.
Portia
.
Hey there APJ Crew,
The HONEYMOON! We have arrived in Europe!
Thailand, France, Estonia and Finland in one week. AMAZING!!
Neela Vermeire
Neela Vermeire Creations: The Joy of Rediscovering Perfumes
.
Sandra
.
Hello APJ! Hope everyone is enjoying a part of autumn or spring. On this snowy April day, I am missing the flowers in the Netherlands and am attaching some pictures here.
One of the joys of unpacking and settling in is the rediscovery of my ‘things’. As a child and in my teenage years we moved quite a bit over three continents. Naturally with those moves we had temporary housing while we waited for our shipment to arrive and while we looked for permanent housing. I remember the joy of helping my parents unpack and rediscovering my toys and books. As the new house was either smaller or larger I remember insisting with my parents that somebody had swapped out our furniture and replaced it with either larger or smaller identical pieces.
Neela Vermeire Creations: The Joy of Rediscovering Perfumes
Sharing my Perfume Passion
.
Sandra
.
Hiya wonderful smelling APJers! How is everyone doing?
As many know, I have had a love affair with perfume since I was a child. I have other passions as well, such as travel, photography, sketching and music. I am not sure if it is the language or age, but I am obviously more comfortable in my skin now and where I would normally keep mum about my loves, I find myself expressing myself more freely. This is a great opportunity for me because it takes me to new places and I am meeting so many wonderful people.
A friend of mine approached me a few weeks ago to speak at an expat morning meeting at the school. About perfume! I was skeptical at first but decided to go ahead and it was a pleasant revelation for me of how open and curious people were.
Sharing my Perfume Passion
I decided to share my love of Neela Vermeire Creations. Big question was how to go about doing so. I adore Neela’s perfumes as they use some of my favorite notes and spices. The Netherlands is the place to live if you love flowers so my first stop was the florist where I discussed what kinds of flowers are readily available in November and they did a marvelous job. I chose to include fragrant flowers and not all are used in the NVC perfumes. We had lily, tuberose, freesia, ‘Yvette Piagaitte’ rose, ‘Free Spirit’ rose, a third rose which they could not name and finally stock also known as matthiola incana which is clove-like in scent.
I included fresh mango, cinnamon bark, cardamom pods, vanilla bean paste, essential oils of frankincense, sandalwood and jasmine and a leather clutch for its scent.
We kicked off the meeting by starting to sniff the various flowers. Many of the participants were astonished at how different each of the roses smelled.
There was the obvious love/hate reaction with tuberose. Interestingly though those from tropical climates loved the tuberose. We moved through the spices, oils and finally the fresh cut mango. Once that was done I sprayed Bombay Bling onto a tester paper and all were amazed that they could easily identify the mango and also the lychee. A friend of mine loved Trayee not for the incense but for the ganja which she could identify (I cannot). Several participants could identify cardamom or cinnamon.
In attendance was a man who did not know exactly what to expect but enthusiastically sniffed the flowers, spices and oils. When it came to testing the perfumes he was under the impression that a man could not possibly wear any of these perfumes. I convinced him to try Mohur as I find men can really rock its spicy rose with glorious sandalwood. He loved it and went away with the knowledge that perfume can be unisex and that it will smell differently on each and every one of us!
Each of the participants had a clear favorite so at the end of the talk I gave the participants samples of the perfumes they were interested in and a flower of their choosing. It was a lovely morning and I would like to thank the expat group for giving me this opportunity.
Neela Vermeire Creations Discovery Sample Set €55
Do you have any inhibitions when it comes to talking about your perfume passion? What would you talk about?
Wishing everyone a wonderful start to December.
Oodles of fragrant kisses,
Sandra xo
(ED: All photos supplied by Sandra. Thank you. XXX)
Scent Diary 31.7 – 6.8.2017
.
Portia
.
Hi there Fragrant Friends,
Considering how much ground I’ve covered this week and how much has been accomplished it’s all felt quite peaceful. Hectic but measured. There has been time in each day for a little nap, food and friends have been abundant and work life has sandwiched in nicely between everything else.
Don’t worry, I know how blessed my life is. I’m so grateful.
Scent Diary 31.7 – 6.8.2017
Monday 31:
Monday Morning. Weather is overcast but quite warm for midwinter and I am feeling super lazy. Sadly there’s a shitload of things on the list that need doing and I am going to do my best to get as many done as possible by 3pm so I can have a nap. Now that is real motivation.
Spritzed myself in Queen by Queen Latifah. I am a patchouli/citrus goddess right now. It was wafting around me like crazy on our dog walk.
Ordered Bingo Books and Dabbers for our newest night starring our newest regular hostess Maxi Shield. How fabulous is the poster?
Did my invoicing for the month. Really, owning businesses is NOT for lazy people like me. HA! I had a really happy moment today thinking about how wonderful the Drag Queens we have working at Turbo are. Every week they entertain the crowds and it’s extremely rare that I get a complaint about any of our regular queens. They work hard and are grateful to be employed. In a Drag job-market shrinking daily in Sydney due to club closures and venue direction changes Turbo keeps 8 Drag Queens in weekly work. I’m really proud of that and hope we can give many more regular gigs.
