Lancome

Oakmoss: Notes on Notes

/ AustralianPerfumeJunkies / 29 Comments

Hello APJ, It has been years. Sorry for the radio silence but after the double hackings and the rigmarole to get APJ back up the steam had left my will to continue. We had lost all our followers TWICE! The first time saw a reasonable rejoin but the second time took us months to fix the problem and people stayed away in droves. Considering the work that went into seven days a week content it was easier to continue Guest Posting elsewhere and leaving APJ as historic content.  With A Bottled Rose on hiatus APJ will be the home of a new, small scale collaboration project. Old Herbaceous of Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities and I will be doing a monthly post on different perfume notes.

Oakmoss Notes on Notes BANNER

Oakmoss: Notes on Notes

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Scent Diary: 8.4 – 14.4.2019

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Portia

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Hey there APJ Crew,

Wonderful week of fragrance. Everything else was pretty low key. Didn’t get to pool or gym this week and ate less than perfectly. Saw some buddies, hung with Jin and did a bunch of work so my life felt happily rounded without being hectic.

On A Bottled Rose this week I did Portia’s Spring List for the Northern Hemisphere. Go check it out.

WOO HOO! My mate Arielle is doing another fragrance!
Washington, D.C. (April 2019) – Arielle Shoshana is launching a Kickstarter campaign, “The Scent of Sunday,” to create its second fragrance, Arielle Shoshana Sunday. This Kickstarter will crowdfund the development and production of a perfume that smells how Sunday feels: a soft, cozy fragrance that captures the quiet bliss of an extra snooze cycle nestled in warm sheets.
“The Scent of Sunday” Kickstarter campaign will run from April 11, 2019 – May 11, 2019. Arielle Shoshana Sunday is expected to launch in October 2019.

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New Sniffs: 6.12.2018

/ AustralianPerfumeJunkies / 40 Comments

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Portia

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Hey Hey Perfume Junkies,

The idea is that anything worthy of comment, either good or bad, that’s passed under my nose through the week will get a short write up. Up till now I have kept APJ positive comments only, those days are gone. If I think something is terrible, shamefully lazy, greedy or stupid and you should know about it, it will be said. Not everything works for everyone and it would be pretty boring if it did >>> YMMV. I’d love it if you all agree, respectfully disagree, have any thought-out opinion and want to share, do so in the comments below. The point is starting a conversation.

New Sniffs Aug 2018 Continue reading →

Scent Diary: 14.8 – 20.8.2017

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Portia

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OMG APJ!

Sorry but I’ve hardly chronicled this week at all. It has been non stop Go Go Go. We’ve had Jin’s niece & nephew from Slovakia and Jin has been determined to show then EVERYTHING in two weeks. I’ve been working so haven’t been on every adventure but still it has been a hell of a week. I am 100% done and ready for some quiet weeks.

Scent Diary: 14.8 – 20.8.2017

Monday 14:

The kids have gone to do a SCUBA course. Jin and I have the day together and to ourselves. We walked the dogs and visited a mate then once home Jin hit the hay for some extra ZZZZs and I am at the computer. All feels right in the world.

My smells today were coffee, toast, dogs, the combined fragrance of my perfume room and Jin until I bathed in the evening. Lazy, lovely day spent doing the blog and Trivia Q&A.

When the kids got home we ordered Domino’s Pizza and ate it watching Netflix Riverdale. They loved it.

Tonight for Trivia Q&A writing I drenched myself in Guerlain Mitsouko EdT.

Tuesday 15:

Woke up late. Somewhere around 8.30am. I’m a bit fuzzy round the edges today. Having a cuppa.

OMG! I didn’t send my Q&A to the team. How do you all cope with kids daily? You’re all freaking SAINTS!

Jin has nicked the car and taken the kids to SCUBA today. He’s planning on doing a couple of dives with them too. What a cutey!

Penhaligon’s Savoy Steam is puffing along with me today. I really like it.

