Sable & Soleil GIVEAWAY WINNERS

April 18, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Woo Hoo! Sexy love of my life Pierre was a hit with you all again.

Let’s see who won.
Portia xxx

Sable & Soleil GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lemon blossom, jasmine, African geranium, coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, white musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml Sable & Soleil manufacturers sample
1 x sample Indian Wood by Perfumerie Generale 2016
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 17th April 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

prospectsplus

Koyel Bhattacharyya

Fazal

The winner will have till Thursday 21st April 2016 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.

Something Beautiful by Jocelyn Fullerton for Cult Of Scent

April 17, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Independent Perfumery Lovers,

A few weeks ago we had Jocelyn Fullerton over at my place to take us through her beautiful range of fragrances. There is a half written piece on the day waiting for me to finalise it (Sorry Jocelyn). A few things struck me during the day but I was most impressed with Jocelyn’s excitement and enthusiasm for fragrance, her broad knowledge and talent for relating an engaging story that told of the creation of her scents. It was a lovely day.

The scent that I wear most from the Cult of Scent line so far is …

Something Beautiful by Cult Of Scent

Something Beautiful by Jocelyn Fullerton

Cult Of Scent gives these featured accords:
Orange blossom, Neroli, Tonka, Honey, Amber

From Cult Of Scent: Something Beautiful began with a story of dawn kisses under an orange tree and was brought to fruition by spring nights filled with music, candlelight, passion and laughter.

Calming, angelic, elegant, refreshing, lively, sparkling, comfortable, summer, clear, happy. These are the words that run through my head while wearing Something Beautiful.

Breathy white flowers float effortlessly over citrus and a sweet amber. The citrus is main player for a while after I spritz but orange blossom is present already and I think I detect a whisper of jasmine and some other flower, maybe lily? There are lightly fruity touches too that peek through the bouquet and later the honey/amber and something coniferous waft gently in and warm it down to fade.

WikiMedia

I can easily imagine Something Beautiful as a perfect wedding scent. It’s joyful bursts of citrus and the elegant swish of white flowers, soft yet insistent, would make an excellent pairing with either the traditional wedding in a church (or whatever the religious centre is called in your religion) to a windy, sunlit day at the beach. Beyond gorgeous and I think it would be so memorable. Better still it’s completely unisex, you could both be rocking it.

Today I hosted my first TUPPERWARE party coming back into the business after a 6 or 7 year hiatus. Something Beautiful helped me rise above the nerves and get straight to the excitement. Well not COMPLETELY rise above my nerves, I was sweating like a farm hand at the summer round ups but Something Beautiful huffed out of my top and I remembered to breathe and that everyone here was on my side. The party went splendidly and I have one booking, hopefully 2. If you’re in Sydney and want a party leave a comment below and I can come hang with you and your buddies for a couple of hours. Just so you know I do EXCELLENT scones and it makes a wonderful snack at the party.

Cult Of Scent has 3 sizes starting at $35/8ml

If you like to dazzling opening of a cologne but the herbs and mossy patchouli bases get you down the I heartily recommend you get your hands on Something Beautiful. It really is perfectly named and I have quite a bit of air in my 8ml already.

Portia xxx

Sable & Soleil by Pierre Guillaume for Phaedon 2016

April 15, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Post by Portia

Woo Hoo Crew,

More NEW stuff from my perfumer crush Pierre Guillaume. This arrived today and I couldn’t wait to get it on my skin!!

Here’s some more Pierre Perfume Porn to get you in the mood….

Sable & Soleil by Phaedon 2016

Sable & Soleil by Pierre Guillaume

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lemon blossom, jasmine, African geranium, coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, white musk

Salt. Driest opening for a fragrance I ever smelled. Salt and then some melon, a little oily, seaside breeze, hot day.

Jasmine and citrus over the driest ache in my throat. It’s like the ache of yearning. Yearning for something just out of reach but in your sights. Awkward lactones create a shadowed, shady counterpoint that gives the crisp sea breeze a depth. Maybe a wander through the carpark by the beach, awaiting the arrival of your friends or even an ice cream from the truck, yes there is a metallic edge.

