A Scent by Daphne Bugey for Issey Miyake 2009

December 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Hi everyone,

I ignored Issey Mikaye’s A Scent when it came out. I was happily immersed in niche and vintage sampling then, trying all I could of the latest darling releases: Andy Tauer sample sets, Parfum d’Empire, Parfums de Nicolai … Lutens … the latest Chanel Les Exlcusifs … I practically camped outside the letter box waiting for L’Artisan Traversee du Bosphore to be delivered (it didn’t work for me sadly), and a gift of a bottle of vintage Miss Dior was a thrill beyond words.

A Scent never stood a chance. I tried department store testers but tended to agree with reviewers who generally seemed underwhelmed.
Well, recently I picked up a small bottle for $10 from a shop selling off a bunch of testers. Why not, at that price? Get it while you can…

A Scent by Issey Miyake 2009

A Scent by Daphne Bugey

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives thee featured accords:
Amalfi lemon, lemon verbena, jasmine, hyacinth, Virginia cedar, galbanum

A Scent opens with a tang of citrus followed quickly by a realistic evocation of hyacinth, very bracing, but not as bitter as actual hyacinths can smell. After that the fragrance relaxes and I smell mixed clean green florals over a gentle base of musk (not listed as a note). Longevity is good and sillage moderate. I wore it on warm day during a long car journey and found it a refreshing but gentle presence over several hours, with nothing to offend my fellow travellers.

PDI

The hyacinth is what pleases me about A Scent. I recognise it distinctly but it is not as heavy as the other hyacinth perfume I know well, Guerlain Chamade. A Scent is frequently compared to other great classics, Chanel Cristalle and No 19, and not favourably. ‘Nice, but not as good as … ‘.

But many people would find A Scent easier to wear, I think. It is green all the way through but without sharpness or bitterness, and anyone worried about dirty moss or wet stones need have no concerns here. It reminds me a bit of Estee Lauder Pure White Linen but without the herbal shampoo accord that makes PWL a bit banal for me.

Miyake reportedly does not like fragrance and this one is said to be inspired by the smell of Japanese mountains. It smells clean and cool, damp but not watery, and conforms with Miyake’s minimalist aesthetic.

WikiCommons

A Scent is not a masterpiece, but if it sounds like your thing, grab it while you can. Yes – it’s discontinued, but widely available at the online discounters. There’s a pink flanker, A Scent by Issey Miyake Eau de Parfum Florale. That one is still on the market but I have not tried it. Do comment if you have.

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Perfume Shrine
FragranceNet has AUD$23/47ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Green fragrances can be tricky to wear. Do you have a favourite?
Until next time, keep spritzing everyone!
Anne-Marie

Three Kings and Christmas Season Fragrances

December 13, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by TinaG

Hi APJ!

Christmas is a week and a bit away yet, but somehow feels like it’s tomorrow. To help us get into the holiday season I thought I’d take a look at some traditional Christmassy scents. Hard to choose just one sometimes! But let’s take a look.

Three Kings Fragrances

Let’s take a look at what fragrances the three kings may have worn to match their scents.

Fragrantica

Gold: Larmes Du Désert – Atelier des Ors
The beautiful sun-rayed bottles with flakes of real gold make wonderful perfumed snow-globes. Pick it up & give it a shake, preferably while standing in sunlight. What do they smell like? I can’t remember, I was too mesmerised by the sparkles.

Fragrantica

Frankincense: Oliban – Keiko Mecheri
Frankincense is sometimes referred to as olibanum/oliban , and the perfume of that name by Keiko Mecheri has a fabulous, photo-realistic frankincense note which smelt like it had been grabbed straight from the burning censer. I’m gonna be bold and put it out there as a must-sniff for this incense note. Portia has done a lovely Oliban review

Fragrantica

Myrrh: Parfum d’Empire – Wazamba
Wazamba opens resinous and sticky, almost a honeyed amber with an interesting apple note. This settles to a straight-up dry myrrh throughout the dry down. Myrrh is an interesting resin to burn, it has a cool greyness about it. Wazamba manages to capture this incense wonderfully.

Christmas Season Fragrances

Christmas in the southern hemisphere is VERY different to that up north so some thought needs to go into what to wear on the big day.