Had a Roger & Gallet Cedrat bubble bath, Simple moisturiser, Cacharel Liberté fragrance. MMMMMMM

They all came home after their amazing day of diving. They’re so excited and happy. It’s really nice to see.

Wednesday 16:

Lancome Magie Noire was this mornings choice.

We did SO MUCH today. Caught the bus and train to Sydney city. Wandered David Jones, Pitt St Mall and then had lunch at Westfield Centrepoint Food Court ( I gave the kids $20 each and told them to get what they want. It was their first food Court so they loved it). Then we wandered around the Sydney Opera House and caught the ChooChoo Express through the Royal Botanic Gardens. We then wandered leisurely around to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and from there to the Art Gallery of NSW where we saw some ofd the Indigenous Australian art and had a cuppa and some sweets from the Members Lounge. After that we were all buggered and we caught the train home.

Then I had a nap and went to work. STUFFED!!

Thursday 17:

I had hoped to spend the morning on my own because Jin & the kids were going to Surf School but Sindy woke up sick. SHIT! Took her down to the doctor and she has ruptured eardrums. Not very bad but she is on antibiotics to stave off any infection and he wants to see her Monday to give the OK to fly on Tuesday.

Got some super lovely postcards in the mail today! Thanks to Lyndall & Mazz. I LOVE POSTCARDS!

I’ve spent the day in vintage CHANEL No 5 EdT & EdC.

We met Rose at Manly and had fish & chips on the esplanade in the area my family used to sit when we were kids. It was a perfect 26C winter day with blue sky. It was the kids first ever experience of fish & chips eaten al fresco at the beach. Afterwards they took the leftover chips and fed the seagulls. It look like The Birds, hundreds of them clamouring for the chip. Excellent.

We wandered around a little bit after lunch then came back home and chilled on the couch watch Atypical, the new Netflix show about an autistic boy and his family ands friends. Then Rose came with me to work tonight at Kings Park Tavern. We came home and watched the rest of Atypical. Great series.

It’s late now and I’ve run Rose a bath because she’s staying tonight and will sleep on the couch.

Friday 18:

Gave myself a very lavish spritzing of some older Lancome Magie Noire this morning and really enjoyed its mossy goodness through the day. Even got a compliment on it. Very cool.

I got up early and had the car up at the repair garage just before 7am. The morning was so cool and crisp I took the dogs for an extra long ramble around our area. they loved it.

When I got home the house was just starting to stir so I made French Toast and Bacon with a choice of maple or Golden Syrup and percolated a pot of coffee. There was also pulpy Orange Juice our Tropical. Rose, the kids, Jin & I sat around eating and laughing. It was a real family meal and I can’t talk for anyone else but it was really special for me.

Then we caught the bus into town and met TinaG for the Sydney Aquarium. I’m not really a huge fan of captured animals on display but the Sydney crew do a really good job. The tanks are large and don’t seem crowded, most of the fish looked in fine form and happily swimming in their schools or solo. Some of the sharks look like veterans and the only creatures that gave me real pause were an octopus and two Dugongs. Most fish look like they are mindlessly doing their thing but these three looked forlorn, lost and unhappy. They were the only low point in what was a wonderful experience. There were loads of messages about trying to minimise plastics and waste, information about the companies work as a refuge and rehabilitation centre and some info about each fish, bird or creature in each enclosure.

Everyone slept on the train going home except me. They were REALLY tired.

We came home, had a nap and then headed out for the kids first ever Sushi Train! They loved it. Jin is a terrific uncle and I have loved watching him blossom into a responsible guardian in the week they’ve been here so far.

Saturday19:

The gang has gone to Jervis bay for a Seal Dive, SCUBA with the seal colony down there. Poor Sindy is devastated she can’t do it because of her ears but at least she’ll get to be part of the fun and see the seals, dolphins and whales that inhabit the area. They left at 4am this morning but I slept right through to 8.30am. Woo Hoo!

