Giovanna Antonelli: New Perfume House

June 13, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Val the Cookie Queen

Olá APJ!

Let me give you a brief introduction to a trio of new perfumes. Giovanna Antonelli is a household name in Brazil, a superstar. I think 3.6 million Twitter and more than 5 million Instagram followers probably indicates indicates that. She is an actress and probably best known in South America and in Portugal for her soap operas success. Now at this point in any advertising blurb I would already be turning the page. Had it not been for The Silver Fox suggesting that I try them I would be long gone. And let´s be honest here, Giovanna Antonelli does
sound so much more attractive than our Anglo-Saxon names!

After creating a line of nail polishes, jewellery, and being involved in some cosmetics, Giovanna turned her thoughts to a perfume line. Being into perfume herself she decided against a straightforward celeb brand and had three more specialised perfumes created for her, under her name. Giovanna Antonelli harbour no lofty ideas of revolutionising the perfume industry. Nor are their fragrances full of the typical eau de niche notes, you know – generic base note chemicals, ISO E etc, etc, etc. (These evolve, top notes, heart notes and base notes!) Three years were spent in the preparation and refining of these absolutely lovely perfumes.

Giovanna Antonelli: New Perfume House

I have been wearing the three perfumes over for the last few weeks. Proper full body applications! Many thanks to Lionel from Courtois/Mourot Perfumes for the travel bottles. It makes such a difference to be able to wear perfume as intended.

411 INTENSO A chypre floral.

Top: Bulgarian Rose, bergamot, pepper, cammomile.
Middle: Jasmin sambac, ylang ylang, peony.
Base: Patchouli, Amber, Vetiver, sandalwood

611 EXTREMO A floral oriental.

Top: Rhubarb, pear, bergamot
Middle: Tubereuse, Egyptian jasmine, hawthorn
Base: Liquorice, iris, benzoin, vanilla

811 ABSOLUTO A spicy oriental.

Top: Bergamot, pepper, cloves, lavender
Middle: Green, jasmine, honey, tolu
Base: Patchouli, amber, musk, vanilla

I am sat here at my desk, wearing all three. Each one is rich, full-bodied, rounded, and absolutely lovely. Exuberant, vivacious, heated, and absolutely lovely. In these days of so many things smelling the same, lovely is indeed the highest praise. And I will wear every single drop, not something I say very often.

Around 150 Euros for a 100 mls. Take a look at Giovanna Antonelli. You can practice your French and Portuguese, the English site is up and coming.

Obrigada Giovanna Antonelli.

Beijos
CQ

Homo*Elegans: Experience Kit

June 12, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Portia

Hey There FUMIES!

In Milan at Essence 2017 I was hanging a bit with my mate Margo. As I was so overwhelmed by the event on the first day I asked Margo to point me in the direction of some Must-Smell-Houses. In the end she only directed me to one house, a reasonably new crew called Homo*Elegans. The worst name for a brand in the history of branding. When she told me the name I laughed in her face. Who could carry a line with that name in their store?

Judith, Margo & Val the Cookie Queen at dinner in Milan

Beyond the terrible name she told me to go smell their perfumes. They are the one new thing you’ve not tried in the whole event that you MUST get your nose on. So I did. The boys gave me an Experience Kit.

Homo*Elegans

Fragrantica

Tadzio by Michele Marin for Homoelegans 2015

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lime, orange, ivy, cucumber
Heart: Black currant, sea water, orange blossom
Base: Immortelle, patchouli, opoponax, musk

I love the cool, frosty opening to Tadzio, it’s freaky fun. Even as the salty black currant comes in the mint stays and the cucumber adds its wetness. Even later when the smooth, warm baseline appears there are still small hints of the coolness in the beginning. Tadzio is my favourite of the three by far.

Fragrantica

Quality Of Flesh by Michele Marin for Homoelegans 2015

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Juniper berries, pink pepper, black pepper
Heart: Narcissus, patchouli, styrax, costus
Base: Leather, civet, benzoin, castoreum

My nose is instantly hit with the leather, dank wet rooty earth and animalics. This wetland foxhole smell is only slightly abated by the smooth creaminess of resins and patchouli. Quality of Flesh smells funky. It’s the most Indie smelling of the three.

