Hey All,
I’m traveling through South Korea but back in 2008 a whole group of us went to Vietnam to celebrate my birthday. Friends, Aunties and an Uncle. It was a super terrific few weeks and we saw Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi and it was incredible.
Photo Stolen Pixabay
Enjoy Louis Vuitton’s take on a marvelous country that we all hope to revisit someday.
Portia xx
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Post by FeralJasmine
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I have a secret fantasy about having my hair done in India. In this fantasy it would again be long and auburn, and would be skillfully braided with strands of jasmine. I would feel the smoothness of my light silk clothing, and smell the single Champaca flower floating in a bowl of water nearby, and wait… for what, exactly? I’m not sure. The whole point would be that moment of beauty, radiant and complete.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
White pepper, angelica, champaca, cardamom, pepper, white musk, iris
I can’t claim that Luxe Champaca provides that exact moment, but then, how many perfumes do? It does offer a radiant sweetness, light but somehow penetrating, that floats around me like the memory of beauty. I haven’t yet sampled the Champaca EDP from the same line, and maybe it’s a richer scent. But the EDT has its place. Like everyone else, I have a million tasks a day to complete, and very little time to sit around having fantasies of beauty. But the memory of radiance that the EDT carries can follow me around, wafting lightly, appearing and disappearing unexpectedly, whispering to me to remember perfect beauty and believe that it could exist. It’s as if my waiting jasmine-braided self were reaching toward my professional persona with a calming hand. Stop, she whispers softly, and feel.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
For such a delicate beauty, Champaca is surprisingly persistent and lasts hours on my perfume-eating skin, coming and going a bit but always there. It’s a good scent for spraying on scarves and lingerie. I can’t imagine this one on a man, but that may be due to a limited imagination, so gentlemen, try it if you feel so inclined and report back.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume Smellin’ Things
First in Fragrance has €110/100ml and samples
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/.5ml
Now, I would love it if you shared one of your beauty fantasies with me. In your lovely thought, where are you, what are you doing, and what do you smell?
FeralJasmine
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Post by Gabriella
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Hello fragrance friends! For those of you that read my last post, you’ll know I’ve been busy with my relocation to Melbourne.
The good news is that we’re here now and besides being really cold and missing my fragrance collection that’s still in transit, there are plenty of things to look forward to. One of these is that perfume shopping is way better in Melbourne than Sydney (I’ll be sure to post some of my shopping adventures soon!). The second is that I’m really excited about introducing some new perfumes into my life.
I find that relocating gives a new outlook: not only do you feel different, but it is often a great time to try new things, like a different fashion style, a new lipstick and of course, new or different perfumes. When I moved to London, my tastes in perfume changed quite a bit and gems like Chanel No 19 EDP, Lipstick Rose, Musc Ravageur and Habanita became new loves. So, what beauties will Melbourne bring perfume-wise? Here’s five scents that I’m looking forward to adding to my permanent rotation:
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Heliotrope, jasmine, woodsy notes, patchouli, pine tree, cashmeran, sandalwood, musk, incense, violet
This beautiful but quirky violet scent has always intrigued me, but I have never really found the perfect time or place to wear it. It’s woody sombreness never quite fit with Sydney’s warmer clime, but it strikes me as the perfect accompaniment to Melbourne’s chill. A good choice for the weekends when I’m swathed in a big black jumper, jeans and boots and mulling over life, sipping an espresso.
Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $142/30ml
Surrender to Chance has $7/.5ml
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lily, benzoin, hawthorn, incense, neroli, woody notes
I’m including this one because I’m dying to wear it after experiencing a massive olfactory memory the other week. While packing boxes, I smelt it there and then, even though I last time I sniffed it was more than three years ago and only from a small sample vial. Does anyone else ever experience this? I’m thinking this opulent oriental with its smoky lily accord and smattering of hawthorn will be lovely in the cold weather when I want to feel glam: it’s all plush red velvet, cashmere and patent heels.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, bergamot, pink pepper, coriander
Heart: Iris, jasmine, rose, honeysuckle, orange blossom
Base: Musk, vanilla, civet, caramel, sugar, labdanum
I’m by no means a gourmand lover but I’m finding that the cold, dry air has me hankering after something sweet. Love is a good fit for me, given the neroli and jasmine give me the much-needed white floral hit within the sweetness of caramelised sugar and vanilla. This is cotton candy and marshmallows, pink and pretty. A somewhat frivolous and light-hearted scent when the grey skies will make me want to take my girly-ness to the max.
Anyone who’s read my posts will know of my love of gardenia. Like many, I’d given up on finding a really good one given Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia is discontinued. Klein’s Perfumery Moor Street Gardenia is part of the boutique’s new line up that I discovered on a hasty reconnaissance visit here a few weeks ago. It’s as perfect a gardenia as I’ve ever encountered. A heady, slightly green composition that evokes the creamy petals in full bloom. A good choice for when I’m longing for the Sydney mugginess and just that little bit homesick.
