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Kate Apted
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Hello and welcome to 2018 APJ family!
Today, I want to discuss some of my favourite ‘male’ scents that I love to wear. One of the things I love about the frag community is the freedom of expression and lack of gendering. It is absolute bliss to hear men express their joy for wearing scents traditionally marketed at females. Sadly, I hear less of females waxing lyrical about more masculine fragrances. I suspect there are many Continue reading
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Sandra
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Hi there APJ! How are you doing?
We are two weeks into the new year and I am feeling the January blues. After all of the merrying, socializing and festive lights, I feel down with the grey weather, short days and routine. This happens every year and I know it will pass soon. In order to get myself out of my funk I do a bit of tidying up and organizing. Sounds weird I know. But after I get through the general house cleaning, stowing away all the Christmas decorations and getting back into the school rhythm, I like to get into my perfume closet and shuffle things around a bit.
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Portia
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Heya APJ Crew,
Whirlwind week. Perfume and peeps, art and travel to Adelaide with Jin, Eve and Lola. There’s been loads of great food and adventuring. Life has been very good to us, now I need a bloody rest.
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Portia
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Hi there APJ,
I tried Neroli Outrenoir when it was first released while Jin and I were in the Champs Elysees flagship store. I was totally overwhelmed by the venue and underwhelmed by the scent and really haven’t given it another thought. Recently though I bought a 10ml decant in a split. To be honest I don’t remember putting my name down for it. You know that late night cyber crawl after a couple of cuppas and Continue reading
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Portia
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Happy New Year APJ,
What a week! It’s been super hot and sweaty here in Oz. Some of our peeps are in Sydney on holidays or have been off work for part of the week. So many fantastic catch ups.
This is what midnight looked like where we were. My BFF Kath took this photo just after we’d done the countdown. Cool shot huh?
Wishing you all a wonderful 2018. Fill it with loads of good stuff so the shit seems less deep. Continue reading
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Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,
CHRISTMAS! Fragrance, friends, chosen family. There were adventures and excitement enough for a month.
Jin came home from work at 5.30am and we had our Christmas moment then.It was lovely. He got some cool Aussie Bum undies, Petrol Cards to fill up his real present which was a car earlier in the year and a couple of T-Towels from his Parramatta Ells football team. I scored 9 pairs of my favourite glasses from Italian brand Campo Marzio in myriad colours, Jin imported them from the South Korean shop in Seoul. VERY freaking cool present buying.
I wanted to smell yummy for the mini Christmas so Rouge Hermès. It was a good choice, soft white floral with a few bells & whistles. Not to mention how Christmassy the bottle looks.
Dogs got a new chew toy each, fed and walked.
While Jin slept I went to Kath’s Mum & Dads to meet Kath and have a quiet christmas morning hang out. We did presents there too and Dad was Jin’s Secret Santa so he got 2 bottles of Spanish Rosé, Lindt chocolate balls and a Bunnings Gift Card.
Lunch with the rest of Kath’s family. It was nice to wander in, eat, do presents and leave. SO EASY!
Home and Jin was awake so we hung out and watched some shit movies together. Dinner was leftovers. HAPPY afternoon and night.
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc from a decant. Yes, I do have a bottle but found this old 5ml decant that needed finishing. Going clean and fluffy for Boxing Day.
Off to Kath’s Mum & Dad’s place for early Boxing Day shenanigans. We stayed to have lunch with everyone and then split. From there I went and collected Wendy and Jin, she and I all hung out into the early evening. We ate a scruffily delicious cheese, ham & fruit platter while watching How To Train A Dragon and drinking lashings of tea.
10 hours later I can still smell soft musk wafts from Serge Lutens Clair de Musc but I’m wanting something else. Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely has won the day and I’m basking in its comfortable glow.
We were woken by the apartment block across from us at 6.40am, they were having a right old barney. Screaming and fighting. It was pretty crazy but not up to their usual standards where I call the police. It raged on for 30 minutes.
Being wide awake I went and got the dogs and they came and snoozed with us on the bed. I’m changing the sheets today so no worries.
Feeling so lazy. It’s hot and humid. How about some James Heeley Esprit du Tigre?
This afternoon I added vintage Miss Dior EdT to go see Jumanji with Eve, Lola and Jin. I admit to being fairly unexcited to see it.
