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Kate Apted
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Well, hello good APJ people. Got a fun post for you all today. It is all about Kyse perfumes! Ok, just the ones I have been fortunate enough to try.
Independent Perfumers
Impressions De Giverny by Rasei Fort for Fort & Manlé 2018 + Interview
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Portia
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Hi there APJ,
There has been a lot of buzz around the Fort & Manlé brand in the last couple of years. The fragrances are excellent and not stereotypically niche. When you hold a bottle in your hand you can feel the heart and love that’s gone into creating something so beautiful, and then when you spritz! That’s when the real fireworks start. I’m an unashamed fan of Rasei and his work. We’ve met and I found him a Continue reading
Teone Reinthal GIVEAWAY WINNERS
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Portia
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Hi APJ,
What a wonderful response. HUGE Thank You to the very generous and talented Teone Reinthal. The best way you can thank her is to drop into her shop and have a browse Teone Reinthall Natural Perfumes.
Teone Reinthal GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Teone Reinthall Natural Perfumes
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week there will be 7 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml Teone Reinthal Travel Spray (NO you don’t get to choose)
2 x 1ml Teone Reinthal samples (from my bottles)
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Sunday 28th January 2018 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners were chosen by random.org
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Esz
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Jo Fryer
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Evan Sufi
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Hage Kay
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Paul
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Katherine Mittas
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JackieB
The winners will have till Thursday 1st February 2018 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
Classic Patchouli Balmy by Von Eusersdorff 2018
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Val the Cookie Queen
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Hello Fragrant Fraggie Fiends,
This is a Patchouli Public Service Announcement
Classic Patchouli Balmy by Von Eusersdorff 2018
The Seven Year Jubilee Limited Edition
Patchouli essential oil can be an antidepressant, an aphrodisiac, a sedative, it can fill one with hope. It is not adored by all, but for those who do fall in love with it, the relationship usually Continue reading
Charlatan by Fort & Manle GIVEAWAY WINNERS
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Portia
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Hi there APJ,
Thank you to Rasei of Fort & Manle. Such generosity. It’s wonderful to have this beautiful bottle and the scent is freaking amazing.
I hope you’re a winner,
Portia xx
Charlatan by Fort & Manle GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pear, dark chocolate
Heart: Damask rose, Moroccan jasmine, vanilla, tuber
Base: Osmanthus, Australian sandalwood, amber, Madagascar vanilla
Fort & Manle parfum has $230/50ml
Peony Melbourne also has the range
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week there will be 10 winners who will receive:
1 x Fort & Manle Charlatan decant (from my bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Sunday 17th December 2017 10pm Australian Edst
Winners were chosen by random.org
- Hage Kay
- Monica Beaton
- Tim
- Jyotsna
- Crikey
- Kerri Clarke
- Paul mills
- DW
- Jaybee
- Sue Mills
The winners will have till Thursday 21st December 2017 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
Tarragon and Bitter Orange Finishing Salts by Aftelier Perfumes
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Portia
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Hey APJ Peeps,
It’s no secret how much I love baths. I find a 15-20 minute soak in the tub more relaxing that almost anything else you can mention. It’s a short sharp shot of bliss that can be done whenever a window appears. Quite often I will do all my chores at the end of a night because the days are hectic. It may be 2 or 3am after a busy day, working at night, getting the blog stuff done and then doing a few loads of washing or cleaning the kitchen. A great way for me to go from supersonic to sleepy tired is to have a bath with a warm drink, dry, moisturise, scent and bed. My head hits the pillow and lights out till the alarm goes off in the morning for the dogs feeding and walking.
Why have I rambled on yet again about baths? Well, Mandy Aftel has made some incredibly luxurious eating salts that I naughtily used a capful of in my bath and O M G it was a transcendent experience. Talk about sending me into the stratosphere; amazing! You need hardly any to scent the whole bathroom very softly and it is calming and head clearing. Do it as you get in the bath. Beautiful. SHHHH! Don’t tell Mandy I did it though.
Tarragon and Bitter Orange Finishing Salts by Aftelier Perfumes
So, how are we supposed to use Tarragon and Bitter Orange Finishing Salts? Follow this recipe and your family will think you are the best cook in the history of all cooks. I use one fillet each but your crew may like more.
