Hermes

Hermès Cuir d'Ange by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2014

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Hermès, Hairdressers, and a Touch of Leather

Hermès Cuir d’Ange by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2014

Hermessence No 12

Cuir d’Ange really does smell like the inside of a soft leather bag. The kind that I will never own. I am not going to dissect Cuir d’Ange. Why would I? I learned on my recent trip to Florence that many of the perfumers want to stop “note lists” as it can take the wearer away from the beauty of the creation. Suffice it to say that there are layers of notes as with all perfume. Cuir d’Ange starts just sweet enough, and not overly flowery, the cool, elegant leather is detectable immediately. It has more of a suede feel, soft as a powder-puff. It smells exquisitely expensive, smooth and flawless. A whispy touch of warm caramel hovering, a soft muskiness. Subtle. It feels beautiful on the skin. A good generous spraying gave me hours of pleasure. I know that for some, the Hermès longevity is an issue. They are eau de toilette strength, but who cares? No law against reapplication.

Cuir d`Ange Hermes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica give these featured accords in one line:
Heliotrope, hawthorn, violet, narcissus, musk and leather

Jean-Claude Ellena is 67. It took him 10 years to create Cuir d’Ange. When asked why he explained that it is a slow and very demanding process. Taking a concept that is in the mind and translating the concept into a physical thing is hard.

Cuir d`Ange Hermes Jon Rawlinson FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Cuir d’Ange was named referencing the words of an early 20th century French author Jean Giono. Giono has inspired Ellena for over thirty years. (Although I know of Giono, I am not familiar with anything that he wrote. I better remedy that!) Ellena describes himself as “a writer of smells”. That applies to all great perfumers.

My hairdresser has a leather fetish. He thinks I don´t know. I plan very careful which perfume I wear each time I go. Today I wore Cuir d’Ange.
Result.

Cuir d`Ange Hermes Leather Hector Garcia FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I went to the Hermès store in Vienna last week. Their customer service is amazing. The SA gave me 8mls of Cuir d’Ange to “try properly”. Which I have done. It will be my next purchase. Much thanks to my two perfumista girlfriends in Vienna for introducing me to Hermès. I have given my bank manager their contact details.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Grain de Musc
Cuir d’Ange is number 12 in Hermès’ Hermessence collection of perfumes. It is available exclusively in Hermès stores. It costs about 185 Euros for 100 mls.
Which is 92.50 Euros for 50 mls which is not expensive compared to some of those over priced supposed big hitters out there.
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Cuir d’Ange is graceful and refined. No mean feat for a leather perfume. Sublime.

Bussis
CQ

Hermès: Observatory of Orange Boxes: Video Series #1

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This is fabulous APJ Crew,

You want to talk iconic? The orange box is DEFINITELY an icon in and of itself. I had a blanket box from Hermès  for years till it got ruined. I loved it so dearly, kept it on display like art, and in many ways the Hermès box IS art.

Hermes Box Maegan Tintari FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I love it when luxury brands give us whimsical and fun pieces. These little Hermès snippets are so far from what I expect of the old school, stylish and magnificent house of Hermès that when I saw the first one I laughed out loud. This is exactly what I love about the modern age of Guerilla marketing

Enjoy,

Portia xx

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 01

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 02

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 03

Hermès: Observatory of orange boxes – Observation 04

Caleche Parfum + EdT by Guy Robert for Hermes 1961

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Hello Fumie Family,

Recently there was a sale down in South Australia. Early 21st century Caleche Parfum by Hermes refills for a staggering $10, in their cellophane! OMG! So the excitement here was quite expected. I know I should have bought a few but I only got my friend Susan to grab me one and for Dinner on Friday night I decided it was the perfect accompaniment.

Caleche Parfum + EdT by Guy Robert for Hermes 1961

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, lemon, bergamot, cypress, orange blossom, neroli, mandarin
Heart: Iris, gardenia, ylang ylang, rose, lily of the valley, jasmine
Base: Sandalwood, tonka bean, musk, amber, oakmoss, cedar, vetiver

Caleche EdT by Hermes (Vintage)

This is one of the bottles that I was given by Michael Edwards. Kept perfectly and the fizzy citrus and white flower open is devastatingly beautiful. Sheerer and a touch more green than I remember but so fragrant and rich. The buzzing, metallic overtones of aldehydes that lighten and throw the citrus is breathtaking and I swoon.

