You may never have heard of the CdG series 6. They were deleted before I became a serious perfumista and though they have come into my radar area a couple of times I’d not ever thought of possessing them. There was so much else to be snorted that I really, really wanted to try.
Then, not so long ago, my mate Radium (AKA Robert Maxwell) asked if I knew where to procure such hard to find gems. So as an essay in “I can do that” I set out to. It wasn’t easy, in fact I could only find the 3 that Radium asked for at SurrenderToChance and so, as a great way to have them, smell them and share them, I offered to purchase if he would come and sniff them with me LIVE! for a video presentation. He jumped at the chance and here is the outcome. Do please enjoy.
Both the photos stolen from Number3store.com where you can but these 3 lovelies currently. Woo Hoo!
I must also congratulate the extraordinary talents of my BFF Kath who shot ans edited and TSO Jin who made it blog ready. You 2 are awesome, great joys and I’m lucky to have you both. XX
We made our 6,000th individual view (IVs) over the weekend! For anyone who’s run a blog for a long time that doesn’t seem like a lot but we only started in mid March 2012. Individual views (IVs) is the amount of separate people who’ve viewed the site, each day you can make a new entry. If you come to the site and look at 10 pages you count as 10 in page views, only 1 in individual views. So you can imagine there were a few rowdy Woo Hoo’s when we noticed it had clicked over.
GIF Stolen from picgifs
This got me to thinking, can we make it to 10,000 individual views (IVs) by the end of June? On stats it should be doable; March we did around 700, April just over 2000, May we’ll fly over the 3,000 mark. So then the CHALLENGE for June is to do 4,000 individual views (IVs). If we hit 10,000 IVs all up in June I think there should be a SUPER DOOPER GIVEAWAY.
Photo Stolen dancingastronaut
How can you help to make this happen? Easy Peasy!
TWITTER = Portia@OzPerfumeJunkie
FACEBOOK = Portia Turbo
Every time there’s a new post that you find interesting, reTweet or share on Facebook with all your buddies. Hopefully some of them will have a look, like what they see and continue the process.
Here’s what we at AustralianPerfumeJunkies will give away if we make 10,000 IVs in June.
Brand New Box In Plastic Wrap L’Homme Sport 50ml EdT by Lanvin 5ml spray decant Smell Bent Tibet Ur bottom $ EdT (Discontinued) 5ml spray decant Rochas Byzance EdT (Discontinued) 5ml spray decant CHANEL No 5 Eau Premier EdT
WOW! 4 lucky winners will win one of these great prizes each with postage anywhere in the world.
If you are a regular scentbloggosphere reader you will have seen this lovely Cartier mini movie before. Every time I am about to post it someone else I read puts it up, last time it was Birgit at Olfactoria’s Travels (AT) and this time Nathan Branch at Good Taste Is A Trillion Dollar Industry (NZ) but I’m going ahead today because it’s so incredibly and ridiculously lovely. Please enjoy.
I hope you loved it and on a completely different track I re-found this wonderful quote on the weekend and thought it would be fun to share it. Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months, Oscar Wilde
Thanks for tuning in again, we are grateful that you do. Don’t forget to help us reach
Yesterday I became completely sidetracked by the Annick Goutal story. I wish now I had taken a month to really research her and the magnificent job she did creating a niche perfume company that went global. Awe inspiring. One day there will be a book, mini series or movie about the rise and rise of an indomitable spirit. Does anybody remember meeting her? Have an anecdote to share? Please leave it in the comments, good or bad, so I can get a fuller picture of who Annick Goutal was.
Photo Stolen from multi-brand
For now, all I have is her fragrances to remember her by. I have 6 in my collection so far (3 bottles, 3 decants) but I can feel already that I would like to at least sample the range. You can have 3 reviews today and three tomorrow.
