Hey APJ Family,

On this day in 2001 my Mum died, it was a years battle against leukemia and the leukemia won. She was a tough lady and fought hard for the first half of that year and then the fight seemed to go out of her completely. I have so much to thank her for and still randomly talk to her picture as if she is in the room. If ever I have had a conscience it is all due to her reprimands, which I can still hear today when I pee with the door open or don’t put my knife and fork down between mouthfuls or even choose unwisely in  love. I think she would approve of the current one though. Her unconditional love even though I was often an ungrateful, snide or screaming bundle of TNT, and constant vigilance over my future wellbeing has left a stamp upon me and I am so lucky that she chose me when I was a baby.

We were kids and always playing with dolls, cars, lego etc etc. One of our favourite games was dressing up the Barbies and putting Mum’s perfume on them so they smelt like they were really going out. You can see where this is going right? We thought that the little bottle was a toy bottle of perfume that Mum had put on her make up, jewellery and fragrance shelf in the wardrobe. What a cute little bottle, just the right size for the Barbies and that gorgeous technicolour reproduction of a Fragonard painting (Sorry, can’t find the original online and there seems to be much conjecture about the pic! I love drama). How could it not be meant for the Barbies?

I don’t remember Mum being angry or upset with us using it ALL on the Barbies, not like the time I dropped a 16oz bottle of Joy EdC or gave away a bottle of Shalimar to a girlfriend because she liked the gold toned case or a million other deserved rants.

Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez 1962

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rosemary, orange blossom, mandarin orange, cassia, jasmine, rose, neroli, bergamot, Bulgarian rose, lemon
Heart: Sandalwood, patchouli, lilac, orris root, vetiver, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, leather
Base: Tolu balsam, amber, musk, benzoin, civet, vanilla, cedar, resins

I have had the EdT of this in a modern incarnation for a while and I love to spritz its dirty great feline self on and go about my business but I have often been intrigued by the reasonable priced Extrait and ordered som. Well, it was the Barbies bottle!! OMG!!

This seems to be particularly dark juice and BOY does it take the back of your head off. Right at the start the cat is out of the bag and ready to roar!! All the flowers and citrus are completely overshadowed by a rich, dark purr of animal. After a short time the flowers decide it’s time to shine and fly in above the animal and do their very best in an orgy of florals, fruit and woods. What a fragrance! I love the powdery iris that takes control for a while and the bitter leather side by side with the ylang ylang. Bal a Versailles warm, sweet dry-down is also the welcome reprise of the animal with a lusty growl, till it becomes a purr of amber nothing. It doesn’t seem as intense as my memories of Barbies perfume but maybe my childhood nostrils were more acute, still this is a fragrance that you must try before you earn full perfumista stripes.

Photo Stolen chateauversailles

I get between 6-8 hours of fragrant bliss before I can detect only myself, even in the summer heat of Sydney today I’m pushing 6 hours and still growling. Wear this while at home for your own enjoyment. Leaving the house please take bodyguards.

Further reading MuseInWoodenShoes and ThePerfumePosse
Parfum1 starts at $12.50 for a 50ml Tester. This is where I found my Extrait but it is now sold out.
SurrenderToChance has all sorts starting at $3/ml but I particularly like the Vintage Parfum + EdC combo for $11

Photo Stolen habituallychic

I’m wearing Bal a Versailles tonight to work. Let’s see if the punters can take the heat! Do you ever wear outrageoius scents just because? What is your fave and where would you really like to wear it that would be less than PC?

Off to splash some on now, see you tomorrow,
Portia xx