Fashion

APSU by Ulrich Lang 2016

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Portia

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Hey All,

I was really excited when today’s fragrance came out but it’s taken me this long to get my bloody sniff on it. I love Ulrich and when I saw APSU in a split recently I went ahead and grabbed a decant.

APSU by Ulrich Lang 2016

APSU Ulrich Lang FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green leaves, coriander, violet leaf, bergamot
Heart: White tea, jasmine, water lily, pink pepper, iris
Base: White musk, cedar, amber, olibanum

You want to wear green fragrance but are bored by the galbanum rich CHANEL No 19, Silences, Niki de Saint Phalle and Vert Boheme? You have had the green grass/peony/cucumber scents beyond your ability to bear?

I think I’ve found the remedy. Here we have green leaves like soft pulpy hydrangea and the bitter snap of camellia leaves, they are glassy smoothed by the cool powdery green of coriander seeds. The heart is a floral bouquet, dewy and satin soft against your cheek given a zing with pepper. The layers unfold slowly and give you time to savour each new facet. To notice the changes though you need to be paying real attention because they happen completely under the radar. If you’re living your day there will be moments where you are reminded you’ve got fragrance on because it has shape shifted.

Ulrich Lang

APSU is never a big scent, once the initial extravagance has blown off you get a beautiful low level crisp green scent that works beautifully here as autumn moves to winter but I think it would be wonderfully cooling in the hot summer months too. Refreshing to the very end and unusual enough to keep even the most dedicated perfumistas nose sniffing.

Further reading: Persolaise and Colognoisseur
First In Fragrance has €95/100ml + Samples
Beauty Habit has $125/100ml

So here’s your chance to try it……

APSU by Ulrich Lang GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x APSU by Ulrich Lang sample
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

Please go to Ulrich Lang<<jump and find ONE INGREDIENT and name both ingredient & fragrance. (No DOUBLE UPS)

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 18th June 2017 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Sunday 25th June 2017 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

Vanille Orient by Jean-Claude Astier + Geoffrey Nejman for M. Micallef 2012

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Portia

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Hey there Frag Heads,

You may remember a few weeks ago I bought a bottle of M Micallef Vanille Marine? Well looking through my decants this week I discovered 5ml of another in the line. Because I loved the other so much I’d basically ignored todays and so I thought we could look at it together today.

Vanille Orient by M. Micallef 2012

Vanille Orient by Jean-Claude Astier + Geoffrey Nejman

Vanille Orient M. Micallef FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Spices, vanilla, sandalwood, amber, musk

Opening is vanilla, quickly tempered by sweet citrus and warm resins. There is some cardamom or something equally green/smooth floating around and a smokiness on a low level. A simple creamy amber, very easy wear, is the heart. Nothing ground breaking or distinctive but it does smell very luxurious.

I keep smelling myself and thinking that Vanille Orient transports me to an expensive European hotel lobby in winter. Resinous, woody, balsams and a clean musk with a faint reminder of long dead cigarettes and coffee. It’s a clean, warm, comfortable scent that would make a terrific candle.

Vanille Orient M. Micallef istanbul tpsdave pixabayPDI

I don’t know if you ever go to art galleries but there is a certain slim line 40+ woman who wears a black wool polo neck jumper, boot cut jeans or a tailored skirt and comfortable boyishly styled shoes. Often her greying and kept natural hair is cut in a modern super short bob and she accessorises with white gold. I have come a ross these wonderful women and they will chat about the art sometimes. They LOVE this kind of amber. A happy middle ground between the sweet, bakery style and the bitch tar leather ambers.

This wears resinous rather than sweet, is dry and warm with no animalics or darkness. A 100% comfortable amber that smells very good. Excellent for wafting in the cool halls of galleries.

