Spanish Geranium (vintage) by Andre Fryse for Lanvin

September 30, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 77 Comments

Post by Azar

Spanish Geranium by Lanvin

Hello APJ,

Spanish Geranium (Geranium d’Espagne) was created for Lanvin in 1925 by the brilliant perfumer Andre Frysse. It sold for a short time, became unavailable for many years, was revived in the 1950’s and finally discontinued around 1970. The 20th century actress Joan Crawford (“Mommy Dearest” to some) was reported to have said of Spanish Geranium that it was one of the three fragrances she “would never want to live without”. The other two were Royall Lyme by Anthony Gaade and Estee Lauder’s Youth Dew. Jungle Gardenia was also one of her favorites. Unfortunately for Joan (and for the rest of us) Spanish Geranium and the original Jungle Gardenia that she loved so much are long gone while more mainstream, crowd-pleasing fragrances, like Royall Lyme and Youth Dew, remain.

In the 1960’s my mother was given a bottle of Spanish Geranium Eau de Lanvin (an EDT). She favored Arpege so gave me free access to the SG, which I used with a heavy hand. The scent of Spanish Geranium, as well as the characteristic Lanvin accord, are burned into my memory. In those days my application of this fragrance was so liberal that one of my music comp professors actually took me aside on a hot Spring day and advised me on the appropriate use of perfumes and colognes. I remember his exact words and often ignore them.

Spanish Geranium is a bracing, in your face, almost masculine rendition of its floral namesake. The top notes are a combination of the familiar scent of the flowers and foliage of the zonal geranium (Pelargonium zonale) and the crushed leaves of the hybrid spicy rose geranium (P. ‘Graveolins’). Citrus, perhaps unripe lemon or bergamot, and what might be pepper add a sparkle to the floral mix. The opening never truly fades, giving Spanish Geranium the illusion of a soliflore, which it definitely is not. After about five minutes oakmoss, palmarosa and a touch of patchouli join the geraniums, eventually drying down to a light amber, a woody resin and something animalic, perhaps civet. The entire SG fragrance mélange floats on the same Lanvin accord that supports Arpege and My Sin. I can’t really describe this accord, but if you have used vintage Lanvin you will know what I’m talking about .The sillage can vary between quite intimate to moderate and the longevity up to 4 hours on my skin and more on clothing.

When I first tried Spanish Geranium I thought it was the strangest fragrance I had ever experienced. Admittedly I was quite young at the time but, even now, I find SG to be hauntingly beautiful and (for lack of a better word) just a little bit “odd”. I LOVE odd! Perhaps you will too! Remember that this is a very vintage EDT. It has faded somewhat but has not turned. What I perceive to be a fascinating, odd smell is the same scent I’ve encountered, bottle after bottle, from my first sniff over 50 years ago up to and including what I’m enjoying today.

Further reading: Cleopatra’s Boudoir
The Perfumed Court has .5ml in with 6 other Lanvin fragrances from $28

I just asked Lucie Joly (the Assistante Chef de Produit, what does that title mean?) if there would be a modern revival. She was very cordial but said that an SP revival was not in the works right now, thanks for asking and she would let me know if they decided to do a reissue. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to put a “bee in their bonnet”. It might be interesting to see what kind of Spanish Geranium would emerge to suit modern tastes and restrictions. When I think of a modern revival of SP I get the the image of a strange mutated butterfly with a vague memory of another life as something else. This image was probably a result of reading Ellen Covey’s most recent post referring to butterfly memory, among other things.

AzarX

Photo Stolen hemodernhome

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

There will be 2 winners this week, each will receive:

1 x 2ml decant from my stash of Spanish Geranium EDT
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

To be eligible just leave a comment about anything related to geraniums or pelargoniums and mention how you follow the APJ’s (e-mail, wordpress, whatever).

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Vintage Lanvin Spanish Geranium GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-1Vs @LANVINofficial #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday October 6th 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
The winners will be chosen by B-Azar or by Gomez the pionus parrot from same sized folded papers on a tray.
The winners will have till Wednesday 9th October 2013 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.

DATES FIXED! OOOOPS! Naughty Portia with the cut & paste

Mandragore Pourpre by Camille Goutal + Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 2009

September 29, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 96 Comments

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

Just recently Natalie from Another Perfume Blog landed in Sydney and to welcome her I took her and another buddy out to a couple of SALE Stores. While at a particular one we found this gorgeous purple bottle of Annick Goutal reduced to next to nothing, I begged for the Tester and got it for even less! So now I have a huge amount of it and think it’s only fair to share the largess.

Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives rthese featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, mint, star anis
Heart: Aromatic herbs, spices, amber, rosemary, geranium, black pepper
Base: Heliotrope, incense, patchouli, myrtle

Sweet minty fresh opening and it’s a fun herbal blast. Mandragore Pourpre is supposed to be reminiscent of the deep, dark, enchanted Mandrake Root that looks like a person and can change your life for good, a poisonous, hallucinogenic, aphrodisiac all in one root. No wonder people think it’s bewitched. From my reading Isabelle Doyen has said more of the Harry Potter Mandrake than the old world witchy tales. Because of the sweetness cutting through the green it doesn’t give me much darknesss, though it becomes spicy and tingly through the heart with all the pepper and geranium the ambers warmth keeps it friendly and cozy. My skin even makes the dry down soft and powdery rather than the cool incense and earthy green I was expecting. Clearly it’s me because everyone else seems to have had a different ride. Still a green-ish powder but hardly any incense, to my nose anyway.
.

Photo Stolen GoldenArmor

Life around 4 hours max but fragrant for the first 2-3 hours with good sillage but only moderate projection. If you sit with a group for about 10 minutes they will start asking who smells good after 9 minutes. So it’s a bit of a creeper in company.
.
Edited from the Annick Goutal site: An olfactory creation born of the fascination felt by Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen for the mandrake. A plant which had magical and aphrodisiac virtues in ancient times. Mandragore Pourpre fuses aromatic and Cyprus scents.
Illustrating a darker and more mysterious facet of the mandrake, different from the original Mandragore whose fragrance is based on refreshing and woody scents. A contrasting interpretation for an ode to mystery. A spicy, sensual and captivating composition.
.
Further reading: Now Smell This and Grain de Musc
FragranceNet has $90/100ml before coupon
The Posh Peasant starts at $4/ml

Photo Stolen MimiFrouyFrou

Photo Stolen lavanyasrecipes

Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

We will have 3 winners this week. It would be more but postage is outrageous! Each winner will receive

1 x 5ml decant of Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal EdT
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

All I need is a HELLO with how you follow for you to be eligible for the draw.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie @AnnickGoutal_FR Mandragore Pourpre: Annick Goutal GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-21D #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 3rd October 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner (unless he asleep or studying then I’ll use random.org).
The winners will have till Sunday 6th October 2013 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.

Good Luck Everyone,
Portia xxx

L’Air du Temps parfum by Francis Fabron for Nina Ricci 1948

September 26, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Some of you may know that way back in the dimness of time I was a Squirt Bitch for a department store in Sydney’s suburbs, my fragrance section was Guerlain, Oscar de la Renta, Worth and Nina Ricci. At the time I was so dazzled by the Guerlains and Oscars that poor old Nina Ricci got left behind, it was the 1980s and very few people were after such subtlety, especially once I started on my “Make a statement” spiel. I recently purchased some L’Air du Temps parfum just for old times sake. Then, a short while ago on Fragrantica Miguel Matos did a sensational L’Air du Temps 65th Birthday piece and judging by the packaging on my new acquisition it’s 1986-2008 juice, except the parfum has gold doves on the box. Which is a SCORE. Today was always going to be about L’Air du Temps but now it has an extra special reason, Happy 65th Birthday L’Air du Temps.

L’Air du Temps parfum by Nina Ricci 1948

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, carnation, bergamot, neroli, aldehydes, Brazilian rosewood, peach
Heart: Cloves, carnation, orris root, gardenia, rosemary, jasmine, ylang ylang, violet, rose, orchid
Base: Musk, amber, sandalwood, iris, spices, vetiver, cedar, oakmoss, benzoin

I love a floral, fruity, aldehydic opening of yesteryear, there is so much depth and glamour. It’s spicy and sugared, crisp and warm and fizzy, L’Air du Temps is fun! The parfum version is so much fuller and more powerful in the opening than my memories of the EdT back in the 1980s but the scent is still the same, no not the same but same enough to feel the memories flood back. Both cozy and starched elegance at the same time. Luminous! I am back in time over 20 years and just getting my first perfumista stars.

