GIVEAWAY

Carriere EDP by Gendarme, Grand Neroli by Atelier Cologne. Reviews. Competition WINNER

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Hey Everyone

Here are 2 citrus fragrances from my LuckyScent Spring 15 2012 showbag. I have not been much of a citrus person but am becoming acclimated to its zesty rush and the fun of it. I am taking for granted that LuckyScent is sending me the best of.

CARRIERE EDP for women by GENDARME

Fragrantica has all the notes and stuff, while LuckyScent also has it for sale.

Photo Stolen from Gendarme

Bright, fresh, warm, citrus opening! I know that doesn’t make sense but I think the lemon and lemon blossom opening is sweet and warming. A welcoming opening, rather than an austere aloof one. My memory of the Gendarme original scent is that it is a lot less robust that this EDP. I think the Lavender, Lily and Jasmine give Gendarme’s Carrier for women EDP a prettier and softer citrus adventure over the incense of the original. It still has elements of mens cologne, which I love here, but in a ladylike way. LuckyScent calls it fresh and refreshing, and they are right.

Photo Stolen from Wikipedia

From Gendarme site

You’ll never know how beautiful fragrance can make you feel until you wear Carrière. This elegant yet professional fragrance embodies the powerful and yet luxurious modern woman with the aroma of jasmine and lilac.

GRAND NEROLI by ATELIER COLOGNE

Grand Neroli by Atelier Cologne is a 12% Cologne Absolue concentration.

Photo Stolen from alanilagan.com

Lifted wholesale from LuckyScent
Beautiful, transporting, dream-inducing neroli, in all its giddily romantic glory. Neroli comes from orange blossoms – those white flowers that glowed like stars against the green leaves and transformed the spring air of our childhood into a magical elixir.

Photo Stolen from NeroliOil.org

I don’t know about transporting or dream inducing but the opening does remind me of playing around the orange tree as a kid, the smell of broken citrus leaves and twigs as Mum would shape the tree each year, my sister and I picking the flowers and the first pulling back of the ripe orange skin before you’d bite. The vanilla, musk and amber walk in quickly here and warm the whole fragrance up, pushing the citrus aside. In fact the fragrance makes such a definitive change it could be 2 different scents; there is still a citrus but warm and welcoming. Now, at the 40 minute stage, getting a soft powdery scent, almost like the smell of freshly washed kids in summer.

Of the 2 fragrances that I’ve tried today Grand Neroli wins on storyline and Carriere wins on lifespan. Citrus are notoriously short lived but Carriere stayed for hours.

COMPETITION GIVEAWAY WINNER!

“What is your dirty little perfume secret?” got some wonderful replies but none so stupendously and happily dirty as our winners favourite, Can Can by Paris Hilton!!

THE WINNER IS

sujaan212

In the winners pack all measures are approximate;

1 x manufacturers sample pot of Roxana’s Illuminated Perfumes, Hedera Helix

1 x 5ml manufacturers sample One Seed, Freedom EDP

1 x 2ml decanted spray sample Estee Lauder, Youth Dew

1 x 1ml remains manufacturers sample Bottega Veneta

1 x .5ml decanted sample spray L’Artisan Parfumeur, Passage D’Enfer

plus postage and packing anywhere in the world that it’s legal to send to
Thanks for dropping by and sharing the inside of my head.

Portia xx

A little present. EGOISTE by Chanel.

Roxana’s Illuminated Perfumes

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Hey gang,

This week’s weather in Sydney is completely bonkers, warm and sunny, freezing and windy, wet, cold and sunny; all today! Choosing a perfume for today was hard work, so this morning I tried an old favourite,  and this evening something brand spanking new!

ROXANA’S ILLUMINATED PERFUMES

So I lemminged onto Roxana’s Illuminated Perfumes through ThePerfumeShrine who did a wonderful piece on one of the fragrances, Hedera Helix, based on the Ivy it’s named after. Thank You for introducing me gang. The picture below shows Roxana’s enormous attention to detail when she sends. So pretty, and it makes the whole experience even more special.

