Guerlain x JonOne – The Dark and Wild Becoming: Video

January 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Guerlainophiles,

You’ve probably seen the newest way to wear your bee bottle. Custom painted by artist JonOne. They are priced far out of reach of the normal mortals pocket but they are beautiful and utterly desirable. I find myself torn. Should I eat this year and keep my lovely home, or should I buy a JonOne Bee Bottle?

Guerlain

It’s a trifle at €9000 and this startling orange one is filed chock full of Rose Barbare, there is blue for Shalimar and pink for La Petite Robe Noire.

Maybe not, for me. Still the video is sensational. So full of existential artist angst.
Enjoy.
Portia xx

Guerlain x JonOne – The Dark and Wild Becoming

Boxing Day 2015

December 26, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi All,

You have survived Christmas or you didn’t celebrate. Either way it’s over for another year. Boxing Day is here in Sydney.

So Christmas here was a lovely, laid back affair. We ended up with only ten people at table and it was a perfect size. There was loads of room for everyone and no elbows getting in each others way. Jin & I were up quite late getting the apartment organised and having an event spurred us on to get some things done that had been on the list since we moved in. We both slept like logs and then up bright and early to do finishing touches. Jin also had to get his dessert ready so we could throw them in the oven when we needed to.

Photo Donated Kath Waples

This year we did something new. Every family had to bring a salad, meat and dessert. It was all planned in advance so we had a fabulous selection and everyone had enough. It cut down on prep time for everyone and meant that we all arrived feeling much less stressed than usual. Jin made mango dacquiris to start us off on the right foot and they were particularly potent so by the time we sat to dinner everyone was feeling convivial. There were a selection of sparkling white or moscato with lunch and still or sparkling water, add garlic bread and a serve yourself buffet and you have an idea of how it all went.

Christmas Tree & Presents

In between courses we did presents. My lovely haul included a new wallet, reading light, back armour for my bike jacket, gift cards and LOADS of chocolates!!!

Dessert was extravagant. Jin cooked mini apple pies with cream and Jane, my BFFs sister, created an ice cream cake with 4 layers and that was drizzled with ice magic and sprinkled with berries, we didn’t even bring out the Christmas Cake and there was something else but I didn’t even notice it. With dessert I percolated some coffee and made some Irish breakfrast tea and we sat around chatting and laughing.

Ma & Pa Waples

CHANEL No 5 was the fragrance de jour but to be honest I was so busy organising and eating that it was background hum, it’s completely faded now but I’m thinking that a bath is in order and then I’m craving vintage Mitsouko by Guerlain.

Photo Donated Kath Waples

Boxing Day 2015

Today we are having a sleep in and then going for a swim with the same crew we spent lunch with today. Perfect! It feels like a Liberté by Cacharel kinda day but I’m wavering and think that maybe I’ll wear Skin on Skin by L’Artisan, Teo Cabanel Alahine or V Intense by Piguet.
It’s days like today that remind me how freaking lucky I am in so many ways.

What did you all get up to and what frags did you wear?
Portia xxx

Fabulous Department Store Pick Ups!

December 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Portia

AAAARRGGGHHHH! Are you still left with a HEAP of shopping to do? Running out of time & ideas? Want to get something with a WOW factor but just can’t cope with another screaming run around? I get it. Today I wandered around a suburban department store beauty section to see what was still available in regular stores that will give whoever you’re shopping for a thrill. Don’t be afraid, we’ve got your backs…

Fabulous Department Store Pick Ups!

Photo Stolen Bottega Veneta

Bottege Veneta Shower Gel 200ml: If you are anything like us then you can’t get enough of the original Bottega Veneta fragrance. Jin has already flown through a big bottle and a small one, he’s getting another for Christmas. The matching Shower Gel is AUD$60 at David Jones.

