Michael Kors

Airport Perfume Story

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

.

AF Beauty

.

Hello peeps!
If you’re like me, you regard packing as a dark art, regardless of all preparation and planning, SOMETHING will be forgotten at home – for me the thing I forget most frequently is perfume. 😦

However, luckily, for the people who live in Sydney – or near another well stocked airport, you can find a range of exciting smellies to enjoy from their sample ranges and be on your way – often smelling a little different because you’re not sampling your favourites, so you can add the excitement of new smells to your journey, yay!

I recently returned from a trip to the Gold Coast, so I was lucky to have a large and quiet store almost to myself at Sydney where I tried a few perfumes…

Airport Perfume Story

The first, a brand I’ve not heard of before, Shay & Blue. A British brand, packing not dissimilar to Pecksniff; I started with a perfume called Shay & Blue Blacks Club Leather, which I DID NOT LIKE at all. It is not my thing, but I can imagine it is popular with the right crowd. I moved to another in the same brand called Shay & Blue Blood Oranges, which was orangey and citrusy, very nice.

I then moved onto a Michael Kors perfume, Michael Kors Sexy Ruby, really I was only attracted to the bottle, it was a lovely shape and colour, like a ruby – makes sense. I didn’t spray any of this on myself because I had a sniff of the bottle and wasn’t impressed. I now can’t remember why, but I tend to have immediate reactions to smells, so I just go with it!

Perusing the Amouage range – I sniffed a number of them, most of which I didn’t enjoy – I am fussy, can you tell? But I did notice the ones I preferred were also the most expensive – most of them costing more than double the price of my flight (!!) – so, I moved on from those to Tom Ford which is pricey, but a bargain in comparison!

Tommy Ford <3… always draws me in because of the turquoise bottles, my favourite colour, I feel like the inside of the bottle MUST be as gorgeous on the inside as the out. I started at first with my usual favourite Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, but I was distracted by another I’d not noticed before, Tom Ford Fleur De Portofino. This is relatively new, to me at least, I hadn’t spotted it on previous visits. I had a good spray of that, probably at least $10 worth up and down my arms, it was so light and citrusy, I was properly sniffing my own arms for hours afterwards like a weirdo.

I think I will start saving my pocket money for this one, I am often caught in the trap of buying something good and well-priced rather than amazing and a bit more expensive, but I think in terms of the joy it would bring me each day, the Tom Ford would be well worth it.

So tell me, what fragrances do you search out at the airport? Found any unusual favourites? Or do you use the airport as a good way to test new fragrances for yourself? What’s your MO?!
AF Beauty xox

(Ed: All photos supplied & taken by AF Beauty.)

Top 5 Department Store Scents: Gabriella

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

.

Post by Gabriella

.

Hello perfumed peeps! I must admit that I have felt a bit out of the perfume scene of late. Being out of work until just last week and watching my pennies has meant that I’ve tried to resist the temptation of buying new samples or reading online forums or a blog post that may have me craving a new scent.

However, it’s also taught me that enjoying perfume doesn’t have to be an expensive exercise. I’ve been quite happy just going into stores and spritzing to my heart’s content – no credit card necessary. It also got me thinking that I’m lucky that I have access to and can afford niche scents. But what if this wasn’t the case? If I could only have department store fragrances, what would be my picks?
So here, I present to you my…..

Top 5 Department Store Scents

Anais Anais L’Original Eau de Parfum FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

1. Anais Anais L’Original by Cacharel 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Hyacinth, galbanum, orange blossom
Heart: Jasmine, rose, lily
Base: Sandalwood, cedar, incense, amber
I’ve mentioned my love for this previously and have been wearing it happily ever since that post. Anais Anais to my mind remains one of the best designer scents on the market. Soft, feminine and graceful hyacinth and lily. It always brings a smile to my face.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Anais Anais L’Original (available in both EDP and EDT) and Anais Anais EDT are widely available at department stores and online sellers.
FragranceNet has the current EDT starting at $31.19/30ml before discount
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

Karl Lagerfeld for Her Karl Lagerfeld FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

2. Karl Lagerfeld for Her by Karl Lagerfeld 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: lemon and peach
Heart: magnolia, rose and frangipani
Base: amber wood and musk

My lovely Mum picked this up for me on a recent holiday overseas. She handed it to me saying: “Well I know you’re a perfume snob, but I kept smelling it and thought it was beautiful. But if it’s not good enough and you don’t want it, I’ll have it.” Hehehe! I ended up keeping the bottle because, as Mums often are, she was right. This makes a nice departure from the swathes of fruitchoulis out there. It’s a pretty, demure and elegant mix of lemon, rose and white flowers.

