Arpege Parfum (Vintage) by Andre Fraysse for Lanvin 1927

March 6, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Heya Scented Sniffers,

I bought this bottle from Odona on Etsy. They are reasonably priced and when one of their frags had leaked about 70% of its contents in transit they gave me a refund on it. They are very nice people and their frags are fabulous.

Arpege Parfum (Vintage) by Andre Fraysse for Lanvin 1927

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, aldehydes, peach, orange bloom, honeysuckle, orris
Heart: Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, coriander, sensitive plant, tuberose, violet, geranium
Base: Sandalwood, vetiver, patchoulis, vanilla, musk

Arpege, I know that it was worn by some of the Aunties but it was definitely seen as being for the younger or quieter of them when I was growing up. The louder or more mature were wearing Giorgio, Shalimar, No 5 and Poison. Sometimes, though the memory is faint, I do remember seeing the famously ridged glass atomiser bottle with the black bakelite cap come out of purses for resprays. There is something very soft, and soft focus, about the Eau of Arpege. Today though I would like to chat about the parfum.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I think my top notes are about to turn, they are a good deal less sparkling and radiant than they should be, but less than a minute in the gorgeous thick and rich scent comes alive, so many aldehydes that it’s almost oily in its intensity. Fruity and thick like the syrup from a can of peaches but more pronounced, more effervescent and way more lavish. A thick sinuous rope of fragrance that is hefty enough to lift you up and carry you away.

Multi-faceted Arpege parfum, so many flowers and fruits, herbs and aldehydes all mixed together in a less sophisticated bouquet than CHANEL No 5 but giving a girlish laugh, nod and wink in its direction. Fascinating in its various hues and gilded like a Klimt painting, imagine the perfumer looking at this one of Adele Bloch Bauer 20 years after it was created and Jeannie Lanvin asking the perfumer to recreate it in scent. And that’s what we have, a big fragrance by today’s standards that is filled to the brim with beautiful notes yet lives as one perfectly cohesive and elegant fragrance.

Photo Stolen Flickr

After the fireworks of the opening subside and we are well into the heart of this vintage Arpege parfum I find myself transported back to my youth and cuddling some of the Aunties who smelled so fabulous.

I only dab so I’m not ridiculously fragrant but I a sweetly perfumed and would be a bit overwhelming in most modern workplaces I think. Though this is so good and lasts so long that I think it would be an excellent day out frag, you’d still be smelling gorgeous even after a huge day of picnics, art galleries or shopping. I have been dabbing myself on Saturdays as we continue the search for our new home and it is a welcome relief from some of the smells we’ve encountered along the way.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Non Blonde
My Perfume Samples has current EdP $6/5ml
Vintage Arpege Extrait is still widely available on Ebay & Etsy

Portia xx

Photo Stolen Kesha&Co

Arpege Parfum (Vintage) GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Arpege Parfum (Vintage) sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell me an Arpege memory? Do you have one? Any scent your Aunties wore then?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Arpege Parfum (Vintage) #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3Fm #Perfume @LANVINofficial @lanvin_news

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 8th March 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 12th March 2015 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.

Fragrances of the World 2015: 31st Annual Edition

March 6, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hi there APJ Crew,

Every year a new and improved version of our Fragrance Bible is released by Fragrances Of the World. This years cover is the prettiest shade of mint green ever and I can’t wait to add it to my collection. The cover is the least impressive thing about this book though. Michael Edwards knowledge and years in the industry are what makes this so special.

Portia xx

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Book Launch:

Fragrances of the World 2015

The Fragrance Bible ®

31st Annual Edition

Fully Revised and Updated

In 2014, more than 1600 new perfumes appeared on the market. How to keep track?

Fragrances Of the World continues to be the leading guide for fragrance classification. Universally regarded as the ‘bible’ of perfumery, independent and impartial, unsurpassed in both its research and scope, this is the definitive reference trusted by perfumers, executives, journalists, retailers, collectors and shoppers worldwide.

