Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska for Frederic Malle 2000

December 19, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

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Hi APJ folk!

We’ve been enjoying an amazing autumn here in Ireland. Lucky enough to live in the most sheltered spot on this rain-sodden island, we spent most of October and November trawling the long, golden beaches and kicking over the leaves in castle parks. The sun never stopped shining, temperatures barely dipped below 15 degrees, and we were all in such a damn good mood. Then one day, driving back from a jaunt to Kilkenny, I made the fatal mistake of saying, “And imagine – the kids haven’t been sick even once!”

Jesus.

Naturally, there hasn’t been a dry tissue in the house since. There’s been the flu, chest infections, and a torn cornea that necessitated an emergency hospital visit and a hefty bill (no health insurance). More familiar with hospital waiting rooms than I’d care to be, I have developed a perfume strategy that helps a bit. I wear powerfully radiant, antiseptic fumes that march ahead of me, wiping whole rooms down with Dettol before I enter, and whisper “Do not fuck with me” to receptionists.

Noir Epices by Frederic Malle 2000

Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, rose, geranium
Heart: Nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, cloves
Base: Sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, vanilla

Yeah, so, I’m wearing a lot of Noir Epices. It is a difficult, somewhat prickly perfume – a sort of stripped-down, Vorsprung Durch Technik version of Coco. Re-engineered to remove all the sweetness and ballasting amber; it’s the perfume equivalent of whittling a comfy sofa into a Philippe Starck chair.

WikiCommons

In the opening notes, a hot pink rose stumbles onto the scene, flushed and boozy, washed down with the metallic sheen of geranium leaf. It is intensely beautiful to me at first because I get the impression of fullness – the bitter greenness of the geranium balanced by the rose, and the dry, peppery spices are backed up by rich woods. Singed orange peel and clove burn through spices, florals, and woods, purifying the unclean air around me and excoriating the flesh around open wounds. Noir Epices is the answer to the plague.

I feel fierce when I wear this, but eventually the very things that make me feel protected wear me down. Wearing Noir Epices is like putting a pure vitamin C serum on your face – the burning feels good because you know that it is active, but at the same time, the discomfort is real. Noir Epices has all the trappings of a rich spice oriental – the acidity of spilled orange juice, dry pomander woods, black pepper, an excitable rose – but completely lacks the underpinnings. There is no amber, vanilla, or creamy, hefty woods to round this out in the base, and while I understand that its appeal comes from this woody weightlessness, I would wish for a kinder, more forgiving ending. Noir Epices is a stern judge of character.

Wikipedia

Longevity and sillage are outstanding, 7 hours at the least. I recommend Noir Epices to anyone in need of a magic potion to ward off illnesses, and to fans of spicy, dry orange-rose pomander fragrances such as Coco and Maharanih.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Non Blonde
Mecca has $217/50ml with FREE Australian Shipping
Surrender To Chance have samples starting at $8.69/ml

What do you guys use to banish the sickies?

Slán,
Claire

The Modern Fougere: Kurkdjian, Malle, Penhaligon’s

September 23, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Liam

Howdy Hum Salubrious Scentophiles.

Of the entire gamut of fragrances, I am most cautious of the Fougere.

Why? Do this for me- play a game of covert ops (if you are a man, this is easy. If you are a woman, pretend you are buying a gift for a boyfriend). Head on down to your local department store and ask the question: “I am looking for a safe fragrance at around the one-hundred dollar mark”. Tell them he doesn’t often wear scent, perhaps only for special occasions.

I am willing and happy to wager that if they do not offer you an aquatic to try, they will then offer you either a fragrance in the wood category or the Aromatic Fougere.

The Modern Fougere: Kurkdjian, Malle, Penhaligon’s

What’s wrong with the mass market Fougere? The structure of a Fougere is largely complex, richly layered with a harmonious topdown structure from a vibrant citrus top note, an aromatic hum in the middle, and a weighty wooded base at the bottom. When perfumes mess with these transitions, with cloying drydowns and/or linalool and ambroxan driven facets, piercing top notes, and imperceptible accords – the Fougere has been tarnished.

Jean-Paul Guerlain made a statement that I am inclined to adhere to. He believed that apart from Guerlain’s two Fougere scents – Jicky and Mouchoir de Monsieur, any other Fougere is for truck drivers. Given my current and (of course) personal perspective of the market, I am inclined to say the same.

