Boxeuses by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2010

February 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I have a very good friend who is a reflexologist. There is a particular point on the bottom of the big toe that, when pressed correctly and very firmly, connects directly to the pituitary gland, which in turn sends a seriously pleasurable electric shock right through the body. It stimulates everything. It´s awesome. It´s short. It cannot be repeated until a period of weeks have gone by.

Boxeuses by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2010

Boxeuses, Sweat and Bromide

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Woody notes, leather, plum, licorice

Which is pretty much what happened when I tried Boxeuses for the first time. The sensual gratification was but for a second or two, but the level of clarity ……… ensnared! It happens all too rarely.

You know Serge – it´s got the plummy note, for which he is so well known, woods, violets, and incense. And suede. A suede note that is wanton. Féminité du Bois with serious balls. It stays around for hours and the leather just improves with every minute. Gasp.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Patty at Perfume Posse says, “The open is promising, it’s classic Lutens, violet, spices, cedar, leather. Bundled up like some of his most iconic fragrances – Feminite du Bois and Bois de Violette and Cuir Mauresque/Daim blond – familiar, but not. Scented echoes of what you know so well and love. Like that old lover from your youth who wanders back in your life. The same, but not the same.”

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Now’s the time to fight.

To get the idea, think of Russian leather tanned on birch bark.
Now add animalic notes, strong enough to suggest a black eye.
In other words, it’s time to see stars! Serge Lutens

This is the gym perfume. Boy or girl. High intensity work-out, sweat and Boxeuses.

Never ending leather. How rock´n´roll is that?
“We´re driving Cadillacs in our dreams …… let me live that fantasy “ (Royals – Lorde)

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Bois de Jasmin
Serge Lutens has €145/75ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Pass the bromide.

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

February 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello perfumed peeps!

The best experiences on my perfume journey are those times when I have few expectations of a scent and it then totally rocks my world. So it is with Verveine d’Eugene by English perfumer James Heeley. While I adore his Ophelia and have a big soft spot for Sel Marin, Verveine d’Eugene (originally just named Verveine) never really attracted me. I had dismissed it unsniffed as a simple verbena, cologne-like scent. How wrong I was.

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

Photo Stolen LuckyScent

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, rhubarb, cardamom
Heart: Blackcurrant, lemon verbena, jasmine
Base: White musk

Verveine does indeed open with the tartness of bergamot and lemon verbena that is instantly refreshing and dazzling in its brightness. One is reminded of drinking cold iced tea or languorously sipping a citron presse in the south of France. However, there is much more than meets the eye (or nose) here and the aromatic, almost herbal quality of the tomato leaf lends a dark, enigmatic vibe to the cheery beginning. It’s akin to entering a secret enclosed garden at the height of a midsummer’s day. There’s welcome relief in the shadows and the earthiness of the place. There’s the scent of the lemon trees dappling the light at the perimeter and the damp pungency of vines and grass, the leaves of many little shrubs fluttering in the breeze.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Just when you think you’ve managed to breathe in all this green beauty, you notice something else: is that jasmine you can smell? If you peer carefully, you can see the damp tendrils of the flowered vines peeking over the back wall. The small, white flowers lend a gentle sweetness to the verdant, damp surroundings.

Verveine may appear a simple composition of citrus, green and jasmine, but its story is much richer. There is a sense of elegance among the duality of fresh and dark and an overriding sense of mystery. Whilst it’s perfectly enjoyable and refreshing on a hot summer’s day, it is also a contemplative scent for those days when you just crave solitude.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwyoumeflickrcom/8096552203/player/d1fd02a7f7

And despite some issues with longevity, it’s very much full-bottle worthy for me.

LuckyScenthas $180/100ml and samples
Peony Melbourne has $210/100ml

Have you tried Verveine d’Eugene? What scents have you had no expectations for and then fallen in love with?

With much love till next time!

