Ainslie's Fragrant Cocktail Recipe’s

June 16, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Hello all,

Hope you are having a lovely week and are ready for some scent inspired cocktail recipes to help you on your merry way! These delicious cocktails are some of the ones I tasted recently in Melbourne at Galerie de Parfum’s cocktail and perfume masterclass in Myers Melbourne. Mixologist Justin Ryann Forsyth has been kind enough to provide the recipes we tasted on the night.

Ainslie’s Fragrant Cocktail Recipe’s

My recent APJ post shared the Empressa cocktail (Penhaligon’s) and last Saturday’s “drop in #1” shared with you Frapin 1270 and Keiko Mecheri Loukoulm

Today I am sharing with you two fresh and zesty scent inspired cocktails to help you feeling brighter and get the feeling that summer is somewhere on the horizon.

Gentlewoman (Juliette Has A Gun)

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Launched at the end of 2014, the “Eau de Cologne Parfum” and launch was reviewed for APJ. An Eau De Cologne for the “Dandy Woman” is not a typical cologne with its almond and coumarin notes energised by a strong and lasting citrus accord.

Here is Justin’s lovely sparkling citrus cocktail inspired by Gentlewoman:

10 ml Cointreau
10 ml Monin Blood Orange Syrup
10 ml Lemon Juice
10-15 ml Vanilla Syrup
5 ml Aperol
Rose Sparkling wine

Shake all ingredients vigorously over ice, double strain into a champagne flute, filling only about 2/5 of the glass. Top with sparkling wine of your choice (we used Chandon rose). Garnish with a spritz of orange blossom water and an edible flower if desired.

Batucada (L’Artisan)

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

The name of this fragrance is a style of samba from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and one spritz instantly provides some escapism and optimism in the depths of winter. Inspired by Brazil and its infamous caipirinha cocktail, notes of lime, mint and cachaca are combined with tropical ylang ylang and tiare flower, drying down with a salty-sour coconut note. I believe it is the coconut with citrus that makes this an enjoyable wear for winter. I had never thought to wear it in winter before the event, so thank you to Ricky and Lucy of Galerie de Parfums for shedding this light on it. (I now have it on rotation)

Justin served the cocktail with a roasted coconut rim, which provided an additional textural element. The magnificent barbequed pineapple flavor mixing with the rum had me on the beaches of Brazil in seconds! (hic!)

45 ml Appleton VX Jamaican Rum
30 ml lime juice
15 ml Sugar syrup
Shredded coconut
Barbequed pineapple

Add lime juice and sugar syrup to cocktail shaker, and then drop in a few cubes of grilled pineapple (or fresh if you prefer). Muddle until incorporated, then add rum and fill with ice. Shake hard for 7-10 seconds, and double strain into a short glass of choice, rimmed with coconut (toasted if you prefer). Garnish with a sprig of mint and a pineapple leaf if applicable.

Batucada and Gentlewoman can be sampled at Surrender To Chance<< Jump to them

Cheers!!

Perhaps you can experiment and try coming up with a cocktail of your favorite fragrance?

Xx Ainslie

SAMPLE PACK Giveaway Winners

June 15, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Crew,

Thanks for getting involved everyone. Whoever wins this one will have loads of fun sniffing I hope.

Portia xx

SAMPLE PACK Giveaway Winners

Most of these samples have been purchased from Surrender To Chance in 2015

SAMPLE PACK

222 by Le Galion Manufacturers Sample
Aoud Heritage by Montale
A La Rose by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
EO3 by biehl parfumkunstwerke
Surrender by Surrender To Chance
Tudor Rose & Amber by Jo Malone
Forbidden Games by Kilian
Kiss of Agnayi by Primiordal Scents
Rose de Grasse by Aerin Lauder
Eclair de Tubéreuse by Il Profvmo
SnoBirds by SmellBent

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x SAMPLE PACK
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) 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 what single 2014/5 fragrance you would like to sample if there were no money constraints and you were given the chance

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie SAMPLE PACK GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-330 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 14th June 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen HighestSelf

JESSI

The winner will have till Thursday 18th June 2015 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.

Isis by Kedra Hart for Opus Oils

June 13, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

YAY! Fragrant Friends,

Back in May 2013 when we did ScentSation Bus Tour in LA with Perfume Posse our very last stop of the day was Opus Oils. It had been a BIG day and we were tired and footsore. Many of us had spent our very last penny and the thought of one more perfume emporium seemed like it was one too many.

Then we were met by the incredibly luscious Kedra Hart who looks like every mans dream of womanity. Pretty, curvy, floaty and sensual, Kedra was also so totally sweet that the whole crew felt revived just by being in her presence. I smelled a couple of the fragrances but this one nearly blew the back of my head off. It was instant and has turned out to be lasting love…….

