L’Occitane + Pierre Herme GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

November 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Thank you everyone for getting involved. Especially thankin Lesley from L’Occitane Australia. Don’t Forget: L’Occitane Australia have FREE DELIVERY on orders over $100 and most sets come GIFT WRAPPED. So if you want something both beautiful & affordable then you might want to think L’Occitane, they are excellent products.

L’Occitane + Pierre Herme GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Gift Set $95 L’Occitane Australia

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners (1 Aussie, 2 Overseas) who will receive:
1 x AUSSIE: Jasmin Immortelle Neroli pack
1 x 75ml Jasmin Immortelle Neroli EdT
1 x 250ml Jasmin Immortelle Neroli Shower Gel
1 x 250ml Jasmin Immortelle Neroli Body lotion
2 x OVERSEAS: Miel Mandarine Hand Cream
1 x 30ml Miel Mandarine Hand Cream
P&H

Hand Cream $13 L’Occitane Australia

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 29th November 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen thegarfieldshow-diary

Australia: Amanda

Overseas: Annet Z + Musette

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners will have till Thursday 3rd 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.

Eau de Toilette 75ml $62 L’Occitane Australia

Coriandre by Jacqueline Couturier for Jean Couturier 1973

November 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

I bought my bottle of Coriandre a couple of summers ago during a visit to Hobart. There’s a perfumery there called St Cloud that I loved years ago when I lived in Hobart. I still I remember the thrill of buying a teeny bottle of Chanel No 19 parfum back in 19 … oh, never mind …

The business has moved premises but when I got chatting to the guy I was charmed to discover it is still run by the same people. Riding this wave of nostalgia, I could not resist a 100 ml bottle of Coriandre.

Coriandre by Jean Couturier 1973

Coriandre by Jacqueline Couturier

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, coriander, orange blossom, angelica, bergamot
Heart: Violet root, lily, jasmine, rose, geranium, iris, ylan ylang
Base: Sandalwood, patchouli, musk, civet, oakmoss, vetiver

If you are worried that Coriandre will smell like coriander (cilantro), do still give it a try it. It does not remind me of the leaves, but the warmth of the seeds is there (much less pungent than the actual spice). It will not remind you of food in the least.

Photo Stolen Wikimedia

Coriandre is essentially a green fragrance, a chypre, but not as stemmy as, say, Balmain’s Vent Vert or CHANEL’s Bel Respiro. There is no chewy galbanum, and no juicy citrus. It makes a great fragrance for summer if you like to avoid citrus colognes. The effect is herbal, a little spicy, woody and earthy, and quite dry. I struggle to think of anything like it, really, although the mossy element dates Coriandre to before the 1990s.

Coriandre crackles with intelligence and wit, easily a unisex fragrance. It’s like a country cousin to CHANEL No 19 or Rive Gauche, much less refined. It’s as if Coriandre dropped out of law school and set up a pottery studio in a farm shed on Mum and Dad’s property.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The fragrance reformulated in 1993. I’m reviewing the modern EDT, which is mostly what you see at the online discounters now. I can well believe that Coriandre is not what it was: the scent on skin often strikes me as too woody and harsh. The sillage is lighter, greener and much more nuanced. Longevity on me is moderate.

On the day I bought my bottle of Coriandre I had no internet access and it was a true impulse buy. Only when I got home did I realise that I probably paid twice what I should have. I’ve no regrets though. I helped a long-standing small business to survive another day and I had a fun experience. There was no tester but the guy in the shop opened his only bottle so I could sniff it. He keeps Coriandre pretty much for one customer, he told me, a man who buys it once a year for his wife whose signature it is. Wondering who this fascinating, unknown Coriandre-wearing lady was, I hardly noticed as my credit card leapt out of my wallet and did a little dance across the counter towards the till. Sold!

Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume Shrine
FragranceNet has EdT $23/100ml before coupon

Until next time – keep spritzing everyone!
Anne-Marie xx

Vanilla Smoke by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes 2015

November 28, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fragrant Friends,

Mandy Aftel is one of the best known & most loved Indie perfumers on the planet. Not only for her stellar fragrances but also for her books on fragrance (Essence & Alchemy and Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent) and her natural perfumery school. My every dealing with her has been so lovely, she is one of the greats and has the most beautiful presentation in her packaging. The whole Aftelier product is so luxurious and getting an order is exquisite fun opening it all up. My favourite way to buy Aftelier is the A Trio of Miniatures in a Silk Pouch that is also in a tin. I use these miniatures as gifts when I’m travelling, giving one to people who I particularly love or who have gone out of their way, and they are always accepted with real pleasure.

Photo Stolen Aftelier

Vanilla Smoke by Aftelier Perfumes 2015

Vanilla Smoke by Mandy Aftel

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Yellow mandarin, Siam wood, saffron absolute, vanilla absolute, lapsang souchong tea essence (tea leaves smoked over pinewood), coumarin, ambergris

After reading her review I was chatting briefly with Victoria over on EauMG and … Portia: .. the EdP felt like a magical Shalimar restructuring. It’s my favourite so it was really nice to smell the Ultimate Smoke Shalimar with extra twists and nuance. Victoria: .. a big yes to Ultimate Smoke Shalimar because that’s accurate! The EDP reminds me very much of like modern, smoky Shalimar, like Shalimar roasting marshmallows over a campfire.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Vanilla, warm, comforting, sensual and alluring. The simplest of scents yet also incredibly complex. In Vanilla Smoke Mandy Aftel has added spice and heavy resins that are cut through with the strong smoky tea note of lapsang souchong, When I read the note list before trying Vanilla Smoke, and before reading any other reviews, I thought it was going to be a very dense, hefty, thick scent. One perfectly chosen to warm and sweeten winter nights but too gluggy and oppressive for the warmer months. No Way! Somehow Mandy has managed to lift it and gift it air, while being fully and gloriously fragrant and the opening is mildly ferocious in a VERY good way, there is a floaty sheer-ness that makes it feel free. I don’t know if you remember those 1980s video clips where it was dusk or dark and smoke billowing around some half naked male dancers and a fabulously made up songstress in an over the top gown belting out a power ballad with a dance backbeat? Vanilla Smoke has all the glamour, fun and over the top outrage but softened for a modern market.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Vanilla Smoke is dry and desiccated, elegant and totally immersive up close. From further away, or on someone else, it wears less dry and you get to smell that lovely vanilla shining through the smoke. Another reviewer wrote sumptuous and I concur, perfect word for Vanilla Smoke.

Further reading: EauMG and ScentHive
Aftelier has $180/30ml EdP
Aftelier has $180/7.5ml Parfum

Do you have a Mandy Aftel fragrance that you adore? If you haven’t tried her yet, go visit the site Aftelier<<JUMP. It’s full of beautifully fragrant things that aren’t only perfume…
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

Calvin Klein: Making Fall 2015 Campaign

November 27, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hi there Fashion/Art?Fumies,

Here’s in an interesting piece about Calvin Klein bringing in visual artist Charles Atlas to create the Fall 2015 Campaig. What happens in a beautiful and quirky fusion of artistic vision. Perfectly focused and something lovel. I like it when the huge multinationals give an artist free reign to make their own mark.

I hope you enjoy this little look into the process.

Portia xx

Photo Stolen Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein: Making Fall 2015 Campaign

L’Occitane + Pierre Herme: 2015 Limited Editions

November 26, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey crew!

Went to lunch with my buddy Lesley from L’Occitane Australia last week. We were at a very nice restaurant, full of business people and wealthy ladies that lunch and were having the best time laughing about yucky food that our families used to eat all the time but if we were to be given them for the first time today we’d be like, “GAK! That looks DISGUSTING!!!” We laughed till we cried, seriously my tummy was so sore afterwards. Even now I am sniggering quietly to myself. Not only did we laugh like naughty schoolboys she also gave me a slew of stuff for you all to try, all new for Christmas 2015.

L’Occitane Australia have FREE DELIVERY on orders over $100 and most sets come GIFT WRAPPED.

L’Occitane + Pierre Herme

Unexpected Encounters + 2015 Limited Editions

Gift Set $95 L’Occitane Australia

Jasmin, Immoertelle, Neroli by L’Occitane 2015

The fragrance of pastry chef Pierre Hermé balances the white notes of gardens at dawn with the gold of a flower that still flourishes throughout the Corsican maquis.

On my skin Jasmin, Immoertelle, Neroli is a creamy, warm version of a citrus with some torn orange tree leaf undertones that is reminiscent of the bright openings of many Eau de Colognes. Envigorating and refreshing and smelling really good, I could easily imagine this becoming a go-to scent, it would easily fit into most situations and it dries down to softly citrus white musks that are pleasant but not groundbreaking. A very safe gifting fragrance and I love the fragrance packaging.

Hand Cream $13 L’Occitane Australia

Miel Mandarine by L’Occitane 2015

Imagine golden honey crystallized on a sun-drenched slice of Mandarin Orange… A fruity sensation at first, progressively enriched with hints of honey, evoking the festive season, Spun Sugar and Almond.

Eau de Toilette 75ml $62 L’Occitane Australia

Pamplemousse et Rhubarbe by L’Occitane 2015

A tantalizing accord. Who other than Pierre Hermé would dare to combine the flavours of Rhubarb, Clove and Nutmeg with the temperamental scent of Grapefruit?

By far my favourite of the trio. Sharp citrus opening, the lovely wet, super sweet (almost urinous) grapefruit sizzles in and can breathe new life into my tired brain. Fun, flirty and slightly outrageous L’Occitane and Pierre Herme have made a grapefruit macaroon. Through the heart it spices up just a little bit and the whole fragrance rests on a bed of pithy white musks that are so fluffy you may float away. I have been spritzing myself liberally before bedtime and cocooning myself against the world in Pamplemousse et Rhubarbe, it’s a perfect scent to cuddle you and send you off to the land of nod.

Photo Stolen AllSteele

L’Occitane + Pierre Herme GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Aussie or Overseas

and

Please tell us a L’Occitane Australia product that you’d like to give to someone you love (one NOT mentioned in this post)

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie L’Occitane + Pierre Herme #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4uk #Perfume @Pierre_HermeLDN @LOCCITANE_au

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 29th November 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 3rd 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.

Grandawood Oudh Oils, Brisbane, Australia

November 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Oudh Aficionados,

A new company has come to Australia, Grandawood. They own over 400 hectares of agarwood plantation and an oil manufacturing plant in Vietnam and boast a state of the art quality control process. I think we are seeing the beginning of an influx of (hopefully) affordable Oudh Oil in our times.

I am no expert on Oudh and wanted to get a few more knowledgeable noses onto the products before I wrote to you about them. There are too many charlatans in the world. So a couple of the best noses I know came by to have a sniff. Michael Borg, TinaG and Scott dropped in and I unveiled the latest in what you may think is a saturated market. We were sent 3 samples to try but only 2 of them will be coming into Australia, let’s meet them.

Grandawood Oudh Oils, Brisbane, Australia

Photo Stolen Grandawood

Evergreen Good Grade Agarwood Oil (Oud) 100% Pure Grade A+ (Oudh #1)

Oudh #1 was a lovely simple oud that was fecal, animal and medicinal in open, it quietened to a lovely barnyard skin scent within the hour and stayed fragrant for about 5-6 hours. Oudh #1 smelled as if it had melted into my skin and each of our bodies gave it a slightly different scent hue. On my skin it was a little sweeter and more vanilla smelling than on the others. We all liked its soft and mellow golden haze.

A wonderful oudh even if you’re going to work. By the time you get there Oudh #1 is a beautiful, gentle oudh that has melded with your skin and though you are fragrant, even slightly barnyard, it’s a welcoming and engaging aroma. Beautiful.

Grandawood is currently having an Oudh #1 introductory offer of $68/1.5ml (reduced from $204)

Photo Stolen Grandawood

Grandawood Superior Agarwood oil (Oudh Floral)

Oudh Floral was the winner of the day, it was fun, unusual, interesting and had the best longevity. It was a hit and I think Grandawood will be getting orders from the guys who were also extremely pleased. Oudh Floral will be a hit we decided and it could even make a good gateway oudh for someone new to it as a note. There seems to be a deep vein of animalic honey running through Oudh Floral and the bouquet has some lovely indolic white flowers. It’s skanky but very pretty skank.

We liked the way that Grandawood had slipped in some extra interest to the oudh and made it pop even more. A unanimous success from the 4 person testing panel.

Grandawood has $80/1.5ml

Oud #2 was the least well received, it had all the plastic, burnt hair and pooh smells and even the most hardcore didn’t love it. It will be coming to Australia at a later date and if you want to be engulfed in oudh then keep your eyes peeled.

Grandawood have created a 15% discount code for APJ readers and the code is: portia

Grandawood also sells Agarwood beads, chips, incense and tea-leaves.

Though I am no expert the oils seemed to be the real deal to us. It would be wonderful to read your feedback if you decide to try them.

Portia xxx

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

V Intense GIVEAWAY WINNERS

November 23, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

Thanks go to Nick & Paige from Libertine Perfumerie. I cannot stress enough how great they are or how supportive they have been of APJ. If you’re thinking of buying a Big Ticket Fragrance Gift this year then they are the ones to see. Free Delivery in Australia for orders over $100 and they will be sending till December 21st.

Portia xx

V Intense GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Saffron, roses, plum, incense, sandalwood

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml V Intense decant by Robert Piguet
a couple of extras
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 23rd November 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen shannonmayer

Helen Burrows

Aelfrik

Anna Maria

The winner will have till Thursday 26th November 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.

Perfume Lovers London: An Evening with Portia Turbo

November 21, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there APJ,

Yes, it’s really happening. Lila das Gupta who runs Perfume Lovers London has invited me, Portia Turbo, to come to England and give a talk, have a laugh and smell some fragrances.

Perfume Lovers London

An Evening with Portia Turbo

Lila das Gupta

Even now writing this post to tell you all has my stomach doing flip flops with excitement. You have no idea.

The theme of the night is Great Women and we have some fun interactive ideas and hope as many of you APJ Crew that are around London and available can come be a part of the fun. Perfume Lovers London has drinks and some food and I will be bringing some famous Australian delicacies for you to try also.

When: Thursday, January 28, 2016 7pm to 10pm (Doors open 6.30pm)
Where: October Gallery 24 Old Gloucester Street WC1N 3AL LONDON
Cost: GBP34.00

For those that have never been before you need to join Perfume Lovers London and then you can book your tickets. They are already selling like hot cakes so don’t delay.

Jin and I will both be there as well as Birgit and Tara from Olfactoria’s Travels, Val the Cookie Queen and Blondes Wunder from the APJ crew. Some of my mates from Australia and the USA happen to be in London at the time so you’ll get to meet and mingle with them too.

One of the things I’ve loved so much about starting APJ is the amount of incredible people we have met all around the world. We have made some super friends and would LOVE IT if we could add you to that amazing list. Don’t be shy, we are waiting to meet you.

Hopefully see you there,
Portia xx