You Or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr + Etat Libre d’Orange 2017

April 14, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Portia

Hey Crew,

I got home from my holiday to find a box awaiting pick up. I had no idea who the sender was but guessed it was fragrant in nature. There were also a couple of messages in my email inbox from Chandler Burr. That’s kind of unusual because he has been holding radio silence lately. So when I opened them and saw that he has creative directed a fragrance with the kooky crew from ELdO I was immediately on high alert.

Based on the heroine of his book You Or Someone Like You, a rollicking read that I found provocative, informative and unpretentious. The ad copy is just as provocative but lacks information thus presenting itself as audaciously pretentious. From the Press release: I find that the smells mesmerize. Astringent mint/green of eucalyptus, wild jasmine from vines climbing the stop signs, catalyzed car exhaust, hot California sunlight on ocean water (although “You” contains no jasmine, eucalyptus, car exhaust; if you need to know what it’s made of, “You” is not for you).
When Etat Libre d’Orange approached me about creative directing, my perfumer Caroline Sabas and I created not a “perfume” — people in Los Angeles don’t wear perfume – but a specific scent, the scent someone like Anne would wear, this woman high in the Hollywood hills, imported like the palms into this blue air.

Nevertheless, if head-up-your-ass ad-copy was a problem for me I’d definitely not be loving the perfume industry as much as I do. So I took all of that with a grain of salt and went to the box.

You Or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange 2017

You Or Someone Like You by Caroline Sabas

So, though the idea is to wear this scent experientially, I know you want to know what it smells like. Sharp herbaceous green opens. Like a tart unripe orange and grapefruit with the green of basil, cardamom and grass. Mint! There is a minty note running through too. There is no note list so I’m guessing here, we’ll all have a good laugh at my guesses when the note list is revealed. There is an awkward creamy note that is disturbing and alluring, like matcha tea.

Not long in and a spiky green that really does seem like eucalyptus comes through and suddenly I’m transported to bush walks through the Australian Mallee Scrub with the Cadets as a boy. Also we had a Wildflower Park and National Park not too far from where we grew up and we would picnic in them as a family.

I like that ELdO have allowed this slightly freaky niche fragrance to be born. The first couple of hours You Or Someone Like You doesn’t sit quietly and comfortably but there is always a lightly curdled feeling running through. Later in the development there feels like definite references to the LA air seen and smelled from the pinnacle of the Hollywood Hills. There is also the warmth and cool of lying in the sun with a foot or hand draped into the pool.

Dry down is a soft focus creamy-mint with a shitload of white musks, nothing particularly distinctive but it smells nice enough and hums away in the background for hours.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Scents Memory
LuckyScent has it from $52/30ml + Samples

Then there is the final question. “Is it art Chandler?”

Does this read like something you’d try?
Portia xx

Holiday Bought & Gifted Full Bottles Europe 2017

April 13, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 49 Comments

Portia

Dear Fragrance Lovers,

By now you all know the extent of my sickness. well, it’s all brought home here in this series of photos. This is the combined collection of full bottles, some new and some bought second hand, that I acquired through our months adventures. Yes, I am appalled, no I’m not sorry.

Holiday Bought & Gifted Full Bottles Europe 2017

Here they all are lined up.

TOP: Nivea EdP, Ramon Monegal Umbra
BASE: Rose Oud by Yves Rocher, Aether Methaldone, Parfum d’Empire Equistrius, DIOR Mitzah, Mon Guerlain, Ulrich Lang Lightscape

TOP: Terre D’Hermès Parfum, Annick Goutal Ambre Fétiche, Hermès Cologne collection, Guerlain Cologne Travel Set, Hermès Eau de Marveilles Blue
BASE: Atelier Cologne Trefle Pur, Aedes de Venustas Palissander d’Or, A*Men, Guerlain Santal Royal, e_o Bogue, Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon,

TOP: Parfum d’Empire Tabac Tabou (2016), Le Galion Travel Set
BASE: Bois d’Oud by Detail, Vero Profumo Kiki extrait, LM Aldheyx

Yes, I’m a disgusting glutton. Yes, my credit cards are groaning under the weight. Yes, it will be Ramen noodles for a while. Yes, I’m glad I did it. Yes, there are reviews coming.