Spritzed Cacharel Liberté early this morning and it was a fun fizzy accompaniment to my morning.

A bit of blog organising today and work tonight. After my bath I decided it needed to be a BIG skanky floral for the Hen’s Party tonight. Alpha fragrance to keep them a little restrained for the two hours I’ve got them. How about Bal a Versailles? Hmmmmm, parfum and EdT! That should be big enough.

Hey, does anyone else get moody? Like spot moody? Tonight my mood went from happy that my gig had gone so well and full of love for the world to blackest black (because of a few small things that didn’t go as planned or were less than thrilling surprises) in the space of one hour and then back out the other side to relatively calm again. It felt ridiculously powerful being angry. This is not something I’ve felt before and seems very bi-polar.

Sunday 20:

Ahhhhh Sunday. I was up really late watching Iron Fist on Netflix, like 5am late.

The crew got up and we all had breakfast this morning before they headed out to the markets and Yum Cha in town. I have had enough of people so I stayed home and vacuumed the house and cleaned the kitchen. Did it all smelling of Penhaligon’s Savoy Steam, I love it and can’t seem to get enough. Perhaps 3 or 4ml has already gone from my bottle!

Tonight after my Radox Bath Salts bath I went crazy with vintage Miss Dior EdT. As I was walking into the club tonight one of the club punters said I smelled fantastic, he even pulled me in for a closer sniff. It was a nice moment.

 

Alright, enough about me. What have you lot been up to? Got a story to share? Fun or fragrant, friends or family, happy or sad, we love them all. Please share in the comments.
Portia xx

Scent Diary 7.8 – 13.8.2017

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Portia

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Hey Gang,

This week has been a hodge podge of loads of stuff and very little of anything in particular. It started out calm and cool but has become more frantic each day. I am completely blitzed now.
Portia xx

Scent Diary 7.8 – 13.8.2017

Monday 7:

Monday went by in a daze of organisation.

Jin and I managed to run away to our favourite cafe for lunch but the rest of the day seemed computer bound with breaks for coffee & food. I went and collected the mail from my Post Office Box and my favourite postal GF had popped Home Made Cookies in the box! Seriously, how freaking lucky am I? Thanks Nikki, delicious. They’re Nikki Bickies!

I did order PIZZA dinner because Jin was working night shift and I am too lazy to cook when in Trivia Q&A mode.

It got to 11.57pm and my mind was fried so I decided to go to bed and get up early tomorrow and finish my Q&A. Sometimes I need fresh eyes on the problem. So, quick spritz of Estee Lauder La Rouge Gloss, their answer to Diet Soda scents and off to the land of ZZZzzZZZZZzZZ.

Tuesday 8:

Awoke early, got my Q&A finished and sent out to the girls. They’re seriously tricky this week so I’ve told the girls to give clues. Mine are printed and awaiting organisation.

WOO HOO I received a package this morning. It was a BIG surprise. It was a thoughtful gift from Kate Apted! How freaking generous! Wonderful. LUSH Rose Jam shower gel

CHANEL Boy for work. I bloody love this baby.

Wednesday 9:

Weather is sublime here in Sydney. walked the dogs for over an hour this morning in the warm sunshine. They were pooped by the time we got home.

Wearing Guerlain Tonka Imperiale. It’s sweet nutty warmth was a perfect ramble accompaniment.

Tonight I finished my B&BW Warm Vanilla Sugar in the bath and spritzed Histoires de Parfums Amber 114. Amber 114 is very nice as it goes on, a cool amber buoyed by herbs and woods. It’s the heart and dry down that I really love though, warm amber, nutty, creamy woods and resins. It’s so glamorous. Simple and elegant. Why don’t I wear it more?

Thursday 10:

Went to bed and started feeling achey, woozy and chill. Took two Neurofen and put on a heater, added a jumper and extra socks. Drank a bunch of tea and water and sweated it out.
Awoke this morning feeling slightly fuzzy but infinitely better.

