RandomRec GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

December 11, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Y’All,

Another great giveaway thanks to Azar!! Superstar.

Don’t forget the….

We are offering a special APJ ONLY 20% discount valid through December 31, 2015. To receive the discount and a free packet of randomly chosen perfume samples with your order enter the code – APJ20 – at checkout.

Please hop over to the RandomRec.com site

Happy Holidays!

RandomRec GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

USA: 1 x Lolita Lempicka Elle L’aime 1.4 oz EdP
Elsewhere: Lolita Lempicka Elle L’aime 6.7 oz body milk
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 10th December 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen markmontanoblogs

RuthF for Elsewhere

FeralJasmine for the USA

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners will have till Monday 14th December 2015 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Ballets Rouges by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2012

December 10, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Independent Perfume Lovers,

It’s no secret how much I love Ellen Covey’s work as a perfumer. There are numerous full bottles of her work around here but only 2 have made it to the 30ml Parfum strength spray; they are Olympic Amber and Ballets Rouges. So it’s weird for me to discover that I have only briefly mentioned Ballets Rouges and never done a complete post on it. TBH I thought I had done one.

Ellen Covey wears a lot of hats. She is a perfumer, scientist, runner, loving partner and general great girl who lives in the USAs Pacific North-West, near APJs Azar (they are great friends). I think I’ve missed a few of her astounding talents too, yes overachiever dot com. Her range of fragrances is one of the broadest, from very pretty florals through to the beastly Dev series, and so many of them speak to me. They are 100% original, even something as ubiquitous as amber becomes an intriguing and marvellous new genre once Ellen gets her teeth into it.

Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids 2012

Ballets Rouges by Ellen Covey

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, bergamot, mandarin orange, red thyme
Heart: May rose, rose, ylang ylang
Base: Musk, oakmoss, patchouli, labdanum

Ballets Rouges is the ultimate rose soliflor for me. Yes it has the smell of roses on the bush, it also has the smell of the earth that the roses grew in, the humus, fertilisers, mulch, add to that the smell of the cut stem and the torn leaf and on top of all that it has the smell of life and living to my nose. There is something of the uneasiness of finding yourself alone in the dusk dark swampy forest and yet it has all the joyful pleasure of a sunny summer meadow. Bright and dark simultaneously, Ballets Rouges is everything I love about Independent Perfumery: it has not followed a formula, never been panel tested, is full of gorgeous ingredients that are probably banned in 27 languages and it has a wonderful big voluptuousness and scent story.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

There was much talk around the release of Penhaligon’s Iris Prima and how it was lovely and floaty yet completely failed to capture the agony beneath the facade that ballerinas project. It was all about the pastel glamour that 6 year old girls dream of when they want to be dancers. In Ballets Rouges Ellen has captured the stark beauty of a rose, the glittering deep plum sparkle of the dream and also managed to capture the gruelling and monotonous solo hours of perfecting the art, the heartache of watching your feet turn to pain wracked bleeding caricatures of themselves, the relentless drive and dark heart of ballet. Ballets Rouges is a little insight into The Black Swan.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

It’s open of green and scintillating herbaceous citrus which quickly morphs into a dark plum and citrus scented rose, still on the bush and planted in a freshly turned and fertilised bed, you have excised some of the dead heads so there is a brittle green of torn leaf and the wet/dry oxymoron of cut stem. I am fully and divinely fragrant, Ballets Rouge is not the scent for close quarters it’s a prima and needs its space to shine. As we progress the dark heart warms through considerably. While we never lose sight of the starring rose the oakmoss, amber and musks come in and form a magnificent corps, dancing around and through till full dry down around a day later.

Orchidscents has parfum travel $18/5ml
Olympic Orchids has samples and EdP $120/100ml

Have you tried Ballets Rouges? What is your rose?
Portia xx

Christmas with Uncle Serge Lutens

December 9, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Poodle

When people talk Christmas perfumes, Nuit de Noel always seems to come up. While lovely, I don’t think it smells the least bit like Christmas.

Enter Serge Lutens. He’s got your holiday moments bottled.

Christmas with Uncle Serge Lutens

Baby it’s cold outside. Spritz on L’eau Froide. This smells cold like a winter night. A night so chilly that it makes your nose burn so you pull your scarf up over your face and the smell of cold mixes with your warm breath and skin. Cool notes are balanced with pepper and ginger in this one.