Photo Stolen from ETSY

I went and found Roxana on ETSY and this is what she has to say about her fragrances

I create whole, vital, organic perfumes with stories. These fragrances are from nature, there are absolutely NO synthetic materials contained or tortured animal ingredients in my fragrances.
The perfumes I create are from the highest-grade botanical materials; including pure essences sourced from the deserts of Arabia, tropical forests of Madagascar as well as Mediterranean meadows.
In the tradition of alchemists and perfumers of ancient times, I create an illuminated line of exclusive, signature fragrances along with extraordinary custom perfumes. Every fragrance is created in small batches by hand and resonates with a deep connection to the land, utilizing intoxicating scents drawn from the botanical world.

I ordered the Organic Botanical Perfume Sampler Eco d’Lux Six Pack for US$45 and a Hedera Helix Nature Perfume in a Mini Compact for US $30 and, gorgeous girl that Roxanna is, there came a surprise for you (see below in COMPETITION GIVEAWAY).

Photo Stolen from Etsy

IMPROMPTU

As always I went straight for the sample that came to my fingers. Didn’t check the name, just applied with abandon, well not too much, they are extremely small samples. Really, really small. I got the original application before work and a reapplication now to jog my memory. Gone! Anyway, this is called Impromptu and is not on the current list.

OMG BETTY! Deep earthy green, like a sexy swamp lady, I smell moss, river water and weed, herbs, torn fig leaves, mown lawn and compost, and some spices that elude me but it is AWESOME!

Photo Stolen from ETSY

One of the men at Trivia tonight, that I would never have expected it from, leaned over and said, “You smell great, that perfume is….Wow!” As Evie C was also there I have back up collaboration on this. He was blown away, and so am I. You can be sure I’ve already written to Roxana asking for 5 litres of it, well, asking if I could buy any of it actually.

It’s morning now and there is still a delicious fat curl and waft of deepest green lingering upon my person. I am mesmerised, sitting still for minutes at a time (not something I do easily) trying to track this amazing scent. It is now a rank, dank thing clawing its way from the sea with a briny broken branch smell. I’m sorry, the words I have are not making this scent sound appealing; it is. I wish there were more words in my head to give you an accurate picture of how majestic this fragrance is, like primordial soup and magic. There was the tiniest skerrick left in the bottle and I have drained the dregs to live this wonderful fragrance again. One thing is for sure, you’ll not find anything this wild, untamed and confronting at your local fragrance counter. This is the good stuff.

HEDERA HELIX

I have the solid mini compact of Hedera Helix, being a solid it is much tamer in sillage, but it is a very crisp Green Floral Chypre that is less brash than Impromptu. It smells like a reserved, elegant and willowy sister in comparison. It’s edges are buffed and polished to an easy wearabilty for everyone, and being solid it is also good for people allergic to mass market perfumes. I like the mini compact especially for gym goers who are forever losing lids in gym bags and precious juice being squirted into damp towels and soggy lycra. Also, after a workout it goes on beautifully and the extra warmth and bloodflow help to give softer solid perfume a bit more strength.

Photo Stolen from ETSY

Roxanna says of the Hedera Helix fragrance

The best words I can use are to describe this scent is mossy green, floral Chypre. I utilized many essences with a green profile as well as those that come from green leaves like Geranium, Peach Leaf, Rhododendron Leaf, and Violet Leaf. On the skin of those who have tested it the aroma is quite beautiful.

COMPETITION GIVEAWAY

This Thursday the question you must answer in the comments is, “What is your dirty little perfume secret? The one guilty fragrance pleasure that you wear even though it has been reviled by all and sundry? Maybe it’s a cheapy, maybe it’s a one star Sanchez/Turin or maybe it’s something so old fashioned you can’t bring yourself to tell. Now’s the time to spill.” and I’ll pick the comment that resonates most with me. Doesn’t have to be long or flamboyant, just give it to me straight.

One of my personal favourites that fits into this category is Poeme by Lancome. I will be writing about it tomorrow, so before my dirty little secret is really out I’d like to hear yours.

