Review

Versilia Vintage Boise by Profumi del Forte 2009

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Post by Joseph Sagona

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Hi APJ

Versilia Vintage Boise by Profumi del Forte 2009

Versilia Vintage Boise Profumi del Forte FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bitter orange, bergamot, vetiver
Heart: Lavender, Bourbon geranium, honey
Base: Texas cedar, Indonesian patchouli, Tonka, elemi

I get the Honey, Virginia Cedar, Indian Patchouli, Tonka Bean and Lavender and Geranium, it opens up with a smoky, lemon tinged geranium and a bitter, soapy lavender, strong geranium and the lavender is mild. Twenty minutes in and the lavender and bitterness dissipates, in comes a warm, vanilla tinged Tonka bean, and a sweet, syrupy honey, the Tonka is soft and mild honey. After three hours the geranium and Tonka dissipate, the honey softens, in comes a dry, piney, Virginia Cedar, and an earthy with a touch of dirtiness patchouli, the Virginia Cedar is mild and the Indonesian patchouli is soft.

Versilia Vintage Boise Profumi del Forte Marshmallows_in_soft_yellow_and_blue_light WikimediaWikiMedia

Versilia Vintage Boise reminds me of Thierry Mugler’s B’Men and Yohji Homme Yamamoto. B’Men is spicy, musky and woodier, Yamamoto is softer, sweeter and boozy.

This is a really lovely spicy, woody composition, that is very warm, vibrant, appealing, timeless, well balanced, smooth, with a little bit of character and flare.

Versilia Vintage Boise is a very, aromatic, fresh, balmy, slightly dirty, high quality, medicinal nuances, with soft citric undertones Oriental Woody fragrance. This can be worn all year ’round, it would be better suited for the Spring and Summer, I get average projection and average longevity, this was a great offering from Profumi del Forte.

From LuckyScent: “Being last in admiration for the wonder of the pinewood, while all around the world seethed with protest and marches: Versilia, isle of happiness in the magma of the Sixties. I reached the beach following the longest route, emerging amoung the shadows and silence of the residential areas, only to cast my boyish eye on the gardens full of flowers, to read the story of their creation in the pine bark, to enjoy that perfect concerto of aromas and wellbeing. Today I have rewritten those melodies on a pentagram of essences, with perfumed notes and rhythms of rediscovered serenity.”

Versilia Vintage Boise Profumi del Forte viareggio simone_giannini Pixabay

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies
LuckyScent has $170/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/ml

Do you like the line?
Portia xx

L`Interdit Givenchy: LIVE Video Sniff

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Post by Portia

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Hey Happy Huffers,

This is one of Scott’s favourite fragrances. To be honest I’d never knowingly sniffed it. He loves it, and has loved it for years. It was really lovely of him to bring his amazing parfum find for us to do an opening video of, it’s nice to share the moment.

L`Interdit by Francis Fabron for Givenchy 1957

LIVE Video Sniff

L`Interdit Givenchy FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, spices, mandarin orange, peach, bergamot, strawberry
Heart: Iris, violet, narcissus, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, rose
Base: Sandalwood, amber, musk, benzoin, vetiver, tonka bean

If you have never smelled vintage L’Interdit parfum do yourself a favour and stay far away from its loveliness. Who needs an expensive, discontinued, nightmare to find obsession?

Mitsouko by Guerlain vintage parfum C1988

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Post by Portia

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Hi there Vintage Frag Freaks,

You know I’m a bit of a Guerlainophile? Well, I rather like their work. Recently I picked up a little bottle of the parfum, used but still about 80% full, in the iconic bottle, only 7.5ml. Well I can’t stop dabbing it. It sits here on my desk and calls to me with its luscious sweet fruity dryness and what can I do but indulge?

Mitsouko by Guerlain vintage parfum C1988

Mitsouko Guerlain vintage parfum Jan 2016
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin, Neroli, Jasmine, Rose
Heart: Peach, Rose, Clove, Ylang-Ylang, Lilac, Jasmine
Base: Oakmoss, Labdanum, Patchouli, Benzoin, Vetiver, Cinnamon

Tonight, quite late, I drew the bath and put some Radox Bath Salts in. About half way through the running I decided to add in 15 drops of Jo Malone Red Roses Bath Oil. Suddenly the room smelled unbelievable, deep, blood red roses, dry black tea and the crackle of split branch and wood. We are having an unseasonal summer cold snap so I made the water lovely and hot. An hour later I arose like an extremely obese Birth of Venus both clean and rosy, rosy skin and smell.

