What Is Making My Bath Bubble In August 2017?

August 17, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

Portia

Hi there Fumies,

As many of you already know I am a mad keen BATH person. I love the whole experience. Before I draw my bath I fully clean it, then as the water fills I make myself a cuppa to have while in there and make sure I have my Bath Glasses there for the phone games I love to play while soaking. I can happily spend an hour submerged and often do. It’s the best de-stress on earth.

What Is Making My Bath Bubble In August 2017?

Here is my current set of bath products to create the glamorous bubble baths I love so much.

Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers Shower Gel: Haven’t opened it yet but love the scent. A big pump pack for under $20!

Maurer & Wirtz Tabac Original Cologne: This is a cologne I put in the bath regularly if I have a late night bath. The smell is so lovely and leaves me softly scented for sleeping. It was my father’s scent and one of the things I loved about him most.

Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet Bath Oil: Soft, lightly scented skin that feels smooth as silk on your wish list? Penhaligon’s do it right. Very low on bubble but when you feel and smell this good, who cares. This is a very old bottle that I keep refilling.

Robert Piguet Bandit Shower Cream: Found this recently on some USA site for a very reasonable price so bought a few. Lovely leather bubbles with a spicy wood whiff. YUM

Olympic Orchids Amber & Labdanum Bath Oil: The most lavish bath oil on the planet. Perfect as a base to any fragrance with amber or resins and the scent is almost enough on its own to get you through the day.

Roger & Gallet Cedrat: Zingy fresh citrus that bubbles like crazy, you hardly need any to fill your tub and the fragrance lasts under an hour on your skin afterwards.

Guerlain Shalimar: The one and only. I am pretty sure you guys don’t need to be told how luxurious a Shalimar Bubble Bath is?

L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons: The prettiest white flowers lightly sweetened that really does smell like flittering butterflies in spring.

So what do you use to bathe? Do you have a special shower gel, soap, bubble bath? Shares please in the comments.
Portia xx

Savoy Steam GIVEAWAY WINNERS

August 17, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Portia

Hey All,

I am still very excited by Savoy Steam. It has tickled an undreamt of taste bud for me and I have kept spritzing part of myself with it each day.

Thanks Libertine for sending the bottle.
Portia xx

Savoy Steam GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, eucalyptus, mint, pink pepper, rosemary
Heart: Rose, geranium, cardamom, hedione, tea
Base: Benzoin, incense, vanilla, white musk

Libertine has $279/100ml (FREE Australian Shipping)

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 5 winners who will receive:
1 x 5ml Penhaligon’s Savoy Steam
There will also be some interesting extras
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 16th August 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Neva

Undina

Azar

Gina

Claudia

The winners will have till Wednesday 23rd August 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

Cookies, Perfumes, Shoes, and a Mountain

August 15, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Val the Cookie Queen

Hi APJ from Austria in a heatwave

Last year I wrote a post for APJ – Scent of the Cookie Run. A Five Year Anniversary. This month will be my sixth year and last night I attended the opening of a new store in Innsbruck, the third in the city.

Cookies, Perfumes, Shoes, and a Mountain

I wore Vero Profumo´s Rozy Extrait for the event. As I recently mentioned to Tara of A Bottled Rose, I don´t wear spray perfume when I am in a close crowd, and especially not in an eating place. I think that´s damn rude. Extraits are perfect. So for the who went for the three kisses on the cheek route, mwah, mwah, mwah, Rozy said enough. Laughing as I write this, idiosyncratic perfumista behaviour at it´s most extreme. Talking of Vero Profumo, my bottle of the ten year jubilee scent, NAJA, arrived this week. Quite the highlight I must say. I have had various versions of it since 2015, and it has been a long and emotional journey, so to hold a bottle in my grubby hand was way cool.

I bought an amazing pair of shoes recently. Flat AND sexy. I live in Crocs for work, Timberland for winter, and Havaianas for summer. It has been years since I bought any shoes verging on beautiful. I mean have you tried buying a genuinely stunning pair of flat, comfortable, gorgeous shoes? When I saw a picture of these I followed the link and ordered them on-the-spot. The company http://www.inch2.com were beyond good. They kept in touch via email, Facebook Chat, WhatsApp and there was a telephone number. Of course it is a bit risky ordering online when it comes to sizing, and the 39s I ordered were too big. Returning was as simple as can be and the replaced my order within three weeks. The shoes are hand finished, according to the orders they receive, and thus take a little longer than some other online companies. Winter boots here I come.

