La Religieuse by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2015

May 7, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hi APJ,

Jasmine is such an important scent for me. Like gardenia, jasmine is the scent of my childhood summers in Sydney. Jasmine blossomed all around the neighbourhood and in our backyard. It was the scent of swimming in our pool on a long, sweaty December night; it was the scent of walking the dogs in the early summer evening when the humid air would gently caress the white petals and fill the pale sky with their intoxicating perfume; it was the scent of carefree and happy, languid days.

And yet, when it comes to perfume, jasmine is a really difficult note for me. The indolic nature of the flower tends to overwhelm on my skin, turning the scent from something that should be magnificently beautiful to something that more resembles, say, cat’s pee. Jasmine can often go so wrong on me, sour, sharp and just generally dreadful. I’ve tried so many in an effort to capture that wonderful scent of my childhood, often to no avail.

La Religieuse by Serge Lutens 2015

La Religieuse by Christopher Sheldrake

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Jasmine, musk, civet and incense

Therefore, it was with a mix of trepidation and excitement that I tested the latest release from Serge Lutens, La Religieuse, some weeks ago. I’d read that it was a softer jasmine than the houses other offerings: A La Nuit and Sarassins, but would it be a mess on my skin or would it be that gorgeous soft jasmine that I really wanted?

I can happily say its the latter. La Religieuse is one of the only new releases lately that has gone straight on my full bottle to buy list, it is that beautiful and perfect to me.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I find the notes list quite misleading because the scent for me is a light, green and sweet jasmine. La Religieuse opens up sharp and slightly indolic but with a beautiful verdancy that keeps my nose to my wrist. The overall effect is of being enveloped into masses of jasmine bushes awaiting to bloom – you get the green, lush smell of the leaves and just a promise of scent from the delicate white unopened tendrils.

The jasmine then comes to the fore and it’s quite fruity and playful, underscored by the almondy powder scent of mimosa. It’s this slight marzipan-sweet vibe that I find unusual and beautiful and such an interesting twist and contrast to the green to white floral vibe. It’s a fairly linear scent, somewhat quiet and yet resolute and yet joyful at the same time.

La Religieuse may not please those who like big, thick indolic jasmines, but it’s just a perfect scent for me that has just felt completely right every time I’ve worn it. It’s also a good choice for any occasion, light enough for the office, elegant enough for a little black dress and comforting enough for those days when one just wants a sense of solitude and peace.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: Persolaise and Perfume Posse
Luckyscent has $150/50ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $4.50/0.5ml

Have you tried La Religieuse? What did you think? What are your favourite jasmines? What perfumes remind you of your childhood?

With much love till next time!
M xx

La Chasse aux Papillons by Anne Flipo for L`Artisan Parfumeur 1999

May 3, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi there Spring Lovers,

For all my love of L’Artisan and my high regard for their pioneering and delicate beauty for some reason I never bothered much with today’s offering. It was too ephemeral, not high octane enough and in compariso to my big time white florals it was a pip squeak. The other week though Nick from Libertine Parfumerie gave me a RollerBall and asked me to give it a whirl and so it was with trepidation that I thanked him and took possession of this lovely slim yet hefty glass bottle, sized so perfectly for handbags and even top drawers of desks, a perfect emergency back up.

La Chasse aux Papillons by L`Artisan Parfumeur 1999

La Chasse aux Papillons by Anne Flipo

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine, lime blossom, white flowers

Expecting to be annoyed by the fleetingness of La Chasse aux Papillons as I have been in the spritz version it came as a big surprise that the roller application does not burn off so quickly. I think it allows you to get more juice on your body and the lack of frisson and aeration could mean that it lifts more slowly. Whatever the reason I am getting around 4 hours of noticeable white flower with projection, not enormous after the second hour but I remain softly fragrant.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

How does La Chasse aux Papillons smell? Well, imagine a room full of white flowers. You have tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine all together in a massed display. It’s a warm spring afternoon so you’ve opened the living room doors and outside the grass is rippling in a soft breeze and you are happy. Maybe you’ve stolen a slice of orange off the table but all the meat has been eaten and you are left with the white pith and rind and as you stand in the doorway there are waves of white flowers that float out from the house and then when the wind changes what you get is fresh air, grass and citrus floating back around you yet still there is the all pervading gothic smell of the death of white flowers. It’s both light as air and heavy as the crisp red cotton damask table cloth, tranquil and languid. You feel both energised and enervated, it’s like the heavy charged air before a storm and similar in texture to that shimmery green that often happens after one.

