Gardelia by Antonio Gardoni for Bogue 2015

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Post by Portia

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Hey There Stank Lovers,

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to get to hang out with Antonio Gardoni. Val the Cookie Queen organised a lunch in London’s Spittalfields at Poppies Fish & Chips. It’s a 1950s memorabilia restaurant and the food is YUMMY! Antonio was urbane, charming, funny and SEXY! We spent the afternoon laughing together in our corner of the table. Antonio also came along to the Perfume Lovers London where I was invited by the wonderful Lila to host A Night With Portia Turbo where we chatted about 12 amazing historic and modern game changing women and scented them. So my review will probably be tinged with my love for the guy.

Jin, Val, Chris, Judith, Antonio Gardoni, Portia Poppies Fish & Chips 2016

Portia, Jin, Judith, Chris, Val, Antonio outside Poppies Fish & Chips 2016

Antonio Gardoni, Portia Poppies Fish & Chips 2016

Antonio (R) & Portia (L) inside Poppies Fish & Chips 2016

Val, Grant, Lila, Antonio Gardoni, Portia Perfume Lovers London 2016

Val, Grant, Lila, Antonio, Portia at Perfume Lovers London 2016

Gardelia by Bogue 2015

Gardenia by Antonio Gardoni

Gardelia Bogue FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Gardenia, Jasmine, Rose, Tuberose, Frangipani, Magnolia, Civet, Cognac, Geranium

Gardenia opens vegetal and earthy, the booze is front and centre. Dazzling, indolic white flowers seem encased in a grassy compost. Though not noted my nose smells leather, smoke and birch but they could all be the civet and flower combination. One spritz is big, room filling and an earthy version of those enormous 1980s powerhouse diva frags.

As the initial explosion softens a spicy flower, like no other flower on earth, a spiky, snarling, singing Triffod. An alien plant form, ferocious and feral but gorgeous and alluring. Gardelia is the scent of Audrey II, the star of Little Shop of Horrors.

What happens then is the whole fragrance turns fluffy, cuddly, furry and sweet. It’s a complete transformation and continues to become a softly animalic, honeyed amber to dry down. Glorious.

Audrey2The Mary Sue

From BogueGARDELIA is a project commissioned from Profumeria Sacro Cuore to celebrate their 50th anniversary. GARDELIA is created and formulated by Antonio Gardoni. 
GARDELIA is a perfume extrait that raises a garden around a flower and from the earth grows following the tree’s lines up to their leaves in the sky.
50 of the best available natural ingredients have been used to celebrate a great flower.
Each GARDELIA bottle is made by hand from the glassmaker maestro Giorgio Giuman in the Murano’s island, Venice.
The over-cap of the GARDELIA’s bottle is hand-made in glass paste through lost wax casting with cobalt blue oxide.

Sacro Cuore Profumi has €850/50ml

 

Giveaway lavanyasrecipes

Gardelia GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x Sample Gardelia by Bogue (a smidge from my 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

Tell us your favourite Independent Perfumer or Independent Perfume House

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Saturday 30th July 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 3rd August 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.

Fakhama and Majalis – The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

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Post by Sandra

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Hey there APJ! Today, I would like to introduce you to a new perfume brand which is celebrating the city of Dubai – The Spirit of Dubai. I have been longing to visit Dubai as I can only imagine it to be beautiful, filled with luxury and culture and wonderful architecture. Modern architecture captivates me and to imagine a city with such stunning architecture against a backdrop of desert, sea and sand together with a whole new plethora of sights and smells has me dreaming of making a trip soon.

The niche perfumery in Vienna, Maison de Parfum, showed me The Spirit of Dubai’s initial five perfumes and gave me samples of their two new releases, Fakhama and Majalis. A complete and utter shock awaited my nose when I tested the perfumes because I could not fathom that I would enjoy them so much.