I am going with the BlondesWunder, Mirjam her childhood friend, and Dr Fox, my partner-in-crime, to Italy next week for five days. Caorle, about forty-five minutes northish of Venice on the Adriatic Coast. We have been together many times before, always staying in the same hotel on the beach, and we love it. There is something supremely comfortable about being hidden on the beach, sardined in amongst thousands of other holidaymakers. Anonymity pure. It´s a ladies only holiday. Which brings me to the perfumes BlondesWunder and I are gonna take. We have limited ourselves to three each, with the option of sharing! We are driving down there so it´s no problem taking bottles. (We only wear perfume at night, after dinner, when we go into the town 🙂 )

BlondeWunder has picked Guerlain´s Terracotta, Luten`s La Fille de Berlin and Malle´s Eau de Magnolia.
I’m taking Malle´s Une Rose, Mona di Orio´s Musc, and Vero´s Rubj EdP.

So there you go. Meanwhile Portia said I should throw in some pics of our “house mountain” the Traunstein. We are überlucky to be
able to see it from our balcony and it gives me great joy.

So whether you are summering or wintering, stay cool.

Perfumed Bussis
CQ

Savoy Steam by Juliette Karagueuzoglou for Penhaligon`s 2017

August 14, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Portia

Hey Hey Hey Fumies,

Great news! The crew at Libertine Parfumerie and Agence de Parfum here in Australia sent me some Savoy Steam to try! WOO HOO! There’s enough here to generously share! YAY! If you’re in Australia Libertine Parfumerie has FREE SHIPPING if you spend over $100.

Savoy Steam by Penhaligon`s 2017

Savoy Steam by Juliette Karagueuzoglou

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, eucalyptus, mint, pink pepper, rosemary
Heart: Rose, geranium, cardamom, hedione, tea
Base: Benzoin, incense, vanilla, white musk

Sweet and fresh opening both rosey and sparkling citrus. It’s wet and dewy but manages to give the impression of the scent of fusing the glue used in iron on interfacing. Also the very specific scent of ironing high quality wool blend fabric. Lemony aldehydes, heat and humanity all hide quietly below the roses and I can truly smell the rosemary as if the potatoes have just come out of the oven.

Savoy Steam is wonderful, there’s so much to enjoy. The cardamom is REAL too, like a curry. Incense as if you have a box of Japanese incense sticks as yet unlit. I also get the particular smell of rice steam.

I get 3+ hours of fragrant from Savoy Steam and the dry down is cool incense and rice steam. Excellent.

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and
Libertine has $279/100ml (FREE Australian Shipping)
First In Fragrance has €189/100ml

Savoy Steam GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 5 winners who will receive:
1 x 5ml Penhaligon’s Savoy Steam
There will also be some interesting extras
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 tell us when or where you would wear you Savoy Steam

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 16th August 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 Wednesday 23rd August 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

Saturday Question: What 4 Would You Rebuy First?

August 12, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 121 Comments

Portia

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Once a week here on Australian Perfume Junkies we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is generally a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a $10 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Over 200 responses I will draw a $20 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Comment purposefully on yours or anothers comment & you’ll have a chance, random.org will draw on Friday.

Last Weeks Winner: Didn’t make 100

Saturday Question: What 4 Would You Rebuy First?

There’s been a terrible drama and your whole perfume collection has been lost. Thank goodness it was heavily insured and you will get your money back within the month to start rebuilding your collection. Nothing else was lost, hurt or broken and everyone is safe so you’re not mourning anything except your fabulous fragrance collection. You are given a certificate that allows you to rebuy any FOUR fragrances from your collection. There’s no price limit but you must have had a bottle of the fragrance in your current collection. They can come from different places and the magic of this certificate is that no matter where the fragrance is in the world it will be in your hands tomorrow morning, first thing. So you’ll not be without perfume for your daily rituals.

My Answer:

Mitsouko EdT by Guerlain:

I’m feeling guilty because I’ve picked Mitsouko over Shalimar but I think right now that Mitsouko would be the one I’d like to have on hand. That gorgeous fruity chypre, so sweet and so bitter. It could enfold me in its silky caress and keep me smelling beautiful.

Ashoka by Neela Vermeire Creations:

AHH the guilt is real. I feel like I’m cheating on Mohur but today I think the figgy woods of Ashoka are what I’d ask for. There’s something indomitable about this scent that I think could really help me through a crises. Let’s hope it’s never put to the test.

Eau Absolue by Mona di Orio:

The soft, sheer, glassy smoothness of Eau Absolue is magical. The resigns are perfectly balanced against the spicy fruit and flowers. I can never reconcile the note list and the scent here. What I smell is light warm rain, fresh thick cotton sateen sheets and endless snuggles.