M x

Sweet Anthem Perfumes – Meredith Smith, perfumer

February 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 53 Comments

Post by Azar

In the past ten years or so the Pacific Northwest has become a hot spot for niche and indie perfumers. Our unique northwest culture of creativity and innovation, our dreary wet winters (we’ve got to come up with something to do!) and the independent spirit of many of the residents all contribute to an atmosphere that encourages our local “noses” to flourish. Several PNW (Pacific North West) perfumers have developed international followings and have been written up and blogged about extensively throughout perfume-land. If I name a few of these perfumers I will be missing too many. Today’s post is an introduction to a PNW perfumer who is probably not as well known as some others but whose work is very popular nonetheless.

Sweet Anthem Perfumes – Meredith Smith, perfumer

Meredith Smith initially founded Sweet Anthem as a small press / independent publisher in 2001 while at college in Texas and closed the business when she went to study abroad in Eastern Europe. She began studying perfumery in 2005 while working as a graphic designer and web developer in Seattle’s Capital Hill neighborhood. Like many independent perfumers Meredith found composing a fragrance to be a natural extension of her love for creating music, visual art and poetry. Sweet Anthem evolved into an on-line perfume shop in 2007. Three years later she left the mass design industry and began working as a full time perfumer. In October 2011 Meredith and her husband Phil purchased a live/work residence where she opened her brick and mortar Sweet Anthem storefront and workshop at street level.

Photo9 Stolen Sweet Anthem Perfumes

I love visiting Meredith’s tiny shop on California Street in West Seattle. She offers her own perfumes for sale, maintains a small inventory of other niche and indie brands and teaches occasional classes in the basics of perfume composition. For more information about the Sweet Anthem product line and scent related services check out Meredith’s new website Sweet Anthem Perfumes

Recently Meredith added a sample service to her shop. I recently received my first of four installments from Sweet Anthem’s “SA List”. The “Spring Anthology” includes two 2ml samples of soon to be released EDPs – Poppy and Lolita, a 2ml sample of Alice and a perfume solid of an older favorite, Cath. While I have enjoyed a number of the Sweet Anthem perfumes for several years I found that these latest fragrances have taken a slightly more sophisticated turn.

Photo Stolen Sweet Anthem Perfumes

Poppy, a sort of gourmand-oriental, unfolds like a flower bud in time-lapse photography. The pointed clove quickly opens into a dark cocoa tinted with red flowers that I perceive as spicy carnations (Meredith points out that there is a trickle of saffron here as well). After a couple of hours the gourmand heart develops and finishes as a dry, smoky incense/opium fading to musk. While the name “Poppy” references the perfume classic Opium, I find this new scent to be kin to fragrances like DSH Café Noir and Olympic Orchids Café V, but lighter and drier. Poppy is a warm and spicy fragrance with good sillage and great longevity, a perfect scent for holing up in a cozy den, anticipating the arrival of spring.

Photo Stolen Sweet Anthem Perfumes

Lolita, on the other hand, is reminiscent of a warm spring afternoon, but without the muguet – thank you! (Don’t get me wrong, I love Lily of the Valley, but it seems to have become such a seasonal cliché.) Lolita opens with just a touch of black current, evolving to a heart of fragile and delicate cherry blossoms. I can barely detect the rosewood mentioned in the fragrance notes. The cherry blossoms linger for several hours eventually combining with and drying down to a salty sort of tonka bean. Lolita is more intimate than Poppy but seems to last just as long on my skin and, like the movie “Lolita”, the final impression of the salty cherry blossoms evoke a youthfulness far removed from innocence. Lolita will be mine as soon as she is available.

Photo Stolen sassisamblog

Sweet Anthem Perfumes US GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have ONE USA winner:

Who will receive:
A 2-season subscription to the Sweet Anthem “SA List” sampling program for one lucky US resident. The winner will receive two different sample sets. The “Spring Anthology” will be sent right away and the “Summer Anthology” at a later date (see the subscription FAQ on the Sweet Anthem Perfumes website).
P&H to the USA

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone in the USA (or who has a USA friend who’ll post it to them) 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

You must have a US address

AND

Leave a comment about a Sweet Anthem fragrance that you already know or about one that you would like to try

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie ~~Sweet Anthen GIVEAWAY~~ http://wp.me/p3PURw-2uA @sweetanthem #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 27th February 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org or some other more fun way at the discretion of Azar, our host for this giveaway
The winners will have till Monday 2nd March 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.