Fragrantica

Paloma y Raices by Maurizio Cerizza for Homoelegans 2017

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Peppermint, green accord, mamey, grapefruit
Heart: Tuberose, ylang-ylang, coffee, tobacco
Base: Tonka bean, tolu, peru balsam, vanilla

Imagine if they made a chocolate coated biscuit filled with tuberose and ylang cream. A rich, tropical, dreamy scent that is sweet but not in the modern fairy floss way, much more a nuanced resinous sweetness surrounded by dark chocolate. The base is all warm, clean flesh. Paloma y Raices becomes a soft but noticeable skin scent, perfect for close quarters and undressing.

La Via del Profumo GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Homo*Elegans Experience Kit
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

Please tell us which Homo*Elegans fragrance sounds most you?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 14th June 2017 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 21st June 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Scent Diary: 5.6 – 11.6.2017

June 11, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Portia

Hi APJ,

WOW! What a week of friends, food and fragrance. I can’t believe how much we all got through.

Scent Diary: 5.6 – 11.6.2017

Monday 5:

Good morning sunshine! It was absolutely glorious for our walk today and when we got home I de-flead the pooches.

Very little on the agenda today but I did book my flights for India in September. Going to hang with my last Partner Varun for about 10 days. The plan is to get up to Assam and Darjeeling for alittle adventure, a couple of days in Delhi and some time with his family in Alwar, Rajasthan. Jam packed but it will be fun. I realised we haven’t seen each other in 3 years! Time to go hang. Here’s a pick of us 15 years ago at one of our birthdays.

I’m totally loving my original Lolita Lempicka EdP again today. LOADS of it. Then this afternoon I decided I wanted to keep the purple theme but a new direction so Hermès Brin de Reglisse got a full workout. I freaking love lavender, so cool and calming.

At night Jin & I went to dinner with our besties Kath & Alice. The Balkan Restaurant on Crown St, I have been eating with this family in three or four different locations since 1988. The menu has barely changed in all that time and I usually get the Fillet Mignon, which in Australia and all civilised countries means perfect steak wrapped in bacon and cooked over an open fire BarBQ. Tonight I was not so hungry so I had a little bit of meat off everyone’s plate and a salad. DELICIOUS!

Tuesday 6:

Scott came to help with Office Work today. There wasn’t much to do except the brain numbing receipt naming, invoicing all venues and queens for Turbo, the mail and a few other incidentals. Jin is working tonight so he got us all lunch, dukka on soft pizza and cheese, YUM!

At the Post Office there was my prize from Pia & Nick at We Love To Smell. SO generous, full of fun things.

Had the most fabulous Annick Goutal Musc Nomade bubble bath, followed by Kiehl’s Musk Body Lotion and topped off with enormous amounts of Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur. I am a little musky! YAY!

Tonight for bed I wanted to continue the musks but add some sweetness so I multispritzed Olympic Orchids White Cattleya. its ultra-sweet citrus is backed by vanilla and musk. Just the right side of freaky, and a perfect narcotic fragrance to lead me to the land of nod. Night Night.

Wednesday 7:

Today is wet. Had to use a big umbrella to walk the dogs. I love how clean the world feels while it’s raining and the breeze is so refreshing. Dogs were fine in their winter coats, they look like a couple of yearling colts trotting along. I wore Elie Saab Le Parfum for our ramble, it was perfect, all musky white flowers.

Had a good meeting about a new venue that would like me to produce some stuff for it. The best bit was that the meeting was expedited by my longest friend who I was in kindergarten with and we have remained buddies ever since. We don’t see each other every week but when we do it’s nice and his Mum & mine were great buddies too. I didn’t take a bloody pic. BUM!

Tonight I was feeling a bit like I needed some super sweet crunchy caramel hugging so instead of turning to Jin who is at work I lavishly spritzed the original Guess woman by Marciano.

Fragrantica

Trivia was fun and dinner delicious. I had the grilled chicken with bacon, avocado and hollandaise with chips & salad. Bloody good food and a lovely night at Greystanes Hotel.