Talked to my Aunty Tracey on the phone and nattered away 20 minutes happily.
The second house in Tasmania has been untenanted for two weeks but today I got a call from the Real Estate to say they have a wonderful new tenant collecting the keys on Thursday. WOO HOO! I was secretly worrying about having a house untenanted during winter, the worst time for rentals. PHEW!
Got Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday into the blog.
Got my Trivia Jackpot and Games questions written.
3.12pm NAP TIME
Jin called and asked if I wanted to go to Korean BarBQ because we missed out on Friday night. HELL YES! So I went and met him and we talked and laughed and ate SO MUCH FOOD! My tummy hurts. It was wonderful. Here is Jin, he’s wearing a top I bought him for his birthday a couple of months ago. I can tell when I’m in the good books with Jin because he wears my gifts.
Laydee also rang with a new Trivia gig today. It’s been Go-Go-Go.
Now I’m about to finish writing the weeks Trivia Q&A.
It’s nearly midnight and I can still smell my morning spritzes of Queen. AMAZING!
Tuesday 1:
It’s 1.35am and I’m Q&A finished and sent. Had hoped to do one more APJ post but my hearts not in it so I’m going to make a cuppa, go read a bit and then sleep.
Today is busy. Scott is coming to do office work and the general running around that entails. I will need to do beard dying and get ready to become a glamorous Drag Queen for work tonight. Then after al the fun and madness of my day pack a small bag because I’m flying down to Melbourne tomorrow to see Margeaux’s new home that he’s just bought and spend the day hanging with him.
I’m wearing Carner Barcelona Rima XI because it smells warm and fuzzy and doesn’t distract me too much from the job at hand.
Instead of giving you a blow by blow account of my day here’s a music clip of two of Australia’s greatest rock musicians Jimmy Barnes and Marcia Hines. They’re singing one of my favourite songs since childhood. These guys are mates of mine and to hear them singing together on this track brings chills, goosebumps and tears. So many memories of people, places, times. Music is a lot like fragrance, our memories are buried deep until released by scent or sound. Happy tears and sad.
I hope it brings you as much peace as it does me. If you can, turn the volume right up.
Scott and I got so much done today. Paid bills, Post Office (letters, parcels, collecting and sending,, bills and redirections), organised Receipts for the bookkeeper and a few other bibs and bobs. I also gave him the last piece of his birthday present to arrive. Russian Carnation EdC, as Scott as I can find. he was stoked.
My bathing routine included B&BW Warm Vanilla Sugar bubble bath, Kiehl’s Original Musk lotion and Kenzo Amour
Something else I wanted to talk to you about. My mate Jye Bryant creates musicals. He has recently had one return from a hit season in New York City and it will be playing at the New Theatre in Newtown September 15-18 as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. You can book at the New Theatre Site. Full $30 or Concession $25
THE THINGS I COULD NEVER TELL STEVEN
BY JYE BRYANT
Steven has a secret that might tear his family apart. Meanwhile, his wife, mother, father and lover are fighting for his attention and coming to terms with their hidden feelings of betrayal, anguish, frustration and fear.
Laugh, squirm, and cry as this new Australian musical takes you on a rollercoaster ride with a modern dysfunctional family.
Wednesday 2:
Got up at sparrows fart and drove into town, parked at Kath’s apartment and cabbed it to the airport. Jumped a plane and flew down to Melbourne to see my mate Margeaux (who used to write for APJ) ‘s new apartment. His first real estate buy and it is gorgeous. 15-20 minutes on a tram from Federation Square and also quite near a train station in Prahran.
I took him one of Jocelyn Fullerton’s Cult of Scent candles as a housewarming present. The apartment is all in charcoal and white so the very lavish pop of red makes an excellent point of reference. YAY! So we had a burger lunch and then Margeaux had to go back to work.
I trotted off the the National Gallery of Victoria and spent two perfect hours wandering the art with myself, the art and my thoughts for company. It was incredibly refreshing and energising. I also love how fastidiously clean the bathrooms were.
Such a diverse array. An excellent Asian collection but sadly no Korean for Jin.
Currently they are showing historical garment illustrations and magazines, very interesting.
Jin has decided his favourite impressionist is Camille Pissarro and they had a few of his works so I snapped and sent them to him.
Russian Tzar lamp, one of a pair I think by Baccarat.
Degas sculpture of dancer checking her feet.
The Alice chair, some kind of resin shaped.
Black heart, I have made it my own by adding myself to the shot.
Poor old Jesus, eternally hanging around churches, galleries and museums.
Then I trotted quickly up to Masons, the new menswear store on Flinders Lane, just up the hill and tried Philippe Starck Peau d`Ailleurs which is supposed to be earth, woods and musk but I found it quite green and wet. It had extraordinary lasting power and I could easily smell it on my hand next day. There is not much love among perfumistas for the range but I found it interesting and though subtle quite entrancing. I REALLY want to ry it again now. It’s the middle one.
