Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice by Guerlain 2001

September 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Tina G

Winter Delice is the secret door at the back of the cupboard from the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. A few squirts and I’ve been instantly transported into a frosty European December day, walking through a high mountain forest with a crystal blue sky above and dry crisp snow crunching under my boots.

Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice by Guerlain

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Fir
Heart: Pine, resin
Base: Opoponax, vanille, sugar

The whole opening of Winter Delice is as I’ve just brushed up against a forest pine tree, cupped a bunch of needles to my nose for a sniff, and got a bit of sticky sap on my fingers from my efforts. The pine and fir notes are fresh, bright, and uplifting. The presence of a touch of lemon may or may not be an aspect of the pine. A clear rich resin comes through after about 15 minutes when the fragrance has warmed on my skin. I’m enjoying it sooooo much I find myself respritzing during the first hour to reinvigorate & revive the experience.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Given a bit more time, the sticky piney-ness settles into an aura of dry amber and resin. There is a hint of an odd metallic note which I quite like, but quickly passes. The amber/resin combination lasts for about 2 hours, at which time I give a small disappointed sigh, as I think that’s the end of it. Just a standard amber dry down – what a shame when I was enjoying it so much.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

But wait! A little later I’m curled up doing some reading, and there is a wonderful aroma of sweet sugared almonds with a hint of vanilla, waiting shyly and oh-so-patiently to be noticed. You cheeky little fragrance! Withholding this intoxicatingly comforting skin scent for a last surprise. I’m so glad I didn’t write it off at the amber stage and miss this altogether. The vanilla sweetness is very yummy and cuddly and I find myself now snuggled down again, smiling while reading with my nose pressed firmly against my wrist.

So for the first time in a while, I’ve worn a fragrance three days in a row. Winter Delice is wonderful, but I feel like I’m running out of time to wear it as the days become progressively warmer coming into spring, perfect for Northern Hemisphere wear right now though. I do think it is a cool weather experience, but I’ll give it a run in summer to see how it fares – the pine may just be refreshing instead of cloying, who knows.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Olfactory Obsessed
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/ml

I will be trying out more of the Aqua Allegoria series, but I’d be interested in some honest opinions – have you tried any of this range? What did you like? What didn’t work for you?

Tina G

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain 1933

September 1, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Tina G

“Too well we know a man’s failings, his cowardice and lapses, and our writers of today are all too proficient in exposing these… but we stood in need of one to tell us how a man may be lifted far above himself by his sheer force of will.” Preface – Vol de Nuit. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1931.

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, galbanum, petit grain
Heart: Jasmine, daffodil, spices
Base: Earthy woods, iris, vanilla, amber, woodsy notes.

What powers you on, to reach beyond what you thought was possible?

The heartbreakingly beautiful night-scape slides silently below. The endless shades of silver and midnight blue, white mountain peaks and low clouds reflecting the half-moonlight, the never-changing stars lost to the deep horizon. Flying feels like a time outside time, meditative, reflective, but never quite lonely as there is always that presence of the person who is so often in your thoughts, close enough to be at your shoulder but in reality so very far away.

Who brings your thoughts home?

Back in an age where air travel was in its infancy, the activity of night flight (vol de nuit) was much more immediate. Surrounded by dinky light globes, basic electrics and feeling every bump & jolt of the aircraft, night navigation was a treacherous task at best of times and drew on the absolute strength of spirit of the pilot. The 1931 novel Vol de Nuit, on which Guerlain based its fragrance by the same name, finds our heroic-hearted pilot flying through heavy clouds and raging winds of an unpredicted cyclonic storm – all distances skewed, fuel is ebbing, location is unknown and any minute all could be so easily lost.

Photo Donated Amarah Tabbah

Where does the heart’s comfort lie when the end is looming?

Spring. The rich earth of the garden bed outside the small country cottage has been recently turned, but the rebellious daffodils and irises are sprouting directly from the edges of the lawn. On the warm air is the intoxicating scent of sweet jasmine. Wandering inside, the kitchen hearth is still smouldering, bringing a warm amber glow the room. On the rustic wooden table sits an old resinous wooden bowl, holding a few oranges and bumpy skinned lemons.