“For me, Fragrances of the World is more than a guide book,” says Sumit Bhasin, Head of P&G Prestige’s Creative Development team. “It is the reference book for our industry. Michael’s in-depth knowledge combined with the very factual and up-to-date of fragrance references, makes it the go-to guide. Both the book and the online databank are widely used by my team.”

Hanuš Wolf, owner of Burgins Perfumery says “The guide has proved an invaluable sales tool. I introduced the Fragrance Bible as a tool to offer a level of service previously unknown to York, and within the first week alone, the incremental sales more than paid for the Fragrance Bible.”

It all began 31 years ago when fragrance expert Michael Edwards created an annual guide to help perfume retailers advise their customers. The book organises perfumes into 14 fragrance families – including Woods, Oriental, Floral, Fruity and Citrus – and even more subfamilies from which to choose. Refreshed weekly the online databank provides current and up to date details on new launches, while the annual guide book is an iconic sales tool with current and historic references at your fingertips.

Around the world people are consulting Fragrances Of the World:

“You wear J’Adore by Dior? Now let’s see. That’s a citrus fruity floral. You should try In Love Again by Yves Saint Laurent.”

“Your enduring favourite is Terre d’Hermès? That’s a crisp woods. Try Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf.”

“Your signature fragrance is Chloé but would like to try something new for day wear? That’s a classical rose floral. La Fille de Berlin by Serge Lutens is the new one for her.”

More information: Fragrances Of the World

Gabriella’s Top-Five Rose Scents 2015

March 5, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 33 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello fragrance friends! While I’m a huge floral lover, I’ve got to say that when it comes to rose, I’m pretty finicky. I tend to love darker, spicier roses or those with a chypre edge rather than the perfumes that make you feel like you’ve stuck your nose into a big bouquet full of blooms. It’s ironic really as the rose is where perfume all started for me. As a young girl (I’m quite sure many of you did this too) I decided to create my own perfume by plucking the petals off Mum and Dad’s rose bushes and soaking them in water, desperately hoping I’d get some glorious ladylike scent in the process. What resulted was a rank and fetid smelling water, but thank god, this did not put me off perfume or roses forever.
My favourite rose perfumes smell much more glorious than those failed experiments, so without further ado, I present to you:

Gabriella’s Top-Five Rose Scents 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

1. Paris by Sophia Grojsman for Yves Saint Laurent 1983

Fragrantica gives these accords:
Top: Bergamot and violet
Heart: May rose and iris
Base: Sandalwood

The formative rose. I was 14, I wanted to be all woman and this bold, shapeshifting scent in its iconic pink and black topped bottle was it. Paris, now vastly reformulated and lost in a mass of flankers, was a mesmerising concoction of violet, rose and iris, that managed to be bold and confident but demure and sweet all at the same time. I wore copious amounts underneath my school uniform and how I didn’t get expelled for overpowering the whole school with my sillage, I’ll never know.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Now Smell This

Fragrancenet starts at $43.99/30ml before coupon

Surrender to Chance starts at $3.00/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

2. Stella by Jacques Cavallier for Stella McCartney 2003

Fragrantica gives these accords:

Top: Rose oil, peony and a gentle touch of fresh tangerine

Heart: Rose

Base: Amber

The funny-story rose. I started to wear Stella around the time I was dating Mr M the first time around many years ago. I asked him what he thought of the green-tinged, but voluptuously warm amber rose creation. He said: “Smells like Grandma.” So, I stopped wearing it and it became my very expensive room spray. But then, every time Mr M came round, this is what my place and I smelt of. So, it was to my amusement a month or two later that he presented me with a bottle, completely forgetting the backstory and thinking that he done something wonderfully romantic because it “reminded him of me.”

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Now Smell This

Escentual starts at GBP35.70/30ml

Surrender to Chance starts at $3/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

3. Agent Provocateur by Christian Provenzano for Agent Provocateur 2000

Fragrantica gives these accords:

Top: saffron

Heart: Magnolia, Indian jasmine and gardenia blend together with strong woodsy-chypre scent

Base: Amber and musk notes

The va-va-voom rose. I tried Agent Provocateur firstly because the whole ethos of the scent was something I had to have. I was called “cute” even at age 30 and I all I wanted to be was a sexy and sultry goddess. The first whiff of Agent Provocateur had me in a spin because I had smelt nothing quite like it. A dark woody and utterly captivating chypre rose that says strength and sex all at the same time.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Dear Scent Diary

Fragrancenet starts at $33.99/50ml before coupon.