Vanille Orient M. Micallef the-louvre unsplash pixabayPDI

Further reading: Notable Scents and Muse In Wooden Shoes
Feeling Sexy Australia has $245/100ml with FREE Australian Shipping

What do you wear to go to the gallery?
Portia xx

Chanel No. 5 Le Parfum Cheveux

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Erica Golding

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Hello to all of you gorgeously scented readers out there!

Today I am excited to dish about a new limited edition treasure that I didn’t even know existed. Last weekend, after a visit to the museum with family, I just so happened to accidentally pop into the Chanel boutique. Oopsie! 😉 While I was there, sniffing euphorically, I found out about:

Chanel No. 5 Le Parfum Cheveux

Chanel No. 5 Le Parfum Cheveux Hair Mist CHANELCHANEL

This sweet little frosted bottle of hair mist is adorable and affordable! It’s only 40 mL, so it’s a fleeting luxury. But some of the best things in life are ephemeral, don’t you think? This is a flare of joy to savor in the moment! The petal-pink formula does not contain alcohol, which makes it great for scenting your tresses without potential damage. The atomizer produces a full-bodied fine mist, just perfect.

As for how it smells, the opening begins a bit more powdery than how No. 5 perfume presents on my skin. The aldehydes are more muted in the hair mist, so the aroma doesn’t have as much of a high-pitched soapy vibration. The signature Chanel rose and jasmine absolutes preside like royalty, delightfully noble. Overall, the hair mist wears a bit softer and silkier than the perfume. The scent projects a tender sweetness as a glowing halo, and I really do associate this quality with the rosy blush tone of the liquid. It’s an absolutely divine manifestation of synesthesia for me.

Chanel No. 5 Le Parfum Cheveux Hair Mist ractapopulous PixabayPDI

I’ve already gotten several compliments on this charming luxury, and it brings me such pleasure to know that people subconsciously enjoy the sillage because they associate Chanel No. 5 with beloved memories.

Chanel won’t have this hair mist available for very long. It’s an online exclusive, but some of the boutiques begged for a few to put in stock. Snatch one up while you can! And if you’re a fan of Chance or Chance Eau Tendre, those are currently available as well!

Further reading: Non Blonde

Hope you have a spectacular day or fabulous evening, wherever you are!

Love and light,

-Erica

Giovanna Antonelli: New Perfume House

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Olá APJ!

Let me give you a brief introduction to a trio of new perfumes. Giovanna Antonelli is a household name in Brazil, a superstar. I think 3.6 million Twitter and more than 5 million Instagram followers probably indicates indicates that. She is an actress and probably best known in South America and in Portugal for her soap operas success. Now at this point in any advertising blurb I would already be turning the page. Had it not been for The Silver Fox suggesting that I try them I would be long gone. And let´s be honest here, Giovanna Antonelli does
sound so much more attractive than our Anglo-Saxon names!

After creating a line of nail polishes, jewellery, and being involved in some cosmetics, Giovanna turned her thoughts to a perfume line. Being into perfume herself she decided against a straightforward celeb brand and had three more specialised perfumes created for her, under her name. Giovanna Antonelli harbour no lofty ideas of revolutionising the perfume industry. Nor are their fragrances full of the typical eau de niche notes, you know – generic base note chemicals, ISO E etc, etc, etc. (These evolve, top notes, heart notes and base notes!) Three years were spent in the preparation and refining of these absolutely lovely perfumes.

Giovanna Antonelli: New Perfume House

I have been wearing the three perfumes over for the last few weeks. Proper full body applications! Many thanks to Lionel from Courtois/Mourot Perfumes for the travel bottles. It makes such a difference to be able to wear perfume as intended.

