Kampot Pepper from Cambodia GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Hello all.

We had a sensational response to the Cambodian Kampot Pepper Giveaway. Thanks to the amazing Jordan from TheFragrantMan and to all of you who participated. I love a little pepper in my food too, and in my fragrances.

Kampot Pepper GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Kampot pepperGifts – one bag of black and one bag of red Kampot peppercorns from Cambodia

HOW COULD YOU WIN

You had to leave a comment below telling us your favourite use of pepper in food, fashion or fragrance or Like The Fragrant Man on Facebook to be in the random draw.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN

One of 8 gifts consisting of one bag of red peppercorns and one bag of black peppercorns each so that you can taste the difference.

Included is P&P to anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Friday April 19th 2013 10pm AusEST.
Winners were chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin picked them while he was cooking Terriyake Sauce for our Nori Rolls. YUMMY!! Whenever he cooks it the house smells AH MAY ZING!

WINNERS berryreviewPhoto Stolen berryreview

Mim, SuzanneRBanks, Patricia (FB), Brie, Musette, Azar, Tomate Farcie, Tora (FB)

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners have till Wednesday 24th April 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or Portia will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Excellent work everyone,

Portia xx

Kampot Pepper from Cambodia Photo Essay

Kampot Pepper from Cambodia Photo Essay + GIVEAWAY!

In the 1920’s every French (restaurant) kitchen worth it’s salt and pepper used Kampot pepper from Cambodia, a former French colony. When Pol Pot became dictator of Kampuchea he declared Grow Rice, Not Spice, a rhyming but odd domestic policy as Cambodia suddenly had no exports. It used to export this to Europe by the tonne.

Like Champagne, this pepper has geographical appellation status because of it’s unique taste… and scent.

Black Kampot pepper Cambodia

Black Kampot Peppercorns

Smell
The Top notes have hints of mint and eucalyptus followed by a floral heart and a base note that can only be described as pepper ++. The smell is enchanting, it is appetite enchanting, this Bordeaux of peppercorns is absolutely aromatic and a taste sensation.

Red Kampot Peppercorns Cambodia

Red Kampot Peppercorns

Taste
Add to strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar to wow your next dinner guests. Rough pound with pestle for savory dishes or freshly grind to sprinkle just prior to serving. Oh, and throw away the MSG that you have hiding back left of your pantry.

Kampot Pepper is the first Cambodian product to benefit from the status of Protected Geographical Indication. The taste and smell is linked to the terroir, rainfall, the local water and traditional Khmer farming techniques.

It’s got a floral dimension that’s really something special.
Anthony Bourdain
Food and Travel Show Host

A certain sweetness to it rather than straightforward heat.
Michael Laiskonis
Le Bernardin
New York City

Perfect with Kep crab

Perfect with Kep crab

It just so happens that I was in Kampot recently, eating crab cooked on the beach in nearby Krep, and pepper shopping.

We have 8 Kampot peppercorns to give away!

Let’s make that 8 bags of peppercorns to give away on Australian Perfume Junkies.

Kampot pepper

For you?

I use 2 parts red to 1 part black and words fail when trying to describe the X factor of the red peppercorns. There are also green and white Kampot peppercorns but these were not harvested when I motorcycled into town.

Kampot pepper

Gifts – one bag of black and one bag of red Kampot peppercorns from Cambodia

HOW DO YOU WIN

Leave a comment below telling us your favourite use of pepper in food, fashion or fragrance or Like The Fragrant Man on Facebook to be in the random draw.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN

Lets make that 8 gifts consisting of one bag of red peppercorns and one bag of black peppercorns so that you can taste the difference.

Included is P&P to anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Friday April 19th 2013 10pm AEDST and winners will be announced in a separate post then.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin will pick them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.
The winners will have till Wednesaday 24th April 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or Portia will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Kampot Market Camodia

Will you buy banana? Looking after in-law’s banana stall while they negotiated local prices for the pepper. Kampot Market, Cambodia.
Photo: Houv Tang

Further Reading: Time Magazine

Love,
Jordan

14 Noontide Petals GIVEAWAY COMPETITION WINNER!!

Hey Everyone,

What a super great giveaway this has been. We had heaps of interest and Val the Cookie Queen has asked me to Thank You all for your excellent suggestions. She had never heard about an ANZAC biscuit and will be trying to make them this week. I told her thin and crispy around the edge, a little doughy in the center. How do you like your ANZEC Biscuits?

