Misia by Olivier Polge for CHANEL 2015

April 5, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Hello Happy Huffers,

Imagine. Your Dad has been in charge of CHANEL perfumes and his first two creations for the house were Anteaus (1981) and Coco (1984), and that was just the beginning of the amazing saga of Jaques Polge reign. We all know that fragrance is a nepotistic arena so no one was surprised that Mr J Polge’s successor would be his prolific son Olivier Polge (89 fragrances and counting) who has produced some of my personal favourites including Midnight In Paris, Spicebomb, DIOR Homme, Cuir Beluga, Liberte and The Beat Man: These are just the ones I have FB of in my collection.

Then you get offered the BIG job, in house perfumer for CHANEL! What will your first fragrance be? How can you carry on the CHANEL ideal and your father’s legacy while still putting your own stamp on the product? While I don’t envy Olivier Polge the shoes he has to fill I am agog to wear the produce of his labours……….

Misia by Olivier Polge for CHANEL 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Powdery notes, violet, iris, orris root, Turkish rose, Grasse rose, Laos benzoin, tonka bean

Misia, I wonder who decided that Misia Sert would be the muse for this CHANEL creation? A modern woman of wealth. taste and an arts-centric philanthropist, ahead of her time yet fully a part of that time. A mover and a shaker, a catalyst, incredibly modern and yet a long time ago. It’s a perfect choice because almost anything fragrant you do can point to a facet of Misia, as long as it is brought to life impeccably.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

So many things Misia opens like. It’s a magical roll-a-dex of plush fragrant memories from that very first spritz, all of them expensive and lavish. Coco Chanel once said, “The best things in life are free but the second best are very, very expensive.” Many other bloggers have dwelt on its similarities so I’ll leave it there. I will say that a part of the mix that I’d always pegged as saffron is here, and I think it may be the violet/iris combo: balmy and cool yet slightly plastic. It smells like the feel of one of those old black bakelite CHANEL No 5 refillable canisters or the black case of a lipstick with the interlocking Cs at the tip and also some of the lipstick inside. More than any other CHANEL fragrance Misia smells like the essence of CHANEL, the dream and ideal we are being sold.

Photo Stolen CHANEL

As we move into the heart of Misia the roses bloom, again vaguely reminiscent of other famous and beautiful fragrances but smoother, prettier, more tasteful and woven through with the violet/iris and very softly hinting of elegant leather handbags and folios. There is too a reminder of makeup and fragrances within, tidy but well loved. Sheer, a cloud of good fortune to surround you, the smell that money only wishes it could have but also a stark unclutteredness* like contemporary minimalism. Everything so perfectly placed and balanced, a harmonious whole.

Photo Stolen CHANEL News

The end, a now whisper of what an old fashioned fragrance could have been in a dream. Bravo Olivier Polge, it feels to me as if you’ve hit the nail on the head.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume Posse
CHANEL Les exclusives are available at large Department Stores and CHANEL stand alone beauty
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Which is your favourite CHANEL Exclusive? Are you excited for the new era in CHANEL fragrance?
What do YOU think of Misia?
Portia xx

*Unclutteredness – clunky word, made it up, you know what I mean. Ironically the using of this word is an antonym of what I think it stand for.

NEWS! Portia Now Writing for My Perfume Samples!!

April 5, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 44 Comments

Well APJ,

Here is an exciting development. Over the last while My Perfume Samples and I have been nutting out a wonderful deal. I will now be writing for them every fortnight for 3 months to see how it goes! It’s a very good invitation and a paid gig. Already before we started talking about my coming to write for them I liked the site a lot and use them regularly. My Perfume Samples have an incredible stock of mainstream fragrances and are currently adding more and more Mass-Tige (Mass Market Niche). Already included in their online store are such luminaries as Malle, Lutens, Penhaligon’s, L’Artisan, JHaG, Byredo and many others at VERY competitive prices.

Portia Now Writing for My Perfume Samples!!

