Nightscape by Ulrich Lang New York 2009

June 9, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fumies,

Jin and I were in Paris earlier this year, it was supposed to be a calm and quiet three days but it was CRAZY!! The day we arrived was the opening day of Tranoï Paris 2016 and the Le Galion guys had invited us. Rude not to really. So I just opened a bag that I kept my Kusmi Teas in and inside was a selection of the Ulrich Lang fragrances in carded manufacturers samples. YAY!!!

Ulrich is a lovely man, from the little I know him, and so super cool. We had a great time hanging out at Tranoï and I hope to get to hang with him again.

I particularly loved Lightscape a while back and it was excellent to get to see the whole range. Obviously a frag convention is a terrible place to smell fragrance because there are too many warring bits and pieces of scent flying about so I brought them home to try, and some extras to share.

Nightscape by Ulrich Lang New York 2009

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mint, basil, sage, bergamot, tangerine, lime
Heart: Jasmine, geranium, violet, sesame, honey
Base: Patchouli, guava, moss, leather, amber, wood notes

Nightscape begins with a flurry of tangy green, a bit like the mixings for an alcoholic drink without the booze. Crisp, refreshing, herbaceous and very quietly sweet. Within the first 5 minutes the patchouli makes an entrance, modern patchouli sheer and radiant but with just enough oomph to give a saucy wink to the headshop patchoulis of old.The bouquet is all melded so seamlessly that it reads to my nose as an amorphous floral hum and I’m not sure if I can really smell honey or if the note list has planted that idea in my head.

There is a joyful feeling of anticipation through nightscape, nothing scary or ferocious. It feels grand but not in a baroque way, more grand like the feeling of expensive hotel sheets, understated and simple but luxurious. It’s the satin finished patina of a years old platinum wedding ring.

A couple of hours in and the sheerest patchouli and maybe violet, something sweetly green and waxy hum quietly around me. Nightscape is calm and cool. I really like it.

Ulrich Lang

Further reading: EauMG and Now Smell This
Luckyscent has $120/100ml + Samples

Have you tried any Ulrich Lang fragrances? Do you have a favourite patchouli fragrance?
Portia xx

Ulrich Lang GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive these 2ml Carded Manufacturers Samples:
1 x Anvers by Ulrich Lang
1 x Anvers 2 by Ulrich Lang
1 x Aperture by Ulrich Lang
1 x Lightscape by Ulrich Lang
1 x Nightscape by Ulrich Lang
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 us have you tried any Ulrich Lang fragrances? Do you have a favourite patchouli fragrance?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 12th June 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 15th June 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.

N’Aimez Que Moi by Ernest Daltroff for Caron 1916

June 8, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Willa Zheng

Hi reader,

“Love no one but me” from the venerable but nowadays much overlooked House of Caron is, in my humble opinion, one of the great romantic perfumes of 20th century. Launched during the height of WW1, it also happens to celebrate its 100 year anniversary this year.

N’Aimez Que Moi by Caron 1916

N’Aimez Que Moi by Ernest Daltroff

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lilac, violet, rose
Heart: Iris, cedar, vetiver, sandalwood
Base: Vanilla, amber, musk, oakmoss

Fittingly for a perfume that sounds like an Edith Piaf love song, N`Aimez Que Moi opens like an old skool rose fragrance – geraniumy and drenched in clove-like eugenols that IFRA could banish this juice at any moment. My 22 year old, Miu Miu wearing work colleague says it smells just like her grandma. Well darling, your grandma has excellent taste.

Five minutes in, powdery, cosmetic-like notes such as violets and lilac emerge to join in the waltz with garden roses. Ever prised open the lid of Caron’s famous loose face powders? This is its fragrance!

Ten minutes later, woody chypre base notes creep in to give the fragrance a bit depth and some character. The main experience of wearing N’Aimez Que Moi conveys a big, radiant rose fragrance sitting on a dry layer of sandalwood. Emotionally, it’s the olfactory equivalent of an operatic Aria. The wearer of N’Aimez Que Moi is beautiful, assertive and yet lamentful.

