Mardi Gras by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015

May 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 62 Comments

Post by Azar

In 2011 Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids sent me a very unusual gift, two 15 ml prototypes of one of her best selling fragrances. The bottles were labeled Version #1 and Version #3. For whatever reason these perfumes had not made the cut and had never been offered for sale.

Version #3 was a beautiful honeyed citrus with plenty of sandalwood and amber. #1 was also a honeyed fragrance but much louder and more angular, opening with a sharp, synthetic, edgy orange blossom, progressing to a heart of dark, earthy labdanum/cistus/honey and drying down over several hours to a musky, slightly cheesy, animalic civet and amber. I fell in love with Version #1 and so did my husband.

While very different from and not quite as skanky as that quintessential “parfum de puta” – Tabu, Version #1 was definitely in the same league. As far as I knew no one else was wearing this prototype dazzler and I began to consider #1 my personal, one of a kind fragrance.

Late last year Olympic Orchids (with a little prompting) reconsidered the possibilities of Version #1. Ellen toned down the slutty first impression with natural orange blossom and neroli, smoothed and reinforced the cistus with benzoin and tweaked the animalic dry down. The new fragrance, aptly named Mardi Gras, debuted in early 2015.

Mardi Gras by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015

Photo Stolen Olympic Orchids

Olympic Orchids gives these featured accords in one line:
Orange blossom, neroli, cistus, benzoin, vanilla, civet and special musk blend.

Mardi Gras is a much more sophisticated, refined and wearable scent than Version #1. She is a southern belle who has managed to retain the dark magic of her native New Orleans. Of the two fragrances Mardi Gras is probably the better perfume, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for her brazen older sister.

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
Mardi Gras is available online at Olympic Orchids in 1ml or 30ml

Azar xx

Photo Stolen Kesha&Co

Mardi Gras GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2 ml decant of the new Mardi Gras
1 x 1 ml decant from my bottle of Version #1
1 x mystery sample of a dark and musky perfume oil
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 tell us if you have tried Olympic Orchids new Mardi Gras fragrance or about your favorite “parfum de puta”!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 28th May 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 Sunday 31st May 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.

Fille d`Eve GIVEAWAY WINNERS

May 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hi Gang,

Nice crew of you with some lovely fragrances mentioned and some great memories too. Thanks for getting involved.

Portia xx

Fille d`Eve GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, Oakmoss, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x Fille d`Eve by Nina Ricci decant from the bottle that Michael Edwards gave me
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite vintage fragrance OR a story of a late morning rumpled wake up OR someone you know that rocks vintage frags

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 17th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo stolen brooklodge

Cookie Queen (Via Twitter)

Shmuli Cohen

The winners will have till Thuesday 21st May 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.

Tihota GIVEAWAY WINNERS

May 16, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Another great GIVEAWAY APJ! How lucky are we all. Thanks Val for making the magic happen. Let’s see who our winner is.

Portia xx

Tihota GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vanilla, musk

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x decant from Val’s Tihota bottle
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite vanilla fragrance or food

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Friday 15th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen quiltelegance

Empliau

Kandice

Angie

Anka

The winners will have till Tuesday 19th May 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.

Fille d`Eve by Michael Hy + Jacques Bercia for Nina Ricci 1956

May 15, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hi there Vintage Mavins,

I write often about the amazing gems that Michael Edwards, of Fragrances Of The World fame, gave me in his mammoth fragrance clean out. There are still dozens left for me to introduce you to. Today I’m taking you back to 1956

Fille d`Eve by Nina Ricci 1956

Fille d`Eve by Michael Hy + Jacques Bercia

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, Oakmoss, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose

On first spritz the words that jump into my head are sweet, soft, lavish, elegant, fluffy and feminine. Fille d`Eve is all about the moss and some whispered animal, everything else is just to it dress up.

In my mind’s eye I see this sensually rumpled young woman, probably awaking in the late morning on a weekend after a fun night out or an athletic bout of lovemaking. She is deliciously and deliriously sated for fun and has slept eight hours straight, now she lies in bed not quite asleep and enjoys the warmth under the doona and lets her mind wander freely.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

My bottle of Fille d`Eve seems to be 100% perfect and I really want to share my luckiness with you so jump down to the GIVEAWAY.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Black Narcissus
Ebay and Amazon have some VERY expensive bottles
Surrender To Chance has vintage parfum samples starting at $7/.5ml

Photo Stolen Kesha&Co

Fille d`Eve GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x Fille d`Eve by Nina Ricci decant from the bottle that Michael Edwards gave me
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite vintage fragrance OR a story of a late morning rumpled wake up OR someone you know that rocks vintage frags

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 17th May 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 Thuesday 21st May 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.

Sweet Anthem GIVEAWAY WINNER

May 15, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hiya APJ,

Thanks for getting involved in another wonderful GIVEAWAY! Thanks to Sweet Anthem and Azar for organising.

