Gri Gri Fragrances: Esxence 2016 Discovery

April 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Anaïs Biguine is the creator and nose behind the rather lovely Jardin d’Écrivains perfume house. The three Gri Gri fragrances are her latest creations. I have been wearing them for the last couple of weeks and feel them well worthy of some attention. The stand stood out beautifully at the Esxence. The ladies were professional, knowledgeable and extremely friendly.

Gri Gri Fragrances: Esxence 2016 Discovery

Eau de Parfum for Tattooed Skin by Anaïs Biguine 2016

There are three perfumes in the collection. They each take inspiration from the long history of and geographically diverse art of tattooing. Ink as an art form, across cultures and through the ages.

I am not familiar enough with each perfume yet to go into any depth but the following will give you an idea of what Anaïs Biguine has created.

MOKO MAORI EdP
Tussock grass. New Zealand Flax.
Fern. Kowhai. Manuka.
Lichen. Kanuka.

TARA MANTRA EdP
Saffron. Cardamom. Hing.
Patchouli. Ajowan.
Lotus. Jasmine. Agarwood.

UKIYO-E EdP
Genmaicha. Yuzu. Aralia.
Daphné. Green tea.
Sakura. Ashibi.

Each perfume succeeds at representing the different artistic style, and master skills of tattooing. From needles to bamboo. Spiritual, theatrical and peaceful.

Ink Free Bussis
(maybe one day)
CQ

I have a samples of each fragrance, the ladies at Gri Gri were very kind. I know how annoying it is to feel attracted to a perfume that you can not get hold.
I will pop a sample of one of the collection in the post to three different APJ peeps.

Let me know what actually attracts you to a totally new fragrance. The perfumer, the story, the bottle ………. And which of the Gri Gri appeals to you?

kbaird

Gri Gri GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x Sample each of Gri Gri Perfume (One of the three fragrances in the line. NO you don’t get to choose)
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Let me know what attracts you to a totally new fragrance. The perfumer, the story, the bottle ………. or which of the Gri Gri appeals to you?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 28th April 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Sunday 1st May 2016 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.

George by Anais Biguine for Jardins d'Ecrivains 2012

January 14, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Trésor

There are few aromas which bring me quite the same sense of ease and incredible comfort as that of the orange blossom. The diaphanous white floral glow that radiates from these precious petals seems to convey a dream sequence of softness, delicate femininity and and that inimitable eau de cologne chic. Yet in the throes of all of this beauty I am still left with one desire unsatiated, the desire and carnal yearning for something subversive; something incendiary and of the night. I’d wondered for quite some time if it would be possible to find an orange blossom who’s calyxes oozed forth wicked elixir and one lucky day, entirely by chance, I found exactly what I was looking for. I found George.

George by Anais Biguine for Jardins d’Ecrivains 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Neroli, bergamot, heliotrope, coffee, tobacco, peru balsam, musk, myrrh

George opens on the skin with a hyper-realized vision or orange blossoms, ablaze in hues of searing titian and rust. The petals are bleeding with menthol and wrapped carefully within a swathe of rich leather. As the orange blossom begins to settle into the skin the leather takes a more dominant role and becomes adorned with the powdery inflorescence of heliotrope. This moment in particular is the line where George teeters the line of modesty and filth so beautifully. The balsam of Peru which was but a hologram beneath the surface is now cascading forth in its hue of moonlit umber. The balsam is so extraordinarily rich and dense with enveloping aroma that for a period it is all I can smell. As the weight begins to lift I can smell the luxuriant vapours of spectacular honeyed tobacco. This stage is divinity, absolute and beyond words. The camphorous whisper from the previous synapse remains, adding a faint emerald scintillation to the warm and redolent base. It truly is a most comforting and also rather sexy olfactory sensation. As the final stages of the dry down take their descent you are left with the gossamer aura of a dancing and delicious, resinous myrrh-y skinscent. It softly hovers above the skin until it finally fades into nothing at all.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I get an incredibly good wear out of George, garnering about 10 hours before it finally disappears entirely. The sillage one my skin is rather strong but I don’t find it overpowering whatsoever. It’s simply dense but not necessarily loud. I think if you’re a fan of either orange blossom, leather inflected or balsamic fragrances I wouldn’t hesitate to give George a go. It truly is a brilliant brew.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: Now Smell This and The Non Blonde
Beauty Habit has $110/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.25/ml

I hope that you like it as much as I have!

Trésor xx

Junky by Anais Biguine for Jardins D’Ecrivains 2014

July 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Some perfume names give us a preconceived idea of the vibe of the fragrance in question. I was keen to get my nose on this from the minute I heard of it. I was born at the end of the fifties which threw me into the Punk Generation at exactly the right time. Had I been born earlier I like to think that I would have been part of the Beat Generation. This group consisted of a groups of American post World War II writers who came to the fore in the 1950s. The main elements of this “Beat” culture included experimentation with drugs, an interest in religion, alternative sexualities, a rejection of materialism and some unrestrained portrayals of the human condition. The best known writers and examples of the Beat Literature are probably William Burroughs (who wrote Junky), Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

It was Kerouac who coined the phrase “Beat Generation”. Thanks to the punk era into which I was thrown – I was turned onto the Beat Generation literature. Junky, Naked Lunch and On the Road being my top three reads.

Junky by Anais Biguine for Jardins D’Ecrivains 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Top: Hemp, Palisander Rosewood, Galbanum
Heart: Iris, Violet, Gardenia
Base: Cashmeran, cedar, vetiver, incense, juniper, moss and myrtle (From Jardins D’Ecrivains box: Cashmeran, Cedar, Javanese vetiver, Sweet myrrhe, Frankincense, Cade, Moss)

So Jardins D’Ecrivains taking on Junky as a literary influence for a perfume was really quite formidable and perhaps a little abstract.

Green, green, green. Thick and ferocious. Straight to the amygdala, located deep within the brain. The hemp, combined with galbanum is legally intoxicating. Sticky and skunky and did I mention green?. I wish this moment would last forever but that might be too much to bear. It slides effortlessly into the beautifully smooth middle notes. This is very pleasurable and comfortable. Heady but controlled. Three beautiful floral notes intertwined one with another. And then the comedown. In this case, it is soft and sweet and lasts some hours. Quite dry, but a narcotic sweet feel nonetheless. It harks back to the opening green notes. A clever twist. It´s funny what a name can do. I was wondering if Jardins D’Ecrivains had called this Peter Pan, would it have made my experience any different? I think not. It would have just have been a wasted Peter Pan!

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Jardins D’Ecrivains succeeded with the Junky vibe. I was impressed with the journey that Junky takes you on. From the instant hit, to the agreeable middle, and a peaceful descent. Unlike the real thing.

Absolutely worth checking out. You could read the book too.

With thanks to First in Fragrance who rushed me a generous sample upon request.

First in Fragrance has €93/100ml and samples

“Silence is only frightening to people who are compulsively verbalizing.” William S. Burroughs

Bussis
CQ

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Anais Biguine

George by Anais Biguine for Jardins d'Ecrivains 2012

George by Anais Biguine for Jardins d’Ecrivains 2012