Centrepiece by Sarah McCartney for 4160Tuesdays 2015

December 5, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hi APJ,

It was a Monday to remember. Late getting up and having to rush to a Doctor’s appt. Rushing out the door, but stop to grab my decant (thank you Lillian Betts Holloway!) of the new Centrepiece edp by perfumer Sarah McCartney.

Centrepiece by 4160Tuesdays 2015

Centrepiece by Sarah McCartney

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accordsin one line:
Honey, green tea, frangipani, musk, cedar, vanilla, sorbet, chocolate

OK. I get it. I was rushing so of course I tragically spill the the WHOLE decant all over my arm and clothes!

SOTD: Centrepiece by 4160Tuesdays. LOTS of it…..(read on…)

Well shit! No time to wash, so out the door I go and I smell FREAKING amazing!!! Holy cow, this is some GREAT stuff!

Now usually I don’t wear any scent for a medical appt. of any kind. Clinics get fussy if you do. So I thought “well…it is what it is.” So off I go.

I stop at my Cafe to check in and all I hear is “Oh my god is that YOU? You smell incredible!!” Ok. This is good.

I walk into the clinic and it’s the same thing. From every single receptionist, nurse, blood draw technician, and finally my beloved doctor, and he has a COLD for god’s sake!

Photo Stolen Flickr

From LuckyScent: Originally created from a chance selection of ingredients and accords that inspired relaxed, peaceful feelings, Centrepiece is that most fundamental of 4160 Tuesdays-style creations- lighthearted, inspired, devoid of typical haute perfume pretension, and downright lovely. Focused around the sweet, tropical floral note of frangipani, Centrepiece further adds to the indulgent (but never cloying) bouquet with sweet honey and creamy vanilla, balancing it all against green tea and rich but gentle cedar. The results are entrancing, an everyday-suitable, gently powerful white floral that soothes, seduces and relaxes in equal measure. Simply beautiful.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon
LuckyScent has $110/50ml
4160Tuesdays has £15/9ml

PS……..4160Tuesdays also has an extrait strength for sale on their website, and that’s the one I ultimately. All I can say is…..”Um…..well dip me in honey and color me joyous!”

So the moral of this story? Who the hell knows.

All I know is I do is that this ‘fume indeed smells amazing!!!

What is your 4160Tuesday?
Robert Herrrmann

So…? + So…? Kiss Me by So…?

December 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Portia

Recently I was contacted by Tara of Portobello PR who are looking after the So…? range in Australia. This is not a brand I’ve heard of though they have been around for 20 years. Tara asked if I’d like to try any of the range and I really am overwhelmed here at the moment with releases but there was something super friendly and engaging about her email that had me replying, “Yes, send me some through.” They arrived the other day and Scott & I had a sneaky spritz, we went in with no expectations and…..

So…? and So…? Kiss Me by So…?

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

So…? by So…?

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tangerine, orange blossom
Heart: Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, amber

SURPRISE!!! Balmy resins, orange blossom, creamy ylang and vanilla. So…? smells a LOT like something my Mum wore at some point. I can’t place it as any of the regular scents I remember her owning or spritzing but the scent jolted me back to her warm embrace faster than the speed of smell. Even though you can tell So…? is a reasonably priced fragrance up close with your nose to your arm from a short distance it all combines beautifully into a smooth, satin soft Fl-Oriental with a slightly dressy overtone. It’s better than some of the $150+ niche being brought out and is basically free. Beauty HQ has $13.50/30ml

Photo Stolen So…?

So…? Kiss Me by So…?

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blackcurrant, pineapple, citron
Heart: Lily of the valley, freesia
Base: Vanilla, musk, woody notes

Remember the opening of Enchanted Forest by the Vagabond Prince? Imagine that but toned down for a mass market youth audience. While not being something I want to wear I can tell that it will go down a treat with the younger crew. It’s a freaky synthetic screech of fruit at the top with pineapple and blackcurrant vying for which is sweeter, the heart escapes me but I do get a squeaky vanilla and some generic musks in the base. Not groundbreaking but quite nice, especially for the price. To be fair, it’s similar to many of the current designer and mid market beauty offerings and I bet it grabs compliments.