Agent Provocateur Original:

Roses, saffron and woodsy amber. Agent Provocateur is a constant delight for me and punches well above its price range. Long lasting scented glamour that can be dressed up or down and seems to fit so many occasions. Let’s not forget too the sensual pleasure of the pink egg bottle, so cool.

My Question To You Is: What Would Be the First FOUR Fragrances You Would Rebuy?

Durga by David Moltlz for D.S. & Durga 2017

August 11, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Portia

Hi there APJ,

I was wearing this beautiful scent with no idea how much it costs. It came in a bunch of new scents split by a mate of mine. Blissfully unaware I spritzed with abandon and really enjoyed the way it smells.

This morning it is cool and crisp and the weather feels like it’s perfectly attuned to todays fragrance.

Durga by D.S. & Durga 2017

Durga by David Moltlz

Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Top: Tuberose, melon, chrysanthemum
Heart: Ylang-ylang, orris, orange blossom
Base: Tuberose, jasmine sambas, musk

Creamy tuberose, made awkwardly and sweetly juicy by the juxtaposition of melon and mums. It is a catchy opening that sideswipes my expectations. Smelling smoothly resinous, clean tuberose and this freaky undertone that is skating around the drop to disgusting but manages to pull itself or keep itself nice. The opening is not traditionally beautiful and is chock full of florist floor realness. Stemmy offcuts, discarded flower petals, bucket water and road dirt. Durga smells like some of the best, most interesting and slightly challenging independent perfumery. It’s raw and not all the rough edges are smoothed to a glasslike finish.

The heart comes through and reads as a bouquet to me. All notes working in harmony to create something other, something different, yet still encompassing the notes list. If you know perfumes DelRae Amoureuse then you will recognise this tightrope walk between hideous and heavenly. Though not smelling the same the feeling is similar.

PDI

Then somehow at about the 15-20 minute mark Durga becomes all heavenly symphony. A sheer tuberose out front and everything backs and supports.

From LuckyScent: What does floral nirvana feel like? We’re not talking about an overdose of girly, cookie cutter fruity-florals, or a powder-drenched grandma scent, but rather, in D.S. & Durga’s own words, “palatial doses of the finest floral absolutes, ” a no-costs-spared approach to creating the ultimate limited-edition fragrance. So what does it feel like? Rapturous.

WikiCommons

LuckyScent has $350/50ml and Samples

$350 is a lot of money for 50ml. Is that a deterrent to you?
Portia xx

Pelargonium by Nathalie Feisthauer for Aedes de Venustas 2017

August 10, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Portia

Hey Crew,

Well clearly a new package of splits has arrived because this week we are talking NEW STUFF on APJ. It’s not regular here for us to get hyper excited about new releases but there seems to be a plethora of really good and interesting stuff for all taste ranges lately. I’m not saying that hard core perfumistas will like it all but there does seem to be something quite lively about the newest batch.

Pelargonium by Aedes de Venustas 2017

Pelargonium by Nathalie Feisthauer

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, Mandarin, Clary sage, Black pepper, Sichuan pepper absolute, Cardamom, Egyptian geranium, Hedione, Iris, Carrot seed, Elemi resin, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Gaiac wood, Moss, Musk, Ambermax®

I have a little story for you. Maybe you remember that Jin and I bought some property in Tasmania? Well, we bought two houses for unbelievably low prices and they have been tenanted. One of the houses has just changed tenants but we were lucky enough to meet the last couple the weekend before they left. They had spent a year beautifying the gardens and had added about 15 pelargonium plants in pinks, purples and dark reds. When I mentioned how much I loved her pelargoniums we instantly bonded because she’d never met anyone who knew the difference. The whole house was at least in 20% better shape than we’d first rented it. Sadly I only got one photo of the magnificent flowers but you can see how dramatic and glamorous they are.

Pelargonium Aedes de Venustas Tasmania June 2017

A sharp geranium smell, soapy, clean, strong and poised. Cool and dry, the peppers give a snap and sizzle to cardboard iris and lightly salted driftwood shavings. There is a lot of light and shade and the whole scent is so well blended that very few pieces stand out enough for met nose to capture them.

Very unexpected treatment of pelargoniums, as the heart develops I am smelling warmth. It’s like the sunrise warming the fragrance through that has been waiting in the cool dark for it. The whole personality of Pelargonium becomes that warm, woody, synth smell that I really like in so much niche but has little or nothing to do with the flowers as I know them. In fact the perfume is now a very masculine leaning thing.

PDI

Hints of the opening float to the surface unexpectedly throughout the heart and dry down. It gives a lift and swish, keeping the wood and dry resins interesting.