4 large Snapper Fillets
1 x lemon cut into very thin slices
2 TBsp butter
2 x parsley fronds chopped finely
1 x crushed large garlic clove
Pinch white pepper
Tarragon and Bitter Orange Finishing Salts
Baking Tray
Aluminium Foil
Pre heat oven to 180C
Mix butter, parsley, garlic and pepper together to make a paste
Tear 2 sheets of foil big enough to wrap 2 fillets each
Spread 1/4 of butter mix all over each fillet
Place fillets on shiny foil side
Put lemon slices top of fillets and close up the foil.
Pop onto bake tray and into the oven for 15-20 minutes (you know if your oven is a little slow or fast)
Make whatever salad or vegetable sides you like while fish is cooking
When the fillets come out of the oven they will be meltingly soft so be careful as you transfer to the plate
Add a sprinkling of Tarragon and Bitter Orange Finishing Salts
Add your sides
Serve and watch your family go crazy with excitement
I didn’t know this was going to be a post so no pictures were taken. SORRY!
Obviously your mileage may vary but this was a complete winner around here. Hopefully your crew loves it too.
From Aftelier only $15: Our sel gris is stone-ground by hand until it reaches a fine consistency; it melts into other flavors seamlessly, imparting a briny mineral richness. Sel gris French gray sea salt is hand-harvested from the clay-lined salt ponds in the Guérande region of France, giving it a soft grey color and mineral-rich moisture. These salts are not to be used during the cooking process, but rather to add a pop of flavor to everything from meat to salads to vegetables just before serving. These salts will lift the other flavors of a dish, making it special and delicious.
What a freaking great Christmas Gift for the friends and family that cook, and so affordable.
Portia xx
Sacred by Teone Reinthal for Teone Reinthal Natural Perfume
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Portia
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Hi APJ,
In Australia we hear often of a natural perfumer that perfumistas who like become evangelical about. Teone Reinthal is her name and her natural perfumes come up on Facebook pages constantly. Till now I have been remiss in my trying of her work but recently she sent me a few samples to try. I was going to do a faves post with Moonlight and Ritual but as I wore Sacred it became thew focus of a full post. Not an easy new love by any means, a challenging, haunting scent that affronted and comforted me. So I’ll come back to the others but today I thought you should read about Sacred alone.
Sacred by Teone Reinthal Natural Perfume
Sacred by Teone Reinthal
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
West Australian Sandalwood, Tasmanian Boronia absolute, Far North Queensland Red Desert Rosewood, Tiwi Islands/Northern Territory Blue Cypress, South Australia Honey Myrtle, New South Wales Nerolina
Orange scented wood varnish, gasoline, green bark stripped from trees and lawnmower clippings open Sacred. It’s a full on, powerful, picks you up by the neck and shakes you initial blast. My advice is to wait a minute before going in to sniff, it will blow your nose.
Once the initial fireworks dissipate Sacred becomes a very interesting piece of perfumery. It’s sold as an all natural fragrance and that’s really surprising because of its size and longevity. Australia has interesting soil, very red and clay, the reed is like our blood because we have so much iron in it. That gives our plants a distinct theme. Even when Indian Mysore Sandalwood is grown here’d the fragrance gets a pugnacious and punchy opening never smelled in its native home. That’s the opening of Sacred, almost an attack.
PDI
As it moves into the heart Sacred become like maple syrup, as if the sacred woods have been mined for their heart juice, their sap. It’s thick and luxurious yes surprisingly its projection becomes quite close. Sillage stays good for a couple of hours and if you sit somewhere, Sacred will hue the air around you softly but distinctly.
Breathy undertones come in under this sap sweet heart and give an added depth with green torn branches and bruised leaves.
Sacred is the kind of fragrance only an independent perfumery can release. It’s wild, untamed and raw. Though Sacred is blended beautifully there’s no soft focus sheering off of interesting and challenging notes. Sacred smells like a challenge, a beautiful, alluring, life on the edge challenge. Right to the base Sacred never becomes an easy beauty and I like it for that.
Teone Reinthal Natural Perfumes
Teone Reinthal Natural Perfumes Sacred can be found in the Limited Edition section from $25/2ml
Have you tried Teone’s fragrances?
Portia xx
NEW! April Aromatics + The Different Company
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Sandra
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Hi APJ! How are you all doing? Can you believe we are nearing the end of the year already?
