Guerlain

Spring Fling with Clayton Ilolahia 2012

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Guest Post by Clayton www.whatmenshouldsmelllike.com

Spring Fling

Hi AustralianPerfumeJunkies. Last month I met with your cherished author and we decided to do a blog swap for a post on spring fragrance. For me it is a season of renewal. I love watching the trees that line the city streets, which were stripped of their deciduous clothing by winter, regain their green foliage and celebrate the spring season with bursts of colourful blooms. With nature providing so much visual imagery and scent, it is easy to see why spring is such an exciting season in the perfume industry.

When Portia and I discussed this idea of hijacking each other’s blogs to give a round up of spring suggestions, I had this in mind; I wanted my list to be more than just flowers, I wanted the list to be about seasonal renewal. Each fragrance I have chosen breathes new life into a familiar theme.

Floral

Tom Ford Jonquille de Nuit

Are jonquils the new tuberose? There is always a market for white flowers and for this 2012 release; Tom Ford explores a waxy white floral with green undertones. Jonquille de Nuit is a refreshing addition to any white floral lover’s collection amongst the jasmines, tuberoses and gardenias.

Oriental

Chanel Coco Noir

Every time Coco is looking a little tired, Chanel dusts her off with a flanker. Chanel is describing their new Coco Noir as a luminous oriental. The twist comes at the start with a fresh burst of bitter citrus. As the floral heart moves on, the original Coco peeks out at you wrapped in powdery tonka bean.

Woods

Guerlain Homme L’Eau Boisée

I was a fan of the original and this latest offering by Guerlain is, in my opinion, the most interesting Guerlain Homme flanker yet. They’ve stripped out some of the sugary mojito juice in favour of an aromatic accord laced with wood. It’s an easy fragrance to wear, a great option for the aussie bloke (does he still exist?)

Chypre

Parfums MDCI Chypre Palatin

Many perfume fans are lamenting the death of the Chypre style since IFRA regulated the use of oakmoss in perfume. Modern chypres lack the mossy base provided by their unregulated predecessors. For Chypre Palatin, perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour cleverly reworks the Chypre concept to overcome the obvious. It’s a paradox of classic and new ideas. While Chypre Palatin feels so familiar at the beginning, Duchaufour takes chypre to a whole new place as the fragrance evolves.

Fougere

Christian Dior Eau Noire

While this is not a new fragrance it still continues to push the definition of a fougere. Described as an oriental fougere, Eau Noire was made for Dior by Francis Kurkdjian before he went off to do his own thing. It’s a kind of curried lavender, owing to the rich use of immortelle. I love to wear this in the warmer months.

Thanks for reading and I wish you all the very best for the spring season ahead. Let Portia and I know by commenting, if you have other suggestions for spring. Also, check out Portia’s list over at What Men Should Smell Like (www.whatmenshouldsmelllike.com)

Best,
Clayton

PS Here is a jump to our APJ Interview with Clayton if you would like to read further about this interesting, urbane, clever and sexy man.
All perfume pics from Fragrantica. Clayton supplied his portrait.

Just Generally

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

Hi All,

Today I am going to quickly run down my weekends fragrance wear. It’s been pretty hectic around here, loads of work, home shenanigans, friend drama, shopping, living, loving and finally TSO Jin and I have booked a holiday. We will be jetting off to far flung destinations in January. Leaving our glorious summer for your Northern winter. I am so excited, 2010 was my last holiday and I’ve not yet traveled with Jin so that is always a relationship settler or a disaster zone. Can’t WAIT!!!

We spend 3 weeks in Europe so I hope to see all my Euro blogging buddies and then a week in rural, seaside Korea to meet Jin’s parents. OMG! That should be interesting. Oh well. Secure in the knowledge that I’m the most frightening thing in the universe I think I’ll cope, but will he? Will they? HE HE Poor feckers won’t know what hit them,

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Guerlain- Aqua Allegoria- Lys Soleia- I wear this newby to my collection and feel like an Empress. It is gorgeous on me, to me and I am gagging for the bee bottle. Flowers, sunshine, fruit (and to me salt & coconut though they’re not listed) Full review coming.

Olympic Orchids- Golden Cattleya- A guaranteed compliment grabber, unusual, sensuous, a little bit dirty but all lovely night blooming orchid. So good it feels a little bit evil. At 30ml EdP $40 you can’t go wrong!! Sample program excellent.