Isis by Kedra Hart for Opus Oils

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Opus Oils give these featured accords in one line:
Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Blue Lotus Absolute, White Water Lily Absolute, Jasmine Absolute

Petrol, flowers, incense. Dark, thick and dirty but in there is glory: eye rolling, heart afluttering, transcendent glory. It’s like Metropolis, The Fast & The Furious, Wizard of Oz and The Passion of Christ are all melded into one fragrance. Heavy scent that drifts in layers about me, like walking through clouds of treacle that is glutinous and sparkling in the sunshine. Isis walks the fine line between gorgeous and disgusting so beautifully, seamlessly. It has me on the edge of my seat through the whole wear, every time. Will it dip over into the dark side but of course it never does.

Photo Stolen Flickr

You know that moment when you first crush a jasmine flower in your fingers? When the smell is so overpoweringly potent? Here Kedra has taken the moment that you pull away, it’s the moment when it stops being too much but all of a sudden magically becomes beautiful. The absolutes are heady, powerful stuff and then later in the wear they are subtly tempered by the sandalwood, which brings a pleasing creamy softness.

The incense has been in the mix all along but it’s not till the very end that I can really smell its cool, aloof, resinous and light smokiness. More like the Japanese incenses than the Catholic ones I grew up with it is a lovely counterpoint to what has gone before.

Isis has lasting power long beyond most of the natural perfumes I’ve worn, still leaving soft white floral and resinous traces next morning, not big but different to my smell. a very light gloss on top of my skin.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Fragrance Belles and Oh True Apothecary
Opus Oils has EdP $75/30ml

Have you dipped your toes into the Opus Oils perfumed waters?
Portia xx

S-ex by Christophe Laudamiel for S-perfume 2004

June 10, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Trésor

“Im a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.”

If you just so happen to be a 90s kid like me chances are you will recognize those lyrics from Aqua’s Barbie Girl, a song which was essentially the soundtrack to my childhood. Much like the synthetic starlet herself this Danish bubblegum electropop anthem immediately calls to mind one of my absolute favourite fragrances, a composition by Christophe Laudamiel for niche concept house S-Perfume called S-ex. Perhaps one of the most terribly fascinating and unconventionally beautiful fragrances in my collection.

S-ex by Christophe Laudamiel for S-perfume 2004

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Oxygen, salt, camellia, willow, skin musk, strawberry, baroque musk, white leather, black leather, pepper, nutmeg, bergamot, wheat, woodsy notes, malt, birch, patchouli, sandalwood, jasmine

I will admit, the opening sequence of S-ex was not an immediate affection for me and I can remember so vividly the very first time I sprayed it on my skin. A glacial surge of metallic ozone bursts forth from the atomizer, illustrating so viscerally a hyperborean landscape of frigid metal and ice. Soon though, this frozen thalassic vista begins to recede into the distance and the breathtakingly sensuous aroma of buttery leather begins to unfold and lend an unusually beautiful tactile, skinlike quality to the composition.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Beneath this narrative is where my reference to Barbie truly translates as the underpinning of this sumptuous leather is an accord not unlike the aroma of our darling doll’s trademark plastic. It’s an instant rush of nostalgia for me, and I’m certain for anyone else familiar with this particularly iconic smell. The nostalgia factor is only further reinforced by an rather curious note that to me smells of strawberry flavoured chewing gum that I was terribly fond of as a child. Though this combination sounds rather dissonant and peculiar, something about it is interesting and has kept me coming back again and again for years now. The longer the composition has to develop on the skin the more an astoundingly exquisite kaleidoscope of synthetic skin musks seems to develop and it is within this olfactory symphony that I find my greatest affection for the fragrance. The only way I can can think to explain this is to imagine dancing rays of lambent sunlight refracting haphazardly though the facets an intricately cut diamond. They seem as if they are ricocheting off of each other, ebbing and flowing into infinity. It is within the magnetism of this lustrous symphony that S-ex fades into the skin completely, leaving only delicate whispers of gossamer light in its wake.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The sillage on S-ex is respectable but not particularly loud and longevity is significant, closing out on my skin at around 10 hours. I will say, this is not a fragrance I would recommend buying blind as those anosmic to particular synthetic musks might not smell much of anything at all. S-ex also happens to be a fragrance I would wholeheartedly recommend every honest-to-goodness fume head try at least once for I genuinely believe it is a masterpiece in its own right.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Shrine
LuckyScent has $155/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

What fragrance would you recommend everyone try at least once?

Until next time!
Tresor xx

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Créations 2015

June 9, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I inherited three beautiful diamonds and an emerald and diamond ring. They are pieces of great beauty.