Eau de Sud EDT
This was my first meeting with an Annick Goutal fragrance. The scentbloggosphere somewhere told me this was the go to fragrance for the whole range and it was fairly indicative of the general style of fragrance produced at Annick Goutal, though I think the range has quite a lot more light and shade than that. Having reviewed it earlier this month I won’t bore you again but it is a bright citrus that softens to a vanilla herbal citrus as it wears.
Photo Stolen from 99perfume.com
The Annick Goutal website says,
The sparkling freshness of citrus fruits ripened under the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. Creation date : 1997 Olfactory family : Citrus, Chypre, Green (Bergamot, Persian lime, grapefruit, mandarine, verbena, peppermint, basil, hint of jasmine and vetiver, patchouli, oakmoss)
Songes EDT (Dreams)
Songes was my first Annick Goutal FBW fragrance. When the sample arrived I loved it so much I sprayed it on all and sundry till it ran dry just so they could experience the enormous grand white floral opening. What a fragrance! Designed around a dusk ramble on Camille Goutal’s honeymoon and the frangipani’s nighttime scent song of dreams.
Photo Stolen from escentual-com
The Annick Goutal website says
The twilight in Tahiti, transcending into a inspiring combination of frangipani and tiare flowers. Creation date : 2005 Olfactory family : Floral, oriental, amber (Frangipani, Tiare flower, Sambac jasmine absolute, ylang-ylang absolute, olibanum, French vanilla absolute, sandalwood, amber)
This is a fragrance I had tried and loved but been annoyed by its lack of staying power on my scent hungry skin. Finding it at a knock down price online I couldn’t resist a purchase. It is a hot and spicy citrus that lasts a maximum of 2 hours on me. the ride is fun though. Camille Goutal wanted this fragrance to reference her love of fairies and magic as a child, and the bright fun and dark depths of current fiction and film that her own children were enjoying. It doesn’t give me particularly dark and deep depths but I can sense the fun and wonder of white magic lurking here. It’s almost cologne-esque on me. If you want something darker and deeper the Annick Goutal Mandragore Pourpe is for you.
Photo Stolen from stylehive.com
The Annick Goutal website says
A burst of energy brought by the liveliness of the aromatic notes. Creation date : 2005 Olfactory family : Citrus, aromatic, spicy (Bergamot, blackpepper, peppermint, star anis, boxwood, ginger, sage, iris, ciste roots, labdanum)
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading some of Annick Goutal’s masterpieces reviewed. Three more tomorrow.
COMPETITION GIVEAWAY!!
So for today’s Thursday Competition Giveaway please leave us a comment on a perfumer who has inspired you in some way. It could be Guerlain, Chanel, Jennifer Lopez, Karine Dubreuil, David Beckham, Alberto Morillas, Loc Dong, Patti LaBelle or Andy Tauer. Anybody who has put their name to a perfume. Maybe their dedication, lifestyle, car, a scent that changed you, pet, cooking, scent history, breakaway or interesting choices. Whatever! Who; and how did they inspire you? Easy Peasy!!
This weeks swag includes;
NB all measures are approximate.
1ml spray remains of manufacturers sample Eau de Maroc EDP by Aftelier Perfumes
1.5ml spray decant Mandgradore EDT by Annick Goutal
1.5ml spray decant Carriere EDP by Gendarme
1.5mml spray decant Muscho Nobile EDT by Nobile 1942
and a SURPRISE 1.5ml spray decant that you’ll find out about tomorrow
Go to it gang. winner will be judged on Saturday 10pm-ish Australian EST
This week’s weather in Sydney is completely bonkers, warm and sunny, freezing and windy, wet, cold and sunny; all today! Choosing a perfume for today was hard work, so this morning I tried an old favourite, and this evening something brand spanking new!
ROXANA’S ILLUMINATED PERFUMES
So I lemminged onto Roxana’s Illuminated Perfumes through ThePerfumeShrine who did a wonderful piece on one of the fragrances, Hedera Helix, based on the Ivy it’s named after. Thank You for introducing me gang. The picture below shows Roxana’s enormous attention to detail when she sends. So pretty, and it makes the whole experience even more special.
