Fashion

1270 by Sidonie Lancesseur for Frapin 2010

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Hi there Perfume Junkies,

How are you all? Hopefully happy and well. If not happy, remember emotions are like rain, you can’t control them and they will pass, hugging you from here. XXX

We have talked about 1270 on APJ before, have loved its sweet, shimmery, boozy fun. I was going through stuff and found a really big decant that had come from Dalbir at Aussie fragrance Network on FB me ages ago. What better way to celebrate a find than to share it around.

 1270 by Sidonie Lancesseur for Frapin 2010

1270 Frapin FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Dried orange, pineapple, hazelnut, resins, dried plums, cocoa, tonka, coffee
Heart: Lime blossom, linden tree, pepper, spices, dried fruits
Base: Wood, Guaiac wood, white honey, vanilla

Sweet and sugared glace fruits, dipped in booze and pepper, fizzy, fun and fabulous. I am finding myself more and more in love with the fruity sweet frags lately. How did I come so late to this?

A little of the fun of Angel and Liberté but softer and gentler. A small reminder of a Serge Lutens boozy fruit opening too. Yet for all these reminders 1270 manages to be its own animal, something young and lovely that will grab you in its sugared embrace and sweep you off to the ball, there’s even an animalic honey. You want to smell a little like the masses but BETTER? 1270 offers a gold plated version that dries down to a lovely sweet vanilla for me.

1270 Frapin Ballgown Mathilda Samuelsson FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

If you are a serious perfumista who wants a three ring circus and all the bells and whistles I think this is about as close as a sweet fruity frag will take you, for anyone who merely wants to smell sweet and intoxicatingly alluring then 1270 should be on your list, to be honest you’ll probably want to buy a pallet of it.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Another Perfume Blog
Libertine Parfumerie has $199/100ml (with FREE postage in Australia)
First In Fragrance has €110/100ml and samples
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

I think you should at least give 1270 a whirl, you may just be surprised,

Portia xx

Giveaway Time sassisamblogPhoto Stolen sassisamblog

1270 Frapin GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x 5ml 1270 by Frapin decant
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 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 us about a sweet or boozy fragrance that makes you smile, either because you wear it or because it has happy associations

Extra Chance?
Tweet: http://wp.me/p3PURw-3hb 1270 by Frapin GIVEAWAY   @LibertineParfum

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 26th October 2014 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 30th October 2014 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.

 

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

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Post by Erica Golding

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Hi! Today, I would like to share my love for an intensely sexy work of art that has been getting a lot of steady attention.

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

Absolue Pour le Soir Maison Francis Kurkdjian FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Maison Francis Kurkdjian lists the following accords on its website:
Benzoin from Siam, Bulgarian and Iranian rose, honey, incense absolute, ylang ylang, cumin, Atlas cedar and sandalwood

The first time I sniffed Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian (affectionately dubbed “MFK APLS” in fragrance circles), I was popping open a sample vial gifted to me from a precious new friend. She had tucked it into a packet labeled “Favorites,” and that was the only sales pitch I needed. However, when I opened the vial and sensed the first waft of fragrance, all I could think was that it was too much for me – too intense, too animalic, too concentrated. A few days later, upon reading glowing praise in a review, I decided to try the Cologne Pour Le Soir sample that she had also included in the same packet. The simpler composition and cologne dilution of this fragrance allowed me to experience the key notes without being overwhelmed, and unlocked my heart. Passionately, I enjoyed the cologne’s thickly rich dark honey, incense with musky resins, and amber’s benzoin woody-vanillic swirl. I thought to myself, if the cologne was so magical on my skin, then I should give the Absolue a chance.

Absolue Pour le Soir Maison Francis Kurkdjian Tigress Jon Connell FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

The next night, I graced my skin with one drop from the wand-capped vial of Absolue Pour Le Soir. It blossomed into an incredibly deep, powdery honey, a viscous scent with accents of warm precious woods and spices, and a haze of resinous incense drifting lazily. It’s the honey that made me purr, it’s truly sensual – erotic, honestly. There was a hint of rose in the opening that made me think of rose petals floating in a bathtub, a luxurious excess that yields simple, pure delight.