So…? can be purchased at Beauty HQ http://www.beautyhq.com.au/, and instore at larger Priceline.
Check out their UK website

Want to try them? See below……
Portia xxx

Photo Stolen AllSteele

So…? GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive one of the following each (no, you don’t get to choose):
1 x 30ml So…? Sensual EdT (discontinued but fun fruitchouli)
1 x 30ml So…? Kiss Me EdT
1 x 150ml So…? Kiss Me Body Spray
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a budget fragrance that you love

Extra Chance? (tweet once ONLY please)
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie So…? With Attitude #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4tL #Perfume @Sowithattitude

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 6th December 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 10th December 2015 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.

NEW!: Creed, Juliette Has A Gun and Frapin

December 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Nick Smart’s desk at Agence de Parfum’s HQ (Libertine Parfumerie) often holds exciting secrets. Last week he had just returned from a buying trip in Europe…Squeal!! I dashed for the pile of boxes and had a quick sniff. These are my first thoughts and REVEALS:

NEW!: Creed, Juliette Has A Gun and Frapin

A fleeting whiff! New niche releases

Creed: Princess Oud is an oriental floral for women launching in Australia in March 2016, also created by in-house nose Oliver Creed. Before sniffing I thought of the words “princess” and “oud” and conjured up an imagined scent being sweet, girlie and dense with oud. I was right. An appealing, possibly heading towards ‘crowd pleasing,’ fragrance which paves a pathway between Middle Eastern and Western perfumes. It’s far too icky-sweet for me, personally. Maybe not so original but it’s done very well, this review is from a card so skin mileage will vary.

Creed: Royal Mayfair, a unisex fragrance launching here in December is a remake of Windsor, the limited edition of 2009, renamed and no longer limited. Whoop! Windsor was originally created in 1936 for King Edward VIII of England. Ingredients take us on a tour of the British Empire he ruled and makes for an interesting olfactive tale, in which Australia features, with the inclusion of “our” eucalyptus. Nose Oliver Creed has combined London gin, Jamaican lime, Scottish Highland pine tree atop of “Duke of Windsor” roses and orange from the Bahamas over Canadian cedar and AUSTRALIAN eucalyptus. I stopped and took notice when I first sniffed and it gets better and more beautiful and distinctive on drydown. My current gin based fragrance is Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling…could this be next?

Frapin: The Orchid Man is being compared to Aventus and due in Australia for release in January. Call me an alien but I am no massive fan of Aventus. Obviously I appreciate it, but mostly it’s too macho, and frankly that’s not who I like to nuzzle up too. Add to this all the comments re “panty dropping” I see on fragrance forums and I think its killed it for me (pants definitely up to the point of wedging!) My favourite pineapple note in perfumes is in Frapin’s 1270. So I was intrigued thinking, “could Frapin’s take possibly be a better and more affordable Aventus with 1270’s magical pineapples and woods?” No. It’s missing the pineapple sadly, but it is very similar to Aventus.

Juliette Has a Gun: Another Oud will be released in Australia in Feb 2016 (lets hope this means another visit to Oz from sexy Parisian, Romano Ricci, father of the brand..!) I smell the musks and ambroxan JHAG are famous for with oud floating up eventually from underneath. A dry oud scent. On the skin however Another Oud comes to life and there’s more to it than first expected, including some raspberry fruit and intensifying oud. I’d like to spend more time with this fragrance as it has all the elements to be very sensual.