 

411 INTENSO A chypre floral.

Top: Bulgarian Rose, bergamot, pepper, cammomile.
Middle: Jasmin sambac, ylang ylang, peony.
Base: Patchouli, Amber, Vetiver, sandalwood

611 EXTREMO A floral oriental.

Top: Rhubarb, pear, bergamot
Middle: Tubereuse, Egyptian jasmine, hawthorn
Base: Liquorice, iris, benzoin, vanilla

 

 

811 ABSOLUTO A spicy oriental.

Top: Bergamot, pepper, cloves, lavender
Middle: Green, jasmine, honey, tolu
Base: Patchouli, amber, musk, vanilla

I am sat here at my desk, wearing all three. Each one is rich, full-bodied, rounded, and absolutely lovely. Exuberant, vivacious, heated, and absolutely lovely. In these days of so many things smelling the same, lovely is indeed the highest praise. And I will wear every single drop, not something I say very often.

Around 150 Euros for a 100 mls. Take a look at Giovanna Antonelli. You can practice your French and Portuguese, the English site is up and coming.

Obrigada Giovanna Antonelli.

Beijos
CQ

Samsara by Jean-Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 1989

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Portia

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Hello lovelies,

Samsara has great memories for me of my Mum. I bought her some one year and she wore it often. It’s weird but I rarely hear people speak of this particular Guerlain, it’s still in department stores so must be a good seller for them. Every now & then I get mine out to reminisce. Then I wonder why I don’t wear it more.

Samsara by Guerlain 1989

Samsara by Jean-Paul Guerlain

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, peach, green notes
Heart: Jasmine, iris, narcissus, violet, rose
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, musk

Samsara means “Wheel Of Life” in Sanskrit according to Jean-Paul Guerlain the perfumes main creator.

Creamy tropical flowers and fruit, a little sharp in the open. Samsara doesn’t take long to settle on my skin and become a slightly banana-isa yellow floral with BWF aspirations. Mildly flower feral, it wears in parfum close and seductive. When I add the EdT it becomes a larger, more exhibitionist fragrance, a glamorous silk brocade of a scent.

Once the initial extravaganza calms I’m left with a nebulous bouquet backed by a sweet, dry-ish vanilla and creamy resinous sandalwood till fade. Recently I read that even back in 1989 Samsara was mainly faux sandalwood, doesn’t matter to me. Lastly I smell sandalwood and musks, I think the musk might be the real deal but TBH I’ll probably never know

Some people talk about how outrageous and overbearing Samsara is. That’s definitely not how I experience it. Maybe because of my Mum reference Samsara is a warm, elegant, pre-oud oriental that is both exotic and incredibly comforting. Back in the 1980s Samsara was armchair travel to faraway places, a hint of the multifarious peoples of Asia and the Middle East. Even then I knew world travel was what I wanted to do as a life hobby.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Muse In Wooden Shoes
Most Guerlain counters have Samsara
Surrender To Chance has vintage parfum samples from $20/0.25ml

Have you tried Samsara?
I hope you enjoyed wandering among my fragrant thoughts. Below is an original Samsarta ad, hopefully see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Taif Roses by Montale 2007

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Portia

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Hi there Rose Lovers,

I have had a 5ml decant here for ages of Taif Roses. It’s about half empty now and I worried that it would never get a showing on the blog. So many people deride Montale as a house for their unlimited releases of virtually the same faux oud scents again and again. It’s a fair criticism but if you ever take the time to look into a few of their non-oud releases you may be pleasantly surprised. Some of them are really lovely, and I like that Montale has kept their product affordable in this age of aspirational pricing.

I think it was someone on FaceBook’s Aussie Fragrance Network that reminded me recently of Taif Roses. Thanks to that person I grabbed it out again today.

Taif Roses by Montale 2007

Taif Roses Montale FragranticaFragrantica

While looking for a note list everywhere I looked gave only rose. The Taif rose is special, while looking for information I found a link on BaseNotes that took me to this.

