beauty

Saturday Question: Hands Up If You Got Fragrance In 2018

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 165 Comments

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Portia

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Hello Fellow Fumies,

Every Saturday we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Continue reading →

Cafe Rose by Tom Ford 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

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Portia

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Hi there Fine Fragrant Friends,

Tom Ford , even the name produces this weird reaction in me. I love that this out, gay, handsome man has taken the world by storm in a field that he never was trained for. On the other hand he seems like a complete head up arse twat totally obsessed with form. His fragrances for Estee Lauder create the same ambivalence within me. Many are lovely, others only for about 15 minutes till they collapse into quagmire or worse banality. It’s a long way Continue reading →

Neroli Outrenoir by Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk for Guerlain 2016

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

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Portia

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Hi there APJ,

I tried Neroli Outrenoir when it was first released while Jin and I were in the Champs Elysees flagship store. I was totally overwhelmed by the venue and underwhelmed by the scent and really haven’t given it another thought. Recently though I bought a 10ml decant in a split. To be honest I don’t remember putting my name down for it. You know that late night cyber crawl after a couple of cuppas and Continue reading →

Classic Patchouli Balmy by Von Eusersdorff 2018

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Hello Fragrant Fraggie Fiends,

This is a Patchouli Public Service Announcement

Classic Patchouli Balmy by Von Eusersdorff 2018

The Seven Year Jubilee Limited Edition

Patchouli essential oil can be an antidepressant, an aphrodisiac, a sedative, it can fill one with hope. It is not adored by all, but for those who do fall in love with it, the relationship usually Continue reading →

SOTD 8 – 14 January 2018

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 158 Comments

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Portia

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Hi APJ,

I see these SOTD (Scent Of The Day) threads all the time on Facebook and they are really good conversation generators.

SOTD 8 – 14 January 2018

The idea is you’ll chime in through the week with whatever scent you are wearing. You don’t need to be super knowledgable, have high faluting tastes or be a published author to comment. Just tell us what fragrance you’re wearing, smelling, buying etc. Continue reading →

Saturday Question: Which Serge Lutens is your favourite?

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 104 Comments

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Portia

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Hello Fellow Fumies,

Every Saturday we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a Scent Sample Pack (from my collection)
This week:

  1. Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur EdP
  2. Parfum d’Empire Fougere Bengale
  3. L’Artisan Seville a l’Aube
  4. Lolita Lempicka EdP
  5. Rouge d’Hermès

Last Weeks Winner: Marie

eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with the eMail you’d like me to send your Gift Card to.

Saturday Question: Which Serge Lutens is your favourite?

Serge Lutens, Uncle Serge, Lutens or however you know the house has been a groundbreaker. Held firm in the hands of Shiseido yet Creatively Directed by Serge Lutens: a mystery, enigma. Serge Lutens for most perfumistas is a slightly mad, eccentric perfume god whose genius was stewed fruit and pushing notes as far as they could go when being created. His new releases were, for decades, hyped and hyperbole-ed out of the stratosphere and still managed to blow us away when we got our sniff on them.

Sadly it seems his star has dimmed somewhat in the 21st century but the company is still putting out interesting works. I think it has been subsumed into Shideido completely now and Mr Lutens himself is less involved but that is hearsay, not fact confirmed.

My Answer:

This is an easy one for me. Though I have FBs for a lot of the Lutens line, there are only five that get heavy wear. Datura Noire, Arabie, Chergui, Fille en Aiguilles and my favourite Five O’clock au Gingembre.

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tea, bergamot
Heart: Ginger, cinnamon, woodsy notes
Base: Cacao, honey, amber, patchouli, pepper

The swirl of spices and dry tea that float over a honeyed woodsiness with a hint of patchouli is so wearable in warm or cold weather. It’s fragrant in the first hour but not outrageously so and softens of beautifully to a lightly sweetened woodsy hum that lasts for hours. It can be casual or dressed up and never seems out of place. Not one of his more challenging works, that’s fine by me. I want to smell good and Five O’clock au Gingembre can be relied upon every time.

My Saturday Question to you is:

Which Serge Lutens is your favourite?

 

Sogno Reale Talismans Collezione Preziosa by Amélie Bourgeois for Mendittorosa 2015

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

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Portia

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Hey there APJ Crew,

I’ve worn Sogno Reale a few times now but I never seem to get a real hold on it. Each time the wear reads differently. So today I’m going to describe my wear for you but it is tinged by memories of previous wears. Because of this I’m definitely going to say that your mileage may vary, mine did every time.

This review is from a split decant that came a couple of months ago, I keep wearing and trying to write the post because I think the fragrance beautiful enough that you guys should know about it. Biting the bullet today.

Sogno Reale by Mendittorosa 2015

Sogno Reale Talismans Collezione Preziosa by Amélie Bourgeois

Sogno Reale Talismans Collezione Preziosa Mendittorosa FragranticaFragrantica

Mendittorosa gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, Bergamot, Marine/Iodine Accord
Heart: Tuberose, Patchouli
Base: Volcanic Olibanum, Hyraceum, Rhum, Sandalwood, Styrax, Amber Woods

Interesting, I really smell the iodine and patchouli as I spray Sogno Reale. It’s not till a few seconds in that the citrus even gets any smell time. Not huge, here we have a very restrained fragrance, all the notes are accounted for but sotto voce. As if this kind of happy weirdness needs to whisper. If you can in expecting a Womanity or even a Sel Marin you will be disappointed indeed. That’s not to say Sogno Reale is unfragrant, no you can smell it, but it will creep up on you every now and again. A bit like some days I find Eau des Merveilles. Like smelling someone who has spent the day at the beach as they come home. Salty, suntanned, windblown and happy.

Actually the slightly oddballness is all in the opening 5 minutes, after that we settle down to a very pretty and expensive smelling Patch/Amber/Leather. The patchouli smells like someone you’re talking to is wearing it, not far away, and the leather steps up the scent into a luxurious jacket. A soft focus leather sweetened by amber. Very pretty, easy wear and comfortable……. supple, ultra cool leather jacket.

Sogno Reale by Mendittorosa Cool Leather Woman PXHerePDI

Then Sogno Reale softens to a lightly salty skin scent and continues murmuring for a couple of hours before I totally lose the ability to smell any difference from myself.

“All that we see or seem
is but a dream within a dream”
From ‘A Dream Within a Dream’ by Edgar Allen Poe
Sogno Reale is balm for the soul, a talisman dreamed into existence, the unconscious mind made extraordinary perfumed flesh.

Further reading: Colognoisseur
Mendittorosa has €230/100ml and FREE World Shipping
Surrender To Chance has a Mendittorosa Sampler from $11/3 x 0.75ml

Mendittorosa? Have you tried the brand yet?
Portia xx

Mélodie du Cygne de la Main by Alberto Morillas for Dali Haute Parfumerie 2016

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

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Portia

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Hello Perfume Lovers,

There’s a new whisper running through the perfume world. Dali perfumes which started out ultra fabulously with the signature scent and then Laguna ultimately turned to shit. Lately though, and brand new to Australia and just in at First In Fragrance, they have been aiming at the prestige market. Yes, the lure of the fast buck has gripped everyone with something to hang the worlds interest on. I admit to being a little jaded by companies putting dross in bottles and expecting us to fork over enormous amounts of money.

Here’s the thing though, it looks like the Dali group are trying to make good perfume. It may not all be to your taste, it certainly isn’t all to mine, but it does smell like they’ve taken more than a modicum of interest in seeing these perfumes are beautiful, smooth and aristocratic feeling. The bottles look fabulous too and though I’ve not held one yet, I’m very excited to.

I had the Aussie Dali rep get in touch and send me a set of the latest Dali beauties and here is one I particularly liked.

Mélodie du Cygne de la Main by Dali Haute Parfumerie 2016

Mélodie du Cygne de la Main by Alberto Morillas

Melodie Du Cygne De La Main Salvador Dali FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, Violet, Florentine iris, Orange blossom, Sandalwood, Praliné, Vanilla

Sweet, slightly fizzy opening followed by a praline/vanilla. Smooth, very Guerlain modern or even Pierre Guillaume. The sweetness is bakery, not confectionary, and it smells expensive. The sandalwood is creamy and may even have a little dash of the real thing.