O M G! Jumanji was freaking EXCELLENT!! Cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it. The Rock and Jack Black totally steal this fun romp of a film. I was on the edge of my seat through quite a lot of it and laughed heartily.
We came home and had some lunch with a delicious McLaren Vale Spanish inspired red wine and then watched most of Happy Feet till Lola started falling asleep. To be honest, I don’t drink very often so the heavy red wine sent me off to bed to sleep it off too.
Jin woke me at around 8.30pm when he came to bed and so now I’m up and awake. About to walk the dogs on this cooler summer evening. I thought a triple spritz of Peau d’Allures by Starck a perfect choice, green, boozy, swampy with a lovely ruinous undertow. This bottle was a gift from my friend Tim and I adore it.
Fort & Manlé Charlatan this morning. Maybe because I showered yesterday it smelled a bit funkier, a little pissy and hairy mannish. It was a good ride.
Yum Cha with Kath, Alice, TinaG and Tim. It was nice, chatty and fun.
You’ll note Alice was wearing the birthday earrings Jin picked out for here. SO CUTE!!
Came home and crashed on the couch. Ate Christmas Cake with cream and custard and watched Daniel Radcliffe in 2013 film Horns. It was OK, one thing I did notice was that after a minute he became this new character and had successfully sloughed off Harry Potter for me.
Jin came home and we had pizza for dinner while watching The Danish Girl (2015) with Eddie Redmayne. IMDb gives this blurb: “A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.” Heavy and deep, we were moved by their plight and Gerda’s unstinting love.
For bed I gave myself a solid dousing in Niki de Saint Phalle. It’s parched greenery helps to dry this muggy night.
It was already warm this morning when I walked the dogs. They were puffing so much that I brought them home after only walking around the block. They gratefully came inside afterwards and sat on their beds in the cool.
Thinking tropical I went for Guerlain Lys Soleia. It was a good fit.
Hung out with Jin, Kath and Mum and had a swim with Kath in this outrageously muggy heat. It’s drier than the last couple of days but trying to get stuff done means I’m sweating much more.
Jin and I had KFC for lunch that we grabbed on the way home. It was freaking delicious.
After that I basically fell into a food coma and didn’t snap out of it till 9pm. While food coma-ing I started watching Luther on Netflix.
BTW, did you notice Netflix has been removing content? A few times this fortnight I’ve gone to rematch stuff and it’s disappeared. BUMMER!
Tonight I wear Sarah McCartney 4160 Tuesdays Up The Apples and Pears. Fun and freaky. LOVE it.
Stayed up VERY late watching Luther on Netflix. Idris Elba is my new celeb crush. Let’s get him to make a fragrance. I’ve put on some Gres Cabochard parfum in his honour.
So I fell asleep watching Luther and woke up with a mouth that tasted like the bottom of a cat litter box. GAH! Awful, ran straight for the bathroom to clean my teeth.
Feeling a little more human after feeding and walking the dogs. L’Artisan Batucada got some skin time today. I don’t understand why this is not lauded as a freaking genius perfume. It smells like a Pine Lime Splice, an Australian ice block with pine lime icy coat and creamy vanilla ice cream inside, with a hint of coconut. Batucada is YUM!
Went and had a coffee and baklava with my mate Nikki but TOTALLY forgot to take a photo. We chattered away a very happy hour.
Back home and doing some blogging for next week. Wearing a melange of scents.
Cool bath. No bubbles, just Radox Bath Salts.
Alice sent me this genius Scarf Knot map.
2am and I’m for bed. Tonight I’m wearing Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise Blue to bed, from the teardrop bottle that I love so much. That cold gasoline opening that melts into a white floral waterfall with lightly creamy and lavender touches.
It’s New Years Eve. I have a bunch of running around and organising to do but before I get started on all that I’m meeting Kath at her Mum & Dads for a SWIM!
Today I’m rocking Tom Ford Jasmine Rouge. It requires respritzes every two hours but that’s part of the fun!
Tonight I’ll be at Parramatta RSL ringing in the New Year with my besties Kath and Phil. Can’t think of a better way to do it. Can’t decide on my fragrance for tonight yet but I’m thinking Madonna Truth or Dare or Mugler Taste of Alien.
