HOLLY, wOUD & VINE by Jane Cate for A Wing and A Prayer 2013

November 8, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Hello Natural Niche Nerds,

My friend Jane Cate from A Wing & A Prayer perfumes has sent me her two latest fragrances. They came in a glittering and sparkly blue post pack and when I opened the post pack up I could smell the most incredible, beguiling and glorious green scent. There was a perfume inside the pack so eager for me to smell it the second I opened the bag that some of it had got loose and was wafting its crackling crispness at me.

The scent was created for A Wing & A Prayer’s 5th anniversary of the perfume shop on Etsy. The launch date was Nov. 5th! That’s right folks, you read it here FIRST!

HOLLY, wOUD & VINE by A Wing and A Prayer 2013

Photo of Regular A Wing & A Prayer bottles

Top: Mimosa, bitter orange, tomato leaf
Heart: Violet leaf, jasmine sambac, neroli
Base: Galbanum, oud, fir absolute

The crisp crackle of tomato leaves softened by citrus and flowers opens HOLLY, wOUD & VINE, it’s fun and green and ever so slightly waxy. There is even something of the dusting powder that my Mum used to put on the tomato plants. I am taken back to the earliest gardening days with my Mum and I in the garden, it’s absolutely uncanny how real it all seems, she is showing me how to prick the suckers out of the elbows of the tomato plants because too many branches means less tomatoes. I’m trying to tell her that it doesn’t make sense because more branches will mean more tomatoes but I am overuled and we get a bumper harvest that year, tomatoes in everything.

The tomato leaf stays quite well into the heart of HOLLY, wOUD & VINE but slowly the jasmine and galbanum take centre stage, it’s still fresh and crisp but now we get a sweeter green with a hint of skank. The green stays beautiful and fresh through the whole life of HOLLY, wOUD & VINE until the very last gasps at just under 3 hours where the oud dirties it up and makes HOLLY, wOUD & VINE a very naughty fragrance indeed. FABULOUS!!

Photo of the New A Wing & A Prayer bottles

The new bottles were created especially for A Wing & A Prayer by Michael Smith , who is the designer & owner of http://www.daydreemdesigns.etsy.com/ and they come in 2oz and 1oz etched bottles with the A Wing & A Prayer logo on both sides. The fragrance also still comes in the “regular” bottle with the label. Holly, wOUD & Vine is the first fragrance to be offered in the new bottle and slowly all stock will be in them, very exciting developments.

Photo of the New A Wing & A Prayer bottles

A Wing & A Prayer has an ETSY Store<<<JUMP. The 1oz is selling for $75.00 and the 2oz is selling for $150.00, both are in the etched bottle. I love the $10 3 x 7.5ml Sample Set, it’s a great way to try 3 of the fragrances at a time.

Photo stolen Kesha&Co

HOLLY, wOUD & VINE GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners

1 winner will receive:
1 x 7.5ml A Wing & A Prayer mini of either Kismet or HOLLY, wOUD & VINE, you get to chose!
P&H Anywhere in the world

2 winners will receive:
1 x 1ml decant from my own test mini
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 tell us any green perfume that you like

Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie HOLLY, wOUD & VINE: A Wing & A Prayer GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-29a #Perfume @janetheperfumer

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 10th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 14th 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.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

Portia xx

BLACK by Puredistance 2013 GIVEAWAY WINNER!

November 8, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,

I knew when Michael gave me the vial of Puredistance Black that this was going to be a ripper competition and that a lot of you would jump on board. Thanks crew, we love your enthusiasm and are so glad that we are able to make some frag dreams come true for you.

BLACK by Puredistance 2013 GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Further reading about Puredistance Black: Perfume Posse and The Fragrant Man

If you’d like to purchase Black
Puredistance has samples for sale already
LuckyScent has pre-order for December shipment

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week’s winner will receive

1 x 2ml Manufacturers Spray Sample of Black by Puredistance
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any perfume that is black or noir that you like

Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie PUREDISTANCE Black GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2ah #Perfume #Giveaway @puredistance

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 7th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST.
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen ganjer

MARY P

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have till Sunday 10th 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.

