Fragrant Confession Time

May 5, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Post by Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers

Hello APJ! Have you got a habit? Lord knows I have. Confession time…

Fragrant Confession Time

I have been guilty of being quite set in my ways, feeling that certain fragrances have their season, or fit only certain social situations, even that they “match” with particular outfits or colours! (My Bandit ensemble is a favourite). A gorgeous friend has gone one further, making a beautiful dress in celebration of Ma Griffe. Now I know lots of people do this sort of thing: saving zesty summer spritzers for only the hottest days, categorising scents for business or parties or the gym.

All that is wonderful, and serves well most of the time, but lately I have wanted to mix it up, to experience my collection in new ways. I also wanted to avoid falling into unconsidered habits. And then, some days I just need help to decide…

I have my fragrance collection stored on a fragrance social networking site* that has a cute tool. It’s a way to make a random selection from the fragrances listed in your wardrobe. So… each day I ask the Random Button what I should wear.

And…? I have been selecting my SOTD like this for a month now, to entirely delightful results. I have worn much more broadly from my wardrobe, and from samples and decants at least as much as full bottles. This has been a great prompt to discover some “new” scents.

Photo Stolen Shopping.com

Taking my cue from this fragrance wheel of fortune, I have fallen into the waiting spicy balmy embrace of Parfum Sacré, I have floated on the criminally overlooked cool green florals of Givenchy III, Incense Rosé has risen above L’Air du Desert Marocain in my Tauer of love.

Photo Stolen Tauer

Recently I mentioned the unusually cool Spring and Summer weather where I am. Although in no way intended as a complaint, it seems that I was heard where it matters, and since we have been smote with a long and blistering heat wave. So fiery it’s been that I fancied I heard the thunder of Apocalyptic hooves, but thankfully it has transpired merely to be the clip clop of a Happy New Chinese Year.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

At the zenith of this heat, the Random Button decreed I should wear Bulgari Black. I do believe this fragrance is exulted in extreme heat. Rather than resisting the roasting, I made a cup of Lapsang Souchoung, unfurled and became one with the melting tarmacadam of the city, the scent of rubber, tea and vanilla swirling as I yielded.

I’m not especially good at being told what to do, so I won’t claim I’m consulting the Random Button religiously. There are still days when I know I *have* to wear a certain scent. But I’m looking for a suggestion a lot more often than I thought I would. And enjoying the outcomes more than I imagined.

How about you? How do you select a fragrance to wear? Any quirky habits?

Confess!
Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers

*I’m using Parfumo, which is great! Once you’ve loaded all your perfumes into your Wardrobe and Samples collections, you can use the Parfumo Assistant to suggest perfumes adjusting their settings for season, time of day, whether it’s a week day or weekend, even occasion (leisure, night out, business…) You can choose to include or exclude your Samples in the suggestions. The assistant gives 12 suggestions that you can then choose from. And of course you can mess about with it however you like: when it becomes really cold over winter I will be dialling up some spring morning suggestions just for some relief!

You can use your account to keep a record of what you wear (the accumulated record is visible only to you). If you do this religiously, you get an archive of how often you wear scents and what you rarely wear – great info for reminding you of neglected beauties, or for keeping tabs on what can justify its place on your shelves and what should be moved along!

Impromptu GIVEAWAY WINNERS

May 5, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Hello APJ Crew,

Another great giveaway draws to a close. Thank you to Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfume for her generosity and to Azar for her dedication in bringing you a wonder 3 days of interviews and giveaways. We are so lucky to have both of you on board. Here are links to Azar’s wonderful interview Roxana Villa #1 and Roxana Villa #2

Portia x

Impromptu GIVEAWAY

Photo Stolen Roxana Illuminated Perfume

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week’s draw is for one prize that includes
1 x sample set of the re-issue of Impromptu including the perfume, EDP and the solid perfume
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID 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 leave a comment about one of Roxana’s fragrances or on your experience with botanical perfumes in general.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Impromptu: Roxana Illuminated Perfumes GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2Kg #Perfume #Giveaway @RoxanaVilla

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 4th May 2014 10pm Australian EST
Fender once again did a stellar job selecting the winner. I scattered the names on the floor and he went straight for the one he wanted and sat waiting for me to verify!