GIVEAWAY COMPETITION WINNER!!

noonetide SmellyThoughtsPhoto Stolen SmellyThoughts

THE PRIZE

1 x Noontide Petals sample by Andy Tauer

P&P Worldwide

HOW COULD YOU WIN?

You had to leave a comment telling us your favourite cookie or cookie ingredient. That’s IT!

CQ WinnerThis is CQ’s daughter (isn’t she super gorgeous)

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday April 14th 2013 10pm AusEDST .
Val the Cookie Queen and her crew will do the draw honours. The names will be placed on the same sized papers, folded similarly, placed in a bowl and a winner picked.

AND THE

winner nodepositforumPhoto stolen winner nodepositforum

ADAM GRIFFITHS

CONGRATULATIONS Adam, you have till Thursday 18th April 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or Portia will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Bussis
CQ and Portia  xxx

Perfume and Tea #1 GIVEAWAY WINNER

Hello APJ Friends and Family,

We have been having some excellent giveaways lately. I hope you are all as excited as we are about them. Thank you to everyone who joined in to welcome our newest Guest Post writer Brie. I think she is a wonderful addition to our crew, a new perspective.

Perfume and Tea #1 GIVEAWAY WINNER

THE PRIZE

1ml sample each of Vintage Cristalle, Un Ete En Provence and a sampler of spring inspired teas.

P&P anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You have to leave a comment welcoming our newest Guest Post writer Brie. That’s IT!

For an Extra Chance you can Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie http://wp.me/p2fQBU-1rt Perfume and Tea GIVEAWAY

BrieDraw001b

BrieDraw001a Photos Courtesy Courtney

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday April 4th 2013 10pm AusEDST.
We gave Jin a break from his draw choosing duties and Brie, with the aide of her daughters, is taking on the arduous task. The names were placed on the same sized papers, folded similarly, placed in Brie’s ceramic owl, the contents stirred by Courtney and the name chosen by Brittany. See above photos.

winner getentrepreneurialPhoto Stolen getentrepreneurial

Today’s winner is ARLINE

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have till Sunday 7th April 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

With big love, hugs and smoochy smooches.

Portia xx

Perfume and Tea. Musings – Pairings #1

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Guest Post by Brie

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Springtime Perfume and Tea Musings

IMG_2379Photo Courtesy Brittany and Courtney

Two Classic Discontinued Perfumes Paired With Aromatic Teas

Classic perfumes have always been a ubiquitous part of my life. Growing up in the early 1970s high end niche and artisanal perfume houses were unknown to me. The perfumes that were so prevalent in my house were the classics of Chanel, Guerlain, Dior, Caron, etc. As I got older I sought out my own perfume landscape, venturing out into other territories, sampling innovative, popular fragrances being sold in the high end department stores in New York City. Unfortunately many of the “contemporary” fragrances I adored from back then have now been either reformulated or discontinued. Below are two of my favorite springtime “classic/discontinued” perfumes and aromatic teas.

IMG_2217Photo Courtesy Brittany and Courtney

CHANEL’s Cristalle EdT with Tazo’s Om Tea

Cristalle FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Sicilian lemon,
Heart: Hyacinth, Brazilian rosewood
Base: Vetiver, oakmoss

Tazo’s OM tea is a wonderful amalgamation of black and green teas paired with notes of peach and cucumber. Drinking this tea puts me in a subdued, serene state of mind, making the name of the tea quite appropriate. I began drinking this tea several years ago in the month of March, when one begins to sense spring in the smell and feel of the air. I would awaken at five in the morning and stand on my outdoor deck with a hot cup of OM tea. Gazing at the black sky illuminated by the full moon and a vast array of stars, I was awed by the simplistic beauty presented to me. The coolness of the air, the stillness and quiet surrounding me was pure, powerful and meditative. With its ability to resonate pure tranquility, I pair OM tea with Chanel’s Cristalle.