Libertine Parfumerie has samples and bottles. FREE Australian Delivery over $100
First In Fragrance if you’re in Europe
LuckyScent in the USA
Surrender To Chance is a great way to sample before you buy too

What have you discovered lately that’s new to market or you that has touched you?
Ainslie Walker

Photos Donated Ainslie Walker

This Works: Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

November 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Post by Willa Zheng

Hello APJ,

“To sleep, the perchance to dream”, Shakespeare once wrote. But really often, the stresses of modern living and our habit of being glued to the monitors of electronic devices at night, mean we don’t get good quality, restful, deep sleeps that enable us to wake up in the morning feeling well-rested and refreshed.
Enter, this pillow spray invented by This Works. Comprised of the essentials oils from lavender, patchouli, ho wood, vetivert (better known to us as vetiver) and wild chamomile flower extracts, This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Pray is my stalwart bedside hero-product.

This Works: Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

The way this pillow spray works is that the scent quietens your mind. Think of inhaling a bowl of chamomile tea, infused with lavender and a dash of earthy patchouli. It’s instantly soothing and calming. Any thoughts and worries about the outside world gently float away. Deep Sleep Pillow Spray does the same thing to my mind as when I step into a clean, quiet, Jivamukti yoga studio.

Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is water based but dries fairly quickly, so there’s no wet pillow issues. The scent lingers on my linen for about 5 minutes – so I spray it just before I hop into my sheets.

This Works has also recently released a stronger, longer lasting, alcohol-based version of this spray, the Deep Sleep Plus+ Pillow Spray. The notes are still the same, but they’re encapsulated in special, slow-release molecules that break and get released as you move and fidget in your sleep at night. How clever!

Photo Stolen Flickr

The only downside I can envisage to owning any of the Deep Sleep products is that you might become dependent on these sprays as a sleep aid. To that end, I don’t use it every night. Mainly for those tired, stressful days where every minute of quality sleep counts.

Disclaimer: It rarely takes me more than 5 minutes to fall asleep. If sleeping was an Olympic sport, I’d probably be an elite athlete. But even athletes have down days and are nevertheless always looking for ways to take their performance to the next level.

Of course, individual experiences will differ but it’s not too expensive to try it out yourself. Being able to drift off to sleep faster and at a deeper level is priceless, whether for an insomniac or sleep-athlete.

Mecca has $36/75ml
Willa Zheng

Coriandre by Jacqueline Couturier for Jean Couturier 1973

November 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

I bought my bottle of Coriandre a couple of summers ago during a visit to Hobart. There’s a perfumery there called St Cloud that I loved years ago when I lived in Hobart. I still I remember the thrill of buying a teeny bottle of Chanel No 19 parfum back in 19 … oh, never mind …

The business has moved premises but when I got chatting to the guy I was charmed to discover it is still run by the same people. Riding this wave of nostalgia, I could not resist a 100 ml bottle of Coriandre.

Coriandre by Jean Couturier 1973

Coriandre by Jacqueline Couturier

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, coriander, orange blossom, angelica, bergamot
Heart: Violet root, lily, jasmine, rose, geranium, iris, ylan ylang
Base: Sandalwood, patchouli, musk, civet, oakmoss, vetiver

If you are worried that Coriandre will smell like coriander (cilantro), do still give it a try it. It does not remind me of the leaves, but the warmth of the seeds is there (much less pungent than the actual spice). It will not remind you of food in the least.

Photo Stolen Wikimedia

Coriandre is essentially a green fragrance, a chypre, but not as stemmy as, say, Balmain’s Vent Vert or CHANEL’s Bel Respiro. There is no chewy galbanum, and no juicy citrus. It makes a great fragrance for summer if you like to avoid citrus colognes. The effect is herbal, a little spicy, woody and earthy, and quite dry. I struggle to think of anything like it, really, although the mossy element dates Coriandre to before the 1990s.

Coriandre crackles with intelligence and wit, easily a unisex fragrance. It’s like a country cousin to CHANEL No 19 or Rive Gauche, much less refined. It’s as if Coriandre dropped out of law school and set up a pottery studio in a farm shed on Mum and Dad’s property.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The fragrance reformulated in 1993. I’m reviewing the modern EDT, which is mostly what you see at the online discounters now. I can well believe that Coriandre is not what it was: the scent on skin often strikes me as too woody and harsh. The sillage is lighter, greener and much more nuanced. Longevity on me is moderate.