Portia xx

Sweet Anthem GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Complete set of 1 ml of the Enchanted Fragrances
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite fairy tale character and a perfume he/she might wear

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 14th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen amberinblunderland

rincoglionita

The winners will have till Monday 18th May 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.

Enchanted Fragrances by Meredith Smith for Sweet Anthem

May 11, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 41 Comments

Post by Azar

Every year I find at least one new fragrance to love from Sweet Anthem, Seattle. In 2014 I fell for Lolita. This year Meredith Smith has created a collection of perfumes representing fairy tale villains and heroines. Here are my impressions of the four “characters” in her 2015 “Enchanted Fragrances” Collection.

Enchanted Fragrances by Meredith Smith for Sweet Anthem

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Black Queen – listed notes: Apple, Linden Blossom, Oakmoss, Tonka Bean.

The Black Queen introduces herself as a luscious, fruity concoction wrapped in the comforting warmth of grassy, dried linden blossom and velvety tonka bean. At first I wonder how such a beauty could be a wicked queen? After five minutes the truth is revealed as the villainess proffers her apple, a genetically modified peachy pomme, smelling of potpourri, scented candles and apple pie. As I am heading to the sink to scrub her away the Black Queen once again entices with oakmoss, vanilla, cream and a pinch of salt. I take another bite. Perhaps she is the poisonous gourmand I have been searching for – a fruit from Rappaccini’s garden. The Black Queen is a powerful, long-lived personality. I crave her opening and dry down and am developing a taste for the “toxic” apple.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Red Queen – listed notes: Cardamom, Fig, Honey, Leather, Rose, White Pepper

As Portia is wont to say “Pow – right in the kisser!” The Red Queen grabs attention with a jab of smoky leather and honey. Within moments the scent of deep red rose and dry white pepper add another punch to the honeyed leather. As Red Queen dries down she mellows out and bursts open with sweet fig and cardamom, finishing with a vague reference to white patchouli. This villainess is a big, take no prisoners, long lasting leather and I love her. Red Queen is a new take on two of Meredith’s older fragrances, the Queen of Hearts and Maleficent. I can also detect something of my mother’s personal Sweet Anthem creation – Ruby.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Briar Rose – listed notes: Beeswax, Rose Otto, Tomato Leaf, White Amber

Briar Rose offers very little of her namesake rose. She is all tomato leaf, beeswax and amber from start to finish. I adore tomato leaf in perfume and for years have enjoyed Briar Rose’s scent sister, Sweet Anthem’s Joan. The fleeting rose I detect in Briar Rose comes only with the finish. This heroine is essentially a linear, one-dimensional beauty with a moderate to strong presence and amazing longevity.

Photo Stolen Pexels

Snow White – listed notes: Osmanthus, Petit Grain SFN, White Musk, Vetiver

Snow White is a shy girl with a split personality. She greets the wearer with sharp, green petitgrain-neroli then suddenly warms to golden osmanthus suffused with apricot and vanilla. Too soon Snow White displays her icy nature, a chilly combination of ozonic notes, hints of heliotrope, vetiver, frozen dirt and musk. I usually don’t care for snowy accords in fragrances but Meredith has handled the phantom heliotrope and obvious musk with care, creating an airy, invigorating chill, light as a feather and fresh as frost. These personalities conflict for an hour or so, finally settling as new fallen snow, melting and drying after 8 hours to a thin, musky vetiver.

Sweet Anthem perfumes are available online at Sweet Anthem (USA), Anthropologie (USA), Pretty Indulgent (Canada) and in several retail shops across North America.

Azar xx

Photo Stolen AllSteele

Sweet A GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Complete set of 1 ml of the Enchanted Fragrances
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite fairy tale character and a perfume he/she might wear

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 14th May 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 18th May 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.

Byredo: Portia's Favourite 5 Byredo

May 10, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Hi Crew,

As you know I am now writing fortnightly for the crew at My Perfume Samples. Can’t express fully to you how proud I feel to be asked to write for them. Excellent crew with great prices and service. This week there is also a wicked Byredo GIVEAWAY!.

Portia’s 5 Byredo Favourites – My Perfume Samples

Please go check out my personal favourite Byredo fragrances. They all have special meaning through my own enjoyment or because they are my close friends fragrances. Byredo has excellent quality and interesting mixtures yet still retain the wearability that I love in a good fragrance.

Portia’s 5 Byredo Favourites – My Perfume Samples

While you’re there please leave me a hello so I know you’ve dropped by, your response is your entry into the GIVEAWAY.

Also, It makes me happy to see you all around the web.

Portia xx

El Poeta by Mario T. Gomez for Mario Tomas Perfumes

April 27, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 43 Comments

Post by Azar

“I have many interests but the art of perfumery is my passion” – Mario T. Gomez

Mario Gomez is well known in US West Coast perfume circles for his writing, lecturing and for his Olfactory Ambassador Service . In 2014 Mario brought his extensive knowledge of and appreciation for scent to the creation of his own line of fragrances – Mario Tomas Perfumes. So far there are three fragrances in the line: Lo Mejor de Mi #1, Corazon Blanco and El Poeta. While I have not had the pleasure of meeting the perfumer in person I feel as though I know him from trying just one of his creations. Late last year a dear friend gifted me a bottle of El Poeta, a fragrance that is a striking testament to Mario Gomez passion for and understanding of the art of perfumery.