Jo Malone Red Roses Bath Oil

Having come back to my desk afterwards I had thought I’d wear Mohur or Ballets Rouges but instead decided to dab myself like crazy with Mitsouko. MMMMMMM I smell freaking amazing and the rosy underlay has definitely amped the rosy nature of Mitsouko and given it a whole new more austere and aloof mien than usual. It’s different but lovely, different enough to be a rose Mitsouko flanker and I for me the Red Roses adds a lightness and freshness that is very modern, is there a bunch of white musk under Red Roses? I’m getting them even if there isn’t.

Mitsoujko Guerlain Verschoren_Rose_Katja_1970 WikipediaWikipedia

Still Mitsouko but slightly changed, some air between the heavily constructed, dense, historic notes. An extra swish and zing from the 21st century yet still laid over the intricate, nuanced and slightly dirty grace of one of the most revered fragrances in the books.

Now I have applied a second layer of extrait over the same spots as before and the Mitsouko is pretty much back to normal now. Maybe because I have rose on my mind there is still a large overblown old fashioned fruity cabbage rose in my olfactory picture but the other notes like clove, peach, ylang and amber are much more prominent and noticeable. HA! Maybe I just needed more Mitsouko juice on my skin?

This morning, I wake up to the softest thrill of something not quite me above my skin. My guess is oakmoss and vanilla from Mitsouko and some white musks from Red Roses, it shimmers above my skin but is not really a fragrance. It’s the ghost of the memory of being fragrant.

Mitsouko Guerlain Winter's Morning in Somerset GeographGeograph

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Persolaise
Mitsouko can be tried at any department store with a Guerlain counter for FREE. Go spritz lavishly.
Surrender To Chance have vintage parfum samples starting at $10/0.25ml

Please tell us your Mitsouko story? I’d love to read it.
Portia xx

 

Back-up Bottles: Obsession or Collection?

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Post by Azar

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Hello Perfume Pals,

The other day, while digging through “the collection” in search of an old Bal a Versailles, I was surprised to find a number of un-opened back-up bottles of fragrances that I still like or even love but rarely use. I had forgotten that I had so many of these extras lying around and began to wonder what had prompted me to purchase them. Had I been dreading a reformulation or discontinuation? Were the extras received as gifts? Did I find such a good deal that yet another bottle was simply irresistible? Why wasn’t I using up these scents? This last question opened up a real can of worms: How much perfume do I actually use?

Back-up Bottles: Obsession or Collection?

Back Up Bottles Perfume Collection YouTubeYouTube

I pondered this for a while and realized that I probably average no more than two sprays or dabs per day – unless, of course, I am testing or sampling or writing a post. At two per day I will need several lifetimes to use up all the perfume I’ve stashed away over the many years I’ve been collecting and enjoying fragrance. Here is an incomplete list of partially full bottles, ranging in size from 30 to 300 ml, all backed up with at least two extra, full size bottles:

Annick Goutal Grand Amour
Aramis Calligraphy Rose
Basile EdP – vintage
Bourbon French Oriental Rose
Dior Hypnotic Poison EdT – vintage
Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls EdP – vintage
Fidji EdT – vintage
Jacomo Silences EdT – vintage
L’eau de Monteil EdP – vintage
Lucien Lelong Sirocco cologne – very vintage
Maria Amalia
Micallef Black
Micallef Gardenia
Niki de Saint Phalle EdT – vintage
Olympic Orchids Siam Proun
Queen Latifah
Rasasi Amber Oud
Red Moscow
Sung EdT – vintage
Tom Ford Estee Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude (I’d forgotten I had this and bought another!)

The list goes on, but there is simply not enough room to complete it in this post! I have reviewed several of these, either on APJ or on Perfume NW.

There will be a HUGE giveaway in March when Portia gets back from Europe.

How many back-up bottles do you have in your collection? How much fragrance in the form of parfum, extrait, cologne, EdP or EdT do you use on a daily basis? It’s OK to guess!

Azar xx

 

Anne-Marie’s Perfume & Mothers

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Post by Anne-Marie

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No, it’s not Mother’s Day just yet, don’t panic!
I was mucking about on the perfume blogs the other day and came across a very striking post by March on Perfume Posse dating right back to 2006. Not a review, but a meditation, you might say, on her mother’s perfume, Lanvin’s My Sin.