Photo Stolen Torange

On my skin Arabie smells like a traditional holiday candle. Or maybe potpourri. It’s warm with dried fruits and what I think of as mulling spices. I don’t really like wearing this but I do like smelling it if that makes sense. It doesn’t work on my skin but I love it on clothing and other people. If I had more than a sample I’d use it as a posh room spray.

Let’s deck the halls and put up the tree with Fille en Aiguilles. Quite possibly my favorite foresty scent. Pine needles, fir, and incense with a tiny touch of sweetness from the stewed fruits that Uncle Serge does so well. Reminiscent of a Christmas tree but the fruit notes and incense prevents it from smelling like an air freshener.

The tree’s up. Time for a cuppa. Five O’Clock au Gingembre is on the menu. Bergamot, ginger, and honey swirl together to warm you from the inside out. I don’t find this to be a true tea scent but rather more like tea time. Evokes the scent of spicy holiday tea blends that I can’t see to get enough of at this time of year.

Photo Stolen FreeStockPhotos

Love holiday baking? Break out the Jeux de Peau. Jam filled cookies, toasted yeasty bread with butter, syrupy fruitcakes… It’s like grandmas kitchen on steroids. Jeux de Peau starts buttery sweet but ends on a spicy note. It’s everything but the calories of the holiday dessert table.

We always went to midnight mass on Christmas and that’s what Amber Sultan makes me think of. It’s not really a churchy fragrance. It’s more about amber and spice notes. This reminds me of the swirl of perfumes that I’d smell in church. All the ladies wearing their very best for the holiday. A mix of fur coats, perfumes, and that undercurrent of incense that permeated the walls in every catholic church.

It’s late. The fire’s all but gone out and it’s getting chilly. Time to rest and dream about what Santa might bring you. How can you sleep with the clatter of reindeer on the roof? How about a little Gris Clair? This perfume has the scent of lavender and smokey notes. Not a light bedtime scent really, but with all the excitement and holiday stress you might need a big lavender.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Surrender To Chance has all the Serge Lutens samples

What perfumes make you think of the holiday season?

A Merry and Fragrant Christmas to you all!
Poodle

Cookie Queen in Vienna: December 2015: Photo Essay

December 8, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I have just returned from three days in one of my favourite cities. Time spent with my daughter and friends. Sniffing, shopping, eating delicious food.

Cookie Queen in Vienna: Photo Essay

December 2015

Vienna is a beautiful city, now uneasy and troubled. There is no way of ignoring the refugee crisis. Make no mistake, it is very uncomfortable.
Guerlain exchanged my broken bottle of Shalimar Extrait and I gave a man and his dog who found themselves having to beg, a little money. Perplexing.

Start with the Vienna Christmas Lights

The Flower Shop in Stephanplatz

Hannah: Blondes Wunder

Kiki: Vero Profumo

Neela Vermeire Creations

DIOR HandbagInto the Vienna cobbled alleys

and church

and refugee

Good will to all
CQ

Centrepiece by Sarah McCartney for 4160Tuesdays 2015

December 5, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hi APJ,

It was a Monday to remember. Late getting up and having to rush to a Doctor’s appt. Rushing out the door, but stop to grab my decant (thank you Lillian Betts Holloway!) of the new Centrepiece edp by perfumer Sarah McCartney.

Centrepiece by 4160Tuesdays 2015

Centrepiece by Sarah McCartney

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accordsin one line:
Honey, green tea, frangipani, musk, cedar, vanilla, sorbet, chocolate

OK. I get it. I was rushing so of course I tragically spill the the WHOLE decant all over my arm and clothes!

SOTD: Centrepiece by 4160Tuesdays. LOTS of it…..(read on…)

Well shit! No time to wash, so out the door I go and I smell FREAKING amazing!!! Holy cow, this is some GREAT stuff!

Now usually I don’t wear any scent for a medical appt. of any kind. Clinics get fussy if you do. So I thought “well…it is what it is.” So off I go.

I stop at my Cafe to check in and all I hear is “Oh my god is that YOU? You smell incredible!!” Ok. This is good.

I walk into the clinic and it’s the same thing. From every single receptionist, nurse, blood draw technician, and finally my beloved doctor, and he has a COLD for god’s sake!

