Replacing Discontinued Beauty #2

May 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by AF Beauty

Replacing the discontinued – Body Shop Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel – Part 2
Hello loves.

My search for my long lost Body Shop cleansing gel has been long but I hope, fruitful. As well as targeting products texturally similar to the gel, I tried a couple of liquid oil cleansers, hopeful that despite the texture difference at the start, the overall cleansing would still be good.

Replacing Discontinued Beauty #2

Mango Seed, Body Shop + Clinique

The first is a Korean product in a range called Mango Seed product called Oil to Foam. This is a nicely light oil and I anticipated it work by doing the oily thing to clean off the make up and then turn foamy with water. Unfortunately, the oil texture is not long lasting enough for me to properly remove heavier make up. Almost immediately as being dispensed it turns to a foamy soapy texture and then cleans like a regular foam. Positively, it smells lovely, very light and citrusy. I would use this as a second cleanser – I know, extravagant! But sometimes I feel like the first cleanse didn’t capture everything, this would be a good round two.

The second is from Clinique from their Take The Day Off range. I have heard nothing but good things about their Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm – but I had been at Clinique getting the contour stick (that I wrote about a few weeks back) and the SA had used the Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil to clean my face and it felt good, so I thought I’d give the oil a go at home.

So the big negative of this product for me is the smell – of lack of it. As all Clinique products, it is entirely unperfumed. This could be great for anyone sensitive to fragrance – but I’m guessing that’s not this crowd. Unscented in this case means that the product smells of what’s it’s made of – so it smells a bit chemically. Not overpowering but noticeable. But really, that is my only criticism. I really didn’t want to like this product as much as I do but the texture is beautiful – very light and smooth. It dissolves makeup in an instant, turns milky on water and washes away to leave clean skin, lovely. I admit, this one is my favourite and is my default for when I need an easy simple clean.

So, having tested four products as replacements for my Body Shop gel, I think the Clinque has been my favourite in texture, the Korean Mango Seed, my favourite in smell and probably all but the Mango Seed have done excellent work at removing make up. All that said, you could probably try Baby Oil to dissolve makeup, but for me, the milkiness on contact with water ensures I’m not left feeling oily on my skin and potentially clogging pores – and that’s important.

What other products like this have you tried? What oil based cleansers would you recommend?
Ciao ciao, AF x

Perfumer H – Lyn Harris: TinaG In Europe Photo Essay

May 28, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by TinaG

Hi APJ!

I was treated to a fabulous day out in London during my travels, hosted by Tara from A Bottled Rose. Tara has written up our adventures in more detail on her blog. One of the exciting discoveries of the day was a visit to the Perfumer H lab & shop in Crawford Street, London.

Perfumer H – Lyn Harris

‘Making Air Visible’

Perfumer H was started by Liz Harris (of Miller Harris) roughly 8 months ago. The shop contains an extensive lab out the back which is both Lyn Harris’s workshop, and a ingredient display. We were greeted by Caroline who kindly ran us through the concepts of the fragrance company.

Perfumer H releases new fragrances seasonally – their first being Winter 2015 and the current range for Summer 2016. Past seasonal fragrances are ‘archived’ but not discontinued, which means they continue to be accessible. Two of the Winter 2015 releases were rolled-over to Summer 2016 – Leather and Cologne, which join Atlas, Musk and Rain Cloud for this season’s suite of five. I wish that I wrote down the archived Winter fragrances – I do know one was Velvet. There were three that had been shelved.

There are a selection of five home fragrances which are available as candles – Orange Blossom, Dandelion, Leaf, Ivy and Smoke. The perfume bottles and candle holders are each hand-made, heavy and lush. You can choose to purchase the fragrances in 100ml functional screw-cap bottles, which I did for ease of travelling.

Perfumer H has a range of ‘laboratory editions’ which are a fun way to purchase some of Liz Harris’s creative work. Names like Ink, Vetiver, Rose & Smoke line the shelves. Each fragrance in the whole range is also given a unique identifier, and if you wish, you can purchase that perfume outright – including choosing it’s name, having it registered in Grasse, and it is then taken out of general circulation – so it is yours and yours alone. You can buy single bottles without claiming rights though – just careful if you fall in love, it may just disappear one day!

I tried four fragrances on skin – Velvet, Musk, Atlas and Leather as I was keen to pick up a bottle, but wow…. What a difficult decision! I would have been happy to walk away with any of them, but I decided on Musk.

