CHANEL

November Sample Challenge Part 1

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Post by Gabriella

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Hello fragrance lovers!

Late last month one of my friends on the Aussie Fragrance Network Facebook group invited people to participate in a sample challenge. For the whole month of November, we were to wear a sample of a different scent each day. I thought it was a great idea, given I have oodles of samples and never seem to get through many before I order more. Here’s my diary of week one.

November Sample Challenge: Gabriella’s Week 1 diary

Perfume Samples Vial Naomi King FlickrPhoto Stolen Naomi King Flickr

Friday, November 1: I decide to ease myself into this challenge by choosing a tuberose: Nasomatto Narcotic Venus. Turns out to be a bad choice. I’ve sampled it before and always had the same emotional reaction: anger. Why? Because to me this is an overpriced, poor imitation of Michael Kors Michael with a cheap metallic edge. Michael is so much smoother and rounder and about a quarter of the price of this. Enough said.

Miss Charming Juliette Has A Gun FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Saturday, November 2: I pop on some Juliette Has a Gun Miss Charming this morning and it’s a great choice for a sunny Saturday – a pretty, wearable rose, I really like it. After a shower, I stay scent free as we’re heading into the city and I want to test a couple of things. (Testing is the same as sampling surely?) I try the Frederic Malle Dries van Noten and its Eau de Wet Cardboard. Lipstick Rose graces the other arm (slightly cheating here as I have owned a bottle of this) and it’s not working either. The grapefruit is so loud today it’s almost nauseating.

Sunday November 3: Wake up with serious spraying envy today. My bottles are sitting on my dresser, winking at me, mocking me. Surely, surely it wouldn’t be too bad to have one teensy spray would it? I pick up my Tubey Crim, ease the cap off and…..

“Oi! Put that DOWN!”

Damn, I thought Mr M was downstairs.

“That’s cheating M. Wear a sample.”

Ok. I put the bottle down and smile sheepishly like the naughty child that I am.

Secrete Datura Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

My sample of Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Secret Datura restores my mood immensely. It’s a softer, sunnier take on datura than Serge Lutens Datura Noir. In the evening, I choose Guerlain’s Cruel Gardenia which is a pretty, powdery floral. It’s nice but my skin eats it up in five seconds.

Monday, November 4: I wake up with renewed vigor for the challenge. After all, it’s only a month, surely I can do it. Its Costes 2 today. I love it and wonder why it doesn’t get the same love as the original. I’m sitting at work in my soft, cuddly, cinnamon and spice haze when something-that-would-usually-be-good-but-is-the-worst-thing-ever-for-a-sample-challenge happens. The bottle of Fleur de Liane that I ordered recently arrives. Argh! No, no, no, no, no! MUST. NOT. OPEN. BOTTLE. Must be good, must be good and stay strong, stay focused. I feel like I’m in the perfumed equivalent of those temptation challenges on The Biggest Loser. Do I? Do I? Luckily, I’m at work and won’t have to face this till I get home.
*****
Bugger, so I did succumb. I am the bloody weakest link. But I remedy my lapse by wearing the two samples that were sent with the bottle: L’Artisan Skin on Skin and Caligna. Ewww! These are dreadful and I scrub them straight off. Placate myself by wearing the sample of Honey Miss Portia sent me and this is yum. Go to bed happy.

Chanel 31 Rue Cambon Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Tuesday, November 5: Chanel 31 Rue Cambon. Stunning. I’ve sampled before and each time I ask the same question: Why do I not have a bottle of this?

Wednesday, November 6: Sick in bed. Feeling that dreadful that I really don’t want to wear perfume today (that’s saying something), so I don’t.

Thursday, November 7: Still not well, but the arrival of my Luckyscent October sample pack lifts my spirits. Fresh meat, goody! By the afternoon, I’m feeling well enough to tackle them head on. Amouage Fate Woman wins my heart immediately. It’s such an enigma of a fragrance and absolutely outstanding. I love the chili in the opening and even though it’s gourmand in the dry down, I really love it.

Fate for Women Amouage FrsagranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Friday, November 8: The beautiful opening of Indult’s Manakara captures my heart: it’s a simple mix of rose and lychee, but it just gets too sweet in the drydown. Revisit Amouage Fate again in the evening and still love it so much that I’m already getting sad at the sample disappearing.

Week one has been fun, but it’s made me realise that dabbing on samples doesn’t give me the same emotional impact as spraying from a decant or a bottle. Having said that, it’s been interesting to wear something different each day.