I would like to thank everyone involved in Australian Perfume Junkies. If you write, read, comment or are in any way involved THANK YOU for making 2017 a really wonderful year. Got to meet a few more of you too this year which is always special.
Wishing you and your crew a fun and fragrant 2018 chock full of all the good stuff and hardly any of the other.
It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?
Did you do anything Fun or Fragrant, with Friends and Family or maybe even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? How is or was your New Year?
Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx
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Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,
Leading up to Christmas week here. Getting as ready as we can and trying unsuccessfully to fit hangouts with everyone in. It has been fun wrapping everyones presents and seeing them during the daytime, when normally they’re all working.
WOW! 10am and 28C. I woke up in a sweat even though the fan is on. Muggy too. Still I want to feel pretty today so a triple spritz of SJP Lovely. Never fails to bring a smile to my face and in summer is perfectly bracing. I feel chilled through.
Wendy came over today so Jin could help her organise her new computer. We had lunch and chattered, then they watched TV while I ran some errands. It was a lovely day.
Then visited Kath’s Mum who was not in a good way at all. Hugs and tears all round.
Jin and I then went and got Baklava from Sydney’s best and most famous Lebanese sweet shop, Abla’s. Baklava is the universal cure all.
SO HOT, it’s like my skin is burning in hot water. I’m bringing the fan in here. It’s so hot that I don’t even want fragrance on me.
Scott and I worked through the 42C heat and it nearly broke us. Bloody hell. 1pm drives to the bank, post office and around about left us sweating and panting.
It is so hot I made a cool Radox Bath Salts Bath. Instantly my whole body started to feel like it could function again and thought became possible. Getting out afterwards into the superheated air was like walking through warm treacle.
I wore CHANEL Boy tonight to work. It got a couple of random compliments but honestly I couldn’t smell it after the first hour or so. It seemed like more than our fair share of crazies were out last night. Had a rather unsavoury contretemps at the RSL with a slightly unhinged person. It all ended with his eviction and was a little unsettling but no harm done to anyone.
Bedtime; So hot and sticky (31C at 1am) I’m sweating just sitting at the computer. We do have the AC on dry mode which has cooled the living room and Jin, the dogs & I will sleep there. Dogs on their beds, Jin & I on the couch. Neela Vermeire Pichola. It’s plush, creamy white floral over green and resinous base is a perfect heat beater.
WOW! Got a fabulous nights sleep. The whole four of us slept till 9am and then Jin had to go for a medical appointment and I fed & walked the dogs. Got their nails clipped at the local vet at the same time. It was bloody hot out thee and we arrived home panting, me sweating as well.
What better heat beater than Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur?
It was so cooling I respritzed again after lunch while opening this years Christmas Cards. There has been a drought this year and I did only about 10. If one of these is from you then you are a freaking HERO!! Seriously. I love getting them.
Visited Kath’s Mum in hospital in the afternoon and she seemed sunnier, if no better. Having just been for a walk there was a healthy flush and twinkle in her eye. She already had visitors so we didn’t stay overly long.
Jin cooked Korean Chicken Curry and we had it with Brown Rice. He is a wonderful cook and I love it when we eat together. Today we also watched this cute TV show about otters that didn’t like water and how they got retrained to love it.
Tonight Alice has grabbed tickets to the closing night of an original Australian theatre production. Called the Bodybag it’s a spoof on the Bodyguard. Can’t wait to see it. The producer and star is a mate of mine Trevor Ashley, well know around the Drag Scene as Cleopatra Coupe.
Tonight I’m wearing Teone Reinthall’s Antarctica from a decant. It is outrageous in this heat and has nothing to do with the cold icy turn the name suggests to me. It’s very furry and I’m enjoying it immensely.
Bloody Hell The Bodybag was hilarious. We laughed so hard. Excellent show. Here we are before & after
Blessed relief. Woke up today to a sensible 24C and some cloud cover. It’s still like walking through a pool, humidity wise, but at least the air isn’t burning my lungs like a sauna. The dogs were 100% more lively on our walk this morning.
Wearing Hermès Eau des Merveilles again. Such a splendid summer staple.