This time he liked

Photo Stolen EverythingHealth

Courant

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for the great comments!

The winners will have till Thursday 8th May 2014 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.

No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Azar xx

Hard Leather by Jerome Epinette for LM Parfums 2014

May 5, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by SarahK

Hello ‘fume fans!

Today’s fragrance is one that I confess I first sprayed with trepidation. I enjoy leather notes in perfume, but am not generally one for heavy animalics or smoky leathers, and some other reviews mentioned the words ‘sweat’ and ‘faecal’, making me hesitate. So, one small spritz later, I was rather surprised to discover a smooth, true leather. It is the rich saddle-leather of Chanel’s Cuir de Russie, though Hard Leather is all leather, with none of Cuir de Russie’s soap and flowers covering it. There is some stable and horse in here, and the top and basenotes are more cowboy than show-jumper (particularly with a more generous spraying than I tried at first) but nothing I would describe as truly dirty. Believe me, I’ve smelled dirty ‘fumes – some vintage Detchema had me retching in the 15 minutes that I managed not to scrub it – but I would say that L’Artisan’s Dzing smells dirtier than Hard Leather.

Hard Leather by Jerome Epinette for LM Parfums 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Leather, rum
Heart: Iris, honey
Base: Sandalwood, cedar, agarwood (oud), olibanum, vanilla, styrax

Hard Leather has a tarriness that I’ve also found in some other fragrances with oud notes, like Dior’s Leather Oud, and Kilian’s Pure Oud. I have a limited tolerance for tarry notes, but here it’s soft enough still to seem like rich leather, rather than bitumen, at least until the drydown. Even better, I do not get the harsh rubbing-alcohol edge that I have experienced from some other modern leather and oud perfumes. This is a rich fragrance, particularly in its heart, but there’s a cool iris in it that, for me, adds a feeling of hauteur and restraint. Apparently there are rum and honey notes in here, but I don’t really notice them. The fragrance is never sweet or boozy on me, so those elements appear to serve just to smooth out the leather and styrax, occasionally even creating an impression of musky blackberries.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Hard Leather becomes drier and somewhat ashy over the course of its life. This makes the drydown feel more animalic, chemical and masculine – if there’s a ‘dirty’ stage in the fragrance, this is where I experience it. I still find the scent fascinating, but I much prefer the heart of the scent, and the way I experience the drydown means that I probably wouldn’t wear this fragrance outside the house, particularly because it’s the drydown stage that lasts and lasts.

To me, the heart of Hard Leather evokes the aristocratic world of the early 20th Century – a mix of power, money, straitlaced manners and naughtiness. In other words, it’s a class act, and if the scent stayed that way in the drydown, I would love it. This is a long way from some of the reviews I have read (witness, for example, the sweaty New Orleans summer stink that Hard Leather’s topnotes evoked for The Scented Hound!). It’s clear that this is a fragrance where existing associations and skin chemistry can make a big difference in how you perceive it. I find the top and heart very enjoyable, but the long-lasting base is simultaneously too dry and animalic for me. However you perceive it, I don’t think the scent is a complete sillage monster, but it does project well for several hours, and its arid drydown sticks around for the whole day.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: The Scented Hound and
First In Fragrance have €295/100ml and €9/4ml Samples

What’s your favourite leather fragrance?

Tuberosa by Enrico Buccella for Les Voiles Depliees 2013(?)

May 4, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Hiya Fragrance Feinds,

You may remember my post about Michael & my time at First In Fragrance and how much fun we had, how welcoming they were and how much stuff we bought. It was a wonderful couple of days and we couldn’t have smelled more if we tried. Believe me, we tried!

