CHANEL No 18 by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 1997

March 9, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Hello Happy Huffers,

While in Vienna we dropped into the Douglas store near the Steffenplatz where the have a CHANEL room. I was quite naughty and grabbed a bottle each of Bois des Iles and Coromandel EdTs, only the small bottles and neither is opened yet. With my purchases though the girl who served us gave a wonderful bunch of samples. this then is one of those samples…

CHANEL No 18 by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 1997

Les Exclusifs de Chanel No 18 Chanel

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Ambrette (musk mallow), fruity notes, iris, woody notes, flowers

That musk mallow and iris opening is so soft and warm and plush, dry, slightly herbal and wearable. There seems to be loose tea leaves, or a nod to them. CHANEL No 18 reminds me of the scent as you walk into a very plush furniture showroom during the week. Part wood, part leather, air conditioning and the idea of those expensive cleaning agents that mask bad odour and have a very low refreshing murmur of their own try so hard to be, yes, that’s it. CHANEL No 18 smells clean, expensive and luxe. As you wear No 18 it becomes more comfortable, as if your own scent has a wash over it. My skin does not give me hardly any fruit or flowers in the usual sense of the words as I expect them, they are hints, supporting and filling and smoothing the composition. Maybe rose? Maybe carnation?

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

CHANEL No 18 is every inch an elegant beauty, not overpowering, fresh, modern, interesting and I can imagine it being a go-to scent for someone perfectly poised, or looking to smell that way, with a hidden warmth. The iris is cool and slightly carrot-ish, woods are an aromachemical(?) I wonder because when I smell them for a while they disappear to return as I bring my hand back within sniffing distance, and the musk mallow stays around playing fluffy, powder and hair at different times, though it’s not noted I think there are more musks too, clean white musks that continue pumping long after my skin has eaten the fragrance, maybe 2 hours fragrant and double that to nothing.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Perfume Posse
CHANEL No 18 is available at all CHANEL boutiques, especially the make-up ones and in Europe from some Douglas stores
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/m

Les exclusives are so easy to wear, perfectly blended, don’t last forever. These can all be exactly what I’m looking for in a fragrance, sometimes, no I take that back, often. It makes it very easy to understand why they are so successful, everyone knows CHANEL can be trusted to have them smelling good.

Which is your favourite CHANEL Les Exclusive?

Portia xx

Génie des Bois by Keiko Mecheri

March 8, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Heya Frag Friends,

After going through my fragrance wardrobe before leaving for holidays I came across a bunch of samples that remained untried, they needed some loving and skin time. I am trying to work my way through some of these and so over the next few weeks there will be a slew of fun new things to write about, new to me anyway. If you wonder I write about a fragrance usually after a minimum 3 wears, that gives me a slightly broader understanding of a fragrance and how it reacts in different situations. The first wear is often to bed, even for my afternoon nap, where I can focus on the fragrance and its subtleties without distraction. I find this also calms whatever worries or cares i may have and lets me really unwind.

Génie des Bois by Keiko Mecheri

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Violet, violet leaf, cacao pod, Brazillian rosewood, benzoin, tonka bean

Interesting, every time, there’s something slightly minty that comes out in the Genie des Bois opening that plays with the violet leaf and resinous wood. It doesn’t stay long but it adds a glamour of intrigue over what is essentially a simple and pretty fragrance, modern, extremely wearable with moderate sillage and projection. Does a cacao pod smell a bit like very bitter chocolate? Is it the resins keeping everything smooth because this is smooth and beautiful like a polished stone that has had time to warm in your hands.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Sugared violets? They are sweet and more like violet lollies, even a bit like the violet tea additive from Walter Reimer in Vienna. Then through all this comes the softest powdery violet (?), so fluffy, soft and downy. I cannot tell you what is happening really because the note list seems way too short for how much lovely fragrance action Genie des Bois offers up. Musk? There is a small reminder of Lolita Lempicka EdP but the sweetness is way less fizzy in Genie des Bois, if LL were to grow up and be made for a woman ready to go forth and glitter at an event then I think this could be an excellent choice. Do you remember the moment in Two Weeks Notice where Sandra Bullock arrives at the gala in that gown, hair done, perfect, radiant, soft focus and breathtaking. She is at once modern and eternal, a picture of lovely historic Hollywood glamour and every modern girls (and quite a few boys) dream of how good it can be. That’s what Genie des Bois says to me when I wear it.

