Arquiste: Carlos Huber Interview 2014

December 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Anslie Walker

Arquiste at Peony Melbourne’s Event

Carlos Huber is director/curator of Arquiste perfumes. I got to have a lunch with him in Melbourne, moments before the Australian launch of new fragrances L’Etrog Aqua and Architects Club at Peony Haute Perfumerie.

Arquiste: Carlos Huber Interview 2014

You are studied Preservation Architecture, did you also study perfumery?

I started as a Preservation Architect and also worked for Ralph Lauren. I met a perfume evaluator who introduced me to perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux. I became friends with him, spending a year studying with him as much as possible. We share a love of history, so he understands my passion and interprets my visions well.

How did the range develop?

I came up with 6 stories, moments in history for the perfumers to translate. I choose places I have visited and connect with deeply to ensure the fragrances are authentic. The aim is to bring olfactive references to life. They are historic moments in time, yet I did not want them to be vintage, I wanted them to be modern concepts where we are dropped in that moment, not have the moment brought to us. We also use the most modern of ingredients to create hyper real experiences.

Tell me about the Arquiste signature bottles?

I love these, they are Italian made, solid and round and if you look closely on the inside you cannot see where the glass and perfume begin and end. I just had the lids remade so they are heavy in the hand. The new fragrances are in 100ml only and the originals are in 50ml, eventually they will all be available in the 100ml size.

Overview of the range with quotes from Carlos:
Woods and Citrus:
Aleksandr is an amber leather developed by Yann Vasnier that interprets a Russian love story in 1837. Violet and neroli is the fired-up lovers after shave products, as he gets ready to leave the house for a dual. He dons his fur coat and leather boots and heads outside amongst the snow-laden fir and birch trees, where in a clearing ahead, the fateful duel awaits him.

Architects Club by Yaan Vasnier “this fragrance is set in The Fumé-the jewel of Claridge’s and has 3 phases – the first fresh icy gin martini phase with juniper, angelica, lavender, clary sage and coriander, the second comfortable woods and amber where oak, guaicwood and sensual ambermax settle on skin and thirdly the dry smoky vanilla tobacco, old books and leather phase. I love wearing this fragrance!!”

L’Etrog is a citrus chypre developed with both Rodrigo and Yann. It’s inspired by Jewish harvest festival Sukkot, which occurs in October. “L’Etrog is Hebrew for Citron and is the balmy sweet night time in Calabria, Italy 1175 where farmers gather after a day in the citron fields. Dried date accord and scents from the wood cabin mix with the intense citron leaving a velvety powder dry down after the zest has died down.”

L’Etrog Aqua is an Eau De Cologne style yet contains 15% perfume concentration!! It’s the morning after L’Etrog, where dew is heavy on the citron fields, green, tart, wet, juicy and cool, it sheds light on aspects of the original and highlights them. “This fragrance contains more myrtle than any other fragrance, along with lavender, rosemary, vetiver and pistachio, which is like a dry cedar.”

Anima Dulcis was developed by both perfumers and is definitely worth a try. Carlos describes it as “a baroque gourmand” combining cocoa, Mexican vanilla, cinnamon and three types of chilli to interpret a convent in Mexico City in 1695 where a group of nuns prepare recipes of bread puddings and hot chocolate.

Florals:
Fleur De Louis is a woody floral developed by Rodrigo Flores-Roux’s. It’s the French perspective in 1660 on the French and Spanish boarder, where Louis XIV is about to capture a glimpse of his new bride, Maria Theresa. Orris, jasmine and rose represent the French as they peer from a pavilion made from freshly cut pine and cedarwood. Orange blossom wafts from the Spanish infant’s clothing.

Infanta en flor is a floral musky amber and is Yann Vasnier’s take on the same time/place as Fleur de Louis, but from a Spanish perspective. Maria Teresa, blushes, fans herself and steals a look back at the gallant King as he lays his eyes on her for the first time. Cistus, Spanish leather and immortelle dance with the innocent scent of orange flower water, rose-rouge and rice powder.
“The French perfumer did the perspective from the Spanish border and the Spanish from the French!” Carlos marvels.

