Brie’s Across the Generations

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Post by Brie

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Perfume and Tea Musings: Across the Generations

Nest Fine Perfumes Midnight Fleur
Zhena Gypsy Organic Green Tea with Coconut/Rum Flavorings

Hello APJ

For many years I have worked with autistic students as a speech language pathologist. All of my students suffer from a condition known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction. In the simplest of terms they cannot process sensory information in typical fashion and are either repelled by sensory input (ie: can’t tolerate loud noises, itchy sweaters, etc) or crave sensory input (ie: only eat highly spicy/crunchy foods, are constantly smelling things, etc). I have my own theory that those of us obsessed with perfume may also possess to a certain degree a mild form of sensory integration dysfunction. Studies have also shown that this condition has a hereditary link.

So it should come as no surprise that my family is a multi-generational band of perfume nuts. For as long as I can remember mum had vintage/classic perfume bottles in our house. Pops had copious amounts of 4711 bottles in every size imaginable. To this day he sprays his socks and underwear with the organic vodka and essential oil blends I make for him. The fact that I am writing this post speaks to my obsession which has naturally been inherited by all three of my children.

Midnight Fleur NestFragrancesPhoto Stolen NestFragrances

However, financing perfume for four can be quite challenging. My eldest daughter has quite a resourceful streak and enters perfume draws. Whether you believe in the perfume fairies, the patron saint of perfume or just plain luck, random dot org seems to hone in on her perfume pen name and has allowed her to win several full bottles of high end niche.
The mother lode of all her perfume wins was the deluxe package of Nest Fine Perfumes Midnight Fleur which included the full size bottle, a travel roll on and the decadently thick and luxurious body cream.

Before I even get into the fragrance itself I must tell you that the packaging that the perfume is housed in is stunning. The black matte bottles are substantially heavy and decorated in floral illustrations inspired by the 18th century British artist Mary Delaney who used the decoupage technique. The juice in this work of art bottle is exquisite. Fragranatica lists the notes as jasmine, vanilla orchid, exotic woods, patchouli and black amber. Yet upon first spray the most prominent note to my nose is pineapple: rich, lush and juicy. But this is not your sickly sweet fruity concoction that is so popular in the mainstream perfumes. Midnight Fleur exudes a sophisticated tropical vibe (thanks to the vanilla orchid) before drying down to an earthy patchouli and dark amber.

Brie's Acros The Generations by Britt and CourtPhoto by Brie’s daughters Britt and Court

For this reason I pair Midnight Fleur with Zhena Gypsy Organic Green tea which includes notes of coconut, rum and pineapple flavors. The tea and perfume are a perfect duo for a hot summer day or night. Whether you are a teenager (like my daughter) or a middle aged woman (like me) Midnight Fleur is a beauty to wear. I am proud that one of my own is developing and refining a sophisticated taste in perfume which I am sure she will pass on to her offspring one day!

Bx

Sadly Brie wrote this ahead and can not answer your comments. Don’t let that stop the conversation though, please write if you’d like and Portia will reply. Hopefully Brie is out there somewhere reading. Portia xx

Tubereuse Criminelle by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1999

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Post by Gabriella

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Hello fragrant friends!

Today I want to share my very personal story on how a bottle of a special fragrance came into my life. Almost two years ago, I was in a very bad place. I had returned to Sydney from London after recently getting engaged to Mr M. We moved in together, I was starting a new chapter with the man I loved and it should have been a tremendously happy time for me. However, one thing stood in my way: employment.

The job market for the sector I was in was particularly dire. I searched and searched and got knocked back either because I was way overqualified or just not senior enough. One month turned into two and then three and suddenly, I had been out of work for the longest time since starting in the job market at 15 packing shelves at a local grocery store.

DepressedPhoto Stolen Sander van der Wel Flickr

Still, it should have been fine. Mr M was happily supporting me financially and for the first time in years, I had time to think. But therein was the rub. Work had been so much part of my existence for so long that I now defined myself through my job. Without one, I felt like I had lost my identity and furthermore, my existence. As time rolled on, I became more depressed. I mooched around, drank more, ate tons and put of masses of weight which only exacerbated my unhappiness. When Mr M came home from work, I snapped at him. I was not a very nice person to be with.

Eventually, I did get some freelance work, but it wasn’t quite enough. My birthday was coming up and I would have been out of full time work for six months by that time, something I desperately didn’t want to happen.