Fakhama and Majalis – The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

Fakhama The Spirit of Dubai FragranticaFragrantica

Fakhama: The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Turkish rose, Bulgarian rose, fruity notes, agarwood (oud), sweet orange, spicy notes, damask rose, elemi, cardamom, coffee, dried fruits
Heart: Sandalwood, benzoin, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver, coriander, ginger, rose, saffron
Base: Amber, castoreum, civet, moss, spun sugar, animal notes, incense, leather, oakmoss

Fakhama opens up strong and masculine to my nose. It is oudy from the outset but interlaced with fruits and spices. This stage lasts for a good two hours and then the perfume warms up. The sandalwood and vanilla curl around the oud and fruits and keep me sniffing my wrist wondering what is so bewitching. Underneath all of this lies an animalic tone which I attribute to the deep drydown. Summer weather should make this stand out and bring out the animalic undertones – at least I am hoping. This is seriously beautiful and I believe will appeal to both men and women.

Majalis The Spirit of Dubai FragranticaFragrantica

Majalis: The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Incense, peach, apple, rose, osmanthus, green notes, cardamom, pink pepper, grapefruit, artemisia, strawberry, raspberry, cacao, coffee, olibanum
Heart: Saffron, flowers, powdery notes, cloves, vetiver, patchouli, guaiac wood, dates, carnation, iris, heliotrope, mate
Base: Incense, agarwood (oud), leather, vanilla, woodsy notes, sandalwood, benzoin, myrhh, musk, honey, olibanum, tobacco, hay, labdanum

Majalis starts off with a blast of fruity floral notes deftly laced with cardamom and saffron, two of my favourite spices. The coffee and cacao notes peak through but very quickly and then they go into the background. There is also a lot of yummy goodness coming from the dates which I love. Dates conjure up my trip to Abu Dhabi and eating luxurious dates filled with nuts for the first time in my life. The florals are mixed beautifully with the fruits and woods and the oud is not prominent at all. Majalis takes me on a trip to a far off land filled with sun, sand and a warm breeze. Eventhough this leans on the feminine side I think it could smell amazing on a man. Wonderful perfume – I love it.

I would like to test the original 5 Spirit of Dubai perfumes one by one. I hope to be able to share my thoughts on them soon. Maison de Parfum in Vienna, Austria carries the line and will be adding Fakhama and Majalis as soon as they are available. Maison de Parfum Online ships worldwide.

What is your exotic scent?
Sandra xx

Scent of the Cookie Run. A Five Year Anniversary.

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Hey There Fabulously Fragrant Foodies and Funsters

Scent of the Cookie Run. A Five Year Anniversary.

A Perfume Geek Post.

Cookie Run 2016 #6

 

History

Five years ago I began supplying cookies to a Salzburg based firm, Indigo. As a number of you know I have a business together with my husband. Bikes and Cookies. He is a downhill bike specialist and runs the bike shop, and I make cookies by hand. From the milling of the grains, to the specialist vanilla, along with chopping all the chocolate by hand, I bake up small batches to fill the orders of the stores. I started with seven and as of September this year, with the opening of a new one in Linz, I will have eleven. My kitchen is located in the back of the shop, closed in of course, with a wall to wall window looking out into my husband´s workshop. There is a good chance that we are the only bike shop with a cookie kitchen in it.

Cookie Run 2016 #12Milling the spelt (Cookies are half each spelt & wheat)

Cookie Run 2016 #4

Cookie Run 2016 #5Husband Chris & BFF Kirk shopping

Cookie Run 2016 #14

Cookie Run 2016 #13

v5Daughter Hannah (Blondes Wunder) chopping

 

Method

Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings are spent preparing and making the dough and turning it into weighed balls. It can be anything from three to five hundred cookies and I weigh each one separately. It all gets packed in-between sheets of waxed paper and kept in a very cold refrigerator. Top up dough is made on Monday as I can never quite guess all the orders correctly. Tuesdays I get up at the butt crack of dawn and bake. Once the oven is turned on it´s a race against the beeper! The cookies are baked and cooled, boxes are packed with the orders. (I can be flexible with the prepping times, but orders need
to be delivered Tuesday noon time.) I load the car and head to Salzburg, but not before changing my clothes and applying my perfume.

