Spikenard Giveaway Winner

March 31, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 6 Comments

Hello Gorgeous!!

As you may remember we had a sensational week of 1st Birthday Giveaways last week that culminated in a giveaway that was transcontinental and trans-blog. There were 6 blogs involved in an Easter Giveaway for an amount of foot oil that harks back to the Jesus and Mary Magdalen story in the Bible and the washing of the feet. This giveaway was made particularly poignant by the current Pope’s decision to wash 6 young prisoners feet, including 2 young girls one of whom was a Muslim. It was a courageous act that may not change the world and bring about peace but it certainly had us that can thinking. Symbolically the gesture is enormous.

Pope Francis on Holy Thursday 2013 Stolen Patheos

Brie in New York has made a small batch and sent it to The Fragrant Man (Jordan River who is one of our esteemed Guest Writers here at APJ). Would you like to know a bit more about this amazing Brie? Jump to read her Guest Posts from CaFleurBon December 30 2012 and CoolCookStyle February 25 2013. If you like her style, and we certainly hope you do, then you will be thrilled to know that Brie has come on board at APJ as a regular guest writer the first Monday of the month. YES TOMORROW!!

SPIKENARD GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen TheFragrantMan

If you entered the Spikenard Giveaway then you must jump to TheFragrantMan blog (<<<JUMP) where you will find out if you’ve won. Thank you to everyone who became a part of this wonderful giveaway by commenting, thanks to Jordan river and Brie for hosting it.

Later today I’ll upload some pics from our trip to Kings Canyon this weekend. I hope you’ve had a happy Easter, whether or not you believe the stories, are religious, Catholic, Christian or in fact anyone. We hope that the idea of giving and helping, and doing things for others without counting the cost sometimes becomes a universally accepted mode of action.

Here are the other blogs involved in the Spikenard Giveaway, as well as TheFragrantMan, as it’s Easter and you may have some spare time why not have a little squiz at them. Their names are jumps.
AllIAmARedhead
CoolCookStyle
ScentsMemory
ThePerfumeDandy

Wishing you all great and wonderful weekends.

Portia xx

Ambre Gris by Guillaume Flavigny for Pierre Balmain 2008

March 29, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Hello Happy Huffers,

Today we look at a fairly new acquisition for me. I went through a 5ml decant in record time so gave myself permission to indulge.

Ambre Gris by Pierre Balmain 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Myrrhe, benzoin, pink pepper, cinnamon
Heart: Immortelle, tuberose
Base: White musc, benzoin, amber, guaiac wood (tree of life)

Before I started researching Ambre Gris I was under the impression that it was a vintage fragrance from the house of Pierre Balmain. Not so, released in 2008 it sparked a veritable sensation throughout the scentbloggosphere for a few reasons: the last few Balmain frags had been met with surly derision by the perfumista community, this one was only available in a few select locations in Europe, named after that intriguing and hard to source perfumers magic ingredient ambergris from the intestines of one perr cent of sperm whales and because it was rumored to be fabulous. This was before my time on the scentbloggosphere, at this point I was a lone hoarder.

I love the fabulously hefty 100ml bottle with its thick, greyed glass and the golden disco ball on top is perfect to me, though many do not love it. In fact the whole package screams quality to me, even the understated label and box it comes in. I can imagine it fitting well into a mans or wamans wardrobe.

Photo Stolen FortunePhotography

How does it smell? Having read the other blogs I feel that I have a completely different product because my skin amplifies the salt in a fragrance, even though there is none in the note list. Ambre Gris opens warm and sweet on my skin, like eating Brighton Rock on the pebble beach. There is a common complaint about Ambre Gris that it has a plastic vibe through the centre of it, which I often find in real life white flowers, it is not here for me sadly because I quite like that note. My experience with the heart are not everlasting daisies and tuberose, at all, unless it’s a small chemical found in both that also smells like the ocean, it feels breezy and windswept to me, and gives me a sense of freedom. Really, the notes list reads like gibberish compared to what I smell. The dry down is pretty and here I do get a salty amber and a little smoke. In the heat of Sydney summer Ambre Gris is giving me about 4-5 hours of discernible fragrance but I bought it so cheaply that I am very happy to reapply. I like it as my morning scent for some reason.

