Reviews

Fidji by Guy Laroche

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

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Post by Azar

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Hi APJ,

Sometimes it is difficult for me to keep an open mind about a new fragrance. I become so attached to my familiar favorites that I tend to create a set of almost moral value judgments regarding what is “good” or “bad” about a perfume. As a result I don’t step out of my fragrance comfort zone long enough to expand my horizons. Whenever this starts to happen I remind myself of the day I discovered Fidji.

Fidji by Josephine Catapano for Guy Laroche 1966

Fidji Guy Laroche FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Iris, galbanum, hyacinth, lemon, bergamot, tuberose
Heart: Carnation, rose, jasmine, violet, ylang-ylang, cloves, aldehydes, spices, orris
Base: Musk, patchouli, sandalwood, amber, vetiver, oakmoss, resins

In 1975 (or so) my ex and I arranged a ski vacation for the two of us and several friends to Cervinia, the resort on the Italian side of the Matterhorn (Monte Cervino). Our “crowd”, a group of skiers from Tehran, was used to the high and powdery slopes of Dezin (3,600 m) and to the steep, icy, difficult runs of nearby Shemshak. Cervinia, with its long, easy and open pistes at altitudes of up to 3,833 m, seemed like great fun and the perfect ski destination. Counter to expectations, we arrived to an unseasonably warm January in Italy. While the snow was abundant, if a bit soggy on the upper slopes, we had to negotiate rocks and even patches of grass as we approached the base. But all was not lost! We headed for the restaurants, discos and shops. It was there in the mountains, in a small boutique on a snow-covered corner of Cervinia that I met and fell madly for the perfume love of my life, Guy Laroche Fidji.

Fidji Guy Laroche Cervina Italy Fidji Guy Laroche Cervina Italy Leosetä FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

My first impression of Fidji was shocking and green. I had been brought up on various Lanvin, as well as on Shalimar and Jungle Gardenia. My Persian perfume oils were all roses, jasmine and musks from the bazaars of Tehran and Mashhad.

Fidji‘s top notes of galbanum and hyacinth, while totally Persian in character and production, combined with what I later learned was bergamot and lemon to create a scent so fresh and sharp that it was almost painful and nearly took my breath away. I was stunned and didn’t like it at all. I purchased a brown cashmere sweater and a ski “suit” and left the shop, compulsively sniffing my wrist.

As the perfume dried down in the cold mountain air I was warmed and seduced by jasmine, rose, ylang ylang and a spicy carnation. Later that afternoon I returned to the shop and purchased my first of many 14 ml Fidji parfums. As we danced the night away at the local clubs I could still detect the initial touch of my new fragrance lingering as musk and oakmoss.

Fidji Guy Laroche French Parfum Ad FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Yesterdays Perfume
FragranceNet has EdT $40/50ml before coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

My initial reaction to and enjoyment of this scent has never faded. This morning when I opened my parfum, I was once again magically transported to Cervinia in the 1970’s. My romance with Fidji is created entirely from my own experience.

Which vintage fragrance has a story you remember every time you smell it?

Azar X

This is a revised, shorter version of a Fidji review Azar wrote for The Fragrant Man

Santal Royal EdP by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2014

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Hello Fabulous Frag Heads,

I am a Guerlain creature. You know it. When they released Santal Royal I was so freaking excited because in my mind I was thinking the Australian sandalwood plantations are going gangbusters and that we would be getting a modern “next Gen’ look at Samsara. A beautiful creamy and delicious fragrance that would have me smelling like a very rich hippy just back from India via Paris.

Santal Royal EdP by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2014

Santal Royal Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica giuves these featured accords in one line:
Sandalwood, leather, oud, neroli, cinnamon, rose, amber, musk

There has been a lot of hate for Santal Royal and I think our expectations we just too high, and saints preserve me but that bottle is to freaking die for. Don’t tell me that marketing plays no part in my buying, the black and gold flaccon is amazing. I got to hold one in Las Vegas at the Venetian Guerlain store. LOVE at first sight. we spritzed it and on me it was OK but Jin smelled absolutely fabulous in it all day. He already has Mona di Orio’s Oud so having this would be tautology.

Though I’m sure there is a bunch of sandalwood in there, and I will say the longevity is extraordinary, this is an oudh fragrance. Yes it is, sorry to say it. It’s very nice. It does have a story and it changes through time to something soft and very sensual but even to the bitter end I still get that oudh. Which I like very much but it’s not so groundbreaking that I feel the need to purchase because there are other oudhs in my wardrobe that I would reach for before it, even with that killer bottle.

Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/ml

Have you tried Santal Royal? How did it strike you?
Enjoy the ad,
Portia xx

 

Santal Royal – Eau de Parfum – GUERLAIN

Eau de Guerlain by Jean-Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 1974

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Post by Liam

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Good evening flamboyant frag heads

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. I hope the fragrant Gods were good to you and you got all that you wanted.

For me, I decided to load up on the cologne side of things. I’m a hellbent oriental wearer, and whilst they are ever so lovely, they are rather impractical for hot Australian summers; especially on those scorching 40+ degree days.

Eau de Guerlain Guerlain Bondi Beach David Lee FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

I was spoilt with colognes as I requested – and one that I was dying to get was Eau de Guerlain from (you guessed it) Guerlain. I am madly in love with the Guerlain ‘eaux’ series, and my first was Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain’s creation. When I found Eau de Cologne Imperiale I was stoked! Unfortunately here in Oz the Guerlain range is very very limited – and so obtaining the ‘eaux’ fragrances was a mighty task in itself. I have my contacts.

Eau de Guerlain by Jean-Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 1974

Eau de Guerlain Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Fruity notes, basil, bergamot, lemon
Heart: Caraway, carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, lavender, jasmine, mint, bergamot, rose
Base: Amber, musk, oakmoss, neroli

In this fragrance, the citrusy note used here is actually a rather soft verbena note, made peppy with a citrus clash of lemon and bergamot. This 1974 Jean-Paul Guerlain creation contains a neutral collection of notes too, acting more in terms of functionality than pleasure. The rose, jasmine, carnation, and lavender floral accents are almost invisible – with a baby soft amber and musk addition lifting this fragrance into perpetuity – as far as cologne and eaux fraiche can go.

Eau de Guerlain Guerlain Herbes de Provence WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

There’s a bit of a bitter crunch to this cologne too, with a certain facet smelling anisic and almost salty. I’m certain herbs attribute to this factor, in this case basil and mint, with caraway seed in there somewhere. We can also expect the herbs de Provence accord found in many Guerlain works.

With many of my reviews, I always try to reach and attain an emotional standing with the fragrance in question, and Eau de Guerlain surprises me. To think Chamade was only made 5 years before this (1969). Chamade for me is a classic Guerlain artwork, whereas this cologne is decidedly modern. I think Eau de Guerlain may have heralded a new dawn in perfumery and a new stage in Guerlain works. Don’t you think?

Many regard this as the perfect cologne. Whilst my heart lies somewhere else, the balance demonstrated here is enviable, and truly showcases Jean-Paul Guerlain’s perfume prowess. As mentioned before, the tactile use of amber and musk (and sandalwood, apparently) raise longevity to a relatively high 2 hours. The sillage is moderate to low, fading dramatically over time.

Eau de Guerlain Guerlain Katharine_Hepburnin WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: Now Smell This and Monsieur Guerlain
Beauty Encounter has $95/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Keep hydrated! What’s your favourite cologne to spritz on?

-Liam

Mahora by Jean-Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 2000

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Post by Tina G

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Portia and I had a lovely relaxed New Year’s catch up the other day – lunch and tea and chats and I had a chance to have a sticky beak at the selection of perfumes which she’s chosen to keep at home at the moment. This included a stunning range of Guerlain! Love Love Love!! Along with a few other scents, Portia kindly provided me with a small decant of Mahora to try.

Mahora by Jean-Paul Guerlain for Guerlain 2000

Mahora Guerlain fragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, almond blossom, green accords
Heart: Ylang-ylang, neroli, tuberose, jasmine
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver

Mahora was released by Guerlain in 2000, and discontinued two years later. I understand that it has been slightly reformulated and released as Mayotte in 2006, but I was curious to know why Mahora was given such a short shelf life.

The opening flashes from a pleasant jasmine and citrus burst to a bitter green quite quickly. A milky/watery almond note then comes through with the tang of a sweet orange in the background. The almond note is quite yummy, actually, like fresh almonds in a bowl waiting to be crunched.

Mahora Guerlain almond PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

As this settles in it changes quite rapidly in the first 15 minutes and the almond turns more marzipan. I suspect that my focus on almond during the first 15 minutes is because it is a note I’m sensitive to, so I’m noticing it more. The silage, however, makes me feel that I’m definitely wearing a Guerlain – it has that familiar edge , here mainly citrus and vanilla, with the vanilla becoming stronger during dry down.