Klein’s Perfumery has $110/50ml
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these notes:
Top: Saffron, date, pink pepper
Heart: Orange blossom, white peach, rose, freesia, lily of the valley, jasmine
Base: Amber, tonka, musk, vanilla absolute
It’s now clear to me that I’m craving orange blossom, since Ta’if is the third scent that I’ve mentioned, along with Love and Louanges Profanes that includes a hefty dose of the note. However, Ta’if is first and foremost an opulent rose scent. I’m pretty picky with roses, preferring them dark, and Ta’if satisfies this want with a spicy opening of saffron and pink pepper. The rose is full and lush, tempered by a breath of jasmine, lily of the valley and freesia before the voluptuous orange blossom comes to life in the dry down. This is the scent to wear when I want to feel powerful and confident whilst job and flat hunting: regal, rich and very sophisticated.
So, do you like any of my picks?
What new perfumes have you discovered when moving to a new place or traveling?
With much love till new time!
M x
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Post by Val the Cookie Queen
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First composed by Master Perfumer Ernest Beaux 1927
and retuned by Jaques Polge in 1983
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featureed acciords:
Top: Tunisian orange blossom, Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian mandarin
Heart: Jasmine, oriental rose, ylang-ylang, oriental notes
Base: Albanian birch wood, tobacco, musk, leather
Cuir de Russie = Sybaritic Grandueur (Sybaritic – pertaining to or characteristic of a sybarite; characterized by or loving luxury or sensuous pleasure)
I have waited so long for this moment. I have had tiny samples, a lovely small dab bottle and finally a large decant. Being able to spray without a care really does make such a difference.
Photo Stolen Pixabay
You know instantly it´s a Chanel classic, even not being familiar with the scent itself. It is so beautiful that I am sat here at a loss for words. Cuir de Russie has been written about so many times there is not really much I can add. Perhaps though there is someone out there reading about it for the first time. This then is for you.
Cuir de Russie, or Russian leather was quite the modern theme around the end of the 19th century. Women were smoking cigarettes and perfume houses were coming up with fragrances for them. Women who smoked were scandalous and Cuir de Russie was provocative and shocking, which was its purpose.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
From the CHANEL Website: “The tumultuous events in Russian history offered Mademoiselle Chanel the opportunity to meet the Grand Duke Dimitri, who introduced her to an ingenious perfumer: Ernest Beaux, born and trained in Moscow. In 1927, she worked with him to create Cuir de Russie. Through long musky, smoky notes, it evokes a wild yet elegant world, with its scent of leather boots tanned by birch bark and the essence of Virginia tobacco.”
It is smoky and leathery, but it is softened by the sweet and lush floral notes. It is incredibly feminine, sensual and warm. It enticingly wraps itself around you like a smokescreen. It is elegantly animalic. It makes me feel fabulous.
Photo donated Val CQ
And when you work out after a long day, Cuir de Russie is reignited in the sweat. And it´s ravishing. It is your duty, if you haven´t already, to at least try this.
Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Olfactoria’s Travels
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml
You can try and purchase Cuir de Russie at most CHANEL boutiques and some CHANEL specialty stores
Cuir de Russie is who I was and who I am now.
CQ
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Post by Katrina
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Mariah Carey has released 14 perfumes to date and most of them are in cute bottles in a range of different colours with a butterfly cap. Many of Mariah’s gorgeous butterfly bottles contain sugary sweet and fruity perfumes like the Lollipop Bling and Lollipop Splash lines. The original purple bottle though is something quite different.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives the following notes:
Top: Marshmallow, sea notes
Heart: Tiara, gardenia
Base: Amber, patchouli, Moroccan incense
M by Mariah Carey in the very cute purple butterfly bottle was the first perfume released by Mariah Carey. M is quite a heavy mature floral fragrance in contrast to the rest of her sweet fruity floral fragrances perfumes. Mariah Carey has a wide range of different fragrance styles and Mariah Carey M is definitely a more mature fragrance.
Clotty from Fragrantica says: When I first sprayed this, I thought it smelled very familiar. Now I know what it is. It smells similar to what a vintage-formulation of Dior Poison smells like on the dry down.
NowGet2WorkBitch on Fragrantica says: Love this! it smells like marshmallows and is very sweet but when u wear it it also has hints of incense too but doesn’t lose it’s marshmallow scent which is just amazing!