This is opulence, the feeling of running your hand over very expensive leather and silk brocades. When the flowers fully arrive they are a bouquet, it takes a much better nose than mine to pick them and I think the oakmoss lays a smoothing veil over all. Later, the shiny patina of the resins and smooth undercurrent of woods comes in but they are soft and furry to fade.

Caleche Hermes SabyaSachi_Mukherji brocade_sari WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Caleche Parfum by Hermes (Vint-ish)

Now imagine the above twice as intoxicating. Thicker, richer and treacle thick that is more diffusive to open, in fact one tiny little spritz fills the room with fragrance instantly, and wears more animalic and honeyed (though honey is not a note listed). Caleche Parfum has 100% more growl, is way less bright and glittery, creates a warmer and more intense ambiance and is in every way more luxurious. Though I think my EdT may be older than the Parfum there is a burnished depth in the Parfum that makes me feel ultra sensual. Like looking into those incredibly glossed parquet floors made of 10 different woods, loads of light and shade but over all an extremely beautiful whole fragrance.

Caleche Hermes Elizabeth1_Phoenix WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Lasting power is excellent too, having worn the Parfum to dinner Friday I spritzed at 6pm and was still deliciously fragrant at 1am when I got to bed. So much so that I curled up against my forearm and fell into blissful sleep almost immediately.

Caleche is definitely a brocade fabric, full of life, glitter, colour and movement. It shimmers and glistens like canary diamonds under LED lights. All the notes come together in a beautiful, sparkling fizz of a fragrance that is like champagne cocktails at brunch.

Pool-side Mimosas at The Standard HotelPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: The Black Narcissus says it all perfectly, better ever than I could.
FragranceNet has $89/50ml EdT (old packaging) before Coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples EdT $3/ml Parfum $7/.5ml

Are you a fan? Is Caleche something you like? Maybe your family has a Caleche wearer?
I’d love to read your Caleche stories too, leave them below in the comments.

Portia xx

 

Get To Know Your Collection! Scent Task #1

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Hi there Freaky Frag Collectors,

Here is the problem. I spend a LOT of time testing new fragrances, buy a 3-5ml decant, empty it, fall in love, buy the fragrance and have it sit there, a lot of the time still in its cellophane. This problem is compounded by the fact that when I am wearing fragrance for sheer pleasure I often grab the same tried and true spritz-and-forget fragrances that I know I love.

Melita, the head of a Facebook Frag Group called For Love Not Money: Fragrance Appreciation Group<<JUMP (that has a rule about NEVER mentioning prices, sales, bargains or other super lemming inducing propaganda that could make you spend), had a brilliant idea…….

Get To Know Your Collection! Scent Task #1

Here is what Melita’s FaceBook challenge asked:

~*~*~*GROUP TASK: Get to know your collection!*~*~*~

It occurs to me every now and then that I favour certain perfumes and put them on rather too easily, while ignoring others in my collection and not really getting to know them. Next week, starting Monday the 11th August, I want to rectify that and learn more about the perfumes I already have. You are encouraged to join me in the following task:

1. Choose 5 fragrances from your collection (bottles, samples) that you don’t wear much or that you don’t really know well.
2. From Monday to Friday next week, choose one fragrance to wear each day and write a short review/comment/summary of the fragrance and share it on the group timeline. This can take any form that you like: a love letter, a poem, a brief review, a list of notes, a keyword summary, a pictographic essay. Be creative!
3. Keep things brief – limit your comments to 150 words if you can!

So I chose to use bottles that I had bought, there are quite a few that don’t get worn much. Personally, I chose to do my wearing in the morning while around the house so I could really take notice and enjoy my fragrance, sometimes enjoying it so much I chose to wear the same scent for work that night.

Here is my week in fragrance.

 

Fire from Heaven CB I Hate Perfume FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #1 Monday: Fire from Heaven by C B I Hate Perfume.
Sweet resinous woods with a faint acrid after burn incense char smell. I don’t know why I rarely wear this lovely, maybe it opens too cool for winter and doesn’t cross my mind at other times. Great story and an enjoyable ride

evocative perfumes Banner LogoPhoto Stolen Evocative Perfumes

Scent Task #1 Tuesday: Vanille Tonique by Evocative Perfumes
I grabbed out my bottle of Evocative Perfumes Vanille Tonique: It is a beautiful marriage between Vanille Absolument by L’Artisan and one of the Guerlains. Dryer and more ambery than the L’Artisan and more retro breathy than the current crop of Guerlain. Mark Evans (the perfumer) this is REALLY good stuff.