Gilvo Perfume Company: Australian History

November 7, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Greg Young

Gilvo Perfume Company

A Piece of Perfume Australiana

This is something that I saw on eBay and was intrigued. It’s a bottle of No. 7777 Eau de Cologne, from the Gilvo Perfumery Company, who were manufacturing in Melbourne during the 1940s.

According to Perfume Intelligence, Gilvo launched 7777 in 1947, and both company and cologne have long since disappeared. I did find some newspaper ads for No. 7777 from late 1946, so I suspect it was on the market slightly earlier than that, in time for Christmas 1946.

Launceston Examiner, Thursday 10 October, 1946

No. 7777 was sold in a range of sizes, including a 30 fluid ounce flacon (almost 900 mls!). My bottle looks like it is 2 fl. oz – the size is not marked anywhere.

Gilvo also sold a Cologne called Three Crown Stardust Bouquet, which appears to have preceded 7777 to market, having being on sale in 1945.

Adelaide Advertiser, Friday 22 June, 1945

Gilvo were not only selling to women. By 1947, they were also selling an aftershave called Straight 8.

Launceston Examiner, Saturday 15 February 1947

As early as 1940, Gilvo were selling perfume in major stores. This ad does not refer to the brands that were in use later in the decade, but to eau-de-cologne generically. There is no earlier mention of the company in the archives, so this may have been their first product launch.

! Adelaide Advertiser, Thursday 12 December 1940

Gilvo fragrances were stocked at both Myer’s and David Jones, and featured in their 1946 Christmas promotions.

SMH, Wednesday 20 November 1946

The Argus, Tuesday 10 December 1946

A close-up of the DJ’s ad shows that Gilvo were keeping some pretty good company with the likes of Roger and Gallet and Bourjois and were commanding comparable prices to the imported fragrances.

Gilvo were headquartered in the Melbourne CBD and were hiring labour during the war years. Here’s an example of the sort of job they had on offer .

The Argus, Saturday 13 November 1943

The Argus, Tuesday 7 November 1944.

The age limit stated may seem a little odd to us these days. I believe it was because there was a desire for single women aged 18–45 to work in wartime industries exclusively. So I guess the company was seeking to recruit from the ladies who were not required for those roles. Menfolk, of course, were expected to be in war service.

The company’s premises at 360 Little Bourke St was a tiny Art Deco building that is now called Melbourne House, next door to a pizzeria and nestled in the midst of a forest of outdoors shops such as Paddy Pallin. Not exactly perfume central these days!

The company also had premises in a tiny laneway in North Melbourne called Howard St, as evidenced by this ad.

The Argus, Saturday 7 September 1946

This job ad appeared around the time that No. 7777 was launched. Notably, by then Gilvo was also describing itself as an export company, suggesting that they were possibly selling perfume into overseas markets.

The perfume business was still operating in Howard St in 1950.

The Argus, Saturday 17 June 1950

By this time though, Gilvo had started to diversify into quite a different area.

The Argus, Saturday 21 January 1950

Something does seem to have happened in the perfume trade, because all of the job ads in later years are for roles in Gilvo’s fabric printing business, the last of them in 1955.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic). Saturday 25 June, 1955

This is typical of a series of job ads for printing positions from 1953 onwards, so it looks like Gilvo may have changed direction in the early ’50s, so that may be when No. 7777 was finally discontinued.

That would seem to indicate that my bottle is between 60 and 67 years old. Given that age, you can see from the photos that the bottle and box are in great condition. The packaging still has a sweet powdery smell, but the little juice that is left has turned an ugly inky-brown colour and the scent is pretty dubious, shall we say.

So, Gilvo were a small perfume company that operated in Melbourne and established a national brand that was able to compete in major retail stores with the imported big names for more than a decade. I guess they were the Tommi Sooni of their day! A little piece of Australia’s fragrance history.