Surrender to Chance starts at $3/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

4. Lady Vengeance by Francis Kurkdjian for Juliette Has A Gun 2006

Fragrantica gives these accords in one line:
Italian rose, vanilla and patchouli.

The surprising rose. As I said, I’m finicky about rose. I’m also especially finicky when it comes to patchouli and as for vanilla and gourmands, they are usually no-go zones, but Francis Kurdjian has managed to create something with all four that I adore. It’s a sweet but dark rose that manages to be both pretty but voluptuous and vivacious at the same time with glorious sillage and lasting power.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Katie Puckrik

Libertine Parfumerie has $186/100ml

Surrender to Chance starts at $3/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

5. Gris Montaigne by Francois Demarchy for Christian Dior La Collection Privee 2013

Fragrantica gives these accords in one line:
Bergamot, rose, patchouli, amber, cedar, sandalwood and oakmoss.

The new rose. I enter the Christian Dior boutique expecting it would be New Look 1947 or Grand Bal I would buy as my upcoming birthday present. And although I’d smelt them before, I was underwhelmed as I stood there, nose to wrist. The SA kept pushing me towards Gris Montaigne with the assurance that “This is the one for you.” One sniff and my eyes rolled back in pleasure as I softly cooed. Gris Montaigne is surprising, because, if you read the notes, one would expect a spicy chypre rose a la Agent. What it actually is a very pretty, sparkling and sophisticated rose bouquet that is imminently wearable and utterly special.

Further reading: Kafkaesque and Cafleurebon

Christian Dior Boutiques have $335/125ml

Surrender to Chance starts at $3/ml

So, do you like any of my choices? Is rose love it or leave it for you? If you like rose, what are your faves?

With much love till next time!
M x

Lucky Essential Oils for Chinese New Year – Year of the Goat/Sheep

March 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Suzanne R Banks

2015 is the Chinese Year of the Wood Goat. Also referred to as the Sheep, this year is a more congenial year for everyone, with a very social aspect. It is a good time to nurture creativity and to work with others to help fulfill your goals. The goat is a social animal, happy to get along with others and go with the flow.

We may see a burst of creativity internationally, in art and fashion, and a growing focus on sustainability in all fields of life. Contentment in familial relationships will help us to be happier with ourselves and in all our relationships too.

Lucky Essential Oils for Chinese New Year

Year of the Goat/Sheep

Photo Stolen OpenClipArt

The essential oils that I love for everyone in this goat year are:

Patchouli – grounding and earthly ,peace, world peace

Ylang Ylang – release anger and frustration, an oil of love

Pine – inspirational, abundance through others, connect to mother nature

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Each animal sign in the Year of the Goat, will respond to challenges differently so why not use an essential oil this year as your good-luck piece of scented magic?

The Rat

Your year ahead – new opportunities, a better year than last year, take care of your health

Your lucky oil – fennel

The Ox

Your year ahead – increased work load, be more organised, avoid risks

Your lucky oil – rosemary

The Tiger

Your year ahead – creative ideas abound, be more focused, enjoy taking action quickly

Your lucky oil – petitgrain

The Rabbit

Your year ahead – plan ahead, look within to find what you love to do, help others

Your lucky oil – cedarwood Virginian

The Dragon

Your year ahead – you are in high demand, enjoy the NOW, travel

Your lucky oil – ginger

The Snake

Your year ahead – be flexible, consider your own needs, have courage

Your lucky oil – palmarosa

The Horse

Your year ahead – busy home life, listen to friends advice, work with others

Your lucky oil – mandarin

The Goat

Your year ahead – be realistic, make connections with new people, enjoy many social occasions

Your lucky oil – lemongrass

The Monkey

Your year ahead – have fun, ride the ups and downs with joy, new enterprise

Your lucky oil – cypress

The Rooster

Your year ahead – seek balance with rest, improve your lifestyle, be moderate

Your lucky oil – lavender

The Dog

Your year ahead – improve your psychic abilities, patience, accept newcomers

Your lucky oil – basil

The Pig

Your year ahead – popularity abounds, become entranced in projects, improve spiritual practices

Your lucky oil – frankincense

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Which Chinese zodiac animal are you? How will you use your lucky oil this year?