The ylang ylang is a surprising punch at the half hour mark, and it’s presence drags the green notes back into the foreground again. The fabulous greenness continues to develop and at about 1 hour there is a specific damp indolic note which shoots up between the rest of the fragrance’s clouds of puffy citrus/vanilla. It is that of decaying tuberose, but nothing overly fetid and rotting, more like flowers which have simply been left too long in a vase and have passed their prime. It is distinctive but I don’t find it unpleasant, particularly because it is still surrounded by and supported in the fragrance overall.

Mahora Guerlain Gertrude_Lawrence WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Is this indole the reason for the fragrance’s demise? Perhaps. I haven’t had a chance to try Mayotte so I am not sure whether the note has been continued under a new name. I really that it gives the fragrance an unexpected edge. The indole does fade around the 3 hour mark and the dry down becomes a gorgeous warm skin scent, one that I’m perfectly happy to find on my skin as I snuggle down at the end of the day. So this one may not be so popular, but I’ll put my hand up and say that it’s OK!

Mahora Guerlain Tuberose PortiaPhoto Donated Portia

Further reading: Smelly Thoughts and Perfume Posse
Now available in slightly different form at Guerlain called Mayotte in Les Parisiennes
Ebay also has some BARGAINS! but pretty soon they will be gone and Mahora will cost a fortune.
Surrender To Chance has Mayotte starting at $6/ml

Do you have an “unpopular” fragrance which you love? Would you take a stand, and speak up on its behalf in the face of dissidence?
Tina G xx

Fantasia de Fleurs by Henry Creed Third Generation for Creed 1862

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hiya Fumie friends,

A bottle I have long had in my possession, one of the earliest big ticket purchases I made, Creed’s Fantasia de Fleurs. I think I’ve told you before of my love for many things Austrian? Back in 1994-5 while I was living in London one of my childhood friends was in the Vienna Stat Opera Ballet. I would go to Vienna and visit him. These were in the days of the Ringstraße trams that were free and you just hopped on and off and they would take you around the inner precinct of Vienna. Even though there was not a lot of English in Vienna at the time it was totally easy for me to navigate and I felt incredibly safe at all times day & night.

Fantasia de Fleurs by Henry Creed III for Creed 1862

Fantasia de Fleurs Creed FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Bulgarian rose, Florentine iris
Base: Ambergris infusion

The reason I went on about Austria at the top is because this wonderful fragrance, Fantasia de Fleurs, was created for Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary (or Sisi as she is known there) and I fell madly in love with her story when first in Vienna, seeking out all the places I could find from her biography and trying to piece together in my mind what her history could have been like. My mate was rehearsing and doing classes most days, we would hang in the nights unless he was performing, then I’d go see the show. It was cool.

Fantasia de Fleurs Creed Empress Elisabeth of Austria WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

SO, when I found out that Sisi had a fragrance made for her I bought it unsniffed when there was an incredible sale on somewhere. BTW I do NOT think blind buying is a good idea.

I was SOOOO lucky that on first sniff I was wrapped in a super sweet, jammy rose that has other stuff buoying it up but really stays pretty gorgeously linear through its life, getting slightly more salty and animalic at the end which is also added to by my sweaty man skin. The opening has this great dryness, like a tea note that cuts through the sweetness, making the whole fragrance easy to wear and quite unisex.I am under no illusion that this is EXACTLY how Fantasia de Fleurs smelled in 1862, I am pretty sure we are smelling an updated version but it still is a big, blowsy, royal fragrance that has a sillage you could do waterski jumps on.

Fantasia de Fleurs Creed WadeWilliams WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Through most of my time with Fantasia de Fleurs I have complained of its lack of longevity but recently I learned the trick. You need to wear it for a couple of hours and then do a light respritz. It brings fragrance life up to a ridiculous length, after doing this last night after my shower and then giving myself a blast in the morning i was still quite fragrant at 5pm this afternoon! That is awesome longevity for me.

So if you like the sweetest and most jammy roses, want to smell like an Empress and love the Creed bottles for ladies then Fantasia de Fleurs could be one to try. I am surprised at how much of my bottle has gone.

