Review

Missoni Women by Maurice Roucel and Trudi Loren for Missoni 2006

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Post by Chairman Meow

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Missoni Women by Maurice Roucel and Trudi Loren for Missoni 2006

Missoni for Women FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the following accords:
Top: bergamot, mandarin, orange
Heart: magnolia, peony, rose, Japanese apple
Base: pear tree, chocolate, hazelnuts, amber

What is immediately striking about Missoni is its dual temperament, with both fresh marine and toothsome dessert facets. You immediately start to mentally bandy around words such as “dichotomous” and “personality disorder”. The mind gently boggles as you inwardly spin that fragrance wheel and a struggle ensues to neatly taxonomise the thing. What is this? Is it a gourmand? Is it an aquatic? Is it an aquatic gourmand? Is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything really 42?

The chocolate is cocoa rich, nutty and heavy, and sits uneasily atop a transparent, calone-laden scent (please do forgive me for dropping the C-bomb, I appreciate it’s a dirty word). It’s the oil in an unshaken salad dressing, queasily yawing and pitching but never quite melding (it probably didn’t help that I was in the throes of food poisoning when I was reviewing this). Citrus is present, but it’s done with a light hand. Its combination with chocolate invariably draws comparisons made with Jaffas, or other orange flavoured chocolates. Whilst it does contribute a slightly tart aspect to the scent, what is more striking to me is the somewhat exsanguinated pear accord, actually very reminiscent to me of a nashi pear. In fact, take Missoni, remove the Nutella accord, and I believe it would have made for a wonderful Pleats Please by Issey Miyake, in which the nashi pear is a central player.

DessertPhoto Stolen Charles Haynes  Flickr

Give Missoni just a few short minutes, however, and a sort olfactory alchemy starts to take place. Eat a chocolate dipped strawberry, and the initial sensation is akin to having two different dishes in your mouth, with the waxy chocolate bits jostling with the watery fruit blobs but not really coming together to form a particularly satisfying mouthfeel. Just as you start to wish you had picked off and eaten the chocolate first, the whole thing magically amalgamates into delicious choc-berry goop whose sum is inexplicably greater than its parts. And so it is with the Missoni. The chocolate mantle becomes softer, sweeter and less distinct, and the pear starts to take on a little colour to its cheeks, fleshed out with some flowers. Before long it all emulsifies, and makes much more sense. You can still pick out the warm and cool elements if you really thought about it, but by that time the olfactory lithium has kicked in and it all seems rather besides the point. It just smells… good. Somehow.

Missoni Women Mulan Loco Steve FlickrPhoto Stolen Loco Steve Flickr

In true Missoni style even the sillage is a little deranged, throwing itself off the skin in admirable fashion whilst still managing to smell polite. A non-tantrum-throwing diva, if you will. As it wheezes its death rattles at the end of its 4-5 hour life on my parched skin, its aquatic side is nowhere to be smelled, smouldering instead with the embers of a fruity-amber affair.
Missoni shouldn’t leave your colleagues diving for cover, just don’t be fooled by its demure demeanour and do apply with a lighter hand than expected.

Further reading: Another Perfume Blog and The Non Blonde
Beauty Encounter has a mini from $9.90
The Perfumed Court starts at $3/ml

Until next month,
Chairman Meow

Iroaz by Amelie Bourgeois for Lostmarc’h 2008

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Post by Maya

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Hi APJ,

There was a comment that was recently posted on APJ about the story that often comes with perfume. Since there are so many perfume releases, something is needed raise interest in the perfume. The story, as well as the packaging, do this. I have tried many perfumes based on the story, especially if I like the listed notes.

Iroaz by Lostmarc’h 2008

Iroaz Lostmarch FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top notes: green grass, lemon peel, verbena and pink pepper. Heart: rose, ylang-ylang and lotus. Base: sandalwood, patchouli, musk and iris.

From Lucky Scent about Lostmarc’h perfumes:
“This exquisite new line takes its name and inspiration from the sights and scents of the Brittany region in France – a fascinating mix of glorious coastline, ancient buildings and magical Celtic traditions…….. Lostmarc’h is the last beach on continental Europe –unspoiled and rugged and outrageously beautiful, with the dreamlike feeling of being at the end of the world……..sketches of Brittany – vivid, but with a certain delicacy, capturing the spirit and enchantment of the place with a few precise, perfectly placed strokes. “

Lostmarc’h Iroaz is about wild roses growing on rugged cliffs above the ocean in Brittany, their scent mingling with the smell of the grasses, ocean, and sea breezes. Iroaz means roses in Breton.

Iroaz Lostmarc'h mahalie stackpole FlickrPhoto Stolen mahalie stackpole Flickr

It opens with lemon so strong that I get the image of the juice of a fresh, hand-squeezed lemon. This disappears in seconds, leaving a slight lemony trace behind, almost hidden by the lovely, salty marine notes. The marine works surprisingly well on my skin and stays until the end. There is a problem though. Where are the roses? There is a floral aspect that appears, but it’s all blended together. I keep waiting for roses, I want roses, and they’re not there! I love the idea of this fragrance so much that I keep trying it, but sadly get the same result. After an hour it seems to be gone, though if I put my nose right on the skin, there is some scent there. Three hours later, that is gone too. The silage is average and it could be worn just about anywhere. There is a coolness that makes it better for warmer weather.

Iroaz Lostmarc'h morelikethis deviantartPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

I was disappointed. Iroaz had so much promise and a wonderful story. I have read reviews on Iroaz and some of them say the story fits the scent. It is a fragrance that doesn’t work on my skin, but it might on yours.

Further reading: Now Smell This and A Rose Beyond The Thames
LuckyScent has $85/100ml
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

Have you tried perfumes based on the story and how did it work out?

Maya
xx

Stilettos on Lex by Dorothee Piot for Jul et Mad 2012

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Post by Michael

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Hi APJ,

The imagery this fragrance conjures is surprisingly specific. I almost always completely dismiss the stories and not-so-covertly imposed imagery fragrance houses like to peddle. Seldom does a fragrance actually evoke any imagery in my minds eye, but this one certainly does.

Stilettos on Lex by Jul et Mad 2012

Stilettos on Lex Jul et Mad Paris FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pear, lemon
Heart: Carnation, iris, heliotrope, rose, lily of the valley, violet leaf
Base: Patchouli, vanilla, musk, cedar

So, Stilettos on Lex by Jul et Mad…….WOW! Now, the images are mine to keep ☺ but in essence there is a woman (not a girl) and she is absolutely sexy and feminine – certainly in nylons and heels and wearing elegant designer clothes, make-up and lipstick.

 Stilettos on Lex Jul et Mad Paris Ellie-Rose Lies Through A Lens FlickrPhoto Stolen Lies Thru a Lens  Flickr

Stilettos on Lex possesses a combination of olfactory impressions that somehow manages to take what is ultimately a fruity floral (which I usually abhor) and make it interesting and different by making it smell luxurious and lived in. It’s obviously musky, but it’s neither the pristine cleanliness of white musks nor overtly carnal musks that are present. Instead it smells lived in. That perfect balance of muskiness that’s almost of human skin – wonderful and so seldom used. There are some high pitched notes that give me the impression of worn stockings.

Stilettos on Lex Jul et Mad Paris Christine FlickrPhoto Stolen Christine Flickr

There’s also that rose, violet, vanilla combo that smells ever so slightly augmented by aldehydes and gives the impression of expensive lipsticks and make-up. Texturally it provides subtle impressions of both butter and powder which adds to the lux feel. Patchouli, cedar and some subtle spices are perceptible in the base adding some contrast and further texture without being overtly noticeable.

In terms of performance, on my skin, longevity is excellent and sillage is medium to high.

Aedes de Venustas have Stilettos on Lex Parfum $280/50ml
Fragrance & Art do Stilettos on Lex Parfum 2000 Swedish Krona (around US$305)/50ml + 7ml (and samples)
First In Fragrance has €235/50ml (and samples)

Stilettos on Lex Jul et Mad Paris Maegan Tintari FlickrPhoto Stolen Maegan Tintari Flickr

Honestly, I don’t want to say much more. I wrote three pages of notes and impressions as I tested this fragrance but please, just go ahead and try it. I’d love to know what you think. Just don’t blame me if the men start following you around all starry-eyed.

