Criminal of Love by Kilian (Russia Exclusive)

January 22, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Erica Golding

Hello loves!

The weather in my neck of the woods is currently a deep freeze. The nights slow the soul, while the moon slices the sky with icy precision – and although I don’t limit my scents to the seasons, that doesn’t mean I never crave sexy warmth to counter the frigid winter darkness!

Tonight, I have chosen to set my aura aglow with a new obsession….

Criminal of Love by Kilian (Russia Exclusive)

Criminal of Love by Dorothee Piot

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, saffron
Heart: Turkish rose, papyrus, atlas cedar
Base: Patchouli, incense, tobacco, immortelle

by Kilian Russia says (via Google Translate): Sharp , sharp and at the same time – oily intoxicating and sensual , this fragrance for dangerous criminals who need to be as soon as possible handcuffed – satin, which you will find in the box with the scent.

On my skin, the opening reveals leather and scotch, a particularly dark leather evoking clean lines and gleaming surfaces. Then, the bracing intensity begins to curve as a juicy, jammy Turkish rose moves into the spotlight. The queen of the flowers remains the star of the show, as warmly aromatic cinnamon, cardamom, and an associative apple cider swirl in perfect harmony. Sweetly smoky tobacco and incense accent the base of the composition, intoxicating and irresistible.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

I very rarely buy a bottle of perfume unsniffed. I am a sample glutton, to the point where my thumbnail is perpetually fraying from prying open so many vials. Blind buys are very few and far between; however, when I had a chance to score a partial bottle of the highly sought after, ultra-hyped Criminal of Love, I caved and trusted my instinct.

I can’t put into words how fortunate I feel, nor how exceptionally blown away I am by this pure pleasure-bomb of fragrant allure. The bottle design alone makes my heart flutter, but it’s the nectar within that lights the blaze.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I’ve heard rumors that after four years, the Russia Exclusives will be released to the general market. I hope this is true, so that more scent aficionados will be able to experience this incredibly sexy, addictive potion!

by Kilian Russia has 11 200 rubles/75ml

Have you tried any of the Russia Exclusive perfumes by Kilian? Do you have a favorite fragrance from the Kilian brand?

Wishing you gorgeously scented evenings this winter and always,
Erica

Apple Brandy by Sidonie Lancesseur for by Kilian 2013

December 11, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Poodle

Recently I received a sample of Apple Brandy from a perfume pal who lived in NYC. This is the perfume that is exclusive to the New York By Kilian boutique. I find the exclusivity of certain scents frustrating for obvious reasons but since it showed up on my doorstep I gave it a try.

Apple Brandy by Sidonie Lancesseur for by Kilian 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Featured accords:
Apple, rum and plum accord, oak, labdanum, ambroxan, cedar, vanilla

At first sniff, Apple Brandy is full of apples and boozy amber fruit. The apples seem almost candied but the sweetness quickly moves from candied to caramel. It’s vanilla caramel wrapped around a juicy red apple. It’s not quite what I’d call brandy just yet but more like mulled wine from the plum note which also keeps the apples from smelling too fresh and crisp. There is a smokiness and a touch of amber that also prevent the sugar from taking over. The oak and cedar are noticeable even early on in the perfumes development and give it a rich, warm feeling. Imagine when you take a sip of a beautiful amber hued brandy and you can feel it warming you from the inside out. There seems to be a tiny bit of spice, maybe a touch of nutmeg. Apple Brandy has the makings of a great cold weather perfume. The scent seems to walk that fine line between a scent I want to smell like and a scent I want my home to smell like. (It would make a great scented candle.)

Photo Stolen Pixabay

As the fragrance develops the changes are slow and subtle. I wouldn’t call it completely linear but if you’re looking for a roller coaster ride of notes rising and falling you won’t find it here. The apples and fruit gradually slide away and the woods take on a tobacco like feeling at times. This is where it reminds me of brandy, when the oak-y woods blend with the fruit. The vanilla starts to become more noticeable but the caramel and candy that were present in the top notes have faded considerably.

