Amora EdP by Hans Hendley 2016

December 27, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 41 Comments

Val the Cookie Queen

Good Day APJ, Wake up, Christmas is over and we survived!!

It´s impossible to keep up with all the small perfume houses and independent artisanal perfumers. I see names come and go on social media, or on other blogs and pay little attention. However Hans Hendley´s name is popping up a lot and I felt prompted to look a little further. I took the plunge and ordered the 9ml travel size of Amora, his most recent launch. I had to wait a while as the first batch was sold out. I rather like the idea of someone so passionate about perfume that they bother to formulate, blend and bottle the potion themselves. After all, that´s how I run my own business.

BALMY BERRIES ON BONGS – I did Inhale. YUM!!

Amora EdP by Hans Hendley 2016

Fragrantica

Hensley Perfumes gives these featured accords:
Stone fruit, mixed berries, rose absolute, blonde tobacco, sweet resins, musk complex, ambergris

A couple of years ago I I wrote of Sådanne, the astounding strawberries-on-crack scent by Slumberhouse. Hendley´s Amora reminds me of the experience, but here we have balmy berries on bongs. It´s tantalising and impossible to stop inhaling. The sillage will leave noses quivering in your wake. There is something more alternative lying beneath the fruity opening, a kind of salty resinous layer, resting on musk maybe? I understand there is a touch of ambergris in the formula too. Gorgeous on a bloke as well I must say.

Amora stands alone out of the new releases of 2016. The many that have the same dry down with the same woody accords that freak my nose out and have me running? These accords don´t seem to appear in American perfumery, very interesting. Quite daring to launch a fruity scent as an artisanal perfumer don´t you think? This is underground though, don´t confuse it with the mainstream fruit bombs please.

Of course it might not be your thing, but you don´t know until you´ve tried it now do you? Hans Hendley offers affordability, a wonderful sample service, and brilliant customer relations. APJ, I wanted to put Hendley Perfumes onto your radar. That is part of our responsibilty as bloggers I think. You are more than welcome. 🙂

And for those of you who are still too exhausted from your festivities to move much, look no further. With thanks to Hans Hendley, and my love of going to the post office we have one of the 9ml travel sprays to giveaway. Check below.

Hendley Perfumes has $18/9ml + Samples

May we all have strength for 2017 because bloody hell, we sure are gonna need it.
Lots of love to all of you who so faithfully stand by APJ, it is not taken for granted.
Bussis
CQ

Amora EdP GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 9ml Amora EdP Travel Spray
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 tell us what interests you about such an unusual fragrance and I won´t accept how much you have always loved berries. Hahahaha!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 29th December 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 4th January 2017 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

Volume II: Precision and Grace by Geza Schoen for The Beautiful Mind Series 2015

December 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

TinaG

Hi APJ, hope you have all had a lovely start to the festive season.

I wrote briefly about one of my go-to perfumes in an article on Adelaide a few weeks back. This is Precision and Grace, Volume II of the Beautiful Mind Series. It is a great warm weather fragrance and a good all round travel pick-me-up. I’ve always finished decants when I’ve taken it away with me. “Finished” is not a word many perfume hobbyists use too often…..

I thought I’d revisit Precision and Grace with a bit more detail on the development of the scent on skin and why I enjoy wearing it so much.

Volume II: Precision and Grace by The Beautiful Mind Series 2015

Volume II: Precision and Grace by Geza Schoen

Fragrantica

LuckyScent gives these featured accords:
Williams pear, bergamot, mandarin, lemon, Egyptian jasmine, plum, osmanthus, rose, mimosa, pink pepper, freesia, violet, sandalwood, myrrh, moss, amber

Precision and Grace is described as a Fruity Floral. That, in itself, is enough to send many a perfumista screaming and ducking for cover. But with descriptions, you have to start somewhere, right? It puts us in the ball park of maybe what to expect – it’s the quality that then defines the fragrance experience itself.

I always give this a few generous sprays, and it opens a slightly metallic lemon. Over the next 15 minutes or so, from this centre point softly emerges a beautifully balanced sphere of co-habiting notes – mandarin, pear, osmanthus and freesia primarily. The osmanthus and pear are really the stars on my skin. The pear is amazingly juicy and fresh, never wandering in to room-deodorant territory. And osmanthus…. Wow…. It is present with a glowing soft yellow radiance, calming and uplifting.

