.

Bath time at Chez Turbo. Today I was in a cool bath with B&BW Sensual bubbles. Nothing sensual about it, it’s a sizzling fruitchouli concoction that is halfway between Mugler Angel and Cacharel Liberté. Smells excellent and fun.

Started a Sample & Decant using week so my first to go was the whole vial of Rubris Rose by DSH Perfumes. Review to follow.

So there’s my week in review. Anything exciting happen for or around you?
Portia xx

Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade GIVEAWAY WINNER

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Hey APJ,

Woo Hoo! Let’s see who won,
Portia xx

Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade

GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Labdanum

Surrender To Chance has samples from $5/ml

 

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade Carded Manufacturers Sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Saturday 28th January 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winner was chosen by random.org

Neva

 

The winner will have till Wednesday 1st February 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Micky & Moby Candles

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

.

Portia

.

Hey Ambient Scenters,

One of my mates, who has been a mate since our teen years, gave me some Micky & Moby candles for my birthday last year. I thought the packaging with its black & white cats and paw print on the labels, the hand applied strings with scent names and the big glass jars were all very simple but beautiful. Almost a nautical look. As soon as my bathroom candle was finished I brought one of them in and it sits with the lid off on my bathroom window sill. The scent is exactly the right amount to give a calm, fresh and clean scent to the room every time i walk in. When guests come I light the candle and it cleanses the air of all the human waste smells in a minute, yes really. It’s also a lovely soft scented light for my late night baths. TBH it’s my preferred way to bathe but mostly I do it in the daytime for work purposes.

Micky & Moby Candles

This is the original glass jar I got my Micky & Moby candles in. Simple and perfect. They’re $20 and you can email Emma on mickyandmoby@gmail.com and below are a list of fragrances and sizes

Micky & Moby Candle Fragrances
Uplifting
Sweet lemongrass
Lemongrass and Ginger
Fresh Coffee
Jasmine
Gardenia
Rose
Lemon Verbena
Butt Naked
Coconut Lime
Bamboo and White Lily
Lavender
Watermelon
Love Spell
Black Raspberry and Vanilla

Large Candles $20
Small candles $10
Shot Glass candles $5.
Tea lights $1.00 each
To order please email mickyandmoby@gmail.com

Micky & Moby also have these great new jars and bowls. Aren’t they heaven?

Please tell Emma you were sent by APJ, she’ll be so excited that you’re part of the family.
Portia xxx