Fragrantica

Winter: Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria, Winter Delice
Winter Delice is a walk through a European mountain forest, fir and pine. It it well balanced and eminently wearable. It is unfortunately discontinued but bottles do pop up from time to time.

Fragrantica

Summer: CB I Hate Perfume – At The Beach 1966
This is a day at the beach, suntan lotion, salt spray and warmth. I’ve only sniffed this from a friend’s sample but it left such a strong impression of summer’s past – a great frag to try for a flashback.

What fragrances are you grabbing as we head directly into the holiday season?

Till next time!
Tina G xx

Map Of The Heart: Meeting Sarah Blair

December 10, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Art Fraggers,

Way back in February of this year 2016 I was at the Tranoi Paris with the Le Galion boys, Neela Vermeire, Pierre Guillaume and Ulrich Lang. I know right. It’s like a name dropping extravaganza. Ulrich was trying to introduce me to a new brand called Map Of The Heart that I had walked past, looked at, squirmed with revulsion and wandered on. They have the fragrance in bottles shaped like hearts. No not the cutesy hearts of childhood and Hello Kitty. NOPE. These are replicas of anatomical hearts created by master bottle maker Pierre Dinand, and frankly BLEAUGH. They remind me of the cow and sheep hearts Mum used to get to feed the dogs and cats of our childhood, gawd I thought they were SO disgusting. Seriously…….. GAK.

So the other day Ainslie Walker invites me to the grand Opening of a new Aussie fragrance company called Map Of The Heart. Sadly I’m busy so we cruise on down the day after Opening Night (yesterday) to the new Liverpool St Darlinghurst pop-up shop. I hadn’t really thought about the brand we were seeing much because I like to be surprised and we walk in and…….

Map Of The Heart: Meeting Sarah Blair

yes, you guessed it. The bloody ghastly HEART BOTTLES! Ha Ha Ha Ha.

The bottle is unbelievable comfortable once it’s in your hand. It feels right and is so easy to spritz.

Myself, Ainslie & SA Jodie sniffing the range

The room is so stark white that the light seems diffuse & milky and in the centre is this beat up vintage Jaguar with boxes spilling out.

The red heart in the centre is their best seller worldwide. It’s a fruity fizz fragrance, a fruit-chouli. Very accessible for the modern fragrance shopper.

Sarah Blair is very articulate about her company and the heart designed bottle. She is passionate about creating an interesting and slightly challenging brand and though a lot of what she says is very cerebral and art/visual/international jet-set speak she has really thought about what she wants to say with the Map Of The Heart brand above and beyond becoming a successful business venture. I find her engaging and we were really sad that there was a time budget because Sarah Blair needs closer investigation.

Ainslie always knows the way to talk to business people and perfumers so I found out lots of interesting stuff that I would never even have known to ask. Bravo Ainslie.

Sarah also took my loathing of the bottle completely in her stride. Once she started to explain her motives it all made some sense to me. Still I’d rather eat my foot than have that bottle in my home. I did ask if there is going to be a Travel Set with regular bottles in the future and they are currently talking about making that happen.

What was my favourite of the brand? Gold Heart.

Fragrantica

Gold Heart V.4 by Map Of The Heart

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pepper, cardamom
Heart: Milk, saffron
Base: Woody notes

If you’ve ever tried Costume National’s 21 then you already have an idea of how Gold Heart smells. It’s a bit simpler, less confronting and all together an easier wear than 21. I found it so effortlessly wearable in 35C heat yesterday and found its staying power very good too. The milky saffron last to nearly the end when a nondescript woody dry down hums along merrily and very quietly.

Further reading: Megan In St Maxime and Colognoisseur
Map Of The Heart has $250/90ml

Have you seen, or heard of, this brand? What do you think of the hearts?
Portia xx

Guerlain with Tea & Scones

December 9, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Crew,

Do you ever get together with frag buddies? I have met so many wonderful & varied people in the fragrant world, a few of them turning into lasting and close friends. I’ve also had some of my long term besties come out as frag nerds too. So irregularly there are get togethers with one or more buddies. Yesterday was special because someone I’d only ever interacted with online is in Sydney and she had bought a bottle of perfume from me. What else could I do but ask her around for Morning Tea and a sniff? So Latai came and we had a lovely time, well I had a lovely time and I think she did too.