SIOVOHLE- Wild Ginger Chai- I thought I’d packed Leather Krem but it was Wild Ginger Chai and I had 3 random, unsolicited compliments. one person coming in close and saying, “Wow! You smell so amazing!” and then doing that disgusting hum/moan/purr thing we all do when fragrance transports us. It was spooky but great. At 15ml EdT $30 a very affordable frag and they have a super sample program.

Un named sample- Clayton at WhatMenShouldSmellLike gave me this to try and I think it’s a lavender masculine but it is tenacious and strident and dries down like a year later and generally reminds me of a Tabac type offering. I enjoyed it immensely.

Photo Stolen Parfum d’Empire

Parfum d’Empire- Ambre Russe- What a powerhouse of fabulous this is. Smoky, Russian teas, floral, pipe tobacco, booze, incense, burning, magical and musky firebrand of a fragrance. Why don’t I wear this every day? Ah May ZIng! These guys also have an extraordinary sample program and 100ml is only 90 Euro.

SurrenderToChance 40% off SALE!!! is currently happening too. I have gone with $100 to spend and scored myself some incredible bargains. Yes, I write for Perfume Posse but I get no kickbacks for doing so. I just LOVE THEIR SHIT!!! For $100 I can get 30ml of 10 or 15 fragrances. Such a great way to get to know a bunch of different fumes.
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Photo of Korean Temple Stolen elwood5566

Photo Korean Bridge Stolen 123rf

Thanks for dropping by, please go check out the links and have a little look. Below I have dropped in my new favourite song and video; Battle Scars by Guy Sebastian feat. Lupe Fiasco
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In life I want you to want the best for yourself and go out and get it.
It is waiting for you. Believe it.
Love always,
Portia xx

Feels Like Spring In Sydney: SUNDAY QUICKSNIFF REVIEWS #16

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Hi Fellow Perfume Junkies,
Click here for more graphics and gifs!

Today in Sydney was absolutely perfect so TSO Jin, EmmaKate, EvieC and I decided to go down to the Art Gallery of NSW and see the Eugène Atget Old Paris Photographic Exhibition which featured over 200 rare and original prints from the founder of documentary photography. He was quite a trailblazer because no one had properly recorded much of this architecture, era, or any of these rag n bone people, and Paris was making way for the grand designs of Baron Haussmann’s 19th-century modernisation program so loads of it was lost forever. After that we took a little side trip across the Domain and Hyde Park to David Jones, the world’s oldest department store trading under its original name, and slipped into their fragrance floor for a squiz.

What did I wear to look at art? What did we sniff? Below you’ll find a 3 line mini review and our ratings of a few of what we smelled today, it became a bit of an orgy of scent. Follow the jump to find our Rating System Page (<<jump).

Photo Stolen fragrantica

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DITA VON TEASE EdP 2012: Dita Von Tease has been peeking at me from her box, practically begging me to put her on, today I succumbed thinking she would be an excellent chaperone for the Art Gallery. This has a wonderful fresh opening that is citrus herbal to my nose, the pepper is wet not spicy. Warm, breathy, white flowers and rose slip in pretty quickly and tango with the wet pepper. I was still smelling a cool floral bouquet by the time I got lost in the photographs of Eugène Atget. After we lunched I was scentless, around 4-5 hours. CheapSmells 20ml/$23 S=**** L=** D=***

AQUA ALLEGORIA ???? by Guerlain: You want to know how angry I am at myself right now? I sprayed myself lavishly and didn’t get the name. WHAT AN IDIOT!!! I am going back for a bottle tomorrow, I smell AH MAY ZING. We all got coconut, white flowers, salt, honey and warm woods here but we are probably completely wrong. S=***** L=*** D=*****

Coco Noir Chanel for womenPhoto Stolen fragrantica

COCO NOIR by CHANEL 2012. I would like to take a moment to apologise to anyone that I have sneered at for loving Coco Noir. EvieC tried it on and it is fabulous, sexy, floral, tonka and musk. It has depth, charm, is present but not overpowering and that bottle is to kill for, don’t listen to people who say it’s not all that, it’s all that and a bag of chips. We only were together for 40 minutes while she was wearing it but, LORD oh Lord!! it smelled of a sweeter heaven: seriously impressed Chanel. S=***** L=? D=*****