Photo Stolen from ETSY
I went and found Roxana on ETSY and this is what she has to say about her fragrances
I create whole, vital, organic perfumes with stories. These fragrances are from nature, there are absolutely NO synthetic materials contained or tortured animal ingredients in my fragrances. The perfumes I create are from the highest-grade botanical materials; including pure essences sourced from the deserts of Arabia, tropical forests of Madagascar as well as Mediterranean meadows. In the tradition of alchemists and perfumers of ancient times, I create an illuminated line of exclusive, signature fragrances along with extraordinary custom perfumes. Every fragrance is created in small batches by hand and resonates with a deep connection to the land, utilizing intoxicating scents drawn from the botanical world.
I ordered the Organic Botanical Perfume Sampler Eco d’Lux Six Pack for US$45 and a Hedera Helix Nature Perfume in a Mini Compact for US $30 and, gorgeous girl that Roxanna is, there came a surprise for you (see below in COMPETITION GIVEAWAY).
Photo Stolen from Etsy
IMPROMPTU
As always I went straight for the sample that came to my fingers. Didn’t check the name, just applied with abandon, well not too much, they are extremely small samples. Really, really small. I got the original application before work and a reapplication now to jog my memory. Gone! Anyway, this is called Impromptu and is not on the current list.
OMG BETTY! Deep earthy green, like a sexy swamp lady, I smell moss, river water and weed, herbs, torn fig leaves, mown lawn and compost, and some spices that elude me but it is AWESOME!
Photo Stolen from ETSY
One of the men at Trivia tonight, that I would never have expected it from, leaned over and said, “You smell great, that perfume is….Wow!” As Evie C was also there I have back up collaboration on this. He was blown away, and so am I. You can be sure I’ve already written to Roxana asking for 5 litres of it, well, asking if I could buy any of it actually.
It’s morning now and there is still a delicious fat curl and waft of deepest green lingering upon my person. I am mesmerised, sitting still for minutes at a time (not something I do easily) trying to track this amazing scent. It is now a rank, dank thing clawing its way from the sea with a briny broken branch smell. I’m sorry, the words I have are not making this scent sound appealing; it is. I wish there were more words in my head to give you an accurate picture of how majestic this fragrance is, like primordial soup and magic. There was the tiniest skerrick left in the bottle and I have drained the dregs to live this wonderful fragrance again. One thing is for sure, you’ll not find anything this wild, untamed and confronting at your local fragrance counter. This is the good stuff.
HEDERA HELIX
I have the solid mini compact of Hedera Helix, being a solid it is much tamer in sillage, but it is a very crisp Green Floral Chypre that is less brash than Impromptu. It smells like a reserved, elegant and willowy sister in comparison. It’s edges are buffed and polished to an easy wearabilty for everyone, and being solid it is also good for people allergic to mass market perfumes. I like the mini compact especially for gym goers who are forever losing lids in gym bags and precious juice being squirted into damp towels and soggy lycra. Also, after a workout it goes on beautifully and the extra warmth and bloodflow help to give softer solid perfume a bit more strength.
Photo Stolen from ETSY
Roxanna says of the Hedera Helix fragrance
The best words I can use are to describe this scent is mossy green, floral Chypre. I utilized many essences with a green profile as well as those that come from green leaves like Geranium, Peach Leaf, Rhododendron Leaf, and Violet Leaf. On the skin of those who have tested it the aroma is quite beautiful.
COMPETITION GIVEAWAY
This Thursday the question you must answer in the comments is, “What is your dirty little perfume secret? The one guilty fragrance pleasure that you wear even though it has been reviled by all and sundry? Maybe it’s a cheapy, maybe it’s a one star Sanchez/Turin or maybe it’s something so old fashioned you can’t bring yourself to tell. Now’s the time to spill.” and I’ll pick the comment that resonates most with me. Doesn’t have to be long or flamboyant, just give it to me straight.