Azar xx

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

February 23, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hey Niche Nerds,

I don’t know where this little sample vial on a card came from. It was in a bag of frags that I’d put together because they were in dab vials and I have to decant them into spritzers before use. I think other things came into the house and this bag got pushed to the back of the list. There has been little love for this particular scent and I only had 1ml sample size so you are getting a review on the second wear because I’ve run dry here but wanted to get some thoughts on paper, or blog as it may be, for my own memory. Sorry to make you eddying flotsam in my stream of consciousness, enjoy the ride.

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Pomegranate, pear, cucumber, water lily, aloe vera

JUICY!! I smell the pear! also the aloe vera and water. Sweet, like a pear lolly might be, so sweet my teeth are getting little furry booties but honestly I quite like it. GASP! What’s happening to me? Am I learning to like fruity florals? The pomegranate adds a delicious snap of tartness that really resembles a pear and pomegranate salad, all they need to add is some rocket/arugula and some parmesan cheese shavings and I would be in HEAVEN. Though I am enjoying the super sweet and fun ride, can imagine many people becoming addicted to it and think it’s a well done piece of perfumery there is little chance I would spritz it if I had more.

Photo Stolen Flickr

My mind keeps thinking of young women ready for a fun night out, getting all dressed up to the nines and spritzing like crazy as they run out the door to a night of madness and meyhem. There’s something very new me, fresh, flirty and expectant about U4eahh! The bottle in the picture looks like a splash/dab bottle (the oil) and that makes me a bit sad, this should be spritzed with abandon and feel like lavish luxury.

Around the 4 hour mark I’m left with a sacharine sweetness that has no real smell to me, I think the musks here are ones I’m anosmic to. It does have a very fake sugary vibe though and I am less than enjoying it. My skin amps sweet and in U4EAHH! it has become sweet to the point of nasty.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Further reading: Katie Puckrik Smells and The Olfactorialist
LuckyScent has EdP $110/50ml

There is also a Perfume Oil of U4EAHH!

Have you tried this line? U4EAHH? How was it for you?
Portia xx

Fleur d'Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

February 22, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Heya All,

I have had this little stash of Le Labo since May 2013. A small crew of us went up to the Venice, LA store and were treated like royalty there. I purchased a couple of the small bottles which I’ll tell you about another time but the sweet manager of the store gave me some samples to take with me and I, churlish frag glutton that I am, never got to the samples. Well, now I have…

Fleur d’Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Orange blossom, petitgrain, bergamot and lemon

Opening with a zing of citrus, obviously, I find Fleur d’Oranger 27 to be a wonderful, fresh and fun cologne style scent. It is all pettigrain and bergamot for a moment and then it gets a soft orange blossom breathiness that at the same time is pithy and dry. This is smiley, happy juice and I feel invigorated and refreshed. There it stays for a while, pretty and sweet, slightly worn.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

As it wears on Fleur d’Oranger 27 becomes a bit bead head-ish and it NEVER smells at all cleaning fluid-esque. Great maintenance of the citrus throughout and there is something vegetal/herbal that isn’t explained in the notes and I have no idea what it could be, and I also get a prickling of spice, again no idea. I wish I had more to tell you but other than the spice and green-ness which comes and goes I basically get citrus from beginning to end. It smells good and I have enjoyed Fleur d’Oranger 27 but if you need massive development, a story, then you will be sad. Especially for the price. If though you want to smell like a happy burst of citrus for around 4-5 hours then Fleur d’Oranger 27 could be the one for you.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Best Things In Beauty
LuckyScent has $160/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4.25/ml

What is your Le Labo fave? Do you like Orange blossom as a note in general or does it send you screaming, reminded of toilets and dish washing liquids?
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

February 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 48 Comments

Post by Chairman Meaow

What do I know about Francis Kurkdjian and his work? Very little. I know that he’s a wiz with orange flower. That he is large on talent, not so much, perhaps, on affability towards perfumistas. I had ordered a set of samples from his house some time back, given each a cursory sniff, and decided that he was the creator of pretty and well constructed, if not entirely memorable perfumes. And with that, Francis Kurkdjian was relegated to the recycling heap of my olfactory landscape.

