Mohur: When I Want To Feel Majestic

May 31, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Portia

Heya Fumies.

You may notice I talk about Neela Vermeire quite a bit, and her perfumes Neela Vermeire Creations. There are two reasons for that. First and foremost I think the fragrances themselves are exquisite. There is something next level about them. I know how much love, drama and time goes into every drop that gets spritzed by perfumistas the world over. Not merely perfumes but labours of love. Bertrand Duchaufour has repeatedly said that Neela is his most exacting client. She has an idea in her head of what perfection is and follows that dream.

The second reason is because she has become, over the years APJ has been going, a friend. The reason I know how much time and heartache go into the perfumes is because we chat regularly and I hear some of the drama that you all never see. Perfectionism is a cross, striving to create reality from dreams is bloody hard work.

The problem though with blogs is there is so much stuff that’s new/wants to be shared/needs to be chatted about that the things that have really given us enormous pleasure get brushed aside in search of the immediate workload. So today I wanted to remind you all of a fragrance that can take me on journeys in my mind while lying on the couch, working, cleaning, walking through the sunlit streets, shopping, dining or anything else we manage to do in the day.

Mohur: When I Want To Feel Majestic

Mohur by Bertrand Duchaufour for Neela Vermeire Creations 2011

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Ambrette seed, Elemi resin, Cardamom, Carrot seed, Coriander seed, Black pepper
Heart: Hawthorn, Iris, Jasmine, Leather, Almond milk, Moroccan rose, Turkish rose, Violet
Base: Amber, Benzoin, Blond woods, Oud, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Tonka bean, Vanilla

The scent? Roses with spices and resins to jazz the jazziest to the top of the tree. Sweet, jammy roses that also wend through dry tea, sharp pepper, slightly boozy and creamy rich overblown cabbage roses. There is the snap of green twigs, a little grassy and the cool aloofness of carroty iris, leather, woods and smooth as glass resins. Add drops of bakery vanilla and barnyard oud, sweet sandalwood melds with milky almonds.

The day you wear it decides what will be the major backing players and every wear is its own special ride. The only think that’s guaranteed is roses, roses and more luscious roses. How they come is everytime different. The enormous amount of expensive roses in this bottle make it fir for this queen.

I can’t think of a better way to smell all day. Whether you are lazing in the sun or doing the chores, isn’t it nice to smell like you own the known world.

LuckyScent has $235/60ml
Neela Vermeire Creations has €125/2 x 15ml with European Shipping Included
Surrender To Chance has samples from $7/0.5ml

What do you wear to feel majestic?
Portia xx

Kai Rose Oil by Kai by Gaye Straza 2017 + GIVEAWAY

May 29, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Portia

Hey APJ,

A few weeks ago I bought a couple of bottles from LuckyScent and asked them to send me their newest stuff as samples. I figured they are far better arbiters of the best of new fragrance than I am. It turned out to be a really good idea. I have dabbed them already and come up with a couple I’d like to wear fully and review. YAY! Don’t you love getting the low down on the newest?

Kai Rose Oil by Kai by Gaye Straza 2017

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Rose absolute, White blossoms, Gardenia

Original 1999 Kai? Remember it? The glorious white floral that reminded a new generation of the BWFs existence? Gaye Straza created original Kai to remember the scent of her childhood holidays in Hawaii. At the time she had a boutique in Malibu, California. When she sold the store she kept the fragrance line and expended the original Kai scent product range. This is the first new Scent release from the brand since then.

ROSES! How I love roses. There’s currently one on my window sill that I was given 10 days ago and it’s still blooming happily. Well, maybe heading towards the end now but each morning it supplies glorious scent, soft but sweet and jammy rose scent.

Kai rose is a little bit similar. A clean, sweet, jammy rose, smells lilac or deep pink. You can even smell the soft velvet touch of rose petals as you bury your face in the blooms. A dry rose, not dewy at all, even a bit overblown and ready to drop all its petals.

Slowly the white flowers emerge and I’m reminded of original Kai but tempered all the way through with rose. Lovely.

Sillage is low and projection moderate. Can’t wait for the EdP which will be much more diffuse.

LuckyScent has $48/4ml rollerball & Samples

Kai Rose GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 0.7ml Kai Rose Oil LuckyScent Sample (1/2 full from testing)
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 tell us did you wear Kai? Do you still? OR What happy Kai memories do you have?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 31st May 2017 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 7th June 2017 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

LuckyScent Oliver & Co Sample GIVEAWAY WINNER

May 25, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Portia

Thanks for getting involved APJ.