On the day I bought my bottle of Coriandre I had no internet access and it was a true impulse buy. Only when I got home did I realise that I probably paid twice what I should have. I’ve no regrets though. I helped a long-standing small business to survive another day and I had a fun experience. There was no tester but the guy in the shop opened his only bottle so I could sniff it. He keeps Coriandre pretty much for one customer, he told me, a man who buys it once a year for his wife whose signature it is. Wondering who this fascinating, unknown Coriandre-wearing lady was, I hardly noticed as my credit card leapt out of my wallet and did a little dance across the counter towards the till. Sold!

Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume Shrine
FragranceNet has EdT $23/100ml before coupon

Until next time – keep spritzing everyone!
Anne-Marie xx

Vanilla Smoke by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes 2015

November 28, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Portia

Hello Fragrant Friends,

Mandy Aftel is one of the best known & most loved Indie perfumers on the planet. Not only for her stellar fragrances but also for her books on fragrance (Essence & Alchemy and Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent) and her natural perfumery school. My every dealing with her has been so lovely, she is one of the greats and has the most beautiful presentation in her packaging. The whole Aftelier product is so luxurious and getting an order is exquisite fun opening it all up. My favourite way to buy Aftelier is the A Trio of Miniatures in a Silk Pouch that is also in a tin. I use these miniatures as gifts when I’m travelling, giving one to people who I particularly love or who have gone out of their way, and they are always accepted with real pleasure.

Photo Stolen Aftelier

Vanilla Smoke by Aftelier Perfumes 2015

Vanilla Smoke by Mandy Aftel

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Yellow mandarin, Siam wood, saffron absolute, vanilla absolute, lapsang souchong tea essence (tea leaves smoked over pinewood), coumarin, ambergris

After reading her review I was chatting briefly with Victoria over on EauMG and … Portia: .. the EdP felt like a magical Shalimar restructuring. It’s my favourite so it was really nice to smell the Ultimate Smoke Shalimar with extra twists and nuance. Victoria: .. a big yes to Ultimate Smoke Shalimar because that’s accurate! The EDP reminds me very much of like modern, smoky Shalimar, like Shalimar roasting marshmallows over a campfire.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Vanilla, warm, comforting, sensual and alluring. The simplest of scents yet also incredibly complex. In Vanilla Smoke Mandy Aftel has added spice and heavy resins that are cut through with the strong smoky tea note of lapsang souchong, When I read the note list before trying Vanilla Smoke, and before reading any other reviews, I thought it was going to be a very dense, hefty, thick scent. One perfectly chosen to warm and sweeten winter nights but too gluggy and oppressive for the warmer months. No Way! Somehow Mandy has managed to lift it and gift it air, while being fully and gloriously fragrant and the opening is mildly ferocious in a VERY good way, there is a floaty sheer-ness that makes it feel free. I don’t know if you remember those 1980s video clips where it was dusk or dark and smoke billowing around some half naked male dancers and a fabulously made up songstress in an over the top gown belting out a power ballad with a dance backbeat? Vanilla Smoke has all the glamour, fun and over the top outrage but softened for a modern market.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Vanilla Smoke is dry and desiccated, elegant and totally immersive up close. From further away, or on someone else, it wears less dry and you get to smell that lovely vanilla shining through the smoke. Another reviewer wrote sumptuous and I concur, perfect word for Vanilla Smoke.