TinaG came over.

We went and started sorting my VISA for India and bought some tropical fish for my aquarium.

Sniff, TinaG and I sniffed perfumes. LOADS of them. Can I remember which ones? NOPE!

Work: Tonight was fun at KPT. We had a great crew of regulars & newbies. They put us into a new room which I think will work perfectly for us. Sound is excellent and the ambience too. Lighting needs a little tweaking but we can work with it. Here’s a few of the gang.

Friday 11:

Jin finished work at 6am. He headed home and grabbed 3 hours sleep then we were off and running for our day.

First stop: We collected the signed poster from Jimmy Barnes for the auction winner at the recent fundraiser I hosted. It is going to make vaughn an extremely happy fan and hopefully he’ll treasure it for a lifetime.

Next we hit the Redfern apartment. The kitchen kick board is falling apart so Jin glued and fixed it into place. We also checked the water connections to the clothes washing machine, the taps and pipes, all clear. While we were in there as Jin was doing his thing I cleaned the grease traps in the exhaust fan above the stove. They are super clean ands lovely now.

Lunch time and we went to a Korean style Chinese restaurant. Every country makes their Chinese food differently so though it’s called Chinese the Korean version is a horse of a different colour.

In the fragrance department it was a red letter day for postal arrivals. OMG! I received today what most regular people would get in a year.

Criminal Elements Sample Set

Not available to buy until September 1 2017 I received the advance press set. UNBELIEVABLE! The boys have created a fully functioning mini brief case to hold their samples. It’s so freaking good and I’m on a design high. BRaVO! Amazing packaging. This will sell like hoy cakes on cool red alone. WAIT till you smell the frags. Ah May Zing.

PANIC SHOPPING ARRIVED:

Elvire at the Palais Royale Serge Lutens store sent some stuff to Val who forwarded a Le Vaporisateur of Fourreau Noir and the new 100ml of La Fille de Berlin. SO EXCITED!

Paris and everywhere else is out of the Le Vaporisateur of de Profundis. I found it at The Perfume Shoppe Canada. They could not have been more helpful, were excellent communicators and got everything sent tout de suite.

 

We have been home and relaxing this afternoon but tonight we will be cleaning and readying the place for our visitors. Jin’s Niece & nephew arriving in the morning. I’m so nervous. HA! Hopefully they have a wonderful time.

Saturday 12:

Woke up early, spritzed Guerlain Cuir Beluga and went to the airport to collect the kids. They came home, rested, ate breakfast and generally hung out.

Spritzed Etat Libre d’Orange Afternoon of a Faun. Went to Sydney’s best meet-the-native-fauna type zoo, Featherdales. I haven’t been in decades and it has come a long way. We were able to meet and feed wallabies and small kangaroos, pet the quokkas. We also got to see dingoes, Tasmanian Devils and fruit bats being fed and an excellent assortment of birdlife big & small. It’s all set out in a really comfortable area. We met up with the Lee family (Kath’s sister Jane, husband Mark, kids Rachel & Erin) and it was super fun. Excellent day out. I learned so much from the keepers and the shows about our native fauna.

Spritzed Lancome Magie Noire. Then we met Kath & Alice for DUCK DINNER, yep Peking Duck. It was a smashing success.

Now we are all totally worn out. Everyone else is sound asleep and I’m pretty much on my way. A sneaky spritz of Patou 1000 EdT before bed. NIGHT!

Sunday 13:

After reading some of the Saturday Question responses I was inspired to wear vintage CHANEL No 19 EdT today. GREAT CHOICE!

Went and had a wonderful day on the river to Sydney then wandered the markets and stalls. Then had lunch. It was lovely seeing one of my dearest friends Eve and her daughter, Jin and the kids were pleasant AND we were lucky enough to be with Jin’s BFF Matt who we hardly see enough. At the markets we bumped into Eve and my childhood friend Sean Carver at his stall and the kids bought some fab bags and T-Shirts for themselves and friends.

