Guerlain with Tea & Scones

December 9, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Crew,

Do you ever get together with frag buddies? I have met so many wonderful & varied people in the fragrant world, a few of them turning into lasting and close friends. I’ve also had some of my long term besties come out as frag nerds too. So irregularly there are get togethers with one or more buddies. Yesterday was special because someone I’d only ever interacted with online is in Sydney and she had bought a bottle of perfume from me. What else could I do but ask her around for Morning Tea and a sniff? So Latai came and we had a lovely time, well I had a lovely time and I think she did too.

Guerlain with Tea & Scones

We decided early on that as Latai had not spent much time in the Guerlain fragrance vault that we should focus our noses there for the day. So I thought it might be interesting to take her on a Semi Ages of Guerlain tour.

We started with a few of the most well known vintage extraits, Vold de Nuit, Mitsouko & Shalimar. With this set I also got Latai to smell modern Samsara extrait that Jin & I bought recently in Japan.

From there I jumped to a couple of my most loved masculine Guerlains: Vetiver and Cologne du 68. Interestingly Vetiver turned out to be one of Latai’s favourites of the day and we really enjoyed its light oily grassy scent.

We also tried Vega but it was absolutely not to her taste and she scrubbed it off.

Then the last two from the Guerlain range we smelled were vintage Chamade extrait and for something totally up to date Promenade des Anglaise, which turned out to be her absolute favourite of the day.

Halfway through I made some scones that we ate with fresh whipped cream, home made apple and raspberry jam (thanks to my mate Linda, YUMMY) and lemon curd. This washed down with some very lovely tea that Latai brought to share.

It was a really nice, zero fuss, fun day: full of silliness, laughter and fragrance.
What brand would you choose to sniff for a day with perfumistas?
Portia xx

DSH Perfumes: Fleuriste and Deco Diamonds

October 8, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Fumie family,

This was supposed to be a post about DSH Perfumes newest release Chinchilla. It’s a fabulous reimagining of the grand palace hotel style clientele’s fragrances. Sexy, cozy and full. I’ve been wearing my sample on & off over the week and it’s gorgeous, there was exactly enough left to do my review but do you think I can find the bloody sample? NO! GRRR! Hopefully it will turn up and I can finish my review another time……

So, I have had these two babies in mind to review. They are not Dawn’s newest but they are definitely worth a sniff.

ALSO….. Dawn wrote me: I’ve also been working on a new website overhaul for months and it’s now ramping up as I want to have it complete by the end of October if at all possible.) So my Autumn launches are coming a bit late while I work on the site stuff, too. With the new site, though, international order will be possible for almost all of the scents ( in voile format). Woo hoo! Anyway, Chinchilla, Axis Mundi, and Souvenir de Malmaison are all coming…..

DSH Perfumes: Fleuriste 2015

DSH Perfumes

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, carnation, jasmine, green leaves, spicy notes, ambergris

Sharp green broken leaves with a spicy clove-heavy carnation opens Fleuriste. The broken leaves are mixed with fresh cut twiggy ends of branches, it’s that particular green smell of cutting camellias for the house, bitter and dry like the first sip of cold, unsugared black tea. If you like your fragrances super green, if CHANEL No 19 feels like a soft pussy and Futur by Robert Piguet smells too pretty then this could be the green for you.

Fleuriste is a dry, dark green that only slowly softens and expands during its late heart and through the dry down. Never losing it’s crisp cool spiciness but softening and yielding to the warmth of your skin it becomes more approachable and even at the last gasp cozy. Fleuriste is a joy to wear and so far removed from anything available in stores, dawn constantly reminds me why we need independent perfumers, this is where the fun is in fragrance nowadays.

