Bath

Respect Your Elders soap by Lush

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Erica Golding

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Warmly fragrant greetings to you all, hope you’re having a fabulous week so far!

Question: Do you ever smell a fragrance that is hauntingly familiar and yet you can’t place it? Your brain says, “Oh! This smells just like…….” and leaves you hanging. Isn’t it so frustrating? I think it’s a pretty common experience, but for a perfume enthusiast, the quest to solve the mystery can easily become an obsession! Can you help me out?

I’ve been trying to figure out what this soap reminds me of, and it’s making me nuts:

Respect Your Elders soap by Lush

Respect Your Elders soap by LushLUSH

LUSH gives these featured accords:
Elderflower, Elderberries, Olibanum (frankincense), and Bergamot

About a year ago, I tried this soap for the first time and had an immediate reaction. The aroma is so familiar, I could just scream from not knowing what it reminds me of! I am so in love with the scent. If it was a perfume, I would just buy bottles until I was broke.

The label on my slice of soap heaven classifies the aroma as fruity, but I don’t agree. The scent is delicately floral, incredibly elegant, and really would make just the most breathtaking perfume. Why oh why doesn’t this exist as perfume??? The signature Lush shot of bergamot lends its own specific associations, but truly, my scent memory trigger feels so very distant, definitely from childhood (which, for me, was the 80s).

Is there a story behind the inspiration for this scent? Have you smelled this soap and been reminded of something else (pretty please)? I will just fall over laughing if it was inspired by Chanel No 5 or something that should be obvious to me!

Respect_Your_Elders LUSH female-cardinal-in-bird-bath PDIPDI

LUSH Australia has $6.95/100gm

From LUSH Australia: Black-berried elder. A tree of legend, but also a great way to describe this magical blackcurrant-scented soap. Elderflower infusion, elderberries and olibanum oil create a potent spell for warding off evil (niffs that is!) Respect Your Elders will leave your skin silky soft and beautifully scented. Everything you look at can be turned into a story, so we say cancel storytime and let this become a part of your daily ritual.

Until next time, Love and Light
-Erica

What Is Making My Bath Bubble In August 2017?

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Portia

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Hi there Fumies,

As many of you already know I am a mad keen BATH person. I love the whole experience. Before I draw my bath I fully clean it, then as the water fills I make myself a cuppa to have while in there and make sure I have my Bath Glasses there for the phone games I love to play while soaking. I can happily spend an hour submerged and often do. It’s the best de-stress on earth.

What Is Making My Bath Bubble In August 2017?

Here is my current set of bath products to create the glamorous bubble baths I love so much.

Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers Shower Gel: Haven’t opened it yet but love the scent. A big pump pack for under $20!

Maurer & Wirtz Tabac Original Cologne: This is a cologne I put in the bath regularly if I have a late night bath. The smell is so lovely and leaves me softly scented for sleeping. It was my father’s scent and one of the things I loved about him most.

Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet Bath Oil: Soft, lightly scented skin that feels smooth as silk on your wish list? Penhaligon’s do it right. Very low on bubble but when you feel and smell this good, who cares. This is a very old bottle that I keep refilling.

Robert Piguet Bandit Shower Cream: Found this recently on some USA site for a very reasonable price so bought a few. Lovely leather bubbles with a spicy wood whiff. YUM

Olympic Orchids Amber & Labdanum Bath Oil: The most lavish bath oil on the planet. Perfect as a base to any fragrance with amber or resins and the scent is almost enough on its own to get you through the day.

Roger & Gallet Cedrat: Zingy fresh citrus that bubbles like crazy, you hardly need any to fill your tub and the fragrance lasts under an hour on your skin afterwards.

Guerlain Shalimar: The one and only. I am pretty sure you guys don’t need to be told how luxurious a Shalimar Bubble Bath is?

L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons: The prettiest white flowers lightly sweetened that really does smell like flittering butterflies in spring.

So what do you use to bathe? Do you have a special shower gel, soap, bubble bath? Shares please in the comments.
Portia xx

Scent Diary 23 – 29.1.17

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Portia

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Hey Crew,

Welcome to week two of Scent Diary. Really it’s a meandering wander with me through my life with scented asides. Hopefully you like this shit, sorry ’bout it if you don’t.