For my initial My Perfume Samples piece I decided to look at some Work Safe Fragrances. Perfume in the work environment is becoming more of a minefield and sometimes you just have to suck it up but maybe there is another way. What you want are some good quality, interesting and fun fragrances for work that will fly under the radar and not get you banned for Skunking The Workplace. These beauties across a wide range of styles and price points should be safe bets. The great thing about sampling is that with a 3ml decant you get a real sense of how a fragrance will work on and for you

Each fortnight there will be DISCOUNTS or FREE GIFTS and this fortnight the code is for a free gift with orders over $15.
This fortnight’s free gift includes 1 x 3ml atomiser each of 2 featured samples, valued at around $8!

Please jump over to My Perfume Samples and have a look. Leave a message too so I know you’ve been. I can see them but the My Perfume Samples crew still has to OK them.
This is totally exciting for me and I’m really nervous. It’s a big step and My Perfume Samples are trusting me to help them make their online shop the best it can be.

Portia xx

Tudor Rose & Amber by Christine Nagel for Jo Malone 2015

April 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hi there APJ,

Don’t forget to enter our Le Galion GIVEAWAY!<<JUMP

Jo Malone has decided to do a limited edition range that depicts different eras of British history, great idea! In this, my favourite of the releases, the bloody and turbulent Tudor years, 1485 to 1603 in England and Wales. A time of rebellion, religious strife, war, the widening of the rich/poor gap and also change in the way Monarchy and Government proceeded.

How has Christine Nagal seen this time in fragrance?

Tudor Rose & Amber by Jo Malone 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink pepper, clove
Heart: Damask rose, Tudor rose, ginger
Base: Amber, patchouli, white musk

Sparkling, lightly sizzling roses, a little musky and very pot-pouri (but in a nice way). Tudor Roses & Amber takes me back to the 1980s walking into friends houses and there would be a wooden or porcelain bowl with a many holed lid, from that little receptacle would gush glamorous fragrance that welcomed you into the house. I used to love that initial waft as you walked into a house and would often go and smell it later in the day.

Jo Malone has let Christine Nagel do it with fun spices and the clove/ginger mix keeps it zinging well into the heart. I can smell the depths of the velvets and the sparkle of brocade, Tudor Rose and Amber deals only in the beauty present, none of the danger or bleakness. Here is a fragrance that captures the wealth and glamour of Tudor England, the upper echelons and only after their annual bath.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

There is nothing challenging hiding in Tudor Rose & Amber. There are no great divergences and no innovations but what Jo Malone (via Estee Lauder) has done is make a very pretty and wearable rose. Maybe Tudor Rose is a little deeper and darker in the heart but it comes with a very light, warm and generic amber/white musk base.

To be honest, for this kind of money you can do better but I also understand that not everyone wants to change the world or light up a room with their fragrance. Here we have a perfectly good, wearable rose scent that lasts about 3 hours before it fades into unnoticeability which is quite good on my scent hungry skin for a Jo Malone cologne.

Photo Stolen Geograph

Further reading: A Model Recommends and The Sunday Girl
Jo Malone has kiosks in most major Department Stores
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.50/.5ml

Have you tried the Jo Malone Rock the Ages Collection? Did you have a fabvourite?
Portia x

Le Galion

April 3, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 36 Comments

Hi there APJ Crew,

Today I have a carry on story from Catherine de Peloux-Menage’s introduction to the Le Galion range. We were lucky enough to get to meet the head of the new Le Galion, Nicolas Chabot, while he was in Sydney and I loved the story of his finding the old fragrance house and resurrecting it with the help of it’s founders Daughter and the perfumer. Quite a beautiful and romantic beginning or re-emergence.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I have 4 Manufacturers Minis to give away today: Iris, La Rose Snob & Whip. Along with one of these you’ll get a decant of Sortilege, their most famous fragrance, an aldehydic floral that is quite over the top and lavish. Perfect spring/autumn wear.

Portia xx

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Le Galion GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x Manufacturers Mini (Iris, La Rose Snob, Whip. NO you don’t get to choose)
1 x decant of Sortilege
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 comment with a Le Galion memory or a favoured resurrected scent.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Le Galion #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3Lk @LibertineParfum #Perfume @nicolas27637539

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 5th 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 Thursday 9th 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.