Photo Stolen CHANEL

CHANEL Le Vernis Nail Colour 18 Rouge Noir: Dark plummy, lavish and elegant. Who can resist the double Cs of CHANEL? Only AUD$39 at David Jones so it’s all the glamour and only a little of the price.

Photo Stolen CHANEL

CHANEL Hydra Beauty Nutrition Lip Care Balm: This is the gift that keeps giving. Every time the recipient pulls their CHANEL Lip Balm out in public they will feel like a superstar. The ultimate in nonchalant luxury, and then they can say it was a gift. Cool kid. AUD $54 at David Jones.

Photo Stolen David Jones

Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Lime Shave Soap In Wooden Bowl: I love the lather and the ease of shaving when I use a brush. My skin feels more ready and is less prone to cuts and abrasions. Great gift for the clean, or partly, shaven AUD$34 at David Jones.

Photo Stolen DIOR

DIOR Addict Lipstick Gotha 967: Deepest darkest mulberry red, enticing enough to make a priest blush. Every time they reapply this you’ll be thanked quietly but fervently. Gotha 967 is AUD$52 at David Jones

Photo Stolen DIOR

DIOR Hydra Life Beauty Awakening Rehydrating Mask: 10 minutes to better hydrated skin! Who doesn’t need this gorgeous DIOR gem. This is a good one to gift the guys who care for themselves too. AUD$75 at David Jones.

Photo Stolen Guerlain

Guerlain La Laque 400 Coque d’Or: Shimmering gold for Christmas, Guerlain is for the discerning gift receiver. A little less well known and all the more luxurious because of it. AUD$30 at David Jones.

Photo Stolen Guerlain

Guerlain Cils dEnfer Maxi Lash Volume Creating Curl Sculpting Mascara Marine: A little hint of navy blue on the tips of your lashes will make your eyes pop whiter and brighter, giving the effect of larger more doe like peepers. AUD$48 at David Jones.

Photo Stolen David Jones

Tom Ford Conditioning Beard Oil Neroli Portifino: Bearded men are EVERYWHERE! It’s as if suddenly in 2005 the razor became anathema to the cool kids and by 2011 the whole world had caught up. Tom’s on the bandwagon and David Jones has 50ml/AUD$72

Photo Stolen David Jones

Yves Saint Laurent Kouros EdT 100ml: Kouros is still gorgeous. Not the urinous, screechy, sexual monster it was originally but now even more wearable and men still smell great in it. I love the new look packaging and it’s AUD$69 at David Jones.

All this from a quick zip around the beauty area in my local David Jones department store. No, not affiliated with David Jones but I wanted to show you that even if you’re running late, or out of money, that there are a few affordable luxury items left within reach.

What’s your last minute gift buying advice? What did I miss?
Portia xx

Shalimar by Guerlain: Back To My Favourite

December 11, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 33 Comments

Post by Portia

Hiya Frag Fiends,

Shalimar has been my enduring fragrant love. Since it was the fragrance of my Mum for years and some of her friends continued to wear it right through our childhood. Then working a couple of summers at the fragrance counter in a suburban mall, Carlingford Grace Bros. and getting to know a slew of fragrances it still held sway as the most beautiful of them all. Even now after being down the fragrant worm hole for years I still come back to Shalimar regularly and every time I do I quietly ask myself why I ever needed to stray from its billowing extravagance.

Shalimar by Guerlain 1925: Back To My Favourite

Shalimar by Jacques Guerlain

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citruses, mandarin orange, cedar, lemon, bergamot
Heart: Iris, rose, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli
Base: Civet, musk, tonka bean, opoponax, leather, incense, vanilla, sandalwood

All I knew of Shalimar through my childhood was that it smelled incredible: its sweet, lemon ice-creamy vanilla over a hefty dollop of animal warmth, woodsy incense and plush leathers was so alluring and engulfing.

