beauty

Rubj: Extrait de Parfum by Vero Profumo 2007

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Rubj: Extrait de Parfum by Vero Profumo 2007

Rubj Extrait FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Sweet orange blossom from Morocco, in a mellifluous shimmery dress of the finest notes of musk, earnestly courted by tempting Egyptian jasmine & cumin.

I fell in love with Rubj EDP on New Year´s Eve. I had saved my sample for that evening. So I knew it would only be a matter of time before I had to try the Ruby Extrait. Every time I attempted to get a sample, they were temporarily unavailable. Very annoying. So after writing my last APJ piece on the EDP, I thought, that´s it. I am waiting no longer. I ordered it right then and there, untested. So the waiting game began. I am sure all you APJs and other readers are familiar with the sensation? Adrenalin starts to pump, and our ears become sensitive to the sound of every UPS van within a 5 mile radius!! It only took 4 days, and that included a weekend. I snatched the package and put it into my wardrobe, to be opened in the evening when I wasn´t knee-deep in dough.

I ordered the 7.5 ml bottle. One and a half teaspoons. Gulp.

Such a petite, pretty, feminine bottle. And, luckily for me, the fragrance is ravishing. It won´t please everyone. Which as some of you know, is just the way I like it. It might be a good idea to try it before buying. I don´t want to encourage buying blind. On the other hand, the thrill is exhilarating!

Rubj Extrait Egypt Jasmine CrystalMountainPhoto Stolen CrystalMountain

On my skin it starts out very softly. As it heats up it conjures up strawberries, incense (the hippie kind), saltiness, menthol, rose, musk and ice lollies (the fruity sweet and sour kind). Utterly warm and sensual, and perhaps a little wanton. Not straight up sexual, like the edp. It is kind of radio-active. My whole body glows from it. Ambrosial. Wholly unique. I know of nothing else like it, but I am just at the beginning of my perfumista journey ………..

Rubj Extrait KarmaYogaCenterPhoto Stolen KarmaYogaCenter

Don´t confuse the Rubj EDP with the Rubj Extrait. Related but definitely not identical.

I am chuffed to bits that I bought it. The cat that got the cream. Thank goodness vanilla extract runs a little cheaper!!

You can find more thoughts on Rubj from Olfactoria, Bois de Jasmin, The Candy Perfume Boy
VeroProfumo has an info page with worldwide stores.
LuckyScent has $235/7.5ml or $325/15ml
SurrenderToChance starts at $10/.25ml

Bussis
CQ

Chamade by Jean-Paul Guerlain 1969

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

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Gabriella

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Hello fragrance friends. Hope you are well and enjoy today’s post.

Well, like any other perfume obsessive, I’m pretty unfaithful when it comes to scents. Sometimes I’ll wear several a day, let alone dozens in a week. So it’s surprised me that I have been pretty much faithful to one scent for several weeks now:

Chamade by Guerlain 1969

Chamade was created by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 1969, and it was inspired by the Francoise Sagan’s novel “La Chamade” which was later adapted into a movie starring Catherine Deneuve. The word, from French means a drumbeat signifying a retreat from war.

Chamade Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords (Ed: different in the blurb and pictures, I’ve melded):
Top: Hyacinth, Turkish rose,  jasmine, bergamot, aldehydes
Heart: Lilac, cloves, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, iris, galbanum, ylang-ylang, blackcurrant buds,
Base: Sandalwood, vetiver, musk, benzoin, amber, tonka bean, Tolu balsam, Peru balsam

Many others have written of the fragrance so beautifully, that I can’t really add much more to what’s been said already. However, the perfume, as many have noted, feels like a perfume in three separate acts. The first is the bright green, spring-like opening of galbanum and hyacinth at first fresh and then powdery; the second act is all about dewy rose and lilac, underpinned by juicy blackcurrant; the final act is another beast entirely, where the green rosiness segues into smooth and sweet vanilla and amber.