Gentlewoman GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

April 3, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hi there Cyber Frag Family,

Another lovely GIVEAWAY! I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to Romano Ricci, Libertine Parfumerie and especially Nick, so generous always.

For those that celebrate, HAPPY EASTER!

Let’s get to the winners.

Portia xx

Gentlewoman GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, bitter orange blossom, neroli
Heart: Almond, courmarin, orange blossom, lavender
Base: Ambroxan, woody notes, musk

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x decant Gentlewoman by Juliette Has A Gun (from my Press bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please comment with any reason you could be called a Gentleman or Gentlewoman

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Gentlewoman: Juliette Has A Gun #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3KA @LibertineParfum #Perfume @signoricci

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 2nd April 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen LifestyleSolutions

TaraC

Sun (via Twitter)

Vivian

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners will have till Thursday 9th 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.

Le Galion: The ship sails on….

April 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Catherine de Peloux-Menage

For the past twenty years, defunct or dying heritage perfume houses have been coming back to life. Les Parfums de Rosine, Lubin, Robert Piguet , Courreges, Orizia Legrand, Schiaparelli, Worth, Houbigant, Jovoy, d’Orsay, Patou in France. Grossmith and Atkinsons, Crown perfumery (as Clive Christian) in the UK. Now it’s the turn of Le Galion.

Coming across an old perfume bottle in a Paris flea market, Nicolas Chabot’s interest was piqued (Le Galion c’est quoi ca?). As a fragrance industry specialist like generations of his family, he thought he knew most French brands. So he tracked down the daughter of former house owner and perfumer Paul Vacher who supported him wholeheartedly in what became his mission to resurrect the house, even giving him access to the Le Galion archive, formulae and original perfumes. Le Galion was relaunched in 2014.

Le Galion: The ship sails on….

As Creative Director, Nicolas worked within the current raw materials restrictions with perfumer Thomas Fontaine (who specialises in reorchestrating perfumes for brands like Lubin, Patou and, Gres) to recreate nine perfumes which best represent Vacher’s work. Vacher created Miss Dior, Diorling, co-created Arpege as well as his own bestsellers like Sortilege or Whip. At his sudden death in 1975, Le Galion was one of the best known French perfume brands, distributed in over 90 countries. Within ten years it had vanished after it was sold to a US company which failed to understand its ethos and place in the market.

The nine relaunched fragrances are in simple, elegant ridged bottles. Not knowing the original Le Galion scents I can’t compare them. (A visit the Osmotheque would be a fascinating exercise.) As always, the scentosphere likes some and dislikes others. Here’s my take (Disclosure: samples are from Nicolas Chabot during a presentation to the Sydney Perfume Lovers).

222 My autumn-winter perfume 2015. Sandalwood, violets, vanilla. Cloudy soft, but with a bite of myrrh and a hint of leather. What’s not to love?

Sortilege Created in 1935, this feels grown up, seductive, half way between No 5 and Joy and with a nice dirty civet-like note. The original must have been stunning.

Tubereuse created 11 years before Fracas is sedate compared to her younger sister. Fruit, rose, musk. Rounded and ladylike.

Iris Delicate and mimosa-powdery, slightly green, woody and lightly musky. Vanishes quickly on my skin but I love it so will be wearing it on fabric to feel feminine and elegant.

Special for Gentlemen Bergamot, Lavender, oppoponax and patchouli, shades of Jicky and Shalimar but also of Habit Rouge morphing into the cologne feel of Eau Sauvage. Extraordinary, powerful. Wear it.

Rose – a delicate, pretty, slightly fruity morning rose. No thorns. Lovely.

Snob Saffron almond opening interlaced with rich deep rose. Could this be one of the first rose-saffron scents?

Whip You can feel the sting of the leather long after the sharp hit of citrus has worn off. Hit me again.

Eau Noble citrus fougere –green citrus elegance with a chypre twist.