From Armco: No one is certain how the 30-petal damask rose first came to Taif. The impulse for its cultivation, however, assuredly lay in Taif’s proximity to Makkah (Ed: Mecca). That the rose of Taif is virtually identical to the famous Bulgarian “kazanlik” strain suggeststhat Taif’s roses may have been transplanted from the Balkans by the Ottoman Turks, who occupied that area from the mid-14th century and the Hijaz from the 16th century. However, the kazanlik rose—its Turkish name means “suitable for the [distiller’s] kettle”—has its own roots in the Persian rose plantations around Shiraz and Kashan, which in turn supplied fields in Syria. A legend among the growers of al-Hada says that the flower originally came from India.

Taif Roses is a woody, green leaves and snap of fresh cut stems rose. Floral petals of rose, intoxicatingly intense are surrounded by the bushes themselves and the dry, cool air of the early morning picking in the spring sunlight. often compared in my reading to Sa Majesty la Rose by Serge Lutens but without the honey to sweeten it, and far less of the spicy clove.

Taif Roses Montale

Montale

Longevity is exceptional, in the Montale way and sillage is very good too. A little goes a long way but I like to really douse myself and sit among the rosey fog.

Further reading: Scent for Thought and BOTO
Feeling Sexy Australia has $145/100ml

How do you like your roses? Green, jammy, spicy or otherwise?
Portia xx

Bois d’Argent by Annick Menardo for DIOR La Collection Privée 2004

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Sandra

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HI there APJ,

Iris season has begun, the yellow water irises have bloomed and now I am waiting to see some bearded irises. I find the iris to be one of the most stunning flowers allowing itself to be photographed and painted over and over without getting bored. The colours are all over the spectrum and I find it difficult to choose a favourite. However, I love the shape of the bearded iris the most.

Now when it comes to perfumery, I always found the iris note to be cold and aloof, almost unbearably so. I tried and tried through the years to come to terms with this much loved note. I have even bought a bottle here or there of an iris centric perfume in hopes of finally getting it – only to be disappointed and then pass it along.

I do not know if it is age or reason that has brought my nose around, but at the moment I cannot seem to get enough of iris. I do believe that I am finally understanding that I like the warmer treatment of iris and tend to shy away from the cold renderings.

Bois d’Argent by DIOR La Collection Privée 2014

Bois d’Argent by Annick Menardo

Bois d'Argent Christian Dior FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Yemenite frankincense
Heart: Somalian myrrh, Indonesian patchouli, Florentine iris absolute
Base: Amber, Woody notes, Honey, Leather, White musk

Last summer I picked up Christian Dior Bois d’Argent, created by Annick Menardo in 2004, which is part of the La Collection Privée. I sprayed it on in Nice and was taken aback of well this perfume worked in the summer heat. It was never stifling, nor suffocating. I packed it up as soon as we found out we were moving and did not spray it again until January of this year. It was winter and a wet cold set into my bones. The only way to stay warm was through olfactory stimulation. Bois d’Argent is warm and cuddly in the cold. The vanilla is played up with the iris and myrrh making it a slightly sweet, but not too sweet treat.

It has been in heavy rotation ever since January and now that Rotterdam is finally warming up I can say that I am enjoying Bois d’Argent even more. The perfume starts off with a blast of incense and a tinge of myrrh. The incense is warm and not overly done which can be a bit much. I find that myrrh rounds certain perfumes beautifully. The iris is smooth and warm and only slightly powdery. The powder aspect is less detectable now in the warmer weather. Instead of powder I am getting a lovely dry down of woods, incense and iris. Bois d’Argent is elegant and refined but not so much so that I cannot wear it on a daily basis. It keeps me centered and calm and ready to face the day with a smile and positive energy.

To be honest with you I can forget about the notes. This is smooth sailing and I do not need to think about what I am wearing. Rarely do I get compliments when I wear perfume. However, I do when I wear Bois d’Argent.

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and Olfactoria’s Travels
DIOR stores and some larger department store countermand airports carry the DIOR La Collection Privée line
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3.25/ml

Have you tried Dior Bois d’Argent? Now that I am open to and looking for some iris scents to try, can you recommend some to me? I would love to hear what you have to say about iris and how you like it or do not like it.
Sandra x

(Ed: All the Iris photos by Sandra. Beautiful.)