This week has been fun and mildly hectic. Come along for the ride.

Scent Diary 23 – 29.1.17

Monday 23:

Jin was on night shift last night and when he got home this morning, unusually, he woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep so I bumped out of bed and started getting stuff organised. One spritz of Cacharel Liberté to give me a zingy citrus wake up. Very nice.

In the mail today were a bunch of Neela Vermeire Creations 15ml Take Twos. Trayee, Mohur and Ashoka came to be shared. I love the idea of having 15ml travel bottles and my ones will be coming on the South Pacific Cruise next week. Best thing about the Take Twos is that I can buy one for me and one to share. Luckily I have a mate in Europe who can send my stuff across (Thanks V!) but they are available from LuckyScent who ship worldwide.
Went to visit an old work buddy who is now managing a hotel within a group. He has expressed interest in having Turbo Trivia so I took him some info and fingers are crossed that we get a few of the pubs on a weekly basis.

Then Jin & I went for Yum Cha, you can tell he is pretty happy because he just spotted the Battered & Deep Fried Crispy Tentacles. They are his absolute favourite. He’s bloody easy to keep happy really.
Monday night writing the weeks Trivia Q&A I wore the original Lolita Lempicka EdP. Sweet liquorice cotton candy. It’s a great fun wear.

Tuesday 24:

At 3.19am I finally finish writing Trivia Q&A. I’m going to heavily spritz Liberté by Cacharel and hit the fart sack. Jin’s already 4-5 hours of Zs ahead.

Up at 8am to walk the dogs because they were whinging at the door and I didn’t want to clean up doggie accident. Respritzed Liberté because it’s so comfortable, I’m nearly halfway through my second 75ml bottle. Even this early, got home from our walk about 8.45am, the sun is ferocious and I could feel myself burning. Note to self, wear sunscreen for extended walks.
Scott came today and we went frag shopping with Jin. Woo Hoo! Found a Tester bin with some excellent stuff. Grabbed a 30ml Mitsouko, 50ml JPG Fragile EdT, 50ml JPG Classique, 100ml Lolita Lempicka Eau Masculine and 100ml Emporio Armani She all for about AUD$70.

To celebrate Jin took us all to Hawa, our favourite Middle Eastern Chicken Shop in Granville. It is the yummiest chicken and comes with tour, pickles, chips and flat bread. We scoffed it down.

Tonight for work I wore Magie Noire by Lancome. Not quite sure of its age but it’s a lovely chypre that feels fuzzy and firry yet cool & sophisticated. Very elegant. MMM
They had special Peking Duck Pancakes for Chinese New Year at the bistro tonight and they were bloody delicious. We had a really busy night too with 74 people playing.

Wednesday 25:

I love Jin’s days off, especially when I have a day free too. As we left the house I dabbed some vintage Chloe extrait and Jin triple spritzed Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations.
We jumped on a bus to Parramatta and Jin organised his new credit card and savings account. He’s trialling a new bank because we are thinking of moving.

It also became haircut day with both of us getting sharp new dos.

After that on the train we went to town to meet one of our besties for lunch. Indian and Guylian chocolate were on the menu, Jin had ramen. Afterwards we dropped into Hermès tie shopping and I drenched myself in Hermès Equipage Geranium which was really good but I can’t really remember it because we were busy.
Tonight our friend Latai came over for Pizza and Tomorrowland movie with George Clooney, it was a fabulous idea put poorly into action.
Now it’s bed time and I’m going to drench myself in Annick Goutal Songes.

Thursday 26:

Australia Day here in Oz. I’m ambivalent about this celebration. It’s the day the English arrived and stole the continent from its rightful owners and the Aborigines have not fared well in our ensuing takeover, so I feel bad for them. It’s also a day to celebrate my homeland, one of the most beautiful, interesting and diverse countries geographically in the world. I love our flora and fauna, yes even the deadly stuff, and our climate.
Celebrating fragrantly I am wearing loads of Australian Independent Perfumery, Vanille Tonique by Evocative Perfumes. Sweet amberish vanilla with a dry core, very nice. Wears well on a super hot summers day.

Had a Shalimar Bubble Bath and thought I was spraying Shalimar parfum afterwards but it was Mitsouko by Guerlain. That was perfect for work and I got two lovely compliments but when I got home I headed straight for the Shalimar EdP by Guerlain and went crazy.

