Esxence: The Scent of Excellence 2016

March 23, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I am about to head off to my third Esxence -The Scent of Excellence perfume and beauty trade show. Esxence 2016 is
the eighth show and represented by the eight becoming the sign of infinity. Esxence 2016 is … “The endless flow of time” not to mention sniffing one’s self into a coma.

Esxence: The Scent of Excellence 2016

Milano. March 31 – April 3 2016

To Infinity and Beyond

I shall be traveling with my long suffering partner-in-crime, therapist and dear friend Dr. Fox. Vero Kern will be joining us in Milan to complete the formidable trio of women on the go.

APJ: Esxence Web Friends

This year I am a little more organised, inasmuch as I have made a list of presentations and stands that I want to attend and visit. The last two years have been a bit random. Australian Perfume Junkies are official web friends of the Esxence and I would like to take more advantage of what the Esxence has to offer. Please take look at the Esxence site and give me a hand. Perhaps there is something you APJs think I shouldn´t miss? It is nice to see the APJ banner on the Esxence homepage. You can of course click the Esxence GIF link right here on our own APJ page. The magnolias will be in full bloom in Milan and spring will have sprung. The Perfume Magpie will be there, the Colognoisseur, and The Chemist in a Bottle to name but a few. I have decided to attend some of the cocktail party launches this year instead of passing out with exhaustion in the hotel and watching Italian TV. I will be taking a nap in the afternoon. And be keeping up a regular intake of espresso.

Esxence and Esxkin, perfume and skincare. Very exciting. I’ll try and keep you updated with photographs as I go along. Check in on the APJ Facebook and Twitter. Neela Vermeire Créations will be my first stop.
I hope being web friends includes meeting Charlotte and Wilbur, and perhaps a dinner date with Spiderman.

Yes I am taking cookies.
Stay Tuned.
Ciao. QC xxxxx

Hello by Harvey Prince Organics 2014 + GIVEAWAY

March 21, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Azar

Hey – Howzit, APJ!

I recently stumbled upon the fragrances of Harvey Prince Organics, a perfume house named after two brothers, one who went to Harvard, the other to Princeton (hence Harvey Prince Organics). When I first read about how this house got its name I immediately thought of my Hawaiian friend who tends to flow into pidgin at the drop of a hat. I can just hear her referring to these guys as “high maka-maka” or “ivory league”. Now please excuse my pathetic attempts at pidgin. I don’t mean to talk stink here, perfume pals. A fragrance house can call itself anything it wants to. I have a problem, though, with how Harvey Prince uses the terms “organic” and “natural”. What are the two brothers referring to? What exactly do those words mean – to them?

Harvey Prince Organics

What Does That Mean?

As far as I’m concerned, the term “natural”, in reference to perfume, can suggest just about anything taken or processed from nature – and that covers, well, just about everything. The Harvey Prince tag “Organics” is more problematic and gives the impression that the USDA or some other regulatory agency certifies these fragrances to be organic. Defining “natural” and “organic” in relation to perfume brings to mind yet another difficult word – “is”. Who remembers the famous US politician who just couldn’t figure out what the meaning of “is” was? But I digress. Let me tell you a little bit about one of Harvey Prince Organics’ “natural” fragrances.

Harvey Prince Organics

Hello by Harvey Prince Organics 2014

Harvey Prince Organics gives these featured accords:
Meyer Lemon, White Grapefruit, Satsuma Mandarin, Summer Forsythia, Pink Plumeria, Wild Verbena, Tahitian Vanilla, Sensual Musk. Style: Welcoming. Loving. Refreshing…”

Hello is one of the house’s newer frags. The following description is taken directly from the website: “…The world’s a busy place. Let time stand still for a moment and with one spritz taste the sweetness of Meyer lemon in your cold glass of lemonade. Smell the pink plumerias budding and revel in the jubilant tweets of the nearby hummingbird. Before diving back into reality, say “Hello” to your body and soul…

Pixabay

I was surprised to find that my body and soul actually enjoyed Hello. This perfume is reminiscent of my favorite cheapie, Curve Kicks, minus the effect of the screaming synthetics. It is highly likely that the same synthetics (AKA aroma chemicals) are used in Hello, but with a bit more subtlety and sophistication. The overall impression is that of a well-crafted, light, invigorating lemon/tropical floral combo. I am very fond of several other Harvey Prince fragrances too, including Bailando and Yogini but find their Ageless perfume to be a total scrubber. I have to admit that it is comforting to know that Harvey Prince Organics “…WILL NEVER CONTAIN any harmful chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, sulfates, benzene, GMOs, or triclosan.” HP goes on to describe their products as “karma-free”. What the heck does that mean?