 Samples Perfect California Day OakleyOriginals FlickrPhoto Stolen OakleyOriginals Flickr

So, APJ readers, could you wear only samples for a whole month? How would you tackle this exercise? Would you make a plan or go random? Do you have any tips for the remaining weeks?

With much love till next time!
M x

Beige by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2008

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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50 Shades of…Beige

I have always had a colourful (and black) wardrobe, and have noticed a section expanding in the past year, with fabrics in shades of Beige. I guess I’ve been discovering the many shades of the colour without even realising…champagne, biscuit, sand, camel etc. Beige is intriguing, understated, classic and classy.

Coco Chanel LOVED it and therefore one of the perfumes in Chanel’s Les Exclisifs range was named after it.

Beige by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2008

Chanel Beige Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Hawthorn, freesia, frangipani, honey

“I take refuge in beige because it’s natural,” said Mademoiselle Chanel. An elusive colour with infinite variations, beige may seem quite ordinary. And yet, behind this apparent simplicity, it hides a discreet sensuality that builds slowly before revealing itself fully.”

Firstly, I overlooked “Beige” when I was given a sample, and tossed it in my bag. I expected it to be dull. However weeks later when it resurfaced I was immediately intrigued upon first sniff…not love, mind you, but intrigue. It was white blossoms and general prettiness…but what else was catching my attention and raising an eyebrow? Timing was perfect, it was spring, the sun was out, the air was full of blossoms and I was about to go for a walk down a countryside lane. I needed to know more. I spritzed it on and started the adventure.

CHANEL Beige CHANEL Frangipani Nico Nelson FlickrPhoto Stolen Nico Nelson Flickr

Freshly cut white florals, and blossoms smothered me. Sweet freesias, fresh and green, a honey note, but not too sweet…perhaps even slightly dry…a hint of honeysuckle? Before long, and just in the nick of time, beautiful creamy hawthorn notes arose, balancing the lot and steering the aroma away from sickly sweet. Deeper in I found something slightly fruity/tropical…was that frangipani? I was almost skipping, engulfed by its sweet and feminine charm. Surprised I liked it so much. Here was a clean, fresh and uplifting fragrance. I was uplifted in a way similar to when I wear Chanel’s Cristalle Eau Verte, and yet there is something richer, creamier, elegant and more rounded in Beige after the initial notes dissipate. It’s not a surprise both fragrances were made by the same “nose”, the infamous, Jaques Polge.

Chanel Beige Chanel Honey_Bee WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Dry down continued to a honeyed, creamy, soapy scent, which verges on familiar, some elusive bar of soap, but in no way cheap. This is where I thought it would plateau. Then I accidently breathed out before my next sniff, which was an amazing accident, as with the hot air, hints of spice kicked in, adding some sultry, sensual tones, along with the now robust, waxiness of hawthorn. What started out as such a “daytime” fragrance suddenly gave promise of something that could really take you further into the evening. Wear this to the next spring wedding you attend, ladies….and be sure someone gets up close and personal with their HOT breath!

Chanel Beige Chanel Hawthorn net_efekt FlickrPhoto Stolen net_efekt  Flickr

Beige is beginning or memory of spring, with a promise of summer. There is a naturalness about it and perhaps why this fragrance works. An enjoyable wear.

Beige can be bought at most CHANEL Boutiques and some big Department Stores
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

Jaques Polge has done a great job bringing the many facets of this colour to life for us. Have you tried Beige?
Ainslie Walker x

Chanel 28 La Pausa by Jacques Polge for Les Exclusifs de Chanel 2007

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Post by Dionne

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All the Iris Fiends in the House say Yeah…

Hey, my niche nerds!
Today I’ll wax effusive about one of my all-time favorite frags, 28 La Pausa. Not only is this my numero uno iris pick, but it sits in my all-time top three perfumes.

Now I don’t know if anyone else is like this, but as I get to know a perfume, associations start to develop: an image or a painting, a texture, a feeling or scenario, a specific memory, a color, a place. Everything eventually gets a story. And for me, the iris note has turned into a woman. She’s tall and slender, blond hair done up in a chignon, elegant and intelligent and often intimidating. I like that about her, her cool strength. And I borrow some of that strength when I wear iris, it’s emotional armor for me.