But…there is a feeling that someone has just been here, the swish of an apron, a laugh, the trail of gentle vanilla – moving through the cottage, the rooms get slightly darker and mustier until the boudoir is reached. A side dresser has evidence of feminine presence. A well-worn pink powder puff lies temporarily discarded, picking it up, breathing in, that musky-powderiness is like every act of comfort and kindness in your life all rolled into one, deep, breath.

Home is where the heart is.

Our fated night pilot, surrounded by biting gale-force winds and lost to the world of men, fighting with every sinew to survive, sees the clouds break for an instant and the cold stars shine up above. This is his one impossible chance at freedom, at reaching home and the person who holds his heart. He turns the plane, up and up, and with all his might and sheer force of will aims straight for those stars….

Surrender To Chance has Vol de Nuit samples starting at $3/ml

TinaG x

Shop Your Collection Favourites: Scent Task #2

August 30, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Hey there APJ,

A couple of weeks ago on the Facebook group For Love Not Money: Fragrance Appreciation Group we were asked to write for 5 days about frags we rarely wear. This week I asked if we could do ones we LOVE! Sometimes when I spritz my favourites I smell the first few seconds and then it becomes background smell, basically I know I smell good and ignore it. By choosing our favourites this week I hoped to be able to examine a few of my faves and live the fully present enjoyment rather than missing the fun.

Here’s how my week turned out.

Shop Your Collection Favourites: Scent Task #2

Scent Task #2: Tell us about your most worn scents.

Following on from our group task last week, when we wore neglected scents from our collections for 5 days, next week we are going to do the opposite. Wear and write about your favourite and/or most worn scents for 5 days. Portia Turbo-Gear suggested we do this, and I think it’s a fabulous idea.

Here’s the format:

1. Wear 5 of your most worn scents from your collection for 5 days, starting next Monday the 25th August. No posts on the weekend as we are all too busy.
2. Tell us what you like about these scents, and why you think they get the most wear out of all your scents. What makes them special, dependable and favoured?
3. Try to keep your post brief, no more than 150 words. Creative interpretations welcome.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Monday: Liberte by Cacharel:

I love this mad fun fizzy beauty. Imagine Fizz Wizz in searing citrus and you have a taste equivalent of Liberte. Remember having a SPIDER? Of all the fizzy fruity frags out there this is the one that stole my heart.
Often when I am unsure of what to spritz I find the violently coloured orange tube spritzing away already. MMMMMMMMM

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Tuesday: Jardins d’Armide by Oriza L Legrand:

Honey, Powder, Almonds, Soap, Flowers all rolled together in the most fabulously unusual way. I think the iris is treated in a sweet, sugared musk way and while the fragrance is not loud or BIG, it has the ability to change and charge the air around me and be completely present yet not intrusive. Jardins d’Armide is one of my favourites because it feels plush and super exclusive but I can wear it with anything,

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Wednesday: Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids:

I love roses. There I’ve said it. Ballets Rouges is the ultimate rose soliflor for me. Yes it has the smell of roses on the bush, it also has the smell of the earth that the roses grew in, the humus, fertilisers, mulch, add to that the smell of the cut stem and the torn leaf and on top of all that it has the smell of life and living to my nose. Bright and dark simultaneously Ballets Rouges is everything I love about Independent Perfumery: it has not followed a formula, never been panel tested, is full of gorgeous ingredients that are probably banned in 27 languages and it has a wonderful big voluptuousness and scent story. Almost every time I wear Ballets Rouges someone compliments and asks what it is. WINNER!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Thursday : Shalimar by Guerlain Vintage Extrait:

Shalimar is QUEEN! I know it’s been written about a thousand times but EVERY time I apply it lavish, lovely, silky caress I am overcome with so many emotions. It symbolises a scent that has followed me through my life and still I get shivers and goosebumps as it envelopes me in it glamorous embrace. Creamy lemon sorbet, a floral bouquet and a vanilla leather dry down that frankly brings me undone. If I had to take only one fragrance with me for the rest of my life, Shalimar would be it.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #2: Friday: Sharp by Andrea Maack:

Sharp is anything but. In fact sharp is the real smell of the feeling of fiberglass roof insulation. Imagine how feeling it would be, both soft and prickly and a little suffocating yet Sharp also manages to be warm as a hug from a loved one. The vanilla is totally un-foody and wears like sandalwood, white flower (orange blossom is the note but I just get a breathy white flower) and then the whole thing draped in lovely musks both laundry and animalic. Excellent wear time and so plush.

