Review

Gentlewoman by Juliette Has A Gun

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

Hi Crew,

Having spent some time with the dashing Romano Ricci recently we were introduced to his latest offering, Gentlewoman. One of the things I really liked about meeting Romano Ricci was something that he said, he told us that while he created the fragrances he would often go and seek the help of other perfumers to bring his idea to completion. That kind of open honesty is both refreshing and virtually unheard of in this industry, he won me over in that moment. The fact that he was extremely handsome and an outrageous flirt had nothing to do with it at all….

Gentlewoman by Romano Ricci for Juliette Has A Gun 2015

Gentlewoman Juliette Has A Gun FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, bitter orange blossom, neroli
Heart: Almond, courmarin, orange blossom, lavender
Base: Ambroxan, woody notes, musk

The humble cologne. So invigorating and refreshing. A hallmark of perfumery and still people are finding new ways to improve the genre.

Imagine citrus. All the parts of citrus. Tree, leaves, flowers, zest, pith, juice and body are all part of what makes me think citrus. It seems that Romano has wanted to show all facets of the citrus in one fragrance and not only to do that but then to add some almond in for good measure to mellow, buff and lactonate* what is mainly citrus.

Yes, we have lavender, also courmarin and super cuddly musks (Clayton knows the names of the molecules). Here we have a same same but different cologne. Firstly it LASTS for hours. One of my main problems with Eau de Cologne as a genre is having to tote around a 500ml bottle to respritz every 25 minutes. Secondly, we have a really interesting and enjoyable development that also has this divine almond note that makes the whole heart smell like an almond bread with zest! YUMMY! A dry yummy and not really a gourmand, except of course that it is strictly speaking gourmand.

What do I know? Don’t you want to try this hot little mother for yourself? See below…..

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
First In Fragrance has €99/50ml (Available from mid May)
Libertine Parfumerie has AUD$205/100ml (In Stock Now! Including FREE Australian Postage!)

Good luck all,
Portia xx

Save From YouTube giveaway 4Photo Stolen YouTube

Gentlewoman GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x decant Gentlewoman by Juliette Has A Gun (from my Press bottle)
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 comment with any reason you could be called a Gentleman or Gentlewoman

Extra Chance?
Tweet:  Gentlewoman: Juliette Has A Gun  http://wp.me/p3PURw-3KA   

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 2nd April 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 9th April 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.

lactonate: Yet again I have invented a word that means, in my head, adding a milky touch

L'Heure Convoiteé II by Mathilde Laurent for Cartier 2011

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hi there Fragrance Fiends,

Every time I wear this beauty I am transported to Prague in winter where I bought it with Jin. You would think it a summer only fragrance but it was wonderful in the super cold too. For some reason I never got to Prague when I lived in London in the 1990s, even though my mates would go there often, it was always on the bucket list and going there with Jin made it extra special. Even if L’Heure Convoiteé II smelled like shit, which it most definitely does not, I would still love it for the memories it conjures.

L’Heure Convoiteé II by Mathilde Laurent for Cartier 2011

Les Heures de Cartier

L'Heure Convoiteé II Cartier FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Carnation, iris, powdery notes

Cool, stark, crystaline and beautiful. The opening of L’Heure Convoiteé II would be the perfect fragrance for the cold girl from Frozen, ever since I saw the film every time I spritz the song Let It Go runs through my head. People compare it to Bellodgia by Caron and while they are cousins L’Heure Convoiteé II is cooler, less spicy and hot. They are carnations done in opposite directions for me, Bellodgia is thick, rich and nuanced with warmth and spice burning fiercely inside but L’Heure Convoiteé II is stark, linear, sharp and poised, a crystal Queen on the outside that becomes less intimidating as she makes her way through the story.