Where has the time gone? We are in full autumn swing here, buckling down for the coming winter. The heat is on and there is a chill in the air outside. I have been here in Rotterdam for soon to be eleven months! It definitely feels like home now, but I still have not hung any paintings on the walls – what is up with that?
Autumn is a time of closure for me. Summer is over with its long days and warm air kissing my skin. My son goes back to school which ends the innocent joys of childhood summers. The trees show colours of vibrant yellows, oranges and reds and then loose their foliage all too quickly. Even the birds are changing – many fly south and yet others arrive for the milder winters here. I have not seen the hedgehog in a while, perhaps he is already hibernating? All of this closure has brought me to think about my first year here in The Netherlands.
When I am completely honest and look past the challenges here and there of navigating a new language and culture, it has been a year of awakening and coming back to myself. I have lovely friends and neighbors and this is now home. I am no longer weary, I am stronger and more self assured than I have been in years.
With this new awakening I am now ready and excited to try and test new perfumes and there are two perfumes that fit into this new self quite well.
NEW! April Aromatics + The Different Company
Pink Wood by Tanja Bochnig for April Aromatics
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, Agarwood, Cistus, Labdanum, Oakwood, Rose Otto, Rose absolute, Geranium, Rosewood, sweet pink fruity notes
Pink Wood is my first experience with April Aromatics. I eagerly sprayed my first spritz of Pink Wood and was taken by surprise by the beautiful rose and wood opening. Many roses turn sour on my skin but this is actually remaining rosy which is a big plus in my books. There are no pink fruity notes for me though. The warmer my skin is the woodier the perfume. The roses stay more in the background leaving me with a wonderful woody rose perfume perfect for autumn days and walks in the park.
Santo Incienso, Sillage Sacré by Alexandra Monet for The Different Company
gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot, petitgrain, nutmeg
Heart: Palo santo, atlas cedar, hedione
Base: Incense, myrrh, musk, vetiver, guaiac wood
This is not your usual incense perfume at all. For me it starts with a blast of bergamot with an air of spice. There is something citrusy in there but it slowly fades into the background leaving behind a warm woody accord. I have no idea what Palo Santo smells like, so I cannot assume that this is what I am smelling, however, it is beautiful and intriguing pulling me in. In the middle stage through to the dry down there is a magic happening with the incense and myrrh where the woods are warmed through. What I love about it most of all is that the incense tendrils waft up to my nostril throughout the day and bring me such joy and calm.
Both Pink Wood and Santo Incienso, Sillage Sacré are getting a lot of wear time. The days are shorter and colder but the lighting is stunning taking my breath away on an almost daily basis when the sun is shining. This is my favorite season of the year.
Do you have a favorite perfume for autumn or spring walks? Do you have a favorite season?
Sending sunny hugs to you all.
Sandra xo
Sapphire: the Scent by Ainslie Walker for Courtesy of the Artist 2017
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TinaG
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Hey APJ!
Perfumer and friend, the gorgeous Ainslie Walker, recently collaborated on a project by Courtesy of the Artist for their Rare Earth: Australian Made jewellery collection. Rare Earth: Australian Made is a showcase by six jewellery artists who design and display their work with precious gemstones which have been fossicked and cut in Australia. For anyone in Sydney, they have a shop in the Strand Arcade so you can view & purchase their pieces. Ainslie brings a new dimension to the project with her luminescent limited edition perfume called Sapphire: The Scent.
Sapphire: the Scent by Courtesy of the Artist 2017
Sapphire: the Scent by Ainslie Walker
Sapphire: The Scent captures the essence of the Australian bush unlike any fragrance I’ve come across. Many native Australian plants and trees naturally release aromatic volatile oils. The heat-haze from eucalypt oils can give the air a shimmering ‘blue’ appearance which, incidentally, is how the “Blue Mountains” were named.
Ainslie has carefully chosen an abundance of raw materials such as Boronia Absolute, Southern Rosalina, Kunzea and sustainable Sandalwood from Western Australia and blended them beautifully. The fragrance has a concentrated cologne style, which is focused through burst of top-note aromatics that lift and shine like the light of sapphire through the hazy majesty of the Australian natives. The effect is a rush of freshness and a feeling of the open freedom of the outdoors.