After the first ten minutes L’Air du Temps takes a definite step towards soft, there become space between the various notes and the wall of scent becomes a lovely warm floral aura that is still spicy and punchy but more restrained. There is so much going on in L’Air du Temps that I find it hard to pick individual notes. The cloves are most discernible and I can smell flowers but it’s a dream of flowers nothing specific. While half the time feeling totally old fashioned and dated it also is still spare and pretty enough through the heart to be at ease in today’s fragrant climate. An hour in and I am softly fragrant, maybe if I was sitting in a small room for a while you’d smell a change in the air but otherwise you’d have to hug me to know I’m perfumed.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Amber and sandalwood/cedar are what I smell most of in the dry down, there are other things but I can’t decipher them as notes it’s more of a harmonious background hum. After around 4 hours L’Air du Temps goes so soft I can barely register it but I know that I’m not smelling me, it is definitely other, an amorphous wash that I lose at around 5-6 hours.

How does L’Air du Temps make me feel? Pretty, I feel pretty, no bold statement, very laid back and comfortable. Wearable on any occasion, even close working quarters would not be offended by L’Air du Temps parfum. It is subtle and glamorous without the hard work of appearing to be.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Bois de Jasmin
Fragrance Shop starts at $33/50ml EdTBeauty Encounter has $160/0.25 oz Parfum Classic Flacon Collection Cristal Lalique Bottle
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml

Have you worn L’Air du Temps? Does it have memories for you? Share with us please in the comments
Se you tomorrow,
Portia xx
Whoever got the job of creating this ad was both crazy and genius by the look of it. It is still super wow.

Drag Queens, Cookie Queens and Chanel´s Coromandel

September 25, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Drag Queens, Cookie Queens and Chanel´s Coromandel.

Or How I met Portia Turbo-Gear of AustralianPerfumeJunkies.

Photo Stolen AlexDonald

Fragrantica gives these featured accordfs:
Top: Bitter orange,citruses, neroli
Heart: Jasmine, rose, patchouli, orris
Base: Musk, woodsy notes, benzoin, olibanum, incense, vanilla, white chocolate

I know that this fragrance was named after the exquisite Chinese lacquered wood screens in Coco Chanels house, but I prefer to think of it as having been named after the Coromandel Coast, the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent. Much more suited to the rich, patchouli, amber, incensed based Eau de Toilette. It belongs to the luxurious collection of Les Exclusifs de Chanel. Nose is Jacques Polge. It´s classed as a fragrance for women. That is so not true. It is equally suited to a bloke. But we know all this stuff don´t we? It´s been covered so well – Olfactoria, Bois de Jasmin, …….

I saw on APJ, early January 2013, that Portia and Jin were headed to Europe, with a list of dates as to when and where they would be. Well, as fate would have it, the pair of them were in Vienna on the same day as I was visiting the city. I dropped them a mail, offered a bag of fresh baked cookies, and we had a date!

Now after seven years in Amsterdam, there is nothing that can really phase me. However, I got my daughter and her friend to come along too. I had never had a blind date with an Australian drag queen before, and a little moral support never goes amiss eh? We arrived a little early, hit the Chanel Exclusif counter, where I doused myself in Coromandel. Meeting point was Café Mozart, downtown Vienna. A very beautiful, very Viennese coffee house. We had absolutely no clue as to who we were looking for, having not stalked the pair online to see what they looked like. We went into the cafe, looked around, saw no one that looked like they were waiting for us, and went out again.

I was carrying a Chanel bag, complete with camellia, in which I had the cookies packed up. A dead giveaway, or so I thought. We went outside to wait. It was damn cold. Not knowing if Portia would be in drag or not, we stared down every woman that walked by. Is it? Isn´t it? We had such a laugh. I finally texted them and asked if I had been stood up. Portia texted back “Inside grey Christmas jumper left near window, standing:” And there they were. Portia dressed in a Marks and Sparks looking sweater with a kind of Scandinavian christmas tree pattern. And I was looking for Dame Edna? Epic fail. (Portia had been outside, and seen us, and thought that anyone carrying a Chanel bag was too posh for them, and went back inside – is that a double epic fail??)

It was as though we had know each other for years. ( Portia has the gift of making you feel loved right away!!) I told my daughter she could leave. No, no, no …… no way. She was absolutely staying put. Wouldn´t miss it for the world!! Portia and Jin had also spritzed themselves, with Coromandel and Cuir de Russie. Great minds ……. In amongst the conversation, which ran at about a hundred miles an hour, I said maybe I could write a piece for the blog sometime. Not planned, never thought about it, absolutely no perfume writing skills …….. in fact, after 20 years of speaking bad German, and losing a lot of my English vocabulary, I didn´t really know if could string a sentence together. But here I am!!

We went onto the Chanel store together. I bought a bottle of Coromandel. We drove the shop assistant into lid-flipping insanity, and I had to grab my new friend Portia by the hand and drag him out the store. I had a feeling he was going to show the poor Austrian assistant what a colorful vocabulary I was sure that he had!! Each time I wear Coromandel, I am zapped back to that day, and to the short time we had with Portia and Jin. The memories with some perfumes are so etched into our brains that we cannot get rid of them. In this case it is awesome!!

Some that say that the longevity of Coromandel is not so good. Why do you think it comes in that half gallon bottle? Spray it on guys, lots of it and all over. Works a treat. I am in the minority. I love the huge bottle. It´s just so damn satisfying. It is an EdT and should be treated as such. Spritz baby spritz.

Portia opened a new chapter in my life. Not only with APJ. Through him I met two absolutely wonderful perfumistas living on my doorstep. My horizons have been widened, my circle of friends increased, my perfume collection has grown.

Is today September the 25th??? HAPPY BIRTHDAY PORTIA!!!

Photo Stolen 43things

A thousand bussis, to the sky and back.

Val xxxxxxx

Tubereuse Criminelle by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1999

September 24, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hello fragrant friends!

Today I want to share my very personal story on how a bottle of a special fragrance came into my life. Almost two years ago, I was in a very bad place. I had returned to Sydney from London after recently getting engaged to Mr M. We moved in together, I was starting a new chapter with the man I loved and it should have been a tremendously happy time for me. However, one thing stood in my way: employment.

The job market for the sector I was in was particularly dire. I searched and searched and got knocked back either because I was way overqualified or just not senior enough. One month turned into two and then three and suddenly, I had been out of work for the longest time since starting in the job market at 15 packing shelves at a local grocery store.

Photo Stolen Sander van der Wel Flickr

Still, it should have been fine. Mr M was happily supporting me financially and for the first time in years, I had time to think. But therein was the rub. Work had been so much part of my existence for so long that I now defined myself through my job. Without one, I felt like I had lost my identity and furthermore, my existence. As time rolled on, I became more depressed. I mooched around, drank more, ate tons and put of masses of weight which only exacerbated my unhappiness. When Mr M came home from work, I snapped at him. I was not a very nice person to be with.

Eventually, I did get some freelance work, but it wasn’t quite enough. My birthday was coming up and I would have been out of full time work for six months by that time, something I desperately didn’t want to happen.

So on Mr M’s advice, I went to see my parents who live up in northern New South Wales. It would be a breath of fresh air, allow me to spend some quality time with my Mum and Dad and hopefully, snap me out of my black dog state.

One day, I was doing some of my freelance stuff in Dad’s study. Rummaging around his desk drawer for a pen is when I spotted it: there in the drawer was a bottle of…..

Tubereuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens 1999

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Jasmine, orange blossom, hyacinth, tuberose, nutmeg, clove, styrax, musk and vanilla

I was flabbergasted, excited and also perplexed. This was obviously my birthday present but how did Dad know to buy me this? Sure, Dad knew of my perfume love and I’d probably mentioned tuberose as a note here and there, but he certainly didn’t know Serge. And how had he discovered Tubereuse Criminelle, which at that point, had only been recently released into the export line?

I went into the kitchen to see Mum.

“Mum, don’t tell Dad, but I think I have accidentally found my birthday present.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, the perfume in his desk drawer. But how did Dad know about it and how to get it and that I’d want Tubereuse Criminelle?”

“Well, you’ve been so very down lately darling and we know you love perfume and tuberose and all that. So Dad did some investigation online and found that this was a good one and quite hard to find. He just wanted to give you something really special to make you happy.”

Tears came to my eyes. The thought of Dad reading perfume reviews and doing background research was beyond overwhelming. I was deeply, deeply touched and thankful. It was a very special present in more ways than one. Now when I take that precious bottle out, I am reminded that good can come out of bad. The jolie laide character of Tubereuse Criminelle with the sharp mentholated opening before the full bloom of white flowers is a reminder that things do get better.