Photo Stolen cameraluc

GAHHHH! I have no idea what I’m smelling here, violets and woods and a bunch of yummy other un-named stuff. What I can tell you is that it is very, very lovely and I am seriously thinking of a purchase.

LuckyScent says this: This is not an old-fashioned powdery violet by any means, this kitten’s got claws! As the name hints, this woods- based scent uses cedar and other exotic woods to impart an unusual base on which lies violet. A very green violet, that is, which gradually sweetens and softens as the fragrance evolves on your skin. Genie des Bois falls somewhere between a feathered-slipper wearing, gold cigarette holder-wielding, old-school movie star and a very naughty bacchanalian romp in a forest blanketed with wild violets. We think you’ll love it, dahling. Kiss kiss.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Il Mondo di Odore and The Fragrant Foodie
LuckyScent has $115/75ml
First In Fragrance has samples €5/3ml

Do you have a violet in your wardrobe? Do you like the Keiko Mecheri line?

Till tomorrow, be nice to yourself,
Portia xx

Chambre Noire by Dorothee Piot for Olfactive Studio 2011

March 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by TinaG

Hi APJ,

The concept behind Olfactive Studio is the interplay between imagery and perfume – a picture can tell a thousand words, so can a perfume capture the essence of time and place. It is this junction where the two meet that is Olfactive Studio’s creative space. Each of Olfactive Studio’s five fragrances are the result of teamwork between a photographer and a perfumer, working together to capture not only a moment, but the interplay of thought and emotion around that moment.

Photo Stolen Olfactive Studio

Chambre Noire by Dorothee Piot for Olfactive Studio 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Schinus (pink peppercorn)
Heart: Jasmine, papyrus, violet, incense, prune
Base: Sandalwood, patchouli, musk, vanilla, leather

Chambre Noire is another name for “Camera Obscura”, the first type of box camera using pinhole light exposure so there is a bit of mystery, play of light and dark and what is revealed in shadowy corners. The photograph that this fragrance was designed in conjunction with is a barely lit hotel room, the reflections revealing more about the room itself than the direct view.

On first opening I get a big waft of violet and sandalwood and what I think is amber, although it is not listed in the notes. Within 10 minutes the violet had dropped away, with incense, shinus and a woody scent that I can’t really place. Schinus is the genus of pink peppercorns, and are not related to ‘true’ pepper, in that pink pepper does not contain the fiery piperine of true pepper. Shinus has warm, fragrant, bright and uplifting qualities. I managed to get hold of some the other day, and could quite happily chew a few pink berries without my mouth slowly catching on fire.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

After 2 hours the violet & light florals make a return, along with some very gentle leather and the sandalwood humming in the background. A warm sensual mix, in a kick off your high heels & chat over a glass of wine kind of way. The feeling I get from it is more one of companionship rather than a mysterious liaison, like winding down for the day, but with enough of a zing in the air to keep conversation flowing.

The dry down at 4 hours has musk and vanilla joining sandalwood, which gently linger until it fades to a faint memory. I would wear Chambre Noir when going out with a small group of friends on weekends, or give myself a pick-me-up spritz in anticipation of Friday night after-work drinks.

Photo Stolen Olfactive Studio

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Smelly Thoughts
First In Fragrance has €125/100ml and €4/3ml samples
Olfactive Studio has $195/100ml Delivered to Australia

Have you tried Olfactive Studio’s fragrances? Did any of them stand out for you?