Perfume & Mothers

It reminded me of a few other posts of this nature that I have read over the years. A few bloggers – mostly women – have written very movingly about the perfumes worn by their mothers, and the emotions that a whiff of perfume can elicit. These posts make for very interesting reading and I thought it might be good to bring them together here.

Boy and his mother laughing in the kitchen

The mothers have left their daughters with very strong perfume memories. Usually the women were indeed very strong women, and a girl’s first lessons in femininity are often learned at the dressing table through the wonder of watching her mother apply perfume. If you are familiar with the latest Chanel No 5 ad, featuring Gisele Bündchen, you will remember how beautifully this moment is evoked.
In different ways the bloggers’ daughters have tried to ‘read’ their mothers’ lives through their perfumes. They conjure up the mother as young woman, younger perhaps than her daughter is at the time of writing. They try to imagine their mothers as people separate from their children, as career women perhaps, or lovers to their husbands, or trying to juggle all their many roles.

Gisele CHANEL No 5 Ŧhe ₵oincidental Ðandy FlickrFlickr

What were my parents like before we children came along? Can I gain any insight into them just as people, not as parents? Does perfume open a different window on to my mother’s life and personality than the person I normally remember? If so, where do I belong in that picture?

Anyway, here are the posts.
March on Perfume Posse on Lanvin My Sin.

Beth on Perfume Smellin’ Things on Guerlain Shalimar.

Shelia on the Alembicated Genie on a variety of classic perfumes, especially VC&A’s First.

Michelle on Glass Petal Smoke on Dior Miss Dior.

Gaia, the Non-Blonde, on the original Chloe.

Barbara on Yesterday’s Perfume on Revlon Charlie. (Her mother also wore Rochas Femme, Lancome Magie Noir, Scherrer No 1, and Ungaro Diva.)

Dimitri_Torterat Dad_and_son_staring_at_the_French_oriflamme_(French_Bastille_Day_2009) WikiMediaWikiMedia

After you’ve had a browse, come back and share your own memories, if you would like to. And if know of similar posts about fathers, I’d love to know. These seem to be much rarer. And please share your own memories of what your Dad wore.

Anne-Marie

New York by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolai 1989

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Post by Portia

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Hi there Cool kids,

Back in 2014 my mate Tara reviewed New York by Parfums de Nicolai for Olfactoria’s Travels and I said I would try and find a bit of it because her review made me think it was right up my alley. Then I completely forgot about it. Now looking through my stockpile I rediscovered a sample sent to me at some time by someone, um sorry I’ve forgotten who but thank you. So I decided to spritz it yesterday, now I’m wearing it again….

New York by Parfums de Nicolai 1989

New York by Patricia de Nicolai

New York Nicolai Parfumeur FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, amalfi lemon, cloves, lavender, green notes
Heart: Thyme, cinnamon, pepper, paprika, patchouli, cedar
Base: Amber, vanilla, leather

Tara mentions that New York is a masculine Shalimar, well you may know that I adore Shalimar and it’s my favourite scent of all time. I have spent the last couple of days searching for the similarities and differences, then getting so lost in the fragrance that I need to reapply so I can do the comparisons. It’s been fun.

So the open is fresh and bracing but the lavender takes me far away from Shalimar. It feels very old school cologne but drier and more biting. The citrus is lovely, sweet and fleshy and pretty photo realistic. All together I find the opening an exemplary riff on an old trope. Not a big departure but enough to make New York interesting.

New York Nicolai Demuth_Charles_Incense_of_a_New_Church WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

As we settle into New York’s heart the spices remind me that a chypre is supposed to be created without flowers, because the island of Cypress is a place of evergreen shrubs & trees and citrus groves (is New York a chypre, if you substituted leather for oakmoss it could be included). My skin maintains lavender and citrus right through the spicy heart. It’s SO good, so beautifully balanced and blended. I love the smooth and unfussy growth, the slow and stately speed that different accords appear and fade, the hints of a bygone era of beautiful fragrances.

Deep into the heart I notice the pepper, the pepper seems to be casually chatting with the woods. No fireworks, they just stood out the front to make sure I noticed them. Base comes extremely late, it’s at least an hour before the warmth of amber/vanilla even shows its face over the leather and heart (it smells quite vetiverish to me too). Like Shalimar? Not at all. New York is pure old fashioned cologne/chypre and I really enjoyed it.

New York Nicolai Woofer forme-masculine FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Scented Hound
Neroli Budapest has 11,400Ft (US$40)/30ml and posts worldwide
Surrender To Chance has New York Intense samples from $5/ml

Are any of your fragrance favourite old style? Do the masculine leaning frags bring you happy memories or remind you of sexy men?
Portia xxx

 

CHANEL No 22 EdT by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2007

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Post by Portia

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Hiya Crew,

You know when you’re looking through the decants? You pick a couple up, look at the labels, put them back, repeat, can’t find something to apply even though there is more choice than the regular department store. So I was doing this familiar dance the other day and my hand landed on a decant from a mate in Oz, a big decant in a lavish black spritz travel thing. I thought, OK, why the hell not and…

CHANEL No 22 EdT by CHANEL 2007

CHANEL No 22 by Jacques Polge

Chanel N°22 Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, Lily-of-the-valley, Neroli
Heart: Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-ylang
Base: Vanilla, Vetiver

You may remember I discovered CHANEL No.22 in Paris in 2014 with Michael. Since then a few friends have sent or given me different vintages and strengths (Barbara Carter, Ruth M and another couple that have slipped my mind) and I have loved them all. The thing is, that first incredible overdose from Rue Cambon in Paris will stay with me forever as the most fabulous 22 of my life. We even snuck into the stairs and had our picture taken!! WOO HOO SCORE! Yes, the old ones may be fuller and more animal but walking the streets of Paris, shopping, meeting buddies and generally hanging out have made an unbreakable connection to the modern for me. So often scent is tied up with the memories.

Portia Michael CHANEL Stairs

The big soapy, syrupy, fizz of modern CHANEL No 22 that tramples the lily of the valley into plush and velvet submission. The sparkly, soft/sharp scintillation like lights glittering on Christmas tinsel which makes way for the hearts bouquet, still glittering but with a creamy and slightly fruity warmth. Clear as a bell but still comforting, soapy and clean but in a polished crystal way rather than blankets. Aloof but not snobby No 22 is divinely wearable and lasting power is excellent. There is even a cool whisper of oily vetiver and incense(?) through the heart that alongside the still extant aldehydes create a steel sculpture of fragrance as the binding centre, the core story if you like, of No 22.

There’s no denying that CHANEL No 22 is big, if size in fragrance is a problem for you then you may have trouble, also if aldehydes are in any way less than fabulous then you will definitely want to move along. No 22’s aldehydes leave No 5 for dead and didn’t even notice its presence. If longevity gets boring for you or you prefer to wear multiple fragrances in a day then again, probably steer clear BUT if you want a super fabulous signature fragrance that will wrap you up warm and tight and with a sillage of a size that will give waterskiers trick jumps, a smooth, glamorous, soapy extravaganza? Try CHANEL No 22.

CHANEL No 22 boat sillage WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Candy Perfume Boy
CHANEL online, stand alone beauty + fashion stores and large department stores
Surrender To Chance has EdT samples starting at $4/ml

What do you wear when you want to go big?
Portia xx

Calandre by Paco Rabanne: LIVE Video Sniff

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Post by Portia

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Well Hello Vintage Vamps,

Today Scott and I finally open a fragrance that has been in my collection for years. It has winked at me from the recesses of the perfume cupboard and sometimes i grabbed it out only to put it back away. I know, I’m a crazy frag hoarder.

Calandre by Paco Rabanne 1969

Calandre by Michel Hy

 

Calandre Paco Rabanne FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Leaf green, Aldehydes, Bergamot
Heart: Rose, Lily-of-the-valley, Geranium, Jasmine, Iris
Base: Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Musk, Ambergris

Une Nuit a Bali: Fragrance + Dry Oil

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Post by TinaG

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Hello APJ! If you haven’t heard about the French beauty company Une Nuit á Bali, I’d like to give you a quick overview teaser of two of their products.

Une Nuit a Bali

I was intrigued by Une Nuit á Bali when I read a ÇaFleureBon review from the Esxence exhibition, March 2015. The products sounded lush and lovely, so I checked out their website and ordered sample packs of their 100% natural body products and testers of three of their fragrances – Fleur de Fleurs, Mr. Vetiver, and Suma Oriental.