As I have been getting to know APLS more intimately and being more courageous with the volume I apply, I have fallen completely in love, sailing past infatuation and into blind devotion. It’s not for everyone, proceed with caution – the intensity and unrepentant sexuality of this perfume can be challenging, especially if you aren’t prepared for it or dive in too deep, too fast. However, for those of us who have synchronized our souls to this extraordinary aroma, it can bring us to tears.

Absolue Pour le Soir Maison Francis Kurkdjian honey-bees debcbalsucci PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

In my opinion, this is primarily an evening fragrance, although I’m sure true lovers rock this at any hour of the day. The fragrance is concentrated, and lasts a long time on the skin with impressive throw. A little goes a long way, no need to slather and Sex Panther everyone in your wake! Wear this when your focus of the night is romance, and wear it with pride and confidence.

Absolue Pour le Soir Maison Francis Kurkdjian Mariisa Harley Davidson Nicole Zheng FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy and Australian Perfume Junkies
LuckyScent has $185/70ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this perfume, as I am aware it can be a love-it-or-hate-it fragrance! Are you brave enough to try a drop on your skin?
Warmly fragrant hugs,
Erica

Michael Edwards + J'Adore by DIOR 1999

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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Recently I attended a Sydney Perfume Lovers meet up; a live interview of Michael Edwards, by Clayton from What Men Should Smell Like and Catherine from Scent of Choice.

It was a fantastic, intimate evening! – Michael really opened up telling us personal stories from his childhood in Malawi, and his most memorable smell from there (Tamboti wood) along with much more on his fabulous career, industry secrets and future book releases. (Covered previously on APJ with an Interview and story about the Fragrances Of the World book)

Ainslie-and-Michael EdwardsPhoto Donated Clayton

Bringing along my copy of Michael’s out of print “Perfume Legends” book which he signed was a super highlight of the night.

Michael Edwards Perfume legendsPhoto Donated Ainslie Walker

We were all gifted, a couture-inspired J’adore Eau De Parfum refillable purse spray from Dior, of which, I have been wearing regularly much to my surprise. Perhaps it’s the link to a wonderful and memorable evening – I am enjoying this perfume.

J’Adore by Calice Becker for DIOR 1999

J`adore Dior Fragrantica

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Magnolia, melon, peach, pear, mandarin, bergamot
Heart: Freesia, orchid, rose, violet, lily of the valley, plum, jasmine, tuberose
Base: Musk, vanilla, cedar, blackberry

It’s clean, fresh and easy to wear. It packs a punch (meaning it’s very strong) but since the notes are clean and rounded and not too heavy on the aquatic and fruit notes – I can handle it, and so I imagine, could peers in the office or bus. The scent is full-bodied and floral – not the thin scents I often find on the “mainstream” shelf. They say it contains only the finest raw ingredients, and perhaps this is true! It feels modern and womanly and kind of easy to wear. It shimmers. Dior’s website quote Ylang Ylang, Damask Rose and Jasmin Sambac as the main notes, but I’m getting bergamot, jasmine, some green fresh notes, magnolia? More white floral, hydroxycitronellal/lily of the valley, peach and marine notes. Possibly some sandalwood molecules giving it some oomph.

J`adore Dior FashionBangz
I’m going to call this “womanly, modern glamour” – its definitely full of modern synthetics, and quality naturals. It’s very clean. Dior markets this fragrance to be “the incarnation of absolute femininity”. I interpret it as “modern femininity” – a glamorous mother on a school run, an easy to wear, powerful office scent – strongly feminine, but not too much of a statement. Practical. Somehow it motivates me. If I rated “femininity” by bra styles, it would be a radiantly white, cotton bra. It suggests the modern woman is active, out there doing things, being practical, showing strength. If it were office clothing it would be a crisp white shirt and tailored slacks. Slightly androgynous, hair pulled back with lipstick. I wouldn’t rule it out to be worn by a man. For me, it would not be something I would wear if I had anything romantic planned.
In saying that it is good to explore all of ones facets, and this fragrance would indeed be sexy to many. It could be the smell of a work/office fantasy woman. *Throws off glasses, lets down hair whilst flicking it etc. etc. It could DEFINITELY be the smell of a daytime bride.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Bois de Jasmin
FragranceNet has the most fabulous refillable EdP spray bottle $110/75ml before coupon
My Perfume Samples starts at $3/ml