Fantasia de Fleurs Creed Mathilda Samuelsson FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: I Smell Therefore I Am and EauMG
Peony Melbourne has $279/75ml with FREE Australian P&H
First In Fragrance has €155/75ml

Which Creed do you love or which fragrance that is aligned with a celeb or royal did you ever buy because of that affiliation alone?
Portia xx

GUCCI Eau de Parfum by Daniela (Roche) Andrier for GUCCI 2002

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Hey there Junkies,

You know those serendipitous moments? You’ve been searching for a long discontinued fragrance that someone sent you a sample of. Had you known it was discontinued you may have chosen not to try it and passed it along to a friend. One more freaking impossible lemming may send me to the poor house. Anyway, you’ve basically given up the search and one day you’re in a SALE, you look down and there it is….. All alone, lidless, friendless and looking kinda beat up. A just over half full 50ml TESTER.

I picked it up and walked over to the counter. There I proceeded to tell the story of this fabulous fragrance, how it was now long discontinued, they’d be getting no more stock, it was a sad but hopeless case to find it anywhere. Could I please buy the tester? Half the retail price? Are you mad? Look it’s been used and badly stored in light and the heat of a shop. How about a quarter of the retail? A third? SOLD!

GUCCI Eau de Parfum by Daniela (Roche) Andrier for GUCCI 2002

Gucci Eau de Parfum Gucci FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, heliotrope
Heart: Caraway, iris, thyme
Base: Incense, leather, sandalwood, musk, vanilla, cedar essence

I Smell Therefore I Am gives these featured accords:
Top – orris, heliotrope, orange blossom, vanilla absolute
Heart – cistus, cumin, thyme
Base – patchouli, vanilla, deep musk

I put both these note lists here to show how arbitrary they are, yet both have pieces to the puzzle that are completely valid to me.

Daniela (Roche) Andrier is nose from well known fragrances like: Bottega Veneta Pour Homme, Tardes Carner Barcelona, Angélique Noire Guerlain, Marni, Prada Candy and Infusion d’Iris. That’s quite a roll call and only a fraction of her output.

That opening spritz! It reminds me of two of my favourite fragrances that see quite a bit of wear around here Oriza L Legrand Jardins d’Armide and Terry de Gunzberg Ombre Mercure. It’s a fabulously plastic/powdery iris/heliotrope/violet thing that my nose aches for, in a good way. All of them have white flowers as a raft to float the rest of the fragrance on too. Similar but different. Succulent and desirable GUCCI Eau De Parfum is not huge but it is insistent.

GUCCI Eau de Parfum succulent BlueSnap PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay (searched for something succulent)

As we move from that fun opening GUCCI Eau de Parfum becomes happily lived in. Human/animal/fleshy but not skank really, more clean healthy flesh in the early afternoon. It doesn’t scream sexual tryst or workout, there’s no rankness. The seeds/herbs/roots are curiously sweet, quite inviting. Not bakery sweet but they have a burnished quality, like you are smelling them through lightly ambered glass. Yes as an analogy that is particularly clunky but that’s how my minds nose is seeing/smelling GUCCI Eau de Parfum.

There is something slightly sweltering about GUCCI Eau De Parfum, a let your hair down, relax and let go-ness about it that is very calming.

GUCCI Eau de Parfum Rupert_Bunny,_Summer_Time WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

I can absolutely see why Abigail finds patchouli in the base. Now that I’ve read it I can smell it clear as day, a very clean waxy patchouli surrounded by a very soft leather and vanilla with musks that I can smell softly playing back up. All through its life GUCCI Eau de Parfum is a sheer veil but fragrant, not something that will skunk those around you but a designer fragrance from the days when GUCCI knew how to make perfume.

GUCCI Eau de Parfum Brad Mc1This is how sexy you’ll feel wearing Gucci Eau De Parfum (My mate Brad Mc)

Further reading: I Smell Therefore I Am and Scented Salamander
eBay is selling around $100/30ml
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $4/ml

Did you ever spend time with GUCCI Eau de Parfum? Do you have any other favourites from the house?
Portia xx

Woodcut GIVEAWAY WINNERS

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Heya APJ Crew,

Another sensational GIVEAWAY comes to a close. Thanks to Azar and Ellen Covey. Do go and check out the wonderful stuff for sale at Olympic Orchids, you’ll be glad you did.
Portia xx

Woodcut GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Woodcut Olympic OrchidsPhoto Stolen Olympic Orchids

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x 1ml sample of Woodcut by Olympic Orchids
2 x additional decants of “woody” fragrances from Azar’s collection
P&H to the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone in the world 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

Leave a comment about the new Woodcut fragrance or name your favorite tree or wood smell.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Olympic Orchids Perfume GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3vv  

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 8th January 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by pulling names from a sunhat (maybe)
The old sunhat was getting pretty ratty looking.  As sunhats don’t sell well in the winter around here I was able to fund a nice new one for a really cheap price.