One of my personal favourites that fits into this category is Poeme by Lancome. I will be writing about it tomorrow, so before my dirty little secret is really out I’d like to hear yours.
What’s in the winners pack this week? All measures are approximate and winner drawn Sunday 10pm-ish Australian EST.
1 x manufacturers sample pot of Roxana’s Illuminated Perfumes, Hedera Helix
1 x 5ml manufacturers sample One Seed, Freedom EDP
1 x 2ml decanted spray sample Estee Lauder, Youth Dew
1 x 1ml remains manufacturers sample Bottega Veneta
1 x .5ml decanted sample spray L’Artisan Parfumeur, Passage D’Enfer
plus postage and packing anywhere in the world that it’s legal to send to
SO GO TO IT!!
Thanks for getting all the way to the bottom of my random smelly thoughts,
Here is a special present, I was reminded of it today by my buddy Radium Maxwell. MWAAA
Eau de Sud according to the Annick Goutal site, and I think they’re pretty spot on;
A symphony of citrus accords melts into slightly peppery and woody notes. Mandarin orange, bergamot, verbena, mint and basil. An invigorating trail of scent that recalls the creator’s voyages to Provence and Tuscany.
It is a 1996 unisex fragrance and both the mens and womens bottles contain the same stuff, usually you can find the mens at a much better price online. Citrus is not something I wear very much so I am looking to put one in the fragrance wardrobe. It starts out beautifully tart and crisp and whipish, at about the 15 minute mark it starts to warm for me, maybe the sandalwood and vanilla making an early appearance, it has maintained a pretty linear dry down and at 2.5 hours is barely there, almost just smelling a prettier me.
As always Fragrantica is my go to for the basic notes & accords with real people reviews and Now Smell This gives a more in depth and interesting review.
Musc Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens,
Sir Edward John Pointer, The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon photo stolen from AGNSW
Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens is one of the fragrances often referred to on the scentbloggosphere as a reference fragrance for sexy, dark and dirtiness. There is said to be a great disparity between the bell jar original and the export versions and unfortunately I don’t have 2 for comparison and as I am using a sample from Perfume Niche there is no way of telling which one I have. Honestly though, I don’t smell anything even remotely sexual, dirty or dark. I smell deliciously deep patchouli, amber and musk, I think. It is warm and resinous like wood that’s just been waxed and polished but it does stay that way for hours, gloriously. I like Muscs Koublai Khan a LOT!! I think I will order 10mls and really give it a whirl.
What an awesome and fragrant week I’ve had. Just looking back through the stuff that I’ve sniffed and what you’ve read doesn’t even cover half of it. I think I should have asked Evie C if we could have called the blog ScentWhores or StinkPigs because it’s like having to write a food diary to show you how much you eat. Blogging has woken me to the fact that I am Scent-ual. I hope you are enjoying the ride.
It’s Thursday and that means GIVEAWAY COMPETITION time. you have to tell us the last perfume you tried that was full bottle worthy, why and did you buy it yet. The winner will be judged on Saturday night 7.3.12 around 10pm Sydney EST
We are giving away approximately
1.5ml JINX by Tommi Sooni decanted spray sample
1.5ml L’Eau D’Ambre by L Artisan Parfumeur decanted spray sample
1.5ml City of Angels by Royal Apothic decanted spray sample
1.5ml Fantasia de Fleurs by Creed decanted spray sample
1ml Fig by Aftelier Perfumes remains of manufacturers sample spray
plus postage and packing to anywhere in the world
ALSO you need to go and read TheCandyPerfumeBoy today he has been chhosing scents for that Nicki Minaj songstress that I LOVE!
Just for fun I’ve added this L’Instant Guerlain ad because…..