Tina G xx

10 Recipes with Peru Balsam – Myroxylon balsamum

March 5, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Suzanne R Banks

This beautiful oil, called Peru Balsam or Tolu Balsam, is like a combination of benzoin and vanilla.

Peru Balsam is sweet and soft and has warming stimulating properties reportedly to be a great treatment for skin conditions. I suppose over-use of the oil can lead to the opposite effect – skin irritations. I have never seen any negative results from using this oil and actually love to use it as a perfume. It’s fantastic for vapourising to act as a soothing agent to stress, and add some sweetness and healing energy into the room. It is like a balm for the soul and when you take a deep whiff, it’s almost like you can smell a protective honeycomb, multi-dimensional energy field.

10 Recipes with Peru Balsam – Myroxylon balsamum

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Peru Balsam Nourishing Body Oil Blend

For a coat of your body use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil in a little dish and, add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil.

***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.

For a 50ml bottle of oil add 25 drops and see my articles “Ratios for Blending Essential Oils – A Reminder of the Basics” and “Aromatherapy – It’s Easy as 1 2 3”

“Sweet, Soft Skin”

A beautiful oil to nourish your skin –

Peru balsam 2 drops
Lavender 3 drops
Geranium 2 drops

——————————————————————————————————————

“I Feel So Lovely”

Simply love your skin –

Peru Balsam 3 drops
Myrrh 1 drop
Rose 3% 9 drops

——————————————————————————————————————

Photo Stolen Flickr

Using Peru Balsam to Scent Your Space

In a traditional oil burner with a candle or a diffuser add 25 drops of oil

“Loving Myself Especially Well Today”

Be kind to yourself –

Peru Balsam 12 drops
Lemon Myrtle 5 drops
Bergamot 8 drops

——————————————————————————————————————

“Calm Down Kids!”

Explains itself really –

Peru Balsam 13 drops
Orange 10 drops
Vetiver 2 drops

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Photo Stolen Flickr

Peru Balsam Pure Pulse Point Perfume

In a little dish mix these oils and anoint your pulse points or chakras – 3 drops of essential oils and dilute with a few drops of carrier oil – always patch test first!

“Angels Protect Me”

Know that you ARE protected –

Peru Balsam 2 drops
Clove 1 drop

——————————————————————————————————————

“Get Me to The Church on Time”

A calming blend on a nervous kind of day –

Peru balsam 1 drop
Bergamot 2 drops

——————————————————————————————————————

“Soothing Balm for the Soul”

Relax –

Peru Balsam 1 drop
Frankincense 2 drops

——————————————————————————————————————-

Photo Stolen Flickr

Peru Balsam Personal Aura Cleansing Mist & Room Mist

In a 50ml mist bottle filled with water add 25 drops of oil

(depending on the packaging you have, you may need to use a little alcohol -like vodka- at the bottom of your bottle first, so the oils disperse into smaller drops to prevent clogging the atomiser top. I’ve found sometimes it works just with water, and sometimes it doesn’t – very annoying!)

“Spritz Away the Stress”

A quick mist can make all the difference

Peru Balsam 8 drops
Petitgrain 8 drops
Patchouli 4 drops
Lavender 5 drops

——————————————————————————————————————

“Amethyst”

When you feel you need a layer of protection –

Peru Balsam 10 drops
Nutmeg 3 drops
Orange 10 drops
Sandalwood (Indian) 2 drops

——————————————————————————————————————

“Yes I’m SIngle”

Be vulnerable yet powerful –

Peru Balsam 8 drops
Cinnamon 6 drops
Lemon 11 drops

Happy blending and remember to use your intention when you are creating your formulas.