From the time I was thirteen years old and wore Cristalle EDT, this has been the classic fragrance that comes to mind when the seasons segue from winter to spring. The grassy, woody quality created by the lemon, rosewood, oakmoss and vetiver always proves to be the perfect scent for ushering in the spring season. Cristalle exudes austerity: a simplistic, serene, yet powerful, beauty.  In the early morning hours of spring you will find me standing on my deck, wafting of Cristalle whilst drinking my Tazo tea and chanting “OMMMMM…..”

NOTES IN CRISTALLE EDT: Italian lemon, bergamot, basil, petitgrain, rosewood, galbanum, hyacinth, jasmine, oakmoss, vetiver

Escada’s Un Ete En Provence L.E. with Republic Of Tea’s Beginners Mind Green Tea Spring Cherry

UnEteEnProvencePhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, apple, cherry, nectarine and pear
Heart: Jasmine, peony, lotus, cyclamen, lychee and watermelon
Base: Praline, amber, cedar and sandalwood

Republic of Tea’s Spring Cherry was the tea that originally propagated my tea and perfume musings several years ago. Spring Cherry tea is a delicate green tea enhanced with the almond-like floral essence of cherry blossoms. During my initial whiff and taste of this tea I had an epiphany and exclaimed to myself, “This is ‘Un Ete en Provence’ in drinkable form”!

Out of all the perfumes I brought back from my first trip to Paris, Escada’s 1994 limited edition EDT, Un Ete en Provence, proved to be the most magical. With its sweet, fruity, praline notes and cherry colored bottle of muted glass with a beveled gold cap it brings to mind nothing more spectacular than delicate, ethereal cherry blossoms. Every year in the late spring as I gaze out my bedroom window admiring my budding plum blossom trees, I am drinking Spring Cherry tea and wearing this fragrance. Pure bliss…..

IMG_2075Photo Courtesy Brittany and Courtney

GIVEAWAY COMPETITION!!

THE PRIZE

We have a draw and win for one lucky commenter- a 1ml sample each of Vintage Cristalle, Un Ete En Provence and a sampler of spring inspired teas.

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You have to leave a comment welcoming our newest Guest Post writer Brie. That’s IT!

For an Extra Chance you can Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie http://wp.me/p2fQBU-1rt Perfume and Tea GIVEAWAY

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday April 4th 2013 10pm AusEDST and will be announced in a special post that day.
We are giving Jin a break from his draw choosing duties and Brie, with the aide of her daughters, is taking on the arduous task. The names will be placed on the same sized papers, folded similarly, placed in Brie’s ceramic owl, the contents stirred by Courtney and the name chosen by Brittany.

The winners will have till Sunday 7th April 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

IMG_2639Photo Courtesy Brittany and Courtney

Spikenard Giveaway Winner

Hello Gorgeous!!

As you may remember we had a sensational week of 1st Birthday Giveaways last week that culminated in a giveaway that was transcontinental and trans-blog. There were 6 blogs involved in an Easter Giveaway for an amount of foot oil that harks back to the Jesus and Mary Magdalen story in the Bible and the washing of the feet. This giveaway was made particularly poignant by the current Pope’s decision to wash 6 young prisoners feet, including 2 young girls one of whom was a Muslim. It was a courageous act that may not change the world and bring about peace but it certainly had us that can thinking. Symbolically the gesture is enormous.

PopeFrancis-washing patheosPope Francis on Holy Thursday 2013 Stolen Patheos

Brie in New York has made a small batch and sent it to The Fragrant Man (Jordan River who is one of our esteemed Guest Writers here at APJ). Would you like to know a bit more about this amazing Brie? Jump to read her Guest Posts from CaFleurBon December 30 2012 and CoolCookStyle February 25 2013. If you like her style, and we certainly hope you do, then you will be thrilled to know that Brie has come on board at APJ as a regular guest writer the first Monday of the month. YES TOMORROW!!