So on Mr M’s advice, I went to see my parents who live up in northern New South Wales. It would be a breath of fresh air, allow me to spend some quality time with my Mum and Dad and hopefully, snap me out of my black dog state.

One day, I was doing some of my freelance stuff in Dad’s study. Rummaging around his desk drawer for a pen is when I spotted it: there in the drawer was a bottle of…..

Tubereuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens 1999

Tubereuse Criminelle Serge Lutens FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Jasmine, orange blossom, hyacinth, tuberose, nutmeg, clove, styrax, musk and vanilla

I was flabbergasted, excited and also perplexed. This was obviously my birthday present but how did Dad know to buy me this? Sure, Dad knew of my perfume love and I’d probably mentioned tuberose as a note here and there, but he certainly didn’t know Serge. And how had he discovered Tubereuse Criminelle, which at that point, had only been recently released into the export line?

I went into the kitchen to see Mum.

“Mum, don’t tell Dad, but I think I have accidentally found my birthday present.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, the perfume in his desk drawer. But how did Dad know about it and how to get it and that I’d want Tubereuse Criminelle?”

“Well, you’ve been so very down lately darling and we know you love perfume and tuberose and all that. So Dad did some investigation online and found that this was a good one and quite hard to find. He just wanted to give you something really special to make you happy.”

Tears came to my eyes. The thought of Dad reading perfume reviews and doing background research was beyond overwhelming. I was deeply, deeply touched and thankful. It was a very special present in more ways than one. Now when I take that precious bottle out, I am reminded that good can come out of bad. The jolie laide character of Tubereuse Criminelle with the sharp mentholated opening before the full bloom of white flowers is a reminder that things do get better.

And, I’m also reminded that there is a hell of a lot more to life than work. It’s not the thing that defines me.

Tubereuse Criminelle Serge Lutens Trees Sun WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

For more in-depth reviews of the scent itself, please see Bois de Jasmin and The Candy Perfume Boy.

Tubereuse Criminelle is available at
Mecca Cosmetica $166/50ml
LuckyScent $150/50ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml.

Do you have a special story on one of your perfumes? What’s your take on Tubereuse Criminelle?

With much love till next time!

M x

Trefle Pur by Jerome Epinette for Atelier Cologne 2010

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Post by Maya

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Hello APJ,

When my daughter Tamara found out that I was working on a review for APJ, she asked me to pick one of her favorite perfumes and do a review on it. I agreed to work with HER on a review. She has a great nose and her perfume impressions are as she puts it “abstract” and I should add, usually, but not always, single words which I make into sentences. That’s become my job in this collaboration.

We decided to pick one of 4 fragrances. We sniffed the first one and I asked, “What do you get?” She said with a big smile, “It smells good!” After I stopped laughing, I asked, “And what else?” She replied, “It smells good!” This happened with 2 more fragrances. We chose the one that when I asked the question, she answered, “Leprechauns”. So leprechauns it is!

Trefle Pur Atelier Cologne 2010

Trefle Pur Atelier Cologne FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bitter orange, cardamom, sweet basil
Heart: Clover, violet leaves, Tunisian neroli
Base: Moss, patchouli, musk

Trefle Pur opens bright, crisp, citrusy, and slightly green. After about 5 minutes, a little sweetness comes in and the crispness lightens a little. It stays sweet, but it’s not a floral type of sweetness. It keeps an underlying citrus note and a subtle spice appears. It’s during this opening that “I think of leprechauns, lush green fields, four leaf clovers, and streams.”

Trefle Pur Atelier 4-leaf Clover wikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Later on the “notes combine so I can’t really pick out anything specific. It becomes a little, bright, sweet, and spicy (not like pepper or cinnamon, a subtle spice) scent. It smells good!” Now is when it’s spring – a combination of sunlight, budding flowers and moss.

It wears close to the skin and lasts a few hours.

I asked her, “When would you wear it?” And she answered, “When I felt like it.”

Trefle Pur Atelier Cologne pxleyesPhoto Stolen pxleyes

Then I asked her if she minded me writing about her and how this review came to be.
“As long as you don’t tell my personal secrets, we’re all good.”
“What personal secrets?”
“The ones I don’t tell you about, so we’re all good.”

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and EauMG
LuckyScent start at $70/30ml to $175/200ml and have samples
Surrender To Chance have $3/ml or $19/7.5ml manufacturers mini

Now that I’ve stopped laughing, I have to ask: Have you tried Trefle Pur and what are your feelings about it if you have? I’m afraid to ask what you think of this review.