Azar New sunhat

The Woodcut winners names were drawn from my spiffy new hat!  And the winners are:

Robert Hermann

Jaybee

The winners will have till Sunday 11th January 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.

Azar xx

Lys Soleia by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain: Aqua Allegoria 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hey Frag Fiends,

Hey Northern Hemisphere, remember summer? Here we are down here sweltering in the heat and humidity and loving it. Days are long, fruit and vegetables are abundant and cheap, the extremely fragrant frangipani, lilies, jasmine and lemon trees are all blooming like crazy, the beach and pool are awaiting, we’ve just had holidays and life feels good. I’m even lightly sunburned, getting my vitamin D levels up so my body will run efficiently and has the tools to fight disease and depression.

Well today In am writing about one of my summer fragrance staples which I also use midwinter to remind me of the warmth and steamy tropical evenings of summer.

Lys Soleia by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain: Aqua Allegoria 2012

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, palm leaves
Heart: Lily, ylang-ylang, tropical fruits
Base: Tuberose, vanilla, white musk

Lys Soleia basically opens right in the heart already for me, the citrus is so fleeting but it does add glitter to the bouquet and there is a green sugariness that I can only detect with a respritz. Lily, ylang and vanilla like a beautiful warm tropical dream. Sweet and sensual I am immediately transported to faraway islands, feasting on platters of fresh cut super sweet fruits and walking through gardens decked with evening blooming exotic flowers that pump out their fragrant song. Hot and sweaty skin fresh from swimming in the sea and from sunbathing, there is even a trace of sun lotion. The white flowers and vanilla wear hot, ripe and sensual in such a “come hither and ravage me” way that I am always blown away. It’s a welcome surprise every time. No wallflower is Lys Soleia but a red blooded, thrumming sex drive, naughty and fabulous adventure waiting to happen.

Lys Soleia Guerlain Lady_Elliot_Island WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

One of the most obvious and perfume-y of the Aqua Allegoria line Lys Soleia is a sirens song that makes me smile in secret, guilty delight. Deeper and more dense than the rest I find its intoxicating and mesmerising beauty a bit of a brain scrambler. Seriously, this will have your dates so befuddled that they will be putty in your hands. Always a good thing.

Rich, yes very rich, and regal I could imagine Lys Soleia on a woman of supreme confidence, Samantha Jones of Sex and the City played by Kim Cattrall in her powerful sexual woman mode. It can also be worn by a man who wants to stand out from the crowd as someone who is unafraid to be their own person, who is happy to be known to be different, maybe someone in business who needs to sell their own angle or point of difference.

Lys Soleia Guerlain Kim_Cattrall WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

As we head towards dry down the tuberose and vanilla stand forth over a slightly furry musk that I can barely smell but which feels a bit fuzzy. I know that description is absolute shit and gives you no clue to what I smell but there you have it, that’s the way I perceive Lys Soleia in the later stages before it starts to really fade out.

Fully fragrant and good longevity for an Aqua Allegoria. You need to be careful because with an overzealous application you could suck the air from a room and dry clean the curtains.

Lys Soleia Guerlain man ambroochizafer PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Further reading: Now Smell This and Candy Perfume Boy
Available through Guerlain counters at large department stores
FragranceNet has $61/125ml before coupon

What do you like to wear to remind you of summer, or in the midst of it? Are the Aqua Allegoris to your taste?
Come on and join the conversation, I love to read your thoughts.
Portia xx

Smoke For the Soul by Fabrice Pellegrin for by Kilian 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

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Post by Poodle

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Hi APJ

I love smokey scents.  Burning leaves, pipe tobacco, fireplaces, incense…all those wonderful notes that make you just want to curl up under a warm blanket.  With a name like Smoke for the Soul I thought I’d find that type of scent.  I thought wrong.

Smoke For the Soul by Fabrice Pellegrin for by Kilian 2014

Smoke for the Soul By Kilian FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Eucalyptus, grapefruit, mate, birch, casmirwood, cannabis, cardamom

Sure, there’s a touch of smokiness in the beginning.  Smoke for the Soul takes me back to college where I knew some people who occasionally smoked marijuana.  I was never one to smoke anything because it made my throat and lungs burn which was not enjoyable.  I was sometimes around people who did though, and this is the perfume of one of those evenings.