Beate, the most wonderful, warm and clever lady. SO knowledgeable.

By the end my nose was broken, completely burned out. Today’s fragrance was one I tried after complete and utter burnout, it sang to me through my anosmia and filled me with joy.

Tuberosa by Enrico Buccella for Les Voiles Depliees 2013(?)

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, neroli
Heart: Tuberose
Base: Amber, patchouli

From the man who brought us the Cerchi Nell’Acqua and Sigilli lines and created Alambar for Laboratorio Olfattivo comes his newest line Les Voiles Depliees. A sensibly priced range that comes in blocky, sleek, modern, funky 50ml bottles. The bottles are not beautiful nor particularly comfortable to hold, and the labels are less than glamorous too with no company name just the fragrance. It all seems like the prototype has been put out on the sale racks, I feel something decidedly unfinished about the whole experience.

I tell you what though, take the fat, square plastic lid off and give yourself a squirt. Just one will be enough. And SWEET! This is the loveliest soapy orange that I’ve ever smelled, there is a lolly-ish tinge to it too that reminds me of pink musk sticks and a synthetic squeal that makes me think of hairspray. I am smiling while sitting here typing. Having worn Tuberosa for about an hour tonight already I am well into the tuberose heartland, it’s super sweet and still green, there is a run your finger down a daffodil leaf, sappy green-ness that is both waxy and verdantly lush. This tuberose is fun and flirty with a sensual warmth floating through the heart. Cleaner than I usually like, not a lot of breath or bed head, and wearable without ruining dinner.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Longevity is great, even on my usually scent hungry skin I’m getting over 5 hours fully fragrant. Nice journey, though the patchouli is so clean I hardly even notice it, no I don’t notice it at all unless there’s a smidge hiding beneath the amber which isn’t a large player either. Tuberosa is a white flower highlight fragrance, not a soliflor because there is a byplay between the tuberose and orange, I also get some lovely banana reminders (like those banana lollies) and whispers of other tropical fruits.

I’m pretty sure that Tuberosa is built around aromachemicals with only a very few naturals or isolates mixed through but still it is pretty, fun and totally wearable. I layered it after a good couple of hours with Chillum by La Via Del Profumo and together they were a fabulous match. All the dirt and raunch that has been removed was back with a vengeance. AWESOME!

First In Fragrance has €60/50ml and samples

Have you tried the line? Do you know any of Enrico Buccella’s work? Does any of it stand out for you?
Please chat with me, I love to read your views.
Portia xx

DIOR Addict 2014 Ad Campaign + Review

May 4, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Heya Fragrance and Visual art lovers,

Sometimes the advertisements are even more iconic than the scents. Did I just write sometimes? Anyway, here is a fabulous set up: Russian catwalk model Sasha Luss, photographed by Ryan McGinley for Christain DIOR. I grabbed this from one of my favourite fashion online mags: art8amby.

(source)

DIOR Addict by Thierry Wasser for DIOR 2002

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin leaves, mulberry flowers
Heart: Night queen flower, Bulgarian rose, orange flower
Base: Bourbon vanilla, sandal wood, Tonka bean

Victoria at Bois et Jasmin sums DIOR Addict up perfectly: While my relationship with Addict is ridden with ambivalence at best, I would rather be intrigued by a fragrance than bored.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume Posse
FragranceX has $104/50ml
My Perfume Samples starts at $3/ml to $9/5ml

Did you run away screaming, roll your eyes or move in for a closer sniff? Have you walked past again and again over the last 12 years? Aren’t you the least bit curious?
Portia xx

Impromptu by Roxana Villa for Roxana Illuminated Perfumes 2014

May 2, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 57 Comments

Post by Azar

Impromptu by Roxana Villa for Roxana Illuminated Perfumes 2014

This week I had a great time interviewing Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfume. I learned so much and also had the opportunity to try samples of her 2014 re-issue of Impromptu. (ED: Here are links to Azas wonderful interview Roxana Villa #1 and Roxana Villa #2)