J’Adore is popular because it’s lovely, and I am glad to have now given it a go. What’s your take on this popular frag?
Ainslie Walker XX

Terracotta le Parfum by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2014

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Post by TinaG

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I have been blessed in my youth to have travelled more than the average teenager, having spent time in the tropics away from the major cities. Terracotta unexpectedly gave me a glimpse back to that time. I was lucky to gain a sample of the 2014 le Parfum, and tested it blind, so really didn’t know what to expect. It quickly laid itself bare, beckoning, and began telling me its luscious story.

Terracotta le Parfum by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2014

Terracotta Le Parfum Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, coconut, tiare flower
Heart: Jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom
Base: Musk, vanilla

Terracotta le Parfum opens with the most wonderful tiare flower. Tiare has facets which could be compared to frangipani, although it is a form of pointy-petalled gardenia. It has a full bodied fragrance, but deep in its heart is the touch of a strange, slightly uncomfortable greenness, that just takes the edge off the headiness and provides a bit of breathing space. Along with the tiare, a rich jasmine bursts forth, which is beautifully balanced being neither overly indolic nor squeaky clean.

Terracotta Le Parfum Guerlain Tiare Pat McGrath FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

The warmth of these opening flowers is amazing, it feels like the individual blooms have been resting in the sun, to be woven into a lei and gently placed around my neck. I can feel the sunlight captured in the moist waxiness of the petals. There is a touch of orange blossom in the silage, which I don’t find close to my skin, which accentuates the impression of being surrounded by the thick heavy tropical air.

At around 2 hours I can smell a subtle, slippery coconut note with a hint of skin-generated musk in the background. It makes me feel like I’ve just applied the sheerest layer of moisturiser into sun-tinged skin at the end of a lazy day. The whole effect is intoxicating enough to gently disengage me from the normal barrage of everyday banality and just…. relax, smile, breath, and enjoy.

I have fond memories of the tropics, having spent some of my formative years in Papua New Guinea. Terracotta le Parfum particularly invokes images and memories of a visit we made to an active volcanic island off the north coast of PNG.

Terracotta Le Parfum Guerlain Tavurvur_volcano PNG WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Next to the black sand beach are long swaths of well-manicured lawn, a residual feature of the colonial management of the copra oil plantation. This scent finds me walking bare-footed on the spongy grass past the white-washed main house, holding a lei of tiare & jasmine up to my nose and breathing deeply – although there is no need to, the humid air is filled with the smell of flowering frangipani trees and the deeper richness of the jungle spreading up the hill behind the house. Strung up between two coconut trees is an old gnarled sun-bleached rope hammock, which I wander over and roll in to. Lying in the shade, no sense of being too warm or too cold, cares being washed away by the tiny ripples of waves against the shore, breathing in the richness of the waxy blooms: there is not really any place closer to heaven on earth.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Chemist In A Bottle
Guerlain quickly sold out and I have read that Terracotta le Parfum will become regular range
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

Tina xx

Evocative Perfumes GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Hey there Crew!

Firstly: THANK YOU to the incredible generosity of Mark at Evocative Perfumes. Please go and check out his site and try some of his marvelous creations. You will be well rewarded for your time and money, these fragrances are lovely.
Good Luck everyone.

Portia xx

Evocative Perfumes GIVEAWAY WINNERS

evocative perfumes Banner LogoEvocative Perfumes Olibanum

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x Evocative Perfume Oil Sample Sets (Aquarelle, Imogen, Olibanum, Evelyn’s Rose, Fleur de Magnolia)
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

Go to Evocative Perfumes and tell me any fragrance they sell online and a note that it contains. NO DOUBLE UPS!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Evocative Perfumes GIVEAWAY @EvocativeParfum http://wp.me/p3PURw-3hl  

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 19th October 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

winners-are prospectsplusPhoto Stolen prospectsplus

Damir Gašljević (via Twitter)

Sun Mi Fontaine

The winners will have till Thursday 23rd October 2014 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.

