Argan Oil Haircare

July 18, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

AF Beauty

Hey hey,

Hair oils you’ll love and maybe one you won’t!

As I’ve talked about before, I hit the gym fairly often and as a result, I need to wash my hair A LOT. It is annoying for me, and I’m fairly sure my hairdresser would happily stab me to prevent me cracking out the shampoo on a sometimes twice daily basis.
All things considered my hair isn’t in too bad condition, probably because I rarely use straighteners or a hairdryer. But truth is, it could be in better condition – and as you’ll have seen in the shops, the latest thing for perfect hair is Argan Oil.

Argan Oil Haircare

Applied to the hair, generally after washing, it’s meant to help heal the hair, act as a conditioner and defrizz. Read the promotional info here.

I think my first foray into Argan Oil was a freebie thanks to a David Jones promotion. I got a mini bottle of Agadir Argan Oil. This is a relatively thick oil similar in consistency to olive oil with a pleasant mild fragrance. I like this oil, it does make my hair feel nice – but whether because I don’t use a hairdyer, or just the weight of my hair type (relatively fine), it does make my hair feel dirty relatively quickly (ie greasy).

When my little sample ran out, I decided to look for a replacement. The Agadir oil is relatively pricy for it’s small size AU$24 for a standard size bottle – that’s only 66ml). I decided to try the L’Oreal Extraordinary Oil Mist, I think it was on special one day. I was drawn to this because of the mist spray application thinking it would ‘feel’ less oily if it wasn’t applying with my hands.

OK, so this I really don’t like. And really it’s my own fault. It makes my hair feel dry and straw-like. I should have checked the ingredients before buying (caveat emptor right here) because first of all, there is no Argan Oil in it, and secondly the second ingredient listed is alcohol. Why would spraying alcohol on your hair EVER be a good thing? They package this up in a posh orange glass fully imitating the argan oil brands – it’s misleading, so be warned. Stay away.

So after the horror of the L’Oreal product, by chance I picked up the OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Miracle in-shower oil. . I’ve never actually used this in the shower, mainly because my shower is over-bath and I would rather not slip and break my neck while naked having applied an oil to my hair or body. I apply this as a post conditioner treatment before wrapping my wet hair up in a towel, this way the excess stays in the towel. This I LOVE! The texture is a lot lighter than the first oil, it applies well and my hair doesn’t look immediately greasy. All in all, a winner. It says also for skin use, but thus far, I’ve not tried it, maybe next week! 🙂

Have you found an oil treatment you love? Tell me about it!
AF Beauty

Black Perfecto: La Petit Robe Noir by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2017

July 17, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Portia

Hey there Frag Crew,

Recently while purchasing Black Perfecto the SA asked me if I wanted extras for a giveaway! I was so freaking chuffed that she recognised me from my previous begging visits. It was nice, she was nice and I got Black Perfecto. Now honesty compels me to mention that I only bought it because of the bottle. Yes, I’m disgusting but cum’on, it’s freaking gorgeous.

Black Perfecto by Guerlain 2017

Black Perfecto: La Petit Robe Noir by Thierry Wasser

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Sour cherry, almond, black tea
Heart: Rose, liquorice
Base: Leather, musk, patchouli, tonka bean

So yes, Black perfecto opens noxious, the first minute is quite overwhelming. Once the crazy settles I’m left with a plastic and sour cherry that surprisingly leaves the taste in my mouth of a cherry flavoured tea infusion. The almond is real and the liquorice noticeable too. It’s kind of medicinal, like cough mixture and band aids. I like how the whole fragrance dries out in the heart like biscuit base.

AND THEN IT HITS ME

Black Perfecto smells and tastes like the slices of mass made cherry cheesecake that look so incredibly delicious in the window and are invariably a slightly plastic version of the real deal.

PDI

Is Black Perfecto bad? Nope, I like it. Will I ever go through my 50ml? Probably not. To be honest I think Mon Guerlain a much better fragrance and I would choose to spritz it ahead almost always.

That bottle though! It is PERFECTO!
Portia xxx

Black Perfecto by La Petite Robe Noire – GUERLAIN

Black Perfecto GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x Black Perfecto carded manufacturers sample
1 x Mon Guerlain carded manufacturers sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us which bottle in your collection is your favourite.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 19th July 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 26th July 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: Sample Size & Format

July 15, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 33 Comments

Portia

Heya APJ,

Taking an idea from Olfactoria’s Travels. Once a week there used to be a Question. Everyone would chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it would be a generally fun event each week. Taking sides never meant taking offence and everyone kept it respectful and light.

