Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2016 Perfume Reviews

March 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Portia

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. 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 few days without attention they go back in the cupboard.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2016 Perfume Reviews

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, which are being used much faster than expected.

Shalimar EdP*** + Parfum – 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.

Mitzah** – DIOR Prive: For those cooler nights Mitzah. Sweet, spicy, animal roses that feel like they have a whisper of oud in with the patchouli. Warm and sensual but cool enough to wear all year.

Neroli & Orchidee** – L’Occitane: A great L’Occitane cheap and cheerful fragrance! Spring has definitely sprung. The pithy neroli so green and furry foloowed by a very pretty and slightly breathy bouquet that dries out to soft nutty woods & white musks. This is one of the few in the Collection de Grasse series that is being maintained, PHEW!!

Niki de Saint Phalle**: I can’t stop wearing this glamorous green. Currently the bottle on my desk is a splash one and I like to use the Niki de Saint Phalle Bath Oil while bathing before wearing it. Bright, fun and energetic. Niki de Saint Phalle is take charge with a twinkle in your eye. I think it’s the mint in the opening contrasting with the fruit and galbanum, gets me every time.

Mohur EdP – Neela Vermeire Creations: Mohur is back in the list, I can’t get enough of this lavish rosy kaleidoscope a fragrance. The stunning roses, resins and herbs opening that segues to a spicy bouquet before the sweet vanilla, woods and resins take me to close. AWESOME! I also have the Extrait but the EdP is the one I reach for most.

Shea Fabulous Oil – L’Occitane: If you don’t have this and you like to have smooth, glistening skin and to smell like a tropical island princess then get out of your seat and run to your nearest L’Occitane store. I have never EVER received so many compliment for how good I smell or how soft and gorgeous my skin is. Hot or cold it’s a winner.

Joy EdT + Parfum – Jean Patou: That ridiculous swirl of jasmine, ylang and aldehydes that becomes a rosy, white floral bouquet over sandalwood. Honestly I don’t smell the notes anymore I smell joy. It brings me joy. The vintage EdT is nearly finished and the Parfums get sneaky little swipes or spritzes ; yes there are spray and splash on the desk. Perfect bedtime fragrance.

Truth or Dare – Madonna: Not long ago I panic bought a bunch of the sets on deep discount because I thought it was the end. So now I can have a bubble bath, moisturise and spritz the EdP to my hearts contentment. I think its the best big white floral of all time, and costs nothing. LOVE IT!

Giverny In Bloom – DSH Perfumes: My 10ml is nearly empty. I think I’m going to have to order 100ml and soon. You have no idea how beautiful Giverny In Bloom is. Both dry and wet, like putting your head in a florists fridge and licking the metal doors. Galbanum rules this baby but Dawn has surrounded her star with beautiful back up dancers.

There 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.

What are you wearing right now? Give me a Top 3 if you’ve got one…..

Loads of love to you all, wherever and in what ever weather,
Portia x

Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2013
Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2014
Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2015

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

***Third year in the Top 10
**Second year in the Top 10

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

March 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Heya APJers,

Nice to be home and able to share the fragrant love again. Good luck everyone.

Portia xx

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, ylang-ylang
Heart: Carnation, iris, oak, vetiver, opoponax
Base: Leather, musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of Colony by Jean Patou
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 14th March 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

prospectsplus

Neva

Nemo

The winner will have till Thursday 17th March 2016 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.

Colony by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1938 + GIVEAWAY

March 11, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Hey Vintage Vamps,

Looking through my older decants and I found a large vintage Colony EdT decant. I must have bought it 5-10 years ago and it is still in pristine condition; no evaporation or darkening of colour. So clealy I’m not wearing it so I thought lets share the love.

Colony by Jean Patou 1938

Colony by Henri Almeras

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, ylang-ylang
Heart: Carnation, iris, oak, vetiver, opoponax
Base: Leather, musk

Colony opens like pineapple jelly with ice cream. It’s fun and silly and a little over the top. This glorious, fun-filled opening is just for the wearer though because before long Colony morphs into a different beast altogether. A rubbery, resinous, slightly powdery and dry leather. It’s beautiful and strange, the pineapple peeping out from between the other notes furtively for a while and gradually disappearing altogether leaving a clean, supple, fully finished and favourite handbag smell. I can think of no fitting place to wear Colony except in my own home so I can enjoy the ride. It’s strangeness is beautiful but you have to be fully present to enjoy its changes, otherwise it’s very easy to dismiss it as less than it is.

