James Heeley

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

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Post by Gabriella

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Hello perfumed peeps!

The best experiences on my perfume journey are those times when I have few expectations of a scent and it then totally rocks my world. So it is with Verveine d’Eugene by English perfumer James Heeley. While I adore his Ophelia and have a big soft spot for Sel Marin, Verveine d’Eugene (originally just named Verveine) never really attracted me. I had dismissed it unsniffed as a simple verbena, cologne-like scent. How wrong I was.

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

Verveine d’Eugene Heeley LuckyScentPhoto Stolen LuckyScent

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, rhubarb, cardamom
Heart: Blackcurrant, lemon verbena, jasmine
Base: White musk

Verveine does indeed open with the tartness of bergamot and lemon verbena that is instantly refreshing and dazzling in its brightness. One is reminded of drinking cold iced tea or languorously sipping a citron presse in the south of France. However, there is much more than meets the eye (or nose) here and the aromatic, almost herbal quality of the tomato leaf lends a dark, enigmatic vibe to the cheery beginning. It’s akin to entering a secret enclosed garden at the height of a midsummer’s day. There’s welcome relief in the shadows and the earthiness of the place. There’s the scent of the lemon trees dappling the light at the perimeter and the damp pungency of vines and grass, the leaves of many little shrubs fluttering in the breeze.

Verveine d’Eugene Heeley Secret_Garden WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Just when you think you’ve managed to breathe in all this green beauty, you notice something else: is that jasmine you can smell? If you peer carefully, you can see the damp tendrils of the flowered vines peeking over the back wall. The small, white flowers lend a gentle sweetness to the verdant, damp surroundings.

Verveine may appear a simple composition of citrus, green and jasmine, but its story is much richer. There is a sense of elegance among the duality of fresh and dark and an overriding sense of mystery. Whilst it’s perfectly enjoyable and refreshing on a hot summer’s day, it is also a contemplative scent for those days when you just crave solitude.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwyoumeflickrcom/8096552203/player/d1fd02a7f7

And despite some issues with longevity, it’s very much full-bottle worthy for me.

LuckyScenthas $180/100ml and samples
Peony Melbourne has $210/100ml

Have you tried Verveine d’Eugene? What scents have you had no expectations for and then fallen in love with?

With much love till next time!

M x

Top 5 Perfume Wishlist 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 36 Comments

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Post by Gabriella

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As many of you know, I had a bit of a cleanout of my collection last weekend, thanks to the terrific APJ sniff-together at Portia’s. Early on this journey, I made the mistake that many of us do, buying stuff too quickly without ample skin time or just falling prey to the thought: “Oh my god, everyone else loves this, I need to have it.”

Well, I’ve now gone back to basics. I will only acquire full bottles of fumes that have worn the test of time, the ones that when they hit my skin again and again are greeted with an enthusiastic “YES!” Samples and decants only for the ones that intrigue and stuff I just want to test and write about.

So, let’s just pretend that last’s week’s sale gave me enough money to buy five brand new bottles. What are those loves that I need to get?

Gabriella’s Top 5 Perfume Wishlist 2013

Bubblegum Chic by James Heeley for Heeley 2011

Bubblegum Chic Fragrantica

Jasmine is one white floral that doesn’t usually agree on my skin, but here it is perfect. Bubblegum Chic is playful green jasmine made more narcotic with the addition of tuberose. The name is apt as it’s playful and vampy at the same time. It’s that nonchalant, happy girl at work that once you get to know her has a hefty dose of je ne sais quoi.

Bubblegum Chic is available at Peony Melbourne $275/50ml Extrait de Parfum and Luckyscent $230/50ml Extrait de Parfum; Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $7/.5ml

Fleurissimo by James Henry Creed for Creed 1956

Fleurissimo Fragrantica

A lovely perfumista friend said I’d love it back when I was getting started in this game. Many years and bottles later, she’s still right. Grace Kelly associations aside, this is a magnificently elegant and understated white floral that just oozes sophistication.

Fleurissimo is available at Libertine Parfumerie $259/75ml; Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $3/.5ml.

Lady Caron by Richard Fraysse for Caron 2000

Lady Caron Fragrantica

Very much an unloved gem in my opinion, this perfume just makes me incredibly happy. It’s a floral chypre, but here the usual peach is replaced with raspberry, rounded out with jasmine and moss. Lady Caron is truly golden sunlight on skin. It also reminds me of those times my parents had proper dinner parties back when I was a little girl. It’s the wonderful melange of smells on my pajamas after kissing and hugging the beautifully dressed female guests. Comforting but very elegant.

Lady Caron is available at Luckyscent $95/50ml; The Perfumed Court samples start at $3/ml

Tubereuse by Richard Fraysse for Caron 2003

Tubereuse Fragrantica

You already know why thanks to my last review. But this is also very special to me for the very reason that it was the first fragrance I bought on my first romantic getaway to Paris with my gorgeous Mr M.

Tubereuse by Caron is available at LuckyScent, which has the EDP for $130/50ml and the parfum extrait for $150/15ml; Surrender to Chance has samples of the parfum starting at $5/.5ml

Tubereuse Couture by Pierre Guillame for Parfumerie Generale 2009

Tubereuse Couture Fragrantica

All you oriental/vanilla/patchouli/vetiver lovers must be shaking your heads and rolling your eyes about now, thinking “not another goddamn tuberose!!” but yes, more is more for me when it comes to the vampy flower. Tubereuse Couture like the aforementioned Caron is also a little bit of a sleeper when it comes to the genre, but it is divine. Here, sugar cane and banana leaf lend a lovely tropical vibe, but make no mistake, this is a scent for ballgowns, not the beach.