Suzanne R Banks XXX

Suzanne R Banks Blog
Suzanne R Banks Aromatherapy
Suzanne R Banks FaceBook

Magnolia: The Note + The Fragrances

March 4, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

There’s hype about Magnolia. For us Australians it’s led by the release of Grandiflora’s two Magnolia Grandiflora inspired perfumes, Sandrine and Michel. At Sydney Perfume Lover’s Meet Up this week we met Saskia Havekes in her flower workshop. She talked us through the emotional and fairytale-like journey she has undertaken, getting these two fragrances to market – a 4 year process, plus more than 25 years hard slog as a floral designer!

For those of you in Europe, if you are lucky enough to be seeing the big waxy blooms of a magnolia tree waving at you from above: HOORAY!! Spring is finally on it’s way, breaking through the dreary, dragging grey of winter and bringing a sparkle of hope for longer, brighter days.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Magnolias are considered one of the most ancient flowering plants, even preceding bees. It was bugs that helped these big blooms to fertilize. If you don’t know what they look like pop to the nearest park or botanic gardens containing one– they truly are something old-worldly and special. Stand near one, shut your eyes and listen. Often you will hear petals crashing through leaves to the ground. Petals are big, thick and kind of tough for a flower. Breathe deep. The blooms smell different when first opened to when closed, by day and by night, in summer and in spring. The big white waxy flower petals weigh heavy and remind me of floppy bunny ears. When I think Magnolia I think about movement and change. Strength and beauty. Spend some time getting to know Magnolia trees and their huge blooms.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Magnolia as a perfume note is considered creamy, sweet and lightly citrus. Perfumers play with the citrus, green, aquatic and or spice notes to individualize, add dimension and express their interpretations, eg representing the whole tree / the flower/ the surroundings. Many say the Magnolia note is a bit of a “non-event”…perhaps that’s the reason for the artistic license of the perfumer – trying to represent such a magnificent flower, with only so few clues?

Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lemon, grapefruit, white pepper, green notes, woody notes, watery notes and musk

Michel and Sandrine interpret magnolia quite differently:

With Sandrine I observed notes of citrus, grapefruit and lots of pepper on first whiff, followed by fresh astringent green and dry wood accords, blurring with gentle-ish marine (I’m not an “aquatic” fan…but this passes) and musk undertones. It is the whole tree, growing in Sydney Harbour. It is unusually beautiful and breezy. The journey dances you through the branches of the magnolia tree, passing all its components of leaves, woods, and blooms, in the sea breeze. It was the final fragrance made by Sandrine Videault before she sadly passed away, last year, so there is a very emotional air in the perfume world about this one too. It seems to contain not only the spirit of Magnolia but encapsulates an essence of its creator also.

Magnolia Grandiflora Michel

Photo Stoilen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, magnolia, vetiver, patchouli and musk

Michel immediately hits as a white floral, with rounded citrus top notes, lemon, and bergamot, not as sharp or dry as Sandrine. Patchouli and vetivert, add depth. Hints of green – a nod to the tree. Magnolia, Jasmine, Rose and ylang make it more palatable for the masses. It’s like your face is pressed inside one of the big flowers – but, Michel adds a touch more than nature provided the poor Magnolia flower – amping it up somewhat.

Further reading: Grain de Musc and Jordan River on Australian Perfume Junkies
LuckyScent has both US$185/100ml
Peony Melbourne has both AUD$185/100ml

Ainslie Walker x

There are loads of fragrances that list Magnolia as an ingredient here are a few below for you to go sniff ;

Acqua Di Parma – Magnolia Nobile
J’Adore – Dior
Tokyo milk – Paridiso
Chloe – Eu De Parfum
Allure – Chanel
Gucci Flora – Gucci Glamorous,
Kenzo – Eu De Fleur De Magnolia,
Santa Maria Novella – Magnolia,
Yves Rocher – Magnolia

Un Matin d’Orage by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

March 3, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

Post by SarahK

Hello all!

Have you ever had one of those moments when a scent hits your nose and you’re stunned by its exquisite beauty? That was my reaction to my first sniff of Annick Goutal’s Un Matin d’Orage (EDT).