Flickr

Click on the links below to find out more about Patou’s Colony. It seems silly for me to go over the story of its creation when it has been so beautifully covered before.

Further reading: Yesterday’s Perfume and Non Blonde
eBay sometimes has older vintage bottles that go for astronomical prices
A fully new version was released in 2014 but I can’t find it

myprettypaints

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of Colony by Jean Patou
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us where you would wear Colony by Jean Patou?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 14th March 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 17th March 2016 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.

Vintage joy Parfum by Jean Patou: Live Video Sniff

February 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Happy Huffers,

Vintage joy Parfum by Jean Patou

Live Video Sniff

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tuberose, rose, ylang-ylang, aldehydes, peach, green notes
Heart: Jasmine, iris root, Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley, orchid
Base: Musk, sandalwood, civet

Joy is one of my favourites and I scour the web for bottles of it. We always do opening ceremony videos because some of them are fakes and we need to get refunds. We have had a couple of fakes this summer already. These counterfeiters do an excellent job too, it’s not till you spray the juice that you know.

Scotty and I on the lanai enjoying summer and smelling FABULOUS!

Joy vintage parfum GIVEAWAY WINNER

November 16, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Post by Portia

JOY! So well named. One of my great fragrant loves and surprisingly easy to wear. Can’t wait to see who wins,

Portia xx

Joy vintage parfum GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Joy vintage parfum sample
a couple of extras
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 15th November 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen amberinblunderland

Francesca Belanger

The winner will have till Thursday 19th November 2015 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.

Joy vintage parfum by Jean Patou 1929

November 13, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Portia

Recently I found on the eBay a Joy parfum black snuff bottle, still sealed with string and baudruche (animal intestine seal then, onion skin now) intact and was lucky enough that no one else saw it, well there were two other bids and they were small. I got my perfect vintage sealed beauty for about the cost for 2 people to eat a mid sized meal at McDonalds, including shipping. Oh happy day.

Joy vintage parfum by Jean Patou 1929

Joy vintage parfum by Henri Alméras

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Thick, heavy, oily and sparkly fruity floral with a susurrus of freshly cut greenery. A minute in and suddenly there is air, the fragrance breathes and as it does fresh sliced over ripe peach stands above the white flowers before being engulfed by them. The rose is ever present and waltzes through bolstering and linking the fragrance, giving it a richness, working with peach and greenery to create an almost photo realistic rose and then it’s all gone into the heady melange that makes Joy so fabulous, and joyous.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Once I’m past this point Joy becomes itself only, parsing it and cutting it into pieces feels like a very undignified way to treat such a fragrance. What I do now and for the rest of the ride is float on it, drift with one of perfumeries most enduring and seamless creations. The heart of Joy is a mesmerising dream of sumptuous rooms, rich parties, long pearl necklaces, hand finished tailored suits, granite entryways and stainless steel. If ever a fragrance felt like something a protagonist in a novel would wear Joy feels like a perfect fit for Ayn Rand’s lead character in Atlas Shrugged, Dagny Taggart.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Now Smell This and Non Blonde
Fragrance Shop has EdT $35/25ml
Surrender To Chance has samples of the parfum starting at $7/.25ml

Want to try it? See below.
Portia xx

Photo Stolen AllSteele

Joy vintage parfum GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Joy vintage parfum sample
a couple of extras
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us your Joy story or why you’d like to try the parfum

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 15th November 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 19th November 2015 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.

Sublime by Jean Kerleo for Jean Patou 1992

March 26, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by FeralJasmine

Sublime Spring

There is no part of the transition from winter to spring that fails to interest and even enthrall me. Gardeners are generally beguiled by this season, and I am no exception. The birds are singing, the earth is awakening, Persephone is rising, and life stirs all around us.

In earliest spring I enjoy delicate, effervescent florals, but then the days get warmer and the daffodils bloom, and I develop a taste for divas who stand at center stage and defy winter to show its haggard face again. Sublime by Jean Patou is just such a scent. I will be writing only about the original release in the lobed bottle with a cap shaped rather like a tulip. I’ve never smelled the reformulation.