However! The Fougere begins to shine a pulsating, welcoming, and soft glow when we begin to look at a few more ‘uppermarket’ scents. Here are my favourite Fougeres for a contemporary market.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Sartorial by Penhaligon’s

A superstar in the fragrance community (and when you have the confidence, fragcom is the appropriate blend word to use), I personally really admire Sartorial for its classicism.

I get what I want from Sartorial: a lavender, amber, and sandalwood structure that alloys down a citrus impression at the opening. But Duchaufour takes it a step further. He places the scent in context. In a Saville Row tailor’s workroom. Beeswax, metallic notes, steam-iron notes, and a linen fabric accord intermingle with the classic structure giving depth, definition, and clarity. A wonderful scent.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Masculin Pluriel by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

This is the antidote to my woes. I am saddened by a lack of clarity in Fougere scents – with these instead presenting a musty static that I cannot bare. Much like Sartorial, the name suggests a throwback to what makes a masculine fragrance – a Fougere! Lavender is a must, along with red cedar, leather, and patchouli. A fragrance representing a quest for the ‘eternal masculine’, a ‘timeless scent’, this comes pretty close. It it predicable and forward, like a good gentleman.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Geranium Pour Monsieur – Frederic Malle

A minty wildcard, I am currently really liking this one. It is tenacious. It opens with a smooth abrasiveness from Chinese geranium – giving a floral potency lifted with nose tingling mint, anise, and ouzo notes. Combined with the spice of clove, cinnamon and then swept with crystalline musk – Geranium Pour Monsieur omits the toothpaste impression but retains its menthol-like freshness. It is precise; a well-tuned creation that plays on cool and hot. Creating a sophisticated, refreshing and tonic-like fragrance, Geranium Pour Monsieur is probably the best mint-driven scent on the market, and a superb quasi-fougere.

Be kind, and rethink your labelling of the (otherwise almighty) Fougere.
What’s a modern Fougere to you?

-Liam

P.S I’m away for a while, Yr12 exams! See you soon!

Gabriella's Three New Fragrant Favourites

June 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hi perfume lovers,

It’s so easy for me to fall into a perfume rut. My white floral adoration and Mr M’s penchant for dark, spicy roses can sometimes mean that I rarely go outside of my comfort zone of the two genres when it comes to wearing scents.

Maybe I’ll get samples or decants just to sniff something different or for the purposes of writing a blog post, but it’s a very rare occasion indeed when I find not one, but three perfumes that don’t fall into either category, but feel utterly perfect to me.

But that unexpected moment has happened and today I want to share with you my three new favourite NON white-floral/dark-rose perfumes

Gabriella’s Three New Fragrant Favourites

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, mos, amber

I’m not one for colognes and magnolia isn’t my favourite flower, but this to me is just utterly magical. A sharp burst of bergamot with a verdant twist of lime morphs into a subtle green and mossy magnolia underscored by the dryness of vetiver. It’s an easy to wear, yet utterly elegant and sophisticated chypre that have me craving spring.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $59 for 10ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $7.59/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Misia by Olivier Polge for Chanel 2015

Fragrantica gives these notes in one line:
Violet, iris, orris root, Turkish rose, Grasse rose, Laos benzoin, tonka bean.

Rose and violet is a combination that usually has me running the other way. I didn’t expect to like Misia, let alone love it, given the myriad of comparisons with Lipstick Rose and the like, but I do. The difference for me is the sharp opening of iris, which lends the rose violet accord a little dryness and fizziness. There’s a powdery, candied vibe as the iris veers into the rose-violet accord while berry notes lends a sweet vibe to the rose without veering too much into the dreaded fruity floral territory. Misia is just such a pleasure to wear, it absolutely sparkles on my skin and has enough Chanel sophistication whilst feeling completely modern and different to the rest of the Exclusifs line.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Grain de Musc
Misia is available at Chanel boutiques, US$280/AUD$350/300ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Wit by Yann Vasnier for Parfums DelRae

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, mandarin orange, angelica, laurels
Heart: Jasmine, narcissus, mimosa, ylang-ylang
Base: Amber, vanilla, musk

Wit surprised me, given that DelRae’s creations, whilst completely beautiful to sniff, never really work on me skin wise. Plus, the lemon element scared me a bit, given citrus can turn overly sharp and cloying on me, but Wit had me at hello. The opening is bright creamy lemon, softly sweet and also lemon curdy in nature, with a decidedly tactile and almost edible quality. The citrus notes sparkle and yet are softly sweet before segueing into the jasmine and daphne which is all bright yellow and tempered by the soft green of the laurel and angelica. Wit is a surprisingly different floral, with a brightness and richness I haven’t found in the genre for quite some time.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Now Smell This
Luckyscent has $150/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/0.5ml

What three fragrances are your favourites at the moment? What fragrances do you love that are outside your comfort zone?