Photo Stolen Pixabay
Photo has nothing to do with the scent I did think it too gorgeous to pass by though

I had to dab Apple Brandy on from a sample and got reasonably good projection. I was catching whiffs of caramel apples and liquored sweetness most of the morning. By early afternoon my skin was still scented softly with a wonderful woody vanilla. I’ve seen reviews say that this perfume was very boozy but my skin didn’t bring out that part of the perfume I guess. I don’t think I would have to worry that someone would think I’d been drinking.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: Now Smell This and Ca Fleure Bon
by Killian has €150/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/.5ml

Overall I do like this perfume but can’t say it’s interesting enough to justify the price. I’d wear it if I had it but I won’t be splurging on a bottle anytime soon.
Have you tried it? Did you like it? Do you like exclusive perfumes?

Until next time…
Poodle

by Kilian: Garden of Good and Evil

October 25, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hello lovelies,

If you have read any of the scentbloggospherre over the past few months you will probably have heard and read a LOT of chatter about the Garden of Good & Evil by Kilian range. The amazing offspring down the line of the Hennessy cognac empire that is part of LVMH, Kilian Hennessy, has done some pretty superb work that totally blew me away. My taste is for bolder and bigger fragrances so his initial series were very much my taste, his depth and sensuality in fragrance, the obvious correlations between his families cognac and his creations unmistakeable.

Photo stolen CognacExpert

Then he did his Asian Tales and now the Garden of Good and Evil, both in fabulous packaging and they have polarised perfumistas everywhere. Now it’s your chance to try the original three Garden of Good and Evil fragrances for yourself……

by Kilian: Garden of Good and Evil GIVEAWAY

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be one winner, who will receive

1 Manufacturers Carded Sample Spray Pack of Forbidden Games, Good Girl Gone Bad and In The City Of Sin
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide. LIKE Australian Perfume Junkies on FaceBook. <<<JUMP
Leave a one word LIKE on the Australian Perfume Junkies feed on FB when you do or if you already LIKE so I can enter you.
Winners will be chosen from the FB feed, not from here.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Monday 28th October 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 31st October 2013 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

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Good Luck Everyone,
Portia xx

Back To Black: Aphrodisiac by Calice Becker for by Kilian 2009

September 26, 2012 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Hello All,
Here I am surrounded by the magical mystery of Back To Black, a Calice Becker produced powerhouse for by Kilian, Kilian Hennessy’s glamour fragrance company, from the discreet and wallflowerish-ly named L`Oiuvre Noire (Black Masterpieces). I have read so much about Back To Black that I feel like I’m living other peoples fragrant lives but I really want to write about this interesting fragrance today. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Aphrodisiac Box Photo Stolen cupslj

Back To Black was allegedly made in tune with the Amy Winehouse song in mind. I was introduced to that album, rather than just Rehab, in India by my then partner and played Back To Black incessantly thinking it would be a super great number to do. It is still the #1 most played song on my iTunes and that’s big numbers. In fact it was playing in the car tonight on my way home from a gig and that was when I decided that it was time to confront my self created demons (aren’t they all?). The video is at the bottom, I think it sums up the sweet darkness that is Back To Black by Kilian.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these official featured accords:
Bergamot, saffron, nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, raspberry, chamomile, olibanum, honey, cedar, oak, tobacco, patchouli, almond, vanilla, labdanum

Back To Black opens like a lolly shop on my skin all sugary sweet fruits, dusty shelves and old people, then goes completely boozy like Grappa, the spices and honey come waltzing in through the booze, and we have a really lovely gourmand, the tobacco is sweet on my body early, not smoky until hours into the fragrance life where it turns pipe-crud-ish, and the woods clean and beeswax polished and the sweet amber-ish base notes are there too. It’s all here on my skin and I just have to look for a note and there it is. They are masterfully blended though so even when one is showing itself in new and beautiful array the others are still wafting around waiting for your attention. This is how I would like to smell, rich, multi-layered, deep, warm and dark. This is how mystery smells, enticing, beguiling, in my mind Rita Hayworth as Gilda singing Put The Blame On Mame smelled like this and so did Paul Newman in everything and nothing.

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to finally write about this magnificent fragrance. Yes, it is expensive but I think after I save up for Sweet Redemption that I might just do the same for a bottle of this afterwards; it’s wearable most seasons, interesting, luxurious, long lasting and ultimately suits my chemistry.