Briny. That’s the word I’m looking for. Briny, lightly sunburned, happy and tired. Fresh sea water and healthy bodies.

Sable & Soleil is not what I was expecting. If you think that you’ll be getting a Guerlain Lys Solea, a Jil Sander Sun or a Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess then think again. They are pretty and vibrant. Pierre Guillaume has created a mood and depth that is lovely but slightly dark. Compelling.

lavanyasrecipes

Sable & Soleil GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml Sable & Soleil manufacturers sample
1 x sample Indian Wood by Perfumerie Generale 2016
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you’ve tried any of the Phaeton range?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 17th April 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 21st April 2016 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.

Unofficial Esxence 2016 Write Up

April 12, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 45 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I managed two and a half hours at the Esxence. Virtual high fives are fine thank you very much. I did not try anything in the show because I prefer to do that at home in peace and not surrounded by nuclear clouds of oud.

Preparation for Esxence 2016

Unofficial Esxence 2016 Write Up

Milano Central Station art

Neela Vermeire introducing the new Take Two Packs. 2 x 15ml for travel and sharing!

Perfume Magpie, absolute delight.

I chatted with Pauline Rochas of Coolife NYC and brought home samples of their fragrances. She is the granddaughter of Marcel and Hélène Rochas absolutely charming and what a heritage.

HomoElegans. I mean you just have to. Two fragrance samples in an elegant box labelled as an “experience kit”. Stay tuned.

GriGri Parfums is another new fragrance brand, Anaïs Biguine the nose. She has created some really rather
good perfumes for Jardins D’Écrivains which encouraged me to take look. Seeking inspiration from the history
of tattoos throughout the ages, itself an art form, makes for an artistic combination. The Ukiyo-E with its genmaicha
and green tea notes, representing the Japanese tattooing called Irezumi, sounds particularly aromatic.

Intent on fulfilling the wish of a good friend I stopped by at the Stéphane Humbert Lucas stand to enquire about the new up and coming fragrance. They were rude and bloody arrogant, not to mention unhelpful. I left. I would not buy anything from this brand even if it WAS good……..

Imagine this ten times more crowded

Antonio from Bogue

Val (me) at the Prada Foundation Haunted House exhibition

Jeroen from Mona di Orio

I spent a joyful few hours with Jeroen Oude Sogtoen and his assistant Henrike, together the brilliant Mona di Orio team and did put the new fragrance Bohea Bohème onto my skin twice, each time smelling quite different. More to come.

Lecture

Prada loos with Vero

My first ever selfie

Mark Behnke, We would be best friends if he lived closer.

When I love something I get over excited and cannot stop talking about it. Ellis Fass Make Up! The best red lipstick I have ever used and as my dear stepfather would say “I have been through more of them than you’ve had hot dinners”. The last two days I have used their foundation. Sublime. I am in touch with them and ordering foundation, lipstick, concealer and mascara. Super excited I can tell you. Am I the last one to find out about them?

Vero getting ready to go downtown for dinner

Chatting outside Esxence 2016

Oh. And two days with Vero.

Milan discoveries? Hermès Doblis Parfum and Vintage Vol de Nuit EdP. Did I ever stand a chance?

Bussis.
CQ

Cactus Azul by Julian Badel for Fueguia 1833

April 11, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by TinaG

Since writing my article about Fueguia 1833 a fortnight ago, I’ve discovered that their range is even more extensive than their wide fragrance catalogue. A number of “scent identities” have been developed in conjunction with Fueguia 1833 – for example I came across London’s Trunk Clothiers who have two bespoke fragrances – “Linnaeus” and “Endeavour”, and Milan-based designer Marcelo Burlon has a co-branded Fueguia 1833 fragrance for his “County of Milan” line. Fueguia 1833 also provide amenities lines (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shower gel, and room & textile perfume) for a range of luxury hotels around the world.