Photo Stolen Flickr

From LuckyScent: Originally created from a chance selection of ingredients and accords that inspired relaxed, peaceful feelings, Centrepiece is that most fundamental of 4160 Tuesdays-style creations- lighthearted, inspired, devoid of typical haute perfume pretension, and downright lovely. Focused around the sweet, tropical floral note of frangipani, Centrepiece further adds to the indulgent (but never cloying) bouquet with sweet honey and creamy vanilla, balancing it all against green tea and rich but gentle cedar. The results are entrancing, an everyday-suitable, gently powerful white floral that soothes, seduces and relaxes in equal measure. Simply beautiful.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
LuckyScent has $110/50ml
4160Tuesdays has £15/9ml

PS……..4160Tuesdays also has an extrait strength for sale on their website, and that’s the one I ultimately. All I can say is…..”Um…..well dip me in honey and color me joyous!”

So the moral of this story? Who the hell knows.

All I know is I do is that this ‘fume indeed smells amazing!!!

What is your 4160Tuesday?
Robert Herrrmann

NEW!: Creed, Juliette Has A Gun and Frapin

December 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Nick Smart’s desk at Agence de Parfum’s HQ (Libertine Parfumerie) often holds exciting secrets. Last week he had just returned from a buying trip in Europe…Squeal!! I dashed for the pile of boxes and had a quick sniff. These are my first thoughts and REVEALS:

NEW!: Creed, Juliette Has A Gun and Frapin

A fleeting whiff! New niche releases

Creed: Princess Oud is an oriental floral for women launching in Australia in March 2016, also created by in-house nose Oliver Creed. Before sniffing I thought of the words “princess” and “oud” and conjured up an imagined scent being sweet, girlie and dense with oud. I was right. An appealing, possibly heading towards ‘crowd pleasing,’ fragrance which paves a pathway between Middle Eastern and Western perfumes. It’s far too icky-sweet for me, personally. Maybe not so original but it’s done very well, this review is from a card so skin mileage will vary.

Creed: Royal Mayfair, a unisex fragrance launching here in December is a remake of Windsor, the limited edition of 2009, renamed and no longer limited. Whoop! Windsor was originally created in 1936 for King Edward VIII of England. Ingredients take us on a tour of the British Empire he ruled and makes for an interesting olfactive tale, in which Australia features, with the inclusion of “our” eucalyptus. Nose Oliver Creed has combined London gin, Jamaican lime, Scottish Highland pine tree atop of “Duke of Windsor” roses and orange from the Bahamas over Canadian cedar and AUSTRALIAN eucalyptus. I stopped and took notice when I first sniffed and it gets better and more beautiful and distinctive on drydown. My current gin based fragrance is Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling…could this be next?

Frapin: The Orchid Man is being compared to Aventus and due in Australia for release in January. Call me an alien but I am no massive fan of Aventus. Obviously I appreciate it, but mostly it’s too macho, and frankly that’s not who I like to nuzzle up too. Add to this all the comments re “panty dropping” I see on fragrance forums and I think its killed it for me (pants definitely up to the point of wedging!) My favourite pineapple note in perfumes is in Frapin’s 1270. So I was intrigued thinking, “could Frapin’s take possibly be a better and more affordable Aventus with 1270’s magical pineapples and woods?” No. It’s missing the pineapple sadly, but it is very similar to Aventus.

Juliette Has a Gun: Another Oud will be released in Australia in Feb 2016 (lets hope this means another visit to Oz from sexy Parisian, Romano Ricci, father of the brand..!) I smell the musks and ambroxan JHAG are famous for with oud floating up eventually from underneath. A dry oud scent. On the skin however Another Oud comes to life and there’s more to it than first expected, including some raspberry fruit and intensifying oud. I’d like to spend more time with this fragrance as it has all the elements to be very sensual.

Libertine Parfumerie has samples and bottles. FREE Australian Delivery over $100
First In Fragrance if you’re in Europe
LuckyScent in the USA
Surrender To Chance is a great way to sample before you buy too

What have you discovered lately that’s new to market or you that has touched you?
Ainslie Walker

Photos Donated Ainslie Walker

This Works: Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

November 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Post by Willa Zheng

Hello APJ,

“To sleep, the perchance to dream”, Shakespeare once wrote. But really often, the stresses of modern living and our habit of being glued to the monitors of electronic devices at night, mean we don’t get good quality, restful, deep sleeps that enable us to wake up in the morning feeling well-rested and refreshed.
Enter, this pillow spray invented by This Works. Comprised of the essentials oils from lavender, patchouli, ho wood, vetivert (better known to us as vetiver) and wild chamomile flower extracts, This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Pray is my stalwart bedside hero-product.