Perfume Shopping Safari – learning how!

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TinaG

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Hi APJ!

A friend asked me for advice – she’d been finding her favourite fragrance was not smelling the same in her skin. She was looking for something new. Did I know anything that was similar which she could try?

So firstly we chatted about her signature scent. My friend has been using Dolce & Gabbana – Rose the One, which obviously is rose-centric but balanced out with lychee and peony. Instead of asking what she liked, we started with what she didn’t – this being any fragrance that was overly floral or sweet. But there’s only one way to find out – go shopping!

Perfume Shopping Safari – learning how!

So off we went on a perfume safari. We went to Myer / Mecca in Sydney city. Myer is open till 8:00pm which was perfect for dropping in after work. This excercise was also helping her to learn how to test & what to watch out for. When we got there I directed her to the Bottega Venetta and Narciso Rodrigues displays where I grabbed a handful of mouilettes. If I’m bulk testing, I’ll put a spray or two on paper & pop the end under the display bottle to let it dry a bit & keep track of what’s what. My nose lasts much longer (ie doesn’t get blown out / insensitive) if I’m sniffing dry paper, not wet.

Narciso Poudree Narciso Rodriguez FragranticaFragrantica

So then we sniffed everything in those two ranges over about 15 minutes – chatting & learning about first impressions as we went. We chose Narciso Pourdée Eau de Parfum to try on skin, and found immediately that my friends skin amps fragrances in a sour direction. Good to know.

She was super quick to learn about top notes, dry down, what she liked and within 1/2 an hour we split up & she worked her way around Myer, the Libertine section, and Mecca with some wonderful sales assistants. I felt a bit proud when I over-heard her saying ‘my skin amps sour’ to the nods of an SA. Yay!

Gypsy Water Byredo FragranticaFragrantica

We had loads of fun in our adventure. I unfortunately fell in love with Gypsy Water by Byredo while she was off gallavanting…. maybe I should have kept my hands behind my back.

Other fragrances she tried on skin were Lady Vengence by Juliette has a Gun, Arcana Rosa by L’Artisan Perfumer – Natura Fabularis collection, Lys 41 by Le Labo, and Gris Clair… by Serge Lutens. Both the JHAG and Le Labo were fantastic and the SAs generously gave her small vials to give a proper run through at home.

Lady Vengeance Juliette Has A Gun FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Lavender
Heart: Bulgarian rose, Moroccan rose, Patchouli, Hedione, ISO-E-Super
Base: Ambroxan, Vanilla, White musk

The next Monday she came back to me to say she loved Lady Vengence so much she went back & picked up a bottle of it. It’s a rose & patchouli scent and the quirky JHAG branding suits her so well. A win!

Have you ever had a friend find a new fragrance love through your recommendations?

Till next time,
Tina G xx

Verveine Figuiere by Pierre Guillaume for Phaedon 2012

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Portia

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Hey Fumie Freakazoids,

Pierre Guillaume does some fun & interesting stuff in his Phaedon range. The blurb on the Phaedon Website says: The house of Phaedon was founded by two Parisian aesthetes with a passion for travel and the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean. I love that these scents are affordable beauty, Pierre seems secure enough to release at realistic prices yet still produce absolutely luxe scent. When the brand came out Tabac Rouge was all we heard about but the other scents in the range bear inspection also. So let’s…

Verveine Figuiere by Phaedon 2012

Verveine Figure by Pierre Guillaume

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Verbena, Fig leaf
Heart: Glycyrrhiza, Cedar
Base: Benzoin, Oakmoss

Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena are different. I just learned that. Lemon Verbena is a hardy perennial South American plant and is used to flavour drinks, meats and salads. Lemon Balm is part of the mint family. Both can be grown in pots and are often brought indoors during winter. Mum used to use Lemon Balm to sweeten fish, add a pop to salad and in her famous alcoholic fruit punch. The net says that they are basically interchangeable in food.

