Gabriella’s Top 5 Green Scents: Malle, Annick Goutal, L’Artisan, Heeley, Hermès

October 29, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hi APJ Friends,

It seems ludicrous to be thinking about summer fragrances in the middle of spring, but we’ve had such hot weather in Sydney recently, not to mention the awful, awful bushfires, I have been craving cool, green scents.
I thought I’d post on my top 5 verdant choices for a long hot summer

Gabriella’s Top 5 Green Scents

1. Angeliques Sous la Pluie by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle 2000

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Notes are coriander, pink pepper, cedar, angelica, juniper, musk

I don’t know about you, but coming home to a crisp cold gin and tonic after a long hot week at work is something I love. Angeliques is the olfactory equivalent where bracing juniper and the pepperiness of angelica is instantly fizzy and refreshing on warm skin. My only complaint is that this little beauty doesn’t last longer because it is beautiful and a unique take on green.

Read Portia’s Angeliques Sous la Pluie APJ post

Angeliques Sous la Pluie is available at Mecca Cosmetica starting at $124/3 x 10ml in Australia
Frederic Malle 65,00 €/3 x 10ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $5/ml.

2. Eau de Camille by Annick Goutal 1983

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Notes are honeysuckle, privet, seringa, grass, false jasmine, ivy

The secret garden fragrance. Eau de Camille is striking for its use of ivy, blended with the delicate sweetness of honeysuckle. The effect is indeed like walking into a walled garden, welcoming the coolness of shade on sun warm skin. Goutal did indeed create this for her daughter Camille who wanted a fragrance that resembled the family garden. Not only did she achieve that but has also managed to capture the love and tenderness of a mother’s love. Simple, but devastatingly pretty.

Sadly, it appears that Eau de Camille had been discontinued. However, you can still find it in places and sometimes at a very good price.
It is available at Klein’s Perfumery for $155/100ml in Australia
FragranceNet has unboxed $70/100ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $3/ml.

3. Fleur de Liane by Bertrand Duchafour for L’Artisan Parfumeur 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: Sea water, green notes
Heart: Orchid, magnolia, tuberose, marigold
Base: Oakmoss, woodsy notes

Fleur de Liane’s notes list would scare most: ozone notes, marine notes, green notes and tuberose, but in Bertrand Duchafour’s hands they are transformed into an unusual tropical masterpiece. It is indeed a hyperealistic portrait of a rainforest, damp mossy floors and vines, humid white flowers and the gentlest of summer breezes through the canopy of trees.

Like Camille, Fleur de Liane is said to be discontinued.
It is still available at Luckyscent $145/100ml
FragranceNet has $52/50ml before coupon
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $4/ml.

4. Un Jardin sur le Nil by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermes 2005

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: Green mango, tomato, grapefruit, carrotHeart: Orange, peony, lotus, hyacinth, bulrush
Base: Labdanum, incense, iris, musk, cinnamon

In Jardin, Jean Claude Ellena has managed to weave a myriad of complexity into what at first appears to be a simple cologne-like structure. The opening is tart and slightly citrusy before segueing into the slightly sharp herbal and bitter notes of calamus. This is tempered by the tropical sweetness of green mango before drying down to a wonderfully dry mossy wood base. Everytime I smell this, I find something different and beautfiul in its character. A bewitching and beguiling fragrance.

Jardin is available at Hermes boutiques and Peony Melbourne $150/100ml
Beauty Encounter has $62/50ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

5. Ververine by James Heeley 2001

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: Bergamot, cardamom, rhubarb
Heart: Lemon verbena, blackcurrent, jasmine
Base: Musk

A fresh, bracing perfume where the citrus quality of bergamot and verbena is matched by a wonderfully bitter green accord and softened by a touch of sweet jasmine. This is a perfume for those warm days when you want to embrace your inner child, pop on a white cotton dress on and squelch bare toes in cool green grass. A highly unusual and different take on the cologne theme and good for both sexes.

Verveine is available at Peony Melbourne $210/100ml
LuckyScent hasy $180/100ml and samples

Do you like green scents? What are your favourites? What scents are refreshing to you?