Cookie Run 2016 #9Dayle Ann Clavin

Cookie Run 2016 #8

Cookie Run 2016 #3

Cookie Run 2016 #11

Cookie Run 2016 #22Resting

Cookie Run 2016 #19Buckets ready for packing

SOTCR* (The Geeky Part)

Monday evening I decide which perfume I will wear on Tuesday. I very seldom, nearly never, wear anything that I don´t have a full bottle of. I choose a couple of photos or pictures that give the vibe of the perfume and subsequently post the information onto a couple of the private perfume groups on Facebook. SOTCR*. Hahahahahaha. I am laughing my arse off here as I type this. Only a perfume junkie would understand. Trying something new in the car is an absolute no, I have no desire to sit in a confined space with something nasty.

Cookie Run 2016 #1

Cookie Run 2016 #2

Cookie Run 2016 #17The Cookie Run favourites

Cookie Run 2016 #18

Cookie Run 2016 #20Indigo

Cookie Queen

The day I met Portia in Vienna, more than three and a half years ago was the day I became Cookie Queen. It has stuck now and I have my own logo which as well as being on my blogging and cookie cards, is also on our mountain biking downhill jerseys. I sponsor our small racing team with cookies, indeed I seem to sponsor half the bloody world!

Coromandel CHANEL Val and portia vienna 2013The day we met in Vienna Feb 2013

Cookie Run 2016 #7

Cookie Run 2016 #23Chris wearing the logo

Cookie Run 2016 #10

Cookie Run 2016 #21Dayle Ann Clavin

So come on and crack out your geeky perfume habits and spill the beans. Or perhaps you have a cookie addiction?

Armadillo bussis
CQ

*{Ed: SOTCR = Scent Of The Cookie Run (I know you didn’t need to look)}

Most photos were donated by Val the Cookie Queen
Some were from Dayle Ann Clavin (<<<Go check the site, GORGEOUS!)

Iris Palladium by Amélie Bourgeois + Arnaud Poulain for Les Eaux Primordiales 2015

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Post by TinaG

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Hi APJ!

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to catch up with Tara from A Bottled Rose on a whirlwind perfume extravaganza in London. We had an amazing day! One store we visited was Les Senteurs which has a fabulous range of fragrances, quite a few which were unknown to me. (Sorry they don’t ship to Aus).

One of my unknowns was Les Eaux Primordiales, a French fragrance company launched in 2015. We had a quick sniff of each of the perfumes on paper, and Murray (who is one of Les Senteurs’ superbly knowledgeable sales assistants) provided me with a sample of Iris Palladium to try later.

So later is now!

Iris Palladium by Les Eaux Primordiales 2015

Iris Palladium by Amélie Bourgeois + Arnaud Poulain

Iris Palladium Les EAUX Primordiales FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Italian Bergamot, Carrot Seeds, Sage, Solar Jasmine, Cedar, Patchouli, Labdanum, Sandalwood, Iris, Tonka Bean, White Musk

The iris in the opening of Iris Palladium starts off doughy and thick, before morphing and bring in some metallic / chlorine / carrot notes along with a prominent dusty sweetness that softens the composition, taking off some of the metallic edge. The mix of dust/powder is not so much in the “makeup” category, but is a musk. I tend to shy away from fragrances which list ‘white musk’ as a note, for some I can’t bear at all – sorry to say that the Body Shop fragrance of the same name is one of these. However this doesn’t hit my no-go nasal zone, the musk is pleasant, soft and warm.

Iris Palladium Les EAUX Primordiales Iris_palladia WikiCommonsWikiCommons

At 4 hours I’m taken by surprise as a beautiful clean jasmine shines through. It’s really lovely and I realise that it had been humming around in the background all this time with some nutty notes adding to the blend but not overpowering.

The fragrance recedes back to skin at 6-10 hours in a yellow woody powdery waft with the lightest impression of citrus and I smell a hint of bitter ash in the dry down. It’s a pleasant combo and I enjoy the longevity that it keeps well into the evening.