SPIKENARD GIVEAWAY WINNER

SpikenardGiveaway JordanPhoto Stolen TheFragrantMan

If you entered the Spikenard Giveaway then you must jump to TheFragrantMan blog (<<<JUMP) where you will find out if you’ve won. Thank you to everyone who became a part of this wonderful giveaway by commenting, thanks to Jordan river and Brie for hosting it.

Later today I’ll upload some pics from our trip to Kings Canyon this weekend. I hope you’ve had a happy Easter, whether or not you believe the stories, are religious, Catholic, Christian or in fact anyone. We hope that the idea of giving and helping, and doing things for others without counting the cost sometimes becomes a universally accepted mode of action.

Here are the other blogs involved in the Spikenard Giveaway, as well as TheFragrantMan, as it’s Easter and you may have some spare time why not have a little squiz at them. Their names are jumps.
AllIAmARedhead
CoolCookStyle
ScentsMemory
ThePerfumeDandy

Wishing you all great and wonderful weekends.

Portia xx

Serge Lutens GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Hello Gorgeous!

So my mate Jordan River from TheFragrantMan blog really put me in the poo the other day by offering a GIVEAWAY! I had to quickly scramble around to find some stuff that the gorgeous Serge Lutens Palais Royal girls had thrown into my bag when I dropped in in February this year. My mate Neela Vermeire, the famous perfume curator from Neela Vermeire Creations, took me in the day before to show me the store and introduce me to the SAs who were so friendly and welcoming to both of us. It was like old home week. Hugs, kisses and fragrance!!

SergeLutens The MakeUpMolePhoto Stolen TheMakeUpMole

Let me tell you the Palais Royal Serge Lutens store is FREAKY!! All done in purple and black lighting and OMG! It’s like an Addams Family parlour. And a spiral staircase in the middle from which you can see a speck of colour, I think it was yellow. The whole place gave me the willies, the heebeegeebees and stirred my head up so I couldn’t even think about perfume for myself. Next time I will at least do some serious testing.

What Jordan failed to tell you all was that though I have four Serge Lutens fragrances in full bottles,
Muscs Koublai Khan
Fleurs d’Oranger
Five O’Clock Gingembre
Santal Majuscule
(Sa Majeste la Rose, Chergui, Un Voix Noir and Gris Claire are the next on my list and maybe Cedre or Ambre Sultan down the track)
and many more in decants, unfortunately I am not a Bell Jar fan. I know!! PLEASE DON’T KICK ME OUT OF THE CLUB!!! I’m sorry but I like my perfume spritzed and also the square bottles look so neat and pretty together. What did happen though was that I had to buy two Bell Jars for APJ bloggers, everyone that writes for APJ was allowed order one bottle of impossible to find in Australia perfume to be brought back, so Madeleine asked for La Myrrhe and Michael asked for Iris Silver Mist which I dutifully bought, and returned to Australia with, for them.

For those that have never seen one, below is a specially decorated Bell Jar for Borneo 1834. I understand why you all covet them so freaking madly but they just do not ring my bells.

Borneo1834 parfumoPhoto Stolen Parfumo

WHAT YOU COULD WIN

There are 3 prizes today for our lovely readers who left a message in comments with a Serge Lutens fragrance I may have bought from the Palais Royal Store. Courtesy of the beautiful girls who work there there are 3 x Solid Sample Quartets to give away.

#1. De Profundis, Santal Blanc, Iris Silver Mist, Louve

#2. Chene, Un Bois Sepia, Borneo 1834, Vetiver Oriental

#3. Cuir Mauresque, Fumerie Turque, Boxeuses, Muscs Koublai Khan

Included is P&P to anywhere in the world

NO you don’t get to chose!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries closed Friday March 22nd 2013 10pm AEDST.
Winners were chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin picked them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.

WINNERS berryreviewPhoto Stolen berryreview

Fiberliza

Kandice

LaurenW

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners have till Wednesaday 27th March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else, or even keep it for myself.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

With all our love in Birthday week at APJ.