Photo Stolen wellbeing

TheNonBlonde, CandyPerfumeBoy and NowSmellThis for further reading.
I bought my Back To Black sample from SurrenderToChance from $7/ml

Here’s a present. Paul Newman. Hubba Hubba!

Paul Newman Photo Stolen Tumbler@2 years ago with 103 notes

What did you splurge on lately, or what’s on the list, that may take a while to recover from? Do any of the by Kilian line call your name? Please leave us a message below, they will all be answered and we LOVE visitors, and let’s face it: Your input is usually way more interesting than mine anyway.

Till we see you tomorrow we at APJ wish all of you only the good stuff you wish for yourselves.
Love, Love, Love,
Portia xx

Here is the wonderful Amy Winehouse. RIP Princess.

Sweet Redemption by Calice Becker for by Kilian 2011

September 4, 2012 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 44 Comments

Hiya Scented People,

Noticing a great deal on by Kilian at SurrenderToChance in a DailyChanceSpecial I snapped up a couple and the first I’ll be talking about is Sweet Redemption. I have not really delved into the world of by Kilian yet because I thought it was so expensive that an addiction could send me to the poor house, having done the math it is pricey but not extreme.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
African orange flower, opoponax, incense, benzoin, vanilla and myrrh

The grandson of the founder of the LVMH group, Kilian Hennessy grew up in the family’s wine cellars and has brought that boozy reminiscence of sensuality that cognac has to this fragrance. I am not saying it smells like cognac but the glorious rich intoxicating blending that makes you want to swirl and sniff your balloon works similarly here.

Redemption Photo Stolen TheWallpaperTree

I was wearing this for an hour or so today before I looked up the accords. Who knew an African orange flower smelled this good? You’ll have to look elsewhere for someone to parse the notes in Sweet Redemption, it’s too perfectly proportioned. Yes I smell lovely, sexy white flower and the vanilla/ambery background noise. I get a slightly smokey scent throughout and something sweet but licorice sweet not honey sweet, maybe sweet chilli sweet? I can’t tell you what these things are but I can tell you that I smell incredible. This is a magical, hefty, slightly dirty, good time cha cha cha of a fragrance. I want to pop on a flirty frock, some killer high heels, hair up, morals down and get my gorgeous smelling self out to see the world. Which is not to say that I smell cheap, NO WAY! I smell like a million dollars. Like cognac diamonds shimmer. Rich, sparkly, gregarious, Sweet Redemption wants to get out there and get herself noticed, not by shouting, obnoxious or bad behaviours but by being alluring, likeable, slightly sexy but not vampish, confident and ready for good things to happen, to make good things happen to everyone around and self. OH DEAR! I think I am seriously in love with this juice.

I wore Sweet redemption to work tonight. There is a guy there who is quite a perfumista and he didn’t even blink, usually he is the first to notice a fragrance, but I was stopped by 2 of the ladies that I would never expect to even think about fragrance asking what it was, who by, where to get it. Surreal. One other full table compliment from a bunch of girls that I adore!It has maintained its integrity but grown slightly deeper, warmer and softer; not much though.

Now I’ve done some cleaning up around the house, fed and watered the pets, chatted with TSO Jin, written some blog and it’s 6+ hours since my last spritz and I am still fragrant, warm, rich and delicious. I smell like a warm sweet milky coffee feels after a good day (I’ve just sat down at the computer with one and it is SOOOO good), when you’re tired but not buggered, happy with the days events. A comfortable spicy vanilla and myrrh, ready to hit the hay because early in the morning I’m off on a short plane flight for an overnight gig.

Redemption Photo Stolen Jingna Zhang

I love the reviews by Olfactoria’s Travels and GrainDeMusc if you are looking for extra insights.
The by Kilian eBoutique has 30ml travel sprays 95€
SurrenderToChance starts at $7/ml

I feel so lucky that you all come back and read regularly,
THANK YOU for becoming part of the APJ family.
Have you tried the by Kilian line, have a favourite? Do share it with us in the comments please.
Till tomorrow,
Portia xx