These are two of my fave boys from my Wednesday night gig. Razz & Andrew are contractors that drive from the Gold Coast to work in Sydney every few weeks, their boss sometimes comes and his family has joined us too.

These two dogs are so lovely. We walked in the pouring rain three times today and they loved it. Both got soaking wet heads and legs. Each time I had to dry their coats. Night time wander was in torrential rain, bucketing down, it was Biblical. They loved it so much, couldn’t care less. They’re curled up on their inside beds in the lounge room right now with Korean Air blankets on them. SO CUTE!

I’m done for today. More Guess by Marciano and bed.

Thursday 8:

Jin has crashed on the couch after his nightshift. I found him there this morning when I awoke. His happy snores fill the apartment. Morning couch cuddles made the world look even more lovely as I took the dogs for a damp but crystal clear ramble.

There were still ashy, vanilla remnants of my Guess by Marciano this morning. They were such a perfect fit I decided to stay on the sweet side so it became a Guerlain Samsara vintage EdT & parfum morning.

Jin created a brand new meat marinade today. Shallots, Onions, Garlic, Kiwi Fruit, Soy Sauce, Cooking Wine, little Sugar, Sesame Oil and fresh cracked Black Pepper. Pour it over pork neck cut into thin slices, like the Chinese cut meat for take-away. The meat has gone into the marinade, in Tupperware and into the fridge. The whole house smells amazing.

He cooked some and it tastes even better than it sounds. We have dubbed it Shallot Pesto and I wanted to eat it as is but Jin is making it into a stew! Crazy boy.

It’s still raining in Sydney but I was craving icy cool scent so I thought a few spritzes of Cartier: L’Heure Convoiteé II a good choice. It is indeed. Every time I spritz it reminds me of buying it in Prague’s Cartier store, off the main square. It was an expensive purchase and thrilling to be doing it on my first visit to the city. It was Jin and my first holiday together, very happy times to remember. Even now the heady joy of finding him comes flooding back.

Then for work some vintage Fendi EdT, their original fragrance. BIG perfume.

Friday 9:

It’s Friday and Jin is off work. We walked the dogs together this morning, one of my fave things to do together.

I was supposed to be meeting with the Parramatta Council because I want to start Drag Queen Story Time at the local library. They are into it but we had to postpone for a couple of weeks. I love the idea of bringing diversity to kids.

So I cleaned the house top to bottom. You could eat your dinner out of my toilet right now, though if you’re that hard up I could probably find you a plate. Everything is glistening and the only thing I haven’t done is oil the table. Tomorrow I’ll do it.

Lunch with the sweetest Korean boy, Jacob, from our local Korean store. He is going back to Korea soon and I wanted to take him out for a farewell. He loved it so much that I spoke a few sentences of Korean and he likes to talk English with me. Sweet. I’ll miss his happy face at the shop.

Tonight we had a perfumista dinner at mine. A few mates and a bunch of frags. Jin was out boozing with a work colleague so I filled the house with friends. Instead of cooking I went and got some Arabian chicken with pickles, garlic mayo & chips. Add a few bread rolls, a garden salad & voila, dinner. Everyone was asked to bring a bottle of bubbles and we went through most of them.

TinaG decided to create a Pavlova for dessert and it was freaking sensational. Here she is looking justifiably proud. We ate it up and then were all on a sugar high for fragrances.

Scott stuck around after everyone had gone and we kept on sniffing well past midnight and on to one.

Saturday 10:

Today dawned cool and wet. The thought of getting out of my comfortable bed, with a super warm Jin beside me was not exactly my dream scenario but the dogs will not feed and walk themselves. They did have to wait an hour after their normal routine though. I am a selfish man.

Went to lunch for my mate Nikki’s birthday. It was excellent fun. We laughed and reminisced. By the end it was three cackling hens. Perfect Saturday afternoon.

Following lunch I felt the need for a little warmth so a Robert Piguet Bandit bubble bath ensued and a liberal spritzing of the original Trussardi Donna, with it’s faux white croc bottle and greyhound insignia in leather. All about the leather chypres this afternoon.