Maya

My Mad Aunty Tracey and Mardi Gras!!

Hey Hey All,

It’s been excellent fun around here with Aunty Tracey staying over the Mardi Gras period. We have had an awesome weekend.

Thursday and Friday were all about getting the apartment rented and the tenants moved in. It was a couple of long days of bed building, light fittings and organising the troops. Whoever said that all success takes a community is 100% right. Without all the help of my friends and extended family I would be lost.

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Saturday afternoon 5 of the courtesy Aunts (non blood relation Aunts) that were all in the same Nursing class as my Mum and 5 of us (Alice, Jin, Kath, Matt & I) went to Chinese at the Liu Rose in Concord. It is a fabulous place and we had the most magnificent banquet with way too much food and we all got a little boozy too. It was a terrific afternoon with the Aunties reminiscing and my friends laughing at their stories. From left to right: Aunties Margie, Tracey, Anne, Judy and Norma. These women have woven in and out of my life since the day I was born and all are so special. There are some more that couldn’t make it because of geography or death. It was also really fun to bring my two worlds together and my buddies all had a ball too.

Then at night Jin and I took Aunty Tracey to see the Mardi Gras Parade. We bought seatys in the GlamStands where there is a bar, food vendors and toilets. There was a light sprinkle of rain and as the parade started the heavens cleared and we were treated to one of the world’s most fun and spectacular night parades. Thousands of people marched or rode in trucks this year and the themes were Gay Marriage Equality, Acceptance and HIV/AIDS Awareness. As always there were fabulous gleaming bodies, muscular and otherwise, rainbow families, for the first time the Australian Military Gays and Lesbians marched and GLITTER!! It was a really good length and we were left sated but not bored.

mardigras_1_17l5cqs-17l5cqvPhoto Stolen Yahoo

8711c_402299Photo Stolen Same Same

945913-20130214-mardi-gras-2012Photo Stolen DailyTelegraph

art-Lifesavers-mardi-gras-2012-420x0 Photo Stolen SydneyMorningHerald

PARADEPhoto Stolen MixItUp

07 glamstandPhotos Stolen GlamStands

A few of our buddies were working on the parade and afterwards we grabbed them and Aunty Tracey and we went to McDonalds. It was DELICIOUS!!

What fragrance did we all wear? Aunty Tracey had Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations, Jin wore Bottega Veneta and I wore Ubar by Amouage. Needless to say we smelled AH MAY ZING!!

Back to real life from tomorrow I hope.

Portia xx

Festive + Fragrant LIVE Video Sniff: Nuit de Noel by Ernest Daltroff for Caron 1922

To the amazing APJ Family,

From the whole crew here at AustralianPerfumeJunkies we want to wish you a magical, safe and fun Holiday Season. For everyone who celebrates it
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MerryChristmasRed stevemelan

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for everyone who doesn’t celebrate Xmas we still wish you all the joy, love, fun, silliness, bickering, food, drink, heath, wealth and happiness that goes along with this time for us who do.

For those who are feeling alone, sad, angry or useless. We love and need you. Please spritz yourself with something exquisite, have a cup of tea and a biscuit and if possible have a nap. There will be better days, promise, maybe write a list of 10 things you are grateful for, like your ability to read, cogitate, eat, smell. Write them down and give genuine thanks. No matter how small they seem compared to the bigger issues.

 

Nuit de Noel by Caron 1922

NuitDeNoel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Ylang-ylang, tincture of rose and jasmine
Heart: Sandalwood and oak moss
Base: Musk and amber.

Here is a little APJ MADNESS. Some of the crew all got together to send you a special message filled with love and the joy of Christmas. My BFF Kath was in charge of filming and Jin made it blog ready. We all had a great laugh and, as always, made complete twats of ourselves for your enjoyment. Please take everything we say with a grain of salt we are fragrance enthusiasts who have had a great night of trivia, booze, dinner and laughs. By the time we have made this particular video we had already shot 9 others and are all, frankly, mental by this stage. Do please enjoy.

Thanks for coming along on this fragrant journey with us, we are grateful that you do.
Loads of love to you, and yours,
The APJ Family & Crew
Clayton, Dionne, EmmaKate, Jordan, BFF Kath, Katrina, Madeleine, Margeaux, Suzanne, Tim, TSO Jin and Portia  XXOX