Guerlain with Tea & Scones

We decided early on that as Latai had not spent much time in the Guerlain fragrance vault that we should focus our noses there for the day. So I thought it might be interesting to take her on a Semi Ages of Guerlain tour.

We started with a few of the most well known vintage extraits, Vold de Nuit, Mitsouko & Shalimar. With this set I also got Latai to smell modern Samsara extrait that Jin & I bought recently in Japan.

From there I jumped to a couple of my most loved masculine Guerlains: Vetiver and Cologne du 68. Interestingly Vetiver turned out to be one of Latai’s favourites of the day and we really enjoyed its light oily grassy scent.

We also tried Vega but it was absolutely not to her taste and she scrubbed it off.

Then the last two from the Guerlain range we smelled were vintage Chamade extrait and for something totally up to date Promenade des Anglaise, which turned out to be her absolute favourite of the day.

Halfway through I made some scones that we ate with fresh whipped cream, home made apple and raspberry jam (thanks to my mate Linda, YUMMY) and lemon curd. This washed down with some very lovely tea that Latai brought to share.

It was a really nice, zero fuss, fun day: full of silliness, laughter and fragrance.
What brand would you choose to sniff for a day with perfumistas?
Portia xx

Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumers 2016

December 6, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hello Fragrant Friends!

Today I’m looking at a few very interesting samples I just received, entries for the Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumes. How cool is that??!!

Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumers 2016

2nd Annual

Created and spearheaded by one of the leading Russian natural perfumers and authors, Anna Zworykina, the Russian Festival Of Indie Perfumers now enters its second year. This is a way for perfumers using natural and some synthetic materials to connect with perfume lovers world wide. Samples are sent out to reviewers and bloggers far and wide in the hopes of bringing attention to the vibrant and growing natural perfume scene in Russia.

Anna Zworykina

The first festival was held last year with “Rose And Water” being the theme.

The 2016 theme is “Mad Tea Party” with tea being the prominent note, and the 25 perfumers involved were each given an arbitrary perfume classification (Black Tea Chypre, Green Tea Cologne, Black Tea Fougere et al..) and various types of tea (Green, White, Russian Black, Red Rooibos, Herbal, et al..), and just 11 weeks to create a natural perfume based on their given brief.

And may I just say that I love Tea-centric scents, so this was a no-brainer for me! Bring out the dancing Oolong perfume!!

Photo Donated Robert Herrmann

I’ve chosen a few to tell you about….

1.) Shambala by Galina Ani (Oriental Black Tea)

An easy love for me, this one was, with its tarry darkness and smoky Lapsang Souchong vibe. Imagine a pot of black tea brewing over a charcoal brazier, and that’s what this is. Really lovey, and brings to mind Gorilla Perfumes Breath Of God, but without the airy ozonic feel. Dries down to a warm ambery dried fruit scent. Loved it!

2.) Ginger Jasmine Tea by Anna Zworykina (Herbal Tea edc)

A perfect cologne for when the weather is warmer, resplendent with bergamot and citrus. A lovely and fairly straightforward men’s style edc. Classic citrusy (Yuzu?) bracing opening, settling down to a mossy green base. A non-indolic Jasmine, wild rose, spicy ginger, and incense hiding in the background. The citrus and jasmine lasted quite a long time on my skin, and was still evident upon awakening the next morning. Now THAT’S what you want from an edc… pretty, spicy, fresh, herbal and long-lasting.

3.) Japanese Linden Tea by Anastasia Denisenkova (Green Tea Fougere)

Exactly as you would expect a Japanese-themed tea perfume to smell. Minty cool and slightly mentholated, almost toothpaste but held in check by a gorgeous citrus and floral vibe. Light and ethereal, with linden blossoms falling from a tree and floating in a still clear pond. Mingling with the steam from a freshly poured porcelain cup of green tea, and the faint smell of tea cakes and rice powder. Yup, it took me there, and further. Gorgeous!

4.) Marsala Chai by Elena Markova (Oriental Black Tea)

Yes you read that right, MaRsala not Masala, this is a black tea to be sipped in the late afternoon, a tea meant to represent the ruby-red glow of the color Marsala, based on the wine of the same name. A black tea tinted with rose petals and redolent of ozymanthus, sandalwood, lychee, and benzoin among others. Slightly boozy and acidic floral note supported by citrus and wood. But aged wood, like the walls of the evenings paneled library where the steaming hot tea is served.