Did you shop in March? What lovelies did you get?
Portia xx

Methaldone GIVEAWAY WINNERS

April 13, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Portia

Hey Crew,

So glad to be home and have giveaways again. Thanks for getting involved.
Portia xx

Methaldone GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Metallic notes, incense, amber, woody notes, resins, musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml decant of Methaldone by Aether Parfums
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 12th April 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners were chosen by random.org

Lillibet

BBMc

Alice

The winners will have till Wednesday 19th April 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

New York Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Nicolai Parfumeur Createur 2014

April 12, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Anne-Marie

Hi all!

Have you ever sold or given away a perfume, only to regret it later? I bet you have!

I once re-homed a 5ml decant of New York by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur. This was the original EDT version, not the Intense (EDP) which came out in 2014. I liked the citrusy and aromatic aspect, but something about the spices bothered me. It felt very dry and scratchy and, well, hot … like a spice market on a hot day. It was like the perfume was burning into my skin.

I had no regrets giving it away until about two years ago when, having smelled a lot of other fragrance in the meantime, I got curious. What did that stuff smell like again? I was a bit too lazy to act on this question, but I brooded on it all the same.

Finally I’ve had the chance to snap up a large decant, this time of the Intense.

New York Intense by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur 2014

New York Intense by Patricia de Nicolai

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, lemon, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, pimento, oakmoss, vetiver, amber.

New York Intense arrived today and although I’ve only had it on a few hours, I’m delighted with the re-acquaintance. Citrus and herbaceous notes are as intriguing as ever, but the spices seem a bit less prominent, allowing the smooth ambery base to make itself felt. Maybe because of this, the fragrance seems less solidly masculine than I remember. A lot of Fragranctica readers detect oakmoss. Really? I don’t get any at all. But I’ll see how things go over more wearings. I definitely get a subtle whiff of vanilla, which I like. Also, the longevity is better.

PDI

This is how the Intense strikes me. I can’t do a direct comparison of the two versions but if you have, do comment.

For various reasons, good reasons, we prune our collections to share them, spray forward, or to create space and raise a few dollars for other stuff. Perhaps we keep a sample for reference, although I admit I’ve never been that organised.

I don’t think I’ve ever had any terrible regrets, just a small sense of loss occasionally. After all, there’s a good chance that the lost one will find its way back to you if it is meant to be, as it was in this case for me.

WikiCommons

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies
LuckyScent has $62/30ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $5/ml

So what about you? Have you managed to reclaim some gems you had let go? How did it work out?
Until next time everyone, keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie

Naja by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2017

April 11, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Val the Cookie Queen

Salutations APJ

It might be fair to say that Vero Kern considers NAJA to be the jewel in her superb collection of fragrances. A triumph celebrating ten years of the .vero.profumo. perfume house. This is no mean feat in an age of disposable scents and the ‘here today, gone tomorrow, and forgotten’ releases. Behind the facade of promising pictures, engaging copy, and olfactive promises from hell to breakfast, this is one bitch of a business to be involved in.

I have observed the pleasure and the pain in watching Vero bringing NAJA to life. It is the inclusion of a small part of Vero Kern´s soul in each of her perfumes that give them their strength and vitality. How can one create with no heart?

The origin of NAJA is the Sanskrit NĀGA, pronounced with a hard “g”, meaning snake. NAJA is the genus of venomous snakes known as cobras. Vero took the attributes of these serpents as the inspiration for her jubilee creation, with their embodiment of two opposing symbols. Healing and death, order and chaos, life and destruction. Shamanism is a practice that involves the practitioner reaching an altered state of consciousness, a trance, to practice divination and healing. Tobacco is considered to be one of the shamans’ most powerful drugs and is found in many of their rituals.