The drydown of N’Aimez Que Moi, which emerges after about 4 hours, is a classic vintage chypre-base comprised of amber, musk and oakmoss, not dissimilar to the base of vintage Arpege. It creates a heavy, dark, rounded base that is a nuanced melange of the sweet, the skanky and the dirty.

My N`Aimez Que Moi edp (vintage 2007) has moderate to heavy silage, depending on the body heat of the wearer. Like an olfactory forget-me-not, this edp sustains itself for an impressive 12hrs +.

Further reading:
LuckyScent has $100/7ml extrait
Surrender To Chance has extrait samples from $5/0.5ml

Do you have a favourite Caron?

Queen Of The Night by Bertrand Duchaufour for Grandiflora 2016

June 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Hello gorgeous APJ people! I have some local Sydney fragrant goings ons to share with you today:

You have to be very swift if you wish to chat to Sydney based, floral artist, Saskia Havekes about any particular project, as the minute she completes one she dives head first into the next. I find her humble, inspirational and extremely driven. Beautiful in both looks and personality, I always enjoy and feel privileged for the times I’ve popped into her “flower cave,” Grandiflora in Potts Point for a catchup.

Queen Of The Night by Grandiflora 2016

Queen Of The Night by Bertrand Duchaufour

Saskia Havekes of Grandiflora – A Head Spinning Catch Up and a new fragrance!!

Later this month Saskia will travel to France where she will release Grandiflora’s fourth fragrance – Queen Of The Night by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. BERTRAND DUCHAUFOUR!! My mind boggled at how she came about working with one of my (and many of your) favourite perfumers: “ I made contact with Bertrand on a bended knee after I was formally introduced to him by by a dear mutual friend in Cabris. He had heard of our work and of course I always loved his Calamus he created for Comme des Garcons…..An all time favorite of mine” said Saskia.

The transient Queen of the Night flowers open for only 1 hour at night and are rumoured to be a very strong aphrodisiacs, hypnotic, “stirring up the loins.”(Oh my!!) After it flowers, it is spent, thus it is a real privilege to experience it – both the scent and visually. Late night parties do occur to observe the flowers bloom – attending one is now firmly on my bucket list!

Saskia is behind the enlightening floral artistry within the pages of Michael Edwards – Fragrances Of The World, 2016 guidebook, releasing this month. Her partner, Gary Heery is a renowned photographer and together they truly have made magic happen, ensuring every composition is emotive and captivates. The pictures tell the story of each fragrance-family group. Saskia uses her materials – flowers, woods, greenery, spices, honey and more, just like a painter, focused on colours and textures. Materials are overlapped, teased and made prominent. Increased attention to space and light around the materials was given, compared to the dense nature of the beautiful work she did for Fragrances Of The World 2013 guidebook.

Last month I was lucky to work with Saskia and her team as part of Australian fashion label, Aje’s Sydney Fashion Week show at Carriageworks, Sydney. It was my job to fill the huge space with Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine fragrance, creating an unexpected and much talked about scented ambience for the runway – a first for Sydney fashion week!

In April, Grandiflora released their first candles, Madagascan Jasmine and Queen Of The Night, collaborating with France’s oldest candlemakers, Cire Truden. Both are encased in gold dipped, Italian porcelain vessels and housed in beautiful Magnolia Grandiflora packaging and available from the Grandiflora store and online.

Busy, right?! What an incredible woman and just so great for us she is Sydney based. I’ll be back soon with some more on the Queen of the Night launch in France later this month and hopefully a giveaway or two! In the meantime I think we should all be rushing to find some of these incredible plants so we can all experience the magic of the Queen of the Night in bloom! Have any of you experienced this phenomenon?

Until next time,
Ainslie XX

Week Of Giveaways WINNERS

June 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey Gang,

Haven’t heard from all our Week Of Giveaway Winners yet. Please check below. You all have till Wednesday night here in Oz to get your addresses to portia_turbo@yahoo.com.au.

If you’ve sent through your details I’ve crossed you out.

Thanks,

Portia xx

Week Of Giveaways WINNERS

Belle de Jour GIVEAWAY WINNER

Katherine Mittas

Equinox Bloom GIVEAWAY WINNERS

~~Lena~~

~~Despina Veneti~~

Tauer Perfumes Sample Pack GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~Lindaloo~~

White Spirit by JHaG GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~SaffyIsHere~~

Hermann ELdO GIVEAWAY WINNERS

~~Greennote2~~

~~Ellen M~~

~~*sophi*~~

Lori L

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY WINNER

~~Tim~~

Thank You to those I’ve heard from. HURRY UP to those I haven’t.

Portia xx

Miyako Extrait by Eugene and Emrys Au for Auphorie 2015

June 6, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello Frag Junkies!

Have you ever encountered a scent that you like (maybe even love) one day and then can’t abide the next? Recently I had that experience with Auphorie’s Miyako, one of the winning fragrances in this year’s Art and Olfaction Awards Artisan Perfumer category.

Miyako Extrait by Auphorie 2015

Miyako Extrait by Eugene and Emrys Au

The Power of the Peach III – Jekyll and Hyde

Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Top: Apricot, yuzu, peach
Heart: Osmanthus, jasmine, green tea, leather
Base: Hinoki wood, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, katsura leaf

YUM! It is easy to imagine the power of this peach!

In late March, after reading a couple of complimentary reviews, I purchased a sample of Miyako Extrait and fell in love at first sniff. The heavy richness of peach and sweetness of osmanthus (reminiscent of Olympic Orchids Red Cattleya) were brightened and lifted by the dry, airy elements of an astringent yuzu and a perfect green tea (not the screechy kind). This rather unique take on peach developed into warm, woodsy leather, integrated with the continued presence of osmanthus. As time went by Miyako opened up as a glowing floral, eventually settling into comforting, amber-y sandalwood. The beautiful experience lasted about five hours, the last three as skin scent. My initial sampling of Miyako Extrait convinced me that here was a fragrance worthy of the time it takes to write up a post. As you can see, I’m still writing, but with trepidation…

PDP

My next encounter with Miyako was not so pleasant. Two weeks after the first spritz I sampled the extrait again. Instead of being transported to a garden of earthly delights, I found myself opening a nasty closet in an old, smoky motel room; a closet that had not been cleaned or even aired for many years in a room redolent of mildew, old leather, dust and ineffectual fruity/floral room freshener. What ever happened to my lovely Miyako?

The weekend after this experience I was visiting a couple of friends who just happened to have their own sample of Miyako. That day we all experienced the smell of nasty motel room. Previous to this my friends had been in love with their sample too. But the story doesn’t end with a stink.

Yesterday one of the friends joined us, at our home, for dinner and a distillation. After the fun we decided to sample Miyako once again. We were surprised and pleased to find that the perfume (my sample this time) was once again a beauty.

Wikipedia

So…what’s going on here? I’ve pretty much ruled out body chemistry as the cause, as three different bodies had similar good and bad experiences. The only explanation that comes to mind has to do with atmospheric pressure, humidity and/or temperature. Last night I loved Miyako but who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Further reading: Perfumes I Love and Colognoisseur
Scent Trunk has $90/30ml

Have you ever smelled a perfume that exhibited such a blatant split personality disorder? Do you have any idea what explains this Jekyll and Hyde effect? Have you tried Miyako?

Azar xx

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY WINNER

June 6, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ Crew,

It has been a sensational week of giveaways here at APJ this week. Now comes the packing and sending. It’s super fun trotting down to the post Office with packages. They all know us now down there so it’s Chitty Chatty McChatty every week.
Thanks everyone for getting involved.
Portia xx

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus notess, cedrat bark, bergamot
Heart: Nutmeg, blue ginger
Base: Cedar, cashmere wood

L’Occitane Australia has all these beauties

A special thanks to Lesley at L’Occitane Australia for her generosity. XXXXX

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive over $100 of product:
1 x 100ml Eau de Cedrat EdT (missing a few ml from testing)
1 x 150ml Cedrat Shave Foam
1 x 100g Cedrat soap
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 5th June 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Tim

The winner will have till Wednesday 8th June 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Vanille Tonique by Mark Evans for Evocative Perfumes 2014

June 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ,

This weekend has seen Mark Evans as the featured perfumer on Facebook Fragrance Friends. When I saw him there it reminded me to put on one of his creations. Then I thought I’d look it up to see what I’d written about it but OMG! there was no APJ post about it. Let’s fix that right now then…..

Vanille Tonique by Evocative Perfumes 2014

Vanille Tonique by Mark Evans

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Olibanum, ylang-ylang
Heart: Vanilla, orchid, woods
Base: Ambrette (musk mallow), musk, benzoin

Thick and dry, resinous and sweet. Not bakery. A woody balminess that is crackly for the first few minutes and then suddenly smooths over into a soft as silk creamy caramel. Lightly smoky and warming.

The heart is a simple vanilla centre with softly fragrant back ups that add interest and keep the vanilla alive. Much more sheer through the heart, so wearable and engaging. If you are looking for a challenging fragrance that really pushes the boundaries you won’t find it here. Vanilla Tonique is softly alluring and sweetly wearable. I would even suggest it as a perfect date-night scent because while it’s no powerhouse in the 2-4 hour mark it is a lovely low key fragrance that could well be irresistible.

WikiCommons

I love that Mark Evans is an Aussie Independent Perfumer who is full of fire and enthusiasm. Part of my love for the indies is their ability to do wonderful stuff unfettered by IRFA compliance and rooms full of target audience panels. Here is a man who really loves fragrance and wants to add his olfactory voice to the chorus.

Evocative Perfumes has the Oil and EdP starting at $40
Evocative Perfumes also has the sample set on SALE! AUD$28 10 x 1ml samples FREE WORLD SHIPPING!

Have you tried any of the Evocative Perfumes?

Portia xx

Hermann ELdO GIVEAWAY WINNERS

June 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

Well I thought I had three sets of these frags but it seems I have 4 so I’m giving 4 away!
YAY

Thanks to my mate Bronwyn, Etat Libre d’Orange Australia has $185/100ml

Portia xxx

Hermann ELdO GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Geosmin, island musk, pepperwood, petalia, rose, patchouli, ambrosian

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x Hermann ELdO Manufacturers Sample
1 x Remarkable People ELdO Manufacturers Sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Saturday 4th June 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Greennote2

Ellen M

sophi

Lori L

The winners will have till Wednesday 8th June 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.

L’Occitane Cedrat

June 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello APJ Fragrant Family,

This week I am dedicating APJ to a GIVEAWAY WEEK! Yes, every day for six out of seven days there will be a 24 hour GIVEAWAY. That’s right, you’ll have 24 hours to get your comment in and then it will be drawn. Enter every day if you like but only one comment per day. Got it?

Cedrat by L`Occitane en Provence 2015

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus notess, cedrat bark, bergamot
Heart: Nutmeg, blue ginger
Base: Cedar, cashmere wood

You may know I’m partial to a bath. Cedrat Shower Gel is one of my go-to bath time bubble and cleansing gels. I was sent one bottle when it was released, bought and used a second and now am going to grab myself a third bottle (only $29/250ml at L’Occitane Australia). The scent is beautiful, it foams excellently, leaves my skin soft and with the merest hint of fresh citrus zing. Perfect as a base because so many fragrances contain a citrus element. I have also used one of the soaps and loved it too.

Cedrat gives me a very fresh burst of citrus and a little of the cedar from my bathing. The EdT is a lot more nuanced and has a lovely spicy woods kick that smells very cologne-ish but lasts longer. A lovely vibrant, energised fragrance that I could imagine becoming a go-to daily scent for work and play. After a couple of hours the citrus has burned off leaving a crisp smoky wood that is a bit like pencil shavings but a little creamier.

L’Occitane Australia has all these beauties

A special thanks to Lesley at L’Occitane Australia for her generosity. XXXXX

L’Occitane Cedrat GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell us a fragrance that energises you….

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close TOMORROW Sunday 5th June 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 8th June 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.

White Spirit by JHaG GIVEAWAY WINNER

June 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

Hello Lovely APJers,

Particularly excited to give this magnificent presentation case away today. The scent is pretty darn fabulous too.

Thanks to Libertine Parfumerie and Elysee Collective for sending through this sample pack.
Portia xxx

White Spirit by JHaG GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine sambac, tuberose
Heart: Ambroxan, tuberose
Base: Amber, cedar, musk, sandalwood

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x White Spirit Manufacturers Sample (my review sample remnants)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Friday 3rd June 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners was chosen by random.org