What’s in the winners pack this week? All measures are approximate and winner drawn Sunday 10pm-ish Australian EST.

1 x manufacturers sample pot of Roxana’s Illuminated Perfumes, Hedera Helix

1 x 5ml manufacturers sample One Seed, Freedom EDP

1 x 2ml decanted spray sample Estee Lauder, Youth Dew

1 x 1ml remains manufacturers sample Bottega Veneta

1 x .5ml decanted sample spray L’Artisan Parfumeur, Passage D’Enfer

plus postage and packing anywhere in the world that it’s legal to send to

SO GO TO IT!!

Thanks for getting all the way to the bottom of my random smelly thoughts,

Here is a special present, I was reminded of it today by my buddy Radium Maxwell. MWAAA

Portia x

Bottega Veneta Review, WINNER ANNOUNCED

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Hey gang,

Well it has been a lovely day here, sunny, warm and delightful. Better than most of our summer here in Sydney. We spent it extremely lazily, couching, Sleeping, a bit of house re arrangement then off to the Greyhound Races. Awesome day. We even had a couple of wins. I even have a lovely greyhound bitch as a pet, Gucci is her name, and also retrain greyhounds for living with families. So, yes, I do know about the awful and tragic way they are treated after their racing career is over, but it is getting better and we are making a difference, dog by dog. If you have any interest in rehoming a lovely greyhound please get in touch with Greyhound Rescue here in Sydney, Australia. Best pets ever.

My greyhounds

Recently I ordered a bunch of sample sized fragrances in sets from The Perfume Niche and in with my lovely samples came a couple of surprises. One of those was a small manufacturers sample of Bottega Veneta EDT and what a surprise. I had been reading gorgeous things about this particular fragrance and was fully prepared to fall in love due to its notes and the favourable stuff being written by all and sundry.

Photo Stolen from Fragrantica

When I first put it on though I was MASSIVELY disappointed because there was no fragrance there at all. I felt like I’d been completely cheated by all these awesome reports and thought that maybe the perfume world was playing an enormous joke on all of us no knowledge dunderheads, like the Emperor’s new clothes. So frankly I was a little bit peeved and went to the bedroom and used Gwen Stefani’s L LAMB body lotion on my arms so at least I could feel like I had something glorious upon my self. I was GRRR McGRRR. Off we trotted to the Greyhounds and I’d been there about half an hour and I started smelling this incredible sweet, floral leather scent and was looking around to see who had such ridiculously good taste in perfume, could it have been TSO Jin, Bestie Alice or one other of the crew? I asked and no luck. There was no one in the vicinity that fit my idea of scent whore, fume head or even perfumista, which made it even more intriguing, was it in fact one of the laddish blokes or swamp donkeyish girlfriends, could it be one of an elderly couple, that super hot drooly drooly poorly dressed handsome clueless guy. Then I leaned over in my chair to look further afield and a great big gust of glorious flew up my polo shirt. OMG! It was me. I smelled gorgeous, leathery and sweet all at once. This fragrance is not big but it is beautiful and persistent. I’ve now been wearing Bottega Vanetta for 6 hours and I smell better than ever. I could wear this baby for anything, this would be office, party, dinner, sex date, kids from school, walk down the back yard or watch TV scent, and it would not be out of place doing any of these. What a fragrance. Nobody is telling fibs when they praise this perfume, it is all that and a bag of chips. Try it only if you have spare money to purchase, you’ll buy it and be glad you did.

Now Smell This does an awesome review with some extra reading tags within, Fragrantica has the accords, notes and people reviews.

This weeks winner of our spectacular Giveaway Competition for

We are giving away approximately

1.5ml JINX by Tommi Sooni decanted spray sample

1.5ml L’Eau D’Ambre by L Artisan Parfumeur decanted spray sample

1.5ml City of Angels by Royal Apothic decanted spray sample

1.5ml Fantasia de Fleurs by Creed decanted spray sample

1ml Fig by Aftelier Perfumes remains of manufacturers sample spray

plus postage and packing to anywhere in the world

is Dionne. YAY!! DIONNE! WHOO WHOO!!

