Hi all,

Well it’s Good Friday and the shops are ALL closed. OMG! Well almost all, we went a nearby Korean grocery store and got everything except bread, which we forgot because we are dumb asses. Happy and safe Easter to all those who care about such things.

Photo Stolen from HomesSchoolsOases

So I’ve taken the chance today to try a couple of recent purchases that arrived on my doorstep from within this glorious country, Australia. We have a burgeoning fragrance industry down here and Evie C and I would like to find as many companies, groups or even solo perfumers in Australia as we can and hopefully help to create more of a community. We’d like also to meet and talk to any that are interested and find out bunches about them all and how they got to be perfumers and where their dreams are taking them. I know our Aussie readers love to hear about our own and I’m pretty sure that all over the world they’ll be inspired.

This dream is not, of course, just for Aussie perfumers. We want to meet and grill them all.

HOPE by ONE SEED

A delicious citrus opening, so sweet, spicy and sparkly it (you know pear, rocket and parmesan salad where the pear has been dipped in lemon to hold its colour and then a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar? That is exactly what I’m smelling, my mouth is watering from this fragrance). They call this a meditative scent on their site but I feel perky and ready for anything. About 40 minutes later while the citrus is still playing descant quietly, the woods and vanilla have moved in, I don’t get lavender but my nose can be unresponsive at times. This is a bright and alluring scent, a constant intriguing dichotomy between the citrus and warm dark sweetness, it’s nearly 2 hours since first spritz and still powering away on my, usually scent hungry, skin. It changes its mood and tone constantly, offering different depths and layers of scent harmonies, now showing lime, now vanilla, now woods. I had no idea of how good this fragrance would be and am madly impressed, this could be the citrus I’ve been looking for to add to my fragrance wardrobe. I will spend a week trying my sample.

One Seed is a super cool crew from Adelaide, Australia that use 100% botanical, nothing synthetic and are organic-focused and GMO-free (genetically modified organisms) headed by Liz Cook (stay tuned for Evie C’s interview coming soon) that gives 10% of all profits to charities close to their hearts. Snaps! Here’s what they have to say about Hope.

A meditative blend of Australian sandalwood & dewy oakmoss, with a delicate undertone of lavender & cedarwood, and sunny citrus accents.

Top notes: bergamot, lime Heart notes: cedarwood, lavender, vanilla

Base notes: Australian sandalwood, oakmoss, musk ambrette

Hope available at ONE SEED in 50ml and 5ml bottles or you can get the complete 7 x 1ml sample set from ETSY for AUS$28

SANDALWOOD VANILLA by INNER EARTH

GOSH! Sandalwood, Vanilla and Patchouli! So simple, an oil based 10ml roll on but it is so damn gorgeous, and affordable beyond your wildest dreams. Like the sweet, woodsy, dry down of some very expensive big name perfumes (which is often my favourite bit and I wish it was stronger) but all at once and lasts eternally! I have been wafting discretely and delectably through the house and enjoying this big, quiet, cuddly, sweet, furry fragrance. After about 3 hours you are left with a vanilla candy ice cream. it’s now over 5 hours and I am still sweetly delicious, Sandalwood Vanilla has now an amber-ish, musky depth that is so quiet but still discernible. Honestly, I can’t get over how good this smells for so little money. You must try this.

Erin, the brain behind Inner Earth says

The Sandalwood Vanilla perfume oil is a blend of fragrance and essential oils in a light base of fractionated coconut oil. The notes are sandalwood, vanilla and patchouli. That’s it! Over time I have completely gotten rid of my spray perfumes and just use perfume oils … I find them a softer, more understated way of wearing perfume, plus they’re moisturising and easy to pop into your handbag 🙂

Photo Stolen from InnerEarthSoaps.com.au

Inner Earth Soaps are based in Bondi, Sydney, Australia (of Bondi Beach fame) and are famous for interesting and quirky bath soaps handcrafted in the traditional cold process method and use only sustainable palm oil. I came to them because I was looking for a non chocolate Easter present for my BFF Kath who has lost 35kgs (I know, AH MAY ZING!!!) and has to be careful not to fall back into bad habits. Trolling the web I came across the Inner Earth Ducky Soap and thought, ‘It’s almost a chicky” and so that’s what she got. It has already graced her enormous spa bath and passed all tests for cuteness, fragrance and cleanliness.

Photo stolen from InnerEarthSoaps.com.au

Thank you all so much for sharing what’s inside my mind today, don’t forget our GIVEAWAY COMPETITION is drawn tomorrow night, so easy and you could win a swag of perfumes to try.

I was supposed to have a special video tonight of my mate Margeaux and I doing a video review but there has been a technical hiccup, hopefully resolved by tomorrow.

In its place I offer you this extremely gorgeous 2 minute extravaganza featuring our own Nicole Kidman