WOODY 154 by JO MALONE. The SA gave Jin a spritz on each arm and told him that this arm is Woody 154. English is his second language and sometimes he misses the point of sentences but REALLY?? Woody 154? I hope the same girl is on tomorrow so I can ask her which one Woody 154 is because I can’t find that scent in the list on Fragrantica. Jin smells really good though, even after his bath I can smell it on him; tenacious much? S=**** L=***** D=****

Have you tried anything this week that you liked, loved, hated and want to share with us? Please do in the comments below.
Thank you for dropping by and being part of our APJ family, see you tomorrow.
Portia xx

Shalimar Parfum by Jacques Guerlain 1925

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Hey Hey All,
I am wearing one of my Shalimar 1970-80s Parfums for the last time. It came in a lovely gold tone basket weave atomiser. The parfum version of the one pictured below. Unfortunately they don’t make the parfum inserts for this case anymore, or at least I can’t find them in Sydney, Australia. So instead of Boo Hoo-ing I’m sending my Shalimar far away to a new home where I know it will be treasured and used to the last dregs.

Shalimar Parfum by Jacques Guerlain 1925

From Fragrantica
Shalimar was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1925, as a tribute to the legendary love story between Emperor SHAHJAHAN and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Before he became emperor his name was Prince Khurram. According to the legend, twenty- year-old Prince Khurram met a young girl, named Arjumand Banu at the bazaar where her family worked. Mesmerized by her beauty, after becoming emperor, he made her his wife as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the “Jewel of the Palace”. After the wedding ,the prince and Mumtaz were inseparable, in war and in peace. She had given 13 children to Shahjahan and died during the birth of their 14th child at the age of 39. Her death devastated Shah Jahan and had built Taj Mahal in memory of his wife and their undying love. Shalimar is named after ‘The Gardens of Shalimar’. It was Mumtaz’s favorite garden.

Shalimar Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

In times of major events, stress, fun, worry, happiness, even going down to the shop or cleaning through the years this case and parfum have been right there with me. There’s not even 2ml left now but the juice is still perfect.

How does it smell? Well the first waft if you spray on your chest is a big fat animalic, citrus and vanilla rush so filled with the animals that unless you are prepared it can knock you a bit silly, and the rush isn’t over in a minute like many modern perfumes, no way! You get a full 40 minutes of this deliciously deranged magic. All warm and cuddly vanilla, spicy citrus and just got home from work, then gym and about to have sex manimal. GRRRR! How was this ever an elegant womens fragrance? Such raw and sexy content. Now that I know the term, “Ho Panies” I can’t get the image out of my nostrils, this is sex bottled.

As we mosey along together the rich powdery iris and vetiver take centre stage, still with all the musk and civet squaring up with the incense, resins and woods. I think I miss the patchouli because it’s so unlike the ones used today and I must be mistaking it for something else. Hours and hours of this section as the beautifully blended magic works through its own accords in Shalimar’s own time, I have never noticed a pepper note but there is definitely one lurking around and through today. In the very mild winter we are having I get nearly a full afternoon from this section before it starts heading towards the sweet vanilla, suede and wood dry down that anyone who loves Shalimar will know so well.

ADVERT Famous FRENCH Perfume SHALIMAR GENIE Art Deco
Photo Stolen eBay

You can read excellent Shalimar reviews with some fun historical data at PerfumeShrine and BoisDeJasmin

Love to you all, thanks for dropping by, see you tomorrow,

Portia xx

Shalimar EdC by Guerlain 1925

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Hiya Perfumistas,

As some of you already know Jacques Guerlain created Shalimar in 1925, inspired by the legendary love story between Mughal Indian Emperor Shah Jahan and his lowly born wife Mumtaz Mahal. He loved her so much that when she died he nearly bankrupted his empire by building the Taj Mahal as her tomb, when he started work on a matching black granite edifice on the opposite shore of the river in Agra his sons imprisoned him and kept him incarcerated till his death. Having been twice to the Taj Mahal, the second time spontaneously bursting into tears as it came into view and having to take a seat while my BFF Kath photographed, I think Shalimar a fitting tribute to a love that tore a family, a man’s mind and nearly an empire apart when it was done. I have loved it since my Mum and her friends wore it when I was a child.