There are so many more to try, but I fear I’m getting tea drunk and might stay up all night!! Do you have any tea-scented perfumes you love? DO tell! But first, let me just put the kettle on…..

See you soon schnooki cookies,
Robert Herrmann

Elixir des Merveilles by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2006

December 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Post by Claire Vukcevic

Hello APJ!

Christmas time is a-coming! Time to talk about orange scents, in other words. First up – Elixir des Merveilles.

Elixir des Merveilles by Hermès 2006

Elixir des Merveilles by Jean-Claude Ellena

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Peru balsam, vanilla sugar, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, patchouli, Siam resin, caramel, oak, incense, orange peel, cedar

God, Elixir des Merveilles is such a weird perfume. The first time I tried it, I remember thinking –this right here is why people hate perfume. It was overly rich, sweet, muddy, with all the elements jumbled together in that overdone blur that defines “Rich Bitch” perfumes to me. The second time I tried it, I thought “I should learn how to read labels better” because I’d been aiming for the Ambre bottle.

Third time round, something clicked for me and I began to like it. Now I have odd, sudden cravings for it. I think it’s because I was finally able to figure out its structure. There are two sides to Elixir des Merveilles – the syrupy orange peels dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt on one side, and on the other, a massively butch clutch of resins and moss. It’s basically a super-gourmand grafted onto a super hairy-balled aftershave.

Flickr

Both sides are as oversized as clown shoes. The oranges dipped in caramel and chocolate are sweet to the point of being grotesque. One minute you think it’s gorgeous, the next you think, Christ, this stuff is absolutely gross. The sprinkling of what feels like celery salt over the treacly mass is probably one step too far. I swing between feeling repulsed to wanting more. The countermanding element is rather chypre-like: a brusque, musky cedar, smoky balsams and resins, moss. It’s really quite dry, bitter, and smoky.

The exaggerated forms of the two parts give the perfume a cartoonish Jessica Rabbit shape. It’s like watching an overloaded plane trying to take off or Kim Kardashian walk across the road in a tight skirt. You half fear it’s going to topple over any minute. But somehow the whole thing seems to hang together and work quite well. It’s a great winter gourmand, and the oranges and resins make me think of Christmas and oddly, Theorema.

Just don’t put this on if you’re not in the right mood for it, because it sticks like glue and seems to grow grander by the minute. At times, I find it enveloping and rich – just right for a cold winter’s day. But at other times, it begins to wear me down. When my hand glides over the small bottle of it that I bought, I have to think twice before putting it on.

PDI

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Non-Blonde
Hermes stores and department stores stock Elixir des Merveilles
FragranceX has it around the $100/50ml mark
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3/ml

What about you guys? Do you have any perfumes that you hesitate before putting on because they are either such a huge commitment? Or because sometimes you enjoy them and other times they make you want to hurl? M/Mink and Myrrhe Ardente are both a little like Elixir des Merveilles in that way for me.

Slán!

Claire

Claire also writes for Take One Thing Off<<JUMP

Ambergreen by Oliver Valverde for Oliver & Co 2016

December 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 38 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Niche Nerds,

Recently I wrote about Oliver & Co bringing out 16ml Travel Sizes, I also bought a pair of them in the new scents Ambergreen & Vaninger. Oli Valverde the perfumer got in touch almost immediately after my purchase to thank me (I know right, super sweet) and offered to send me some samples through for all of you to try. YAY!

I love this house, that’s how Oli knows me, because I shop there at full price regularly. They are way under-rated and don’t get nearly enough love on the blogs or chat rooms. Fiercely independent fragrance house with scents that are unashamedly boundary pushing while still being totally wearable on a day to day basis. They are often so far off the beaten track though that I find description troublesome and sit dazed and amused in front of my computer enjoying the ride without typing a word.