Friday 27:

This morning, inspired by a comment on Perfume posse, I am luxuriating in wafts of Nuit de Tubereuse by L’Artisan. Why don’t I wear this more often. While I’m fully BWF fragrant I’m replying on APJ and Perfume Posse. About to start packing and sending the fragrances that have been sold this week on FaceBook. All up 51 sold in my cull! Amazing.
Spending a little time today while eating left over Pizza watching The Expanse on Netflix. I like it.
For dinner Alice & I snuck off to the Ryde/Eastwood Leagues Club to have Peking Duck. Best In Sydney. EXCEPT it’s fricken Chinese New Year, booked out and Set Menu. So we went to Billus Indian in Harris Park which was bloody ripper: service, food, outdoors in the evening cool. Heaven. We had samosas, pakora, some spicy capsicum chicken dish and aloo mutter with gravy. After Alice had mango kulfi and I had a mango lassi.

My dinner fragrance was Eau Parfumee au The Noir by Bulgari. It’s smoky tea and wood was the perfect accompaniment to our adventure. By the end of dinner though I needed a respritz so Lys Soleia by Guerlain came out. After a long summer day the creamy jasmine and ylang blend with a my man sweat to create a salty seaside scent.

Fragrantica

Saturday 28:

Chinese (ALL of Far East Asia really) New Year and Jin is eating Rice Cake Soup to celebrate. I spritzed Sushi Imperiale by Bois 1920 to feel part of it all.

For a 40th birthday gig tonight I wore Samsara vintage extrait & EdT. Perfectly gorgeous creamy sandalwood bomb. I wish I had a photo. It was a backyard gig and they’d built a stage & hired a microphone setup but forgotten lighting and proper sound equipment. The sound was quiet and muffled but the crew came to the rescue and sang the choruses of Carpenters On Top Of The World and Marcia Hines Ain’t Nobody. The birthday boy was super stressed but it all went off splendidly with only minor hiccups.

Sunday 29:

DUMPLINGS!! Breakfast at Din Tai Fung in Chatswood with one of my longest and dearest friends Eve and her daughter. I wore Monsieur Li by Hermès again because it fits with Chinese New Year, wears beautifully in the heat and smells great on. Then we had a little wander around the shops. It was a perfectly lazy start to the day. How great are Jin & Evie in this shot? Check the peacock wallpaper too.

Bath time at Chez Turbo. Today I was in a cool bath with B&BW Sensual bubbles. Nothing sensual about it, it’s a sizzling fruitchouli concoction that is halfway between Mugler Angel and Cacharel Liberté. Smells excellent and fun.

Started a Sample & Decant using week so my first to go was the whole vial of Rubris Rose by DSH Perfumes. Review to follow.

So there’s my week in review. Anything exciting happen for or around you?
Portia xx

Black Currant Vanilla Body Wash by Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy

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Post by Portia

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Hey the bubblicious APJers,

I like to have bubble baths. For anyone who reads this blog regularly this is hardly news, but for newbies I thought it best you be told. I have bubble baths when I’m getting ready for work or if I’m stressed. Sometimes drawing myself a half bath when I just want to feel clean. In the summer it’s cool baths and in the other seasons as hot as I can stand it. There is something so energising and calming about being submerged and surrounded by bubbles. After my bath it’s a quick sluice under a cool to cold shower, no matter what the temp or season.

Black Currant Vanilla Body Wash

Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy

aromatherapy-body-wash-foam-bath-black-currant-vanilla-bbwB&BW

Obviously my mates are on board with this great love of mine and recently AF Beauty bought me a bottle of Black Currant Vanilla Body Wash by Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy. They call it Sensual but I beg to differ, ain’t nothing sensual about this zingy little player. We are talking Ethyl Maltol heaven here: sugary, fizzy, zesty and fun.

It’s like bathing in a cross between Mugler’s Angel & Guerlain La Petit Robe Noire, very fizzy sugar, berries and praline. I like it. It creates a perfect base for any of the Angel line or its gazillion copy cats. I particularly like original Lolita Lempicka, Liberté by Cacharel, Miss Dior Cherie or even Truth or Dare over it. There’s not a huge difference made in their fragrant wear but a little extra zip and sizzle never hurt anyone.

black-currant-vanilla-body-wash-bath-body-works-aromatherapy-portia-bath

As you can see the Aussie back is darker and more lavish looking than its overseas counterpart above. This is taken from my bathtub with me inside, so it’s practically porn. He He he.

