Review

FAREWELL Badgley Mischka FAREWELL

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Hey there Peeps!

In honour of the recent discontinuation of the Badgley Mischka fragrance line I thought I would take a reminiscent look at the original in parfum form. While finding the EdP too sweet, tooth achingly sweet, I was surprised at my reaction to the parfum.

Badgley Mischka by Richard Herpin for Badgley Mischka 2006

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Chinese cassia, Peach, Red berries
Heart: Jasmine, Osmanthus, Peony
Base: Amber, Caramel, Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood

The bottle has been mocked but I quite liked it. Looking, as Tania Sanchez says, like “a set designer’s idea of a classy bottle, with a metal nameplate making it look like an executive paperweight” if you want to be mean and snarky, or looking very streamlined and 80s elegant if you like it. The Badgley Mischka Parfum comes in a cool square silver-tone column, it’s heavy and cold to the touch. Picking it up I get a thrill of luxutry, even though I bought my bottle pretty cheaply and it came with a refill.

How does Badgley Mischka smell? It’s a tart, sweet juicy explosion that is a bit like a tropical fruit punch leaning heavily on the mango and apricot nectars with a lovely fizzy champagne undercurrent. The flowers, when they arrive, are second fiddle to fruit but add a lovely dewy green, sappy freshness. They are a side note on my skin because already the sweet creamy base is coming through creating a fruity caramel melange. Imagine nougat with fruit instead of almonds, that’s the vibe for me.

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka Champagne punch cocktail HeraldHeuser PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

It has been said that Badgley Mischka is the grown up fruitchouli and I can see where that has come from. It is an elegant version of a lot of other fragrances on the market and if I wanted something to push the limits of my fruit craving if I didn’t already have Badgley Mischka my choice would be Byredo’s Pulp. What I do tend to reach for more often and vaguely in the same ballpark is Liberte by Cacharel, using sizzling citrus instead of the peach (which reads mango/apricot nectar on me). If you like the original Miss Dior Cherie, Angel or any of the popular fruitchouli genre then this could hit your hot spot. To be honest I think that Angel did it so effectively and with so much panache that most of the wannabes are a pale imitation, Badgley Mischka parfum is very nice though and I’m on my second 15ml so that gives you some idea.

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka Spring2011 Maegan Tintari FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy and Bois de Jasmin
SweetBabyPerfumePlus has EdP and Parfum still available
Surrender To Chance has EdP samples starting at $3/ml

Did you ever wear Badgley Mischka? Are you able to do sticky sweet fruits and booze?
Portia xx

Isis by Kedra Hart for Opus Oils

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YAY! Fragrant Friends,

Back in May 2013 when we did ScentSation Bus Tour in LA with Perfume Posse our very last stop of the day was Opus Oils. It had been a BIG day and we were tired and footsore. Many of us had spent our very last penny and the thought of one more perfume emporium seemed like it was one too many.

Then we were met by the incredibly luscious Kedra Hart who looks like every mans dream of womanity. Pretty, curvy, floaty and sensual, Kedra was also so totally sweet that the whole crew felt revived just by being in her presence. I smelled a couple of the fragrances but this one nearly blew the back of my head off. It was instant and has turned out to be lasting love…….

Isis by Kedra Hart for Opus Oils

Isis Opus Oils FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Opus Oils give these featured accords in one line:
Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Blue Lotus Absolute, White Water Lily Absolute, Jasmine Absolute

Petrol, flowers, incense. Dark, thick and dirty but in there is glory: eye rolling, heart afluttering, transcendent glory. It’s like Metropolis, The Fast & The Furious, Wizard of Oz and The Passion of Christ are all melded into one fragrance. Heavy scent that drifts in layers about me, like walking through clouds of treacle that is glutinous and sparkling in the sunshine. Isis walks the fine line between gorgeous and disgusting so beautifully, seamlessly. It has me on the edge of my seat through the whole wear, every time. Will it dip over into the dark side but of course it never does.

Isis Opus oils Seti I, Isis and Horus, Abydos, Egypt Charlie Phillips FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

You know that moment when you first crush a jasmine flower in your fingers? When the smell is so overpoweringly potent? Here Kedra has taken the moment that you pull away, it’s the moment when it stops being too much but all of a sudden magically becomes beautiful. The absolutes are heady, powerful stuff and then later in the wear they are subtly tempered by the sandalwood, which brings a pleasing creamy softness.