Ambre Gris works as a super base during its dry down adding a lovely heft to every perfume I have layered over the top for an afternoon or evening refresh, including: Sandflowers, Geranium Pour Monsieur, Bombay Bling, Coco and Songes (And many others)

Photo Stolen meteotimes

Further reading PerfumeSmellingThings and TheNonBlonde

FragranceNet has 50ml around $32
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2/ml but the $7/5ml is EXCELLENT value

Have you tried Balmain’s Ambre Gris? Was it love or hate? Were you one of the frenzy buyers in 2008/9?

Until tomorrow,

Portia xx

LA Scentsation MAY 11 2013 The MAD MAD MAD Bus Tour!!

March 28, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Hey Hey

Sometimes in my life I have been asked to do some mad-assed cer-ay-zee shit! This is another one of those fabulous moments in time. If you are in, or can be in, LA on MAY 11 2013 then you need to get on board this bus for the MOST PERFUME EVER SNIFFED IN ONE DAY BY A BUS LOAD OF CRAZY BITCHES TOUR!! Organised by Patty and Musette from The Perfume Posse, so you know it’s going to be AH MAY ZING!!

Photo Stolen RockyMusic

From the Perfume Posse

So is this perfume sample habit you’ve got going getting you a little frustrated because you want to Smell.Them.All – NOW!? Ever want to just spend a whole day sampling a huge amount of perfumes? For $19-59 (well, plus travel and hotel if you don’t live in the area), join Perfume Posse for LA Scentsation on May 11, 2013. It is a full day at Luckyscent, Beautyhabit, Barney’s, Opus Oils, smelling everything they have on their counters and some brand new lines, plus there will be entertainment on the bus (if you choose that option) with the fabulous Portia Turbo (appeared in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and runs Australian Perfume Junkies. If you haven’t seen one of Portia’s Live Video Sniffs, you’ve missed something special), giveaways, fabulous gift bags full of samples to take home, and an amazing time. Click here for more details and the registration form. There are a limited number of registrations available for the bus and the full day of events.

SO, please get cracking and get on board the FRAGBUS!!

Portia xx

Here I am starring in the Shake Your Groove Thing clip from 1994 for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Un Lys by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1997

March 26, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Gabriella

Hello fellow perfumaholics. I hope you enjoy my story today on one of my favourite scents.

Un Lys by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens (1997)

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords on one line:

Lily, musk and vanilla

Many years ago, a long, long time before I became a perfumista and perhaps even before the advent of perfume blogging, I found an exquisite bottle of fragrance in a local boutique. It was housed in the most elegant rectangular bottle I’d ever seen and emblazoned with a peculiar name: Serge Lutens. It was called Un Lys.

I fell in love with its clear bright beauty immediately. It was simply the best thing I had ever smelled. Its price tag, however, was another matter. (You see, back then, I thought that anything over $100 way just way, waaay too much money to spend on a bottle of perfume. How things have changed!) I winced at the price, stood there for a while, decided against it and left. And I then promptly forgot about it.

Fast forward some years later, and it was actually another lily perfume, the magnificent Lys Mediterrannee that sent me tumbling down the rabbit hole of full-blown perfume obsession. Its hold on me was so great, that for years, I did not think I needed another lily fragrance in my collection.

Photo Stolen mi9

However, earlier this year, Un Lys started calling my name again. I ordered a bottle, completely unsniffed besides that brief, but powerful encounter many years ago.

Second time around, Un Lys took her time to ensconce me with her charms. I pulled it out one steamy Sydney morning thinking it would be the perfect accompaniment to a summery Saturday. But now, compared to Lys Med’s spicy voluptuousness, Un Lys struck me as rather wan, pale and uninteresting but therein lies the rub, Un Lys’ lack of complexity is its beauty and its simplicity is its mark of exquisiteness. Whereas Lys Med emphasises the tropical, heady, vampy vibe of the lily and others, like Donna Karan Gold, emphasise its green qualities, Un Lys is aims to be no more than an olfactory portrait of the flower. It needs no adornments and no bells and whistles to amplify its serene and quiet beauty.

Photo Stolen travelization

Further reading BoisDeJasmin and NowSmellThis

ThePerfumeShoppe sends 50ml to the world $140 before shipping

SurrenderToChance starts at $4/.5ml

Till next time.