With much love till next time!

by Kilian: Garden of Good and Evil GIVEAWAY WINNER

October 29, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hey there APJ,

I think the stuff you had to do was too hard this week, sorry to those for which it was a nightmare, to those that went the whole hog and LIKED our APJ FB page, or were already LIKErs: THANK YOU!! We love and appreciate every one of you.

by Kilian: Garden of Good and Evil GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week there will be one winner, who will receive

1 Manufacturers Carded Sample Spray Pack of Forbidden Games, Good Girl Gone Bad and In The City Of Sin
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide. LIKE Australian Perfume Junkies on FaceBook. <<<JUMP
Leave a one word LIKE on the Australian Perfume Junkies feed on FB when you do or if you already LIKE so I can enter you.
Winners will be chosen from the FB feed, not from here.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Monday 28th October 2013 10pm Australian EDST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen amberinblunderland

Damir Gašljević

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winner will have till Thursday 31st October 2013 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

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Katy Perry Killer Queen by Laurent Le Guernec for Katy Perry 2013

October 28, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Katrina

Katy Perry Killer Queen 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Wild berries, dark plum, bergamot
Heart: Celosia), Sambac jasmine, plumeria
Base: Cashmere, patchouli, praline

The highlight from the celebrity perfumes of 2013 is Katy Perry’s Killer Queen. I wrote of my excitement about the impending release of Killer Queen in my review of the first two fragrances from Katy Perry – Purr and Meow!. Killer Queen is stronger and more sophisticated than Purr and Meow! This is not a sugary sweet girly fragrance. It smells quite intense in the beginning with sweet fruity notes combined with jasmine and patchouli. Along with the sweet berries there is deep plum, tart bergamot and strong florals. The perfume softens after a few hours and the liquid praline and patchouli smells fantastic.

I love the advertising and packaging of Killer Queen, the regal theme is fun, irreverent and dramatic. The gorgeous ruby-like bottle with its gold crown cap lays on its side.

Photo Stolen Pursuitist

Although Killer Queen is more sophisticated than the previous Katy Perry fragrances, it isn’t as edgy as I was anticipating and gets a lot of comparisons to Flowerbomb. In the same way that Lady Gaga Fame didn’t live up to its deep dark promise, Killer Queen is not as dramatic as its advertising campaign but I do love the plum, patchouli and praline in this fragrance. Killer Queen by Katy Perry is a rich floriental fragrance that is perfect for evening wear.

Further reading at Musings of a Muse and Now Smell This
FragranceX has $46/100ml
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml

Don’t forget to check out my website for more celebrity perfume news and reviews

Katrina xx
(Ed: Here is one of the super fun ads)

Oriental Rose by Marguerite Caro for Bourbon French Parfums

October 28, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 75 Comments

Post by Azar

Hi APJ

Bourbon French Parfums has been creating fragrances in New Orleans, LA since 1843. The firm’s history and the fragrances they offer have intrigued me for several years. In December of 2012 I finally placed an order, choosing one of their best sellers, Voodoo Love.

Photo Stolen TheTastefulLife

I found Voodoo Love to be a real time trip, a nostalgic fragrance that I knew I’d encountered many times before; a sort of déjà vu in a bottle! I love Voodoo Love but my true love from the Bourbon French line came as a free gift with purchase, BF’s new/old fragrance Oriental Rose.

Oriental Rose by Bourbon French Parfums

Have you ever tried a new scent and immediately knew you were home again, comfortable, relaxed and loved? My first experience with Oriental Rose was all that and more. The EDC opens with a warm, humid aura of buttery, rich and spicy rose. This rosy cloud does not change radically over time but slowly evolves into a milky, floral vanilla and eventually dries down to amber, sandalwood and musk wafting through a southern garden.

Photo Stolen Bourbon French Parfums

The way that the rose is presented in this fragrance reminds me of my favorite confection on the face of the earth, Golo Bol Bol Rose and Saffron Ice Cream! This ice cream is a traditional treat using a recipe that is supposed to be over 2,000 years old. Golo Bol Bol is what Oriental Rose would be (minus the saffron perhaps) if the fragrance were frozen and edible. Yes, it seems strange to compare a warm and humid (and not at all gourmand) scent to a frozen treat! But maybe not! Both the fragrance and the ice cream have the same rich, comforting indulgence at once nurturing and decadent.

Oriental Rose has an interesting back story too! A few years ago when members of the staff at Bourbon French were going through old records, they discovered the formula for Oriental Rose, created in the 1940’s by the firm’s third owner and first woman perfumer Marguerite Caro. For more of the interesting history of the Bourbon French Perfume Company and their creations check the website: Bourbon French Parfums. You’ll notice that the prices for the Oriental Rose fragrance are great.

