Devil In Disguise by Mark Buxton Perfumes 2012

April 21, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Niche Nerds,

Yes, I know I’m late to the party. These samples were given to me at least a year ago and they have sat winking at me, reminding me not to forget them, wishing I would just damn well spritz. I did smell them on cards originally and thought they were interesting and fun. Mark Buxton has created many financial and critical hits and done a few things I really love: Salvador dali Laguna, a couple of biehl parfumkunstwerke, Le Labo Vetiver 46, loads of cool Comme des Garcons and the list goes on. He has also put his name to stuff I don’t love too. That’s cool, I like to be surprised. When the news came through that he was doing a self named line there was much excitement and fluttering of touchés (He He he who knows if that’s correct?). So finally I have grabbed them out from the draw and am giving them skin time. Here’s the one I really liked a lot…

Devil In Disguise by Mark Buxton Perfumes 2012

Devil In Disguise by Mark Buxton

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rhubarb leaf, ginger
Heart: Magnoli, neroli
Base: Patchouli, vetiver, musk

Everyone else gets sweet but I get a softly sweet green, a very olde worlde reminder of my Mum making rhubarb for the family and me thinking it tasted like shit. Everyone else loved it and asked for more. Here the rhubarb is a sweet starting point but not like the celebuscent spun sugar jelly crystals type sweet, more like a healthy sweet. Yeah, I’m making this clear as mud, I know.

WikiMedia

Devil In Disguise opens beautifully, it’s lightly sweetened and edible but not cake or particularly gourmand. I taste no vanilla or biscuit or candy. It’s warm and vegetal, softly zingy. Though I cringe at using gender definers it smells like a sexy masculine that could easily be worn by either sex. While not being strange it is compelling and it lures my nose in to sniff it again and again. Never really offering me anything concrete to write down for you because it’s not the same as anything I’ve smelled or easily correctable to ideas. Bittersweet. That’s the best analogy I have. It’s like the bittersweet feeling of losing your love, slowly and knowingly watching them shut down and yet loving them too much to let go. The heartache mixed with joyful memories. That’s what Devil In Disguise smells like to me.

My nose misses the heart completely and sniff directly to the base, particularly the vetiver and shaded by the patchouli. Vetiver becomes king though and the opening sweet green is repeated over the vetiver to warm its rough rasp and soften and smooth. Draped elegantly in clean musks the whole fragrance fades slowly and a whisper remains for morning, amorphous and pretty.

Flickr

Further reading: Non Blonde and Black Narcissus
Mark Buxton has €140/100ml

Did you spend any time with the Mark Buxton range? What did you think?
Portia xx

Eternal Crescent perfume oil by Ajmal

April 20, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Erica Golding

Greetings and scented salutations!

Today I’m coming clean about the seduction of sexy bottle design. The latest object of my desire is an over-the-top crystal bottle, glimmering with excessive luxury. I was so tempted to hunt it down unsniffed! Lucky for me, with humble gratitude to my dear friend Barbara, I have a rare opportunity to test the fragrance housed within this faceted eye-gasm.

My skin is humbly graced with:

Eternal Crescent perfume oil by Ajmal

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, agarwood (oud), spicy notes, bergamot, mus, fruity notes

Based on the vague, limited information I was able to dig up, I was expecting a deep, resinous woody oudh fragrance. Instead, I am greeted with a natural white floral bouquet, glittering with a lift of sunshine, all atop a sensuous feather-soft base. There is a gentle hint of genuine oudh depth, but it is an accent and does not dominate. This perfume possesses the strangest quality of being a light, easy fragrance, though it doesn’t hide its dark side. It almost leans toward a clean aroma, but the humming base confirms that Eternal Crescent is not innocent by any means. The blossoms are natural and delicate. Bergamot sings with a lifted contentment, never sharp or overly bright. The musky base is quiet with just the right warmth and richness, the sandalwood is subtle and smooth. Oudh is but a patient, tender sigh. The overall aroma is one of natural sensual bliss. I think it’s just safe enough that I can pull it off at work (worn lightly).

Can I even tell you how ecstatic I am?! This perfume is just as beautiful and unique on my skin as its flamboyant flacon suggests. It’s ridiculously expensive and hard to acquire, but now that I know how glamorous it feels to wear it, my desire is exponentially soaring! This isn’t just some ho-hum perfume in a sexy package. This is a liquid work of art worthy of its faceted throne.

WikiMedia

Have you ever fallen in love with a perfume bottle without even knowing the scent? Did you blind buy, or did you test first? Were you disappointed or were you blown away with joy?

Until next time, I wish you all serenely fragrant lovespells!
-Erica

Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls 1996

April 18, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

Post by Azar

Greetings Perfume Pals!

My previous post on APJ recalled my adventures in Spring Cleaning and the subsequent discovery of several bottles of the original Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls. I also wrote a bit of a back-story to the fragrance. Today I am attempting a review of vintage Black Pearls.

Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls 1996

The Power of the Peach – Part II

Fragrantica

Fragrantica lists these featured accords:
Peach, gardenia, bergamot, water lily, white rose, lotus, amber, sandalwood and musk.

First of all I have to say that there is nothing quite like vintage Black Pearls. For me this frag is, at once, peachy, wet and powdery, a combination unique in my experience. Some people report a surfeit of lilac and/or melon in Black Pearls. My experience is one of citrus, lotus (of sorts), honeysuckle, vanilla, synthetic smelling sandalwood, a rich floral combo and, of course, the powerful peach.

I am not talking about a fresh peach here. Even though there is an obvious attempt to simulate freshness with the addition of aquatic elements (via the lotus and water lily?), Black Pearls has very little of that squeezable, tart juiciness that characterizes newly picked fruit. Instead, Elizabeth Taylor’s peach is big, fuzzy and over-ripe, sliced, spiced, powdered; vanilla sugared, battered, buttered and baked into a cobbler drizzled with cream. This fragrant, mouthwatering dessert is set out to cool next to a huge bouquet of lilacs, gardenias, pale roses and osmanthus. Can you imagine that? Most days my skin loves Black Pearls and the resulting sweetness and warmth is not unlike the tender, young voice of Elizabeth Taylor as Velvet Brown in the 1945 film National Velvet. Sometimes, though, she smells like the sound of ET portraying the screeching, bitching Martha from the film adaptation of Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (the film – 1966). The split personality of this fragrance – either a middle aged harridan with monster sillage or a sweet, shy girl who stays close to home – makes Black Pearls a perfume I can wear for a variety of occasions and purposes. The problem is I can’t predict how she will behave on my skin from one day to the next.

Flickr

Black Pearls started me wondering what percentage of the fragrances in my collection feature peachy notes. I haven’t come up with an answer to that yet, but a couple of the peaches I am currently wearing are Viktoria Minya’s Hedonist (date) and the new Miyako extrait by Auphorie (date). I imagine I will write more about those two sometime soon – in the Power of the Peach Part III?

Azar xx

YouTube

Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
Continental USA DRAW: 1 x vintage Black Pearls .25 ounce parfum in the box
Worldwide DRAW: 1 x 2ml decant of the original Black Pearls EdP
1 x a little sample of a rare, impossible to find, weird mystery peach
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

USA or WORLD

and

Please tell us your favorite peach-centric fragrance – if you have one. Or any fruit in a fragrance.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 21st April 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Sunday 24th April 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.

Sable & Soleil GIVEAWAY WINNERS

April 18, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Woo Hoo! Sexy love of my life Pierre was a hit with you all again.

Let’s see who won.
Portia xxx

Sable & Soleil GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lemon blossom, jasmine, African geranium, coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, white musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml Sable & Soleil manufacturers sample
1 x sample Indian Wood by Perfumerie Generale 2016
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 17th April 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

prospectsplus

Koyel Bhattacharyya

Fazal

The winner will have till Thursday 21st April 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.

Discontinued Products (or how I hate beauty companies)

April 17, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by AF Beauty

If you live in Australia, you will be used to products appearing in your life and then disappearing, never to be seen again. Mostly though, this happens at the supermarket, yes I’m looking at you Coles and Woolworths. Woolworths recently got me with a double whammy discontinuing both my favourite yoghurt AND my favourite granola within a week of one another. HEARTLESS!!