Saturday Question: Sample Size & Format

Today we are joined by Lillibet who has a Saturday Question

Portia can we have one about the ideal sample size and format (i.e. spray or dab)? I’d be really interested to know what everyone thinks.
Lil Xx

My Answer:

Hey Lillibet,

I like to get 3+ good wears out of a sample. Two or three wears of four spritzes on the back of my hand usually and one full body wear with the remainder. So when I’m buying samples I usually go for the 2ml Spray option, and my go-To for that is Surrender To Chance. If I’m lucky enough to see someone splitting a thing I’m interested in or if it sounds fun I’ll buy a decant of 5ml-10ml.

When I get a smaller dab vial it will be transferred into a disposable plastic spritz bottle and I’ll get a couple of wears out of that. It never seems enough to get a real knowledge of how a fragrance performs and I often wish for more..

So, my question to you is:

What Sample Size & Format Do You Prefer?

The Cannabis Collection by DSH Perfumes 2014

July 14, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Portia

Hey Hey Hoochie Smokers and Non,

When parts of the USA legalised Cannabis in 2014 it created a new industry overnight. Well, I say created but actually I mean it brought an old industry out of the shadows, gave it a sheen of respectability, made them pay taxes and hopefully will keep the supply regulated, cleaner and more stable. Reports getting here to Australia talk about governmental areas that were financially suffering now having an abundance of cash reserves. Everybody wins and it also takes the business out of the shady hands of crooks and legitimises everyone involved.

If only the world would do the same with all other recreational drugs governments would never feel the penny pinch, everyone would know exactly what they were buying and the drug wars would be over.

Don’t get me started…..

The Cannabis Collection by DSH Perfumes 2014

The Cannabis Collection by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

DSH Perfumes

So my mate Dawn brought out a collection of fragrances to commemorate the regulation of the Cannabis trade. The Discovery Set comes with 4 samples and after giving them a quick whiff I think I’ll give you the DSH Perfumes spiel on two and mini review the other two. Hopefully that works well for everyone.

Agrestic by DSH Perfumes:

is a lovely fougere that conjures a sweeping hayfield countryside and the rural locales where many a plant is grown.

I Love You, Mary Jane by DSH Perfumes:

is a flirtatious and fruity cannabis with all of it’s sticky-sweetness showing bright and beautiful.

Rocky Mountain High by DSH Perfumes:

Balsam fir, bergamot, cassis bud, Choya Nakh, cannabis, chrysanthemum, clary sage, juniper, amber, olibanum, galbanum, oakmoss, green pepper, pine needles, sandalwood, sage, basil, Texas cedar, animalic “skunk” accord

There is so much more going on here than just the smell of weed. It’s partly a mixture of all the early Indies. You know that dank, mossy, humus rich, swampy accord that hides behind so many of the naturals? Then I think maybe that’s what bong water smells like in a mountain forest and I’m laughing. Pine backed by warm humanity and dirty water. Actually, 10 minutes in and Rocky Mountain High is beautiful, a balmy woodsiness that smells great.

DSH Perfumes has samples from $6

The Green House by DSH Perfumes:

Grass, vetiver, cannabis, bulgarian rose, chrysanthemum, civet, soil tincture, olibanum, gardenia, woody notes, green leaves, mimosa, parma violet, patchouli, tuberose and violet leaf

Clear, sharp air. The greenhouse starts in the early morning, it must be winter because over the smell of vegetation is the cold smell of snow. You can almost smell the sun coming up and all the plants responding by sending out fragrant whiffs of invitation. Somehow Dawn has created green fragrance that is everything green without the overlording of galbanum. It’s a green alive with promise and a whiff of reckless naughtiness.

DSH Perfumes has samples from $6

These are FUN. You won’t smell like a filthy pot smoking grub but you will smell fabulous, with a minuscule air of mischief.

Do you like the idea? Could you tell people you were wearing a dope fragrance?
Portia xx

Five O`Clock Au Gingembre by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2008

July 13, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Portia

Hi there Fumie Family,

Five O`Clock Au Gingembre has long been my favourite Serge Lutens. When originally testing the range it was the one that stood head and shoulders above the rest for regular wearability. Having recently finished a bottle, opening my new one was full of excitement. Recently it’s been bandied about that Five O`Clock Au Gingembre is on the chopping block so true to form I’ve been wearing it so much more often.