B&BW has this for a song, you don’t have to use it as bubble bath because it’s a shower gel too. There are also a wide range of extra products in the same fragrance range to choose from. All at that deliciously bargain B&BW price. NICE!

Do you like to have a bath?
What are your rituals?
Portia xx

What Else Do You Collect?

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Post by Portia

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Hello Fragrance Family,

I was looking around my house the other day and it struck me that collecting fragrance wasn’t my only “thing”. So it got me wondering about your other collections.

What Else Do You Collect?

I have a few.

morning Star Royal Doulton Portia 2016

Royal Doulton: Morning Star

Once upon a time back in the 1960s my Mum and Dad got married. They chose the Royal Doulton pattern Morning Star to be their “For Good” set of china. People were able to buy one or a few pieces for them from a Wedding Gift Registry. So for their wedding a beautiful 6 place set was bought with Mains plate, Salad plate, Bread plate, Bowl, Cup & Saucer. They also got a Vegetable Tureen, Tea & Coffee pots, Creamer, Milk, Sugar & Gravy Boat. We used it for birthdays, Christmas, congratulations and every other event in our household. After Mum and Dad died I was left with a pristine 6 place set but I tend to entertain on a larger scale than they did so over the next 10 years I grew the set to 15 seater with some extras of some. I also added Cream Soup bowls & saucers, Fruit bowls, 3 x Vegetable and 3 x Main Tureens, 2 x Platters, a Baking Dish, extra Tea & Coffee pots, Milk, Sugar and a bunch of curios as they come up on eBay. We now use this set as our every day set and each time I eat off a plate or make a pot of tea Mum and Dad are there with me. It’s like a daily hug and reminder of some of the super good times we spent together as a family.

Soaps Jan 2016 #1

Bath Products

I’ve talked about this before with you all. There is a special box that holds almost all my Bath Oils, Shower Gels, Bubble Bath and Soaps. It’s filled with modern, vintage, discontinued and current. From Amouage to Tom Ford, Caron to Olympic Orchids, Boucheron to Yves Saint Laurent and everything in between. There are vintage boxed soap & fragrance sets of Givenchy Le De, Hermès Amazone and Caleche, CHANEL No 5 & 19, Opium by YSL and many others. Soaps come in singles too like the Guerlain Mitsouko & Shalimar, Saipua, L’Occitane, Mysore Sandal Soap, Farmer’s Daughters Egg White Soap and loads of single bars found around the world. Shower Gels from Amouage, LUSH, Penhaligon’s, Korres, Lolita Lempicka, B&BW, Molton Brown, Jo Malone and others all roped in as bubble Bath (my favourite).

Tea Collection Portia 2016

Tea

Yes, everywhere I travel if there is some local tea for sale I buy it. Particularly in India and the UK. Fortnum & Mason is now available in Australia which has dimmed it fabulousness somewhat but they still taste yum. Having spent time in India’s Kerala and Himachal Pridesh tea growing areas and doing some estate visits, through the production processes and then getting to sample some of the teas I also have a bunch from them. South Korea also has a tea farming culture, we went through the Jeju Island area and I have been through another one but can’t remember where. Not all of South Koreas teas are green or black they also do chrysanthemum teas and a slew of others that are interesting and delicious, once you get used to how different they are. I also have Chinese flowers that unfurl in the tea pot, Chinese loose leaf green, white tea from a few different places now and some red tea.

There are also a couple of other collections around here but……. next time.

So, what do you collect? Come on, ‘Fess up. You know I love to read your stories too.
Portia xx

 

Rose Jam Shower Gel by LUSH

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Post by Portia

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Hi there APJ Bathers,

Yes, you’re reading it right. That ultra cool, Limited Edition, shower gel that you just missed out on because they usually sell out in SECONDS is back. Be quick.