Shalimar EdC by Guerlain 1925


Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Today I decided it was time to have an opening ceremony for my incredible Vintage Shalimar EdC find, pre 1990’s but after the bar code was introduced because there is a b/c at the bottom and some Arabic writing there too. Anyone? Still in the lovely shiny embossed gold with matte navy and white box.

Photo Stolen Shopping

Oh boy! OH BOY! It goes on with a rush and susurrus of vanilla that took me so completely by surprise that I missed the entrance of the citrus which all of a sudden appeared and became nearly the sole focus; with vanilla still in the background.

About 15 minutes of these lovely citrus notes and then they are overtaken by the base, there seems to be no stopover in the floral department at all, like it’s been quickly and quietly swept under the carpet. Now it’s back to the incredible woodsy inedible vanilla with unpickable stuff lurking around trying to get noticed but being crushed under the jeweled bootlet of vanilla and wood.

Quite a different experience to my vintage or current parfum or my current EdP , still Shalimar but bolder in some ways and less pronounced in others. Even its staying power is quite good at 2 hours so far and no sign of diminution. I am at around 2 hours starting to get a light leather though, newish leather but soft, curling around the vanilla and giving it a fresh depth. I am reading my book and coming back to type every so often when new facets of the fragrance manifest, what a lovely way to spend a winter afternoon.

Interesting, at about 2.5 hours there is a definite floral intrusion over the top of all else and through it, now that the flowers have decided to make their presence known properly it seems they were there all along but just happy to bide their time filling the fragrance out softly. The extremely powdery iris and soft jasmine/rose accords. I am in heaven.

At just over 3 hours I am left with a sweet, woody, maybe patchouli I can’t quite read it because my Shalimar EdC has become so whispery quiet, still there but I have lost the ability to parse its notes. That was so good, so perfect, I think this is my favourite Shalimar incarnation that I own. It has been a satisfying ride and I am replete.

We are at around 4.5 hours and I just got a citrus and vanilla waft as I turned the page of my book. Still there still humming along. EdC! 4.5 hours! Ridiculously wonderful. Thank you Guerlain.

Thanks for coming along on my fragrant mental wanderings, that you do makes me happy. I hope it brings you joy as well.

On the Perfume Posse today my mate David Watson and I have done a LIVE VIDEO SNIFF. So gay it hurts. Go see.

Do you have a Shalimar story to share, I love them.

Portia xx

SUNDAY QUICKSNIFF REVIEWS #8

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hey Hey Scentabillys,

Click here for more graphics and gifs!

The Sunday QuickSniff Review page is opened on Monday morning and every time I spritz and am near the computer I’ll give a 3 sentence review with a rating out of 5 each for, well, see the key after the reviews. Often these are samples I’ve bought or had sent to me by friends, or a FB that I may fully review later, or have done before and want to remind you of its existence. Just sniffs done quick, it’s Sunday, I’m relaxing with my dogs and buddies. I hope you’re having a good one too.

SOUS LE VENT  by GUERLAIN 1933. AHHHH Chypre, designed for and around the incredible Josephine Baker. The citrus as it opens, fresh and due to the lavender and tarragon herbal, almost masculine in its spareness and jolting briskness. It’s not long before the flowers make their presence known but it’s a cool, fresh, green bouquet with an aloof jasmine, carnation and basil. I missed the full base because I went to bed but this morning there is still a minuscule whiff of woods, soft soft soft something, maybe vanilla? PerfumePosse starts at $6.5/ml Ebay has a vintage bottle $3000  S=***** L=**** D=****

JITTERBUG EdP by DSH New Creations 2003. Jitterbug came as a 1ml extra “Thank You” sample in an order from DSH and is designed to be a glamorous memory scent like the ones your Mum and Grandma used to wear, that smelled so delicious and was laden with extraordinary amounts of love. Well they hit this one way out of the ball park because POW! everything warm and cuddly and curled up on the couch together watching TV are here. There is Mum, her clothes, her hair spray, her busy day body odours (not bad, just life) like hair, pits and breath. DSH Perfumes starts at a $4 sample S=**** L=*** D=****

