CHANEL

Scent Mum takes us Day Tripping! Winners Announced

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hiya everyone!

Today was AWESOME!! My BFF Kath and I went into town to meet the amazing Emma who was the MECCA manager for years, involved with setting the store up, bringing Le Labo out to Oz and making that run, grew the Frederic Malle business here and worked with him on Australian launches (and these are just the highlights as I remember them). She has also kindly offered to become my scent mother. I know, right! TOTALLY AH MAY ZING!!! Sorry, I know I’m shouting but I’m so terrifically excited. It’s been quite a day.

First stop was, of course, Mecca in the Myer building Pitt St Mall, Sydney. Amy was our SA and made sure we were well looked after, gossiping with Emma and doing workmates catch up. Brendan was also there but he was busy at the Le Labo bar and we only chatted to him briefly at the end while looking at the wonderful selection of Dyptique, Serge Lutens, Comme des Garcons, Kai, and a horde of others.

Brendan at the Le Labo Bar in Mecca

Emma asked me to pick some of the Frederic Malle that I was interested in sampling on paper so I pulled out;

Musk Ravager which to me was a nice girl version of Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens which is already in my library. I did take a sample of this though to try, and compare, at my leisure.

Fleur de Cassis gave me a sweeping, playful and deep look into cassis and mimosa and I would like to try this on my skin one day soon.

Portrait of a Lady was a spicy, fruity, floral that took my breath away because it’s so lovely. Powerhouse on the card, still pumping like crazy after 5 hours.

Bigarade Concentree is a little too citrus and wood, the rose doesn’t develop for me and nor does the grass, though I have only had it on a card. This is what Kath bought today and it is a terrific choice on and for her.

I know, crap shot of Emma and BFF Kath

Lipstick Rose is delicious and if I had not already Rosa Sur Reuse by SOIVOHLE and Ce Soir Ou Jamais by Goutal it would be adorning my collection now.

Noir Epices is lovely dark and spicy as the name hints but Eau D’Epices from Tauer fills that niche here.

Geranium Pour Monsieur is amazing, mint, geranium, spices, licorice, woods and cloves wrapped up in a cool incense. This is going on my FB list. What a lovely fragrance. Very mad I didn’t get a sample size of Geranium Pour Monsieur but will return.

Carnal Flower is, of course, divine. Unfortunately I just got Truth or Dare so there is no need for me to splurge so outrageously on even something as jaw droppingly gorgeous as Carnal Flower. I did take a sample size of this one too.

It was great having Emma with us, she knows the product back to front and was able to give us insights and interesting over views that you only get from  working in the industry. I should have had a tape recorder because much of it went straight out of my head. GRRRR! One really good thing was that Emma noticed 2 of the testers were off and so we got brand new ones to try. As you probably already know, lights and temperature changes are killer for fragrances, as is exposure to air. If you are serious about your perfumes a cupboard away from external walls, or even better a fridge, will keep your most precious babies fresh and ready for decades.

SA Amy & BFF Kath at Mecca

Then we went and stood in line at David Jones to have a picture taken with Nicole Richie, who also signed a pre-fab shot of herself. She was doing an in store to sell her new range of bags, sunglasses and jewellery. The bags were fun and well thought out, not ridiculously expensive and had great finishes that looked like you’d get 10 years heavy wear from them. Nicole was all business because I had 3 cards for her to sign but I wished her, “Painless, easy and harmless world domination,” and she immediately looked me straight in the eye and laughed, wishing the same for herself and sharing a tiny little real person connection time with me. It left a really good taste in my mouth. Nicole Richie, you have a fan.

After lunch downstairs in the David Jones Food Hall Emma had to go find herself a frock for an awards night so we parted ways.

Kath and I trotted back to Myer bumping into a dear old friend, Joe, at the CHANEL counter and he loaded us up with samples of cosmetics and a No 5 Eau Premier sample that is going in the Thursday Giveaway Competition next week because I already have 5oz here. It is good news that I have a buddy there because I’ve just learned that my No 5 Parfum spray is an out of date bottle and case necessitating a complete change next time I buy, unless Joe can find me an old one. My bottle and juice are about 15 years old so pre-reformulation and it will be quite a change sadly.

While we were in town I thought I’d go check the Clinique counter to see if they had the Aromatics Elixer 40th Anniversary Perfumers Reserve Edition Prestige Parfum Extrait. The last one!!! I have been asking at every Clinique counter I passed thinking the suburbs would have it but Sydney had it! YAY!! Purchase. Even the box is gorgeous. Opening Ceremony sometime this week! SCORE!! So happy. This may be the last one in Australia.

