How Do You Decide What Perfume To Wear?

January 8, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Portia

Hey APJ,

Sometimes I look at my collection and the size is completely overwhelming, making it really hard to choose what fragrance to wear that day. Does this ever happen to you? Happens around here with monotonous regularity.

How Do You Decide What Perfume To Wear?

So, there are a few ways I use to combat the “Too Many Blues” like grabbing a random sample and spritzing away, using an old favourite like Guerlain Shalimar, Parfums DelRay Amoureuse or Cacharel Liberté. Other times I do what I did today, walked over to me desk and grabbed the fist thing my eyes rest on. It was

Le Jardin de Monsieur Li by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2015

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Kumquat, jasmine, mint

It’s high summer here and raining so a perfect fit. All that gorgeous oily citrus offset with refreshing mint. Wears so easily in the hot or cold and though I’m hardly a One Bottle Guy, Monsieur Li could very easily fit the bill if I had to become one. I wore it to dinner the other night with a bunch of mates and got two random compliments. Very happy with that. especially because I feel it is such an under the radar scent.

Below is the last of us on that night, there were 10 more but this pic are the ones who stayed and drank Turkish Coffee. OMG! That was definitely a new experience. From left: Me, Jin, Jocelyn Fullerton of Cult Of Scent, TinaG, Craig, Scott, Paul.

From Hermès:
“I remembered the smell of ponds, the smell of jasmine, the smell of wet stones, of plum trees, kumquats and giant bamboo. It was all there, and in the ponds there were even carp steadily working towards their hundredth birthday.” Jean-Claude Ellena
Le Jardin de Monsieur Li describes a Chinese garden somewhere between reality and imagination. A place for meditation where strolling is allied to thought, and every step sets the imagination free.

Back in 2015 when Monsieur Li was released I talked about it on Australian Perfume Junkies. You can get it at most department stores and even on the online discounters.

So what do you do when confronted by this conundrum?
How Do You Decide What Perfume To Wear?
Portia xx

Elixir des Merveilles by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2006

December 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

Hello APJ!

Christmas time is a-coming! Time to talk about orange scents, in other words. First up – Elixir des Merveilles.

Elixir des Merveilles by Hermès 2006

Elixir des Merveilles by Jean-Claude Ellena

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Peru balsam, vanilla sugar, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, patchouli, Siam resin, caramel, oak, incense, orange peel, cedar

God, Elixir des Merveilles is such a weird perfume. The first time I tried it, I remember thinking –this right here is why people hate perfume. It was overly rich, sweet, muddy, with all the elements jumbled together in that overdone blur that defines “Rich Bitch” perfumes to me. The second time I tried it, I thought “I should learn how to read labels better” because I’d been aiming for the Ambre bottle.

Third time round, something clicked for me and I began to like it. Now I have odd, sudden cravings for it. I think it’s because I was finally able to figure out its structure. There are two sides to Elixir des Merveilles – the syrupy orange peels dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt on one side, and on the other, a massively butch clutch of resins and moss. It’s basically a super-gourmand grafted onto a super hairy-balled aftershave.

Flickr

Both sides are as oversized as clown shoes. The oranges dipped in caramel and chocolate are sweet to the point of being grotesque. One minute you think it’s gorgeous, the next you think, Christ, this stuff is absolutely gross. The sprinkling of what feels like celery salt over the treacly mass is probably one step too far. I swing between feeling repulsed to wanting more. The countermanding element is rather chypre-like: a brusque, musky cedar, smoky balsams and resins, moss. It’s really quite dry, bitter, and smoky.

The exaggerated forms of the two parts give the perfume a cartoonish Jessica Rabbit shape. It’s like watching an overloaded plane trying to take off or Kim Kardashian walk across the road in a tight skirt. You half fear it’s going to topple over any minute. But somehow the whole thing seems to hang together and work quite well. It’s a great winter gourmand, and the oranges and resins make me think of Christmas and oddly, Theorema.

Just don’t put this on if you’re not in the right mood for it, because it sticks like glue and seems to grow grander by the minute. At times, I find it enveloping and rich – just right for a cold winter’s day. But at other times, it begins to wear me down. When my hand glides over the small bottle of it that I bought, I have to think twice before putting it on.