This Works: Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

The way this pillow spray works is that the scent quietens your mind. Think of inhaling a bowl of chamomile tea, infused with lavender and a dash of earthy patchouli. It’s instantly soothing and calming. Any thoughts and worries about the outside world gently float away. Deep Sleep Pillow Spray does the same thing to my mind as when I step into a clean, quiet, Jivamukti yoga studio.

Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is water based but dries fairly quickly, so there’s no wet pillow issues. The scent lingers on my linen for about 5 minutes – so I spray it just before I hop into my sheets.

This Works has also recently released a stronger, longer lasting, alcohol-based version of this spray, the Deep Sleep Plus+ Pillow Spray. The notes are still the same, but they’re encapsulated in special, slow-release molecules that break and get released as you move and fidget in your sleep at night. How clever!

Photo Stolen Flickr

The only downside I can envisage to owning any of the Deep Sleep products is that you might become dependent on these sprays as a sleep aid. To that end, I don’t use it every night. Mainly for those tired, stressful days where every minute of quality sleep counts.

Disclaimer: It rarely takes me more than 5 minutes to fall asleep. If sleeping was an Olympic sport, I’d probably be an elite athlete. But even athletes have down days and are nevertheless always looking for ways to take their performance to the next level.

Of course, individual experiences will differ but it’s not too expensive to try it out yourself. Being able to drift off to sleep faster and at a deeper level is priceless, whether for an insomniac or sleep-athlete.

Mecca has $36/75ml
Willa Zheng

Libertine Parfumerie SAMPLES!

November 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Portia

WOW! APJ Crew,

For a while now I have been begging Nick and Paige at Libertine Parfumerie to start selling samples. It’s the only way to really try a fragrance before you buy it, a couple of days on your skin.

Libertine Parfumerie SAMPLES!

So the guys have organised a way that you can sample their wares before laying down big money. I love the idea, and I bet you will too. This way, even if you are far from the Australian metropolises you can still get your sniff on and keep up with the trends.

So, how does it work?

You get to pick 4 x 1ml spray samples of almost anything in the range at Libertine Parfumerie for $39. There’s a $10 postage fee too but should you be buying anything over $100 that is waived.

Go check out Libertine Parfumerie if you’re in Australia and would like to sample before you splurge.

Portia xx

Library Collection Opus IX by Pierre Negrin and Nathalie Lorson for Amouage 2015

November 27, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Don’t forget to enter this weeks GIVEAWAY COMPETITION!.<<JUMP

Post by Portia

Hi Crew,

You know how you love some brands, always try them even though the notes don’t really look like they’re going to suit you or if their last few releases were lovely but not quite you? I like to try everything Amouage release because, well, Dia, Gold, Lyric, Interlude and Ubar. Sometimes I worry that the Library Collection are a bit too high brow for me but…

Library Collection Opus IX by Amouage 2015

Library Collection Opus IX by Pierre Negrin and Nathalie Lorson

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Top: Camellia, jasmine, black pepper
Heart: Guaiac wood, leather, beeswax
Base: Vetiver, ambergris, civet

Christopher Chong has based this scent on the story of star crossed lovers in La Traviata, based on La Dame Aux Camélias by Alexander Dumas. Particularly with the lead role played by Maria Callas in Lisbon 1958. Poor Maria Callas, seduced from keeping her voice pristine by becoming one of the most popular party girls of the ultra rich tycoons and entertainment industry of her time. From Wikipedia: The press exulted in publicizing Callas’s allegedly temperamental behavior… rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with … Aristotle Onassis. …her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her “the Bible of opera” and her influence so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: “Nearly thirty years after her death, she’s still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music’s best-selling vocalists.”

“Lady Loch” Photo Stolen Ashwood Nurseries

Mum loved camellias, our house was surrounded by both the japonica and sasanqua varieties and it meant the garden had flowers right through winter because different camellias flower at different times. We would pick the perfect newly opened flowers in the early morning by twisting the flower off the bush and Mum had a few shallow crystal bowls that we would float them in all around the house. We had about 20 different flowers and I loved them all, but I don’t remember them having any scent, except the wet green sharp smell of cutting their branches when we pruned the hedges.