Photo Stolen idealo

One gripe for today though. Tom Ford doesn’t do samples. So, you want me to pay over $600 for a bottle of your fragrance and you can’t even give me a sample to see if I like it? You can shove your juice darling. Having had my bitch, the SA Joel was great, had no problem giving us the low down on the products we were interested in and happy to spray our cards for us, and us if we weren’t on a sniff mission. But, no samples?

THURSDAY GIVEAWAY COMPETITION WINNERS

This week instead of doing one big giveaway I thought I’d do 2 small ones. Both winning parties will receive

1ml Rasheeqa Concentrated Perfume Oil
1.5ml Vintage by Kate Moss EdT Spray Decant
1.5ml Hermessence Vanille Galante EdT Spray Decant
Plus P&H anywhere in the world

What did you have to do to be in the running to win these lovelies? Tell me a fragrance by a fashion house that you particularly love.

And the

Photo Stolen dryicons

are JESSE and COLLEEN. Congratulations! If you don’t get in touch with your details by midnight Wednesday 30.5.12 I’ll give your prize to someone else.

Well I’ve had a super great day. Now time for some dinner, cuddles and bed. I’ve earned it.

See you tomorrow,

Portia xx

CHANEL, Cuir de Russie Review

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hello Gang,

Photo Stolen from londonprettyboy

I have a friend who is generous beyond belief. She is also one of the scentbloggers I read religiously because we see such different things in the fragrance, and because clever is an understatement. Undina from Undina’s Looking Glass is also a great community person, ie reads a lot of blogs, writes thoughtful and thought provoking comments often, helps out and does it all with a cyber smile.

I received a fair satchel of lovelies recently from her in the mail and inside was a fragrance I’ve long read about, desperately wanted (yes I’m the guy who has been bidding against you all but only to a certain amount, which is why you all win) but have not tried yet. Till today.

CHANEL Cuir de Russie (CdR)

Photo Stolen from Fragrantica

When I sprayed myself today with Chanel’s Cuir de Russie I was expecting a bear, to be picked up, shaken, savaged and left for dead in a steaming, spreading puddle of fear related incontinence. There has been so much written about this extreme, hard to love, hard to get fragrance that I was slightly nervous, just in case I was overwhelmed.

This is the Les Exclusives modern range not the mid 1920’s Ernest Beaux original. Ernest Beaux was the perfumer behind Chanel No 5 also a few years before.

Picture Stolen from finearts1

Honestly, 15 minutes after I sprayed I had to come back and check the decant spray to make sure I hadn’t misread. This is one of the softest and most elegantly refined perfumes I’ve ever tried on myself. On me it is powdery iris and lovingly cared for driving gloves from last season, maybe even a little blonde mink-ish, it’s soft too, a whisper of rich beyond our wildest imaginings. It seems like Hollywood, but not the actresses; the lovely parts they played in those magnificent sets and gowns. Pretending to be the rich, elite, decorous daughters and wives of the extreme upper classes, instead of the children of migrant/itinerant/working class people that most of them were. This scent is all sensual evenings with a fire, a delicate waft perhaps in restaurants, theatre or cinema. On reflection, this is a great treat-yourself-to-the-best office fragrance, not a sillage monster or powerhouse fragrance. Only the people that you want close enough to you to reap the reward will be any the wiser that you smell terrific. This is the fragrance you do checklists with catering staff, book holidays, shop at Paspaley or seduce your next husband while wearing.

Photo Stolen from abeilles10

BOTOBlog (Beauty On The Outside) has a fabulously fun CdR conversion story. NSTPerfume (Now Smell This) does a wonderful job giving you history, notes and story. Fragrantica also has some great information.

Thanks for dropping in, I hope all is lovely where you are.
If it’s not, it gets better,

And Undina, Thank You.
Portia xx

The Making of Amor Amor by Cacharel ad, WINNER ANNOUNCED

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hey all,

Thanks for leaving your wonderful stories on Thursday, I enjoyed reading all of them and hope you’ll continue to come read and comment here at AustralianPerfumeJunkies.

THURSDAY COMPETITION GIVEAWAY!!

To win you had to leave a message in Thursday’s comments about an exceeding expectations retail/hotel/service experience. This is what our winners will receive.

  • Each of our 4 winners will receive a 3ml spray decant of GUCCI RUSH 2
  • One each of the 4 winners will also receive a 1.5ml spray decant of either Chanel No 5 EdP or Liberte by Cacharel, or 1ml manufacturers sample of River Town by SOIVOHLE or a surprise Tommi Sooni
  • Plus free P&H anywhere in the world

Our winners this week are.


