Shalimar + Mountain Adventure Photo Essay

August 15, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Perfume Peeps,

Today was so wonderful. One of the guys (Jean-Luc) that comes to my Tuesday Trivia has recently started an Art Shop in the mountains near Sydney. They are called the Blue Mountains because something in the eucalyptus trees shimmers blue through the air and thus the mountains look blue from afar, it’s lovely if you have them in your view. Another of the boys from Tuesday Trivia (Leo) is a motorbike rider and we have been chatting for a while about going on a bike excursion to Katoomba to see Jean-Luc. Today was the day.

It started out lovely in the sun, warm and toasty. Figuring it would stay that way I eschewed the thermals, wet weather gear, beany and puffer jacket under my riding kit. BAD IDEA! As soon as we got 20 minutes along the highway, freezing, stinging rain and the strongest winds I’ve ever ridden in. OMG! So freaking cold. It was incredibly exhilarating though and I was kept on constant alert, it was like a ride at a fairground except I was the one who had to be in control of the bike.

Anyway, we get to the top and have the most wonderful coffee before Jean-Luc opens the store. It’s a very modern artists place, mainly catering to spray paint artists who have covered the walls of the store with murals and the back alley has been given to artists from all over the world to paint, each wall a different and magical scene. It’s astounding the intricate detail they are able to bring with a spray can.

After looking at the murals in the area we popped across the road to the funkiest food place ever. The Yellow Deli. An ex-hippy hang if ever there was one. It seems to be a cross between rural, historical, hysterical and home improvements. Every piece lovingly hand rendered, something happening everywhere you turn and all seemingly with little rhyme or reason: eclectic and fun. We were ushered upstairs by a friendly waiter who thought we were a band (super cool US!!) and spent a few minutes just drinking in the ambiance. I had been told what to order and I dutifully did. I think it was called a Darling Rose Sandwich. OMG! Disgusting. Ha Ha Ha ha!! It was too much super salty ham, some onion with tomato chutney and tomato sauce AND mayonnaise. BLEAUGH! I was so hungry though that I ate every bite, and by the end of it I kind of got used to it.

Then the unbelievable happened. 2 hours from the heart of Sydney and it SNOWED!! Big, puffy, soft looking gusts of snow that got so heavy the street was obscured. Totally fabulous. Not enough to cover the world white but it was snow, and from our comfortable seat in the deli it was magical.

After that Leo & I went and had a look at a piece of land I’m quite interested in and then we rode home. While in the mountains I purchased (at 50% Discount!) a pair of electric green merino wool leggings and matching beany, I donned my puffer jacket under my bike jacket and the ride home was considerably warmer, and dryer because the snow and rain had stopped.

When I got home to really warm myself up I drew a bath and used Shalimar Gel Douche as my Bubble Bath. It was fiery hot and deliciously scented. There is no better place in the world to warm a cold, tired body and relax an overactive mind. It was bliss. I have spritzed some recent Shalimar EdP and am now bathed in a cloud of my own sweet smelling loveliness. Sometimes life feels really good.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Further reading: APJ Shalimar Parfum, APJ Shalimar EdP and APJ Shalimar EdC
FragranceNet has $73/90ml current EdP before coupon
Surrender To Chance has EdP samples starting at $3/ml

How do you like to wind down? Do you have a favourite bath soak?

Portia xx

Vegan Cupcakes, Tea, Essential Oils + Photo Essay

August 5, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Suzanne R Banks

Vegan Cupcakes, Tea and Essential Oils

I met with two amazing women the other day to talk about natural perfumery, essential oils, healing, consciousness and chocolate. We drank tea and ate vegan food including these gorgeous vegan cupcakes by my friend That Vegan Lady.

We haven’t saved the world yet but I think we’re on the way!

My choice of essential oil to sum up the day is lavender. Do you think it matches this pic?

I do.

If we all used a drop of lavender everyday we could reach a critical mass and spontaneously evolve.

Let’s do it!

Thanks to Julie Nelson of Aromatique for a beautiful day in the Blue Mountains of NSW, Australia.

Here are some other pictures I’ve taken recently of things I find beautiful to look at and smell.

Suzanne R Banks XXX

Mandarins at the local market Suzanne R Banks

Check out my YouTube Channel too, thanks.