Further reading: Fine Fragrants talks some others in the line
Bourbon French Parfums has $28/¼oz perfume, $28/4oz EDC and $36/4oz EDT

Here is the info for Bourbon French and also for the Golo Bol Bol Ice Cream Shop in Westwood, Los Angeles, CA. I don’t go all the way to LA to get this rose and saffron ice cream and I certainly don’t make it myself (although I do have a recipe). The local persian/mediterranean market sells it in containers.

Bourbon French Perfume Company (this is their history page)
Golo Bol Bol Ice Cream

Azar xx

Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

Oriental Rose by Bourbon French Parfums GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there are two winners, each will receive

1 x 2ml decant Oriental Rose by Bourbon French Parfums
1 x 2ml decant Voodoo Love by Bourbon French Parfums
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.

To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and comment on your favorite rose fragrance, tell us about the dessert/confection you love the most or about your last trip to New Orleans!

Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Bourbon French Parfums GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-21s #Perfume #Giveaway @BFParfums

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 31st October 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by picking your names out of a hot.
The winners will have till Monday 4th November 2013 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.

Versace Blonde by Versace: LIVE Video Sniff

October 27, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Hello gang,

Blonde by Versace: LIVE Video Sniff

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Gardenia, Pitosporum flowers,y violet, orange blossom, bergamot
Heart: Tuberose, daffodil, ylang-ylang, carnation
Base: Benzoin, sensual musk, civet, sandalwood

This 1995 Nathalie Feisthauer fragrance for Versace is one of my all time favourites,as you’ll hear it was designed by Gianni Versace for his sister, what a FABULOUS gift and the bottle is gorgeous too.

I have a couple of EdT bottles and some Parfum too. As fun and bright today on me as the first time I spritzed. I hope you enjoy a rather contemplative LIVE Video Sniff compared to the others. As usual I am taken by the moment and much of what I say is rubbish, but my love for Blonde is absolutely genuine. Great fragrance that has so many wonderful memories for me, every time.

Thanks to my BFF Kath for shooting and editing, thanks to TSO Jin for getting it blog ready. I am blessed in my great friends and lover.

Please enjoy the silliness,
Portia xx

Inside Hermès petit h – Episode n°1 + n°2 – Mini Movie

October 27, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Hey APJ Crew,

You all probably know how much I love Hermès, everything about the brand speaks to me and aqlso I have a lovely friend/SA who works in the Sydney store. Jean is the most elegant, friendly and knowledgeable of the SAs in Sydney, always smiling and can’t wait to show us the newest in everything.

Here is the first in a fun series from Hermès that I’ll be showing over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have,

Love,
Portia xx

Photo Stolen MadisonMuse

Inside Hermès petit h – Trailer – Mini Movie

Inside Hermès petit h – Episode n°1 – Mini Movie

Inside Hermès petit h – Episode n°2 – Mini Movie

Photo Stolen Maegan Tintari Flickr

Melbourne Getaway + Peony Melbourne Photo Essay

October 26, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Jump across and enter our by Kilian GIVEAWAY<<<JUMP

Hey Hey APJ Family and Friends,
Last weekend BF Jin, BFF Kath and I took ourselves to Australia’s fashion and food capital Melbourne, though we bypassed the fashion food was definitely on the agenda. So was fragrance! More on that in a moment.

Melbourne Getaway

Kath had organised us a terrific 2 bed serviced apartment in Docklands in the 16th floor with views over Docklands, wheel and out to the sea. It was compact but super well laid out and the views, breeze and whole atmosphere felt wonderful. We hired a car and drove ourselves around and the weekend getaway has me both recharged and relaxed.
On Friday night we wandered around Docklands (a bit like Sydney’s Ultimo/Pyrmont area) and found Medici, an Italian eatery where we had Pizza and Antipasto with great service from friendly staff and it was surprisingly reasonable, then some more Docklands wandering before home to a long hot soak in the bath and bed.
Saturday morning we met a mate I lived with in London, an Aussie called Ben, and we reminisced for the crew. Breakfast at Time Out in Federation Square was fun and full of laughter, catching up after about 15 years it felt like Ben and I had never spent a day apart, it was really magic. Kath and Jin adored him and the breakfast was YUMMO! I had Eggs Benedict, my favourite breakfast ever, sorry I can’t remember what everyone else ate.