Excess Tokyo Milk Parfumarie Curiosite FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #1 Wednesday: 28 Excess by Tokyo Milk
Chocolate Orange Cake dried out by Woods. A sweet but not sticky fragrance. Though I am fully fragrant after about 15 minutes Excess sinks into and melds with my skin changing to a patchouli bomb with sparkles of the other notes. The whole dries down to a sweet amber/patchouli cloud.

Amouage Gold pour Femme Amouage FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #1 Thursday: Amouage Gold Extrait de Parfum
Sadly my Gold gets neglected for my Dia Extrait. This is only the second time I have used the Gold. WHOA!! One little spritz is BIG! Initial rush is awesome. I can see why the Dia gets more skin time, Gold is a powerful girl. I get cool incense, resins and cat right off early, so lovely, totally retro. The flowers are creating soft counterpoint harmonies to flesh out the rest. Very nice. Gold softens down considerably in the first hour and becomes a resinous, woodsy fragrance backed by cat. Noticeable but comfortable.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Scent Task #1 Friday: Vintage Caleche by Hermes
This is one of the bottles that I was given by Michael Edwards. I keep looking at it but haven’t given it a wear yet. Oh Em Gee! This has been kept perfectly and the fizzy citrus and white flower open is devastatingly beautiful. Sheerer and a touch more green than I remember but so fragrant and rich. This is opulence, the feeling of running your hand over very expensive leather and silk brocades. When the flowers fully arrive they are a bouquet, it takes a much better nose than mine to pick them and I think the oakmoss lays a smoothing veil over all. Later, the shiny patina of the resins and smooth undercurrent of woods comes in but they are soft and furry to fade.

AllSteele giveaway 1Photo Stolen AllSteele

Scent Task #1 GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:

1 x decanted spray 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 fragrance that gets little or no love in your collection.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: APJ Facebook Scent Task GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-33H  

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 17th August 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 Thursday 21st August 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.

 

Metamorphosis, an Hermès story: Video

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G’Day Gang,

I love how the big companies put out these fun films. Yes, their products are amazing, and yes I covet so many of them. See below pictured Ostrich Birkin. What I really love about these fils is that there are a wealth of creatives and artists making them. So much wonderful scope for the making of magic. That’s one of the reasons I search so many of these video-ettes out for you all, so they continue to have a need for artists to make magic. Oh, and because they are also fun stress relief.

Enjoy.

Portia xx

Hermes_Ostrich_Birkin_Bag WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Metamorphosis, an Hermès story

Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2014 Perfume Reviews

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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.

Top 10 Spring:Autumn Fragrances mrhayata FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Top 10 Spring:Autumn Fragrances PixabayPhoto 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

The roses of Heliogabalus oil on canvas 132.7 x 214.4 cmPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

Santal Massoïa by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

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Hey Hey APJ,

While out in London with the mad London Frag Crew a bunch of us that just couldn’t let the day finish went to Selfridges in the evening and ran amok. It was bittersweet fun because we all knew the day was coming to a close and it felt that we’d made some really great new friends who GOT us. Know what I mean? Anyway, I think it was the beautiful Tara of Olfactoria’s Travels who came to Hermès with me because I wanted to try Epice Marine (FABULOUS BTW) but annoyingly they had no samples left for me to take and review. The SA was so embarrassed at their lack that she gave me two samples of other things and today we’ll look at the first. I have decanted to a spritz so I get the same ride as you would from a bottle. Just for fun today I thought I’d let you travel through my mind on a first wearing of a fragrance…….

Santal Massoïa by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

Santal Massoïa Hermes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Massoïa wood resin from New Guinea, coconut, peach, butterscotch, sandalwood, sugar, milk, dried fruits, floral notes

Well, Santal Massoia is a bit of a surprise. Now that I look at the notes it makes sense but I was not expecting a tropical alcoholic drink out of a coconut, with a paper umbrella, in a freshly made wood and thatch bar by the pool. Honestly I am smiling broadly and feel as if the holiday is at day 5 when you just realise you are away and can relax for another 5 glorious days.