But for me, the real pain is the discontinuance of beauty products. Chances are, a beauty product will last you weeks or months and you’ll not know a product has been discontinued until you go to repurchase only to find the racks bare and a SA offering you a poor substitute. Woe.
The following products are some that have been discontinued to my dismay – if you see these – BUY IMMEDIATELY because they are amazing ☺

Discontinued Products

(or how I hate beauty companies)

The first, Body Shop Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel

This was a beautiful soft gel that softened to an oil, which on contact with water became milky and rinsed away leaving only soft skin. Lovely. I went to buy a few weeks back only to find it gone. I’m sort of heartened that they still have it on the website, if only to say it’s not available – perhaps they will bring it back?

I was persuaded in store to buy this alternative, which I am presently using and will review among a bunch of other cleansing balms and oils. (but suffice to say, it’s not my softening cleansing gel ☹)

Next, from MAC, a face powder. MAC are truly evil in this regard because they specifically do Limited Editions JUST TO MESS WITH YOUR HEAD. I found this powder when it came out years back – it was in the Raquel Welch limited edition and was a light powder called Peaceful. It’s the powder in the very bottom left corner of the picture above.

This was a beautifully light even powder – I was lucky enough to find a store which had one left when I went back to repurchase, but it’s never been seen since unfortunately. And I search in vain for a near match. This Rimmel one isn’t too bad, but Peaceful was lighter and peachier, the Rimmel is too much of a bronzer – but I get that it’s intended to be a bronzer so….

Fragrantica

My last product discontinued is one you guys will likely be most familiar with – Dior’s Tendre Poison. I’m prepared to admit, this might be nostalgia rather than true longing, it has been that long since I even smelled this perfume. I wore this for about 4 years straight in my early 20’s only to find it discontinued one day I went to buy more. From what I’ve learned about perfume, this turnover of fragrances is increasingly common and normal – I honestly don’t know how you guys cope.

What favourites of yours have been discontinued? Did you manage to stock up before they vanished for good, or were you caught surprised and then saddened?

Sable & Soleil by Pierre Guillaume for Phaedon 2016

April 15, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Post by Portia

Woo Hoo Crew,

More NEW stuff from my perfumer crush Pierre Guillaume. This arrived today and I couldn’t wait to get it on my skin!!

Here’s some more Pierre Perfume Porn to get you in the mood….

Sable & Soleil by Phaedon 2016

Sable & Soleil by Pierre Guillaume

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lemon blossom, jasmine, African geranium, coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, white musk

Salt. Driest opening for a fragrance I ever smelled. Salt and then some melon, a little oily, seaside breeze, hot day.

Jasmine and citrus over the driest ache in my throat. It’s like the ache of yearning. Yearning for something just out of reach but in your sights. Awkward lactones create a shadowed, shady counterpoint that gives the crisp sea breeze a depth. Maybe a wander through the carpark by the beach, awaiting the arrival of your friends or even an ice cream from the truck, yes there is a metallic edge.

Briny. That’s the word I’m looking for. Briny, lightly sunburned, happy and tired. Fresh sea water and healthy bodies.

Sable & Soleil is not what I was expecting. If you think that you’ll be getting a Guerlain Lys Solea, a Jil Sander Sun or a Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess then think again. They are pretty and vibrant. Pierre Guillaume has created a mood and depth that is lovely but slightly dark. Compelling.

lavanyasrecipes

Sable & Soleil GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml Sable & Soleil manufacturers sample
1 x sample Indian Wood by Perfumerie Generale 2016
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you’ve tried any of the Phaeton range?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 17th April 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 21st April 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.

Milton-Lloyd Fragrances

April 13, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Poodle

I recently received some fragrances from Milton-Lloyd. They are a UK based perfume company that specializes in good perfumes at great prices. In case you didn’t know it, I love a bargain. Sure, I have been known to spend a hefty amount on a bottle of juice but my heart sings when I find a good deal. I’m also not too snooty to think that only the expensive perfumes smell good. I’m also a fan of perfumes that remind me of other perfumes. Sometimes I like a scent but not enough to justify the price. If I find something similar for less I’m a happy girl.