Five O`Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens 2008

Five O`Clock Au Gingembre by Christopher Sheldrake

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tea, bergamot
Heart: Ginger, cinnamon, woodsy notes
Base: Cacao, honey, amber, patchouli, pepper

My new bottle is different. Not hugely, “OMG, how could they gut my beautiful baby?” different but it feels less intense through the heart. The opening of spiced, champagne fizzy tea cut through with citrus is still eye rollingly beautiful, yet even this seems just a little flatter and less vivacious.

The heart of Five O`Clock Au Gingembre is still an intricate weaving of ginger, wood, tea and honey. Actually it smells more like sweet honeyed tobacco with that slight dry ache in my throat that tea gives me. It does not seem to have former iterations oomph here in the heart though, as if the scent needs to take a little break to ready it for its now much longer dry down life.

PDI

I spritzed myself yesterday lunch time and still I can smell the soft last vestiges of honey. amber and patchouli. They have harmonised with my person and smell beautiful. I think it may be my top that has held the scent but it is very, very nice.

Five O`Clock Au Gingembre is a very easy wear Serge Lutens. I know for many perfumistas that is not a selling point but I really love to walk through my day smelling beautiful and not excessively weird or grim. Sure, there are times when I choose to be a frag freak but mostly I just want to smell good. A lovely light filled, spicy, interesting, unisex scent that lasts all day? Yes please.

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Bois de Jasmin
Available at LuckyScent, Mecca Cosmetica and at discounters.
Surrender To Chance has samples from $6/ml

What are your favourite easy wear Serge Lutens?
Portia xx

Arielle Shoshana EdP GIVEAWAY WINNERS

July 13, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Portia

Hi there Frag Gamblers!

Special thanks to Arielle of Arielle Shoshana who popped some extra juice into my order for giveaways! She is the freaking bomb and we should all be supporting her as she brings us exquisite scents.

Arielle Shoshana EdP GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Arielle Shoshana gives these featured accords:
Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, Rhubarb, Mandarin, Peach, Saffron, Pink Pepper, Cardamom, Magnolia, Sandalwood, Ambroxan, Vanilla, Vetiver Bourbon, Iris, Musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x Arielle Shoshana EdP sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 12th July 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners were chosen by random.org

BiancaB

RuthF

JayBee

The winners will have till Wednesday 19th July 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

Go Naked Perfume Oil by Sarah Horowitz-Thran for Urban Decay 2017

July 12, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Erica Golding

Hi all!

Hope you are doing well. It’s summer here in the States, and we’re enjoying some gorgeous weather after an unusually rainy spring. On that note, I recently tried a fresh new scent with promises of sun-kissed beachy skin. The concept boasts an aroma that melds with your chemistry and becomes a part of you. Many people read “beach” in the description, expecting notes like coconut, pineapple, or sea salt. *buzzer* Nope!

Go Naked Perfume Oil by Urban Decay 2017

Go Naked Perfume Oil by Sarah Horowitz-Thran

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, petitgrain, mandarin orange, lemon, sea salt
Heart: Neroli, orange blossom
Base: Lavender, musk, jasmine

Go Naked perfume oil is a citrusy, floral, clean musk. The nose behind this fragrance is Sarah Horowitz-Thran, who is well known for her line of affordable niche perfumes including Perfect Veil and Perfect Nectar. I wouldn’t have been interested in Go Naked otherwise, so I’m really glad that Urban Decay mentioned her in the product description.

I tried several of Sarah’s perfumes about 10 years ago when I had just discovered Luckyscent. A swipe of Go Naked is a darling little time machine that brings me back to that time. I no longer have any of my samples from the Perfect line, so I can’t give any direct comparison, but this scent definitely conjures up scent memories of those little oils.

The opening is sparkling lemonade and freshly soft orange blossom. I would classify the overall accord as borderline aquatic, but it is more of a rounded soapy floral with a splash of citrus juiciness. There’s also a noticeable waft of sharply herbal lavender. These notes all hover over a simple white musk that buffs out the edges of the crisp notes.

Go Naked Perfume Oil Urban Decay beach pixabay

Simple, fresh, clean, and bright. Does it make me think of the coastline? Not really. I think it would be a welcome breath of freshness on a summer beach, but not because it evokes anything about that experience.

