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Post by Portia
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Heya Sydneysiders,
Every year COSMAX has the most incredible sale. This year will be no different. I picked up a Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir extrait a couple of years ago for AUD$25 and every time I’m there I find gems that I thought were long discontinued.
This weekend!
Get to it,
Portia xxx
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Post by Portia
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Hey Hey Vintage Frag Hags,
Last week heralded the arrival of a VERY vintage bottle of Diorella by DIOR. Having never smelled the vintage it was tantamount to a blind buy and I was really nervous. In the listing the bottle looked pristine and the box dirty but perfectly formed still, a tester no less. It wasn’t very expensive but not a bargain either. So I waited for it to arrive and it has…..
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Basil, Bergamot, Green notes, Melon, Lemon
Heart: Cyclamen, Carnation, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Peach, Rose
Base: Oakmoss, Musk, Patchouli, Vetiver
The top notes are fleeting and I get the oily slick tingle of aldehydes, I think the top notes have disappeared really because my nose gets almost immediate floral bouquet and already the furry cocoon of oakmoss wraps my nostrils tight and snug. Scott and I have a theory that I’m hypernosmic to oakmoss because it softly jumps out at me from the very first sniff till the last whispered gasp of fragrance.
Diorella has a sweetness to it, not like the modern gourmands or Guerlains, but the sweetness of fruit just about to go over the edge of usability. I think it’s the honeysuckle and peach working together to produce a very mildly urinous underlay. Not especially noticeable unless my nose is right at the scent source, from arms length the whole of Diorella is refined young woman in twin set & pearls from yesteryear. Nowadays is the modern equivalent the white mens style T-Shirt and straight or boot leg jeans wearing women?
PDI
Dry down comes hours and hours later, the vetiver is dried and lightly salted and surprisingly the patchouli is a backing player that merely enhances the oakmoss and vetiver swirled through with musk that smells like the real deal.
Want to try some?
This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Sample from my vintage Diorella EdT
P&H Anywhere in the world
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 tell us why you’d like to try Diorella
Entries Close Saturday 26th November 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 1st December 2016 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
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Post by Anne-Marie
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Hi all,
What are the perfumes you notice on other people when you are out and about? Do you recognise specific perfumes, or just a generic ‘perfumey’ aura around your workplace and on the bus?
My most memorable moment was in a hotel lift in Paris. I stepped into the empty lift and I could smell Terre d’Hermes so distinctly I could almost touch it. The wearer must have stepped out mere seconds before.
Queuing for coffee at a railway station in Paris I again seemed to catch Terre d’Hermes, but I couldn’t be sure. Railway stations are a cacophony of smells.
I smell Chanel No 5 EDT a fair bit. Once I noticed another mother at a school concert sending clouds of it several rows forward and back. I was surprised that anyone could conjure that much sillage out of No 5. I never thought of it as a sillage monster. Later though I worked with someone who had No 5 as her signature and it could be smelled EVERYWHERE she had been, or was yet to arrive. Outside her office, up and down the corridors, in the bathroom, in the carpark. Yeeesh!
Once I caught a whiff of something delicious on a woman as I walked past her in a department store. I wheeled back and followed her up the escalator, trying to figure out what the perfume was. This is the only time I have stalked anyone because of their perfume. By the time I got to the top I’d figured it out. It was Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew.
Smelled Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche on an elderly lady I’m slightly acquainted with. She is a smart, beautifully dressed and fascinating woman and what she was talking about was so interesting I forgot to ask about her perfume. But it was certainly Rive Gauche and it suited her perfectly. I wish now that I had mentioned it because she would probably have had an interesting story to tell about it.
These experiences are relatively unusual for me. Terre d’Hermes, yes. That is so distinct and full of character that you cannot mistake it for anything else. But mostly when I smell perfume on someone I don’t recognise it. I just smell ‘perfume’: a pleasant (or not) floral, sweet, woody or sporty something-or-other.
The market is jam packed with smell-alikes, after all, and most people don’t want to make much of a statement with fragrance. I know someone who has a wonderfully quirky style in clothes, but her perfume is Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle. Or at least I think it is; it’s a bit hard to tell when there are so many copies and derivatives in that style.
So – over to you? Are there stand-out perfumes in your world? Or does everyone smell of hotel shampoo these days?
Bye for now everyone, and keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie
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Post by Val the Cookie Queen
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Foggy November Greetings APJ!