Overall the two predominant notes (varying iris / dusty musk) are complimentary, and round each other out. For people (like myself) who revel in a bold metallic iris it may feel like a pillow has been put over it and muffled the composition. It’s very yin/yang, notes curling around each other & balancing out. But there’s a few surprises in there which keeps it interesting. Worth a trial if you have the chance.

Iris Palladium Les EAUX Primordiales Yin Yanf FlickrFlickr

Further reading: Black Narcissus
Les Eaux Primordials has an outlet page

Have you had any new fragrance lines cross your radar lately?

xx Tina G

Boy by Olivier Polge for CHANEL Les Exclusifs 2016

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Post by Anne-Marie

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Hi all,

it’s Anne-Marie here with a question: how much does the season influence your daily fragrance choice?

My answer: quite a lot. Generally, it’s winter fragrances for me in the winter and summer in the summer.

I would not dream of stepping out of the house on those winter mornings when the temp struggles to even reach zero in a summer eau de cologne. Conversely, warm orientals and ambers stifle me in summer, like a jacket I long to fling off.

But there are exceptions. It’s winter where I live and today was probably the most miserable day we have had so far: wet, windy and cold. I wore Chanel Boy.

Boy by Olivier Polge for CHANEL Les Exclusifs 2016

Seasonal Somersaults! Do You Wear The Weather?

Boy Chanel Chanel FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lavender, rose, lemon, grapefruit, rose geranium, orange blossom, sandalwood, heliotrope, vanilla, musk

Is Boy a summer or a winter fragrance? It’s a fougère with notes including lavender, grapefruit, and lemon, and that sounds pretty cologne-ish to me. Normally I’d keep this kind of thing for warm weather. But those cool, fresh notes can sometimes be welcome in the winter. You know those days when you tire of overheated rooms and heavy layers? You open a window, or step out into the rain, and revel in the rush of cold air against you face and in your lungs.

In Boy there is also a contrasting warmth to the base (musk, vanilla, sandalwood). I’m only just getting acquainted with it but so far I’m thinking that Boy may be one of the most versatile fragrances I own.

Boy CHANEL Alexey Ivanov Rain FlickrFlickr

The rain was belting down when I left work this evening. I had to catch two buses instead of one, and I missed my final stop because I had been too busy reading. Darn! I struggled home with an inside out umbrella, leaking shoes, and the sole nearly off one shoe. Flap flap flap.

What did I do when I got home? More Chanel Boy, of course!

Further reading: Now Smell This and Bl’eauog
CHANEL Beauty, Fashion and some large Department Stores. We go to David Jones
CHANEL Online in the USA

What about you? Do you match cool notes with warm days, and vice versa? Or do you spritz merrily at whatever takes your fancy?
Bye for now!

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

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Post by Portia

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Hi there APJ,

Gisele Bündchen has been the highest paid model in the world every year since 2004, and in 1999 was credited with bringing sexy back to the runway and killing the heroin chic look. She was born in 1980 making her 36 years old which is basically a model dinosaur. There is still something so fresh and endearing about her, still sexy, that killer body and a smile that men and women fall instantly in love with. Did you know she is 5’11”? So tall yet she always manages to look petite, and enormously strong. Wikipedia notes that: In 2014, she was listed as the 89th Most Powerful Woman in the World by Forbes PLUS Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell have stated that Bündchen is the only remaining true supermodel.

Below we get to see Gisele in the 2014 CHANEL No 5 ad, this is the long play version. A seriously controversial piece of film. The song’s lyric change had feminists up in arms, the billion $ lifestyle and the 2 minute hug with her daughter before relegating the child to nanny care had mothers upset and running off before a job was finished had working women outraged, there were other complaints that have slipped my mind. Yet if you can overlook all that there has appeared a gorgeous and lush piece of escapism that you can get lost in for three minutes to unclog your brain.

I hope you enjoy,
Portia xxx

CHANEL No.5 CHANELCHANEL

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, neroli, ylang-ylang
Heart: Jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, iris
Base: Vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, amber, patchouli

CHANEL counters everywhere have testers, go give yourself a spritz.

