Rose Anonyme by Jérôme Epinette for Atelier Cologne 2012

October 19, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there Frag Family,

I bought a big decant of this beautiful baby when it was released in a split. For some reason then I ordered another, maybe I forgot I’d ordered the first. Anyway, most of the second one is sitting here and I think you should all get a chance to smell it.

Rose Anonyme by Atelier Cologne 2012

Rose Anonyme by Jérôme Epinette

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot, Chinese ginger root, Turkish rose essence
Heart: Turkish rose absolute, Somalian frankincense, Oud accord
Base: Indonesian patchouli, Indian papyrus, Laotian benzoin

Ginger, oud, patchouli and rose are the stars of Rose Anonyme’s opening. I’m surprised how dry and desiccated the fragrance feels. Interesting how sheer yet curiously dense the combination feels, like a particularly opaque silk chiffon. I know it’s not mentioned in the notes but I get a lovely carroty iris note through the heart and it feels very leathery.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Rose Anonyme is tenacious, it lingers at pretty much rose, leather and base notes for the rest of the ride. The rose is curiously overwhelmed on my skin. Like it’s a back up singer creating a lovely baseline to add the stars above, ironically the stars are in the base. A lovely model in the rose/oud/leather line up. I like JHaG’s Midnight Oud and DIOR’s Oud Ispahan better for me, they seem to be more engaging and create much more excitement within me. Not knocking Rose Anonyme, it is beautiful in its way and if I hadn’t already lost my heart to the others it may have been FBW.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Chemist In A Bottle and Non Blonde
Neroli Budapest has 45000ft (AUD$225)/200ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Want to try Rose Anonyme? Read on….
Portia xx

Photo Stolen sassisamblog

Rose Anonyme GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 5ml decant of Rose Anonyme from my stash
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 what you would like to buy a 10ml split of

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Rose Anonyme by Aftelier Cologne GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4jo #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 4th October 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 8th October 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.

Amouage Love GIVEAWAY WINNER

October 19, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

Thanks to Amouage and Nick from Libertine Parfumerie for this amazing giveaway. Can’t wait to see who’s won,

Portia xx

Amouage Love GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen Amouage

Amouage has room sprays £55

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Amouage Love Room Spray Tester (No box, 90% full)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 18th October 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen sistersavealot

puhfume

The winner will have till Thursday 22nd October 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.

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil

October 18, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by Portia

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

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil

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

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

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

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

L’OCCITANE Australia has $45/100ml

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

Portia xx

Amouage Love Room Spray

October 16, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 38 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there FUMIES!

My mate Nick from Libertine Parfumerie is a lovely guy who wants to have the best range of niche fragrances for Aussies to choose from. A short while ago I was in his warehouse and he handed me one of the Amouage Room Sprays. WOW! Definitely special enough to be fine fragrance, probably not IFRA compliant. SO GOOD!

Amouage Love Room Spray

Photo Stolen Amouage

Opening bright sparkly citrus Love quickly hits its stride with deep patchouli woods, dark oud and a sweet resinous rose. I can’t place the green herbaceousness but it could be mint and coriander, there is also a dry hay bale in a barn feel. I have worn Amouage Love as a fragrance too, it sinks into my skin beautifully creating a sheer wall of spice market in a forest. When Love burns down its vanilla/patchouli/oud/woods base is still lovely, especially when melded with my skin chemistry.

Trouble is Jin doesn’t like something in the base, it irritates him. My loss is your gain.

Amouage has room sprays £55

Photo Stolen AllSteele

Amouage Love Room Spray GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Amouage Love Room Spray Tester (No box, 90% full)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us an Amouage fragrance you love and why

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Amouage Love Room Spray #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4nQ #Perfume @AmouagePerfumes @LibertineParfum

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 18th October 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 22nd October 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.

Dior Prestige: From the Rose to the Skin: Film

October 16, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Post by Portia

DIOR. One of the great western fashion houses that even the name gives me a thrill of lux. Its history, even its modern change from Galliano to Simmons. I love the current way the house is moving, though now that the Exclusives line is available in department stores it doesn’t feel so exclusive. The crew down at our Sydney DIOR standalone store are wonderful, always ask for Jolanta when you’re there (she doesn’t work Mondays) because she will take extra special care if you tell her Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies sent you.

Anyway, I love the DIOR ads and this one is no exception,

I hope you enjoy it,
Portia xx

Dior Prestige – From the Rose to the Skin

No, not affiliated, just love their stuff.

Honey by Laurie Stern for Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery 2007

October 15, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by Poodle

There was a time when perfumers didn’t need to say their products were all natural. Perfumes back in the day used natural ingredients because we didn’t have all the aroma chemicals we do today. If a perfume smelled of roses it was because it contained rose. Today’s natural perfumers carry on that tradition and some, I must say, do it better than others. I usually don’t gravitate towards naturals for a variety of reasons but once in a while one catches my attention.

Honey by Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery 2007

Honey by Laurie Stern

Photo Stolen Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

Notes: orange blossom, Moroccan rose, Bulgarian rose, vetiver, Madagascar vanilla, honey, beeswax, sandalwood, clove, pomegranate, pink grapefruit

I recently received a sample of Honey and was pleasantly surprised it. It has decent longevity and is sweet and a little skanky. Perfumer Laurie Stern of Velvet and Sweet Pea Purrfumery has created one of those really good natural perfumes and a classic, sexy scent with Honey.

Honey is a perfume that conjures up vintage perfumes in my mind. When I first tried it it reminded me of something I imagine one of the ladies on Downton Abbey would wear. It smells full and rich. While I wouldn’t say it smells old fashioned I think you’d have to appreciate perfumes along the lines of Bal a Versailles to appreciate Honey. In one of the episodes of the Downton Abbey Lady Mary spills perfume on her bedroom rug. She describes the end result as smelling like a tart’s boudoir. That’s Honey to me. It smells pretty but there’s that underlying impression that this pretty girl may have a naughty side.

Photo Stolen Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery

A lot of natural fragrances have a rough, unfinished feel to them with little development. Honey doesn’t smell like that to me. While I can detect orange blossom and spices the rest of the notes meld together to create a full, plush bouquet. The roses here are not sour or metallic but more like those big fluffy, old fashioned roses. Opulent comes to mind. The honey note along with pink grapefruit gives it a sexy little twist.

I only had a few drops to test but I could imagine this one packs a punch if sprayed lavishly. You don’t need much and I think a little would go a long way with Honey. As the sweetness of the orange blossom, honey, and vanilla fades the warm, cuddly sandalwood and cloves wrap their arms around you.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I think this leans rather feminine. It may be a bit much for the office. I had the husband give it a sniff and he said at first it reminded him of a woman in church (whatever that means) but then he said on second sniff it reminds him of Rubj which he calls my dirty girl perfume. So that basically falls in line with my impression too of the pretty girl with a naughty side.

Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery has a range of Honey options starting at $50

What perfumes do you think have a naughty side to them?

Until next time,
Hugs
Poodle

Skin Drenching Moisturising Potions

October 14, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Trésor

Autumn is officially in full swing in my humble little corner of the globe and the mercury has finally begun its lengthy descent into what I’m expecting shall soon be one hell of a winter. As much as I adore the delightful chill that comes along with such utterly magnificent sweater weather it also brings with it a far less welcome guest: dry, itchy skin; otherwise known as *the* bane of my existence. Luckily for me (and you beautiful readers, if you just so happen to enjoy a fragrant treat or two…or five) I’ve happened upon a number of exquisite lotions and potions that are both positively nourishing and olfactoriaely sublime and it would be my pleasure to share a few of my favourites with each of you.

Skin Drenching Moisturising Potions

Angel Perfuming Body Cream from Thierry Mugler

I’m fairly certain you’re well aware of just who Angel is, she needs no introduction. She’s the face that launched a thousand ships, the high-octane über-gourmand who’s DNA runs through an astonishing amount of fragrances which occupy the spheres of both designer and niche alike. Here, contained within her fantastically celestial flying saucer, her edges have been softened and entire demeanour expressed with a sense of fluidity and grace. Her holy trinity of neon candy floss, camphorous patchouli and sumptuous dark chocolate are still fully intact but wear closer to the skin, their rich languidity reimagined effortless sensuality in her altered form. Deeper, earthier yet somehow transparent; her beauty now bound to the Earth as much as it is to the stars above.

Feu de Bois Nourishing Body Cream from LAFCO

The aroma of burning wood is one of my favourites in this entire world. Growing up on the East Coast of Canada where winters are considerably harsh and wood stoves are aplenty one comes to associate the fragrance of woodsmoke with their morning routine, the promise of glowing warmth and comfort after waking up to stone floors as cold as ice or conversely the abating comfort of curling up by to the fire in a sinfully cozy blanket and taking a glorious nap on a particularly chilly evening. LAFCO has captured the essence of these moment’s so beautifully, all the while wearing with an incredible ease and a great deal of comfort to skin which may be feeling a bit under the weather. Soft plumes of woodsmoke are joined by the delicate emerald hum of conifer resins that illuminate their sylvan radiance through the diaphanous haze. Utterly sublime.

Pulp Body Cream from Byredo

There are certain accords in the realm of fragrance which one (myself, at the very least) may develop a particularly blasé attitude toward as time passes. One such example for me is the fruity floral, compositions of this nature truly wield the power to bore me to absolute tears but that, of course, is simply my own personal opinion. Every once and a while, though, something comes around and challenges my preconceived notions. It has me falling head over heels for a fragrance that by all accounts I should very much dislike. Meet Pulp from Swedish niche house Byredo, one of the very first fragrances to have put me in this precise position and caused me to reconsider my exploration of an entire genre. Pulp is absolute divinity, a symphonious amalgam of wildly nectarous fruits like succulent blackcurrant, crimson red apple and unbelievably juicy fig, overripe and on the cusp of decay. It’s absolutely magnificent and in my opinion even more enjoyable in the body cream, which lends a most sensual aura to Pulp’s already subversive leitmotif.

Are there any fragrant body creams which you enjoy breaking out when the temperatures begin to fall?

Until next time, my darlings.

Trésor xx

Geisha Noire EdP by Maria McElroy for Aroma M 2007

October 13, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Daisy, Decants and Bagels. A Perfume Love in New York City.

Daisy of coolcookstyle organized an afternoon and evening with Ladies Who Sniff when I was recently in New York City. She picked me up from my hotel lobby and whisked me off to Brooklyn for a visit to Twisted Lily. As much as I enjoy visiting perfume shops I rarely if ever put anything onto my skin. I have an inate fear of ending up with something nasty. Whilst this does fall into the obsessive compulsive disorder category, it is also based on years of experience. I do sniff lots of things on paper, and whilst not being the best way it is usually enough to confirm my suspicions.

As we were about to leave Twisted Lily I picked up a bottle of aroma M Geisha Noire. Daisy suggested I try it, telling me it was beautiful. We were heading out of the door and I had to make a snap decision. Pushed for time I saturated my left lower arm and left.

Geisha Noire EdP by Aroma M 2007

Geisha Noire EdP by Maria McElroy

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Sandalwood, tonka bean, black amber, vanilla

I read incense and patchouli too.

Absolutely exquisite it induces a sense of physical well-being. Despite the richness of the materials that Maria McElroy uses Geisha Noire remains graceful and elegant. Very seductive. It melds itself with the skin and continues to give both comfort and sultriness for many hours. Heady stuff, I cannot recommend it highly enough. I encourage you to take a look at Maria´s website. There you will find her history and sources of inspiration. She founded aroma M 20 years ago and
spent seven years living in Japan.

We moved on from Twisted Lily to a table in a restaurant, where I spent most of the evening sniffing my arm. Sitting at a table with another eight perfumistas I did not look out of place doing so. Daisy took pity on me and offered to bring me a decant of Geisha Noire and meet for bagels the next morning. I love her.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I am majorly kicking myself for not trying the other fragrances in the aroma M collection. This is being remedied.

Stunning packaging, affordable, and even available in Australia! Samples of the whole collection, both EdPs and the oils are also offered.

Photo Donated Maria McElroy

As I was talking to Vero Kern of .vero.profumo. I asked her if she was familiar with Maria McElroy´s work.
She replied: “I discovered Maria´s creations many years ago in Munich, as we had our fragrances together in the same store. And wow, I so enjoyed them. They are beautifully different. And the packaging just gorgeous.”

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and EauMG
Twisted Lily has $85/50ml + Samples

Cherry Blossom Bussis
CQ

The Mini Museum & Esscentual Alchemy – Unguent, Unguentarium & U Tour

October 12, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ,

Several years ago both Brad and I collected all kinds of antiques. We were such crazy collectors that at one point our home began to take on the aspect of a museum. When we moved from that very old house (by American standards an antique in it’s own right) into a larger, more “modern” 1960s home, we gave away or sold many of our old “treasures”. In our new house we resolved to maintain a clean, spare look and try not to become burdened by our stuff. Well, as you probably have guessed, that resolution didn’t last. These days we don’t feel quite so driven to possess used things but we still like the look and feel of something old. I believe that I can sense another person’s way of life or spirit in a vintage piece, not unlike the experience of using someone else’s pen or pencil. For example, when I play a friend’s musical instrument I find it has taken on certain aspects of the musicality of the person who regularly uses it. This phenomenon may be the result of an actual physical change in the instrument’s materials brought on by years of exposure to the player’s individual style.

The Mini Museum & Esscentual Alchemy

Unguent, Unguentarium & U Tour

That being said, toward the end of the summer we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of an unguentarium and two other ancient miniature glass pieces from the Mini Museum’s Unguent, Unguentarium and U Tour. It was a weird experience when we finally opened the boxes. The unguentarium, a very small (just over 4cm high) mouth blown glass bottle, encrusted with sediment, was from the early Roman period, circa the 1st century A.D. It was carefully packaged in sand to give the impression of an archeological dig. An unguentarium (from the Latin unguentarius, a perfumer or dealer in unguents) is a small vessel designed to hold liquid, solid or semi-solid perfumes, cosmetics, perfumed oils, etc. These little bottles can still be found in ancient Greek and Roman sites, especially in tombs.

My favorite of the three artifacts was a longer (7.30 cm), narrower and seemingly more delicate bottle, also of mouth blown glass dating from roughly the same period. This lovely little piece was called a lachrymatory – a vessel for tears or a tear catcher – also used to hold perfumes, fragrant oils and unguents. It is believed that the ancients used these bottles to gather their tears, burying them with their deceased loved ones.

The third artifact was a tiny blown glass mold form probably created around 50. A.D. in Phoenicia (modern Lebanon).

In addition to the three ancient minis there were two modern perfume samples, created by perfumer Amanda Feeley of Essential Alchemy specifically for this Mini Museum traveling unguentraium project. Here is a brief description of these fragrances from the museum’s fact sheets:

” ‘Helena’ is the chosen name for both the ancient vessel…and the commissioned re-creation of [an] ancient Roman unguent by perfumer, Amanda Feeley. In her meditation with the vial, Amanda ‘felt an image of a woman in a garden on a warm, spring day’…The end result was her ‘Helena’ – the reconstructed, oil-based fragrance of 30% parfum concentration and ‘Helena MMXIV’ – the brighter, alcohol-based eau de parfum…”

For more information about these beautiful fragrances check Amanda Feeley’s website. I understand there will be another Unguentarium Tour next year. If you are interested in the project contact Allen at the Miniature Perfume Shoppe/Mini Museum

Azar xx

Mona di Orio Oud Giveaway WINNERS

October 12, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by Portia

How I love the Mona do Orio fragrances,

We have three winners today, I hope one of them is you. As always, thank you for being part of the APJ Fragrance Family. We love you all so much.

Portia xx

Mona di Orio Oud Giveaway WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pettigrain, green mandarin, elemi
Heart: Nagarmotha, patchouli, osmanthus
Base: Oud, Atlas cedar, musk, ambergris

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml Oud by Mona di Orio sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 11th October 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Photo stolen thegarfieldshow-diary

lionceau

Rene Groyer (via Twitter)

Lindaloo

The winners will have till Thursday 15th October 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.