Boutonniere No7 was Rodrigo Flores-Roux’s work and is a green floral fragrance made with the brief of “How does a man wear a flower?” Carlos explains “The answer is that men wore white gardenias on their lapel to the opera in Paris in 1899 to seduce women. We originally wanted it to be at the end of the night – it became quite sickly and did not work so we went for the first intermission at the opera combining gardenia with cologne ingredients such as lavender, vetiver, oakmoss, mandarin, bergamot and then added an ultra dose of jasmine”

Flor Y Canto meaning “flower and song” was developed with Rodrigo Flores-Roux and is a fresh, green opulent white floral “mixing Mexican originated flowers of tuberose, magnolia, marigold and frangipani with incense of Tenochtitlan, Mexico in August 1400 to represent a festival of flowers called Tlaxochimaco where flowers are offered on temple alters for the gods and the dead.”

Which are favorite fragrances for you?

My favorites are Cologne Bigarade by Jean-Claude Ellena for Frederic Male, D’Orsay’s Le Nomade, Tom Ford’s Champaca Absolute and Neroli Portofino.

Of the Arquiste line – what do you wear the most?

I have been wearing a lot of the Architects Club lately (I have to say it smells FANTASTIC on Carlos!) and also Fleur de Louis is my other favorite.
In winter in New York I also like to wear L’Etrog /L’Etrog Aqua on my scarf and under layers as they contrast with the winter in a nice way.

Can we have a glimpse into the next story/moment in time you will bring to us with the next fragrance?

I can say it is based between 1614 and 1622 and is based on special cargo that traveled between Mexico, Europe and Japan.

Ainslie Walker x

Peony Melbourne: Haute Parfumerie Adventure + Photo Essay

December 2, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Hi all. Do you feel overwhelmed when perfume shopping? I often do, but not today in Peony, Melbourne.

Peony Melbourne: Haute Parfumerie Adventure

Ever-so-stylish Jill greeted me as I entered, along with an almighty hit of heady fresh jasmine flower, which were cascading, displayed in the window. The interior oozed sophistication and opulence, nothing dusty or out of place. Themed black and white, a nod to French couture and boudoir, sparkling bottles everywhere, super cool touches of quirky humour. Jill has put her heart and soul into this little luxe haven.

With complimentary sparkling fruit juice in hand complete with black and white striped straw, I began my Peony, Melbourne journey…

From the Olfactive Studio stand, the zesty Still Life called to me like a caiparinia on a blazing summers day. Yuzu, elemi and pepper -pink, black and Sichuan pepper. Star anise and galbanum. Dark rum, cedar and ambrox. I absolutely love the lemony citrus combo with slightly soured spice and pepper, almost sherbet fizz working on top of the deeper wood, amber and rum notes.

Jill explained the range is inspired by photography – Still life from a self-portrait, by Frederic Lebain, which was inspiration for perfumer, Dora Baghriche-Arnaud. A boxed “discovery kit”, containing 5 x 4ml for $55 was in my hands: KERR-CHING!!…Purchase #1.

To my left was Ormonde Jayne, I grabbed Ormonde Woman and spritzed it onto a Peony branded blotter. Cardamom, coriander and grass oil. Black hemlock, violet and jasmine absolute. Vetiver, cedar wood, amber and sandalwood YUM. Love at first sniff. Beautiful. Womanly, magical, floral and herbaceous. The bottle feels weighty in my hand as I reluctantly place it back. A boxed “discovery set” ($95) 12 x 2ml landed on the counter -Purchase #2

Jill offers gently delivered advice, then leaves me to my own devices. She is unobtrusive, yet there when I need her. She guides my experience and lets it unfold organically. I am in awe of how many Peony-exclusive brands stocked that I never have had the chance to smell anywhere else in Australia.

Passing the handpicked Hermes selection, I re-sniff Hiris, and Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, two of my favorites of the range.

At Heeley, Cocobella disappoints – the notes sounded better than I experience…too thin. I discover Hippie Rose. Fresh rose and patchouli, it is rose-velvet. Dry down reminds me of a less-dirty Agent Provocateur original fragrance. Jill hands me a sample size to try later, as I’m not sure.

I smell ALL the Cire Truedon candles from their glass cloches that house them. I pop “Ernesto” on the counter, embarrassed at the pile forming. Purchase #3

In the front corner, I’m right besides the Mona Di Orio range. Gah! “I’ve read about these too!” Les Nombres D’or Violette Fumee stops me in my tracks. So elegant, violet, soft but not sweet. Mediterranean lavender, Calabrian bergamot, oak moss from the Balkans, Egyptian violet flowers and leaves, Turkish rose, Haitian vetiver, clary sage, opoponax, cashmeran and myrrh.