Chamade Guerlain TemptaliaPhoto Stolen Temptalia

I acquired my bottle of Chamade a few months ago, knowing it was hard to find here in Australia and a classic. I initially regretted my purchase and wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it. Fast forward some time and Chamade is now so perfect to me, I’m actually wondering how I lasted without it as long as I did. The perfume is everything I’d like to think I am and everything I want in the idealized version of myself: sophisticated, elegant, intelligent, beautiful and warm. It is at once a perfect adornment whilst at the same time being innately part of me. For note, I have the EDP version.

Chamade Gown TrendsEvePhoto Stolen TrendsEve

Further reading:Bois de Jasmin and Now Smell This

SurrendertoChance has samples starting at $3/ml

Have you tried Chamade? Have you been more faithful to one fragrance lately? What perfumes are currently in rotation for you?

With much love until next time!
M x

N°5 CULTURE CHANEL – Interview with Christopher Sheldrake, CHANEL Perfumer

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Hi All,

After some missing of planes and arriving 12 hours late and a whole bunch of stuff I must apologise that this is very little and late. Still it is interesting to see Christopher Sheldrake talk about CHANEL No 5 Exhibition. He is quietly handsome and engaging. I hope you like it.

Portia xx

CHANEL SeedOfHappinessStolen from SeedOfHappiness

N°5 CULTURE CHANEL – Interview with Christopher Sheldrake, CHANEL Perfumer

Chergui by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2001

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Hello Stink Monkeys!!

This fragrance I’ve had a decant sitting in my cupboard for a while. I often see it for a good price and read reviews but it has never reached my skin until recently. To be truthful I was a little Ho Hum about it and wasn’t sure that it would be my thing. Honey, hay, dust, sweet tobacco and balmy amber, hang on, that sounds exactly what a fragrance should be made up of…

Chergui by Serge Lutens 2001

Chergui FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tobacco leaf, honey, iris, sandalwood, amber, musk, incense, rose and hay

I love the entrance to Chergui, the super honeyed tobacco and amber rise up softly and gracefully on my skin. It is sweet and dusty at the same time, like an old forgotten second hand bookstore in the desert at dusk. The smell of wood and paper and earth and that chill as the daylight leaves. I only get the merest hint of hay, though there is something like it hiding behind the honey/tobacco sweetness which is amplified on my skin. Has anyone else had the honey/tobacco take over during the first hour or so?

Chergui Serge Lutens Leakeys Secondhand Bookstore TripAdvisorPhoto Stolen TripAdvisor

Once the sweetness burns off for me the whole fragrance becomes more dessicated and interesting, like dried out greenery snapped or crumbled in your hands with a very cool smoky incense, before you light it, and here I get a little spicy rose and a whisper of something that smells like orchid.

For some reason I had it in my head that Chergui was a difficult fragrance but I find it pretty and wearable. Not too strong, not too outrageous in the cool of Sydney late Autumn and definitely wearable by both sexes. On my skin this is reminiscent of some of the best vintage women’s fragrances and some of the 1990s excellent mens, all of which have been discontinued or reformulated out of even a whisper of themselves.

I wish I had taken my decant of Chergui to LA with me because I think it will bloom even more beautifully in the warmth. As it is I’m getting moderate life of about 4-5 hours and moderate sillage. This is only my second wear though, I can’t wait to wear Chergui to work and see if people love it.

Dust Storm DailyTelegraphPhoto Stolen DailyTelegraph

Further reading Olfactoria’sTravels and Kafkaesque
FragranceNet has $97/50ml and with the oft available 15% discount that’s around $83!!
SurrenderToChance starts at $4/.5ml

How did Chergui live on your skin? Was there a note that really stood out and was surprising? Did you have a similar experience to most others?
Please join the conversation, I love it when people tell us how a fragrance affected them,
Portia xx

Jitterbug by Kedra Hart for Opus Oils 2008

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Heya,

As you know last month we were on the Scentsation Bus Tour of Los Angeles. It was a fabulous day and I can’t wait for next years installment. Our very last stop of the day was at Opus oils where Kedra Hart and her posse were there creating mayhem and glamoursphere. The shop is incredible, and perfectly showcases the magic that Kedra creates. Jitterbug is a sample I was given with my purchases on the Scentsation bus. I will come back with more stories about the bottles I bought very soon.