And, I’m also reminded that there is a hell of a lot more to life than work. It’s not the thing that defines me.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

For more in-depth reviews of the scent itself, please see Bois de Jasmin and The Candy Perfume Boy.

Tubereuse Criminelle is available at
Mecca Cosmetica $166/50ml
LuckyScent $150/50ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml.

Do you have a special story on one of your perfumes? What’s your take on Tubereuse Criminelle?

With much love till next time!

M x

Anat Fritz’ Tzora by Geza Schoen for Anat Fritz 2012

September 24, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Azar

Dear APJs,

Never in my wildest, most fragrant dreams could I have imagined that one day I would be tempted to purchase a perfume that was named after a kibbutz and tucked into a hand made sock! If this image isn’t strange enough just try to picture the following: A geriatric shopper mobbed by several young sales associates all attempting to provide the most thorough customer service in the history of office supply stores. If you can imagine either of these scenarios perhaps you too have tried ……

Tzora by Anat Fritz 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Black currant, clary sage, bergamot, pepper, magnolia, osmanthus, jasmine, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, musk and moss.

My experience with Tzora began with Olfactif’s September Sample Collection (Pleasant Promenade by S. Poncet, Siam Proun by Ellen Covey and Tzora, the kibbutz in a sock). Tzora proved to be a pleasant enough fragrance. The musky woods, wafting in and out of my scent consciousness, caused me to suspect that the cassis and peruvian pepper (among other notes) were laced with GS’s “signature” aroma chemical, iso-E-super. On a whim I loaded my skin with 2 hefty sprays and went out on my morning errands.

My first stop was the bank. The usually serious bank teller gave me an odd look and then greeted me with a big smile and a sparkle in her eyes. Everywhere I went people were in a great mood, smiling, laughing and wanting to chat. I attributed all the friendliness to a day of sunshine and headed for my last stop, the office supply store.

Photo Stolen limerickrose2012

I walked into the store in a big hurry, made a beeline for the tape aisle, found what I needed and was just about to zoom over to bubble wrap when a young man appeared, determined to help me find what I already had in my hand, a single roll of packing tape. He insisted on carrying it for me! Usually, when I shop at this store, I have been carefully ignored and prefer it that way. I made my way to the next aisle where another salesman joined the first. Eventually I managed to pick up not only all the supplies I needed but six very helpful young men as well. I was becoming a little self-conscious. Didn’t these guys have anything better to do with their time? Were they trying to look busy for the management or were they just helpless moths attracted to the flame that is Azar? Other customers were staring, coming closer and smiling. It was then I caught a whiff of myself. AHA! All the attention and solicitous customer service must be a reaction to the perfume that Geza Schoen had created for Anat Fritz and that I had so recklessly applied earlier in the day.

Photo Stolen Michigan.gov

Further reading: The Perfume Diary
LuckyScent has $150/100ml
The Perfumed Court starts at $5/ml

Yes, it felt great to be waited on, smiled at and chatted up but would I want such treatment every day? Why not? $150 for 100ml of Tzora, the kibbutz in a sock, seems a small price to pay for so many smiles and such great customer service. Now here’s a question. Have you had any interesting public reactions to the scents you wear (perfumes, pheromones, aroma chemicals, whatever)? Try not to go too private or explicit with this one.

Azar xx

Forbidden Games by Kilian 2012

September 22, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Hello Fumies and Friends,

There was a lot of kerfuffle when by Kilian brought out his newest set of fragrances “In The Garden Of Good And Evil”, we were all expecting way too much because of by Kilian’s history and price point. To be fair on the poor guy he did open with beyond amazing fragrances: Back to Black and Sweet Redemption being my two faves so far. Then came the Asian Tales, which for me were a complete and utter flop. So as a comeback series “In The Garden Of Good And Evil” needed to be so far above the bar, include new directions and exquisitely crafted fragrances. I have read Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil by John Berendt a couple of times and seen the John Cusack, Kevin Spacey and Jude Law film many times because I love The Lady Chablis. In my mind I hoped for something outrageous and dark, brooding dankness that was glossed over with beauty.

