A Full Speed Perfume Trip Around the USA Photo Essay

September 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 51 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

A Full Speed Perfume Trip Around the U S and A

Seattle. San Francisco. Los Angeles. New York.

I do not know where to begin. Everyone that I met in the US were absolutely amazing. They took time out of their schedules to meet up, made me and my family so welcome, showed us around the cities and were generally mind-blowing. I was so touched. A lot of it is personal and has no place on a blog. However over the months I will include things that happened as there are perfumed tales to tell. I am not too reliable at taking pictures, but I hope you enjoy the few that follow. New York was so much fun that nobody even remembered to take photos. An absolute highlight was meeting Azar of APJ. I have many samples of perfume to brighten up my winter.

The one question I have been asked by a number of people is did I find anything new that really impressed me. I absolutely did. It will be my
next post. You will have to tune in again.

Jetlagged Bussis
CQ

Perfume Trip Around the U S and A

Photo Essay

Sniffing Ellen Covey´s überfragrant Cattleya orchid. iIhad NO idea how narcotic an orchid could be.

The very elegant Azar. Australian Perfume Junkie´s very own!

One of Ellen´s orchids.

Ellen and her husband and a basket of Azar´s homegrown tomatoes.

Me with Mary. A San Franciscan perfumista and Verophile.

Part of Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids work materials.

A not very clear picture of the beautiful Virgina of Té de Violetas.

Shelley Waddington of En Voyage and Mary on the comfy sofa in Tiger Lily.

Antonia. Owner of Tiger Lily in San Francisco. Such a charming store.

Ellen Covey’s Olympic Orchids shelf!

Leaving Twisted Lily in Brooklyn. Daisy from Coolcookstyle leading the way. The charming Arielle of Scents of Self and of Arielle Shoshanna Scented Luxuries.

Mary, Virginia and me trucking`through San Francisco.

The most beautiful toffee apples I have ever seen. Seattle.

Ellen showing a tiny orchid in her greenhouse.

Jtd Jtd of Scenthurdle. Los Angeles.

Hannah the BlondesWunder in the makeup store at midnight. NYC.

Carlos Powell of Peace, Love and Perfume having a dhosa for lunch. NYC.

Hannah me and Daisy. Daisy organized a New York perfumista extravaganza for me. However what happened in New York, stays in New York.

Laundry rates in then hotel we stayed in. NYC.

Tonka beans in a golden bag. On the recommendation of Barbara Herman, author of Scent and Subversion. An old voodoo spell. brings love and luck. I have left one in the bag and the rest I shall use in my baking.

Tiger Lily.

Twisted Lily.

Inside Twisted Lily..

Hannah learning how to use and umbrella. Outside Twisted Lily.

Two with Connor

Selfie. Val and Undina. San Francisco.

(ED: This is the mad, disjointed and crazed order these pics were sent. Nobody got time to organise this lot, clearly not even Val)

Elektra by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2010

August 2, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Hey hey APJ,

I hope life is treating you all well. You may know we have moved house and that we have been in the middle of a renovation for months. The kitchen man offered us a very nice benchtop in Caesar Stone that he had on the cheap because the colour is being discontinued. Well, he sent off the measurements, they ordered the stone and then found they needed another piece but there was NONE LEFT! Drama ensued and it’s already at the 5 week mark but fortunately the call came through and we are hoping with all out hearts that there will be benchtop in the very near future. Why am I telling you this? Well the move has brought to light some lovely forgotten treasures and I am loving finding them and spritzing.

Today’s offering got a bit lost in the excitement of my love for Olympic Amber, Ballets Rouges and Golden Cattleya but I have grabbed it out and spritzed with gay abandon.

Elektra by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2010

Photo Stolen Olympic Orchids

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Black currant, ripe fig, green fig leaves, amber

You may remember this fragrance as A Midsummer Day’s Dream, that’s how it was originally marketed but it didn’t fit on the new packaging so Ellen changed it. The juice in the bottle is exactly the same.