PDI

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Non-Blonde
Hermes stores and department stores stock Elixir des Merveilles
FragranceX has it around the $100/50ml mark
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3/ml

What about you guys? Do you have any perfumes that you hesitate before putting on because they are either such a huge commitment? Or because sometimes you enjoy them and other times they make you want to hurl? M/Mink and Myrrhe Ardente are both a little like Elixir des Merveilles in that way for me.

Slán!

Claire

Claire also writes for Take One Thing Off<<JUMP

Cookie Queen: Perfumes I Have Worn In 2016

November 8, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Good Day APJ.

What is a REAL blogger anyway?

Over the years I have thoroughly enjoyed bloggers’ roundups of best perfumes including what have they have been wearing. Not considering myself a proper blogger it did not occur me that I could do my own list. However, it will be four years with APJ for me next year so bloody hell, I will award myself the status of “blogger”

Cookie Queen: Perfumes I Have Worn In 2016

I do not wear samples. I try samples out on my left wrist, and if I get over excited perhaps on both wrists. I only wear perfumes that I have full bottles of. (All perfumistas have idiosyncratic behaviours – don´t you?)

Fragrantica

VERO PROFUMO. All of them of course! Most worn this year would be the Kikis, I nearly finished a bottle of the juicy, delicious, erotic, sadly under-rated Kiki EdP. The Kiki Extrait is laced with ambergris and is so divine I worked my way through at least 15 mls of it. The Kiki Voile a Prozac of a perfume. 🙂

HERMÈS. I received a bottle of Hermès Doblis as a gift at the beginning of the year, a belated birthday present. Probably the most exquisite perfume I have ever been given. Also in heavy rotation was the Muguet Porcelaine. This stunning lily-of-the-valley is wonderful in cool weather. Cuir d’Ange, a favourite for the last couple of years, was worn as much ever. And more recently Osmanthe Yunnan also fab in cold weather, although if you believe all you read you would be forgiven for assuming it is a summer scent.

Fragrantica

CHANEL. Bois des Iles Parfum and EdT. Cuir de Russie Parfum and EdT. Misia EdT. Coromandel EdT. And the heliotrope heavy Boy EdP.

GUERLAIN. Shalimar Extrait Vintage, Shalimar Extrait current. Shalimar Eau de Cologne.

Fragrantica

AROMA M. Geisha Noire EdP and Oil. Vanilla Hinoki EdP and Oil.

LANCÔME. Cuir de Lancôme.

BEST PERFUME AWARD 2017

Hermès Galop d’Hermès Parfum

I don´t want to get carried away with my newfound status as a real blogger so I will only select one. Without a second thought it goes to Hermès Galop d’Hermès Parfum. A poised and elegant perfume. The rose, the quince, the saffron and leather. It´s a work of art.

There are a number of new fragrances that I did try and enjoy, but they did not make the full bottle grade. I love the scene, the people, the perfume shows, and the vibe of the fragrant world. But the many hundred of new launches have me running for cover. I do own other perfumes, including a number of Lutens but this was not their year.

What perfumes do you REALLY wear huh? I am über-interested.

Real Blogger Bussis
CQ

HOLIDAYS!! Japan 2016: Photo Essay

November 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Hey APJ,

Jin and I are in transit from Japan to South Korea. I was hoping to have the post written and organised long before this but, bloody hell, it has been non stop. We are having a ball and wish you all were here with us. 3 nights and 2 full days was a great taster for Jin and a lovely reminiscence for me. Sadly we didn’t get to see everyone on the list but next time we are going to make it a fortnight and travel around a bit.

HOLIDAYS!! Japan 2016: Photo Essay

Korean Air = Roomy & cheap. Staff are amazing and food yummy. NOW I want them to sponsor my ass.

Our first full day in Japan is a public holiday so we get to share the perfect autumn weather with millions of families. Tokyo remains surprisingly roomy. We love the day in temples, parks and galleries.

We particularly loved seeing a few Korean National Treasures stolen during Japanese occupation of Korea. Jin couldn’t help but be excited when one of the most famous historic buddhas was on display.