Sublime by Jean Kerleo for Jean Patou 1992

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, tangerine, coriander, green accords
Heart: Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, neroli oil
Base: Vanilla, sandalwood, cedar, civet

Jean Patou gives these featured accords:
Envolée: Bergamote, Mandarine, Orange, Ylang Ylang
Plénitude: Rose, Jasmin, Muguet, Fleur d’Oranger
Sillage: Vanille de Madagascar, Ambre, Santal

So what flowers lurk in this bold concoction? Jasmine, rose, ylang, and neroli are the official heart notes, but I smell narcissus in there too, and I’m not alone. A commenter on Fragrantica mentions the narcissus note, although other commenters don’t. My overall impressions of this scent are warm, sweet, and yellow. Imagine a double daffodil opening in the morning sun, and you have some idea of the quality of this perfume. And like so many flowers in the Narcissus family, it can be a bit much at close range. Even on my perfume consuming skin, this one has to be sprayed with some caution, at least 30 minutes before I leave the house. However, the warnings that I see on fragrance boards here and there that this scent is “rank” and “civet-y” are, to my mind, not worth paying attention to. There is a touch of civet but it is subtle. Refined, even. The drydown is long, sweet, warm, and powdery.

Photo Stolen HPrints (Problem using image, get in touch please)

It was released in 1992, and in some ways partakes of the qualities of the 1980s bombs, toned down just a bit for the next decade’s sensibilities. But it remains lavish, and there is definitely a time and place for lavish.

Further reading: Non Blonde and I Smell Therefore I Am
FragranceNet has $66/50ml (old packaging)
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/ml

I’d love to hear about your experiences with the house of Patou, or tell me your favorite floral bomb.
FeralJasmine XXX

Joy by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1930

April 14, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Maya

Hey APJ,

Spring seems to have finally arrived and everyone’s dark mood has lifted. Now suddenly, there is growth again and instead of dirty snow we see green. And I got a cold! Or allergies. Unbelievable! I’m not prone to allergies, but you never know. I do know that my sense of smell has weakened. I still get sharp notes and the overall tone of a fragrance but not enough to review it.

So my thoughts went from smell or the lack thereof to perfume and magic and the wonderful memory of how my perfume love came to be…… When I was in my early teens, we had a very beautiful neighbor, Rehle, whose children I would baby sit. Despite our age difference, she and I became good friends. It was a friendship that would last for many years, even when she moved out of state. One day she called me over. She said she had something to show me. Her boyfriend had come back from a trip to France and had brought her a gift. She held the gift gently in long, lovely fingers. It was her treasure.

Joy by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1930

Perfume Magic

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tuberose, rose, ylang-ylang, aldehydes, pear, green notes
Heart: Jasmine, iris root, Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley, orchid
Base: Musk, sandalwood, civet

She told me it was the most expensive perfume in the world and she wanted to share it with me. Jean Patou Joy, pure perfum in the classic bottle. I had never heard of it.

She gently pulled the dauber out. I remember the perfume on the dauber was almost molten, golden. Then the most beautiful smell I have ever experienced wafted up at me. It seemed to shimmer like thousands of tiny lights. She dabbed some of this magic on me and on herself.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Joy is my perfume magic. Did it really shimmer? It did for me. The top notes were almost alive. It was and still is beautiful on my skin. Have I ever dabbed or spritzed Joy and followed its development or looked for notes? Never. I know all I need to know.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and The Non Blonde
Surrender to Chance has Joy Parfum samples starting at $7/.25ml
(You must try your Joy in store because only recently P&G sold Patou Perfumes to a crew that is revitalising the brand)

Rehle is gone now, but every time I wear or smell Joy I think of her. I see her forever young and beautiful and vibrant and I start to smile. I feel happy. Jean Patou named his perfume well – Joy.

Do you have any perfume magic?

Maya
xx

L’Heure Attendue by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1946

February 9, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Greg Young

When I visit op shops and second hand shops, I make a habit of scanning the place for bottles and fragrances, just in case. Mostly I find used minis of varying levels of desirability. Sometimes, very occasionally, luck can be a lot more generous. I was idly browsing through the cabinets in an antiques market a while ago. My eye was originally drawn to a large full flacon of Monsieur Rochas, which sadly turned out to only have coloured water in it. As I idly scanned the rest of the cabinet, I noticed this nestled amongst a few other nondescript empty bottles.

