My Beauty Fallbacks: Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil

November 22, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by AF Beauty

Testing makeup and skincare products can be exciting and amazing, especially when you find a wow product or something unexpected – that’s always a total buzz. However, testing can also be a buzzkill, sadly. At something-something age – I do have a fairly good idea of what my skin needs and likes and if something I’m testing is not as wow as I hoped, I have my fallbacks where I can trust that I’ll get my skin back to an even playing field before starting on the next test.

My Beauty Fallbacks: Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil

Now, I’ll be honest, this oil is totally scathed by Paula’s Choice review. They say this is as “good for for dehydrated skin as massaging it with sandpaper!“. Interestingly, the comments on the site (only two) are positive – neither written by me! – but I would add my endorsement to their opinions.
I’ve used this on and off for about 5 years now having seen it recommended in another beauty column. The whole oil will help with dehydration thing is a bit of a mind bend, but for my skin it works.

This is how I use it: First is simply as a step in my usual routine. I would normally wash my face using the nanna flannel technique with whatever cleanser is on the go at the time. I wipe my face with the flannel till clean but don’t then reach for the towel. My face isn’t sopping wet, it’s more damp than dripping. I reach for the oil, drop a few drops in my hand – usually between 2 and 5 depending on how my skin is – warm the oil in my hands and then pretty much apply as if it were a moisturiser, pressing a little in here and there in spots which I feel need some extra TLC. Clarins have a whole little video on how to apply which is far more tender and serene than my description – you can see that in the link in one of the pictures of the product. Once oil is applied I then go for serum or moisturiser as usual – I wouldn’t use it before applying make up.

I do occasionally also use this as a treatment of itself – especially on a weekend where I am feeling the need to pamper. Either I’ll wash my face in the usual way – or if I’m feeling posh, I’ll wash then apply a fancy spray water to my face to moisten and ready for further application. I’m currently using the Avène Thermal Spring Water. I then take the oil in the same way as before and apply. If I’m applying as more of a treatment, I’ll do this, wait about 30 mins, then reapply again – spray with the water and reapply the oil. You could then apply a mask of your choice over this as well. Overall I notice with even just a week’s application my skin hydration improves – I think quite significantly. I really notice the plumpness is restored to my skin and I have fewer dry lines.

David Jones online or in store Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil $52
Priceline has Avène Thermal Spring Water $9.99/50ml

There are a number of Clarins oils for various skin conditions, have you used any of them? How did you get on? Are you a fan or do you side with Paula?

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil

October 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by Portia

In one of the packs my mate Lesley of L’Occitane gave me recently was a bottle of L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil. Currently I am working my way towards the end of a couple of my bottles of moisturiser and I wanted to finish one before starting something new, well I did finish the Amouage Epic Body Lotion and am on my last couple of pumps of Sanctuary Kyphi Shea Almond Body Lotion so I thought, “What The Hell”. Let’s give this guy a squirt.

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil

This stuff glides on so smoothly and the smell is unbelievably good. I get a great gush of lovely carrot/iris, some deeply warming resins, some vanilla and maybe tonka and a hushed wash of some flower that could be ylang and some other bits & pieces I recognise but can’t name. What I can tell you is that I smell AH MAY ZING! My skin is heavenly to touch and it feels like I have either talc or silicone sprayed on me, so soft and supple my hands just glide over me even a couple of hours later.

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil has this nutty, tropical vibe but it’s also creamy sandalwood and cacao sweet. It’s so complex and utterly enthralling. Basically I have been sat here between typing with my hands on opposite shoulders and elbows lifted to the ceiling so I am engulfed by fragrant flesh. It’s not comnfortable for long but the smell is too good to miss a second of it. You won’t need fragrance, L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil is enough.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Edited from L’OCCITANE and Press Release: Shea Fabulous Oil is a hair and body oil that helps to add moisture to the skin and leave hair softer and shinier. The Fabulous Oil combines Shea oil with 2 rare plant oils from Africa (baobab and desert date palm), sunflower, carrot seed and 5 per cent shea oil to help give a subtle satin finish to the skin. The oil has a lightweight formula that is absorbed easily and does not leave any oily residue.
Shea Butter is an ideal beauty ingredient, used by women in Sub-saharan Africa to help nourish and protect their skin and hair. L’OCCITANE uses shea butter from Burkina Faso, harvested in a sustainable and fair trade partnership with the women who produce it.