Naja by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2017

Naja: Vero Profumo 10 Year Jubilee Scent: Floral Tobacco

Tobacco absolute. Linden blossom. Osmanthus absolute. Melon. A combination of contradictory elements.

GREEN, FLORAL AND TROPICAL! Let´s think South America, Caribbean, New Orleans. NAJA opens with a remarkable lime green surge, which is made up of Vero´s own citrus accord, including both neroli oil and bergamot. The neroli is sweet, and somewhat metallic with a green and piquant dimension, the bergamot both zesty and floral. Spices in the background, enhancing the lushness. Continuing the idea of contradiction the linden adds a bright floral as well as a honeyed shading, the osmanthus a flowery suede. As a consequence of Vero Kern´s understanding as both an aromatologist and aromatherapist, the tobacco absolute spreads its aromatic, golden and therapeutic warmth, and depth of character throughout NAJA.

“Take me in tender woman
Take me in, for heaven´s sake
Take me in tender woman,” sighed the snake
“I saved you,” cried the woman
“And you´ve bitten me, but why?
You know your bite is poisonous and now I`m going to die”
“Oh shut up, silly woman,” said the reptile with a grin
“You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in …..”
The Snake. Written by Oscar Brown Junior. Sung by Al Wilson.

I am indebted to Vero for having been allowed on the NAJA journey over the last two years, with all of its ups and downs.

Further reading: Bonkers About Perfume and A Bottled Rose
LuckyScent will have Naja when it comes in

have you tried any of the Vero Profumo scents yet? Have a favourite?

Jubilant Bussis
CQ

Methaldone by Rodrigo Flores-Roux for Aether 2017

April 10, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Portia

Heya Fumies,

Life is a roller coaster. Jin and I had the most amazing trip around Europe last month. One of the highlights was catching up with Nicolas and Enno. They are the guys behind Le Galion and Aether Parfums. We took them out to Jin’s favourite Korean restaurant in Paris because we love them. Clever, funny, handsome and really passionate men about their fragrance, lives, love; just about everything. Seeing them is always a joy.

Methaldone by Aether 2017

Methaldone by Rodrigo Flores-Roux

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Metallic notes, incense, amber, woody notes, resins, musk

The Aether perfumes line is dedicated to using only captured molecules and they have done a very interesting job with this one. Methaldone is created to the brief of recreating the scent of hot metal.

My nose smells sparklers and cooking popcorn. So that’s my experience and these two leading images last in my head for the first hour or so until the fragrance warms through with resins and sweet amber coming up from underneath and gradually taking over. Personally I am loving the way it smells and the way it lingers so tenaciously, especially on clothes and you’ll need to wash them before the scent goes. My washing basket has never smelt so good.

As you can see in the pic I’ve already used quite a lot of my bottle, it’s YUMMY!

I wore Methaldone last weekend to a party where it got 3 unsolicited compliments, which rarely happens for me in party situations. One friend coming in for an extra cuddle so they could smell it more. So Methaldone is a WIN!

Surprisingly for something that sounds so out there it is remarkably wearable and would be a superb go-to scent for everyday wearings.

Below we have a fab giveaway, thanks to Nicolas & Enno, get to it
Portia xx

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml decant of Methaldone by Aether 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.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us where you would like to wear Methaldone

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 12th April 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 19th April 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: 3.4 – 9.4.17

April 9, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

Portia

YAY! APJ!

Home in Sydney. Back in Jin & my bed after weeks of hotels, having super luxurious baths and getting my head back around the work/life/friends balance.

Scent Diary: 3.4 – 9.4.17

Monday 3:

It’s 6am am I’m wide awake. So I thought I’d come spritz myself with something lovely, grab a chamomile tea and head back to bed for a couple of extra hours shut eye. I’m thinking sweet and engulfing so Guerlain is probably a good house to go with. Now discontinued Guerlain Oriental Brulant is my choice, so sweet and over the top. Perfect.

