Niche

Fille en Aiguilles by Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens 2009

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Post by Portia

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Hey Hos, Frag Hos that is.

Today I am chatting about a fragrance that has been on my radar for a while. I remember testing it when it first came out and LOVING it but I think at the tiome I was financially recovering from some holiday and it was an inconvenient purchase moment so it went on the list. Special thanks to Michael Edwards for gifting me his bottle.

Fille en Aiguilles by Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens 2009

Fille en Aiguilles Serge Lutens FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Pine needles, vetiver, bay leaf, spices, fruit, incense

WHOO HOO! Spices, stewed fruit, pudding. When Fille en Aiguilles opens it is all about food for me and this amazing moment lasts about 5 minutes until the incense comes on in and dries the whole shebang out. The incense is dry and smoky, unisex and rose-ish.

So I never get the pine. I get the FEELING of walking through pine needles. That dry, dessicated, rustle and shimmery crackle of the pine needles under my feet. It’s a soft but freaky feeling underfoot that is both comforting because it was a commonplace experience in my childhood and freaky because I’ve felt nothing on earth yet that I could compare it to. Many of the beaches in Sydney have conifers of one kind or another on their foreshores and we would run through them and kick them and make whole games and stories with our trucks, cars, barbies, whatever was at hand. Instead of the scent of pine needles I get a balsamic vinegar, a sweet and sour edge that is quite alluring, inviting me to stick my head in my T-Shirt and really enjoy the scent.

Fille en Aiguilles Serge Lutens manly-beach TripAdvisorPhoto Stolen TripAdvisor

My skin throws a boozy undercurrent too, maybe it’s the fruit, warmed, sweetened and spiced that reminds me of mulled wine. Actually Fille en Aiguilles goes dry and moist in waves, such an interesting fragrance. Sweet/Sour, Light/Shade, Dry/Moist a multiple contradiction re-proving Sheldrake and Lutens genius partnership. A circular scent that grabs the notes and rearranges them in different groupings and asks you again and again, how about like this, or like this, or like this? You sniff deeply to find out how it smells and by the time you’re ready to sniff it again it has changed itself like a chameleon and you must run to keep up. In the end I let myself float on a sea of Fille en Aiguilles, just a beautiful fragrance that I really love.

I usually get excellent scent longevity from Fille en Aiguilles, though not always and I don’t know why. First hour is pretty big but then it calms beautifully. You will be decidedly fragrant and could easily skunk your office if you aren’t careful. Depending on your work of course, I find it perfect for hosting a trivia night.

Fille en Aiguilles Serge Lutens Pine Needles AJ Cann FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Smelly Thoughts and EauMG
Beauty Encounter has $89/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

I am overwhelmed every time I wear Fille en Aiguilles by its loveliness but it could easily be a comfortable wear for someone who merely wears fragrance, rather than a perfumista. A lovely rich and warm scent and I would have bought my Mum a bottle of Fille en Aiguilles had she still been around and I am pretty certain she would have drained it dry and asked for more.

Have you tried it? Did Fille en Aiguilles sing for you? Was it overwhelming or did you think it too like some of his other releases?
Go on, leave a comment. I love to read your thoughts.

Portia xx

 

 

 

Alameda by Aurélien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2013

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Hi Hi APJ Crew,

There is no reason why but today’s fragrance slipped through the cracks and I never smelled it before. Luckily I was in David Jones (Australia’s loveliest Department Store chain) and my mate Gary at the Libertine counter was wondering what I hadn’t smelled from the Robert Piguet range. Normally I grab and sniff them immediately since Joe Garces, the Piguet CEO (I think he’s still there), came down to Australia and talked us through the range. He was so intensely in love with his product and fiercely proud of it that it made me really appreciate Robert Piguet in a new light. Now I try to give every one of their frags at least a sniff.

Alameda by Aurélien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2013

Alameda Robert Piguet FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Lily, rose, orris
Base: Patchouli, amber, castoreum

WHOOSH! So Alameda opens with a bright, fizzy, sugared orange. It reminds me a bit of the Liberte by Cacharel opening but a little less in your face. There is a warmth to Alameda that is quite vanilla/animal and it’s there right after the burn off of the fireworks. I love this fragrance. My nose gets a lovely refined orris and the whole scent becomes creamy and earthy for a while. Imagine if the softest, finest cashmere scarf feeling was a fragrance: This smell is what I imagine it would be. Both ultra luxe and elegant, warm, inviting yet not bold, not a statement fragrance. Alameda is the smell of coming home to love, now a honeyed sweetness that is mildly naughty, lived in, and perhaps some breathy lily has joined the fun.