Photo Stolen AllSteele

Scent Task #2 GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:

1 x decanted sample of all 5 Scent Task Fragrances
P&H Anywhere in the world

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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell me a favourite fragrance in your collection and why.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ Facebook Scent Task #2 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-37Q #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Tuesday 2nd September 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Friday 5th September 2014 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.

"Something old, something new" Part 1.1 BBC Perfume Documentary

August 10, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hello lovely APJ Crew,

Over the next few Sundays we we”ll be able to watch these 3 wonderful documentaries. You’ll need to grab a cuppa/juice/wine and maybe some breakfast/lunch/dinner and settle in for an hour, there are no ad breaks but you can pause and come back through your Sunday. Two of the fragrances talked about in the doco are Guerlain’s Shalimar Parfum Initial and Loud by Hilfiger. We watch as Loud is released for the first time and go through the creation of it. Also we get a rare glimpse into Thierry Wasser’s rise to the head perfumer at Guerlain, and the fall of Jacques Guerlain. Very interesting.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Enjoy,
Portia xx

“Something old, something new” Part 1 BBC Perfume Documentary

Shalimar by Guerlain 1925

July 16, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Erica Golding

Hello! My name is Erica, and I’ve enjoyed a lifetime obsession with scent. In all my journeys, I never gave Shalimar a chance on my skin. Shalimar, the bottle waiting patiently at practically every perfume counter, mysterious yet familiar. Recently, I was inundated with a torrent of love for this perfume by fans of all ages, all over the world. In the face of such genuine devotion, who was I to resist? I headed straight to a perfume counter, and my first impressions of modern-day Shalimar EdP are as follows:

Shalimar by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1925

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

This scent opens with a citronella-like, sharp, insect-repellant bergamot. I just really don’t like the beginning. Much brighter on the card than on my skin. The aroma becomes a little more interesting after settling. Nicely spicy, but with some undertone that comes across as almost rubbery. I’m still not into it, but I admit that I am starting to be hypnotized by the unique, complex puzzle of it all. I keep sniffing, curiously. Later, the fragrance begins to warm into something more harmonious with my aesthetic. I am starting to sense precious woods, amber, and sandalwood, maybe a waft of vanilla as well.

Later still, even more attractive, almost like vanilla pipe tobacco.

And then….

Yes.

Now I understand. It takes about 30 minutes to get there for me, but – wow. Gorgeous and singularly exceptional, yet hauntingly familiar. Woods and amber with a hint of vanilla, but so much more that defies my recognition. Indescribable. A sensual poem.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Next, I sought out vintage bottles. My first scores were EdC in the “watch” bottle and Parfum in the “rosebud” bottle. I decided to review them side by side:

Shalimar EdC:

A quieter, softer opening. Morphs into soft vanilla incense tobacco magic within a few minutes. Fades fast on my skin, a quiet haze that hugs my body closely and shares its presence only with those I allow in that space.

Shalimar Parfum:

A sharp, bold opening. Spicy, and the citronella note is not as bright as with modern EDP but surprisingly still pronounced. Throw is fairly intense, yet somehow focused for me – not a diffusive cloud of fragrance, but a moonbeam piercing the humid summer night’s sky. The aroma drifts into a powdery stage before reaching the equilibrium of the true intent of Shalimar: a warm, almost indescribable perfume that slows my breathing and makes me feel powerfully magnetic. Sultry, mysterious, dark, thickly sensual.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Shalimar lasts anywhere from 5-8 hours on my skin. It is definitely an evening, date-night fragrance by tradition ~ and I am a very non-traditional person, so I wear it whenever and wherever the hell I please! That being said, I often crave it at night and wear it as my midnight aromatherapy.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies EdC and Australian Perfume Junkies Parfum
FragranceNet has $48/74ml EdC and other selections
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Erica’s Shalimar Collection Photo Donated Erica Golding

I hope you have enjoyed my account of how I lost my Shalimar virginity; and I hope that I’ve either conjured precious scent memories of your own, or piqued your interest in sampling this beauty for your own first time.