Aunty Tracey arrived this evening and Jin did Korean BarBQ at home. She’s staying with us for the week and hopefully we will go visit the rest of the Aunties while she’s here.

Sunday 11:

Walking the dogs this morning I was confronted by this tree that seems to have coloured up overnight. Every other deciduous tree on the block is almost bare but this lone liquidambar is only just turning. Beautiful.

Aunty Tracey is rugged up in the beautiful patchwork quilt created for me by Lyndall Woods. She’s feeling the cold further from the equator and the quilt is exactly enough to keep her toasty as she watches Netflix. Her show of choice is 13 Reasons Why.

For work I decided to go Old School so it’s vintage Guerlain Mitsouko EdT & parfum all the way.

Now it’s your turn. How was your week? Tell me anything fun or fragrant you did or wore, maybe you have a new purchase or refund an old love. Please tell us your story in the comments, we love to read what’s going on in your world.
Portia xx

Saturday Question: Which 3 Perfume Notes Do You Look For?

June 10, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 123 Comments

Portia

Hello Fellow Fumies,

I have had an idea. Well, actually I’m copying an idea from Olfactoria’s Travels. Once a week there used to be a Question. Everyone would chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it would be a generally fun events each week. Taking sides never meant taking offence and everyone kept it respectful and light.

I’d like to carry on that tradition, maybe you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

If we get over 200 responses I will draw a $20 Surrender To Chance Gift Card. Every comment will get a place in the draw, so if you comment purposefully on your own or another comment you’ll have a chance, random.org will draw the winner on Friday and the winner will be announced in next Saturdays question.

Last Weeks Winner:

Send me an eMail to portia _ turbo at yahoo dawt com dawt au

PDI

Saturday Question

Which 3 Perfume Notes Do You Look For?

OK, so most of us have a few trigger notes. You know, the ones you see in a fragrance note list that instantly catch your attention. Maybe you love it because it’s a note that you love to have overwhelming you. It could be a back story player that you find easy to notice and its participation always makes you smile. A Base note that you love because it will be the one you smell the longest in your fragrant wear. Perhaps its a top note that gives you shivers. I think we all have a few notes that we recognise with love but lets keep it to three today.

My answer:

Amber: Though not every fragrance that has amber is a favourite I do tend to like my scents warm, resinous and sweet. There’s something so comfortable about ambers, and fragrances that include it in their main ingredients. It’s a little deeper than vanilla but not so darkly animal as labdanum/styrax/benzoin alone. Some of my most loved ambers include L’Artisan L’Eau d’Ambre, Huitiem Art Ambre Cerulean, Jessica simpson Fancy Nights and Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan.

Rose: Roses come in so many different scent families. They can be sweet and jammy, citrus or tea, smoky, boozy, fruity and a whole host of others, or combined. There’s something incredibly precious about how a rose smells. Maybe because Mum loved them so much and grew them in our garden. I could have been influenced by the adoration for roses in prose, advertisement and gardening books but I really do feel a genuine attachment to the fragrances that roses emit. Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur, Soivohle Rosa sur Reuse, Olympic Orchids Ballets Rouges, Parfums DelRae Coup de Foudre and Annick Goutal Ce Soir ou Jamais are just some of my rose loves.

Lavender: Lavender is so soothing yet manages to also be gloriously alive and breathtakingly beautiful. Considering what a fragrant staple it’s been its poor reputation in the 21st century seems unwarranted. Personally I can take it straight up, blended among the crowd, a central or backing role. It scent refreshes my brain and lets me sleep like a log, whenever I change the sheets I spritz the new ones with L’Occitane Lavande de Haute-Provence. Other Lavender loves include CHANEL Boy, Le Galion Cologne Nocturne, Guerlain Jicky, Hermessence Brin de Réglisse and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Mâle.

So my question to you is

Which 3 Perfume Notes Do You Look For?