Photo Stolen Libertine

There is a breathy, indolic quality to La Chasse aux Papillons, but the breath and flesh of a healthy young person. L’Artisan has tried to capture in a bottle the fun of a summer day with kids chasing butterflies and laughing. I find La Chasse aux Papillons too crisp and refreshing for summer, in my mind we are definitely in spring and the world is bursting with growth and promise. Am I crazy? Nobody mentions that there is a lovely wallop of musks in the dry down, am I smelling it wrong? Considering La Chasse aux Papillons was created in 1999 it is surprisingly modern and hasn’t dated at all.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

I wore about five of my 7.5ml over Jin and my Singapore & South Korea 2015 trip. It was perfect for planes, shopping, eating and sight seeing. I would get soft wafts from my neck and arms that made me smile and melt inside a little every time. Never overpowering and excellent to counteract the ghastly stench of a longish plane ride, a little dab on my hand and the world smells beautiful again.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and EauMG
Libertine has $54/7.5ml
L’Artisan UK has £15/7.5ml
L’Artisan USA has $25/7.5ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Have you spent time with La Chasse aux Papillons? Are its softly muted white flowers your style?
Portia xx

Michael Edwards + Women's Wear Daily Magazine

May 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Hey there APJ,

Just in from Ainslie Walker the latest Michael Edwards from Fragrances Of The World PRESS RELEASE!

Michael Edwards + Women’s Wear Daily Magazine

Michael rarely mentions his fragrance projects, but here’s a development that will interest you: yesterday, Women’s Wear Daily, the New York fragrance, beauty and fashion trade bible, was reborn. No longer a daily paper, the new glossy weekly debuts with 246 pages … and the first Smell Test leads the Beauty reports.

Michael was asked by WWD to assemble “a jury of world-class fragrance experts who will judge various scents for their olfactory quality, revealing the nuances of perfumery’s new world order. Panelists are given unmarked vials of fragrance to smell in a blind, impartial test. The fragrance will be scored on a scale of 10 (the ultimate) to 1 (forgettable), with an average score computed.”

MISIA, the newest addition to Chanel’s Les Exclusifs collection, is the first fragrance his jury evaluated. It scored an average of 7.2 points. You’ll find the full article and slide show on WWD

Each week, the WWD jury will evaluate and score a new fragrance in the weekly WWD.

Ambre Vie by Christi Meshell for House of Matriarch 2012

April 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by FeralJasmine

I love amber and there is probably no note that I wear more regularly. I have different ambers for different seasons, but I adore them all. I am considering adding Ambre Vie to my line-up and am weighing my decision and seeking enablement.

Ambre Vie by Christi Meshell for House of Matriarch 2012

Ambre Vie: Soft Amber Waves

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Ambreine (labdanum), resins, mimosa petals, davana (artemisia), costus, amber, natural musk

Ambre Vie is an all-natural vanillic amber. It’s beautifully smooth and opens with a soft wave of spices and mimosa, but nothing dramatic. From the moment of spraying it smells somehow “settled,” as if it has melded with skin. I find it very hard to differentiate the various spice notes from one another. The labdanum is smooth and supple. The vanilla is there from the beginning, but it is soft and low-key and serves just to round out the amber. There is a dessert-wine, Tokai-like note which is probably the balsamic note referred to on Fragrantica. There are soft sweet powdery undertones, which I love in amber perfumes. On me it’s very soft and work-appropriate. Over the course of an hour the winey and mimosa notes disappear and the powder is a little more pronounced, but other than that it’s pretty linear. The remarks on House of Matriarch’s website refer to the drydown “becoming mysteriously stronger with time,” and all I can say is, not on me. It’s a skin scent within 90 minutes and gone at the two-hour mark.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