Went and saw Kath’s Mum, with Kath. The doctor was trying to get a canal out and all of a sudden it was rivers of blood. GAK! Poor Mum. I did ask if they would PLEASE get the nurses to do all the needles, canals and blood relateds from now on. They are SO MUCH BETTER at doing it all.
Then Kath & I went shopping for a while. It was nice to just aimlessly hang out, she’s good company.
Jin and I FaceTimed today while he was working. Isn’t he the cutest thing EVER! It’s weird that we both look so serious, and it was an accidental capture, but I thought you should see him in his work clobber.
Salt-Anne sent me a beautiful pic of a similar Niki de Saint Phalle bottle so I sent her a pic of mine. So beautiful.
Tonight I went to dinner at the Kings Park Tavern. A farewell for one of the teams that have played since before I started there. It was a lovely evening, food was excellent and we had a wonderful time. Bittersweet because I probably won’t be back without my Thursday booking. Very sad. We had so much fun I forgot to take a photo. GRRR!
For bed I popped on some Mona di Orio Oiro, a powdery white floral with soft creamy ylang & amber holding it steady. It smells luxurious and very elegant.
Up early to feed and walk the dogs. It’s freaky outside, cloudy, not very hot but so humid that I feel wet. Big day out today with friends so I’m going to jump a train and get it started ASAP. Wearing Diptyque 34.
First friend I organised to meet today is Phil. He has a brand new new office and I had an Office Warming gift for him. Then we asked across town to see “Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age: masterpieces from the Rijksmuseumat” at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It’s a special exhibition and I have been looking forward to it. The exhibition is a really good size, not too much so you leave with brain overload and a very nice selection of the genre. We found our guide lacked the ability to engage us, which was a shame. She knew ALL the facts and rattled them off impeccably but I felt no personal attachment to the works, and gained only a little knowledge under her onslaught. Then we went down to the Members Lounge and lunched. It was really nice.
Met Evie in Macquarie St and we had sidewalk drinks and chatter. She is such good company and wet had OODLES of catching up to do. Then we headed off to the NSW State Library to see “The Sydney Morning Herald’s photography exhibition Photos1440: the best published and unpublished images by Sydney Morning Herald photographers from 2015 to the present.” It was spectacular. Some interesting, moving, shocking and heartwarming photos. All beautifully shot and gave us so much to chat about as we wandered. We also managed to squeeze in a fun Aussie Pop Culture exhibition too. All for FREE!
Jumped a train to Kath’s, we had to go do some Bunnings shopping. It’s our major hardware chain and has everything, for the Non Australian readers. Just some planters and soil for a repotting job. Before we got there though I finagled Kath into visiting one of my favourite warehouse reduction places, Victoria’s Basement. A homewares heaven. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to go there and come out empty handed. It was super fun. I even managed to have a bunch of bowls jump off their precarious perch. We saved three but one hit the floor and became shards.
Met Jin outside Kath’s apartment because he works around the corner. We had to do some last minute shopping and grab some of the food necessary. Dinner was at our second favourite Sushi Train and then Jin treated me to a shared dessert (triple chocolate mousse cheesecake: To Die For and of probably) and extra chocolate at Guylian. It was so fabulous and decadent.
Bubble Bath with L`Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons.
SOTBed Issey Miyake A Scent in outrageous amounts. Just kept spritzing and respritzing till I was a fumigation machine.
Jin and I were up early and I had a quick spritz of Guerlain Mitsouko EdT.
Walked the dogs, visited Mum at the hospital, did some early morning shopping.
Came home and Jin has started cooking the pork for Christmas. He also does extra crackling and that is superb.
A lovely lunchtime nap. We have the AC on dry so instead of supercooling the air it takes the hot sting and the water out. It leaves our living room a haven and runs at less than half the cost. We have the dogs on their beds and we take the couch. We didn’t even bother to leave the TV on, just a cool quiet room to sleep in.
Found out today that the hotel that has finished Turbo Trivia after about 15 years will be bringing in a new crew after new year and moving it to a better area. I’m glum.
What better way to beat the glum than triple spritz some perfume? One of the newest DIOR Privee, Souffle de Soie from a decant. Review coming soon.