HONEY BLOSSOM by THE BEEHIVE. I can’t work out where this 1ml carded sample came from, I thought it was an AVON that my mate Penny had given me? If you like Dior’s Miss Dior Cherie then this is for you and a quarter the price, it’s like wearing a Fruit Tingle………… sorry just had to swallow a bit of puke in the back of my throat. Just went out and patted the dogs and their smell has added a reasonable depth to the fragrance, I still hate it, sorry. Parfum1 has 100ml $35  S=*** L=** D=*

FLEUR ORIENTAL by MILLER HARRIS 2000. A soft, modern floriental. Totally wearable, not too in your face so could be worn at work while still feeling scented. It gets more interesting and warms up beautifully on your body with unexpected caramel depths and cool flower descant, there is a spiciness here too, lovely. FragranceX has 100ml EdP $80  S=**** L=*** D=****


Photo Stolen from shirtsays

Scent, Obviously the number 1 priority here is how does it smell. My reviews are completely subjective and will differ widely from your own experience with the scent but it’s a good starting point. As yet I am not a trained perfumer so any and all descriptions are merely that, descriptions. There are plenty of blogs that offer technical details and chemistry, in 3 sentences I’ll pass.
Longevity, This is a biggie for me because like enfleurage where flower petals are left in fats to steal the scent, my fatty body works the same and eats it up, yum. So for a scent to last well on me, it will probably last a whole day on you and need a radioactive decontamination shower to defuse it from your skin.
Desirabilty, Wrapped up in this is scent, price, house, history, longevity, packaging, availability and a billion other things.

Photo Stolen from bittbox

* in any of these being the, “You couldn’t pay enough to spray this God awful stink on me again, it smells like public toilets in India, long time fridge malfunction while on Summer holiday and the vile stench of poverty all rolled into one.” You are putting innocent people in danger if you wear this.
** means it’s a nothing, wearable, boring, maybe the price is prohibitive for what you get or it’s ubiquitous. You should definitely get a sample of this to stop a buying boo boo.
*** is a perfectly good product that smells good and lasts a while at a decent price. You should definitely think about trying a sample or squirt but should you miss out your life will continue. Sample size worthy.
**** is the one you try, want a lot but can wait for a birthday/Christmas. It’s better than most of the stuff you’ve sniffed and may fill a void in your library. This is also an excellent decant product 5ml will get you through the season and maybe buy it next year.
***** meaning, stop reading this, grab your cash, credit card (or partners), roll the elderly or rob a petrol station and purchase this product. NOW! If you don’t have this fragrance you could die.

With a bit of luck you’ve found something to be a lemming for but if not your wallet will thank you. How has your weeks scent sniffing gone? What delicious bits and pieces did you try this week?

Portia xx

Honey Badger Deal Sampler.

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hey gang,

This is the glorious colour I get to look at every day at the moment. I love Autumn. So pretty.

You know how much I love to order decants and samples? Well, let me tell you, I love it.

Recently I was trolling around one of my favourite decants and samples stores, SurrenderToChance, and found a sample set called the Honey Badger. Gosh, thought I. What on earth could be in a Honey Badger Special Deal Sampler?

This sampler contains .5 ml (1 ml sample vial filled half full) sample of the following new releases, but you can buy bigger amounts, I went all out and ordered the 2ml sprays:

  • Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires
  • Serge Lutens L’Eau Froide
  • Tom Ford Lavender Palm
  • By Kilian Amber Oud
  • Byredo Seven Veils
  • Aedes de Venutas
  • Hilde Soliani Tutti Matti per Colorno
  • Thirdman Eau Monumentale

So they arrived and I am so excited to be writing about brand new things, fresh pressed as it were and I thought I’d give you a snapshot view of four of them. How does that sound? Terrific? I thought you’d like it. Just a reminder that my nose will smell things differently to yours but it’s always nice to have a starting point, especially with new stuff.

Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires. The citrus opening in this soft oriental wood is sensational, with just a touch of balmy sweetness keeping the squeal under control. The floral heart seems to rush by on my skin, a shame because the fleeting glimpse I get of it is magic, and I’m left with a skin scent that is mainly soft vanilla/myrrhe that is almost leathery. I think you need to sample this, my scent hungry skin just doesn’t want to let it do itself justice, barely discernible after 1 hour. Still barely discernible next morning. If I was about, or had any use for, understated glamour skin fragrances then I would certainly think about buying this.
Olfactoria’s Travels reviewed Myrrhe et Delires last week and here’s Fragrantica

Serge Lutens L’Eau Froide. Boy, this aquatic opens all vetiver, incense and mint like an icy cold blast from Antarctica, maybe ginger, so fresh it made my nostrils tingle. Quickly the blast dies away to nothing, really nothing just fresh air by the beach in Autumn, and then the fragrance warms on my skin and the frankincense comes to dance with the musk and warms the waters and I think I can smell the memory of mint weaving very quietly through but never quite revealing itself. I want my partner to come home and smell me. Maybe it’s my own smell mingling with fresh air? I’m so glad I bought this as a sample spray because I’m glad to have experienced it and will use up my 2ml, just to get the opening 12 minute rush again, but will probably not buy a bottle.
GrainDeMusc does an awesome review and here Fragrantica

Byredo Seven Veils. This spicy oriental opens up green, boozy, spicy and sweet, quite different to anything I’ve tried before, like the pink pepper has been harnessed by the spicy pimento and carrot and something else that I can’t find in the notes that’s giving me cognac. The warmth of the sandalwood and vanilla swing in quickly though and run through leaving flowers in their wake. then a moment later they all play through again. I think the orchid is adding dark, sexy presence as we travel along at the 2 hour point and I LOVE THIS. We are now at 5 hours and I’ve cleaned the whole house, including bathrooms and kitchen, there is still a vanilla, spicy fruit roll on my skin. This is how fragrance should be done. Congratulations Ben Gorham of Byredo, I am seriously thinking FB.
CafeFleurBon does an informative review with some great Salome history and Fragrantica has the notes etc.

Hilde Soliani Tutti Matti per Colorno. This is my first look at Hilde Soliani’s work. The spiel says that this is the Autumn smell of Colorno where she lives in Italy; hay, fennel, grass, wildflowers and weeds on a fresh Autumn day. I can smell it but I think there is also the smell of decomposing Autumn leaves after you’ve raked them, also something sweet and warm, a little smoke/charcoal, even though the notes don’t allow all that.  I can even almost smell the sun shining. Even if you don’t like crisp, light green, fresh fragrances this is a lovely story, not to be missed.
NowSmellThis introduces the whole range and here’s Fragrantica too

Thanks for coming along for a quick look at half of the Honey Badger Deal Sampler with me today. I hope you liked it, and learned something. It’s been a most enjoyable couple of days trying them. Why did I choose these 4? They were the first 4 to come to my hands. What new stuff have you tried this week?

I wish you the best of everything, thanks for dropping by,
Hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow.
Portia xx

PS All fragrance photos today were stolen from Fragrantica and I used my own photo of the tree in my front yard.

Giselle talks Liberte by Cacharel, WEEKLY WINNER ANNOUNCED

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hi Gang,

We had a wonderful set of COMPETITION GIVEAWAY responses this week and I enjoyed reading them all. Some great and personal stories you shared. In the prize pack;

Opus Oils Jitterbug Perfume Parlour Venus perfume oil sample

1.5ml decant spray of Miss Boucheron EdP

1.5ml decant spray of Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete EdT

Part manufacturers samples of Parfum d’Empire Cuir Ottoman EdP and Ambre Russe EdP

plus postage and packing to anywhere in the world

Tonight’s


Photo Stolen from sistersavealot.com

is Penny Cascio

Congratulations Penny! Please get in touch by Wednesday May 9 or I’ll give your prize to someone else.

In the video offering tonight Giselle Bundchen talks about life, love and Liberte by Cacharel (orange, patchouli, white flowers, vetiver, bergamot). A surprisingly effortless conversation with depth and understanding, Giselle shows she is more than the images we get of her in the press. I enjoyed watching it and I LOVE Liberte (Portia’s APJ Review), which is sadly discontinued but available at many of the online fragrance sale stores (FragranceNet 2.5oz under $40)

Have a great Saturday, see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

PS> I am not affiliated with any of the companies I extoll.

JAZZ by YSL, Thursday GIVEAWAY COMPETITION!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Hey all,

What a week we’ve had here at AustralianPerfumeJunkies. As the weather cools here we are probably doing temperature crossovers with the Northern Hemisphere.