Une Nuit a Bali: Fleur de Fleurs

Une Nuit a Bali Fleur de Fleurs FragranticaFragrantica

Une Nuit á Bali gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, saffron, grapefruit
Heart: Floral Jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose, glycine
Base: Benzoin Tears, sandalwood, vanilla, amber, oud wood

Fleur de Fleurs opens with a warm fresh jasmine and ylang-ylang, with a touch of milky tuberose and wispy citrus. Silage is a metre or more at this stage and it has garnered compliments from co-workers. As it settles the ylang-ylang becomes increasingly indolic and thicker. It reminds me of a summer day, when the humidity is high and wind absent, when thick blooming floral fragrances pool into invisible scented clouds.

At 2 hours the florals very gently and seductively meld together, the citrus notes retreat to reveal subtle dry woods with hints of amber and vanilla. Over the next few hours the fragrance softly fades leaving a sensual woody skin scent.

Une Nuit a Bali the-dry-body-oil Une Nuit a BaliUne Nuit á Bali

Une Nuit a Bali: The Dry Oil (L’Huile Sèche)

This dry oil is stunning. The jasmine note in this is so realistic. It is not simply ‘jasmine”, but very specifically, I clearly get the image in my head of the green moist jasmine stamen in the centre of the flower, and it is beautiful and exciting. The oil itself is easy to apply, soaks straight in, and does not leave any residue. The scent softens after about ½ hour and I find more of a ‘frangipani’ scent on my skin.

I’ve since discovered selected products of this range are available in Australia through Mecca Cosmetica online but there isn’t much opportunity for testing in store. If you were interested in testing, try the Une Nuit á Bali website. I found ordering samples through the web site very easy, reasonably priced, quick and they were thoughtfully presented.

Fleur des Fleurs Une Nuit a BaliUne Nuit á Bali

Have you ever brought a fragrance product after reading a review? What did you pick up?

Tina G xx

AF Beauty Travels to Singapore

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Post by AF Beauty

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I have been lucky enough to travel to the U.K. this December and as part of that trip I stopped over in Singapore. Although I would tell anyone this was to try and avoid the jet lag and to break up the ridiculous flight (and that is true,) the other part of the reason is because Singapore has such diverse and numerous shops, especially in the beauty department!

AF Beauty Travels to Singapore

Laneige cushion foundation

For a while, I have had my eye on the Korean brand Laneige, they are well known for their cushion foundation, but I had had such an average experience with the Lancôme version of the same, that I wasn’t sure that I wanted to risk spending money on the Laneige version – but I was enticed into the store when I saw their beauty app on their iPad in store.

It is called Beauty Mirror. It’s probably the best version of this sort of app I’ve ever seen, it does actually work like you’re applying makeup realistically, so much so that I probably thought I looked relatively decent by the time I finished, but really that was just what I’d “applied” In the app!! I was very impressed how accurate the colours were and how realistically they applied to my photo. I’d feel a lot more comfortable to take the risk to order colour specific items online with this app. The downside of the app (depending on your location or willingness to create another iTunes account) is that I’ve only found the app in the Korean iTunes Store. Still, I will probably make the effort to get it if I want to order more Laneige products.

Anyway, back to the actual goodies, after having a okay with the app I estimated the best colour foundation for me and asked the SA for some help. She offered me a slightly different colour, based on the fact that my skin is Caucasian as opposed to Asian, but reverted back to the original app recommendation which was a perfect match. They offer the same shades in three different formulations and she led me down the path of getting the anti ageing version, which I read as, “Lady you look old!”

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream_EX

Anyway, insults aside, I have being using the product now for about a week, have used it as regular morning makeup and after the gym and both have been very successful. The coverage is considerably better than the Lancôme version I previously tried and I feel I could wear it comfortably without powder for a more natural look, or add powder for something more long lasting and set. That SA did advise me that the anti ageing version had more coverage than the original version, so perhaps that is part of the better outcome here.

Overall I’m super pleased I took the gamble on the product and now better understand the hype around these products. I’m planning to do some research on other Laneige products so I’m better prepared for my next travels and will know what to stock up on!

What are your key travel purchases?? Being perfumistas, do you even have time to browse the other items in duty free or are you caught only by what’s on offer in the perfume aisle?!!