That night we were taken to Torikizoku, a famously modern young Japanese hang where booze and snacks are the order of the night. Loved it. Thanks Luke. We worked out that we’ve been friends around 27 years. Amazing.

Jin is basically on a gastro-tour. EVERYTHING from street food to hand created sushi, fast food and VERY slow food was on the menu. I think he tried about 20 new dishes, or ate authentic Japanese versions of old favourites. watching him discover new delights was like living with a perfect sunrise.

Of course we had to do the obligatory fragrance shopping. Isetan in Shinjuku is a fabulous department store with the most unbelievable Food Hall in the basement. We spent a small fortune buying Japanese delicacies for Jin’s family in South Korea.

Because we spent so much time & money down there I wasadamant that we check the fragrance section. It was well stocked with a large range of masstige and designer fragrances. From CREED and Le Labo to Annick Goutal and MFK we were thrilled at the choice. I ended up buying the Hermès Jardin of Monsieur Li gift set and extra body wash and a 30ml Samsara parfum which I have put off buying until now they have DCd the fabulous bottle. Having bought the EdT for my Mum many years ago it’s the Parfum I have long coveted and my little vintage 2ml is just a gasp away from empty.

From back in the mid 1990s a lovely girlfriend that used to come watch the shows and hang out in the clubs with us, Miharu, came into Shinjuku for dinner. It was a magical catch up and Jin was on his absolute most hilarious behaviour. We spent the night laughing, eating, wandering and catching up. So many wonderful memories and now a new set of Japan 2016 with Miharu.

OK, so we are now on the plane for South Korea to see Jin’s family. Loaded down with booze, sweets, money and love to pass on to his parents. This is the first time I get to meet his Grandma too. She was a very clever young woman and studied in Japan in her youth. Now she is suffering Alzheimers and Dementia we are hoping the Japanese sweets and savouries will give her a jolt into the past and present.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this very thin slice of Japan.
Where are you going for holidays next? Where would you go if money was no object?
Portia xx

Stress and Perfumes!

October 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Post by Sandra

Hi there fellow perfume aficionados. Hope ya’ll are doing well.

We received a life changing phone call a couple of weeks ago and it is now official – we are moving from Vienna, Austria to Rotterdam, The Netherlands! Yikes! I thought I would never leave Vienna, and yet here I am planning our move which comes unfortunately during the holidays this year.

Stress is of course the norm now but so is the anticipation and excitement. I have lived a largely nomadic lifestyle until I landed in Vienna and got married. Being a global nomad brings its challenges but also its treasures. Home is everywhere. Learning a new language and culture feeds my soul. Meeting new people and making new friends adds color to my life. As I grew up living in a number of countries I find the process of moving painful but the end effect and the nesting period exhilarating. For my husband and son it will be a different experience and I have to try and make it as smooth as possible for both of them. Hence, the stress.

Stress and Perfumes!

Perfumes have always given me a sense of comfort – a cloak in which I am invisible and I can be stronger than I am currently feeling. Here are a couple of perfumes I have been frequently wearing lately.

Fragrantica

Micallef Cuir Vanille has given me a shield with which I protect myself. I can face the day knowing that the leathery vanilla will be there to soothe my anxieties.

Fragrantica

Guerlan Cuir Beluga is my old trusted friend whose shoulder I can lean on for support and guidance. The soft suede laced with vanilla done as only Guerlain can do.

I tend to reach for amber or vanilla in stressful situations, but the other day I encountered a stunning perfume which made me feel like I was prepared for anything that may come. I wore Hermes Le Galop and was blown away at its morphing capabilities. It started out all fruity and slightly sour then moved to a leathery suede which made me feel strong. In the evening I noticed that the gorgeous gentle rose tinged with suede. My world seemed ok.

Fragrantica

Last but not least – Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur – deep velvet red cushions embroidered with royal purple and golden threads. I rest my head and breathe a deep sigh of relief. Home.

Fragrantica

My husband has turned to Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan – it smells completely different on him – smooth, rich, dry amber deliciousness. He has never before been complemented by a man on his choice of perfume until the other day … .

Fragrantica

My son, seven years old, has always enjoyed a spritz or two of Hermès Un Jardin Sur la Toit until recently when he keeps wanting a spritz of Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 Mortal Skin. It must be that he is also needing an extra layer of perceived protection with all the stress.