Azar xx

myprettypaints

Harvey Prince Organics GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

Today we will have one winner who will receive:
1 x 7ml roller-ball of Hello
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

Please tell us if you have ever been put off by the name of a fragrance or the image of a house. Also, have you ever heard of a “karma-free” perfume or experienced Harvey Prince Organics?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 24th March 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 27th March 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.

Spock you latah! In the meantime learn some Hawaiian pidgin here:

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP by Christine Nagel + Francis Kurkdjian for Narciso Rodriguez 2006

March 20, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Curse you Narciso Rodriguez! Why are your fragrances packaged and named alike? Brand cohesion is one thing, but have you no sympathy for your customers (or their hapless friends who try to buy for them)?

Well, applying my attention to the list on Fragrantica, I realised that the 31 listed NR fragrances are all just variations on just four pillar fragrances: For Her, For Him, Essence, and Narciso.

Got it? You’re welcome.

Today I’m going to cover NR’s second release, Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP. This is the one with the PINK bottle and the BLACK box.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP 2006

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP by Christine Nagel + Francis Kurkdjian

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: rose, peach
Heart: musk, amber
Base: sandalwood, patchouli

Portia has done a stellar review of the original EDT, but there is a difference in emphasis in the EDP. Intimate and sensual, both are musky florals with very clean (fractionated) patchouli and amber. On me the sillage and longevity of both are just moderate.

However, I remember the EDT (I’ve sold my bottle) as sharper and drier – more masculine perhaps – than the EDP. What distinguishes the EDP for me is a prominent note of peach, juicy but not too sweet. This is what I hoped Lancome’s Tresor would be like if it did not collapse into a sickly sweet, artificial mess on me.

Narciso Rodriguez – Fall 2016 – NYFW

However, not everyone seems to particularly notice the peach in NR For Her EDP. The fascination with Narciso Rodriguez fragrances is that there are wide variations in how people perceive them. You might love the EDP but utterly disagree with my take on it.

While musk is the common accord in both concentrations of Narciso Rodriguez For Her, people nevertheless react differently to other notes and accords. They will detect more or less rose, more or less amber, more or less citrus, more or less orange blossom (I get none), and so on. Musk anosmia means that some people can hardly smell them at all.
For years I eked out a large decant of the EDP. Mostly I wore it when travelling for work. Its casual but professional style was perfect for meetings, but even better was to save it for the evenings when I was in the hotel and at could at last take a shower and relax. Any parent of young children will understand the heaven of being alone in a hotel room with the bathroom, room service and the TV remote entirely at your command. NR For Her EDP easily complements moments of simple enjoyment such as this.

Pixabay

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $78/50ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples has from $2.50/ml to $7.50/5ml

I’m now the possessor of a partial bottle of the EDP, and very happy I am too.

How about you? How do you go navigating the Narciso Rodriguez line? What are your ‘simple pleasures’ perfumes?

N.B.: If you click and buy from the My Perfume Samples link I get a kickback

Patchouli Imperial by Francois Demachy for Christian Dior 2011

March 19, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Fragrant Family,

Since we’ve been back from holidays I have spent a little time hunting through the decant/split section of my collection. There is so much choice here, enough for three lifetimes of fragrant addiction that unless I really set out to search the outlying areas things get forgotten. I remember trying today’s fragrance once when I bought this decant and being sadly unimpressed but last night I gave it a spritz before bed and this morning I still smell beautiful. softly tinted with the scent of …..

Patchouli Imperial by Christian Dior 2011

Patchouli Imperial by Francois Demachy

La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Patchouli Imperial Dior for men Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sicilian mandarin, Calabrian bergamot, Coriander, Indonesian patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood essence

So I wore Patchouli Imperial again today, all day, and I’ll be wearing it to bed again tonight. In 1.5 days I’ve gone through about 4ml of my 10ml decant. That’s some serious fragrance use. Why? Because suddenly I have fallen madly in love and it’s so absolutely wearable. It was perfect last night as a sleep scent, today while blogging and organising stuff. It was also a winner to go to the physio and shopping afterwards. Then tonight my BFF Kath and I went and ate a WHOLE PEKING DUCK with pancakes, greenery and Hoisin sauce. OMG! I’m so freaking full right now, you have no idea.

