Cologne Nocturne GIVEAWAY WINNERS

April 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey APJ,

We have 4 winners today. I hope you guys love the Cologne Nocturne, I think it’s gorgeous.

Portia xx

Cologne Nocturne GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, palisander rosewood
Heart: Clary sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, spicy notes
Base: Cedar, patchouli, woody notes

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x decant of Cologne Nocturne by Le Galion
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us what is your favourite Cologne?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 3rd April 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

markmontanoblogs

TIM

SUN MI

NEVA

DAMIR

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners will have till Thursday 7th April 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Amouage Gold pour Homme by Guy Robert for Amouage 1998

April 2, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Portia

Heya Bargain Hunters,

Recently there was a very excited thrill through the frag community. One of the biggest discounters, FragranceNet, was having an end of year clearance on eBay. I think they were getting rid of the years returns and calling them 95% full. The postage was a bit of a bummer to Australia but still the deals were so good it was hard to pass up. (I sent mine to a mate in the USA who sent it on at a fraction of the cost) So, what did I buy? Extra Niki de Saint Phalle 60ml splash in a beautiful bottle, a 100ml Parfum de Peau by Montana that still has enormous amounts of outrageously naughty bits and for a steal a lidless 100ml of …

Amouage Gold pour Homme by Amouage 1998

Amouage Gold pour Homme by Guy Robert

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top Dog rose, Lily-of-the-valley, Frankincense
Heart: Orris root, Jasmine, Myrrh
Base: Amber, Oakmoss, Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedar, Civet

Disclaimer! I wore this the night it arrived and I may have overspritzed. Jin got in the car and within a minute was asking what fragrance I was wearing because it’s disgusting and so big and reminds him of the smell they spray in old peoples homes to get rid of the old people smell. His head was pounding so badly from it that he had to take headache tablets and open his window to full. Poor boy.

I on the other hand am swept away by Amouage Gold Man.

YouTube

On opening I get a fabulous blast of incense, the rose and lily of the valley play backing roles and were they not mentioned in the notes list I’d be hard pressed to pick them. What I smell is an animalic frankincense that is like a 1000 x blast of the little pebbles you can buy in the Middle East markets. Patchouli and woods are present after a few minutes and white flowers but not specifically jasmine, my nose also picks some daffodil/narcissus. There is something CHANEL No 5-ish about Amouage Gold Man that I like very much.

Then the whole fragrance turns beautifully soapy on me, expensive, waxy soap like in the 20th century. I’m not sure what the notes are now, the scent has become Amouage Gold Man for me now. A conglomerate scent that is sexy and big but not overbearing (Jin would beg to differ). I find it a very comfortable scent to wear. Intricate, harmonious and nuanced; like lying on a silk, hand knotted rug from Kashmir and still being able to smell the market you bought it in and remembering the people who are fun to bargain with and smile so happily.

Wikipedia

Next morning I still have traces of Amouage Gold Man lingering, buzzing over my skin. Soft woods and resins of no name that have now melded with my own scent; me but not me. Better by far….

Further reading: Non Blonde and Candy Perfume Boy
Libertine Parfumerie has $415/100ml and FREE Australian Delivery
Peony Melbourne has $415/100ml and FREE Australian Delivery
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/0.5ml

What is your Amouage?
Portia x

Jasmin Rouge GIVEAWAY WINNERS

March 31, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Hey there APJ,

SHIT!! I forgot to draw this. Here we go. Good luck everyone.

Portia xx

Jasmin Rouge GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, mandarin, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black & white pepper
Heart: Sambac jasmine, broom, neroli, ylang-ylang, clary sage
Base: Mexican vanilla, labdanum, leather, wood, amber notes

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of Jasmin Rouge by Tom Ford
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 20th March 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

WILLA

ANNA MARIA

CONGRATULATIONS!!! The winner will have till Monday 4th April 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Beauty = Contouring: AAARGGHHH!

March 27, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Post by AF Beauty

If you go anywhere near Pinterest it is easy to get caught up in make up trends which, of course, look pathetically easy. They show a few before and after pictures, nothing looks that difficult and quite probably you’ll find yourself in the nearest beauty store looking for the next gizmo that you’ve seen in an effort to replicate this easy fix on your face.

Cue contouring.