Musk – no. g116 3995
Notes: Bergamot (Italy), Mandarin, Petitgrain (Paraguay), Iris absolute (China), Heliotrope, Cedarwood (Virginia), Benjoin (Siam), Vanilla absolute, White Musk.

On opening I get a floral Iris and fluffy musk along with a subtle plant-stem note in the background. After an hour this changes to an iris/cedar combination. It is sexy, gentle and very wearable. Sticky vanilla notes waft in and out. I find the citruses after 8 hours in a sheer veneer of smoke & juice that makes me wish I sprayed more skin. Interestingly the iris has a great staying power and it remains throughout (+12 hours). It is a gorgeous fragrance and I’m extremely glad I picked it up. I’m half tempted to go back & get the Leather as well, time & funds permitting.

Perfumer H is a great concept which has been actualised with wonderful fragrances and beautiful glass bottles. They do ship to Australia but you will be paying a premium for hazardous goods ~£70.

What do you think, APJ? Sound like a fun venture to you?

Tina G xx

Rendezvous by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes 2016

May 27, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Frag-O-Philes,

Recently I ordered a new bottle of Giverny In Bloom from DSH Perfumes, with its glorious green self came a sample of her newest fragrance. Realeased in January 2016 and already making waves let’s have a look at Rendezvous. We will be going through the initial experience together today but I will come back in a few days to give some updates if my wearings have shown different or interesting nuance.

Rendezvous by DSH Perfumes 2016

Rendezvous by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, white pepper
Heart: jasmine, orange blossom, gardenia
Base: Oakmoss, castoreum, hyrax, ambergris, labdanum, ambrette (musk mallow), musk, civet

GROWWWWL! Sweet, feral, fecal, dirty, sexy, bakery, alleyway, sunshine on sand, urinous, warm, comfortable, furry, fuzzy, fiery, dry, sizzling, smoky. OMG! All these words running through my head. Rendezvous is extreme. A whiff of coffee, black, intense and Turkish, motor oil gritty, earthy, creation, burnt sticky date pudding, plastics. I am engulfed in a fabulous monster. Part of me is asking “Is this just a circus trick?” other parts are screaming joyfully because this is exactly why indie perfumers are so important, recoiling, mesmerised, disbelieving and floating through someone else’s vision for scent.

Flickr

At about the ten to 15 minute mark the enormity has flagged to merely outrageous. The flowers have arrived but they are growing in the compost heap, a healthy vegetative one with cow, horse and chook poo, well turned and aerated heap that is all the wonderful fragrances of renewal through disintegration. The sweet scent of an Indian street urinal from half a block away, mixed with the dusty road, the mass of humanity and beasts all going about their daily grind: living, loving, praying, feasting and festering.

Past the heart and I’m left, for hours, with a burning, smoky something that is also sweet like a cake batter, lightly salted and gorgeously creamy. It was hard to force myself to write really because I wanted to lose myself in the magnificent folds of Rendezvous. Bravo Dawn for bringing us this freakish, poopy masterpiece. I am enjoying it immensely.

Pixabay

From DSH Perfumes site: A super sexy, “retro nouveau” animalic perfume with the kick of aldehydes and pepper in the top, narcotic, indolic florals in the heart, and a super rich, slightly salty, animalic drydown. Let’s just say that there’s more going on here than a meeting of the minds.

Further reading: Scented Hound and Perfume Polytechnic
DSH Perfumes has a great range of Rendezvous products starting at $6

What is your favourite Independent Perfume House? Have you tried Dawn’s work?
Portia xx

Rainmaker edp by Shelley Waddington for En Voyage Perfumes 2016

May 26, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hey APJ

A woody-amber chypre for men and women?

When I hear news of a new perfume release by award winning perfumer Shelley Waddington, it is VERY good news indeed! You might even call me a bit of a fanboy for her creations, there are just so many wonderful scents in her range!

Prompted by her recent relocation from California to the Pacific Northwest, Shelley has wasted no time in producing a glorious creation that honors this beautiful region, combining notes that are timeless reminders of the misty Northwest with cutting edge essences that reflect the ever-changing and on-point contemporary lifestyle found here.