Perfume Intelligence references

http://www.perfumeintelligence.co.uk/library/perfume/n/n3/n3p9.htm http://perfumeintelligence.co.uk/library/perfume/g/g5/g5p3.htm

Advertising references

http://trove.nla.gov.au

Beige by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2008

November 6, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

50 Shades of…Beige

I have always had a colourful (and black) wardrobe, and have noticed a section expanding in the past year, with fabrics in shades of Beige. I guess I’ve been discovering the many shades of the colour without even realising…champagne, biscuit, sand, camel etc. Beige is intriguing, understated, classic and classy.

Coco Chanel LOVED it and therefore one of the perfumes in Chanel’s Les Exclisifs range was named after it.

Beige by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Hawthorn, freesia, frangipani, honey

“I take refuge in beige because it’s natural,” said Mademoiselle Chanel. An elusive colour with infinite variations, beige may seem quite ordinary. And yet, behind this apparent simplicity, it hides a discreet sensuality that builds slowly before revealing itself fully.”

Firstly, I overlooked “Beige” when I was given a sample, and tossed it in my bag. I expected it to be dull. However weeks later when it resurfaced I was immediately intrigued upon first sniff…not love, mind you, but intrigue. It was white blossoms and general prettiness…but what else was catching my attention and raising an eyebrow? Timing was perfect, it was spring, the sun was out, the air was full of blossoms and I was about to go for a walk down a countryside lane. I needed to know more. I spritzed it on and started the adventure.

Photo Stolen Nico Nelson Flickr

Freshly cut white florals, and blossoms smothered me. Sweet freesias, fresh and green, a honey note, but not too sweet…perhaps even slightly dry…a hint of honeysuckle? Before long, and just in the nick of time, beautiful creamy hawthorn notes arose, balancing the lot and steering the aroma away from sickly sweet. Deeper in I found something slightly fruity/tropical…was that frangipani? I was almost skipping, engulfed by its sweet and feminine charm. Surprised I liked it so much. Here was a clean, fresh and uplifting fragrance. I was uplifted in a way similar to when I wear Chanel’s Cristalle Eau Verte, and yet there is something richer, creamier, elegant and more rounded in Beige after the initial notes dissipate. It’s not a surprise both fragrances were made by the same “nose”, the infamous, Jaques Polge.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Dry down continued to a honeyed, creamy, soapy scent, which verges on familiar, some elusive bar of soap, but in no way cheap. This is where I thought it would plateau. Then I accidently breathed out before my next sniff, which was an amazing accident, as with the hot air, hints of spice kicked in, adding some sultry, sensual tones, along with the now robust, waxiness of hawthorn. What started out as such a “daytime” fragrance suddenly gave promise of something that could really take you further into the evening. Wear this to the next spring wedding you attend, ladies….and be sure someone gets up close and personal with their HOT breath!

Photo Stolen net_efekt Flickr

Beige is beginning or memory of spring, with a promise of summer. There is a naturalness about it and perhaps why this fragrance works. An enjoyable wear.

Beige can be bought at most CHANEL Boutiques and some big Department Stores
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

Jaques Polge has done a great job bringing the many facets of this colour to life for us. Have you tried Beige?
Ainslie Walker x

One Seed Special Offer! HURRY!!

November 6, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi there Gang,

One Seed is having a terrific deal at the moment. When I saw it I knew you would want to be the first to know. Offer is only available till December 1 2013.

GO FOR IT,

Portia xx

Buy your perfume travel set before December 1st, and you can choose a gift for your friend for free! (valued at up to $20)

Choose from a 5ml travel atomiser, or four perfume or cream samples of your choice! And we’ll even post it to them!

Simply make note of your selection and the recipient’s details in the ‘notes’ section at checkout, and we’ll do the rest!

Be quick – offer ends December 1st, 2013.