Lovely crisp day here in Sydney, Australia. Autumn is closing in upon us and while not believing scents should follow the seasons, today I thought to start with something warming and deep. As a perfumista in waiting, I am still trying to get my nose around many scents and fragrances, still don’t quite understand how each note should be working or permeating a fragrance. Then, on top of that, because so much of fragrance is in fact science, as opposed to nature, the same way to reach a natural scent can be taken by millions of different routes, and is. Meaning that though the notes of a fragrance may say patchouli, it is often the idea of patchouli in its many incarnations rather than patchouli per se (Latin meaning; Of, in or by itself) that you are smelling.
Obviously the kind of knowledge that a blogger like 1000 Fragrances (sadly this blog is now closed) has is gained through a lifetime of study and experience. I am clearly not that person but I would like to have my nose across as many fragrances as possible so that my personal value judgment can have more gravitas. Evie C and I have been talking of doing a course in the near future also (more on that down the track) but until that time I want to smell as many scents as possible.
To do that, we perfumistas and perfumistas in waiting, or junkies, fumeheads, fragrance whores, etc etc often buy, instead of spending all our hard earned cash on a full bottle of everything we like, a smaller sample size (1-5ml), or decant (5-30ml), to test the water and see if we love it. Conversely, we may have sampled something and LOVED it, yet there would not be the chance to wear it more that once or twice a year so could not see the need for buying a full bottle (FB). Or maybe the scent is a reference scent, giving you the best (by popular opinion or your own) of a certain style of fragrance, or a note that you are interested in, by which to judge all others. Maybe you DESPERATELY want this fragrance but are just too poor to own it, there are fragrances out there going for thousands of dollars. I KNOW!! RIGHT!
Sometimes a fragrance IS great, you love it and want it but there are more pressing things on your must have list, maybe the bottle is ugly, dumb, grotesque, could be you like getting things in the mail from all over the world, or perhaps you are just plain old addicted. There is also the problem of discontinued or reformulated scents, you can get some of the most important ones if you go to decant sites but would never get the opportunity otherwise. Maybe you just live too far from New York or Paris and want to smell what others are currently talking about on the scentbloggosphere.
That’s just a few of the reasons. Anyway, my first introduction to the art of buying samples and decants was through The Posh Peasant, Abigail who runs it is friendly and helpful. Even if you can’t find what you’re looking for on her site, ASK HER, she has almost everything and will purchase for you if you promise to do a decent ($40-50) shop of her stuff when she gets it in for you. Fair enough! A new set arrived yesterday!! See below.
There are others that I use too now SurrenderToChance, Lucky Scent,My Perfume Samples and The Perfume Niche and there are more but these are the guys I use regularly. You can even buy pre organised sets, which is awesome because they’ve done all the sniff work for you. Maybe you’d like to understand the way violets or heliotrope meander through a fragrance, on most of these sites you will find a set of perfume samples that are the best or unusual in their category. Simple? Yes. Do me, and you, a favour though. Don’t order a new set until your original set has arrived and you have smelt every one. Otherwise you’ll end up with HUNDREDS!!! Most of them unsmelt. Money is too hard to make for you to be so profligate. This is one place you should be careful, give yourself a perfume budget, then do your UTMOST to stick to it. The perfume wormhole is an addictive and expensive place to get lost. Fragrance is not like houses, there is no resale value.
One thing I do find is that perfume does not smell the same dabbed as spritzed. Many times I’ve been totally let down by a fragrance in dab form to be then astounded and dazzled by it when spritzed. I have found a super cheap bottle, plastic bag and mini funnel online store that lets you buy in smaller quantities that 10,000, from about 10 upwards. They do wholesale and retail and accept paypal! AWESOME!! Better still they send to Australia! which so many refuse to do, at very reasonable rates. Proud Style is the crew you’re after. They seem genuinely happy to have my business, a plus. I also use My Perfume Samples because they have a great small order selection of a few sizes for great prices and cheap postage.
Currently I am slowly working my way through the Perfume Posse “Perfume 101” list. It’s a great beginners who’s who of the perfume style, note and some super gorgeous must sniffs.
So here’s what arrived from the Posh Peasant yesterday!
Australian Perfume Junkies 