Photo Stolen Le Galion

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon and Colognoisseur
First In Fragrance has the Le Galion range €140/100ml

Have you tried any of these? Any favourites yet?
Catherine de Peloux-Menage xx

Debaser by David Moltz for D.S. & Durga 2015

March 31, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

I regularly look through the Recent Releases at Surrender To Chance because Australia doesn’t get most of it. Already we have had quite a few releases this year. Recently I grabbed a few so I want to take a look at a couple of them this week. Let’s start with a company that I am often interested in but rarely try and also rarely read about on the blogs I frequent.

Debaser by David Moltz for D.S. & Durga 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Fig, iris, coconut milk, tonka bean, white woods

Surrender To Chance & D.S. & Durga give these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, green leaf, pear stem
Heart: Fig, coconut milk, iris
Base: Blond woods, tonka bean, moss

It was the STC note list that spurred me towards Debaser. Pear stem? Fig, coconut, iris & moss? Though I’ve no idea how the stem of a pear smells I love the other four notes mentioned and even the surrounding stuff reads really good. Then, as I started reading further about the fragrance I learned that “The wild shrill of Black Francis coming through the radio in the August heat” was an inspiration. So Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV who performs as Black Francis is frontman for influential alt rock band The Pixies, and the have a song called The Debaser. The idea for this song came from a short silent surrealist film, Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog), which was a collaboration between Spanish director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí in 1929.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

A woody fig scent, or the idea of fig in a perfumers dream, dry and juicy at the same time, sweet and savoury too. The idea is interesting and appealing with the yummy image in my mouth of sweet soft cheese and fig. The dryness seems to win as we move into the fragrance and there is a hint of walking past a newly painted room while eating fig. I wore this to the movies last night and all through the film I caught whiffs of fig jam and suntan lotion. The coconut becomes more apparent through the heart and I get a fun beachy feel that softens out to clean, very lightly sweet, woods.

Having now read a bunch of other reviews I find that everyone is having completely different experiences and memory triggers from Debaser, truly surreal.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Debaser is a wonderfully thick fragrance for the first hour and then it slides slowly into a background hum that lasts and lasts, next morning I can still smell a soft woodsiness with a whisper of sweet figgy jam overtones. After the first hour I think Debaser would even be wearable as an office scent, not that its terribly quiet but there is something quite engaging about it, I can think of no better word than amiable.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Scented Hound
LuckyScent has $145/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4.50/.5ml

I think you need to try Debaser for yourself. Hopefully you will have a different experience that you can share with us.
Have you tried any of the DS & Durga frags?
Portia xx

Gentlewoman by Juliette Has A Gun

March 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

Hi Crew,

Having spent some time with the dashing Romano Ricci recently we were introduced to his latest offering, Gentlewoman. One of the things I really liked about meeting Romano Ricci was something that he said, he told us that while he created the fragrances he would often go and seek the help of other perfumers to bring his idea to completion. That kind of open honesty is both refreshing and virtually unheard of in this industry, he won me over in that moment. The fact that he was extremely handsome and an outrageous flirt had nothing to do with it at all….

Gentlewoman by Romano Ricci for Juliette Has A Gun 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, bitter orange blossom, neroli
Heart: Almond, courmarin, orange blossom, lavender
Base: Ambroxan, woody notes, musk

The humble cologne. So invigorating and refreshing. A hallmark of perfumery and still people are finding new ways to improve the genre.

Imagine citrus. All the parts of citrus. Tree, leaves, flowers, zest, pith, juice and body are all part of what makes me think citrus. It seems that Romano has wanted to show all facets of the citrus in one fragrance and not only to do that but then to add some almond in for good measure to mellow, buff and lactonate* what is mainly citrus.

Yes, we have lavender, also courmarin and super cuddly musks (Clayton knows the names of the molecules). Here we have a same same but different cologne. Firstly it LASTS for hours. One of my main problems with Eau de Cologne as a genre is having to tote around a 500ml bottle to respritz every 25 minutes. Secondly, we have a really interesting and enjoyable development that also has this divine almond note that makes the whole heart smell like an almond bread with zest! YUMMY! A dry yummy and not really a gourmand, except of course that it is strictly speaking gourmand.

