Saturday Question: What Did You Score?

December 28, 2019December 22, 2019 / AustralianPerfumeJunkies / 111 Comments

Portia

Hello Fellow Fumies,

At APJ we have a Saturday Question. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it’s a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back regularly and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them. The aim is to generate real conversation and connection even though we are scattered around the globe.

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Scent Diary: 2.12 – 8.12.2019

December 8, 2019December 9, 2019 / AustralianPerfumeJunkies / 23 Comments

Portia

Hey there APJ Crew,

Not sure what’s wrong with me. Totally unmotivated to leave the house in the early part of this week. Then I had stuff organised so had to leave the house, all good. Fairly chill week in all ways. LOADS of good fragrance though.

Continue reading →

Portia’s Gift List 2019

December 6, 2019December 4, 2019 / AustralianPerfumeJunkies / 37 Comments

Portia

Heya APJ,

This time of the year is a nightmare if you want to buy something lovely for friends. First and foremost being that our friends mostly already have everything they need. So for us to get them something special and important means either we have to spend a LOT of money, or we need to be a little savvy. As most of my closest don’t really understand my perfume mania it would be churlish of me to buy them something in that mode unless I’ve really thought it out. Here are some perfume and fragrant adjacent gifts that should get their eyes popping and not break the bank for you.

This is a list of things I’ll be gifting this year. Most of them are bought already, just awaiting packaging.

Portia’s Gift List 2019

Candles

While being fragrant, candles occupy the happy middle ground where they are decorative, functional and useable. You don’t need to store them because they sit out and get their burn on a couple of times a week to help freshen the air in our homes.

Cire Trudon

VERY spendy but really good if you need to impress or the person you’re buying for is impress oriented. I love their packaging and the fragrances always smell uber luxe. This year my choice of their Christmas scents is Hupo. Ambergris, Incense and creamy woods combine majestically. Libertine has these with FREE Australian Postage.

Gascoigne & King

The newest fragrance from Gascoigne & King is unbelievably beautiful. Mainly jasmine, and vanilla with the warm, feral addition of honey. G&K are a Sydney brand, created with love by hand in the home of my girlfriend Bronwyn Gascoigne. I buy a cartload of these every year because everyone who gets one comments how lavishly glamorous they make the house smell. Very reasonably priced and Gascoigne & King send to the world with a AUD$20 Flat Shipping Rate.

They also do the To Die For Rose Gold Candle Care Wicker and Snuffer, in case your friends already have candles galore. ^^

Glasshouse

Confession time. I bought the new Glasshouse Carousel for MYSELF! Yes, I paid full retail and it is freaking gorgeous. When it’s lit in the dark of the evening the light creates fabulous patterns on the walls. It’s like a fairyland. I will run myself a midnight bubble bath, light the candle and turn the lights out. INSTANT fantasy land. Amusingly, when I told Ainslie Walker that I’d bought it she squealed, it is one of her releases for the brand! Double win.

Bathtime

That leads us beautifully to my favourite, Bubble Baths. Most of my mates aren’t deep into perfumes but all of them have to bathe. A simple, useful and well priced gift is always a shower gel. Excellent if you know their preference in perfumes because you can buy their attendant products but also cool if you don’t, open their minds to something new and wonderful.

Lyric Man Shower Gel by Amouage

Lyric Man has been Amouage’s best selling mens fragrance for years. It’s cool, masculine rose is beautiful and flies under the radar enough that it can be the perfect choice for the wealthy working man (or the one with a partner/friend/family with really good taste). The packaging alone makes this a gift of distinction with the added benefit of a 300ml pump pack. Guaranteed to last months, even with daily use.

Mon Guerlain Shower Gel by Guerlain

Mon Guerlain, the hit from Guerlain that has spawned a thousand flankers in its few short years. I like the simplicity of this packaging. Right now there are also wonderful Gift Packs that come with a shower gel and fragrance. I really like the less flamboyant scent they’ve used in this and it will work beautifully across the range, so no matter which Mon Guerlain is your intendeds fave this will be a perfect bath starter.

Cherry Blossom Shower Gel by L’Occitane

I was gifted this bottle for my birthday by some girlfriends. The bottle alone is a winner with its cherry blossom branch relief. The pretty cherry/cherry blossom fragrance is so much better than it needed to be. I’m surprised each time I use it how good the fragrance is. Also, though it looks pricey, it is really good value.

Basil Lemon by Korres

Want to kick start your day with a zingy refreshing fragrance, or are thinking of wearing some cologne or citrus scents for your day? This is a really good value choice and the big bottles always look impressive. 400ml will probably last till the next time you have to buy a gift for them. I like the no nonsense packaging too, perfect for the boys but not so butch that the girls will feel awkward.

Rose Jam Shower Gel by LUSH

Special Christmas time release and my favourite shower gel by LUSH, by far. Rose Jam is a scent I want to always have around. It is the perfect base coat to any rose-centric fragrance but isn’t so strong that it really interferes with anything you choose to wear fragrance wise over its remnants. Super good value and comes from 100m up to the huge 500ml. This is a great love of mine. Excellent gifting response too.

Other Great Stuff

Liberty & Co Colour Block Mug

Jin bought me one of these last year. It has been my most coveted coffee mug ever since. It’s perfect in every way. The feel, the colours, the size and the handle. PERFECT! So perfect in fact that I have bought it this year for others, so they can enjoy the luxuriousness of a Tiffany & Co cuppa.

Tea Towels

I know, right! So many of my friends really do have EVERYTHING! It’s impossible to get them anything they really want, let alone need. So wherever I go, be it Art Gallery, Holiday Destination, Event or Place of Note I grab a couple of Tea Towels. We all use them, most people have a couple of skanky old rags or even a set bought a few years ago at the local supermarket but rarely does anyone think much about them. So getting a pretty, interesting or luxurious one is nice. They are also good to use as safety wrapping inside put together gift boxes.

OK, so there are some thoughts. You’ve got nearly three weeks of shopping left for Christmas or whatever your ritual is at this time of year.

No matter what you do or don’t buy, who or what you do or don’t have, I wish you a safe season. Hoping it’s free of drama, pain and depression for you, and if any of those hits I hope your coping mechanisms get you through. Plan ahead, make sure you are not putting yourself or others in danger. Hugs from me, and the APJ crew.

Portia xxx

Scent Diary: 19.6 – 25.6.2017

June 25, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Portia

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: 22.5 – 28.5.2017

May 28, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Portia

Scent Diary: 22.5 – 28.5.2017

Monday 22:

Hey all. Today was spent at the computer (amazing how much time you can waste doing basically nothing online) and getting my fragrant send outs done. Some of them are a week overdue.

watching some Netflix. Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code (2011) which blew my mind. Scary real idea.

Also watched the animated Sahara (2017) which was sweet and amusing but not nearly as good as Source Code.

Being Monday I have to write Trivia Q&A tonight.

Did not spritz or dab even a drop of fragrance today. For no reason at all my body wanted a complete rest from it. It did make me notice even more the fragile scent of lavender left on my sheets after changing the bed today. I always spritz it with L’Occitane Lavender Eau de Cologne on change day. It’s scent remains all week and is a perfect relaxant for Jin. He works shift work and needs to be able to fall asleep at any time in moments.

Tuesday 23:

BUSY, wearing Madame Rochas EdC and parfum.

This morning I had a few things on the agenda, firstly tyres. My car desperately needed 4 new tyres and I had known it was coming for 12 months. Went to a tyre place I’ve used before expecting around $1000. The guy that served me was super sweet. He told me that they were importing a new brand and because this company is trying to get a toehold in Australia they are still quite cheap. So, four new tyres and a wheel alignment cost a little under $600 and I can’t believe the difference. The car is more responsive, feels like it is cornering better and the steering is lighter than it’s ever been. WIN ALLL ROUND!

