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

Vintage Parfums: GIVEAWAY

CHANEL, Guerlain, DIOR, Rochas

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us which vintage fragrance you wish you had a free unlimited lifetime supply of and why

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
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.

L’Homme Idéal Cologne by Guerlain: Film

September 11, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Hey Crew,

You know how I love the fragrance ads. This one is fun and I can’t wait to sniff the juice.

Have any of you tried it yet? How is it?
Portia xx

L’Homme Idéal Cologne by Guerlain 2015

L’Homme Idéal Cologne by Thierry Wasser

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured acccords:
Top: Orange, bergamot, pink pepper, grapefruit
Heart: Almonds, neroli
Base: White musk, vetiver

L’Homme Idéal Cologne – GUERLAIN

L'Heure de Nuit by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2012

September 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hello Stink Monkeys!!

In 2012 L’Heure Bleue had its 100th birthday. In honour of that extraordinary milestone Thierry Wassser and the Guerlain team put together a fabulous set of three new fragrances built around the L’Heure Bleue magic but in essence dedicated to different hours of the day and the only one that made it the regular range is…….

L’Heure de Nuit by Guerlain 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
White musk, orange blossom, iris, heliotrope, jasmine, rose, sandalwood

I have been trying to get this post written for years. I buy a decant and wear it for a day or two, get ready to write my post and “swoosh” the damn decant disappears. Clearly I have been putting them down and in a rush to clean, for one reason or another, the decant gets put away. WELL….. I found one of my earliest L’Heure de Nuit decants (I think) from a Ruth K split. It’s the softest violet grey colour in a smaller decant, so pretty.

Of course the Guerlain mini bee bottle is reason enough to wish for this fragrance but what does it smell like? OMG! How I love this magical fragrance. It is candied violets and musk sticks, sugar plum fairies and hearts desire.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Sheer, smooth and elegant. A cool, sweet smelling beauty that is light as air and hefty as a bowling ball. The first hours sillage is really amazing, especially considering how soft the fragrance feels to wear. I know the notes don’t list licorice or anise but I smell them softly woven through the flowers, lightly rooty and diaphanous white floral that really conjures up the feeling of evening in the placid cool of winter Paris, where the air is crystal clear and you are warmed in your long-johns and puffer jacket. MMMMMM. The sense of quiet expectation hinted at in L’Heure Bleue is fully realised in this modern lilac reinterpretation. Sweet, floral, magical expectation. On a night like this……

Jin having a hot banana chocolate waffle dusk Paris Jan 2013

Longevity is out of this world. I spritzed L’Heure de Nuit at around midnight last night, it’s nearly 2pm and I still have a sweet and creamy fragrance dolloped over a wash of much nicer than laundry musks. It’s still clean and fresh smelling and when I stick my head into my T-Shirt and the freshness is mixed with my after sleep man smell the whole fragrance is really yummy.

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy and Alembicated Genie
Guerlain counters at larger department stores or Guerlain stand alone stores stock L’Heure de Nuit
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6.50/ml

Did you get to try L’Heure de Nuit?
Portia xx

L’Heure de Nuit by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2012

September 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hello Stink Monkeys!!

L’Heure de Nuit by Guerlain 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
White musk, orange blossom, iris, heliotrope, jasmine, rose, sandalwood

Photo Stolen Flickr

Jin having a hot banana chocolate waffle dusk Paris Jan 2013

Did you get to try L’Heure de Nuit?
Portia xx

Shalimar + Mountain Adventure Photo Essay

August 15, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Perfume Peeps,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

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

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

Portia xx

Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY WINNER

August 10, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hey Hey APJ,

Heaps of interest in today’s giveaway. So glad to hit the nail on the head this time. Let’s see who won.

Portia xx

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, galbanum, aldehydes, orange, lemon, mandarin, narcissus, petit grain
Heart: Jasmine, daffodil, rose, violet, iris, carnation
Base: Woods, orris, vanilla, amber, musk, sandalwood, oakmoss, spices

Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x .5ml sample from my vintage Vol de Nuit parfum quadrilobe bottle
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me if you like the old Guerlain stuff? Have you tried Vol de Nuit?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Guerlain Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-493 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 9th August 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen HighestSelf

Mirjam Bayer

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winner will have till Thursday 13th August 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.