With warmly fragrant hugs,
Erica Golding

Shalimar: Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2013

July 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

OK,

My mate Chairman Meow not long ago told me about this fragrance being sold for a song at FragranceNet. I was interested but at the time I’d just returned from Europe and was already thinking about our next adventure in Korea. There has been plenty of chatter about the differences in the Ode a la Vanille range with Madagascar (known as ShaLemur by the perfumistas) coming out as the clear winner from the group. Today’s offering has been called too close to the original, uninspired and lackluster. Well, I think that depends on what you are after and your expectations….

Shalimar: Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique by Guerlain 2013

By Thierry Wasser

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Caramel, chocolate, incense, iris, opoponax, vanilla, tonka bean

Here’s the deal for me. I love Shalimar. They all sing to me on some level. Shalimar: Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique (hereafter known as Mexique) is pretty, furry, sweet and glamorous. Close to Shalimar original? Yes, they could be sisters, where the others are probably cousins. How I think though is that Shalimar original has changed over the years too, the Shalimar we bought in 1930, 1970, 2011 and now in 2014 are all different. Sometimes the differences have been subtle and at other times the fragrance bears a more distant relationship. Though I have no knowledge of how Thierry Wasser works, or any of his reasonings, my mind has made some completely unsubstantiated jumps to conclusions. Please read the following paragraph as a story, not as truth:

I think Thierry Wasser has been playing around with Shalimar to try and get it back to what is more like the original intent of Guerlain. Over the years the tweaks and turns, the different perfumers, the availability of ingredients and now regulations had changed what we bought as Shalimar in 2011 to something still lovely in and of itself but at a far remove from the sensual, dusty, creamy, furry, animal, confection that it was. Having smelled his recreation of the original Shalimar at the Osmotheque in February I wonder if he was inspired by being able to make his houses mainstay fragrance as close as he could to the original formula. So did he, Mr Wasser, then decide to see if he could reinvent the masterpiece? Are we now getting the batches that were made as test runs? Could these be the lead up to what I think is one of the loveliest Shalimars in my coillection, 2013/4, where the growl is back, the lovely and brilliant opening already infused with a tiger that stalks the fragrance till the very last gasp in dry down? Are these the beauties that were lovely but not Shalimar enough?

Photo Stolen Flickr

So here I am with a 5ml atomiser of Mexique from My Perfume Samples. I have worn it a coup0le of times and the first hour and a half is mesmerisingly beautiful. I spritz before work and find myself transported to another world, this is like Shalimar: Taste of Fragrance. What was already an ice cream laden gourmand has become a modern chewy choc-caramel lolly, similar but dry and lacking the HUGE zing of citrus that is so Shalimar, Also missing from Shalimar and found in the Mexique is a furry, mannish, animal purr: a darkness. I get a quirky amberish, macaroon type sweetness that is both crispy and gooey simultaneously, like big coffee sugar pieces that you crunch in your mouth with the dregs of your coffee. It also seems slightly weightless, as if it’s missing some of the important base notes and its lifespan is also considerably shorter at under 4 hours fragrant on my skin, leaving a trail of sweet nothings for a little while longer.

FragranceNet has $46/50ml
My Perfume Samples starts at $3/ml to $9/5ml

Do I love Mexique? Is it different or special enough to FB? To be honest, I have just ordered one.
Portia xx

NEW!! GUERLAIN L'Homme Idéal est un mythe. Son parfum, une réalité: Video

June 30, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Woo Hoo!

Here you go gang. This was released to YouTube Yesterday! Love the stylings and the music. How about you? What do you think?
Portia xx

NEW!! GUERLAIN: Video

L’Homme Idéal est un mythe. Son parfum, une réalité

The Ideal Man is a myth. His perfume, a reality!

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Jardins de Bagatelle by Jean Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 1983

May 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Poodle

Hello APJ, I’m Dreaming of Spring

It’s supposed to be spring here. I was out playing in the dirt of my flowerbeds just days ago but today it’s cold again. Hopefully by the time you read this it will be spring. Until then I have to pretend with my perfumes. One that conjures up a bright spring day is ….

Jardins de Bagatelle by Jean Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 1983

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine, violet, aldehydes, lemon, bergamot
Heart: Gardenia, rose, orange blossom, tuberose, magnolia, ylang-ylang, orchid, lily-of-the-valley, narcissus
Base: Tuberose, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, musk, neroli

I’ve gone through a few bottles of this in my life. It was my signature scent in high school. I wanted to smell classier than the Impulse Body Spray the other girls wore. I figured something from Guerlain was a good bet. I hadn’t worn it since then but recently got nostalgic and bought another bottle.

