Blackwater Thistle GIVEAWAY WINNER

September 13, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey Hey APJ,

Firstly, THANK YOU to our incredibly generous guys at Criminal Elements who supplied this sample of Blackwater Thistle, Corey Newcombe and Aelfrik Spektor. Do please go to the Criminal Elements site and get your freaky sniff on some of their stuff. It will blow your mind.

Secondly, let’s see who our winner is.

Portia xx

Blackwater Thistle GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen Geograph

Criminal Elements give these featured accords in one line:
Grass, violet, moss, soil, bullrush, thistle

WHAT CCOULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Blackwater Thistle pre-release sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 10th Septembert 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen cemre-ile-hertelden

SCOTT

The winner will have till Sunday 13th September 2015 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.

FR! 01 / N° 02 – La Dame Blanche by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

September 11, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi Indie Perfume Lovers,

Our lovely Poodle did a super review of todays fragrance a while back and at the time I was intrigued. It now shows up in the ENORMOUS sample and trial baggie Natalie from APB gave to me, in a 15ml size.

FR! 01 / N° 02 by Fragrance Republic 2013

FR! 01 / N° 02 – La Dame Blanche by Julie Massé

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose absolute
Heart: Tuberose absolute
Base: Cocoa resin

This is day two of wearing and though Poodle pointed out in her review that this was the tuberose for people who hate BWFs and that it was very airy the absolute accuracy of those two pieces of information weren’t fully clear until I started wearing FR! 01 / N° 02. Tuberose has been shorn of all its lascivious and fatty excesses, all traces of grandeur and overbearing sonic scent projection has been pared back to an extraordinarily sparse and stark fragrance that still manages to create a beautiful aura around you and be daintily fragrant. Modern simplicity in fragrance at its best.

The rose is wet and cool, reminiscent of early spring dawn blooms still lightly frosted. When the FR! 01 / N° 02 tuberose arrives its sheer, misty veil is both prim and luscious. No, I don’t understand and can’t really explain but both words are equally valid. It is tuberose and yet its this new, softer, icier sister of tuberose. Like taking a drink from an icy stream in the mountains but still being aware that you are warm flesh and blood.

I can easily imagine FR! 01 / N° 02 becoming a perfect go-to daily scent. A spritz and go, comfortable, beautiful fresh wash of cool glamour. Excellent for the high powered, or aspirational, person to give an aura of calm competence and quiet fortitude.

FR! 01 / N° 02 is a little too pristine for my tastes, though I’m impressed by the artistry the fragrance itself is just not something I think I’ll use.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies
Fragrance Republic has $35/15ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at #3.75/ml

If you’d like to have the bottle see below.

Portia xx

Photo Stolen kbaird

FR! 01 / N° 02 GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 15ml FR! 01 / N° 02 La Dame Blanche by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013
(there are about 3ml gone)
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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) 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 go to Fragrance Republic site and pick a fragrance + one of its notes NO DOUBLE UPS!!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie FR! 01 / N° 02 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4cY #Perfume #Giveaway @FragranceRepub

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 13th September 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 17th September 2015 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.

Blackwater Thistle by Criminal Elements 2016

September 7, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Portia

Hiya Happy Huffers,

I love it when new Indie perfumers come along and surprise me with their beautiful and interesting creations. Here are an Australian crew who have a line of fragrances available from their Criminal Elements site. Today I have been lucky enough to get my sniff on one of their to be released in 2016 advance samples. Um, WOW! You all know that I love green fragrance and recently fell madly in love with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s Giverny in Bloom. Here is the other side of green, the stark, solitary, deep green.

Blackwater Thistle by Criminal Elements 2016

Blackwater Thistle by Corey Newcombe and Aelfrik Spektor

Photo Stolen Geograph

Criminal Elements give these featured accords in one line:
Grass, violet, moss, soil, bullrush, thistle

WOAH! Green and swampy but with a beautiful airy lift.What does stand out for me in Blackwater Thistle is how sweet the whole fragrance feels on me. There is nothing in the note list to suggest the lovely sweet green I’m getting so I asked Aelfrik what could make that happen. “As for the sweet edge – that’s purely from the actual thistle. We solvent extract dried thistle, and the results are actually quite syrupy. A pain to extract, but worth the effort…..“

Imagine standing on the edge of the moors and spring is here. There’s been plenty of rain and everything is growing apace, grass covers your ankles and there’s a purple blush across the landscape. The soil is thawing and though it’s pretty muddy you can walk without losing a shoe. A cool, fragrant breeze sweeps across the moors and you are standing in dappled sunlight breathing deeply, finally free of winter and ready to wander all day with your hairy hound.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

In my head I’m saying stupid things like, “This is what Charlotte and the other Bronte siblings smelled” and “Jayne Eire would have smelled this when she was poor and living rough”. Ha! I’m an idiot but the journey is really fun with Blackwater Thistle. At around the 4 hour mark I am sweetly washed in a soft hued fragrance that I have no words to describe other than rich, sweet and green. Beautiful.