Tubereuse Couture is available at Luckyscent $100/50ml; Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $4.99/ml

So there you have it! My wishlist of loves. What would your wishlist look like?

With much love till next time!
M x

Cuir Pleine Fleur, Knize Ten; Cher Uninhibited LIVE Video Sniff; Reviews

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hey all,

It’s Easter Sunday and I was LAZY, LAZY, LAZY!! Lolled around in bed this morning, had brunch and basically let the world pass me by till it was time to put my Blogging and Trivia hats on.

While I was having my lovely lazy day I thought I’d try a couple of new to me scents from the leather family. Leather is my favourite note in a fragrance, I love the feeling that it gives me.

Photo Stolen from BridlewoodEquestrian

From my childhood horses and tack, leather driving gloves that my Dad had, leather golfing gloves that my Mum had, her new handbags or shoes, the formative years provided that super delicious scent of new leather couches and car interiors, my first ever, and only, leather jacket (in exquisitely soft and subtle, almost rubbery, sheep hide that was stolen from my car and I have not been able to bring myself to replace because I loved it so much and nothing will ever feel the same),

Photo Stolen from BLUFER

getting my groove on with sexy hairy chested muscle men in leather partywear,

Photo Stolen from TheTickleCompany

nowadays the subtle but delicious fragrance of new boots, belts, bags, the list goes on and on.

KNIZE TEN by KNIZE

Released all the way back in 1924 Knize (you pronounce it kah-neesh-ah) Ten’s 90th birthday is around the corner. This is a “Perfumes the A-Z Guide” by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez 5 star worthy offering. OH YES IT IS! This is exactly how I like to smell from top to bottom. It is a flowery, woody, leather, it has grunt, smells like a very expensive barber shop fragrance and lasts for ages, gradually warming itself on your skin till you wish it was on someone else so you could tell them how frigging delicious they smell and give them a great big snog, before you tear their clothes off and…

Photo Stolen from engrandepompe

Sorry, I had to go and have a cup of tea. Twinings’ Australian Afternoon to calm myself.

I put this on my right arm this morning and have given my neck a crick bending in to whiffle it so often. Cor blimey! I really like this.

Photo Stolen from Fragrantica

Opening with greens, citrus and herbs Knize Ten quickly moves away to the flowers, woods, musk, moss and leather for me, warming up with amber and an almost caramel flavoured vanilla as it progresses over hours and hours. I have reapplied to write to you tonight at 9pm Australian EST but could still have written from my arm because this yummy scent was still extant as a warm and sexy fragrance, not loud but discernibly not me. This could be the bulletproof fragrance for me. The one that helps stiffen your spine on those cowardly lion days.

You want the notes, accords and real people reviews? Fragrantica is your spot. Want to know a lot about how it is? Reviews that I read from YesterdaysPerfume and NowSmellThis filled in what I have left out. If you want to buy it LuckyScent will have it back in mid April.

CUIR PLEINE FLEUR by JAMES HEELEY

When I first sprayed Cuir Pleine Fleur it was musty morning wake up and ooh I smelled a leather and citrus cocktail, spiky and abrasive, yummy. I had enormously high hopes for a scruffy but refined journey through a magical wonderland. But no. I felt that the scent left me in about an hour except for this almost nothing, barely there memory of Muscs Koublai Khan-ishness that I tried the other day. Like scent resonance, as if the ultimate dry down of it had been reached a few days later, to near invisibility in this other fragrance.

Photo Stolen from JamesHeeley

Don’t get me wrong, this scent IS delicious. It is also interesting. Like new expensive leather gloves left overnight in a freshly turned and fertilised garden bed featuring an orange tree and fragrant shrubs in full bloom, maybe down the back near the old incinerator. For an hour. Then it becomes a skin scent. Way too quiet for me and my unresponsive nose.

Photo Stolen from BaseNotes

Something that should be noted though is TSO Jin thought Cuir Pleine Fleur was the winner out of todays 2 scents. Funny isn’t it? Oh well, if he likes it so much, he can buy it.

If he wanted to he could buy it at LuckyScent where there is also a beautiful description of the fragrance, better than I can give you and PerfumeNiche, where I got my samples for today, has a lovely story about first sniffing Cuir Pleine Fleur in James Heeley’s studio and review.

UNINHIBITED by CHER

A couple of weeks ago I got my hands on a very special vintage coffret of Uninhibited by Cher. My friend David/Margeaux (who just happens to be Cher’s greatest ever fan) and I decided to do a video presentation of it, I hope you enjoy watching as much as we enjoyed making it for you. Video shot and edited by my BFF Kath and cyber-tech work done by TSO Jin.

The Cher Uninhibited fragrance was lovely but I think the Body Lotion had turned due to air, or bottle, exposure because it smelled like plastic after 20 min’s and was IMPOSSIBLE to get off my skin.

Thanks for wandering around inside my fragrant thoughts today, see you tomorrow for Evie C’s update!

Portia xx