Chanel 28 La Pausa Quentin Bryce WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

My mental image for 28 La Pausa is that lovely woman now in her early 70’s. She’s still tall and slender, still elegant with her white hair in a chic short cut, but the steel is now tempered with kindness. She adores her grandchildren and has a gentle, easy humor and is quick to smile. Her mind is sharp, but she’s become a master at putting you at your ease. (OK, I’m totally cheating with this particular image, because I know someone exactly like this. She’s marvelous, a good friend, and the perfect match in my mind for 28 LP.)

28 La Pausa by Chanel 2007

Chanel 28 La Pausa FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Leather, rose, orris

If I was to place 28 La Pausa in the iris continuum, it’s towards the violet end instead of the carrot, woodsy instead of metallic. Nowhere near as powdery as Infusion d’Iris, and it doesn’t have the cosmetics vibe of Dior Homme, either; the powder aspect in this just seems more natural, like nothing’s been added to augment it. Not as cool as Iris Silver Mist because it’s got a hint of musk, but not as warm as Equistrius either. If you’re starting to sense a Goldilocks theme here, you’re right. This hits my sweet spot of juuuust right in the iris line-up; no wonder it’s in my top three.

Chanel 28 La Pausa Iris Alaska WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Also, there’s one thing about 28 La Pausa that I’ve never encountered in another iris frag, and that’s the vetiver hanging out in the background. Luca Turin’s review in Perfumes: The Guide mentions the vetiver in the base, and for the longest time I had no idea what he was talking about. And then all of a sudden one day there it was…. Tadaa! How did I ever miss it? Actually, I know exactly how I missed it. Somehow Jacques Polge managed to wrestle this very distinctive note into playing backup, which to my mind is no small feat. Ladies and gentleman, this is how you blend perfumery notes. Kudos, Monsieur Polge. It’s interesting to see notes listed for 28 La Pausa, as sometimes vetiver isn’t even listed.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Olfactoria’s Travels
28 La Pausa is still available in CHANEL Boutiques, you may have to hurry though (the SA in Sydney’s Bondi Junction has it in stock)
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

Chanel 28 La Pausa vanrah DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Last off, a caveat and a heads-up. You’ve likely heard about 28 LP’s poor longevity. It’s true that scent-glue skin is a real advantage when wearing this frag, but even if you don’t, the quietness of the sillage means you can go crazy with the sprays without gassing out the neighborhood, and the pale color of the just means you can spray on fabric without staining.

If you haven’t had a chance yet to try this lovely fragrance, now would be a good time. With the introduction of 1932 to the Les Exclusifs line, 28 La Pausa is being discontinued. I wish Chanel hadn’t made that decision, but economics rule. And remember how 200ml seemed so large when the line first came out? If you’re going to stock up, it’s good to have options.

Happy spraying!
Dionne

CHANEL Bois des Iles by Ernest Beaux 1926

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Hello Fume Heads,

Not so long ago friend and APJ reviewer Michael was over and he was wondering about Bois des Iles (Wood Islands or Islands of Wood) so I went and grabbed my decant. Though I’d spritzed it a couple of times and have a few wonderful memories of wearing it on our holiday this year, I had never taken time to understand the beauty behind this CHANEL princess of a perfume.

CHANEL Bois des Iles 1926

Bois des Iles Chanel FragranticaPhoton Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, bergamot, neroli , coriander, mandarin, peach
Heart: Jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, orris, iris, ylang-ylang, lilac
Base: Vetiver, amber,  sandalwood, benzoin, vanilla, opoponax, musk

Bois des Iles fizzy, fun and fruity opening with a slightly green bent opens up bigger than expected, I know it doesn’t last but the first few minutes could be the slightly muted grand entrance of an 80s blockbuster, so much going on in a fleeting snippet like watching the cars zoom off at the start of an all day car race. After the fireworks Bois des Iles settles into a still slightly zingy, spicy, floral bouquet but sadly on my skin I completely miss the oft talked about and loved gingerbread accord. I get jasmine and ylang ylang as my stand out performers, though the rest are there it is as harmonious background with a quietly insistent sweet woody baseline.

Bois des Iles Chanel FoxHarborPhoto Stolen FoxHarbor

Later we welcome the musky woods with vanilla and various resins in the base. This is the sandalwood dream I remember of early Samsara, a smooth creamy, buttery sweet sandalwood with none of the camphorous/eucalyptus squeaky dryness of modern sandalwoods or the thin artificiality of many of the reinventions through science. Interestingly, Kafkaesque writes that Jacques Polge’s modern Bois des Iles is an imagined sandalwood, an accord created without the use of sandalwood, WOW and Double WOW! A sensual, soft yet lingering masterpiece.