Perfume Excitement
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I prefer not l to write about anything that I don´t own. There are however exceptions to every rule. I had an email from Hiram Green of Hiram Green perfumes informing me that there was a sample of his new perfume on its way to me. His work is consistently excellent and I have enjoyed each fragrance. Yesterday I had a call from a perfumista friend I trust one hundred percent, raving on about Arbolé Arbolé. And then I read Claire Vukcevic´s post, of Take One Thing Off and APJ. Shifting into perfume excitement mode, I waited anxiously for the postman.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean
“…… with the grey arm of the wind wrapped around her waist”
Arbolé, Arbolé takes its name from Frederico Garcia Lorca´s exquisite poem of the same name. It is new to me though written in 1955, and acutely expressive.
I wish I could read Spanish.
Arbolé Arbolé is so impressive I am speechless, sat here with my head in my hands wondering what to write. My husband just yelled from the living room “nicht zerreden”. Which means don´t talk it to death. He also said to order a bottle. I have never smelled anything that is remotely similar. I have been wearing it for six hours now, longevity is great.
Hiram Green writes: “Arbolé Arbolé opens with a burst of earthy patchouli that slowly merges with dry cedar wood and velvety sandalwood. Vanilla and tonka bean anchor the fragrance and provide a sweet powdery base.” I guess he should know. Jump over to Hiram´s website and have a look.
Hiram Green are offering Arbolé Arbolé in a 10ml travel spray along with a full bottle AND what is particularly brilliant is that you can buy all of the HG perfumes in 10 ml travel sprays. Superb.
Our world has changed greatly since my last post. Political disaster encourages great music, so bring it on.
“Music is the emotional life of most people.” Leonard Cohen
Green Perfumed Bussis
CQ
PS. Hmmmmmm. A full bottle or 10mls, that is the question. I never order at night when the flesh is weak, tomorrow will tell. Watch this space!!
Tree, tree
dry and green.
The girl with the pretty face
is out picking olives.
The wind, playboy of towers,
grabs her around the waist.
Four riders passed by
on Andalusian ponies,
with blue and green jackets
and big, dark capes.
“Come to Cordoba, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
Three young bullfighters passed,
slender in the waist,
with jackets the color of oranges
and swords of ancient silver.
“Come to Sevilla, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
When the afternoon had turned
dark brown, with scattered light,
a young man passed by, wearing
roses and myrtle of the moon.
“Come to Granada, muchacha.”
And the girl won’t listen to him.
The girl with the pretty face
keeps on picking olives
with the grey arm of the wind
wrapped around her waist.
Tree, tree
dry and green.
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Post by Portia
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Howdy Fragrant Family,
Years ago now I bought 10ml of Granville in a split from AndreaW. It was forgotten for a while and then rediscovered and drained to the dregs. As soon as I was finishing my decant the damn thing got DCd so I was lamenting its loss and resigned to never having a bottle to spritz.
On a whim in South Korea last week I asked the DIOR SA if she remembered Granville and she produced a tester saying that she had one bottle left in stock, 250ml at about AUD$100 more expensive than Sydney prices (because S Korea!). We thanked her for her time, spritzed Granville lavishly and went on our merry way. Then, because I was floating in swathes of its green beauty and a bit sad that I would never own it Jin said we should go back and get it next day, he even offered to buy me the bottle (I know right, but I wouldn’t let him). So we went back and grabbed it and I’m so thrilled, it’s a perfect mid-season beauty.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Basenotes gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, mandarin, thyme
Heart: Gorse, pine, rosemary
Base: Pepper, sandalwood, woodsy notes
A smooth and rich cologne in EdT built by Francois Demachy to be both an interesting twist on an old trope and a new, fun, pretty masculine for perfumistas of both sex. It’s perfect mid season wear while the sun is shining and in the chill of the evening. Grenville is cool green, bright and slightly fizzy like a Limoncello with a hint of salt. The sweet and tart at the same time opening wafts gently into more green and herbaceousness that warms and dries towards dry down with the pepper crackling and creamy woods.
Never a poisonous green, always a gentle, plush, refined greenness; austere yet approachable. Said to be done in homage to the wind at Christian Dior’s childhood home, the greenness of the area, the herb garden and the exuberance of his youth, I get it. Granville is all of this and more. A mellow green with fizz and cream.
Lasting well into 3 hours as fragrant I was surprised to find Granville still smellable on the morning as I wake up, a whispered wash of citrus and wood.
Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and BOTO
Still available at some DIOR stand alone stores
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml
Do you have a favourite DIOR Privee? Which one? Why? Did you try DIOR Granville?
Portia xx
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Post by Claire Vukcevic
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Hello lovely-smelling APJ people!
I’m supposed to be writing an article on ambergris for Basenotes, but instead of finishing up, I keep ordering more samples of stuff I hear has ambergris in it, and so we are already at 6,000 words and counting….But I can’t help myself – I am simply fascinated with ambergris and how different perfumers choose to work with it (or a synthetic replacement).
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Mimosa, pineapple, coconut, immortelle, rose, iris, sandalwood, myrrh, labdanum, benzoin, ambergris, civet, vanilla
Francesca Bianchi’s Sex and the Sea is a good example of how perfumers can take a material you think you know and find a completely new angle on it. Here, Francesca takes all the usual markers of tropicana (pineapple, coconut, lactones) and twists them into something far less comfortable than the creamy, sweet sun-tan oil smell we expect to smell.
Using a dry, urinous ambergris material (Cetalox, a synthetic replacement for ambergris), the fragrance drags the pineapple through salty sea water until it dries up into a weathered old fruit leather.
Imagine a pile of dried, salted pineapple mixed in with discarded coconut husks and ancient sea tackle, ropes, and flotsam washed up on the shore of an island somewhere. The heap of materials is dry and crusted over with salt, and if you get close enough you will notice a searing smell of old seagull piss, dry and ureic – not honeyed and wet.
Underneath this dry, acid-toned salt-and-fruit-leather tangle, there is a queasily warm mix of milky lactones, fruit, and salt that comes off a little metallic and iodine-like. I’ve never smelled Secretions Magnifiques – not even by accident – but based on what I’ve read, I’d venture a guess to say that they are at least thematically related. Later on, there is a warm, unwashed body funk to this that is appealing.
Early reviews on Fragrantica are rhapsodic, with most pegging it to be a sexy or sensual fragrance. But I think that Sex and the Sea, while a very interesting way to use ambergris and pineapple, is not that easy or pleasant to wear. It contains a similar idea to Slumberhouse’s Sadanne, that is, a schmear of bright fruit over a layer of ambergris marine filth and bilge, but whereas Sadanne is sparkling and sweet, in Sex and the Sea, the result is far too urinous and tinder-dry to be a comfortable wear.
Longevity is everlasting. I would be surprised if cetalox ever truly dies on the skin or just eventually get scrubbed off. The kind of person I see enjoying this would be a fan of challenging perfumes that do animalic/sexy in a metallic, harsh, salty way.
Hats off to Francesca Bianchi, though. She is certainly not playing it safe. Instead, she hands us a pile of salt-encrusted sea tackle and says, here, this is my idea of sex on the beach. It’s as far from the Eau des Merveilles take on ambergris as you can get, but, in my opinion, all takes on this fascinating material are welcome.
Further reading: Pierre de Nishapur
ParfuMaria has €98/30ml
What ambergris perfumes have you guys tried and liked?
Slán libh!
Claire
Claire also writes for Take One Thing Off
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Post by Portia
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Hi there APJ,
It feels utterly sinful to be frolicking on holidays while the world implodes politically and in so many other ways. Still, here we are in South Korea with Jin’s family and friends.
Here are a few of the billions of photographs I’ve taken. Come see a slice of South Korea, its people and some fun things to do on a seven night getaway. Can I also tell you that South Korea is still incredibly affordable.
Pick up from Ulsan station. You can’t tell but Mummy & Pappa are thrilled to see us. It’s very late at night.
Breakfast in Yangsan. You’ll notice the family has Pork Soup and I have a Croissant. I know, I’m a Philistine.
Visiting Grandma who has Alzheimers. 4 generations of family, from two branches, sharing love and special moments. Grandma remembered Jin so he was over the moon. We had bought her a bunch of Japanese sweets and treats because she studied in Japan when she was a teenager (unheard of for a woman in that time).
On our way to the mountains with Mummy & Pappa to see the autumn leaves. Sadly the leaves were not 100% co-operative because it’s been a really weird season. We did see some lovely colour and every new vista was so picturesque.
We stayed in the faded grandeur of the Jirisan Spa Land. Though the decor was tired and the maintenance on the gardens and building had lapsed we could still see what it was designed to be. Beds and rooms were comfortable and spacious. The spa baths were clean and neat and the family loved their time in the waters which left our skin soft and lightly fragranced with minerals and salts.