Named for the Shalimar gardens of Lahore (and Kapurthala’s homage) but the back story is of the love of Shah Jahan for a princess from the Persian nobility who he fell in love with, married and made her his favourite queen, after she died giving birth to their 14th child he nearly bankrupted his kingdom building the Taj Mahal as her crypt. The second time I was at the Taj Mahal the whole experience was so overwhelming that I needed to sit on the steps leading into the park and have a little moment. Yes, I was wearing Shalimar.

Above is a picture of my Shalimar collection. Only the bottles of open boxes are shown, quite a few remain unopened because they are doubles, I have decants or they are discontinued and having/holding/looking at them is as good as smelling them. One of my parfums is not parfum at all (maybe EdC?) and another smells like it has been stretched with perfumers alcohol. The rosebud bottle is still sealed as are the 16oz watchface bottle and the little parfum on the navy box. The batwing bottle that is 1/3 full is my 4th bottle of EdT over the years, I really want to buy one of the newest but feel naughty as I have 2 backups bought at extremely reasonable prices when buying this one. What is interesting is that though the Shalimars are all different, they are so similar that if you’re wearing them for pleasure rather than parsing and blogging they are all pretty much one. No matter what era though the lemon ice-creamy fizz with the vanilla and an animal growl fits me like a glove. My number one.

Further reading: Erica Golding at APJ and Portia on EdC at APJ
FragranceNet has EdT $49/90ml before Coupon
Surrender To Chance has EdP samples from $3/ml

What is your number one?
Portia xx

La Petite Robe Noire: Eau Fraîche: Guerlain: Film

November 20, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hi Guerlain-o-philes,

One of the cleverest fragrant advertising coups has been the huge success of the La Petite Robe Noire ads for Guerlain. They are fun, sentimental, naughty and spot on across age groups. Using These Boots Are Made For Walking as the theme song, the cartoon images, naughty seduction of a bell boy and adding in fashion and Paris all at once, Genius.

Here is the latest in the line for the 2015 flanker. In GREEN! My favourite.

Portia xx

Photo Stolen Guerlain

La Petite Robe Noire – Eau Fraîche – GUERLAIN

Vintage Parfums: GIVEAWAY WINNER

November 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Heya Crew,

Hotly contested tonight. I wish you all could be the winner. Really excited that one of our newest APJ Family members has won today.

Portia xx

Vintage Parfums: GIVEAWAY WINNER

CHANEL, Guerlain, DIOR, Rochas

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x sample of all six vintage fragrances in extrait/parfum
CHANEL No 5
CHANEL Coco
DIOR Diorissimo
Guerlain Mitsouko
Guerlain Shalimar
Rochas Madame Rochas
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 1st November 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen amberinblunderland

Latai

The winner will have till Thursday 5th November 2015 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

CHANEL, Guerlain, DIOR, Rochas: Vintage Parfums

October 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 48 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ Crew,

I have a great penchant for vintage frags and particularly love to find parfum or extrait versions of them. Lately I have had a few really amazing finds and wins and I’d like to share the vintage largesse with you. Below are links to APJ reviews of each fragrance and an approximate year of production, the ones without years means I can’t find the correlating bottle years and/or there is no Batch Code. The samples will not be huge but you’ll get enough to have a couple of decent wears (or one really lavish one) so you have a mental reference when you see these lovelies in stores, on eBay or blogs.

These are the good stuff but I also have had a few fakes and dummy bottles come through too. Many times the seller doesn’t know or care enough about fragrance to tell the difference, a good fake can fool the average seller & headspace technology has made it easier to copy and then other times they are bad people. I have also started to notice that they are topping up their 1/2 full bottles with perfumers alcohol, REALLY annoying because you get kind of the right scent but the open is really alcoholic, which can feel like top notes going. Maybe one in 20 that I buy are not 100% genuine.

CHANEL No 5 (1970-87)
CHANEL Coco
DIOR Diorissimo (1987)
Guerlain Mitsouko (1990)
Guerlain Shalimar (<1980s)
Rochas Madame Rochas

Photo Stolen kbaird