DIOR Giveaway Winners

June 8, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hiya APJ Frag Family,

Seems we hit a jackpot with a giveaway you all really loved. I’m glad.

Let’s see who scored.

Portia xx

DIOR Giveaway Winners

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Fève Délicieuse + Cuir Cannage + Oud Ispahan DIOR manufacturers samples
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) 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 a favorite DIOR fragrance, from any of their ranges and any vintage

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Christian DIOR Privée GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-330 #Perfume #Giveaway @Dior

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 7th June 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen HighestSelf

TIM

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winner will have till Thursday 11th June 2015 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.

Portia’s 15 Must Smell Fragrances + Coupon Code!

June 7, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Hey Hey APJ,

It would make me extremely happy if you’d jump on over and check out the newest post on My Perfume Samples. Writing for My Perfume Samples has given me a really great new outlet for fragrance writing and this fortnight we decided to think about some of the most important, or best in category, fragrances that have maintained a lot of what they were originally famous for. Obviously some have changed a bit over time due to cost, availability and regulation of components but here are 15 fragrances we believe that are still excellent reference points.

There is also a huge $15 DISCOUNT CODE

Portia’s 15 Must Smell Fragrances + Coupon Code!

So please jump across and check the list out on My Perfume Samples<<JUMP. Leave a message with something you think should be there or a favourite from the group so we can have a bit of a natter about it, I’ll be dropping in regularly over the next week to answer any and all comments.

Be well, waft on.
Portia xx

DIOR: Fève Délicieuse + Cuir Cannage + Oud Ispahan

June 5, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 62 Comments

Hi there Perfume Junkies.

The other day Ainslie Walker trotted into DIOR flagship store in Sydney, while there and chatting to our fave DIOR SA Jolanta they started talking about APJ and Jolanta asked where I’d been hiding. So between them they cooked up an idea to get me the newest DIOR releases in their fabulous miniature bottles, which are scale to the real deal. I think they hold 5 or 8ml which is heaps for becoming addicted to their delicious juices. When I went to see Jolanta myself a couple of heavy duty DIOR shoppers came in so we didn’t really get to say more than Hello & Goodbye but I’m going to go in very early one day and have a natter.

DIOR Privée

Francois Demachy has created these beauties for the Privée range. Though not astoundingly new or highly envelope-pushingly-original what I love about the DIOR Privée range is their cool and classic classiness, beautifully blended and nuanced fragrances that fit into my life seamlessly. Sometimes I wish I was a one frag kinda guy so I could purchase an enormous DIOR Privée bottle and drain it to the dregs. I have a fewof the smaller bottles and now that Granville is discontinued I really want to grab some of that too.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

DIOR: Oud Ispahan

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Labdanum
Heart: Patchouli
Base: Sandalwood, rose, agarwood (oud)

Oud Ispahan is a slightly boozy sweet floral leather. A toffee coated leather opening that blooms beautifully into a brand new, extremely luxe handbag smell drenched in roses and a light dusting of oud. It feels like a very posh version of a 1980s fragrance marketed to men. Totally wearable and yummy. I have a bottle of Oud Ispahan bought in Paris, every time I wear it I am transported back to Winter Paris.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

DIOR: Cuir Cannage

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, ylang ylang
Heart: Leather, jasmine, rose, iris
Base: Birch, juniper, leather

Cuir Cannage is leather, sweet leather. A gorgeous creamy leather that pays as much homage to flowers as it does to the treated skins of dead animals. The iris, ylang, white flowers create a sumptuous bouquet that is brilliantly offset by the dry rasp of leather and birch and the sharpness of the juniper. This softly, softly leather approach is quite prevalent in modern perfumery and I like it very much. If I owned a bottle of Cuir Cannage I think it would see a lot of skin time.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

DIOR: Fève Délicieuse

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Venezuelan tonka bean, vanilla, caramel, cocoa, pralines, woody accords

If DIOR were trying to out-Guerlain Guerlain then Fève Délicieuse is what I would dream they could accomplish. I’m talking about Old School Guerlain, where you could smell a beautiful growling beastie hiding beneath the sweet bakery. Here we have all the sweetness of modern gourmand tempered by tonka and woods, which serve to create a lovely baseline that hints heavily at animal. I’m surprised honey isn’t one of the featured notes. This is exactly how I would like to smell.

DIOR Giveaway

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Fève Délicieuse + Cuir Cannage + Oud Ispahan DIOR manufacturers samples
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite DIOR fragrance, from any of their ranges and any vintage

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Christian DIOR Privée GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-330 #Perfume #Giveaway @Dior

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 7th June 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 11th June 2015 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.

Gabriella's Three New Fragrant Favourites

June 4, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Post by Gabriella

Hi perfume lovers,

It’s so easy for me to fall into a perfume rut. My white floral adoration and Mr M’s penchant for dark, spicy roses can sometimes mean that I rarely go outside of my comfort zone of the two genres when it comes to wearing scents.

