Review

Mackie by Bob Mackie

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Hey everyone,

Photo from Unknown Source

Let’s go down memory lane together today. I remember as a kid sitting around with Mum & Dad watching the Sonny and Cher show. It was a hugely popular weekly musical/comedy TV show with some seriously special guests that looked largely thrown together in an afternoon by a bunch of totally un-gifted high school students. At the time, there was nothing to compare it to in suburban Australia, even living in Sydney. We would laugh at Cher’s deadpan, Sonny’s bad Dad jokes and completely over the top delivery, the terrible skits and the fun they all seemed to be having. It was a time of peace and laughter that we could all share. The real stand out star of the show though were the incredible Bob Mackie costumes. Every week there would be something more fabulous, gala, showstopping than last. Of course Cher was the perfect clothes horse then as now and would wear these sometimes ridiculously extravagant creations as if she was in jeans and t-shirt down the local shops.

Photo Stolen vlistings

It wasn’t just Cher that Bob Mackie designed for though. Every star had at least one Bob Mackie gown in her wardrobe, from uber glam to sophisticated and elegant, to Las Vegas showgirl. He was the king of amazing.

Photo Stolen stylenews

Then Bob Mackie decided to go with the designer flow and introduce fragrance.

Photo stolen Fragrantica

According to Fragrantica; An Oriental Floral fragrance for women. Mackie was launched in 1991.
Top notes are pineapple, raspberry and peach
Middle notes are tuberose, orange blossom, narcissus, jasmine, ylang-ylang and rose
Base notes are sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk and vetiver

My question to you all is, HAS THIS BEEN REFORMULATED?

An aqueous, light, fresh scent. I was expecting to have to spray this and walk through the mist because it was going to be a blockbuster. If this is how it smelled in 1991 was it not a ground breaking fragrance? Cartier Declaration wasn’t released till 1998 and I thought that it was the original aqueous fragrance? Does anyone know because I am baffled. What I’m smelling from a bottle bought from a reputable online store is pretty much the ubiquitous pastel water that we are being given currently instead of perfume. WTF?

Don’t get me wrong this is pretty and very wearable, and I’m over reacting because I was expecting something different. I could see this being a go to daywear scent, weekends, cinema and dinners. It doesn’t scream, it blends and melds. Now that I’ve given myself a decent spritz there is charm and intrigue.  I am surprised though that this is what Bob Mackie chooses as his signature scent for women.

Thanks for coming along on my fragrant carpet ride. Underneath is a super Bob Mackie retrospective video. You’ll LOVE it.

Portia xx

Clever Graffiti Artists, Spicebomb by Viktor N Rolf, Timebomb by Kylie Minogue

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Hey Stink Junkies,

I know this is a perfume blog but sometimes I get sent stuff that I want to share. Unfortunately the email had no photo credits but my mate Wendy sent it to me if that helps. These are just my favourite of an enormous collection of crazy graffiti done by super clever creatives.

SPICEBOMB by VIKTOR & ROLF 2012. It is amazing to me that Spicebomb only came out January this year. There has been so much talk about it that it seems like it’s been around longer. I don’t feel quite so remiss in coming to it this late then, especially because it was generally dismissed rather than applauded. I did find 2 positive reviews below. Opening with citrus, red berries and the sharp, resinous, pine/lemon scent of elemi you could be forgiven for expecting Spicebomb to travel towards generic barbershop but NO WAY! The spicy, sizzling, warmth really ramps up as the paprika and cinnamon move in (I can’t smell the saffron) and then tobacco and leather, which have been sitting there unnoticed, take more of a lead role. Funnily, I really start to smell the pink pepper distinctly over the top of the second and third stages before real dry down begins rather than during the opening sequence, where it is peripheral. The amalgam of these featured scents is fun, spicy and punchy.

Photo Stolen winterfashions

I like the feeling of wearing a fragrance and I like to be fragrant, without skunking those at the next table. It’s awesome that Viktor & Rolf have offered such a sweet and spicy fragrance to the men, even though it’s perfectly unisex and would smell dynamite on a woman. The advertisement (below) features a sexy, buff man chewing on a matchstick, (above) about to pull the pin on a grenade; model Sean O’Pry photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.. He’s hot and so is Spicebomb. This is a General Public winner, I reckon.
NowSmellThis and 1000Fragrances do excellent reviews from different viewpoints and Fragrantica has notes, accords and GP reviews.

TIMEBOMB by KYLIE MINOGUE 2012. At the very start of my drag career I was lucky enough to be one of the cast of The Kylie Show at the Albury Hotel on Oxford St in Sydney, Australia with Miss 3D and Bernina Bod. We put the soundtrack, costumes and choreography together in a week. The year was 1990 and I’d only been doing professional Drag work for about a year. For some reason this show became the focus of a phenomenon, it ran for over a year, was written up in national papers, talked about on TV and radio and the venue was so crazy crowded that people were standing on tables, sweat ran down the mirrors and people fainted from the crush. It was the “only” thing to do on a Sunday night and many real stars came to see us do our thing if they were in town, and every week the rumour would be that Kylie was coming in person (she didn’t). Over the next 4 years we put together 2 more Kylie Shows with dancers and bigger costumes but it was never the same. Funny thing is, in this Timebomb video, Kylie doesn’t look a day older. Time Machine would be a good name too, she must have one.

I’ve tortured you all enough,
Thanks for dropping by.
What did you think of Spicebomb?
Hopefully see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

SUNDAY QUICKSNIFF REVIEW #4

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Hey Perfume Junkies,

I wear a lot of perfume and write about surprisingly little of it, you probably find that hard to believe?  The Sunday QuickSniff Review page is opened on Monday morning and every time I spritz and am near the computer I’ll give a 3 sentence review with a rating out of 5 each for, well, see the key after the reviews.

SMELL OF FREEDOM PART 2: OLD DELHI STATION.  I love how this scent was inspired by LUSH perfumer Simon’s journey through India to meet a Tibetan monk in exile, and this being the smell of Old Delhi station when he returned; spices, flowers and people. Glorious warm and sexy perfume but has little correlation to my memories of Old Delhi Station at any time of day. Unfortunately not available in Australia, I need to find a fragrance mule. S=**** L=**** D=****

DREAMING EdP by TOMMY HILFIGER 2007. This is a sweet, fresh scent that starts pretty and then goes to that slightly boring clean peach scent. This is very similar to but much lighter than Gwen Stefani’s L. It is saved from absolute nothingness by its lovely bottle. FragrancesAndCosmetics have 30ml for $19 S=** L=** D=**

CHANEL No 5 EdP (FAKE). This fake smells much more like my memory of Mum’s Chanel No 5 EdP than the real thing. Same opening burst of magic, wears right alongside the real deal till about 35 mins in then a glorious, urinous, skanky, sexual undertone flows through the flowers, woods and spice giving it a depth and darkness that current No 5 just can’t match. I bought it off Ebay thinking it was the real deal but this is better. S=***** L=**** D=****

L’ANTIMATIERE by ISABELLA DOYEN for LES NEZ 2006. This was sent to me by Birgit at Olfactoria’s Travels, THANK YOU! If you read my blog you’ll know that I love big brassy 80’s fragrances but this is not one and I am enjoying it immensely. No top notes; just burning off alcohol and then nothing for a minute or so and then delicately warm and sweaty, like children who have been playing at the beach, swimming, playing some more back home and as you ready them for bed at the end of a weeks wear of pyjamas there is a soft whispery, salt and sweat smell mixed with warm cuddly child and bed head. I smell great. It’s $105 for 50ml at LuckyScent which is $20 cheaper than Lez Nes site S=***** L=*** D=****


Photo Stolen from shirtsays

Scent, Obviously the number 1 priority here is how does it smell. My reviews are completely subjective and will differ widely from your own experience with the scent but it’s a good starting point. As yet I am not a trained perfumer so any and all descriptions are merely that, descriptions. There are plenty of blogs that offer technical details and chemistry, in 3 sentences I’ll pass.
Longevity, This is a biggie for me because like enfleurage where flower petals are left in fats to steal the scent, my fatty body works the same and eats it up, yum. So for a scent to last well on me, it will probably last a whole day on you and need a radioactive decontamination shower to defuse it from your skin.
Desirabilty, Wrapped up in this is scent, price, house, history, longevity, packaging, availability and a billion other things.

Photo Stolen from bittbox

* in any of these being the, “You couldn’t pay enough to spray this God awful stink on me again, it smells like public toilets in India, long time fridge malfunction while on Summer holiday and the vile stench of poverty all rolled into one.” You are putting innocent people in danger if you wear this.
** means it’s a nothing, wearable, boring, maybe the price is prohibitive for what you get or it’s ubiquitous. You should definitely get a sample of this to stop a buying boo boo.
*** is a perfectly good product that smells good and lasts a while at a decent price. You should definitely think about trying a sample or squirt but should you miss out your life will continue. Sample size worthy.
**** is the one you try, want a lot but can wait for a birthday/Christmas. It’s better than most of the stuff you’ve sniffed and may fill a void in your library. This is also an excellent decant product 5ml will get you through the season and maybe buy it next year.
***** meaning, stop reading this, grab your cash, credit card (or partners), roll the elderly or rob a petrol station and purchase this product. NOW! If you don’t have this fragrance you could die.

Hopefully this has given you a little inside track on fragrances to buy, want, avoid, sample. What did you try this week?

Portia xx

OMFG Paris Hilton!, Momento by Sicily, Winner Announced

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Hey everyone,

One thing I had to get out of the way is “According to Women’s Wear Daily, the blonde heiress (Paris Hilton) has sold $1.5 billion worth of perfume since 2004, the New York Daily News reported….There are more than twenty Paris Hilton Handbags and Accessories boutiques in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. She also has four stores in the Philippines. (In the Hindustan Times 2.6.12)” I took this from Nathan Branch’s Luxury Is A Trillion Dollar Industry in NZ. OMG!! Who knew? About to launch her 15th fragrance and all of them are still on sale and selling. So I guess Paris is laughing all the way to the bank.

Photo Stolen fanpop

SICILY (Piazza Duomo Ortigia Siracusa) by MOMENTO Italian Olfactive Landscapes 2008. This was the second fragrance in the Momento range and seems to have been the last. I don’t even see it for sale anymore so maybe it has been discontinued.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Green and freshly floral, it has been surprisingly enjoyable to wear on our cool Autumnal rainy day here in Sydney. The spiel runs that this fragrance is designed around a spring day, 6 March 2008, at the Piazza Duomo on the island of Ortigia, south of Siracusa. Not having been there I cannot verify the veracity of their claim but I do like the imagery it presents and am happy to suspend my disbelief.

ParcoMuseo Jalari Sicily piazza aromi e sapori1 (1)
Photo Stolen Flickr

According to Fragrantica the basic notes are: neroli, freesia, jasmine, immortelle, note of hay, cedar, amber, patchouli, myrrh and agarwood.

I get the fresh blast of neroli, the sweet bright and clear freesia and immortelle, green hay/grass and woods as it opens; not squeaky or screechy but a calm cool customer with nice sillage. The jasmine here is not the sexy deep jasmine you’ll find elsewhere more a clean sparkly highlight playing piccolo in staccato, this while the amber, myrrh and patchouli sing very quietly underneath to add size and shape to the fragrance without coming out as a set of star players. I smell no agarwood at all through the very long, delicious life of the fragrance, getting about 5 hours before it become a skin scent lost to me but discernible to TSO Jin.

THURSDAY COMPETITION GIVEAWAY WINNER

How did you win the swag this week? Just Tweet this Competition Page (http://australianperfumejunkies.com) and put @OzPerfumeJunkie in your Tweet so I know you’ve done it.

2ml Manufacturers Sample Chanel No 5 Eau Premier
1ml Decant L’Heure Convoitee II by Cartier.
1ml Decant Rasheeqa Concentrated Perfume Oil by Swiss Arabian.
.5ml Decant Myrrhe et Delires by Guerlain.
P&H anywhere in the world

Thank you to our contestants and the


Photo Stolen from sistersavealot.com

is Sharryn Stormonth.
You must get in touch by Wednesday June 6th 2012 or I will give your goodie bag away to someone else.

Have a lovely weekend all,
Wishing you the best of everything,
Portia xx

Honey Badger Deal Sampler.

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Hey gang,

This is the glorious colour I get to look at every day at the moment. I love Autumn. So pretty.

You know how much I love to order decants and samples? Well, let me tell you, I love it.

Recently I was trolling around one of my favourite decants and samples stores, SurrenderToChance, and found a sample set called the Honey Badger. Gosh, thought I. What on earth could be in a Honey Badger Special Deal Sampler?

This sampler contains .5 ml (1 ml sample vial filled half full) sample of the following new releases, but you can buy bigger amounts, I went all out and ordered the 2ml sprays:

  • Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires
  • Serge Lutens L’Eau Froide
  • Tom Ford Lavender Palm
  • By Kilian Amber Oud
  • Byredo Seven Veils
  • Aedes de Venutas
  • Hilde Soliani Tutti Matti per Colorno
  • Thirdman Eau Monumentale

So they arrived and I am so excited to be writing about brand new things, fresh pressed as it were and I thought I’d give you a snapshot view of four of them. How does that sound? Terrific? I thought you’d like it. Just a reminder that my nose will smell things differently to yours but it’s always nice to have a starting point, especially with new stuff.

Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires. The citrus opening in this soft oriental wood is sensational, with just a touch of balmy sweetness keeping the squeal under control. The floral heart seems to rush by on my skin, a shame because the fleeting glimpse I get of it is magic, and I’m left with a skin scent that is mainly soft vanilla/myrrhe that is almost leathery. I think you need to sample this, my scent hungry skin just doesn’t want to let it do itself justice, barely discernible after 1 hour. Still barely discernible next morning. If I was about, or had any use for, understated glamour skin fragrances then I would certainly think about buying this.
Olfactoria’s Travels reviewed Myrrhe et Delires last week and here’s Fragrantica

Serge Lutens L’Eau Froide. Boy, this aquatic opens all vetiver, incense and mint like an icy cold blast from Antarctica, maybe ginger, so fresh it made my nostrils tingle. Quickly the blast dies away to nothing, really nothing just fresh air by the beach in Autumn, and then the fragrance warms on my skin and the frankincense comes to dance with the musk and warms the waters and I think I can smell the memory of mint weaving very quietly through but never quite revealing itself. I want my partner to come home and smell me. Maybe it’s my own smell mingling with fresh air? I’m so glad I bought this as a sample spray because I’m glad to have experienced it and will use up my 2ml, just to get the opening 12 minute rush again, but will probably not buy a bottle.
GrainDeMusc does an awesome review and here Fragrantica

Byredo Seven Veils. This spicy oriental opens up green, boozy, spicy and sweet, quite different to anything I’ve tried before, like the pink pepper has been harnessed by the spicy pimento and carrot and something else that I can’t find in the notes that’s giving me cognac. The warmth of the sandalwood and vanilla swing in quickly though and run through leaving flowers in their wake. then a moment later they all play through again. I think the orchid is adding dark, sexy presence as we travel along at the 2 hour point and I LOVE THIS. We are now at 5 hours and I’ve cleaned the whole house, including bathrooms and kitchen, there is still a vanilla, spicy fruit roll on my skin. This is how fragrance should be done. Congratulations Ben Gorham of Byredo, I am seriously thinking FB.
CafeFleurBon does an informative review with some great Salome history and Fragrantica has the notes etc.

Hilde Soliani Tutti Matti per Colorno. This is my first look at Hilde Soliani’s work. The spiel says that this is the Autumn smell of Colorno where she lives in Italy; hay, fennel, grass, wildflowers and weeds on a fresh Autumn day. I can smell it but I think there is also the smell of decomposing Autumn leaves after you’ve raked them, also something sweet and warm, a little smoke/charcoal, even though the notes don’t allow all that.  I can even almost smell the sun shining. Even if you don’t like crisp, light green, fresh fragrances this is a lovely story, not to be missed.
NowSmellThis introduces the whole range and here’s Fragrantica too

Thanks for coming along for a quick look at half of the Honey Badger Deal Sampler with me today. I hope you liked it, and learned something. It’s been a most enjoyable couple of days trying them. Why did I choose these 4? They were the first 4 to come to my hands. What new stuff have you tried this week?

I wish you the best of everything, thanks for dropping by,
Hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow.
Portia xx

PS All fragrance photos today were stolen from Fragrantica and I used my own photo of the tree in my front yard.

Comme des Garcons series 6 Synthetic; Garage, Skai, Tar. LIVE Video Sniff!

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Hey Hey gang,

You may never have heard of the CdG series 6. They were deleted before I became a serious perfumista and though they have come into my radar area a couple of times I’d not ever thought of possessing them. There was so much else to be snorted that I really, really wanted to try.

Then, not so long ago, my mate Radium (AKA Robert Maxwell) asked if I knew where to procure such hard to find gems. So as an essay in “I can do that” I set out to. It wasn’t easy, in fact I could only find the 3 that Radium asked for at SurrenderToChance and so, as a great way to have them, smell them and share them, I offered to purchase if he would come and sniff them with me LIVE! for a video presentation. He jumped at the chance and here is the outcome. Do please enjoy.

Both the photos stolen from Number3store.com where you can but these 3 lovelies currently. Woo Hoo!

I must also congratulate the extraordinary talents of my BFF Kath who shot ans edited and TSO Jin who made it blog ready. You 2 are awesome, great joys and I’m lucky to have you both. XX

Much love,
Portia xxx

SUNDAY QUICKSNIFF REVIEW #3

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Hiya all,

I wear a lot of perfume and write about surprisingly little of it, hard to believe isn’t it?  The Sunday QuickSniff Review page is opened on Monday morning and every time I spritz and am near the computer I’ll give a 3 sentence review with a rating out of 5 each for, well, see the key after the reviews.

BADGLEY MISCHKA EdP by BADGLEY MISCHKA 2006. Can someone please tell me what all the fuss is about this fragrance? (Tania Sanchez gives this a full page, 5 star rave? Was she smoking crack?) It is a pretty light fruity floral that is modern and fresh for a young girl or office wear. The dry down is scrummy though, all warm and delicious woods, almost a skin scent that lasts well and now I kind of get some of the fuss. FragranceNet has 30ml for $22 S=** L=**** D=**

LES HEURES DE CARTIER: L’HEURE CONVOITEE II by CARTIER 2011. This is a sparkling, bright, pretty floral with the crackling, whiplike carnation sitting in a fluffy bed of powdery iris and ever so spicy clove; moves slowly through its dance to end up traditionally wood and vanilla. Charming, playful and enticing, I can imagine a girl or granny wearing this Cartier scent, it does double time as fresh and antique, light and deep, prim and adventurous, intriguing. Buy at Cartier stores. S=**** L=*** D=***

SIRA DES INDIES EdP by JEAN PATOU 2006. To me this is one of the best of the modern soft light office friendly, no one can be offended, fragrances that I don’t really understand. It doesn’t say India to me though, more island; like the fantasy you have of how your 6 star, 150 staff, 40 guest maximum, no children, island paradise holiday destination should smell. This is a background hum of wealthy excess and the bottle is such a delicious classic. FragranceShop has 50ml for under $30 S=*** L=** D=***

VANILLA NOIRE EdP by YVES ROCHER 2010. WOW! Perfume! This is all the world’s best vanillas put together in a ramped up, sexy, glamour girl of a fragrance. It is warm, dark and dense, perfectly unisex and quite hard to come by unfortunately. Yves Rocher still has it. S=**** L=*** D=****


Photo Stolen from shirtsays

Scent, Obviously the number 1 priority here is how does it smell. My reviews are completely subjective and will differ widely from your own experience with the scent but it’s a good starting point. As yet I am not a trained perfumer so any and all descriptions are merely that, descriptions. There are plenty of blogs that offer technical details and chemistry, in 3 sentences I’ll pass.
Longevity, This is a biggie for me because like enfleurage where flower petals are left in fats to steal the scent, my fatty body works the same and eats it up, yum. So for a scent to last well on me, it will probably last a whole day on you and need a radioactive decontamination shower to defuse it from your skin.
Desirabilty, Wrapped up in this is scent, price, house, history, longevity, packaging, availability and a billion other things.

Photo Stolen from bittbox

* in any of these being the, “You couldn’t pay enough to spray this God awful stink on me again, it smells like public toilets in India, long time fridge malfunction while on Summer holiday and the vile stench of poverty all rolled into one.” You are putting innocent people in danger if you wear this.
** means it’s a nothing, wearable, boring, maybe the price is prohibitive for what you get or it’s ubiquitous. You should definitely get a sample of this to stop a buying boo boo.
*** is a perfectly good product that smells good and lasts a while at a decent price. You should definitely think about trying a sample or squirt but should you miss out your life will continue. Sample size worthy.
**** is the one you try, want a lot but can wait for a birthday/Christmas. It’s better than most of the stuff you’ve sniffed and may fill a void in your library. This is also an excellent decant product 5ml will get you through the season and maybe buy it next year.
***** meaning, stop reading this, grab your cash, credit card (or partners), roll the elderly or rob a petrol station and purchase this product. NOW! If you don’t have this fragrance you could die.

Hopefully this has given you a little inside track on fragrances to buy, want, avoid, sample. Isn’t scent the best fun EVER? What did you try this week?

Portia xx

Scent Mum takes us Day Tripping! Winners Announced

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hiya everyone!

Today was AWESOME!! My BFF Kath and I went into town to meet the amazing Emma who was the MECCA manager for years, involved with setting the store up, bringing Le Labo out to Oz and making that run, grew the Frederic Malle business here and worked with him on Australian launches (and these are just the highlights as I remember them). She has also kindly offered to become my scent mother. I know, right! TOTALLY AH MAY ZING!!! Sorry, I know I’m shouting but I’m so terrifically excited. It’s been quite a day.

First stop was, of course, Mecca in the Myer building Pitt St Mall, Sydney. Amy was our SA and made sure we were well looked after, gossiping with Emma and doing workmates catch up. Brendan was also there but he was busy at the Le Labo bar and we only chatted to him briefly at the end while looking at the wonderful selection of Dyptique, Serge Lutens, Comme des Garcons, Kai, and a horde of others.

Brendan at the Le Labo Bar in Mecca

Emma asked me to pick some of the Frederic Malle that I was interested in sampling on paper so I pulled out;

Musk Ravager which to me was a nice girl version of Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens which is already in my library. I did take a sample of this though to try, and compare, at my leisure.

Fleur de Cassis gave me a sweeping, playful and deep look into cassis and mimosa and I would like to try this on my skin one day soon.

Portrait of a Lady was a spicy, fruity, floral that took my breath away because it’s so lovely. Powerhouse on the card, still pumping like crazy after 5 hours.

Bigarade Concentree is a little too citrus and wood, the rose doesn’t develop for me and nor does the grass, though I have only had it on a card. This is what Kath bought today and it is a terrific choice on and for her.

I know, crap shot of Emma and BFF Kath

Lipstick Rose is delicious and if I had not already Rosa Sur Reuse by SOIVOHLE and Ce Soir Ou Jamais by Goutal it would be adorning my collection now.

Noir Epices is lovely dark and spicy as the name hints but Eau D’Epices from Tauer fills that niche here.

Geranium Pour Monsieur is amazing, mint, geranium, spices, licorice, woods and cloves wrapped up in a cool incense. This is going on my FB list. What a lovely fragrance. Very mad I didn’t get a sample size of Geranium Pour Monsieur but will return.

Carnal Flower is, of course, divine. Unfortunately I just got Truth or Dare so there is no need for me to splurge so outrageously on even something as jaw droppingly gorgeous as Carnal Flower. I did take a sample size of this one too.

It was great having Emma with us, she knows the product back to front and was able to give us insights and interesting over views that you only get from  working in the industry. I should have had a tape recorder because much of it went straight out of my head. GRRRR! One really good thing was that Emma noticed 2 of the testers were off and so we got brand new ones to try. As you probably already know, lights and temperature changes are killer for fragrances, as is exposure to air. If you are serious about your perfumes a cupboard away from external walls, or even better a fridge, will keep your most precious babies fresh and ready for decades.

SA Amy & BFF Kath at Mecca

Then we went and stood in line at David Jones to have a picture taken with Nicole Richie, who also signed a pre-fab shot of herself. She was doing an in store to sell her new range of bags, sunglasses and jewellery. The bags were fun and well thought out, not ridiculously expensive and had great finishes that looked like you’d get 10 years heavy wear from them. Nicole was all business because I had 3 cards for her to sign but I wished her, “Painless, easy and harmless world domination,” and she immediately looked me straight in the eye and laughed, wishing the same for herself and sharing a tiny little real person connection time with me. It left a really good taste in my mouth. Nicole Richie, you have a fan.

After lunch downstairs in the David Jones Food Hall Emma had to go find herself a frock for an awards night so we parted ways.

Kath and I trotted back to Myer bumping into a dear old friend, Joe, at the CHANEL counter and he loaded us up with samples of cosmetics and a No 5 Eau Premier sample that is going in the Thursday Giveaway Competition next week because I already have 5oz here. It is good news that I have a buddy there because I’ve just learned that my No 5 Parfum spray is an out of date bottle and case necessitating a complete change next time I buy, unless Joe can find me an old one. My bottle and juice are about 15 years old so pre-reformulation and it will be quite a change sadly.

While we were in town I thought I’d go check the Clinique counter to see if they had the Aromatics Elixer 40th Anniversary Perfumers Reserve Edition Prestige Parfum Extrait. The last one!!! I have been asking at every Clinique counter I passed thinking the suburbs would have it but Sydney had it! YAY!! Purchase. Even the box is gorgeous. Opening Ceremony sometime this week! SCORE!! So happy. This may be the last one in Australia.

Photo Stolen idealo

One gripe for today though. Tom Ford doesn’t do samples. So, you want me to pay over $600 for a bottle of your fragrance and you can’t even give me a sample to see if I like it? You can shove your juice darling. Having had my bitch, the SA Joel was great, had no problem giving us the low down on the products we were interested in and happy to spray our cards for us, and us if we weren’t on a sniff mission. But, no samples?

THURSDAY GIVEAWAY COMPETITION WINNERS

This week instead of doing one big giveaway I thought I’d do 2 small ones. Both winning parties will receive

1ml Rasheeqa Concentrated Perfume Oil
1.5ml Vintage by Kate Moss EdT Spray Decant
1.5ml Hermessence Vanille Galante EdT Spray Decant
Plus P&H anywhere in the world

What did you have to do to be in the running to win these lovelies? Tell me a fragrance by a fashion house that you particularly love.

And the

Photo Stolen dryicons

are JESSE and COLLEEN. Congratulations! If you don’t get in touch with your details by midnight Wednesday 30.5.12 I’ll give your prize to someone else.

Well I’ve had a super great day. Now time for some dinner, cuddles and bed. I’ve earned it.

See you tomorrow,

Portia xx

Madonna: Truth or Dare

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hi Fellow Fumies,

Madonna. Released her first single “Everybody” in 1982. It became a dancefloor hit in the underground clubs of the USA and, soon after, the world but it wasn’t until “Burning Up” was released that we in the Australian club scene heard of her. I remember seeing the video of Madonna writhing around on street asphalt looking like Marilyn Monroe and wearing loads of plastic bracelets. We instantly, guys and girls, adopted this look and a million shades of it and took our 15 year old selves out to the streets and clubs of Oxford St in Sydney. It was the era of acid trips, no doze and spumanti, disco was dying and Madonna seemed to step up to the mark and take its place effortlessly. After the sexy slow groove of the 70’s we wanted faster, more confrontational, heart racing music formulas and video hits. Here it was; and with her wicked, so slutty, don’t give a toss, finger up at the establishment, messed about attitude we were hooked.

Photo Stolen wikipedia

We were her slaves, even personally being part of 2 Madonna tribute shows. The peak of my Madonna madness came while she was doing the Girly Tour. It was her brother Christopher’s birthday and a group of us were asked to perform at the party. It is surreal standing next to your idol and singing Happy Birthday with her, to her brother on a stairwell overlooking a room full of Sydney’s most beautiful movers and shakers. Christopher and I picked the chocolate dipped strawberries off the cake and threw then to the heaving throng. I was extremely let down by Madonna at that party, she was tired and clearly just wanted to get the hell away from the madness but stayed, maybe for Christopher, and looked bored out of her brain. This was after a MONSTER world tour so she had earned tired.

Photo Stolen frenchculturesf

Madonna has been not stop in your face to the point where I can’t remember a time without her musically. Having also been there for every movie, yes even the ones we fans would prefer to forget about, we were thrilled when she nailed Evita so well. Trailing along in the wake of her oft times disastrous personal life through the lenses of the paparazzi Madonna has become so entrenched in our psyches that it’s often like we know her better than we know the people in our street, making it easy and painless to gossip about her, which brings her more into our world. Everybody has a Madonna moment to share, be it a disastrous date movie, early bedroom hairbrush singing, rollerblade track, wedding waltz or a zillion others, just bring her name up at a dinner party, everybody has a story.

Now I’m the first to admit that lately there has been a whiff of desperation about our Madge; the need to stay current, creative and controversial starts to look like a hard slog when you’ve been doing it for over 30 years. Every time she has brought out a new album in the last few years I have felt a little more embarrassed for her. Staying young forever is clearly thinning her out, in all ways.

Photo Stolen rollingstone

So, about 20 years after I would have expected it, Madonna has finally made her first foray into the world of fragrance. She has chosen the house of Coty as her scent mother, which strikes me as both extremely clever; for their enormous marketing and distribution powers, their long running work with many big celebrities; Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Celine Dion, and our very own Kylie Minogue are just some of the Coty celebs, but also in all honesty on the flip side I would have hoped Madonna might have gone and found a more niche brand perfumer and really rocked our socks off. I suppose the lure of making big profits ran roughshod over the siren call of making the best. As yet Madonna’s fragrance Truth or Dare has not made it to our shores but by a lovely stroke of luck my friend Jay was over visiting in the USA teaching shoe design and cobblery last week and he just happened to drop by Macy’s, where there just happened to be a friendly sales assistant who just happened to let him have the free gift with purchase tote AND clutch, as long as he bought the BIG bottle. So Jay dutifully bought me 75mls of Truth or Dare and I am so grateful.

Photo Stolen allaboutmadonna

Design wise I love the gold and white box with its embossing. It looks cool and, for want of a better word, classy. As a side note an Australian artist RJ Williams (his work has hung in the Art Gallery of NSW and Museum of Contemporary Art) is currently suing Madonna for her use of his copyrighted symbol. Upon opening the first thing you notice about the bottle is its unusual hexagonal shape with the look of beading around the perimeter. It is stark and neat, comfortable in your hand, the little gold tone crown on top like the head of a scepter or a scaled back Westwood-esque world. The whole bottle has heft and could even be a nod to Deco. I really like it, while being a much calmer piece that I ever would have expected Madonna to put her name to it does fit.

Photo Stolen style.mtv

So history and design aside, the most important thing in a perfume, in my eyes anyway, is the juice. Madonna asked perfumer Stephen Nilsen who is the nose behind Vera Wang’s 2011 Lovestruck, SJP’s 2009 Dawn, and Bond No 9’s 2008 Andy Warhol Union Square for a white floral tuberose fragrance reminiscent of Robert Piguet’s 1948 Fracas that her mother wore. Having lost her mother while she was very young Madonna wanted to bring her memory back in olfactory terms while still giving her a massive update and facelift.

How does it smell? Buttery tuberose, creamy gardenia and neroli open in a big fat mouth watering HELOOOOO! I can hear my arteries clanging shut and wouldn’t be surprised if this fragrance could cause blood pressure problems it is so full of delicious fatty flavour. OMG! Madonna has blown my nostrils

As the initial blast calms down to a dull roar there is a peeking in of the lovely benzoin, which gives us a sweet and balsamic, slightly milky vanilla, and I love it when the Casablanca lily starts to hum in the background. I’m sure it’s there but I am not getting any jasmine in the heart, I’ll wait a while, maybe it’s a late starter. The tuberose, vanilla and gardenia pump gloriously through the heart of this perfume backed up by Casablanca, amber and, I think, musk with little softening of the after initial rush scent so far at 5 hours. I am thrilled that Madonna has done such a good job here. Sweet but not sickly, vanilla but not foodie, white flowers done with distinction.

Good for perfumistas, Madonna fans and the general public. A winner.

Photo Stolen fabsugar

I hope you have enjoyed this lengthy look at Madonna’s Truth or Dare,

Much love,

Portia xx

Hermes, Hermes, Hermes Reviews

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hey Hey Junkies,

Hermes, Hermes, Hermes; even the name sounds exquisite. Doesn’t it. Images of saddlery, silk, leather, shoes, clothing, bags.

Logo Stolen from madisonmuse

I had an Hermes tie once. It was lovely. Pale blue background, horses (not the proud stallions, no, these were the 14 hand 8 year old gelds of domestic pony clubbers) being ridden by very ordinary young men dressed in cream shirts and beige or fawn moleskins, some daringly sporting braces in red. this is my memory of the tie and if I could remember who I lent it to they could probably vouch for it’s accuracy, these ties were made to last. A friend also gifted me the Hermes box that a queen sized cashmere rug had traveled home in. It was placed around the apartment, and then house, like a piece of art, till it was destroyed in a minor domestic accident that had me hyperventilating and palpitating and everyone else trying not to laugh.

A couple of weeks ago I wandered into Sydney’s Hermes store to grab a squirt of their fragrances. I looked like a complete bogan, worn out jeans, holy jumper, thongs. Every piece that was visible had once been a designer piece that has lasted me years and though I look like a tramp, these clothes are so part of me I am finding it hard to let them go. there was a blond, buff, sparkly toothed vision smiling at me as the door was opened, looking for all the world like Hermes the messenger of the Gods had had his golden locks shorn and coiffed. It was astounding. His welcome was as warm as if I’d walked in wearing an Hermes suit he had personally sold to me.

Photo Stolen from giantbomb

I asked to see the fragrances. “Mens or womens?” he asked casually.
“Do you think they care who wears them?” me. There was no wide eyed surprise just a moment to distill and a bigger smile, “What would you like to try?”
“Herm Essence,” I reply in Australian. He touches my arm to get my attention and says softly in the correct tones, “Our Hermessence range is great, you’ll love it,” and opens a drawer with testers. It was done so nicely and without fanfare. I am grateful to him and will purchase on Saturday, as a Thank You.

Recent arrivals in my Mail Box included 3 Hermes 15ml mini bottles from Olfactoria’s Travels wardrobe cleanout. They are all so different and wearable. I am enjoying them all.

Kelly Caleche EdT 2007 Jean-Claude Ellena. This is a surprising leather that smells on my skin like the leather, glue, colours and stitchery inside the back of brand new high heels, never worn, straight from box and tissue paper. The flowers and fruits big moment are all over for me so quickly, around 15 minutes, and then play such a light backing track to this almost patent leather smell. Kelly Caleche has been worn on my chest for the last 2 days and I have enjoyed it immensely.


Hermessence Vanille Galante EdT 2009 Jean-Claude Ellena. Vanille Galante has a sharp, dark, almost camphorous, awkward and riveting scorched pot-pouri beginning that burns the hairs out of my nostrils. As it mellows down to a softer tone the vanilla peeks out, then hides, then peeks out again in an interesting waltz with the flowers and woods. Maybe I smell cognac wafting from somewhere, like I’ve left a balloon on a table near the fire, or maybe the perfumers notes mislead me but now it’s in my head I can almost taste it. Sadly, while I have enjoyed wearing Hermessence Vanille Galante, this will probably never reach any kind of high rotation because other Vanillas in my library live better for me.

Les Colognes Hermes Eau de Gentiane Blanche EdC 2009 Jean-Claude Ellena. This smells of ivy, fresh cut hedges on gardener days and humus, the flowers and incense are cool and stark the most bare, green, haughty and aloof you can imagine. This is a bracing spring splash in a salt water pool, that OOH as you go in but as your body adjusts and acclimatises to the water it becomes comfortable, deliciously refreshing. There is a warmth in this fragrance that filters in as your skin mellows and softens it. Les Colognes Hermes Eau de Gentiane Blanche is my favourite of the 3, I will wear this frequently.

Here is Hermes World Home Page that can direct you to any of their country websites. FragranceShop has some great deals on Hermes fragrances.

Do you have a favourite Hermes fragrance or a story of your introduction to the Hermes brand? Please share with us, often the comments are more interesting than my posts and I love reading your fragrant thoughts. Currently I am torn between Santal Massoïa or Jardin en Méditerranée as my Thank You buy for that sweet Hermes God working in the Sydney Store. HELP!

Much love,

Portia xx