From here we get a very clean patchouli and the base notes swirl around together for a while. Alameda stays like this for a while, it’s sexy and wearable. I could imagine it being worn by guys and girls and being a hit for both sexes. There’s a beadhead-ish-ness about Alameda that I find particularly inviting, a whisper of sweat and sleep in the little curls of hair at the back of a head in the morning.

Alameda Robert Piguet Men Bed Cloudyfan DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

No mention of musks in the notes but I think there are. My nose may be playing tricks but there is a very nice clean musk vibe that sits well beside what I imagine is the castoreum. The amber is absolutely non confrontational, smooth, warm and creamy. To be perfectly honest I think the short note list has a load of glaring omissions but as you know my nose tends to get a bit wonky. My head is telling me that some of this creaminess could be coming from a sandalwood and something else a little lactonic, also a lovely almond meal smell. Then all that’s left is a beautiful amber that fades to skin.

So here’s a weird moment. Alameda is not on the Robert Piguet site. I have also trawled the web looking in most of the usual places, retail and discounters, and could only come up with two points of sale. OK I have information from Nick at Libertine. “I think Alamedia is exclusive to the UK but after smelling it I begged for our market to have it. I love it. It’s been such a big seller so far.”

Alameda Robert Piguet Amber Helen Cook FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Parfumistan and Katie Chutzpah
Libertine Parfumerie has $239/100ml including Australian P&H
Selfridges & Co has £135/100ml

I used the last of my generous sample tonight to write this piece. I can definitely see a bottle of Alameda in my very near future. Thanks to Gary at the Libertine counter in David Jones Market St Sydney for my sample.

Have you tried Alameda? If so what did you think? If not, which of the Robert Piguet line do you like?

Portia xx

Cologne Sologne by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 1989

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Hiya All,

Perfect summer fragrance time for you all in the Northern Hemisphere, and boy do I have a pretty one for you today. So as you may know I was at Michael Edwards fragrance clear out and while looking around I noticed a few very pretty softly rounded bottles with gold ridged caps. Not knowing what the bottle signified I passed them by. Then, one of the bottles label jumped out at me. Odalisque, er, odalisque….. OMG! Patricia de Nicoloai! So immediately I went scurrying back, looking for more but another perfumista must have noted who they were by before me so Olalisque and today’s fragrance were the only two original vintage PdN that I grabbed.

Cologne Sologne by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 1989

Cologne Sologne Parfums de Nicolai FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tunisian neroli, rosemary, orange blossom, benzoin

My worry initially was that Patricia de Nicolai fragrances are famous for short in bottle lifespans so I was affeared that the Cologne Sologne top notes, at least, would be gone. How good lucky I am, the rush of very pretty cologne-esque citrus and blooms that bursts out of the first spritz is lovely. A bright, simple cologne that is smile inducing and has summer all wrapped up in its fragrant folds. I think it would be an excellent summer spritz but here on a Sydney sunny winter day, temperature around 16C, Cologne Sologne is a vivid reminder that spring is coming quickly. Only 5 weeks till the first days of spring. How does time go so quickly?

Cologne Sologne Patricia de Nicolai 4 seasons mucha TrialsAndErrors FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

The orange goes all pithy and has a very soft indolic breathiness after the initial fireworks calm down. I just went out to the rosemary bush at the side of the house and the heart of Cologne Sologne isn’t really like it at all, but I can understand there is a nod to it. By the time I feel like there is any real herbal-ness the benzoin has moved in and created a lovely resinous overlay squashing everything else into bit parts. The warmth is very alluring and with the last gasp of citrus and blossom they play merrily together for a short while smelling like a cashmere shawl feels on a cool summer evening, just enough to warm you through and soft, soft, soft. So the resin is rejoined by the citrus later, or maybe my nose had become used to it. I went away from the computer and pottered around the house doing stuff for about an hour and what’s left  is the merest memory of fragrance both citrus and resin that has a decided vanilla-ness to it, pretty much gone really but hovering just above my skin.