Further reading: EauMG and ScentHive
Aftelier has $180/30ml EdP
Aftelier has $180/7.5ml Parfum

Do you have a Mandy Aftel fragrance that you adore? If you haven’t tried her yet, go visit the site Aftelier<<JUMP. It’s full of beautifully fragrant things that aren’t only perfume…
Portia xx

Library Collection Opus IX by Pierre Negrin and Nathalie Lorson for Amouage 2015

November 27, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Don’t forget to enter this weeks GIVEAWAY COMPETITION!.<<JUMP

Post by Portia

Hi Crew,

You know how you love some brands, always try them even though the notes don’t really look like they’re going to suit you or if their last few releases were lovely but not quite you? I like to try everything Amouage release because, well, Dia, Gold, Lyric, Interlude and Ubar. Sometimes I worry that the Library Collection are a bit too high brow for me but…

Library Collection Opus IX by Amouage 2015

Library Collection Opus IX by Pierre Negrin and Nathalie Lorson

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Top: Camellia, jasmine, black pepper
Heart: Guaiac wood, leather, beeswax
Base: Vetiver, ambergris, civet

Christopher Chong has based this scent on the story of star crossed lovers in La Traviata, based on La Dame Aux Camélias by Alexander Dumas. Particularly with the lead role played by Maria Callas in Lisbon 1958. Poor Maria Callas, seduced from keeping her voice pristine by becoming one of the most popular party girls of the ultra rich tycoons and entertainment industry of her time. From Wikipedia: The press exulted in publicizing Callas’s allegedly temperamental behavior… rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with … Aristotle Onassis. …her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her “the Bible of opera” and her influence so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: “Nearly thirty years after her death, she’s still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music’s best-selling vocalists.”

“Lady Loch” Photo Stolen Ashwood Nurseries

Mum loved camellias, our house was surrounded by both the japonica and sasanqua varieties and it meant the garden had flowers right through winter because different camellias flower at different times. We would pick the perfect newly opened flowers in the early morning by twisting the flower off the bush and Mum had a few shallow crystal bowls that we would float them in all around the house. We had about 20 different flowers and I loved them all, but I don’t remember them having any scent, except the wet green sharp smell of cutting their branches when we pruned the hedges.

Photo Stolen Wallpapers

So, Opux IX? How does it smell for me? Green, woods and peppery and really clearly fragrant, it takes a while for the excitement of the open to recede and then a velvet smooth jasmine steals in: jasmine, smoke and honey that is animalic and a little breathy. Fresh breath though, clean mouth, maybe after drinking a big glass of cold water. We use the Enjo wood wax on our dining table and Opus IX has a similar luxurious balmy smell as the feeling 2 days after waxing the table feels. From arms length though Opus IX is pure jasmine with amber-ish overtones.

I do not get a heart of cacophony as other reviewers have, Opus IX melts into my skin and throws me sweetly honeyed woods and resins with soft rises as other notes come and go: the dry, salt and oily facets of vetiver, animalics that are inextricably linked with the honey in a healthy smelling purr: no poo, sweat, urine or hair in particular. A wash of warmth, those first sexy moments as you undress someone and you smell them, their laundry, their fragrance and their desire all at once for the very first time, intoxicating.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I’m not the only fan of Opus IX, both TinaG and Scott have tried in on their skin with similar gasps of pure fumie pleasure. This is a winner.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Non Blonde. You want the full story? Alembicated Genie
Libertine Parfumerie has $418/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Do you have a fragrance house that is ALWAYS on your try list? Which one and why?
Portia xx

L’Occitane + Pierre Herme: 2015 Limited Editions

November 26, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey crew!

Went to lunch with my buddy Lesley from L’Occitane Australia last week. We were at a very nice restaurant, full of business people and wealthy ladies that lunch and were having the best time laughing about yucky food that our families used to eat all the time but if we were to be given them for the first time today we’d be like, “GAK! That looks DISGUSTING!!!” We laughed till we cried, seriously my tummy was so sore afterwards. Even now I am sniggering quietly to myself. Not only did we laugh like naughty schoolboys she also gave me a slew of stuff for you all to try, all new for Christmas 2015.

L’Occitane Australia have FREE DELIVERY on orders over $100 and most sets come GIFT WRAPPED.