L'Heure Convoiteé II Cartier Prague_charles_bridge WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Clove holds the heart of L’Heure Convoiteé II, clove and iris sharp and earthy, an interesting dichotomy and though it’s not mentioned I think the musk is a lot of what feels fluffy but not human, clean and clear like an washing machine with a brand new rug thrown in for its welcome wash before you add detergents. L’Heure Convoiteé II is the clean lines of modern buildings like Howard Roark’s designs in the Fountainhead or the Brutalist beauty of the Seidler House in Sydney.

L'Heure Convoiteé II Cartier Seidler House Killara ModernHeritagePhoto Stolen ModernHeritage (Problem using this image, please get in touch)

The clove becomes woodsy towards the end of the L’Heure Convoiteé II ride and the rest of the notes give me a lovely spicy rose weaving through. Still cool and very classy but more welcoming, is there some very dry pepper hiding here? Oooh I like it, I think I’ll respritz and live it all again.

Further reading: Grain de Musc and Olfactoria’s Travels
Cartier stores and some large Department Stores have Les Heures de Cartier
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/.5ml

Do you like the Cartier Hours Collection? Have you tried any? What about other Cartier frags?
Portia xx

 

Reckless: Roja Dove 2011

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 60 Comments

Hi Y’all,

A perfume angel sent me this from NYC. I am as flabbergasted as you are. I thought, “What better way to celebrate than do a GIVEAWAY!” I have deliberately not really reviewed what happens through the fragrances life because I want you to experience it first hand, I will say though that it does smell like money……. lots of money

Reckless: Roja Dove 2011

Reckless Roja Dove FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, citruses, aldehydes, tarragon
Heart: Amaryllis, jasmine, violet, geranium, ylang-ylang, rose, peach
Base: Vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oak moss, clove, cinnamon, tonka bean, orris root, castoreum, leather

Roja Dove says at First In Fragrance: Sweet, sparkling, fresh, warm, dry, spicy & sensual
“While reading a book, I saw a woman described as ‘reckless maybe – foolish never’. I imagined how that woman would be: she was a woman who followed her heart, but was no one’s fool. I imagined her in the half-light, wearing a diamond necklace. Her world would be one of uncompromising luxury – her scent reflected her, she smelt expensive. She always got what she wanted; often taking risks to get it”.

I am surprised how much I’m enjoying it. There are reminders of other fragrances but they are done with what feels like reverence. To be honest I thought it would be much less lovely……

Very much in the styles of No 5, Joy and Arpege though I am currently wearing it on one hand and Mitsouko PdT on the other. Mitsouko is so gorgeously abrasive by comparison. Never has she seemed so green and arch to me. While Reckless is the balmy, warm and soapy, very genteel lady sitting primly in cashmere, with her knees pressed very firmly together and wearing very large baroque pearls. After Reckless has had her third dirty martini though………

Further reading: Persolaise
First In Fragrance €325/50ml (usually €395: special offer) + Samples

Go On, join in the fun.
Portia xx

giveaway kbairdPhoto Stolen kbaird

Reckless: GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
1 x decant of Roja Dove’s Reckless (from my bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell me about your favourite fragrance from the long past glory of perfumery.

Extra Chance?
Tweet:  Roja Dove: Reckless    

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 29th March 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 2nd April 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.

Sublime by Jean Kerleo for Jean Patou 1992

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

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Post by FeralJasmine

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Sublime Spring

There is no part of the transition from winter to spring that fails to interest and even enthrall me. Gardeners are generally beguiled by this season, and I am no exception. The birds are singing, the earth is awakening, Persephone is rising, and life stirs all around us.

In earliest spring I enjoy delicate, effervescent florals, but then the days get warmer and the daffodils bloom, and I develop a taste for divas who stand at center stage and defy winter to show its haggard face again. Sublime by Jean Patou is just such a scent. I will be writing only about the original release in the lobed bottle with a cap shaped rather like a tulip. I’ve never smelled the reformulation.