In the evening I went into town and Kath & I went on our annual prawn buying expedition to the Sydney Fish Markets. We catch public transport down on the 23rd night, grab some dinner and shop. The markets are open for 36 hours in the lead up to Christmas and usually they are jam packed. Tonight was not so busy and we even got harbourside seats for dinner and watched the sunset. It was unbelievably beautiful. I could have stopped there for another hour and just chattered away.
Tonight for bed I spritzed The Scent Of Departure DPS Bali. A fun coconut-centric tropical perfume filled to the brim with yellow and white flowers over a vanilla base.
Woke up and gave the house a vacuum, boy cleaned the bathroom, fed and walked the dogs. Gave myself some healthy spritzes of Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Teazzura. A cooling, dry, tart and lightly creamy sweet concoction that lasts about an hour, two if I’m lucky. In this heat I’m getting about 40 minutes before I’m left with a soft laundry musk and a sparkle.
TinaG dropped by on her way to family Christmas and we had Sue’s Christmas Cake and fresh cream with Fortnum & Mason Royal Blend tea and Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigly Sparkling Moscato. Jin was awake and we had a lovely festive time.
Did some blogging in the afternoon but it was pretty lethargic, it’s too hot for prose. Felt the need for some divine beauty this evening so Fort & Manlé’s Charlatan got a lovely wear in the heat.
Made tomorrows Potato Salad, cut the Pork & Crackling and then lay around the couch under the fan till walking the dogs tonight.
It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?
Did you do anything Fun or Fragrant, with Friends and Family or maybe even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx
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Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,
Highs and lows this week. Some wonderful friends, food, finance and fragrance. Added in were some bass news stories. This time of year is often so tumultuous.
9.30am. I must have been tired. Slept like a log. I felt the need for an aquatic today and L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Intense is my favourite. It has the perfect kick of incense to counter the cool blast of salt watery citrus.
Jin ands I went and saw the money guy. There was something off about him today and he couldn’t look me in the eye. I asked Jin if we could walk around the block and ask another bank for a second opinion. They could offer us a .5% less expensive home loan, had a better way of structuring it and were amazing. We have begun talks.
After that we went and saw the owner of the new property and asked him to start drawing up contracts. It was very exciting.
Then we lunched at our favourite nearby cafe. It’s nice to just hang with Jin, he’s good company.
Home for a nap, slept through the worst heat of the day. I do feel a bit groggy now. Better spritz some Guerlain Shalimar EdP and vintage parfum. Quite fragrant. Wafting in the park while giving the dogs their afternoon wee was fun. Extravagant.
Came home and decided to drink the good tea. Fortnum & Mason Royal Blend. Once I have a cup it’s like a fever, need another immediately. Tea is my heaven.
From Fortnum & Mason: In this classic Royal Blend notes of Flowery Pekoe from Ceylon uplift the maltier Assam …. First blended for King Edward in 1902
Jin and I went out late in the evening to do some grocery shopping. It’s nice in the cool evening to go get our fruit and groceries. He also had to go to the chemist. We got home around 9.30pm and this scary bastard ran out of our garage and across the driveway. O M G! The size of my foot. Squealed like a stuck pig. The perimeter of the garage is a toxic no go zone for all creepy crawlies so he was wobbling like a drunken sailor but nevertheless he gave us quite a scare.
Home and back to my computer. It’s Trivia Q&A time again. I’ve grabbed a coffee and multi spritzed some more Shalimar EdP. MMMMMMM
Doing loads of washing in between Q&A and hanging them up. It’s a good break.
SHIT! 4am. Just finished my Q&A. MORE SHALIMAR & bed.
Woke up to Scott on the doorstep. TOO GUMMY TO BE ALIVE moment.
Spritzed oodles of Guerlain Lui and am feeling more human for it. So Scott gets pepper and I’m getting a subtle patchouli. Both if us are probably wrong.
Jin and I were running the bank gauntlet again today. Why are they all fucking liars?
Beards dye, bath and UBER spritzed Penhaligon’s Ostara. Freaky yellow flowers, both fluorescent bright and surrounded by boggy marsh. Love it every time.
When it came time to dress for work I gave myself another 15 spritzes and floated on a sea of fabulous spring florals. HEAVEN!
Couldn’t concentrate on the blog work at all tonight so I made a cuppa. grabbed some bikkies and headed for the second season of The Crown with a few good spritzes of Lolita Lempicka EdP again.