Want to try it? See below
Portia x

Photo Stolen kbaird

Blackwater Thistle GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Blackwater Thistle pre-release sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to Criminal Elements site<<JUMP and pick a fragrance + one of its notes NO DOUBLE UPS!!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Criminal Elements: Blackwater Thistle GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4f4 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 10th Septembert 2015 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 13th September 2015 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.

The 7 Virtues GIVEAWAY WINNER

September 7, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Firstly, thank you to Barb Stegemann for trying to change the world from the ground up. She is so inspirational but also very friendly and wonderful fun. A great way to be a part of this change is to buy the 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box, which contains four award winning vegan fragrances made with natural essential oils from troubled countries trying to rebuild. Buy them for yourselves and for friends, it’s only a few weeks to Christmas.

If you’d like to be a part of changing the world for good then you can do it by emailing Barb Stegemann {barb (at) the7virtues (dot) com} and she will get it sent ASAP.

Portia x

The 7 Virtues GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 7 Virtues Sampler (from my own 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box bottles)
Afghanistan Orange Blossom
Noble Rose of Afghanistan
Middle East Peace
Vetiver of Haiti
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 6th September 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen amberinblunderland

Esperanza

The winner will have till Thursday 10th September 2015 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.

The 7 Virtues in Australia

September 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Portia

You may remember we have done some stories on the incredible Barb Stegemann (Olfactoria’s Travels), Noble Rose of Afghanistan (APJ), Afghanistan Orange Blossom (APJ) and her world changing idea of creating perfumes from ingredients grown in areas of the world where the poppy is grown for heroin, and basing the campaign towards the women of these countries. Barb is paying more money for flowers that go into our fragrant addiction than the heroin barons pay for their narcotic harvest. What that does is gives women an income, thus a voice. Having an income means they can educate their daughters. Making the world a matriarchy isn’t a bad idea, it’s got to be a better deal than what having it run by men has made it. Imagine…….

Anyway, Barb got in touch this week and they now have a distributor here in Australia. That means that if you’d like to be a part of changing the world for good then you can do it by emailing Barb Stegemann {barb (at) the7virtues (dot) com} and she will get it sent ASAP.

The 7 Virtues in Australia

My mate Alice bought me the 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box, which contains four award winning vegan fragrances made with natural essential oils from troubled countries trying to rebuild. I wear them solo or layered.

So I thought it would be interesting to chat to Johanna who will be bringing the 7 Virtues into Australia.

How did you hear about Barb Stegemann and the 7 Virtues?

Barb and I met at University. Once out of Uni, we forged a close friendship when we both began working for the same company. I remember evenings spent in fabulous conversation about how we were going to make a difference in this world. We didn’t know then where life would take us but Barb has certainly been true to her word.

What is your personal favourite 7 Virtues fragrance and why?

I adore The 7 Virtues Noble Rose of Afghanistan! The femininity of the Rose is balanced beautifully with the spicy notes. Coming in a close second is The 7 Virtues Patchouli of Rwanda which I find fresh and easy to wear. Recently, I was having a difficult time making up my mind on which fragrance to wear, so I decided to wear both layered together and the blended results are divine!

How did you become the 7 Virtues distributor in Australia?

Barb and I have been talking about the possibility of bringing The 7 Virtues Fragrances to Australia for four years. Barb contacted me at the end of 2014 and said that the time was right. I jumped at the opportunity, I believe in The 7 Virtues with all my heart. It is such a privilege to be involved.

What kinds of trials and tribulations have you suffered to get 7 Virtues to Australia?

No suffering yet but with any “new to you” experience you don’t know until you know… Now that The 7 Virtues Fragrances are finally available in Australia we want to be able to share them with as many people as possible, so far they have been received extremely well. The fragrances are beautiful and the 7 Virtues story is empowering to everyone involved in the process, from farmers to consumers. It touches everyone along the way, including me!

Photo Stolen AllSteele

The 7 Virtues GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a fragrance that makes you feel empowered

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie 7 Virtues Sampler GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4ek #Perfume #Giveaway @BarbStegemann @the7virtues

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 6th September 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 10th September 2015 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.