When I was a teenager still in Fashion School but working weekends I bought myself a bottle of JAZZ by YSL. Although I’d had different fragrances before from family and friends this was the first time I felt like I had a scent of my own. I still keep a bottle but much of the oomph seems to have left it over time and reformulation sadly. There is still a lingering thrill though when I put it on, a frission of excitement when that spicy, sparkly, herbal squeak as you spray that is both warm and cool hits your nostrils, its steady progression through musky, resinous florals to its leather, earth and woods base. More people should wear this lovely 1986 Woody Aromatic by Jean-Francois Latty for Yves Saint Laurent, a lovely fit for discerning men and women everywhere, not to mention dirt cheap online. And being so yesterday hardly anyone will recognise it, it will be your own scent as it has been mine on and off for over 25 years (OMFG! How did that happen?). When I wear JAZZ, then as now, you can bounce rocks off my self confidence. JAZZ is the scent of centre, the cool calm feeling of being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right thing to say. Although there were plenty of other times I wore JAZZ when things went regularly, or horribly wrong, more often than not it was JAZZ that was there during my early wins.


Photo Stolen from shoppingheavendotnet

This week we’ve done some interesting stuff and we’d like to share some of our discoveries with you in our Thursday GIVEAWAY COMPETITION!

How to enter?

Please give us a short perfume memory in the comments about your first scent that you really feel you owned, that you felt supremely comfortable in.

As we met the Opus Oils Jitterbug Perfume Parlour and their all natural Divine Collection I thought I’d give the rest of my Venus perfume oil sample for you to try.

Then we talked about Miss Boucheron EdP, how about a 1.5ml decant spray so you can have a go at that

Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete was our next target so a 1.5ml decant spray of that also

And then we had our huge 2 day special on Parfum d’Empire so you can have what’s left of my Cuir Ottoman and Ambre Russe manufacturers samples, which were generous to begin with (I have Full Bottles, I’m not depriving myself)

plus postage and packing to anywhere in the world

We want to thank you all for returning each day. Today after you’ve entered the draw please enjoy the 1992 ad for JAZZ by YSL.

Much love and hope for your well being,

Portia xx

BBC documentary “Guerlain; The Next Generation”, Terracotta Voile d’Ete Review

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Hi Fume Heads, Stink Whores, Perfume Junkies and all others,

Just had the most wonderful lunch with friends down at Blue Fish, Darling Harbour off Sydney Harbour, chatting away to a girl who I’ve met a couple of times and liked very much. Had NO IDEA that she was the girl to set up Le Labo bar here in Sydney, has met most of the world’s most recognisable perfumers and many noses, and wants to be my scent mother. Helping, teaching, exploring!! She has even offered to do some guest spots here on AustralianPerfumeJunkies. OMFG! I am blowing kisses to the universe and to my BFF Kath who started the conversation about AustralianPerfumeJunkies today over the most ENORMOUS seafood platter.

It’s Sunday and I’m dropping this in early to give Sydneysiders a chance to read and watch before dinner. Instead of writing about a perfume I thought we could all watch a story about a perfume house. In honour of it being a Guerlain documentary I am wearing Terracotta Voile d’Ete and if you want to know what it is like Denyse Baeulieu from Grain de Musc does history, scent and wearability. All I will say about Terracotta Voile d’Ete by Guerlain is that it is a soft spicy floriental with moderate sillage and lasting power, works all year round and is pretty cheap online at $50-$90 100ml EdT. Being a 1999 limited edition you will be the only guy/girl wearing it and it’s modern but not as you know it AND, the bottle is beyond fabulous, the most deliciously retro chic. Imagine this little beauty on your vanity, huh? I got mine from FragranceNet.com with 15% off for about $43.


Photo Stolen from Fragrantica

Denyse is also the author of “The Perfume Lover” which I am currently enthralled in. It’s a page turner about a memory of a magical night turned into a fragrance by one of the world’s most talented perfumers, Bertrand Duchaufour of L’Artisan Parfumeur. Quite a plot, that also happens to be based on the real life events that led to the creation of Séville à l’aube, the new perfume from L’Artisan Parfumeur. I hope we get a movie with Lucy Liu, Maggie Smith, Angela Bassett, George Clooney, Eric Bana, Zac Efron, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith too. That would be AWESOME!

Go to with abandon!!

Portia xx

Guerlain, The Next Generation

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