Forbidden Games by Kilian 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Apple, peach, plum, cinnamon
Heart: Bulgarian rose, bourbon geranium, jasmine
Base: Vanilla, honey, opoponax

I am glum. With Forbidden Games I had hoped that the jasmine, honey and to an extent vanilla/opoponax were going to undercut the fruit with a dirty, fleshy, breathy, urinous backbeat that would naughtily and subversively poke fun at the many fruity fragrances already in the market. Something gorgeous and devilish, a finger raised fearlessly at the quagmire of fizzy fruit cup crap. Sadly this was not to be. Forbidden Games leads us and our expectations astray, we get a very pretty, sweet, fruity and only the merest hint of anything not being ultra nice. I was hoping for Serial Mom but I got Mrs Brady.

Forbidden Games is not a bad scent, actually it is flawless in its genre, and will be perfect for those uber rich Dads to gift daughters and wives (They are giving their mistresses the Arabian Nights and L’oeuvre Noire collections). Especially good for a gateway fragrance that will take a girl to a perfumista woman. The packaging and copy are fabulous, of course, and they didn’t just release this for fun so there must be a clientele out there buying Forbidden Games, let’s hope so for the company’s sake.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

My skin eats most of Forbidden Games in the first half hour of application and after that I need to take a really up close focused whiff of myself to get anything much. If you like the idea of spritzing yourself with perfume and the initial rush of sweet, fruity girlishness but can’t or don’t want to wear fragrance at work then this could be for you. Fireworks and then the merest whiffle of something that is soft enough to pass off as body lotion because offices are so drying, don’t you know.

Photo Stolen Tormod Sandtorv Flickr

Further reading: The Non-Blonde and Patty really made me think about my review at Perfume Posse
Lucky Scent has $245/50ml or $145 for refill
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/.5ml

I am yet to try the rest of the “In The Garden Of Good And Evil” set but my buddies on FFF tell me there are a couple of perfect gems hiding in the range, my next “To Try” will be In The City Of Sin. How did they fare on you?
Portia xx

Photo Stolen MoviePilot

5 Sexy Scents for Seduction! 2013

September 21, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Hey Hey Y’All,

One of the things that I sometimes get asked is, “Which perfume should I wear to get lucky?” The short answer is the sweet smell of success and happiness. Of course, sometimes romance needs a little push or maybe we need to smell a certain way to have the confidence to create the opportunity. I have a few frags in my weaponry that I like to wear when being noticed in the right way is important. You also need to have a bit of strategy too. What kind of person do you want to smell like? Here are 5 types and fragrances to go with them. Remember, this is all in fun, it’s not just about the way you smell that’s going to hook your intended but it might just be the final push they need…….

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

1: Having a ball with my friends: Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder

I have the 2010 version of Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche but they are all a fun holiday tropical type spritz that is extremely pretty, has good sillage and projection and they last well too. Coconut and/or jasmine seem to be the standout notes in the whole set and it’s the kind of carefree summery scent that smells like you are out for fun and an uncomplicated, happy, breezy person ready for what ever the night holds.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

2: I may look a bit uptight but underneath…..: CHANEL No 19

This is a good old fashioned beauty. The cool, crisp snap of a green fragrance at once aloof and haughty. You want to smell like an ice king/queen that needs a bit of thawing. That iris undercut by warm woods and leather, all frost and fire will keep your partner a little off balance till you want to show them the way. CHANEL No 19 is a wonderful back straightener and focus fragrance if you need to feel in control of the situation while waiting to exhale.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

3: I am a soft silken dove: DIOR La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Milly-la-Foret

Sometimes being quietly, tastefully understated is the best way to get someone to come close and stay there. That first waft as they come in close to you could be the clincher. Milly-la-Foret is a beautiful soft musky powder, it’s there but only up close, and it smells so good and expensive, a winner. So soft and light that it will give an impression of fragility yet if you sniff a bit closer you can tell it’s real quality and perfectly at peace. Milly-la-Foret is the scent of success and the contented wind down after the celebration parties.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

4: If you grab this there will be all sorts of: Trouble by Boucheron

Trouble is one of my all time favourite siren scents. Sweet jasmine over a hefty amber base. This is the scent of a heartbreaker, and men go crazy for it. You can find Trouble at the discounters but soon it will be all gone, it’s getting harder and harder to find for a reasonable price. Slated by Turin/Sanchez but a fabulously outrageous and over the top fragrance that will certainly bring you attention. Smells especially great on the men, believe it.