Fragrantica

As the moving date nears I will find it interesting which perfumes I will reach for most. Let me leave you with some of my recent pictures of Vienna which has been home for 22 years.

What perfumes do you wear when you are under a lot of pressure and stress? On another note, have any of you shopped for perfumes in The Netherlands? Any suggestions?
SX

Galop d’Hermès by Christine Nagel for Hermès 2016

September 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

Hey there, you lovely-smelling APJ guys!

I was recently lucky enough to snag a sample of the new Galop d’Hermès in an Hermès boutique in Copenhagen. Well, I say lucky, but what I really mean is that I stomped my little feet until I got one, because I was buying a whole bottle of Osmanthe Yunnan at full retail so you better believe I wasn’t leaving without some loot. I got a chance to fondle the bottle too. I’m not sure what the string is for (hanging it up with your gym wash bag maybe?), but it’s Hermès and it’s shaped like a stirrup, so who am I to quibble.

Galop d’Hermès by Hermès 2016

Galop d’Hermès by Christine Nagel

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Rose, Leather, Saffron, Quince

Galop d’Hermès opens bright and mouth-puckeringly tart, a saffraleine leather glossed to a high shine with rose and cassis. It’s hard not to swoon, to be honest, because the immediately appetizing mixture of velvety rose petals, saffron, and orange swells to fill the nose and make your mouth water. Syrupy and rich, the opening is almost gourmand to my nose, but then a wave of urinous cassis (blackcurrant) crests and washes over the composition, adding a welcome astringency.

Now, don’t be too alarmed by my use of the word “urinous” here – both cassis and grapefruit share a compound that is also present in urine, but if you don’t perceive any “cat pee” note in fragrances such as Aqua Allergoria Pamplelune, then you should be fine with this. I think that this is the only element in Galop that might be considered shocking or animalic, the way the perfume makes that blackcurrant note teeter between pee and unripe fruit. To my nose, rhubarb has a similar effect.

Likewise, despite equestrian-based marketing, there is really nothing horsey or animalic about the leather note, which is the smooth, vegetal leather used in other Hermès fragrances such as Kelly Caleche. But the texture here is less angular. The sleekness of leather fuzzes up even more, gaining a dusky wooliness that really works against the tart cassis. What surprises me is that the lush, velvety rose I smelled in the opening disappears, morphing into a rose-tinted baked apple – a quince basically. I bake with quinces, and the scent matches the taste: a rosy, perfumey apple with a mealy texture. When a slice or two is slipped into an ordinary apple tart, they turn a fabulous shade of blush pink.

Longevity is pretty good – I get about 6-8 hours. Projection is quiet, though, which is hardly surprising, given it’s an extrait. I can see this working for posh girls and boys who know their way around a tack room or two. It’s as refined as the JC Ellena scents for Hermès but has just enough of that Christine Nagel richness of touch to push more towards glamorous equestrian ball territory than sheer daytime wear.

Fragrantica

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and AnOther
Hermès Australia has $275/50ml

What about you? Will you miss JC Ellena when he goes? What are your fave JC Ellena frags?
Slán from rainy old Ireland,
Claire

Claire also writes for Take One Thing Off

Equipage Géranium by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2015

August 28, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hey there Frag Friends,

Robert H. here writing from my small island home in the Pacific Northwest. Lately I’ve been wearing the beautiful Equipage Géranium by JCE…..

Equipage Géranium by Hermès 2015

Equipage Géranium by Jean-Claude Ellena

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Spices, geranium, rose, mint, sandalwood

Imagine a summer’s day, warm and dry and perhaps you’ve been invited to a friends house in the countryside. Your first day there, you decide to go horseback riding, so you throw on a pair of jeans and a well-worn pair of boots. You cross the drive to the stables and immediately the smell of damp hay hits your nose.

You notice a wine barrel planter next to the stables, with bright red and spicy geraniums growing next to some errant mint plants. The geranium has that dusty/floral/spicy aroma, almost rose-like, as you lean in to sniff. You take a mint leaf and crush it between your fingers, the aromas mingling and melding to create an almost floral vibe but cooled and tempered by the mint.