DIOR

How does it smell? Well, the citrus burns off fairly quickly and a waxy, woody, green-but-not patchouli that reminds me of the SJP Lovely patchouli/musk but a little more barber shop styled. The woods are there too but in a just polished retro furniture way. The whole fragrance smells smooth, stylish and uncomplicated; more of a fragrant wash that a loud signature statement.

Patchouli Imperial smells to me like a perfect office scent. It is fragrant but not overbearing, could be quite ambient until you get in really close and realise that freaking amazing almost smell is this person. I could also imagine it haunting someone who smelled it on you afterwards. Doomed to be forever seeking that perfect and unattainable fragrance that was once smelled on this person at work, in a restaurant or at a party. Great fragrance to leave on a lovers sheets too.

Flickr

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Olfactoria’s Travels
Available at DIOR stand alone stores, large department stores and now big airports (ask)
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.25/ml

Are you a patchouli fan? Which of the DIOR Privé line do you love most?
Portia xx

L’Occitane Collection de Grasse Discontinuations

March 18, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Crew,

It’s a sad day when the discontinuations are whispered around the frag FB pages. Just this week I got word that the Collection de Grasse is going to have most of its fragrances cut and their body products. GAK! I loved this line so much and regularly spritz and use the shower gels. I even went to the Australian L’Occitane website to panic buy and a couple of the things I love are already gone. It means In Store Shopping required.

L’Occitane Collection de Grasse

Discontinuations

I don’t have supported evidence but word on the FB pages cites rising costs, drop in sales volumes and some other things I don’t remember. I get it, you’re a business. Still I’m a little sad. Ambre & Santal, Vanille & Narcisse, Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc and most of the rest are on the chopping block. Get in quick if any of these are favourites.

Cedre & Oranger gone

Vanille & Narcisse gone

One bright light is that one of my favourites is staying: Neroli & Orchidee is keeping its place in stores and I have bought a back up of the fragrance and two of the shower gel. That should see me alright. Also Green Tea & Bigarde and Jasmin & Bergamot are staying, so if these are your Go-To fragrances then you are safe.

Neroli & Orchidee stays

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but there is also good news. I am reliably told that there are a slew of fabulous new fragrances coming through for Christmas 2016. Looking forward to that.

What is your favouritre L’Occitane?
Portia xx

Santa Maria Novella: Florence 2016: Photo Essay

March 17, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Fragrant Fumies,

Our recent trip was a bit light on the fragrance stops. We really wanted to see what each city is most famous for. While in Florence though Anna-Maria put her dainty foot down. We could look at art & churches all day & night but we had to go to the Santa Maria Novella Basilica which handily combines all three of our interests. It’s a church and cloisters, very old and it has one of the oldest still extant apothecaries/farmaceutica which is now centred around fragrance and tea.

Wikipedia

The church you can see today was begun in 1279 and was finished around the middle of the 14th century.
Inside it resembles Cistercian gothic churches, the nave separated from the aisles by wide bays and covered with gothic vaulting (Edited from museumsinflorence.com). There are some lovely frescoes inside too if you get a chance.

WikiMedia

Santa Maria Novella: Florence 2016

From the moment you enter Santa Maria Novella shop in Florence you are transported back in time. You are also reminded of the extraordinary amount of money the church has at its disposal. The place is exquisite and we were surprised at how busy, and how much money people were spending. It was like a fragrant feeding frenzy.

I have a set of these tablets keeping my wardrobe pest free and fragrant. They were a gift and my very first Santa Maria Novella. I love them and they are still extremely fragrant years on.

The homewares section is fabulous. It took ultimate restraint to keep my wallet in my pocket.

Anna-Maria and Jin being looked after by the extremely beautiful and helpful SA. I was not going to buy anything but then I spied some smaller bottles which turned out to be soliflore extrais. I tried and fell madly in love with the triple distilled jasmine extrait, the sample I tried which lasted 3 days on my skin through showers and general living. Sadly the product they sold me is gone in about 2 hours, it’s really gorgeous while it lasts though I am disappointed.

Anna-Maria was so sweet and bought Jin & I a set of the soaps as a thank you for sharing our holiday! Woo Hoo! Can’t wait to use them.

Here is the Triple Distilled Jasmine Extrait. I am sad now that I didn’t order tea. Next time.