A commenter on Fragrantica calls it a “reference amber” and I agree with this. It’s like your perfect pound cake recipe that, while not being in any way unusual, is always delicious and never lets you down. Another Fragrantica commenter, Deadidol, says “Like its closest analog, HdP’s Ambre 114, this scent utilizes more than 100 materials to achieve its effect, yet the result is largely free from bombast. There’s musk lurking beneath, but it merges with the buttery tones of the base to keep from announcing itself too loudly. Similarly, soft, smoky notes appear alongside what seems to be clove, but these notes never get close enough the surface for full recognition.”

When I dream of the perfect workhorse amber perfume to suit all occasions and seasons and never call unwanted attention to itself (while inviting the wanted kind!), it’s pretty much like Ambre Vie. I wish it were more intense and lasted longer, and if it did, I wouldn’t be deliberating, I would be buying. I suspect that this is unique to my perfume-eating skin, because commenters have reported that it does last several hours on them. But ultimately I will almost surely buy a bottle because it is so very pretty, so well-made, and so right.

Photo Stolen SteamRadio

Further reading: hausofwaft
House of Matriarch starts from $24/3.3ml

Speak to me of amber! What are your favorite perfumes based on this lovely note?
FeralJasmine x

Isabey Perle de la Route d`Emeraude by Panouge 2014

April 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Trésor

I love beautiful things. As much as I’m fond of saying that material things mean very little to me (and in all honestly they truly don’t in the grand scheme of things), I cannot deny that I have a powerful affection for objects graced with exquisite form and effortless function. The DNA of true luxury in my opinion is not a statement of needless excess nor grandeur but a transcendent elevation of the ordinary into a creation of unmitigated refinement; a symphonious pas de deux of finely calibrated performance and unyielding pulchritude. Perfection captured in kaleidoscopic microcosms, the harmonious tick-tick-tick of a fine timepiece or the gloriously symmetrical saddle stitching on a wallet from the atelier of Hermès. The same can be said for fragrance and I would hazard to say that capturing this particularly elusive je ne sais quoi within an olfactory landscape proves to be an even more arduous task than presented in the physically tactile artforms, though when one manages I can assure you it is truly magnificent. Case in point, the poetic opulence of Perle de la Route d`Emeraude from the Parisian house of Isabey.

Isabey Perle de la Route d`Emeraude by Panouge 2014

Isabey Perle de la Route d`Emeraude by Jean Jacques

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Rose oil, Cinnamon
Heart: Jasmine sambac, Moroccan jasmine absolute, Orange blossom, Tuberose
Base: Ambergris, Benzoin, Vanilla, Musk

The opening sequence of Perle de la Route d`Emeraude (let’s just call her Perle from now on. A (tube)rose by any other name, and all that.) is an immaculately mellifluous diapason of white florals, as rich and utterly labyrinthine as you could possibly imagine. Operatic jasmine radiates forth in her narcotic light show, flashing lambent bursts of bergamot as if they were jewels decorating her velvet ivory. Tuberose graced with crimson red lips and Monroe curves reveals milky flesh, inch by inch though the ostrich feather plumes of her burlesque fan; innocence maintained only through the wreath of orange blossoms placed within her golden hair.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The airspace is penetrated by the redolent nectarous density of pure floral essence overflowing from petals releasing their very souls into our welcoming embrace. An icy current of buttery orris root courses through the background, acting as foil to the vivid canary hue of voluptuous ylang yang which serves to further amplify the depth and utter luxuriance which dwells within this unctuous elixir. As the composition begins its descent the inimitable warmth and splendid sweetness of benzoin resin rises from beneath the radiant florals and begins to enrapture everything in its wake. Smooth, smoky vanilla weaves gently through what remains of the the lush flora and leads Perle to her final moments on the skin as a sublimely comforting aureate glow.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