Had a funny off & on nights sleep and then went to the dentist. Through the last week or so of our holiday I had a tooth really giving me some pain, it was wobbling and coming out proud of its usual position. Hot and cold would hurt like I was being stabbed and eating became torment. I was dosing myself with daily pain killers to mask it all. My gums have been pretty poor since my many years as a drug addict and today I lost my third tooth to gum disease and poor choices. Very sobering and I am sad. Thank everything that my dentist is the most profession, caring, calm and lovely man. We are fighting a rear guard action to save two more but the prognosis is not good.

To lift my spirits I multispritzed vintage Miss Dior parfum. Hard to be sad when you smell this glorious. Here is my hoard.

Trivia Q&A writing all night long. Fuzzy brain from pain killers.

On the Up Side, I got confirmation that I’m a Korean Air Morning Calm Elite Member today! That means I get Double Baggage, Priority Seating and a whole bunch of other great stuff. VERY excited about that. I wish Korean Air were paying me for all the name dropping I do for them.

Tuesday 4:

It’s 3.53am and I’ve finished my Trivia Q&A, sent the packs out, printed my own Q&A and Answer Sheets for the week. It’s raining softly here in Parramatta and I can hear big drips hitting cement from threes around my apartment. Everything else is quiet and still except the tap tapping of my one fingered typing. For bedtime I have triple spritzed vintage CHANEL Antaeus. It’s a perfect fit for the coolish evening here.

Spent the day hanging with my mate who is up from Melbourne, Margeaux. It was super fun to catch up and laugh over coffee and biscuits even though the reason for his Sydney visit is sad.

We had to stay home because I’m waiting for a delivery, it never bloody came. Expecting it early this morning I basically wasted my day waiting GRRR! Only a problem because I need to get to the barber to shave my beard right so I can dye it for work. Can’t be a lovely lady with a salt & pepper beard, it looks wrong. So off to work as a guy tonight.

I had a glorious bubble bath in Fancy Nights by Jessica Simpson bubbles, it always surprises me when an ultra cheap shower gel becomes yummy smelling bubble bath. This one smelt just as luxurious as the expensive stuff. Over that I went crazy with the Jacomo Art Collection #02. It;’s freaky plastic vanilla is a perfect overlay to Fancy Nights base.

Fragrantica

Wednesday 5:

3am and time for bed. Today I need to find a barber to even my beard up and also start a brand new trivia with me as a guy. Very exciting. SOTBed is Neela Vermeire Creations Ashoka. Figs and cream, balmy woods; a perfect way to lullaby land.

FUCK! Today was supposed to be a lazy day before getting an opening night together but drama struck. Jin’s sister in law, who we had been laughing and generally having a wonderful time with three weeks ago, chose to end her life leaving two kids and a grieving, shell shocked husband. PLEASE if you suffer depression, see someone, call a help line or call a friend. PLEASE!

In Australia Call BeyondBlue 1300 22 46 36

The gig at Greystanes Hotel went really well and I think it’s going to be a winner. the staff, patrons and food were all great.

I wore vintage Guerlain Vol de Nuit parfum to work in honour of our lost girl, hoping her spirit will now be free to fly.

Jin was supposed to be home tomorrow morning but now he is flying back to Europe to help. What an amazing man, he was on the train to catch the plane to Sydney when he heard. Thanks go out to Korean Air, who had to deal with his crying melt down and flight changes, all in the middle of Incheon Airport. Now he’s headed back to Slovakia to be with his brother & family. Thanks also to NSW Rail who said when he called to ask for more leave that he should take as much time as he needs to do what he had to and that he would have a job when he returns. Amazing.

SOTBed tonight was Bal a Versailles and it was perfect!

Thursday 6:

Sorry. Not really with it today. I did dye my beard and had a fragrant bubble bath in Annick Goutal Encens Flamboyant.