It should have been wonderful but actually I was tense the whole time, felt claustrophobic in the crush of people and snapped at everyone. While I do know I’m not a bad person this was definitely one of my less attractive moments.

Home and bathed. Wore Keiko Mecheri Un Jour d’Ete and it was a beautiful tropical accompaniment to work tonight. I still smell of it.

 

How was your week? Come on, share something fun or fragrant. Maybe you had a public melt down or did something silly. Purge yourself here and we will all commiserate.

Portia xx

Scent Diary: 19.6 – 25.6.2017

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Portia

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Hey APJ,

Aunty Tracey has gone so we are living in a bit of a vacuum, suffering withdrawals. The whole house seems less sparkly.

Before we get onto this week I forgot to put Jin’s modelling shot from trying on the new jumper I got him last week. He is the funniest fucker ever and had us in stitches as he paraded in David Jones Sydney City Mens Store.

Jin and I have been barneying too, a few seriously heated exchanges but it’s calming down now. As you can probably imagine it gets pretty dramatic around here when the shouting starts, VERY theatrical. At least we shout it out and then it’s over. It’s the stewing that gets me riled up, then I have top pop the pimple and bark like a deranged poodle. Well, at least the air is clear.

Scent Diary: 19.6 – 25.6.2017

Monday 19:

SOTBed as I wander off to my snoring bed warmer, Jin, is Maria Candida Gentile Exultat. Incense done with such gentle restraint. So woodsy, it’s like being in a confessional or 1970s Swedish style sauna. Cool and aloof wafts of scented smoke will lull me to ZZZZZZZZZ.

Today is beautiful in North Parramatta. Sun is shining and the air crisp. We are looking at a high of 18C. I chose Etat Libre d’Orange Afternoon of A Faun as my SOTD and it’s bringing me only joy. I was so inspired I dusted & vacuumed the house and cleaned the bathroom. Also did every bit of laundry. This place is spotless.

Monday night is Trivia Q&A night. I wanted something fresh and sweet so enormous amounts of Guerlain Lys Soleia. Seriously, maybe 15 spritzes! It’s heavenly.

Tuesday 20:

My Aunty Tracey calls me FuckFace when I’m annoying, which is more often than you’d think. SO my BFF Kath has started sending me pics.

Woke up. Jumped out of bed to feed the dogs and walked them wearing one of my all time faves Niki de Saint Phalle. It’s still the cheaper chypre, though it’s getting harder to find.

Scott and I did the Office Work today, as much as we could get done. We did get to Service NSW and finally change my Toll Pass over.

We also went to the Priceline Sale and bought some heavily discounted Estee Lauder Modern Muse and Modern Muse Rouge Gloss. He He he! Couldn’t help ourselves, they were basically FREE! All three for less than you’d usually pay for one!

Tonight I wore Neela Vermeire Creations Trayee and was awarded two lovely compliments. It does smell ridiculously gorgeous and I totally rocked the wafting.

Aunty Tracey’s eldest son David was in the house tonight. We sat him with the team that Aunty Tracey plays with, Lyndall is pictured. They all had a hoot. He looks so much like his Dad, unbelievable.

SOTBed? Dama Koupa by Baruti. It’s a decant and so unusual. Woods, but with a dry sugar dusted unsweetuess. I’ve never smelled anything quite like it. REALLY, sensationally good.

Fragrantica

Wednesday 21:

Wow! Big day here. Well, not really that big but Evan dropped around in the morning and we sniffed some fragrances. It was a really fun hour. I can’t remember what I sprayed myself with but all day I had people saying how good I smell.

Also went to town to buy new Drag Shoes & Jewellery.

After that Alice & I went to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and sat in the cool evening of the years shortest day here in Australia. It was dark by the time we got there and we had a spectacular view of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. it was so peaceful. Weird thing is, a perfect night yet we were nearly the only ones there. There were a couple of joggers and one small tour group in the hour we spent drinking in the breathtaking view.