Jitterbug by Kedra Hart for Opus Oils 2008

Jitterbug Opus Oils FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Jasmine, lemon essence, honeysuckle, orange blossom, “beach found” ambergris, blond tobacco and sandalwood

Jitterbug opens with a burst of boozy, almost narcotic, flowers and tobacco. It’s warm and rich and decadent like plum pudding and cream, there is something so food-ish here and I can’t work out what it is. The initial rush leads you to believe that Jitterbug is going to be E NOR MOUS!! but after the opening burns of it settles quickly into a mid range fragrant waft, very pretty and decidedly wearable with a very definite nod to fragrance of the past, there is a depth and seduction at work here that feels like the nuanced magic of naturals and the ambergris is giving it a chiaroscuro effect, dappling the prettiness with a darker denseness that is both salty and vanilla sweet. Helooooo! Did I say sexy? This is sexy, Sexy, SEXY!! I feel like the most beautiful, sensual, siren wearing Jitterbug. This is the good stuff. Thank you Kendra, next year I will be in to buy a shit load of this.

Jitterbug Opus Oils Kim Sharma siliconeerPhoto Stolen siliconeer

Jitterbug is a beautifully blended Princess of a perfume, elegant and graceful yet still fun and a little naughty especially towards dry down. You will be fragrant and the sillage is excellent but you won’t be skunking people unless you apply massive amounts. Most workplaces friendly and an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up for dates!

Opus Oils Jitterbug Perfume Parlour opened August 2008 in Hollywood, CA, USA after Kendra Hart being a successful underground and above ground perfumer. Here’s a little (edited version) of what the site says:
Kedra Hart was one of the developers of The Apothecary at Barneys New York in Beverly Hils and founder of the natural perfume and aromatherapy line Precious Petals. She designs custom scents, teaches perfumery in LA and Paris and is blender and co-founder with Joshua Hart of Opus Oils Jitterbug Perfume Parlour.
“It’s hard to describe our Jitterbug Perfume Parlour when people ask,” says Joshua Hart, “I usually say it’s a cross between the movie “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” and the book “Jitterbug Perfume”. Mix that with the TV show “Hart to Hart”, sprinkle it with “Moulin Rouge” and then add a dash of Flapper Speakeasy Culture. Yeah, I think that about says it all.”

jitterbug Opus Oils VickieLesterPhoto Stolen VickieLester

Do go and check the Opus Oils site, here a few of the ways you can buy Jitterbug and the prices. Had I done my homework I would now own a 100ml Body & Bath Oil of Jitterbug. DAMN!!! Oh well, there’s always next year
1 Dram Parfum (Airport travel size) Roll-on $40.00
1oz Eau de Parfum Oil Spray $65.00
3.3oz Bath & Body Oil $50.00

Have you tried any of the Opus Oils? How do you rate them?
Portia xx

Coco (Modern) by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 1984

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

This is one of my girlfriends, hello Alice I’m looking at you, favourite fragrances. While in LA last week my mate Thomas Pease from PerfumePosse and Perfume Smellin’ Things and I were trolling the malls of LA together. It was super fun and I was looking for a few things including the large 35ml spritz of CHANEL No 5 Parfum which I am finding impossible to get my hands on, anyone know where I can grab it? Anyway, during our travels we spritzed the modern incarnation of

Coco by CHANEL 1984

Coco FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Coriander, pomegranate blossom, mandarin orange, peach, jasmine and Bulgarian rose
Heart: Mimose, cloves, orange blossom, clover and rose
Base: Labdanum, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, opoponax, civet and vanilla