Cologne Sologne Patricia de Nicolai Arctic Sunset FotoPediaPhoto Stolen Fotopedia

LuckyScent has 100ml/$40 and samples

It has been lovely wearing a cologne in the cool of a Sydney winter and I can just imagine how lovely Cologne Sologne would be in searing or steaming heat. Though it’s a simple, pretty composition I like its uncomplicated and fresh fragrance. It has a scent story that is both appealing and wearable for both sexes. Nice.

Portia xx

 

Linden: An Ode to Linden in Fragrance

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Post by ElizaD

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An Ode to Linden

Not rose, not lilac, not peony, not gardenia, not jasmine, not lavender, not lily, not carnation, not geranium, not mimosa, not freesia, sets my heart a leaping like linden. And many thanks to that wise city planner who years ago planted them along streets and in parks in the town where I live.

Linden Blossom Lime_tree Tilia WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

As the days start to grow long and the earth warms, the lindens blossom. The air is magical. As the wind moves, and the sun filters through the leaves, the trees seem to sparkle in their greenness. I could sit under a linden tree for hours watching bees work each tiny burst of cream-colored flower.

Perhaps it is because I love the real fragrance so much that I have been disappointed by the two linden-based scents I have tried. Fragrantica indicates there are many more to sample, but I am afraid each will let me down.

Linden Blond Tabac Voluspa FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Linden Blond Tabac by Voluspa

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Blond tabac absolute, lime (linden) blossom, tuberose, red grapefruit, woodsy notes, tonka bean

In my collection is a full bottle of Voluspa Linden Blond Tabac. It’s a lovely perfume on its own, sweetness mellowed by tobacco, but it doesn’t smell like linden to me.

Linden. Tilleul D`Orsay FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Tilleul (Lime or Linden) by D’Orsay

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon blossom, watermelon
Heart: Cyclamen, linden blossom
Base: Acacia tree, bee wax, hay

Tilleul by D’Orsay comes closer, and though it is purported to have a top, heart and base it’s very linear, warming to my skin as I wear it. It has decent sillage and good longevity, and if someone were to gift me with more, I would happily accept. Because now my brain recognizes the smell as the perfume Tilleul, and Tilleul is supposed to be linden, and linden makes me happy.

But I want to open a vial without knowing what I will smell inside, a blind test if you will, and find myself transported onto the grass under a linden. To be wrenched off my forward path to go in search of the tree that emanates such a lovely smell, as I do often when I am riding around town—I think I know each tree within a 2 mile radius of my home.

Is that too much to ask? Does such a thing exist? If you know, pray tell. It’s summer here now, and while the shade of a linden offers a cool respite, and the gorgeous heart shaped leaves still sparkle, the fragrance is just a memory.

Fragrantica has a wonderful article on The history of the Linden

And here is another way one might Experience the “intoxication” of linden flowers

So now it’s up to you. Do you have a favourite Linden Fragrance that I need to try, one that you love particularly or do you have memories of Linden trees too?
ElizaD x

(Ed: Dear ElizaD, you just taught me that Linden Blossoms are not from the citrus fruit bearing plant but a totally different species. I am the complete dumb ass. Ha Ha Ha Laughing. Thank You.)

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

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Post by TinaG

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It is magnolia season here in Sydney, the wonderful lush simple blooms are opening up all over town and I’ve been pressing my nose to as many as possible trying to build up a scent memory of this gorgeous flower.

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaïm for Frédéric Malle 2014

Eau De Magnolia Frederic Malle FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, moss, amber

Eau de Magnolia is seducingly ethereal. It lives and breathes in the wisps of its silage, turning and teasing, flashing hints of scent which last as long as a breath.

I can understand people dismissing this fragrance quickly because of the familiarity of the top notes and the cologne nature. I nearly made that mistake too. But it is much more subtle and complex than that. It needs to be on skin, paper would do it no good at all. It also needs to be given a lot of air, sprayed at a distance, and needs a few wearings. The continuity of the fragrance is in the cool lemon, the warm magnolia, and a general ‘greeness”. It also has an aquatic aspect, but not marine, just open and clear. But the magic of this fragrance is in the way it changes.

Eau De Magnolia Frederic Malle citrus PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Over the top of the green/lemon strand, I get whiffs of different things – pepper, bergamot, lemon, moss, vetiver…. The image I get in my head is like playing with a heavy silk sheet, there is a linearity to it (the lemon/green base ) but when it moves, it has a mind of its own and it slides like a liquid. And like silk, different parts may catch the light and shimmer at different times. But it also can’t be forced, I gave myself a headache sniffing my wrist, but sniffing 20cm away worked wonders.

I also can’t exactly say how it opens – my first wearing it was all fresh lemon, the second, bergamot and today it’s all about grapefruit. I strongly suspect that it would blossom more in summer too, not really a winter scent. I find myself standing at the window, looking at the crisp blue winter sky and longing for the warmer summer months.

Eau De Magnolia Frederic Malle Magnolia_grandiflora WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

I became enamoured with the magnolia fragrance last summer, having been introduced to Magnolia Grandiflora – Sandrine, and Michel, so much so that I purchased a full bottle of Sandrine. By way of comparison to Eau de Magnolia, Michel is the closer match with its waxy warmth, whilst Sandrine is crisp and dewy, said to mirror a magnolia bud waiting to burst open. Because of the depth of sillage of Eau de Magnolia, I can’t wear them side by side, it’s too confusing and I’m not sure what smells I’m getting from where. And to be honest, sometimes you don’t want to pick apart a fragrance too much, I just want to wear them and enjoy the added beauty and dimension they bring to my day.

Eau De Magnolia Frederic Malle magnolia pixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Another mistake I nearly made with Eau de Magnolia is that I originally thought that it lasted two hours on my skin. Not the case. I wore it to work, kept smelling lovely florals that were slowly turning woodsy, and after a gruelling 10 hour day I noticed wisps of fragrance still emanating from my chest. It was very comforting. Such a versatile and beautiful scent – I’m a fan.

Frederic Malle Europe has 3 x 10ml/€85 (Perfect for splitting)
Frederic Malle USA has 3 x 10ml/$125
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

Who of you readers has tried Eau de Magnolia? Impressions?

Tina xx

Lyric Man by Daniel Visentin for Amouage 2008

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Heya Happy Huffers,

Today we look at a fragrance often given the boot or a meh from reviewers. I think it suffered from Amouage’s name as a bombastic, sillage and projection monster house. A crew you could rely on to blow the back of your head off and keep people around you confused, if not concussed. I too love their deep, rich and powerful fragrances but here is something different….

Lyric Man by Daniel Visentin for Amouage 2008

Amouage Lyric Man Amouage FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lime
Heart: Rose, angelica, orange blossom, galbanum, nutmeg, ginger, saffron
Base: Pine tree, sandalwood, incense, vanilla, musk

Straight out of the nozzle I get a citrus blast with that waxy feeling that saffron gives me (like imagine feeling the skin of a ripe healthy orange or the stem of a hyacinth, both of these feelings remind me of the smell I get from saffron) and before long I get a greenness that is probably angelica and some zing which I will attribute to the ginger, it all adds up to something only mildly rose-ish. Then something happens and the whole fragrance seems to shimmer and shift into galbanum mode. A soft, fuzzy, rounded galbanum that is nowhere near as cool as in CHANEL No.19, here on my skin is a warm and spicy galbanum with a very pretty rose holding it up. This is lovely. Lyric Man is the most casually wearable Amouage I have yet had on my skin.

DIGITAL CAMERAPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

As we get further in to the fragrance wear it warms considerably and I can’t work out why, it could be orange blossom, vanilla and sandalwood but Lyric Man is blended beautifully and I think the whole lot just sing alongside each other in a lovely harmonious whole. The heart is where I feel Lyric Man really shines in a completely unpretentious way. I can imagine it becoming a very easy wear, go to fragrance for a guy or woman. Daniel Visentin has made a fragrance as smooth as a piece of green glass, long rubbed by the seashore and transparent yet still quite dense. The notes so ethereal yet intertwined beautifully and very late in the development the musks come through giving the feeling of having been worn, lived in, healthy yet used body smell. All this overlaid with a subtle spicy rose, a woodsy greenness.

Amouage Lyric Man Picnic R Barraez D´Lucca FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Yes, I can understand that expectations were not met with Lyric Man but if you put all that aside and wear it just for itself it is a lovely fragrance. A soft, muted, wearable fragrance that I think you could wear even to the office, unless you have a frag-phobic workplace. For dates and dinner, killer, and quite an unexpected scent. I think it could be the hook that catches your partners attention and though there are plenty of unisex roses out there now none are like Lyric Man.

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and The Non Blonde
Libertine carries the Amouage line for Australia and has 100ml/$364 Delivered within Australia
Beauty Encounter has 100ml/$220 deep discount currently
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

michael-edwardsI would like to thank Michael Edwards for generously giving me his Lyric Man. Don’t forget Michael Edwards Masterclass: Sydney & Melbourne<<JUMP. If you are in Sydney or Melbourne DO NOT MISS THIS. These opportunities do not come along very often….

Lyric Man,who knew that Amouage could nail comfortable and casual so well? Have you tried it? Do you have a favourite Amouage?
Portia xx

Aqua Sextius by Cécile Zarokian for Jul et Mad Paris 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

OK Happy Huffers,

Today a beautifully presented silver spray sample arrived from the Jul et Mad crew. Can I tell you from the beautiful and detailed packaging that I already feel like I am having an uber luxe experience. It all feels so finished and thought out. Then I went to look up the perfumer Cecile Zarokian whose name rang only faint bells for me till seeing that she has been quite prolific and done some fragrances I know well: Amouage Epic Woman, Tango for Masque and Pink for Undergreen. Curiouser and curiouser I decided to do a first spritz piece for you today. Come with me and try ….

Aqua Sextius by Cécile Zarokian for Jul et Mad Paris 2014

Aqua Sextius Jul et Mad Paris FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus zests, bergamot, mandarin, orange, grapefruit, tea notes, mimosa blossom
Heart: White flowers, sea notes, fig, pine tree resin
Base: Labdanum, amber(gris), cedar, guaiac wood, oak moss, musk

So the structure reads very much like a chypre, lets call it a modern chypre. The fragrance is in parfum concentration and I have to give a big fat bravo to Jul et Mad for doing 5ml, 20ml and 50ml bottles. It means that you can test, enjoy and have choice to suit your budget. So important now that fragrance is becoming increasingly expensive.

How does Aqua Sextius smell on my skin? Well, the opening is fun and fizzy citrus, very smile inducing and sweet. The mimosa is clean and adds some warmth to an otherwise cool sweetness and the whole opening is effortlessly wearable. I can already imagine it becoming a go-to for the opening alone. I am reminded of another fragrance but can’t put my finger on which one. If summer, or the dream of summer, could have a scent then Aqua Sextius could definitely be it. this is scent of the fun summer that you want always to remember, like a scent-track.

FigsPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

It’s not long before we get salty fig and resins, here there is a soft, elegant reminder of Womanity; sensual and not in your face at all like the Mugler. Here we are treated to similar parts but put together for an unstructured creamy linen suit and a pistachio T-Shirt rather than the spiky, shoulder padded, OTT and aggressive tone of Mugler. While Aqua Sextius is infinitely more wearable I think I prefer the Womanity at this point, for me anyway. Aqua Sextius is light and spare, clean and fresh in the modern 2014 new vision of such things. It feels bang up to date and has a lovely sillage. That’s basically how it stays on my skin for hours, just getting quieter and parts of the fragrance slowly falling by the wayside. At every point I find Aqua Sextius very wearable and non confrontational. It is interesting enough for a perfumista, but more importantly I think almost everyone would think this a fabulous gift.

laughingPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

After about 8 hours, yes EIGHT hours, I am left with a slightly salty wood waft that is barely discernible. Very sexy: if I didn’t know better I would think it was my own smell. It’s not my own smell, it is a beautiful mask.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Colognoisseur
Jul et Mad have 3 sizes all in a Parfum concentration: 5ml/€22.50, 20ml/€95, 50ml/€230 (All with postage inclusive!! To the world)

One of the comments I really love is about the name: Empliau writes, “Aquae Sextiae was the Latin name of Aix en Provence. Aqua is feminine in Latin and requires a feminine adjective. Aqua Sextius is simply impossible and grates upon the ear.”

Have you tried the lovely little beastie?
Portia xx

 

Lolita Lempicka: Elle L'aime 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

Today we are wandering the mainstream halls of department stores. Yes it’s designer fragrance day and I was surprised to see a lovely new bottle in the designer section last year. Earlier this year I gave myself a quick spritz. Lolita Lempicka is a favourite mainstream house because they are often edgy and boundary pushing. Their original Lolita Lempicka, Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin and L de Lolita Lempicka Coral Flower have been favourites of mine through smelling on my mates. So, how did the new one measure up?

Lolita Lempicka: Elle L’aime 2013

Christine Nagel and Serge Majoullier

Elle L'aime Lolita Lempicka FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, neroli, lime
Heart: Coconut, jasmine, ylang-ylang
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, myrrh

Can I first say how terrible I think the name is when you aren’t French. Elle L’aime? Isn’t that like “Pretty Lame”? or “So Lame”? What a crap name.

Elle L’aime, for those that are wondering means “It’s Like”. So what is Elle L’aime like? Well, the fragrance is pretty and wearable. The citrus opens with a zing and already there is a beautiful fat coconut note pushing through, it’s very gourmand on my skin. Like a Lemon Meringue Pie with Coconut sprinkles and Vanilla and Biscuit base. All ice cream delicious. Fun.

As the very slightly breathy jasmine and the thick, glutinous, fatty ylang oozes in all slinky-like they are paired very nicely with the citrus remnants and the coconut. Though I am pretty sure there aren’t a LOT of natural parts in this recipe the whole vibe is surprisingly dense and the sillage is quite noticeable though you have to sit somewhere for nearly a minute before the fragrance pushes its way out from you. The jasmine and ylang heart is surprisingly green, maybe remnants of the neroli(?), but it feels like some kind of sappy leaf has been torn and it’s just a hint behind the rest of the fragrance.

I think Elle L’aime will be a perfect first grown up fragrance or a lovely addition to your easy wear, spritz and forget wardrobe. In fact, though they don’t smell much the same I am reminded of Annich Goutal’s Songes, a sugared version made in the 21st century perhaps.

They have done a nice job on the sandalwood, it has some lovely facets of the Australian sandalwood but there’s probably not much of the real deal, if any. It’s warm, buttery and cuddly and has a lovely softly polished age to it that sits very well with the vanilla and of myrrh I can see no sniff or scanty scent. But that could very easily be me, my nose is notoriously wonky.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

The girl in the picture is well chosen as representative. Elle L’aime is pretty, creamy, at once lovely and perfectly groomed, she is probably arriving at the party in this shot and will not change overly throughout the night. I imagine her leaving only very slightly mussed and a little less expectant, perhaps even a little sparkle from the dancing and the kissing. While hard core perfumistas will probably be bored to tears by Elle L’aime because it is in no way challenging or outrageous. If the job of perfume is to smell good then Elle L’aime is doing a good job. I smell lovely right to dry down in well over 5 hours till Elle L’aime is just a quiet hum of something close to nothing….

Further reading: Now Smell This and NYMag: The Cut
FragranceNet starts at $37/38ml after coupon
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml to $7/5ml

Do you ever go mainstream? Which designer fragrance house in department stores will get your attention when you wander through? Do you await a particular crews latest? Does a bottle ever capture your attention?
Portia xx

Indie Fragrance Criterion GIVEAWAY WINNER

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Hi APJ,

What great comments! I learned a lot and was happy to realize that I am not the only one in perfume-land who smells what isn’t there!

Don’t forget July 17th at Tigerlily Perfumery,
973 Valencia Street in San Francisco, CA USA.
If you are in the area consider dropping by between 5:00 and 8:00 pm PDT to meet the Antonia and the PNW perfumers whose work I reviewed in the post.
For more information check TigerLily
Azar xx

intagram- PNWsPhoto Donated Azar

Indie Fragrance Criterion GIVEAWAY WINNER

Indie fragrance critereon AzarPhoto Donated Azar

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

Meredith Smith of Sweet Anthem Perfumes in Seattle has generously provided the prize for today’s drawing, one complete sample set of the Indie Fragrance Criterion – DiscoverPacific Northwest Perfumes.
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 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 about “the obvious but not present”> In your perfume experience have you ever smelled a note that wasn’t really there?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Indie Fragrance Criterion GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2Xc #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 10th July 2014 10pm Australian EST
Once again B-Azar drew the winning name from the old sunhat. And the

winner nodepositforumPhoto Stolen nodepositforum

Laurels

CONGRATULATIONS!! You have till Monday 14th July 2014 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.