L’Occitane + Pierre Herme

Unexpected Encounters + 2015 Limited Editions

Gift Set $95 L’Occitane Australia

Jasmin, Immoertelle, Neroli by L’Occitane 2015

The fragrance of pastry chef Pierre Hermé balances the white notes of gardens at dawn with the gold of a flower that still flourishes throughout the Corsican maquis.

On my skin Jasmin, Immoertelle, Neroli is a creamy, warm version of a citrus with some torn orange tree leaf undertones that is reminiscent of the bright openings of many Eau de Colognes. Envigorating and refreshing and smelling really good, I could easily imagine this becoming a go-to scent, it would easily fit into most situations and it dries down to softly citrus white musks that are pleasant but not groundbreaking. A very safe gifting fragrance and I love the fragrance packaging.

Hand Cream $13 L’Occitane Australia

Miel Mandarine by L’Occitane 2015

Imagine golden honey crystallized on a sun-drenched slice of Mandarin Orange… A fruity sensation at first, progressively enriched with hints of honey, evoking the festive season, Spun Sugar and Almond.

Eau de Toilette 75ml $62 L’Occitane Australia

Pamplemousse et Rhubarbe by L’Occitane 2015

A tantalizing accord. Who other than Pierre Hermé would dare to combine the flavours of Rhubarb, Clove and Nutmeg with the temperamental scent of Grapefruit?

By far my favourite of the trio. Sharp citrus opening, the lovely wet, super sweet (almost urinous) grapefruit sizzles in and can breathe new life into my tired brain. Fun, flirty and slightly outrageous L’Occitane and Pierre Herme have made a grapefruit macaroon. Through the heart it spices up just a little bit and the whole fragrance rests on a bed of pithy white musks that are so fluffy you may float away. I have been spritzing myself liberally before bedtime and cocooning myself against the world in Pamplemousse et Rhubarbe, it’s a perfect scent to cuddle you and send you off to the land of nod.

Photo Stolen AllSteele

L’Occitane + Pierre Herme GIVEAWAY!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners (1 Aussie, 2 Overseas) who will receive:
1 x AUSSIE: Jasmin Immortelle Neroli pack
1 x 75ml Jasmin Immortelle Neroli EdT
1 x 250ml Jasmin Immortelle Neroli Shower Gel
1 x 250ml Jasmin Immortelle Neroli Body lotion
2 x OVERSEAS: Miel Mandarine Hand Cream
1 x 30ml Miel Mandarine Hand Cream
P&H

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Aussie or Overseas

and

Please tell us a L’Occitane Australia product that you’d like to give to someone you love (one NOT mentioned in this post)

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie L’Occitane + Pierre Herme #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-4uk #Perfume @Pierre_HermeLDN @LOCCITANE_au

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 29th November 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 3rd December 2015 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.

Grandawood Oudh Oils, Brisbane, Australia

November 25, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Oudh Aficionados,

A new company has come to Australia, Grandawood. They own over 400 hectares of agarwood plantation and an oil manufacturing plant in Vietnam and boast a state of the art quality control process. I think we are seeing the beginning of an influx of (hopefully) affordable Oudh Oil in our times.

I am no expert on Oudh and wanted to get a few more knowledgeable noses onto the products before I wrote to you about them. There are too many charlatans in the world. So a couple of the best noses I know came by to have a sniff. Michael Borg, TinaG and Scott dropped in and I unveiled the latest in what you may think is a saturated market. We were sent 3 samples to try but only 2 of them will be coming into Australia, let’s meet them.

Grandawood Oudh Oils, Brisbane, Australia

Photo Stolen Grandawood

Evergreen Good Grade Agarwood Oil (Oud) 100% Pure Grade A+ (Oudh #1)

Oudh #1 was a lovely simple oud that was fecal, animal and medicinal in open, it quietened to a lovely barnyard skin scent within the hour and stayed fragrant for about 5-6 hours. Oudh #1 smelled as if it had melted into my skin and each of our bodies gave it a slightly different scent hue. On my skin it was a little sweeter and more vanilla smelling than on the others. We all liked its soft and mellow golden haze.