Morning APJ, I slept wrong and this morning I’ve got a nasty twinge in my back. A little bit of a morning stretch, walking the dogs etc and I should be right. Micallef Ylang in Gold today. It’s thick and syrupy lushness so tropical and fruity. Extra glam
Today was a Wendy day. My mate Wendy and I went shopping for the Christmas presents she is giving this year. We also got her hair cut and manicure done. She is 100% Christmas ready now. Then we had a delicious lunch. They were Toasted Turkish Bread Sandwiches; hers Turkey Salad and mine BLAT. We also had some hot chips and cups of tea. A perfect day out, we were bushed by the end of it.
Home for a nap under the fan, blessed relief.
Off to work I went in Diptyque Eau Duelle. It’s my first full wearing from a bottle I bought. Somehow my nose felt this was a resinous white floral. A beautiful, tropical white floral perfect for summer. Oh well, none of the notes are that but that’s what my nose smells, go figure.
Home, faffed around on the computer but got nothing done. Midnight so I’m for an early night. Finished another 10ml of DSH Perfumes Giverny In Bloom. Ice cold A/C, swampy green that clears to cool florals. Perfection.
Not in bed yet at 1am and needed some extra oomph so Niki de Saint Phalle. SO good.
Wrapped Christmas presents.
I might have had a delivery or two arrive. mmmmmmmmm
Dinner at Liu Rose Chinese restaurant with the crew. wearing Fort & Manle Charlatan. TinaG was loving it and kept getting g happy wafts through the night. Delectable.
Home to bed, big spritzes of Yves Saint Laurent Opium Posie de Chine.
Fort & Manle Charlatan again. Freaking LOVING it.
Lunch with Kerri & Tim. Shopping. Met up with Alice for a cuppa. Lovely day in town.
Watched Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire and Paddington Bear.
Jin asked me to put his 6 pack in the fridge. I thought it looked very colourful in there so I took a photo. Pretty huh?
HOT here, melting.
Bed: Oliver & Co Ambergreen. Someone mentioned it on one of the FB boards and I was inspired. Boundary pushing, freaky shit that both burns and cools. Smells amazing but like nothing I know. Full icy green and sweet amber woods. Crazy.
I have a whole day to myself. At leisure. Woke up and did some texting and computer work quite early and then while still in a half asleep daze went back to bed till nearly 10am. What a fabulously extravagant way to spend the morning.
BFF Kath’s Mum collapsed this morning so we went to visit her in hospital. She was fairly poorly but still chatty and did her best to be cheered up by us. We could tell it was uphill going though.
Decided I would do the weeks APJ blogging today but it was too hot to think.
Jin brought Korean Fried Chicken home for dinner and we watched some TV. It was a very low key day and evening.
One thing I’m really noticing though is the cicadas, crickets and frogs are all singing well into the evening. Like a chorus of nature going on outside. It’s lovely as I sit back in my office.
Super bummer tonight. I sat down and opened an eMail from my boss at a venue I’ve been hosting trivia in for over 15 years. Thinking it was a Christmas Thank You note I was totally unprepared for it to be a termination notice. What a bummer. Watching families grow and blossom over the last 15 years has been extraordinary and I will miss our regular Thursday nights together. So sad.
Instead of moping we fed the dogs and walked them. Then I ran myself a warm bath with Olympic Orchids Amber/Labdanum Bath Oil. It’s hard to feel sad when the bath smells so good but my mind is going 100 miles an hour to work out my next move. I think a good sleep will help me organise my head a bit better.
Vintage Bal a Versailles parfum dabbed on my wrist before bed. If that can’t take my mind off drama then nothing will.
Couldn’t sleep. I find myself back in my office at the computer. MORE Bal a Versailles, so good.
Pedi with Kath then lunch in the Food court. We went and visited her Mum in hospital and she is looking 70% better, a bit of colour and a genuine smile.
It’s so hot I’m sweating like a farm hand. Trying to put make up on is proving a trial. GRRRRR. Oh well, can’t be comfortable every night.
Had the BEST time with the Austral Bowling Club crew tonight. A few of them left before we took this shot but you can tell how beautiful they all are. Wore ridiculous amounts of The Different Company Tokyo Bloom tonight in the heat, perfect.