L’OCCITANE Australia has $45/100ml

It’s rare for me to say you need a product in your life but this is $45 so well spent, when I’m done with this bottle I will happily pay Full Retail to replace it.

Portia xx

Mysore Sandalwood in Australia!

July 28, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Guest Post by Jordan River

Hey there Perfume Junkies,

Don’t forget our Enchanted Forest GIVEAWAY <<<JUMP

Jordan River of The Fragrant Man has again got the hottest news, an Australian story that makes me very happy,
Portia xx

Mysore Sandalwood in Australia!

Santalum Album is Mysore Sandalwood Photo: J.M. Garb

Santalum album is Mysore Sandalwood, now growing sustainably in Australia
Photo: J.M. Garb

It’s all Good News here at Australian Perfume Junkies.

The demise of Mysore Sandalwood from India is well documented. The root stock of the Mysore variety, Santalum album was planted in Australian plantations sometime ago and is now being sustainably harvested.

Australia does have a native sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, with an interesting scent profile but it is not as creamy or luscious as the Mysore variety. Now Australia has Mysore Sandalwood plantations.

I know Kafka will be thrilled and I suspect Bertand Duchaufour, the man who ate niche, has left India and is in Australia right now checking quality and shipping. Suzanne R. Banks will be glowing with happiness. I also predict a sighting of Neela Vermeire in Australia soon.

So how does Mysore Sandalwood grown in Austalia smell? And can you buy it? How does 1 gram for 55€ sound?

Let’s travel now to Italy to see what perfumer AdbesSalaam Attar has to say about this development.

Click link: The Return of Mysore Sandalwood

Addition: The largest grower in Australia, Tropical Forestry Services has a purpose built nursery with the capacity to produce over 500,000 Mysore stock seedlings per planting season. They have an astonishing 7,600 hectares of trees planted in the tropical north of Australia.

Further Reading
Brie’s historic encounter with Mysore Sandalwood
Suzanne on Australian Perfume Junkies
Amer on Sandalwood
Perfume Shrine – see comments section
The End of Oud – a similar situation to Mysore Sandalwood
Ecological Conscience – Ensar Oud on sustainability at Australian Perfume Junkies

Sandalwood – A Precious, Ancient Oil

June 4, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

Post by Suzanne R Banks

An essential oil from a wood can draw us in to world of intrigue and secrets, ancient knowledge and divine scent. Wood oils bring an oil formulation together and can be considered “grounding” and “centering” – due to the fact the tree roots delve deep into the earth. Oils from woods have been used for thousands of years in sacred ceremonies, embalming techniques and in traditional healing. Cherish these beautiful gifts from nature.

Sandalwood – A Precious, Ancient Oil

Photo Stolen W.A.Today

Today most oils come from renewable plantations but in the case of Sandalwood we have seen a decline in the tree population for many years. Indian Sandalwood has been over farmed, which has lead to a crisis in the industry and in our forests. Illegal felling of young trees has lead to more stringent controls from the Indian government to help sustain production long term. This is the one driving factor in the huge price increase in the last 10 years, and is also the reason why the Australian Sandalwood industry is booming.

The Indian type “Santalum album”, and the Australian sandalwood “Santalum spicatum” have similarities but are wonderful in their differences. The Indian wood is the classic deep, sweet exotic scent that we have come to know and love and in the Australian oil, you can actually smell the bush. It really is beautiful. I use both oils, and both are considered to be premium oils and are more expensive than common oils.

Traditionally Sandalwood has been used for spiritual ceremonies and the spread of the use of this oil is claimed to have come hand-in-hand with Buddhism. If anyone has been to India you would know the widespread use of the scent in incense and temples, in soaps and perfumes.
It is used therapeutically to treat acne, urinary disorders and infections and as a nervine tonic to ease stress and anxiety.

There is also an oil produced called West Indian Sandalwood but this tree comes from a different species and is sometimes called amyris oil. I’ve never used this oil, and have never seen it anywhere. It apparently has a slight sandalwood scent (hence it’s name) and is used in perfumes and fragrant body products.

Indian Sandalwood will usually come in a 3% jojoba blend like Rose, Jasmine and Neroli. This means it is ready to go as a perfume but not good for putting in an oil burner. Oil burners and diffusers need 100% pure essential oils so when an oil is mixed with jojoba, the scent won’t escape the carrier oil and may also damage your diffuser.

Photo Stolen Botanical

Try these simple recipes to invite peace, sacred sexuality and a connection to the divine:

Pulse Point Perfume

Mix together in a little bowl or saucer and anoint your beautiful self

“Good Luck Charm”
Sandalwood 3% in jojoba 3 drops
Mandarin 1 drop

“Gold”
Australian Sandalwood 2 drops
Rosewood 2 drops

Photo Stolen SandalwoodCompany

Scent Your Space

Add these oils to a classic oil burner or diffuser:
“Fluidity”
Australian Sandalwood 10 drops
Ylang Ylang 6 drops
Orange 9 drops

Sandalwood is an oil for softening the edges in your life. Breathe it in and you wont be disappointed.

Suzanne R Banks x

Ed: If you thought this was good go see the Suzanne R Banks site (LINK JUMP) or like her Facebook Page (LINK JUMP)

Stop and Smell the Roses

May 7, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Suzanne R Banks

“Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” Gertrude Stein, 1935

Some say Gertrude Stein is referring to the rose like this to express her feeling that things are what they are. According to Wikipedia: “In Stein’s view, the sentence expresses the fact that simply using the name of a thing already invokes the imagery and emotions associated with it,..” So when you say rose do you invoke the scent, or the colour, or everything? It is the most romanticised flower in history and appears in many poems, prose and plays. It is often associated with love and intimate moments of the heart.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Do you take time to stop and smell the roses? What is life if we don’t connect to its beauty at every turn? The scent of a beautiful rose is a true gift of nature which invites us to convene with the oneness of the universe in the now!

Rosa centifolia – another rose used to make essential oil

I never buy a rose that doesn’t have a scent – to me that’s the most important part. Isn’t it a wonderful thing when you enter your house to be greeted by the natural perfume of roses? Essential oil of rose is made by either steam distillation or as an absolute (where the scent is extracted into a fat and then lifted by a solvent). I tend not to buy absolutes as there seems to be a heavy chemical intervention and I’d rather have my oils extracted in the simplest way.

Rose oil is a complex arrangement of hundreds of molecules, some of which have still not been identified. No wonder it is referred to as the “Queen of Oils”. We know Cleopatra used roses in her beauty regime, and it is claimed she used rose petals in her boudoir to seduce Marc Anthony from the Roman Empire. The Romans used roses too, and the mention of roses appear in Christian, Buddhist and Confucian literature. Roses are seen in Asian motifs dating back to 3000 BC. It seems as though commercial production of rose oils and rose by products can be traced to Persia in the 10th century. The oil was referred to as “attar of roses” or “rose otto”, which is a term still used today.

Rosa gallica – a sub species named “James Mason”

So what can we use use rose oil for?

* use rose oil to help with any heat or infection in the body (you would put a few drops into some carrier oil and smooth it on the face and body – a great treatment for any illness)

* use this rose body oil to help take the sting out of eczema and psoriasis

* a drop on the temple to relieve stress and tension and counteract a headache

* a great oil for attending to grief (use it a single drop on the heart chakra or in a personal mist or room mist)

* a drop added to your facial oil or cream will refine your skin and give you one of the most powerful aromatherapy treatments in the world. You will feel soft, unruffled, connected to the universe and ready to be the Queen of your world

* a few drops of rose oil in an oil burner will create a scented paradise of peace and calm so it’s great for upset children, the elderly and even pets (if you are using 3% in jojoba it’s not really suitable for an oil burner – you will need to buy the pure oil)

* a drop or two in the right place, as a perfume, will do amazing things for your self esteem as rose is the oil of self-love and nurturing

Rosa damascena – the most used rose for oil production

When buying rose oil you will mostly find it comes in a 3 % dilution in jojoba oil and this is simply because it is a premium oil and is very expensive. Even if you buy wholesale, pure rose oil can cost hundreds of dollars. It is precious!

Remember, treat yourself first then everyone will benefit!

Suzanne R Banks x

Ed: If you thought this was good go see the Suzanne R Banks site (LINK JUMP) or like her Facebook Page (LINK JUMP)

All Photos from Suzanne R Banks site. This post is a reprise of a piece from Suzanne R Banks blog