Suzanne R Banks Blog
Suzanne R Banks Aromatherapy
Suzanne R Banks FaceBook

Please check out my new book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Amazon USA Amazon AU Amazon UK

A Few to Sniff at Gino's

August 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hi there Fragrant Fellowship,

You know those really great days? So today was a REALLY great day (I’m writing now and you’re reading a couple of days away). I was able to have a pretty good sleep in after working last night, then I lazed around the house for an hour before trotting off to a mini sniff at my mate Gino’s house with a very fun crew of people including MsKerri, KerriC & SimonC, SonyaY & JedY, Scott and our beautiful host Gino who had gone to outrageous lengths on the food and refreshments and had the house spotless.

A Few to Sniff at Gino’s

The crew arrived willy-nilly and there was some coming & going but EVERYONE brought some gems from their fragrant hoard for us to share & sniff. There were pasties, cheeses and dips, biscuits and a slew of other yummy munchies. Gino did percolated coffee, my favourite. I still have my Mum’s Cornflower Corningware percolator and love to get it on the hob. Gino’s was perfection.

There was some major sniffing and sharing going on. Lonestar Memories and L`Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer Perfumes, Gentlewoman by JHaG, Dubai Next To Me by Ramon Monegal, Bull’s Blood and Violet Disguise by Imaginary Authors. There were many different incarnations of Tabu, Magie Noir, Bal a Versailles and some rare vintage finds like Fille d’Eve by Nina Ricci and Gino has a mini collection hat would make you weep. We also got to try Antonia and M by Puredistance, some Frederic Malles and a slew of stuff that I’ve completely forgotten. It was a hoot and a half and I can’t wait to hang with them all again.

One of my favourite moments of the day was Jed & my “Who can scream the loudest competition”. I may have just edged Jed out and taken the prize but it was a very close race. So much fun. He kept creeing up on me and saying, “I’m going to get you.” Before he could even finish the sentence I would grab him and scream it at him. Then I was acting scared of him and when he got close I would scream full throttle in his face and he would nearly shit himself. The above picture is us both trying to be the loudest but Jed is laughing too hard to really make a bid for the trophy. To be honest I don’t think he’d ever met an adult who is such a baffoon and he loved it.

Then Jin & I went for dinner to a very clean but cheap & cheerful Vietnamese restaurant. I ordered some stuff and Jin tried to remind me what I liked there but I really thought I was on top of the whole game and ordered something that came out and was DISGUSTING!! BLAH! So I ended up eating Spring Rolls and Fried Rice, it was yummy. There he is below, really tired after a LONG days work and just happy to be eating and hanging out.

After that we went to BUNNINGs. It’s our version of a giant hardware store and they have everything. Jin bought some shelves and then he put them up in our new garage. I helped a little bit but then Jin was like, “You go do your blog and I’ll finish here” so I have and I did, and he did. Then he came into my office and kissed me goodnight before he went off to the land of nod. I can hear him snoring from here.

Most of the mentioned fragrances are available as samples on Surrender To Chance or My Perfume Samples.

I walked the dog and now I too am ready for bed. Goodnight all.
Portia xx

Courtesan by Pierre Bourdon for Worth 2006

June 27, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Hi there Fragrant Family,

The other day a few of us met for lunch and a sniff. Willa who is a contributor here at APJ, a mate of mine Millenia and the lovely Sonya who used to write for APJ. We had lunch and chatted, sniffing stuff and Sonya opened a bottle of vintage Fidji parfum for us all to try. We did it with all reverence and made it a real Opening Ceremony. It’s nice to have clever noses to sniff with and lunch with. Sadly Millenia has had his nose broken so often that his sense of smell is virtually zero so he just provided fun and eye candy.

Courtesan by Pierre Bourdon for Worth 2006

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, pineapple, red berries, bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom, magnolia, jasmine, rose
Base: Sandalwood, peach, raspberry, caramel, dark chocolate, cacao, amber, vanilla, musk

Sonya had a bottle of Courtesan for me. I have smelled it before in the Surrender To Chance Animalic – Skank Sampler and it was all sweet fruit salad and sweaty body.