Kim Kardashian by Claude Dir 2009

March 25, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Guest Post by Katrina

This weekend I will be celebrating my 40^th birthday with friends and the perfume I have chosen to wear for this auspicious occasion is …

Kim Kardashian by Claude Dir 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, floral-lemon honeysuckle and orange blossom
Heart: Pink jasmine, tuberose, gardenia and spices
Base: Tonka, jacaranda wood, vanilla orchid, musk and creamy sandalwood.

I happily admit I was not in a hurry to try the Kim Kardashian perfume. Yes, I have fragrances from Justin Bieber and Paris Hilton in my favourites list but everyone has their limits! However I kept noticing favourable comments in the blogosphere that led me to take the plunge. Who would have thought that Kim Kardashian could smell mature, long-lasting and sophisticated?

My first impression of the Kim Kardashian perfume – such a feminine fragrance! Kim Kardashian is a rich floral perfume with jasmine, tuberose and gardenia. When I first spray it on I find the scent quite sweet but the sweetness is from flowers. There is no juicy fruit or other sugary ingredients. This is a sophisticated, mature smelling fragrance rather than a girly celebuscent aimed at KK’s adoring teen fans. The white florals are dominated by tuberose. Tuberose can be a challenge for budding perfumistas but there is a creaminess to Kim Kardashian which makes it easier to wear and a great beginner tuberose fragrance. Kim Kardashian melts down to a long lasting sultry scent.

I would tend wear this perfume when dressed for a night out rather than using it as an everyday scent but of course there are no rules – feel free to wear it whenever you like!

If you are a fan of white florals then give this one a chance – you may be pleasantly surprised. When you can pick up a bottle for a bargain what have you got to loose?

Photo Stolen salon

FragranceX has a 30ml bottle of Kim Kardashian for $19.95 (The 50ml/100ml come in a round bottle and the 30ml in a metallic rectangular bottle)
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2/ml

I recently posted a video review of Kim Kardashian. You can check it out at my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HPHtpvh9SY

The wonderful Katie Puckrik has also reviewed Kim Kardashian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4FMoN_hVoA

You can find more Kim Kardashian fragrances at my website (http://celebrityperfumestore.com/index.php/kim-kardashian-perfume/) as well as the latest celebrity perfume news and reviews.

Katrina xx

Serge Lutens GIVEAWAY WINNERS

March 24, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hello Gorgeous!

So my mate Jordan River from TheFragrantMan blog really put me in the poo the other day by offering a GIVEAWAY! I had to quickly scramble around to find some stuff that the gorgeous Serge Lutens Palais Royal girls had thrown into my bag when I dropped in in February this year. My mate Neela Vermeire, the famous perfume curator from Neela Vermeire Creations, took me in the day before to show me the store and introduce me to the SAs who were so friendly and welcoming to both of us. It was like old home week. Hugs, kisses and fragrance!!

Photo Stolen TheMakeUpMole

Let me tell you the Palais Royal Serge Lutens store is FREAKY!! All done in purple and black lighting and OMG! It’s like an Addams Family parlour. And a spiral staircase in the middle from which you can see a speck of colour, I think it was yellow. The whole place gave me the willies, the heebeegeebees and stirred my head up so I couldn’t even think about perfume for myself. Next time I will at least do some serious testing.

What Jordan failed to tell you all was that though I have four Serge Lutens fragrances in full bottles,
Muscs Koublai Khan
Fleurs d’Oranger
Five O’Clock Gingembre
Santal Majuscule
(Sa Majeste la Rose, Chergui, Un Voix Noir and Gris Claire are the next on my list and maybe Cedre or Ambre Sultan down the track)
and many more in decants, unfortunately I am not a Bell Jar fan. I know!! PLEASE DON’T KICK ME OUT OF THE CLUB!!! I’m sorry but I like my perfume spritzed and also the square bottles look so neat and pretty together. What did happen though was that I had to buy two Bell Jars for APJ bloggers, everyone that writes for APJ was allowed order one bottle of impossible to find in Australia perfume to be brought back, so Madeleine asked for La Myrrhe and Michael asked for Iris Silver Mist which I dutifully bought, and returned to Australia with, for them.

For those that have never seen one, below is a specially decorated Bell Jar for Borneo 1834. I understand why you all covet them so freaking madly but they just do not ring my bells.