Jersey by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2011

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Hey Hey Happy Huffers,

Recently I spent the day with Ainslie Walker, we did a bunch of things. Saw the Eames on Eames films at the Sydney Film Festival where the US furniture makers’ grandson showed us some of the amazing and ground breaking work that the Eames’ did in a totally different media, from toy trains and their workshop to a Washington DC Aquarium they designed that never was built, sadly because it looked totally fabulous. If it comes to a cinema near you don’t miss it.

While we were out we went and sniffed out the Les Exclusifs de Chanel range where I was seriously contemplating a Cuir de Russie Extrait purchase when Ainslie started to wax lyrical about her great love for Jersey, a scent I had previously sniffed and dismissed as meh and yawnsville. I made my position very clear, spritzed with CHANEL No. 22 and we went on to see if they had a few specifics left from the mass sacrifice of the Tom Ford line. It’s a couple of weeks later and I have been thinking that Ainslie wouldn’t own a BOTTLE of something totally inferior, so I grabbed a sample out and spritzed…

Jersey by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2011

Les Exclusifs de ChanelChanel Jersey Fragrantica

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tonka bean, rose, musk, lavender, jasmine, vanilla, grass, wildflowers

CHANEL Jersey is nothing like I remember it being. Bigger and more voluptuous than my memory, also a surprise was that Jersey skews ever so slightly masculine. KEWL! I like to cross the boundaries.

Lavender opening is fresh and delightful, it has a fresh cut flowers from the garden green-ness and something softly resinous that seems to smooth the whole composition like a piece of worn to a pebble glass found on a beach in the cool of morning and rubbed against your cheek. After a short while Jersey warms a little on my skin and becomes very comfortable and slightly lived in, soft and intimate but still noticeable that I’m fragrant. I think Jersey is one of those fragrances that feel small but are in fact really good projectors and leave a wonderful sillage. After spritzing and going to make a cuppa, when I come back to my office there is a decided vanilla/lavender smell in the room, like I’ve just spritzed a room spray. Very nice, subtle and elegant.

Chanel Jersey Living Room FlashBuddy PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

There is a clean, comfortable and fresh aspect to Jersey that is very much like wearing your favourite T-Shirt, freshly washed and direct from the line. The colour is slightly faded and the fabric floats on your body, there but not there, a whisper of Jersey fabric that is both part of you and not. Jersey fragrance is similar, infinitely more wearable for me than Hermessence Brin de Reglisse, it is a warmer, smoother version of a lavender-centric fragrance. I could imagine Jersey becoming quite addictive.

Chanel Jersey Interlockjersey WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Through the life of Jersey the lavender makes guest reappearances paired with different notes. at one point creamy vanilla/lavender, then later green/lavender, then lightly spicy rose/lavender. Then combinations of more than two notes, it’s an intricate duck & weave pattern that keeps me on the edge of my nose for hours.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Candy Perfume Boy
CHANEL boutiques have Jersey
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Did you try Jersey? Is CHANEL a house you click with or aspire to?
Portia xx

 

CHANEL N°5: The One That I Want

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Hey Gang,

WOW! I write this to you through a misty fog. I just watched the new CHANEL No.5 film. Ah May ZinG! “Baz” Luhrmann has done a spectacular job on the newest film. Gisele Bündchen at 34 is even more beautiful, stylish and poised than she was in the beginning. Please watch the behind the scenes clip first because it explains the film perfectly and will give you an added dimension when you see it.

WOW WOW WOW

CHANEL N°5: The One That I Want

Gisele bundchen no 5 indonesia.StylePhoto Stolen Indonesian.Style (problem with using image, tell us)

Gisele was also the face of Liberte by Cacharel a few years ago, I thought her a perfect choice then and here she seems to have found her perfect niche. CHANEL and Gisele

Bravo CHANEL, again…….
Portia xx

CHANEL N°5 Set: The Film Behind the Film

CHANEL N°5: The One That I Want – The Film

Kiss Me Tender by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolai 2010

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

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Post by Poodle

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Loves me, loves me not

I’d been curious to try Kiss Me Tender for so long. I almost made a blind buy. It seemed so promising.