Photo Stolen WikiCommons
Mariah Carey M starts out with gardenia that is quite heavy and could be overpowering if you sprayed too much. There is also the scent of salty sea air. The sea note is one element of this fragrance that I really enjoy. Contrasting the salt is the sweetness of marshmallow, which is blended in without adding too much sweetness but it does smell delicious. Mariah Carey M is not a very sweet perfume, the fragrance is really dominated by the gardenia, a strong floral note until the base notes take over. M evolves with incense and patchouli giving the perfume an exotic oriental floral style. M is a strong feminine perfume with character and complexities. This is a beautiful perfume that I love to wear. M Mariah Carey is a grown up perfume in a girly bottle.
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
Further reading: Now Smell This
FragranceNet has M By Mariah Carey from $21.12/50ml
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml
For more celebrity perfume reviews, check out my Celebrity Perfume Website
If you haven’t tried M by Mariah Carey I hope you give it a chance.
Katrina xx
Hey there crew,
We are in South Korea and I reckon having the time of our lives.
Righto!
So I am running INCREDIBLY late with stuff for this holiday and my mind has turned to mush. Instead of writing a post I thought I could ask you all for your input:
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
What Book Recommendations Can You Give Me For Bus, Train, Plane or any Public Transport? Do you choose technical stuff so you can learn on the trip, self help or growth books, a thriller or a novel, maybe an autobiography? Please give me an insight into your travel reading past and future? Is it fragrance, travel, silliness or maybe you like those crossword books?
Photo Stolen Flickr
My answer:
I love to read while I’m traveling. On this trip I have packed 3 books:
BookDepository AUS$17 Delivered Worldwide
The Golem & The Djinni by Helene Wecker: A coming of age story about freedom I think.
BookDepository AUS$17 Delivered Worldwide
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey: I like to see where I can improve my output always
BookDepository AUS$24 Delivered Worldwide
Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett: Crazy DiscWorld nonsense. Freaking love it.
So, what do you read when you travel?
Portia xx
Hey All,
These Louis Vuitton junkets keep me panting for the fragrance. I wonder if and when we’ll see it. I love seeing this video because it reminds me of Jin and my adventures in 2013. Venice will always be special for me because of him.
Photo Stolen DeviantArt
I hope you enjoy,
Portia xx
Hi There APJ,
There has been a lot of talk about NECRO-Celebrity. The use of dead celebs images for advertising for many reasons: nostalgia, budget, no news worthy diatribes, mistakes or faux pas and best of all no 100% gold plated asshole of a celeb to deal with. I understand the lure of the dead, especially in a marketing game where one wrong sentence in an interview, or even said with friends and distributed, can cause millions of dollars in collateral damage and rebuilding.
In stark contrast to all other marketing trends Calvin Klein has gone for a living, mature couple to front a brand new launch and in one of their cases to re-front one of the Calvin Klein stable of fragrances 26 years later. That is longer than most alive frag models have been on this planet, by about 10 years. 45 year old Christy Turlington with her her husband Edward Burns. This needs a serious BRAVO for Calvin Klein’s marketing team. Still as unattainably gorgeous as ever but selling to a market who have been long neglected in the marketing departments of the big fashion houses: 40+. I think it will reap BIG rewards and I’m surprised the ads weren’t released a month ago for Mother’s Day.
Enjoy them, real; beautiful; people.
Portia xxx
I stole this stuff Lock, Stock and Barrel from art8amby
Shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in Turks & Caicos, the campaign is exactly what you would expect from Calvin Klein; passionate, intense but always understated. However admits Turlington, “it’s also funny to be intimate with your life partner and have people around.” (source)
Christy Turlington and Edward Burns are also fronting the latest campaign image of Calvin Klein Eternity perfume. (source)
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Post by TinaG
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Earlier this year I had an opportunity to attend an event hosted by Australian aromatherapist Julie Nelson of Aromatique Essentials. Julie is a holistic aromatherapist, with 20 years’ experience as aromatherapy practitioner and consultant. Julie also shares her wealth of knowledge through education, events and workshops, and leading the design and delivery of aromatherapy and beauty programs held in some of Australia’s natural therapy collages. Aromatique Essentials commits to “providing luxurious bespoke aromatherapy products with unwavering commitment and quality”, which is absolutely the case. Julie is very much committed to holistic beauty practices, and uses the finest quality organic essential oils in her work. One of her many skills is that of developing individually tailored essential oil perfumes. I found the concept fascinating so I was very pleased to be able to attend the Bespoke Soirée in Kirribilli, Sydney.