Rainmaker edp by En Voyage Perfumes 2016

Rainmaker edp by Shelley Waddington

En Voyage Perfumes

Top: Rose Leaf, Silver Pine Tips, Wild Citrus
Heart: Incense, Patchouli, Iris, Rhododendron
Base: Mossy Rain Forest notes of Cedar, Fir, Redwood Leaf, Petrichor, Ash, Oakmoss and Amber

Shelley’s perfumes are an extraordinary example of olfactory storytelling that take you on a scent journey, conjuring up memories and images, and Rainmaker is no exception!

Rainmaker is a gorgeous incense/wood/floral and green scent. For all you incense and chypre lovers, this is right up your ally! Now I must say that I struggle with incense-heavy notes, but Rainmaker is one of the few I would happily add to my collection!

For me this is a camping trip to the Northwest rain forest in the Autumn. Rain is dripping from the low-hanging evergreen boughs. Night is falling along with the temperature, cold and crystal clear. The glittering stars are so close through the tree tops, you feel like you could touch them.

Flickr

Lighting your campfire, the smell of burning wood drifts towards the sky, and someone starts telling stories of the First People. You feel the weight of myth and history all around you. It is no wonder that these woods are sacred to the North Coast Native tribes. The mystery is palpable.

Rainmaker edp is currently available exclusively from En Voyage Perfumes Starting June 11th 2016
Rainmaker will also be available at Tigerlily Perfumery in San Francisco, CA

Muguet Porcelain by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès 2016

May 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 53 Comments

Post by Sandra

The 1st of May has a long history of being a celebration for spring and more recently it has become known as May Day – an International Labour Day. Living here in Europe it gives us a day off and we can celebrate outside with family and friends.

France has a beautiful tradition of gifting a loved one with muguet – lily of the valley – on 1 May. This dates all the way back to 1 May 1561 when King Charles IX of France received a bouquet of lily of the valley as a gift. According to Wikipedia, King Charles IX enjoyed the gift so much that he „decided to offer a lily of the valley each year to the ladies of the court. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became custom to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime, on May 1. The government permits individuals and workers’ organisations to sell them tax-free.“ The tradition lives on today with people receiving a bunch of lily of the valley flowers or if one is lucky enough a bottle of perfume centered around the flower.

Just in time for the 1 May celebrations, Hermès has launched the 13th fragrance in the exclusive Hermessence collection – Muguet Porcelain – signed by in house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. Several of his creations are all time favourites of mine and I could not wait to get my greedy fingers on a sample of the Muguet Porcelaine. Looking at the bottle and seeing the stunning green leather around the cap hints at what we are about to experience.

Muguet Porcelain by Hermès 2016

Muguet Porcelain by Jean Claude Ellena

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lily of the valley, green notes

Muguet Porcelaine opens up with a beautiful air of lily of the valley. It is green, fresh and bright early in the morning with dew still clinging to the flowers with a smidge of jasmine thrown in for interest. It is a cool perfume at the start, temperature cool, which I can only assume will be great in the heat of summer. But as it warms on my skin magic begins to unfurl and it is as if the sun has peeked through the canopy of trees to warm up the blanket of flowers covering the forest floor. The memory of sniffing a bouquet of lily of the valley lingers and slowly fades. It is a delicate and elegant perfume just like the flowers themselves– quite gauzy and dewy in feel.

This is my experience with the new Muguet Porcelaine and I have begun to question my nose and my sanity after smelling it with two lovely perfume loving friends who strongly stated “ooh melon and ooh how indolic“! Seriously, I get no melon whatsoever and certainly no dirty, decaying, poo smell at all. Is it my nose or is it my understanding of dirty or sensual? Who knows. I chalk it up to everyone will interpret perfume differently.

Hermès

About the perfume’s longevity, my skin devours certain perfumes and unfortunately Muguet Porcelaine falls into the category of „oops – gone in a flash“ perfume. I have to spray generously and on clothing as well.

So, in honour of the tradition of giving lily of the valley on 1 May, I would like to offer one 4 ml sample of Hermessence Muguet Porcelaine to one lucky winner. Please let me know if you are fond of indoles and/or fresh perfumes and if you have ever interpreted a perfume quite differently from a friend.

sassisamblo

Muguet Porcelain by Hermès GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

The winner will receive:
1 x 4ml Muguet Porcelain by Hermès
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell us if you are fond of fresh perfumes or have you interpreted a perfume differently from a friend

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Saturday 28th May 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 1st June 2016 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.

Vero Profumo EdPs. Kiki, Rubj, Onda

May 24, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Hey APJ!