The modern Courtesan is much lighter on everything. The fruit opening is a lovely synthetic pineapple spiced up a bit and sweetened by citrus. Not nearly as big as I remember it, muted, a watercolour but still very nice. The pineapple continues well into the heart and only slowly fades to a less distinct amorphous fruitiness that dances around a pretty bouquet of vaguely green florals.

Underneath all this lovely floaty floral fruitiness is a sweet fleshy, slightly worn but basically clean scrotum accord. I know right! Totally unexpected with what’s gone before but there it is. That warm flesh as yet unripened by a day of movement and life fragrance. It’s both animal musky and laundry musky. Imagine a man who has showered on waking up a little late on Sunday. He’s thrown on some fresh jocks and then padded down to the kitchen to make you some raisin toast done as French Toast and a big pot of tea with a couple of slices of lemon in the pot. He’s fed you and flirted over breakfast and you decide to give him a thank you treat. While you’re down there before his undies are off, THAT’s the smell.

Photo Stolen Pinterest

But. Here’s the thing. You have showered and spritzed your favourite summer type fruity whisper of a fragrance and the two have met….. you are smelling him and you. NOW you know what Courtesan smells like. Courtesan smells like heaven.

I get around an hour of fragrant and then Courtesan sinks into my skin and leaves a soft warm wash of amorphous yumminess that hangs around for a while. To be fair I haven’t let it dry down properly because I keep madly spritzing. I got the bottle a few days ago and I reckon over an eighth is gone already. Freaking sensational.

Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $50/90ml before Coupon
Surrender To Chance Animalic – Skank Sampler $19/9 x .5ml ( I went crazy and bought 2ml spritzers $67)

What is your sexy sweet smell? Do you have one?
Portia xx

South Korea 2015 Photo Essay

May 8, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Hi there Fragrant Friends,

On to the South Korea leg of our latest adventure. Jin planned this part of our holiday to the millisecond and we filled our days with so much it’s hard to keep it all in order.

South Korea 2015

Jin had decided that this time we would do the history and art/museum tour of Seoul. I had said through the year that we seemed to do everything except see the cultural heritage of South Korea and he was determined to remedy this lack. We had three days in Seoul and two of them were given almost exclusively to the acquisition of aforesaid knowledge. As always Jin was an excellent guide and translator, thank goodness because some of the places we saw were so South Korean oriented that there we no translations for me to follow. The real deal.

Because we were so busy I took the camera out less while we were in the middle of stuff. There are quite a few shots of interesting or unusual architecture and light bi-plays, some of flowers because it was spring and the flowers were gorgeous and a few of us hanging out with Jin’s family because we took his Mum & Dad for their first holiday in decades. It was Jin’s Father’s birthday and we thought it would be a fun thing to celebrate. Older Koreans as a rule do not take holidays so it was especially fun to take them and it will give them a story to brag about for years among their contemporaries.

Wood Block Printing of Unified Silla: The Buddhists came to Korea from India in the 5th century AD and landed in Silla in southern Korea which was still a selection of kingdoms. The Silla people had united the lower third of what is now South Korea under their rule. The Buddhist priests learned how to carve wood blocks that would print on cloth and paper and used this technology to create more Buddhist Sutras, currently the oldest still extant piece of printed material in the world was created by these monks in the 7th century AD and it is the Buddhist Sutras. There was war and 80,000 of these hand carved wood blocks were moved hundreds of kilometers by the monks and the faithful to a mountainous region in the middle of South Korea. It is a place that Jin’s Mum had wanted to visit for a very long time and had a very nice hotel with mineral water baths so we decided we would go there. It was Jin’s parent first time staying in a hotel rather than the much cheaper pension style of guest house. They were thrilled and constantly trying to stop us spending money on them, having breakfast in the hotel restaurant an outrageous extravagance. A good time was had by all.

We also went through a lovely Korean Wildflower Park, a Bonsai Exhibition where the woman who owns and tends the bonsai took us through personally and explained some of the more interesting pieces, the Mineral Baths at the hotel and loads of local cuisine (some of which I could not bring myself to eat, yes I’m a food pussy). Jin’s mother wants us to have children, I told her to get stuffed.

South Korea 2015 Photo Essay

Seoul Airport Train Station is a marvelous modern structure that lets light and space feel like its main focus. I love arriving and entering its cavernous platform, every hour has different reflections and shadows

Straight to Lottie Burger for Jin’s Bulgogi Burger and my Cheesy Sticks. MMMMMM. Welcome to South Korea.

