It’s a sad day when the discontinuations are whispered around the frag FB pages. Just this week I got word that the Collection de Grasse is going to have most of its fragrances cut and their body products. GAK! I loved this line so much and regularly spritz and use the shower gels. I even went to the Australian L’Occitane website to panic buy and a couple of the things I love are already gone. It means In Store Shopping required.
L’Occitane Collection de Grasse
Discontinuations
I don’t have supported evidence but word on the FB pages cites rising costs, drop in sales volumes and some other things I don’t remember. I get it, you’re a business. Still I’m a little sad. Ambre & Santal, Vanille & Narcisse, Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc and most of the rest are on the chopping block. Get in quick if any of these are favourites.
Cedre & Oranger gone
Vanille & Narcisse gone
One bright light is that one of my favourites is staying: Neroli & Orchidee is keeping its place in stores and I have bought a back up of the fragrance and two of the shower gel. That should see me alright. Also Green Tea & Bigarde and Jasmin & Bergamot are staying, so if these are your Go-To fragrances then you are safe.
Neroli & Orchidee stays
Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but there is also good news. I am reliably told that there are a slew of fabulous new fragrances coming through for Christmas 2016. Looking forward to that.
Want to read what’s NEW NEW NEW!! L’Occitane will be releasing a brand new fragrance in the Collection de Grasse series in Australia during August 2014 and we have a special preview pack here at APJ! Woo Hoo! And today we will have FOUR winners!
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Lemon, tangerine Heart: Cypress, pine, rosemary Base: White amber, cedar, musk
From the USA L’Occitane site: A fresh breeze passes through the town of Grasse, which lies between the mountains and the sea. The mistral wind from the mountains, filled with the scents of the foliage in its path, blends with air from the Mediterranean, laden with sea spray. Inspired by this Provençal breeze, La Collection de Grasse introduces Mer & Mistral, an aquatic fragrance with soft ripples of aromatic notes. Zesty top notes of lemon and mandarin give way to a generous heart of cypress, pine and rosemary, so emblematic of the Mediterranean coast.
On my skin Mer & Mistral opens VERY fresh, good old fashioned, mens locker room in the 1990s: citrus and salty sea breeze. You know I am against fragrant gender boundaries but my scent memory is so strong with this style of fragrance because it takes me right back to my days in the gym, hanging their with mates or partner, hitting the showers and then in the locker room the guy getting dressed right next to me spritzing 4 or 5 times. It smells as much like a Mediterranean seaside resort town as it can without adding the bad smells, this is pure and fresh and even the herbal greenery is washed out in the sunshine of summer. I can imagine Mer & Mistral becoming a very easy wear go-to for anyone who needs to cool and refresh, or who wants to smell that way. It’s like a salty lemonade in India, I know it sounds weird but it is crazy delicious and here I am wearing it as a fragrance. What it does smell like to me is a subtle version of the current fragrance that I spritz through the bathrooms and laundry every Wednesday after I’ve finished cleaning, GANT Liquid.
The opening is big and fresh then Mer & Mistral calms to a lovely clean green woodsy fragrance and this part of its life last really well. Anyone who loves to smell like they recently bathed and are totally calm and cool will enjoy wearing L’Occitane’s latest. Where it ends is a slow overtake by the musks and a minimal warming through with the amber, otherwise Mer & Mistral stays very poised. I like the part about 2-3 hours in when everything gets a lovely powdery feeling, so cuddly soft. After about 5-6 hours depending I lose almost everything but my skin still smells as if it’s fresh from the pool/bath/shower and fit.
Mer & Mistral has a very CdG synthetic effect but on a softer, less combative level and I don’t feel courageous wearing it. Just healthy, happy and clean. I like it.
Whatever you do today, be nice to yourself. A little forgiving and very loving. You are worth it.
Portia xx
Photo Stolen hemodernhome
Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral: L’Occitane GIVEAWAY
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week we will have 4 winners who will each get: 1 x 5ml decant of Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane (from my sample bottle)
1 x 5ml decant of Neroli & Orchidee by L’Occitane (from my sample bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOW DO YOU WIN?
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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.
You must tell me how you follow APJ
and
Please tell me your favourite fresh fragrance, or why you would like to try this one.
Entries Close Sunday 20th July 2014 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 24th July 2014 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.
Thanks APJ for getting so on board and involved. The people at L’Occitane are so happy that we are talking about doing some more wonderful giveaways. THANK YOU L’OCCITANE!!! You are such a great company and APJ is proud to associate with you, totally generous.
L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse GIVEAWAY WINNERS
WHAT COULD YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will receive one used for review purposes only bottle of L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse (NO you don’t get to chose)
1 winner will receive:
Cèdre & Oranger EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
1 winner will receive:
Fleur d’Or Acacia EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOW DID YOU WIN?
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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.