It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?
Did you do anything Fun or Fragrant, with Friends and Family or maybe even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx
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Val the Cookie Queen
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Yuletide Greetings APJ
Although there has been a ton of new stuff launched this year I cannot pretend to have been interested in much of it. I try to select a few that spark my passion out of a sea of dross. Call me a bitch, I really don’t care. My selection comes in no particular order. If was to chose one that heads my short list, there would be no prizes for guessing which one it would be.
Please note that Naja is a voile formulation and not an edp. In truth it is parfum strength and needs to be treated as such. I feel a deep connection to Vero Kern and had the privilege of accompanying her on the creative voyage as she brought Naja to life. It was a bloody hard trek. Completion took nearly three years of pleasure and pain. The rich tobacco and deeply fragrant osmanthus is narcotic.
Freaking fabulous. Jasmin, rose, peach, amber, incense, a vetiver that melts into patchouli.
All wrapped in waxy aldehydes. I was stopped at traffic lights the other day, and took a moment to close my eyes and sniffed my wrist, until I could breathe in no more.
As the car behind me beeped, and I opened my eyes, I saw the bloke in the car next to mine staring at me. I am still laughing. My ten mls has nearly gone.
A deeply aromatic spicy oriental. This was the surprise of the year. If it hadn’t been for The Silver Fox telling me to get a hold of the collection, I would have written off the perfumes
Fronted Giovanna Antonelli, a Brazilian actress. I mean, really? The 811 lingers for hours on the skin, and I swear there is a golden tobacco running through it. I took the bottle to my hairdresser a couple of
weeks ago to grab a SOTD shot for Instagram (yep, I am a sad person) and left with every stylist wearing it. Came home and did two decants.
Commercial and fairly mainstream – meaning I can buy it in a store not 3 km away from me. Black tea, black cherry, black licorice and an marvelous black bottle. With the almond and a slight smokiness it´s just the bizz in our frosty and foggy winter. I would go so far as to say I wouldn’t wear it in the summer
This is the first perfume from Marlou. Claire from Take One Thing Off recommended I give it a go.
I wore a musk from the head shop when I was about seventeen. My mother would tell me that I stank like a polecat. And really since this time I have not explored the musk shelf, although I did use up 10mls of MKK from Lutens a couple of years ago.
This is sexiness pure, wrapped in florals that lie to you.
I have also worn a lot of Hiram Green´s Arbolè Arbolè, Malle`s Portrait of a Lady and Dries Van Noten, and Luten`s La Fille de Berlin.
Perfumista highlights 2017 would be meeting Portia and Jin in Milan, and finally making it to Aus Liebe Zum Duft/First in Fragrance up in Germany.
Perfume tips for 2018 would be Dusita`s Fleur de Lalita and Hiram Green´s Slowdive.
That’s it. A fabulously scented year, as always.
Tune back in on the Feast of Stephen. I´ll give away something you might like.
Thanks for tuning in.
Have a Cool Yule.
Misteltoe Bussis.
CQ
(ED: Photos by Val)
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Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,
SO MUCH PERFUME this week. It seems I have spritzed every two hours.
Also loads of fun and excitement in the rest of my life. BIG week.
MONDAY morning! It started out sunny and warm while walking the dogs but just as we came home soft persistent rain appeared. It’s misty and warm rain, very nice.
Lunch with Jin at a Vietnamese place up the road.
Working tonight, filling in for one of my girls because tonight is Sydney’s gala Night of Nights; the DIVAs. Drag Industry Variety Awards. Every queen and her hairdo will be out to see who won and who lost. It used to be my favourite night of the year, something changed and now I don’t think I’ve been for a decade.
Annick Goutal Musc Nomade bubble bath, Keihl’s Original Musk lotion and Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur fragrance. It’s a musky moment here at Chez Turbo.
Great fun tonight at Stonewall filling in. It was nice to catch up with all the girls and have hellos. I didn’t stay to party but came home, had dinner, watched a movie and cleaned the kitchen.
Now I’m sitting down to finish and send the Trivia Q&A. Just spritzed Parfumerie General Suede Osmanthe. I sit swathed in beauty.
Busy boy, busy life.