973020_10201291991601593_1959611764_nBois des Iles will forever remind me of Paris,  Jin and my journey there earlier in 2013, our friends Aaran & Gerard hosted us while we were there and in their home was a beautiful stained glass double door panel by a very famous glass artist, sadly he sold it recently, and the wonderful art deco/industrial piece is what I was most astonished by in his home while wearing Bois des Iles. Made around the same time, I think, as the glass doors cum art wall piece it all felt very elegant at the time and now that I’ve done some homework the resonances are striking.

From the CHANEL site: Paris, 1926. ‘Art deco’ is all the rage, exoticism fascinates, and jazz stirs passions. People dream of faraway lands and precious woods. Once again, Coco Chanel shakes up the history of perfume by launching the first woody fragrance for women. An intoxicating, enveloping, warm, sensual, spiraling scent. It’s all there: the precious woods, the opiate scents and magnificent, languid flowers. The fragrance is a mysterious, faraway continent in itself.

Further reading: Kafkaesque and Olfactoria’s Travels
Available exclusively in the CHANEL Fragrance and Beauty Boutiques
Surrender To Chance has Bois des Iles EdT from $4/ml and Parfum from $6/.25 ml

What was your Bois des Iles experience? Have you, or do you want to try it?
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

 

Karl Lagerfeld Interview – CHANEL S/S14 Ready-to-Wear

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Hi Gang,

Karl Lagerfield has been inspiring and creating since before I went to Fashion School. His name is synonymous with innovation, elegance and lately with wearability: one of the most credible designers who I think will go down in history as one of the greats. Here he talks about the CHANEL Spring and Summer Ready To Wear collection for 2014. I like him and his take on fashion.

Coco CHANEL Jerine Lay FlickrPhoto stolen Jerine Lay Flickr

Please enjoy.

Portia xx

CHANEL Karl Lagerfeld Interview

Spring-Summer 2014 Ready-to-Wear CHANEL show

CHANEL No 19: Vintage EdC by Henri Robert 1970

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Hello Vintage Lovers,

One of the things that often surprises me is that on Etsy and eBay sometimes you can still find amazing bargains. Recently I was lucky enough to find a 3/4 full 45ml CHANEL 19 EdC, the spritz in thesilver satin finish case with gold waist and CHANEL C’s on top. It’s a beautiful case in its own right before I even get to the juice, so reminiscent of times past and when owning some CHANEL mass market fragrance was to feel rich and pampered.

CHANEL No 19: Vintage EdC by Henri Robert 1970

Chanel No 19 Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, bergamot, green notes
Heart: Iris, narcissus, rose, lily of the valley
Base: Sandalwood, leather, vetiver, oakmoss

BaseNotes gives these featured accords:
Top: Galbanum, Bergamot, Neroli, Hyacinth
Heart: Rose, Orris, Jasmine, Narcissus, Muguet, Ylang-Ylang
Base: Musk, Sandal, Oakmoss, Leather, Cedarwood

WHOA BABY!! I love the snappy green opening, so fresh and buoyant, all sparkly green galbanum and citrus. There is a wet feel to CHANEL 19 opening, like there is dew on the world that you’re smelling, or maybe those lovely flowers have been washed before becoming a bouquet. As the bouquet takes over, slowly it eclipses the citrus but the green freshness stays right into the heart. So many people use CHANEL 19 as their back straightener fragrance, and I understand why they feel like that. It certainly has a very stiff upper lipness about it to begin that reflect the cool and aloof that we all sometimes strive for.

Chanel No. 19 Chanel Canon FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Though the opening is magic and the heart softly beautiful it is the base of 19 that I love the most, sadly it doesn’t last long enough on my skin but I do get a couple of hours with the lovely warm, sexy, sensual floral woods that still maintain a very discreet nod to the green open, like the job is done and the hair has been let down. CHANEL 19 becomes less restrained, more open and engaging, like SJP as Meredith Morton in The Family Stone as she unwinds in the bar with her fiances brother. Often when I wear CHANEL 19 I catch myself smiling in remembrance of the film and its now associated fall from uptight. It was never an Oscar winner but it’s one of my favourite go-to films, here’s a peek.

Further reading:
Beauty Encounter has a terrific selection starting at $12/4ml mini
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

I bought my Vintage CHANEL 19 EdC at Odona on Etsy and they always have an excellent selection.