Un Matin d’Orage by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Sicilian lemon, ginger, green notes
Heart: Gardenia, shiso leaves, magnolia, champaca flowers, Indonesian jasmine
Base: Sandalwood

Un Matin d’Orage opens with the prettiness of a forest nymph in a Botticelli painting. She arrives carrying bridal white gardenias, but they aren’t heady and overwhelming. These flowers are fresh and slightly earthy, with a true-to-life mushroom note, and underneath her prettiness the nymph has a backbone of green wood, like the forest she came from. The heart of Un Matin d’Orage expands to become an entire gardenia-filled garden right after a rainstorm. Under the wafting scent of the flowers is a layer of greener and watery notes, like the stems of plants, broken under the weight of the rain. In summer, the effect is of a tropical rainstorm, or like walking into a hothouse, misty with water-spray, the scent of the flowers suspended in water droplets. In winter, the effect is a touch more bracing on me, like a rain-soaked garden in spring. The verdant floral notes soften over time, but are still there in the dry-down, which also reveals some green sandalwood.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

My husband never makes comments on my perfume, good or bad, but whenever I wear this he snuggles up extra-close to me, so clearly something smells good, though I don’t think of this as a sexy scent at all. In summer I can get away with spraying liberally, but cold weather sometimes brings out a little bitterness in the green notes. It’s not an unpleasant effect to me – in fact I find it adds to the interest of the fragrance – but it does mean that I like to bring my spray count down in winter.

I love to put a single spray of this on my pillow at night for happy dreams. Once, I accidentally aimed a spritz at my mobile phone and for weeks afterwards the heavenly scent would waft up every time I used the phone, putting a big smile on my face.

Photo Stolen Flickr

In cold weather this fragrance can last an impressively long time on my skin. It’s often still detectable on my skin 10 hours in. I should note, though, that the same goes for Chanel’s 28 La Pausa, which is famously short-lived on others so it could just be my skin. In hotter weather, Un Matin d’Orage doesn’t seem to last half as long, but she’s lovely while she’s there.

Further reading:
Beauty Encounter has a $49/50ml EdT and 100ml Body Cream Gift Set
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

What fragrances have brought you up short with their beauty?

SarahK

Annick Goutal (1948-99) on APJ previously.

Annick Goutal Biography,
Eau de Sud/Songes/Mandragore,
Eau d”Hadrien/Eau de Camille/Ce Soir Ou Jamais,
Passion/Un Matin d’Orage/Ambre Fetiche,
Mandragore Pourpe,
Songes,
Grand Amour,
Rose Splendide,
Nuit Etoilée and
Duel
Mon Parfum Cherie Par Camille

Oude Arabique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes

March 2, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hello my APJ Family and Friends,

As you may have noticed I love the independent perfumers that make good fragrances. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is one of them for me, her work is innovative, original, fun and sometimes challenging. She can take a tired note and refresh it so even the most jaded of palettes will be brought back to full attention.

Oude Arabique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tolu balsam, resin, mastic
Heart: Agarwood, incense, sandalwood
Base: Australian sandalwood, buddahwood, Himalayan cedar, tolu balsam

So straight out of the decant I get a very heavy Pine-o-Clean disinfectant note that lasts about 5 seconds and then turns into a medicinal, bitter scent that lasts under a minute. It’s ferocious and fun. Sadly it doesn’t last and the whole fragrance softens off considerably. My advice is take a deep breath and spritz, letting your breath out very slowly if you want to miss the opening fireworks. Give Oude Arabique at least 30 seconds to burn off before your initial sniff.