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Maison Francis Kurkdjian lists the following accords on its website:
Benzoin from Siam, Bulgarian and Iranian rose, honey, incense absolute, ylang ylang, cumin, Atlas cedar and sandalwood

With the first huff, it was as if I had sat under the bodhi tree and received my perfumed awakening. All the references to rutting animals, bodily secretions, hind quarters and nether regions, things that I had read about but had yet not experienced to any meaningful degree, things that sounded repugnant and intriguing in equal measures, were all there, fleshed out in Absolue Pour Le Soir.

It started out innocently enough – some liquored rose, sandalwood, and soft, sweet honey. But wait, reader. It’s like that scene from that old comedy The Jerk where Steve Martin takes a long, slow swipe of Bernadette Peters’ cheek with his tongue. You just know that in a few moments, when the spittle starts to dry, things are going to start to get a bit smelly.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Sure enough, the honey soon ripened, and started to acquire the tang of a pee-stained bus shelter. Absolue Pour Le Soir then took a turn for the bestial, and I had flashbacks of my dear departed cat, back arched and derriere quivering, fanning the scent of her backside as she lovingly slapped my face about with her tail. I smelled camels, whose scent had always struck me as being a little earthy, a little salty, and a little chocolaty. And underpinning all of this was an erotically charged, sweaty-musky whiff. A little later came the quite smoulder of incense, dampening the growl a touch.

Gott-im-Himmel. It was stunning.
I turned to the hovering sales assistant.
“This one doesn’t sell very well, does it?”
“No. It’s not very nice.”

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I meandered into another shop and found that I had to severely limit my arm movements, lest my fellow shoppers catch wind of the scent and gain the impression that I had been caressing the butt crack of my local friendly hobo. And I realised with a pang that I wouldn’t have the confidence to wear this beauty out and about, this anathema to the masses, with their penchant for sterile odours.
Perhaps I’ll just content myself with dabbing discreetly. It can be my dirty little secret.

Did you? Have you? Would you? I mean, really………..

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

February 14, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Hoiya Perfumed Peeps,

Going through my stuff in the cleanup I came across dozens of samples and manufacturers carded stuff that never got a sniff. I don’t know hot this one got overlooked, it’s on a huge card with beautiful pictures and this from Patricia de Nicolaï: Patchouli oil is an essential oil of great importance in my perfumer’s palette. Among all woody notes, it is the most sensuous. Here I wanted to work with patchouli in a very unusual way, with an accord rose-geranium, on a deep amber vanilla and incense body.

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Patchouli, oakmoss, bergamot and musk

Oooh sizzling citrus rush at the open and then quickly it calms to a green, woodsy, earthy scent. No Essential Oil style patchouli from the oil burner here folks. This is forest floor in the just warming, still brisk weather. Sunlight dappled meanderings with no destination till tea time. Pretty and unisex, I can imagine Patchouli Intense could become very addictive if smelled on a new partner or someone you have recently met. It must be the combination of oakmoss and patchouli that gives such a parkland woods feeling. Though there are no flowers named I get some distinctly floral leanings mixed in too, like a marigold (tagettes) flower about half an hour after you crush/crumble it up. I keep thinking the word “verdant” and cannot for the life of me put it into a sentence that reads remotely real. Damnit! I think the word lovely and it does indeed conjure in my mind images of the merry growth spurt that is spring. Now that I’ve thought spring I also get a feeling from Patchouli Intense that is a lot like holding baby budgerigars when you are hand rearing them, they get a particular powdery, earthy, clean, alive smell as their feathers start to fuzz up. Though Patchouli Intense doesn’t smell like that, the feeling, the essence of the experience feels remarkably similar.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Booze? I get a boozy, casual wisp of something alcoholic, maybe dark rum? It coruscates out through the earthy middle ground. I also get almond milk and something a little sweet. As Patchouli Intense dries down it dries out and gets a very lived in feel, a musky, dusky, dusty cooling like the inside of a forgotten attic filled with the scent of the death of books, leather, wood and fabrics. Then it starts to fade and somewhere between 5-6 hours I can no longer smell it at all.