Peony Melbourne Photo Essay

Taking our leave of Ben we trotted out to Peony Melbourne, Australia’s best known and loved Haute Perfumery. I had written to the proprietor Jill and warned her of our coming and Clayton from What Men Should Smell Like had warned me that she is a beautiful, fun, vibrant lady who knows EVERYONE in the perfume world and more about fine fragrance than he or I will ever know.

Clayton was right on for the money. Jill welcomed us in and talked, coached, guided and wandered us through her vast and beautifully presented collection in the shop. Kath was trying fresh citric fragrances with amber nuances, Jin was hoping to find an oudh and I wanted EVERYTHING!!!

What did we end up buying? Kath found a lovely square black bottle called Haram
Jin had tried Mona di Orio’s Oud in Budapest and wanted to see if it was the one and Jill also introduced him to Creed’s Royal oud, which is my favourite of their whole line. Both hit his skin and they were worn and sniffed all evening and still Sunday morning there were traces of Mona di Orio’s lavish and luscious Oud hanging around and stuck fast to his watch band. I wonder which he will chose?

I was ready to shop and picked up some soaps by a brand that Victoria from Bois de Jasmin had written about recently, incense and a bottle of Naomi Goodsir’s Bois Encens. So freaking good that I could not leave it to languish in the Peony shelves. Review coming.

Special thanks to my BFF Kath for these fabulous photos, and to the lovely Jill at Peony Melbourne. They send all over Australia and have a super online range.

Biggest kisses from

Portia xx

by Kilian: Garden of Good and Evil

October 25, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hello lovelies,

If you have read any of the scentbloggospherre over the past few months you will probably have heard and read a LOT of chatter about the Garden of Good & Evil by Kilian range. The amazing offspring down the line of the Hennessy cognac empire that is part of LVMH, Kilian Hennessy, has done some pretty superb work that totally blew me away. My taste is for bolder and bigger fragrances so his initial series were very much my taste, his depth and sensuality in fragrance, the obvious correlations between his families cognac and his creations unmistakeable.

Photo stolen CognacExpert

Then he did his Asian Tales and now the Garden of Good and Evil, both in fabulous packaging and they have polarised perfumistas everywhere. Now it’s your chance to try the original three Garden of Good and Evil fragrances for yourself……

by Kilian: Garden of Good and Evil GIVEAWAY

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be one winner, who will receive

1 Manufacturers Carded Sample Spray Pack of Forbidden Games, Good Girl Gone Bad and In The City Of Sin
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Monday 28th October 2013 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 31st October 2013 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

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Good Luck Everyone,
Portia xx

L’Occitane Divine Cream: Week One of Challenge

October 25, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Hello Gorgeous Australian Perfume Junkies,

So it’s the end of my first week of testing out the DIVINE CREAM by L’Occitane (See original post<<JUMP). I have been such a facial care Philistine for so many years that I had very low expectations of any results at all. I wonder how many of you have taken the challenge and done the first of our 2 week challenge?

L’Occitane Divine Cream: Week One

Photo Stolen L’Occitane

From L’Occitane site :
Divine anti-aging care fights the signs of aging, so you can face up the passing of time with absolute serenity. The divine combination of organic Immortelle and Myrtle Essential Oils offers:
A complete regenerating care: Combined action to stimulate the production of collagens and improve skin microcirculation helps to reduce damage caused by time and restore substance and vitality.
A second youth: Myrtle essential oil stimulates within the skin, the action of the longevity protein- to help increase cellular vitality preserve the skin’s appearance.

Awarded the highest rated Anti-Aging Miracle Cream in the 2011 Anti-Aging Beauty Bible. Independently tested by a panel of women across the UK

My L’Occitane Divine Cream Experience

The first weeks experience starts with the very luxe golden box, shiny and new. Inside is a spatula, Divine Cream and an instruction manual (which I instantly binned because I’ve seen the video, it’s below). The bottle opened easily, fits in my hand well and has a lovely heftiness to it. I wish it were not glass though because it will smash on my tiles if I drop it and I’m barefoot after a bath, must remember to bring thongs into the bathroom just in case. The spatula is a good size but I wish the bottle had somewhere to click it on so I don’t have to keep the box, also mildly annoying.