I recently read yet again, that the Vero Profumo Rubj Extrait and Voile contain cumin and passionfruit notes. They do NOT. I hope that clears things up. Let´s talk about the Eau de Parfums shall we?

Vero Profumo EdPs. Kiki, Rubj, Onda

The Vero Profumo Eau de Parfums were launched in 2010, following on from the original three superb Rubj, Kiki and Onda Extraits. It is interesting to note that Vero created her extraits in 2007 long before it was fashionable to do so. Vero commented at the launch: “The new perfumes are not the diluted version of the extraits. An EdP needs a structure highlighting more the top notes as opposed to the base notes, the aim of course still being to the keep the original style of the extrait intact.”

The EdPs are delightfully carnal. “I replaced the animals notes with the unique scent of the passion fruit …….. it lends a sensual and erotic
lightness to the composition.”

Fragrantica

KIKI EdP by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo

Lavender Ess, Bergamot, Citron, Passionfruit.
Lavender Absolute. Geranium.
Caramel. Patchouli. Ambre Gris.

Fragrantica

ONDA EdP by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo

Bergamot, Citron, Mandarin, Ginger, Coriander, Basil, Passionfruit.
Iris, Ylang Ylang, Honey.
Vetiver Bourbon, Patchouli, Musk, Cedar Wood, Ambre Gris.

Fragrantica

RUBJ EdP by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo

Bergamot, Mandarin, Neroli, Passionfruit.
Orange Flower Absolute, Tuberose, Basil, Cumin.
Cedre, Mousse d. Chène, Musk.

The luscious passionfruit links the three perfumes, adding to their communal seductiveness.

“……. The proximity of beauty to ugliness is never clearer than in tropical fruit. Perhaps because they have to compete with powerful smells of decay for the attention of birds, tropical fruits have decided to play dirty. Adding tiny amounts of rot on an otherwise conventional fruity smell is as invigorating as finding out that a theoretical physicist colleague was once a stripper ….” Luca Turin 2009

Lustful, earthy, warm, and voluptuous, the EdPs are very upbeat and sexy. For the eccentric, the flamboyant, and those who want to release their inner lasciviousness.

LuckyScent has the range
First In Fragrance also
Surrender To Chance has samples

“He Who Dares, Wins.” Del Boy Trotter.

Passionate Bussis
CQ

Misia by Olivier Polge for CHANEL 2015

May 23, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Happy Huffers,

Scott and I were in town the other day and hit the CHANEL counter. Our mate Esther was in the house and with her was one of the CHANEL Australia trainers (Scott thinks it’s Emma but I am less sure) who was a wealth of information about CHANEL Beauty. It was a wonderful and enlightening hour we spent chatting and it was really fun. We even learned that you can buy a 900ml CHANEL No 5 parfum in a Baccarat bottle: OMG! but we were strong and resisted the temptation.

Misia by Olivier Polge for CHANEL 2015

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Powdery notes, violet, iris, orris root, Turkish rose, Grasse rose, Laos benzoin, tonka bean

We grabbed a sample of Misia and I’ve brought it home to re-run its beauty. The question is though, who or what is Misia (Pronounced Mischa and the Russian shortening of Maria)?

Misia Sert is the muse for this CHANEL creation. One of Coco’s friends: artistic, wealthy, influential and connected. Of course Gabriel “Coco” Chanel courted her. Missy was almost the perfect fit for the CHANEL dream. According to Wikipedia: It was recognized that “you had to be gifted before Misia wanted to know you.” …Sert was attracted to Chanel by “her genius, lethal wit, sarcasm and maniacal destructiveness, which intrigued and appalled everyone.” Both women, convent bred, maintained a friendship of shared interests, confidences and drug use.

WikiCommons

It’s interesting that Scott is an anti iris perfumista, not so much anti but it tends to take on this OTT bread/yeast/doughy nature when it hits his skin. Misia doesn’t though and we were very surprised how gorgeously it smells of cosmetics on him. Violets, roses, iris, powder, slightly dusty and a little bit ripe human. Misia is gorgeous. Wearing it is to feel full of the joys of theatrical life.

Sweet, waxy, floral gouts of fragrance burst out of my top and intoxicate me. Sillage is excellent, people tend to stop and sniff the air after Misia walks by, and projection is moderate, unless you really go crazy Misia is demure.

I’m not sure why I don’t own a BIG bottle of it yet. Soon…..

Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume Posse
CHANEL Les Exclusives are available at large Department Stores and CHANEL stand alone beauty stores
Unfortunately CHANEL has stopped all sample resellers from sharing their fragrances.

Which is your favourite CHANEL Exclusive? Are you excited for the new era in CHANEL fragrance?
What do YOU think of Misia?
Portia xx

Susan Irvine: Of Spies and Scatter Cushions

May 22, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

There is so much online information about perfume these days that books, especially slightly older ones like these two by Susan Irvine, may seem redundant. But there is still much pleasure to be had from holding a well-produced book in your hands, and from being in the presence of a knowledgeable writer who can convey a love of her subject.

Susan Irvine: Book Reviews

Susan Irvine: Perfume: The Creation and Allure of Classic Fragrances

Susan Irvine is a journalist and writer who specialised in perfume and fashion for many years. Her book Perfume: The Creation and Allure of Classic Fragrances is a broad sweep across the history of perfume and its production, presentation and marketing. I confess I have only marginal interest in the chemistry of scent, and the production of raw materials. Irvine covers these subjects admirably, but her chapters on how perfume is promoted fascinated me the most.

‘Selling perfume’, she writes, ‘is about selling something indefinable, invisible and covetable: glamour.’ So the philosophy, the brief, the bottle design, the name, the advertising and the launch party are all about creating desire for a slice of this glamour.

Irvine herself is apparently a veteran of many a launch party. ‘Concorde is the journalists’ equivalent of a school bus for transatlantic events’, she writes, laconically. ‘If it’s Monday, it must be the Paris Opéra, filled with 8,000 Casablanca lilies for the re-launch of Yves Saint Laurent’s Y.’ On Thursday its Giorgio Armani’s Giò in Manhattan … and so on. For the haps and mishaps of the launch of Dior’s Dune in Biarritz, you will have to read the book!

Susan Irvine: The Perfume Guide

By contrast, The Perfume Guide is a guide to individual (mostly feminine) perfumes, arranged in families: floral, fruity, herbaceous, chypre, and oriental. It’s always fun to ‘look up’ one’s favourites (and ‘scrubbers’) in books like this to see what the author makes of them. Funny also to note discontinued gems, like All About Eve by Joop!, and obscurities like Smell This by James Berard (what? who?).

By 2000, when this book came out, niche perfume was starting to make a difference, so works by L’Artisan, Diptyque, Annick Goutal and Serge Lutens are mentioned. But of course the great classics are there too: Chanel No 5, Guerlain Shalimar, Lanvin Arpège, Patou Joy. ‘It’s impossible to imagine Chanel No 19 on a badly dressed woman’, Irvine proclaims, making me bite my lip and shuffle my feet in scuffed shoes.

If you have ever wondered where that great comment about Rive Gauche came from – ‘what KGB agents would have worn to seduce James Bond’ – it is Irvine’s. Dana Tabu is ‘for women who wear their knickers on their heads’. But my favourite is this remark on Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds, one of the best-selling perfumes of all time:
‘For women who are not afraid of scatter cushions’.

Both books are out of print, but are still available from online second-hand book sellers.
Susan Irvine, Perfume: the creation and allure of classic fragrances (Haldane Mason Ltd, 1995).
Susan Irvine: The Perfume Guide (Haldane Mason, 2000).

L’Ile au Thé by Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2015

May 21, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fragrant Lovers,

This tea scent is based on Jeju Island, the South Korean honeymoon island. Where newlywed South Korean couples have their 3 day honeymoon and wear completely matching honeymoon outfits. It’s so cute, they dress EXACTLY the same, except for some minor gender differentiation. The island itself is quite large and it has loads of fun stuff to do including gardens, parks, caves and caverns, fishing, there is even a mountain that you must climb (the crew did but I stayed home and read my book).

Above you can see us in one of the fields grown expressly for Jeju honeymooners to have their photos taken in smoochy, loving positions. They have various love seats and love furniture, very twee and old fashioned but surprisingly fun. It was really lovely that we got to do it and as stupid as it seems I felt it was one of those moments of pure happiness that I will often look back at and smile. In fact, the moment I read that L’Ile au Thé was about Jeju my mind went instantly to the tranquil, sunlit moment in a sea of flowers.