Then we met my mate Rose for dinner at Blue Fish in Darling Harbour. It was a lovely night, full of cheeky stories and reminiscences. The food was wonderful and the guys serving us were really cheerful. My favourite, Joel, is back working there after a stint in Europe and Queensland. It was good to catch up with him.

This is a Mango Eton Mess. Mangoes, broken meringue, and whipped heavy cream. Seriously delicious.

Poor TinaG is less than 100% so I grabbed some Italian pasta for her on the way home and dropped it in. Get Well Princess.

For SOTBed Guerlain Tonka Imperial. PERFECT!

While we were out doing all that Jin was at a Sleep Apnea Study

Thursday 22:

Today was spent largely running around with Jin. I did cook the most splendid hamburgers for lunch but we ate them so no pics.

This morning I spritzed Guerlain Shalimar EdP as I was running about.

For work I had a LUSH Rose Jam bubble bath (we are getting to the last one very soon), Kiehl’s Original Musk lotion and Lancome Midnight Rose EdP. Yes, I love Midnight Rose, kick me out of the perfumista club if you want. I’ll be here smelling fabulous with or without you all. When sprayed over the musk you have no idea how fabulous it smells.

Friday 23:

Jin is working nights currently and when he got into bed this morning he woke me a bit so I got out of bed and had a cuppa. Wearing Dama Koupa by Baruti again, can’t get enough of its freaky dry woodsy unsweetness. I’m going to grab my beautiful puppy Paris and we are going to catch a couple of extra sleep hours in the spare room. Doggy cuddles are the best.

For work tonight this is my Bath, Body & Fragrance. Robert Piguet Bandit bubble bath (such leathery goodness, you have no idea), Amouage Dia woman body lotion and Guerlain Mitsouko EdT and vintage parfum.

It was really exciting tonight to hang out with some of my favourite peeps before, between & after the gig tonight. Though the gig itself was fun these guys are the freaking bomb. I haven’t caught up with them for ages and it was so good. Some people leave indelible marks.

The gig included dinner! I was so spoiled by chef Trish (Patricia Woods) who knows exactly how to tickle my tastebuds. Chock full of joy from seeing her too. PLUS Trish has a new love who I got to meet.

Lastly, to top a wonderful night off my mate Kane sent through a pic of us taken last century at the DIVA Awards. I think it’s 1996 but it might be later. Kane is on the right of the photo and I was madly in love with him while we were in London together. Sadly it was not to be but for a moment. By this time back in Sydney the man on the left, Eddie with the glasses, had become his beau.

Saturday 24:

Lazy morning. I put so much Guerlain Mitsouko on before bed last night I still smell of it. A LOT!

News just in. My mates Hunter & Faycal packed up their daughter and life and moved from Sydney to the South of France. They bought a beautiful property, did it up with their impeccable taste and now it’s on AirBnB. So if you’re thinking holiday, what could be more lovely than staying with a couple of my mates in the town of Ales near Nimes.

Want to go there? Me too. Here’s their AirBnB page.

My Bath, Lotion and SOTWork look like this today. Bubble bath provided by Hermès Eau de Mandarine Ambrée, Madonna Truth or Dare Naked body lotion because it has a luscious sweet amber undertone and fragrance from Hermès Le Jardin de Monsieur Li. Being a lovely sunny winter day here in Sydney I am loving the zingy crisp freshness of Monsieur Li, not sure how much extra depth the lotion is providing but the work nicely in combination.

Sunday 25:

I woke up at 3am, no reason. So I jumped out of bed and answered blog comments, scanned FaceBook, did a little emailing. I drank a couple of glasses of water and now I’m spritzing DIOR Mitzah and going back to bed. Bliss!

Jumped out of bed, spritzed Neela Vermeire Creations Pichola, fed and walked dogs and we went straight to pedicures. Kath, Evie and her daughter Lola were there to get some yummy new colours.