Photo Stolen Parfumo

WHAT YOU COULD WIN

There are 3 prizes today for our lovely readers who left a message in comments with a Serge Lutens fragrance I may have bought from the Palais Royal Store. Courtesy of the beautiful girls who work there there are 3 x Solid Sample Quartets to give away.

#1. De Profundis, Santal Blanc, Iris Silver Mist, Louve

#2. Chene, Un Bois Sepia, Borneo 1834, Vetiver Oriental

#3. Cuir Mauresque, Fumerie Turque, Boxeuses, Muscs Koublai Khan

Included is P&P to anywhere in the world

NO you don’t get to chose!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries closed Friday March 22nd 2013 10pm AEDST.
Winners were chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin picked them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.

Photo Stolen berryreview

Fiberliza

Kandice

LaurenW

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners have till Wednesaday 27th March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else, or even keep it for myself.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

With all our love in Birthday week at APJ.

Portia x

Step Back in Time: Jordan River Spikenard Foot Oil GIVEAWAY!!

March 22, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

Guest Post b y Jordan River The Fragrant Man

Are you spending too much on perfume? Here is a scented tale for you.

The Oil in the Alabaster Box
There are many faiths in this world. There are also many myths and legends. It’s up to you to find the truth on your fragrant journey. Let’s travel to the east this Easter to visit with a woman living on the boundaries of her culture. She has recently met a man. She believes him to be her spiritual guide. He is surrounded by men at a dinner party. She is uninvited and has to make her way past the guests to be able to offer her teacher a scented gift. The gift is spikenard oil, a costly perfume ingredient which at this volume, a Roman litra, costs the equivalent of spending a year’s salary on a scent; a scent so potent that the home where this story takes place becomes filled with fragrant air.

The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind

She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There’s no place here for her kind

Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster

Don’t be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair
You weren’t there the night He found me
You did not feel what I felt
When he wrapped his love all around me and
You don’t know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box

– lyrics: Janice Sjostran
for chanteuse Cece Winans
– an interpretation of Mark 14:3-9

Judas the accountant thought this money would have been better spent feeding the poor. Nevertheless the teacher accepted this gift from a woman’s heart.

Jesus looked at her with a smile “your deed will never be forgotten. Your story will be told throughout all the lands and for all time and in ways you have never even dreamed of“.

Little could she have imagined that one day the story of her alabaster box would be told on the World Wide Web.

– a Roman litra ~ 327 grams

Album Version – Cece Winans – The Alabaster Box
A more melodic version.

Spikenard Foot Oil Giveaway

We also have a gift to give away. Brie in New York has made some spikenard foot oil especially for this post. If you would like to encounter this scent and look after your own or your loved one’s feet please leave a comment below, then go visit Jordan River at The Fragrant Man, like the site on Facebook or follow on Twitter @TheFragrantMan.

The gift recipient will be announced on Easter Sunday on The Fragrant Man and mailed to you on Tuesday.

Spikenard or nard originates in India and Nepal, high in the Himalayas. The root of the plant is the source for one of the rarest and most precious oils.

Brie would like to say that she is not a professional perfumer. This is an interest for her. She blends with the best of intentions, carefully choosing oils for their healing properties as well as for the enjoyment of smelling. Brie says that spikenard is quite tenacious and challenging to work with as in her experience it takes over the blend (similar to tea tree oil).

OTHER SITES DOING THE SPIKENARD GIVEAWAY! Yes, you can enter at ALL OF THEM!
AllIAmARedhead
CoolCookStyle
ScentsMemory
ThePerfumeDandy

A Perfumista Pilgrimage – Serge Lutens

March 19, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 73 Comments

Guest Post by Jordan River

Serge Lutens

sergelutens.com

Mr Lutens is the magician of the fragrant stratosphere. A self-described sorcerer. A virtual recluse who conjures mysterious and amazing perfumes. He puts the genie in the bottle and you get to take it out. He is A Spell Jar of Adventure. The gravitas of the critiques of his releases and by who makes for fascinating reading. Wax Samples are the entry point to this particular wormhole. You have been warned. The solid perfume is an almost exact scent rendering and an excellent method to choose what to explore further in these eau de parfums. After that you have three collection choices, La Fille de Berlin, Selective Distribution (formerly ‘export’) and Exclusives. And after that you have numbered limited edition flacons. The Exclusives come in bell jars that until very recently have only been available at the Paris store. Hence the need for a pilgrimage. All 36 bell jars will suffice you for 3 years at the rate of a bottle a month. Clever people place small glass marbles in their bell jar to raise the juice level after constant application.