I am usually of the mind that all change is good, progressive, necessary unless it’s an obvious exception like finding ways to log virgin rainforest faster or better and quicker ways to torture people for information, now I’ve added a new one: REFORMULATION!! Yes, I understand that the fragrance community is self regulating and these changes are important but OMfreakingG! If this was not called Coco I would have thought it a summer flanker of Coco. This is what a softened, prettied, lighter and less ambitious Coco should feel like for summer wearings. If it was that I would say, “BRILLIANT! CHANEL have thought this out and done a superb job of bringing the fragrance up to date without losing its original idea completely, as a fun and frivolous, sunny reference point. A Coco water-colour if you like.” But to sell this non-Coco and claim it as the truth, NO! Like claiming the first and second paintings below are as filled with warmth, depth and colour, though both are beautiful they are not the same.

CHANEL Coco florinda watercolourPhoto Stolen FranzXaverWinterhalter

CHANEL Coco Lányok bál után HungArtHungaryPhoto Stolen HungArtHungary

Is there anything left to love about Coco Modern? Sure. If you had never worn it before and were just discovering perfume you would think it beyond beautiful. Still with that perfect CHANEL blending, still a Fl-Oriental and still quite a bit more exotic that most of the range. What it lacks is the dirty bitch grind and sexy, sensual, animalic undertones that were a warning as much as a signal for seduction. Coco Modern is almost office wearable and its predecessor is most definitely not in the current frag climate. They have castrated our Coco and I for one am sad.

Coco is available for FREE spritzing at most department stores.
EssentalMall starts at 50ml EdT/$109
SurrenderToChance starts at $3/ml

See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Perfume and Tea Pairings #3 GIVEAWAY WINNER!

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Giveaway by Brie

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Perfume and Tea Pairings GIVEAWAY!

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

For the draw Brittany, Courtney and I offered up 1 x three samples from our limited edition Escada collection: Cherry in the Air, Taj Sunset and Moon Sparkle as well as a sampling of teas.
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who left a comment on their favorite limited edition fragrance.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Friday 7th June 2013 9pm AusEST.
Winners were chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Brie’s family picked a winner.

Winner FallOutFactoryPhoto Stolen FallOutFactory

MIM

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have till Monday 10th June 2013 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.

Zombie for Him by Demeter Fragrance Library 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments
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Post by Kymme CV
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Greetings testers…this post is not for the squeamish, faint of heart, those who are afraid of things that go bump in the night and/or don’t enjoy eating brains! Demeter Fragrance Library has caught on to the latest zombie craze and have bought for our olfactory delight Zombie for Him and Zombie for Her (on sale for a limited time only). Ladies, gentlemen and the undead…
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Zombie for Him by Demeter Fragrance Library 2013

Zombie Demeter FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

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Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Dried leaves, mushrooms, mildew, moss and earth
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Being a sucker for advertising of any kind, I followed the pretty link on LuckyScents website.  (Incidentally I’d also seen a series of photos on the World of Wonder blog, but didn’t connect the dots until visiting the Demeter website).  My curiosity got the better of me, so off to SurrenderToChance I went to get me a sample.