You have till Wednesday night to get in touch with an address so I can send you your prize. CONGRATULATIONS!!

To all our other contestants, Thank you. I love reading your stories and they all would have won in a perfect world. There will be another weekly GIVEAWAY COMPETITION next Thursday.

Eau de Sud / Muscs Koublai Khan Reviews

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Hey gang,

Today I’m trying 2 new scents

Eau De Sud by Annick Goutal

eau-du-sud-annick-goutal-fragranticaFragrantica

 

Eau de Sud according to the Annick Goutal site, and I think they’re pretty spot on;

A symphony of citrus accords melts into slightly peppery and woody notes. Mandarin orange, bergamot, verbena, mint and basil. An invigorating trail of scent that recalls the creator’s voyages to Provence and Tuscany.

It is a 1996 unisex fragrance and both the mens and womens bottles contain the same stuff, usually you can find the mens at a much better price online. Citrus is not something I wear very much so I am looking to put one in the fragrance wardrobe. It starts out beautifully tart and crisp and whipish, at about the 15 minute mark it starts to warm for me, maybe the sandalwood and vanilla making an early appearance, it has maintained a pretty linear dry down and at 2.5 hours is barely there, almost just smelling a prettier me.

As always Fragrantica is my go to for the basic notes & accords with real people reviews and Now Smell This gives a more in depth and interesting review.

 

Musc Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens,

Sir Edward John Pointer, The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon photo stolen from AGNSW

Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens is one of the fragrances often referred to on the scentbloggosphere as a reference fragrance for sexy, dark and dirtiness. There is said to be a great disparity between the bell jar original and the export versions and unfortunately I don’t have 2 for comparison and as I am using a sample from Perfume Niche there is no way of telling which one I have. Honestly though, I don’t smell anything even remotely sexual, dirty or dark. I smell deliciously deep patchouli, amber and musk, I think. It is warm and resinous like wood that’s just been waxed and polished but it does stay that way for hours, gloriously. I like Muscs Koublai Khan a LOT!! I think I will order 10mls and really give it a whirl.

Fragrantica has the important stuff and Confessions Of A Mad Perfumista and BoisDeJasmin offer 2 very different reactions to the whole mystery and mystique of this fragrance

What an awesome and fragrant week I’ve had. Just looking back through the stuff that I’ve sniffed and what you’ve read doesn’t even cover half of it. I think I should have asked Evie C if we could have called the blog ScentWhores or StinkPigs because it’s like having to write a food diary to show you how much you eat. Blogging has woken me to the fact that I am Scent-ual. I hope you are enjoying the ride.

It’s Thursday and that means GIVEAWAY COMPETITION time. you have to tell us the last perfume you tried that was full bottle worthy, why and did you buy it yet. The winner will be judged on Saturday night 7.3.12 around 10pm Sydney EST

We are giving away approximately

1.5ml JINX by Tommi Sooni decanted spray sample

1.5ml L’Eau D’Ambre by L Artisan Parfumeur decanted spray sample

1.5ml City of Angels by Royal Apothic decanted spray sample

1.5ml Fantasia de Fleurs by Creed decanted spray sample

1ml Fig by Aftelier Perfumes remains of manufacturers sample spray

plus postage and packing to anywhere in the world

ALSO you need to go and read TheCandyPerfumeBoy today he has been chhosing scents for that Nicki Minaj songstress that I LOVE!

Just for fun I’ve added this L’Instant Guerlain ad because…..

Charity, GIVEAWAY, Cher

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Hiya all,

Something that really caught my attention recently was the Smell Good, Do Good Campaign on Arielle’s Scents of Self site. Didn’t hear about it? It’s still going and there are some great bargains to be had. Some discontinued gems, lovely albatrosses that just didn’t get worn and even some delicious pieces that perfumers have donated to raise much needed money for Refuge. I went on and got a couple of bargains myself and am MIGHTY pleased. They wouldn’t even let me pay for postage!!