PDI

After about 1.5 hours, a jasmine comes through – nothing indolic, this is fresh as it would be still on the vine. The freshness is tempered with a plum note which drawn the scent down into slightly heavier olfactive territory.

There is something really special about the way this fragrance is balanced, each note is clear and real, but no divas, nothing pushing front and centre. I think that’s why I visualise a sphere, with the lemon surrounded by three main auras at first – floral, citrus, and fruit. You’ve got the precision in the photorealism, and grace in the balance, everything has a purpose and a place, working in harmony.

The fragrance changes ever so slowly, and at about 4 hours I find that a woody notes and dry sandalwood have appeared but I really didn’t have any hint of them coming. The dry down is subtle, and fragrance long-lasting at 8+ hours.

WikiCommons

Further reading: Megan In St Maxime
LuckyScent has $165/100ml and samples

I enjoy wearing Precision and Grace very much. I find it is one of those which grounds and centres me – I suspect that is why I wear it travelling, when I’m working in unfamiliar territory and need to move through my day with a sense of happiness, kindness and purpose. And, of course, the grace to work around those unforeseen hiccups that you always come across on the move.

What is your go-to scent when you need to get things done?

Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful start to 2017! Lots of Love.

Tina G xx

Surrender To Chance GIVEAWAY WINNER

December 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Thanks APJ Crew,

We have a WINNER! Check below.

Portia xx

Surrender To Chance GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x $30 Surrender To Chance Gift Voucher
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Saturday 24th December 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner waschosen by random.org

Saffyishere

The winners will have till Wednesday 28th December 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

Nuit Étoilée EdT by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2012

December 24, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Portia

Hello Fume Fiends,

We forget in the far off lands of 2016 that Annick Goutal the fragrance brand has been around since 1980. Many of its fragrances were groundbreaking fragile beauties that thrilled and surprised fragrance lovers. Mixed with its determined homespun style, interesting note combinations and eye rollingly beautiful floral concoctions they became a hit with the newly borne perfumistas in the heady days of the 1980s and 90s. Sables, Folavril, Eau de Monsieur, Passion and Eau d’Hadrien were ground breaking scents. Now known by perfumistas as a safe, easy to wear brand some of the wow factor has definitely been lost. Especially through reformulation, the changing out of the vibrantly coloured bottles and the bland introduction of plain glass by AmorePacific, the south Korean owners of Annick Goutal. So it comes as quite a surprise to find something so outlandish and weird in the collection as Nuit Étoilée.

Nuit Étoilée EdT by Annick Goutal 2012

Nuit Étoilée by Isabelle Doyen

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citron, sweet orange, peppermint
Heart: Siberian pine, fir resin
Base: Angelica seed, tonka, immortal

If you like to smell your fragrances 5 plus hours later then most of the Annick Goutal range will give you the shits. Nuit Étoilée EdT is no exception and you better have bought the 100ml bottle because respritzing becomes addictive.

WikiCommons

ZING!! Bright citrus and mint, like alcoholic fruit punch on a hot summers day or Mojitos in the evening. A fresh burst of wake up and live. Every time I spritz it feels like an energy burst for the brain. The mint lasts only minutes and I’m left with a woodsy citrus, green and dry. As the heart dries off on my skin all I’m left with is a very soft wash of musks and something greenish but barely noticeable. This whole process takes about an hour, unless I spray on fabric or card and then I get at least 4 hours on fabric and on card I can smell Nuit Étoilée next morning.

Nuit Étoilée is going to be my Christmas Eve scent this year. In the fresh woodsiness I find an Aussie summer whispered hint of a wintery, white Christmas that still fits with our 30C+ heat, and yes, there will be fruit punch with fresh mint in it. What would an Aussie Christmas be without it?