Zombie Demeter TheWeekPhoto Stolen TheWeek
Before giving in to a very demanding Portia and giving my review, I wanted to see what others thought about Zombie for Him, so I picked on some unsuspecting victims at work where I did some blind testing.  Not only where the results interesting on a fragrance interpretation level, but it also raised a valid scientific question ie., is the female brain wired differently from the male brain when it comes to the sense of smell? I don’t mean, for example, if a plate of cheese were placed before a blindfolded man and a blindfolded woman would they both smell cheese.  The answer is of course ‘yes’, but if they were asked to describe the cheese, would they say the same thing?  This has probably been studied and results published, nevertheless I found my blinded results quite remarkable.
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I asked five colleagues to extend their fragrance free wrists for a squirting.  I asked them to tell me, without thinking too deeply about it, the first thing that came to mind when they smelt the fragrance for the first time.  They had no prior knowledge of the name of the fragrance…the results:
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Guinea pig 1 – immediately got salad dressing (variety unknown)
Guinea pig 2 – lemons
Guinea pig 3 – pine/forest smells
Guinea pig 4 – dug soil
Guinea pig 5 – the smell of a florist’s shop
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So, from the results above, could you pick the girls from the boys?
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Would it shock or surprise you to know that 3 and 4 were boys and the others girls? It did me…I thought we’d all smell the same thing.  When I told them the name of the fragrance, number 2 couldn’t wait to wash it off! I consoled her by saying that no dead bodies were harmed in the making of the fragrance!!
Zombie Demeter AmericaBlogPhoto stolen AmericaBlog
Zombie for Him is exactly what it says on the tin…less the rotting flesh and blood and guts.  I immediately get dirt, dug soil and cut grass.  The mix is not an unpleasant smell either.  It’s heavy on the dirt and dug soil, but it’s a nice earthy heavy, if you’ll excuse the pun. On it’s own it’s a refreshing daytime scent and even though it’s called Zombie, I could imagine Bill the vampire (True Blood) wearing this.  Zombie for Him, as I suspect with many Demeter fragrances, can be mixed with other fragrances…I was daring and wore it with Chanel’s Cocomandrel and it made a very enjoyable warm scent and one I will wear again tomorrow.
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Zombie for Him is available at the Demeter site $20/30ml
SurrenderToChance starts at $4/2ml
Brains for all!
Kymme

Queen by Parlux for Queen Latifah 2009

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

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Post by Dionne

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Hello,

Being a frugal perfumista, few things make me happier than smelling fab without spending a lot of money. In my Cheap Thrills category, Queen by Queen Latifah sits at the very top. I bought a bottle about three years ago from the discount shelf at my local Shopper’s Drug Mart, and after all this time it’s still a favorite.

Queen by Queen Latifah: Big, Bad and Beautiful

Queen Laifah FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Italian Bergamot, Mediterranean Mandarin
Heart: Baie Rose, Jasmine Noir, while Cognac, Moroccan Coriander
Base: Indonesian Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Tonka Absolute, Egyptian Incense, Musk

I find that when I talk about perfumes I use a lot of different ways to describe them: visual images, quirky phrases, songs, food, textures, feelings, whatever seems to “fit” that particular perfume. The very first time I sprayed Queen, a full scene popped into my head, and it’s how I’ve described this fragrance ever since. Imagine a dark and smoky jazz club; slow and sultry music is being played and everyone’s sitting back feeling languorous and nodding their heads slowly to the groove. Now we’re zooming in on the upright bass player: he’s wearing a hat and shades. Zoom in even further to the bottom of that upright bass, and we discover it’s slowly dripping maple syrup on the floor.
Basically, this:

In less atmospheric terms, Queen is dark, sweet and boozy. So dark, only my Black Cashmere sits in the same category. It’s chock-full of vanilla, but no worries, this is not your little girly-girl vanilla; she’s all grown up because of the incense, cognac and patchouli. And when Queen goes out for a night on the town, she’s out aaaall night. 24-hours-and-a-shower later, I still smell fabulous.

Queen-Latifah BodyShapeStylePhoto Stolen BodyShapeStyle

There is only one caveat about this fragrance, and it’s one where Portia and I have a difference of opinion. I think the bottle is Ug-Uh-Lee, and she delights in the trashiness of it. In my opinion, the fragrance is a great fit for the woman, and I adore Queen Latifah, the bottle…. not so much. However, since we’re all responsible perfumistas and keep our bottles in their boxes in dark, cool closets or fridges, (you are doing that, right? Riiight? Do I need to come over there and give you my mom scowl?) it’s not that big a deal.

I spent some time looking for just the right fit for this review, and the one and only Stan Getz fit the bill. However, I did have a lot of fun going through the semi-finalists. If you’ve got a mo’, see below and check out Queen Latifah’s spots in Chicago “When You’re Good to Mama” and Hairspray “Big, Blond and Beautiful.” Isn’t she just fabulous?

Further reading: NowSmellThis
GalaxyPerfume has $20/100ml
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2/ml up to $6/5ml
Happy smellin’ y’all!
Dionne