Go Naked is a great easy choice to smell shower clean all day, perfect for the office or for hot days when you want to be fresh. Personally, I think it would be a nice first perfume for a youth showing interest in fragrance. It’s a little too sharp and soapy for me to bond deeply, although I do think it’s fun and lighthearted all the same.

Go Naked Perfume Oil Urban Decay California Cow Nude Beach Outtake Flickr Flickr

Urban Decay in the US have $24/5ml Perfume Oil

I hope you’re having a gorgeously scented day, wherever you are!

Peace,

Erica

Maison Mona di Orio: New Launches 2017

July 11, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Val the Cookie Queen

Good Afternoon from my computer, Wimbledon playing in the background!

It astonishes me that within the realms of a heavily saturated niche perfume market, that there is still the desire to create more. These two new MdO´s are niche as it should be, edgy and enthralling, but wearable. Accessible to anyone wishing to branch off from the more mainstream perfumes, yet still graceful and alluring. Those who want to smell of dead animals and bodily fluids are surprisingly enough, in the minority. Both Suède de Suède and Dõjima will charm the perfumistas whilst opening up a world to those just discovering niche fragrances.

Frederik Dalman is the Swedish in-house perfumer for Maison Mona di Orio.

Maison Mona di Orio: New Launches 2017

First Impressions

Dõjima by Frederik Dalman for Mona di Orio 2017

Rice accord,nutmeg absolute, ambrette, jasmin, orris, clary sage absolute, labdanum CO2, sandalwood, musks

Inspired by rice, and named for the Dõjima Rice Exchange founded by Samurai in 1697 in Osaka, Japan. Dõjima opens with a vivid green, slightly astringent, warmly spiced top layer; a nutty rice note hovers. There remains a greenness throughout, wrapped in a creamy sandalwood, a possible dash of vetiver, who knows? There is some jasmin and orris but I don´t wanna sniff myself into a coma trying to locate them, it takes away the pleasure. An aromatic delight.

Suède de Suède by Frederik Dalman for Mona di Orio 2017

Cloudberry, Sichuan pepper, suède accord, cedar wood, osmanthus, strawberry leaf, castoreum, patchouli, musks

A soft buttery suede/leather wrapped in a sharp berry shell. Frederik Dalman uses cloudberry, they have a distinctive tart taste, and feature in a number of Swedish culinary delights. The zesty berry opening melts into the supple suede, ripples
itself throughout, and remains until the end, preventing the suede from dominating. Osmanthus and strawberry leaf keeping
the cloudberry alive, castoreum, patchouli and musks giving the base. This is a year round leather and one to invite your civilian friends to try. Sensual.

Please take a look at Mona di Orio for the full scoop. Thanks a million to Jeroen, Frederik and Vera for sending me the beautiful box with enough perfume to wear it properly.

Launch in September. 180€ for 75mls

I have a number of MdO miniatures, and an original bottle of her Vanille. I would love a bottle of Mona´s Musc.
Any MdO lovers out there?

Bussis my dears.
CQ xxxx

Arielle Shoshana EdP by Cécile Hua 2017

July 10, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Portia

WOO HOO Fragrance Lovers,

Arielle is the star of frag blog Scents Of Self and is also the proprietor of Arielle Shoshana the fragrance store in Washington DC. We have been online buddies for years and even managed to meet in NYC in 2014. One of the loveliest people in the perfume world so I was EXTRA excited when news leaked that she was going to go balls out and create her own Arielle Shoshana in-house fragrance with perfumer Cécile Hua.

Arielle Shoshana EdP by Cécile Hua 2017

Arielle Shoshana

Imagine you cut open a passionfruit and mix that with the ultra tart segments of grapefruit, add a dash of pineapple juice and eat. The underlying theme that grounds all this freaky fruity frivolity is a creamy amalgam of cardamom, sandalwood and musk. The vanilla doesn’t make itself known to me until well into the LONG life of Arielle Shoshana. A couple of reviews I read didn’t get such awesome staying power but I am fully fragrant nearly two hours later. This passionfruit extract that they’ve found is freaking unbelievable.

Almost photo realistic and the fragrance doesn’t really shift a lot until much later when it becomes creamy passionfruit yoghurt underscored by a soft wood.