The sillage on Perle is what you would expect of a decadent extrait de parfum, plush to the point of divinity while maintaining a particular geniality that creates a most fascinating harmony, indeed. As for longevity, it is about 8 hours before I finally notice her fading off into the distance leaving but traces of warmth and beautiful memories behind her. I urge you to give Perle a try if you are looking to experience the beauty of tuberose in full, unapologetic glory or if you’re simply in the mood for a truly decadent treat to brighten a rainy day.

Further reading: Scentsory Meltdown
LuckyScent has $355/50ml & Samples

What about you? Do you love a particular tuberose? Have you tried this one?

Until next time, kittens.
Trésor xx

Classic Opoponax by Von Eusersdorff 2015

April 28, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

An Immaculate Oriental……

You know when I first met Portia and we decided I would sometimes write posts for APJ I had absolutely no idea at all that I would be sat here more than two years later. Not only that but that I would also shoot down to Italy to attend the perfume shows. It is kind of funny really. I absolutely love going to them, and have no intention of stopping. And yet I am so hesitant to try anything new. The older I get the more überfussy I have become. (Don´t believe that. I have always been very selective.)

Classic Opoponax by Von Eusersdorff 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, jasmine
Heart: Opoponax, sandalwood, benzoin
Base: Castoreum, amber, patchouli, vanilla

Classic Opoponax was one of the very few (you could count them on one hand) of the new launches I was absolutely excited to try. I spent an hour searching through the Campomarzio party guests for Camille Henfling Junior, founder of Von Eusersdorff and an absolutely lovely bloke. I say searching because there was about 500 guests in about a 50 square meter area and it was dark – it took a while!

Photo Donated Camille

Opoponax is also known as opobalsam, which explains its resiny feel. It is also known as sweet myrrh, in contrast to the bitter myrrh which is more commonly used in medicines, both Ayurvedic and Western. Sweet myrrh has been used for at least two thousand years in incense and perfumes and comes primarily from Somalia and Ethiopia. Von Eusersdorff’s Classic Opoponax feels slightly sticky when you spray generously, which you need to do to do it justice. Hence the solid comfortable 100 ml bottle.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Classic Opoponax is Von Eusersdorff’s sixth fragrance. Each fragrance is concentrated around a single note and all are of a very high standard. Elegant and handsome. Classic Opoponax no exception. It is a flawless oriental. Warm and thick, sweet and resinous, heady and quietly opulent. No spices. Very contemporary. It opens with a wonderfully sweet rose along with jasmine and takes you on a seamless ride into the heart of opoponax and on into the base of amber and patchouli, vanilla and a dab of castoreum. It all seems so effortless, which means it was not.

Photo Donated Val

Classic Opoponax will be a summer perfume for me. I love rich sweet orientals in the heat. I find they stay very flat on the skin in cold weather. And no, 10 mls is definitely not enough.

Further reading: GoodSmellas and Colognoisseur
ParfuMaria has €119/100ml

Dankjewel Meneer Henfling for the wonderful package. It really touched me.

Which of the Von Eusersdorff fragrances have you tried, or do you want to try?

Tot Ziens
CQ

Photo Donated Camille

El Poeta by Mario T. Gomez for Mario Tomas Perfumes

April 27, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 43 Comments

Post by Azar

“I have many interests but the art of perfumery is my passion” – Mario T. Gomez

Mario Gomez is well known in US West Coast perfume circles for his writing, lecturing and for his Olfactory Ambassador Service . In 2014 Mario brought his extensive knowledge of and appreciation for scent to the creation of his own line of fragrances – Mario Tomas Perfumes. So far there are three fragrances in the line: Lo Mejor de Mi #1, Corazon Blanco and El Poeta. While I have not had the pleasure of meeting the perfumer in person I feel as though I know him from trying just one of his creations. Late last year a dear friend gifted me a bottle of El Poeta, a fragrance that is a striking testament to Mario Gomez passion for and understanding of the art of perfumery.