DSH Perfumes: Deco Diamonds 2014

DSH Perfumes

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Hyrax, aldehydes, ambergris, Australian sandalwood, oakmoss, civet, galbanum, gardenia, jasmine, honeysuckle, neroli, lily-of-the-valley, peach, jasmine sambac, tuberose

Aldehydes and galbanum create a plush and creamy opening that smells rich, warm and thick. The white flowers sparkle around the perimeter softly until the completely engulf the green. I am reminded of vintage VC&A First parfum in Deco Diamonds thrilling intensity. Underneath the glamorous shimmering is a resting big cat, the Cartier panther.

Through the heart Deco Diamonds becomes sheer and radiant, still fully fragrant but there is air between the notes, they become filled with luminous light that lifts the whole scent. I can’t pick notes at this point, it’s a creamy white floral but diffuse, like smelling the dry down of some of the big 1980s blockbuster chypre perfumes the next morning on a scarf. A whisper of luxurious living, magic.

DSH Perfumes has both these beauties from $6

Which one sounds like something you might like to try?
Portia xx

Going Green? TinaG’s Quick Sniffs with Portia

September 12, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by TinaG

Hi APJ!

Last week I caught up with Portia for tea and lunch. We spent a lovely few hours bubbling away merrily with laughter and stories. Portia has an amazing fragrance collection which we dove into in search of ‘green’ scents. I was presented with a plethora of options. I thought I would share my first impressions of these with you.

There is nothing considered or nuanced here just what jumped out and hit me first. What this style of testing allows for is a snapshot of a range of perfume in a short period of time. What I can then do is go back and explore individual frags at my leisure. Fun!!

Going Green?

TinaG’s Quick Sniffs with Portia

Here’s my notes, ranked from less to more green (if that can be a thing….)

Fragrantica

Armani Prive – Vert Malachite
Where is the ‘vert’? A bit of pettigran wafts through but it’s mainly a big white floral, heavy on the jasmine and ylang ylang.

Robert Piguet – Futur
This is supposed to be enriched by ‘green’ accords, but I can’t get past the old school aldehydes in the opening. It burns off leaving jasmine & ylang ylang with some bitter orange.

Chanel – No 19
Cool green, jasmine, rose, iris, geranium. Elegant.

Fragrantica

Jacomo – Silences
Galbanum-heavy. Not a note I easily pick up in fragrances so I spend some time with my nose on the card trying to affix it in my scent memory.

Ormond Jane – Sampaguita
Watery green. Grassy, light florals, lily & rose.

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune
Grapefruit green, sharp and fresh.

Fragrantica

The Different Company – Tokyo Bloom
Heavy pink pillar of florals in the middle of gentle plant greens.

Olfactive Studio – Panorama
Light green. Peppery notes, it is a study in various green shades.

Fragrantica

Niki de Saint Phalle
Cool green, but full of colourful varied florals. Fun.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz – Giverny in Bloom
Fresh cut wet plant stem green. OMG this is exactly like being inside a florists! Amazing!

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Teazzurra
Dry green tea note. Simple. Gentle.

Fragrantica

1000 Flowers – Fleur No 1
I think I was coming to the end of my capacity here because I just wrote ‘green’. (I don’t think there’s 1000 flowers in there).

So, what would I go back to? I’d be interested to see how Silences developed, along with Chanel No 19. I’ve given Panorama a run through as I got a sample when it was released, and it really is layered greens.

What else should I add to my list for future sniffs on a green theme?

See ya!
Tina G xx

What’s Your SOTD?

August 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Post by Portia

Heya Crew,

Anne-Marie is snowed under at work and feeling less than 100% so I’m filling for her today. Fingers crossed for her triumphal return in a fortnight. We love you Anne-Marie. XX

Anne-Marie, Scott & Portia at DIOR, Sydney

Anne-Marie, Scott & Portia at David Jones, Sydney

What’s Your SOTD?

SOTD, SOTE, SOTM, SOTBed???? This acronym had me completely baffled when I first hit the online scent world. It is used everywhere from blogs to Facebook pages and has now become so much part of the fragrance communities conversation that I forget at one point it was meaningless to me.