Jardins de Bagatelle has always seemed to be an unlikely Guerlain to me. It doesn’t have the powdery notes I always associate with the brand and it’s classic perfumes. It’s a huge floral. Bear in mind this was released in the big 80’s and it has some of the intensity you’d expect but doesn’t smell dated.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

At first spritz, I’m hit with a blast of aldehydes and citrus, big and lush in the top notes. I can definitely smell violet, jasmine and many other flowers. I’m okay with spritzing but I could see someone who likes a lighter touch perhaps dabbing on instead. The effect isn’t so much sniffing a bouquet as it is sticking your face into it. I will add that the perfume softens beautifully within an hour on me even though the opening is so bold.

Chateau de Bagatelle Photo Stolen Wikpedia

As much as I try I have a hard time picking apart the notes. Once it softens it’s like the flowers come and go. Imagine walking through a garden and as you meander down the path you catch a whiff of a rose here but just around the bend there’s some tuberose, oh wait, no, perhaps that’s gardenia. When I think I have almost isolated a note, it changes on me. It’s supposed to smell like a garden and it does. The flowers are bright and dewy. There’s also a certain amount of green to it as well which keeps it smelling cool and fresh. I always smell something that reminds me of tea as well even though tea isn’t in the notes. The perfume is beautiful down to the base and never turns soapy or dirty. As the flowers fade it becomes a cozy scent with a bit of warm musk and wood.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Monsieur Guerlain
FragranceNet has EdT $68/100ml after coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Overall I’d say that Jardins is bright and beautiful. It doesn’t smell like every other floral out there. It’s one of the perfumes I pick when I want to feel pretty. I was afraid it would remind me of high school but I guess enough time has passed to allow me to wear it and think spring.

Until next time…

Hugs
Poodle x

Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2014 Perfume Reviews

March 23, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 33 Comments

Hello Gorgeous APJ Family,

It’s Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances time again, my favourite seasons are Autumn and Spring, the mid seasons. I love that in both these seasons the weather can be remarkably similar, sunny and warm on one day, freezing or blustery on another, nights are cool to cold and so the overall wearings are quite similar. Yes, we can grab a white floral to really ring in Spring or remember Spring in Autumn but then it’s also nice to spritz a heavy amber on those super cold nights and a sweet fizzy citrus will work almost anytime. These fragrances are on my desk and within easy spritz reach and they only stay on the desk while they are getting regular spritz time, if they’ve been sitting there for more than a fortnight without attention they go back in the cupboard.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2014 Perfume Reviews

24 Faubourg EdT – Hermès: White flowers and fruit that melt into ambery goodness. How can you resist this lovely gem from Hermès. Every time I spritz it I wonder why I don’t do it every day. I love the bottle, that it’s Hermès and that I smell fantastic for 4-6 hours.

Anyway – Juliette Has A Gun: ADDICTIVE!! Beware Anyway. Nothing like I’d ever thought I wanted to smell. A citrus and, though it doesn’t say it anywhere, pineapple concoction that heads into woods and oudh territory throughout its life. the ultimate drag queen fragrance, so feminine and butch at the same time.

Futur – Robert Piguet: The ungreenest green ever. Sappy, sweet, green and extremely wearable all year round. Futur has been out of the cupboard and on my skin quite a bit lately and it fits any occasion.

Liberte – Cacharel: A screaming, sizzling, BarBQ’d orange that is so sugary and ends up in a vanilla/patchouli/orange finale. I’ve loved it for years and now that it seems to be discontinued I’ve had to grab a couple of back up bottles.

Mohur – Neela Vermeire Creations: The headiest, most complex and wonderful rose there is. Surrounded by interesting other notes and accords but it is the rose that shines through for the whole of Mohur’s life. I am crazy for this fragrance and can’t wait to have a Mohur Extrait bottle.

Shalimar EdP – Guerlain: My old faithful. Shalimar fits every season, every mood and every event. From it’s citrus gelato opening to the resinous, vanilla and leather dry down I love Shalimar through and through. If I had to pick a fragrance to be my one and only Shalimar would be it.

Sharp – Andrea Maack: A new entry into my life in FB. I am enjoying Sharp a lot. Weird, synthetic orange blossom packed tight with musks and an ambery vanilla, all washed over by an unearthly metal/marine accord that is both enticing and repellent. Sharp is both the freshness of Spring and the coming darkness of Autumn.