Photo donated TinaG
On arrival, I realised that this event was not simply about perfumes, but it was fundamentally a celebration of each of us as unique individuals – a focus and reconnection with “self” and recognising our own authenticity. We were greeted with a glass of bubbles and beautifully presented canapés and treats. I chatted to some of the other guests and met
some fascinating people, as guests were predominantly from a professional network for women starting up or managing their own businesses. Presentations and talks for the evening were: the art of feminine presence by Maria Cucinotta, Emma Veiga-Malta designs bespoke chairs and cushions, Amanda Webb had some beautiful jewellery, and of course Julie Nelson – we were very spoilt! At the end of the night we were given a little “goodie” bag with samples of two of Julie’s perfumes Déesse and Amrita, a cucumber eye serum, organic cookies and tea, and loads of information.
Julie set up an Aroma Bar on the night, and was offering the creation of a personalised aromatherapy scent based on a short questionnaire, which of course I couldn’t resist. I completed a survey of my colour, scent, food and activity preferences, from which Julie used as a basis to create a 5ml vial of bespoke anointing perfumed oil.
My perfume contained: Sandalwood, Blood Orange, Coriander, Bergamot and Rose in jojoba (organic)
I don’t have much experience with essential oils on skin, so when I tested a few drops of my bespoke essential oil I was surprised to find a distinct top/mid/base notes layering, and evolution of the scent through dry down. There was a lovely fresh rush of a comforting warm orange, with the slightly smoky bergamot intertwined, and a hint of the sandalwood. The coriander oil is sourced from coriander seed, not leaf or stem, which I would have picked up on otherwise – I can’t tolerate green coriander notes. Here, the seed provides a dry spicy counterpoint as the rose starts to shine through. Warm citrus, sandalwood, and spicy rose – Julie really did hit all the right chords for me.
Tina G
Disclaimer: this article was reviewed by Julie Nelson prior to publication.
Photos 1, 3 4 donated TinaG
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Post by ElizaD
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Hi Australian Perfume junkies,
What do you get when you combine wine, food, perfume and friends in Eugene, Oregon USA? A Sniffa – Eugenie!!!!
Here’s the recipe:
1 tiny coffee table
5 fabulous fumehead friends
lots of small glasses
lots of cotton balls
your favorite perfumes–any size bottle or container will do
food
drink
stories
Photo Stolen Flickr
Invite your friends over and ask them to each bring 3 to 5 of their favorite perfumes. If they only have one, tell them not to worry, you have lots! Encourage them to think of a story about their perfume and be ready to share it. Then ask them to bring a little something to nosh on and a complementary beverage.
Prepare your space by gathering as many small glasses as you can muster and a bag of cotton balls (which is what we call them here in the States–I think others call them cotton wool 😉 ). Place the glasses and the cotton on your coffee table, along with a small bowl of lemon slices (coffee beans make everything smell like coffee, lemon dissipates quickly). Spend the rest of the day thinking about what perfumes you will choose to share from your expansive collection of samples and bottles. Will it be your treasured 1978 bottle of Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, which you bought on eBay for a song, or your tiny sample of Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere? Your equally small sample of Cacharel LouLou or your mini of Prada L’Eau Ambrée? Remember, only three to five!
Vacuum your floors, puff the sofa pillows, prepare the food table, and wait for the magic to happen.
Which it did!
C brought an amazing walnut spread, olives, and a lovely bottle of Blanquette de Limoux, a sparkling wine from Languedoc; K brought home-made brie en croute; and E provided bread and veggies and other bottles of whites and reds.
Since C and E are enthralled with perfume history, they arranged the fragrances by release date, using the book Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume by Barbara Herman as a guide. As each perfume was introduced, the owner carefully sprayed or dabbed a cotton ball and then placed it under an upturned glass. As the scent released, it was caught in the glass from which each took a sniff. Anyone watching this group would surely had thought we were participating in something most illegal!
Photo Donated ElizaD
And the stories!
C had her treasured bottle of Guerlain’s Mitsouko, brought all the way from Paris, and her Andy Tauer minis. She told the stories of how she had been captured by Mitsouko’s incense notes, and how she had discovered Andy Tauer on her trip to the Perfume House in Portland. E shared how she had been sitting in a meeting when she found out that she had won the eBay bid for her bottle of L’Heure Bleue and had immediately launched into a hamster dance. K had everyone in fits of giggles as she related how her perfume, Revlon Intimate, had been a gift during high school and how it still made her feel oh so sexy, even fifty years later. S was so happy that she had found other fumeheads and how perfume was becoming a wonderful connection between her and her daughter. T brought a tiny bottle of Holy Smoke Oil….”one drop lasts all day”…and entertained us with the story of how she found it in a small shop on the lower East Side of Manhattan, far from where she lives now.
Photo Stolen Twitter
And when the wine was drained and there were just crumbs left of the brie, we all agreed that this event had only sharpened our appetite for even more fragrance fun…Perfume House in Portland, here we come!
Have you ever participated in a fragrance get-together? DO TELL!
ElizaD xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 