From pedicures Yum-Cha and Jin and his BFF Matt joined us there but Kath had to skedaddle. Conversation was lively, loads of laughs and we ate mountains of Chinese. Perfect start to the day.

 

After Yum-Cha we walked past this shop and thought it was hilarious because Tara from A Bottled Rose is our mate. So we snapped this and sent her a “Yeah Tara, Fuck You” message.

After that it was home to the bath. Bubbles provided by the last drops of my L’Occitane Melting Honey bubble bath. I do have an incredibly embarrassing confession, my sight is so bad that I’ve been using the L’Occitane Verbena Conditioner as BODY LOTION! So embarrassed when I enlarged the photo to get the correct name. Ha Ha ha ha! For fragrance I wanted something green and sweet to go with my two bases so Annick Goutal Mandragora Pourpe got brought out and is a perfect fit. It’s cool minty blast softens to a warmer amber/incense/patchouli watercolour wash. Love the bottle too.

 

Alright you lot! It’s your turn. Tell us anything fun, frightening, friendly or fragrant that happened to you this week. Share your joys and sorrows, we will cheer you on or commiserate as needs.
Please share something, we love to get to know you all a little bit better.
Portia xx

Scent Diary: 12.6 – 18.6.2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

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Portia

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Hi there APJ,

A full week with Aunty Tracey down from Cairns. We ran from pillar to post. HEAVEN!
Portia xx

Scent Diary: 12.6 – 18.6.2017

Monday 12:

I stayed up late this morning watching TV. everyone else was sound asleep. Just before bed I gave myself 6 big spritzes of Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur EdP.

Neela Vermeire Mohur EdP May 2017

Today was a hang around the house with Aunty Tracey, watch Netflix, walk dogs, home made brunch, more Netflix, Pizza Hut dinner and leave her to watch more TV while I went and wrote Trivia Q&A kinda day.

Haven’t even put more perfume on till right now. DIOR Mitzah, and loads of it.

Tuesday 13:

Stuff happened but I didn’t write it down or take photos.

Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose arrived in the post. I’ve been going through decants and decided it was time to plunge when I saw it for an excellent price. Wore it to work and got two very interested compliments from people who LOVED it.

For my SOTBed I went crazy with Van Clef & Arpels Ambre Imperial. Excellent dry, cool amber for sleeping in.

Wednesday 14:

Jin had his birthday today but as he is a dirty spoilsport we are not allowed to celebrate. I brought my Aunty Tracey down to Sydney as a surprise guest and the three of us had a very low key morning with presents and cakes. It was cheesy but fun, we lit him a couple of candles and sang Happy Birthday. Please don’t send him any birthday wishes because it makes him really uncomfortable.

Below are his gifts from Aunty Tracey and me. He has been wanting that Cartier since 2013. I’m a very slow boyfriend but he was really excited to get it. How cute is the mug Aunty Tracey had made? Love it.

Jin made us hot Korean nut and sugar filled pancakes for brekky and we all watched some TV before we sped off to out respective days.
I had a large perfume influx from a friend who I bought a bunch from a mate selling off the good stuff to put a special needs student through school. What better reason to buy perfume than the ultimate top priority, educating our youth. So, I went a little crazy. Guerlain Cuir Beluga, Guerlain Tonka Imperial, Neela Vermeire Nichola, Neela Vermeire Trayee, Neela Vermeire Rahele. Expensive but ultimately helping so I feel pretty good about myself.

Tonight for work I wore lashings of Guerlain Cuir Beluga. It was beautiful. Here I am dining with my mate Wendy and Aunty Tracey.

Thursday 15:

Up early at Chez Turbo. Aunty Tracey, Jin & I were off and out to meet some of the Nursing Aunties. My Mum studied nursing and 10 of them graduated and stayed so close over the years. We went to visit Mum’s grave and the grave of another, Auntie Norma Dally-Watkins. So we met up for coffee and then did the visits. After that we went and had the most delicious Yum-Cha.