Today I thought I’d showcase a charming floral which is part of the Destinos collection.

Cactus Azul by Fueguia 1833

Cactus Azul by Julian Badel

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cactus flower
Heart: Cedar
Base: (Nanah) Mint

On first spritz, Cactus Azul gives a big blast of mint which wafts around unapologetically for about 15 minutes. It is fresh and invigorating, with a medium sillage that cuts straight through our lingering summer humidity. “Nanah” mint, aka spearmint, is commonly used in Moroccan tea. It was distinctively a spearmint which I could smell, like those old-school sugared leaf lollies, with a slightly more regular broad leaf mint note behind it.

This then settles into a minty herbal veil over an unusual pink floral note. The floral is all at once soft, watery and pulpy and has a strange way of lingering in my nostrils and back of throat in a ‘taste’ sensation, in a similar way that pepper in fragrance sometimes can. I imagine this is the reported cactus flower centre note from the Fueguia 1833 three-note description. The colours which I see in my head at this stage are like watermelon skin – mottled green, and the light pink of the flesh which is closest to the pith after you’ve taken a bite.

WikiMedia

The floral note starts to deepen and at 1 hour dives in to a peculiar sticky jam. It is sweet but still keeps a damp floral aspect, and my head runs through different options trying to place it. Redcurrent? Strawberry? And I finally settle on what I imagine a homemade jam made of small wild strawberries may taste like. Wild strawberries in Australia are white in the middle, not red, and are only mildly watery/strawberry flavoured.

At 2 hours the fragrance starts to dry out with a peppery wood note coming through, and ‘round the 4 hour mark the fragrance seems fragmented. On some areas of my skin I get a sweetness, like caramel, however in the sillage I can smell something reminiscent of a bitter woody patchouli. I can’t quite work it out so I often respritz at this stage & start all over again.

Pixabay

First in Fragrance has €230/100ml and Samples

I like the both the uplifting and gentle aspects of this fragrance. It doesn’t have a massive longevity, but it is a joy to wear.

I’m interested to hear – what are your favourite fragrances that include mint?

Tina G xx

Indian Wood GIVEAWAY WINNER

April 11, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey hey Crew!

You guys were totally into this giveaway, no surprise, I love PGs work too. He was really excited that we showcased him on the weekend, look out for his new Pheadon one coming up soon here on APJ too.

Portia xx

Indian Wood GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, vetiver, moss, spicy mint, nutmeg, cardamom, coconut milk, lemon zest

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml Indian Wood manufacturers sample
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 10th April 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

amberinblunderland

ELLEN M.

The winner will have till Thursday 14th April 2016 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.

Mohur Extrait GIVEAWAY WINNER

April 8, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

SHIT! Sorry APJ,

Sandra and I completely forgot about drawing this giveaway! You all are so great and got really involved.
Let’s find out who our lucky winner is.
Good Luck everyone!
Portia xxx

Mohur Extrait GIVEAWAY WINNER

Sandra

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, coriander, ambrette (musk mallow), carrot seeds, pepper, elemi
Heart: Iris, jasmine, rose, violet, almond, leather
Base: Sandalwood, amber, woody notes, patchouli, agarwood (oud), benzoin, vanilla, tonka bean

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x sample pack of all of Neela’s creations including a tiny bit of the Extrait
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Tuesday 5th April 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org

HighestSelf

Helen Burrows

The winner will have till Monday 11th April 2016 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.

Indian Wood 11.1 by Pierre Guillaume for Parfumerie Generale 2016

April 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ,

I meant to have this review out to you by last weekend but stuff got in the way. Sorry. As you know I’m madly in love with Pierre Guillaume so you’ll be getting a review coloured by my adoration.

Beaute-Test

I know, it’s rude how gorgeous he is. My experience of one afternoon was that in life he is sweet as pie, funny, charming and naughty. There is a brilliance to him that I found quite dazzling. he quickly put me at my ease and we talked for a while. Yes, besotted.