Talked to Jin on his sad adventure, got the invoices done for March and sent them off, made Curried Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup (it’s not been blended yet in the pot) and have been wearing New Study (PostCard) by Miller & Bertaux to review.

Tonight at work I wore an old favourite Un Jour d’ere by Keiko Mecheri from 2012. I bought my own bottle way back because I love it’s creamy, white floral, beachy goodness and I love to spritz about 15 times when I wear it. So whenever I see it for sale on the FaceBook frag docs I always buy it because I go through it. YUMMY! On my second bottle currently.

Friday 7:

It’s nearly 4am. I’m not sleeping because I’m worried about Jin who has finally arrived in Slovakia to be with his brother’s family. It was a 30+ hours gruelling set of flights and trains to get there so Jin has basically been awake for two days non stop.

SOTBed is Vanille Marine by M Micallef and I love it’s salty, wet, shimmery, vanilla goodness. Why don’t I have a bottle of this gem? Going Trolling for one now. UM, seems to have been discontinued and disappeared. GRRRR!

Had Anna-Maria, Johnny and Domenica Calarco over for brunch today. They are super special people and we chatted, sniffed fragrance, drank tea and ate the yummy sweets they brought. Time flew by and suddenly it was 2pm. Best fun and perfect light among the shadows this week has cast. Thank you all for being my mates.

We opened my Kiki extrait by Vero Profumo. GAWD! It’s even better at home. Also opened my new Guerlain Santal Royal, also very nice. Spent time with Detaille Rose d’Oud, vintage Guerlain Shalimar extrait, Mon Guerlain and a whole host of others.

After the guys left I fell asleep on the couch for 5 hours, now I’m wide awake and still fully fragrant from brunch. The Calarcos brough oodles of food so we didn’t get to eat the soup I made for us. It’s a Curried Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup and tastes delicious with Buttered Toast. YUMMY!!

Tonight decanting the Dityque Rose de Mai for a split I’m hosting. The bloody puffer stopped spraying after 3 x 10ml decants with 6 more to go. I’m furious, had to jimmy the whole apparatus off to continue. The scent is good but the puffer is a load of shit. GRRR!

Saturday 8:

It’s 4am here in Sydney and I’m not sleepy at all. Serves me right for having a 5 hour nap today. I plonked myself in front of the TV and watch pap for a few hours. Now I’m missing Jin so having cleaned my teeth and readied myself for bed I’m going to spritz lavishly with L’Artisan Perfumer L’Eau d’amber. I know it’s simple but I love it.

Well sleep didn’t happen till after 10am. Below is me sending MISSING YOU pics to Jin from our super comfy TV couch. The had the service and cremation yesterday, so sad.

Slept from about 10.30am – 6pm and then had to get up and go to a combined 50th birthday party for two mates Neil & Patrick. My evenings choice of scent was Methaldone by Aether Parfums and it got 3 unsolicited compliments, which rarely happens for me in party situations. One friend coming in for an extra cuddle so they could smell it more. So Methaldone is a WIN!

It was a white party with Justin Scott DJing, fairy lights, bunting, all you could eat & drink, and a host of the world’s coolest kids having a ball. I think only about 30% at the event were Sydneysiders, the rest had flown in especially. There was a cabaret singer flown in from the Solomon Islands and all the waiters were from Butlers In The Buff. Yes, you read right. The air staff were all naked with aprons as modesty shields. It was a freaking hoot.

It’s late, I’m home from the party. I’m going to make some Squishy Sandwiches and a cup of Chamomile Tea. Then I’ll watch a little TV, do my teeth and go to bed.

Sunday 9:

Woke up late. Doing some household chores and soon will get ready for work. Sun is shining, it’s warm and a perfect Sunday.

Tonight for work I went crazy spritzing Lolita Lempicka EdP and every group I stood or sat with commented how great I smelled. It was unreal. I’m wondering if I put too much on? It’s a new bottle and smells quite a bit more chemical than my previous one. Maybe the older one was reformulated or had aged quite a bit? Doesn’t matter, this still smells good.