With much love till next time!

M x

Liam's Top 3 Frederic Malle Roses 2015

March 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Liam

The ultimate flower, a total chameleon of the fragrant spectrum. A rose’s nuances are broad and all-encompassing from woody notes, citrusy overtones, herbal impressions, and delectable fruity tinges whilst lending itself so easily to dank agarwood oriental creations, rich gourmands, and powdery scents with a focus on makeup or femininity. No wonder the Editions de Parfums lineup from Frederic Malle has several rose fragrances!

Photo Stolen Flickr

Liam’s Top 3 Frederic Malle Roses 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Lipstick Rose by Ralf Schwieger for Frederic Malle 2000

The risk of smelling like a grandmother always scared me, however Ralf Schwieger turns the smell of lipstick into a sexy medley of intricate notes that firmly plays with the lipstick impression.

Here, the waxy aspects of lipstick are fully heightened. Sweet musks with an almost edible trail form the lingering base, which twirl around a duotone heart of rose and violet. The lipstick impression here is crisp, vanilla-hued and candy-like … And despite my gender this makes me want to source some lipstick and wear it, to experience the sensation of glamour and magnetic attraction without the prominent flounce found in larger floral bouquets. This is a respectable rose fragrance, with a subtle amount of glam found through the raspberry and its rich trail. The projection is subtle on the skin, but the lingering sillage is prominent – truly like a goodbye kiss.

For me, the vintage inspiration is most captivating and I am instantly reminded of times I snuck into my grandmother’s room and scuffled around her makeup drawers with an innocuous curiosity.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Une Rose by Edouard Flechier for Frederic Malle 2003

In this fragrance, the olfactory portrait of a rose flower is extended to feature everything. Imagine the anatomy of a rose – The bright red petals and the stamen, the green leaves, stem and thorns. Each fundamental feature of the rose utilised. Une Rose opens like a green and vegetal rose; particularly a dark shard of green with heavy and dense overtones. Une Rose, meaning ‘one rose’ or ‘a rose’, is a soliflore fragrance in the least soliflore way possible. One is hit smack bang with a wet rose pulled out of the ground, roots and all. Dank with the impression of earth, truffle, and petrichor in the background, Une Rose gives rose an exciting treatment combining it with a taut backbone of strong black Perigord truffle.

Une Rose melts and projects off the skin, with the truffle base at the origin of this sensuous rose. To link the carnal smell of skin and the vegetal nature of the flower, I detect an undercurrent of vetiver and patchouli adding a woody and lush edge, with the erotic severity of animalic castoreum. Dig deeper, and a warm and spicy red wine note can be found – adding to the deepness of Une Rose.

Wear it and own it. Une Rose is an intellectually composed fragrance that causes tremors when worn and projects sternly.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Portrait of a Lady by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle 2010

Portrait of a Lady has excited a perfume audience in a way that seldom occurs. Here the magic happens – in which natural compliments are explored and any richness is cut to give delicacy. What happens here also is overloading done to the extreme – with Malle claiming that the Turkish rose absolute and patchouli absolute here is the most used ever in perfume history, about 50%. To add to this lavish composition, orientalism is favoured with a symphony of ingredients added – oud, incense, pepper, and clove, appealing to those who love the drama of perfume, with evident transitions of rose that intensifies and perpetually changes on the skin.

This is a spicy turkish delight, with emphasis placed on the word ‘delight’. It is viscous, and screams opulence at the highest level possible with a penetrating angular projection – it is loud but never deafening.

Surrender To Chance has samples of all three fragrances

What’s your favourite rose? How would you describe it in 3 words?
Liam x

Debussy: Rêverie (1890)

January 16, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Hey there lovely APJ Crew,

Thanks for stopping by, it’s always nice to have you in the house. Sometimes I like to sit in front of my computer with a cup of coffee or tea (today it’s one of Jin’s freaky flower teas from Korea) with a large amount of fragrance on and put on a short piece of music, close my eyes and float away on both fragrance and sound.

Today things are quite hectic around here so I thought I’d take 5 minutes for myself. It can become very hard to focus on one thing when there are five or six problems, ideas or deadlines all pressuring you. I often find this a help. By the time my 5 minutes is up I am calmer and more able to think my way through stuff, in this short break my subconscious has also had time to create a list and action plan by the time I open my eyes. It’s not a universal cure all but it can be just enough to let me think clearly.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

What fragrance am I engulfed in today to listen?

Carnal Flower by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, melon, eucalyptus
Heart: Ylang-ylang, jasmine, tuberose, Salicylates (natural, toxic product of herbal origin, a sort of a herbal pheromone which is used by plants as a warning)
Base: Tuberose absolute, orange blossom absolute, coconut, musk

Perfect to sit and listen to this Debussy piece that is tranquil, yearning and questioning.

Please enjoy,
Portia xx

Debussy: Rêverie (1890)

Dries Van Noten by Bruno Jovanovic for Frederic Malle 2013

December 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Hiya Wafty Wanderers,

Here’s my point of view. It is merely supposition and has no direct basis in fact or information received. If Estee Lauder has bought Frederic Malle then things are going to change. There is a little twinkle in my brain saying Malle would rather sell his company than change the formulas to IFRA comply. Estee Lauder on the other hand will go through and do the best possible reform they can at the best price, get IFRA approval and take it to a whole new mainstream level. I repeat, this is all supposition….

In other news I think Dries van Noten would be a perfect Christmas scent, modern and old fashioned come together beautifully here. It may have pushed Azuree out of the way this year….

Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Sandalwood, guaiac wood, tonka bean, vanilla, saffron, jasmine, musk, bergamot, lemon, nutmeg, cloves, patchouli, woody notes and peru balsam

Last year when I tried Dries van Noten I was instantly in love, then I did not buy a bottle because other more pressing things took over my head and up till now it had not happened. So while I was in Chicago, filled with the fear of reformulation I decided to plunge on the 50ml bottle.

Here’s what I wrote in my last review, I think it sums up Dries van Noten perfectly:

…Warm marshmallow sweet and slightly spicy vanilla open(ing) that smells so familiar, like someone I love is nearby, even though I’m sure that I’ve not smelled this mix before. Every time I wear Dries Van Noten it has instantly calmed and unruffled me….

Each previous time I have worn Dries Van Noten for the purpose of reviewing it has grabbed my head and asked me to just sit and enjoy its beauty. The whole fragrance feels extremely uncluttered, though it is dense. It goes through a milky, nutmeg stage that reads egg flip to me. An egg flip was dinner sometimes when we were young and made as a great treat for us kids, whole egg, nutmeg, vanilla, ice cream and milk. It was huge and delicious. Nowadays when I (remember) how strict Mum’s budget was I think that maybe she was eeking out her ration by giving us a liquid dinner out of, at that time, extremely cheap materials. I’ll never know now but my sister Jodie and I would feel so great on an egg flip night.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Simple, warm, comfortable and yummy. Dries van Noten is the most deliciously wearable oriental fragrance. Simple yet complex and it moves me in unexpected ways. It’s like a cocoon of scent that I can curl up in, feel safe and peaceful and remember simple times. Also 100% wearable outside the front door and nobody will be skunked or outraged. If you are after boundary pushing, freaky, “can’t believe they put this shit in a bottle” then move along, you will hate Dries van Noten. If, on the other hand you are all about smelling fantastic then give it a whirl.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading GrainDeMusc and Patty at PerfumePosse
Frederic Malle starts at $125/3 x 10ml (I think this is IDEAL for splitting)
SurrenderToChance starts at $6/ml

Have you tried dries van Noten? Did it send you or bore you to death?
Portia xx

Une Fleur de Cassie by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle 2000

November 5, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers

Again we gather in awe and reverence to give thanks for our inspiration – perfume. Today I am wondering am I more than usually sensitive to being moved in my soul by artistic creation? Because scents preserve us, I have had quite a response to this divine composition. Although in faith, given the path I have trod in life, there is no doubt my spirit is unusually sensitive…

Une Fleur de Cassie by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle 2000

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one linew:
Mimosa, jasmine, black locust, rose, carnation, sandalwood, vanilla, cassis

Let us spray!

Like the flight of an albatross, this one. Such heavy molecules to become airborne – and it’s an effort – but after some lumbering along the ground and some ungainly flapping it finds my thermals and flies!

And there it is, aloft. Gliding for what seems an unreasonable time, this beauty is such a resolved whole it seems that evolutionary forces are responsible in bringing about an entity so fit for its purpose.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Its purpose? To soar. That it brings me pleasure through its being seems an irrelevant aside to its joyous existence. Certainly not all its aspects are uncomplicated or simply pleasing, but there is much simple pleasure herein. It rises far above mere prettiness; I would certainly not call it accessible.

That I am by turns and simultaneously aware of the details and the whole is a brilliant work of balance. I am aware of an effortless grace, of a creaminess, of a softness, of an intimate warm animal smell, of a distant elegance. From some angles I see that extraordinary wingspan, if I turn my head I catch the beaked profile or the curve of primary feathers, the tucked webbed feet that indicate this bird can (but doesn’t often) come to ground or water.

Always it appears a live, breathing thing. It distills the abject magnificence of embodiment, seems connected to earth and heavens but independent of both.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Une Fleur de Cassie is a creation that brings me to tears with its sheer magnificence. Not brought quite undone like weeping Margery Kempe, mystic of the Middle Ages, yet I am moved by such visions and associations. Obviously *I* must take care where I wear this one as I am rendered (spiritually) raw skinned, but practically speaking this is a great one for hot weather, perhaps a little intimate for some of your workplaces, but a lovely combination of gentle, radiant and long-lasting.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Smelly Thoughts
MECCA Australia has $209/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

Am I alone, or are there any perfumes that transport you?

In raptures,

Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers.

En Passant by Olivia Giacobetti for Frederic Malle 2000

September 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello fragrance friends,

Do you ever get cravings for perfumes that you don’t have in your collection? This very thing happened to my last week. It’s actually very surprising as the scent in question was one of the very first perfumes to blow me away when I first started exploring niche scents and yet, after all these years, I still don’t have a bottle. Today, I’m talking to you about an oldie but a goodie – the fragrance I am going to discuss is the sublime En Passant.

En Passant by Olivia Giacobetti for Frederic Malle 2000

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lilac, surrounded by watery and green notes, cucumber and wheat

My reaction to the initial spritz of En Passant is one of feeling overwhelmed, but in a beautiful way. I’m enveloped in the distinctive yet delicate scent of masses of white lilacs. It is morning and their tiny petals are covered in tiny droplets of rain from an overnight shower. The rain has freshened the blooms, providing an ethereal aqueous quality. I don’t get the cucumber note that has bothered quite a few people with this scent. It’s just pure fresh and fresh lilac and quite linear, yet when the sun starts to peek over the blooms in the yard, you can just begin to smell the warmth of baking bread from a nearby kitchen window. Yet the yeasty aspect doesn’t overwhelm, it just provides a welcome temperateness to the green, watery quality of the lilac.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Even as I write, I’m conscious that my words don’t capture the loveliness of this scent. The perfume is an essence of time and place the story it tells is a very distinctive and emotional one. The best I can do is a series of adjectives: it’s diaphanous, it’s ephemeral, and it’s impressionistic and just plain beautiful. It is a story of lilacs, bread and spring What Giacobetti has done with these elements in perfume is akin to what Monet or Pissaro did with light and texture in painting.

En Passant is not powerful, its beauty is sotto voce and it’s a terribly personal scent as Portia has mentioned in her review. Despite its quietness, I still get a good 4 to 6 hours of wear; over this time, it just seems to waft gently from the skin like a breeze.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Because of its discreetness, En Passant is something you could wear almost anywhere. But I find it’s best when I’m craving beauty and solitude. Oh, and the promise of spring that sadly, just quite hasn’t made it to Melbourne yet. Better satisfy those cravings and just get a bottle of this beauty.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Perfume Posse

Mecca Cosmetica has 3x10ml/$124 in Australia
Frederic Malle has €110/50ml

Surrender to Chance starts at $6/ml

Have you tried En Passant? What perfumes have left you speechless?

Until next time,
M x

Jaunty Capers, Cemeteries and The Rose That Got Away: London July 2014

August 3, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Hi APJ,

I couldn´t have been more excited as I got up on Wednesday. Finally the dreamed of, talked about, preplanned days were here.

Unlike Vanessa from the fabulous Bonkers About Perfume, I have no clothing crises. For I have none. Not to speak of anyway. Long jeans in winter. Cut-off jeans in summer. I prefer to spend my money on red lipstick, and the odd bag of groceries for the family. When my shoes hurt I go barefoot.

Jaunty Capers, Cemeteries and The Rose That Got Away

Random ramblings from a week in London

I left for Les Senteurs from Muswell Hill, the infamous address, early enough to not be late for my date with the gorgeous Tara from Olfactoria`s Travels. We both arrived early and waited for Callum the Dashing to arrive and let us in. Perfumistas waiting on the doorstep.

We hit the sofa talking. After a while Flamingo Nick, Penhaligon´s Fragrant Ambassador arrived, bringing a burst of sunshine into the room with him.I already knew I was going to buy Malle`s Eau de Magnolia and asked Callum to put a large bottle on the side. The small ones were sold out and there was no tester to triple reconfirm that I wanted it. I would pick it up the next day when Vanessa was with us too. So onto the much praised Papillons. I was so excited to try these and planned to purchase one. I sprayed with gay abandon and waited …….

Nick, Tara and I headed to the Gorilla Perfume Gallery for the presentation of the new 12 fragrances. Entitled: Death, Decay and Renewal. A pop-up in the basement of Phonica Records on Poland Street. (See Nick Gilbert<< JuMP) This was quite the display. Mushrooms, sandalwood smuggling, stroboscopic dream machines designed by William Burroughs ……… Clearly NOT Guerlain.

Starting to fall in love with Papillon’s Tobacco Rose, we headed on for tea and sandwiches and a quick Liberty´s heist. Nick scored himself a bottle of Superoud from Comme de Garçons and headed off into the sunset. Fear not, we would meet again.

Selfridge´s and iced matcha, including a wicked brain freeze, saw Tara and I heading home.

That evening after spraying again I decided I would buy the Tobacco Rose. Because it is beguiling.

Tara and Vanessa pretty much covered this second day of fragrant flitterings. (Bonkers About Perfume and Olfactoria´s Travels) What can I add? The Guerlain Royal Extract at 280 quid for 125 mls – 900 bottles limited edition, exclusive to Harrod`s? A pretty pale, kind of watered down Fairy Liquid colour? I think not. Based on the exquisite Attrape Coeur, but missed the mark. (All opinions totally my own!)

Now I was not exactly kicking and screaming when I went up to Roja Dove´s Barbie Palace, but it was close. Bright and shiny and no room to swing a cat. The visit was saved by Benjamin, the on hand sales assistant. He was so nice, totally knowledgable, and actually seemed to think he could turn around my preconceived ideas of RD and the other fragrances for the “Bros”. He could not. It would be remiss of me not to say that I did allow him to give me a pretty decent spray of the “semi-bespoke” (can you hear me laughing????) RD Private Collection No 9. Limited to 50 bottles. It was actually pretty nice for the first 20 minutes. Unlike Benjamin who was nice for the whole time.

Tara and I went to the Amouage stand alone store, hoping to try the Amouage Attars. Sadly because of people buying them, diluting them with alcohol and then selling them on EBay by the millilitre they have been removed. How annoying is that? Very.

“I`d ski naked down Mount Everest” to meet Vanessa, but luckily we only had to go to Covent Garden Tube station. Long lunch, including a number of jaunty capers, and a good chinwag and off to Penhaligon´s to meet up, once again with our very favourite Fragrant Ambassador. I was wonderfully surprised by the sensual beauty of Tralala and can see myself having a bottle one day. The Chucky Child´s Play bottle decoration was a little haunting, but I think I could get over it. Nick sent me off with a good stash of Penhaligon´s samples and I look forward to getting to know them.

Off we went to Les Senteurs. My heart beating a little faster as I prepared to make my purchases. We flopped once again on the sofa, kicked off shoes, fixed blisters and I bought Eau de Magnolia. Straight out of the fridge. I then asked for my Tobacco Rose. SOLD OUT.