Kiss Me Tender by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolai 2010

Kiss Me Tender Parfums de Nicolai FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, bitter almonds, star anise
Heart: Heliotrope, cloves, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, spices, fresh hay, jasmine
Base: Opoponax, musk, vanilla, wood notes

The first time I tried it there was tons of ylang-ylang (more than you’re thinking) and a touch of spice. There was something retro about it as well but in a good way. When I was a kid my mom had given me some perfume nips to play with. They were these little glass-like tubes that were fused shut on the ends. In order to get the perfume out you had to snap off the end of the tube. Not something any of today’s overprotective parents would let a child play with but I had no incidents with them. Anyway, there was a ylang-ylang one and that’s what this reminded me of. That was my favorite along with the carnation. It was rich, creamy, sweet, and just a little spicy. It was soft and comfortable. When I smelled Kiss me Tender it was wonderful and I wanted a bottle then and there but I didn’t buy one.

Kiss Me Tender Parfums de Nicolai Klimt Der_Kuss WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

The next time I tried it it was different. This time there was still ylang-ylang but there was some serious sweetness as well. It was shot through with a note of green (the fresh hay?) which was an unusual contrast to the sugar. It seemed more bitter to me than green actually. Perhaps it was my mood but that day it set my teeth on edge. Lurking within this confectionary cloud I could smell some spice, clove and cinnamon to be exact, adding to the gourmand experience I was having. As the sugar subsided I was again brought back to my childhood with an odd Play-Doh note which drifted in and out. Where was all this hiding the first time I tried it? I didn’t dislike it but I wasn’t loving it like the first time. It wasn’t a good day for that much sweetness and any wrist huffing made my tummy turn a bit. On another day I might have liked it. Looking at other reviews lots of folks do.

Kiss Me Tender Parfums de Nicolai Dog Kiss Mike Baird FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I know I will probably have a different experience if I try it again but there’s no third try because what little I had is gone. Will I buy a bottle now? Not likely without another sampling. I’m just not sure why it worked so well one day and the next was so cloying to me.

Further reading: Grain de Musc and Perfume Shrine
Parfum1 has $150/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Anyway, have you ever loved a perfume one day and then had a complete reversal the next time you wore it? Did you ever fall in love with it again?

Poodle XXX

Elvis Presley – Love Me Tender (Lyrics)

Nahema by Jean-Paul Guerlain 1979

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Post by Trésor

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I’m often asked if I were forced to choose a single rose fragrance to wear for the rest of my life, the be-all and end-all of sumptuous carmine petals, what would that rose be? Would I choose to enrapture myself within a bordeaux hued nebula of Frederic Malle’s Une Rose? The labrynthine delicacy of Mohur from Neela Vermeire? The striking and immaculately vivid photorealism of Olympic Orchids’ Ballets Rouges? Though I appreciate their beauty beyond measure and spend many an hour in their passionate embrace the answer is simply no. My rose is Nahéma and it is her panoramic film star joie de vivre which draws me in close and beguiles me beyond the tangible and into a state of resplendent olfactory euphoria.

Nahema by Jean-Paul Guerlain 1979

Nahema Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, peach, bergamot, green notes, aldehydes
Heart: Hyacinth, Bulgarian rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, lilac, lily of the valley
Base: Vanilla, passion flower, Peru balsam, vetiver, sandalwood

The incipient rush of Nahéma is an exquisite spectrum of golden sunlight, her rays are a fluid opus of scintillating aldehydes, bergamot and a rather fascinating, fleeting flicker of hesperidic emerald green. Before long she begins to reveal a precious gift passed down to her by her older sister Mitsouko, the most unctuous and extraordinary peach who’s ripe flesh is gilded with flourishing spices. The beauty of the peach in Nahéma is in the way she carries it with utter ebullience and effortless charm. This symphonic assemblage of top notes cannot hold a candle to what comes next, the ripples of which have pervaded the very atmosphere of the entire composition from the beginning, the rose.