Florence 2016: Photo Essay

The Duomo is the heart of Florence. It’s free to enter and the floor and dome are gorgeous. You can walk to the cupola up the top but Anna-Maria had done the one in Vienna and that was enough.

VisitFlorence

All through Europe we lit candles and asked God to bless our friends and family with bountiful lives, peaceful and funfilled.

On the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge, no wonder Italian is a romance language) ignoring the jewellery shops but watching the people.

View of the Ponte Vecchio from the next bridge, it was a lovely walk along the river.

Anna-Maria was overcome by David. She needed a few moments to stabilize.

We caught the local bus up to the Piazzale Michelangelo. A perfect winter day with dappled sunlight over the city. It was a beautiful afternoon and from the bus we saw some amazing parts of Florence that you would otherwise miss.

Anna-Maria had a pre-mixed alcoholic beverage at the lookout. She was so happy.

Our dinner in the hotel was a complete disaster so we decided to go around the corner to the international restaurant of choice for the hungry and weary traveller; McDonalds. YUMMY!

Next night we had the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. The three of us shared 1.2kg of steak cooked to perfection. It came with salads and baked potatoes. OMG! So freaking delicious. If you are Florence you MUST go here and have the Special Florentine Steak.

I hope you enjoyed a snapshot of our amazing journey through Florence. There is more holiday to come next week.

Have you been to Florence? What is your favourite part?
Portia xx

Coccobello by James Heeley for Heeley 2013

March 16, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Poodle

It’s painfully cold out. I’m not going to say its freezing because we dropped below that about 30F degrees ago. The wind is making it feel worse but by the time you read this I will be slightly warmer I hope. I’ll be heading towards spring and you folks down under will be trying to hang on to your summer.

Coccobello by Heeley 2013

Coccobello by James Heeley

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Palm leaf, gardenia
Heart: Coconut, sea salt, vanilla
Base: Virginia cedar, benzoin, sandalwood

I knew nothing of this scent when I received it in the mail. I glanced at the name and gave it a spray expecting something gourmand with either cocoa or coconut, something cozy to warm my heart. What I wasn’t expecting was a blast of green and saltiness. Oh sure, there’s some sweetness in there as well but instead of a warm fuzzy blanket, Coccobello is a trip to the beach.

PublicDomain

Coccobello opens with the smell of crushed palm leaves. It’s potent and a bit harsh at first. Don’t go sticking your nose into it just yet or you might go running for the sink to wash. If you hate green notes the opening might be a little difficult but it doesn’t linger here for long before some other notes shine through. The coconut starts to emerge but it is also green and unsweetened. It’s not the coconut oozing with sugar that I’m used to smelling. There’s a faint gardenia note but it’s quite subdued and never enters big white floral territory. It adds sweetness but not in a sugary way. Now drench all that with salt water. I smell a hint of cedarwood as well. At no point do I think dessert, cocktails, or anything fruity which is the usual direction of beachy tropical perfumes.

Once my initial shock of it not being a sweet gourmand wore off I enjoyed Coccobello as a beach scent. As you wear it the perfume loses the sharpness of the palm note and takes on the aroma of sun warmed skin cooled by salty water. It calls to mind Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder but Coccobello seems far more unisex to me. Guys, if you’re looking for a coconut scent that isn’t too girly this might be it. For those of you who find typical beach or tropical perfumes too sweet, fruity, flowery, or aquatic I think Coccobello might be worth a sniff. I will say again that that heavy green up front might be a deal breaker for quite a few folks. I know salt is also a love/hate note for a lot of you too. This is a grown up tropical scent and I think it deserves more attention than it gets but I can understand it will be challenging for some.

Pixabay

Coccobello reminds me of summer, suntan lotion, and the beach. Right now all of those things seem worlds away.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Scent for Thought
LuckyScent has $180/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5.40/ml

What perfumes have you tried that were completely different from what you were expecting?

Hugs
Poodle

Family, Friends and the Smell of England

March 15, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 42 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Family, Friends and the Smell of England

MY FOLKS.

My parents came to visit me each year between 1992 and 2003. My children were always extremely excited and would hang over the balcony railings waiting to see their car arrive. It was a thousand miles door to door and they always drove. I begged them to fly but they always replied that they needed the car to bring all the stuff for us. My father would fall out of the car, a fair shade of grey having driven the whole way. My mother would be bouncing, the excitement of seeing the kids nearly too much to bear. And up they came, three flights of stairs, lugging suitcases and cardboard boxes full of England.
Weetabix, Ready Brek, Branston, spaghetti hoops, salt´n´vinegar crisps, twenty packs of Trebor Extra Strong Mints, extra strong Cheddar,
Marks´n´Sparks undies, Action Man, Barbie, newspapers, a bunch of roses out of the garden wrapped in wet paper towels, sprigs of rosemary and a bundle of English lavender from the from of their home.