Jill tells me the story of how before Mona Di Orio sadly passed away; she designed this rose/tobacco/suede and violet piece for her Co-founder Jeroenu Oude Sougoteu, whom after she died, generously decided to share it as a tribute to her. Jill is full of these stories. She really knows her stuff!

It’s been an hour and 45 minutes of serious olfactory fun. As I pay for my items, Jill shoves more mystery samples in my bag, and I scurry off happy, loaded with even more new things to discover when I get home.

Thanks Jill!

Ainslie Walker X

All Photos (Perfume Porn) Donated Ainslie Walker

Geranium Bourbon by Miller Harris 2005

December 1, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Tina G

A nice surprise decant from a friend! An intriguing scent – I’d not come across Miller Harris as yet, and I couldn’t begin to think of what Geranium Bourbon entailed. Was it a boozy scent? Did it really have geranium? And how did those two things work together? After a bit of research I discovered that geranium bourbon was actually a particular type of geranium. OK, sure, let’s give this a run through….

Geranium Bourbon by Miller Harris 2005

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Palmarosa, cassis, geranium
Heart: Violet, rose, black pepper
Base: Vanilla, amber, patchouli

Geranium Bourbon opens with a watery pink rose, like rain which has been cupped in a heart of a bloom and then poured across my skin. It is so refreshing and light, really wonderful. After about 10 minutes there is a peppery scent which comes through along with a lemon ‘juice’ accord. I’ve never smelt geranium bourbon plants themselves, but fresh geraniums definitely have that peppery/lemony background to their leaves. The scent deepens throughout the first half hour, gradually becoming more earthy and green.

I enjoy the dry down of Geranium Bourbon as it transitions from fresh & light, to earthy, and then some amber & smoky notes come through with a trace of vanilla in the basenotes. And then this becomes for me one of those scents which triggers some strong visual imagery – I hope you don’t mind if I indulge in the story it wove for me:

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Sitting on the cold, wet white wood of the outside furniture & wrapped up in a blanket stolen from near the inside fire, I sit watching the drips of water fall from the plants in the luscious English summer garden. The storm shower passed through quick and heavy though there is no sign of sunlight yet through the grey sky. The trellis behind me is thick with a blooming tea rose vine, the myriad of simple pink flowers releasing a pervasive but delicate fragrance into the now-still air. The earth in the flower bed has been turned recently and is damp and rich.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The bedded violet and geranium plants have been beaten by the heavy rain. There is a lemony-rose scent from the geranium flowers, mixed in with a tart herbal pepperiness from the succulent leaves. For a while I sit in the coolness just watching, listening, and breathing, until the damp starts to seep in. Snuggling down into the blanket further I can smell the sweet smoke from the lounge room hearth embedded in its fibres. From somewhere inside the house, a tendril of sweet vanilla from something delicious baking is enough to rouse me from quiet contemplation and head inside to the warmth.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and I Smell Therefore I Am
Perfumery Australia has $110/100ml
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $4/ml

What about you? Have you tried Geranium Bourbon? Any of the Miller Harris range? What did you think?

Wishing you all a lovely week.
Tina G

Rose Praline by François Robert for Les Parfums de Rosine 2008

November 30, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Howdy Crew,

Remember I told you that Michael Edwards (Fragrances Of The World book) had done a wonderful gifting of many of his fragrances, here is another from that generous haul. I saw three Parfums de Rosine bottles and they called to me. The first two I have been incredibly lucky with but Rose Praline skirts the unwearable for me.

Rose Praline by François Robert for Les Parfums de Rosine 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, bergamot, rose oil
Heart: Geranium, dark chocolate, rose, tea
Base: Amber, musk, sandalwood, cacao

François Robert, the perfumer, has had an interesting fragrance creation history including five of the Bex London frags, a bunch of the Rosines, Mary Greenwell Plum and Lanvin’s Vetiver.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

OOOH! Green, sweet and warm is how Rose Praline opens, a wet and sticky sweetness cut through by green. They are at an awkward standoff, both seeming to push against the other making the opening a very interesting and surprising start to a fragrance. They have used a note that vintage Dana Ambush used, I don’t know what it is but I find it mildly nauseating, not enough to scrub but up close it is queasy making for me. At elbow length from my nose it’s lovely, a gorgeous waft of dark, rich, spicy rose, up close though it smells like the water left after leaves & flowers have been left to rot in the vase. GACK! Ha Ha Ha! How hilarious, I really can’t stand it up close, it makes me so uneasy.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Later through the lifespan of Rose Praline a lovely dry tea-ish hint comes through. Like tea pre hot water, a dusty, dessicated feeling in the scent that next to this voluptuous, full to overblown rose is a tonic and calming raft. Like a drum softly beating time to the rest of the orchestra and keeping the crew stable.