Smoke for the Soul By Kilian Unrolled_joint WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

It all starts with lighting the joint.  There’s that bit of smoke and the unmistakable smell of cannabis in the air.  The scent gets stronger as it gets passed around the room.  There’s not much smokiness anymore really because everyone is holding the smoke in for a bit and then coughing.  It’s a bit much so I decide I’m going to wait outside in the cold.  There’s a chill in the autumn air and I can smell the leaves blowing on the ground.  My friends emerge from the house and with them trails the scent of pot.  By this point they’re silly enough to think that a piece of gum will cover up the smell and look to me for that.  I’ve got no gum but I do have cough drops so now there’s a hint of eucalyptus in the mix.

Smoke for the Soul By Kilian Eucaluptus Sydney Oats FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

The usual goofiness ensues and soon after the munchies kick in.  I’m not driving this bunch anywhere so it’s back inside to raid the fridge.  There is leftover roast chicken with thyme and lemon in there so that gets popped into the microwave to heat up.  Later there’s still the faint smell of cannabis mixed with some generic men’s fragrance the guys spritzed earlier in the evening to try to make themselves appealing to the ladies.

Smoke for the Soul By Kilian DigitalBob8 FlickrPhoto stolen Flickr

That’s the perfume in a nutshell.  I can’t say I’d want to smell like this.  It’s probably not something you’d wear to work unless you want to get sent to human resources to discuss your drug problem.  I’d call it masculine.  My hubby agrees but said he wouldn’t wear it.  It’s weird and definitely worth a sniff but would I spend a ton of money to smell like it?  Nope. No chance.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Ca Fleure Bon
LuckyScent has $270/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/.5ml

The search for a Kilian perfume for me to love continues…

Hugs
Poodle

George by Anais Biguine for Jardins d'Ecrivains 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

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Post by Trésor

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There are few aromas which bring me quite the same sense of ease and incredible comfort as that of the orange blossom. The diaphanous white floral glow that radiates from these precious petals seems to convey a dream sequence of softness, delicate femininity and and that inimitable eau de cologne chic. Yet in the throes of all of this beauty I am still left with one desire unsatiated, the desire and carnal yearning for something subversive; something incendiary and of the night. I’d wondered for quite some time if it would be possible to find an orange blossom who’s calyxes oozed forth wicked elixir and one lucky day, entirely by chance, I found exactly what I was looking for. I found George.

George by Anais Biguine for Jardins d’Ecrivains 2012

 

George Jardins d’Ecrivains FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Neroli, bergamot, heliotrope, coffee, tobacco, peru balsam, musk, myrrh

George opens on the skin with a hyper-realized vision or orange blossoms, ablaze in hues of searing titian and rust. The petals are bleeding with menthol and wrapped carefully within a swathe of rich leather. As the orange blossom begins to settle into the skin the leather takes a more dominant role and becomes adorned with the powdery inflorescence of heliotrope. This moment in particular is the line where George teeters the line of modesty and filth so beautifully. The balsam of Peru which was but a hologram beneath the surface is now cascading forth in its hue of moonlit umber. The balsam is so extraordinarily rich and dense with enveloping aroma that for a period it is all I can smell. As the weight begins to lift I can smell the luxuriant vapours of spectacular honeyed tobacco. This stage is divinity, absolute and beyond words. The camphorous whisper from the previous synapse remains, adding a faint emerald scintillation to the warm and redolent base. It truly is a most comforting and also rather sexy olfactory sensation. As the final stages of the dry down take their descent you are left with the gossamer aura of a dancing and delicious, resinous myrrh-y skinscent. It softly hovers above the skin until it finally fades into nothing at all.

 George Jardins d’Ecrivains Delacroix WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

I get an incredibly good wear out of George, garnering about 10 hours before it finally disappears entirely. The sillage one my skin is rather strong but I don’t find it overpowering whatsoever. It’s simply dense but not necessarily loud. I think if you’re a fan of either orange blossom, leather inflected or balsamic fragrances I wouldn’t hesitate to give George a go. It truly is a brilliant brew.

George Jardins d’Ecrivains George_Sand_en_Madeleine Louis_Boulanger WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: Now Smell This and The Non Blonde
Beauty Habit has $110/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.25/ml

I hope that you like it as much as I have!

Trésor xx