It was nice to run this giveaway. Old from Oliver & Co wrote to say thank you. Isn’t that thoughtful? He’s a honey.
Good luck everyone,
Portia xxx

LuckyScent Oliver & Co Sample GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 0.7ml Oliver & Co Dunard LuckyScent Sample
1 x 0.7ml Oliver & Co Gincense LuckyScent Sample
1 x 0.7ml Oliver & Co La Colonia LuckyScent Sample
1 x 0.7ml Oliver & Co M.O.U.S.S.E. LuckyScent Sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 24th May 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winner was chosen by random.org

GINA

The winners will have till Wednesday 31st May 2017 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

Saffron Veil by Irina Adam for Phoenix Botanicals

May 24, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Erica Golding

Hello all, I hope your day is spectacular so far!

Today, I am letting a secret out and telling you all about the most beautiful perfume I have smelled in many years. I’m not exaggerating. It is UNREAL!

Many of you may have heard about Phoenix Botanicals, an up and coming natural perfume company. I’ve been digging Irina’s scents for years, and she was a 2017 Art and Olfaction finalist nominee for Vanilla and the Sea. I adore her vision and the trajectory of her talent, but nothing prepared me for the supernova of obsession that flared when I recently inhaled this masterpiece:

Saffron Veil by Phoenix Botanicals

Saffron Veil by Irina Adam

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Violet, Saffron, Herbs, Tuberose, Boronia, Sandalwood, Resins, Smoke

When was the last time that you tried a sample on your skin and almost fell over? That was my first impression of Saffron Veil. I curiously swabbed a drop on my skin, interested but not expecting much from the afterthought sample add-on to my order.

Truly, my knees gave out for a second and I had to sit on my bed.

The opening is boozy for a moment, as the grape alcohol carrier announces the aroma with a triumphant symphonic blast. And what a triumph it is – have you ever experienced genuine high-grade saffron absolute? Words can hardly approximate the experience, but this saffron exhibits a leathery richness like the finest buttery suede. It also has a touch of bitterness like vetiver grass, sunlit smoky hay. This saffron anchor, although a lower note in the fragrance, dominates the opening. Interestingly, the saffron also offers longevity even as it slides into its decrescendo.

Etsy

As the saffron detonation begins to settle and equilibrate, the composition makes way for the most heartbreaking floral bouquet I have ever known. Hawaiian tuberose, magnolia, boronia, and violet harmonize like an unlikely squad of lifelong friends who are all incredibly unique and different. The tuberose is the primary note that I detect, and it is pure magic. This tuberose is the real deal, highly prized (and accordingly costly), and my self-expression shuts down into a sputtering of small words as I try to describe it: Wax, butter, sugar, lush, humid, sweet, green, tropical, delicate, voluptuous. Quietly humming at the bottom, I sense a hint of smooth sandalwood and perhaps benzoin and myrrh.

The perfume longevity on the skin is exceptional for a natural fragrance, especially one with such soul-smashingly breathtaking volatile notes. Saffron Veil lasts for several hours, and if I spray it onto my clothing, it lasts all day. It’s a bold fragrance, possibly a little daring for work but that hasn’t stopped me!

What a dream.

Etsy

Saffron Veil from Au$69/5ml

I hope you will consider trying a sample of Saffron Veil, I would love to talk about it! I haven’t fallen for a perfume this hard in years.

Love and light,
Erica

Oliver & Co + LuckyScent Sample

May 22, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Portia

Hey Crew,

I was looking through my unused/untried/unloved samples today.In the box there are a few of the LuckyScent Sample Bags. Every month they put together a bunch of samples of their new, seasonal or interesting stuff. I like to buy these packs because invariably there are a few things I would NEVER try on my own. Also I trust the LuckyScent guys to have the best of the best. If they’re flogging it then it must be in some way spectacular.

In every couple of bags though there are things I have already tried. So there are a bunch of bags in the box with the vials as yet unopened. Today we are giving away one such set. A company that doesn’t get enough attention on blogs or press but who recently won a big award, the Duftstar 2017 for “Best Artistic Independent Perfume” for their latest offering Ambergreen.