Nahema Guerlain Peach Liz West FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

To begin to explain this rose seems almost an Olympian task for it is not simply a rose, it is a dream sequence and conceptual art piece in and of itself. It is not a rose of the Earth but a romanticized rendering, an olfactory landscape of scarlet lipstick kisses and lucid eruptions of honeyed, crimson velvet. The facets of Nahéma’s rose are akin to those of an intricately cut diamond, a radiant explosion of luminosity grounded by a weighted, baroque floridity that calls to mind a bygone era of unabashed luxury and excess. As the operatic rose begins to settle into the skin you are met with a redolent hum of rich, balsamic warmth. She’s borrowed some of Shalimar‘s characteristic vanilla and has again worn it in her own signature style.

Nahema Guerlain Baroque WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

While still a study in resinous complexity it also maintains a dulcet levity to foil a smouldering depth. This is something that must be experienced for all the words in the world seem a failure to convey the inimitable beauty hidden within these treasured vapours.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and The Non Blonde
Beauty Encounter have $320/30ml Parfum
Surrendeer To Chance has vintage PdT samples from $6/ml

My concentration of choice in this pulchritudinous potion is the dense and luxuriant extrait de parfum. It lasts an exhorbitantly long time on my skin, sometimes through a hot bath and into the next day. I’m particularly fond of anointing my skin with Nahéma when I am looking to feel unapologetically glamorous and in need of an instant boost of confidence. For me, it truly is a sacred elixir.

Trésor XX

Hermès Cuir d'Ange by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Hermès, Hairdressers, and a Touch of Leather

Hermès Cuir d’Ange by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2014

Hermessence No 12

Cuir d’Ange really does smell like the inside of a soft leather bag. The kind that I will never own. I am not going to dissect Cuir d’Ange. Why would I? I learned on my recent trip to Florence that many of the perfumers want to stop “note lists” as it can take the wearer away from the beauty of the creation. Suffice it to say that there are layers of notes as with all perfume. Cuir d’Ange starts just sweet enough, and not overly flowery, the cool, elegant leather is detectable immediately. It has more of a suede feel, soft as a powder-puff. It smells exquisitely expensive, smooth and flawless. A whispy touch of warm caramel hovering, a soft muskiness. Subtle. It feels beautiful on the skin. A good generous spraying gave me hours of pleasure. I know that for some, the Hermès longevity is an issue. They are eau de toilette strength, but who cares? No law against reapplication.

Cuir d`Ange Hermes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica give these featured accords in one line:
Heliotrope, hawthorn, violet, narcissus, musk and leather

Jean-Claude Ellena is 67. It took him 10 years to create Cuir d’Ange. When asked why he explained that it is a slow and very demanding process. Taking a concept that is in the mind and translating the concept into a physical thing is hard.

Cuir d`Ange Hermes Jon Rawlinson FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Cuir d’Ange was named referencing the words of an early 20th century French author Jean Giono. Giono has inspired Ellena for over thirty years. (Although I know of Giono, I am not familiar with anything that he wrote. I better remedy that!) Ellena describes himself as “a writer of smells”. That applies to all great perfumers.

My hairdresser has a leather fetish. He thinks I don´t know. I plan very careful which perfume I wear each time I go. Today I wore Cuir d’Ange.
Result.

Cuir d`Ange Hermes Leather Hector Garcia FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I went to the Hermès store in Vienna last week. Their customer service is amazing. The SA gave me 8mls of Cuir d’Ange to “try properly”. Which I have done. It will be my next purchase. Much thanks to my two perfumista girlfriends in Vienna for introducing me to Hermès. I have given my bank manager their contact details.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Grain de Musc
Cuir d’Ange is number 12 in Hermès’ Hermessence collection of perfumes. It is available exclusively in Hermès stores. It costs about 185 Euros for 100 mls.
Which is 92.50 Euros for 50 mls which is not expensive compared to some of those over priced supposed big hitters out there.
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Cuir d’Ange is graceful and refined. No mean feat for a leather perfume. Sublime.

Bussis
CQ