5: Seriously seeking physical attentions, all offers considered: Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier

This smells so good I follow people around in venues that wear it just to catch an errant whiff. Le Male is the most sensual, engaging and stridently sexual scent I know on both sexes. Ignore the ad spiel ladies, Le Male is killer on everyone and in today’s age of scentless fragrant wash you will stand out like dogs balls, ready to be licked. Be careful when you spritz Le Male, you may need security guards. Looking for action, then this is your choice.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this fun look at how to smell for seduction. Fragrance does not care who wears it, never be mislead by the advertising copy or who a fragrance is aimed at. If they smell good, wear them. Cross the gender divide,you’ll be glad you did,

What are your special seduction fragrances? Please add to the list in the comments. Share your hard won knowledge please.

See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Pheromones! AbdesSalaam Attar for La Via del Profumo

September 20, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Post by FeralJasmine

APJ, I Believe in Pheromones!
In my remote youth there was a perfume called Pheromone. It was sold through little ads near the back of the Sunday paper magazine section, and it promised to make the wearer irresistible. It played heavily on the fact that most people had vaguely heard of pheromones but knew nothing about how they worked or even what they actually were. Some of the ad copy, as nearly as I can remember, indicated that the opposite sex would swarm around you without knowing why, and you would not be able to smell this elixir on yourself but you would know it was working because of the reactions of those around you. At first this sounded terribly appealing to a 13-year-old prone to a bit of puppy fat, but fortunately I had no checking account at the time, and when I eventually got one I had long since forgotten about Pheromone, which was probably distilled water and a little alcohol anyway.

Feromone pour Femme by La Via Del Profumo

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords in one line:
Amber(gris), tuberose, civet, jasmine, vanilla

All those memories came back when I was browsing the website of La Via Del Profumo and came across Dubrana’s creation Feromone pour Femme. The website copy suggests that pheromones from animals may ” have been used by man since dawn of time for pharmaceutical purposes and to enhance one’s appeal and sexual energy.” Well, I don’t know about you, but my appeal can generally use a little enhancement these days, so I ordered a sample from Surrender to Chance.

The stated notes are genuine ambergris and civet, “perfected with a sensual accord of the perfumes of jasmine, tuberose, and vanilla.” I doubt that I have ever worn anything with authentic ambergris in it, so I put it on with happy anticipation.

Photo Stolen Lorando Labbe Flickr

At first it seemed like a charming white floral, rounded out with some vanilla. The ingredients were clearly top-notch. I could detect the civet but it was subtle. I wasn’t able to detect ambergris as an individual note. I just noted that the florals seemed a little rounder and plusher than I had expected. After half an hour it was fading, which is short-lived even for an all-natural perfume, and I thought my curiosity about it had been satisfied. Nice, no big deal.

Then for the next ninety minutes or so, the scent played with me. It would reappear unexpectedly, then seem to be gone again. It would waft past my nose on a light breeze but seem absent from the wrist where I applied it. It would seem lean, then lush and even a little fatty. It was a will-o-the-wisp, leading me out into the unknown where I would drift around gradually losing my reason until I plunked down 212 American dollars for a 50ml bottle. If you think I would do that in my right mind, you don’t know how cheap I really am.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Cautiously, I bought a tiny decant and sprayed it about a bit. Same experience. Now you smell it, now you don’t, and each time you catch a whiff it seems a tiny bit different. I’m fascinated. I don’t know if this is the effect of true ambergris. If I ever had a chance to talk to Dominique Dubrana, the perfumer/magician who made it, the only questions I would want answered are “Did I imagine all that? And if not, how the hell did you do it?”

I still don’t know if I will spring for a full bottle, but a larger decant is in my immediate future. This perfume perplexes me. I can’t figure it out. I want to keep trying. And please, somebody, tell me how sniffing solidified whale vomit (Ed: sorry FeralJasmine it comes from the other end) can pull me toward financial lunacy. It seems as blind and unreasoning as…well…love, I guess.

Photo & Following Info Fragrantica

WHITE/GREY Ambergris  - Product which has a white or partly white coating and a light interior color. Normally pieces of this type are smaller in size (they have been in the ocean longer). The fragrance will have at least some sweetness
STANDARD Ambergris  - This product is normally brown/grey or ash in color. It will have a good fragrance but still a little strong. Pieces can be larger. You can often notice some layers in the material.
LOW QUALITY Black Ambergris – This type can be very hard, firm or soft.
.

