Blood Orange Chocolat by Danielle Fleming for Note Fragrances 2016

July 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ,

I tend to shy away from perfume brands that incorporate musical notes (or any reference to music) in their logos and advertising. I suppose this aversion has to do with too many years of teaching piano, too many cute “note” themed gifts, numerous tedious encounters with impossibly cumbersome, experimental notations and a general overdose (year after year) of trendy, interdisciplinary synesthetics involving perfume, performance art and music. Enough of that! Suffice it to say that I would never, on my own, have discovered the Note Fragrances brand, had it not been for my subscription to the sampling service Scent Trunk. (Sampling services are grist for yet another mill!)

Skipping the logo, the romance and the back-story, here are my impressions of Note Fragrances’ Blood Orange Chocolat:

Blood Orange Chocolat by Note Fragrances 2016

Blood Orange Chocolat by Danielle Fleming

For me, Blood Orange Chocolat is all about the sandalwood, specifically Australian sandalwood (S. spicatum or a very good likeness thereof – but “no quote me, I might be wrong”*). I do get an initial rush of blood orange, followed by a potent, lingering mélange of chocolate, tonka, hazelnut, honey and a short squeeze of lemon! But it is the edgy, spicy, raw and dusty mineral quality of S. spicatum (I doubt it is the buttery S. album or another sandalwood – once again “no quote me, I might be wrong”) that blasts this otherwise pleasant and unremarkable gourmand into an entirely different dimension and category. To my nose, Blood Orange Chocolat, despite its name, is not a gourmand fragrance at all. Instead it contrasts chocolate, hazelnut, honey and citrus against the fragrance profile of Australian Sandalwood.

There are various sandalwood oils around here and I don’t really need a chocolate-y, vanilla-sugared version of any of them. But I just have to have more Blood Orange Chocolat! Why? There is a distinct similarity between the dusty honeyed accord in this perfume and the scent that Gomez, the Pionus parrot, emits when he is happy or excited. How can I resist?

Wikipedia

I have to tell you, though, that not everyone around here shares my opinion. Daughter Lauren recently made the trek from New Hampshire to the PNW. One evening, with granddaughter Allie, we enjoyed a sniffing marathon. For both Allie, Lauren (and Brad too) Blood Orange Chocolat was nothing more than this: Sweet blood orange and chocolate.

From what I understand, Blood Orange Chocolat will not be released until September but you can contact Note Fragrances for more information.

Scent Trunk has $74/60ml

BTW – Happy 4th!

Are you wondering if this perfume would work for you or which sandalwood was really used to make the fragrance? Today you have a chance to find out!

Azar xx

*Andy Bumatai from the Daily Pidgin Show

Note Fragrances GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 1.5ml decant of Blood Orange Chocolat by Note Fragrances
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

Please describe your favorite chocolate-y or gourmand fragrance

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 7th July 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 Sunday 10th July 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.

Cult Of Scent GIVEAWAY WINNERS

July 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

Hey Hey APJ,

A huge thank you to Jocelyn Fullerton of Cult of Scent for her generosity. Great response from you guys and really excited to get to the winners.

Let’s do it,
Portia xx

Cult Of Scent GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Cult of Scent

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 1ml decant Cult Of Scent: Sweet Libertine
1 x 1ml decant Cult Of Scent: Hedonist
1 x 1ml decant Cult Of Scent: Something Beautiful
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 3rd July 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner were chosen by random.org

Ellen M

Jackie B

SaffyIsHere

The winners will have till Wednesday 6th July 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.

Moonlight Patchouli GIVEAWAY WINNERS

July 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ,

TinaG & I completely forgot to draw this so here it is.

Don’t forget, if you are a winner
*Winners will be asked to provide a mailing address to me on the email address (apjfeedback {at} gmail {dot} com)
*Within 2 weeks of receiving your decant, please write to the email address (apjfeedback {at} gmail {dot} com) providing a one-paragraph review of your experience testing the frag.
* Let me know your screen-name as I will use your feedback in a future article.
TinaG & Portia xx

Moonlight Patchouli GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cacao, patchouli leaf, woodsy notes
Heart: Iris flower, Bulgarian rose
Base: Fruity notes, leather, suede

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 5 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant Moonlight Patchouli by VC&A
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Friday 1 July at 9pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Pats133

Neva

Greg

Bridget

Koyel

WINNERS

*Winners will be asked to provide a mailing address to me on the email address apjfeedback (at) gmail (dot) com.
* Within 2 weeks of receiving your decant, please write to the email address apjfeedback (as above) providing a one-paragraph review of your experience testing the frag.
* Let me know your screen-name as I will use your feedback in a future article.

No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Œillet Sauvage by Anne Flipo for L’Artisan Perfumer 2000

July 3, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Hard To Find Addicts,

There is a special place in many perfume collectors hearts for the very rare, the discontinued and the earlier iterations. Though I do have some rare birds in the collection it’s about trying the scent for me rather than owning a bottle so a couple of ml will usually satisfy my curiosity. Sometimes though the desire will bite hard and I will move heaven and earth to own the bottle, often laughing at myself for my utter lack of self control.

Today we are looking at a case in point. It was rare as hens teeth, often talked about in hushed, reverential tones and the people who loved it went to any extreme to get some. Then they rereleased it and because it had become less interesting than it originally was people stayed away, now it’s been discontinued again. I bought mine from a mate who often splits, RuthK, and she has told me it’s an older bottle from the original lot! WOO HOO! Today is my first wearing. You get to come along on the olfactory journey with me today. YAY!!

Œillet Sauvage by L’Artisan Perfumer 2000

Œillet Sauvage by Anne Flipo

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Pepper, Pink pepper
Heart: Carnation, Rose, White lily, Ylang-ylang, Aegean wallflower
Base: Cedar, Musk

Pepper & peony are how Fillet Sauvage opens for me, but pretty quickly the slang fronts up giving a creamy floral warmth. Then quite clearly through that floats carnation, that cool, fresh, powdery feel of carnations against your cheek and in your nose. It contains the light flowers and the sharp undertone. When I press my nose against the fragrance it’s much more realistic carnations, as I move away it becomes a tropical floral. It smells to me like there is some coconut and banana hidden in the depths, and palm leaves.

PDP

Œillet Sauvage is quite heady through the heart, not loud or bombastic but the scent is warm and spicy. Like a bouquet that has some soft jasmine and tuberose, carnations, yang, some coniferous greenery and palm leaves. Actually, Œillet Sauvage could have been one of the early Annick Goutal scents. It has a very similar proud elegance, sultry and still prim, like there’s a vamp hiding underneath the prettiness. A tigress waiting the perfect time to pounce.

No wonder this was talked of with such reverence. It is absolutely gorgeous. What a shame its gone.

Further reading: One Thousand Scents
eBay sometimes has bottles
Surrender To Chance has modern samples starting at $4.50/ml

What is your discontinued gem? Do you love carnation?
Portia xx

Dior Eau Sauvage: Tribute to a Legend: Video

July 2, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ,

Christian Dior’s Eau Sauvage has been a staple mens fragrance, gracing their bathrooms and bureaus since 1966. It has survived the changes in fashion and fragrance with tweaks and reformulations. Still it contains hints of what it was while also smelling very nice on the people who love to wear it. Even now when I ask someone who smells particularly good what they’re wearing the answer is sometimes Eau Sauvage.

DIOR has done a lovely video below to celebrate its eternal cash cow. Bravo. 50 years is quite an achievement. Here’s to 50 more.

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, basil, bergamot, cumin, lavender, fruit
Heart: Jasmine, rose, carnation, iris root, coriander, patchouli, sandalwood
Base: Oakmoss, vetiver, musk, amber

Dior Eau Sauvage: Tribute to a Legend

Sweet Libertine by Jocelyn Fullerton for Cult Of Scent

July 1, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 30 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Independent Perfume Lovers,

As you may know I really love the Independent Perfumers. Though I know they are not the right fit for everybody what really appeals to me about their work is the immediacy, the raw, fun, often outrageous ways they take their fragrances. Many of them use a high percentage of the commonly known as natural ingredients which can mean more distinction on how it will wear for you personally. They are also far less bound by market forces, regulation and fashion. No matter how talented a perfumer for the big boys may be they will almost always be working to a brief, that’s not the way to foster creativity and I imagine that many of their lives are far less fun and glamorous than we dream.

Today I’m wearing a fragrance made by one of my mates, Jocelyn, whose fragrances I find extremely enjoyable to wear. Come for the journey with me.

Sweet Libertine by Cult Of Scent

Sweet Libertine by Jocelyn Fullerton

Cult of Scent

I won’t put the notes up because you’ll need them to enter the GIVEAWAY below.

Sweet Libertine reads like an intensely animal floral on my skin. It’s a warm, lyrical extravaganza that pulses off my skin in warm auburn hues and creates a fiery warmth in my heart. It purrs beautifully, resinous and elegant, for a couple of hours before the woods take over and more resins that linger and fade over another couple of hours.

Wikipedia

There is something very Australian Outback within its sensual coils and it reminds me of the summer mornings spent down in Temora on my Aunty Faye and Uncle Jim’s farm. The house was clean, spotless, and the table waxed. The red earth and eucalyptus were heating up, chickens scratching around the front yard, dogs at the back door and the sheep were baa-ing. Fresh flowers on the breakfast table, sometimes it was jasmine or wisteria, others it was freesias, zinnias, geraniums of everlasting daisies. The men would eat breakfast early and then be off about their days.

Cult of Scent has Sweet Libertine starting at $35/8ml Travel Spray
There is also a Cult of Scent Sampler $35/3ml samples of the Cult of Scent range

Cult Of Scent GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 1ml decant Cult Of Scent: Sweet Libertine
1 x 1ml decant Cult Of Scent: Hedonist
1 x 1ml decant Cult Of Scent: Something Beautiful
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to Cult of Scent<< JUMP and find me a fragrance and an ingredient it contains. No Double Ups!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 3rd July 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 Wednesday 6th July 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.

Orange Flower Soliflore by Dame Perfumery 2016

June 30, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hey there frag friends!

Robert H. here writing from my small island home in the Pacific Northwest. Today I am drenched in, and loving…..

Orange Flower Soliflore by Dame Perfumery 2016

Anytime I get a package from Arizona’s Dame Perfumery with new soliflores is a happy and exciting day indeed!

After Jeffrey Dame’s stunning photorealistic Gardenia soliflore from 2015, I was wondering how the hell he could ever top that, that is until now. You make it better by adding some photorealistic orange flower to the top, et voila!

This gorgeous soliflore opens with an enormous blast of pithy and bitter orange, flesh, peel, stem, leaves, blossoms and all. The scent of an orange being cut open on a warm sunlit terrace, your hands sticky and runny with the juice. Not just any orange however, this is a “Fruit Of The Month” quality citrus, you know….the ones you get at the holidays in the cardboard padded box? Six oranges for $30.00, fresh from the orchard, organic, unblemished, and just perfect. Yeah, THAT orange.

As you sit on your sun-drenched terrace and the smell of this magnificent fruit flows over you, you also notice the smell of the potted jasmine and gardenia starting to mix in, and underneath it all the sweet clean musk scent from the skin of your bronzed companion sitting right beside you. Or maybe the cabana boy? It’s your call!

Now I happen to know that Dame Perfumery knows how to do Musk really well, and if you haven’t tried his New Musk Oil or Cologne, go online RIGHT NOW and order some samples!! (Make sure you get the Gardenia as well). So mixing a touch of musk and gardenia with the glorious citrus is a stroke of genius. The result is a beautiful citrus-centric white floral that will make you roll your eyes back in your head. Sadly, the longevity is not terrific, but that’s actually just fine. The rollerballs are such a great deal that you can re-apply with abandon all day long, with no regrets at all!

Dame Perfumery has $35/10ml rollerball

Have you tried any of the Dame Perfumery range? Any other Orange flower perfumes that you absolutely adore?

Moisture Eating Virus?

June 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Sandra

Hey there APJ! Hope everyone is doing well.

I am beginning to wonder if I have been infected with a new virus – the moisture eating virus that hits early September and then suddenly disappears again at the beginning of June. It had even gotten to the point before I started experimenting that my lips would bleed, the skin on my fingers would crack and bleed and my skin in general looked like an aged snake shedding its skin.

If you will allow me I will take you on my painful journey of being plagued with extremely dry and sensitive skin. It all began when I moved away from home at 18 to attend university. I moved to my first colder climate zone ever and was shocked to learn that I needed not only a warm comforter at night to keep me warm but that my skin would start experiencing dermatitis for the first time. Then I moved to Austria and everything went downhill from there. Not only did my skin worsen but I was also diagnosed with celiac which also comes with a plethora of skin issues. So, if you see me in the heat of summer – baking myself lazyly under the sun like the languid iguanas – it is for good reason – all my issues clear up in warmth and humidity and vitamin D! For the rest of the year I am stuck with spending my money on products that help me look like myself again.

Moisture Eating Virus?

What works for me? Perhaps I can help someone save time and money.

Lips:

Cicaplast Levres – Baume Barriere Reparateur
This lip cream goes on smooth and soft. It takes away any cracks or bleeds and is specifically made for those of us who have autoimmune issues like celiac. Put it on at night and wake up to baby soft lips in the morning. In the winter I carry it with me in case I need it.

Lucas Pawpaw Ointment
I always carry a tube with me because not only do I use it on my lips but everywhere where I have a problem and I put some on and it stops me from looking like a psych patient wanting to scratch non-existent bugs out of my skin.

Body:

Bioderma Atoderm Huile de douche
I buy the 1 litre bottles and the whole family uses this excellent shower and bath oil. My skin in silky smooth after I use this.

Bioderma Atoderm PO Zinc
I can clear up almost any dermatitis with this. Not only do I use it on my body but in the dead of winter when my face needs extra moisture I put this on at night.

Face:

La Mer
My face is a tricky one because most creams that I have tried have resulted in a serious dermatitis outbreak. Fifteen years ago I was introduced to the La Mer Creme de La Mer and the La Mer Concentrate, love them and use them daily, and I have to admit that I am quite nervous in trying anything new. If you have any recommendations for me I welcome them because perhaps a newer formula would have even better results.

Neck and chest:

Clarins Face Treatment Oil Santal and Blue Orchid.
Both are wonderful but I reach for the Blue Orchid in the evenings as I find it a bit more nourishing than the Santal which I use during the day.

Do you have dry skin? What do you use? I would be very grateful for more tips as summer is only three months here and then I have to get serious again.

Aroma M Oils by Maria McElroy

June 28, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Konnichiwa APJ!

After my last post featuring the Geisha Vanilla Hinoki EdP, it would be remiss not to mention the seductive oils from Aroma M. I now own both the Geisha Vanilla Hinoki Oil and the Geisha Noire Oil. Intimate, hypnotic and sensual, they warrant a post of their own. No misunderstanding here, Aroma M´s perfumed oils are not soft nor weak. Quite the opposite. They are breathtakingly intense and personal.

Maria McElroy spent seven years in Japan, and her recognition and gratitude for the culture inspired her line of the Geisha Oils. They are poured by hand into roll-on bottles and each bottle is wrapped in patterned Yuzen papers, handcrafted in Kyoto.

Aroma M Oils by Maria McElroy

The Geisha Noire and the Geisha Vanilla Hinoki Oils. Roll-on perfumes

Geisha Noire Oil by Aroma M

Black amber, sandalwood, tonka bean

This is a concentrated, heavy, dark smoky oil. And yet it is intimate, making it perfect for yoga or meditation. Far be it from me to tell anyone how much perfume to apply but be careful, this is poky stuff. Tenacious as heck, it lasts twenty four hours on me. See the notes? Divine but not angelic!

Geisha Vanilla Hinoki Oil by Aroma M

Bergamot, hinoki, lavender, leather, patchouli, amyris, cedarwood

A condensed, brighter, deeper version of the Vanilla Hinoki EdP. (Which I loved so much I just HAD to order the oil.) The bergamot weightier, the lavender sharper, the spices warmer, the hinoki clearer, Vanilla Hinoki is serene and restful. The rich sugarless smoky Moroccan vanilla surrounded by wisps of patchouli. Harmonious and soothing on its own, but a joyous explosion layered with the EdP.

Aroma M Perfumes offer a wonderful service and samples of everything and ships worldwide.

I don´t always want my fragrance to bounce off of others, hence my love for extraits, dabbing, and as of late oils.
I need to investigate oils further. Is perfume in the form of an oil something you like?

Tranquil Bussis
CQ

Muguet Porcelain GIVEAWAY WINNER

June 28, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ!!
Bloody hell! I forgot to draw the winner.

There’s a name below.
WOO HOO!
Portia xx

Muguet Porcelain GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Muguet Porcelain by Hermès manufacturers sample (my blogging sample)
1 x sample Be Beautiful by Jessica Mauboy (from my bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Saturday 25th June 2016 10pm
Winner was chosen by random.org

Ellen Covey

The winner will have till Friday July 1st 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.