Samsara by Jean-Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 1989

June 9, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Portia

Hello lovelies,

Samsara has great memories for me of my Mum. I bought her some one year and she wore it often. It’s weird but I rarely hear people speak of this particular Guerlain, it’s still in department stores so must be a good seller for them. Every now & then I get mine out to reminisce. Then I wonder why I don’t wear it more.

Samsara by Guerlain 1989

Samsara by Jean-Paul Guerlain

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, peach, green notes
Heart: Jasmine, iris, narcissus, violet, rose
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, musk

Samsara means “Wheel Of Life” in Sanskrit according to Jean-Paul Guerlain the perfumes main creator.

Creamy tropical flowers and fruit, a little sharp in the open. Samsara doesn’t take long to settle on my skin and become a slightly banana-isa yellow floral with BWF aspirations. Mildly flower feral, it wears in parfum close and seductive. When I add the EdT it becomes a larger, more exhibitionist fragrance, a glamorous silk brocade of a scent.

Once the initial extravaganza calms I’m left with a nebulous bouquet backed by a sweet, dry-ish vanilla and creamy resinous sandalwood till fade. Recently I read that even back in 1989 Samsara was mainly faux sandalwood, doesn’t matter to me. Lastly I smell sandalwood and musks, I think the musk might be the real deal but TBH I’ll probably never know

Fragrantica

Some people talk about how outrageous and overbearing Samsara is. That’s definitely not how I experience it. Maybe because of my Mum reference Samsara is a warm, elegant, pre-oud oriental that is both exotic and incredibly comforting. Back in the 1980s Samsara was armchair travel to faraway places, a hint of the multifarious peoples of Asia and the Middle East. Even then I knew world travel was what I wanted to do as a life hobby.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Muse In Wooden Shoes
Most Guerlain counters have Samsara
Surrender To Chance has vintage parfum samples from $20/0.25ml

Have you tried Samsara?
I hope you enjoyed wandering among my fragrant thoughts. Below is an original Samsarta ad, hopefully see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Taif Roses by Montale 2007

June 8, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Portia

Hi there Rose Lovers,

I have had a 5ml decant here for ages of Taif Roses. It’s about half empty now and I worried that it would never get a showing on the blog. So many people deride Montale as a house for their unlimited releases of virtually the same faux oud scents again and again. It’s a fair criticism but if you ever take the time to look into a few of their non-oud releases you may be pleasantly surprised. Some of them are really lovely, and I like that Montale has kept their product affordable in this age of aspirational pricing.

I think it was someone on FaceBook’s Aussie Fragrance Network that reminded me recently of Taif Roses. Thanks to that person I grabbed it out again today.

Taif Roses by Montale 2007

Fragrantica

While looking for a note list everywhere I looked gave only rose. The Taif rose is special, while looking for information I found a link on BaseNotes that took me to this.

From Armco: No one is certain how the 30-petal damask rose first came to Taif. The impulse for its cultivation, however, assuredly lay in Taif’s proximity to Makkah (Ed: Mecca). That the rose of Taif is virtually identical to the famous Bulgarian “kazanlik” strain suggeststhat Taif’s roses may have been transplanted from the Balkans by the Ottoman Turks, who occupied that area from the mid-14th century and the Hijaz from the 16th century. However, the kazanlik rose—its Turkish name means “suitable for the [distiller’s] kettle”—has its own roots in the Persian rose plantations around Shiraz and Kashan, which in turn supplied fields in Syria. A legend among the growers of al-Hada says that the flower originally came from India.

Taif Roses is a woody, green leaves and snap of fresh cut stems rose. Floral petals of rose, intoxicatingly intense are surrounded by the bushes themselves and the dry, cool air of the early morning picking in the spring sunlight. often compared in my reading to Sa Majesty la Rose by Serge Lutens but without the honey to sweeten it, and far less of the spicy clove.

Montale

Longevity is exceptional, in the Montale way and sillage is very good too. A little goes a long way but I like to really douse myself and sit among the rosey fog.