Sweet green but bitter-sweet green. Elektra is a high octane green fragrance that is so fabulously unusual and of itself that it’s hard to find a broad descriptive reference that can really apply. Forget every other fig or berry fragrance you have ever smelled because Elektra is nothing like any of them. Somehow Ellen Covey manages to create scents that are so far beyond my expectations and into the deep realms of fragrant art pieces. Yes, there are fig and black current but they are reimagined here as stark green and spiky sweets, like I am smelling what a crystaline Swarovski fig and black currant would smell like if you could go through the looking glass and smell the unsmellable.

Photo Stolen GeographUK

Elektra does not smell earthly or earthy, it bypasses all your 21st century fruity expectations and lands in this otherworldly, weird and super saturated cyber garden. Could this be what Elphaba smells like? Can it be that Ellen Covey has discovered the scent of a green witch?

Photo Stolen Flickr

One of the marvellous things about being an Independent Perfumer is that you get to experiment and build your dreams. It’s very easy to build my own fragrant dreams on Ellen Coveys beautiful fragrant gems because they are so magical, every drop a dreamers elixir.

Olympic Orchids has samples from only $3 and $65/30ml
Surrender To Chance has samples under the old name $4/ml

Are you an Ellen Covey convert yet? Which Olympic Orchids have you tried?
Portia xx

Super Sample RAOK

July 31, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 45 Comments

Hey Hey Crew,

Yes, I’m cleaning out the sample drawers and YOU get to be the winner if you’re lucky. Here are a bunch of samples that I’ve tested but now live in the swap/gift pile. Some of the reasons for being there? Maybe I bought a FB, it had an issue that renders it unwearable, I liked it but have something similar, somehow I have double, I hated it, I LOVED it and completely forgot about it, I’ve moved on. So many reasons, so MANY samples. They are all used a bit but they have heaps for testing and trying. I know you’re going to love at least one thing in this pack, but hopefully a few will tickle your fancy. Whether or not they do I hope they bring someone the joy of testing new stuff that I get.

Most of these samples have been purchased from Perfume Niche, LuckyScent, Posh Peasant, My Perfume Samples and Surrender To Chance since 2010, but some are gifts or manufacturers samples. Mosat are over half full and a couple are double ups I have so full.

SAMPLE PACK ROAK GIVEAWAY

Craft by Andrea Maack
Olympic Amber by Olympic Orchids
Midsummer Day’s Dream by Olympic Orchids
Secretions Magnifiques by Etat Libre de Orange
Vintage Vogade Parfum by Charrier
Amouage Opus VI
Amouage Opus V
Nepal Aoud by Montale
Indian Coconut Nectar by Pacifica
Six Scents Series Two 3 Henrik Vibskov: Solar Donkey Power
Unknown/Unnamed Fragrance
Souffle des Indies by Comptor Sud Pacific
Cologne for Alice by Evocative Perfumes Manufacturers Sample
CHANEL Jersey Manufacturers Sample
Elixer by Penhaligon’s
Amber Nuit by Atelier Cologne
Knize Ten Gold Edition
Cold Water Canyon by Surrender To Chance

Please help me with my clear out and leave a comment.
Portia xx

Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

SAMPLE PACK ROAK GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x SAMPLE PACK RAOK
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us which one from the pack you would most like to sample

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie SAMPLE PACK RAOK GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-486 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 2nd August 2015 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 6th August 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.

Mardi Gras GIVEAWAY WINNERS

May 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Another great giveaway thanks to the incredible Azar, and Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids. Thanks to you girls for being amazing. Consistently amazing.

Portia xx

Mardi Gras GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Olympic Orchids

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2 ml decant of the new Mardi Gras
1 x 1 ml decant from my bottle of Version #1
1 x mystery sample of a dark and musky perfume oil
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you have tried Olympic Orchids new Mardi Gras fragrance or about your favorite “parfum de puta”!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 28th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen brooklodge

Laura Matheson

Claudia

The winners will have till Sunday 31st May 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.

Mardi Gras by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015

May 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 62 Comments

Post by Azar

In 2011 Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids sent me a very unusual gift, two 15 ml prototypes of one of her best selling fragrances. The bottles were labeled Version #1 and Version #3. For whatever reason these perfumes had not made the cut and had never been offered for sale.

Version #3 was a beautiful honeyed citrus with plenty of sandalwood and amber. #1 was also a honeyed fragrance but much louder and more angular, opening with a sharp, synthetic, edgy orange blossom, progressing to a heart of dark, earthy labdanum/cistus/honey and drying down over several hours to a musky, slightly cheesy, animalic civet and amber. I fell in love with Version #1 and so did my husband.

While very different from and not quite as skanky as that quintessential “parfum de puta” – Tabu, Version #1 was definitely in the same league. As far as I knew no one else was wearing this prototype dazzler and I began to consider #1 my personal, one of a kind fragrance.

Late last year Olympic Orchids (with a little prompting) reconsidered the possibilities of Version #1. Ellen toned down the slutty first impression with natural orange blossom and neroli, smoothed and reinforced the cistus with benzoin and tweaked the animalic dry down. The new fragrance, aptly named Mardi Gras, debuted in early 2015.

Mardi Gras by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2015

Photo Stolen Olympic Orchids

Olympic Orchids gives these featured accords in one line:
Orange blossom, neroli, cistus, benzoin, vanilla, civet and special musk blend.

Mardi Gras is a much more sophisticated, refined and wearable scent than Version #1. She is a southern belle who has managed to retain the dark magic of her native New Orleans. Of the two fragrances Mardi Gras is probably the better perfume, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for her brazen older sister.

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
Mardi Gras is available online at Olympic Orchids in 1ml or 30ml

Azar xx

Photo Stolen Kesha&Co

Mardi Gras GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you have tried Olympic Orchids new Mardi Gras fragrance or about your favorite “parfum de puta”!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 28th May 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Sunday 31st May 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.

Is Your Perfume Making You FAT?

February 23, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 67 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ Pals,

Spring is here in February and there is no snow pack in the mountains! Despite assurances to the contrary from the local “powers that be” I’m afraid that the PNW may be in for a long drought and one hot, endless summer. The possibility of dealing with year round bathing suit weather has led me to the realization that I need to drop ten pounds – and FAST!

Is Your Perfume Making You FAT?

Where did this extra weight come from? I exercise daily and eat wholesome food (albeit in mass quantities). OK. I’ll admit that my diet has had an impact on my weight gain but I am beginning to suspect that some of my lovely, vintage fragrances have also had an effect on the pudge. Oh Dear! Perhaps my perfumes are making me FAT!

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Of course, this statement is mere speculation, based on personal experience and totally anecdotal. This assertion is not tied to any scientific studies about phthalates in perfumes (or in anything else for that matter). Phthalates? No doubt you have heard about those plasticizing, xeno-estrogenic chemicals that have been implicated in obesity, infertility, various cancers, asthma, allergies, etc. Most of the phthalates now being used in perfumes have been deemed safe by the international “powers that be“. Nevertheless, I could swear that when I wear old Fidji for more than a week or vintage Poison for a day I start to pack on the pounds.

From what I hear it is almost impossible to avoid exposure to phthalates. They are present, in one form or another, in cosmetics, hair care, deodorants, soaps, perfumes, cleaning and laundry products, shower curtains, candles, garden hoses, lawn furniture, toys, roof shingles, carpeting, automotive interiors…There is even one fragrance that is reminiscent of the smell of a new plastic shower curtain.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Let me make this clear: I understand that all phthalates are not equally evil. That being said, if I can lose a little weight by simply changing my perfume I’m all for it!

And so, starting today, I intend to relegate my vintage beauties and all of my yummy, appetite stimulating gourmands to perfume storage. Out of site, out of mind! Until the ten pounds are lost I will be going au naturel! Perhaps you will join me?

Azar xx

Photo Stolen sassisamblog

Is Your Perfume Making You FAT? GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will receive:
One set of 5 x 1ml (more or less) samples of natural/botanical fragrances from my collection, perfumes I know or imagine to be phthalate free:
Olympic Orchids – Tropic of Capricorn
On the Nose – Smoked Amber
Illuminated Perfumes – Impromptu
Pirouette Essentials – Wild Spruce and Tobacco
Rosarium Blends – The Rosarium
P&H

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell us if you’ve observed that your perfumes are making you fat (or skinny)? Or do you know (or care) if your favorite fragrance contains phthalates?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie http://wp.me/p3PURw-3Ee GIVEAWAY! #Perfume #Giveaway @EllenCovey1 @RoxanaVilla @RosariumBlends

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 26th February 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by some fun honest way
The winners will have till Monday 1st March 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.

Woodcut GIVEAWAY WINNERS

January 17, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Heya APJ Crew,

Another sensational GIVEAWAY comes to a close. Thanks to Azar and Ellen Covey. Do go and check out the wonderful stuff for sale at Olympic Orchids, you’ll be glad you did.
Portia xx

Woodcut GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Olympic Orchids

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x 1ml sample of Woodcut by Olympic Orchids
2 x additional decants of “woody” fragrances from Azar’s collection
P&H to the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone in the world 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

Leave a comment about the new Woodcut fragrance or name your favorite tree or wood smell.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Olympic Orchids Perfume GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3vv #Perfume #Giveaway @EllenCovey1

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 8th January 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by pulling names from a sunhat (maybe)
The old sunhat was getting pretty ratty looking. As sunhats don’t sell well in the winter around here I was able to fund a nice new one for a really cheap price.

The Woodcut winners names were drawn from my spiffy new hat! And the winners are:

Robert Hermann

Jaybee

The winners will have till Sunday 11th January 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.

Azar xx

Woodcut by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2014

January 12, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 60 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ,

Happy New Year – and I am ready for it! There have been too many changes in 2014. This time last year I was dealing with emotional trauma associated with the destruction of the small forest behind our home in Issaquah, WA, “Tree City USA”. The smell of sap and tree blood was almost toxic, the whole experience brutal. After the trees were ripped out and hauled away, a monstrosity of a house was erected not far from our lot line. In an effort to mitigate the view of our neighbors’ kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms we installed 150 feet of cedar fencing, several varieties of timber bamboo, 20 cedar saplings, prayer flags and a large polycarb greenhouse. It will be several years before the bamboo and cedars obscure the up-slope action, but eventually we hope that we will no longer be a part of our neighbors’ intimate daily lives. In the meantime we have been enjoying our greenhouse and looking for peaceful retreats away from the fishbowl that is our home.

Photo Donated Azar

On December 29th Ellen Covey, her husband Michael Clune, Brad and I set out over the Puget Sound to visit Troy Meyers Orchid Conservatory near Poulsbo, WA. The conservatory, residence, greenhouse, shops and guesthouse are located on several acres of beautiful cedars, hemlocks and Douglas firs. When we arrived at our destination an all too familiar smell assaulted my nose…sawn wood and tree sap! Initially I was stunned, but when I took a closer look I could see that our host had very carefully and selectively cut a few trees in order to manage the forest, preserve the buildings and allow the solar panels to continue generating electricity. This well considered stewardship of the land was a far cry from what had happened behind our home in late 2013. Visiting Troy Meyers Orchid Conservatory, staying in the lovely guest cottage and seeing how Troy and his wife Phyllis managed their sustainable and self sufficient life style was the perfect and positive ending to a year dominated by the life, death and smell of trees.

Speaking of the smell of trees: 2014 also saw the launch of Ellen Covey’s new fragrance Woodcut.

Woodcut by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2014

Photo Stolen Olympic Orchids

Woodcut was released late last year and has already made it to the Cafleurebon “Best of 2014” list. The name Woodcut describes the fragrance perfectly.

My first impression of Woodcut was of a bracing, outdoor cedar board scent associated with new fences and carpentry. For me this introduction lasted, at the most, five minutes. There was no gradual transition to the next phase but simply an immediate and sudden shift to a dense and heavy sap, recalling the brooding woodcuts of American artists Leonard Baskin and Edward Gorey. Within 10 minutes or so Woodcut shifted again and a completely different personality appeared. Sugar, caramel, and vanilla surrounded the resinous balsam and created a cozy and comforting perfume that lasted for many hours. Woodcut is perhaps the first fragrance I have experienced that manifests such distinctly different and delineated personalities. The bracing cedar, the dark sap and the caramelized resin do not evolve from one to another but simply change in an instant.

Photo stolen lavanyasrecipes

Woodcut GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x 1ml sample of Woodcut by Olympic Orchids
2 x additional decants of “woody” fragrances from Azar’s collection
P&H to the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Leave a comment about the new Woodcut fragrance or name your favorite tree or wood smell.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Olympic Orchids Perfume GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3vv #Perfume #Giveaway @EllenCovey1

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 8th January 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by pulling names from a sunhat (maybe)
The winners will have till Sunday 11th January 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.

Azar xx

Rosarium Blends Dom by Catamara Rosarium

December 22, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 56 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ,

We all know that perfume evokes memories, changes moods and perspectives, makes us feel beautiful and desirable, serves the purposes of seduction, warms our winters, cools our summers and transports us to lands near and far away. Some fragrances also seem to increase our self-confidence and amplify our power. I wear my “power scents” for the same reasons that some people wear their “power suits”. I have an “armory” (so to speak) of bottles that provide much needed support (power shots) for a variety of occasions and purposes. Today’s review is not about one of those but about a new fragrance, Dom by Catamara Rosarium. Here is a description abstracted and condensed from the Rosarium Blends website:

“Dom – A charm for establishing your sexual dominion. -To lure that which you desire the most. Wear to invoke and manifest your deepest, darkest desires in the flesh. This perfume is for domination in all manner of ways and can be worked with lots of different intentions: [To dominate] a problem in your life, perhaps to dominate your boss, or a coworker, maybe to dominate a spirit… The perfume can also be used to repair damage…giving renewed confidence. The perfume itself is the base for many forms of magic… The only limitations are the ones we create ourselves.”

Rosarium Blends Dom by Catamara Rosarium

The Perfume Power Suit

Photo Stolen Rosarium Blends

Rosarium Blends lists these featured accords in one line:
Vanilla, Smokey Vetiver, Neroli, Lemon, Patchouli, Myrrh, Mugwort, Black Storax

As far as I am concerned domination (whatever that means) is only a very small part of personal power. Nevertheless, I find it intriguing that any scent can have these magical effects. This summer I received a small sample of Dom and subsequently purchased a 9.8 ml bottle, which is fast disappearing.

Photo Stolen LibGuides

My first impression of Dom is that of smoke, vetiver and vanilla laced with citrus blossoms and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). This mugwort is not at all dry. The vanilla, the sweet black storax (styrax) and the rich, earthy, slightly damp and spicy myrrh amplify the natural resinous qualities of the mugwort (AKA European artemisia). As the fragrance develops it becomes an almost gourmand confection of vanilla, lemon and artemisia (a gothic lemon bar!). After two or three hours this strange, dark treat dries down and finishes with more vanilla and incense. Dom is actually quite tenacious for a natural perfume. Even after 24 hours a little bit still lingers on my skin. Also, the sillage changes with body temperature. The hotter I am the more this fragrance projects, even after several hours of wear.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

I love wearing Dom but I can’t really say that it fills me with a sense of power. I do find that people are drawn to me when I wear it and that problems and misunderstandings just seem to melt away or are resolved with gracious good humor. The single issue I have with this perfume is that whenever I wear it I tend to lose focus. I find that I am drawn to myself, fixated on the scent, continually sniffing my wrists, completely under the spell of the smell.

Rosarium Blends has $15/4ml spray or $30/9.8ml splash

Azar xx

Photo stolen lavanyasrecipes

Perfume Power Suit GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get a sample each of these 6 fragrances:
Rosarium Blends Dom
Vintage Karl Lagerfeld’s KL (carded)
Vintage Lucien Lelong Sirocco
Olympic Orchids Olympic Amber
Annick Goutal Grand Amour (carded)
Rasasi Amber Ood CPO
P&H to the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Leave a comment about YOUR power perfumes, which scents do you wear to boost your confidence or are there perfumes that make you feel invincible?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie http://wp.me/p3PURw-3tF #Perfume #Giveaway @AnnickGoutal_FR @EllenCovey1 @KarlLagerfeld @RosariumBlends

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 25th December 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by pulling names from a sunhat (maybe)
The winners will have till Sunday 28th December 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.

Peace – Love – Perfume by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2014

November 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 47 Comments

Post by Azar

Hi APJ!

The latest fragrances from Olympic Orchids, Peace, Love and Perfume, were created as a numbered series for the Peace – Love – Perfume Facebook group and released on August 31st of this year. Each of these new scents (each flower child) is a take on one aspect of the “Hippie” counterculture/youth movement of the 1960s and early 70’s.

Peace – Love – Perfume by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Ellen Covey describes the first in the series, Peace, as “the serious oldest child”.

Listed Notes: Frankincense, cedar, New Caledonian sandalwood, vetiver, double distilled patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, tarragon, Oregon lavender.

My Perceived Notes: Peace opens with a startling dose of tarragon and lavender quickly dissolving into woody resin, frankincense and sandalwood. This incense blend, with just a breath of patchouli, suffuses the skin with an aura of contemplation, lingers for 24 hours and finally fades to a memory of frankincense and vetiver touched with vanilla. Peace is rich, warm, resinous and comforting, perfect for blustery fall and winter evenings by the fire.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Love, “the middle flower child”, is a humid floral featuring an exotic blue lotus accord.

Listed Notes: Blue lotus, sandalwood, frankincense, benzoin, humid air, vanilla, musks, tarragon.

My Perceived Notes: Once again I am momentarily surprised by the minty, camphorous, sweet tarragon top note. A wet blue lotus, with a hint of vanilla and resin, quickly takes over the composition and remains in place throughout the long life of the fragrance. Love finishes with a suggestion of damp vanilla and musk. I would be comfortable wearing Love anytime of the year but especially in spring and early summer.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

The third fragrance, Perfume, is the bright “free spirited youngest child”.

Listed Notes: Cedar, benzoin, vetiver, frankincense, pine wood fraction, myrtle, airy note, Oregon lavender, pink grapefruit.

My Perceived Notes: Perfume is really a cologne with an Olympic Orchids’ twist. Instead of the ubiquitous lemon or generic citrus and herbs, this cologne opens with a combination of pink grapefruit and sweet-sour myrtle continuing into pine, cedar and lavender. Perfume does not radically change over time and fades completely from my skin at about five hours. The refreshing grapefruit/myrtle combination and the cooling effect of the pinewood are perfect for long, hot summer days.

Even though my nose doesn’t register everything, I do NOT encounter any phantom notes or the “obvious but not present” effect in any of these fragrances. In the words of Flip Wilson’s 1970’s comic character Geraldine “What you see is what you get”! Each scent has been designed by the perfumer to be worn separately or layered together for a variety of stunning effects. Peace, Love and Perfume are available at Olympic Orchids boutique website (www.orchidscents.com) individually and in two different boxed sets, perfect for holiday giving.

Peace, Love and Perfume for All!

Azar xx

Photo Stolen sassisamblog

Peace – Love – Perfume GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x set of 1ml samples of Peace, Love and Perfume
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell ell us about your favorite vintage/retro scent, describe your scent memories of the 60′ and 70’s (if you were around in those days) or which Olympic Orchids fragrance do you like best?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie On The Nose: Rosa Ardiente by Kenneth Cory GIVEAWAY @KPCNose #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 27th November 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org or some fun way
As Portia is away on Holidays we will release winners when possible, keep an eye out.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.