Empressa: Penhaligon’s GIVEAWAY WINNERS

September 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Hey APJ,

This has been totally fun. Thank you all for getting on board and thank you especially to Nick at Libertine Parfumerie. We love you buddy.

Portia xxx

Empressa: Penhaligon’s GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blood orange, bergamot, mandarin orange, peach, pink pepper
Heart: Rose, geranium, neroli, dewberry, cassis
Base: Vanilla, cacao, olibanum, amber, musk, patchouli, sandalwood, brown sugar

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml Empressa by Penhaligon’s (decants from my bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 3rd September 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen propercourse

Fazal

Willa

Morrigan

Nemo

Ellen

The winners will have till Sunday 6th September 2015 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.

Please Aussies, go and have a look at the amazing fragrant beauties that
Libertine Parfumerie has for sale, you will be astounded.
Lately Nick’s buying power has become so good that some (not all)
of his products are the same numerical value
as you would buy them for in the USA,
that means with the current Aussie dollar that they are in fact
20-30% cheaper!!! AMAZING! Currently €195 is AU$309!

Empressa by Christian Provenzano for Penhaligon`s 2014

September 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Post by Portia

My mate Nick from Libertine Parfumerie sometimes gives APJ product for giveaways. A package from Nick is ALWAYS a sweet surprise and he is a lovely guy who wants to have the best range of niche fragrances for Aussies to choose from. Please Aussies, even if you don’t enter today’s competition, go and have a look at the amazing fragrant beauties that Libertine Parfumerie has for sale, you will be astounded. Lately Nick’s buying power has become so good that some (not all) of his products are the same numerical value as you would buy them for in the USA, that means with the current Aussie dollar that they are in fact 20-30% cheaper!!! AMAZING! Currently €195 is AU$309!

So today we have a FIRST DAY OF SPRING DOWN UNDER GIVEAWAY! Thanks Nick.

Empressa by Penhaligon`s 2014

Empressa by Christian Provenzano

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

OK! So yes, I can see why people are likening Empressa to Coco Mademoiselle but I think that sells it short. Yes, zingy fruits & citrus open the mix but I think the pink pepper gives it a sizzling lift. The heart is not as creamy in Empressa but sharper, and more interesting for it. Maybe I just want to like it better because I love the mother-of-pearl packaging, the acid green ribbon & box liner and think that Penhaligon’s have done a terrific job on the production. But like it better I do. It reminds me more of Enchanted Forest with that supersonic berry/ivy combo.

Empressa sparkles and scintillates in a way that CHANEL’s CM never did on my skin. It’s young and frothy, vibrant and fruity and not too far removed from the mainstream aimed at under 25s. Yet somehow it manages to be above them. The blending seems really smooth which surprises me given the high octane nature of Empressa, there really doesn’t seem to be a baseline till well past the heart. It’s all sugar coated fruits and a fluorescent bouquet only cut through slightly by the squeaky green of the ivy. Then on my skin it kind of fades away, very little base at all.

Great party frag.

Further reading: Sophie Says and Candy Perfume Boy
Libertine Parfumerie has $279/100ml with FREE Australian Postage
First In Fragrance has €195/100ml + samples

Want to try it? See below,
Portia xxx

Photo Stolen AllSteele

Empressa: Penhaligon’s GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml Empressa by Penhaligon’s (decants from my bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to Libertine Parfumerie<<JUMP and pick a fragrance from the Penhaligon’s line and one of it’s notes there NO DOUBLE UPS!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Empressa by @PenhaligonsLtd GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4e4 #Perfume #Giveaway @giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 3rd September 2015 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 6th September 2015 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.

Andrea Maack Sampler GIVEAWAY WINNER

August 31, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

WOO HOO APJ! Thanks for getting involved. Another wonderful giveaway, you are lucky. I hope life is treating you well where ever you are.

Portia xx

Silk by Andrea Maack 2011

Silk by Richard Ibanez

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Citruses, violet leaf, freesia, magnolia, soil tincture, papyrus, vanille, amber, lemon tree, lime (linden) blossom

Andrea Maack Sampler GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 3ml Andrea Maack Sampler (I have used them a bit, about 2ml in each)
Dark
Smart
Craft
Silk
Sharp
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 30th August 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen sistersavealot

gina tabasso

The winner will have till Thursday 3rd September 2015 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.