Then, as I was about to grab the train to get back to the airport one of my fave handsome young gentleman frag addicts called and said he was available for catch ups! YAY! We weren’t sure he’d make it. So, over a 15 minute wine for him and coffee for me Liam Sardea and I caught up, grabbed a big hug and off I went into the sunset.
Once home I grabbed ALL the leftover Chinese, one of Jin’s pre-made rice packs, some frozen peas, a can of creamed corn and stir fried the whole lot to boiling hot. Then I sat in front of the TV and watched rubbish while I ate the yummiest reheats ever. HAPPY DAY!
Thursday 3:
Tina is home from hospital and has been staying at her parents, I went out and collected her to come back to Sydney. We had a very fun cuppa and catch up with her parents, who I bloody adore. They are so lovely.
For the day I decided on vintage Patou 1000 EdT. Excellent accompaniment to the cool sunshine of Sydney winter.
Roger & Gallet Cedrat bubble bath, Kiehl’s Original Musk lotion and Neela Vermeire Creations Nichola. You can read my review of the wear if you like.
Friday 4:
Imagine the laziest day ever. Perfume it with DIOR Privé Sakura and you’ll understand how laid back it was.
Jin and I had lunch in the food court, then came home and hung out around the house.
For dinner we met Alice and had Peking Duck! A whole duck between three of us and San Choy Bow, then Beef & Black Bean with Cashews and Egg Fried Rice. It was heavenly! I could eat Chinese every second meal and still be excited.
Saturday 5:
Woke up and walked the dogs in frosty sunshine, my breath was making clouds.
Jin and I met Alice & Sam at DFO (a discount mall) where we bought new Uggs, some Ralph Lauren polos and a jumper, a new pillow for me because mine has been embarrassing for years and it was time and a few other bits & pieces. It was fun and silly, trying on clothes and laughing.
Jin was completely gorgeous smelling in Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan, seriously drop dead gorgeous and I wafted Pozzo di Borgo: 23 Janvier 1984, which is a lovely figgy scent.
We came home and had delicious Jin made Korean Chicken Curry with Naan bread and watched The Princess Diaries with Anne Hathaway. How had I never seen it before? Loved it.
Tonight Margaritas and Tacos with Kath, Alice and Jin. We sat outside around a pub turned Taco den, at a park table and bench seats in one on the pavement. There were 5 or 6 such tables around the venue and every seat was jam packed with young mixed urban crews from all colours and wage ranges. The chill night air was comfortable and we chattered, laughed and ate a few very happy hours away. The Margaritas were quite good, we had two each, and everyone was softly merry by the end.
Just quietly, I love my life and my friends. Yes I know how lucky I am, we are.
Sunday 6:
I woke up at 1am and went to my perfume room, sat down and had the urge to read perfume blogs. This rarely happens lately as life gets busier. I got to the latest What Men Should Smell Like about Guerlain Sous le Vent and immediately dived for my bottle to live the magic. Ahhhhh, what a fragrance…… Going back to bed now to savour it. Guerlain Sous le Vent is wonderful.
Breakfasted on the verandah with these two sexy boys.
Peanut Butter Toast and a Coffee. One of lifes easiest joyful moments. YUM!
Jin was getting a bit Jealous Julie because he’s not in the Scent Diary enough. So here he is doing his very best blog smile for you all. isn’t he a fricken cutie? Love him to infinity but today he was scratching my very last nerve. We had a late evening fight to clear the air that ended in happy kisses and fervent Fuck You’s from both of us.
Today’s bathe was lovely bubbles from L`Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons in the pump pack which was a gift from my mate Tim, followed by a light Madonna Truth or Dare Naked lotion and I forgot to put fragrance on. I did remain softly fragrant throughout the night though and can even still smell soft vanilla sweetness at 10pm.
Now it’s your turn. Please share something fun, fragrant, friendly or foolish that you got up to this week?
We love to read your stories.
Portia xx
Scent Diary: 12.6 – 18.6.2017
.
Portia
.
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.
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
Scent Diary 8.5 – 14.5.2017
.
Portia
.
Hello Frag family,
This week has been blissfully uneventful. I love the quiet, fragrant, hum drum of living.
Scent Diary 8.5 – 14.5.2017
Monday 8:
Whirlwind morning. Dogs to vet. Vet looked over them for annual check up. Nails clipped, injections done, teeth checked, heart, condition etc. We took in stool samples to be checked and had to give some Paris wee. Sounds awful but actually having all the checks done is kind of cathartic, relinquishing control to someone who knows.
Update on Finbar the Australian Noisy Minah: We took him to the vet and they said our best course of action was to leave him with them and they’d hand him over to WIRES who would finish his raising and facilitate his release back into the street he was found on. Jin was really upset that I let them take him but the fact is they are trained to do this. We were doing our best but basically flying blind. This was 100% the best possible outcome.