From inside the stable you catch a whiff of freshly groomed horse and the leather tack hanging on the wall.

This is Equipage Géranium.

The first flanker to the now iconic Equipage, this gorgeous scent goes one better to me, the addition of the geranium spiciness and mint sitting on a base of creamy sandalwood amps it up to a new level. Yes it is masculine, but with a classic Jean-Claude Ellena soft-focus edge.

Jean-Claude Ellena has created a scent that is assertive, bold, and nothing like his lighter, spare scents of the past.

«I tried to capture the smell a thousand times, a thousand times it escaped me. Drawn by its complexity, its sumptuousness, I took this perfume with me when I travelled, to discover it.» Jean-Claude Ellena

Hermès

Further reading: Black Narcissus and Colognoisseur
Hermès Australia has Au$145/100ml

And although marketed as a men’s cologne, I can see a woman easily wearing this, commanding attention and exuding confidence, like Joan Crawford’s first meeting with the board of directors of Pepsico… “Don’t F#*k with me boys, this ISN’T my first time at the rodeo!”

Giddyup!!

Have you tried this Geranium? Which Jean-Claude Ellena creations do you love?

C Ya Sweet Smellers
RH

Portia’s Fragrant Week 24 – 30 July 2016

August 12, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Frag Fiends,

Some of mates have been doing weekly wrap up shots of their fragrances. I loved the idea but kept forgetting to do it. Last week I put a box in my office and every time I spritzed something it went into the box. It was fun to watch the bottles and boxes pile up in there.

Portia’s Fragrant Week 24 – 30 July 2016

Yes, this is 7 days of fragrant wear for me. I think/hope I got them all. There were a couple of samples that I finished and threw away while not thinking, oops. (Bloody forgot Aesthete by Le Galion and Infini by Caron)

So from top to bottom 4 rows, left to right.

Miss Dior vintage parfum by DIOR: Pretty floral, furry dry down. Why did they have to change it? GRRR

Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations: One of my all time faves. India meets Europe in a temple rose garden.

Exultat by Maria Candida Gentile: Incense and woods, one of the most comfortable incense bombs ever.

Epice Marine by Hermès: The modern aquatic, lifted by spices and that sheer oily JCE signature.

Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia by Guerlain: Lily and cool white flowers with a touch of coconut cream. Tropical yet elegant.

Midnight Oud by Juliette Has A Gun: Rose & oudh, smells great, lasts for the whole day, won’t break the bank.

Coco vintage parfum by CHANEL: Coco, is Coco, is Coco. Heavenly oriental, so spicy and full.

Fantasia de Fleurs by Creed: Sweet, jammy roses and marmalade. YUM!

Giverny In Bloom by DSH Perfumes: Put your head in a florists fridge while wearing a heavily galbanum fragrance and you will smell Giverny In Bloom.

LouLou by Cacharel: BOOM! LouLou is like wearing a technicolour shirt that glitters and shimmers. Careful of she’ll wear you out.

Tweed by Taylor of London: MEMORIES!!! Mum. Back then it was Tweed by Lentheric.

Truth or dare by Madonna: Yes. This is my current favourite big white floral. So good and practically free.

Amazone vintage by Hermès: Oakmoss and a little bit of other stuff. Furry and genteel.

What did you wear last week?
Portia x

Amazone vintage by Maurice Maurin for Hermès 1974

July 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Vintage Frag Fiends,

There is something really exciting about getting a vintage in the mail. That very first spritz, will it: have propellant, be real, still smell good, work for me? Those days when the top notes are gone off or completely missing can be a bummer. Recently this old chestnut showed up, it’s about 80% full and looks fresh as the day it was made. The nozzle smells great, exactly like a mossy frag from the 1970s should smell like. Come have a first spritz experience with me.