To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any L’Occitane product that you’ve used or like the sound of
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Sunday 24th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST
Winners will be chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen markmontanoblogs
Camilla, Elise Johnson
WOO HOO CONGRATULATIONS!!! The winners will have till Thursday 28th November 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.
Here at APJ we did a L’Occitane Divine Cream Review and Challenge, you can watch the progression in L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 1 and L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 2 where we challenged you all to grab a sample and see how it left your skin in 2 weeks. At the time L’Occitane also sent me a set of the first four four of their La Collection de Grasse fragrances to try and if I wanted to APJ could review them. Well, I WANTED TO! These fragrances are beautiful, wearable, spritz and go winners. Last week we did a L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse Review and Giveaway that L’Occitane were so happy with they sent me the THREE LATEST IN THE SERIES!!! We have the BRAND NEWEST available, so exciting.
Pictured above is the L’Occitane 7.5ml La Collection de Grasse Miniatures Christmas pack, an excellent choice and currently only $35 on the L’Occitane Australia Site
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Bergamot, rosemary Heart: Fig leaf, rose Base: Sandalwood, cedar, labdanum, vanilla
I can’t believe that Ambre & Santal is made for this price. It is as warm, rich and complex as some of the VERY expensive niche offerings. This is so good I’m keeping it. Sorry folks.
Right from the beginning you can already smell the vanilla and resins coated in a very light hint of herbaceous green and a tiny glitter of citrus. Fig leaf and rose? Maybe through the heart there is a leafiness but it is a bit less specific than fig, or maybe I’ve been spoilt by so many other fig releases at a much higher price point and the rose is such a bit player I can barely detect it. What does shine so bright about Ambre & Santal is its base, which is basically the whole life of the fragrance, it is the loveliest, creamy woods and resinous vanilla. Ambre & Santal sings on my skin as if they were made for each other. I repeat, I can’t believe this excellent price point. I smell so good and have been asked what I’m wearing a couple of times while I have sported it. Totally unisex and an excellent fragrance.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Orange, bergamot, pine needles Heart: Cardamom, red berries, Virginian cedar Base: Vetiver, musk
I don’t like to create gender boundaries but of the people I’ve tried it on only one woman said she would wear it but EVERY man was very impressed. Jin who usually wears Bottega Veneta original and Mona di Orio Oud asked if he could keep it. I had to do divert and grab to get it back or it would have been lost forever in his frag stash.
The opening is bright and fresh and very clean, this is what all those sport and blue fragrances wish they were. It is the richest and prettiest of that genre that I’ve yet smelled and I can definitely see it being a good gift for the guys. Cèdre & Oranger warms up very slightly through the heart but essentially stays green and woodsy to its still clean musk dry down. After about an hour Cèdre & Oranger is very close to the body, maintaining a just showered freshness without pushing itself far beyond your skin. Ideal for even the closest office work and later for drinks an extra spritz will freshen it, and you, up considerably and last till next morning, quietly clean.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Lemon, bergamot Heart: Mimose, genet Base: White woods, musk
Fleur d’Or & Acacia is the latest offering from the L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse and I predict it being the biggest seller of them all. It is a very pretty Acacia/Mimosa fragrance that opens refreshingly citrus/green, invigorating and happy enough to make a grey sky blue and then the Acacia/Mimosa steps in and they all become that lovely waxy sweet crushed wattle flower green. Fleur d’Or & Acacia is sweet but not sugar sweet or vanilla sweet just sweet and pretty flowers over a sappy green-ness. Simple and wearable, a perfect mid season go to that will become a staple of your wardrobe and make an excellent gift. Surprisingly good longevity and though not a big fragrance has a lovely sheer penetration into your surrounds. The dry down is very easy wear, no surprises, but good solid fragrance that you’ll be happy to spritz and go in. BTW the Body oil above is also TO DIE FOR!!!
One of the jokes around this house is that seven out of ten things I spray on Jin he says, “Acacia” so today when I spritzed him I was hoping he would not say it but, damnit, he did.
L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse GIVEAWAY
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will receive one used for review purposes only bottle of L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse (NO you don’t get to chose)
1 winner will receive:
Cèdre & Oranger EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
1 winner will receive:
Fleur d’Or Acacia EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOW DO YOU WIN?
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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.
To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any L’Occitane product that you’ve used or like the sound of
Entries Close Sunday 24th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 28th November 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.
How lucky are you all APJ? We keep doing AWESOME GIVEAWAYS and the response has been great again. Thank you all and special thanks to L’Occitane for their incredible generosity. Do take a moment to jump across and have a look at their spectacular range. There seems to be something for EVERYBODY there, and some super great Christmas/Gift giving Season presents.