As a pianist I understand the term “impromptu” to refer to music that seems improvisatory but is actually very carefully designed to give the impression of being created on the spur of the moment. A musical impromptu is usually a shorter solo piece without extensive formal development, seemingly just “tossed off” by the composer as a reflection of a fleeting mood, emotion or memory. On her website Roxana describes the creation of her first Impromptu (2012) fragrance as a kind of spontaneous amalgam of scents. She relates how she used a botanical version of an historic leather accord by the early 20th century “father of aromatherapy” René-Maurice Gattefossé combined with a variation of her own Chaparral perfume and a number of other purposefully affordable elements to develop a new fragrance. From this information the first Impromptu seems indeed an improvisation, a truly ex-temporaneous creation, almost impossible to faithfully reproduce in every detail. In contrast, the new version that I tried is obviously a well-considered and thoughtfully crafted perfume composition using “over 30 individual plant essences and three complex accords”. http://issuu.com/ladyroxana/docs/impromptu

That being said – I thought I knew what to expect from just about any botanical fragrance. From my very first sniff of Impromptu these preconceptions were totally blown away! I was almost shocked by the sillage and pleasantly surprised by the longevity, depth and sophistication of this new fragrance.

The re-issue of Impromptu is available in three formats: Perfume, EDP and solid perfume. Each version tells its own story, revealing different facets of the perfume’s profile. Of the three I find the perfume strength to be the brightest, most focused and lively. It opens, for a fraction of a second, with a sunny mimosa that is immediately overtaken by what I perceive as lemon balm but what is probably citronella, lemon geranium, petitgrain and myrtle. Artemisia, galbanum and immortelle feature prominently as the perfume evolves to its heart of leather, choya laban and labdanum. This darker side settles close to the skin for several hours eventually drying down lightly to a combination of orris, smoky vanilla, benzoin and balsam.

The EDP opens with similar green and sunny top notes (artemisia, citronella, basil, galbanum, immortelle/helichrysum) but develops a darker, more somber heart reminiscent of a forest floor of dry leaves, mushrooms and cedar wood laced with labdanum, leather, myrrh and the smoky choya. Strangely, the EDP last longer on my skin than the parfum, up to 8 hours and at least 12 hours on clothing, finishing as dusky vanilla, honeyed balsam, choya, incense and various woods.

The solid perfume is the most intimate of the three. The initial and mid notes are once again dominated by citronella, artemisia, galbanum, balsam and leather but this time homogenized in honey and beeswax with very little change over the life of the scent. (BTW I love the handy little pots that Roxana uses to package the solid samples.)

Each presentation of Impromptu seems suited to a particular time of day. The bright and focused perfume works best for me in the morning and early afternoon. I prefer to use the solid and the EDP in late afternoon and evening to help relax and to create an atmosphere of contemplation and meditation. In all three versions the citronella and what I perceive to be something like a green camphor (probably the myrtle) help to project the fragrance beyond the skin creating a surprising cloud of fragrance around the wearer. As the cloud evaporates it is drawn back to the skin creating an almost visible aura of scent.

Despite the name Impromptu and the sunny opening I find this fragrance to be serious, reflective and sophisticated. It is not overtly sexual but instead magical, fascinating and alluring, almost androgynous and suited to either a man or women. Roxana chose to represent her new fragrance with the image of the griffin, the mythological creature of two natures, sacred to the sun.

Photo stolen myprettypaints

Impromptu GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week’s draw is for one prize that includes
1 x sample set of the re-issue of Impromptu including the perfume, EDP and the solid perfume
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please leave a comment about one of Roxana’s fragrances or on your experience with botanical perfumes in general.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Impromptu: Roxana Illuminated Perfumes GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2Kg #Perfume #Giveaway @RoxanaVilla

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 4th May 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen any fab way that Azar decides
The winners will have till Thursday 8th May 2014 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Azar xx

Intense Cafe by Montale Paris 2013

April 30, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Greg Young.