Dame Perfumery Artist Series Set GIVEAWAY WINNERS

August 28, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Woo Hoo APJ,

Thanks to Azar and Jeffrey Dame for this amazing giveaway. I’m glad you all got on board and I wish that I could have been in the running, what a great prize.
Let’s see who won,

Portia xx

Dame Perfumery Artist Series Set GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Dark Horse – 2015
Perfumer’s notes: Bergamot, lemon, cinnamon, jasmine, carnation, rose, cloves, guaiac wood oil, vetiver, vanilla and musk.

From Azar: I mentioned in the comments to the post that, in addition to the artist series set, I would also send along a sample of Pear Waterlily and Amber to the winner. I rummaged through my samples but couldn’t find a Pear, Waterlily and Amber (I think they were used up by me!) but I did find an extra set of Artist Series samples…so instead of one winner there are now two.

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 ml sample set of the 3 Dame Perfumery Artist Series
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 27th August 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen markmontanoblogs

Patty Pong

lena

The winners will have till Monday 31st August 2015 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.

The Artist Series by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale

August 24, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 43 Comments

Post by Azar

Hi APJ!

A few months ago I reviewed Dame Perfumery Scottsdale’s Matte, Heliotrope and Patchouli. Today’s post is a brief overview of the perfumes in Jeffrey Dame’s Artist Series.
Currently Dame Perfumery offers three lines: A group of eight EdTs for woman, three colognes for men and the unisex Artist Series, a group of three EdPs inspired by the visual art of Jeffrey Dame’s father, Dave Dame.

The Artist Series by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale

The first in the Artist Series,

Black Flower Mexican Vanilla – 2014
Here are the perfumer’s notes: Mexican vanilla absolute, lemon, grapefruit, caramel, nutmeg, gardenia, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, musk and tonka bean.

Black Flower Mexican Vanilla grabs my attention with a concentrated, intense, smoky vanilla spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. Additions of lemon and grapefruit keep it from sinking into sweet, heavy darkness. Even with the citrus and the listed caramel this EdP is definitely NOT your teenage daughter’s vanilla! As Black Flower Mexican Vanilla dries there is a momentary hint of a burnt cream and gardenia that quickly moves on to sandalwood, vetiver and a lingering edgy floral vanilla. A long-lived and bold fragrance with a powerful but never overwhelming sillage, suitable for both men and woman.

Desert Rose – 2015
Listed notes: Turkish rose otto, Damask rose, peach, Sicilian lemon, Egyptian jasmine, geranium, carnation, heliotrope, sandalwood, amber, musk and vanilla.

The first time I tried Desert Rose, on a very cold winter’s day, all I experienced was rose water and amber. Spritzing in summer proved to be much more rewarding. Desert Rose blooms in the heat with traces of dry pavement, rock and sand. The perfume progresses from a scorched, dusty rose to a buttery, peachy vanilla sparkling with citrus and spice, finishing with a suggestion of booze, amber and musk. Desert Rose is more intimate than Black Flower and lasts about six hours on my skin.

Dark Horse – 2015
Perfumer’s notes: Bergamot, lemon, cinnamon, jasmine, carnation, rose, cloves, guaiac wood oil, vetiver, vanilla and musk.

Dark Horse opens with an arresting and pithy lemon, tweaked with cloves and cinnamon. In a moment the fragrance transforms to jasmine and carnation supported by golden vanilla. At about five minutes carnation totally takes over and stays in place for at least an hour before the phenolic, oudy, vegetal sweetness of guaiac wood is revealed. At this point the perfume reminds me of my favorite woody fragrances by M. Micallef, projecting well and easily lasting ten hours on skin and longer on clothing. Toward the end of its long run Dark Horse wafts smoky vetiver, traces of musk and more carnation. This latest offering in the Dame Perfumery Artist Series is a truly beautiful and unique perfume for an unbelievably low price.

Every fragrance offered by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale is testament to Jeffrey Dame’s knowledge, creativity and years of experience and to the amazing skill of his perfumer/collaborator. The use of lemon in the Artist Series fragrances is masterful. The perfumer manages to totally avoid the smell of home cleaning products and the ubiquitous lemon bar, using lemon more as fragrance modifier than as a discrete fragrance note.

Dame Perfumery has 7ml Trial Size, perfect size to see how you love them.

Azar xx

Photo Stolen Kesha&Co

Dame Perfumery Artist Series Set GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 ml sample set of the 3 Dame Perfumery Artist Series
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to anyone in the world who follow 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. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us your favorite Jeffrey Dame fragrance or your most cherished vanilla perfume

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 27th August 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Monday 31st August 2015 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.