Photo Stolen from sistersavealot.com

Tara, Vinery1, KillerRabbit and Annie

Please send your addresses to portia underscore turbo at yahoo com au
You have to get in touch by Wednesday 16.5.12 midnight Australian EST or I will give your prize to someone else.


Photo Stolen from Cacharel

Here’s a little present for you all. I don’t know about Amor Amor by Cacharel but the making of the ad is lovely, the kids are so believable in their making of roles.

Have a super lovely weekend. I have a new thing starting on the blog tomorrow, it’s an idea that’s been percolating away in my dizzy head for a while now. Please come and look and give me some feedback about it. I would be honored by your input.

Love and gratitude that you have bothered to drop by,

Portia xx

Bedtime Perfume; Chanel No 5 Review

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Hey gang,

“To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,” Hamlet; Shakespeare

Does anyone else wear a different perfume to bed? It’s a ritual with me. I like to put on a favourite to send me off to sleep, quite often it’s a perfume that doesn’t get much daytime or work wear, for any number of reasons. To loud, too floral, too celebuscent, too often ignored. Sometimes you just pass fragrances over for a while because other things have caught your attention or you are testing, on you or a room of Turbo Trivia players. When your scent wardrobe starts to become a scent library you need to find new times to wear perfume so they all get smelled. I know, these are the most shallow of first world problems but I like it.


Photo Stolen from bootsandcateyes

The other night I decided to put on some Chanel No 5 EdP before I went to bed. No 5 is an old memory scent for me, of my Mum. She left me a black bakelite and gold large refillable spray when she died that must have been almost full because it lasted for ages. At the time though she’d not thought to tell me they were refillable so it has been lost to eternity. Through my mind ran the most wonderful memories of my Mum, always smiling and glamorous when wearing No 5 because it was one of her grown up “going out” scents, a swirl of skirt, swish of hair and a wall of perfume. It was the 80’s and 90’s so she was unafraid to multispritz. Nowadays she would be frowned upon probably as an olfactory pollutionist and not allowed into restaurants, cinemas, workspaces or buses. Back then you were supposed to have a scent that entered the room before you and left weeks later, and all the curtains in every venue felt as if they’d been dry cleaned nightly.


Photo Stolen from bookdepository

Evie C wrote us some great No 5 stories recently and I find it hard to believe that any of you wouldn’t know what Chanel No 5 smells like because it was as ubiquitous as Shalimar, Georgio, Joy et al but I think the world has moved on in some respects, so…

Chanel No 5 is a big, fat, delicious, glamorous, gorgeous, mouth watering, head turning, man pulling siren of a fragrance designed by one of last centuries style icons, Gabrielle Coco Chanel in 1921 with Ernest Beaux, to grab you by the nose and take you to places you never thought you’d be. It was released 5/5/21 because 5 was Coco’s lucky number, and so last week it celebrated its 91st birthday. They say it was a stolen formula from the Russians who were fleeing the collapse of their empire. They say a million things. If you want a history The secret of Chanel No 5 by Tilar J. Mazzeo is a rollicking great read and could even be the true story. You may have heard Marilyn Monroe’s scandalous quote about wearing only Chanel No 5 to bed. What matters is the scent; reformulated many times over the years, even the great Luca Turin is amazed at how true to its ancestors it smells. I have a few different bottles of Chanel No 5. A fairly recent EdP, an 80’s EdT and a 1940’s US made, wartime .5oz Parfum, still wax sealed and waiting for an enormous opening ceremony. I think maybe a perfumista dinner party where we can all sniff, snort and snuffle unashamedly.

Fragrantica gives…

Top notes; neroli, ylang-ylang, bergamot, amalfi lemon and aldehydes;

Middle notes; iris, jasmine, orris root, rose and lily-of-the-valley;

Base notes; vetiver, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, oak moss, amber, vanille and civetta.

…but you can’t read this litany and think you know what it will smell like. That’s like looking at a Claude Monet painting of Giverny and thinking you know what spring is like, though you’ve never left your home.


Monet’s Spring at Giverny (1886) from thecultureconcept.com

The wonderful thing about Chanel No 5 is that you need only go to your nearest department store and try it. It costs nothing to go and spray yourself silly with it. But beware, Chanel No 5 is magic, even still. There is a little drop of white witch in every bottle. You will become a walking siren should you dare to cross the threshold. Go on.

I dare you

The ad below was recently on Olfacroria’s Travels and it thrilled me. I’d not seen it before and it felt so gorgeously expensive, even for a fragrance commercial which are notoriously spendthrift. Now whenever I put Chanel No 5 on I feel transported to this imaginary story as well. It is a hard working fragrance that takes me to a million places.