The incense has been in the mix all along but it’s not till the very end that I can really smell its cool, aloof, resinous and light smokiness. More like the Japanese incenses than the Catholic ones I grew up with it is a lovely counterpoint to what has gone before.

Isis has lasting power long beyond most of the natural perfumes I’ve worn, still leaving soft white floral and resinous traces next morning, not big but different to my smell. a very light gloss on top of my skin.

Isis Opus oils Isis Wallpainting WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Fragrance Belles and Oh True Apothecary
Opus Oils has EdP $75/30ml

Have you dipped your toes into the Opus Oils perfumed waters?
Portia xx

Adam Levine for Women by Yann Vasnier 2013

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Post by Poodle

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Yes, I’m back with another celebrity scent this time by Adam Levine. I found it at a discounter so took a chance on a blind buy. I couldn’t name a Maroon 5 song if my life depended on it but I now know Adam Levine is the lead singer. I respect him for putting his name on a pretty good fragrance.

Adam Levine for Women by Yann Vasnier 2013

Adam Levine for Women FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Saffron, citruses, marigold, spices
Heart: Indian jasmine, Australian sandalwood, rose petals
Base: Benzoin, vanilla

Before we even talk scent, how fabulous is the bottle? It’s inspired by a microphone. It’s young and fun and I wish I had it when I was 14. I am completely honest when I say if I had this back then I’d be dancing around my room singing into the darn thing. (I might even do that after I finish writing this.)

Adam Levine for Women Maroon_5_Live_in_Hong_Kong WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

At first spritz I smell sandalwood and for a moment I think 10 Corso Como. It’s a fast burst and then other notes come into play. The note list makes me think warmer, spicy, heavy perfume, but on my skin this is not heavy at all but bear in mind not much is. I don’t smell marigolds (which smell a bit skunky to me) but rather a touch of saffron and I’m not sure what. I keep thinking coconut. I’m not a huge fan of coconut in perfume but I do like this suggestion of it. It could just be my nose distorting things. There is a brightness to the perfume but I never think “citrus” at any point during the development. Whatever the spices are in here they’re not dominant at all.

Sandalwood is always humming in the background and the jasmine, roses, and base notes are blended beautifully. No sour roses here. It’s not a beachy perfume yet somehow it makes me think of the beach on a cool summer evening. The jasmine is a little dirty. Maybe it’s the saffron and spice but there’s the smell of warm skin which is surprising to me. It’s not sweaty or skanky just a little sexy. I have to admit this is much better than I thought it would be. It’s not overpowering or long lasting on my skin but where it does get mileage is on clothing. Whatever I’ve been wearing while wearing Adam Levine for Her smells fabulous the next time I pull it out of the closet. The sandalwood and vanilla are really nice in this perfume. They’re probably completely synthetic but no matter, they smell great.

Adam Levine for Women TwitterPhoto Stolen Twitter

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
FragranceNet has $18/50ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Adam Levine for Her is easy to wear and I could also see this as a cuddle up scent. I’m pleasantly surprised by this perfume and find myself reaching for it when I want something that just smells good. Or when I want to sing into the microphone bottle.

Are you an Adam Levine fan?

Hugs
Poodle

S-ex by Christophe Laudamiel for S-perfume 2004

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Post by Trésor

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“Im a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.”

If you just so happen to be a 90s kid like me chances are you will recognize those lyrics from Aqua’s Barbie Girl, a song which was essentially the soundtrack to my childhood. Much like the synthetic starlet herself this Danish bubblegum electropop anthem immediately calls to mind one of my absolute favourite fragrances, a composition by Christophe Laudamiel for niche concept house S-Perfume called S-ex. Perhaps one of the most terribly fascinating and unconventionally beautiful fragrances in my collection.

S-ex by Christophe Laudamiel for S-perfume 2004

S-ex S-Perfume FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Oxygen, salt, camellia, willow, skin musk, strawberry, baroque musk, white leather, black leather, pepper, nutmeg, bergamot, wheat, woodsy notes, malt, birch, patchouli, sandalwood, jasmine

I will admit, the opening sequence of S-ex was not an immediate affection for me and I can remember so vividly the very first time I sprayed it on my skin. A glacial surge of metallic ozone bursts forth from the atomizer, illustrating so viscerally a hyperborean landscape of frigid metal and ice. Soon though, this frozen thalassic vista begins to recede into the distance and the breathtakingly sensuous aroma of buttery leather begins to unfold and lend an unusually beautiful tactile, skinlike quality to the composition.