The creams smell is soft floral clean and is quite thick, silky and rich feeling and way more creamy than my after shave balm, it does go on beautifully though with the face, neck, forehead and temple massage shown in the video. I do it exactly as they show it but I take 2-3 minutes to apply and then cover my ears, take three deep breaths and release them slowly. At the end I feel like I have done something wonderful, pampering and had a little selfish me moment. When your life is hectic it’s hard to find moments I can dedicate solely to myself, I feel a little centered after application of Divine Cream. The soft scent stays with me for about 20 minutes before either it goes or I become anosmic.

Photo Stolen Wikimedia

I have also been using the eye cream which comes in a sensational little pump pack so I know exactly how much to use, it is a little thinner and my skin drinks it up in under a minute. I wish I’d taken a before pic because though I am tired still my crows feet are less than normal, IN ONE WEEK!

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

How is the rest of my face skin? Already it is glowing. Softer, more supple and satiny. Divine Cream hasn’t given me a facelift but my skin does look and feel a lot more elastic, youthful and plumped.

If you’d told me this would be the payoff of taking care of my skin for a week I’d have NEVER believed you.

Next week we will hear from the other test cases and see how my skin finishes up.
Portia xx

Missoni Women by Maurice Roucel and Trudi Loren for Missoni 2006

October 24, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Chairman Meow

Missoni Women by Maurice Roucel and Trudi Loren for Missoni 2006

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the following accords:
Top: bergamot, mandarin, orange
Heart: magnolia, peony, rose, Japanese apple
Base: pear tree, chocolate, hazelnuts, amber

What is immediately striking about Missoni is its dual temperament, with both fresh marine and toothsome dessert facets. You immediately start to mentally bandy around words such as “dichotomous” and “personality disorder”. The mind gently boggles as you inwardly spin that fragrance wheel and a struggle ensues to neatly taxonomise the thing. What is this? Is it a gourmand? Is it an aquatic? Is it an aquatic gourmand? Is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything really 42?

The chocolate is cocoa rich, nutty and heavy, and sits uneasily atop a transparent, calone-laden scent (please do forgive me for dropping the C-bomb, I appreciate it’s a dirty word). It’s the oil in an unshaken salad dressing, queasily yawing and pitching but never quite melding (it probably didn’t help that I was in the throes of food poisoning when I was reviewing this). Citrus is present, but it’s done with a light hand. Its combination with chocolate invariably draws comparisons made with Jaffas, or other orange flavoured chocolates. Whilst it does contribute a slightly tart aspect to the scent, what is more striking to me is the somewhat exsanguinated pear accord, actually very reminiscent to me of a nashi pear. In fact, take Missoni, remove the Nutella accord, and I believe it would have made for a wonderful Pleats Please by Issey Miyake, in which the nashi pear is a central player.

Photo Stolen Charles Haynes Flickr

Give Missoni just a few short minutes, however, and a sort olfactory alchemy starts to take place. Eat a chocolate dipped strawberry, and the initial sensation is akin to having two different dishes in your mouth, with the waxy chocolate bits jostling with the watery fruit blobs but not really coming together to form a particularly satisfying mouthfeel. Just as you start to wish you had picked off and eaten the chocolate first, the whole thing magically amalgamates into delicious choc-berry goop whose sum is inexplicably greater than its parts. And so it is with the Missoni. The chocolate mantle becomes softer, sweeter and less distinct, and the pear starts to take on a little colour to its cheeks, fleshed out with some flowers. Before long it all emulsifies, and makes much more sense. You can still pick out the warm and cool elements if you really thought about it, but by that time the olfactory lithium has kicked in and it all seems rather besides the point. It just smells… good. Somehow.

Photo Stolen Loco Steve Flickr

In true Missoni style even the sillage is a little deranged, throwing itself off the skin in admirable fashion whilst still managing to smell polite. A non-tantrum-throwing diva, if you will. As it wheezes its death rattles at the end of its 4-5 hour life on my parched skin, its aquatic side is nowhere to be smelled, smouldering instead with the embers of a fruity-amber affair.
Missoni shouldn’t leave your colleagues diving for cover, just don’t be fooled by its demure demeanour and do apply with a lighter hand than expected.

Further reading: Another Perfume Blog and The Non Blonde
Beauty Encounter has a mini from $9.90
The Perfumed Court starts at $3/ml

Until next month,
Chairman Meow