Indian Wood 11.1 by Parfumerie Generale 2016

Indian Wood 11.1 by Pierre Guillaume

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, vetiver, moss, spicy mint, nutmeg, cardamom, coconut milk, lemon zest

The Parfumerie Generale site gives an ingredient list: Alcohol, Parfum (Fragrance), Aqua (Water), Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citral, Coumarin, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol.

Chai! I smell chai, in the pot being made by my last partners maid in Gurgaon, just outside New Delhi, India. Sweet, milky, spicy and warming but with a green facet that gives it a papery rasp and picks Indian Wood up. Interestingly I am finding it very hard to parse the notes, though I’m sure someone better at that particular trick could do it, and after a couple of wears I’m finding myself thinking of Indian Wood in the opening as chai and then Indian Wood. A smell unto itself.

Yes, as Pierre’s way is, this is a sweet fragrance. Not sugar sweet though. His sweetness comes from the sweetness of milky woods, piquant spices and the warm memories of cooking with Mum.

Through the heart Indian Wood dries out and becomes a solid, smooth, resinous and sheer cloak. I feel wrapped safely in a cocoon of softest wool that is spiderweb light yet warming and tough.

If you are already a fan of Pierre Guillaume’s work then you’ll love this new warmer and spicier extension on Harmatan Noir from 2006. If you don’t like his style then I can’t imagine Indian Wood winning you over, though I have been wrong before…..

First In Fragrance will have Indian Wood very soon

kbaird

Indian Wood GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml Indian Wood manufacturers sample
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you like Pierre’s work? Is there a favourite already or are you awaiting the one?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 10th April 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 14th April 2016 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.

Vanille d’Iris by Geza Schoen for Ormonde Jayne 2015

April 6, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Tara

Hey APJ!

I’ve come across from A Bottled Rose today to hang out at my mate Portia’s place and talk about a perfume I came to with great expectations…

Vanille d’Iris by Ormonde Jayne 2015

Vanille d’Iris by Geza Schoen

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Coriander seed, Sicilian bergamot, carrot seed, schinus molle (pink pepper)
Heart: Orris absolute, jasmine absolute, magnolia bud oil, osmanthus
Base: Vanilla extract, Tahitian vanilla bud, cedar wood, vetiver, amber, musk

From the moment I heard about its release last year, I couldn’t wait to try Vanille d’Iris. Ormonde Jayne’s fragrances are well done and wearable, while still having something interesting to say. I love iris and was interested to find out how it would be combined with vanilla.

Luckily I didn’t have to pay to get hold of some. My great pal Val the Cookie Queen sent me an unwanted sample, being far from enamoured with it herself. I had only read positive reviews therefore I was now beyond intrigued.

There’s nothing to dislike about the immediate opening combo of pink pepper and bergamot. Once it settles down, I become more puzzled than anything else. I get a watery thin vanilla and some papery iris before the overall impression quickly turns into one of a Stargazer lily. How strange.

Flickr

I don’t find it a scrubber but I don’t find it enjoyable either. Mind you, I’m not normally a lily fan and I don’t like the indoles thrown out by Stargazers. I thought maybe I was imagining things: How could an OJ be anything other than squeaky clean?

A little while later, I felt validated when I saw Portia’s typically perceptive review on Perfume Posse mentioned a “poopy undercurrent”. Ha! Not just me then.

I must say Vanille d’Iris is most definitely NOT a skanky scent but if you do register that facet and it’s not to your taste, it’s hard to disregard.

The vanilla is not the cupcake, sugary variety but it’s also missing the comfort factor. The iris isn’t powdery or doughy but rather carrot-y. Looking at the note list, I wonder if it’s actually the carrot seed that’s throwing it for me because I’m normally a fan of iris accords.

l was disappointed because I really like the Ormonde Jayne line as a whole and had high hopes for this one. I own and love both Ormonde Woman and Champaca but for some reason Vanille d’Iris sadly just hits an off-note (literally) with me.

Geograph

It should be pointed out that other reviewers love it so don’t be put off if you’re yet to try it. Portia found the subtle indolic backnote to be earthy in a good, if unexpected way and sums up the perfume as “classic and classy”.