Best wishes to all my lovely readers and bon chance!
Suzanne R Banks xx

Suzanne R Banks Blog
Suzanne R Banks Aromatherapy
Suzanne R Banks FaceBook

Please check out my new book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Amazon USA Amazon AU Amazon UK

David Mallet Shampoo + Conditioner

March 3, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

The case of the unscented shower:

While I was in Melbourne recently Jill from Peony Melbourne popped a David Mallet shampoo and conditioner sample in one of my bags. I had no idea what the hype was about the Mallet products, but since Peony only sells the best and Jill’s hair continually looks healthy and shiny, I was definitely going to give them a try.

David Mallet Shampoo + Conditioner

Photo stolen Peony Melbourne

Without reading up on them I jumped in the shower and lathered up. Something was weird. At first I didn’t comprehend what it was. SILENCE!

GASP!!

Halfway through my shower I realized: It was completely UNSCENTED!!

I don’t now how long it’s been since I have had a scentless shower, but it was relaxing…incredibly so! Fantastic even!

My poor nose is on the go almost 24/7 sniffing for scents, so the 5 minutes (I’m on tank water…) I spent washing my hair suddenly felt meditative! No distractions I was right in the moment “Zen-ing out” as I lathered my hair.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

IT FELT WEIRD!! Like an eerie silence in a place that’s normally so noisy.

It was only after as I mulled the experience over in my head that I also realized that if I were anosmic that would be my showering experience (and every experience) EVERYDAY. Just my thoughts and I, no scents to distract me and take my mind away from the moment. Is that what scents are for us? Escapism?

After a little research I learn Hairdresser David Mallet is originally Australian and now is based in Paris. He does all the celebs hair and works for all the top fashion magazines for their shoots. It’s always fab to learn about Australians who are doing so well overseas!

Photo stolen Peony Melbourne

What other scentless products do you use? Has anyone else used any effective scentless hairstyling products? What are your favorite scented beauty products? Do we have too many scented products all-screaming to us from our bathroom shelves?

Perhaps there is a time and a place to enjoy the “silence”

David Mallet is available in Melbourne and mail order from Peony Melbourne

Ainslie Walker x

SmackDown: Petroleum by Histoires de Parfums Vs Eau de Engine by Team Vodafone

March 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Willa Zheng

Reader,
I have a dirty little secret. I love the fume of petrol. All narcotic, sweet and floral. It’s a wonder that a substance so noxious smells so euphoric!

Apparently, I’m not alone. Histoires de Parfums released Petroleum as an “editions rare” in 2011 to capture all of the pretty aspects of petroleum fuel, whilst leaving out the nasty nausea-inducing bits. When Carlos at the Luckyscent Scent Bar introduced this to me last year, I thought I’d found the liquid gold I never knew I’d been searching for all my life!

Petroleum by Histoires de Parfums
Vs
Eau de Engine by Team Vodafone

Photo Stolen LuckyScent

From LuckyScent: A symbol of wealth and prosperity, Petroleum is an unexpected essence. Once referred to as ‘Black Gold’, it is rich, dark and mysterious…a miraculous gift from the depths of our Earth.

Petroleum opens like a stroll through a wet garden. You’re brushing against fresh green foliage (bergamot) mixed with the smell of damp soil (patchouli, petrichor). Unlike the other reviews online, I cannot detect any aldehyde. Five minutes in, the leather begins to emerge, as well as the ozonic top notes of real petrol. And then you discover the real heart of this fragrance – a clean floral (rose), white musk, and amber base – coated in sheer, miasmic leather and oud. It’s pretty and sexy.

