Hey gang,

It’s been a lazy day here in dappled sunny Sydney, Australia. I had a super smart blog friend around to help me do some stuff and to teach me some basics that I am as yet uninstructed in. We got some done but before Julie, and her partner David, came over for our Sunday Bar B Q I had washed the keyboard, um, BROKEN!!! You spray the cloth not the keyboard. I have a new keyboard now.

Photo stolen from ECorner Secure Ebusiness Solutions

As we had to go out to get a new keyboard TSO Jin and I decided to troll the fragrance counter at our local suburban shopping center while out.

This can be a harrowing experience. Often the 16 year old sales person (absolutely gender non specific) will sneer down their prolapsed rhinoplasty at you and mumble a curt something unintelligible about your desired perfume try, as if you’re ruining their day by being interested in the product. Other times they are so desperate for the sale that you think they might get a bit stabby if you turn them down or dare walk to another counter. Even worse are the ambush marketers who come round behind you and spray you liberally and without warning, often with scents that burn holes in your clothes and singe your skin, if walking too near a cigarette smoking person you are liable to need an extinguisher. And just because you work at a cosmetics counter doesn’t mean you need to wear everything in the line, AT ONCE. What was the Golden Girls line? “Just because you put your make up on with a butter knife, doesn’t make you Tammy Faye Baker.” I wish I was a stronger person so I could cut all three of these people types where they stand with a withering two sentence cut, but no, every time they get me and I obsess about what I would, could or should have said. Sad, I know. First world problems? Definitely! Honestly, I don’t even have a hearty “Fuck you” in me sometimes.

Having said all this then it’s lovely to find an SA that is charming, interested and involved in their job. one that knows about personal space and limits, and boundaries. One who has obviously done most of their homework and can help you understand what you are smelling on the card and your skin, why the price point is where it is and maybe some extra items to help keep the scent on you. I will try just about anything the SA says to keep scent on my HUNGRY skin, I swear it eats everything. Like host, like skin, I suppose.

Today was such a day. We were dressed like Sunday arvo (Australian for afternoon) homeless looking for a berth, unshowered, unshaven and under dressed for a jaunt through the hallowed halls of perfumery. Yet, by happy coincidence, we were welcomed into the Armani counter at David Jones, Chatswood, (where I wanted to sample the Cuir Amethyst from the Prive series. Spectacular BTW I liked the card so much that I let her spritz me. On my skin, to DIE for, the leather has stayed front and center for about 2 hours and the amber and vanilla are singing along in the middle to background) as if we’d just jumped out of a helicopter with Tom Cruise at the helm. But as we made our way around found that she was not in fact the Armani girl particularly but a general dogs body and she was all over the place, helping, hinting, smiling, generally making the few customers in the area feel welcome and giving as much information as she had, even going as far as looking up the book for a new release. I was not shopping, but I will go back and order something from her because she earned it. Not this month though. Fragrantica has this to say about notes and accords, BoisDeJasmin has a far less than loving review, and is pretty indicative of the other reviews I read. I am still enjoying the fragrance though. Maybe my untutored nose is a blessing.

Photo stolen from Fragrantica

Moving on to the DIOR counter, as Jin was being served sample sizes at CHANEL, there was another lady, also smiling and wanting to help: rather than intimidate or push. Had I tried the new DIOR Homme Sport? So fresh, so manly? No, sorry, not interested today but can I please have a spritz of Dune on a card? Certainly but it’s women’s. Yes, I understood but do you think the perfume minds who wears it? Without even blinking she said, “All perfumes are unisex and it’s only tradition that has taught us otherwise.” She had clearly thought about it too, come to a fair conclusion and was happy to be able to set it out for me. I was so happy that I let her spritz me with a double whammy on my other arm.WhooooooEEEEEEYYY! Nearly blew my damn head off. WOW! What a perfume, what a punch. Fragrantica has it all here, the PerfumePosse has an excellent Dune review, I wish I was so eloquent. This is definitely FBW (full bottle worthy) a good 6 hours later and I can still smell gentle wafty reminders that I’m perfumed on that arm.

Photo stolen from Fragrantica

Oh my, these two perfumes are AWESOME alone but together they are EPIC!! Maybe you all know a fragrance that is a mash of these two that I am ignorant of? Leave me a message if you do.

Thanks for sharing what’s in my fragrant mind today. Hopefully see you tomorrow too,

Portia xx

I am not in any way affiliated with any of the businesses within this article.