On our way home from BarBQ dinner in the village that night we saw some strange arguments and a boozy customer screaming. As we left the next morning the site was crawling with Police & CSI. Jin’s Dad got out and explained what we’d seen last night. We were all called into the Cop Shop for questioning and to give statements, also to identify the miscreant. It was super fun.
While Mummy & Pappa were in with the cops Jin & I went exploring and found this wonderful shrine. The plaque below explains everything. Nice find in rural South Korea.
The tip top of the highest mountain in South Korea you can drive to the top of. We wandered around, had some noodles and coffee. It was a great cheap family adventure. How handsome is Jin’s Dad?
Back in Busan they are having a Chrysanthemum show. While all the usual types were there I had never seen them trained into the tortured Bonsai experience. They look freaking amazing and I am now inspired to try it at home.
Jin thinks it looks like an ice-cream but I think it looks like a Butt Plug, making this photo extra creepy.
Dinner with one of Jin’s childhood BFFs Kinam in the Westin Chosun, Busan. We have stayed in this hotel and I really love the way they keep the 5* dream alive. Dinner in the Camellia Restaurant is always gorgeous.
Mummy & Pappa’s apartment block.
While shopping we found these crazy ETRO paisley slippers. VERY Roja Dove!
Hanging out playing Transformers with another of Jin’s BFFs, Jungyon, and her daughter. Loud screaming laughter ensued.
So next day we are off to the famous Kijang Crab Market in Busan. Below is a Korean Crab that came as a GWP for the huge monster King Crab we bought for lunch.
Yes, here it is. You can’t really see but the top of the shell was easily 3 of Jin’s hands. ENORMOUS! Mummy & Pappa had never had a King Crab before but their friends had talked of it for years after having the experience. I was completely unaware of this when I asked Jin to find out what the most delicious and meatiest crab they had. Not being a seafood eater my knowledge is pretty sparse.
Here they both are cooked and cut, ready for eating. You have no idea how much meat there was. The three of them ate till they were absolutely disgustingly full, then they ate some more. There was still a third of the meat left which will make delicious seafood salad over the next two days. Mummy & Pappa now have bragging rights for the next decade.
Then we went to the seaside Haedong Yonggungsa Buddhist temple. It’s about 100 steps down and on the way I managed to get a coin into the wishing pot, after many tries. We bought some candles to light and prayed for all of you, our friends, family and the world in general. I think in light of this weeks events that the world will need every ray of light.
Tonight I put my foot down. Dinner at HOME with the family. So we trooped out to Mummy & Pappas little farm with Jin’s BFF Jungyon & daughter and we gorged on Korean BarBQ, drank Whiskey & Soju and generally had a fabulous time celebrating Mummy & Pappas 4oth Anniversary and our 5th Anniversary, which are spookily only 5 days apart. Jin & I had procured a bunch of Roman Candle fireworks and we had a fabulous display after dinner. The whole night was magical and fun.
Back to Seoul tomorrow and then home.
Been wearing Niki de Saint Phalle almost exclusively. It really seems to fit South Korea.
It’s been great. What’s your favourite family meal?
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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Heya Niche Nerds,
Today I’m looking at the largely ignored piece of the Bruno Acampora line. It’s like no one even noticed it after the success of Blu & Musc. So I never bothered to even try it even though I had a sample here the whole time. Sometimes things have to happen in their own time.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Rose, geranium, violet, orange blossom, musk, resins, sandalwood, vetiver, hay, sage
You know I like green right? Here is a green both stark and comfortable. Hay, green grass just mown, dank water, willow leaves trailing in a sluggish stream. Cool shade found under a burning summer sun but the shade is full of ominous shadows.
As Sballo wears it becomes less ferociously green and lightens up, still full of dark the sun is creeping in . Funny thing about the light, the brighter it is the more marked the contrast that is shadow. While Sballo does brighten it never looses it dark underpinnings. Vegetal, humus rich soil so full of life smells like this after a light rain if you dig through the mulch to get to it.
PDI
I think vetiver takes charge, dry grass, slightly oily vetiver. Useful in so many situations including leaching running water of toxins in you leave the roots dangling exposed across the river and grow it on the banks. It’s being used in poorer countries to clean up waterways that they though beyond repair.