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

August 7, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 50 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Guerlain fans,

Vol de Nuit is one of the oft talked about historical Guerlain fragrances. Created in 1933, the same year as Sous le Vent which is another of my faves, and named from a book by Antoine de St. Exupéry “Night Flight” who was a pilot in WWI, Head Post pilot and lost during WWII on a mission. What drew me to the fragrance originally is the fabulous bottle designed to be reminiscent of a propeller going full tilt. This grey glass beauty was enough in itself but once I tried the fragrance I was lost.

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

If you read the notes list and thought Vol de Nuit was going to be a big fat blockbuster of a fragrance you will be sorely disappointed. From an era that brought us such overt beauties as Sirrocco by Lucien Lelong, Jungle Gardenia by Tuvaché, Tabu by Dana and French Cancan by Caron it surprises me that Guerlain made something so discrete and intimate. A green floral veil backed by slightly warm vanilla/amber and mossy woods. A fragrance that is almost introverted in its sillage and projection until you sit quite close and suddenly you are drawn into its captivating spell.

I have a couple of bottles but the one that gets the most wear is the 2012 EdT in the Habit de Fete cannister. Yes, I know that people complain of the modern versions thinness and lack of base. Sure, it’s different to my vintage parfum and different to the vintage EdT I have a decant of. It’s brighter, more sparkling and I admit a little screechier but it’s still beautiful. Beautiful in and of itself. So wearable and pretty. The narcissus is not so dirty as the vintage and the base is less furry and plush, though they seem to have padded the violet and iris to compensate. My main gripe is that the longevity is affected, becoming a soft whispered wash of itself within 30 minutes and barely there after an hour.

While Jin and I were in Europe in 2013 I went into Guerlain L’Institute in Prague and I was determined to buy a L’Heure de Nuit but something made me ask if they had the Vol de Nuit propeller bottle. Yes, they did. With my heart beating 16 to the dozen I handed over my card and asked them to “Charge and wrap it. Please don’t say the price.” Every now and then I have been getting the box out; looking at it and holding it, happiness bubbling up inside me. Today, for you guys, I unwrappeed it and finally got to touch my perfect jewel of a bottle so I could photograph it. No, I’m not yet ready to open it, to cut the cord, but it’s one step closer.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Bois de Jasmin
Guerlain counters often have some in the drawers, ask
Surrender To Chance have vintage EdT samples from $7/ml

Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x .5ml sample from my vintage Vol de Nuit parfum quadrilobe bottle
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me if you like the old Guerlain stuff? Have you tried Vol de Nuit?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Guerlain Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-493 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 9th August 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 13th August 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.

LIVE

July 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

Hi there APJ,

Trésor is busy living, she sends full apologies but right now she needs to be elsewhere. Here is some stuff that I’ve found recently that might give you a pause for thought. A lot of the things I find are aimed primarily at women but guys these are for you too.

Life is rarely what we were told in future fairy tales by our parents and teachers. Life is tough, full of extremes and drama, there is always something or someone who wants to run you off the rails of your dream life. They are rarely the evil incarnate that you expect them to be but just other people in your life trying to get their own shit on track. It’s very easy to get caught up, lose focus and become worn down with the drudgery of day to day living. It’s so easy to forget yourself, your goals and your well being. Sometimes we all need to take a moment to really ask ourselves if we are OK, what do we need, how can we best reassess and how can we better live this too short a period we are given on earth.

I also believe that I have to feel the pain and learn from it. Life is evolution and growth. Stagnation, especially mental, is decay.

If you are suffering depression please seek help. It’s an illness like any other and needs treatment. If you had a broken arm, rash or a continuing cough you would see a doctor for treatment. Depression needs treatment too. For yourself and those around you please treat it with the same speed and diligence you would a child in your cares chicken pox.

Mostly though, please live your life as if it’s worth something. It is. YOU are.