Longevity is really good and I stay quite noticeably fragrant throughout.

Further reading: Now Smell This and I Scent You A Day
Peony Melbourne has the Aedes de Venustas range

Are you a fan of the Aedes de Venustas line? Is Pelargonium on your To-Try radar?
Portia xxx

DIOR La Collection Privée GIVEAWAY WINNER

August 10, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Portia

Hiya APJ,

So exciting getting the newest first.
Let’s see who won them.
Portia xx

DIOR La Collection Privée GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x tiny Sample each of Sakura, Jasmin des Angles, Souffle de Soie
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 9th August 2017 10pm Australian EsT
Winner was chosen by random.org

Fanny

The winners will have till Wednesday 16th August 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

Flamenco by Ramón Monegal 2017

August 9, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Sandra

Hi there APJ! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the month of August. We are eagerly anticipating our upcoming trip to southern Spain. I am in desperate need for sunshine and heat – both will hopefully be in abundance.

“The dance, of all the arts, is the one that most influences the soul. Dancing is divine in its nature and is the gift of the gods”. Plato.

Music and dance are indicative of a culture and its people. Joie de vivre, cultural history and even weather plays an important role in the musical roots of a country. Every country has its own rhythym, its own heartbeat. Having lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I cannot imagine that city without the rhythyms of tango and the evocative dance associated with it. The same holds true for the Waltz and Vienna, Austria – a lot of structure to the dance and the music. I have always believed that the warmer the climate in a country, the more passionate and captivating the music and dance will be. This is only my opinion as I have had the pleasure of living in many countries and experiencing the music and dance.

Enter in Spain and the Flamenco dance.

Flamenco by Ramón Monegal 2017

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, raspberry, violet, apple
Heart: Jasmine, rose, iris
Base: Cedar, amber, pine tree, cypress.

With all of that said and done, I am sure that you all know of Ramón Monegal perfumes from Barcelona, Spain. Ramón Monegal is one of the very few brands which excites me with their new creations and they have recently launched Flamenco. The Andalusian dance, the Flamenco, with its music (guitar, vocals, clapping and dancing) is seductive and sensual and was the inpiration for this new creation. When I watch a Flamenco performance I feel as if I am watching a deep magical dance from the soul of the people. It is a feast for my senses. I get lost in watching the rhythmic movements of the dancer’s arms and feet, the sway of her dress, the dust slightly coming off of the wooden floor, the musicians encouraging her and then the final culmination.

When I spray on Flamenco, it opens with a cloud of raspberries and orange blossom which is radiant and bursting with flavor and brings a smile from ear to ear on my face. A bowlful of berries, succulent with their juices, slightly sweet and yet marginally tart, is my secret haven for a warm summer evening. There is an underlying woody aspect to the opening which grounds it from turning into a fruit syrup. When the woods come into play they are warm and glowing which gives me a sense of comfort and well being. This perfume exudes passion, slowly working its way into my soul making me want to wear something red, dance the night away on a warm summer evening after enjoying a day of languishing in the sun.

The packaging for Flamenco is equisite; a book shaped box with a mirror on the inside of the lid holds the red bottle in a black and red cloth bag. There is so much attention to detail that surpasses anything that I have seen in a while. It is pure joy to use the perfume and adds to the sensorial experience.

Special thanks to Ramon Monegal for sending me this beautiful bottle

Perfumaria has €190/50ml
LuckyScent carries the Ramon Monegal line

Have you tried any perfumes from Ramón Monegal? Do you have a favorite? Or do you have a favorite dance?
Sandra x

Rose + Don`t Get Me Wrong Baby by ELdO

August 9, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Portia

Sorry APJ,

I was supposed to come home and finish a post but my mate Rose came to trivia tonight. Afterwards we came home and were eating the delicious biscuits made by my mate Nikki at the Post Office and left in my PO Box. We also had some Aftelier Rose & Ginger Oolong Tea. If you haven’t tried Mandy’s teas then you NEED TO, immediately.

Anyway we basically chattered away three hours and I was an excellent catch up.

We also sniffed some fragrance. Rose fell in love with Don`t Get Me Wrong Baby by ELdO. I have the new and old bottles so I gifted her the original.

Don’t Get Me Wrong Baby by Etat Libre d’Orange

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Orange blossom, lily-of-the-valley, patchouli, jasmine, aldehydes, amber, cacao pod, marshmallow, musk

It smelled wonderful on her, what else could I do?

Then we wandered up to the station and now she’s gone.

So I really don’t have a post for you and I’m sorry for that. Sometimes you have to live a little and let everything else go hang.
Portia xx