Chanel No. 19 by Chanel Beauty EncounterPhoto Stolen Beauty Encounter

Are you a CHANEL 19 fan? Where do you prefer to wear it? Does it give you a straight back?
See you tomorrow,
Portia x

CHANEL: Once Upon A Time #7 Mini Movie

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Hello Gorgeous Perfume Peeps.

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. a tirelessly redefined model for success. In every era since her self inception Coco has been held up as the pinnacle of that eras aspirational success. That she was amazing, inventive, driven and well outside the norm is not ever under question. That her personal morals and judgements were often in poor taste and even evil is sometimes overlooked for her genius. If Coco was alive today with her way of thinking I would not buy the CHANEL product because she was a bigot, and an oppressor. Coco is gone and CHANEL remains. Long live CHANEL and I chose to look at the wonder, not the history, except to remember that not all is as it seems.

Chanel_2009_bw_suit wikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Please enjoy this mini movie for the wonderful piece of propaganda that it is.

Portia xx

Gabrielle Chanel – Inside CHANEL

ChanelNo19 girlwiththecuriousnosePhoto Stolen girlwiththecuriousnose

Drag Queens, Cookie Queens and Chanel´s Coromandel

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Drag Queens, Cookie Queens and Chanel´s Coromandel.

Or How I met Portia Turbo-Gear of AustralianPerfumeJunkies.

Coromandel Chanel AlexDonaldPhoto Stolen AlexDonald

Fragrantica gives these featured accordfs:
Top: Bitter orange,citruses, neroli
Heart: Jasmine, rose, patchouli, orris
Base: Musk, woodsy notes, benzoin, olibanum, incense, vanilla, white chocolate

I know that this fragrance was named after the exquisite Chinese lacquered wood screens in Coco Chanels house, but I prefer to think of it as having been named after the Coromandel Coast, the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent. Much more suited to the rich, patchouli, amber, incensed based Eau de Toilette. It belongs to the luxurious collection of Les Exclusifs de Chanel. Nose is Jacques Polge. It´s classed as a fragrance for women. That is so not true. It is equally suited to a bloke. But we know all this stuff don´t we? It´s been covered so well – Olfactoria, Bois de Jasmin, …….

I saw on APJ, early January 2013, that Portia and Jin were headed to Europe, with a list of dates as to when and where they would be. Well, as fate would have it, the pair of them were in Vienna on the same day as I was visiting the city. I dropped them a mail, offered a bag of fresh baked cookies, and we had a date!

Now after seven years in Amsterdam, there is nothing that can really phase me. However, I got my daughter and her friend to come along too. I had never had a blind date with an Australian drag queen before, and a little moral support never goes amiss eh? We arrived a little early, hit the Chanel Exclusif counter, where I doused myself in Coromandel. Meeting point was Café Mozart, downtown Vienna. A very beautiful, very Viennese coffee house. We had absolutely no clue as to who we were looking for, having not stalked the pair online to see what they looked like. We went into the cafe, looked around, saw no one that looked like they were waiting for us, and went out again.

Jin Vienna 2013

I was carrying a Chanel bag, complete with camellia, in which I had the cookies packed up. A dead giveaway, or so I thought. We went outside to wait. It was damn cold. Not knowing if Portia would be in drag or not, we stared down every woman that walked by. Is it? Isn´t it? We had such a laugh. I finally texted them and asked if I had been stood up. Portia texted back “Inside grey Christmas jumper left near window, standing:” And there they were. Portia dressed in a Marks and Sparks looking sweater with a kind of Scandinavian christmas tree pattern. And I was looking for Dame Edna? Epic fail. (Portia had been outside, and seen us, and thought that anyone carrying a Chanel bag was too posh for them, and went back inside – is that a double epic fail??)

Coromandel CHANEL Val and portia vienna 2013

It was as though we had know each other for years. ( Portia has the gift of making you feel loved right away!!) I told my daughter she could leave. No, no, no …… no way. She was absolutely staying put. Wouldn´t miss it for the world!! Portia and Jin had also spritzed themselves, with Coromandel and Cuir de Russie. Great minds ……. In amongst the conversation, which ran at about a hundred miles an hour, I said maybe I could write a piece for the blog sometime. Not planned, never thought about it, absolutely no perfume writing skills …….. in fact, after 20 years of speaking bad German, and losing a lot of my English vocabulary, I didn´t really know if could string a sentence together. But here I am!!