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

Portia’s Week July 2016: Story + Photo Essay

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Post by Portia

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Hey there APJ,

This week has been wonderful. Jin had 5 days off and we spent it happily hanging out, watching movies, cooking, BAR B Qing, eating, socialising, running around chasing Pokemon and in between that I worked, saw mates, shopped and read books. Seriously there aren’t too many weeks that are so full yet so utterly enjoyable. It’s a surprise that even after being with someone for years you can still have fun like kids and can still enjoy each others company as much as the first months when everything was new.

Portia’s Week July 2016: Story + Photo Essay

Portia's Week July 2016 #1

So this week started out as a Pokemon Go week. Here I am in the game in my first hour.

Portia's Week July 2016 #2

My BFF Kath, her sister, nieces and Jin looking super cute. During lunch we invite the nieces to come out to the Parramatta Winterlight Fair. They jumped at the chance.

 

Portia's Week July 2016 #5

Portia's Week July 2016 #4

There was even an Ice Skating Rink. You can see niece 1 and I are there but behind us are Jin & niece 2 having their first ever Ice Skating experience so they needed to use the penguins to help them stay upright. Embarrassingly I was the only one to fall.

Portia's Week July 2016 #3
Kath, Jin & the nieces on the Ferris Wheel. The girls were a complete joy to hang with. We lost track of time and didn’t get them home till nearly midnight. OOOOPS!

 

Portia's Week July 2016 #6

Saturday recuperating with the story of Daphne du Maurier’s family, a rollicking tale that I couldn’t put down.

Portia's Week July 2016 #7

Sunday morning and BFF Kath & I had our pedicures done, then Jin joined us for Yum Cha (Dim Sum).

Portia's Week July 2016 #8

Then, into a Lolita Lempicka Bubble Bath. What a lovely way to unwind, surrounded by violet sugared liquorice bubbles.

Portia's Week July 2016 #9

Over the remnants of Lolita Lempicka I heavily spritzed the Leather Angel. All the Angel fizz and a hit of smoky leather, a perfect drag queen scent.

Portia's Week July 2016 #10

We spent Monday getting haircuts and then Pokemon Hunting. Jin cooked surprise Spicy Pork Bar B Q and we watched Zootopia that night. Then I wrote the Trivia Q&A. Monday was fun.

Portia's Week July 2016 #11

LUSH Rose Jam Shower Gel makes fabulous Bubble Bath and this week I had three baths with it. My fragrances over the top were Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations, Diabolo Rose by Parfums de Rosine and Guerlain L’Heure Bleu. All three were subtly changed and extra roses added through the remnants of Rose Jam.

Portia's Week July 2016 #12

It was Scott’s Birthday on Wednesday so we met Kerri for some CHANEL sniffing and afternoon tea. We all had single serve cakes, mine was a double chocolate custard filled profiterole. We gave Scott Harrods and Fortnum & Mason teas, a DVD and a DJs Gift Card.

Portia's Week July 2016 #13

Portia's Week July 2016 #14

Scott grabbed a 200ml CHANEL Coromandel from our favourite CHANEL SA Esther at David Jones Sydney City Store. Ask for her, she is a fount of knowledge and we love talking to her about the CHANEL fragrance range. We are particularly interested in the big change of the exclusives line later in the year from EdT to EdP. Sadly she was out of CHANEL No 22 200ml so I went down the road to the CHANEL boutique and bought mine there.

Portia's Week July 2016 #15

Portia's Week July 2016 #16

Wednesday night Jin & I did more Pokemon Hunting (I haven’t walked this much since our last holiday), had some Vietnamese Pork Noodle Soup, did some evening grocery shopping and came home to watch Kung Fu Panda 3, which we really enjoyed.

Portia's Week July 2016 #17

Not so long ago they had this Bandit Silkening Shower Gel at the discounters for a song, I stocked up because it smells amazing, makes great bubbles and leaves my skin fresh and soft.

Portia's Week July 2016 #18

Over the remnants of Bandit I spritzed Exultat by Maria Candida Gentile. Incense and warmer, woodsy resins that is only mildly liturgical. Really easy to wear incense that lasts well and smells amazing.