Jin then had to collect his brand new, 8kms on the clock, Harley-Davidson. There was so much rigmarole that I thought was already done and health with. Also, a Harley doesn’t run the same as the Ninja, it’s all automated, keyless, electrically powered. The honour and reverence the man showing Jin how to deal with it all was as impressive as the machine itself. Then I followed jin on his new bike to our lunch date. He was so nervous and excited it was heaven. My boyfriend the middle aged bad ass.
Safely at lunch with one of my besties Phil we laughed and chattered an hour away. Food Court at Rhodes. Everyone got what they wanted and we all came back together to eat. Phil got Japanese soup, Jin got Chinese soup and dumplings and I had a Turkish open kebab. Sorry I didn’t get a pic we were chatting too much.
My choice of fragrance for the day was Michael Bublé By Invitation, I really go crazy with the spritzing for this baby. The zingy fruity opening which is slightly red pepper to me too goes almost directly to the nutty praline base and stays there for hours. It’s probably terrible and full of cheap ingredients but it smells good to me and people around me like it enough to comment favourably. As you can see I’m nearly a third of the way through my bottle.
The new season of Sense8 is on and we have watched the first three episodes. Bloody hell! It is fast moving, faster than the last season. Blink and you miss key plotlines. It is stunningly visual and so intricately thought out. More than oce Jin & I have been sitting watching it, clutching our pillows or blankets and swearing like sailors. It’s so engrossing, we feel like we are part of the action, like we are the ninth joined person.
Tonight I’m wearing the very last of my sample of M Micallef Marine Vanille. At LuckyScent they are having a sale and with the discount I could not put off my purchase a second longer. It is winging its way to me as we speak. YAY!! Apologies, I think I bought the last one because now it’s Sold Out.
So now it’s Q&A for me till some ungodly hour. See you tomorrow.
Tuesday 9:
Again, slept just before the Q&A finish line. Up at 8am to get them finished and out to the crew. Really am going to have to start putting my foot down and spend a couple of hours Monday day setting my weeks Trivia up so all I have to do in the night is write the Q&A. To get me through I have 7 spritzes of Clinique Aromatics Elixir on. I am a fragrant chypre cloud, and loving it.
Scott came over today. We opened ALL the mail, Paid ALL the bills. My desk and Inbox are clear of bills. Having also spent a bit on fragrance this week I will need to work a few weeks to pay my cards back down but it is a nice feeling to have the outstanding all in one place.
We met up with Millenia to give her all the Bingle Balls stuff and we had Sushi Train for lunch. I love catching up with him.
Hit the Post Office, the Stationary Supply place (OfficeWorks) to buy ink and the bank to yell at them AGAIN (it’s habitual, the cringe when I walk in the doors)
Dyed my beard, bathed and fragranced myself with Perfumerie Generale 25 Indochine. Sweet peppery amber that gets woodsier as it dries down. I find the honey clean and sweet with only the softest hint of animals. Pretty and comfortable for our cooling temps. WOW! I had a few compliments on this tonight. One of the club workers kept coming over to smell me and tell me all the things it made her think of, plus a couple of other random compliments. A clear winner.
Wednesday 10:
Woke up early, turned the alarm off and then sleep till 10am. HEAVEN.
The sun was shining so I popped on a singlet and walked thew dogs, catching some much needed Vitamin D so my body can function properly. Somehow it never seems to run as efficiently if I don’t get a jolt of sunshine every week.
Today I’m wearing some vintage Guerlain Samsara extrait. The memories this mad, beautiful, completely over the top fragrance brings me of my Mum are so strong today they’re palpable. I’m not sure if it was 1989 or 1990 that Australia got Samsara but the year it was released I was working as a holiday squirt bitch for one of our local department stores. My counter was Guerlain, Oscar de la Renta, Worth and Nina Ricci. Knowing my Mum loved Shalimar I thought Samsara the obvious next step because it was brand new and outrageous. I bought her the gift set for Christmas and she was thrilled, the house and her car smelled of Samsara for months. Happy, happy memories.
Not very long ago I found this almost full original extrait on eBay. I paid WAY too much for it but it is perfect, absolutely and utterly pristine. What price joy and nostalgic reminiscence?
Not sure if you know this but I LOVE to cook soup. It’s easy, healthy and delicious. Also, when I make a big vat of it there’s enough to share with friends, that also makes sure that some people get extra veg in their lives. This week I cooked Pumpkin, Potato and Capsicum Soup. The only other things in there are Onions, Garlic, Wostershire Sauce, Pepper, Pure Cream and about 300g of Podravka Hot Vegetable Relish for kick. I cook it, blend it and leave it overnight in the fridge then reheat on the stovetop and serve with buttered wholemeal toast. YUMMY!
For work this evening I wanted something really grand and beautiful. What else but Neela Vermeire Mohur EdP? There is a regal elegance to Mohur that always makes me feel like I’m floating far above the rat race. Roses, spice, incense and a soft background hum of oudh. You can see I’m on my last of the original bottles, I reckon there’s already 6 or 7ml gone. Don’t worry, I have a backup bottle in the new design.