Portia x

Step Back in Time: Jordan River Spikenard Foot Oil GIVEAWAY!!

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Guest Post b y Jordan River The Fragrant Man

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Are you spending too much on perfume? Here is a scented tale for you.

image46

The Oil in the Alabaster Box
There are many faiths in this world. There are also many myths and legends. It’s up to you to find the truth on your fragrant journey. Let’s travel to the east this Easter to visit with a woman living on the boundaries of her culture. She has recently met a man. She believes him to be her spiritual guide. He is surrounded by men at a dinner party. She is uninvited and has to make her way past the guests to be able to offer her teacher a scented gift. The gift is spikenard oil, a costly perfume ingredient which at this volume, a Roman litra, costs the equivalent of spending a year’s salary on a scent; a scent so potent that the home where this story takes place becomes filled with fragrant air.

image

The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind

She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There’s no place here for her kind

Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster

Don’t be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair
You weren’t there the night He found me
You did not feel what I felt
When he wrapped his love all around me and
You don’t know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box

– lyrics: Janice Sjostran
for chanteuse Cece Winans
– an interpretation of Mark 14:3-9

Judas the accountant thought this money would have been better spent feeding the poor. Nevertheless the teacher accepted this gift from a woman’s heart.

Jesus looked at her with a smile “your deed will never be forgotten. Your story will be told throughout all the lands and for all time and in ways you have never even dreamed of“.

Little could she have imagined that one day the story of her alabaster box would be told on the World Wide Web.

– a Roman litra ~ 327 grams


Album Version – Cece Winans – The Alabaster Box
A more melodic version.

Spikenard Foot Oil Giveaway

We also have a gift to give away. Brie in New York has made some spikenard foot oil especially for this post. If you would like to encounter this scent and look after your own or your loved one’s feet please leave a comment below, then go visit Jordan River at The Fragrant Man, like the site on Facebook or follow on Twitter @TheFragrantMan.

The gift recipient will be announced on Easter Sunday on The Fragrant Man and mailed to you on Tuesday.

Spikenard or nard originates in India and Nepal, high in the Himalayas. The root of the plant is the source for one of the rarest and most precious oils.

Brie would like to say that she is not a professional perfumer. This is an interest for her. She blends with the best of intentions, carefully choosing oils for their healing properties as well as for the enjoyment of smelling. Brie says that spikenard is quite tenacious and challenging to work with as in her experience it takes over the blend (similar to tea tree oil).

OTHER SITES DOING THE SPIKENARD GIVEAWAY! Yes, you can enter at ALL OF THEM!
AllIAmARedhead
CoolCookStyle
ScentsMemory
ThePerfumeDandy

12 Month Anniversary GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Hey Hey Gang,

As you may know we had our One Year Birthday Celebrations this week and to celebrate we did a special GIVEAWAY. Thank you to everyone who entered and wished us well at the one year mark. It has been a fun and wondrous journey. I’ve made cyber and flesh friends from all over the world and this is just the beginning!

Birthday Cake weddingnotPhoto Stolen WeddingNot

12 MONTH ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!!

winners propercoursePhoto Stolen propercourse

Guerlain Soaps – SaffyIsHere

Kerosene Soap – Arielle

Kerosene Soap – KillerRabbit

The winners will have till Sunday 23rd March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

THE PRIZES

A four pack of beautifully boxed Eau Imperial 40g soaps in a very desirable presentation case from Guerlain on the first floor of the Galleries Lafayette.

2 x Kerosen X Pegasus Perfumed Soaps made especially for RELIEF Fundraiser out of Coconut, Palm and Castor oils from sexy John at Kerosene Fragrances

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You had to leave a comment wishing us congratulations. That’s IT!

For Extra Chances you had to Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie 12 MONTH ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!! http://wp.me/p2fQBU-1pL @Guerlain

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Tuesday March 19th 2013 10pm AEDST.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin will pick them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually. This one was important so he paid attention and was laughing at me because I’m so serious.