It’s next morning and the one thing left on my skin is the weird/funky/sour note from Ambush. I woke up lying on that arm and Rose Praline is still quite intense. Maybe this bottle is on the turn or maybe the stresses of selling, moving and organising and the bad eating habits attendant have skewed my chemistry. Maybe because I haven’t been gluing wrist to nose in writing mode but merely enjoying the fragrance at a distance on previous wears. Maybe I’ve found a fragrance that is less than perfect for me, it happens.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Parfums des Rosine has €78/50ml
First In Fragrance has €78/50ml
Aedes de Venustas has $145/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/ml

Have you tried Rose praline? Any of the Rosines?
Portia xx

Prelude to Love by Calice Becker for by Kilian 2008

November 29, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Hi hi hi Sniffas,

While in London earlier in the year my mate Tara (of Olfactoria’s Travels) gave me a set of the by Killian samples. It’s beautifully presented in a little velvet pouch of 2ml vials. On my return from traveling I searched high and low and couldn’t find the damn thing, then I forgot about it in the way you do. While cleaning up stuff in anticipation of our move I discovered the baggie in a small cardboard box that had been packed and put to the side with a bunch of other stuff from the trip. I would swear I looked in the box thousands of times……

Prelude to Love by Calice Becker for by Kilian 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Seville orange, Amalfi lemon, bitter orange
Heart: Ginger, neroli, rose, cardamom, orange blossom, freesia, pink pepper, lavender
Base: Iris, Cypriol oil, musk, Russian leather

Basenotes gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, orange, lemon
Heart: Ginger, neroli, orange blossom
Base: Florence iris

The glorious, pithy citrus tinged with green is juicy and ripe. It is the warmest cool fragrance, with a very interesting oily/petrol taint that I find peculiar and inviting. Like pashing/snogging a recently showered and cologned mechanic. There is something extremely lived in about Prelude To Love that makes it more than a cologne, it’s a cologne involved in a sexual tryst, even to the lightly breathy orange blossom and neroli in the heart.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

As an aside: I was standing next to a gardenia hedge early this evening and the absolutely gorgeous/disgusting fragrance emanating from the flowers was completely engulfing, I was transported into a world of scent, shut my eyes for a moment and just breathed in the luscious, lascivious, overwhelming fragrance.

Prelude To Love is nothing like that but it does have elements of that sweetly erotic, human in close contact but cleanly washed idea. Freshly washed flesh but in a hairy nook or crevasse that always maintains the humanity.

Photo Stolen Pinterest

Then, not long after I am swept away by an extremely pretty floral, it’s a bouquet, thick, rich and heavy. That’s what’s so weird about Prelude To Love, though it feels a bit cologne-ish, the heft and nuance seem too deep and mercurial for it to be put in such a simple category. This cologne has cajones. A honeyed, animalic sweetness runs under the whole life of the fragrance that has me smiling as I get huffs, very, very nice to wear. I can see why Prelude To Love is still so popular.

Prelude To Love is fabulous, you can tell it is the best. You want similar results but for a fraction of the price? 4711, even the newest formulation, is a very good bright citrus cologne. You will have to reapply more frequently but isn’t that half the fun?

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Olfactoria’s Travels
LuckyScent has $155/4 x .25oz Travel Spray Set
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Do you love the by Killian range? Is there a favourite amongst them for you? I love sweet Redemption and Back to Black, Prelude To Love is wonderful, I’m pretty sure though that there are 6 other citrus frags in my wardrobe that I’d reach for first.
Portia x

Kalemat by Arabian Oud

November 27, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by FeralJasmine

Some time ago, my friend Kafkaesque did a review of a then-unknown perfume called Kalemat, from Arabian Oud. It was $60 for a big bottle, and such is the seductive power of Kafkaesque’s prose that large numbers of us blind-bought it.