I have found in my three wears that an extra spritz at the 3 hour mark will more than double the fragrant life of Patchouli Intense, I can spritz before dinner, eat, hang, sleep. Then when I wake up in the morning I can smell it all over again, beautiful and sensuous the patchouli and musk have made sexy smell babies. MMMMMMMM

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Patricia de Nicolai has worked a wonder in this beautifully nuanced, soft but rugged, comfortable scent. It nods vigorously to mens cologne from a bygone era but is smoother, more sophisticated and easier to wear. This is the kind of scent I would have bought my Dad if he was still alive and Mum would have stolen more than half the bottle because it’s so good.

Further reading: Per Fumus
LuckyScent has $65/30ml
Parfum de Nicolai has €153/100ml

The more I wear Patchouli Intense the less masculine it reads to me, this is a totally unisex beauty, if you like a soft friendly patchouli then this could be the one.
Portia x

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

February 13, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Poodle

Hi APJ,

When I was asked to sample a new perfume I jumped at the chance. I’m usually late to the party with most new releases. When I heard it was a tuberose scent my nostrils really perked up. Mmmmmm….. white florals.

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: rose absolute
Heart: Tuberose absolute
Base: Cocoa résinoïde

Fragrance Republic 01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse is without a doubt a white floral but for those of you frightened by the BIG white florals out there, this might be just the ticket. The idea behind the scent was to create something light and airy, two words not usually connected with tuberose, and perfumer Julie Massé succeeded.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Initially there’s a wonderful burst of flowers, white roses, tuberose and a touch of green leaves and stems which keeps it from being too, too much. There’s a fresh, just bloomed quality to it followed by a slight creamy softness. The other listed note is cocoa. I had some trouble really smelling it at first because I was looking for something sweet like hot cocoa. This cocoa is more like unsweetened baking cocoa. It’s there but it’s dry and earthier and seems to keep the flower notes from becoming too sweet or cloying. It wears somewhat linear on me with the cocoa becoming a little more apparent as it dries down.

Even at its most intense point the scent maintains an airy, wispy quality about it. That’s not to say you can’t smell it because you can. It just doesn’t have that heavy quality like some tuberose scents do. If the carnal aspect of tuberose perfumes has scared you in the past, fear not, this one is clean but not soapy. The creaminess of tuberose is there but it’s not overly sweet or heavy. I imagine this perfume would bloom beautifully in warmer weather. Also worth noting, on my scent eating skin I can still smell traces 3 hours later. For a lighter perfume that’s actually quite impressive on me.

Photo Stolen Mehul Antani Flickr

Vapeur de Tuberose isn’t a scent I’d normally be interested in because of that airy quality but, I have to be honest, I like it. Right now it’s well below freezing outside but when I sniff this perfume I think spring or summer and I also think brides. Seriously, this would be a great bridal scent. It’s feminine. It’s a scent that is easy to wear without it wearing you. The wispy quality to it calls to mind a veil of chiffon blowing in a floral scented breeze. It’s not a skin scent but it’s also not going to take over the room.

One other interesting thing to note is that my husband actually said I smelled fabulous. He very rarely comments on my perfumes so Vapeur de Tuberose will be in my rotation to give him a break from smelling my usual incense and woody scents.

Further reading: Chemist In A Bottle
Fragrance Republic has $45/15ml + $95/75ml

Until next time…
hugs
Poodle X

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

February 11, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Gabriella

So much has been written about this revered yet polarizing fragrance that I debated for quite a while whether it was worth adding my two cents to the conversation. But sometimes a fragrance is so moving and compelling that you just need to write about it. Serge Lutens’ Muscs Koublai Khan is one such fragrance.