What interests me is going further, not into the perfume, but deeper into myself, exploring my innermost depths to extract darkness from light, and make it just as visible – Serge Lutens

sergelutens.com

In 1992 Serge opened his house of perfumes called Les Salons du Palais Royal. His vision was for

a unique place in the world where one would come as an enlightened being to define oneself through one’s perfume, in order to stand out from the identity-free crowd which previous times had imposed upon us.

It is to this salon in Paris than many a perfumista has made a pilgrimage. The latest one to embark on a quest for a bell jar is our very own Portia. Which bell jar of Sergian notes is calling out to her as she leaves The Land Down Under for The Perfume Capital of the Universe? A dry dry desert wind, a night or tuberose, a cry from the depths, the sweat of Kublai Khan, blackened amber, or the atmosphere, if not the very voice of Billie Holiday? If you can guess (and if this offer is not edited out!) then a decant will be yours on her return (Ed: Better than a decant I have something VERY special for our winners Jordan. SEE BELOW). Careful here, Portia is unpredictable! I’m thinking Sarrasins. What do you think?

Jordan River

References and Further Information

Serge Lutens Bell Jars are now available in New York at Barneys.

La Fille de Berlin (Selective Distribution range) was launched at Les Salons du Palais Royal last month.

Serge Lutens Interview 1 – Denyse Beaulieu
Serge Lutens Interview 2 – Denyse Beaulieu
Serge Lutens
Serge Lutens US site
Serge Lutens – Information by Snap

WHAT YOU CAN WIN

As you know it’s our ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY WEEK. There are 3 prizes today for our lovely readers who leave a message in comments with a Serge Lutens fragrance I may have bought from the Palais Royal Store. Courtesy of the beautiful girls who work there I have 3 x Solid Sample Quartets to give away.

#1. De Profundis, Santal Blanc, Iris Silver Mist, Louve

#2. Chene, Un Bois Sepia, Borneo 1834, Vetiver Oriental

#3. Cuir Mauresque, Fumerie Turque, Boxeuses, Muscs Koublai Khan

Included is P&P to anywhere in the world

NO you don’t get to chose!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Friday March 22nd 2013 10pm AEDST and winners will be announced in a separate post on Sunday 24th March.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin will pick them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.
The winners will have till Wednesaday 27th March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Best Birthday Wishes to you all.

Portia xx

Rosae Mundi by Profumum 2012

March 18, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Guest Post by Michael

Hi Fragaholics
The lovely Portia passed on a sample of a new fragrance currently piquing my interest, Rosae Mundi from Italian niche house Profumum.

The official lines from Profumum: “Sentiments that have has always belonged to me merge with the unseen. Joy and passion. I envision letting myself go in your arms to mysterious sensations and emotions.” Err, okidoki then.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Rose, patchouli, cedar wood and vetiver.

The opening is a very familiar rosey bouquet.
The rose smells quite loud and perfumey. It doesn’t strike me as a deep multifaceted rose nor is it naturalistic. This is the smell of womens rose perfumes of past decades and does remind me of the rose in YSL’s Paris (original formulation). In addition to the rose I get a violet accord, some white florals (Jasmine?), aldehydes, iris and green notes. I think it’s supposed to provide a sort of bouquet effect, but I get more of an impression of a woman wearing a big floral rose. Remember the 80s? Shiny dress, permed hair and big shoulder pads –power dressing and power perfumes.

After 30 or so minutes the Rosae Mundi starts to settle down with the floral rose notes receding slightly.
Patchouli and cedre form the base with only a very little vetiver as far as I can tell. Again, these notes aren’t deep multifaceted renditions nor are they naturalistic. Think singular, aroma chemical representations rather than natural oils or complex accords.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Perhaps the easiest way to describe this fragrance is the rose/florals of Paris on top of the deconstructed base of Lumiere Noire Pour Homme. Of course it’s its own fragrance but this is at least an approximation.