On first spray of Sapphire, I am instantly transported by the eucalyptus-style notes, boronia, citrus and light woods to the Blue Mountains on a summer’s day, walking along the sandstone tracks & feeling invigorated by the smells and sounds of the bush.
After a while, my mental image has shifted to the surf beaches around Anglesea in Victoria. Here, Sapphire has a warm and slightly waxy floral, a living wood scent with a slight spiciness, and menthol undertones. We used to walk along scrubby tracks to get to the beach, brushing along Boronia and Rosalina bushes. Ainslie has even managed to capture a sweet stickiness to the woods as if a branch has been broken. The dry down of Sapphire: The Scent continues to have a gorgeous sandalwood and woody notes that are warm on my skin for ages.
Sapphire: the Scent will be available from Courtesy of the Artist in the Strand Arcade from November 16.
What three notes would you chose for a fragrance to capture “Australia”?
Till next time,
Tina G
(ED: All photos supplied by Ainslie Walker unless specified)
Comments and Fleur de Lalita by Parfums Dustita 2017
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Val the Cookie Queen
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Good day to you APJ readers, stalkers and commenters.
Can you be bothered?
The most exciting thing about my first ever blog post was the comments. I could hardly stop myself looking every two minutes to
see if anything had been added. I still get a thrill to see my thoughts in print, but don´t check quite so often to see if anyone said anything. I do enjoy the interplay with the readers.
Comments and Fleur de Lalita by Parfums Dustita 2017
Two experiences in my commenting of late have triggered this post. Last week I was commenting on a blog based in the US. It was one of those ones that are a bit of a pain in the arse, you know? First your name, an email address, checking the “I am not a robot” box, identifying which of the six random pics has zebra crossings in them to prove you are not a bloody robot and then, just when you got it all worked out, your comment disappears. Swear. Forget it. And then recently commenting on Portia´s La Fille de Berlin post, and making several typos. Guaranteed that a comment with typos will post just fine. So annoying, because then I have to post again excusing the typos.
Is it worth the bother?
Well is it? Why do you comment on blogs? Why don´t you comment on blogs? I find it so terribly fascinating that there are amazing blogs out there, (I´m talking perfume for today), and no one says a damn thing. I seriously wonder why. Perhaps some writing doesn’t motivate comments? I am sure the blogger can see how many people have tuned in to read though. That is something I am not privy to as I am a contributor and Portia is the blog host.
The Slow Decline of the Comment.
I have noticed with the blogs that I follow, and it is too many, that comments are getting to be less and less. I decided to have a chat with A Bottled Rose, The Candy Perfume Boy, and Bonkers about Perfume and see what they said. The one thing they all said in common, but in separate private chats with me, is that there is a marked decline in commenting. Hmmmmm.
“I ask a question, but no one ever answers. Rarely anyways. “
“I am not blogging for public feedback, but because I have things I want say, including off-topic things.”
“I wonder if people might think some bloggers have their heads stuck up their backsides ….” Read but don´t comment.
“I do love the regular commenters and the rapport I have with them, they count for a lot.”
“It is more of a fragmented scene now.”
“Some blogs don´t encourage comments anyway.”
“Some just read for information, not for interaction.”
“I think people are changing the way they engage. On social media it´s easy just to like something, or heart it, or drop a little emoji to say ‘I like this’. Most of the blogs have a like button too.”
“I have definitely noticed that people do not comment as much as they used to.”
“They do comment of FB, Twitter and Instagram though.”
Why bother?
A lot of work goes into a blog post. Perfume, books, fashion, food. Doesn’t matter. Fact checking, background research, spellchecks, punctuation, deleting random apostrophes. Blogs don´t happen on their own. They are ball busters to keep going. And the vast majority do it out of a deep love for the subject matter. I have made so many real life friends through perfume, and it would never have happened had they not taken the time to stick a comment on the end of post. Comments are our likes. But you know what? If nothing else, please keep reading, without you dear readers, there are no blogs.
What am I wearing today? Parfums Dustita`s Fleur de Lalita. Thanks for asking.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: May rose, magnolia, jasmine, white lily, galbanum, ylang-ylang
Heart: Ambrette (musk mallow), exotic floral notes
Base: Madagascar vanilla, sandalwood, tonka bean, ambergris
When do you comment?
Bussis
CQ
Australian Perfume Junkies 