The house of Montale is pretty much all about wood. Especially aoud. Occasionally Pierre Montale will deign to include a stray gourmand, amber or leather note but really this house is for fans of wood. Especially aoud.

If the theory that packaging is a guide to the marketing strategy holds, then the house of Montale is also all about blokes. Especially DIYers who always have the oxy-acetylene torch or a spot welder ready to go, or those capable dads who are the first to set up the gas barbie on the weekend. At a pinch, their market may include Master Chef fans who wield a mean blowtorch in front of a quivering creme brulee.

Montale bottles are the blokeiest in the market.

If you are going to review Montale fragrances this is the time of year to do it. If you’re doing it around Easter, there is an obvious candidate: Chocolate Greedy. Fortunately, I was able to evade that cliche, but only because I don’t have any. As I write this Chocolate Greedy is almost the perfect, most succinct description of my current state. A missed opportunity to pair feast and fragrance, that’s for sure.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Intense Cafe by Montale Paris 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Floral notes
Heart: Coffee, rose
Base: Amber, vanilla, white musk

Instead I chose another of Montale’s atypical fragrances, the oriental gourmand Intense Cafe. Having had a big Easter celebration on at home, I felt that its warm vanilla would be more suitable on a pleasant autumn day than a big beefy aoud.

Intense Cafe is described by Montale as “A truly enticing fragrance. Brilliant Floral Notes reveal a surprising heart made of Delicate Rose and Sensual Coffee. This perfect duo leaves a very beautiful sillage of Vanilla, Amber and White Musk.”

This one gets a pretty warm reception on Fragrantica, notably among men of my generation. Young ‘uns seem unimpressed, and it doesn’t seem to get much love from the ladies at all. Perhaps it’s the packaging. Consensus on Fragrantica is that rose predominates here and vanilla and coffee share a roughly equal second billing.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Rose and coffee are among my favourite notes, so Intense Cafe should be right down my street, but I feel that it doesn’t really deliver in that way. It opens with the kind of warm coffee made at Starbucks, laced with vanilla flavouring and then served to coffee drinkers who don’t really like coffee. Far from Intense, this scent is like a mellow cafe au lait in a New Orleans riverside jazz cafe compared to New Haarlem’s ristretto in a New York hipster haven.

Which is not to say it’s bad, just that a luscious vanilla rushes to the fore and shoves the coffee to the sidelines, yelling “pick me, pick me”. Intense Cafe pretty quickly becomes intense vanilla, with a thorn’s-edge of rose to prick at the sweet gourmand. On this day, for this occasion, walking around in warm sweet vanilla was no bad thing.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Where Intense Cafe really does deliver is on Montale’s vanilla and amber promise. It’s 12 hours after I put this on, and I can still smell a trace of vanilla on my wrist, but a big waft of it is still there on my shirt. There are no longevity issues with this one. So even if you don’t like wood, especially aoud, Pierre Montale still has one for you.

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Ca Fleure Bon
LuckyScent has $120/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4.50/ml

What Montales have you tried? Does coffee sound good in a perfume to you?
Greg X

I Hate That Perfume Because… Sydney Perfume Lovers

April 27, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 48 Comments

Hiya APJ,

A lot of what we as perfume, fragrance and scent lovers do is done solo. We read our computers, test, smell, enjoy and buy a lot of our fragrance alone. It’s one of the things I really love about the whole perfumista life. Never having to wait for anyone else to do what I love, smell scents. Sometimes though getting together and sharing the love is as much or, Gods forbid, more fun. Imagine a crew of about 12 frag hounds all sitting around eating, drinking, laughing and sniffing. That’s what happened today here at my house. I don’t know if you’ve seen online a thing called MeetUp? In our modern day, high pressure, quick moving, ever changing world sometimes we lose touch with those that are near and dear and find ourselves unable to create new ones, or maybe what you love is very niche and you’re looking for some mates to enjoy it with, whatever the reason a friend of mine Catherine de Peloux Menage (Writer, Fragrance Finder, Personal Scent Consultant and glamorous, great girl about town) decided she would start a crew of her own called Sydney Perfume Lovers – MeetUp. From the tiny germ of an idea there are now well over a hundred members, events scheduled regularly and we have created a Sunday Scent Salon in my home once a month where we come together about a fragrance related topic and have a wonderful morning tea, here’s how today’s went down.

Sunday Scent Salon: I Hate That Perfume Because

Sydney Perfume Lovers – MeetUp

So the topic this month was “I Hate That Perfume Because…” and we were challenged to find a fragrance that really irks us in some way, drives us batshit crazy when we smell it, gives us hives, creates confusion or any other reason that we hate it. There was a catch though, we weren’t there to be only negative, we had to provide an explanation that went further than “YUCK, Disgusting shit. Hate it.” We had to bring a reasonable argument and scent memory with us, and preferably the fragrance too so we could all tell what you were thinking when you gave your spiel.

WOW! We got some DOOZIES!!! People had really gone all out to obtain their anti-elixir and had their stories primed and ready.

Some of the fragrances we hated included, L’Heure Bleue by Guerlain because it smells like urinal cakes. Fahrenheit because it smells like bug spray, Rexona Men’s Sport Deodorant because it’s cheap, nasty and ubiquitous, BVLGARI BLV Pour homme because it is a nasty mess and melange of everything unwanted in a fragrance, La Petit Robe Noire Parfum by Guerlain because it is nice for the first hour but then lasts eternally and becomes both sickly and boring at the end, Tweed by Lentheric due to family remembrances, Giorgio Beverly Hills because of its overuse in the 1980s but we all agreed that it smells rather lovely now having not smelled it for years, L’Eau d’Issey Femme because it is a solid wall of scent that lasts eternally and is a metallic, super sweet mess. There were others including an art book infused with the scent of fear obtained by putting swatches on the inside legs and armpits a men and making them do really scary stuff, then recreating those scents artificially for a book which was strange, subversive and extremely compelling.

There was heaps of lighthearted banter and no one took offense, we all really had a great time and as always I feel like I’ve made some new friends. People who like something I am completely beserko about. Good people who I was lucky enough to spend some time getting to know today, a couple I’ve met before and some others who are already my friends. More than anything it reminds me how lucky we all are. Without the internet I would still be a completely solo fragrance lover, which can be nice but now I can share my love with people all over the world.

Be it these lovely MeetUp Scent Salons we organise, on the Facebook pages, reading blogs and articles or here in this wondrous space (APJ) where I feel like there is a whole fragrance family where we can share our Cuckoo, fly our freak flag and generally unleash our love of fragrance.

I do apologise for my TERRIBLE photo taking, getting the lights in and rotten framing. We were having too much fun to be sensible and I am glad.

Today was great, you should think about starting a MeetUp where you are. Nobody has too many friends and you never know where your next BFF will come from. Should you wish to join us at a Sunday Scent Salon you must first join Sydney Perfume Lovers – MeetUp. We can’t wait to meet you and hear your stories over some great food, some champagne and tea.

Love and fragrant hugs from me,
Portia xx

Ma Folie de Noel (My Christmas Folly: Holiday no.6) by DSH Perfumes

April 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Hi Ho Fumies,

I have a beautiful friend, Natalie, from Another Perfume Blog who gave me this very delicious fragrance. I had tried it and loved it a while back and though she loves it too it wasn’t getting the wear it deserved in her perfume wardrobe. I can’t stop spritzing, like an addict, and get a rush of happy every time I do.