Photo Stolen AllSense

Eau De Engine by TeamVodafone – Jamie Whincup

From Vodaphone: Nothing says motor racing quite like the smell of a V8 Supercar. That’s why we created Eau De Engine, a bespoke fragrance that embodies the very essence of V8 motorsport, fuel and burnt rubber – to promote Vodafone’s sponsorship of V8 motorsport.

Eau de Engine is a limited edition cologne released by Vodafone in 2010 to promote its team in the Sydney 500 V8 Supercar motor race. The marketing brains behind it introduced it to the unsuspecting Australian public with the tagline: “Why smell like a man, when you can smell like a V8”. Indeed.

It opens as a mixture of lime, bergamot and smokey birch tar. Then, just like HdP Petroleum, the leather notes emerge. But it’s a different kind of leather. The leather in HdP Petroleum can perhaps be described as horse leather, the kind that makes me recall L’Artisan Dzing. Eau de Engine is about car leather seats. And comingled with the smell of leather interiors is the scent of ashes after a fire. Overall, this opening is very linear and simple.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

30 minutes later…

By now, the rose at the heart of HdP Petroleum has subsided and made way for a sweet amber-musk base with a hint of jasmine. Leather and oud notes still envelop this base, like a cosy chiffon scarf, just seductive enough to lure the boys into the yard. The very last note to reveal itself is the civet. Petroleum isn’t shy on silage.

For Eau de Engine, the smoky carbon and leather seat dance at the start has softened. The cologne evokes the smell of standing in a garage, behind the exhaust of an expensive sportscar in idle. Hello, Sabrina.

Neither of these two fragrances have a drydown. After the middle impressions, they just fade away to nothing.
HdP Petroleum: 6hrs (reapplication is recommended after 3hrs)
Team Vodafone Eau de Engine: 1-2hrs.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Verdict:
Wearing Petroleum and Eau de Engine cannot be more different experiences. One is like seeing the world in technicolour and the other, in black and white. In terms of beauty, complexity and longevity, HdP Petroleum wins hands down. Eau de Engine definitely has its novelty value, but if I smelt it on another person, I’d probably tell them to take a shower.

Disclosure:
I dabbed Histoires de Parfums Petroleum and spritzed eau de engine for this review. Your experience and mileage may differ.
Now, do you have any scent vices?

Willa Zheng xx

Néroli & Orchidée by L`Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

March 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Hey Hey APJ!

As always we are thrilled to have been able to host this lavish GIVEAWAY with our super generous friends at L’Occitane. If you haven’t yet then please trot down to your nearest L’Occitane stare, I promise you’ll find something to love.

Portia xx

Néroli & Orchidée by L`Occitane en Provence

GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, mandarin
Heart: Neroli, lily of the valley, fig milk, peach
Base: Madagascar orchid absolute, iris, musk

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will each get:
1 x 75ml bottle of Néroli & Orchidée by L’Occitane (Australians will get a special surprise extra)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to L’Occitane and find me a fragrance and one of its notes. NO DOUBLE UPS!!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Neroli & Orchidee #GIVEAWAY @LOCCITANE @LOCCITANE_au http://wp.me/p3PURw-3E6 #Perfume

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closd Sunday 1st March 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo stolen prospectsplus

Chris Hartnett

Erica Golding (via Twitter)

Katherine Mittas

Jaybee

CONGRATULATIONS! The winners will have till Thursday 5th March 2015 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.

Hedonist by Cult of Scent

March 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Heya Perfume Junkies,

I have a small sample of Hedonist. There is no note list online and the brand is so fledgeling that I can’t even find a website for it. There is a Cult of Scent Facebook Page but it doesn’t have a price list, just some beautiful pictures, a couple of meetups and some fragrant knowledge exchange. I don’t even have a picture of the bottle for you all. To be perfectly honest I did not even purchase these scents, my mate Casssandra gave me some tiny test samples that I have put into spritzers.

Hedonist by Cult of Scent

So I do know that Jocelyn is the perfumer though I’m yet to meet her, she is a Sydney based perfumer and very pretty. I spent some time in the delicious citrus/white flower/green extravaganza that is Cult of Scent’s Magnolia ’13 a while ago and loved it sick.