I couldn’t find any other reviews sadly
La Via Del Profumo has €59/16ml and €161/50ml
I’ve ordered a tiny precious vial of pure ambergris tincture to investigate the ingredient on its own. I will keep thinking about it. Monsieur Dubrana, this thing isn’t over between us.

FeralJasmine x

Helmut Lang EDP

September 19, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Chairman Meow

There is often a lot of discordance between the image projected by a fashion house, and the perfumes they produce (Yairs, looking at you, Gucci. Balmain, I wasn’t looking at you until Christophe Decarnin came. And then went.) Not so the case with Helmut Lang, where the aesthetic of the fragrance and the clothes marry beautifully. Too bad for us, then, that a) Helmut Lang is now sculpting for a quid and b) his fragrances are no longer in production.

Helmut Lang EDP

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the following accords:
Top: rosemary, lavender, cotton candy
Heart: jasmine, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, rose
Base: sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla, cedar

Rosemary makes a cameo appearance at the outset, but confusingly has a tannic quality, giving the impression of suede or some form of cured animal skin. Whatever it is, it is short lived, and soon evanesces to leave a Turkish delight and musk concoction that hums along in a linear fashion but is utterly delicious to behold. I can pick out rose, lavender and heliotrope, but to my nose, the other floral elements are pretty amorphous. The overall effect is one of buttering yourself up with an almond croissant and taking a good ol’ grind around a musk stick pole. But don’t get me wrong – a scent with thigh high slits held together with novelty sized safety pins this ain’t. We’re doing it Helmut Lang styl-ee, which means we wear matter-of-fact expressions on our faces and our hands in our pockets. We start off low key and sotto voce throughout.

In an excellent interview on Cafleurbon, Maurice Roucel revealed that his brief for the cologne, which I am told is almost identical to the EDP, was to create “the jus to smell of his boyfriend’s secretions on clean sheets”. And he certainly succeeded in creating a scent that re-creates that slightly seedy morning-after smugness, when you’re walking doing that bed-headed, bear-footed walk of shame, and things are Your Little Secret for now. By the way, who on earth is this man-friend of Herr Lang, who would inspire such a scent? I really haven’t the foggiest, although I’d imagine he might look something like this:

Photo Stolen eli.mama

Photo Stolen Florin Gorgan Flickr

Photo stolen Charles Roffey Flickr

If you’ve never tried the gastronomic wonder that is the musk stick, they are a chewy-chalky fluoro pink candy which I’m guessing is meant to approximate the taste of the idea of perfume. Fortunately for us, now having just licked my bottle of Helmut Lang, they don’t taste like actual perfume. But who would have thought that the secretions from the nether regions of a deer could make most excellent confectionary? In any case, should you ever encounter a pink extruded candy man in a suit, please tell him Meow says hi, and give him a nibble for me.

Is it fair of me to wax lyrical about an obsolete perfume? Probably not. But for those of us who own and love Helmut Lang, let us take a moment to draw closer to our bottles and croon appreciatively into the spot where its ear would be. “I less than three you, little Helmie!”

Photo Stolen TelegraphUK

eBay has some Helmut Lang Eau De Parfum that starts at around $150/50ml
I could not find any samples in the sample/decant stores.

If you had to choose the next fashion designer to create a fragrance, who would it be? For me, it would have to be Rick Owens. I want a perfume inspired by his missus and in-house necromancer Michelle Lamy, the anti-Mitzah with her inky fingies and pointy teeth.

Until we next meet,
Chairman Meow

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Reviews

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Spanish Geranium by Lanvin

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HOUSEKEEPING

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Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal 2009

Mandragore Pourpre by Annick Goutal GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

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L’Air du Temps parfum by Nina Ricci 1948

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Anat Fritz’ Tzora by Geza Schoen for Anat Fritz 2012

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Forbidden Games by Kilian 2012

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5 Sexy Scents for Seduction! 2013

1: Having a ball with my friends: Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder

2: I may look a bit uptight but underneath…..: CHANEL No 19

3: I am a soft silken dove: DIOR La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Milly-la-Foret

4: If you grab this there will be all sorts of: Trouble by Boucheron

5: Seriously seeking physical attentions, all offers considered: Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier

Pheromones! AbdesSalaam Attar for La Via del Profumo

Feromone pour Femme by La Via Del Profumo

Helmut Lang EDP

Helmut Lang EDP