 

Then the night was full of trivia again. Aunty Tracey came and played with the Celts at Kings Park Tavern. They won and it was a great night.

Friday 16:

Neela Vermeire Creations Pichola was my choice of scent this morning. It was a perfect accompaniment to my busy day running around with the crew. Aunty Tracey, Jin & I jumped on a train to town.

First stop was David Jones Food Hall cafe in the patisserie area. After a bummer of an altercation about cutting cakes so we could share it all got really good and we all caffeinated ourselves and sugared up.

Then we shopped. Both Anna-Maria and Aunty Tracey had their lips done at David Jones DIOR counter by the make-up artists. Don’t they look fabulous in their glam reds? Anna-Maria spritzed DIOR Leather Oud, Aunty Tracey wore DIOR New Look 1947. They smelled wonderful.

Everyone bought at least one new piece of clothing. I grabbed a really cute Christmas style jumper and two new pairs of socks. It was the annual 30% Clearance Sale, how could we resist?

Anna-Maria and I bumped into Jules who is the Oroton regional manager. Anna-Maria has a very specific bag she wants and they have sold out of it across Australia but Jules has one, a slightly smaller size but still pretty much what Anna-Maria wants. I’ve passed on the details to her kids for Birthday shopping.

Then after running around for hours we were all pooped and needed some more caffeine and sugar so we adjourned to the Tea Salon in Sydney City Westfield and shared a cheesecake with cream & ice cream between us and everyone had their own special pot of tea. It was really lavish.

Quickly home to refresh and then we rushed into our favourite Korean BarBQ where we met up with Kath, Alice and Tina. Food, laughs, conversation and general mayhem ensued. These are the times when I am so happy. We all just hang and chatter and eat.

For bed I spritzed Guerlain Tonka Imperial. Sweet, nutty, tobacco with a cool incense backdrop. Very nice for our current night time temps. Going to bed now. Absolutely fricken buggered.

Saturday 17:

Hung around the house today. I wore loads of Van Cleef & Arpels Amber Imperial. It was lovely. There’s something about its dusty dryness that I find very comforting and wearable. YUM!

Did a fundraiser tonight for a local Football Club. My bath scent was Olympic Orchids Amber & Labdanum Bath Oil, moisturiser Madonna Truth or Dare Naked and fragrance Huitiemme Art Ambre Cerulean.

Aunty Tracey and I had a midnight Whitney Houston video singalong. we are both terrible singers and it was a hoot. Heaving breasts and tears streaming as we warbled. WOW! Now I’m so fucking depressed. Crying silently in front of the computer. She was so beautiful, talented, had everything. If she couldn’t survive what hope the rest of us mere mortals? Whitney was my voice for years as I mimed in shows in Australia and around the world. So sad, such waste.

Sunday 18:

Bedtime. 2am. A single spritz of Montana Parfum de Peau. Should be parfum de PEE. There’s a definite cat wee vibe going on here, it makes me laugh whenever I spritz it. the wee gives way to screechy white florals and ass. All ass zero class, I love it.

Jumped out of bed and it’s Aunty Tracey’s last day. We ran to Kath’s house to fix the lights in the kitchen. While there we also cleaned out the exhaust fans in the main bathroom, amazing how much more air they move when air can get through and the blades are clean.

Then we went to Bunnings for a Sausage Sizzle Brunch and to get a refund on shit lights that we’d removed. They were so amazingly accommodating with the store voucher, extremely happy.

Then bath time before work tonight. I had it extra hot and loved every second with mountains of bubbles from L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons. My body lotion Robert Piguet Fracas and scent overlaying all Serge Lutens Datura Noir. Yes, I wanted to smell like a spring night flowering bouquet.

 

Now it’s your turn. What happened in your week? See any friends, try any new fragrances or revisit old ones?
Share your highs & lows with us please. We love to read your life moments.
Portia xx