Photo Stolen FotoCommunity

I am unsure about the oudh here, it smells pretty damn real to my nose (which we have ascertained over two years is not always on point). There is a faint hint of bandaid and barnyard but really the resins and woods are the stars in Oude Arabique for the main part. They are raw and fresh hewn, only slightly buttery through the heart of the fragrance and the resins supply some fat and animalics. I read in one review that there is some ambergris floating around which could be the something tangy and beachy, working with the oudh to create an extremely pleasant fragrance that is obviously niche and with what smells like some quality natural ingredients too. Subtle, nuanced and pretty yet still a fragrant wear, projection is not huge but you do change the air around you if you sit for some time. It’s a creeper of a fragrance, sending out woodsy tendrils to capture the unwary. About 2 hours of fragrant before going close and then another couple of hours humming on your skin softly, waiting for someone to come close enough before it can lure them in.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Although this would generally be thought of as a masculine any women with the want could definitely rock this like crazy. I’d love to smell it on some of my very girly girlfriends, it would create a super interesting disconnect that would be incredibly alluring. MMM My mind is wondering who of my friends to take it to.

Further reading: EauMG and All I Am A Redhead

DSHPerfumes has EdP and Parfum strengths starting at $5
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $11/ml

Santal Massoïa by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

March 1, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

While out in London with the mad London Frag Crew a bunch of us that just couldn’t let the day finish went to Selfridges in the evening and ran amok. It was bittersweet fun because we all knew the day was coming to a close and it felt that we’d made some really great new friends who GOT us. Know what I mean? Anyway, I think it was the beautiful Tara of Olfactoria’s Travels who came to Hermès with me because I wanted to try Epice Marine (FABULOUS BTW) but annoyingly they had no samples left for me to take and review. The SA was so embarrassed at their lack that she gave me two samples of other things and today we’ll look at the first. I have decanted to a spritz so I get the same ride as you would from a bottle. Just for fun today I thought I’d let you travel through my mind on a first wearing of a fragrance…….

Santal Massoïa by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Massoïa wood resin from New Guinea, coconut, peach, butterscotch, sandalwood, sugar, milk, dried fruits, floral notes

Well, Santal Massoia is a bit of a surprise. Now that I look at the notes it makes sense but I was not expecting a tropical alcoholic drink out of a coconut, with a paper umbrella, in a freshly made wood and thatch bar by the pool. Honestly I am smiling broadly and feel as if the holiday is at day 5 when you just realise you are away and can relax for another 5 glorious days.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Something that I often feel about Jean Claude Ellena’s work and here in Santal Massoia especially is that the notes are part of a chorus, though there is a buttery, waxy, fatty wood at the centre it is not really about that so much as it’s about a feeling of quietly luxuriating in the sun, having a silly drink for the hell of it and either reading a trashy novel or playing meaningless games on your phone. It has been a long time since I’ve had a holiday like that, I don’t think in the last 25 years, but my childhood and early adulthood was full of exactly those kind of holidays, it was ONLY trashy novels then as the internet was still being used only for governmental/war games. We did used to get those great puzzle books though like find trhe word, crosswords or other game type books. There were also cards, canasta was the family game of choice and it was used as a tool to show good game play behaviours and how life was often ready to throw a curve ball. OH MY GOD! I am lost in a complete memory cycle and all through two spritzes of a fragrance.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Yes, I can pick the woods, fruits, coconut, mmmm sort of get the butterscotch but in a Schnappsy kind of way and if you asked me to pick some flowers I would say a fruity/boozy rose and the buttery fat of ylang, is there fig? Maybe the milk and fruit are giving me a fig reference? I could understand if you were to complain that Santal Massoia is linear, the story is more a rotating of notes that become more pronounced than a change in fragrance per se. After the first hour to two hours Santal Massoia softens to a nimbus of soft focus fragrance, very close to the skin and you really need to be hugging someone for them to notice how lovely you smell, that is no bad thing especially at work or in confined spaces. By the 3 hour mark I’m finding it difficult to smell anything but I think anosmia has set in because Jin still smells something nutty.

Photo Stolen Hermès

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Perfume Shrine
Hermessence are only available at Hermès stores or very rarely they come up at auction sites
You can buy in Australia from the Hermès site $665/100ml with leather cover
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Which of the Hermessence range have you tried? Do you like Jean Claude Ellena’s style?