Kalemat by Arabian Oud

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blueberry, anise
Heart: Rosemary, cashmere wood, floral notes
Base: Musk, amber, honey

To see exactly what seduced us, there is no alternative to reading the original post, because nobody can write like Kafkaesque. You will also note that, like a comet, the post developed a very long tail as we all reported back with our experiences. My own response was a tiny bit disappointed at the time, and that’s where matters stayed until a few months later, when I noticed that the level in my bottle had decreased visibly and bought a back-up bottle. In cool weather, I reach for it at least three times a week, and often wear it as a comfort scent in the evening and on weekends.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

So why did it take me weeks to fall in love? Chasing a youthful dream, I’m afraid. To this day, my dream amber is one that I smelled on a woman in Egypt over 20 years ago as she passed me in the street, and I am still seeking that honeyed amber spice-bomb and haven’t found it. When I read about Kalemat, I was sure I had found it, and felt irrationally disappointed when Kalemat was its duplicate but, on my dry perfume-eating skin, was a soft memory rather than the concentrated bombshell original. All the notes are there, but the volume is turned down.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Is that a bad thing? Not at all. If I found my dream amber, Kalemat Cubed, it would probably clear elevators. Kalemat has a beautiful sunset-honeyed cloud of an opening that has excellent projection and killer sillage, and for the first 20 minutes projection is several inches off my skin. I spray before going to work, and enjoy this part along the commute. By the time I arrive, the sillage is soft and polite and it never raises an eyebrow among my colleagues. I don’t get the rivers of amber that Kafkaesque got, but I do get trickles of honeyed spiced amber that delight me every time I can sniff my wrist surreptitiously, and waft to me with every movement of my hands. A few other notes, like the blueberry-spice note, drift by and turn my thoughts firmly to pleasant things when they reach my nose. Sprayed more heavily in the evening, it reminds me that life is so lovely and generous that those of us who can’t afford the Roja Doves can still smell wonderful. It is killer on a scarf in the winter, warming you subtly. The packaging is also lovely, with a heavy, substantial 100ml glass bottle that arrives in a lovely Arabic-lettered book box.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The parent company, Arabian Oud, moved off Amazon but Kalemat can still be found on EBay for very reasonable prices. Someday I still hope to find my dream amber for special occasions, Kalemat Cubed, but this one will hold me just fine until then.

FeralJasmine X

Onda Extrait by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2007

November 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Hi APJ

1. “There was nothing Lucy liked so much as the smell and feel of fur. She immediately stepped into the wardrobe and got in among the coats and rubbed her face against them, leaving the door open, of course, because she knew that it is very foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe.” C.S Lewis. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Photo Donated Val CQ

2. “I think I’m on another world with you
I’m on another planet with you
You always get under my skin
I don´t find it irritating
You always play to win ……” “Another Girl, Another Planet” The Only Ones 1978

3. “When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees.” Joseph Joubert 1754 – 1824

Onda Extrait by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2007

Onda, Stilletos and One Year On.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vetiver, ginger, mace, coriander

From Vero Profumo site:
“Ambrosial whisperings, sweet nothings, tender and potent – and deeply moving.”

Photo Donated Val CQ

It is just about a year to the day that I received my bottle of Onda Extrait.

There has been much written about Vero Kern’s Onda masterpiece. Like it or hate it, it will leave you reeling. And it delights me. It took time to understand it, it wasn´t love at first try, Slowly it wrapped its coils around me. Now I long for it.

Photo Stolen Geograph

Onda permeates my thoughts. I listen to music and feel Onda. I read and feel Onda. When I met Vero Kern she was wearing Onda. If I had not know that it, I would have wondered if she was wearing anything at all. It was a part of her. Vero Kern says “I´m not interested in “clean” scents. I need characterful scents both in my creations but also as a wearer. Besides this, I love everything that reminds of the smell of skin.” Onda Extrait in that case is a breathtaking success.

Onda is very erotic, very sensual, but furthermore it is calming.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Like wearing black patent stilettos, Onda is for when the time it right. It might not be often but it is critical to own both.

Onda is much more than a perfume, indeed it is art. It is a part of the current exhibition “Nirvana, Strange Forms of Pleasure” at the MUDAC (musée de design et d’arts appliqués contemporains) in Lausanne, Switzerland, which runs from the end of October 2014 until the end of April 2015.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Now Smell This and Olfactoria’s Travels
First In Fragrance has €160/7.5ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $10/.25ml

A year on I say thank you to Vero Kern. Her creations complete me.