Tonight for bed I have multi spritzed Le Galion Cologne Nocturne. One of the best lavender based colognes I have ever smelled with longevity like an EdP. Such a great house that rarely gets a mention. I wish everyone would try their beautifully crafted fragrances, not groundbreaking but perfectly produced with quality ingredients. I’m ready to grab some ZZZZZs. Nighty night.
Thursday 11:
Morning. Weather is unseasonably warm today. Wearing Olympic Orchids A Midsummer Nights Dream today. I think the names has changed but this old 2ml spray still smells unbelievably gorgeous.So much depth with sparkles of light and glimmers of radiance. The darkness warms through in the heart and suddenly it’s a burnished amber.
Visited Mum Waples in rehab today. She seemed really chipper and walked to the dining room by herself without stops for breathers. It’s a small but significant win. They have her doing exercises too which is making her more confident on her feet.
LUSH Rose Jam bubble bath today. How can something so cheap be so bloody wonderful? Stepping into the bath makes me smile like a fool and sitting in there surrounded by rose scented bubbles is absolutely the most relaxing and posh experience. Can’t tell you enough how happy it makes me.
Vintage Madame Rochas EdC is my evenings fragrance. An aldehydic floral by Guy Robert that I find a perfect feminine adventure with very modern masculine dry down. It’s quite the contradiction. Lasts forever, like a modern heavy hitting EdP.
NEW Carpet in the Kings Park Tavern tonight. They are making so many positive changes. The food has gone up 10 notches, the rooms upstairs are being renovated, the staff seem happier and more ready to please. I’m hoping for another 15 magical years there. Fingers crossed.
For bedtime tonight I’m wearing Oliver & Co Vaninger. As you can see it’s pretty popular around here. MMMMMMM The zingiest ginger cut through with the depth and sweetness of vanilla. There’s other stuff floating around too. Weird but wearable beauty.
Friday 12:
Jinx (Jin’s dog) has been favouring one of his front feet. Yesterday he wouldn’t even put pressure on it and I was worried. Today he’s at the vet having X-Rays so we can dismiss any concerns. Greyhounds are funny dogs. When they are racing dogs the only affection they get is from the vets, so in later life they always look on a vet visit as a happy occasion. They basically run up the stairs to the surgery and once inside they are so calm and placid.
Afterwards walking home I looked up and saw this unbelievably red Liquidambar. Autumn is here in Parramatta in full throttle. Love how fiery this particular tree looks.
I wanted something warm and pretty to match my Autumn mood so went for Andy Tauer Eau d’Epices. It’s a perfect match. All that spice ready to sizzle in the pan, oranges and amber.
Went and saw Kath’s Mum for lunch. Just as I came in she was leaving a home safely lecture at the Rehab clinic, then they staff pounced on her and did the blood, drugs and heart check. It was over in a minute.
Paris spent the whole day missing his friend Jinx.
Tonight Jin and I had enormous amounts of KFC. It was freaking delicious. Hanging out with him is easy and cool fun, we watched a few episodes of the new season of SENSE8. OMG! Seriously compulsive viewing. On the edge of the couch, grabbing our cushions and screaming at the TV. Super fun really. Wish you all could have been here with us, perfect night.
After all that I rang Arielle Shoshana to enquire about getting one of her bottles of fragrance sent to Australia. I figure if Arielle is doing it then the juice will be freaking amazing. I think we have a plan.
For bedtime I decided I needed some vintage so Miss Dior EdT. MMMMMM Night Night. X
Saturday 13:
This morning dawned cool and slightly foggy. I felt like some watery roses and then added to myself that powdery roses would be just the thing. Perfume DelRae Coup de Foudre hits all three spots and it was eerily quiet on the Parramatta streets at 8am on a frosty Saturday morning. Though I was dog walking I was hardly even present, what took almost my whole attention was the sheer perfection of Coup de Foudre and how magical it made the morning smell and thus feel.
When we got home Jin was stirring a little so, being Saturday and knowing that if he has the dogs with him he’ll get another 2-3 hours of sleep, I allowed them up with him on the bed. Jin’s working a few night shifts now so after today I’m the only one sleeping in the bed before it gets changed tomorrow. One sneaky morning, and look how happy they all are.
Jin got up around 11am and we went out for burgers. I’ve been craving Grill’d Burgers all week, and their chips share plate with Potato, Sweet Potato and Zucchini chips with three yummy sauces, Sweet Chilli Mayo, Herbed Mayo & Chipotle Mayo.
I hope you’ll excuse me today. I’m going to sloth around the house and get some Trivia Q&A started for the week.
Wearing multiple spritzes of the original Carolina Herrera EdT from the 1980s. Mine is somewhere from there till the box changed in the early 2000s, but it is a beat up old tester with the gold shoulders. She is ferocious! I love it.