Skin on Skin – L`Artisan Parfumeur: Skin on Skin is an interesting fragrance, poo poo’d by many of the fragrance intelligentsia because of it’s similarity to Traversee du Bosphore. I have now spent time wearing both, though not simultaneously, but I like the plastic saffron edge and the cool suede. There are more similarities between Bottega Veneta and Skin on Skin to my nose and Iris Prima has some too. I spritz Skin on Skin a LOT.

Vanille & Narcisse – L’Occitane: So you want something cheap and cheerful? Something that has the narcissus of spring and the vanilla of autumn? Look no further. Vanille & Narcisse is wearable, pretty, inexpensive and a great wear. This is one I would recommend as a gift for any non perfumistas and many who are. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Wild Ginger Chai – SOIVOHLE: The sweet, spicy, ginger and milk opening. The dry, black tea smell and the memories of India. I love Liz Zorn’s work, she captures my imagination every time and her prices are so freaking reasonable for fragrances that are world class. Yum.

So there they are. My current mid-season Top 10. They will probably be changed by next week but right now these ten fragrances are getting good skin time and working extremely well in the changeable conditions that the mid-seasons hand us.

Loads of love to you all, wherever and in what ever weather,
Portia x

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Snowcake by LUSH vs Cuir Beluga by Guerlain

March 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Chairman Meow

Hi APJ,

Having read comments on akafkaesquelife that Lush’s Snowcake was longer lasting version of my beloved Cuir Beluga, to be had at a fraction of the price, I considered the gauntlet well and truly thrown, so off I duly trundled to find a sample. You heard it folks. Cuir Beluga and Snowcake are about go toe to toe for the title of World Champion Delicious Marzipan Fragrance, so LET’S GET RRRRRRRRRRRRRREADY TO RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRBUMBOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHL!!

Snowcake by LUSH vs Cuir Beluga by Guerlain THROWDOWN

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Marzipan, benzoin, rose, cassia and almond

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, tangerine
Heart: Immortelle, patchouli
Base: Vanilla, amber, suede, heliotrope

Bingbingbing! Snowcake sluggishly dances around Cuir Beluga with some evasive footwork while Beluga watches on with a bored expression… and BAM! Beluga uncorks a huge left hook out of nowhere, and Snowcake goes down like a lead balloon. Nothing more to see here, ladies and gentlemen.

These are mostly listed as essential oils in the ingredients list, with the implication that it’s a mostly “natural” perfume, as is Lush’s wont. Certainly natural is how it smells.

Snowcake, with its billing as a scent of marzipan, and name that promises a mouthwatering dessert in fact delivers, cruelly, sadistically, the scent green bananas. It goes on tart, grassy and replete with an uncomfortable urge to scrape the fuzz of unripe fruit off one’s teeth. What’s more, by the magic of whichever wacky esters are in this concoction, you even get the slightly ferrous whiff of bruised and oxidised banana peel moments later.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

The almond is there I suppose, morosely mooning about in the wings, crapulent from the night before, and does make a reluctant showing once the banana finishes its strangled chorus. It plays a short olfactory set and then passes out on stage in its own banana scented vomit. The only resemblance to Cuir Beluga that I could detect is when Snowcake is at the very end of its pitifully short life, one that makes the notoriously ephemeral Cuir Beluga appear a veritable Methuselah of perfumes, when it’s just an enfeebled, barely perceptible almondy-vanilla powder.

This would all be tremendous if Snowcake wasn’t thus named and was instead called “The Smell Of ‘Nanas Turning”, but as it is, it’s just a bit of a letdown for this confused reviewer. Am I missing something? Did the Aussies get a beta version of the Snowcake that everyone else is in raptures about?

No, I suspect the problem lies with me. The truth is, I’m quite partial to synthetic scents, with their durability and ability to transport me to fantasy olfactive landscapes, which is much harder to accomplish with natural scents. Actually, I’d say I’m quite the fan of artificial things in general. I prefer my chicken and corn soup laden with MSG. I’m looking forward to meeting my future robot manservant. I want my drag queens to look like caricatures of women.

And I like smelling stuff that smells better than the stuff it’s meant to smell like.
Pass me those bolt-ons will you, there’s a dear.

Chairman Meow x