Verveine Figuiere is quite different dabbed or sprayed. I’m going to talk about the spray today because that’s how I’ve applied.The opening is very lemon and a dry background that smells a little eucalyptus, it’s fresh and refreshing without any of the ozonic or aquatic tropes and is quite photo realistic of my childhood memories of cutting up minty lemon balm. So much so that I can even taste it. The woods take it out of fragrant trick into fragrance.

Verveine Figuier Phaedon François_Boucher_-_Madame_Bergeret WikiMediaWikiMedia

As the minty lemon zing softens, from nothing to a smellable contender comes a crisp fig smell. It’s only very dry to begin with but as the fragrances processes towards dry down the milkiness and sweetness blooms to a beautiful resinous foggy scent. I really love that Vervain Figure does a complete about face from sprightly zing to warm and mellow hug.

Dabbed the fragrance is more cohesive and has a much shorter story.

The other week I reviewed another of Pierre’s fragrances but didn’t include a pic. Sorry about that. Here’s a shot he sent me a while ago. Isn’t he beautiful?

Further reading: Scent for Thought
First In Fragrance have €89/100ml + Samples

Do you have a favourite Pierre Guillaume fragrance?
Portia xx

Rose Pivoine by Patricia de Nicolaï for Nicolai Parfumeur Créateur 1998

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

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Portia

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Hey there fumes,

Only twice in my life have I been engulfed by the scent of peonies. Once a friend who came for lunch brough them as a gift and told me that they only open if the house is filled with love. Needless to say they never opened but they did fill the house with their glorious scent. It was utterly heavenly.

The next time was in south Korea with Jin and a bunch of our mates. We had gone to visit Mummy and Pappa and across the road there was a bush with the most enormous magenta peonies covering it. The bush itself was easily taller than me and in the cool misty morning the scent travelled across to us. Like a zombie I was drawn across the road to get close to these exquisitely fragrant blooms, they were calling me and I could not resist.

So every time I smell even the cheapest, nastiest, ugliest peony scent recreation I am taken to one or both of those moments. Thankfully todays fragrance is all class.

Rose Pivoine by Nicolai Parfumeur Créateur 1998

Rose Pivoine by Patricia de Nicolaï

Rose Pivoine Nicolai Parfumeur Createur FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Red fruits, Roman chamomile
Heart: Rose absolute, Rose essence, Geranium
Base: Woods, Musk

Dry, sizzling opening leads to red fruity roses that are fresh and dewy, the change in the first 20 seconds is marked. I love the watery feel that comes through, it’s so pretty. This is the style of fragrance that has saturated the mid-price designer market. Patricia de Nicolai was doing it last century and doing it better than any of the imitators. There’s a fresh, velvet rose petal pressed against your cheek, you’re burying your nose into a blooming peony. There is also the powdery yet crisp snap of geranium leaves rubbed or crushed as you wander past the bush. All done in a transparent, aquatic style, very watercolour.

Rose Pivoine Nicolai Parfumeur Createur pink peonies PexelsPDI

I know some women who wear scents like this. I grew up with them and now they are Mums and business runners. Big glasses and beautiful pearly white toothed smiles (not the ultra white of American TV), well maintained and presented women with trophy cars/handbags/houses and a couple of kids at exclusive Sydney private schools. There’s something eternally casual about these women, even when they dress up for galas. They are not brittle social X-Rays but living, breathing women who work really hard on their businesses, families and relationships but can still cackle at a girls dinner or drinks at the club. This is their style, a very fragrant yet sheer, fresh and pretty scent that is absolutely luscious when you get caught up in a hug.

Flickr

Of this style I think Rose Pivoile a very well made version, it’s seamless, reeks of good ingredients and quite gorgeous.

BeautyHabit has $45/30ml and samples

Is there a peony fragrance that you like?
Portia xx