BRAVO Arielle. I bought a bottle and got a USA friend to ship it over for me with some other stuff she was sending, THANKS Ruth! Even in the dead of winter Arielle Shoshana shines.

Want to try it?
See below.
Portia xx

Arielle Shoshana EdP GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 3 winners who will receive:
1 x Arielle Shoshana EdP sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please jump to Arielle Shoshane<<<JUMP and find a fragrance they sell and ONE of its notes. Put both in the comments below. NO DOUBLE UPS!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 12th July 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 19th July 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: The Case Against Fragrance by Kate Grenville

July 8, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 49 Comments

Greg Young from AusScents.

(Ed: Taking an idea from Olfactoria’s Travels. Once a week there used to be a Question. Everyone would chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it would be a generally fun events each week. Taking sides never meant taking offence and everyone kept it respectful and light.
Today we are joined by my mate Greg who has a book review attached to the Saturday Question)

Hi APJ,

As something of a perfume collector, I thought I owed it to myself to read this book and find out more about what is in those fragrances in the cupboard.

Kate Grenville has long known that she has an intolerance for fragrances that give her headaches. When it reached a point where she was almost totally incapacitated during a book tour, she decided to research the matter and wrote this book.

(E)-I-(2,6,6-Trimethyl-I-cyclohexa-I,3-dienyl)but-2-en-I-one
(The Name of the Rose)

Book Review: The Case Against Fragrance, by Kate Grenville

Book Depository

Grenville points out that, in modern society, fragrance is almost inescapable. It’s not just the perfumes that we wear. It’s also added to every imaginable household product from toilet paper to laundry liquid. Stores, restaurants and hotels spray fragrance in the air. It’s ubiquitous, and that’s a problem for people that are affected by it, like Grenville.

Any attempt to identify what is causing these problems founders on a few issues. First, trade secrets legislation means that the contents of “fragrance” ingredients don’t have to be revealed. Second, there are thousands of ingredients commonly used in fragrance, and only a subset of these have ever been tested for safety. Finally, nearly all the testing and certification is done by the fragrance industry itself, so conflict of interest issues apply. It’s not hard to see why a manufacturer might prefer to declare that a rose fragrance contains “parfum” rather than the chemical formula above.

Even what we do know is somewhat alarming. Grenville provides an extensive list of compounds known or suspected to be carcinogenic that are either used in fragrances or can form when fragrance ingredients interact with the air (as they unavoidably will). Chief among these is formaldehyde, although there are others.

Another concern is the prevalence of synthetic musk compounds that have proven to be almost indestructible. These compounds bioaccumulate so that they become more prevalent the higher up the food chain you go. That means that the very highest levels are seen in the most vulnerable: breastfeeding babies and foetuses in utero. These musk compounds can mimic the action of hormones such as oestrogen, creating over-supply which can lead to birth defects, genetic abnormalities and cancer.

Grenville is quick to point out that it is impossible to pin this on fragrance specifically, because there are so many other potential triggers for such conditions to emerge over a lifetime. Indeed “the case against fragrance” is largely a circumstantial one. Grenville shows that there are potentially harmful chemicals in fragrances, they have reached a point of ubiquity in the environment, and people are having adverse reactions. But there is no smoking gun; it is impossible to say for sure that there is causality here, and no scientific study would draw the kinds of conclusions that Grenville invites us to make here.

So what to do? The author’s solution is a bit simplistic. For one, she advocates embracing fragrance-free versions of products. That’s fine, except she does not apply anything like the same scrutiny to those alternatives. Just as decaffeinated coffee is not necessarily better for you due to the added chemicals, how does one know whether a fragrance-free detergent contains no harmful chemicals either?

More interesting is Grenville’s suggestion that fragrance-free workplaces may become the norm. ¬If a scientific institute such as the US Centres for Disease Control can adopt a policy that says “Fragrance is not appropriate for a professional work environment”, then it’s possible to imagine that this may one day become more widespread particularly if, as in the US, there are OH&S lawsuits decided in favour of people with fragrance intolerances.

Decades ago the idea of passive smoking was seen as cranky, now it is enshrined in law. We do not have the right to deprive others of a healthy and safe work environment; that is a very clear legal precedent. So maybe one day people who wear perfume will be like the smokers of today, skulking out the back giving themselves a shot of Shalimar before washing it off and heading back inside.

Food for thought? What do you think?
Greg x