What about you? Do you love Vero’s work? Have you tried them? If so, what was your favourite?

Bussis
CQ

Peace – Love – Perfume by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2014

November 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 47 Comments

Post by Azar

Hi APJ!

The latest fragrances from Olympic Orchids, Peace, Love and Perfume, were created as a numbered series for the Peace – Love – Perfume Facebook group and released on August 31st of this year. Each of these new scents (each flower child) is a take on one aspect of the “Hippie” counterculture/youth movement of the 1960s and early 70’s.

Peace – Love – Perfume by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Ellen Covey describes the first in the series, Peace, as “the serious oldest child”.

Listed Notes: Frankincense, cedar, New Caledonian sandalwood, vetiver, double distilled patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, tarragon, Oregon lavender.

My Perceived Notes: Peace opens with a startling dose of tarragon and lavender quickly dissolving into woody resin, frankincense and sandalwood. This incense blend, with just a breath of patchouli, suffuses the skin with an aura of contemplation, lingers for 24 hours and finally fades to a memory of frankincense and vetiver touched with vanilla. Peace is rich, warm, resinous and comforting, perfect for blustery fall and winter evenings by the fire.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Love, “the middle flower child”, is a humid floral featuring an exotic blue lotus accord.

Listed Notes: Blue lotus, sandalwood, frankincense, benzoin, humid air, vanilla, musks, tarragon.

My Perceived Notes: Once again I am momentarily surprised by the minty, camphorous, sweet tarragon top note. A wet blue lotus, with a hint of vanilla and resin, quickly takes over the composition and remains in place throughout the long life of the fragrance. Love finishes with a suggestion of damp vanilla and musk. I would be comfortable wearing Love anytime of the year but especially in spring and early summer.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

The third fragrance, Perfume, is the bright “free spirited youngest child”.

Listed Notes: Cedar, benzoin, vetiver, frankincense, pine wood fraction, myrtle, airy note, Oregon lavender, pink grapefruit.

My Perceived Notes: Perfume is really a cologne with an Olympic Orchids’ twist. Instead of the ubiquitous lemon or generic citrus and herbs, this cologne opens with a combination of pink grapefruit and sweet-sour myrtle continuing into pine, cedar and lavender. Perfume does not radically change over time and fades completely from my skin at about five hours. The refreshing grapefruit/myrtle combination and the cooling effect of the pinewood are perfect for long, hot summer days.

Even though my nose doesn’t register everything, I do NOT encounter any phantom notes or the “obvious but not present” effect in any of these fragrances. In the words of Flip Wilson’s 1970’s comic character Geraldine “What you see is what you get”! Each scent has been designed by the perfumer to be worn separately or layered together for a variety of stunning effects. Peace, Love and Perfume are available at Olympic Orchids boutique website (www.orchidscents.com) individually and in two different boxed sets, perfect for holiday giving.

Peace, Love and Perfume for All!

Azar xx

Photo Stolen sassisamblog

Peace – Love – Perfume GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x set of 1ml samples of Peace, Love and Perfume
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

Tell ell us about your favorite vintage/retro scent, describe your scent memories of the 60′ and 70’s (if you were around in those days) or which Olympic Orchids fragrance do you like best?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie On The Nose: Rosa Ardiente by Kenneth Cory GIVEAWAY @KPCNose #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 27th November 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org or some fun way
As Portia is away on Holidays we will release winners when possible, keep an eye out.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Fragrant Gifting

November 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Fragrant Gifting

Hello there my scented friends! The glowing joy of the holiday season is upon us, and what better gift for the one you love most than fragrance? An incredibly personal sentiment, a choice that says “you are one of the people I adore most in this world.” How do I do Fragrant Gifting that feels like it was custom made for that special person?

Well, one obvious tip is to keep the scent amicable and easy to love. Unless you are gifting perfume to a collector or connoisseur, selecting a challenging or overly complex scent is a great way to ensure it gets secretly returned or left lonely and unsprayed in a dark drawer.

Another consideration is budget, because let’s be real – why blow the bank when you can blow their mind (at a modest price)?

The three fragrances below are my picks for charming your loved ones.

Fragrant Gifting

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green mango, tomato, grapefruit, carrot
Heart: Orange, peony, lotus, hyacinth, bulrush
Base: Labdanum, incense, iris, musk, cinnamon

Un Jardin Sur Le Nil by Hermés: This scent is bright, clean, and has a great reputation for being well-received. Primarily a ginger aroma on me, it sparkles with a green hue that stays true to form throughout the wearlength. A fresh delight for either him or her!