Sublime by Jean Kerleo for Jean Patou 1992

Sublime Jean Patou fragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, tangerine, coriander, green accords
Heart: Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, neroli oil
Base: Vanilla, sandalwood, cedar, civet

Jean Patou gives these featured accords:
Envolée: Bergamote, Mandarine, Orange, Ylang Ylang
Plénitude: Rose, Jasmin, Muguet, Fleur d’Oranger
Sillage: Vanille de Madagascar, Ambre, Santal

So what flowers lurk in this bold concoction? Jasmine, rose, ylang, and neroli are the official heart notes, but I smell narcissus in there too, and I’m not alone. A commenter on Fragrantica mentions the narcissus note, although other commenters don’t. My overall impressions of this scent are warm, sweet, and yellow. Imagine a double daffodil opening in the morning sun, and you have some idea of the quality of this perfume. And like so many flowers in the Narcissus family, it can be a bit much at close range. Even on my perfume consuming skin, this one has to be sprayed with some caution, at least 30 minutes before I leave the house. However, the warnings that I see on fragrance boards here and there that this scent is “rank” and “civet-y” are, to my mind, not worth paying attention to. There is a touch of civet but it is subtle. Refined, even. The drydown is long, sweet, warm, and powdery.

Sublime Jean Patou-jean-patou-1944-rene-gruau-fashion-illustration-hprints-comPhoto Stolen HPrints (Problem using image, get in touch please)

It was released in 1992, and in some ways partakes of the qualities of the 1980s bombs, toned down just a bit for the next decade’s sensibilities. But it remains lavish, and there is definitely a time and place for lavish.

Further reading: Non Blonde and I Smell Therefore I Am
FragranceNet has $66/50ml (old packaging)
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/ml

I’d love to hear about your experiences with the house of Patou, or tell me your favorite floral bomb.
FeralJasmine XXX

Eau d`Orange Verte by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2009

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

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Post by Trésor

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I am a self professed cologne hater, I hate colognes…or at least that’s what I like to tell myself. “I am HARDCORE” I say, convincing myself that the only potions I care to anoint myself with are those so dense with utter depth and debaucherous subversion that they practically have fangs. This is all, of course, an incredible delusion because the truth of the matter is that of all the fragrances I own it tends to be the bottles of eau de cologne that I find myself emptying first. I’ve had my fair share of undisclosed affairs with an eau de cologne, a splash of Eau Sauvage here and a another of Eau de Coq there but there is one I return to each and every time: Eau d’Orange Verte from Hermès. A true study in how a fragrance can be so much more than just the sum of its parts.

Eau d`Orange Verte by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2009

Eau d`Orange Verte Hermes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Amalfi lemon, orange, mandarin, cassis, mint, patchouli, oakmoss

Eau d’Orange Verte opens with the most extraordinarily effulgent lightshow of photorealistic orange, so vivid in its juicy titian hue that you are left with the visceral impression of smelling a orange that has just been cut in half. I find this to be at the same time both inimitably refreshing and also a gentle act of hypnotism, leaving you entranced and transported into a dimension of glorious and gleaming sunbeams. It’s a powerful experience, mores than in any eau de cologne I have experienced.

There is an assertiveness and charisma in how Eau d’Orange Verte takes charge of your senses in its incipience but also a confident and effortless elegance. You wouldn’t imagine an orange to be the most particularly sexy note, but there is something I find so terribly seductive about this interplay of power and geniality. As the verdancy of the orange begins to diffuse the composition draws itself closer to the skin and the incredible sparkling radiance of the opening becomes a gleaming aurora of mandarin inflected with a delicate whisper velvet jasmine petals, not petals of a present reality but the tendrils of aroma encapsulated within a precious memory; blurry and fleeting but deeply beautiful.

Eau d'Orange VertePhoto Donated Trésor

The dry down of Eau d’Orange Verte is one of silken emerald moss and the most graceful kiss of delicate patchouli, a chypre hologram; the traditional density stripped away but the spirit remaining in breathtaking entirety. It’s shortly after this that Eau d’Orange Verte finally fades into nothing and you are left with but a beloved recollection of the time you’d spent together.

The longevity on Eau d’Orange Verte is rather short. This time of year, when it is still rather cold where I reside I can get about 30 minutes though in the sweltering heat of the summertime an hour or two is not unheard of. The projection is very delicate as well, a treat for yourself and those you draw incredibly close. I urge you to give this precious little potion a whirl if you are looking to experience a proper, incredibly refined eau de cologne or just so happen to be in need of a little sunshine.

Eau d'Orange Verte Hermes Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Green_Wheat_Field_with_Cypress WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: Perfume Smellin’ Things and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $56/50ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples start at $2/ml

Now tell me, what are your favourite eau de colognes?

Until next time, kittens.
Trésor xx

Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

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Post by Azar

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Hello APJ Pals,

As long as I can remember perfumes wafting excessive orrisroot, iris, violet and/or heliotrope have been, at best, cloying and at worst nauseating. Powdery purple florals, components of so many vintage and modern fragrances, are almost impossible to avoid. Their sweet, almond-y, cherry or vanillic odors rise from drugstores, department stores, boutiques and specialty shops everywhere.

Over the years I have developed a sort of Heliotropophobia, (Orrisophobia, Violettaphobia), a confused and unpredictable fear of the sweet and powdery. Heliotrope in certain fragrances, Dior Poison for example, presents no problem for me. Perhaps Poison works because the heliotrope has been transformed into a toxic berry? When powdery orris root serves as background noise or modulation (Chanel No.19) it works too, but when the powder passes my personal threshold of tolerance any perfume becomes a scrubber. Prada’s Infusion d’Iris is intolerable. Lolita Lempicka is lovely at first but not for long…

Determined to face this phobia I began searching my samples for possible offenders. Bravely I decided to spritz anything containing iris, violet or heliotrope and make a serious effort to concentrate on the development of the scent, disregarding any gag reflex. I knew there had to be something redeeming beneath the icky and the sweet. The first vial that I pulled forever changed my take on powder in perfume.

Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale 2014

Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli Dame Perfumery Scottsdale FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mate, lime peel, aldehydes
Heart: Heliotrope, iris, rose, tiare flower
Base: Patchouli, amber

The first sniff revealed the usual dreaded heliotrope and iris, but not for long! A sparkling, airy lightness, provided by mate and lime, immediately saved the composition. Mr. Dame’s heliotrope was refreshing and invigorating, almost a cologne. As Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli developed and dried into the cherry-almond aspect of heliotrope the aldehydes kept the gooey dessert element under control allowing the fragrance to finish with a rich and comforting combination of tiare and amber. A wispy, vague reference to pale patchouli lingered from start to finish.

Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli Dame Perfumery purple_fire birdbyte Deviant ArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

I love Mate, Heliotrope &Patchouli. I wear and enjoy this fragrance and am convinced that it has opened my nose to the possibilities of carefully controlled and modified purple flowers. With that in mind I plan to return to the Prada mentioned above and hopefully find something new to love.

If you would like to receive a free sample of Mate, Heliotrope& Patchouli or any of Dame Perfumery’s current fragrances check out the website’s picture postcard/sample exchange. If you like a scent but are not ready to commit to a full bottle the website offers 7ml trial sizes for only $8.50 and $10.00!

Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli Dame Perfumery vanilla-flower PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Thanks to Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli I may have conquered my Heliotropophobia. Have you tried any of the Dame Perfumery fragrances? Do you have any fragrance phobias? Are there perfumes you cannot wear but wish you could?

Be Brave

Azar xx

Tuberose Diabolique Perfume Oil by Ava Luxe

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

As spring hits the Northern Hemisphere properly I thought it time to look at one of my personal favourite tuberose fragrances. I have drained a bottle of the parfum and now I’m wearing the oil.

tuberose-diabolique-ava-luxe peacock Ava LuxePhoto Stolen Ava Luxe

The Ava Luxe website has this to say:
A French legend of tuberose warns young girls not to breathe in its intoxicating fragrance after dark for fear that it would put them in an amorous mood. we, on the other hand, would encourage you to wear this tuberose fragrance after dark (or anytime) with wild abandon.

Tuberose Diabolique Perfume Oil by Ava Luxe

Tuberose Diabolique by Serena Ava Franco

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Indian tuberose, wild gardenia, Egyptian tuberose, amber, spice, white carnation, bitter orange

Tuberose Diabolique opens with a lush tropical miasma so thick and treacle-ish that you feel like you must wade through the scent to get across the room. In the oil I find a muted, softer scent. The projection is much less pronounced but the silage is still excelent. Here we have a greener tuberose with little of the parfums outrageous overbearing demeanor. Don’t misunderstand me, you are still extremely fragrant and into its heart the whole fragrance warms and does become bequiling. A buttery green-ness very like having a vase of tuberose slowly dying in your home, the heady and wondrous death of tuberose. GORGEOUS!

I get a lovely helping of amber but the crispness of carnation and the sizzle of citrus and spice are blended beyond my ability to really smell them other than by note list reading.

Photo Stolen AusGardener

Spraying Tuberose Diabolique is making a statement. Though the oil is not as enormous as the parfum it is still big and heady. If you need something to help you take charge, or to fuddle the oppositions brains, then I think this could be the necessary fragrance for you. Should you wish to take an hour out of your life I suggest rubbing a fair amount into your chest and arms, grab yourself a cuppa, put some music on and let yourself go. Completely and utterly lose yourself in a sensual sense overload that is completely and utterly selfish.

tuberose-diabolique-ava-luxe coffee geralt Pixabay jpgPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Where would Tuberose Diabolique be wearable? Outdoor activities, shopping, cleaning, bed if you’re lucky enough to have one to yourself or if you are after raunchy sex acts, washing day, al fresco dinning, the beach, anywhere that you are not enclosed for the first hour.

Do I like Tuberose Diabolique in the oil form? YES!!!

The Ava Luxe site has 5ml Perfume Oil $25 & 5ml Parfum Extrait $27.

Do you have an oil that you also have in another form? Which do you wear most?
Till tomorrow we wish you enough wealth, good health and enough sense to be happy with those 2.
Love.
Portia xx

Un Matin d'Orage by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hi there lovely fragrant APJers,

I have a nearly empty 50ml of this beauty bought early on and recently my mate Michael who writes for Olfactoria’s Travels was having a Sell-Out so I grabbed a 100ml from him. It’s in the old packaging but much newer and I was a little worried there might have been a few cuts and pastes as the company changed hands over the years. I’m sure there have been but Un Matin d’Orage is remarkably intact. Happy day…..

Un Matin d’Orage by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

Un Matin d’Orage (Morning Storm)

Un Matin d`Orage Annick Goutal FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Sicilian lemon, ginger, green notes
Heart: Gardenia, shiso leaves, magnolia, champaca flowers, Indonesian jasmine
Base: Sandalwood

Imagine happy moderately wealthy women heading for lunch. Their morning has been full, woke up, breakfast, husband to work and kids to school (unless she has decided to live her life her way), gym, work or housework, ready for lunch, spritz. In my imagination Un Matin d’Orage is exactly what she wafts. Stylish, distinctive, sensual and elegant is how she lives, and how she smells.

shutterstock_55275496.tifPhoto Stolen WomensLifeStyle (Problem using image? Get in touch please)

When I wrote about Un Matin d’Orage before this is what I said: “OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS!” is what I say in my head every time I spritz myself with Un Matin d’Orage. Does it smell like a stormy morning to me? No. Maybe the sunshine an hour after a stormy morning, when all the flowers are getting their scent on as if to make up for lost time……. This smells like money to me, loads of it.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

My first whiff of Un Matin d’Orage is always with surprise that there is no ylang mentioned in the notes. My nose gets the lovely fatty, warm, buttery sensuality of it. Backed up by light sheen of lemon and ginger that sparkles dewily across the top, and yes I get the idea of being out after a storm. A very clean gardenia is there, maybe the indole has washed away in the storm, and it’s not a flower in your hand but a bush a couple of doors down wafting up to you in the early morning as the scent awakes. Champacca is an extremely fragrant magnolia that has a flower remarkably reminiscent in its look of ylang, though I’ve not smelled it alone I think it’s the progenitor of the ylang-ish headiness, the sandalwood is helping too.

While Un Matin d’Orage is a white floral extravaganza something I really enjoy about its unfurling is the hint of green that is present through its whole life, a slightly wet/dry green like palm leaves in a greenhouse and some resinous green too (galbanum?) that steadies the whole fragrance and keeps it wearable and give subtle shade to the glow from the white flowers.

Un Matin d`Orage Annick Goutal Edgar_Degas Ballet WikiCommonsPhoto stolen WikiCommons

Like many Annick Goutal fragrances only the first hour is very fragrant but Un Matin d’Orage hums along quietly after its initial huge opening as a lovely airy, softly woody white flower that huffs up from my shirt occasionally and surprises me. Too big for confined spaces initially but given some burn off time perfect for any occasion. Smells KILLER on a guy too.

Further reading: Smelly Thoughts and Grain de Musc
FragranceNet has old packaging $79/50ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Have you worn this remarkable beauty? Is there another Annick Goutal you love?
Portia x

Impossible Iris by Ramon Monegal

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 47 Comments

Hi there APJ Frag Family,

Here is another of my Birgit from Olfactoria’s Travels pick-ups (EDIT: This was not from Birgit but from SusanB). I am so thrilled to have it in my collection now. The weighty, gorgeous ink pot bottle. The thrill of lifting its cap like a cigarette lighter and the wonderful joy of spritzing liberally. Life doesn’t get much better than this…….

Impossible Iris by Ramon Monegal

Impossible Iris Ramon Monegal FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Iris, mimosa, raspberry, ylang-ylang, jasmine, Virginian cedar

I love to soft wattle, cardboard, bread and sweet floral opening. Impossible Iris smells like no other iris fragrance to me. It smells a little leathery and lightly fruity, the mimosa (wattle in Australia) is clean and pretty and all the fatty elements of the white flowers are shaved off. Impossible Iris is like a calm space in the mad world we live in. Imagine being in a cool pool on the second floor of a building surrounded by skyscrapers, freeways, shoppers and noise. You go underwater and suddenly you are in an oasis of serenity, just you, your heartbeat, the cool water lapping and the play of sunlight above and around you.

Impossible Iris Ramon Monegal Barcelona_rooftop_pool WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Refreshing, uplifting and calming. What a perfect warm day scent. I love how through the heart the berry gives Impossible Iris a little hint of sweetness, a very nice (not overly sugared or sweet) addition like opening an expensive lollipop.

I get soft but persistent longevity from Impossible Iris and after the first hour I get little huffs of reminder as I go about my day but you will never skunk anyone even if you drench yourself. A one hour respritz gives it extra fullness and lifespan.

Impossible Iris Ramon MonegalPhoto Stolen Romon Monegal

Romon Monegal Site says: Mysterious and ambiguous, the legendary iris root only gives off the extreme beauty of its perfume on rare occasions. It is blended only with the finest cedar, in the presence of the exotic ylang-ylang flower, with traces of violet and jasmine, fleshing out its full glamour so that it may become the most attractive perfume in the world
Notes: Italian Iris Concrete, Cassie d’Egypte Absolute, Raspberry, Comoran Ylang-Ylang, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute and Virginian Cedarwood.

Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
First In Fragrance has €145/50ml
Peony Melbourne will be getting the range any moment!!
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/.5ml

Which of the Ramon Monegal line do you love?
Portia xx

 

giveaway TheTruthAboutMummyPhoto Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

Ramon Monegal GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the Romon Monegal crew, especially Fracisco Gratacós, for their amazing generosity.

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive one of (NO you don’t get to chose):
1 x 15ml splash sample Mon Cuir by Ramon Monegal
1 x 15ml spritz sample Lovely Day by Ramon Monegal
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 go to Ramon Monegal<<JUMP, find a fragrance and ONE of its notes…. NO DOUBLE UPS!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Ramon Monegal GIVEAWAY

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 22nd March 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 26th March 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.

 

Vitriol d’œillet by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2011

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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Portia gifted me recently with a bottle of Serge Lutens’ Vitriol d’oeillet. I cherished the bottle and violet coloured juice, only giving it a good airing yesterday. It was perfect for a late afternoon BBQ in autumn. Powdery, airy and floral it felt beautiful and delicate to wear.

Vitriol d’œillet by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2011

Vitriol d’œillet Serge Lutens FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Nutmeg, clove, pink pepper, pepper, paprika, carnation, wallflower, lily, ylang-ylang

Initially waxy and slightly creamy, carnation and some sweet nutmeg. I expected it to be a clove spice bomb, but its pretty and floral on me. It is like smelling a bouquet of carnations in a vase, without any fresh or green notes. It’s also reminiscent in parts of a good powdery pot pouri, however not grannyish or dated. The ‘clovieness’ that people complain about on me is rounded out and far from medicinal.

An hour in, after a little soapiness something deeper is revealed: ylang ylang! An essential oil I used to wear a lot as a teenager, but I seem to rarely see now in the perfumes I wear. I really enjoy it in this fragrance. Chilli and pink peppercorns bring a sparkly element in for me. The chilli is not as strong as the chilli infusion in Arquiste’s ‘Anima Dulcis’ but the sharp lash of its tongue is most certainly present.

From Serge Lutens: “What is it, Doctor Jekyll?” Listen, my child, and I will tell you everything. Take a carnation and a sufficient quantity of Cayenne pepper. Firmly drive it into the very center, using the “nails” of a clove. Before committing the final act of violence, let wallflower throw in a few punches.

Vitriol d’œillet Serge Lutens Carnation_flower WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

So what exactly is wallflower (botanical name: Erysimum)? It’s a little yellow / orange flower from the mustard side of the brassicaceae (cabbage) family. Known as the ‘fragrant kings of the cabbage family’ they don’t sound glamorous to me! Found commonly in public parks and gardens as they are easy to grow. Originally from rocky parts of Syria, Turkey and Greece. They flower through spring and summer bringing a scent that is sweet and heady, somewhere between carnation and sweet peas.

In perfumery wallflower is a fantasy note, a unicorn of sorts. Thus ‘wallflower’ is usually made from a combination of salicylates, geranium oil and acetate, para cresyl acetate, eugenol, carnaline rhodia and nerol. Interestingly many of these ingredients are used when making carnation and sweet pea too – it’s all in the ratios for these flowers with similar chemical makeup.

Vitriol d’œillet Serge Lutens Wallflower GeographPhoto Stolen Geograph

To train your nose to pick Wallflower, first smell some at your local nursery and then try the following:

1991- Dior’s Dune mixes wallflower in the floral heart with jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, lily, wallflower, lichen. Accentuated with bergamot, mandarin, palisander, aldehyde, peony and broom in the top notes. Base notes include vanilla, patchouli, benzoin, sandalwood, amber, oakmoss, and musk.
2014 – Fendi’s Furiosa contains top notes of Calabrian bergamot, wallflower at the heart and amber in the base.
2000- L’Artisan’s Oeilet Sauvage is a honeyed carnation made of pink pepper, rose, carnation, ylang-ylang, lily, wallflower, morning glory, resin and vanilla.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Black Narcissus
FragranceNet has $110/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Do you have wallflower growing in your garden? Can you pick it in a fragrance?
Ainslie Walker XX