I keep thin king that this would be a wonderful fragrance to cuddle into. It smells so good if someone were to walk past you in the street trailing this sillage you might even be tempted to ask what they’re wearing.

Not boundary pushing or challenging in the slightest. Most perfumistas that like a warm, plush, bakehouse amber have something similar in their wardrobe already but Albert Morillas seems to have created quite a few fragrances that I adore: Rochas Byzance, original Salvador Dali, M7, Mugler cologne, Cacharel Scarlett, Gucci Guilty Absolute and Palissandre d`Or. This fragrance shows the same beautiful streamlined extravagance.

Just spoke to my mate Thierry at City Perfume and he has $390/100ml with Free Australian Shipping, 3 FREE samples and a 10% Discount till January 10 (code: AFG17).

Mélodie du Cygne de la Main GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 3ml Mélodie du Cygne de la Main Manufacturiers Sample (my review sample)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us: Have you tried and loved any of the Dali perfumes?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 7th January 2018 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 11th January 2018 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

 

Top 5 2017 Perfumes: Gabriella

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

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Gabriella

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Hiya Perfume Junkies!
A happy and fragrant New Year to you all.

Today I’m talking about my top five fragrances for 2017. These were not all new releases for the year – just the top perfumes that I discovered over the past twelve months. Last year was a bit of a watershed fragrance-wise: I visited Paris for the first time since falling down the perfumista rabbit hole and I also explored a bit more outside my white floral comfort zone. So what scents made the cut for me?

Top 5 2017 Perfumes: Gabriella

Melodie de L'Amour Parfums Dusita FragranticaFragrantica

Melodie de L’Amour by Pissara Umavijani for Dusita 2015

The heartstopper. I’d given up on finding another lush gardenia-centered fragrance when Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia was discontinued some years ago, but when Melodie de L’Amour hit my skin, it was utter devotion at first sniff. A buttery gardenia at the height of its bloom paired with sultry tuberose, jasmine and a hint of honey. This exquisite white floral was made all the more special due to the fact that I acquired my bottle in the city of lights.

First in Fragrance has €295/50ml

1996 Inez & Vinoodh Byredo FragranticaFragrantica

1996 by Ben Gorham for Byredo 2013

The vintage starlet. I didn’t expect to fall in love with 1996’s soft hush of iris and violet that’s powdery, delicate and slightly sweet. Just when you think the floral notes are the only things going on, an ambery leather lends a touch of old school decadence. It’s the scent of vintage luggage, fur stoles and black mesh pillbox hats paired with a slick of red lipstick.

Mecca Cosmetica starts at $187/50ml

Stilettos on Lex Jul et Mad Paris FragranticaFragrantica

Stilettos on Lex by Dorothee Piot for Jules et Mad 2012

The Parisian chic. I found Stilettos thanks to the lovely staff at Jovoy in Paris who included it with an enormous bunch of samples when I purchased my bottle of Melodie de L’Amour. Stilettos is a grown up fruity floral with a touch of 1980’s powerhouse about it. A bright plum transcends into a rich melange of violet, rose and lily of the valley tempered by aldehydes.

Jules et Mad starts at EUR22.50/5ml

Velvet Haze Byredo FragranticaFragrantica

Velvet Haze by Ben Gorham for Byredo 2017

The hippie luxe. I usually only like patchouli with rose, but this proved to me that coconut and patchouli is a pretty awesome combination. Here the patchouli is gauze-like, it usual pungent head-shop vibe has been stripped back and white washed, all pale and ethereal. The coconut is slightly salty in tone, giving the scent a tropical but edible quality.

Mecca Cosmetica starts at $160/50ml

Vetiver 46 Le Labo FragranticaFragrantica

Vetiver 46 by Mark Buxton for Le Labo 2006

The unexpected choice. Vetiver is about as far away from a big white floral as you can get, but this still enraptured me from the get go. A strikingly green bergamot gives way to piney incense, cloves and a touch of vetiver. A brooding scent that’s strangely comforting.

Mecca Cosmetica starts at $264/50ml

So, what were your top perfume picks for 2017?
With much love till next time!
G x