El Poeta by Mario T. Gomez for Mario Tomas Perfumes

Photo Donated Mario

Perfumer gives these featured notes in one line:
Vanilla, sandalwood, coriander, anise, fig, bay rum, tobacco, juniper.

“This fragrance conjures up another era: a time and place when debates on beauty, style and technique were hotly discussed over drinks at a crowded and smoky café…It is absinthe inspired; Bohemia in a bottle.”

My perceived notes and description:
Anise, juniper, gin, vanilla, coriander, fig, coffee, cream and smoky sweet tobacco.

Many of you are familiar with DHS Café Noir (1997), Olympic Orchids Café V (2013) and Sweet Anthem Poppy (2014). To me these wonderful semi gourmand “café” perfumes are evocative of historic and contemporary café culture around the world – warm, dark, a little shady, revolutionary and artistic but at the same time comfortable and safe. El Poeta is a “café” fragrance too but with a twist. El Poeta opens for me with a blast of juniper/gin flavored with anise and coriander seed – potent, blue green and translucent. As the perfume develops it becomes warmer in color and more opaque, a delicious concoction of vanilla and fig. I like to spritz El Poeta late at night. When I wake up in the morning I am treated to a dry down of deep golden brown scents, the smells of thick, rich, vanilla spiced coffee, sweet cream and hints of smoky tobacco. Throughout the eight to ten hour life of the fragrance the projection is strong enough to be enticing but never overwhelming.

Photo Donated Mario

Read more about Mario T. Gomez and his fragrances at Fragrantica and Ca Fleure Bon
Currently Mario Toms Perfumes are shipping to US addresses only.
El Poeta will be available again soon at Tiger Lily Perfumery

Azar xx

Photo Stolen AllSteele

El Poeta GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 1 ml Mario Tomas Perfumes “Cafe” sample set of El Poeta, Café Noir, Café V and Poppy
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please comment on any of these fragrances or tell us about your favorite coffee drink or coffee-centric perfume. If you can’t drink coffee (or don’t like it) you can tell us about that too!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 30th April 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 3rd May 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.

Costume National GIVEAWAY WINNERS

April 11, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

WOO HOO! Thanks for getting involved APJ, this is a particularly good giveaway. Thanks again to the whole crew at Libertine Parfumerie. You guys are amazing.

Portia xx

Costume National GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive one of these sets:
1. 10ml Rollerballs of Cyber Garden and Pop Collection
2. 10ml Rollerballs of Scent Intense and Homme
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to Libertine Parfumerie<<JUMP, find any Costume National fragrance and ONE of its notes…. NO DOUBLE UPS!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Costume National Rollerball #GIVEAWAY @LibertineParfum http://wp.me/p3PURw-3Mn #Perfume @CoSTUMENATIONAL

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 9th April 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo stolen prospectsplus

Connie

Gregory Young

The winners will have till Monday 13th April 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.

NEW! Costume National 10 ml Rollerballs

April 6, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Woo Hoo APJ Family,

I was at the Libertine Parfumerie New Season Launches last week. There is so much great new stuff out this time I got carried away. It was quite the Aussie beauty biz room, Sydney Morning Herald Lifestyle Liftout Beauty Editor, Vogue Living Beauty Editor, Beauty Directory Editor, Elysée Collective PR Director, Libertine Parfumerie Director and me. I felt like I was swimming with the big boys and they were all really fun & sweet, it was a great hour with champagne, chi chi sparkle water and sweet nibbles.

Nick smart, as always, the host with the most took us through some great new things and new ways of packaging things. It seems the Rollerball is back in a big way, L’Artisan and Costume National especially. There were new Penhaligon’s, Dear Rose, Creed has a new LE golden bottle, Le galion, Cire Trudon and heaps of other stuff I can’t even remember.

So, long story short: Nick has given me some Costume National Rollerballs valued at $59 each to give away! I’ve made up 2 sets. Set 1. Homme by Dominique Ropion with Scent Intense by Laurent Bruyere and Set 2. Cyber Garden by Ennio Capasa + Antoine Lie with Pop Collection by Dominique Ropion. How freaking cool? So each pack is worth $118!

Go To It Crew!
Portia xx

Photo Stolen YouTube

Costume National 10 ml Rollerballs GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to Libertine Parfumerie<<JUMP, find any Costume National fragrance and ONE of its notes…. NO DOUBLE UPS!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Costume National Rollerball #GIVEAWAY @LibertineParfum http://wp.me/p3PURw-3Mn #Perfume @CoSTUMENATIONAL

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 9th April 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 13th April 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.