Everlasting (Immortelle) Essential Oil

November 5, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Suzanne R Banks

Everlasting Essential Oil

Connects us to Our Immortality

Hi APJ,

This cute little daisy comes from the Asteraceae family along with the chamomiles, sunlfowers, safflower, marigold, globe artichoke, echinacea and chrysanthemum among many others. Also referred to as “immortelle”, can you guess what this essential oil is good for? Immortality and the fountain of youth spring to mind when I think of everlasting, it’s great for skin and has many other benefits.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I was very excited to get a new bottle delivered the other day. It has a sweet, honey-like aroma with undertones of spice. Sometimes called the “curry plant”, everlasting does have a complex scent, maybe with a hint of curry – but don’t let that put you off. A few drops of this beautiful oil may be all you need to electrify and bend and add depth and sweetness to the scent. You may find everlasting n a 3% blend or on it’s own but it will be more expensive this way.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

In aromatherapy today everlasting (Immortelle) is used for:

– formulations in skincare to promote cell growth and act as an anti-inflammatory agent

– as a stimulant to the lymphatic system to aid lymphatic drainage and therefore allow the skin to expel toxins more efficiently

– aiding the symptoms of dermatitis and excema

– diminishing scar tissue

– healing wounds

– coughs, coughing and asthma

– according to Salvatore Battaglia (The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy) everlasting is great for liver inflammation and the organs of the gall bladder, spleen and kidneys – all the organs helping in detoxification of the body. We can see how this relates to lymphatic drainage too.
infinity

I use everlasting energetically as a way to connect us to our immortality. The Fountain of Youth lives within us if we are able to see we are simply a manifestation of the energy of our spirits. Our souls will return to the oneness of the universe when our mortal bodies fade away. It’s seems so poetic to use the french word ‘immortelle’ for this beautiful oil, and I encourage you to use it with this thought in mind.

Here are a few recipes for sweet immortelle:

1. Nourishing Body Oil Blend

For a coat of your body use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil in a little dish and, add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil.

***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.

For a 50ml bottle of oil add 25 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————

“Sophia Loren”

Be as beautiful as this amazing lady who has said the Fountain of Youth lies in your creativity-

Everlasting 3% 12 drops

Rosewood 3 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————

“Immortality”

Enjoy life in this moment for it will change form soon –

Everlasting 3% 9 drops

Sage 1 drop

Pink Grapefruit 4 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

“50 is the New 30″

Be young through the expression of your unique qualities, and youthful looking skin –

Everlasting 9 drops

Palmarosa 3 drops

Lavender 2 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Happy blending and remember to use your intention when you are creating your formulas. See my article about intention.

Suzanne R Banks XX

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

Brie’s Christmas Owl

November 4, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Brie

Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age arrives alone, unaccompanied.
-Woon Tai Ho, Riot Green

Brie’s Christmas Owl

Hello APJ,

Written while drinking Organic India USA<<<JUMP Tulsi Sweet Rose herbal tea.

Photo Stolen Organic India USA

Tulsi Sweet Rose tea is sold as Stress relieving, Soothing & relaxing, Abundant in antioxidants, Powerful adaptogen, Uplifts mood, Caffeine & gluten free, USDA certified organic, 18 tea bags per box, GMO free, Kosher & Halal certified

Christine, my oldest childhood friend of 42 years, lived one flight below me in an apartment building in NYC. Her mother Catherine, a bubbly woman of Greek descent, lived life to the fullest with an infectious laugh and an ability to always see the glass half full instead of half empty. One Christmas Catherine invited all of Christine’s friends over and presented us with gifts that she had chosen quite carefully for each of us. As we tore off the wrapping paper what was revealed underneath were handcrafted ornaments of various animals. I was secretly hoping for the cat (my favorite animal) and was dismayed to see that she had given me an owl. Sensing my disappointment she pulled me aside and quietly whispered, “Do you know what the owl represents? Intuitive wisdom. Never forget that you are an owl, not a cat”. I was four months shy of becoming a teenager and all I cared about at that time was obtaining that which I did not have; popularity and attractiveness. Intuition and wisdom were the very last attributes I was attempting to cultivate. Sadly, a few years later, Christine lost her mother to breast cancer.