PDI

Further reading: EauMG and Non Blonde
FragranceX has some old blue EdT stock for AUD$75/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3/ml

Have you tried Nuit Étoilée? Does your family do alcoholic fruit punch with fresh mint chopped into it?
Portia xx

BEST ONLINE DEAL: La Via Del Profumo

December 23, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Heya Bargain Shoppers,

Just got this in the mail. One of my favourite independent perfumers and the scents will blow your mind. I have a few bottles and two of these fabulous sample cases here at Chez Turbo and they often get an airing to recalibrate my fragrant expectations. Sometimes when I’m bogged down in the mire of conventional scent I open a sample pot of La Via Del Profumo and it reminds me that scent can be astounding, heartbreaking, beautiful and magical.

BEST ONLINE DEAL: La Via Del Profumo

SAMPLES OF THE SCENTS OF THE SOUL

€ 33 DISCOUNT WITH 6 MINIS FROM THE SCENTS OF THE SOUL RANGE

1) The wooden box
2) A mini of your choice of € 18,00
3) A mini of your choice of € 15,00
For a total discount of € 33,00 Write the names of the two free perfume you want in the comment box of the order page

(This offer cannot be combined with Facebook discount)

I have just ordered myself another set too at La Via Del Profumo

African Night
Lake Flower
Pheromone (for men)
Rose Heart
Sea Wood
Tea of the Isles

Which ones look good to you?
Portia xx

Tom Ford: Vert Boheme GIVEAWAY WINNER

December 23, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hiya APJ,

Thanks Robert Herrmann for being so freaking generous. Lovely response and can’t wait to see who our winner is.
Portia xx

Tom Ford: Vert Boheme GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Galbanum, mandarin, magnolia, honeysuckle, muguet, violet leaf, gustavia superba (heaven lotus), oakmoss, vetiver, white musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 4ml decant of Vert Boheme
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 22nd December 2016 10pm Australian EdsT
Winner was chosen by random.org

Olivia

What Are You Proud Of: Surrender To Chance

December 22, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 84 Comments

Portia

Hello Frag Family,

There is a lot of drama and hate in the world today, so much bad news, ghastly happenings and unthinkable political chicanery. It’s getting harder & harder to turn on a television or computer without reading or seeing more of the same and nearly all of it doom & gloom.

Let’s do something different today. Let’s look back on 2016 and think of something that you did that makes you feel proud. Doesn’t have to be big or life changing, can be something simple or even negligible to you but may have made a huge difference to someone or something else. We can all read each other’s stories and see that the world is still full of goodness, even in everyday life.

What Are You Proud Of In 2016?

What am I proud of in 2016? Jin & I adopted two Greyhounds. They were ready for euthanasia because they were not fast enough to run on the track. Jin had been badgering me since Gucci was put down in January to get a replacement. He had never had a dog as a pet until he moved in with Gucci & me and since she’d been gone he missed her terribly. The day I took Gucci down to the vet he had to leave work because the poor man couldn’t stop weeping uncontrollably. It ended up being 3 days off before he could go a half day without breaking down. They had spent most of their nights together, while I was at work, curled up on the couch or floor for the last 4 years. It was a big loss for him.

I finally caved and asked a few Greyhound trainers if they had any that needed saving. Then if we could meet them and hopefully take a pair home. It didn’t take long before one of the guys said he had a couple that were good mates and that they were going to the vet the next week, would I like to meet them?

So Jin and I took a car ride to destiny. I knew we’d be taking home two dogs but Jin had no idea. He was so nervous and excited and when he met them he fell madly in love immediately. It was sweet and beautiful. This picture is the moment when Jin found out he was going to be allowed have his first ever dog as a pet that he could call his own.

Don’t get me wrong. The dogs have come with the usual set of drama, teaching them how we want them to live will take a year or more. We are all enriched by each other though and having them is so wonderful and joyful. It’s worth the extra time and energy we have to put in, most days anyway. So that’s one of the things I’m proud of being a part of in 2016.

Here am I with Paris, my lovely man. What a sweetheart he is.

Go down to the GIVEAWAY! It’s a good one this week.
Happy Holidays to you all,
Portia xxxx

Surrender To Chance GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x $30 Surrender To Chance Gift Voucher
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us what you are proud of doing in 2016

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 24th December 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 28th December 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

How Do You Scent Your Home?

December 21, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Erica Golding

Hello fellow fragrance lovers!

Today I’m wondering, how do you scent your home? Our quarters are our own personal atmosphere, an oasis from the spiraling chaos of routine. It’s fun to express yourself by decorating your air space!

How Do You Scent Your Home?

Aside from the typical candles, incense sticks, and Scentsy warmers (which I display and use proudly), there are some other fun and creative ways to liven up the ambience.

Parfum de Nicolaï

Luxe atmosphere/linen sprays are such a delight! Right now I have several favorites in my collection from houses such as Black Phoenix Trading Post, Parfum de Nicolaï and Sucreabeille. The fragrances are unique, unexpected, and great conversation starters! Don’t forget the L’Artisan Amber Balls too.

L’Artisan

Another fabulous experience is burning resin incense on charcoal tablets in a censer. There is nothing that compares to real frankincense tears and myrrh resin cloaking a room in divine perfume. Be safe and try not to burn the place down! And it’s smart to crack a window open, smoke alarms can disrupt one’s zen. 😉

WikiCommons

Have you ever used an oil burner? A while back, Nocturne Alchemy released some limited edition Offering Oils specifically formulated for warming in an oil burner, no dilution necessary. I just light a tea light under the suspended glass dish, and soon the aroma is dancing around the room. The scents are purely euphoric, and they are by far my favorite way to fragrance my home. I hope they decide to make more someday, my little hoard is starting to dwindle.

Lastly, I’d love to hear your opinions on ultrasonic aroma diffusers like the Muji. I’m curious and very tempted. If you have one, do you use it often, or did you lose interest once you played with it a few times? Do you have any brands you recommend (or would advise against)?

I hope you are cozy and well-scented, and that you are enjoying the company of loved ones this holiday season.

So tell me in the comments below, how do you scent your home?

Fragrant hugs,
-Erica

Vert Boheme by Tom Ford 2016

December 20, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 61 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hello my dear Fragrant Community,

In times of great global upheaval, be it political financial or social, people often look inwards and we tend to surround ourselves with things and people that can offer comfort and succor. For many of us that manifests in the perfumes we choose to wear, a scent that reminds us of a safer time in our lives, gentler living instead of days full of stress and drama

For me it seems that I favor vintage and vintage-style perfumes. Perfumes that remind me of my dressed-up-cocktail-party-dab-of-Patou Mother or maybe the wet tweed/leather and spicy green fougere or aquatic cologne of my Father, and later my own all-night drug-fueled party and disco dancing nights at the gay bars of pre-AIDS San Francisco. A very heady time and place indeed when anything was possible and everything was available.

So recently reaching blindly into my decant box, I pulled out one of one new Tom Ford Private Selections called Vert Boheme, and honest to god it was exactly the blanket of comfort I needed and was searching for! Serendipity at its finest.

Vert Boheme by Tom Ford 2016

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Galbanum, mandarin, magnolia, honeysuckle, muguet, violet leaf, gustavia superba (heaven lotus), oakmoss, vetiver, white musk

Vert Boheme is a very green and waxy smelling white floral, almost the love-child of Jean Patou Joy and Chanel 19 or Cristalle. It opens on my skin with a huge blast of bitter green galbanum, tempered quickly by sweet citrus and floral honeysuckle and lily of the valley. Staying quite linear it all settles down into an almost cologne-like watery floral and mossy scent reminiscent of a men’s scent from the late 60’s or early 70’s. The heaven lotus adds a level of early glamorous indolic beauty that is prominent thru the drydown.

Since the 70’s was my “coming-of-age” era, that’s very likely why it resonates with me so profoundly on so many levels. It feels as familiar to me as a well worn pair of bell bottom jeans and platform shoes, reminding me so much of “home” and a happy time in my life, that it almost brings me to tears with the memory of my parents and my own foolish youthful days.

WikiCommons

Nothing groundbreaking but beautiful none the less and a welcome addition to my fragrance wardrobe.

Further reading: GQ Magazine and Perfume Posse
LuckyScent has $225/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/0.5ml

Have you tried any of the new Tom Ford Vert series?

Tom Ford: Vert Boheme GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 4ml decant of Vert Boheme
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us what you would wear with your Tom Ford: Vert Boheme.
(Don’t worry about realities like money, figure, age or anything. Let your imagination run wild)

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 22nd December 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 28th December 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

Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska for Frederic Malle 2000

December 19, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

.
Hi APJ folk!

We’ve been enjoying an amazing autumn here in Ireland. Lucky enough to live in the most sheltered spot on this rain-sodden island, we spent most of October and November trawling the long, golden beaches and kicking over the leaves in castle parks. The sun never stopped shining, temperatures barely dipped below 15 degrees, and we were all in such a damn good mood. Then one day, driving back from a jaunt to Kilkenny, I made the fatal mistake of saying, “And imagine – the kids haven’t been sick even once!”

Jesus.

Naturally, there hasn’t been a dry tissue in the house since. There’s been the flu, chest infections, and a torn cornea that necessitated an emergency hospital visit and a hefty bill (no health insurance). More familiar with hospital waiting rooms than I’d care to be, I have developed a perfume strategy that helps a bit. I wear powerfully radiant, antiseptic fumes that march ahead of me, wiping whole rooms down with Dettol before I enter, and whisper “Do not fuck with me” to receptionists.

Noir Epices by Frederic Malle 2000

Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, rose, geranium
Heart: Nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, cloves
Base: Sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, vanilla

Yeah, so, I’m wearing a lot of Noir Epices. It is a difficult, somewhat prickly perfume – a sort of stripped-down, Vorsprung Durch Technik version of Coco. Re-engineered to remove all the sweetness and ballasting amber; it’s the perfume equivalent of whittling a comfy sofa into a Philippe Starck chair.

WikiCommons

In the opening notes, a hot pink rose stumbles onto the scene, flushed and boozy, washed down with the metallic sheen of geranium leaf. It is intensely beautiful to me at first because I get the impression of fullness – the bitter greenness of the geranium balanced by the rose, and the dry, peppery spices are backed up by rich woods. Singed orange peel and clove burn through spices, florals, and woods, purifying the unclean air around me and excoriating the flesh around open wounds. Noir Epices is the answer to the plague.

I feel fierce when I wear this, but eventually the very things that make me feel protected wear me down. Wearing Noir Epices is like putting a pure vitamin C serum on your face – the burning feels good because you know that it is active, but at the same time, the discomfort is real. Noir Epices has all the trappings of a rich spice oriental – the acidity of spilled orange juice, dry pomander woods, black pepper, an excitable rose – but completely lacks the underpinnings. There is no amber, vanilla, or creamy, hefty woods to round this out in the base, and while I understand that its appeal comes from this woody weightlessness, I would wish for a kinder, more forgiving ending. Noir Epices is a stern judge of character.

Wikipedia

Longevity and sillage are outstanding, 7 hours at the least. I recommend Noir Epices to anyone in need of a magic potion to ward off illnesses, and to fans of spicy, dry orange-rose pomander fragrances such as Coco and Maharanih.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Non Blonde
Mecca has $217/50ml with FREE Australian Shipping
Surrender To Chance have samples starting at $8.69/ml

What do you guys use to banish the sickies?

Slán,
Claire

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Perfume

Volume II: Precision and Grace by Geza Schoen for The Beautiful Mind Series 2015

Volume II: Precision and Grace by The Beautiful Mind Series 2015

Volume II: Precision and Grace by Geza Schoen

Surrender To Chance GIVEAWAY WINNER

Surrender To Chance GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Saffyishere

Nuit Étoilée EdT by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2012

Nuit Étoilée EdT by Annick Goutal 2012

Nuit Étoilée by Isabelle Doyen

BEST ONLINE DEAL: La Via Del Profumo

BEST ONLINE DEAL: La Via Del Profumo

Tom Ford: Vert Boheme GIVEAWAY WINNER

Tom Ford: Vert Boheme GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Olivia

What Are You Proud Of: Surrender To Chance

What Are You Proud Of In 2016?

Surrender To Chance GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

How Do You Scent Your Home?

How Do You Scent Your Home?

Vert Boheme by Tom Ford 2016

Vert Boheme by Tom Ford 2016

Tom Ford: Vert Boheme GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska for Frederic Malle 2000

Noir Epices by Frederic Malle 2000

Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska