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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
A lovely slow and lazy river of a week. I found it hard to focus on anything much. Still, there was a LOT of perfume spritzing, some exercise, friends, work, food and Jin. A fine week of regrouping and reflection, sometimes that’s what we need, right?
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
HOW did I fit all this into a week? Continuing last weeks theme of Netflix and perfumes. There was a bit of travel, a visit to Chicago the musical, loads of friends, fun and food. It felt like Jin and I really got to see each other quite a lot this week, that’s a win in anyones books. Also, the ankle is improving, YAY!
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
YAY! We had rain in Sydney. LOVE it when it rains. Perfect for getting those last winter fragrance wearings in before SPRING next week. Saw a bunch of mates, spent some much needed QT with Jin and watched a lot of Netflix.
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Gabriella
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Hiya perfumed friends!
The other day when I was perusing my perfume collection I was thinking about how all the scents in my regular rotation have always been instant loves at first sniff. It’s not very often that I have to sample a scent for ages to work out whether it’s for me or not and even more rarely does a disliked perfume become a love after months or years of sampling as it Continue reading
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Post by Ainslie Walker
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Hello APJ Peeps!
I hope you are all well and fabulously fragrant. I wanted to share a captivating documentary I discovered today. It takes an hour to view, but well worth the time invested for its fascinating content, based in Western Australia and France, all about delicious Australian Sandalwood and more!
The documentary outlines the Australian Sandalwood and Indian Sandalwood oil industries in Australia and highlights environmental issues, indigenous community involvement, poaching, uses of, industry’s worth and traces the oil right through to Givaudon’s laboratory in France where they now use both species of oils for fine fragrance and beauty products.
How would you describe the smell of Sandalwood Oil? Have you had the luck to smell both Indian AND Australian native sandalwood oil? What differences did your nose perceive?
I learnt so much from watching and hope you do too! Make yourself a cuppa or some popcorn, relax and enjoy!
Australian Sandalwood and Indian Sandalwood oil industries in Australia Documentary Link <<<JUMP
Here is an additional ABC news story, which outlines the dodgy poaching industry that is occurring in greater volume than the legal exporting of Sandalwood Oil from Australia. Who knew?!? SO interesting!
After watching the above my mind was inspired, racing in all different directions. My legs took me to my bathroom where I found a bottle of Mecca Cosmetica: Scrub Up Smoothing Body Polish. The reason I raced to find it was I knew it was the only product I had containing Sandalwood KERNEL (i.e. not from the wood) oil CO2 extracted AND the nuts themselves as the exfoliation component. It is from the species Santalum Spicatum which is indeed the Australian Sandalwood kernels. If you remember from the program they were the bigger nuts and sound like they often go to waste…perhaps not anymore!? It seems they have made a slightly more “luxurious version” of the traditional indigenous “chew and spit” kernel poultice/scrub. (..And I do recommend it!)
We at APJ would love to hear your thoughts on the above programs including anyone who has personally visited the plantations in Western Australia.
Finally, which are your favorite Sandalwood containing fragrances and do you think they contain Australian or Indian oil…or synthetic molecules?
Hey Hey Gang,
I have been humming and hahing over Geranium Pour Monsieur but there was never a sample. I want to wear a fragrance that costs this much a few times before I go FB. See if I reach for it a few times over a short space of time or if it sits there like a wallflower, overlooked and unloved. Guess what? The lovely Danika at Mecca under Grace Bros in Pitt St finally got me a sample! YAY!! I have worn it now 3 days consecutively for some of the day and now we are at day 4 I feel ready to tell you how I feel about Geranium Pour Monsieur by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Geranium, rhodinol (fresh, fragrant ingredient extracted from Chinese geranium), anise, mint
Heart: Cloves, cinnamon
Base: Sandalwood, white musk, Siamese styrax benzoin (lat. Styrax Tonkiniensis)
WHOOOSH! Geranium Pour Monsieur takes no prisoners as it opens all dental visit, hospital, chewing gum and booze. Am I wearing a Mojito? An almost violent minty opening that is surprising, refreshing and nostalgic all at the same time. Every time I spritz there is a frisson of excitement through me because I know I’m about to go WHOA!! It takes a while for this mentholated sizzle to calm down enough that the herbal greens can come out from hiding, this is like my first jump in the swimming pool in Spring. At first my body is outraged, my skin tries to shrink away from the surprise and then very soon my temperature has normalised and I am swimming laps again, feeling comfortable. That is the feeling I get as Geranium Pour Monsieur opens up to my bodies warmth.
Photo Stolen caittsnails
Though the cinnamon, sandalwood and benzoin now take their places, and we are over an hour into the fragrance life, there is still a lovely sweet minty freshness. It is undercut by the buttery, vanillic woods giving a complex duet between the warmth and coolness that is on the verge of disharmony Geranium Pour Monsieur never makes that mis-step but it does keep you on your toes. Sometimes I get a slightly citrus burst over and through the rest at around the 2-4 hour mark and wonder if the cloves are responsible? Who knows? As it moves towards dry down there is only a loss of intensity, Geranium Pour Monseiur stays remarkably linear after the first 3 hours and though it warms a little more and becomes deeper and richer it is the same beautiful fragrance for up to 7 hours, less depending on the day and my running around etc
Photo Stolen ngb.org
This is a flamboyantly masculine fragrance that I think the ladies can rock equally well. Part old school after shave and part modernistic rewiring Geranium Pour Monsieur is beautiful and interesting and will certainly be a full bottle on my shelves before too long, because it is exactly the long lasting breath of fresh air that I would like to flaunt throughout the next few months.
TheNonBlonde does a great first impressions review and NowSmellThis is a great read too.
MeccaCosmetica have 3 sizes: 3 x 10ml, 50ml & 100ml all available instore or online.
SurrenderToChance starts at $6/ml
Do you have a fave fragrance that crosses the gender lines, sold as one but works for all? I have a few. What art your favourites? Leave us a message in the comments, we love to chat.
I hope this finds you happy as it left me.
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 