Fragrantica

So how was your week? Do anything interesting or smell something new? I love to read your stories too so leave me a message in the comments.
Portia xx.

Iris Fauve by Marie Salamagne for Atelier des Ors 2017

April 7, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Portia

Hey there Niche Nerds,

Atelier des Ors is one of Ainslie Walkers fave modern houses. While she was writing regularly for APJ I knew she would grab the newbies and give us a post about them. It meant there was a house I could totally ignore. So it was really fun at Esxence to meet New Zealand born blogger Megan from St Maxime, who also does PR for the company, so she could personally take me through the range. While I was there with Pia and Nick and I got Fume Royalty’s blow by blow account of why the scents are so good as well as the PR spin.

Iris Fauve by Atelier des Ors 2017

Iris Fauve by Marie Salamagne

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, cinnamon, iris
Heart: Patchouli, Haitian vetiver, cypriol oil or nagarmotha
Base: Myrrh, musk, labdanum, liatris

Iris! the opening of Iris Fauve is that cool, crisp, cardboard and autumn air cleanness that I associate with the best and most beautiful iris-centric scents. Slight citrus and patchouli background noise and a lightly salted grassy green vetiver but iris above all.

My mind is throwing me pictures of the layers of puff pastry, as if as I go down into the heart of the fragrance there are tiny, wafer thin layers of iris root with warm scented air rushing over them that create this comfortable, cosy iris scent. Light enough to capture the Asian market yet full enough to satisfy me Iris Fauve seems to have depth and breathtaking lift.

After the first 15 minutes Iris fauve seems to melt into my skin and become one with my fleshy humanity, a welcome whisper of beauty lying just above the skin. Here it seems to have a leatheriness too, hints of Cuir d’Ange and Cuir de Lancome, those softly and elegantly produced well loved gloves.

People that I respect are saying that this is an iris masterpiece, while I won’t go that far I think if you have previously found yourself iris-averse then maybe this treatment could change your mind. I get zero of the bread/carrot/earth on my skin that iris so often throws.

Flickr

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Non Blonde
Peony Melbourne carries the range
Surrender To Chance has samples from $4.25/0.5ml

Do you know the Atelier des Ors fragrance house? What are your favourite Iris perfumes?
Portia xx

New Study (Postcard) by Miller et Bertaux 2017

April 6, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Portia

Hey APJ,

We have spoken before here about Miller & Bertaux. I think them a woefully underlined fragrance house that do fun and interesting scents that are edgy but wearable. I have bought bottles of A Quiet Morning, Shanti Shanti and Spiritus/Land. Woods, Incense & Balmy/Spicy/Green Woods. Because they release with little or no fanfare I have missed a few years worth of new frags.

That was rectified at the Esxence in Milan last week where Miller et Bertaux had a stand. Sadly I was so overwhelmed by Esxence as a whole I couldn’t really focus. So without being able to really stop, converse and sniff I did go and tell the man at the counter how much I loved their work. The guy was so thrilled he gave me a full set of their samples to try. YAY!! Including the newest release New Study (Postcard).

New Study (Postcard) by Miller et Bertaux 2017

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Green orange, lemon, grapefruit, grass, white peach blossom, precious woods, fig, coconut milk, fig leaf

So whoever names these frags needs a good slap around the head, the newer names are hardly engaging. They seem like punchlines to jokes we’ll never hear. It’s a bummer.

The citrus jumps out at you right from the start. It’s lip puckeringly tart and has a sweet, pithy background which helps keep the whole fragrance grounded. It’s a smily and welcoming opening that gives me a goofy grin.

It’s not long before the citrus is joined by the coconut and fig and it’s unusual that these two additions don’t make the scent go tropical or even Mediterranean but create a coziness, a warm friendly lived-in feeling.