An hour in and Sballo is a cuddly dry green and softly warming resins, is it galbanum and frankincense. This soft focus woody, creamy green in dry down is my favourite part of a lovely scent. I can’t help wondering now what the EdT is like……
Who could wear Sballo? Someone who wants to be, or give the impression of being, connected with Mother Earth. Someone who needs grounding or strength. I think you need to be slightly unconventional in modern day terms and unafraid to be what you are in front of others.
Further reading: Non Blonde
LuckyScent has $200/10ml + Samples
could this one be for you?
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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Hey Fumies,
Recently I found a bottle of Infini on someone’s Sale Doc in one of the FaceBook perfume forums. It was a good price and because I love the parfum so much I thought it a good time to grab the EdT as well. It arrived the other day. WOO HOO!
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine, narcissus, lily of the valley, aldehydes
Heart: Rose, tuberose, lilac, iris
Base: Vetiver, musk, sandalwood, tonka bean, amber
I keep returning to Caron Infini, it’s so easy to wear and though it’s a big sensational powerhouse I never feel like I’m skunking a room in it. The EdT has a bit more throw, a lot more sparkle and feels like a light hearted person of the parfum. Less burnished, less intense but with a more gregarious personality. If Infini Parfum is Helen Lawson from Valley Of The dolls then Infini EdT is Gidget.
Shrieking narcissus, sparkling and fizzy, tempered by cool lily of the valley. Then infinite becomes a bouquet that is impossible for me to pick out the floral notes. A sweet white floral with noodles of backing ingredients creating a lavish silk sari with beautiful mirror work that sparkles and gives lift.
The heart stays around for ages and its all gorgeous creamy flowers till you realise that underneath the bouquet the amber and sandalwood have been creeping in and unbeknownst to you the are taking over the whole fragrance as we head towards dry down. Much less animal than the Parfum Infini EdT is a friendly and engaging younger sister. I love to wear them together so the deep burnished depths float under the scintillating fun of EdT.
PDI
Further reading: Yesterday’s Perfume and The Non-Blonde
The Perfumed Court has EdP samples starting at $3.50/ml
Have you tried Infini?
Portia xx
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Post by Anne-Marie
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In my tiny collection of fashion and perfume books, my greatest treasure is a tattered copy of Christian Dior’s Little Dictionary of Fashion: a guide to dress sense for every woman, published by Cassell & Co in 1954. A friend gave it to me and it seems to be a first edition, which is rather special. It’s written in English. If there was an earlier French edition I’m not aware of it.
The book is arranged alphabetically: A for Accessories … Afternoon Frock … Armholes … – through to Z for … Zest (‘There is no beauty which is attractive without Zest’).
Of course on first opening the book I skipped straight to P for Perfume. Here’s the entry in full.
“Since the beginning of civilisation perfume has always been used and has been considered an essential part of woman’s attraction.
“When I was young, women used much more perfume than they do now and I think that was wonderful and I regret that more women don’t use it lavishly now.
“Perfume, like your clothes, can so much express your personality; and you can change your perfume with your mood.
“I think it as important for a woman to have beautiful perfume as it is for her to have beautiful clothes. And do not think that you need have perfume only on yourself; your whole house can smell of it, and especially your own room.”
The entry is accompanied by a photograph of – of course! – Miss Dior in the amphora bottle in which it had been presented on its release in 1947.
It’s intriguing that Dior thought that women of that time wore less perfume than when he was young (Dior was born in 1905). Was that true, I wonder? Perhaps the women in Dior’s (rather privileged) early life happened to be great lovers of perfume? Or perhaps Dior the salesman was he just being sly, encouraging women to buy more perfume? Preferably his own, of course
The book is sheer delight. Dated, of course, in some of its advice. “In town you cannot be dressed without gloves any more than you can be dressed without a hat.” But whimsical too. “I never get tired of dots.” And sensible. “Too high heels are vulgar and hideous.” I could not agree more.
My favourite is the entry for Elegance: “Elegance must be the right combination of distinction, naturalness, care and simplicity. Outside this, believe me, there is no elegance. Only pretension.” I do believe you M. Dior, indeed I do.
This charming book has been republished under a slightly rearranged title, and is widely available online.
By the way, want some Miss Dior bottle porn? Go here.
Are you a lover of Dior style, in dress and perfume? Do comment!
Until next time everyone, stay elegant!
Anne-Marie
Australian Perfume Junkies 