A wonderful oudh even if you’re going to work. By the time you get there Oudh #1 is a beautiful, gentle oudh that has melded with your skin and though you are fragrant, even slightly barnyard, it’s a welcoming and engaging aroma. Beautiful.

Grandawood is currently having an Oudh #1 introductory offer of $68/1.5ml (reduced from $204)

Photo Stolen Grandawood

Grandawood Superior Agarwood oil (Oudh Floral)

Oudh Floral was the winner of the day, it was fun, unusual, interesting and had the best longevity. It was a hit and I think Grandawood will be getting orders from the guys who were also extremely pleased. Oudh Floral will be a hit we decided and it could even make a good gateway oudh for someone new to it as a note. There seems to be a deep vein of animalic honey running through Oudh Floral and the bouquet has some lovely indolic white flowers. It’s skanky but very pretty skank.

We liked the way that Grandawood had slipped in some extra interest to the oudh and made it pop even more. A unanimous success from the 4 person testing panel.

Grandawood has $80/1.5ml

Oud #2 was the least well received, it had all the plastic, burnt hair and pooh smells and even the most hardcore didn’t love it. It will be coming to Australia at a later date and if you want to be engulfed in oudh then keep your eyes peeled.

Grandawood have created a 15% discount code for APJ readers and the code is: portia

Grandawood also sells Agarwood beads, chips, incense and tea-leaves.

Though I am no expert the oils seemed to be the real deal to us. It would be wonderful to read your feedback if you decide to try them.

Portia xxx

Hiram Green Voyage by Hiram Green 2015

November 24, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was my favourite TV series as a kid. Admiral Nelson and his crew. The flying sub which could leave the ocean and function as an airplane being the coolest thing ever.

Hiram Green Voyage by Hiram Green 2015

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citruses
Heart: Amber, suede
Base: Vanilla

Hiram Green’s Voyage – An ode to the exotic mysteries of India.

I chatted with Hiram briefly the other day. He mentioned that he would find it difficult to write two sentences about his own creations, and was interested that some bloggers could write thick novels. I found that highly amusing.

Photo Donated Val CQ

When I started writing for APJ it was really just a bit of fun. I was extremely surprised when I found that people were asking if they could send me perfumes to
try. I was so excited but that soon died down when I saw that most of them didn’t work on me. I believe that is the politically correct way of putting it? I
only get some sort of inspiration when I like something. Which kind of limits me. Perhaps I should write about what sucks, but I am sure Portia would fire me. I digress. Hiram Green sent me a sample of Voyage and I have used it all. It is quite bodacious.

Photo Donated Hiram Green

Voyage is opulent and sumptuous, two words that do not tend to get used with an all natural perfume. It is the drydown of many more modern perfumes where it falls short of expectation. Top loaded to blow your mind and then after 20 minutes the common base. Voyage could not be further away from this perfume concept. The perfume is built on a base of superb vanilla and a heart of amber. The fragrance opens with a lively citrus feel before slipping into the spicy, warm, lush heart. Hiram doesn´t mention spice in his list of notes, but hey, who cares about the notes anyway? There is a soft suede halo wrapped around the whole composition, which draws it altogether. It is tweaked to perfection and lasts for hours. It blows apart all preconceived ideas (mine) of natural perfumery apart.

Attention to detail is exquisite, from the wax seal to the website. The bottles are stunning. They are every bit as gorgeous in real life as they are on the pictures. All three of his scents are outstanding. He clearly does not bend to the industry, nor to the trend of churning out a new fragrance every few months.
Modern classic beauty.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Voyage, as well as Moon Bloom and Shangri La can be purchased in 5 ml sprays at Hiram Green. All three highly recommended. Note that Voyage is limited to 250 bottles.

“Ah, you’ve come over the water. Powerful wet stuff, ain´t it?”
The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader”. C.S. Lewis

Valiant Bussis
CQ