Here’s what they said at Scents of Self

Welcome to the Smell Good, Do Good perfume sale! Every cent of the selling price of these perfumes will go to Refuge, a British domestic violence charity that provides safe houses for women and children escaping domestic violence.

My Photo

I picked up an Aftelier Perfumes Apricot and Lemon Candle in a Tin, Royal Apothic City of Angels and L’Artisan Perfumer L’Eau d’Ambre. Pretty good stuff eh!

You should mosey on down and have a little look see yourself. Maybe the one perfume you’ve wanted for AGES is there, cheap, no postage!!

Last night a dear friend David (Margeaux), my best friend (Kath) and I got together for a special moment. Margeaux has been a long time fan and friend of the amazing singer, Oscar winning actress, clothes horse and general superstar Cher. He followed her farewell tour around the world and saw her do it about a million times. eventually they mat and his home is a shrine to the mega star. Huge autographed photos. the Barbie doll collection, every moment of video, celluloid or vinyl ever to have had Cher grace it is in his possession. Trolling among the fragrance distributors, bargain sites and uber sought after pieces online stores, as I do each day, I happened upon a rare and gorgeous must have that Margeaux did not yet have. A brand new, unopened, vintage coffret of Cher Uninhibited! with a 100ml bottle of body lotion and a 10ml bottle of fragrance EDT. Quell SURPRISE!! it was launched back in November 1987, and it’s a huge aldehydic floral with a dirty vanilla dry down that takes a while to arrive. Kath videoed the opening ceremony and our reactions to this awesome fragrance. WAIT TILL YOU SEE IT! It’s currently in post production and we should have it up over the weekend. CAMPERAMA!! Gay squared!

I have a confession to make, a couple actually. In my celebuscent collection I have 3 favourites that get trotted out quite regularly, there are more but these are the 3 that I reach for often. They are,

Photo stolen from Fragrantica

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely; when I first tried this I thought it was an absolute pile of shit, couldn’t understand what people saw in it and frankly wanted to give good old SJP a brick in the face hello. Then one day I saw it for a ridiculously knock down price, like they were practically paying people to take it, respritz…. love, Love, LOVE!! weird right? Now I adore the stuff and would be sad to not have it in my fragrance wardrobe.

Photo stolen from Fragrantica

Queen Latifah Queen; when I saw the name, the celeb and the bottle I didn’t care what it smelled like, I just wanted to have it. I love Queen Latifah, she is hot and cool, smart and sassy and not afraid to be a solid girl and GORGEOUS! If she put out a fragrance I was going to trust that she’d not sucker punch me. and she came through. I love it. Cheap, cheerful, lasts forever, smells great and nobody else has it around here. PERFECT!

Photo stolen from Fragrantica

Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights; please let me stay at the party. I like being a perfumista. You all can say and think what you like but this fragrance rocks. On my skin it’s like the dirty bitch, slutty sister of Shalimar, my all time favourite perfume, all dressed up and ready to break hearts. Jessica Simpson has some seriously good people around her.

GIVEAWAY!! In retrospect of this week and in anticipation of our 1000th visitor we have decided to do a giveaway. This will be a regular Thursday thing hopefully, but being our 13th day of daily blogging and already we are set to reach 1000 visitors we will go a little CRAZY!!! Yeah? A little sample pack of some stuff we’ve talked about.

My Photo

The GIVEAWAY includes:

Aftelier Perfumes; 1.5ml manufacturers sample spray Haute Claire + Apricot and Lemon Candle in a Tin (one of my Smell Good Do Good buys that Mandy Aftel kindly gave to the cause)

Gucci; 2ml decanted sample spray Gucci by Gucci pour homme

Estee Lauder; 2ml decanted sample spray Brasil Dreams

Jessica Simpson; 2ml decanted sample spray Fancy Nights

LUSH Cosmetics; 1.5ml decanted sample spray Orange Blossom

plus postage and packing to anywhere in the world.

YOU must leave a message about your all time favourite celebrity fragrance, and why, before midnight Sunday 31st March 2012 Sydney, Australia time. Best <50 word answer will be a WINNER. Could it be any easier? NO. Get to it!