So I’m now looking at the name of the fragrance, Postcard. As I’m one of the last people on earth that sends postcards every holiday it’s like a lightbulb has gone on in my head. The citrus is the air mail adventure of the postcard, the war foggy-milk bit is the arrival and all the good feelings that engenders and then the dry down is a warm, woodsy/sweet-fig-milk that could be the life of a postcard on the fridge in the kitchen that gets looked at every time someone opens the fridge and brings a smile.

Yes, I’m probably full of shit but there you have it.

Libertine Parfumerie will have it in Australia when it comes in

A cozy version of fig, very nice and wearable. I could imagine it becoming a very easy go-to frag for someone who likes to have really unusual, hard to find brands but also wants to smell office appropriate.

Do you know Miller & Bertaux?
Portia xx

David Jourquin Leather Fragrances: First Impressions

April 5, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Sandra

Hey there APJ!

Hope ya’ll are enjoying life. I am getting used to my new home and am adoring the Netherlands in the springtime. Magnificent blooming trees and flowers, people smiling and spending time outdoors, and warming temperatures make me happy.

Who likes leather? Anyone? I have discovered that I really enjoy wearing perfumes with a leather note. Enter David Jourquin…

David Jourquin Leather Fragrances: First Impressions

David Jourquin perfumes are pretty new to me. I tried two when they first came out but then I promptly lost the two samples and forgot about them. Shame on me!

David Jourquin is quietly giving us a wonderful collection of sumptuous leather perfumes from his house. To put it simply, David Jourquin has envisioned a perfume house dedicated to the multiple facets that the smell of leather has to offer. This is coming from his childhood scented memories and from his life as an adult.

A big shout out to the team at Aus Liebe Zum Duft and their generous giveaway of sample packs of the six perfumes that they carry from the house. I have now had the great pleasure of sampling these beautiful perfumes.

Here are my first impressions. Let’s see if any strike a chord with you.

Fragrantica

Cuir Altesse by David Jourquin 2014

Altesse was created by Cecile Zarokian as the nighttime duo together with Cuir de R’Eve. It is a bit spicy and sharp to begin with. The patchouli starts out a bit too strongly for my tastes but it warms up as the hours pass and then becomes one with the rest of the ingredients. I find Cuir Altesse more daring and sexy than its counterpart Cuir de R’Eve. It is not necessarily only for high heels and red lipstick – this can be worn on any occassion.

Fragrantica

Cuir Caraïbes by David Jourquin 2015

One of the more recent releases, Cuir Caraïbes opens up fruity and tart which surprised me. But the spices quickly join the party and warm it up. It does become sweeter soon after spraying it but not to worry – the sugar fades to the background again. Throughout the development I can detect a wonderfully subtle ginger vibe. The dry down is a warm cocoon surrounding me. Love it.

Fragrantica

Cuir de R’Eve by David Jourquin 2014

This perfume was created by Cecile Zarokian as a daytime duo together with Cuir Altesse. It is leather mixed with a few fruity and floral notes to make it elegant and refined. The base is warm, enveloping and comforting with a hint of fruit to keep it interesting. I could see myself using this on a regular basis. Just gorgeous.

Fragrantica

Cuir Mandarine by David Jourquin 2011

Daytime version of the duo for men together with Cuir Tabac. It leans masculine and opens tangy with a smidge of lavender. The start is quite big and loud on my skin but gets quiet within 20 minutes and projects softly. Cuir Mandarine sang on my husband’s skin and he now declares that he likes leather perfumes.

Fragrantica

Cuir Solaire by David Jourquin 2015

One of the more recent releases. Sunny opening that lasts throughout its development. This definitely feels like I have been sunkissed at the beach and then went out on the town. It has a touch of orange blossom and jasmine which does bring to mind sandy beaches and the sea. I can imagine that Cuir Solaire will be excellent with warm temperatures and sunshine.

First In Fragrance has the whole set to sample or buy

Do you like leather in perfumes? Do you have a favourite?

Until next time. Happy spring and autumn to everyone.

Kisses. Sandra