Ambergreen by Oliver & Co 2016

Ambergreen by Oli Valverde

Fragrantica

Oliver & Co gives these featured accords:
Ambrosian, amyl salycilate, basil, coriander, dry amber, fig leaves, galbanum, grass, green pepper, green tangerine, guaiac wood, hedione, orris concrete, pharaoh, shiso

The opening moments are like pulling the lettuce out of cold water where it’s been soaking, then fresh cut grass. It’s clearly spring in this scent. BASIL! OMG! A photo realistic basil from when you water your basil plant in the garden or window box, then it deepens to become the first whirr of making pesto at home. After about 15 minutes the whole fragrance stops being about notes and turns into a green bouquet lightly overlaid with cozy/sharp galbanum and bitter citrus. It’s bloody excellent stuff.

Green like walking under the trees near a creek in summer, hot, sweaty green like nothing I’ve smelled in fragrance before. It’s the brushing past shrubs and trees, the breaking of grass under your feet, the smell of healthy, damp earth disturbed and all of this in a warm dampness, cool after being in the blazing sun but not refreshing really. Ambergreen feels like respite, a quiet moment to yourself reading in the park trees shade, or your yard if you are lucky enough to have one. When the darkness of ambergris stirs the sweetness of amber counters its marine hue, the work against each other to create harmony over the green, quite a journey.

Oliver & Co

Oliver & Co has €35/the new 16ml Travel Size
FREE WORLD SHIPPING over €100

Here are some other posts on APJ about Oliver & Co fragrance: Vetivers and Resina,

Oliver & Co Samples GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will receive:
3 x 2ml Oliver & Co carded manufacturers spray samples
(You will each get a different set)
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.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to Oliver & Co<<JUMP and tell us a fragrance and ONE of its notes in the comments below (NO DOUBLE UPS!)

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Tuesday 6th December 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Wednesday 14th December 2016 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

Coast Sydney: NEW True Collection Perfume Oil

December 2, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ,

You may already be aware of the Coast Sydney Candle Range. They are a cool crew with a natural leaning candle range using sustainable soy with no Paraffin and Palm Free. They use high quality fragrance oil or essential oils and a natural untreated woodwick that creates a soothing crackling sound. Cool stuff.

Go see COAST at their site.

COAST

Coast SUPPORTS: Women for Women International supports female survivors of war with tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self sufficiency. Two dollars from the sale of each candle will benefit Women for Women International.

Coast Sydney: NEW True Collection Perfume Oil

Got it? Great. So they have decided to create a new fragrance range, well priced stocking stuffers in rollerballs. Simple, wearable fragrances for day to day living. Perfect for handbags, beach totes, gymbags and for travelling. They are perfumed oils so instead of throwing the scent ahead of you it wraps itself around you in a soft focus, fragrant scarf or sarong, depending on your season. Now of you are a hardcore perfumista these may be a little simple and wearable for you, I get it. For anyone who wants to smell good for an excellent price then these are worth a sniff.

Coast

Nice by Coast: True Collection Perfume Oil
Tuberose Touch

Top: Petitgrain, Clematis
Heart: Tuberose, Rhubarb, Ylang Ylang
Base: Peru Balsam, Patchouli, Vanilla

A green interpretation of tuberose that has a very crisp pettigrain keeping it interesting and refreshing while the ylang adds creamy tropical depths. Nice is about 250% better than I expected it be. I could easily imagine many of friends falling madly in love with this fragrance, mainly the women but there are a few men I think could rock it. Scott liked Nice the best and was very interested in knowing who the fragrance came from etc. when he smelled it. There is an underlying dissonance between the cream and the green that gives Nice frission. Base is a sweetened soft patchouli with creamy overtones.

Bali by Coast: True Collection Perfume Oil
Chempaka Charm

Top: Bergamot, Lime, Mandarin Red
Heart: Champaka (White Magnolia), Nag Champa (Orange Champaka), Jasmine
Base: Violet Leaf, Clove Bud, Amyris Wood, Vanilla

Bali is my favourite of the True Collection. It smells to me like cuddling with someone wearing a tropical fragrance on a beach with a fire burning. For something that I expected to be a floral with vanilla undercurrent it’s a huge surprise. Smoky, sweet, spicy and aromatic Bali is totally unusual. Slightly challenging in its potency when your nose is buried into it but as a waft while you’re going about your day Bali is exquisite. It could very well make the perfect incense scent and wears like a sweet and floral incense. An overtly feminine incense that smells a bit raspberry-ish and the incense is spicy hot and still burning in the next room. As you can tell I really like it.

Want to try them? I have a bunch of samples to giveaway.
Portia xx