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Amber, Apricot, Bergamot, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Moss, Musk, Orange blossom, Sandalwood, Tuberose, Ylang-ylang, Civet
So I started watching Netflix new Archie comic in life, Riverdale, and it’s so good that I find myself up at 2am watching and have come in here to break the trance so I can clean my teeth and go to bed.
Sunday 14:
Wishing all the Mums out there in APJ land a great big THANK YOU. We do know how much work goes into being a Mum, even though we are usually ungrateful shits who only care about ourselves. Sorry for all the pain and drama, worry and angry we’ve caused you all. Without you we’d be nothing.
This family, this Mum, the mum of my best friend who took me in for all important occasions when my Mum died. Like every family they have ups & downs, sometimes even sideways. Without their steadying influence, love, care and the ultimate gift of their time I would definitely not be here to tell my tales today. The family spoiled her rotten and she deserved it. EVERYONE came, including Jin who had to dash off to sleep before the photo. This photo is what love and gratitude looks and feels like, to me.
I’ll be wearing Guerlain Shalimar, vintage extrait and modern EdP, to remember my Mum today. I miss her every day.
So, tell me about your week. Do anything fun or fragrant? Share it with us below in the comments.
I love to read your stories too.
Portia xxx
Scent Diary 1.5 – 7.5.2017
.
Portia
.
Hi there fellow fumies,
I’ve learned a new put down. Don’t Get Thin Lipped With Me You Scrofulous Harpy. HA HA HA HA! Isn’t it heavenly, so deliciously awful and will have your opponent diving for their dictionary. Just so you know, Scrofulous is in reference to the tuberculosis illness and general degeneration, Harpies were mythical beasts with womens bodies & heads, birds wings & claws. I know, fabulous isn’t it.
Scent Diary 1.5 – 7.5.2017
Monday 1:
Not exactly sure what’s wrong with my baby Paris but he did another wee, this time in the house. Jin is off later in the week and we are going to take both dogs to the vets to get them checked out.
We caught the train to town. Jin wore Neela Vermeire Bombay Bling and I slathered myself in Mona di Orio Eau Absolue. We smelled wickedly good.
Our beautiful girlfriend Alice is going home to the UK for a month. Jin & I were able to catch up with her in town today for lunch. We went to one of my all time favourite venues the David Jones Food Hall in Sydney city. It’s a really wonderful lunch venue with loads of choice. I grabbed us an antipasto plate for entree and then we all had steak at The Grill. It was a totally fun way to farewell our mate and not very expensive either. The butcher has some of the best meat ever and they will soon be doing home delivery.
After much we went for a bit of a sniff through the city shops. I added Amouage Bracken Woman on my left arm and Estee Lauder Modern Muse on my right. So I was completely fragrant for the ride home too. We felt the need to take a SMELFIE.
OK, so I’ve become obsessed with the Gilmore Girls. Can’t seem to prise myself away from them. Tonight I kept watching one more episode until VERY late and then fell asleep without finishing my Trivia Q&A. OMG! So naughty of me. It won’t be long now because I’m already in season 6.
Tuesday 2:
Had to get up and finish the Trivia Q&A which took till noon. I am a wretched boss feeling very guilty.
I gave myself another healthy spritz of Mona di Orio Eau Absolue to write my questions. I have been trying to finish a 15ml decant for ages and now that its gone I am finally using my bottle. I find it balmy and smooth, TBH I thought it had lashings of lavender in it but it seems to have zero.
Tuesday is beard dying day. The white beard looks very lame with drag so I have to keep it dark and lustrous. I do admit though that I also like it dark as a bloke. It’s youthful, though I am not. I did get excited about my bubble bath today though because I used the last of my gorgeous gift from Jocelyn Fullerton of Cult of Scent. Golden Dreams is TO DIE FOR! Sadly it’s not regular range, special for me. You can get her fragrances and candles from the Cult of Scent site though.
Over my bubble bath scent I spritzed liberally with Guerlain L’Heure Bleue EdP, I think it’s this century. Very nice, perfect for how I’m feeling tonight.
Home now, walked & fed the dogs and back to the Gilmore Girls. Chat tomorrow.
Wednesday 3:
It’s Wednesday late morning. Dogs are fed & walked. I took them by my favourite local coffee joint and grabbed one to go as we wandered the streets. It’s cool and there are some clouds flitting by. Though the dogs are excited to be out and wandering I find it peaceful to wander aimlessly, chat to locals, see the seasons changing. EVERYONE that loves dogs wants to pat the boys so we get quite a bit of chat time, I like it a lot.
Wearing Sonoma Scent Studio Rose Musc. It’s very pretty, red roses and leaves in a bottle. It was a perfect wandering companion. Later, through it’s life a fabulously animal musk came through, not dirty or loud but a friendly musk that wears subtly underneath red roses that last for hours & hours.
Tonight for work I’m wearing 5 big spritzes of modern Guerlain Shalimar EdP and 2 of vintage parfum, this scent is my happy place.