My Perfume Samples has samples starting at $3/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Jasmine, vanilla, pink pepper, tonka bean, cacao, ylang-ylang, ambrette (musk mallow

Sweet Jasmine Brown by Providence Perfume Company: This artisan perfume oil is an exquisite gateway to natural perfumery. The jasmine is simply darling, the perfect balance of sweet and clean, starlit enchantment. The accents include tonka bean and vanilla, warm like honey, adding smoothness and intrigue. Ultra-feminine and impossible to resist!

Providence Perfume Co perfume oil Sample Set $30/6 x .5ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
White pepper, musk, jasmine, cloves, vetiver, neroli, cedar, bergamot, cardamom

Vettiveru by Comme des Garçons: Quite simply, this is my favorite scent on a man. It’s astoundingly simple, but so well done, and doesn’t challenge the senses or intimidate. Vettiveru delivers the sunshine side of vetiver, of hay scenting a late summer breeze. Paired with a soft yet citrusy bite and a touch of pale woods, the overall aroma is crisp yet inviting. Buy it for him, and tell him to wear with caution….

Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $2/ml

Have fun sniffing! I wish you and yours a warm, joyful winter solstice.

Hugs,
Erica

Tubéreuse by Mona di Orio 2011

November 17, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by TinaG

Whilst first wearing Mona di Orio’s Tubéreuse I must admit I was confused. It really wasn’t the “tuberose” fragrance that I had expected to find….

Tubéreuse by Mona di Orio 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink pepper, green notes, bergamot
Heart: Tuberose, benzoin, heliotrope
Base: Musk, amber, coconut, milk, cashmeran

Tubéreuse opens with a flash of floral milkiness. This quickly changes to an enticing sweet pink pepper with a shadowy smoky bergamot lifting and supporting it. The scent shifts and changes rapidly in the first 10 minutes, slowly settling into a light fresh green accord. I can smell a warm and slightly waxy scent, like coconut water, translucent and milky. The greenness draws a linear thread through the life of the scent as a supporting anchor point. There is a gentle powder which joins the flow at about 1 hour and it stays this way during the dry down. So fresh, peppery, floral, clean, milky, waxy – I realised this fragrance is a study of the tuberose flower itself.

Photo Donated TinaG

I found my thoughts being drawn back to evenings where I’ve had bunches of tuberose in the house. Tuberose is “night-blooming”, in that the bloom’s fragrance intensifies during the early evening to night. The time of transition to twilight is a treasure. If I can resist switching a light on, instead maybe lighting a candle, with some quiet background tunes, and may or may not have a glass of chilled white wine – it’s lovely to sit for a while letting my thoughts ramble in whatever direction they take me.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The scent of real tuberose at this time of day is quite simply stunning. Its fragrance edges into the consciousness, bringing thoughts back to the present and reminding that it is this moment, this time, which is precious. It reminds me of the novel “Island” by Aldous Huxley – in a fictitious country where the inhabitants recognise the importance of the ‘conscious self’, taking a step back from your thoughts to be able to see more clearly. The islanders had trained mynah birds to call out “Attention”, and “Here and Now” at random intervals as a reminder to bring one’s self back to the moment. The growing intensity of tuberose scent at twilight has this same effect – the headiness is all encompassing and so beautiful, why wouldn’t you just want to breathe deeply, silently watching as the day fades to calmness, and colours start to drain away into grey-blues and blacks.

Photo Donated TinaG

It was at this point whilst wearing Tubéreuse that I realised I was experiencing the work of a master artist. Mona di Orio has captured the impression of night-blooming tuberose with a deeply profound and exquisite skill. There is an expression, that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Trying to dissect and analyse Tubéreuse you could definitely identify the parts, but that’s not the story, not the whole picture, and certainly not the limit of its boundaries. The fragrance has a three-tiered connection with me now – the practical identification of notes, a reminiscence of the quiet times, and the deeper meditative space that the ‘present’ can provide. I’m grateful for that journey.

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and Perfume Posse
Peony Melbourne has $230/100ml with FREE shipping in Australia
Parfum1 has $230/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

How many of you have tried the MdO Tubéreuse? Or any of her scents? Did you love them or not?

Tina G

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Tubéreuse by Mona di Orio 2011

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