11752590_10154008604426029_8706194041508389836_n

Cyber hugging you all while wearing Les Voyages Olfactifs 01 Paris-Moscow by Guerlain.
Portia xxx

Fragrances For What Ails You: The Hangover Part 1

June 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Fragrances for what ails you: The Hangover Part 1

Today’s focus is HANGOVERS.

*Please note: we at APJ do not recommend drinking irresponsibly.

Average Hangover, described as ‘feeling dusty’ upon waking and makes the day a little harder, a lot longer and much slower.

General remedies:

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Dear Rose – Sympathy For The Sun tops up much needed electrolytes with its salt note supported with sparkling water drenched citrus and rose. Just like an atomized aspirin.

Parfum d Empire – Corsica Furiosa is my go to fragrant Bloody Mary. Tomato leaf so green it makes me feel purified instantly, mixed with a pinch of pepper to increase circulation of important antioxidants. A touch of mint settles any nausea or bloating.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Chanel – Coromandel when you just need a cloudy hug and strength to carry on (dramatic I know) woods, benzoin and soft cotton ball clouds of vanilla-patchouli and iris “take me away” from the self afflicted symptoms. I feel wrapped in cotton wool and supported enough to get on with my day.

The OOPSIES are more serious…

Hangover of Dread: “What have I done?!” Paranoia. Self-loathing. Regret. Strength and bravado needed pronto. Something to stop all the wrongness from deep inside, seeping out. Surrounding oneself with By Kilian – Smoke for the Soul will neutralise all those nasty feelings inside. Soul cleansing with eucalyptus, grapefruit and cardamom is advantageous. Bolster with maté, full of antioxidants. Complete with kidney cleansing birch. The tobacco cashmirwood and cannabis at this stage can only be described as a ‘medicinal’ bonus. **

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Hangover with memory loss: You wake up and remember a limited amount of the night before. Perhaps it was those shots you were downing? The scent of Tequila seeps from your pores on waking. It is not wise to stand near a naked flame. A dose of memory recalling rosemary and fresh Normandy air will help. Dior’s Granville is exactly that -crisp and fresh with mandarin, lemon, thyme, rosemary, pine needles, black pepper, sandalwood and gorse.

Head in a bucket hangover: Sliding out of bed with a groan, you take the appropriate amount of steps to the bathroom whilst moaning. You sit on the cold tiles and wait. The nausea could last all day. Something simple and relatively linear is Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca. With its dewy grass and fresh cool mint notes it will also freshen the air for anyone game to come close.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

“Still drunk” hangover: Jump out of bed feeling good after a big night. You feel superhuman. Happiness only lasts so long…by lunchtime you’re fading. Avoid the comedown by use of your booziest fragrances – doubling to cover the alcohol on your breath whist keeping you giddy and drunk. Examples include Queen by Queen Latifah with its cognac base, Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling with it’s botanical gin base or rum based Naomi Goodsir’s Or du Serail

Most of these fragrances can be sampled at Surrender To Chance and My Perfume Samples

Stay tuned for “The Hangover Part 2”

Xx Your Fragrant Nurse, Ainslie ;D

**By Kilian: Exclusive to Harrolds Sydney and Libertine online

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Guerlain

Vintage Parfums: GIVEAWAY WINNER

Vintage Parfums: GIVEAWAY WINNER

CHANEL, Guerlain, DIOR, Rochas

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Latai

CHANEL, Guerlain, DIOR, Rochas: Vintage Parfums

Vintage Parfums: GIVEAWAY

CHANEL, Guerlain, DIOR, Rochas

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

L’Homme Idéal Cologne by Guerlain: Film

L’Homme Idéal Cologne by Guerlain 2015

L’Homme Idéal Cologne by Thierry Wasser

L’Homme Idéal Cologne – GUERLAIN

L'Heure de Nuit by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2012

L’Heure de Nuit by Guerlain 2012

L’Heure de Nuit by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2012

L’Heure de Nuit by Guerlain 2012

Shalimar + Mountain Adventure Photo Essay

Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY WINNER

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

HOW DID YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Mirjam Bayer

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

Vol de Nuit GIVEAWAY

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

LIVE

Fragrances For What Ails You: The Hangover Part 1

Fragrances for what ails you: The Hangover Part 1