What do I know? Don’t you want to try this hot little mother for yourself? See below…..

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
First In Fragrance has €99/50ml (Available from mid May)
Libertine Parfumerie has AUD$205/100ml (In Stock Now! Including FREE Australian Postage!)

Good luck all,
Portia xx

Photo Stolen YouTube

Gentlewoman GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x decant Gentlewoman by Juliette Has A Gun (from my Press bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please comment with any reason you could be called a Gentleman or Gentlewoman

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Gentlewoman: Juliette Has A Gun #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3KA @LibertineParfum #Perfume @signoricci

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 2nd 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 Thursday 9th 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.

lactonate: Yet again I have invented a word that means, in my head, adding a milky touch

Reckless: GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

March 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

WOW APJ,

You guys really wanted to try the Roja Dove!! I’m so excited that you all got involved. Your stories of favourite old fragrances and who used to wear them had me smiling while reading. Thanks for sharing,

Portia x

Reckless: GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, citruses, aldehydes, tarragon
Heart: Amaryllis, jasmine, violet, geranium, ylang-ylang, rose, peach
Base: Vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oak moss, clove, cinnamon, tonka bean, orris root, castoreum, leather

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x decant of Roja Dove’s Reckless (from my bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID 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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell me about your favourite fragrance from the long past glory of perfumery.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Roja Dove: Reckless #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3JZ #Perfume @RojaDove

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 29th March 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen propercourse

JackieB

Monomatomic

Damir Gašljević (via Twitter)

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners will have till Thursday 2nd 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.

L'Heure Convoiteé II by Mathilde Laurent for Cartier 2011

March 28, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi there Fragrance Fiends,

Every time I wear this beauty I am transported to Prague in winter where I bought it with Jin. You would think it a summer only fragrance but it was wonderful in the super cold too. For some reason I never got to Prague when I lived in London in the 1990s, even though my mates would go there often, it was always on the bucket list and going there with Jin made it extra special. Even if L’Heure Convoiteé II smelled like shit, which it most definitely does not, I would still love it for the memories it conjures.

L’Heure Convoiteé II by Mathilde Laurent for Cartier 2011

Les Heures de Cartier

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Carnation, iris, powdery notes

Cool, stark, crystaline and beautiful. The opening of L’Heure Convoiteé II would be the perfect fragrance for the cold girl from Frozen, ever since I saw the film every time I spritz the song Let It Go runs through my head. People compare it to Bellodgia by Caron and while they are cousins L’Heure Convoiteé II is cooler, less spicy and hot. They are carnations done in opposite directions for me, Bellodgia is thick, rich and nuanced with warmth and spice burning fiercely inside but L’Heure Convoiteé II is stark, linear, sharp and poised, a crystal Queen on the outside that becomes less intimidating as she makes her way through the story.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Clove holds the heart of L’Heure Convoiteé II, clove and iris sharp and earthy, an interesting dichotomy and though it’s not mentioned I think the musk is a lot of what feels fluffy but not human, clean and clear like an washing machine with a brand new rug thrown in for its welcome wash before you add detergents. L’Heure Convoiteé II is the clean lines of modern buildings like Howard Roark’s designs in the Fountainhead or the Brutalist beauty of the Seidler House in Sydney.

Photo Stolen ModernHeritage (Problem using this image, please get in touch)

The clove becomes woodsy towards the end of the L’Heure Convoiteé II ride and the rest of the notes give me a lovely spicy rose weaving through. Still cool and very classy but more welcoming, is there some very dry pepper hiding here? Oooh I like it, I think I’ll respritz and live it all again.

Further reading: Grain de Musc and Olfactoria’s Travels
Cartier stores and some large Department Stores have Les Heures de Cartier
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/.5ml

Do you like the Cartier Hours Collection? Have you tried any? What about other Cartier frags?
Portia xx