Pictured above is the L’Occitane 7.5ml La Collection de Grasse Miniatures Christmas pack, an excellent choice and currently only $35 on the L’Occitane Australia Site
L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse GIVEAWAY WINNERS
WHAT COULD YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will receive one used for review purposes only bottle of L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse (NO you don’t get to chose)
1 winner will receive:
Magnolia & Mure EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
1 winner will receive:
The Vert & Bigarade EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOW DID YOU WIN?
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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.
To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any L’Occitane product that you’ve used or like the sound of
Entries Closed Sunday 17th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST
Winners were chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen thegarfieldshow-diary
Mary K, BoringzLifez
CONGRATULATIONS!!! The winners will have till Thursday 21st November 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.
You may remember recently we did a L’Occitane Divine Cream Review and Challenge, you can watch the progression in L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 1 and L’Occitane Divine Cream Challenge Week 2 where we challenged you all to grab a sample and see how it left your skin in 2 weeks. At the time L’Occitane also sent me a set of four of their La Collection de Grasse fragrances to try and if I wanted to APJ could review them. Well, I WANT TO! These fragrances are beautiful, wearable, spritz and go winners. Let’s meet them:
Pictured above is the L’Occitane 7.5ml La Collection de Grasse Miniatures Christmas pack, an excellent choice and currently only $35 on the L’Occitane Australia Site
Jasmine & Bergamote by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featuired accords: Top: Bergamot, pettigrain, mandarin Heart: Egyptian Jasmine, jasmine Base: Sandalwood, cedar
This opens with sheer, watery citrus and the jasmine already floating below, like fresh water from the tap and cut sappy flower stems. Pretty, fresh, light and wearable Jasmine & Bergamote was grabbed by my assistant Katie and getting it back, nearly one third used already, was quite a chore. Jasmine & Bergamote is way too simple for my tastes but Katie can’t stop raving about how much she loves it. It smells wonderful on her and I can see why she likes it, the clean brightness that washes over everything is like a spring sunlit early evening warm but turning cool. Katie has bagsed the bottle, could I give a better recommendation?
Magnolia & Mure by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Bergamot, blackberry Heart: Magnolia, rose Base: Patchouli
Here we have a very interesting blackberry opening that is full on and in your face, a tart reminder of Enchanted Forest but a gentler, less intimidating version that is extremely modern and sheer but with a great sillage a scent bubble. Noticeable without being intrusive Magnolia & Mure is a true perfume of the teen years of the 21st century and if you want to smell in tune with the times I think it an excellent choice, a fruit-chouli that I enjoy!! Very hard to believe. The heart and dry down are surprisingly still filled with the sizzle of blackberry till the uber clean patchouli quietly fades to nothing. I can imagine Magnolia & Mure being a good gateway fragrance too for the young ready to step away from celebuscents and into the world of fine fragrance.
The Vert & Bigarade by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Bitter orange, green tea Heart: Mate, thyme Base: Musk, cedar, hay
The citrus and tea opening is tart, fresh, sparkling and very Eau de Cologne-ish. So delightful and very wearable, I can imagine this becoming a simple, no nonsense go-to fragrance for anyone who wants to smell fresh, vibrant and relaxed. The green continues into the heart and only warms through slightly in the dry down into a soft, clean, woodsy musk. The Vert & Bigarade is not a hugely groundbreaking fragrance but it is a good bet for someone taking their first steps outside the regular department store fare that wants to smell good and not have to worry. Excellent work choice and I think a LOT of gym bags will be sporting The Vert & Bigarade after the gift giving season.
Vanille & Narcisse by Karine Dubreuil 2013
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Black current, bergamot Heart: Gardenia, narcissus Base: Tonka bean, vanilla
This is the fragrance that sent me looking for the L’Occitane people in the first place. I can’t believe it’s not 10 x the price in a very chi chi niche perfume line. This has all the interest and elegance of a much more expensive fragrance with a very soft black current and citrus open that is sweet but not that modern hyper-sweet, diabetic with one spritz and the black current showing none of its urinous tendencies. I think the open is tamed by the flowers in the heart and cake sweet rather than lolly sweet vanilla base, Vanille & Narcisse could easily be a Guerlain Aqua Allegoria, CHANEL Exclusive or a DIOR Couturier, it could even be a Patricia de Nicolai.
L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse GIVEAWAY
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week there will be 2 winners who will receive one used for review purposes only bottle of L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse (NO you don’t get to chose)
1 winner will receive:
Magnolia & Mure EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
1 winner will receive:
The Vert & Bigarade EdT 75ml
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOW DO YOU WIN?
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 so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.
To be eligible for the draw just mention how you follow the APJs and tell us any L’Occitane product that you’ve used or like the sound of
Entries Close Sunday 17th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 21st November 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.
Interview with Karine Dubreuil, Perfumer for L’Occitane En Provence.
Neroli & Orchidee stays
Photo Stolen 
Photo Stolen 
Australian Perfume Junkies 