What do you wear to bed? Is there a special fragrance or are there many?

Portia xx

“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future” Coco Chanel

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

By Evie C.

A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.
Christian Dior

A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.
Coco Chanel

My perfume adventure is not going well.  I have discovered that I have neither the taste of Turin nor the omnivoric appetites of those perfumistas who post such regular and explicit reviews.  It seems my nose is tone deaf.  I should not be writing about perfume at all.

I googled perfume quotes in an attempt to find inspiration for this blog and the first two that appeared are above.   Coco Chanel’s seemed particularly ominous.

I started a new job today.   Before she left for the day one of my new colleagues sprayed herself with Paul Smith’s ‘Rose’.  Several people commented and it was indeed a lovely counterpoint to a long day but not something I would have wanted to be surrounded by all day.  I envied her that signature scent though, as it clearly had meaning for her and seemed a fabulous pick-me-up at the end of the day.

I don’t know how you all do it.  ‘Best-of’ lists and trying to settle on a favourite genre/note are clearly not the way forward.  I see now that one cannot be scientific about trying to identify a favourite.  Perhaps someone out there has broken a similar olfactory block?  Or perhaps some of us just don’t get it? Discuss . . .

Carriere EDP by Gendarme, Grand Neroli by Atelier Cologne. Reviews. Competition WINNER

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hey Everyone

Here are 2 citrus fragrances from my LuckyScent Spring 15 2012 showbag. I have not been much of a citrus person but am becoming acclimated to its zesty rush and the fun of it. I am taking for granted that LuckyScent is sending me the best of.

CARRIERE EDP for women by GENDARME

Fragrantica has all the notes and stuff, while LuckyScent also has it for sale.

Photo Stolen from Gendarme

Bright, fresh, warm, citrus opening! I know that doesn’t make sense but I think the lemon and lemon blossom opening is sweet and warming. A welcoming opening, rather than an austere aloof one. My memory of the Gendarme original scent is that it is a lot less robust that this EDP. I think the Lavender, Lily and Jasmine give Gendarme’s Carrier for women EDP a prettier and softer citrus adventure over the incense of the original. It still has elements of mens cologne, which I love here, but in a ladylike way. LuckyScent calls it fresh and refreshing, and they are right.

Photo Stolen from Wikipedia

From Gendarme site

You’ll never know how beautiful fragrance can make you feel until you wear Carrière. This elegant yet professional fragrance embodies the powerful and yet luxurious modern woman with the aroma of jasmine and lilac.

GRAND NEROLI by ATELIER COLOGNE

Grand Neroli by Atelier Cologne is a 12% Cologne Absolue concentration.

Photo Stolen from alanilagan.com

Lifted wholesale from LuckyScent
Beautiful, transporting, dream-inducing neroli, in all its giddily romantic glory. Neroli comes from orange blossoms – those white flowers that glowed like stars against the green leaves and transformed the spring air of our childhood into a magical elixir.

Photo Stolen from NeroliOil.org

I don’t know about transporting or dream inducing but the opening does remind me of playing around the orange tree as a kid, the smell of broken citrus leaves and twigs as Mum would shape the tree each year, my sister and I picking the flowers and the first pulling back of the ripe orange skin before you’d bite. The vanilla, musk and amber walk in quickly here and warm the whole fragrance up, pushing the citrus aside. In fact the fragrance makes such a definitive change it could be 2 different scents; there is still a citrus but warm and welcoming. Now, at the 40 minute stage, getting a soft powdery scent, almost like the smell of freshly washed kids in summer.

Of the 2 fragrances that I’ve tried today Grand Neroli wins on storyline and Carriere wins on lifespan. Citrus are notoriously short lived but Carriere stayed for hours.

COMPETITION GIVEAWAY WINNER!

“What is your dirty little perfume secret?” got some wonderful replies but none so stupendously and happily dirty as our winners favourite, Can Can by Paris Hilton!!

THE WINNER IS

sujaan212

In the winners pack all measures are approximate;

1 x manufacturers sample pot of Roxana’s Illuminated Perfumes, Hedera Helix

1 x 5ml manufacturers sample One Seed, Freedom EDP

1 x 2ml decanted spray sample Estee Lauder, Youth Dew

1 x 1ml remains manufacturers sample Bottega Veneta

1 x .5ml decanted sample spray L’Artisan Parfumeur, Passage D’Enfer

plus postage and packing anywhere in the world that it’s legal to send to
Thanks for dropping by and sharing the inside of my head.

Portia xx

A little present. EGOISTE by Chanel.