Well, a fruity floral done right……who would have thought it……
Until next time
M

Jasmine Summer by Liz Zorn for Soivohle 2011

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Hi There Indie Perfume Ho’s and lovers of the finest fragrance,

I like to think that Liz Zorn, the perfumer behind the Soivohle range, artist and general creative genius and guru, and I are buddies. I adore her perfumes and own quite a few now, also recently she put some of her artworks up for sale and I was lucky enough to grab the one made for this fragrance, Jasmine Summer. It is a fabulous little painting and reflects the perfume excellently.

Jasmine Summer by Liz Zorn for Soivohle 2011

Jasmine Summer Soivohle FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Jasmine, lime, fruity notes, white lily, orchid, vanilla, musk

Jasmine Summer is a sheer, very slightly fruity, floral that creates an elegant soft nimbus of the real deal of jasmine, as if you have it growing outside your window and in full bloom. It is heady and intoxicating but not indolic, not a sign of breath or animal. Though Jasmine Summer is sheer it has terrific sillage and projects fabulously for the first few hours. Through the whole fragrance life jasmine is front and centre, it opens sizzling and citric before mildly warming, it does sweeten up a bit but it’s not till a couple of hours have passed that vanilla comes out to play and then it isn’t fully featured till the end dry down where the jasmine and vanilla get funky with the musks.

Jasmine Summer Soivohle Inga Munsinger Cotton FlickrPhoto Stolen Inga Munsinger Cotton  Flickr

For anyone who eschews jasmine or big white florals for their nasty sensual breathy indoles then Jasmine Summer could be a good place for you to come and sniff, this is super soft and clean jasmine with plenty of air around it. It is a little like sitting in a wedding in India with all the women sitting with jasmine in their hair and the cool of evening after everyone has eaten their fill and is now sitting around eating fruits and chatting quietly, awaiting the next event.

I also love how Jasmine Summer lingers, around 6-7 hours with the second half softer and more intimate, a come hither fragrance. Sweet sixteen or septuagenarian will love wearing this beautiful fragrance.

Jasmine Summer Soivohle Hair Flowers Tamil_Nadu WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Now Smell This and Best things In Beauty
At the SOIVOHLE site they have $25/15ml or $110/50ml (I love the 15ml bottles and often order a few as gifts
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/.5ml

See you tomorrow, until then take a few deep breaths and relax, just a little.
Portia xx

28 by Cecile Hua for Le Cherche Midi 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 47 Comments

Hello Niche Nerds,

Not so long ago the crew at Le Cherche Midi came to my attention through the Perfume Shrine and at the time they were doing a Kickstarter fundraising drive. The crew seemed very dedicated to producing beautiful scents and I thought it a good idea to get behind them and help with a post. Though they didn’t make their goal I have kept in touch with proprietor Nathan Motylinski and he has kindly sent us 5ml Travel Sprays of their current fragrance 28 to give away so a few of you can try their great product.

28 by Le Cherche Midi 2013

28 Le cherche MidiPhoto Stolen Le Cherche Midi

Le Cherche Midi gives these featured accords in one line:
Gunpowder, warm milk, leather flower, English pear blossom, midnight iris, amber incense

From the Le Cherche Midi site: 28 brings two opposing worlds together, combining the explosive fury of the Greek Gods with the nurturing comfort of Mother’s milk in an olfactive tour de force.

The opening of 28 is all cold oily gunmetal and something sweetly, awkwardly floral which has a hint of the metal zing of blood and a slight fruity flavour that is both interesting and unusual. There is also a wet smell, not like wet anything but as if the metal has dew upon it. I have never smelt anything like 28 but there are parts of it that remind me of other sideways fragrances like Bull’s Blood by Imaginary Authors, LEau d’Issey and , dare I say it, Secretions Magnifiques. NO, don’t get all freaked out: not the same just a couple of similarities I am wondering if it’s the milky accord which doesn’t read like milk to me at all.

28 Le cherche Midi Light_Painting WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

28 is so beautifully other and lasts on my skin for hours and hours, being so different from anything else I wear it catches my attention every huff and again I think how lovely it is. As if aliens had created a perfume, or if a computer wanted to take the next step into olfactory stimuli, then this is what they would create and wear. There is something clinically clean and industrial about 28 until around the four hour mark where there comes a very slight warming through bet it’s still cool as a cucumber. This is my 3rd morning in a row choosing to wear 28, that speaks volumes about its inherent enjoyability, mornings are all about my enjoyment of fragrance.

Le Cherche Midi has 28 in EdT $110/100ml or $15/5ml Travel spray

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giveaway TheTruthAboutMummy Photo Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy

28 by Le Cherche Midi GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there are three winners, each will receive

1 x 5ml Manufacturers Travel Spray of 28 by Le Cherche Midi
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.

To be eligible for the draw go to Le Cherche Midi<<JUMP find a fragrance NUMBER and ONE INGREDIENT IN IT.

NO DOUBLE UPS

Then leave a comment with NUMBER + INGREDIENT and how you follow APJ.

Extra Chances?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Le Cherche Midi 28 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-26b #Perfume #Giveaway @lecherchemidi

Also get an extra chance if you LIKE Australian Perfume Junkies on FB. Leave a one word LIKE on the Australian Perfume Junkies feed on FB when you do or if you already LIKE so I can enter you.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Monday 21st October 2013 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 24th October 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

 

L’Occitane: Divine Cream

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Hello Fabulous Fragrance Fiends,

Last weekend I was at Melbourne airport with Jin and had some time to kill so we dropped into the L’Occitane store there. I haven’t really paid much attention to L’Occitane since 1994 while at the Cannes Film Festival I grabbed some for my Mum and Sister and sent it back to Australia. Sadly, by the time I returned from living in the UK they had finished their bottles and hadn’t kept them so I could repurchase next time I was in Europe. Since then L’Occitane has arrived in Australia and has loads of stand alone stores in large cities, airports and also in department stores. Olivier Baussan founded the company in 1976 because he wanted to create a company that celebrates and preserves the traditions of his home region of France: Provence.

Immortelle Divine Cream - L'OCCITANE en Provence Provencal Farmhouse WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

From the L’Occitane site:
L’OCCITANE is anchored in Provence, where fragrant fields of lavender are a continual reminder of the region’s natural bounty. Each of our ranges is inspired by ingredients harvested from the south of France and the Mediterranean. Our products offer the many benefits of these ingredients, while translating the traditional savoir-faire of the regional artisans.
In the time of the Byzantine Empire, the south of France was a region called “Occitania”. The name “L’OCCITANE” is derived from this, meaning “woman of Occitania.” L’OCCITANE symbolizes this woman, her beauty and her relationship with nature.

L’Occitane: Divine Cream

Immortelle Divine Cream - L'OCCITANE en ProvencePhoto Stolen L’Occitane

So while we were there I spritzed one of their new La Collection de Grasse fragrances Vanilla and Narcisse and I liked it so much that I decided to get in touch with the L’Occitane crew here in Australia and ask for some review samples.

If a product or company can be judged in any way by the front line of people that you talk to on the phone then L’Occitane is a winner. Everyone I spoke to was thrilled that I would call, was interested, enjoyed their product and that I wanted to write about L’Occitane for the blog. We talked fragrance but the one thing they wanted me to try was Divine Cream, apparently the most talked about new product to hit the stores and gaining huge market share already. Sure they would send me some fragrance but even more they wanted me to try this amazing product that works better than anything else they’d tried. No, I didn’t have to write about it, yes they understand I do fragrance, please just try it and tell us how you like it. OK, guinea pig Portia into action.

Immortelle Divine Cream - L'OCCITANE Alain C. FlickrPhoto Stolen Alain C. Flickr

I don’t know if I’ve told you before but I take extremely poor care of my skin, spending so much time with a full face of TV make up and taking it off with grape seed/olive/baby oil, in the bath I am a soap and water cleaner of my face, shave with Gillette shave products, after shave balm by Nivea and that’s the extent of my beauty routine. I have been blessed with good skin and mostly small pores. What I thought I could do though is spread the product out through some of my friends and see their reactions to it too.

There will be four of us trialling for 2 weeks and I’ll give you weekly updates, sound good?

Katie: is my office helper/life organiser two days a week, has 2 lovely daughters and an Architect husband. I think she may be just under 30.

Kath: My BFF who works as an Executive Assistsant to the CEO and CFO of a business involved in English Language Studies at Macquarie University. Kath will be 40 next year.

Natasha: Another very close friend Natasha was my Tupperware manager and mentor. She coached me to being the No 1 Tupperware Demonstrator in Australia & New Zealand in 2007. Tash is a single Mum of three mostly grown up boys and is just over the 40 mark.

Portia: Me a Drag Queen, Homestay Provider and Perfume Blogger who is now 45.

You should go to L’Occitane and as for some samples so you can do the 2 week challenge too. I’d love to read what YOU all are thinking about L’Occitane Divine Cream too. At the end there will be a VERY SPECIAL PRIZE for a couple of people so get involved.

From L’Occitane site :
Divine anti-aging care fights the signs of aging, so you can face up the passing of time with absolute serenity.  The divine combination of organic Immortelle and Myrtle Essential Oils offers:
A complete regenerating care: Combined action to stimulate the production of collagens and improve skin microcirculation helps to reduce damage caused by time and restore substance and vitality.
A second youth: Myrtle essential oil stimulates within the skin, the action of the longevity protein- to help increase cellular vitality preserve the skin’s appearance.

Awarded the highest rated Anti-Aging Miracle Cream in the 2011 Anti-Aging Beauty Bible. Independently tested by a panel of women across the UK
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My question is, “Have any of you tried L’Occitane Divine Cream?” If so, how was it, did it give you better feeling and looking skin, would you purchase or repurchase? I do understand that this is a cream not surgery but did you feel that it had benefited you in any way?

Here are the most interesting to me of the Marie Clare video report on the L’Occitane Divine Cream. Enjoy.

Portia xx

I have started at #2 video because the first one was just a bit ad-ish.


#3 was about the jar that Divine Cream comes in and was boring so I have skipped it in favour of the process and studies

#5 is about sourcing and sustainability but was not in depth enough about either, sorry.

Whips and Roses by John Pegg for Kerosene 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

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Post by Poodle
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Hi APJ,

When she was younger she had to sit far away because that’s all she could afford. In her teenage years she spent hours locked away in her room listening to his albums and dreaming of what she’d say when she met him. Now she was up close and he would be right there in front of her, close enough to make eye contact. Everyone would say she was too old for a crush on a rock star but what fun is life without a little fantasy?

She brought a bouquet of roses to toss on the stage. The night was cool so she had worn her leather jacket but the rain earlier in the day was making it feel a but humid. As she was waiting for the concert to start she began to wonder if it would become too warm. The roses were cradled close to her chest now and the seats around her filled with people. She was definitely feeling warm and with the heat rising from her body she could smell the roses and the leather. Traces of perfumes she had worn before swirled around her, released from her jacket by the rising temperature.

Whips Roses Kerosene Todd Shaffer FlickrPhoto Stolen Todd Shaffer Flickr

The house lights dimmed. The scent of roses and leather intensified with the rising temperature. The music started to play and then, there he was. So close but really still so far. She lost herself in the moment. Sure, she was too old for schoolgirl fantasies but for that moment she relived them all. She’d almost forgotten about the roses which she was practically crushing now. She held them up to him and when she was able to hand him the bouquet their eyes met. He was singing to her. At least that’s what she wanted to believe, that he was hers for that moment in time. She hugged her leather jacket closer, cradling herself in its warm, musky softness.

Whips and Roses by Kerosene 2012

Whips and Roses Kerosene FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, blood orange, rose, jasmine, gardenia, iris, sandalwood, musk, leather

Whips and Roses is a perfume that I have loved from the very first sniff. When I first got a sample of it I was smitten. I tried to forget it but the memory of it stayed with me. Eventually I just broke down and got a full bottle. It might just be my favorite rose scent. It’s not a fussy floral nor does it smell like some of the classic leather scents. The name describes it perfectly. It does smell of leather and roses. It’s the first perfume that truly smelled like leather to me. It’s not powdery at all which is how some leathers are to my nose. Whips and Roses reminds me of walking into a leather goods store or the smell of looking at fine purses.

Whips and Roses Kerosene Bullwhip WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

The rose isn’t fresh or powdery. It’s the smell of roses past their prime in a bouquet of flowers, some of which have wilted and died. There is an almost green, humid quality to the scent as well, maybe thatʼs the jasmine or gardenia peeking through. Something about this perfume feels almost melancholy or perhaps bittersweet. I could probably pick the notes apart more if I really tried, but I never want to do that when I wear it. It’s a scent I just like to lose myself in.

Like the other Kerosene scents I’ve tried this one has good projection and longevity, which are two wonderful qualities to me. I’ve worn it to work but I wear almost anything to work. Most people might not find this a good office scent although if applied with a light hand it might work. Give it a try if you like your roses a little darker and heavier. If you love the smell of leather but find a lot of leather perfumes are too powdery this might work for you. Probably more of a cool weather choice for most people but that green, humid quality to it makes me reach for in in summer as well and it really blooms on me.

Whips and Roses Kerosene floribunda pink T.Kiya FlickrPhoto Stolen T.Kiya  Flickr

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Memory of Scent
MinNY has Whips & Roses $140/100ml with FREE USA Shipping
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

So far I’ve loved all the Kerosene scents I’ve tried. I’m hoping that trend changes because if I keep falling in love it’s going to be tough on my wallet.

Poodle x

Val’s Travel Fragrances: Vero Profumo, Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Amouage

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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You Need a Scents of Humour to be a Perfume Junkie
(or Are We All A Few Decants Short Of A Full Bottle?)

Grüss Gott Fellow Junkies!!

Scents Of Humour DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

I am heading of to Greece in about 5 hours. Yes, I have procrastinated writing this for days. Days of trying to decide which perfumes to take with me. I mean, come on!! Now, I am guessing at this but I reckon most folk think about their wardrobe, swim wear, evening wear, how many pairs of shoes to take ….. Not giving themselves brain meltdown over fragrance. Please correct me if I am wrong. I wake up in the night in the throws of postmenopausal dreaming, and lie awake going through my scent wardrobe in my head. Now, I would have though that was really quite sad BUT since Portia introduced me to several fragrant groups, I can see that I am not alone. (How many times a day do YOU think of perfume, huh?????)

Val’s Travel Fragrances

Vero Profumo, Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Amouage

What I have found most intriguing is people´s SOTD ………. I read through them all in absolute fascination. At first I thought, “Holy Cow!”, people have nothing better to do than post what perfume they are wearing?? So many perfume I have never heard of, perfume fodder to keep me Googling my heart out.

So on the assumption, and the law of fragrant averages, that someone might be interested in what I am taking on vacation, here we go.

After much deliberation, including contemplating taking nothing at all (so as to give my nose a break – yeah right, hahaha!) this is my final decision.

RUBJ – by Vero Kern

Rubj Vero Profumo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Taking a full bottle of this. Just in case there is an air strike, or world crisis of some sort. This is the one perfume I would not want to be without. Ever.

MUSC KOUBLAÏ KÄHN – by Serge Lutens

Muscs Koublai Khan Serge Lutens FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

This is sweet, sexy and animalic. The perfect in-the-sun scent. I will dab this because I don´t want to upset the other guests. The ones with 8 different bikinis and matching sarongs.

LE PARFUM DE THÉRÈSE – by Frederic Malle

Le Parfum de Therese Frederic Malle FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Elegant. Sophisticated. Statement making without fumigating the place. Makes me feel ladylike. A rarity.
(Thanks Ms O!!)

So off to the airport, leaving a stylish trail of Vero Kerne´s Mito behind me.

greece_wallpaper-normalPhoto Stolen wallpapers

In the words of one of the few famous Austrians, “I´ll be bäck.”

Soon to be on the beach BUSSIS!!

CQ xxxxxxxxxx

PS A couple of mls of UBAR – one never knows ……… 🙂

Divine EdP by Richard Ibanez and Yann Vasnier for Divine 1986

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Heya BWF Freaks and everyone else too!

The other day at lunch with my buddy Cassandra and she passed across a decant of something I may have heard about but seriously had no recollection of, we had eaten and it was super sniffa time: this was maybe the 10th or 15th frag that had been spritzed on touches. It was like my whole body went en pointe.

Divine EdP by Divine 1986

Divine EdP Divine FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tuberose, peach, coriander
Heart: Orange blosson, rose, spices, patchouli, gardenia, jasmine
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, musk, oakmoss

Divine is the most aptly named fragrance I’ve come across in ages. WOWIE!! Straight out of the spritzer and WHOOOSH Big White Flowers and peachy/coriander skank bomb. The tuberose is excellent and lushly indolic, I am surprised there is no ylang here because I am reminded of its sensual lushness, maybe it’s the orange blossom/tuberose melange. So this smells like money, good old fashioned money spent on VERY sexy ladies who dress well and swear like truck drivers. A wall of old school glamour from when fragrance was used as a weapon in the arsenal of the huntress. Divine is what movie stars of a certain age must still be wearing.

Divine EdP Divine Joan Collins Sophia Loren WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Sold as a chypre (Arielle at Scents Of Self writes that a Chypre is defined by a lack of florals) so my conclusion is then FlOriental. With a super Double WOW! So reminiscent of bygone fragrances, deep and soft and satin sheened fragrant magic. The heart stays BWF on me but slowly I can smell the bases creeping in, underneath to bolster but not obscure. The creeping and sneaking continues until suddenly you’re left wondering how the dark green woodsy vanilla has overcome the spicy, sensual florals and now are in charge. The white flowers are still there though, just quietly humming along and adding a breathy counterpoint to one of the prettiest drydowns still left in modern perfumery.

Divine EdP Divine Ginger Rogers Swing Time HollywoodDreamLandPhoto Stolen HollywoodDreamLand

Wear time 6-8 hours and heat helps Divine bloom even more invitingly, though it wears beautifully in the cool also and will be gorgeous in the snow. This is a BIG perfume in a genre nearly forgotten. People say it’s high, dressy evening but I will be more likely to wear it selfishly for cleaning, shopping and other drudgeries that need a glamorous something to help me endure them. Divine may become my paperwork fragrance.

Further reading: I Smell Therefore I Am and EauMG
Divine has an online boutique that sends to the world. I just went and bought 20ml Parfum for 140€ shipped to Australia.
LuckyScent has refillable 50ml goldtone atomisers $120
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

Have you tried this? Can you believe it?
Portia xx

 

Rive d’Ambre (Atelier d’Orient) by Olivier Gillotin for Tom Ford 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Hello Ford Fans,

Tom Ford is an icon in his own right nowadays and still is doing amazing stuff in so many directions. When you look at some of the designers fragrance division it is so obviously a money grab whereas the Tom Ford fragrance line, produced with Estee Lauder, mostly sails so far above the rest that they feel like they deserve to be this expensive. Though to be fair if they were a third less the price I would probably own FBs of them all instead of just one. Are you reading Tom? So midway through 2013 the Tom Ford crew released a set of four new frags under the Atelier d’Orient subcategory

Rive d’Ambre (Atelier d’Orient) by Tom Ford 2013

Atelier d’Orient Rive d’Ambre Tom Ford FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Citruses, amber, bergamot, bitter orange, tolu balsam, lemon, cognac, cardamom, tarragon, mint

Boy! There has been some terrible reviews for Rive d’Amber. If you adore Tom Ford’s fragrances for their enormousness then Rive d’Amber will leave you howling for more. To be as honest as I can I too am a little disappointed. The open is so lavish and citrus-y, it’s flirty, fun, fizzy and day-glo brightness is enough to chase the blues away, seriously. What a stunning opening. As the initial heat burns off there is a lovely green-ness that works beautifully with the citrus to bring some light and shade. So good, I enjoy it immensely.

Rive d’Ambre Tom Ford Citrus DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Sydney is in 30+C heat today and Rive d’Amber fits the bill exactly for about 30 minutes when it becomes a very soft amber with just a hint of citrus memory floating through, so soft a skin scent that lets my skins fragrance shine through, like they are working in tandem. After two hours I’m basically left with a very soft wash of nothing, I think Mona di Orio did the same idea but much better carriede out in  her Vanille. Rive d’Amber is not a bad fragrance but it’s also not the way I want my scent to live. I’m going to give the rest of my decant to one of Jin’s friends, I know she will love it for exactly what it is. For me, please pass the Neroli Portifino.

Rived'Amber Tom Ford Whispering Wind Jennifer McCready... FlickrPhoto Stolen Jennifer McCready… Flickr

Further reading: Kafkaesque and Notable Scents
Tom Ford is available in some Department Stores next to the Estee Lauder counter
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/.5ml

Thanks for dropping by,

See you tomorrow,
Portia xx