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Civet, castroneum, cistus labdanum, ambergris, Morrocan rose, cumin, ambrette seed (musk mallow), costus root, patchouli

The scent begins with the oft talked about animalic civet blast but I don’t find it nearly as scary or ugly as some reviews would lead me to believe. In fact, this whoosh of unripe skankiness is something that I find quite compelling and thoroughly enjoyable. Muscs Koublai Khan is very much a jolie-laide fragrance: it’s the nerdy, not very good looking guy that you initially dismissed in your early twenties only to find out when you’re 32 that he is he is the crazy, charismatic guy, full of depth, adventure and the one you should have picked all along. As the cliché says, beauty is only skin deep and so it is with this fragrance.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Given that, Muscs Koublai Khan takes some time to unfold its captivating charm completely. All the unwashed notes of the opening do indeed transport the wearer to other worlds and olden times when women and men roamed the land, ready for battle clad in loincloths; invincible in their leathery hirsute armour. The fetid character also transports me back to sometime in my not too distant past, say the late 1970s or early 1980s, when it was still ok for women to have a fur coat. I would go to my Mum’s closet and smell the slightly mildewed aroma of her cast off handbags sitting in garbage bags ready for a garage sale and her mink coat smothered in dry cleaning sheets. The slightly perfumed mothballed aroma of the fur spoke of sparkled nights and unspoken deeds.

Photo Stolen Who Cares? Flickr

Underlying all this unripeness is a blast of cedar and the composition then becomes considerably more sotto voce: all soft honeyed rose and the smell of salty damp skin after a night of passion and romp. Mr M immediately dismissed Muscs Koublai Khan as something rank and I hate to say that most of my close circle of friends would probably have the same aghast reaction. Thus, Muscs Koublai Khan is destined to be a very personal scent for me: one when I choose to shut out my benign petiteness and become a warrior princess: six foot tall, bound in swathes of tight leather and high heels and just completely indestructible.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Muscs is now back in the Paris Exclusives line, but export spray bottles can still be found online. Amazon has it at $113.99/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $4/0.5ml

What’s your take on MKK? Are there any skanky scents you love?

With much love till next time!!

M x

01/n°03 Down In One 14 by Cécile Matton for Fragrance Republ!c 2013

January 29, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Hi APJ,

From Fragrance Republic site: FRAGRANCE REPUBL!C 01/03 was inspired by the deliciously complex yet accessible mojito, the sunny, potent, Cuban drink. Marrying the fresh, exuberant aspect of mint and lemon to the darkly sweet and powerful Rhum Pure Jungle Essence creates a sparkling effervescent fusion.

APJ readers please check out the website. I cannot possible do it justice. There is so much fascinating information on it, including a conversation between Denyse Beaulieu (of Grain de Musc) and the perfumer Cécile Matton.

FRAGRANCE REPUBL!C is a club of fragrance enthusiasts that gives exclusive access to original fine fragrances as created by world class perfumers ……….. you may read on yourselves.

FRAGRANCE REPUBL!C 01/n°03 by Cécile Matton 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Gurjum (a resin that flows naturally from the trees of the dipterocarpus species); Mojito Accord (Rhum Pure Jungle Essence, Mint, Lemon)

So onto the 01/03 juice. I have a 21 year old son. He works with the deaf. He is a body builder. (He is also extremely sick of me shoving various parts of my body under his nose and telling him to sniff.) I sprayed a hefty amount of n°03 onto paper as he walked into the room. Let´s just say I don´t own the bottle any more.

Photo Stolen Hammerin Man Flickr

It smells very resiny in the beginning and quite peppery. It sweetens up as time goes on, but the lemony overtones stop it from being cloying. It is bright and exhilarating and exuberant. It veers towards the masculine side of the spectrum to my nose, but that could be because my son has been wearing it for month. He said one of the reasons he likes it so much is because no one else has it! Ah ha.
Perhaps he has inherited some of my snobby perfume habits after all!

So Perfumista Mums and Dads. You all have an advantage over me. When your kids start to reach that age of totally covering themselves in Axe (aaaaargh, scream, ) you have a great option. Treat them, and in turn yourselves to FR!´s 01/03. You cannot go wrong. They´ll thank you for it.

I can only say bring on 01/04 … these are fab and we want more.

Love from Austria, where I am sat with Portia and Michael. Well, someone´s gotta do it.

Bussis from us all
CQ

With thanks to FR! for giving me the opportunity to sniff!!

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Niche

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

Sweet Anthem Perfumes – Meredith Smith, perfumer

Sweet Anthem Perfumes – Meredith Smith, perfumer

Sweet Anthem Perfumes US GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

Fleur d'Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

Fleur d’Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998