S-ex S-Perfume Barbie_tales ShittyValentine DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Beneath this narrative is where my reference to Barbie truly translates as the underpinning of this sumptuous leather is an accord not unlike the aroma of our darling doll’s trademark plastic. It’s an instant rush of nostalgia for me, and I’m certain for anyone else familiar with this particularly iconic smell. The nostalgia factor is only further reinforced by an rather curious note that to me smells of strawberry flavoured chewing gum that I was terribly fond of as a child. Though this combination sounds rather dissonant and peculiar, something about it is interesting and has kept me coming back again and again for years now. The longer the composition has to develop on the skin the more an astoundingly exquisite kaleidoscope of synthetic skin musks seems to develop and it is within this olfactory symphony that I find my greatest affection for the fragrance. The only way I can can think to explain this is to imagine dancing rays of lambent sunlight refracting haphazardly though the facets an intricately cut diamond. They seem as if they are ricocheting off of each other, ebbing and flowing into infinity. It is within the magnetism of this lustrous  symphony that S-ex fades into the skin completely, leaving only delicate whispers of gossamer light in its wake.

S-ex S-Perfume skin tarkan36 PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

The sillage on S-ex is respectable but not particularly loud and longevity is significant, closing out on my skin at around 10 hours. I will say, this is not a fragrance I would recommend buying blind as those anosmic to particular synthetic musks might not smell much of anything at all. S-ex also happens to be a fragrance I would wholeheartedly recommend every honest-to-goodness fume head try at least once for I genuinely believe it is a masterpiece in its own right.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Shrine
LuckyScent has $155/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

What fragrance would you recommend everyone try at least once?

Until next time!
Tresor xx

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Créations 2015

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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I inherited three beautiful diamonds and an emerald and diamond ring. They are pieces of great beauty.

Writing about perfume is challenging and can be surprisingly difficult. It is all so subjective. Then add that to the fact that it is impossible to know what something smells like without physically smelling it. Nevertheless some writers prefer lists of notes and go onto describe them. Which is just fine unless they get it wrong. This can have a knock on effect with perfume people deciding, predicated upon what the writer says not to try it. This is extremely disheartening for the perfumers. So if you are waiting to have each and every note of Pichola dissected and discussed, move on!

Pichola by Neela Vermeire Créations 2015

Pichola: composed by Bertrand Duchafour for NVC under Neela´s eagle eye

PICHOLA on WHITE Neela Vermeire CreationsPhoto Donated Neela Vermeire Creations

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Saffron, Juniper, Magnolia, Neroli, Clementine, Bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom absolute, Rose absolute, Tuberose absolute, Jasmine sambac, Ylang-ylang
Base: Benzoin absolute, Sandalwood, Driftwood, Haitian vetiver

All of the Neela Vermeire Créations are jewels in a sea of paste. Pichola is no exception, indeed it may be the diamond in the collection. Like my own diamonds, Pichola is for special occasions or social events. (I must add that my daughter aka BlondesWunder does not agree at all and has worn it on many days using up at least half of my stash, and even wears it to the gym)) I hear through the perfumista grapevine that Pichola wears close to the skin, with an average sillage. Which is exactly what I mean with perfume being subjective. Pichola is an absolute spicy, floral bombshell and develops and lasts for many hours, leaving a soft and elegant sandalwood as its last breath – to me. Notes do include cardamom, clementine, and bergamot, orange, rose, jasmine, sandalwood and vetiver. Pichola is in perfect symmetry with Bombay Bling, Mohur, Ashoka and Trayee. That Bertrand Duchafour has achieved this with Neela Vermeire is formidable and speaks highly of their relationship.

PICHOLA Neela Vermeire CreationsPhoto Donated Neela Vermeire Creations

In the manner of the reflections off of Lake Pichola in Rajasthan from which it is named – Pichola reflects and diffuses each of its many notes. As light moves through a diamond, it is scattered and fractured, creating the sparkle that diamonds are known for. A diamond is evaluated on on its ability to reflect and refract light in all directions. Pichola glimmers and sparkles and changes with the light. Flawless.

“It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.” Dolly Parton.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and What Men Should Smell Like
Neela Vermeire Creations has €205/60ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/.5ml

Shimmering Bussis.

CQ

Bright Lipstick for EVERYONE!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 33 Comments

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Post by A F Beauty

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Hi APJ,

I have been on this planet many years but in that time, I’ve never really cemented my relationship with lipstick. I have tried multiple variations, colours and brands. A few months back I was a maid of honour at a wedding and the bride asked me to bring a lipstick that I could wear for the day, or I could buy one from the makeup artist. I knew I had a few lippies on the go, so I gather them all to take with me so all eventualities were covered. I counted them; I have over 60 lipsticks!! With that many you’d think I was wearing lippy every day, but I’m not – I still struggle with colours and textures, things like how long it’ll wear, how it matches my clothes, my skin tone. Of all make up, this is my nemesis!

So it’s odd, you’ll be thinking, that I would choose to write about lipstick, but I’ve had a bit of an angels singing moment when it comes to lippy, so I thought I would share.
Last year on Australian TV a couple of twins on a cooking show would appear nightly with some variation of THE brightest lipstick I’ve ever seen and instead of thinking about the food, I’m thinking, “Why can’t I wear lipstick like that without looking like a clown. Harrumph!”

Bright Lipstick for EVERYONE!

Fast forward a few months and I’m celebrating my birthday and want to look lovely for the day, recalling that cooking show, I think to myself, “Dammit! I’m going to buy a new lippy to celebrate!” I wasn’t brave enough to head to a luxury store to buy a delicious lipstick, Chanel and Tom Ford stand out in my mind as future purchases! No, I was in Target, glamorama (!), I found a L’Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in shade Raspberry Rush. I put it on and I LOVE IT!! I swear heavenly trumpets played and angels sang.

L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Lipstick, Raspberry Rush

Creamy texture, bright colour, texture not too soft, colour not quite pink, not quite red, not quite orange! For all occasions it has become my go-to lipstick, it is soft enough to apply lightly for work, or apply strongly for a night out. And since then, I’ve ventured more into colours and brightness, Maybelline ColorSensational in 904, Vivid Rose – bright but amazing and several of Revlon’s Lip Butters, a great first leap into colour, soft in texture but with varying colours – a gateway lipstick!

I thoroughly recommend you all to try just one bright lipstick – not just because I suggest it, but because… now this is our secret… people treat you differently. I know, I sound like a mental case and I’m prepared to be shouted down, but I feel people in shops are more engaging, the bus driver acknowledges me and the people at work – well I can tell they are bursting to comment.

Bright Lipstick Francisca Ulloa FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I’d love to know your favourite lipstick, are you bold enough to try colour? Have you had an angels singing moment?
A F Beauty XX

Portia’s 15 Must Smell Fragrances + Coupon Code!

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Hey APJ,

It would make me extremely happy if you’d jump on over and check out the newest post on My Perfume Samples. Writing for My Perfume Samples has given me a really great new outlet for fragrance writing and this fortnight we decided to think about some of the most important, or best in category, fragrances that have maintained a lot of what they were originally famous for. Obviously some have changed a bit over time due to cost, availability and regulation of components but here are 15 fragrances we believe that are still excellent reference points.

There is also a huge $15 DISCOUNT CODE

Portia’s 15 Must Smell Fragrances + Coupon Code!

15-must-smell

So please jump across and check the list out on My Perfume Samples<<JUMP. Leave a message with something you think should be there or a favourite from the group so we can have a bit of a natter about it, I’ll be dropping in regularly over the next week to answer any and all comments.

Be well, waft on.
Portia xx

Rumba by Jean-Claude Ellena and Ron Winnegrad for Balenciaga/Ted Lapidus 1988

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

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Post by Anne-Marie

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Got a spare $20 or $30? Spend it on Rumba. Stop reading this review and go do it. Tell them Anne-Marie sent you.

Still here? Want the full story? Well, Rumba is a complicated fragrance to review. Although it was released by Balanciaga in 1988 (or 1989, according to some sources), the rights were later bought by Ted Lapidus and the fragrance is now packaged (identically) under that name. I don’t know when the switch occurred; less than 10 years ago, deducing from various online reviews.

Rumba by Balenciaga/Ted Lapidus 1988

Rumba by Jean-Claude Ellena and Ron Winnegrad

Rumba Ted Lapidus FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured notes:
Top: Bergamot, plum, basil, peach, orange blossom, raspberry, mirabelle
Heart: Honey, jasmine, tuberose, carnation, heliotrope, magnolia, gardenia, lily-of-the-valley, orchid, marigold, rose
Base: Ambergris, vanilla, leather, tonka bean, patchouli, musk, sandalwood, cedar, plum, styrax, oakmoss

I’m reviewing the Lapidus version. The notes are almost identical (mirabelle, ambergris and rose are added). I have not smelled the Balenciaga, so please comment if you have compared them. From reviews, it sounds as if the Lapidus team opened a window to let some fresh air to circulate between the notes. I’m glad of that, because even the Lapidus is one helluva fragrance.

Rumba Balenciaga Ladies_of_Dynasty WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Spraying Rumba is like letting the 1980s out of a bottle. Hop over to Spotify and pull up a 1980s playlist. That. At opening, intensely cooked fruit is modified – very interestingly – by a damp herbal accord (bergamot and basil). The next phase is not so pleasing. I get a harsh and, well, vulgar white flower accord, tuberose in particular, typical of the era. Oakmoss is supposed to be a basenote, but dear God! Here it is already.

Eventually Rumba calms down, and although it’s been fun, I’m glad. I can’t listen to Bonnie Tyler and Def Leppard all night, sorry. Vanilla is NOT a note I love unreservedly but here, unsweetened, it is wonderfully balanced with dry, smoky, leathery notes. So it’s goodbye to the 1980s, and hello to today’s niche/experimental style of fragrance. (And how much of that can you get for under $40?)

Rumba Balenciaga Bee-apis WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Rumba is an unsubtle scent; not a morning fragrance at all, really. Apply it in moderation in the afternoon, well before leaving the house, and it will take you into evening and on until the following morning.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Bois de Jasmin
FragranceNet has $23/100ml before coupon

I suspect that Rumba is often treated as an historical curiosity, more talked about than worn. Because yes, it was co-developed by Jean-Claude Ellena, famous now for his elusive, delicate etudes for Hermes. But give Rumba some skin time, judge it on its merits, and have fun!

Anne-Marie XXX

Gabriella's Three New Fragrant Favourites

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

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Post by Gabriella

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Hi perfume lovers,

It’s so easy for me to fall into a perfume rut. My white floral adoration and Mr M’s penchant for dark, spicy roses can sometimes mean that I rarely go outside of my comfort zone of the two genres when it comes to wearing scents.

Maybe I’ll get samples or decants just to sniff something different or for the purposes of writing a blog post, but it’s a very rare occasion indeed when I find not one, but three perfumes that don’t fall into either category, but feel utterly perfect to me.

But that unexpected moment has happened and today I want to share with you my three new favourite NON white-floral/dark-rose perfumes

Gabriella’s Three New Fragrant Favourites

Eau De Magnolia Frederic Malle FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, mos, amber

I’m not one for colognes and magnolia isn’t my favourite flower, but this to me is just utterly magical. A sharp burst of bergamot with a verdant twist of lime morphs into a subtle green and mossy magnolia underscored by the dryness of vetiver. It’s an easy to wear, yet utterly elegant and sophisticated chypre that have me craving spring.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $59 for 10ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $7.59/ml

Chanel Misia Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Misia by Olivier Polge for Chanel 2015

Fragrantica gives these notes in one line:
Violet, iris, orris root, Turkish rose, Grasse rose, Laos benzoin, tonka bean.

Rose and violet is a combination that usually has me running the other way. I didn’t expect to like Misia, let alone love it, given the myriad of comparisons with Lipstick Rose and the like, but I do. The difference for me is the sharp opening of iris, which lends the rose violet accord a little dryness and fizziness. There’s a powdery, candied vibe as the iris veers into the rose-violet accord while berry notes lends a sweet vibe to the rose without veering too much into the dreaded fruity floral territory. Misia is just such a pleasure to wear, it absolutely sparkles on my skin and has enough Chanel sophistication whilst feeling completely modern and different to the rest of the Exclusifs line.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Grain de Musc
Misia is available at Chanel boutiques, US$280/AUD$350/300ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/ml

Wit Parfums DelRae FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Wit by Yann Vasnier for Parfums DelRae

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, mandarin orange, angelica, laurels
Heart: Jasmine, narcissus, mimosa, ylang-ylang
Base: Amber, vanilla, musk

Wit surprised me, given that DelRae’s creations, whilst completely beautiful to sniff, never really work on me skin wise. Plus, the lemon element scared me a bit, given citrus can turn overly sharp and cloying on me, but Wit had me at hello. The opening is bright creamy lemon, softly sweet and also lemon curdy in nature, with a decidedly tactile and almost edible quality. The citrus notes sparkle and yet are softly sweet before segueing into the jasmine and daphne which is all bright yellow and tempered by the soft green of the laurel and angelica. Wit is a surprisingly different floral, with a brightness and richness I haven’t found in the genre for quite some time.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Now Smell This
Luckyscent has $150/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/0.5ml

What three fragrances are your favourites at the moment? What fragrances do you love that are outside your comfort zone?

With much love till next time!

M x

Eucalyptus Oil and a Song About A Kookaburra

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

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Post by Suzanne R Banks

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Eucalyptus Oil and a Song About A Kookaburra

A kookaburra has recently moved into my hood – which is only 10 minutes from the city of Sydney. He, or she, has been singing every morning, and according to folk tale when the kookaburra sings. it will rain. That crafty Aussie bird hasn’t been wrong yet. What happened to our long, hot summer? Anyway, the cute little song we’ve been singing for almost a century in Australia goes like this:

“Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be!”

Kookaburra WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

So the kookaburra sits in a gum tree. A eucalyptus tree. There are many types of euclaypts in Australia and quite a few essential oils are produced from them. Here’s a few I know about:

Eucalyptus globulus WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

1. Eucalyptus globulus

This eucalyptus tree – the “blue gum” – is the one most used to produce the essential oil. You are probably going to get Eucalyptus globulus when you buy eucalyptus oil. This oil is sharp, strong, clean and fresh and is the classic, most identifiable eucalyptus scent.This oil has been produced for nearly a century and the main production now comes from China. There are many of these trees in the USA too and other warm climates. The tree is easily able to adapt, and because of this it has been the most planted eucalyptus tree in the world.

Eucalyptus_radiata WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

2. Eucalyptus radiata

This is also called the “narrow-leaved peppermint gum” and there seem to be quite a few chemotypes (different scents). I buy this as my everyday eucalyptus oil, as it’s a bit milder and sweeter in scent than the globulus. It still has the same amazing qualities of globulus, and in fact all the eucalypts (as with the melaleucas – see my post http://wp.me/p2R7rE-55) share similar properties. I recommend trying this lovely oil next time you need some eucalyptus oil.

Eucalyptus_polybractea WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

3. Eucalyptus polybractea

This is the ‘Blue mallee’ tree. The oil from this tree has a high cineole content (1,8-cineole is one of the particular active ingredients in eucalyptus tree), which gives it a camphorous and pungent scent. Penetrating and sharp, it is less likely to be found when searching for “eucalyptus oil”, but I have bought blue mallee oil from supermarkets here in Australia and it’s inexpensive and gorgeous. I think there is one brand I found in a supermarket that’s also organic. Even looking at these three pictures it’s hard to distinguish the difference in the look of the leaves and flowers.

Eucalyptus citriodora WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

4. Eucalyptus citriodora

Yep if you guessed lemon scented you’d be right. It has a citronella/lemon scent, a bit like lemon verbena too. It is high in citronellal and that would explain the scent. It is a warm, almost herbaceous lemon scent and has different shaped leaves to the others discussed so far. I don’t really use this oil although I do carry it in my kit. I would probably use a classic eucalyptus with another lemon scented oil if I need that combination.

Eucalyptus_dives_flowers_and_leavesPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

5. Eucalyptus dives

This eucalyptus tree is also used to distill essential oils, but I don’t really use this one a lot either. In fact I don’t think I even have any. Its common name is “broad-leaved peppermint” (radiata was called narrow-leaved peppermint). It has a couple of chemotypes that produce oils and once again the constituents are particular to its type but include the 1,8-cineole, common to all eucalypts. I can’t describe the scent as I can’t remember the last time I used it or smelled it. It is however used for its high piperitone content which gives it a pepperminty-camphor scent.

Eucalyptus_piperita White's_Voyage) WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

6. Eucalyptus piperita

Wikipedia claims this is called “Sydney peppermint” but I’ve never heard that. Can’t say I ever smelled the oil either but this one is also high in piperitone too. I’ve never looked for it for sale but I’m sure someone makes it. The English phyto-chemist H. G. Smith who moved here in the late 1800’s, wrote a paper on the volatile oil of Eucalyptus piperita and also wrote a book with his colleague on the Eucalypts of Australia.

Eucalyptus_smithii WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

7. Eucalyptus smithii

This is the “gully gum” also found in South Africa where this is the main eucalyptus for oil production. It was named after Mr Smith (from the paragraph above) and is quite high in 1,8-cineole. It has that classic eucalyptus scent and all the qualities you would expect:

decongestant, astringent, analgesic, anti-septic, expectorant and the list goes on. It’s typically used for colds, flu, coughs and many respiratory complaints and is warming and refreshing.

I love Eucalyptus!
Suzanne R Banks x

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