Street Food BarBQ vendor, full of students and the working class we knew it would be delicious. So reasonably priced too, I think we paid $40 including Jin’s Soju and my soft drinks.

My only fragrant shopping on the holiday, an Hermes 15ml set: Ambre Narguile, Cuir d’Ange, Poivre Samarcande, Vetiver Tonka

One of the original gates into the capital city, this has stood for a very long time. Centuries.

Changing Of The Guard at the Palace complex.

All pieces by the same artist, Jung Takyoung, whose art reminds me of Liz Zorn’s work

Seoul Art History Museum, we saw about 30 of their most beautiful and famous National Treasures. Our original guide was so shit we ran away from him and took ourselves around some of the exhibits. Finally we met a small group being shown the National Treasures by a very well informed and interesting young woman, she was so passionate that we were completely swept up in her stories. Fabulous.

The lilacs were in bloom, what a beautiful scent they have.

Jin being posh at a chi-chi 33rd floor restaurant & bar, we arrived just before closing thinking it had another hour to go.

All part of another Palace Complex, that door was so fabulous I just had to get a pic.

At the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art there was so much amazing stuff but these are the only two pictures I took. It’s a shame because the works were really great. Currently they have a multi-room exhibition all based around gardens and how they are so many things to the people that are lucky enough in 2015 to have one. So many South Koreans live in high rise apartments that may never know the joys of having their own garden to tend.

This peony bush going gangbusters in the cold foggy early morning spring air across thew road from Jin’s parents house

The modern South Korean garden and a couple of the hundreds of bonsai created by one woman with a great passion, these two were ones she showed particular regard and pride for. She was so shy to show her plant children but became very enthusiastic once she understood that I too loved to garden and that I had been brought up in a garden, tending it and creating it, with my Mum.

We had a little snack on our first night in the hotel restaurant in the mountains. Jin’s Mummy & Papa kept being outraged at the prices and then savouring every morsel that we got for them. Those walls are all carved creamy stone (maybe marble?) attached so perfectly you could hardly see a join. So lovely.

South Korea 2015 #41

These three shots are of the monks mountain hideaway. It’s a wonderful parkland setting and you can take the whole day to walk from the base of the hill to the monastery, there are stations along the way where you can stop for refreshment and a rest, even some street food vendors. We were naughty and caught a cab up and back.

Mummy & Papa saying goodbye at the Busan Train station. It was an excellent holiday and I really enjoyed my time with them.

Jin and I on the plane and ready to come home.

Singapore 2015 Photo Essay

May 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Woo Hoo APJ,

We are home from our 2 week Asia adventure. Traveling with Jin is so easy and fun, he loves to get amongst it and we fit in an extraordinary amount. He is absolutely fearless in his site and adventure planning and often has me doing things I never dreamed to do. This holiday he even planned in a whole day of lazy as a gift for me, we woke up late, lazed around the pool, brunched and generally hung out together till going off to some fab little street food diner for dinner. Bliss.

Singapore 2015 Photo Essay

First time in Singapore as a tourist rather than a transient, the easiest country in Asia to be a part of for us English speakers because English and Chinese are the two official languages so almost all signs are or have English. WINNING! They also have a fantastic Metro and Bus system that you can access with a card like the British Oyster system. It’s clean and the people are friendly, the food is awesome and the weather warm all year round. Our mate Julie gave us the inside skinny on everything and entertained usa to the whole islands highs & depths. We met up with friends not seen in years and really would have liked another week because we just could not fit everyone in.

To be honest there are hardly any photos with the crew because we were having too much fun while we were with them. Here is a selction of photos that I did remember to take.

Singapore Airways very back row

Our mate Julie who had us staying with her, excellent tour guide and hostess. (Whitney in the background)

Drinks at the Fullerton Bay Hotel Rooftop for welcome

Portia swimming in the 14th floor pool of Julie’s apartment

We hired bikes and rode along the seafront, here we are stopped at a picnic point

Julie had organised a crew to see Bjorn Again (ABBA tribute) in the Marina Sands Complex (VERY Guggenheim)

Spent the morning at the Marina Bay Gardens, even did the Sky Walk (big thing if you are scared of heights)

Local breakfast

Navigating Singapore by Public Transport

Portia being an idiot, Jin can’t believe it. I don’t know why, it does seem to be my default setting.