Contouring. Scared and Hopeless? (i.e. me)

YouTube

I had seen this on Pinterest, the before and after pictures were impressive, it was just a little bit of powder here and there; et voila!

Priceline

I had originally only seen this done with powder and this Australis palette was one of the ones recommended in the Australian market. I bought a slanted contouring brush, cracked open the palette, dipped and swiped across my face. THE HORROR!!! I’d completely underestimated how pigmented the powder is and I looked like I’d swiped my face in dirt!! No question though, this is my (lack of) skill, not the palette!

Dutifully, I went back to Pinterest, tried to give it another go, several times and then eventually just gave up and accepted my complete ineptitude.

Fast forward 12 months – maybe more. A group I belong to on Facebook and there’s a thread about contouring. I always read these things in a vague hope of finding some miracle answer. This one has a video, I often can’t be bothered to watch the videos, but I did, and I’m so glad I did!! Here’s the link for anyone interested – else skip to my experience…

Illamasqua

The video recommends a Illamasqua Shadow Contour and a MAC highlight. I can’t find the exact colour on the MAC website, sorry.

MakeUpAlley

I dutifully toddled off to Myer to look at both products but the Illamasqua contour didn’t appeal, so I went off to find an alternative. I knew by then I wanted a cream rather than a powder – I was already looking at MAC, for the highlighter but they had no obvious contour product. Wandering around the store I went and tried the Clinique and tried the Sculpting Contour Stick which actually worked surprisingly well. So I bought the Clinique stick and the MAC highlighter and skipped home to try the daytime contouring look. I basically followed the instructions in the video and….. IT WORKED!!!

I have to admit, I am still working on the different locations of shadow and highlighter and trying different combos. It is easy to start applying and think that your face just looks like a dirty mess – but persist!!! Don’t get caught up in the small detail on your face, it’s the bigger picture, how your whole face looks that’s important.

I used a foundation brush to apply the bronzer the first time but since travelling I’ve continued with just some fingers to guide the application for both bronzer and highlighter.

I have to say, I’ve really converted to this look and now feel a little ‘underdone’ when not applied some contour to my face. It has been a real turnaround.

Have any of you tried contouring? How have you gotten on? What about other make up disasters? Any that have come good eventually?

Jasmin Rouge by Rodrigo Flores-Roux for Tom Ford 2011

March 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Frag freaks,

While on holiday Anna-Maria, Val the Cookie Queen, Sandra and I went to Le Parfum, among other stores, but Le Parfum is my favourite by far. The crew are fun and friendly, really knowledgable and can’t wait to help you with your choices. I never feel like I’m a bother, even though I know I can be, and they have an excellent selection including many of my favourite brands. The news of today’s fragrance being discontinued in the store reminded me that I had promised myself a bottle and never gotten around to purchasing….

Le Parfum

It’s mildly interesting to note that both full bottles I own of Tom Ford fragrances were by Rodrigo Flores-Roux and released in 2011, Neroli Portifino and todays beauty………Jasmin Rouge

Jasmin Rouge by Tom Ford 2011

Jasmin Rouge by Rodrigo Flores-Roux

Fragrantica

That freaking bottle. It’s so gorgeous and even catching sight of it I’m filled with joy. I grabbed le Parfum’s last two Jasmin Rouge soaps and body lotion, can’t wait to get into them too.

Jasmin Rouge opens like a DIVA! It’s bold, spicy, loud and indolic. Eye rolling and heart flutteringly good. You can tell that the tom Ford crew wanted people to smell it in store and impulse buy it from the majestic and over the top extravaganza it begins with. I get it. It is amazing.

Then after about an hour Jasmin Rouge become a very simple and easy wear creamy woods base. Nothing groundbreaking or sensational. Actually it smells like many other things on the market and hums away quietly for hours at that level. I feel that Jasmin Rouge is made for people with jobs who want to smell amazing all the way to work and good the rest of the day, without setting off alarms in the workplace.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Olfactoria’s Travels
David Jones has $298/50ml + Body Lotion and Soap (FREE Australian Delivery over $100)
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/0.5m

You get a chance to try it for yourself below,
Portia xx

TheTruthAboutMummy

Jasmin Rouge GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of Jasmin Rouge by Tom Ford
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us your favourite Tom Ford fragrance or one you’d like to try?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 20th March 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 24th March 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Harvey Prince Organics GIVEAWAY WINNER