L’Ile au Thé by Annick Goutal 2015

L’Ile au Thé by Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin pulp, Citruses
Heart: Osmanthus, apricot, tea, mandarin blossom
Base: Green tea absolut, white musk

Citrus, in a burst so ripe and juicy, lightly sugared and the dry tea is already giving it nuance and body. A wonderful, fun, uplifting open that is so pretty it just screams spring and renewal. After about 5 minutes the pith comes through, a feeling more than a scent, it’s soft and sueded and still a lovely fresh citrus abounds.

A cologne-ish fragrance without the usual herbaceousness. In L’Ile au Thé it’s all about citrus and tea with the slightest hint at salt air. Simple. pretty, pleasurable and extremely wearable. during the heart I get a lovely piquant lime zest smell that is both radiant and fizzy, such a great way to wake up the senses in Sydney’s current Indian Summer (24C today and glorious). It’s put a real spring in my step.

All of these things L’Ile au Thé is, yet sometimes I wear a fragrance for a few days and wonder if the world really needs another citrus cologne, no matter how lovely. Would I put down hard earned cash for it? Maybe, probably not, my collection has ample in this style. If I had none or one cologne, if I was thinking of buying for a friend that likes citrus, tea or white musks then definitely. It’s not a very expensive fragrance in the scheme of current frag prices, though $149 is a lot of money, and it’s 100ml. So I could comfortably spritz lavishly. One thing in L’Ile au Thé’s favour is that it lasts longer than most Annick Goutal’s and most colognes. It also has a dazzling citrussy sillage that I find really appealing.

Annick Goutal

From Annick Goutal site: “Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen invite us on a trip to Korea, on the paradise island of Jeju, known for its charm, the beauty of its landscapes and ranked as one of the wonders of nature…..
L’Ile au Thé is an infusion of well-being, an invigorating and soothing perfume to be shared.”

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Candy Perfume Boy
LuckyScent has $149/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4.50/ml

Have you been to Jeju Island or any part of South Korea?
Portia xx

La Colle Noire by François Demachy for DIOR 2016

May 19, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 44 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

François Demachy has created a new fragrance for the DIOR La Collection Privée line. Cue interest, excitement and some small rejoicing in the perfumista community. Named for Christian Dior’s favourite holiday home in later life: Château de La Colle Noire. So I google translate looked it up and colle can mean mean glue, adhesive or problem. I think something does not add up and if there are any French speakers in the house could they please tell me what it means.

Roses have been back and wearable again in frag circles and the general public since Stella McCartney’s 2003 eponymous radiant rose Stella. Since then we have been bombarded with all the roses that ever and never were. From the darkest, dankest to the shrillingly squeaky clean blow torch editions and yes, I have fallen for a few. Completely and utterly fallen for such luminaries as Mohur by Neela Vermeire, Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids, Contradiction by Calvin Klein, Rosa sur Reuse by SOIVOHLE, Midnight Oud by JHaG and in DIOR’s own privet lineup Mitzah and Oud Ispahan (there are more but these without looking).

La Colle Noire by DIOR 2016

La Colle Noire by François Demachy

Parfumo

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
May rose absolute, Ceylonese sandalwood, White musk, Spices, Amber

La Colle Noire opens with a sheer, wet, sharp rose, lightly metallic and already clean musky. My nose gets that soft fluffy feeling of pith and I am surprised theres no citrus, pepper, ivy or blackcurrant mentioned because I get a sharp fruity note in my nose and a dry tickle in my throat that I associate with those four notes. The opening fireworks are over in a couple of minutes and I loose 80% of the heft.

A sweet rose is left behind, sheer, wispy and pretty, bordering on functional or ambient but rising above and floating around me like a rosy zephyr, a dream of roses or of being in the middle of a rose garden in the coolest pale light of morning with only the merest breeze moving the scent to you. Here is a rose like the 2nd run of rose water, lightly warmed and set amongst a harmonious backdrop to murmer quietly around you for hours and hours. Considering how low key La Colle Noire is its longevity is astounding and sillage is very nice too.

Fragrantica

La Colle Noire is so perfectly measured and careful that it could easily belong to the CHANEL Exclusives line. It’s beautiful, fragile and a watercolour wash of fragrance. Elegant, under the radar fragrance for someone who wants to smell like money without having to be so gauche as to make a fragrant statement. Also a perfect background scent for someone who knows they have to smell nice but who don’t really like perfume. An amorphous whisper.

Christian Dior Privee line is available in stand alone DIOR stores and large airports + department stores
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.25/ml

TheTruthAboutMummy