Thursday 4:
Woke up with a jolt, wide awake and jumped out of bed. Fed and walked the dogs on a beautiful autumn morning.
Then I got caught up on a small slice of the Office Work that I’ve neglected. Hopefully Tuesday next week will get it cleared. I love having an empty inbox and all the bills paid and taken care of. There’s some mail still going to the house I sold over 2 years ago. I thought we had redirected EVERYTHING but clearly some stuff slipped between the cracks because the couple that bought it called and left out a BIG bag of it. I just collected it last week and I’m feeling overwhelmed.
BFF Kath’s Mum has been moved to rehab after a nasty tumble, breaking 3 ribs and fracturing her arm. Grabbed Kath and we went up to see her today. Yesterday was her birthday and it was a sad & sorry one for the poor girl. I think we brightened up her day just a smidge.
It’s cooler today so I wore a few spritzes of Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles. Sweet, spicy chutney & herbal woods. Excellent choice.
Tonight at Turbo Trivia we had a completely full house. It was an excellent night and so many of my favourite teams were in the house. It was loud and people were having fun.
I wore original Trussardi Donna, every time I wear it I love the light leather of this fragrance.
Spent an hour or so chatting to Neela Vermeire tonight. She is so funny, we laughed and nattered and fixed all the problems of the world.
Friday 5:
Friday dawned bright, crystal clear and sunny, not too warm and definitely hoodie over T-Shirt weather.
I had a fullish morning planned. The door guy had to come back and add a door closer to our screen door but he didn’t give me a time, hoping to be here by 2pm. When he did arrive the job took less that 20 minutes and he is a sweet man so it was nice to have him come back and fix the lack. Now we have a Self Closing Screen Door, which is what we paid for. YIPPEE!
If the door guy had come early I wanted to go see Kath’s Mum with her over lunch but things didn’t work out so when Jin gets home we can go visit.
Around midday I realised I was hungry so I made myself a little late morning tea. MMMMMMM Toast with Peanut Butter and Vegemite and a cuppa. I sat out on the balcony with the dogs and they were very well behaved. After the initial excitement that it might be for them they skedaddled right back to their beds and watched me eat with hungry, loving eyes.
In my free time I’ve been blogging. YAY! Yes, getting stuff done for next week and organising the Perfume Posse pieces for May. It’s a really relaxing when I put my mind to getting something done and then let my creative juices flow. Industrious, cleansing and cathartic all at once. It also has the added benefit of getting stuff done so I’m not worried about it. WINNING! Currently I smell like MFK Baccarat Rouge 540, Rochas Byzance and Aether Citrus Ester. There is a note in the Baccarat Rouge 540 that reminds me of Aether Methaldone.
Jin arrived home, we went and saw Kath’s Mum in hospital. On the way home we grabbed LOADS of Chinese food, watched the 2017 Winter episode of the Gilmore Girls. It was weird seeing them after 10 years but the good news is Logan Huntzburger, played by Matt Czuchry, my favourite character looks better than ever and they even have a storyline between Rory & him that feels super 21st century.
Fed & walked the dogs. Now Jin has gone to bed and I’m tap-tap-tapping away at the computer keys. Bliss.
I wanted to buy some Grand Soir and Baccarat Rouge 540 from MFK tonight but my mind was on other things and I bloody forgot to get the grand Soir. I’m a bloody idiot.
For bed I wanted something vanilla floral sweet but not too heavy so I went with Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia. Perfect.
Saturday 6:
Saturday and Jin went off to work around 4am. Usually I sleep right through but today I woke up. Wide awake. He usually trots the dogs quickly downstairs for a wee when he wakes. He noticed I was awake and brought the dogs in to cuddle with me. It was so lovely. I had to change the bedsheets anyway so no harm and the dogs & I lay around in bed till 9am feeding and walking. CHANEL Boy was my morning accompaniment, lovely soft balmy lavender for an autumnal wander. There’s even more air in the bottle since this show was taken.
When Jin got home this evening it was Chinese reheats (MY FAVOURITE) and the 2017 Gilmore Girls final three episodes. So good. we laughed, we cried. Matt Czuchry is even more enthralling, I melted every moment he was on screen. PLEASE let them do a new series…….
In honour of the Favourite Vintage Scent Question I wore vintage Miss Dior extrait around the house tonight. It was cozy and perfect.
Sunday 7:
While walking the dogs they became very excited and it turned out to be a little Australian Noisy Minah that had wandered from its family, fallen from its nest or something. He would definitely have become cat food during the night so we brought him home and are feeding him a mixture of minced beef, egg, egg shell grounds and lorikeet dry food. He’s so bloody cute we called him Finbar and he’s nearly ready to fly free. We’ll take him to the vet tomorrow and see what they say.