M.O.U.S.S.E. by Oliver & Co 2012

Fragrantica

Oliver & Co gives these featured accords:
Aldehydes, clove bud, iso e super, lavender absolute, lime, Mysore sandalwood, oakmoss, white musks

Spicy clove and green notes, peppery. Zingy, glittering spices that seem to shoot from my arm like the reflected lights of a disco ball through the light smoky haze of a club. Metallic, cool and sharp through the heart I find M.O.U.S.S.E. both challenging and alluring. My nose continually sniffing for changes in mood and texture. They come slowly and with graceful dignity, nothing in M.O.U.S.S.E. is fast paced after the initial fireworks. It’s gradual sliding into a new fragrant level.

Only towards the very deepest dry down does M.O.U.S.S.E. show any sign of warming through, as if my personal scent is finally winning the battle with this fragrant interstellar intruder and finally humanising it. The ride is sensational without being too freaky for daily wear.

Oliver & Co has €110/50ml
LuckyScent has some of the range $130/50ml

LuckyScentOliver & Co Sample GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please go to the Oliver & Co site <<JUMP and tell us in the comments a Fragrance and ONE Ingredient (Don’t be greedy and name more than one, those entries will be ignored) NO DOUBLE UPS

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 24th May 2017 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 31st May 2017 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

PG25 Indochine by Pierre Guillaume for Parfumerie Générale 2011

May 18, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Portia

Hey Swett Scenters,

As you know I madly adore Pierre Guillaume. He makes a bunch of fragrances I love and a few noses that I really admire claim he’s as good as I think he is. That’s enough for me. He seems to be able to make what we modernly think of as a masculine idea, the woods, and create this non bloke=ish, sweet and gourmand event with them. THEN, to add to the joy these woodsy notes remain wearable by both sexes. The sweetness never eclipses the basic woodiness and once on masculine skin WOW! So beautiful.

PG25 Indochine by Parfumerie Générale 2011

PG25 Indochine by Pierre Guillaume

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Cambodian pepper, Sri Lankan cardamom
Heart: Thanaka wood, Laotian honey
Base: Benzoin Siam

Sweet, honeyed amber is my opening impression. It doesn’t take long though for dry black ground pepper to sneak in underneath and lift the thickness, creating some counterpoint. It’s still filled with a golden glow though and warms me right through. Pretty and comfortable for our cooling temps.

Indochina wears as a sweet peppery amber that gets woodsier as it dries down. I find the honey clean and sweet with only the softest hint of animals. I love how through the day as I personally start to smell a little lived in the fragrance moves and grows more human with me. It never becomes nasty or growly but does lose some of its new minted, just showered feel.

I had a few compliments on this tonight. One of the club workers kept coming over to smell me and tell me all the things it made her think of, plus a couple of other random compliments. A clear winner.

Who could wear Indochina? Anyone who likes their woods sweetened or their honey clean. It is a very intimate scent without the usual siren calls of sexiness. Very dressed up or casual, no problem. Initially sillage is quite prominent but after about an hour & a half it becomes a much closer sweetness. An excellent scent for wearing to undress.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Scented Hound
LuckyScent has $125/50ml + Samples

Do you have a favourite Pierre Guillaume fragrance?
Portia xx

Mon Guerlain GIVEAWAY WINNER

May 18, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Portia

Woo Hoo APJ!

Thanks for getting involved this week.

Let’s see who won,
Portia xxx

Mon Guerlain GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 5ml Mon Guerlain EdP Boxed Mini
1 x 30ml Mon Guerlain Body Lotion
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 17th May 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winner waschosen by random.org

Anna Maria

The winner will have till Wednesday 24th May 2017 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

Citrus Ester by Amélie Bourgeois and Anne-Sophie Behaghel for Aether 2016

May 11, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Portia

Hiya Frag Freaks,

Modern is the catch cry of Aether, these guys use nothing but captured and created molecules in their scents. A far cry from the old school beauty of naturals and their multifaceted wearings. Here we have industrial scent for the 21st century that manages to remain beautiful, interesting and wearable. When the range first came out I judged them to be ghastly without ever trying one, just because of the concept, but every time I wear one my incredulity falls away and I’m swayed towards their concept.

I grabbed this sample from Surrender To Chance.