March 25, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Woo Hoo! Another great giveaway thanks to the wonderful Azar! Let’s see what you could get and who won….
Portia xx

Harvey Prince Organics GIVEAWAY WINNER

Harvey Prince Organics

Harvey Prince Organics gives these featured accords:
Meyer Lemon, White Grapefruit, Satsuma Mandarin, Summer Forsythia, Pink Plumeria, Wild Verbena, Tahitian Vanilla, Sensual Musk. Style: Welcoming. Loving. Refreshing…”

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

Today we will have one winner who will receive:
1 x 7ml roller-ball of Hello
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 24th March 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

HighestSelf

MaggieCat

The winner will have till Sunday 27th March 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP by Christine Nagel + Francis Kurkdjian for Narciso Rodriguez 2006

March 20, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by Anne-Marie

Curse you Narciso Rodriguez! Why are your fragrances packaged and named alike? Brand cohesion is one thing, but have you no sympathy for your customers (or their hapless friends who try to buy for them)?

Well, applying my attention to the list on Fragrantica, I realised that the 31 listed NR fragrances are all just variations on just four pillar fragrances: For Her, For Him, Essence, and Narciso.

Got it? You’re welcome.

Today I’m going to cover NR’s second release, Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP. This is the one with the PINK bottle and the BLACK box.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP 2006

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP by Christine Nagel + Francis Kurkdjian

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: rose, peach
Heart: musk, amber
Base: sandalwood, patchouli

Portia has done a stellar review of the original EDT, but there is a difference in emphasis in the EDP. Intimate and sensual, both are musky florals with very clean (fractionated) patchouli and amber. On me the sillage and longevity of both are just moderate.

However, I remember the EDT (I’ve sold my bottle) as sharper and drier – more masculine perhaps – than the EDP. What distinguishes the EDP for me is a prominent note of peach, juicy but not too sweet. This is what I hoped Lancome’s Tresor would be like if it did not collapse into a sickly sweet, artificial mess on me.

Narciso Rodriguez – Fall 2016 – NYFW

However, not everyone seems to particularly notice the peach in NR For Her EDP. The fascination with Narciso Rodriguez fragrances is that there are wide variations in how people perceive them. You might love the EDP but utterly disagree with my take on it.

While musk is the common accord in both concentrations of Narciso Rodriguez For Her, people nevertheless react differently to other notes and accords. They will detect more or less rose, more or less amber, more or less citrus, more or less orange blossom (I get none), and so on. Musk anosmia means that some people can hardly smell them at all.
For years I eked out a large decant of the EDP. Mostly I wore it when travelling for work. Its casual but professional style was perfect for meetings, but even better was to save it for the evenings when I was in the hotel and at could at last take a shower and relax. Any parent of young children will understand the heaven of being alone in a hotel room with the bathroom, room service and the TV remote entirely at your command. NR For Her EDP easily complements moments of simple enjoyment such as this.

Pixabay

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $78/50ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples has from $2.50/ml to $7.50/5ml

I’m now the possessor of a partial bottle of the EDP, and very happy I am too.

How about you? How do you go navigating the Narciso Rodriguez line? What are your ‘simple pleasures’ perfumes?

N.B.: If you click and buy from the My Perfume Samples link I get a kickback

Patchouli Imperial by Francois Demachy for Christian Dior 2011

March 19, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Portia

Hi there Fragrant Family,

Since we’ve been back from holidays I have spent a little time hunting through the decant/split section of my collection. There is so much choice here, enough for three lifetimes of fragrant addiction that unless I really set out to search the outlying areas things get forgotten. I remember trying today’s fragrance once when I bought this decant and being sadly unimpressed but last night I gave it a spritz before bed and this morning I still smell beautiful. softly tinted with the scent of …..

Patchouli Imperial by Christian Dior 2011

Patchouli Imperial by Francois Demachy

La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Patchouli Imperial Dior for men Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sicilian mandarin, Calabrian bergamot, Coriander, Indonesian patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood essence

So I wore Patchouli Imperial again today, all day, and I’ll be wearing it to bed again tonight. In 1.5 days I’ve gone through about 4ml of my 10ml decant. That’s some serious fragrance use. Why? Because suddenly I have fallen madly in love and it’s so absolutely wearable. It was perfect last night as a sleep scent, today while blogging and organising stuff. It was also a winner to go to the physio and shopping afterwards. Then tonight my BFF Kath and I went and ate a WHOLE PEKING DUCK with pancakes, greenery and Hoisin sauce. OMG! I’m so freaking full right now, you have no idea.