S.O.T.D. = Scent Of The Day

S.O.T.E. = Scent Of The Evening

S.O.T.M. = Scent Of The Morning

S.O.T.Bed. = Scent Of The Bed

So though Anne-Marie is not with us today I know she will be reading all our replies avidly so let’s include her by telling her exactly what fragrance we are wearing and which acronym applies.

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Coriander, Saffron
Heart: Gardenia, Jasmine, Magnolia, Rose, Ylang-ylang
Base: Amber, Musk, Vetiver

So as this post goes live it is S.O.T.E. for me, I have finished work, taken my drag and makeup off and have spritzed over my work scent for tonight which was Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations with the original Agent Provocateur rose/saffron/woods in the pink egg (I really need to review this baby, it’s becoming a firm favourite. So I thought it was a patchouli frag HA HA HA!) If I was leaving a comment this is how it would look. SOT? acronym, Fragrance, Brief description.

SOTE: Agent Provocateur: Rose/saffron/woods bomb in the pink egg that smells like it has modern patchouli in it to me. Love how this seems to shimmer around me. I imagine people’s noses catching my sillage as I walk past and them looking up from whatever they’re doing to see who smells so good.

So please get on board and drop your Scent Of The Whatever into the comments.

Get work sorted and well Anne-Marie
Portia XXX

Lady Gaga + Gwyneth Paltrow Talk Fashion Disasters

August 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Portia

Heya Fashion Forward Fumies,

Lady Gaga and Gwyneth Paltrow are about as polar opposite as you can imagine. Back in 2011 they were both on Graham Norton’s couch and the subject of fashion fails creeps up. The very last look of this clip is gold. They are both really charming and I love the way they work together. Comedy comes from such unexpected places.

How would you scent Gwyneth and Gaga? Let’s not say what they do wear but what their personalities match with. I reckon Gwyneth would wear something feminine, overblown and intrusive like Midnight Oud, Ysatis or Songes. Lady Gaga is surprisingly conservative under all that show so maybe something that opens really strong then softens to an elegant wash like Mitsouko, Maai or Jasmine Rouge.

Do please take a moment out of your busy life to enjoy this.
Portia xxx

The Graham Norton Show – BBC One

Lady Gaga on falls, ripped crotches and other disasters

SNARK! Why Did They Even Bother?

June 21, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 63 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

Ainslie Walker is off doing amazing stuff so I’m filling in today, she’ll be back in a fortnight.

I thought you all might like a chance to unleash, a place to vent, a moment where you can really let us know what you think about some of the complete shit that has been released under then guise of fragrance. Now you must back up your snark with reasons other than it smells crap. Also if someone trashes your favourite that doesn’t mean your favourite has been invalidated, it means your favourite doesn’t work for someone else. Please don’t get snippy and thin lipped if Andy Tauer, Taylor Swift, Bertrand Duchaufour or DKNY get lampooned. This is a fun vent that we can all have a bit of a laugh about. Extra points go to well crafted snark, brilliant analogies, finely honed butchery and elegant put downs.

SNARK! Why Did They Even Bother?

Right, I’ll get you all started.

Insta-Ranges

Yes, you’ve all seen them. One minute VC&A, Armani, Givenchy, YSL, Oscar de la Renta, Bulgari et al have some fairly limp fruitchoulis on the market shelves next to their one big blockbuster hit from the 60s, 80s or naughties and next moment there are 12 deluxe fragrances in uber simple packaging with one of each frag style included; a musk, an amber, BWF, leather, cologne, aquatic raspberry lotus anise laundry detergent. For F*#ks Sake. Seriously, maybe three in the line are worth sniffing and the rest I wouldn’t use in the bathroom as deodoriser.

These are not the only protagonists in the drama either, it’s becoming more & more common in the niche realm too. Zero scents to 20 in 3 years. PLEASE!!

Surely it also makes no market sense to put all your poorly thought out, boringly designed, committee created dross in one foul swoop. Wouldn’t it make more sense to release two REALLY FREAKING GOOD THINGS and maybe add one every couple of years? Wouldn’t that lend a sense of anticipation, give people something to talk about, make us want and dream and imagine?

Coco Mademoiselle by CHANEL 2001

CocoMademoisell Fragrantica Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, mandarin orange, orange blossom, bergamot
Heart: Mimose, jasmine, Turkish rose, ylang-ylang
Base: Tonka bean, patchouli, opoponax, vanilla, vetiver, white musk

Flankers

Now for this one I do understand the solid business sense behind it. Of course it’s easier to sell a mediocre scent if you piggyback the fame of your houses blockbuster scent from decades ago. I really like the idea of summer versions of the heavier offerings, even like the idea of a yearly release of something crated to enhance your wearing of the original. You know the original Opium or JPG Le Male were pretty full on in an office mid summer, I get it. Make an annual summer flanker in a fun bottle that can also become a collectable. Heaven!

Please don’t create a whole new scent, nothing to do with the magical original that you have slashed and burned till it is a whisper of its former glory and that no self respecting perfumista would use to light a Bar B Q, and link it to your cash cow. It drives me FREAKING WILD! Just two examples on the one scent are Coco Mademoiselle and Coco Noir, either of these are fine scents on their own and I would definitely have liked them a LOT more if they hadn’t been linked to one of the department stores glittering fragrant jewels Coco. ACK! Why? Imagine if they’d called it CHANEL Noir or Gabrielle, put it in that killer black bottle and I am 100% sure it would still have sold like hot cakes while not watering down the cache of the gorgeous original.

OK, so what gets your goat? Go crazy.
Please don’t be offensive or take offence on someone else comment, we are here to have a laugh today.
Portia xxx

Milton-Lloyd Fragrances

April 13, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Poodle

I recently received some fragrances from Milton-Lloyd. They are a UK based perfume company that specializes in good perfumes at great prices. In case you didn’t know it, I love a bargain. Sure, I have been known to spend a hefty amount on a bottle of juice but my heart sings when I find a good deal. I’m also not too snooty to think that only the expensive perfumes smell good. I’m also a fan of perfumes that remind me of other perfumes. Sometimes I like a scent but not enough to justify the price. If I find something similar for less I’m a happy girl.

Milton-Lloyd Fragrances

Milton-Lloyd

Colour Me Pink PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Notes: white rose, almond blossom, lily, geranium, heliotrope, spice, vanilla, musk

Pink is a floral perfume that is incredibly soft on me. I’ve been wearing it as a bedtime scent because on my skin it’s just a subtle wash of fragrance. Your skin may react differently. It reminds me of those billowy vintage roses that smell of powder and spice but not really rose. I find it to be reminiscent of carnation probably from the lily and geranium notes. I do like this fragrance and the overall effect is like a bouquet rendered in watercolors. If you like perfumes on the soft side, think Pink.

Milton Lloyd

Colour Me Purple PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Notes: watery notes, bergamot, watermelon, violet, rose, jasmine, fruit, woods, vanilla, oakmoss, amber, patchouli

Purple is my least favorite of the bunch but Purple garnered quite a few compliments for me so I guess it smells better to everyone else. I like it but it isn’t love. It’s listed on the Milton-Lloyd site as a fruity chypre but to me it’s a watery, slightly sweet floral fruit-chouli. It’s not overly fruity surprisingly, and is a much more wearable perfume than a lot of others of this genre. Starts off a bit like an upscale shampoo but then settles into a pleasant floral. I couldn’t detect oakmoss. Smells like a lot of popular mainstream scents and the people I work with really liked it.

Milton Lloyd

Colour Me Femme Gold PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Notes: citrus, neroli, raspberry, jasmine, lily, rose, caramel, honey, musk, patchouli

Femme Gold opens with a burst of juicy fruits then blooms with lily and jasmine. This one reminds me of another perfume but I can’t for the life of me think of which one it is. The name Femme Gold is fitting because all the notes are covered with golden honey and caramel. To my untrained nose it’s an oriental gourmand without a lot of spice. It is a bit sweet yet since it doesn’t smell like fruit salad I do like it. I’m a sucker for lilies too.

So tell me, have you tried any perfumes by Milton-Lloyd? Do you ever buy inexpensive perfumes or do you not even bother to sniff?

Hugs
Poodle

Tasmania! Two Days Away: Photo Essay

April 9, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Fragrant Fumies,

This week my mate Alice & I decided to take a moment out of our lives and go down to the island off the bottom of Australia. It’s called Tasmania and it is beautiful.

Tasmania is 68,401 km² and has around 500K people. Let’s compare that to South Korea at 96,920 km² and 49M (July 2015 est.). Yes, it’s a quiet out of the way place full of beautiful mountains and rivers, small towns and larger ones, friendly people and an enormous amount of history, quite a lot of it as brutal and unforgiving as the winds that whip up direct from Antarctica.

What better way to commemorate such a journey than to do a Photo Essay and have you guys along on the trip.

I know you are absolutely agog to know what fragrances I took. EASY! I grabbed my Hermès 15ml travel size of Vanille Galante, a vintage Youth Dew, something I didn’t even look at and what’s left of my Oriental Brulant that I wore for the whole 2 days and LOVED!

Here are the pics of our adventure! All the gorgeous scenery ones were taken by Alice and I took the rest.
Portia xxx

Tasmania! Two Days Away: Photo Essay

Ready for TAKE OFF! One of my besties, Alice, and I off to look at Tasmania. YAY!

Hotel Grand Chancellor in Launceston. Trip Advisor gave it VERY mixed reviews but we found it comfortable & clean and the staff very friendly.

I know, but I love BUFFET BREAKFAST!!!

Serendipitously it was Farmers Market Saturday Morning and we had a wander through. The produce was unbelievably gorgeous and Alice bought some local wines, meringues and fresh picked, unsprayed raspberries! Happy Girl. We also grabbed some spicy sunflower and pumpkin seeds for our BFF Kath.

Home made chocolate whiskey meringues. WINNER!

Spicy Pumpkin & Sunflower Seeds.

That will be Pinot Gris for the sexy bitch please.

Launceston has a wonderful olde worlde feel to it, we really liked the atmosphere and the people. It’s a cool town for a funky bunch.

On the road again. We hired a car and drove ourselves. Way more fun.

Venice 2016: Photo Essay

March 10, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Portia

Venice! One of my favourite cities in the world. In 2016 we were sensible enough to have 2 of our girlfriends with us, Anna-Maria and Tara. Jin was under the weather and spent quite a bit of time sick in bed. The girls & I managed to squeeze in SO MUCH of the touristy stuff and also some Venetian secrets. Weirdly I was so busy that I took hardly any scenery shots, sorry. It was super fun and it made me love Venice even more…

Venice 2016: Photo Essay

We are ARRIVED!! Hello Venice

Jin has a fave restaurant. we had to eat there on our first night. It was delicious.

In the VERY squishy lift at our hotel

Hotel bathroom products. POSH!

St Marks Square in the Doge’s palace colonnades

As evening falls we make our way to a cafe.

Next day we go sightseeing

High Tea in a swanky hotel. Thanks Anna Maria

Doge’s Palace Tour

Iconography

St Marks Square

Water Bus

Dinner on the canal in the shadow of the Ponte de Rialto

On Murano Island. St Tara of the tired legs

Buying Murano Glassware

Visiting Peggy Guggenheim. Managed to make all of us look shit in this shot except Jin,
who was sick as a dog and really did look like shit.

Harry’s Bar, where the cool kids go. We sat at the bar and weere entertained by the barman

Tara leaving us.

Venice'16 #28 YAY!

Realising that we missed Tara after 5 minutes and had nothing nice to say to each other

Even Venice was beautifully sad she had gone

On our way to Florence!

Serge Lutens Masterclass: Paris 2016: Photo Essay

February 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Portia

We are home,

It’s been the most fabulous holiday and I have so much to share. A whirlwind to say the very least. One of my top experiences that we had while away was the Serge Lutens Masterclass. It was unbelievably fabulous.

We were whisked upstairs by Elvire into the yellow room, the table was set for sniffing and then she brought us biscuits and tea cakes, very posh. I was invited to sit in Serge Lutens chair (OMG!) and we were happily led through quite a lot of the Exclusive to Palais Royal fragrances. You have no idea how fabulous.

Before you go booking, they prefer you to be in groups of 4-6. Originally we were to be a 4 but sadly two of our crew couldn’t make it. To make up for that, and make it worth Serge’s time, I had some pre-orders from Australia that I needed to get fulfilled as well as my own list.

Serge Lutens Masterclass

Paris 2016: Photo Essay

The gorgeous walls of Serge Lutens yellow room, hidden doors and concealment are the name of the game.

Sitting in Serge’s chair, where he holds court for launches etc.

The gorgeous Elvire who has taken Lea’s masterclass hostess place now that Lea has gone to Shiseido Head Office.

Jin, bless his soul, ran around taking pictures throughout the 2+ hours. He wanted you all to feel part of the experience, notice there is no paper on the table yet.

The very first Serge Lutens fragrance, Feminite du Bois, in its original bottles. No wonder these are so coveted, some had the scent still inside. SWOON!

We start getting our sniff on. Touches are already prepared with fragrance names and tied with black ribbon. The experience was full of these well prepared little glam spots. Elvire was all over the event and full of discerning insights into the fragrances, all done from memory and with such passion it was easy to get swept away.

As you can see the table is filling up with paper, the ones sticking up are my return and skin test ones.

So beautiful, with a smile that lit up the room.

Jin & I being assholes.

Even the toilet gets the Serge Lutens treatment. The toilet seat was marble I think, or maybe it was the whole toilet. Was so tripping on the fumes by this time that I was seeing spots.

As you can see we were so involved chatting and sniffing that I hardly touched the cakes!

Finally we get down to the nitty gritty. Time for shopping! I bought Rose de Nuit and La Myrrhe for Aussies. Jin bought Muscs Koublai Khan and I purchased Miel de Bois and Fumerie Turque. Elvire gave us a choice of 2 samples each too (then popped an extra in Jin’s bag! He was thrilled) and for each bottle a full set of wax samples.

Should you be going to France and wish to book this marvelous FREE Event there is a Serge Lutens Contact Page, attention Elvire.

Which of the Exclusives takes your fancy?
Portia xxx

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Fun

Guerlain with Tea & Scones

Guerlain with Tea & Scones

DSH Perfumes: Fleuriste and Deco Diamonds

DSH Perfumes: Fleuriste 2015

DSH Perfumes: Deco Diamonds 2014

Going Green? TinaG’s Quick Sniffs with Portia

Going Green?

TinaG’s Quick Sniffs with Portia

What’s Your SOTD?

What’s Your SOTD?

Lady Gaga + Gwyneth Paltrow Talk Fashion Disasters

The Graham Norton Show – BBC One

Lady Gaga on falls, ripped crotches and other disasters

SNARK! Why Did They Even Bother?

SNARK! Why Did They Even Bother?

Insta-Ranges

Coco Mademoiselle by CHANEL 2001

Flankers

Milton-Lloyd Fragrances

Milton-Lloyd Fragrances

Colour Me Pink PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Colour Me Purple PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Colour Me Femme Gold PdT by Milton-Lloyd

Tasmania! Two Days Away: Photo Essay

Tasmania! Two Days Away: Photo Essay

Venice 2016: Photo Essay

Venice 2016: Photo Essay

Serge Lutens Masterclass: Paris 2016: Photo Essay

Serge Lutens Masterclass

Paris 2016: Photo Essay