Amazone by Hermès 1974

Amazone by Maurice Maurin

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Cassia, Geranium, Hyacinth
Heart: Iris, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Rose
Base: Amber, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Cedarwood

OK, so we have propellant and the opening notes have been totally eclipsed by their greasy cold metal otherness. It takes a couple of minutes for the headache inducing, stomach churning mess to sort itself out. Then this bottle of Amazone has a dry grass, light geranium/spicy fruit rose and furry jasmine/oakmoss scent that softens, plushes out and gets more comfortable and lived in over the next couple of hours. I can easily imagine this appealing to the horsey daughters and youngish wives of a certain social strata as so many reviews allocate its fan base. Being a chypre its slightly floral heart and bone dry dry-down seem a little mature to me, sophisticated and cooly aloof. You can easily imagine the wearer to be wearing Shetland wool and corduroy or denim instead of cashmere, linen and silks. Yet another part of me can see someone, man or woman, in a sharp business suit using Amazone as their tasteful undercurrent of a point of difference.

The far dry down of vetiver, moss and woods is perfectly balanced and shimmers softly over my skin for hours and hours, tomorrow morning I will still have a whisper of wonderful to wake up to.

Hermès

From Hermès: Symbolic of a free, modern femininity, Amazone takes its inspiration from the mythical horsewomen who, according to legend, ruled over the shores of the Black Sea. A novel composed by Maurice Maurin in 1974 and orchestrated around blackcurrant buds, the fragrance is a green floral harmony in which daffodils, narcissi, galbanum, red fruits and vetiver take turns to shine.

Further reading: Yesterday’s Perfume and Non Blonde
Hermès have the modern variation and it still smells very nice but totally different.
Surrender To Chance has samples of the modern version from $3/ml

Which is your vintage or your Hermès?
Portia xx

FLANKERS!! Let’s Talk About Flankers

July 10, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Howdy folks, it’s Anne-Marie, here to chat about the issues that matter in this crazy perfume-y world. Today, it’s … yay! Flankers!

FLANKERS!! Let’s Talk About Flankers

A flanker, as I’m sure you know, is a perfume which ‘flanks’ a pillar release. It perpetuates the name of the original but otherwise they may have little in common. Often the flanker has much less money spent on it and will be chucked at the market to see if it sticks.
It tends to be a given that flankers are not worthy of the perfume lover’s attention, but here are some which I have enjoyed.

Stylefrizz

Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere (2007, and re-packaged in 2015). The first flanker (as opposed to different form or concentration) to the 1921 classic. It is beautiful variant, less aldehydic than No 5: sunshiny, and with a lovely lemony top note. A perfect all-occasion fragrance. Apparently sales were disappointing, and we have a new flanker to look forward to this year, No 5 L’Eau.

Shalimar: what can you say without making Shalimar lovers’ blood boil? Well, I love Eau de Shalimar (2008/9) and Shalimar Cologne Eau de Toilette (2015). The lime top-note in EdS is admittedly a little weird, but I find the fragrance very relaxing overall. The Cologne? Oh my – gorgeous! Lemon instead of lime, very bright but beautifully blended with vanilla. It’s addictive but not (for me at least) especially foodie. Neither these two flankers, nor any of the Shalimar flankers as far as I know, are as heavy on the smoke and leather as the original.

CHANEL

I bought Chanel No 19 Poudre (2011) when it came out but sold it eventually. The iris is superb, the powder is not stifling, and the fragrance wears like a silk slip. But the white musk in the base seems timid and produces a lack-lustre result overall.

Sometimes a flanker stands confidently next to its pillar. Hermes L’Ambre des Merveilles (2012) trounces the original Eau de Merveilles for me, perhaps because I simply have trouble smelling the Eau. L’Ambre has a miraculous floaty character: sweet but cool, warm but restrained. The only amber I truly love.

Fragrantica

I’ve reviewed Hermes Kelly Caleche (2007) on APJ, so will just note here that it is a cool, elegant leather with little resemblance to the original Caleche, which I never loved. I’ll come right out with it: Caleche smells dated to me, and too short-lived to bother with.

Finally, Lancome Magie Noire (1978). Yes, it’s a flanker to Magie, released in 1950 and re-released briefly in the mid-2000s. Magie was a classic amber: good but not great. Magie Noire is devastating. A witchy mix of chypre and oriental. Dark, sensual and animalic, it’s haunting if worn lightly, but all-consuming if spritzed heavily. You might pay for this one with your soul.

Over to you! There are LOADS of flankers that you have tried and I haven’t. The good, the bad and the forgettable. Do share!
Until next time, happy spritzing!