Further reading: Scent for Thought and BOTO
Feeling Sexy Australia has $145/100ml

How do you like your roses? Green, jammy, spicy or otherwise?
Portia xx

La Via del Profumo GIVEAWAY WINNER

June 8, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Portia

Hey there APJ,

Thanks to AbdesSalaam for his generosity and you guys for participating.
Let’s see who won,
Portia xxx

La Via del Profumo GIVEAWAY WINNER

La Via del Profumo

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Vetiver, patchouli, olibanum, sea notes, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, spicy notes

La Via del Profumo has samples from €18/5.5ml

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x sample Gringo by La Via del Profumo
1 x sample Cuoio del Dolci by La Via del Profumo
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 7th June 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winner was chosen by random.org

Ingrid

The winners will have till Wednesday 14th June 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Bois d’Argent by Annick Menardo for DIOR La Collection Privée 2004

June 7, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Sandra

HI there APJ,

Iris season has begun, the yellow water irises have bloomed and now I am waiting to see some bearded irises. I find the iris to be one of the most stunning flowers allowing itself to be photographed and painted over and over without getting bored. The colours are all over the spectrum and I find it difficult to choose a favourite. However, I love the shape of the bearded iris the most.

Now when it comes to perfumery, I always found the iris note to be cold and aloof, almost unbearably so. I tried and tried through the years to come to terms with this much loved note. I have even bought a bottle here or there of an iris centric perfume in hopes of finally getting it – only to be disappointed and then pass it along.

I do not know if it is age or reason that has brought my nose around, but at the moment I cannot seem to get enough of iris. I do believe that I am finally understanding that I like the warmer treatment of iris and tend to shy away from the cold renderings.

Bois d’Argent by DIOR La Collection Privée 2014

Bois d’Argent by Annick Menardo

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Yemenite frankincense
Heart: Somalian myrrh, Indonesian patchouli, Florentine iris absolute
Base: Amber, Woody notes, Honey, Leather, White musk

Last summer I picked up Christian Dior Bois d’Argent, created by Annick Menardo in 2004, which is part of the La Collection Privée. I sprayed it on in Nice and was taken aback of well this perfume worked in the summer heat. It was never stifling, nor suffocating. I packed it up as soon as we found out we were moving and did not spray it again until January of this year. It was winter and a wet cold set into my bones. The only way to stay warm was through olfactory stimulation. Bois d’Argent is warm and cuddly in the cold. The vanilla is played up with the iris and myrrh making it a slightly sweet, but not too sweet treat.

It has been in heavy rotation ever since January and now that Rotterdam is finally warming up I can say that I am enjoying Bois d’Argent even more. The perfume starts off with a blast of incense and a tinge of myrrh. The incense is warm and not overly done which can be a bit much. I find that myrrh rounds certain perfumes beautifully. The iris is smooth and warm and only slightly powdery. The powder aspect is less detectable now in the warmer weather. Instead of powder I am getting a lovely dry down of woods, incense and iris. Bois d’Argent is elegant and refined but not so much so that I cannot wear it on a daily basis. It keeps me centered and calm and ready to face the day with a smile and positive energy.

To be honest with you I can forget about the notes. This is smooth sailing and I do not need to think about what I am wearing. Rarely do I get compliments when I wear perfume. However, I do when I wear Bois d’Argent.

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and Olfactoria’s Travels
DIOR stores and some larger department store countermand airports carry the DIOR La Collection Privée line
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3.25/ml

Have you tried Dior Bois d’Argent? Now that I am open to and looking for some iris scents to try, can you recommend some to me? I would love to hear what you have to say about iris and how you like it or do not like it.
Sandra x

(Ed: All the Iris photos by Sandra. Beautiful.)

Perfume Shopping Safari – learning how!

June 6, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

TinaG

Hi APJ!

A friend asked me for advice – she’d been finding her favourite fragrance was not smelling the same in her skin. She was looking for something new. Did I know anything that was similar which she could try?

So firstly we chatted about her signature scent. My friend has been using Dolce & Gabbana – Rose the One, which obviously is rose-centric but balanced out with lychee and peony. Instead of asking what she liked, we started with what she didn’t – this being any fragrance that was overly floral or sweet. But there’s only one way to find out – go shopping!

Perfume Shopping Safari – learning how!