Writing about perfume is challenging and can be surprisingly difficult. It is all so subjective. Then add that to the fact that it is impossible to know what something smells like without physically smelling it. Nevertheless some writers prefer lists of notes and go onto describe them. Which is just fine unless they get it wrong. This can have a knock on effect with perfume people deciding, predicated upon what the writer says not to try it. This is extremely disheartening for the perfumers. So if you are waiting to have each and every note of Pichola dissected and discussed, move on!

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Créations 2015

Pichola: composed by Bertrand Duchafour for NVC under Neela´s eagle eye

Photo Donated Neela Vermeire Creations

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Saffron, Juniper, Magnolia, Neroli, Clementine, Bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom absolute, Rose absolute, Tuberose absolute, Jasmine sambac, Ylang-ylang
Base: Benzoin absolute, Sandalwood, Driftwood, Haitian vetiver

All of the Neela Vermeire Créations are jewels in a sea of paste. Pichola is no exception, indeed it may be the diamond in the collection. Like my own diamonds, Pichola is for special occasions or social events. (I must add that my daughter aka BlondesWunder does not agree at all and has worn it on many days using up at least half of my stash, and even wears it to the gym)) I hear through the perfumista grapevine that Pichola wears close to the skin, with an average sillage. Which is exactly what I mean with perfume being subjective. Pichola is an absolute spicy, floral bombshell and develops and lasts for many hours, leaving a soft and elegant sandalwood as its last breath – to me. Notes do include cardamom, clementine, and bergamot, orange, rose, jasmine, sandalwood and vetiver. Pichola is in perfect symmetry with Bombay Bling, Mohur, Ashoka and Trayee. That Bertrand Duchafour has achieved this with Neela Vermeire is formidable and speaks highly of their relationship.

Photo Donated Neela Vermeire Creations

In the manner of the reflections off of Lake Pichola in Rajasthan from which it is named – Pichola reflects and diffuses each of its many notes. As light moves through a diamond, it is scattered and fractured, creating the sparkle that diamonds are known for. A diamond is evaluated on on its ability to reflect and refract light in all directions. Pichola glimmers and sparkles and changes with the light. Flawless.

“It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.” Dolly Parton.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and What Men Should Smell Like
Neela Vermeire Creations has €205/60ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/.5ml

Shimmering Bussis.

Portia’s 15 Must Smell Fragrances + Coupon Code!

June 7, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Hey APJ,

It would make me extremely happy if you’d jump on over and check out the newest post on My Perfume Samples. Writing for My Perfume Samples has given me a really great new outlet for fragrance writing and this fortnight we decided to think about some of the most important, or best in category, fragrances that have maintained a lot of what they were originally famous for. Obviously some have changed a bit over time due to cost, availability and regulation of components but here are 15 fragrances we believe that are still excellent reference points.

There is also a huge $15 DISCOUNT CODE

Portia’s 15 Must Smell Fragrances + Coupon Code!

So please jump across and check the list out on My Perfume Samples<<JUMP. Leave a message with something you think should be there or a favourite from the group so we can have a bit of a natter about it, I’ll be dropping in regularly over the next week to answer any and all comments.

Be well, waft on.
Portia xx

Fragrance Inspired Cocktail Recipes #1

June 6, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Fragrance Inspired Cocktail Recipes

Hope you have a lovely weekend planned. I have some scent inspired cocktail recipes to help you on your merry way!

These delicious cocktails I tasted recently in Melbourne at Galerie de Parfum’s Cocktail and Perfume Masterclass in Myers Melbourne. Mixologist Justin Ryann Forsyth has been extremely generous giving me access to the recipes for his own scent cocktail creations.

Fragrance Inspired Cocktail Recipes #1

My recent APJ post shared with you the Empressa cocktail, inspired by Penhaligon’s new fragrance for the season

Today I will share some lovely winter warmers, perfect for a cozy evening:

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

1270 by Frapin

You can read Portia’s APJ 1270 review, which first alerted me to one of my now favorite fragrances

30 ml Drambuie
15 ml glenmorangie 10 yr scotch whisky
15 ml Lillet Rouge
3 dashes plum bitters

Add all ingredients to mixing glass, and then fill up with ice. Using a bar spoon, begin to stir the drink quickly, being careful not to break any ice. Stir until desired dilution is reached, then double strain into a coupette or similar short glass. Garnish with a dash of orange bitters or orange peel if desired. We didn’t do this for the presentation, but as a cocktail itself, the orange really brings it together.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Loukhoum by Keiko Mecheri