L’Heure Attendue by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1946

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Basenotes reviewer gives these notes:
Top: Lily-of-the-valley, geranium, lilac
Heart: Ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, opopanax
Base: Mysore sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli

L’heure attendue. The time that we’ve been waiting for. The name of this perfume celebrates the liberation of France from the Nazi occupation.

After many years of rationing and deprivation during the war years, the Parisian design houses burst forth with an exuberance that was designed to make people forget the hard times, and revel in finally having access to an abundance of pretty and beautiful things one again. Dior’s New Look of 1947 typified this trend, using swathes of previously scarce fabrics to create an ornate and romantic new fashion. The elegant amphora design of the original Miss Dior bottle also echoed a move towards the ornate from wartime-induced privation.

(Photo credit http://www.dior.com/magazine/ge_de/News/Miss-Dior-Staying-In-Line)

In the same sentiment, the house of Jean Patou released L’heure Attendue in 1946. As the photos show, the bottle was highly ornate and luxurious. This formulation of L’heure Attendue is very rare, being discontinued around 1956. As you can see, the bottle is intact, with even some of the decorative tassel left, and the stopper still fits tight. The bottle’s curves and detailing show clear influences of Art Deco design, but moving slightly in Dior’s direction; the stopper bears comparison with Dior’s, but I think Dior’s amphora design uses a feminine styling that reflected Dior’s wasp-waisted models, whereas Patou’s 1946 bottle design is clearly influenced by the geometric sweeps and fine detailing of classic Art Deco designs such as the Chrysler Building.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

The box is in good shape apart from some peeling, but significant staining has occurred on the front. Shame, because it can’t be hidden if you want to display the interior of the packaging (which I do). I suppose I could always imagine that this is an antique coffee stain left by some chic French lady sipping cafe au lait on the Champs-Elysee. Like the bottle, this is very much an Art Deco design, but a lot plainer and more utilitarian. The cream, gold and royal blue of the packaging is very elegant, and complements the much more ornate bottle styling very well.

Most of the perfume remains in bottle. The colour of the juice is a deep amber and still looks attractive enough, compared to the inky murk of the vintage Gilvo I wrote about a while back on APJ. The juice is consistent and there are no sediments. Without another bottle to compare to, I can’t really say if this is the colour it is supposed to look like. I suspect not, as some degradation has almost certainly occurred in the 50-60 years since this was opened.

It’s described on Fragrancenet as a floral chypre. When I sniff my bottle, I get a big, deep blast of what seems to me to be rich, white florals; I think what I am smelling are the heart notes, made richer by the sweet myrrh. It seems very old-fashioned and feminine, but there doesn’t seem to be anything there that you would find objectionable. Not being a connoisseur, it’s a bit hard for me to say.

This perfume is so extremely feminine that I’m simply not game to wear it, so I can’t tell you if the base notes are intact. I guess I will need a Melbourne-based femme to volunteer and help me write a postscript to this story.

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Perfume Shrine

Greg X

N.B. All photos by the author unless otherwise stated.

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Jean Patou

Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2016 Perfume Reviews

Top 10 Spring/Autumn Fragrances 2016 Perfume Reviews

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Neva

Nemo

Colony by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1938 + GIVEAWAY

Colony by Jean Patou 1938

Colony by Henri Almeras

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Vintage joy Parfum by Jean Patou: Live Video Sniff

Vintage joy Parfum by Jean Patou

Live Video Sniff

Joy vintage parfum GIVEAWAY WINNER

Joy vintage parfum GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Francesca Belanger

Joy vintage parfum by Jean Patou 1929

Joy vintage parfum by Jean Patou 1929

Joy vintage parfum by Henri Alméras

Joy vintage parfum GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Sublime by Jean Kerleo for Jean Patou 1992

Sublime by Jean Kerleo for Jean Patou 1992

Joy by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1930

Joy by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1930

Perfume Magic

L’Heure Attendue by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1946

L’Heure Attendue by Henri Almeras for Jean Patou 1946