DIOR

How does it smell? Well, the citrus burns off fairly quickly and a waxy, woody, green-but-not patchouli that reminds me of the SJP Lovely patchouli/musk but a little more barber shop styled. The woods are there too but in a just polished retro furniture way. The whole fragrance smells smooth, stylish and uncomplicated; more of a fragrant wash that a loud signature statement.

Patchouli Imperial smells to me like a perfect office scent. It is fragrant but not overbearing, could be quite ambient until you get in really close and realise that freaking amazing almost smell is this person. I could also imagine it haunting someone who smelled it on you afterwards. Doomed to be forever seeking that perfect and unattainable fragrance that was once smelled on this person at work, in a restaurant or at a party. Great fragrance to leave on a lovers sheets too.

Flickr

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Olfactoria’s Travels
Available at DIOR stand alone stores, large department stores and now big airports (ask)
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.25/ml

Are you a patchouli fan? Which of the DIOR Privé line do you love most?
Portia xx

Coccobello by James Heeley for Heeley 2013

March 16, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Poodle

It’s painfully cold out. I’m not going to say its freezing because we dropped below that about 30F degrees ago. The wind is making it feel worse but by the time you read this I will be slightly warmer I hope. I’ll be heading towards spring and you folks down under will be trying to hang on to your summer.

Coccobello by Heeley 2013

Coccobello by James Heeley

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Palm leaf, gardenia
Heart: Coconut, sea salt, vanilla
Base: Virginia cedar, benzoin, sandalwood

I knew nothing of this scent when I received it in the mail. I glanced at the name and gave it a spray expecting something gourmand with either cocoa or coconut, something cozy to warm my heart. What I wasn’t expecting was a blast of green and saltiness. Oh sure, there’s some sweetness in there as well but instead of a warm fuzzy blanket, Coccobello is a trip to the beach.

PublicDomain

Coccobello opens with the smell of crushed palm leaves. It’s potent and a bit harsh at first. Don’t go sticking your nose into it just yet or you might go running for the sink to wash. If you hate green notes the opening might be a little difficult but it doesn’t linger here for long before some other notes shine through. The coconut starts to emerge but it is also green and unsweetened. It’s not the coconut oozing with sugar that I’m used to smelling. There’s a faint gardenia note but it’s quite subdued and never enters big white floral territory. It adds sweetness but not in a sugary way. Now drench all that with salt water. I smell a hint of cedarwood as well. At no point do I think dessert, cocktails, or anything fruity which is the usual direction of beachy tropical perfumes.

Once my initial shock of it not being a sweet gourmand wore off I enjoyed Coccobello as a beach scent. As you wear it the perfume loses the sharpness of the palm note and takes on the aroma of sun warmed skin cooled by salty water. It calls to mind Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder but Coccobello seems far more unisex to me. Guys, if you’re looking for a coconut scent that isn’t too girly this might be it. For those of you who find typical beach or tropical perfumes too sweet, fruity, flowery, or aquatic I think Coccobello might be worth a sniff. I will say again that that heavy green up front might be a deal breaker for quite a few folks. I know salt is also a love/hate note for a lot of you too. This is a grown up tropical scent and I think it deserves more attention than it gets but I can understand it will be challenging for some.

Pixabay

Coccobello reminds me of summer, suntan lotion, and the beach. Right now all of those things seem worlds away.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Scent for Thought
LuckyScent has $180/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5.40/ml

What perfumes have you tried that were completely different from what you were expecting?

Hugs
Poodle

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

March 14, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Post by Portia

Heya APJers,

Nice to be home and able to share the fragrant love again. Good luck everyone.

Portia xx

Colony by Jean Patou GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, ylang-ylang
Heart: Carnation, iris, oak, vetiver, opoponax
Base: Leather, musk

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of Colony by Jean Patou
P&H Worldwide

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 14th March 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

prospectsplus

Neva

Nemo

The winner will have till Thursday 17th March 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.