Maybe I’ll get samples or decants just to sniff something different or for the purposes of writing a blog post, but it’s a very rare occasion indeed when I find not one, but three perfumes that don’t fall into either category, but feel utterly perfect to me.

But that unexpected moment has happened and today I want to share with you my three new favourite NON white-floral/dark-rose perfumes

Gabriella’s Three New Fragrant Favourites

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, mos, amber

I’m not one for colognes and magnolia isn’t my favourite flower, but this to me is just utterly magical. A sharp burst of bergamot with a verdant twist of lime morphs into a subtle green and mossy magnolia underscored by the dryness of vetiver. It’s an easy to wear, yet utterly elegant and sophisticated chypre that have me craving spring.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $59 for 10ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $7.59/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Misia by Olivier Polge for Chanel 2015

Fragrantica gives these notes in one line:
Violet, iris, orris root, Turkish rose, Grasse rose, Laos benzoin, tonka bean.

Rose and violet is a combination that usually has me running the other way. I didn’t expect to like Misia, let alone love it, given the myriad of comparisons with Lipstick Rose and the like, but I do. The difference for me is the sharp opening of iris, which lends the rose violet accord a little dryness and fizziness. There’s a powdery, candied vibe as the iris veers into the rose-violet accord while berry notes lends a sweet vibe to the rose without veering too much into the dreaded fruity floral territory. Misia is just such a pleasure to wear, it absolutely sparkles on my skin and has enough Chanel sophistication whilst feeling completely modern and different to the rest of the Exclusifs line.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Grain de Musc
Misia is available at Chanel boutiques, US$280/AUD$350/300ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/ml

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Wit by Yann Vasnier for Parfums DelRae

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, mandarin orange, angelica, laurels
Heart: Jasmine, narcissus, mimosa, ylang-ylang
Base: Amber, vanilla, musk

Wit surprised me, given that DelRae’s creations, whilst completely beautiful to sniff, never really work on me skin wise. Plus, the lemon element scared me a bit, given citrus can turn overly sharp and cloying on me, but Wit had me at hello. The opening is bright creamy lemon, softly sweet and also lemon curdy in nature, with a decidedly tactile and almost edible quality. The citrus notes sparkle and yet are softly sweet before segueing into the jasmine and daphne which is all bright yellow and tempered by the soft green of the laurel and angelica. Wit is a surprisingly different floral, with a brightness and richness I haven’t found in the genre for quite some time.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Now Smell This
Luckyscent has $150/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $3.99/0.5ml

What three fragrances are your favourites at the moment? What fragrances do you love that are outside your comfort zone?

With much love till next time!

M x

Nature GIVEAWAY WINNER!

June 1, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Thanks Gang for joining in. I’m excited to be sending out the remnants of my sample. I hope you love Nature. I’ll add a couple of extras in too.

Portia xx

Nature GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Nature Yves Rocher Fragrantica Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords in one line:
Freesia, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Mandarin, Peppermint leaf, Rose, Daphne, Cedar

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Nature by Yves Rocher (left from my own gift from Ainslie)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite green fragrance, in nature or perfumery

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 28th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen FallOutFactory

Patty Pong

The winner will have till Thuesday 2nd June 2015 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.

Sharp by Richard Ibanez for Andrea Maack 2010

May 31, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hi there APJ,

When I first fell in love with the Andrea Maack range I remember there being a lot of chatter about it being derivative and boring. There were some bloggers and some of my mates who seemed very upset about this brand. I’m sorry but I never felt them to be either boring OR derivative. First to admit I’ve not smelled everything ever produced, also first to admit my memory is shot but few houses hit me as hard in the heavenly eye roll and full body purring shiver as Andrea Maack’s do. There are two FB in my collection Silk and……..

Sharp by Richard Ibanez for Andrea Maack 2010

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives this list of featured accords:
Orange blossom, angel skin, sweet vanilla, white musk, soothing softness

To my nose Sharp has a remarkably complex fragrance story. The orange blossom is not at all as expected, like they have added some herbaceous spiciness, and the vanilla is an inedible warmth that is fuzzed up by the musk. At once bright and cozy like the smell of brand new polar fleece with dirty, morning bed-hair. Sharp is feral and cuddly, pithy, furry, smooth and enfolding.

Sharp has a sweet indolic weirdness that is at once repulsive and alluring up close but merely pretty and inviting from further away. The name Sharp seems to be a complete misnomer here and I wonder if that is intentional? Sometimes when I wear Sharp my feeling is as if I’ve been up in an attic rummaging and my hair is thick with dust and old air,. Other times the feeling given is that I’m cuddled up in front of a fire near a recently beeswaxed table and the fires heat is warming the scent through the room and I feel warm, safe & loved. There’s even something of dog paws.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I get a nearly linear lifespan that weaves rather than evolves but as it dries down Sharp by Andrea Maack is sweet vanilla dribbled over musk, the feral has disappeared and it’s all about clean (but not too clean, there’s still an element of humanity).