Milton-Lloyd Fragrances

Milton-Lloyd

Colour Me Pink PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Notes: white rose, almond blossom, lily, geranium, heliotrope, spice, vanilla, musk

Pink is a floral perfume that is incredibly soft on me. I’ve been wearing it as a bedtime scent because on my skin it’s just a subtle wash of fragrance. Your skin may react differently. It reminds me of those billowy vintage roses that smell of powder and spice but not really rose. I find it to be reminiscent of carnation probably from the lily and geranium notes. I do like this fragrance and the overall effect is like a bouquet rendered in watercolors. If you like perfumes on the soft side, think Pink.

Milton Lloyd

Colour Me Purple PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Notes: watery notes, bergamot, watermelon, violet, rose, jasmine, fruit, woods, vanilla, oakmoss, amber, patchouli

Purple is my least favorite of the bunch but Purple garnered quite a few compliments for me so I guess it smells better to everyone else. I like it but it isn’t love. It’s listed on the Milton-Lloyd site as a fruity chypre but to me it’s a watery, slightly sweet floral fruit-chouli. It’s not overly fruity surprisingly, and is a much more wearable perfume than a lot of others of this genre. Starts off a bit like an upscale shampoo but then settles into a pleasant floral. I couldn’t detect oakmoss. Smells like a lot of popular mainstream scents and the people I work with really liked it.

Milton Lloyd

Colour Me Femme Gold PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Notes: citrus, neroli, raspberry, jasmine, lily, rose, caramel, honey, musk, patchouli

Femme Gold opens with a burst of juicy fruits then blooms with lily and jasmine. This one reminds me of another perfume but I can’t for the life of me think of which one it is. The name Femme Gold is fitting because all the notes are covered with golden honey and caramel. To my untrained nose it’s an oriental gourmand without a lot of spice. It is a bit sweet yet since it doesn’t smell like fruit salad I do like it. I’m a sucker for lilies too.

So tell me, have you tried any perfumes by Milton-Lloyd? Do you ever buy inexpensive perfumes or do you not even bother to sniff?

Hugs
Poodle

Unofficial Esxence 2016 Write Up

April 12, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 45 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I managed two and a half hours at the Esxence. Virtual high fives are fine thank you very much. I did not try anything in the show because I prefer to do that at home in peace and not surrounded by nuclear clouds of oud.

Preparation for Esxence 2016

Unofficial Esxence 2016 Write Up

Milano Central Station art

Neela Vermeire introducing the new Take Two Packs. 2 x 15ml for travel and sharing!

Perfume Magpie, absolute delight.

I chatted with Pauline Rochas of Coolife NYC and brought home samples of their fragrances. She is the granddaughter of Marcel and Hélène Rochas absolutely charming and what a heritage.

HomoElegans. I mean you just have to. Two fragrance samples in an elegant box labelled as an “experience kit”. Stay tuned.

GriGri Parfums is another new fragrance brand, Anaïs Biguine the nose. She has created some really rather
good perfumes for Jardins D’Écrivains which encouraged me to take look. Seeking inspiration from the history
of tattoos throughout the ages, itself an art form, makes for an artistic combination. The Ukiyo-E with its genmaicha
and green tea notes, representing the Japanese tattooing called Irezumi, sounds particularly aromatic.

Intent on fulfilling the wish of a good friend I stopped by at the Stéphane Humbert Lucas stand to enquire about the new up and coming fragrance. They were rude and bloody arrogant, not to mention unhelpful. I left. I would not buy anything from this brand even if it WAS good……..

Imagine this ten times more crowded

Antonio from Bogue

Val (me) at the Prada Foundation Haunted House exhibition

Jeroen from Mona di Orio

I spent a joyful few hours with Jeroen Oude Sogtoen and his assistant Henrike, together the brilliant Mona di Orio team and did put the new fragrance Bohea Bohème onto my skin twice, each time smelling quite different. More to come.