So Hedonist, it opens slightly citrus and balmy but what immediately knocks on my olfactory door is leather. Slightly tar-ish, smoky, woodsy leather. New leather before it’s been made into its final product, the act of walking into a leather shop and being greeted by hundreds of skins in their multi-hued entirety. Hedonist is not big but it does have a fairly ferocious opening on my skin. More Lonestar Memories than Cuir d’Ange if you know what I mean, but not really like Lonestar Memories at all. Michael Borg just told me that the hefty darkness is probably oud assisted, now that he mentions it I tend to agree.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Hedonist is a bitter brew yet behind it I smell softness, a creamy something, a white flower. Michael says it’s the tiare flower, he could be correct, I am just going to say creamy white flowers and maybe some lactonic fruit like fig. No matter what it is the smell is beautiful, exquisite, both hefty and during the heart also pleasantly sheer. Wearable to most occasions where people are happy to have you scented, and not overpowering enough to preclude it from dining or the movies. Very wearable.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The Middle East? A little tease of an introduction to it, yes. A soft core, wearable beauty. Hedonist? Not nearly as overblown or outrageous as I was expecting though towards dry down it does become quite animal and lived in but so soft that it could really be you, just warmer and sexier. GGGGRRROWLL

What fragrance would you call your Hedonist fragrance? For me I think Songes by Annick Goutal, Guerlain’s Shalimar and Parfum de Maroc by Aftelier. These hold something big, overblown and indulgent. What’s yours?
Portia x

Miss Dior 2015: Natalie Portman: Mini Movie

March 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Aha! Hey gang,

I was not crazy about Miss Dior really but recently my mate Natalie from Another Perfume Blog (now defunct) gave me some vintage Miss Dior Cherie and I have to admit it rocked my socks off.

Photo Stolen YouTube

As always Natalie Portman is perfect in her role. This time as the grand daughter of the super wealthy. DIOR has done a wonderful job dressing her and the sets.

Enjoy a couple of minutes of pure escapism.
Portia xx

Miss Dior 2015 – The new film (Official Director’s Cut)

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Creations 2015

February 28, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

Guess what arrived in the mail Friday morning!! Neela has sent me a sample! WOW! WOW! WOW!

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Creations 2015

Pichola with Bertrand Duchaufour

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, juniper, magnolia, neroli oil, clementine, bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom absolute, rose absolute, tuberose absolute, sambac jasmine, ylang-ylang
Base: Benzoin absolute, sandalwood , driftwood, Haiti vetiver

As you may know India is somewhere I have spent a lot of time, 15 visits so far and hopefully back there again in 2016. Of all the beautiful, magical, amazing spots that my last partner Varun and I saw (and BFF Kath too in 2008) Udaipur is right up there in my Top 3 beside McLeodgang (where the Dalai Lama is in exile) and Agra (where the Taj Mahal is). When we stay in Udaipur we stay in the Taj Hotels Lake Palace on Lake Pichola. It’s pretty close to heaven. When Kath & I stayed in 2008 we were upgraded to a gorgeous, water view suite with 3 rooms. Incredible.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

From Wikipedia: …built between 1743- 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace and was initially called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder. The palace was constructed facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to the Surya, the Hindu sun god, at the crack of dawn. The successive rulers used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens.

Neela has worked with Bertrand Duchaufour to recreate the play of light across the waters of Lake Pichola, the luxurious feeling of being part of the majestic history of India’s Maharajas yet with all the mod-cons that make current day life comfortable. Water in the desert, which Udaipur’s state Rajasthan is, is not just beautiful it is life. Twice, that I know of, since the turn of the century Lake Pichola has been bone dry with crops and livestock growing.

I have only had one wear of Pichola but I will say that is you love white flowers then Pichola is going to blow you away.

I will review Pichola in the next week or so after I have worn it a couple of times and have a real feel for its loveliness. Does it remind me of Lake Pichola? Well it certainly is as rich and luxurious as staying at the Lake Palace.

Neela will be revealing Pichola in Milan. I wish I was coming to hang with you all there.

Portia xx