First thing this morning we went to the Sydney Harley-Davidson centre in Strathfield. Jin needed to do some paperwork, buy a new helmet and jacket and show me his Mid-Life Crisis Impulse Buy. While I’m shaking my head at his ridiculousness it’s not so bad. So far he has pierced his nipples and bought a Harley. Any day I’m expecting him to start at the gym and bring home a Toy-Boy. One thing I am proud of him for though is that he is living his life as he chooses, has a solid debt reduction plan to lower the mortgage and pay off the bike and has not overcommitted himself. He even has Life Insurance just in case and is almost the highest level of Health Cover. That’s all pretty good for a man not quite 40 who came to Australia with a suitcase and almost no money in 2006.
I finished off this lovely Angel style bubble bath today. It’s a cheapy from Bath & Body Works that smells great and bubbles like crazy. Mountains of them. YUM! Because my base is so obviously sweet I have overlaid Michael Bublé By Invitation. You have no idea how good I smell. SWEEEEET
So, what’s been going on in your world?
Have you seen, done or smelled anything interesting?
Please share your life in the comments below. I love to read about your weeks too.
Portia xxx
Rahele GIVEAWAY WINNERS
.
Post by Portia
.
Hey All,
Great response this week. Thank you to Neela Vermeire. Rahele is not available commercially yet but will be on the Neela Vermeire Creations page soon.
Portia xx
Rahele GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Osmanthus, woody notes, spices, floral notes, herbal notes, leather, oakmoss
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x sample of Rahele provided by Neela Vermeire
P&H Anywhere in the world
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Closed Saturday 16th October 2016 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners were chosen by random.org
Jaybee
Hamamelis
The winners will have till Wednesday 19th October 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
Rahele by Bertrand Duchaufour for Neela Vermeire Creations 2016
.
Post by Portia
.
WOO HOO Fumies!
Yes, it’s finally here. The long anticipated and much talked about newest release from Neela Vermeire. As you know Neela is a mate of mine so not only did APJ get a sample but there are two extras to give away!
How freaking exciting is that?
Portia xxx
Rahele by Neela Vermeire Creations 2016
Rahele by Bertrand Duchaufour
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Osmanthus, woody notes, spices, floral notes, herbal notes, leather, oakmoss
Rahele smells of green shady walks on summer days, slightly furry, like running silk satin over your cheeks and cool spices mixed and ready to throw in the pan. I’m surprised that there aren’t resins mentioned in the note list like galbanum or myrrh and my nose tells me there is saffron and some vegetal musks involved as well. Osmanthus is not a note I’m really clear on to be honest but I’m getting a lightly minty powdered green vibe that could be a floral. A bit like stock really….
Rahele is not a big marching band style of fragrance but a calm, tranquil, elegant and fresh adventure in scent. It has a similar aloof yet cozy feeling that some of the Mona di Orio fragrances have, compelling yet restrained. For anyone who has complained that Neela Vermeire’s Creations are more fragrance than they can handle then this could be your entry point. Same meticulous attention to detail, same smooth transitions and same luxury feel but done in a way that is soothing as well as being commanding.
My mate Scott pronounced it his favourite in the Neela range, big call.
Rahele is not available commercially yet but will be on the Neela Vermeire Creations page soon.
Here’s a chance for you to try it first……
Rahele GIVEAWAY
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x sample of Rahele provided by Neela Vermeire
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 us which is your favourite Neela Vermeire fragrance or the one you’re most interested to try?
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Close Saturday 16th October 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 19th October 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
Neela Vermeire Creations Take Two
.
Post by Portia
.
Hi there Fragrant Travellers,
As you know Neela is one of my mates, we chat on Skype pretty regularly and whenever Jin & I are in Paris we always get some Neela time. Talking about travelling, one of the bummers about having full bottles of fragrance is that when you are abroad it becomes a bit of a pain carrying them in your checked baggage. Isn’t it always great to have a few decants or travel sizes that you can keep conveniently in your carry on? Up till now I thought the Hermès ones were my favourite, all that has changed though because Neela has unveiled her own travel sizes.
Neela Vermeire Creations Take Two
The Neela Vermeire Creations Take Two sets come in a very sensible two pack of 15ml each. The glass is hefty and sturdy and they are perfectly created for life in your bag. As always Neela’s packaging is super swish and the whole shebang looks very Ra Cha Cha.
Another clever idea is to buy the set with a friend and you’ll each have 15ml, meaning you can collect the whole Neela Vermeire Creations set at just over half the price of buying the big bottles. It’s a really good deal. Other fragrance houses make their smaller sizes nearly 80% of the big ones (looking at you sexy Pierre Guillaume, Amouage and a bunch of the others).
LuckyScent sells Ashoka in the 60ml for $230, the 2 x 15ml Take Two set is only $125
Neela Vermeire Creations has the 2 x 15ml Take Two set €112
You may know that Mohur is my favourite of the NVC range followed closely by Ashoka and then Pichola. I’m going to start sussing out my mates about who would like to go halves in each of these sets. Those three combined with a few Hermès travels will mean I never have to think about my holiday frags, they’ll be packed and ready to go.
So, which Neela Vermeire Creations fragrance would you like to have a Take Two Travel Set of?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 