It was Mother’s Day recently and I still hadn’t been to visit my Mum. The guilt was lying heavily on me and so straight after tyres I went down and saw her. Burned some Chinese Incense and Hell Bank Dollars for her and when I’m there alone I talk out loud to her as if we are sitting in the kitchen over a coffee. Anyway, I’d been rambling on about all sorts and wandering around the grave picking leaves etc off it when I noticed two groundsmen watching me and smiling. AWKWARD! They just smiled, said hello and wandered on.

Mum Waples is still in the Rehab and I went to visit her too. We had some laughs and Kath showed up to make it really cozy.

Jin has been aching to make us Peking Duck. We went and got all the stuff today, he made the pancakes himself from scratch. A couple of false starts, some not quite rightness and though it was amazing we decided to leave it and chop it all up for Sang Choy Bow tomorrow. Who cares that it wasn’t perfect, I just love the hanging out with him.

Work. Having to go to work tonight it was beard dying, a bubble bath and shave. Then some quiet nap time and ready to face the world. I spritzed Parfum d’Empire Ambre Russe lavishly and went out reeking of it. Interestingly no one commented on it, maybe they’re scared. I kept smelling old pipe tobacco all night, yummiest frag.

Fragrantica

After work Jin and I sat up watching Frankie & Johnny Season 3, first 3 eps. Such good writing and the actors are a unit, a cohesive, perfect unit. We see ourselves and friends in different moments and characters. What a show.

Wednesday 24:

A day blogging so loads of fragrance. I don’t want to ruin all the surprise though so I’ll keep a little hush.

Perfectly wonderful day. Jin and I lazed around the house and I blogged away happily. We had lunch together, a cuddle on the couch, watched some Korean TV with him translating. I grabbed Paris and had a little nap with him in the early evening before work.

Tonight for work I wore Carner Barcelona Rima XI. Sweet amber delight. YUM!

Thursday 25:

Today started cool and crisp, there were little breath clouds as I walk the dogs. By the time we got home though it was starting to warm up nicely. I was too., a half hour wander is beautiful with these pooches for company.

Jin cooked San Choy Bow with the leftover duck today for lunch. The sad failure of our Peking Duck was well overshadowed by the great San Choy Bow triumph of May 2017! He took some artistic license with the basic recipe, adding extraordinary amounts of garlic, some extra vegetables and a nice soft kick of chilli. He should open a restaurant. Seriously. It was so bloody delicious.

We went shopping for food. Tomorrow night we are having a small dinner party. We wanted to have everything ready to go.

Collected the incoming mail. VERY nice haul today. Vintage Madame Rochas EdC and Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois and Ambre Sultan in the Vaporisators with 2 x 30ml. Same price at Mecca as the 50ml export bottle and hella cuter.

Tonight I jumped in a glorious bubble bath of Hermès Eau de Mandarine Ambrée which then led me to night at work in Guerlain Shalimar, vintage parfum and modern EdP. I sent two of the women hurtling down memory lane to their youths. One was so enraptured she said she had fully fallen back in love. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turns up next week in full Shalimar.

My rose that I was given on Mother’s day is still blooming strong and lightly fragrant.

Friday 26:

Suddenly it’s cool enough for a beanie. I particularly love this one I bought from Vanessa Musson from Bonkers About Perfume.

WHAT A DAY! I didn’t think my list was so long but it didn’t go as planned. It was meet Anna-Maria, go to David Jones and sniff, shopping for other people at DIOR, Estee Lauder Staff Store, hang with Bronwyn of Gascoigne & King Candles, Showface Theatre Makeup Store, Home for dinner party with a crew. It didn’t quite go to plan.

Went to town and met Anna-Maria for coffee and cupcakes.

Then we went to check David Jones DIOR to see if they had the 125ml Feve Delicious in case the Flagship store was out.

This fabulous woman at YSL Beauty grabbed Anna-Maria and did her lips. I nearly had to punch her in the face to use a slightly orange red on Anna-Maria but my will prevailed and I think you’ll agree it was the right choice.

Went to visit one of my favourite man SAs at MECCA in Myer where Anna-Maria got the Le Labo Santal 33 oil.

Then we trotted up to DIOR Flagship store and met Jolanta who was devastated to tell us she only had one 125ml DIOR Feve Delicious left. We had a very nice visit though. They are so friendly and helpful.

Latai met us there and we had to go back to David Jones to grab the other Feve and have lunch with Anna-Maria’s son Rocco. Then we realised we were out of time. Rushed home to join where we met up with other friends and all had Japanese/Korean fusion Self Made Nori Rolls. We had so much fun, chatter and laughter that the rest of the night passed in such a blur I completely forgot to take photos, SORRY!

After dinner I brought out a box of random niche bottles and we sniffed them and chatted, leading me to go get other bottles to illustrate, compare, contrast. By 10pm Jin was in bed and I was pooped so everyone herded out and I cleaned up. Bit of blogging and bed.

Saturday 27:

Spent today lazing around the house doing very close to nothing. I did notice that the Zygocactus are flowering though. these are all from my Mum’s windowsill. I’m pretty chuffed that though she died in 2001 her cactus are still prospering beautifully in the baskets and pots I put them in in 2003.

In honour of having the house to myself and wanting to swan around fully fragrant I gave myself 6 huge spritzes of Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur EdP. It’s so easy to get lost in its intricate folds that I lay down and let my mind wander for half an hour. So relaxing.

When Jin got home we had his Katsu Curry: Korean style. Bloody hell. My guy is such a good cook. Delicious. We watched some Gilmore Girls, season one. Jin had been rematching them and I got addicted a couple of seasons in. I’m doing catch up. LOVE this show.

Before bed I spritzed the white floral and green herbs and spices of Antonia by Puredistance. How luxe it smells.

Sunday 28:

Woke up & spritzed Niki de Saint Phalle for this perfect end of autumn sunny day. It was lovely as I wandered the dogs around our suburb.

Went and visited Kath’s Mum who is back at home now. We sat around with Dad & Kath laughing and chattering. It was a casual family morning, exactly what my should needed. Sorry but I forgot to take a snap.

Hung around the house and then got ready for work.

This week has been calm and peaceful. It’s been great to take stock and get some rest.

How about you? What did you do this week?
Did anything fragrant or fun happen?
Let us all know in the comments, hearing about your lives makes me so happy. I feel involved in the world outside my bubble.
Portia xx

Immortelle de Corse by Claire Chambert for L`Occitane 2011

October 16, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

G’Day lovely-smelling APJ people!

Have you ever nicked a perfume from your parents or siblings? I have. Well, I’m too scared of my father to lift his Terre d’Hermes parfum. But I’ve mentally placed post-its on it just in case, you know… My mother has no interest in perfume, but like any good mum, is given loads of it and stacks it all up at the back of her wardrobe.

Now, I used to joke that the only perfume I’d be likely to inherit from my mum would be a half-used bottle of Eternity. But it turns out that she only likes No. 5, and so I was free to take her vintage No 19 EDT, vintage Je Reviens, and a bottle of Opium that she tried to persuade me not to take “because it must be 40 years old at this point and no good at all.” Ha!

Also among the bottles I re-housed for her was L’Occitane’s Immortelle de Corse. I had never heard of it. A quick search on eBay, however, told me that it’s pretty rare and that people pay up to €200 for it. But I don’t think I’d ever sell it because it’s G…G….G…Gorgeous.

Immortelle de Corse by L`Occitane 2011

Immortelle de Corse by Claire Chambert

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Corsican immortelle
Heart: Honey, rose, black tea
Base: Corsican immortelle, benzoin, iris, musk

I’m a big immortelle fan, to the extent that I grow it in my garden and own pretty much every perfume iteration of the note. To me, it smells in turn of delicious hay, tea, leather, maple syrup, honey, booze, curry, and sometimes dried grass. It is not a simple, one-dimensional smell, so that’s why I think it’s not redundant to own more than one fragrance that features it.

PDI

Initially, Immortelle de Corse smells like whiskey mixed with Acacia honey. The rich booziness that rolls off the topnotes remind me somewhat of the Scottish whiskey note in Like This, which also features immortelle, but with less smoke and gingerbread, and more of a simple, liquid honey.

There is a maple syrup-like chewiness to the honey that’s pitched halfway between amber and burned sugar, but the accord never comes off as heavy or sickly. Immortelle can be slightly cloying, but here the potential clinginess of the maple-honey note has been cut with notes of black tea, which introduce air and smoke.

There is also a dry, powdery iris evident in the drydown, which joins with the delicious smell of sun-baked hay and benzoin to make you think of lazy harvest afternoons, smoking on a shady veranda and looking contentedly at all the haystacks you’ve just built. Basically, it’s a cornucopia of harvest smells – wine must, honey, booze, hay, and tea.

Longevity is great – about 6 hours on me, when it fades into a leafy, curried warmth that is pure immortelle. The kind of person I see enjoying this would be a fan of other autumn harvest fumes such as Botrytis, Volutes, and Frapin 1270.

Wikipedia

Week Of Giveaways WINNERS

June 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey Gang,

Haven’t heard from all our Week Of Giveaway Winners yet. Please check below. You all have till Wednesday night here in Oz to get your addresses to portia_turbo@yahoo.com.au.

If you’ve sent through your details I’ve crossed you out.

Thanks,

Portia xx

Week Of Giveaways WINNERS

Belle de Jour GIVEAWAY WINNER

Katherine Mittas

Equinox Bloom GIVEAWAY WINNERS

~~Lena~~

~~Despina Veneti~~

Tauer Perfumes Sample Pack GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~Lindaloo~~

White Spirit by JHaG GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~SaffyIsHere~~

Hermann ELdO GIVEAWAY WINNERS

~~Greennote2~~

~~Ellen M~~

~~*sophi*~~

Lori L

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~Tim~~

Thank You to those I’ve heard from. HURRY UP to those I haven’t.

Portia xx

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY WINNER

June 6, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ Crew,

It has been a sensational week of giveaways here at APJ this week. Now comes the packing and sending. It’s super fun trotting down to the post Office with packages. They all know us now down there so it’s Chitty Chatty McChatty every week.
Thanks everyone for getting involved.
Portia xx

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus notess, cedrat bark, bergamot
Heart: Nutmeg, blue ginger
Base: Cedar, cashmere wood

L’Occitane Australia has all these beauties

A special thanks to Lesley at L’Occitane Australia for her generosity. XXXXX

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive over $100 of product:
1 x 100ml Eau de Cedrat EdT (missing a few ml from testing)
1 x 150ml Cedrat Shave Foam
1 x 100g Cedrat soap
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 5th June 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Tim

The winner will have till Wednesday 8th June 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.

L’Occitane Cedrat

June 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello APJ Fragrant Family,

This week I am dedicating APJ to a GIVEAWAY WEEK! Yes, every day for six out of seven days there will be a 24 hour GIVEAWAY. That’s right, you’ll have 24 hours to get your comment in and then it will be drawn. Enter every day if you like but only one comment per day. Got it?

Cedrat by L`Occitane en Provence 2015

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus notess, cedrat bark, bergamot
Heart: Nutmeg, blue ginger
Base: Cedar, cashmere wood

You may know I’m partial to a bath. Cedrat Shower Gel is one of my go-to bath time bubble and cleansing gels. I was sent one bottle when it was released, bought and used a second and now am going to grab myself a third bottle (only $29/250ml at L’Occitane Australia). The scent is beautiful, it foams excellently, leaves my skin soft and with the merest hint of fresh citrus zing. Perfect as a base because so many fragrances contain a citrus element. I have also used one of the soaps and loved it too.

Cedrat gives me a very fresh burst of citrus and a little of the cedar from my bathing. The EdT is a lot more nuanced and has a lovely spicy woods kick that smells very cologne-ish but lasts longer. A lovely vibrant, energised fragrance that I could imagine becoming a go-to daily scent for work and play. After a couple of hours the citrus has burned off leaving a crisp smoky wood that is a bit like pencil shavings but a little creamier.

L’Occitane Australia has all these beauties

A special thanks to Lesley at L’Occitane Australia for her generosity. XXXXX

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY

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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