My daughter gave them her room and it would become England, nestled in our Austrian apartment. When they left
for the long trip back home she would ask me to leave the bedding on because it smelled of Nana and Grandpa and that made her feel safe.
And then they passed away.

WikiMedia

MY FRIENDS.

Dear friends, K and B, slipped into the once a year visiting slot. They flew and brought crisps, cheese and the smell of England. Security, memories and love. And then B passed away.

Wikipedia

MY FRIEND.

K still comes. He flies and brings newpapers, peppermints and the smell of England. He left a week ago. The kids are grown up and gone now.
I shut the windows, pulled the blinds down and closed the door. As each of my children have dropped in I have had them go into the room and inhale deeply. “England.” they say.

WikiCommons

Earth. Sage. Mint. Rain. Salt. Rose.
This is England.

St George Bussis
CQ

Wearing Perfume: Different Ways of Testing

March 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Post by Tina G

Hi APJ!

I’d like to talk a bit about how fragrance application can have a pronounced effect on how it presents on your skin. It is one of the reasons that it is usually worthwhile to test a fragrance a few times to get to “know” it before making judgement calls.

Wearing Perfume: Different Ways of Testing

Burlesque by Maria Candida Gentile 2015

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blood orange
Heart: Iris pallida, rose
Base: Incense, patchouli

Maria Candida Gentile – Burlesque is a case in point. It was put onto my fragrance radar by Tara from A Bottled Rose, and it sounded like my kind of thing, so a sample was ordered.

On my first two spritzes I held the nozzle close to my arm with a heavy application. And the results were horrifying. All I got was an insipid limp wet patchouli with a hint of smoke in the background. I quite like patch, but there was nothing nice about what I was smelling. It was less ‘Burlesque’ and more ‘fetid water nymph’. One of my written notes was “try a lighter spray”. So I did.

A gentle swish of a spritz at a distance, and wafting my arm through the residual aerated fragrance was a totally different result. At once I could smell a warm rounded orange, which was totally absent previously, and it came through with a fab sexy powdery iris and sweet pink rose. That brought a smile and a nod – so that is what this fragrance is all about! It was balanced very differently, warm and inviting with the patchouli grounding it instead of swamping (good word, actually…) and the pale smokiness bringing an interesting dimension to the whole picture. Really gorgeous and very wearable.

There are some fragrances which are better dabbed – for me most of the Serge Lutens work really well like this, even though they come with sprayers. Of course, be really wary of spraying Parfum strength *anything*. I’ve done serious (temporary) damage to my nose trying this approach. Unless it is a Vero Profumo in which case they are designed for spraying. (and if you’ve never tried any of Vero’s fragrances, drop everything and order samples NOW).

Chimaera by Paolo Terenzi for Tiziana Terenzi 2014

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Black pepper, lemon, saffron, leather, tolu balsam, thyme, bay leaf, soil tincture
Heart: Iris, red pepper, carnation, peony, honey, magnolia, sage
Base: Patchouli, cashmere wood, labdanum, benzoin, caramel, agarwood (oud), tobacco, canadian balsam, leather, pine tree

Another worthwhile trial is to give fragrances a run through in different seasons. Something which does not work for you in summer may be altogether fabulous in winter. Tiziana Terenzi – Chimaera is like this for me. In winter it is complex and kinetically marbled with a lemon and honey keeping a weaving thread through leather, bay and basalm. I found at four wonderfully distinct stages during dry down – so exciting! In summer, on my skin it turns into a gourmand thick with caramel and saffron, the honey and lemon are still present but it is much more linear and to my nose not so interesting.

Have you had any successes or failures with your fragrance testing? What have been the lessons learnt?

Tina G xx

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

March 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Heya APJers,

Nice to be home and able to share the fragrant love again. Good luck everyone.

Portia xx

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, ylang-ylang
Heart: Carnation, iris, oak, vetiver, opoponax
Base: Leather, musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of Colony by Jean Patou
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 14th March 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

prospectsplus

Neva

Nemo

The winner will have till Thursday 17th March 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.