Citrus Ester by Aether 2016

Citrus Ester by Amélie Bourgeois and Anne-Sophie Behaghel

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Grapefruit, rhubarb, methyl pamplemousse

Sharp sweetness, ferociously clean, cold spoon on tongue, clean sink, fresh air, metal, citrus, ropey greenness. I have never smelled citrus done like this. Captivating and obnoxious. HA! A non animalic grapefruit with a never grown in the earth rhubarb.

I can imagine people who loved L’Eau d’Issey in the 1990s but found it too of its time to continue wearing it will love Citrus Ester. It’s a modern reimagining of the classic but with added sugar and airiness.

Great staying power and fresh to the last whiff, but a different to what we’re used to fresh. This fresh is still invigorating, doesn’t really move around much, nods to cologne as it flies past in a space ship.

Perfect work scent, I can especially imagine it being an excellent after gym scent. Once your body has heated up with a workout, you’ve showered off but this over your bodies innate humanity will be excellent.

PDI

From Aether: CITRUS ESTER. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, IT WAS ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WORLD. ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT SEEMS TO STRETCH OUT FOREVER, AND YOU ARE NOT QUITE SURE THERE IS GOING TO BE A SECOND. THE MOMENT QUIVERS WITH ENERGY. AN ENERGY GHOST, BRIGHT (METHYL GRAPEFRUIT) AND CARING, TINGED WITH A SLIGHT TASTE OF PRIMORDIAL FRUIT (FIRASCONE, RHUBAFURANE). LIFE, THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE.

Further reading: BL’eauG
Aether has AUD$145/50ml and delivers to the world
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3.60/0.5ml

Do you like the idea of a fragrance made entirely of captured and created molecules?
Portia xx

Le Sillage Blanc GIVEAWAY WINNER

May 11, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Portia

Hello APJers,

Thanks for getting involved.
Let’s see who won.

GOOD LUCK.
Portia xxx

Le Sillage Blanc GIVEAWAY WINNER

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Orange blossom, Neroli, Tobacco, Artemisia, Galbanum, Leather, Ambrette, Patchouli, Oakmoss

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Carded Manufacturers Sample of Le Sillage Blanc (Hopefully I can find the card)
1 x Porcelain Esxence Bracelet (Perfect fragrant handbag jewellery)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 10th May 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winner was chosen by random.org

Hage Kay

The winner will have till Wednesday 17th May 2017 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

Le Sillage Blanc by Pissara Umavijani for Parfums Dusita 2017

May 8, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Portia

Hello Independent Fragrance Lovers,

OK, so I’m not sure exactly where my set of Dusita samples came from. I do know they were carded originally and that someone not from their company gave them to me. I bet heaps of you are dying to try the newest one and here’s your chance.

Le Sillage Blanc by Parfums Dusita 2017

Le Sillage Blanc by Pissara Umavijani

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Orange blossom, Neroli, Tobacco, Artemisia, Galbanum, Leather, Ambrette, Patchouli, Oakmoss

There has been a LOT of talk over the scentbloggosphere about Le Sillage Blanc, I’ll summarise by noting that the house has said they were inspired by Piguet Bandit. People are adding that it is also a kissing cousin of the Aromatics Elixir, Aramis and Cabochard triumvirate. Good, these are all fragrances I love so it will be interesting to see what a 21st century incarnation may smell like.

PDI

The opening is sharp and noxious, like weed poison. It’s so queer I’m immediately captivated and can’t stop smelling my freaky armed self. The greenness is of broken green leaves and slightly off vase water. Le Sillage Blanc’s got a not quite rightness about it that feels like it’s about to drop over the edge into unwearable but it skates nimbly around the edge. It’s on a knife edge whether it’s going to work or fail.

It takes minutes to skate safely into the realms of the beautiful, artisanal style of independent fragrance. Not for the faint hearted or those that have never ventured beyond the safety of the department store. Even against its kissing cousins Le Sillage Blanc is a tough mother. After the super spiky green opening it becomes dry, parched, as if quite suddenly I find myself in the Australian outback riding a camel under the burning sun and surrounded by red dirt with occasional shade created by a scraggly gum or rock ledge.

PDI

And dry it stays, dry and bitter like long lost regret and heartache. Only smoothing out slowly and becoming more comfortable as it melds with my skin scent and becomes ever so slightly human.

Further reading: Megan In St Maxime and Scenthurdle
LuckyScent has $205/50ml and Samples

Le Sillage Blanc GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us in the comments if you love the chypre style and which of them particularly moves you or if you hate it and why?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 10th May 2017 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 17th May 2017 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