High Tea at The Fullerton Hotel, unbelievably yummy and good value too. They kept filling up out trays till we had to waddle out.

We did manage to get to some museums and art galleries but this is the only piece that I fell madly in love with, ancient version of Conchita Wurst

Found a Bangladeshi boy on the street and asked him where in Little India HE ate, took us to a fabulous restaurant 2 people absolutely full of naan and vegetarian food for $4 each, amazing.

Chinatown and Jin finally gets to use his Selfie Stick (I know, but he loves it and if that’s his worst vice I can cope)

Final Singaporean dinner, Chili crab, Spicy chicken and Breaded prawns.

Louis Vuitton: Singapore City Guide

April 12, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hello Intrepid APJ Travelers,

As you may know Jin has accepted a new job and we have bought a new abode. Very exciting times and because we are unsure of when we’ll next be able to travel (probably January 2016 UK & Europe) we have decided to bring our November family visit forward to NOW, leaving Wednesday. We’ll do a few days in Singapore, where neither of us have stayed other than the airport, with one of my longtime girlfriends Julie and then go on to South Korea to celebrate Jin’s father’s birthday. We are taking them away to the West side of South Korea for a couple of days, their first holiday in years.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

So I thought it best to give you a glimpse of Singapore through the eyes of Louis Vuitton.
Do please enjoy,
Portia xx

Louis Vuitton Presents the Singapore City Guide

Patrick & Wayne: Magnolia Grandiflora

April 10, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hi there APJ,

I don’t have a perfume post for you tonight. Life has been very hectic around here and somehow there is no post for now. OOOOPS! Jin & I have been out to dinner with a couple of totally top blokes that I have been friends with for 20 years and some other long standing friends. Though Jin & I have been together for 3 years still they’d not met him. So to make it happen they organised a dinner party. Roast goats chees stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto and drizzled with honey & balsamic vinegar. Slow cooked curried chicken breasts with cous cous and sugar snap peas with a spicy jus. Chocolate souffle with raspberries and clotted cream. Fabulous drinks served to suit each course and basically a heaven night out.

Patrick & Wayne: Magnolia Grandiflora

Through the whole dinner though I was mesmerised by the perfection and beauty of the centerpiece, a couple of dinner plate sized magnolias from the front garden. Their ginger, lemongrass, citrus, vanilla and sweat scent wafting over towards me and completelyt breaking my train of thought again and again throughout the evening.

I stole one and brought it home. Here it is in the kitchen.

Perfection.
Portia xx

Tara Smith of Olfactoria´s Travels visits Vienna + Photo Essay

March 10, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Hey APJ,

Couldn´t go without taking some Mozart Balls, known as Mozartkugeln here, originally known as Mozart Bonbon. They were first created by a Paul Fürst in 1890 and named after Wolfgang Amadeus himself. Since then there have been others made by other manufacturers, with similar recipes. I only buy the handmade originals and made a trip to downtown Salzburg to get them. They are elegant and utterly delicious.

Tara Smith of Olfactoria´s Travels visits Vienna

So the day finally arrived. I had been excited for weeks. Old jeans, full make-up, minus the red lipstick. Didn´t wanna look like I was heading home after a night´s work as I needed to be on the train by 06.30. Hahaha. I would apply that when I reached my destination. Kiki Voile d’Extrait and Kiki Extrait being the SOTD, bucket of cookies in hand – I headed off to the Bahnhof.

I sat down and made myself comfortable, as did the guy opposite me.

We met in our regular French café in Vienna’s first district just before ten. I arrived shortly after the girls, Birgit, Tara and Sandra, all well known to you as Olfactoria and her team (Olfactoria’s Travels).

When I first met these great ladies, perfume was our common interest. Indeed we spent hours talking new releases, samples, decants, swops and so on. Now as we have got to know each others families, challenges, other loves and hobbies, the friendships are changing and becoming a more fully rounded part of our lives. We breakfasted on teas, cappuccinos, smoked salmon croissants and roasted goat cheese. Birgit took off afterwards to take care of some chores and us three headed off to visit a couple of perfume stores and walk round the city.

Perfume? It´s not quite what it used to be. When you have been a perfume junkie for as long as we have, few things remain really interesting.
We all live in or near big European cities and therefore have had ample opportunity to try so many things. The stores we visited in Vienna though are very lovely, architecturally too, and Sandra (and of course Birgit) are well known to all of them. They made us very welcome. We did have one serious goal, and that was to try Misia, the new Chanel Exclusif. Sadly, but not surprisingly it hadn´t arrived yet. Tara will try it in London next week and let us know if we need it. There was a brief moment in our travels where I totally lost my mind and sprayed Nicolai Cuir Cuba Intense straight onto my skin. Uhm – no. Not now, not ever.

Sandra´s son joined us along the way, having finished kindergarten for the day, We lunched together. French fries. Nothing better than lunch with a kid. We met back up with Birgit late afternoon and Tara was whisked off in preparation for the two of them to leave for London early the next morning. Could a day have been more perfect?

I had an uneventful trip back home on the train, and spend a good deal of it chatting with Vanessa from Bonkers About Perfume. I will be meeting up with her in Germany next month so stay tuned APJ.

Viennese Bussis
CQ

CHANEL No.5 parfum by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1921

December 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hiya APJ Crew,

I hope your Christmas/ Holiday Season has been fun. Our Christmas Day was very relaxed. We vowed to not leave the house and had our mate Matt (Jin’s BFF) over for lunch and presents.

Today was Boxing Day and I started out the day in recent but not current Shalimar EdP. It was a perfect accompaniment to the organising potato salad, drive, present opening and lunch at Kath’s family home with parents and nieces. We had a wonderful time with Jin manning the BarBQ and doing a delicious sliced & marinaded steak, bacon rashers, onion and breakfast sausages. We had yummy sesame seed knot rolls, garden salad and potato salad, served with lashings of left over ham off the bone. Lunch was really fun and it’s always excellent to catch up with Kath’s family who have adopted me since my parents died and my sister stopped communication. I love them because they are good people who time seems to fly when I spend it with them. I love them because when we’re together I am home.

Then we went for a SWIM!! Sadly I forgot to take pics today, sorry. Here is one that Kath took

I had grabbed a vintage 7.5ml bakelite purse spritz of CHANEL No. 5 parfum as I ran out the door, knowing we’d be swimming. It was the perfect after swim spritz.

CHANEL No.5 parfum by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1921

Photo Stolen CHANEL

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

I enjoyed it so much that tonight I spritzed again and I wanted to share my joy in wearing this maybe 1970s or 80s parfum. It gushes out of the gate with a dark fizzy aldehydic rush that is more animalic and growlier than the current parfum, but maybe my parfum is a little old because the opening is slightly muddled compared to the clear bell of fruity fizz that my modern one exhibits. Sexier and more luxurious than the current version (which I also love BTW) there is something cozier and more feral about the vintage.

Today added to the salt, sun and chlorine, mixed with the joyful summer holiday air of a Sydney Boxing Day (the day following Christmas Day when once servants and tradespeople would receive gifts, known as a “Christmas box”, from their bosses or employers) it was the perfect blend of sophistication and joyous animal delight.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

You know I can smell very little of the singular notes in CHANEL No. 5 parfum, for me it is a gorgeous and complete smell where the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. Not only the smell, which was one of my Mum’s scents, but also the fabulous history and all the women who have been given, who have bought, who have lived a little part of the No 5 fable. It feels like you are part of a crew that can be smelled as they waft by in almost every country in the world. From that brilliant genius and dastardly racist Gabriel Coco Chanel, through many of the world’s most beautiful and talented women in advertising, the G.I.s that bought it for their girls from 31 Rue Cambon through the tawdry days when it became a drug store perfume and now back out the other side where CHANEL is again one of the eminent fashion houses and CHANEL No. 5 is an affordable buy into that magical dream.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Bois de Jasmin
Essential Mall Australia has $148/7.5ml modern parfum refill
Surrender To Chance has vintage CHANEL No. 5 samples starting at $10/.25ml

What do you feel when you wear CHANEL No. 5? Which fragrance leads you into a fairytale?
Portia xx