WHAT??? You have got to be bloody kidding me Callum. But it´s intoxicating, boozy, and kind of jammy. There are two different roses, Bulgarian and Rose Centifolia. Oakmoss lurks, a great favourite of mine. It is smoky and beeswaxy. Thick without being sweet. It lasts for hours and never stays the same. I don´t have a rose. And I want this. For the moment though it´s the rose that got away. I should have ordered it the day before but I was trying to be sensible. Sigh. I compensate by spraying a ton of Magnolia and pass out with the beauty. I´ll live.

We spent the next three hours, or was it more, having tea and eating Indian food. Talking and sharing more about ourselves. Building friendships.

And so it ended. All leaving from the same station, Tara to the left and Vanessa and me to the right. The trains came in so fast we had no time to say goodbye. But it´s only Adieu.

The following day I went to Highgate Cemetery. This trip was on my Bucket List. The place absolutely blew my mind. The guide was straight out of an Agatha Christie and the lady that was constantly by me in the group was wearing Mitsouko. It was an extremely heavy and lovely version, so I am guessing it might have been an earlier incarnation, because it sure doesn´t smell like that now. What a perfect ending to my aromatic and perfumed adventures.

But it wasn´t quite the end was it? Antonio Gardoni from Bogue Perfumes met up and shared a coconut water with me, including copious sprays of MAAI. Comrades! – MAAI is not for the faint-hearted. More later ……..

I am now back to making cookie dough.

Bussis

CQ xxx

All photos donated by Val the Cookie Queen

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

July 21, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by TinaG

It is magnolia season here in Sydney, the wonderful lush simple blooms are opening up all over town and I’ve been pressing my nose to as many as possible trying to build up a scent memory of this gorgeous flower.

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaïm for Frédéric Malle 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, moss, amber

Eau de Magnolia is seducingly ethereal. It lives and breathes in the wisps of its silage, turning and teasing, flashing hints of scent which last as long as a breath.

I can understand people dismissing this fragrance quickly because of the familiarity of the top notes and the cologne nature. I nearly made that mistake too. But it is much more subtle and complex than that. It needs to be on skin, paper would do it no good at all. It also needs to be given a lot of air, sprayed at a distance, and needs a few wearings. The continuity of the fragrance is in the cool lemon, the warm magnolia, and a general ‘greeness”. It also has an aquatic aspect, but not marine, just open and clear. But the magic of this fragrance is in the way it changes.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Over the top of the green/lemon strand, I get whiffs of different things – pepper, bergamot, lemon, moss, vetiver…. The image I get in my head is like playing with a heavy silk sheet, there is a linearity to it (the lemon/green base ) but when it moves, it has a mind of its own and it slides like a liquid. And like silk, different parts may catch the light and shimmer at different times. But it also can’t be forced, I gave myself a headache sniffing my wrist, but sniffing 20cm away worked wonders.

I also can’t exactly say how it opens – my first wearing it was all fresh lemon, the second, bergamot and today it’s all about grapefruit. I strongly suspect that it would blossom more in summer too, not really a winter scent. I find myself standing at the window, looking at the crisp blue winter sky and longing for the warmer summer months.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I became enamoured with the magnolia fragrance last summer, having been introduced to Magnolia Grandiflora – Sandrine, and Michel, so much so that I purchased a full bottle of Sandrine. By way of comparison to Eau de Magnolia, Michel is the closer match with its waxy warmth, whilst Sandrine is crisp and dewy, said to mirror a magnolia bud waiting to burst open. Because of the depth of sillage of Eau de Magnolia, I can’t wear them side by side, it’s too confusing and I’m not sure what smells I’m getting from where. And to be honest, sometimes you don’t want to pick apart a fragrance too much, I just want to wear them and enjoy the added beauty and dimension they bring to my day.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Another mistake I nearly made with Eau de Magnolia is that I originally thought that it lasted two hours on my skin. Not the case. I wore it to work, kept smelling lovely florals that were slowly turning woodsy, and after a gruelling 10 hour day I noticed wisps of fragrance still emanating from my chest. It was very comforting. Such a versatile and beautiful scent – I’m a fan.

Frederic Malle Europe has 3 x 10ml/€85 (Perfect for splitting)
Frederic Malle USA has 3 x 10ml/$125
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

Who of you readers has tried Eau de Magnolia? Impressions?

Tina xx