I fell in love with Loukhoulm during the Myers/Galerie de Parfum masterclass evening (and the moment was photographed, unbeknownst to me). For me it is smooth, sensual and womanly. Summed up, it is vanilla-almond-honey-rose notes, inspired by Turkish delight, which is far from my usual fragrance choices. However Loukoulm is much more than a sweet mess, having depth, warmth and providing some immediate comfort. The “comforting” component may be down to an almost Johnston’s and Johnston’s baby powder/oil-esque note….but far more deluxe. Loukoulm hugged close to my skin and was still there many hours later. Much creamier and deeper than other Turkish delight inspired fragrances such as Jo Malone Rose Water and Vanilla Cologne. There is the hint of the rose and iris smells of makeup -now so trendy with the release of Chanel’s Misia-but this is rounded and less screechy in its rose notes. Mixed in with almond nuttiness, the smell of hawthorn, one of my favorite cool weather notes. Something motherly and beautifully warm.

I would love to wear this on a date, as I am sure it would be perfect for an intimate candlelit dinner for two….followed with the following cocktail for dessert:

15 ml Crème de Cacao (or desired chocolate liqueur)
15 ml Cherry Heering liqueur
15 ml Amaretto
10 ml Monin Orgeat Syrup
5 ml Campari
2 dashes Fee Bro’s orange bitters
Egg white (optional)

Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker, and shake hard until all ingredients have combined evenly. Double strain into a chilled coupette or similar short glass. If using egg white, wet shake as above, then double strain into another shaker, then shake without ice to create a thick white foam. When finished, garnish with a cherry and 3 dashes Bob’s chocolate bitters.

Enjoy your weekend!

Xx Ainslie

Gabriella's Three New Fragrant Favourites

June 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hi perfume lovers,

It’s so easy for me to fall into a perfume rut. My white floral adoration and Mr M’s penchant for dark, spicy roses can sometimes mean that I rarely go outside of my comfort zone of the two genres when it comes to wearing scents.

Maybe I’ll get samples or decants just to sniff something different or for the purposes of writing a blog post, but it’s a very rare occasion indeed when I find not one, but three perfumes that don’t fall into either category, but feel utterly perfect to me.

But that unexpected moment has happened and today I want to share with you my three new favourite NON white-floral/dark-rose perfumes

Gabriella’s Three New Fragrant Favourites

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, mos, amber

I’m not one for colognes and magnolia isn’t my favourite flower, but this to me is just utterly magical. A sharp burst of bergamot with a verdant twist of lime morphs into a subtle green and mossy magnolia underscored by the dryness of vetiver. It’s an easy to wear, yet utterly elegant and sophisticated chypre that have me craving spring.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $59 for 10ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $7.59/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Misia by Olivier Polge for Chanel 2015

Fragrantica gives these notes in one line:
Violet, iris, orris root, Turkish rose, Grasse rose, Laos benzoin, tonka bean.

Rose and violet is a combination that usually has me running the other way. I didn’t expect to like Misia, let alone love it, given the myriad of comparisons with Lipstick Rose and the like, but I do. The difference for me is the sharp opening of iris, which lends the rose violet accord a little dryness and fizziness. There’s a powdery, candied vibe as the iris veers into the rose-violet accord while berry notes lends a sweet vibe to the rose without veering too much into the dreaded fruity floral territory. Misia is just such a pleasure to wear, it absolutely sparkles on my skin and has enough Chanel sophistication whilst feeling completely modern and different to the rest of the Exclusifs line.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Grain de Musc
Misia is available at Chanel boutiques, US$280/AUD$350/300ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Wit by Yann Vasnier for Parfums DelRae

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, mandarin orange, angelica, laurels
Heart: Jasmine, narcissus, mimosa, ylang-ylang
Base: Amber, vanilla, musk

Wit surprised me, given that DelRae’s creations, whilst completely beautiful to sniff, never really work on me skin wise. Plus, the lemon element scared me a bit, given citrus can turn overly sharp and cloying on me, but Wit had me at hello. The opening is bright creamy lemon, softly sweet and also lemon curdy in nature, with a decidedly tactile and almost edible quality. The citrus notes sparkle and yet are softly sweet before segueing into the jasmine and daphne which is all bright yellow and tempered by the soft green of the laurel and angelica. Wit is a surprisingly different floral, with a brightness and richness I haven’t found in the genre for quite some time.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Now Smell This
Luckyscent has $150/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/0.5ml

What three fragrances are your favourites at the moment? What fragrances do you love that are outside your comfort zone?

With much love till next time!

M x

Nature GIVEAWAY WINNER!

June 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Thanks Gang for joining in. I’m excited to be sending out the remnants of my sample. I hope you love Nature. I’ll add a couple of extras in too.

Portia xx