Val and Portia Vienna Laughing 2013

We went onto the Chanel store together. I bought a bottle of Coromandel. We drove the shop assistant into lid-flipping insanity, and I had to grab my new friend Portia by the hand and drag him out the store. I had a feeling he was going to show the poor Austrian assistant what a colorful vocabulary I was sure that he had!! Each time I wear Coromandel, I am zapped back to that day, and to the short time we had with Portia and Jin. The memories with some perfumes are so etched into our brains that we cannot get rid of them. In this case it is awesome!!

Some that say that the longevity of Coromandel is not so good. Why do you think it comes in that half gallon bottle? Spray it on guys, lots of it and all over. Works a treat. I am in the minority. I love the huge bottle. It´s just so damn satisfying. It is an EdT and should be treated as such. Spritz baby spritz.

Portia opened a new chapter in my life. Not only with APJ. Through him I met two absolutely wonderful perfumistas living on my doorstep. My horizons have been widened, my circle of friends increased, my perfume collection has grown.

Is today September the 25th??? HAPPY BIRTHDAY PORTIA!!!

Coromandel Chanel CookieMonster 43ThingsPhoto Stolen 43things

A thousand bussis, to the sky and back.

Val xxxxxxx

Val the Cookie Queen

5 Sexy Scents for Seduction! 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Hey Hey Y’All,

One of the things that I sometimes get asked is, “Which perfume should I wear to get lucky?” The short answer is the sweet smell of success and happiness. Of course, sometimes romance needs a little push or maybe we need to smell a certain way to have the confidence to create the opportunity. I have a few frags in my weaponry that I like to wear when being noticed in the right way is important. You also need to have a bit of strategy too. What kind of person do you want to smell like? Here are 5 types and fragrances to go with them. Remember, this is all in fun, it’s not just about the way you smell that’s going to hook your intended but it might just be the final push they need…….

Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche 2010 Estee Lauder FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

1: Having a ball with my friends: Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder

I have the 2010 version of Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche but they are all a fun holiday tropical type spritz that is extremely pretty, has good sillage and projection and they last well too. Coconut and/or jasmine seem to be the standout notes in the whole set and it’s the kind of carefree summery scent that smells like you are out for fun and an uncomplicated, happy, breezy person ready for what ever the night holds.

Chanel No 19 EDP Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

2: I may look a bit uptight but underneath…..: CHANEL No 19

This is a good old fashioned beauty. The cool, crisp snap of a green fragrance at once aloof and haughty. You want to smell like an ice king/queen that needs a bit of thawing. That iris undercut by warm woods and leather, all frost and fire will keep your partner a little off balance till you want to show them the way. CHANEL No 19 is a wonderful back straightener and focus fragrance if you need to feel in control of the situation while waiting to exhale.

La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Milly-la-Foret FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

3: I am a soft silken dove: DIOR La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Milly-la-Foret

Sometimes being quietly, tastefully understated is the best way to get someone to come close and stay there. That first waft as they come in close to you could be the clincher. Milly-la-Foret is a beautiful soft musky powder, it’s there but only up close, and it smells so good and expensive, a winner. So soft and light that it will give an impression of fragility yet if you sniff a bit closer you can tell it’s real quality and perfectly at peace. Milly-la-Foret is the scent of success and the contented wind down after the celebration parties.

Trouble Boucheron FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

4: If you grab this there will be all sorts of: Trouble by Boucheron

Trouble is one of my all time favourite siren scents. Sweet jasmine over a hefty amber base. This is the scent of a heartbreaker, and men go crazy for it. You can find Trouble at the discounters but soon it will be all gone, it’s getting harder and harder to find for a reasonable price. Slated by Turin/Sanchez but a fabulously outrageous and over the top fragrance that will certainly bring you attention. Smells especially great on the men, believe it.

Le Male Jean Paul Gaultier Fragrantica

5: Seriously seeking physical attentions, all offers considered: Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier

This smells so good I follow people around in venues that wear it just to catch an errant whiff. Le Male is the most sensual, engaging and stridently sexual scent I know on both sexes. Ignore the ad spiel ladies, Le Male is killer on everyone and in today’s age of scentless fragrant wash you will stand out like dogs balls, ready to be licked. Be careful when you spritz Le Male, you may need security guards. Looking for action, then this is your choice.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this fun look at how to smell for seduction. Fragrance does not care who wears it, never be mislead by the advertising copy or who a fragrance is aimed at. If they smell good, wear them. Cross the gender divide,you’ll be glad you did,

What are your special seduction fragrances? Please add to the list in the comments. Share your hard won knowledge please.

See you tomorrow,
Portia xx