Lecture

Prada loos with Vero

My first ever selfie

Mark Behnke, We would be best friends if he lived closer.

When I love something I get over excited and cannot stop talking about it. Ellis Fass Make Up! The best red lipstick I have ever used and as my dear stepfather would say “I have been through more of them than you’ve had hot dinners”. The last two days I have used their foundation. Sublime. I am in touch with them and ordering foundation, lipstick, concealer and mascara. Super excited I can tell you. Am I the last one to find out about them?

Vero getting ready to go downtown for dinner

Chatting outside Esxence 2016

Oh. And two days with Vero.

Milan discoveries? Hermès Doblis Parfum and Vintage Vol de Nuit EdP. Did I ever stand a chance?

Bussis.
CQ

Cactus Azul by Julian Badel for Fueguia 1833

April 11, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by TinaG

Since writing my article about Fueguia 1833 a fortnight ago, I’ve discovered that their range is even more extensive than their wide fragrance catalogue. A number of “scent identities” have been developed in conjunction with Fueguia 1833 – for example I came across London’s Trunk Clothiers who have two bespoke fragrances – “Linnaeus” and “Endeavour”, and Milan-based designer Marcelo Burlon has a co-branded Fueguia 1833 fragrance for his “County of Milan” line. Fueguia 1833 also provide amenities lines (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shower gel, and room & textile perfume) for a range of luxury hotels around the world.

Today I thought I’d showcase a charming floral which is part of the Destinos collection.

Cactus Azul by Fueguia 1833

Cactus Azul by Julian Badel

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cactus flower
Heart: Cedar
Base: (Nanah) Mint

On first spritz, Cactus Azul gives a big blast of mint which wafts around unapologetically for about 15 minutes. It is fresh and invigorating, with a medium sillage that cuts straight through our lingering summer humidity. “Nanah” mint, aka spearmint, is commonly used in Moroccan tea. It was distinctively a spearmint which I could smell, like those old-school sugared leaf lollies, with a slightly more regular broad leaf mint note behind it.

This then settles into a minty herbal veil over an unusual pink floral note. The floral is all at once soft, watery and pulpy and has a strange way of lingering in my nostrils and back of throat in a ‘taste’ sensation, in a similar way that pepper in fragrance sometimes can. I imagine this is the reported cactus flower centre note from the Fueguia 1833 three-note description. The colours which I see in my head at this stage are like watermelon skin – mottled green, and the light pink of the flesh which is closest to the pith after you’ve taken a bite.

WikiMedia

The floral note starts to deepen and at 1 hour dives in to a peculiar sticky jam. It is sweet but still keeps a damp floral aspect, and my head runs through different options trying to place it. Redcurrent? Strawberry? And I finally settle on what I imagine a homemade jam made of small wild strawberries may taste like. Wild strawberries in Australia are white in the middle, not red, and are only mildly watery/strawberry flavoured.

At 2 hours the fragrance starts to dry out with a peppery wood note coming through, and ‘round the 4 hour mark the fragrance seems fragmented. On some areas of my skin I get a sweetness, like caramel, however in the sillage I can smell something reminiscent of a bitter woody patchouli. I can’t quite work it out so I often respritz at this stage & start all over again.

Pixabay

First in Fragrance has €230/100ml and Samples

I like the both the uplifting and gentle aspects of this fragrance. It doesn’t have a massive longevity, but it is a joy to wear.

I’m interested to hear – what are your favourite fragrances that include mint?

Tina G xx

Indian Wood GIVEAWAY WINNER

April 11, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey hey Crew!

You guys were totally into this giveaway, no surprise, I love PGs work too. He was really excited that we showcased him on the weekend, look out for his new Pheadon one coming up soon here on APJ too.

Portia xx

Indian Wood GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, vetiver, moss, spicy mint, nutmeg, cardamom, coconut milk, lemon zest

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml Indian Wood manufacturers sample
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 10th April 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

amberinblunderland

ELLEN M.

The winner will have till Thursday 14th April 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.