Portia xx

Boxeuses by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2010

February 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I have a very good friend who is a reflexologist. There is a particular point on the bottom of the big toe that, when pressed correctly and very firmly, connects directly to the pituitary gland, which in turn sends a seriously pleasurable electric shock right through the body. It stimulates everything. It´s awesome. It´s short. It cannot be repeated until a period of weeks have gone by.

Boxeuses by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2010

Boxeuses, Sweat and Bromide

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Woody notes, leather, plum, licorice

Which is pretty much what happened when I tried Boxeuses for the first time. The sensual gratification was but for a second or two, but the level of clarity ……… ensnared! It happens all too rarely.

You know Serge – it´s got the plummy note, for which he is so well known, woods, violets, and incense. And suede. A suede note that is wanton. Féminité du Bois with serious balls. It stays around for hours and the leather just improves with every minute. Gasp.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Patty at Perfume Posse says, “The open is promising, it’s classic Lutens, violet, spices, cedar, leather. Bundled up like some of his most iconic fragrances – Feminite du Bois and Bois de Violette and Cuir Mauresque/Daim blond – familiar, but not. Scented echoes of what you know so well and love. Like that old lover from your youth who wanders back in your life. The same, but not the same.”

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Now’s the time to fight.

To get the idea, think of Russian leather tanned on birch bark.
Now add animalic notes, strong enough to suggest a black eye.
In other words, it’s time to see stars! Serge Lutens

This is the gym perfume. Boy or girl. High intensity work-out, sweat and Boxeuses.

Never ending leather. How rock´n´roll is that?
“We´re driving Cadillacs in our dreams …… let me live that fantasy “ (Royals – Lorde)

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Bois de Jasmin
Serge Lutens has €145/75ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

Pass the bromide.

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

February 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello perfumed peeps!

The best experiences on my perfume journey are those times when I have few expectations of a scent and it then totally rocks my world. So it is with Verveine d’Eugene by English perfumer James Heeley. While I adore his Ophelia and have a big soft spot for Sel Marin, Verveine d’Eugene (originally just named Verveine) never really attracted me. I had dismissed it unsniffed as a simple verbena, cologne-like scent. How wrong I was.

Verveine d’Eugene by James Heeley for Heeley

Photo Stolen LuckyScent

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, rhubarb, cardamom
Heart: Blackcurrant, lemon verbena, jasmine
Base: White musk

Verveine does indeed open with the tartness of bergamot and lemon verbena that is instantly refreshing and dazzling in its brightness. One is reminded of drinking cold iced tea or languorously sipping a citron presse in the south of France. However, there is much more than meets the eye (or nose) here and the aromatic, almost herbal quality of the tomato leaf lends a dark, enigmatic vibe to the cheery beginning. It’s akin to entering a secret enclosed garden at the height of a midsummer’s day. There’s welcome relief in the shadows and the earthiness of the place. There’s the scent of the lemon trees dappling the light at the perimeter and the damp pungency of vines and grass, the leaves of many little shrubs fluttering in the breeze.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Just when you think you’ve managed to breathe in all this green beauty, you notice something else: is that jasmine you can smell? If you peer carefully, you can see the damp tendrils of the flowered vines peeking over the back wall. The small, white flowers lend a gentle sweetness to the verdant, damp surroundings.

Verveine may appear a simple composition of citrus, green and jasmine, but its story is much richer. There is a sense of elegance among the duality of fresh and dark and an overriding sense of mystery. Whilst it’s perfectly enjoyable and refreshing on a hot summer’s day, it is also a contemplative scent for those days when you just crave solitude.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwyoumeflickrcom/8096552203/player/d1fd02a7f7

And despite some issues with longevity, it’s very much full-bottle worthy for me.

LuckyScenthas $180/100ml and samples
Peony Melbourne has $210/100ml

Have you tried Verveine d’Eugene? What scents have you had no expectations for and then fallen in love with?

With much love till next time!

M x

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