Don’t forget our COMPETITION being drawn on Saturday night/Sunday morning either

GIVE AWAY WINNER!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Here was the GIVEAWAY post

If you leave me a message in the comments section, one random lucky commenter will win a sample of Little Stars and Osafume (see below), I will draw the winner Sunday March 25 around Midnight Sydney, Australia time. Winner announced in Sunday nights blog, winner will need to get in touch with postal details by Wednesday March 28 or I’ll use the samples myself.

Here’s a pic of the little vials of GORGEOUS!!

Our lucky winner tonight was Sigrun from FragrantFanatic and I’m so excited for her. Sigrun, please get in touch with your address so I can send your stuff tomorrow!

You have till Wednesday midnight Sydney time or I WILL use the samples myself!!

Much love and thanks to all participants.

I hope your day is full of good stink,

Portia xx

Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes; Little Stars: GIVEAWAY

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes have this to say about Little Stars

Imagine a hot, steamy night in the jungle. Insects chirping, unseen creatures moving in the leaves and branches, and the heavenly scent of a flower that must be the orchid queen of the night. A rich blend of citrus, neroli, ylang-ylang, clove bud and jasmine on a base of exotic woods, oud, black agar and atlas cedarwood. An unmistakable spicy floral scent that epitomizes white, night-fragrant orchids and the woody branches that they grow on.

Fragrantica goes on to say

The nose behind the fragrance is Ellen Covey. Little Stars is available as a parfum extrait or EdP, and is a rich blend of citrus, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, clove bud and jasmine on a base of exotic woods, balsams, oud, spikenard, black agar and atlas cedarwood. A spicy, woody floral scent reminiscent of white, night-fragrant orchids and the woody branches that they grow on.

OK. Having set the scene, I read about Ellen Covey and her Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes on and around the scentbloggosphere and was intrigued by her story of scientist, orchid grower, life liver and finally perfumer, while still encompassing all previous facets of her life. I love a multi-tasker and am especially impressed when they are able to reach high levels of competence and recognition in more than one field. Inspiring stuff.

If I’m reading correctly, and that is not always a given, Little Stars was the first offering from this perfume house, based on one of Doc Elly’s own night flowering orchids, and it was only through the twisting, turning, persistence and learning curving that it ever came to light for all of us to wonder at.

If you leave me a message in the comments section, one random lucky commenter will win a sample of Little Stars and Osafume (see below), I will draw the winner Sunday March 25 around Midnight Sydney, Australia time. Winner announced in Sunday nights blog, winner will need to get in touch with postal details by Wednesday March 28 or I’ll use the samples myself.

Photo stolen from Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes site

A squeaky opening high and tense opens for about 3 minutes, then a sparkling, glorious, miasma of delicious spicy floral notes all the way to its balmy, balsamic dry down, I don’t get the “hot steamy night in the jungle” at all. This to me reads like the heady getting ready for a party, the arriving, drinking, dancing, a blowsy young romance on a garden seat or in parkland. There is a sexy, animal note beneath the glory of the flowers, spring or autumn, not summer. Actually, thinking about it, as Little Stars warms up it smells like the fragrances of 2 people involved in a tryst melding as they do, along with some of the lighter and pre erotic smells that we give off before the big finish and final act of coupling in the grass. Yes, mind firmly in the gutter with this one, which is funny because it is a beautiful and pretty scent too. Now it’s like the first sniff and bite of a Granny Smith apple, the tangy, tart super-sweetness that makes you pause before chomping away to the core. Over the last 2 hours or so I’ve had it change colours on me a dozen times and I keep coming back to update.

This is for everyone. Men and women can wear this with gay abandon. I think there is something for everyone here. If you’ve not yet met Ellen Covey’s fragrances, please hit one of the links and at least troll through the offerings to acquaint yourself with something new and delicious.

Little Stars Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes for womenPhoto stolen from Fragrantica

Finding myself at the Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes site for the first time I was so overwhelmed by the breadth of choice that I bought the Standard Sample Pack so I could try everything, I know, absolute fragrance whore here. When they arrived but before I’d got to the perfumes I’d ordered there were 2 extras in the pack, Salamanca and Bay Rum. Well, the Bay Rum is the most ENORMOUS fragrance and I was instantly enamoured. The Significant Other (TSO) Jin could follow my vapour trails around the house to find me, even down to the yard. It’s the ultimate BAM BAM BAM fragrance and I loved it so much it was the first Full Bottle I ordered from the collection (even though technically it was not yet part of the collection; though I see it is now. YAY!!), sometimes I’ll put it on and go and have my afternoon nap bathed in it radiance, delicious.

Beauty on the Outside covered Little Stars in Jan 2011 (read the comments after too, they are just as interesting) Hortus Conclusus August 2010 , an undated Indieperfumes offering gives different insights, Doc Elly (Ellen Covey) the perfumes creator talks about Little Stars July 2010 at her blog The Perfume Project

I gave a sample of another Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfume, Osafume, to my next door neighbour to test with her girlfriends over dinner and they each had to give a different word for it. I thought it would be a fun way to give a short sharp description, so…….

the girls said; Candied, luscious, sweetened, bouquet, fragrance, trail, essence, dainty

Here is what the blurb on the Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes site says.

Photo stolen from Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes site

Osafume

A delicate, summery scent inspired by a dainty miniature Japanese orchid, Dendrobium moniliforme. Anise and magnolia combine with heliotrope, vanilla, and white musk to make this light, airy fragrance.

I am in no way affiliated with Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes, Although one day I’d LOVE to meet Ellen Covey and pick her brain.
Thanks for sharing my fragrant thoughts.
Portia xx

Versace; Dreamer + Profumo; Oud Caravan No. 3

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hey gang!

I am so excited that over 150 people have clocked in to have a look over the weekend till now. Awesome. I hope you all felt suitably welcome. You are.

Today my fellow Bloggette Evie and I went to the Picasso exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales with Kath (my bestie and sister by non legal but just as binding familial adoption) & Will (Eve’s handsome, dashing husband and friend). It was great, of course Picasso was a genius and changed the way we look at art, very long though, my brain had gone into meltdown so the last 2 rooms are a blur. I wish they had cut the exhibition in half and I could have paid twice to see early and late work, which would have been good because in the end he was homage-ing and deriving from himself anyway.

I was recently reminded of an old favourite perfume of mine by…

Chandler Burr | Five Favorite Scents | August 2004

The Dreamer | Versace

After all those goddamn, tired out, hairy chested, cliché macho, standardized masculine fragrances you find out there, you have to wonder: Who the hell at Versace was the genius who came up with The Dreamer? First, this is so utterly not your father’s aftershave that it smells like it fell to earth from the strange, powdery stellar globulous pictured on its box. Like Angel, The Dreamer startles you. Smell Eau Sauvage, and you think, “Oh, men’s cologne.” (Ho hum.) You smell this thing, and not only do you not think men’s cologne (because you can’t possibly), you think “My God!…” and then “What the hell is it?!” “It” is, first, absolutely mouthwatering. It is walking through a French pastry shop next to a spice market in southern Thailand. Then there’s ice cream, gun powder, fruit candy, hot cocoa, marshmallows, blood orange peel, and probably some DDT. It is the most mesmeric fragrance I know.

I think it’s interesting that Chandler (one of my heroes) Burr was so delighted with something I love, but also that he mentions Angel next to it. When I first met Dreamer and Angel’s brother A*Men, we were hostessing a party at one of Sydney’s still extant hot spots, Home Nightclub (one of Stephen Craddock’s extravaganzas like Home-sexual or Hey Homo). and two fragrances were being released on the same night. Armed with about 1000 5ml give-aways and testers, dressed up to the elevens we mindlessly sashayed through the heaving crowds, doling out freebees. Well A*Men got caught in my nostrils and throat and stayed lodged there for weeks. Even the merest whiff of A*Men would send me flying in the other direction at high speed. So I bacame part of the Versace Dreamer camp and many of our friends and cronies took sides one way or the other, not viciously but definitely. So back then I had a bottle and drained it, not understanding the finer nuances but loving its scent none the less.

The reason I write of this is because I wore it today to see Picasso and hang with my buddies. It was there, but not invasive, all day till I took my bath at 3.30pm to get ready for work. I am so glad that I have a bottle of Versace Dreamer in my Fragrance wardrobe, for its good memories and associations as well as its awesome and delicious smell.

When I got back home today there were 4 parcels at my door awaiting inspection. They were all very, VERY interesting. One box held a rebuy of one of my favourites; Trouble by Boucheron. Next came a small pack of LUSH fragrances (sample pack and 2 stick frags-we’ll talk about them soon). A vintage bottle of JOY by Patou with a smidge left in the bottle via ebay (yes, I have a whole page to write you about it, don’t worry).

Lastly was an exquisitely packed coffret from Dominique Dubrana of La Via del Profumo who does an amazing array of natural, aromatherapy, order your own and even vegan fragrances. Hit the link and have a look, I think the 6 pack coffret is a super good testing deal and looks right out of a Middle Eastern movie done in Hollywood. Just so you know I will be trialing Hindu Kush, Tartar Leather, Sharif, Tabac, Mecca Balsam (just sniffing at bottles this seems to be most me) and African Night.

What came with them though is so astounding to my senses. Oud Caravan No.3. a VEGAN fragrance.

Here is what Dominique Dubrana of La Via del Profumo has to say on the site

It is an authentic Oud, wild and full fledged, hose animalic notes have been at last tamed. Real Oud is not a perfume for all. It is not an easy scent to wear, you must have a lion’s heart. He is somehow like the mythical Dragon, if your inner force is too weak you will not bear it.
In the Oud Caravan N°3 the Dragon has been briddled and saddled, made ready for you to ride him. Oud is the perfume of the Bedouin princes of the desert. I have tempered with exotic fruitty notes the aspect of excessive power that caracterize the head notes of a good Oud.

My aim was to smooth and temper the initial notes and to control their energy in order to make the scent real Oud accessible to a greater number.

I have not been a dedicated perfumista long enough, nor have I read enough to be able to give you the notes and chemical balances. What I can give you is my smell experience

Oud Caravan No. 3 starts on my skin smelling like the tack room of an extremely well kept, run, maintained and busy horse stud. There is animal, hay, leather and leather polish, horse and horse apples (shit, but that special grassy, herbivore, almost cow pat shit), smoke and maybe just outside the door a small garden of fragrant plants that waft in with the breeze, did I say honey? If Andy Tauer’s Lonestar Memories smells like a saddle that a cowboy has just left after a long summer day riding, this is the tack room of an estate after muster, in the afternoon as the heat starts to fade and everybody is ready for a strong cup of tea before dressing for dinner.

The initial rush fades after about half an hour and I am here with a scent that smells like healthy man working in the sun as a gardener or labourer. Sexy, masculine and ready for action. Even on me, the girliest chubby dress up kink ever! And I’d like to welcome the flowers too now please, I am enjoying this immensely and think you should definitely try Oud caravan No. 3.

So a COMPETITION to win this magical triumvirate.

A 1/4ml sample of La Via del Profumo “Oud Caravan No. 3”

A 1.5ml sample of Tommi Sooni “Tarantella”

A 1.5ml sample of Boucheron “Trouble edt” (now sadly discontinued, panned and greatly reviled. I LOVE IT!)

Please leave a note underneath in 55 words or less telling us your first pricey fragrance splurge. I will leave the competition open till March 30th 2012 and will put everyone’s name in a hat and draw randomly. Judges pick is final. I’ll announce winner 31st March 2012  and the winner will need to get in touch with address details so I can send your lovely prize,

Thanks for reading my fragrant thoughts.

Portia xx

 

Versace “Dreamer” photo stolen from Fragrantica click link to see the notes and some history and reviews

My photo of the La Via del Profumo coffret

La Via del Profumo “Oud Caravan No. 3” photo stolen from La Via del Profumo