The winners will have till Sunday 23rd March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Thank You All.
No matter what happens anywhere else in your life at APJ you are a cherished member of our family.

Portia xx

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!! Statistics and First Post Reprise!!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!

Tomorrow, the 18th March marks 365 days of continuous posts on AustralianPerfumeJunkies. What started out as two besties having a bash has turned into quite a going concern and I cannot believe I have stuck to it with such tenacity. Many of you have been with us from the earliest posts and I thank you for your support and sometimes forebearance. Also welcome to our newest followers, I hope you enjoy being a part of our APJ family. Your readership and comments keep us coming back to the computer every day, week and month.

A big THANK YOU goes out to all our Guest Post providers. Without you all and your amazing contributions I worry that APJ would be nothing. All of you, past and present, are amazing and I am inspired by you all every week. EvieC, Madeleine, EmmaKate, Katrina, Dionne, Suzanne R Banks, Val the Cookie Queen, Robert “Radium” Maxwell, Tim, Margeaux, Jordan River, Michael: Each of you has brought something new and amazing to APJ and I am proud and honoured that you give up precious spare time to write, sniff and sniff some more. Many of you we have welcomed into our home for wonderful meals and fragrant conversations. YOU ARE AMAZING!!

Another THANK YOU to my bestie and partner Kath and Jin, how blessed am I? Life just got a whole lot rosier now that we are all on site. Nothing I could ever write here would come close to how much I love, revere, adore you both and am grateful for your continued inclusion in my life. You are my family.

OneYear southernshopaholicPhoto Stolen SouthernShopaholic

Some stats

379 Posts
5,594 Comments
129,870 Visitors
Best Month was November 2012 – 22,525
Best Day was November 13 2012 – 1,165
Most Click Throughs from Perfume Posse, Olfactoria’s Travels, Google
Most Click Throughs to Perfume Posse, Posh Peasant, Surrender To Chance

Now I am looking forward to the next 12 months. We have some wonderful things in the pipeline and are prepped and ready to go for some others. Looking into the future is hard because it’s looking so BRIGHT!!

I wish you all Health, Wealth and Happiness on our journey together for the next twelve months.
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Portia xxxx

As a reminiscence, here is our first post on fragrance

Tabac Original by Maurer & Wirtz

Cheapy McCheap! and Cheerful.

So yesterday morning we awoke very late, it was almost time to rush out the door for pedicures and then Yum Cha (or YUMMY CHA CHA CHA!). No time to decide on anything really. Raining outside, meeting besties (big HELLO to Kath & Alice & Jin), no pressure. On went super comfy new sloppy joe, jeans, thongs. Perfume, fragrance, something?? Can’t think. Can’t think. Can’t think. Reaching…….

Maurer & Wirtz Tabac Original EDT spray, modern incarnation, comes back towards me in my hand. Really brain? Really hand? Clearly my mind and body have understood what my inner self would never have said. Spray on my thorax twice, one wrist, one elbow, mash. Wait and waft…………..

An Aromatic Fougere (pronounced Foo zair but the z is almost a j like the Chinese say Beijing) and if you want the notes then Fragrantica is your spot. Woody, herbal, floral, tobacco and aldehydic are the given accords there and on my skin I get a rush of citrus and herbs at the opening, it squeals a bit, then as my skin warms the fragrance (and it does, I can feel a warm reaction, a bit like Vicks Vaporub) then the powdery iris and lavender saunter in MMMMM. By the time I am at our destination Tabac is humming along nicely with the flora, woods and herbs all whiffling up my sloppy joe each time I move. This is a perfect warm but rainy day fragrance for the casual event. At lunch I am complimented by a discerning girlfriend who is gobsmacked that something so inexpensive can be this lovely. I concur. Hours later, snuggling with my partner I can still smell a tiny and very sexy hint of musk and vanilla. So good I’ve come in to reapply and go through the story again. Now, going back to see if it works, it would on me.

PS. Worked a treat!Photo Stolen from Fragrantica

Thanks for reading,
Portia xx

Don’t Forget to enter our 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!!(<<JUMP)