Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies and friends, Scent Diary tells the story of my week past in fragrance, friends and fun. Join us for a recap and then tell us what happened in your week, what you wore, did any of my wears give you a thrill. Comment so it feels less like I’m shouting into the void and more like we are connected and sharing our lives, please.
Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies and friends, Scent Diary is a fantastic memory tool. Looking through some much earlier Scent Diaries over the 2025 Xmas break reminded me how good our life is. It also inspires me to live life as fully as possible so there are things to talk about. This is a win.
Your involvement is key. Hope you enjoy it and will let me know what’s happening in your lives too. What I really loved about original Scent Diary was the interaction with perfumistas around the world, and their interactions with each other. Scent Diary became a friendly conversation hub and it was epic. We can disagree but keep it nice and try not to give or take offense. Right now the world needs a web of friendships and connection more than ever.
Jin and I have made so many friends, near and far, through perfume. So let’s reunite the old and welcome some new friends too.
Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies and friends, week 2 of the modern Scent Diary.
Hoping you enjoy it and will let me know what’s happening in your lives too. What I really loved about Scent Diary was the interaction with perfumistas around the world, and their interactions with each other. Scent Diary became a conversation hub and it was epic.
Jin and I have made so many friends, near and far, through perfume. So let’s reunite the old and welcome some new friends too.
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Portia
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Hello Fellow Fumies,
At APJ we have a Saturday Question. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it’s a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.
The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back regularly and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them. The aim is to generate real conversation and connection even though we are scattered around the globe.
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Portia
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Hey there APJ,
It’s Mood Scent 4 week. WOO HOO! With the first Monday of the month the crew are looking at floral fragrance. It’s a broad and deep selection and winnowing it down to best in show has been big deal for me. These choices are subject to change, daily. Can’t wait to read about your favourite florals in the comments too.
So excited to be blogging with these three superstars again: Esperanza L’Esperessence, Megan Megan In Sainte Maxime and Samantha I Scent You A Day. Check theirs out too.
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
Where the hell did January go? It’s just flown by. Finally back in drag this week. Wore a bunch of favourite fragrances, opened a new weekly event, hung a bit with Jin and our mates and generally had a pretty chill week. Biggest drama being out China & North Korea legs of the February trip cancelled because of coronavirus.
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
This week wizzed by in a cloud a fabulous fragrance. There were lunches, catch ups, quick trips away and a 50th birthday party.
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
We hit a new decade, Australia burned, temperatures soared and I had four glorious days to myself. So much beautiful perfume worn, saw some mates, ate some grub and watched some Netflix. Pretty good staycation. I’m feeling revived.
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Portia
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Heya APJ,
Obviously my Best Of will be the best of what I got my nose on. Seriously. I’m smelling ALL YEAR the newest stuff and still I’ve hardly scratched the surface. Some of these may have been released in 2018 but were new to me this year. Soz about that, just doing my best here.
I’ve also cut it down by making it things I wear a LOT because I have bottles or travels of them.
WINNER OF THE YEAR! What the frigging hell have they put in this bottle? As addictive as crack. A clean mimosa with only the merest hint of feral adventure. It is so beautiful. Thick ropey gouts of spring come gushing off me like a fairy tale. Bought from Libertine
Creamy sandalwood? YES PLEASE! Imagine if you took the DIVA out of Samsara, yeah? Made it a little dryer, boyzier, more relatable in 2019. You got it. Gorgeous!
Yeah, this cost almost nothing and gets more wear than any other cologne in my wardrobe except Granville. Oranges and stuff, wears for about an hour and then you need to reload. Bloody fabulous.
I am not a skincare person. Doesn’t matter. The fragrance in Rose Face Elixir is so freaking amazing and the product makes my already pretty much perfect skin look even better. I have am inner glow and smell amazing. Who knew?
No idea why I love 1957 so much. Most of it is everything I think I hate in modern perfumery. It’s basically No 5 with all the interesting and perfumey bits removed and only the functional fragrance left. Still, I can’t stop wearing it and love it to pieces.
A crisp, dark, bittersweet opening is underwritten by logs of freshly chopped wood. The geranium and peppery blackcurrant do give an extremely photorealistic waft of rose. Later in the heart and depths there is an addition of chilli-chocolate coated leather and torn grass stem. (I’ve ordered a travel, calm the farm)
That initial apple burst is mesmerising, with an outdoor woodiness and a modern, cool metallic rose. An airiness that doesn’t feel ozonic and a dewiness that doesn’t feel aquatic, yet alluding to both of them. A plastic vibe runs through the heart, concurrently bringing a salty resinousness. (Spice Must Flow was a very close contender too). Press bottle from Gascoigne & King
Minty goodness, like a herbal mint tea with some spices giving it an added heat. The opening zings. The greenery is given sheer earthy warmth from a modern patchouli. I love a fragrant shock of zingy mint and this delivers in buckets. GWP from First In Fragrance)
I gets attention every time I wear it. Basically ambroxan with some amber and herbal bells & whistles but it’s a definite crowd pleaser. I also get happy when wafts blow up my nose. It’s an easy wear stunner. This was a Libertine Press bottle.
You want to be the most desirable amber/vanilla fragrance and like the idea of it smelling like it could be you, not a fragrance? Vaninight is a perfect choice. Rich, lustrous and elegant but also incredibly laid back. It should have been called The Chillest Amber Ever.
PINEAPPLE! with a springlike greenery bursting forth from its sweet embrace. Even though dry down is woods and musk focussed it still manages to be a clear, fresh, windswept depth. This is gardenia smelled through a luxury hotel waterfall in the lobby. (On the list to buy a shit load of)
Fizzy, fruity opening that feels like it’s got a bunch of aldehydes perking it up. The hearts ozonics are warm and balmy, with a light creamy ylang/sandalwood sweetness. The cleanest leather ever. Vanilla and sandalwood help make it smell expensive and lavish. Another Libertine buy.
There are MORE! I can’t bloody remember them off the top of my head.
What did you love (or hate) in 2019?
Portia xx
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
Not sure what’s wrong with me. Totally unmotivated to leave the house in the early part of this week. Then I had stuff organised so had to leave the house, all good. Fairly chill week in all ways. LOADS of good fragrance though.
Australian Perfume Junkies 