El Poeta by Mario T. Gomez for Mario Tomas Perfumes

Photo Donated Mario

Perfumer gives these featured notes in one line:
Vanilla, sandalwood, coriander, anise, fig, bay rum, tobacco, juniper.

“This fragrance conjures up another era: a time and place when debates on beauty, style and technique were hotly discussed over drinks at a crowded and smoky café…It is absinthe inspired; Bohemia in a bottle.”

My perceived notes and description:
Anise, juniper, gin, vanilla, coriander, fig, coffee, cream and smoky sweet tobacco.

Many of you are familiar with DHS Café Noir (1997), Olympic Orchids Café V (2013) and Sweet Anthem Poppy (2014). To me these wonderful semi gourmand “café” perfumes are evocative of historic and contemporary café culture around the world – warm, dark, a little shady, revolutionary and artistic but at the same time comfortable and safe. El Poeta is a “café” fragrance too but with a twist. El Poeta opens for me with a blast of juniper/gin flavored with anise and coriander seed – potent, blue green and translucent. As the perfume develops it becomes warmer in color and more opaque, a delicious concoction of vanilla and fig. I like to spritz El Poeta late at night. When I wake up in the morning I am treated to a dry down of deep golden brown scents, the smells of thick, rich, vanilla spiced coffee, sweet cream and hints of smoky tobacco. Throughout the eight to ten hour life of the fragrance the projection is strong enough to be enticing but never overwhelming.

Photo Donated Mario

Read more about Mario T. Gomez and his fragrances at Fragrantica and Ca Fleure Bon
Currently Mario Toms Perfumes are shipping to US addresses only.
El Poeta will be available again soon at Tiger Lily Perfumery

Azar xx

Photo Stolen AllSteele

El Poeta GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 1 ml Mario Tomas Perfumes “Cafe” sample set of El Poeta, Café Noir, Café V and Poppy
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 (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 comment on any of these fragrances or tell us about your favorite coffee drink or coffee-centric perfume. If you can’t drink coffee (or don’t like it) you can tell us about that too!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 30th April 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Monday 3rd May 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.

Salt Caramel by Julie Masse for Shay & Blue London 2014

April 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hey hey Fragrance Fiends,

Do you ever read and hear about a new brand quite a bit, it piques your interest, you don’t try it immediately and then you completely forget about it because you’re onto the new next best thing? I find it happening more and more often lately. Shay & Blue were the name on everybodies lips last year but until I saw them on Surrender To Chance last month I had let them pass me by.

Salt Caramel by Julie Masse for Shay & Blue London 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Caramel, sea salt, tonka bean, sandalwood (Vanilla is added on the Shay & Blue site)

My partner Jin makes the most gorgeously delicious salted caramel macaroons. They are breath taking and so perfectly formed. The sweetness is cut through with savoury and when he makes them I know I’ve been an excellent companion. It’s like the ultimate nod.

When I spritz Salted Caramel I get a really big smile across my face. It’s EXACTLY what a Salted Caramel macaroon smells like. I even salivated at the scent as it first went on. Hilarious! That super sweet caramel-ish moment tempered by salt is so realistic and so ridiculously good but as much as I go crazy for it part of my mind is asking me if this is how I want to smell. Like, really? Is this the scent that you think is the best fragrance to offer the world as a scent concept of who you are? My head says, “Super good trick, yes you made a smell that totally replicates food. Astounding but WTF!”

Photo Stolen Flickr

As we move further into the heart of Salted Caramel it does get deeper and the sweetness is knocked out a bit, now I’m getting brulee crust, still sweet but toffee crisp and bitter. Are there musks in here too? Something powdery? Maybe it’s the sandalwood and my associations are running away with me. It doesn’t smell like sandalwood as I think of it but that doesn’t mean that it’s not sandalwood, know what I mean?