Santal Massoia Hermes Evening Beach Matt Rudge FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Something that I often feel about Jean Claude Ellena’s work and here in Santal Massoia especially is that the notes are part of a chorus, though there is a buttery, waxy, fatty wood at the centre it is not really about that so much as it’s about a feeling of quietly luxuriating in the sun, having a silly drink for the hell of it and either reading a trashy novel or playing meaningless games on your phone. It has been a long time since I’ve had a holiday like that, I don’t think in the last 25 years, but my childhood and early adulthood was full of exactly those kind of holidays, it was ONLY trashy novels then as the internet was still being used only for governmental/war games. We did used to get those great puzzle books though like find trhe word, crosswords or other game type books. There were also cards, canasta was the family game of choice and it was used as a tool to show good game play behaviours and how life was often ready to throw a curve ball. OH MY GOD! I am lost in a complete memory cycle and all through two spritzes of a fragrance.

 _MG_6220rPhoto Stolen Flickr

Yes, I can pick the woods, fruits, coconut, mmmm sort of get the butterscotch but in a Schnappsy kind of way and if you asked me to pick some flowers I would say a fruity/boozy rose and the buttery fat of ylang, is there fig? Maybe the milk and fruit are giving me a fig reference? I could understand if you were to complain that Santal Massoia is linear, the story is more a rotating of notes that become more pronounced than a change in fragrance per se. After the first hour to two hours Santal Massoia softens to a nimbus of soft focus fragrance, very close to the skin and you really need to be hugging someone for them to notice how lovely you smell, that is no bad thing especially at work or in confined spaces. By the 3 hour mark I’m finding it difficult to smell anything but I think anosmia has set in because Jin still smells something nutty.

Santal Massoïa HermesPhoto Stolen Hermès

 

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Perfume Shrine
Hermessence are only available at Hermès stores or very rarely they come up at auction sites
You can buy in Australia from the Hermès site $665/100ml with leather cover
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Which of the Hermessence range have you tried? Do you like Jean Claude Ellena’s style?

Portia xx

24 Faubourg by Maurice Roucel for Hermès 1995

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Hi to you Lovers of Fine Fragrance,

My mate Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) sometimes has amazing clearances from her Frag Wardrobe and last year I snaffled this little beauty from her. I think she grabbed the Limited edition bottle and knew two was more than she’d ever use. COOL! I have often nearly bought 24 Faubourg but there seemed to be something more pressing at each near buy and it was deferred, now it’s mine (Cue evil laugh and gratuitous hand wringing Mwa HA haaaaa HAAAAAAAaaaa)

24 Faubourg by Maurice Roucel for Hermès 1995

24 Faubourg HermesPhoto Stolen Hermès

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, peach, bergamot, yalan ylang, hyacinth
Heart: Black elder, iris, jasmine, gardenia, orange blossom
Base: Sandalwood, amber, patchouli, vanilla

What I get in the opening is ylang, peach and sweat, like a beautifully perfumed person has gone a little bit long without a shower and they’ve added more fragrance instead of a bath. Maybe 24 Faubourg even smells like the smell of perfume on a scarf the next morning, beautiful, elegant, memorable and a little tired. It is so good, without being totally in your face, that tiny hint of bed head, that après un rapport sexuel (probably a terrible translation by google).

Hermes 24 Faubourg Hermes Lautrec_in_bed WikiPediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

The berries/citrus doesn’t really appear on me till well into the heart and seems woven through the white floral accord so beautifully that it’s hard to separate anything. Currently I am sitting in 31C (88F) inside the house! The fan is doing a lovely job and 24 Faubourg is sublime. I sit in a fragrant cloud of what feels like big money, old money. There’s a dry rustle of patchouli and amber towards the end that I feel is missing some of its buttery goodness from a cool temp wearing.

In this heat I’m lucky to get two hours of fragrant wear before 24 Faubourg becomes a sheer patina of woodsy vanilla that will then stay around another two to three hours and slowly fade away to nothing.

Hermes 24 Faubourg Hermes Versailles snow WikiMediaPhoto Stolen Wikimedia

By the time you read this I will be in frozen Europe, Paris by now and I have lunch at Guerlain, 68 Champs Elysees booked with Neela, a catch up with Denyse Beaulieu, off to do a private English class at the Osmotheque and stomp around Versailles and hopefully two full mornings in the Louvre. YAY! Sometimes I can’t believe my good fortune.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and The Perfume Magazine
You can buy 24 Faubourg online at Hermès Hermès World Site Page<<<JUMP
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

Is 24 Fauberg in your collection? When do you wear it? What magical fantasies does it give you?

Portia xx

I know this is late but I love it. Hermès shoes! YES PLEASE!!!

Hermès Women’s 2013 Fall/Winter Shoe Collection