Photo Stolen Wallpapers

So, Opux IX? How does it smell for me? Green, woods and peppery and really clearly fragrant, it takes a while for the excitement of the open to recede and then a velvet smooth jasmine steals in: jasmine, smoke and honey that is animalic and a little breathy. Fresh breath though, clean mouth, maybe after drinking a big glass of cold water. We use the Enjo wood wax on our dining table and Opus IX has a similar luxurious balmy smell as the feeling 2 days after waxing the table feels. From arms length though Opus IX is pure jasmine with amber-ish overtones.

I do not get a heart of cacophony as other reviewers have, Opus IX melts into my skin and throws me sweetly honeyed woods and resins with soft rises as other notes come and go: the dry, salt and oily facets of vetiver, animalics that are inextricably linked with the honey in a healthy smelling purr: no poo, sweat, urine or hair in particular. A wash of warmth, those first sexy moments as you undress someone and you smell them, their laundry, their fragrance and their desire all at once for the very first time, intoxicating.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I’m not the only fan of Opus IX, both TinaG and Scott have tried in on their skin with similar gasps of pure fumie pleasure. This is a winner.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Non Blonde. You want the full story? Alembicated Genie
Libertine Parfumerie has $418/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Do you have a fragrance house that is ALWAYS on your try list? Which one and why?
Portia xx

Hiram Green Voyage by Hiram Green 2015

November 24, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was my favourite TV series as a kid. Admiral Nelson and his crew. The flying sub which could leave the ocean and function as an airplane being the coolest thing ever.

Hiram Green Voyage by Hiram Green 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citruses
Heart: Amber, suede
Base: Vanilla

Hiram Green’s Voyage – An ode to the exotic mysteries of India.

I chatted with Hiram briefly the other day. He mentioned that he would find it difficult to write two sentences about his own creations, and was interested that some bloggers could write thick novels. I found that highly amusing.

Photo Donated Val CQ

When I started writing for APJ it was really just a bit of fun. I was extremely surprised when I found that people were asking if they could send me perfumes to
try. I was so excited but that soon died down when I saw that most of them didn’t work on me. I believe that is the politically correct way of putting it? I
only get some sort of inspiration when I like something. Which kind of limits me. Perhaps I should write about what sucks, but I am sure Portia would fire me. I digress. Hiram Green sent me a sample of Voyage and I have used it all. It is quite bodacious.

Photo Donated Hiram Green

Voyage is opulent and sumptuous, two words that do not tend to get used with an all natural perfume. It is the drydown of many more modern perfumes where it falls short of expectation. Top loaded to blow your mind and then after 20 minutes the common base. Voyage could not be further away from this perfume concept. The perfume is built on a base of superb vanilla and a heart of amber. The fragrance opens with a lively citrus feel before slipping into the spicy, warm, lush heart. Hiram doesn´t mention spice in his list of notes, but hey, who cares about the notes anyway? There is a soft suede halo wrapped around the whole composition, which draws it altogether. It is tweaked to perfection and lasts for hours. It blows apart all preconceived ideas (mine) of natural perfumery apart.

Attention to detail is exquisite, from the wax seal to the website. The bottles are stunning. They are every bit as gorgeous in real life as they are on the pictures. All three of his scents are outstanding. He clearly does not bend to the industry, nor to the trend of churning out a new fragrance every few months.
Modern classic beauty.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Voyage, as well as Moon Bloom and Shangri La can be purchased in 5 ml sprays at Hiram Green. All three highly recommended. Note that Voyage is limited to 250 bottles.

“Ah, you’ve come over the water. Powerful wet stuff, ain´t it?”
The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader”. C.S. Lewis

Valiant Bussis
CQ

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Niche

RandomRec GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

RandomRec GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

RuthF for Elsewhere

FeralJasmine for the USA

Ballets Rouges by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2012

Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids 2012

Ballets Rouges by Ellen Covey

Christmas with Uncle Serge Lutens

Christmas with Uncle Serge Lutens

Centrepiece by Sarah McCartney for 4160Tuesdays 2015

Centrepiece by 4160Tuesdays 2015

Centrepiece by Sarah McCartney

NEW!: Creed, Juliette Has A Gun and Frapin

NEW!: Creed, Juliette Has A Gun and Frapin

A fleeting whiff! New niche releases

This Works: Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

This Works: Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

Libertine Parfumerie SAMPLES!

Libertine Parfumerie SAMPLES!

Library Collection Opus IX by Pierre Negrin and Nathalie Lorson for Amouage 2015

Library Collection Opus IX by Amouage 2015

Library Collection Opus IX by Pierre Negrin and Nathalie Lorson