If you like 80s rosey florals a la YSL’s Paris then I’d suggest giving this a test run. It could possibly appeal to guys looking for a semi-masculine rose too, although I suspect most guys will run 1,000 miles from wearing this leaving a big bloke-y shaped hole in the wall.

Longevity and sillage are both high

LuckyScent has 100ml/$265 or .7ml/$5

All in all I’m still not entirely sure what to make of this Rosae Mundi. What do you think of it?

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!! Statistics and First Post Reprise!!

March 17, 2013 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!

Tomorrow, the 18th March marks 365 days of continuous posts on AustralianPerfumeJunkies. What started out as two besties having a bash has turned into quite a going concern and I cannot believe I have stuck to it with such tenacity. Many of you have been with us from the earliest posts and I thank you for your support and sometimes forebearance. Also welcome to our newest followers, I hope you enjoy being a part of our APJ family. Your readership and comments keep us coming back to the computer every day, week and month.

A big THANK YOU goes out to all our Guest Post providers. Without you all and your amazing contributions I worry that APJ would be nothing. All of you, past and present, are amazing and I am inspired by you all every week. EvieC, Madeleine, EmmaKate, Katrina, Dionne, Suzanne R Banks, Val the Cookie Queen, Robert “Radium” Maxwell, Tim, Margeaux, Jordan River, Michael: Each of you has brought something new and amazing to APJ and I am proud and honoured that you give up precious spare time to write, sniff and sniff some more. Many of you we have welcomed into our home for wonderful meals and fragrant conversations. YOU ARE AMAZING!!

Another THANK YOU to my bestie and partner Kath and Jin, how blessed am I? Life just got a whole lot rosier now that we are all on site. Nothing I could ever write here would come close to how much I love, revere, adore you both and am grateful for your continued inclusion in my life. You are my family.

Photo Stolen SouthernShopaholic

Some stats

379 Posts
5,594 Comments
129,870 Visitors
Best Month was November 2012 – 22,525
Best Day was November 13 2012 – 1,165
Most Click Throughs from Perfume Posse, Olfactoria’s Travels, Google
Most Click Throughs to Perfume Posse, Posh Peasant, Surrender To Chance

Now I am looking forward to the next 12 months. We have some wonderful things in the pipeline and are prepped and ready to go for some others. Looking into the future is hard because it’s looking so BRIGHT!!

I wish you all Health, Wealth and Happiness on our journey together for the next twelve months.
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Portia xxxx

As a reminiscence, here is our first post on fragrance

Tabac Original by Maurer & Wirtz

Cheapy McCheap! and Cheerful.

So yesterday morning we awoke very late, it was almost time to rush out the door for pedicures and then Yum Cha (or YUMMY CHA CHA CHA!). No time to decide on anything really. Raining outside, meeting besties (big HELLO to Kath & Alice & Jin), no pressure. On went super comfy new sloppy joe, jeans, thongs. Perfume, fragrance, something?? Can’t think. Can’t think. Can’t think. Reaching…….

Maurer & Wirtz Tabac Original EDT spray, modern incarnation, comes back towards me in my hand. Really brain? Really hand? Clearly my mind and body have understood what my inner self would never have said. Spray on my thorax twice, one wrist, one elbow, mash. Wait and waft…………..

An Aromatic Fougere (pronounced Foo zair but the z is almost a j like the Chinese say Beijing) and if you want the notes then Fragrantica is your spot. Woody, herbal, floral, tobacco and aldehydic are the given accords there and on my skin I get a rush of citrus and herbs at the opening, it squeals a bit, then as my skin warms the fragrance (and it does, I can feel a warm reaction, a bit like Vicks Vaporub) then the powdery iris and lavender saunter in MMMMM. By the time I am at our destination Tabac is humming along nicely with the flora, woods and herbs all whiffling up my sloppy joe each time I move. This is a perfect warm but rainy day fragrance for the casual event. At lunch I am complimented by a discerning girlfriend who is gobsmacked that something so inexpensive can be this lovely. I concur. Hours later, snuggling with my partner I can still smell a tiny and very sexy hint of musk and vanilla. So good I’ve come in to reapply and go through the story again. Now, going back to see if it works, it would on me.

PS. Worked a treat!Photo Stolen from Fragrantica

Thanks for reading,
Portia xx

Don’t Forget to enter our 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!!(<<JUMP)