Salted Caramel sticks around, and if you like the way it smells then you’ll be thrilled because once the super sweet opening burns of you’re left with a linear fragrance that I got 3 hours from because it drove me crazy so I waited 3 hours and then had a bath.

Photo stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon and Kafkaesque
Shay & Blue are available at department stores, David Jones in Australia
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4.50/ml

Did you get to try these Shay & Blue fragrances? Which ones tickled your fancy? What have you recently had to scrub?
Portia xx

Jasmine Sambac by Christopher Brosius for CB I Hate Perfume 2013

April 24, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Hi there Crew,

Writing to you from the past but thinking about how lovely it will be to be hitting Singapore and South Korea in spring and recently I got a Surrender To Chance decant from one of my favourite independent perfumers; Christopher Brosius. It’s about as springlike as you could ever imagine.

Jasmine Sambac by CB I Hate Perfume 2013

Jasmine Sambac by Christopher Brosius

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

It’s nearly night time, you are enjoying the newfound warmth of spring evenings and you’ve decided to take an evening stroll with your true loved one, your dog. In my city Sydney, where I live currently in Redfern just off the center of the central business and shopping district, maybe 3 kilometers easy walk from the Sydney GPO the early spring evenings are chock full of after work drinkers, diners, people coming home and people going out. The cafes and supermarkets are full and loads of cars with their headlights on low are taking their precious cargoes to the next big, last big, will it ever get big thing. The streets, cafes and the parks are also full of other people walking their dogs. Below is a picture in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, less than an hours stroll from my home.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

What you can also feel on these evenings is the promise. Spring in Redfern is FULL of the scent of promise. Promise of warmer days, t-shirts, beaches, flirtations, picnics and sunshiny days. There are plenty of jasmine vines climbing up fronts of terrace houses and in pocket handkerchief sized back gardens, even some of the pubs have an old ropey vine that bursts into leaf and flower at the first hint of spring.

If you want to smell something that gives you the same flutterings in your heart, the same joyful spring in your step, the same inner whisper of promise then Jasmine Sambac is something I think you should try.

How does it smell? Stronger than jasmine in most fragrance, healthier. At the start very indolic but within half an hour Jasmine Sambac becomes fresh, lilting and friendly. A zephyr on a late spring afternoon bringing you the fragrance of a fence full of jasmine down the road. Glorious.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

From Christopher Brosius: I find Jasmine Sambac to be the richest and most pervasive of all the Jasmine Absolutes available today. While obviously a Jasmine scent, its perfume contains levels of depth and complexity that other Jasmines cannot match, its scent is serene, euphoric and hypnotic. Jasmine Absolute contains many chemicals that have a powerful effect on the central nervous system. Jasmine is possibly, next to Rose, the most synthesized flower in modern perfume. While there are many exceptionally fine synthetic versions of that flower available, should you ever compare the two – Real and Imagined – side by side, you will see there is absolutely no comparison at all. Real Jasmine is much richer, far more complex and infinitely more beautiful.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Colognoisseur
CB I Hate Perfume has $325/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/.5ml

What scents make you think of spring?
Portia xx

Scenting Characters: What would ‘X’ wear?

April 22, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Liam

Good evening fragrance aficionados!

Scent associations fascinate me. Most pertinently, when watching film and TV I often find myself scenting fictional characters. The way certain actors and actresses portray a character astounds me, and sometimes I wonder how they would smell considering their personalities.

Scenting Characters: What would ‘X’ wear?

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991):

Intellectually staggering; an enigma wrapped in multitudes of haunting mystery. Hannibal Lecter, despite his cannibal tendencies, is an upperclass gentleman with a great disdain towards bad manners!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

For Lecter, I choose Jean Desprez floriental “Bal a Versailles”. Totally classical in its composition, I am reminded of scenes when Lecter draws pictures of Clarice whilst listening to classical music. Bal a Versailles is textured wonderfully, expensive (rare), and most importantly for those with great taste! It is exotic, yet grounded by an impression of properness and prissiness. Perfect for Lecter.

Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk in Monk (2002 – 2009):

OCD-ridden, Adrien Monk is a delicate creature and a brilliant detective. Often when watching I find Shalhoub delivers a very tangible human quality to the character, verging innocuous yet persistent as his OCD often gets in the way.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I particularly love the ‘square tomato’ scene and another when he meticulously gets his haircut. But, considering this, I don’t think the character would wear perfume because he would find it both interfering and may never find something he loves! Therefore, I choose Escentric Molecules “Molecule 01”. The ISO-E Super is something I cannot smell on myself, which I feel would be a feature Monk would appreciate. Molecule 01’s subtle woody and cedar-like aroma is clean and clinical, much like the character.

Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (2006):

Powerful, important, and amazingly dressed (the way she tosses Prada bags and expensive coats carelessly – wow!). Clad in the most amazing garments (I consider this film as the impetus for my fashionable awakening), Priestly is the epitome of a contemporary ‘Boss Lady’. She demands respect and universally sets the tone.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I was tempted to give this character Mitsouko, but given her haute position as the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine she needs to be ‘with it’ as well as timeless. Thus, I choose Prada’s “Infusion d’Iris” for her in work mode. Sleek, slightly cold, and very professional. It is discrete elegance, remembering that iris is very expensive! Opening with citruses, then layered with soft incense and resins on a bed of cedar.

Rod Taylor as Mitch Brenner in The Birds (1963):

Rod Taylor portrays the male hero in Hitchcock’s suspense horror “The Birds”. Whilst the character is firmly placed in a heroic role protecting Tippi Hedren from vicious birds, we also view a romantic tale. The film features really dark and challenging undertones, including the idea of uncertainty and a supernatural-esque danger. Rod Taylor’s character requires something strongly grounded, yet delicate and romantic up on top. Often he is well dressed, donning typical duotone suit outfits for work, with tweed blazers and white sweaters for relaxation.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I think Chanel’s “Sycomore” is most appropriate. The mild flounce and tendency to be cheeky is expressed with an amazing violet note, grounded in a vetiver and tobacco accord (a bit like wood varnish) also calling to mind the classicism of Guerlain’s Vetiver.

All these fragrances can be sampled at Surrender To Chance if you’d like to try them

Your turn! How would you scent the following?

Norman Bates – Psycho

Mildred Pierce – Mildred Pierce

James Bond (Sean Connery)

-Liam.

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Niche

La Religieuse by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2015

La Religieuse by Serge Lutens 2015

La Religieuse by Christopher Sheldrake

La Chasse aux Papillons by Anne Flipo for L`Artisan Parfumeur 1999

La Chasse aux Papillons by L`Artisan Parfumeur 1999

La Chasse aux Papillons by Anne Flipo

Michael Edwards + Women's Wear Daily Magazine

Michael Edwards + Women’s Wear Daily Magazine

Ambre Vie by Christi Meshell for House of Matriarch 2012

Ambre Vie by Christi Meshell for House of Matriarch 2012

Ambre Vie: Soft Amber Waves

Isabey Perle de la Route d`Emeraude by Panouge 2014

Isabey Perle de la Route d`Emeraude by Panouge 2014

Isabey Perle de la Route d`Emeraude by Jean Jacques

El Poeta by Mario T. Gomez for Mario Tomas Perfumes

El Poeta by Mario T. Gomez for Mario Tomas Perfumes

El Poeta GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Salt Caramel by Julie Masse for Shay & Blue London 2014

Salt Caramel by Julie Masse for Shay & Blue London 2014

Jasmine Sambac by Christopher Brosius for CB I Hate Perfume 2013

Jasmine Sambac by CB I Hate Perfume 2013

Jasmine Sambac by Christopher Brosius

Scenting Characters: What would ‘X’ wear?

Scenting Characters: What would ‘X’ wear?