Portia's Week July 2016 #19

Here I am tonight hosting Trivia (as a man!) to a full house smelling gorgeously of incense, resins and leather.

Portia's Week July 2016 #20

Week July 2016 #21

Week July 2016 #22

My mate Natalie from the now defunct Another Perfume Blog took me walking through the wilds of Mosman today to a fabulous restaurant, Burnt Orange, with a view to die for, both outside & in. Food was delicious and staff friendly.

Week July 2016 #24

Sydney put on a perfect winter day and I chose the lavender, herbal, resinous warmth of CHANEL Boy to accompany me.

 

Week July 2016 #25 CHANEL Boy

Thanks for coming along for snapshots of my week. These are just the bits I remembered to photograph but I couldn’t have fit more photos anyway.

What fragrances or bath products did you use this week? Do anything interesting?
Portia xxx

Nocturne GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Post by Portia

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Hiya APJ,

Woo Hoo! A piece of Ainslie’s very own magical fragrant history. Lucky winners, I am yet to smell it too.
Portia xxx

Nocturne GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Nocturne Vial 2

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x Carded Manufacturers Sample of Nocturne
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 21st July 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

WINNERS markmontanoblogs

Steve

Azar

Koyel

The winners will have till Sunday 24th July 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.

Hedonist GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Post by Portia

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Heya crew,

Another excellent giveaway thanks to Azar. we are so lucky to have her.

Let’s see who won,

Portia xxx

Hedonist GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Hedonist Viktoria Minya FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica lists these featured accords:
Top: Rum CO2, bergamot, peach
Heart: Jasmine absolute, orange flower absolute, osmanthus absolute, tobacco
Base: Vetiver, cedar wood, vanilla

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x .7ml decant of Viktoria Minya’s Hedonist
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 21st July 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Winners brooklodge

Nemo

Charlene Cully

The winners will have till Sunday 24th July 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.

Rose Jam Shower Gel by LUSH

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Post by Portia

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Hi there APJ Bathers,

Yes, you’re reading it right. That ultra cool, Limited Edition, shower gel that you just missed out on because they usually sell out in SECONDS is back. Be quick.

Rose Jam Shower Gel by LUSH

ROSE JAM SHOWER GEL 100G LUSHLUSH

LUSH says: Inspired by our love for roses and the benefits of nourishing Argan Oil, this shower gel is as decadent as it gets! Skin brightening Goji Berry Juice and Sicilian Lemon give your skin a boost, while Rose Oil and Rose Absolute leave it soothed, softened and beautifully fragranced. A luxuroius way to start each day. 

Sure, the blurb is nice but I wait till the afternoon to bathe because I get ready for work, which usually happens at night. One of the ways I really love to pamper myself is by drawing a bath. Now what better way to laze away the better part of an hour than laying in the warmth (or cool in summer) of a glamorously scented bubble bath? NONE! I tell you truly that it is the most relaxing, turn off the world, indulgent me time that I have.

ROSE JAM SHOWER GEL LUSHPortia in the bath

Rose Jam Shower Gel makes a wonderful bubble bath. It foams well, smells great and leaves me with a soft skin tinged with the fragrance of a sweet garden rose in full bloom that then creates the perfect base for some of my favourite rose scents. Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations, Rosa sur Reuse by SOIVOHLE, Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids, Diabolo Rose by Parfums de Rosine, Midnight Oud by JHaG and Agent Provocateur to name just a few of my faves, there are oodles more.

I bought my Rose Jam bottle in the sale at the end of the last time it was in. The last bottle too because I thought I should get an extra and by the time I went back in the next day to get another they were sold out. Anyway, I bought it and tried it and thought it was awful. So it sat here for ages unloved. Not so long ago as I was organising the frag room I stumbled across it again and have been using it a couple of times a week since. The sweet jammy rose is so much like putting your nose right up to a garden rose that is in full bloom, so simple but also so incredibly nuanced.

LUSH Australia has $18.50/250g

Do yourself a favour. Go grab it.
Portia xx