Further reading:  Now Smell This
David Jones has $75/45ml

Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs for women FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

3. Marc Jacobs for Women by Steve Demercado and Loc Dong for Marc Jacobs 2001

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: gardenia and bergamot
Heart: tuberose, jasmine, white pepper and honeysuckle
Base: ginger, cedar and musk

This was launched eons before the niche revival of gardenia scents and still remains one of the best in my view. It’s a watery take on the voluptuous white flower but without the dreaded aquatic/calone vibe, just an amazingly pretty “wet” gardenia. I just wish it was slightly more readily available as it’s a damn sight better than some of the recent releases by the house.

Michael Michael Kors FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

4. Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Freesia, incense, Chinese osmanthus, tamarind
Heart: Tuberose, iris, peony, orris root, arum lily
Base: Musk, cashmere wood, vetiver

I’ve mentioned this one before too. Whilst it might be shriek tuberose for some, this always feels like a second skin some 14 years after first trying it. It’s a strong tuberose, tempered by freesia and lily before the spices take over and make this all spicy white floral goodness.

Further reading: The Scents of Self
Michael is available in most department stores and online discounters.
FragranceNet has it starting at $41.19/50ml (before coupon)
My Perfume Samples starts at $2.49/ml

Chanel No 19 EDP Chanel Fragrantica

5. No 19 EDP by Henri Robert for Chanel 1970

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:

Top: green notes and bergamot
Heart: rose and iris
Base: vetiver, oakmoss and leather
I came late to the Chanel 19 party, but what a party it is! An aloof green icicle of perfumed beauty that just oozes confidence and chic. I prefer the EDP of this one for its much rosier depth and fullness.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Muse in Wooden Shoes
Chanel No 19 is available in most department stores
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.49/ml

So, there’s my take. What would your top 5 be?

With much love till next time!

M xx

Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

.

Post by Gabriella

.

Hello perfumed peeps!

Well, I had a totally different post planned for today but something happened fragrance-wise over the weekend that I felt compelled to share with you.

I became reacquainted with one of my old favourites. The sexy, sultry tuberose had been sitting in one of my drawers for ages, silver cap taken off as the bottle had leaked from time to time, looking forlorn and neglected. I spritzed some on Saturday morning and haven’t looked back since.

Michael by Laurent Le Guernec for Michael Kors 2000

Michael Michael Kors FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Freesia, incense, Chinese osmanthus, tamarind
Heart: Tuberose, iris, peony, orris root, arum lily
Base: Musk, cashmere wood, vetiver

Michael has been in my collection ever since I first tried it back in 2001. I was living in London with my brother and a friend. Most Saturdays we’d wander down to the local shopping centre at Brent Cross and we’d part ways for about half an hour or so before going grocery shopping at Tesco. They would look at useful stuff such as clothes and household goods and I’d go sniffing at Sephora and a department store, Fenwick’s. Once they’d come back, I’d annoy them for ages, wrists held aloft with the command: “Sniff!” It was on these sojourns that I first became acquainted with Creeds, Diors, Fracas and finally, Michael. I’d gladly take one of the textured camel spray blotters from the SA each visit and tuck in in my handbag. I sniffed and sniffed for months before I begged my brother to but me a bottle for my birthday.

Michael Michael Kors Tuberose WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

The scent is powerful throughout its development and a complete sillage monster, which is exactly how I like it. It starts off with a big blast of tuberose, tempered with the bright sweetness of osmanthus and freesia. The lily appears and then the woody spices unfold, providing some depth to the heady tuberose core. It stays pretty much this way throughout its development.

I did say in a recent review that I thought Nasomatto’s Narcotic Venus is a poorer, albeit much higher priced, relation of Michael. I still stand by this claim. The main difference between them is that the spices are rounder here, whereas in Narcotic Venus, they feel more angular and almost metallic. If you have Michael, Narcotic Venus does seem like a bit of a extravagant frippery.

ball gown simple pretty strapless wedding dressesPhoto Stolen July staff Sino  Flickr

Needless to say, I love that I rediscovered this and that it remains part of my collection. There are naysayers though: Luca Turin and Tanya Sanchez gave a scathing review in Perfumes the Guide, and I concede that overspraying it could lean towards suffocation territory. But I think it is a lovely tuberose for the price point and it’s always been a compliment getter for me.

However, the thing I like about it most is that it was part of that old bastion of department store scents that took a chance and developed something with attitude and personality and very un-focus group like before Aquolina Pink Sugar and the sweet fruity patchouli things became the new normal.

Michael Michael Kors spices Filip Maljković FlickrPhoto Stolen Filip Maljković  Flickr

Further reading: The Scents of Self
Michael is available in most department stores and online discounters.
FragranceNet has it starting at $58.19/50ml (before coupon)
My Perfume Samples starts at $2.50/ml

So, have you tried Michael? What are some of the best department stores scents in your opinion?

With much love till next time,

M x
Michael Kors talks Signature Fragrance