So off we went on a perfume safari. We went to Myer / Mecca in Sydney city. Myer is open till 8:00pm which was perfect for dropping in after work. This excercise was also helping her to learn how to test & what to watch out for. When we got there I directed her to the Bottega Venetta and Narciso Rodrigues displays where I grabbed a handful of mouilettes. If I’m bulk testing, I’ll put a spray or two on paper & pop the end under the display bottle to let it dry a bit & keep track of what’s what. My nose lasts much longer (ie doesn’t get blown out / insensitive) if I’m sniffing dry paper, not wet.

Fragrantica

So then we sniffed everything in those two ranges over about 15 minutes – chatting & learning about first impressions as we went. We chose Narciso Pourdée Eau de Parfum to try on skin, and found immediately that my friends skin amps fragrances in a sour direction. Good to know.

She was super quick to learn about top notes, dry down, what she liked and within 1/2 an hour we split up & she worked her way around Myer, the Libertine section, and Mecca with some wonderful sales assistants. I felt a bit proud when I over-heard her saying ‘my skin amps sour’ to the nods of an SA. Yay!

Fragrantica

We had loads of fun in our adventure. I unfortunately fell in love with Gypsy Water by Byredo while she was off gallavanting…. maybe I should have kept my hands behind my back.

Other fragrances she tried on skin were Lady Vengence by Juliette has a Gun, Arcana Rosa by L’Artisan Perfumer – Natura Fabularis collection, Lys 41 by Le Labo, and Gris Clair… by Serge Lutens. Both the JHAG and Le Labo were fantastic and the SAs generously gave her small vials to give a proper run through at home.

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Lavender
Heart: Bulgarian rose, Moroccan rose, Patchouli, Hedione, ISO-E-Super
Base: Ambroxan, Vanilla, White musk

The next Monday she came back to me to say she loved Lady Vengence so much she went back & picked up a bottle of it. It’s a rose & patchouli scent and the quirky JHAG branding suits her so well. A win!

Have you ever had a friend find a new fragrance love through your recommendations?

Till next time,
Tina G xx

Sea Wood (Legno di Nave) by AbdesSalaam Attar for La Via del Profumo

June 5, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Portia

Hey Crew,

La Via del Profumo makes really good fragrances.They are not like what you’ll find at the mall. In fact they are quite the opposite. Deep, dark and moving rather than sweet and safe. They may help unlock the feral you that lurks behind the daily facade you need to wear to deal with the world on terms that will keep you employed, unfettered and engaged with society. Sometimes you need to loosen the restraints without causing damage, I find fragrance is the perfect solution.

AbdesSalaam Attar is the fragrant pen name of Dominique Dubrana who focuses on the use of natural fragrance. What he creates though is so intense and coherent, I love to wear his fragrances because they speak to me in a far different language than the department store and niche scents.

Sea Wood (Legno di Nave) by La Via del Profumo

Sea Wood (Legno di Nave) by AbdesSalaam Attar

La Via del Profumo

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Vetiver, patchouli, olibanum, sea notes, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, spicy notes

Cloves and the feeling of booze, like a very strong rum drink, open Sea Wood. It’s a big, intoxicating opening that then calm quickly and sizzles quietly. So spicy, I can’t pick the notes apart properly but I would have said freshly cracked pepper.

Not long into the fragrance the sweet, not quite urinous smell of resins and patchouli waft through. It’s weird but I smell honey and woods now. The scent smells thick and glutinous like trying to breathe in a vat of honey. I can imagine myself in the hold of a ship full of exotic cargo, maybe even some livestock on board and the inevitable ever-present underscore of salty brine.

PDI

The fireworks sadly don’t last long enough before Sea Wood softens to a slightly feral salty resin. It becomes a skin scent, only smelled if you put your head down into your shirt. The perfect scent level for being undressed by someone, or for office work and close quartered dates.

La Via del Profumo has samples from €18/5.5ml

La Via del Profumo GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x sample Gringo by La Via del Profumo
1 x sample Cuoio del Dolci by La Via del Profumo
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us where you would wear your prize?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 7th June 2017 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 14th June 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit