Black Afghan by Mad et Len 2016

February 6, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Portia

Hello lover of NEW!

Recently the LuckyScent Unboxing Day pack arrived. I love to buy them because usually half the things in them are stuff I would never go out and try. Part of that is living on the other side of the world but another part is the sheer enormity of fragrance released. I had not even heard about this brand until I saw the pack. Things slip under everyone’s radar when we’re busy living life. So, I trust the LuckyScent guys to do a lot of my culling for me and send me the newest, best and most saleable from their ranges.

This time I was particularly interested in the new Atelier Cologne stuff but what a nice surprise to meet a new brand also. This is my favourite from the Mad et Len range from sniffing the samples in the pack, come and do my first full wearing with me.

Black Afghan by Mad et Len 2016

LuckyScent

Panful gives these featured accords:
Leather, Musk, Resins, Woody notes

From LuckyScent: Welcome to the dark side of musk- midnight-black velvet layers of oud-tinged mystery with fiery spice lurking beneath the surface. This is fragrance as a holy garment, a cloak of powerful sensuality to connect you to a different plane of reality. You don’t wear Black Afgan- you let it envelop you.

Slightly poopy oudh with a nose tingling chilli, black pepper and cinnamon zing (I have no idea if these are the spices used but they do smell present to me). I don’t know about a holy garment, I would expect more smoke and incense, a cloak of powerful sensuality would have more animalics that smell sweaty, fleshy, sweet and raunchy but I mainly get poop and a little medicine. The heart smooths everything out and I question if there’s a white flower present?

I am wondering if the ride might be different spritzed? Hang on a sec while I decant my sample

PDI

A softer open when sprayed, cleaner, clearer, less poopy and more floaty. Once the coolness burns off there is much more of a honeyed resin smell, as if it’s been warmed but not yet smoking. You know when you walk around the spice markets and come across bags and bags of resins? When you walk into that shop you get a smell like this. It’s dry, warm and enveloping. The leather comes through and dark lightly decal woods. Spritzing is a whole different beast. More interesting but less confronting. Beautiful.

Smoke and leather with mild oudh-ishness to finish. I’ve really enjoyed wearing Black Afghan. It’s strange that there are no other reviews, it’s worth a sniff.

PDI

LuckyScent has $165/50ml and samples

Do you ever get the LuckyScent Sample Packs? Have you then ever bought a FB from one?
Portia xx

3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys

February 3, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Portia

Hello Fragrant Family,

We have suddenly jumped into 2017 and we’ve had some time to reflect. I’ve been madly going through my fragrance wardrobe to find things that need to be culled. Already 31 full bottles and some excess lotions have found new homes and I’m pretty chuffed about that. Hopefully I can sell or gift at least another 70 so my cull will reach 100.

Obviously the cull will merely make space for more fragrances. It’s a vicious cycle and Scott & I have a theory that it’s the hunting & buying that brings me the most pleasure anyway. Especially the vintage stuff.

Anyway, in my cleanup I’ve found a bunch of my 2016 fragrant purchases and was wondering which of them I get the most wear and enjoyment from.

3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys

Here are my regulations for the choice:
1: Only bought in 2016, release or manufacture date irrelevant.
2: Must be a bottle, can be used or new at purchase time.
3: Can not be a backup
4: Can not be a replacement

So here are my 3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys

Fragrantica

Morn To Dusk by Eau d’Italie:
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lily of the valley
Heart: Vanilla
Base: Musk

Crunchy vanilla with a few bells & whistles. Probably too simple for most perfumistas and could very easily be a perfect ambient scent rather than fine fragrance but I love it. So warm and enveloping. It really does last from Morn To Dusk too and goes through some cool to warm and then lightly fleshy to end.

Fragrantica

Monsieur Li by Hermès:
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Kumquat, jasmine, mint

I know. Most of you didn’t adore this baby. JCEs Hermès swansong, but it smells good on me and people notice it and comment favourably. It is the perfect spritz and go, or spritz and sit. Today I wore it while paying bills and it kept me calm as my available cash reserves dwindled. No mean feat.

Fragrantica

Sang Bleu by Le Galion:
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Galbanum, orange, bergamot, lemon, wormwood, rosemary, eucalyptus, geranium, jasmine, rose, violet, pink pepper, carnation, cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver

The Le Galion crew make wonderful fragrances. Why the hell isn’t EVERYONE madly in love with their shit? Sang Bleu is as perfectly composed as the rest of the line, smells great but not challenging and lasts well throughout a hectic day. Not to mention how lovely the bottles are visually and tactilely. Sang Bleu is a unisex cologne loaded for romance.

So of all my fragrant buys in 2016 these three have the most air in them and are most regularly used around the house on personal scenting time.
What are your 3 Best 2016 Fragrance Buys?
Portia xx

Celestial Rose by Ramón Béjar 2014

February 2, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Portia

Hello Rose Freaks,

Having had a boxed sample of this fragrance on my desk winking at me since Josie at OSSWALD NYC gave it to me as a GWP in 2014 I finally felt compelled today to open it and have a sniff.

You can come along on the ride too.

Celestial Rose by Ramón Béjar 2014

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Artemisia, bergamot
Heart: Turkish rose oil, geranium, peach
Base: Turkish rose, musk, amber

Rose, geranium, broken rose stem and torn leaves. Clean, clear rose that is very upper register.

OK, so the opening of Celestial Rose reminds me strongly of Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose. All of a sudden I’m a kid again and I can’t remember who it was but someone I knew wore it back then. It’s a funny sensation of memory because recently I was out with a drag girlfriend and she smelled of the most fabulous roses. Upon asking what she was wearing, expecting it to be a high end niche beauty she replied Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose. It smelled freaking amazing on her and all night I kept coming in for sniffs.

PDI

When I asked some mates one in particular agreed that it could be a reminder but told me to wait for the velvety, luxe dry down. Yes it went velvety and yes it is lovely but I still have the Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose playing in the background 5 hours on. Admittedly the whole fragrance has softened and become creamy musk and amber but still the roses are there catching my attention and singing softly.

Do I love Celestial Rose? Nope. I do really like it though. If you are after a luxurious 21st century version of Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose then this will definitely hit the spot. Add to that the spectacular bottle and maybe…… but nah. Not this one.

Further reading: EauMG
Feeling Sexy has $279/75ml (a special New To Australia price till Jan 31 2017)

How do you like your roses?
Portia xx

Ode by Guerlain 1955

February 1, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Greg Young

Bienvenue treasure-seekers.

Over summer I was in Canberra and visited the Treasures of Versailles exhibition. There were a few nice things in the exhibition, but nothing I could afford.

I was inspired to go hunt for a few treasures of my own. The suburb of Fyshwick has a cluster of antiques warehouses and markets that are always good for a trawl. In the stinking heat of New Year’s Eve, we headed up there and had a look around. I got lucky at the second market that we visited. My eye was drawn to a cabinet with a few little bottles in it. I particularly noticed a little bottle of Joy, but I thought the price was risible. Lurking behind it was this unopened gem, still in its original box.

(It wasn’t until later – too late to take a photo of it – that I got the musical pun, and am still wondering if it was intentional).

Ode by Guerlain 1955

Treasures from Australia’s Capital City

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Aldehydes, jasmine, rose, iris, sandalwood and musk

Ode was launched by Guerlain in 1955. The pun was intentional for Guerlain; Ode was a response to Patou’s Joy, a floral aldehyde built on jasmine and rose.

Ode was quite a stepping stone in Guerlain’s history, for a few reasons. It marked the changing of the guard, being the last fragrance of Jacques Guerlain’s career and the first by the then 18 years old Jean-Paul Guerlain. Monsieur Guerlain notes that it was also the first ever Guerlain fragrance to have a one syllable name (the house has strongly preferred three syllable names such as Shalimar, Vol de Nuit, Nahema, etc.) and was also the first to have a bottle designed specifically for that fragrance.

And what a bottle that was; a Baccarat design showing a single rosebud in a sculptured vase. Sadly, my find was not that bottle, being the EDC and not the extract.

Even the Ode EDC was a ground-breaker, introducing the “travel bottle”, a solid rectangular design also used for Habit Rouge and Vetiver. Sadly, I didn’t get lucky with that historic find either.

Greg. XXOXOO

(Ed: All photos supplied by Greg un less specified. Thanks buddy)

Sylvaine Delacourte Workshop In Sydney

January 31, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Ainslie Walker

Hello APJ gang! Happy New Year!! Doesn’t it already feel like 2017 is galloping along at an incredible pace?!

Sylvaine Delacourte Workshop In Sydney

Sylvaine Delacourte ‘Queen Bee’ and Creative Director of Fragrance for Guerlain visited Australia last year, whilst in town she taught perfume creation classes in David Jones’ Grand Hall on level 6!

As I entered the hall from the lift I saw rows of aluminium bottles containing exciting raw materials on a table with pipettes protruding from them! GASP.

Sylvaine, looking glamorous, first led us through the history of Guerlain.

– Modern perfumery began with Jicky which featured 3 synthetics- vanillin, coumarin and linalool.
– Guerlinade, Guerlain’s identity – the heart of all their fragrances, contains bergamot, rose, iris, tonka and vanilla.
– Guerlain still controls their whole ‘A-Z’ of fragrance, only 4 other companies in the world also do this; Chanel, Dior, Hermes. They buy their own raw materials, sourcing everything, having them sent direct to their labs, making a unique difference.
– Guerlain has 1000 natural ingredients, 3000 synthetics and discover more each year.

Creation time! As Sylvaine pointed out ‘today you will be making, not just a perfume but a Guerlain perfume!’ SQUEALS AND SHIVERS!!

A few definitions!

– A note: of patchouli or any singular ingredient
– A facet: an aspect of an ingredient, eg fruit aspect of rose. Perfumers use this to join for example 3 ingredients all with fruit aspects.
– An harmony/accord: no longer the parts that make it up but a new combination, a synergy. E.g Bergamot, violet and hedione is tea note created by JC Ellena, Raspberry and almond become cherry.

Sylvaine explained, many flowers cannot be extracted and have to be reconstituted eg lilac, lily of the valley…..then we all got to make a lily of the valley!!

So here is what I made:
Floral N74 48 drops
Jasmonal H 20 drops
Rose Bulgare 5 drops (this ingredient is one of Thierry Wasser’s favourites and has a lychee and almond facet)
Citronellol 10
PEA 15
Jasmine Grandiflorum 1
Indol 1

We learnt about all the different floral aspects: fresh, powdery, aldehydic, sensual, animalic, rose, oriental, white or as Sylvaine says ‘sunny,’ and fruity flower

Then we chose to make either a white floral or a fresh floral and give it facets of either oriental, chypre or hisperdic. I made a fresh floral with oriental and rose facets and a touch of hisperdic! I had 3 tries and Sylvaine and I agreed my second try was the best.

What an amazing experience to learn from one of the best female perfumers in the industry!!

If you could make a perfume at such a workshop, what would it be??

Until next time, Ainslie XX

Rubis Rosé by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes 2014

January 30, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Portia

Hey Fumies,

This week is Use My Samples & Decants Week. You’ll be reading a bunch of first time experiences of fragrances that have been here in vials or decants and sat unworn so far. Yes, if it’s a 1ml vial I will pour the whole thing on and wear it for a day. Obviously they have been sniffed before and often dabbed but got put in the Must Further Investigate pile and then left. So hopefully I will get to use at least 7, hopefully more.

Rubis Rosé by DSH Perfumes 2014

Rubis Rosé by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Ambergris, black tea, Bulgarian rose, rose, olibanum, rose oil, oakmoss, green tea, guaiac wood, green leaves, myrrh, neroli, orris, pink pepper, raspberry, fruity notes, tea rose

Rubis Rosé opens dry, sweet and fruity. It’s an unusual opening that brings to mind rose petals in black tea with a lemon slice. The fruit isn’t quite lemon though, a bit less antiseptic and friendlier. Maybe more a Rosé wine, a dryer, less fizzy one, lightly chilled.

If you like the tea scent of roses in your garden then this will definitely be a winner. It’s as subtle and close as garden roses but every now and then I get a luscious, rich, fruity, red rose waft that’s just overblown at dawn and I’ve come across it as all dew has dissipated. Considering the extensive note list Rubis Rosé is surprisingly simple at first sniff. It ages greener and dryer, becoming more woody and leafy. The teas become more prominent too. Is this a rose chypre? is a question I have asked myself more than once on the journey.

PDI

Personally I have a plethora of rose scents here and the ones I reach for most are the heavier, denser and more swampy or oudh-ish like Midnight Oud by JHaG, original Agent Provocateur, Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations or Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids. If these babies scare the shit out of you then Rubis Rosé could be a perfect rose for you.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and EauMG
DSH Perfumes has samples from $6

How do you like your roses? Radiant or swampy?
Portia xx

Micky & Moby Candles

January 27, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Portia

Hey Ambient Scenters,

One of my mates, who has been a mate since our teen years, gave me some Micky & Moby candles for my birthday last year. I thought the packaging with its black & white cats and paw print on the labels, the hand applied strings with scent names and the big glass jars were all very simple but beautiful. Almost a nautical look. As soon as my bathroom candle was finished I brought one of them in and it sits with the lid off on my bathroom window sill. The scent is exactly the right amount to give a calm, fresh and clean scent to the room every time i walk in. When guests come I light the candle and it cleanses the air of all the human waste smells in a minute, yes really. It’s also a lovely soft scented light for my late night baths. TBH it’s my preferred way to bathe but mostly I do it in the daytime for work purposes.

Micky & Moby Candles

This is the original glass jar I got my Micky & Moby candles in. Simple and perfect. They’re $20 and you can email Emma on mickyandmoby@gmail.com and below are a list of fragrances and sizes

Micky & Moby Candle Fragrances
Uplifting
Sweet lemongrass
Lemongrass and Ginger
Fresh Coffee
Jasmine
Gardenia
Rose
Lemon Verbena
Butt Naked
Coconut Lime
Bamboo and White Lily
Lavender
Watermelon
Love Spell
Black Raspberry and Vanilla

Large Candles $20
Small candles $10
Shot Glass candles $5.
Tea lights $1.00 each
To order please email mickyandmoby@gmail.com

Micky & Moby also have these great new jars and bowls. Aren’t they heaven?

Please tell Emma you were sent by APJ, she’ll be so excited that you’re part of the family.
Portia xxx

Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade by Quentin Bisch for Etat Libre d`Orange 2016

January 26, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Portia

Hi there APJ,

Recently I went and hung out with my mate Bronwyn of Gascoigne & King Candles. I did some Xmas shopping with her and 7 of my buddies got Gascoigne & King candles. PERFECT gift. Anyway she passed me this sample because she is also the distributor of Etat Libre d’Orange here in Australia. Well, I looked at the beautifully packaged sample and thought, “Those freaking bastards at ELdO want me to make a complete tit out of myself when telling people what frag I’m wearing.” Seriously guys, I’m just a unilingual dude that wears dresses from down under. This kind of long French name, any long name really, kills my joy in a scent. So I was already halfway ready to hate it just because of the name.

Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade by Etat Libre d`Orange 2016

Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade by Quentin Bisch

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Labdanum

Smells like labdanum incense. Unbelievably gorgeous. Simple yet complex, wearable, challenging. Glorious.

Then name and the ad are irrelevant (and pretty rubbish) but the fragrance is bloody good.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Colognoisseur
LuckyScent has $95/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $5/ml

Have you tried Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade?
Portia xx

Super Sample Pack GIVEAWAY Jan 2017

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Attaquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade Carded Manufacturers Sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us an Etat Libre d`Orange fragrance you like or love….

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Saturday 28th January 2017 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 1st February 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Favourite Fragrance Note?

January 25, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 45 Comments

Portia

Hi there Fumies,

There are a few notes in fragrance that if I see them in a note list I definitely want to give them a sniff. Not all the fragrances that have these notes in them work for or on me. As a starting point though I am much more willing to try some new thing with these babies in on my skin. I’m WAY more inclined to order a sample or seek it out actively.

Favourite Fragrance Note?

Fragrantica

Amber

OK, probably no surprise to most people who read APJ regularly but Amber is one of the notes that I look for in note lists. Recently Fragrantica changed their note list icons and it took me a while to recalibrate my swift glance. Fortunately Amber wasn’t changed hugely. Now if I see Amber in the name of a fragrance then I’ll spray myself without even looking at the note list, not clever but often fun.

Some ambers I really love are: Ambre Cerulean by Huitieme Art Parfums, L’eau d’Amber by L’Artisan, Ambre Russe by Parfum d`Empire, Olympic Amber by Olympic Orchids, Amber Queen by A Dozen Roses, Ambre Narguile by Hermès, Chergui by Serge Lutens and Ambra del Nepal by I Profumi di Firenze. Obviously not a complete list, this is off the op of my head.

Fragrantica

Incense

Growing up Catholic and attending primary school with Nuns and secondary school with Jesuit Priests my early years were awash with incense. Then as late teens bloomed, in fashion school and my friends began to become more multicultural I got to smell incenses from around the world. Nowadays I have a cupboard full to overflowing of incense gathered from visiting many countries. From the cheapest to the quite expensive and I love them all. Put a hefty dose of incense into a perfume and I will try to get my nose on some ASAP.

Some of my adored incenses: Avignon by Comme des Garcons, Trayee by Neela Vermeire Creations, Oliban by Phaedon, Fille en Aiguilles by Serge Lutens, Encens Flamboyant (Shower Gel) by Annick Goutal, Bois d’Ascese by Naomi Goodish, Interlude Man by Amouage and Vintage Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. Trayee Neela Vermeire Creations

Fragrantica

Oakmoss

I think I am hyper-nosmic to oakmoss and its facsimiles. Even the merest smidgeon and it overtakes most fragrances for me. A good thing in my eyes because I love its soft, furry, green smokiness. In my nose a little bit of oakmoss makes every fragrance more stunning and desirable. If I see the word oakmoss in a note list I can be about 95% sure that it will be a winner only skin and that pretty soon there’ll be a FB and a backup in the cupboard.

Oakmoss-centric frags in my wardrobe: Mitsouko, L’Heure Bleue & Vol de Nuit by Guerlain, Chloe (1975), Antaeus by CHANEL, Niki de Saint Phalle, Magie Noire by Lancome, Bandit by Robert Piguet, Miss Dior by Christian Dior (1947), Farouche by Nina Ricci and Eau de Gucci (1993)

So, over to you. What note or notes ring your bells when looking through note lists?
Portia xx

Antibiotics, Assumptions, OCD and Perfume by Patrick Suskind

January 24, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Val the Cookie Queen

Good day APJ Readers!

Antibiotics, Assumptions, OCD

The Joy Of Medication

Seriously. After nearly a month of swollen eyes and a slightly puffy face you´d have thought I´d have realized something was wrong. I took
steamy baths, put iced eye masks on, eye drops, a variety of concealers, and hung myself upside down to encourage drainage. Some stuff
drizzled out the corners of my eyes probably brain fluid. I was still completing menial tasks, shopping, baking and packing 500 cookies, but
needing three hour naps to get over the exertion. I finally hauled my sorry ass to the doctor and am the proud owner of a sinus infection, my first.
Rattling around with pretty blue antibiotics is now doing the trick.

Preconceived Ideas

I received “Perfume. The Story of a Murderer.” by Patrick Süskind for my birthday. I´ve been asked countless times if I have read it
to which I always replied “Absolutely not.” I never wanted to read it. All I knew was it had to do with murdering virgins for their innocence and
I´m like, nope, not for me. I mean for years I have skirted around this book and needless to say the film. But true to form my partner-in-crime,
cognitive behaviour therapist and BFF, Dr. Fox suggested I read it as though it was a text book that I HAD to read, being that it was perfume related.
I couldn´t put it down. Enthralling, astonishing, quite bizarre, and it is on the reading syllabuses in school in Germany as it comes under the
German literature category. I loved the book so much I have no intention of seeing the film. Not because of preconceived ideas, just the fact I
prefer to keep a book I so enjoyed in my mind. A film seldom matches my imagination.

Slightly Obsessive Behaviour

An extremely dear friend gave me “Perfume. The Story of a Murderer.” for my birthday. Uhm, two copies. The first copy he bought, that is the
one on the right-hand side of the photo was a secondhand copy, which he didn´t notice at the time of purchase. Giving a secondhand gift is
so far out of his comfort zone that he went into another book store and bought the one of the left, a brand new copy. I love secondhand books,
and also prefer the cover on that one, as indeed he did too. So you dearest APJ readers one of you gets the chance to receive my brand new copy.

Innocent Perfumed Bussis
CQ