I was up at sparrows fart to clean the apartment. Just the regular weekly vacuuming, bathroom (Jin cleans his own bathroom), kitchen and bin emptying. I had it all done by 9am, sat down and had a cuppa then got the dogs fed and out walking.
Wearing Goldfield & Banks Wood Infusion and loving myself sick.
Scotty is here. We got so much done today. Emails, Post Office, Bank, APJ Mailouts, Lunch and general chatter.
Bathed in Bath & Body Works Rainkissed Leaves, wearing Aedes de Venustas Palissandre d’Or. So pretty, a woodsy fragrance but the woods are tempered by a zing of pink pepper and the earthy smoothness of modern patchouli. Aides de Venustas are clever, they do fragrances that are interesting and extremely wearable, this is no exception. Not a big scent but quietly confident.
Up early, well early for me. Dogs fed and walked, had a cuppa and off for a perfume adventure with my mate Tim. A couple of chest spritzes of Guerlain Meteorites from a decant to keep me fragrant till the real sniffing starts.
So first stop was the Annual CosMax SALE. It was quite fabulous. We were like kids in a candy store. I bought Guerlain Angelique Noire and Oriental Brulant, 2 x Burberry wet packs and a 30ml each JPG Classique and Le Male. There was SO MUCH great stuff I could have spent $2000 but only spent $360! YAY!
Then we went to the Estee Lauder Staff Shop where we bumped into Willa Zheng, ex APJ writer and all round good time girl. I bought 2 x Clinique Aromatics Elixir Shower Gels and Scott’s Xmas present, sorry can’t tell you in case he reads it.
Then home for a nap on the couch, then off to work tonight again.
I’m home now but tomorrow is a very early start. Good night.
3am bedtime. Original Lolita Lempicka EdP. Sweet liquorice cotton candy. Perfect to float off to la la land.
Woke up in a sweet violet liquorice fog, beautiful scent. Straight in the bath, even before feeding and walking the dogs, because I have a daytime Christmas party gig today.
What to wear for a daytime Christmas Party? Mugler Womanity! What else?
Came home and got undressed, had a little lie down. Got back up, fixed my makeup and went out to do tonights gig. This time I was wearing CHANEL Boy. It fit in perfectly over the Womanity and I got three lovely compliments on how good I smelled. YAY!
Now I’m home and completely stuffed.
A sneaky spritz of Tom Ford Ombre de Hyacinth before bed. NIGHT!
Neela Vermeire Creations Pichola for a warm morning, full sunshine and not very humid. Perfect dog walking morning. The grevillias are blooming.
Jin and I were approved to buy a new townhouse nearby. This is a big deal. Having sold the Tasmanian properties we now have an excellent deposit for it. With it being so close it means there will be no travel to fix problems. It’s already tenanted with a family that loves it and doesn’t expect us to do a thousand improvements. Borrowing this kind of money makes me very jumpy and nervous and I relied on my Pichola to act as a calming agent, it did.
Parfum d’Empire Equistrius for a shot of gorgeous after lunch.
I can say honestly that my afternoon/evening was spent sleeping and watching TV. Nothing got done, no Trivia work, no house work, almost no blog work. It was blissful. I ate junk food, drank coffee, juice, water and was generally a slob. Currently re-watching The Crown on Netflix. Wonderful time, by myself with the dogs.
Arrivals Guerlain Lui & Insolence parfum
For the afternoon/evening I was wearing vintage Miss Dior parfum. Took Kath out for her birthday to our fave steak joint, Alice came too. It was bloody delicious. Afterwards we had ice-cream in cones YUMMMMM.
Bed Guerlain Floral Romantique from a decant.
Annick Goutal Songes inspired by a SOTD post this week. Great choice for this warm humid weather.
Jin and I grabbed charcoal chickens for Kath’s Birthday Lunch. It was a very nice morning hanging with the family.
O M G !! Walked into the house after work tonight and Jin had been cooking stuff. It stank. On top of that he had candles of all different scents burning to muffle it. My head exploded in a headache immediately. It was like being in a scent nightmare. I grabbed the dogs and fed and walked them as soon as I could to get some fresh air. Came back and it is much better, not perfect but bearable. PHEW!
It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?
Did you do anything Fun or Fragrant, with Friends and Family or maybe even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 