Ma Folie de Noel by DSH Perfumes

(My Christmas Folly: Holiday no.6)

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Star anise, whipped cream, incense

Star anise, Whipped Cream and Incense. The list is so short but Ma Folie de Noel is so much more than it’s featured accords. Sometimes simple is boring but not here. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is a bit of a magician, in her capable hands we get an incense bomb that sits firmly in gourmand land, and though the incense is there through the whole ride it serves (on my skin) as a back ground to the lovely boozy and creamy extravaganza that I find completely reminiscent of an Egg Flip that my Mum used to make for us. I think I’ve written this somewhere before but can’t find where. Though it is star anise in the spotlight I get nuances of other fabulous spices like nutmeg, vanilla and a hint of Chinese five spice, the whipped cream has nods to caramel ice cream and there is a touch of brandy, maybe even a lovely rich honeyed scotch whiskey and always the cool wash of unburned incense floating underneath.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Though Ma Folie de Noel starts out big and lavish it softens out within an hour and after two hours I have a warm caramel glow left that stays around at that close level for ages. I miss the moment when I go back to smelling like only me but my guess is somewhere around the 4-5 hour mark. Ma Folie de Noel id totally wearable and I would say could even be worn in close working quarters, unless your office is frag phobic.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Though Ma Folie de Noel is marketed as a Christmas scent I think we can skip all that and wear it year round, a cool evening in Spring would be equally as gorgeous. I have yet to try it in the full heat of summer but I’d like to, just to see.

Further reading: Another Perfume Blog and Fragrant Man
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz site starts at $5 up to $70 and has a full range of ambient and body products to match.

Are there any frags you wear that are seasonal? Do you spritz beyond those seasons? Ever?
Portia xx

Collection Rouge No.1: GIVEAWAY WINNER

April 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Heya Crew,

Another great giveaway. Thanks to out intrepid reporter Azar. You guys are wonderful jumping on board and we love how interactive APJ is, it’s our only way to get to know many of you and we treasure your stories.

Portia xx

Rouge No. 1 GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Peach, tangerine
Heart: Ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose
Base: White musk, vanilla, benzoin

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week’s draw is for one prize that includes
1.5ml samples (or decants) of both M. Micallef Rouge No. I and Rouge No. II
A small wrapped vintage 1960s bar of Pink Camay soap
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please leave a comment about your favorite scented soap, about any version of Camay or either of the fragrances in the M. Micallef Collection Rouge.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 24th April 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen any fab way that Azar decides

Photo Stolen nodepositforum

Fender did such a good job on the last draw that I left the selection of the winner up to him. This time I placed all of the names on the floor and gave the command “Find Key”, Fender’s all purpose command to find missing things. Fender did exactly what he does when he searches for a lost object. He circled and sniffed every name and then sat down next to

Peppy

CONGRATULATIONS! The winners will have till Monday 28th April 2014 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Azar xx

Congratulations, Peppy!

Azar xx

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Samples

Fragrant Confession Time

Fragrant Confession Time

Impromptu GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Impromptu GIVEAWAY

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

HOW DID YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Courant

Hard Leather by Jerome Epinette for LM Parfums 2014

Hard Leather by Jerome Epinette for LM Parfums 2014

Tuberosa by Enrico Buccella for Les Voiles Depliees 2013(?)

Tuberosa by Enrico Buccella for Les Voiles Depliees 2013(?)

DIOR Addict 2014 Ad Campaign + Review

DIOR Addict by Thierry Wasser for DIOR 2002

Impromptu by Roxana Villa for Roxana Illuminated Perfumes 2014

Impromptu by Roxana Villa for Roxana Illuminated Perfumes 2014

Impromptu GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Intense Cafe by Montale Paris 2013

Intense Cafe by Montale Paris 2013

I Hate That Perfume Because… Sydney Perfume Lovers

Sunday Scent Salon: I Hate That Perfume Because

Sydney Perfume Lovers – MeetUp

Ma Folie de Noel (My Christmas Folly: Holiday no.6) by DSH Perfumes

Ma Folie de Noel by DSH Perfumes

(My Christmas Folly: Holiday no.6)

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Collection Rouge No.1: GIVEAWAY WINNER

Rouge No. 1 GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

HOW DID YOU WIN?

HOUSEKEEPING

Peppy