Further reading: Perfume Posse and I Scent You A Day
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

If you’ve tried Vanille d’Iris I’d love to hear about your own experience in the comments.

Tara xxx

(Ed: Go read A Bottled Rose)

A ‘Mix Tape’ from Luca Turin!

April 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Hello Gorgeous APJ-ers!

It’s been an eventful month in my little world and thus I have plenty of potential fragrant stories wafting around inside my head. I’ve begun a few, though I realized they were all paving a path to LUCA TURIN! Scent critic and olfactive/olfactory know-it(-almost)-all! The more I learn of this man and his work the more I am in awe. I mean lets start with his office: I hear next to his desk is a shiny GCMS machine that one could only dream of having!! He often references in his articles, running this and that through to compare and check on chemical compositions, changes between vintages etc. (sigh)

Amazon

Recently I posted about Luca Turin’s book ‘FOLIO Columns 2003-2014’ The next day I got a thank you message from a “Luca Turin.” Of course immediately I thought it was someone merely posing as him! After a few cryptic messages that he answered correctly I realized it was THE REAL HIM!!

Jeepers. My mind went into overdrive plucking up courage to perhaps ask for a little interview…one with a twist. Something interesting for someone I imagined easily bored by inane questions.

A ‘Mix Tape’ from Luca Turin!

As our correspondence continued and I trawled slowly through his book I observed his passion for fragrance is parallel to a love of classical music. Being more of an…I guess predominantly… “rock chick’ I have a limited understanding of classical music, save for dusty old Bach numbers in the back of my head from school aged piano and clarinet lessons and Pachelbel’s Canon (which you can’t avoid if you’ve ever worked in the Spa industry). So the idea came to me to ask the great Luca Turin for A MIX TAPE!! My idea was for him to make me a list of his favorite tunes and then match fragrances to them and email them through. Simple!

Luca wrote back with a link to a similar style broadcast he did for Radio BBC 3’s Saturday Classics:

Listen here

As it all goes by very quickly, here is the list of both music and fragrances for you to read along too:

Luca Turin’s Fragrance and Music Matches

• Diorama (Edmond Roudnitska for Dior 1949): Mouret’s Rondeau
• Cristalle (Henri Robert for Chanel 1974): Martinu’s Concerto for flute, violin and chamber orchestra Mvt 1
• Apres L’Ondee (Jacques Guerlain 1906): Debussy’s Images ‘Reflet dans l’eau’ and ‘Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut’
• Emeraude (Francois Coty 1921): Brahms String Sextet no. 1 in B flat major Op.18 Mvt 1
• Habanita (Molinard 1921): Enrique Santos Discépolo Esta Noche Me Emborracho
• Shaïna (Atelier Delteil release date unknown): Howard Skempton’s Lento
• Nombre Noir (Jean-Yves Leroy for Shiseido 1982): Scriabin’s Prelude in B-flat Major
• Chamade (Paul Guerlain 1969): Barber’s Violin Concerto Opus 14
• Vivre (Molyneux 1971): Vishal-Shekhar’s ‘Zehnaseeb’ from the Bollywood musical Hasee Toh Phasee
• New York (Patricia de Nicolai 1989): Ralph Towner’s Blue Sun
• Vetiver (Jean-Paul Guerlain 1961): Shostakovich’s String Quartet no. 10 in A flat major Op.118 – 1st mvt
• Chinatown (Aurelien Guichard for Bond No 9 2005): Egberto Gismonti’s Lôro
• Tanismal (Luca’s own creation – flexitral molecule 2008): Brahms Piano Concerto no. 2 in B flat major Op.83 – 4th mvt

HOW FREAKING FABULOUS IS THAT?!!

Book Depository

You can check also out Luca Turin’s new blog Perfumes I Love

Let me know your thoughts? Did you enjoy? Agree? Have you any songs and fragrances that seem to be a perfect match?

XX Until next time! Ainslie XX