Rose Jam Shower Gel by LUSH

ROSE JAM SHOWER GEL 100G LUSHLUSH

LUSH says: Inspired by our love for roses and the benefits of nourishing Argan Oil, this shower gel is as decadent as it gets! Skin brightening Goji Berry Juice and Sicilian Lemon give your skin a boost, while Rose Oil and Rose Absolute leave it soothed, softened and beautifully fragranced. A luxuroius way to start each day. 

Sure, the blurb is nice but I wait till the afternoon to bathe because I get ready for work, which usually happens at night. One of the ways I really love to pamper myself is by drawing a bath. Now what better way to laze away the better part of an hour than laying in the warmth (or cool in summer) of a glamorously scented bubble bath? NONE! I tell you truly that it is the most relaxing, turn off the world, indulgent me time that I have.

ROSE JAM SHOWER GEL LUSHPortia in the bath

Rose Jam Shower Gel makes a wonderful bubble bath. It foams well, smells great and leaves me with a soft skin tinged with the fragrance of a sweet garden rose in full bloom that then creates the perfect base for some of my favourite rose scents. Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations, Rosa sur Reuse by SOIVOHLE, Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids, Diabolo Rose by Parfums de Rosine, Midnight Oud by JHaG and Agent Provocateur to name just a few of my faves, there are oodles more.

I bought my Rose Jam bottle in the sale at the end of the last time it was in. The last bottle too because I thought I should get an extra and by the time I went back in the next day to get another they were sold out. Anyway, I bought it and tried it and thought it was awful. So it sat here for ages unloved. Not so long ago as I was organising the frag room I stumbled across it again and have been using it a couple of times a week since. The sweet jammy rose is so much like putting your nose right up to a garden rose that is in full bloom, so simple but also so incredibly nuanced.

LUSH Australia has $18.50/250g

Do yourself a favour. Go grab it.
Portia xx

Bellodgia by Ernest Daltroff for Caron 1927

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Post by Portia

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Hey there APJ,

Lately we have been unpacking boxes and I’ve bought some new plastic decant cases to house my ridiculous collection in. Jin found them for me at Bunnings (our hardware hangars) and they’re meant for tradesmen to put their bits & pieces in for easy access.

Tactix 8 Compartment Storage Box BunningsPhoto Stolen Bunnings

Portia's Decant Case

Well, now my decants are easy access. Yes this is only the first of two. Yes I will need a smaller one also for all my 2-3ml decants, anyway…..

While doing the reorganising I found a couple of my old loves that have been packed for over a year….

Bellodgia by Ernest Daltroff for Caron 1927

Bellodgia FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Carnation, rose
Heart: Jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, violet
Base: Musk, clove, vanilla, sandalwood

Tonight I had a bath with a couple of drops of my original Bellodgia Bath Oil. You have no idea how lavish it feels to be submerged in a bath and to smell only the sweet, crisp, warmth of Bellodgia wrapped around you like a cashmere shawl. Quite overwhelming and it sent me off to fairy land. As you can see in the pic below I am very sparing and have only used a small amount of my 15ml, one drop in the bath is enough.

Bellodgia Caron Bath Oil

Bellodgia has been reformulated many times and I did try the new one in the square bottle recently. It’s very nice but has lost quite a bit of what I feel makes Bellodgia so special. If you’ve never tried the old you will still think it very lovely and so do I if I think of them as separate entities.

I love the opening, so rich with promise and pungent. The crisp minty/clove/carnation/rose crackle cutting through the hearts floral vanilla bouquet and to a rich warmly spiced dreamscape of woodsy vanilla at the end. The lasting power is extraordinary and one hefty vint-ish EdT spritz over my already lightly scented skin and a couple of vintage parfum dabs are all I need to sail through an evening and into morning smelling ferociously good.

Caron-Bellodgia-Eau-De-Toilette EssentialMallPhoto Stolen EssentialMall

If you want to read a full appraisal please go check my earlier Bellodgia post on APJ, it gives a much fuller account of the ride but tonight I really want to enjoy the gorgeous full Bellodgia experience without taking it apart and stealing a little bit of the magic. Tonight is all about the ride that Ernest Daltroff created for us to take. I’m going right now…

Further reading BoisDeJasmin and Olfactoria’sTravels
EssentialMall has the purple leather encased 30ml EdT for $51
SurrenderToChance has a selection of Bellodgia samples

How is your decant and sample collection housed? Don’t you just love my plastic packers?
Portia xx