Brie’s family took and starred in this shot

Ten years ago I asked my parents to retrieve all of my collectible Christmas ornaments from the common storage room in their apartment building. To my horror, all of my dated Hallmark ornaments were stolen. Left behind were a few worthless stragglers, including the owl. Back it came to my own house and as it hung on my tree I thought of Catherine, her words haunting me. Year after year I placed that owl on my tree and slowly but surely the owl became my animal. Eventually my three children heard the story of how I came to love owls through the wise words of Catherine.

So it should come as no surprise that when I saw Soap and Paper Factory’s Patch NYC “OWL” solid perfume I bought it unsniffed. Lucky for me it smells fantastic! OWL is a bright rosy geranium on top with a grounding dry down of sandalwood, tobacco and vetiver. For a solid natural perfume it lasts an incredibly long time. The tea I love to pair it with is Organic India’s Tulsi Tea Sweet Rose. Tulsi, or holy basil, is an herb renowned in India for healing properties that relieve stress and protect the immune system. That beautiful Sweet Rose tea melds so nicely with the OWL perfume.

From PatchNYC site:

{sandalwood, tobacco, vetiver} elusive and wise like the night owl, delvilishly earthy as a twilight forest

Three years ago I included a letter with my yearly holiday card to my friend Christine. I wrote about the exchange between her mother and I and included a picture of my owl hanging on the Christmas tree. Last year she revealed to me that she keeps my letter in a special place and reads it from time to time. I believe that it serves as a reminder that her mother’s memory lives on in the heart of a woman who endeavors for wisdom to accompany her into middle age.

This story is dedicated to all mothers: past, present and future

Sadly Brie wrote this ahead and can not answer your comments. Don’t let that stop the conversation though, please write if you’d like and Portia will reply. Hopefully Brie is out there somewhere reading. Portia xx

BLACK by Antoine Lie for Puredistance 2013

November 3, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 53 Comments

Hello Lucky APJ Readers!

One of our contributors Michael has been in touch with Puredistance and they kindly sent TWO sample vials of BLACK for him to try. He is keeping one and has given the other to Australian Perfume Junkies to give to a lucky reader.

BLACK by Puredistance 2013 GIVEAWAY!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

To find out about Puredistance Black here are some posts that we’ve enjoyed:

Bonkers About Perfume

Confessions Of A Perfume Nerd

Kafkaesque

The Scented Hound

If you’d like to purchase Black
Puredistance has samples for sale already
LuckyScent has pre-order for December shipment

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week’s winner will receive

1 x 2ml Manufacturers Spray Sample of Black by Puredistance
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any perfume that is black or noir that you like

Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie PUREDISTANCE Black GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2ah #Perfume #Giveaway @puredistance

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 7th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Sunday 10th 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.

Halloween Music Fun

November 3, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hey there APJ Crew,

So I was looking through YouTube and found some fun and creepy Australian music to remind you how much fun you had on Halloween. I hope you enjoy some historical Aussie music.
Portia xx

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Skyhooks – Horror Movie (1975)

AC/DC – Highway To Hell (1979)

Divinyls – Science Fiction (1982)

Kate Ceberano – “Unchained Melody” 2006

Lisa Mitchell – Oh! Hark! (2010)

Inside Hermès petit h – Episode n°3 + n°4 + n°5 – Mini Movies

November 3, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hey APJ Crew,

I have a whole bunch of the Hermès fragrances and adore their whole aesthetic, I only own one scarf but I love it and plan to own another soon enough.

Here is the second in a fun series from Hermès. Here’s the link if you would like to see the first Inside Hermès petit h – Episode n°1 & n°2. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have,

Love,
Portia xx

Photo Stolen MadisonMuse