Who would I spritz with Sharp? That’s hard to say, I think some of my friends who like fragrance very much but aren’t perfumistas would love this as a go-to daily scent regime. Certainly the art connection, lack of ready availability, simple, stylish bottle and the reasonable price bracket would make it a good choice for them. Considering they would pay around these prices for a bottle of designer/department store fragrance Andrea Maack’s scents are a much better and more interesting buy.

Photo Stolen Geograph

Further reading Persolaise and ConfessionsOfAPerfumeNerd
First In Fragrance has €85/50ml
LuckyScent has $135/50ml

Have you tried the Andrea Maack fragrances? Do you think it makes sense to add olfactory experience to visual arts?
Portia xx

Tuscan Leather by Harry Frémont + Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud for Tom Ford 2007

May 30, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Joseph Sagona

(Ed: APJ is pleased to have Joseph: The Scented Apprentice come Guest with us today. Please jump across and have a look at The Scented Apprentice too, Great stuff)

Hello fragrance friends, have you ever sat there and wondered what is the perfect fragrance for you? What suits you best? Fits your personality? Is it a certain note that makes your nose and body tingle with pure ecstasy? Perhaps it’s oud, amber or oakmoss? Mine is leather and to me Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather is the quintessential leather fragrance. It’s the perfect balance between dark and sweet, no other fragrance I have ever smelled comes close to it, welcome to my Tuscan Leather journey.

Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford 2007

Tuscan Leather by Harry Frémont + Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Saffron, thyme, raspberry
Heart: Jasmine, olibanum
Base: Leather, suede, amber, woody notes

I get the Saffron, Raspberry, Leather, Suede, Woody Notes and Olibanum, it starts off with some saffron and raspberry making it bitter, tangy and dry, the saffron is soft and the raspberry is mild.

Then after about thirty minutes the saffron dissipates along with the bitterness, the raspberry softens and remains, in comes the leather and suede, making it dark, pungent and musky, the leather is mild, the suede is soft. After about three hours the raspberry dissipates along with the suede, the leather softens and remains, in comes the olibanum and woody notes making it incensed, creamy and a touch woody. the olibanum is soft, the woody notes are mild.

Imagine being in Las Vegas “The City Of Sin” in the early 1960’s as a twenty one year old paparazzi photographer, you’re working the red carpet of the major motion picture movie premier of Ocean’s 11, you see the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Angie Dickinson in the crowd of many actors and actresses of the day.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Everyone is anticipating the big entrance of “The Rat Pack”, the stars of the show, they finally walk in to cheers and screams. You especially idolize Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, you grew up watching their movies and listening to their music. You wanted to be just like them and also have the utmost respect for Sammy Davis Jr. Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. They’re all signing autographs and having a great time. You yell out “Dean, Frank over here, over here!” They walk over to you and you can’t believe it, this is a moment you have been dreaming about since you were a little boy.

As they are being cordial to their fans, Dean lights up a cigarette and Frank lights up a big fat cigar, they have on beautiful leather overcoats that you take notice of, you can’t help but slightly lean over and take a slow, deep whiff. You close your eyes and smell the sweet, aromatic, soft supple leather, the cigarette and cigar smoke is pulsating off their jackets, it’s such a transparent heavenly odor, this is a magical moment you will never forget and treasure forever. Tuscan Leather is just that.

Photo Stolen Tumbler

Further reading: The Muse In Wooden Shoes and EauMG
Most large Department Stores have Tom Ford
Nordstrom have $215/50ml with FREE US Shipping
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

What I love most about Tuscan Leather is how in the first two hours it’s very rough, rugged and masculine, then it changes into almost a feminine fragrance with the soft floral notes, it’s totally unisex., this would be perfect for cool fall days and the winter, I get good projection and average longevity.

What’s your leather?
Joseph Sagona x

Nature by Yves Rocher 1993

May 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Hiya Vintage Vixens!

My mate and fellow APJ contributor Ainslie Walker gave me this decant a while ago and I have only now grabbed it out and spritzed it on my skin. Sadly it’s been discontinued and I can see a few pieces on eBay but everywhere else seems sold out. How lucky I feel to have been given a chance to wear this green beauty, you may get the chance too……

Nature by Yves Rocher 1993

Nature Yves Rocher Fragrantica Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords in one line:
Freesia, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Mandarin, Peppermint leaf, Rose, Daphne, Cedar

Stark green, galbanum and a very regal peppermint bouquet. Though I can smell flowers they are a crystalline spiky arrangement, beautiful and angular. Sadly this opening is brief and suddenly the whole fragrance changes to a warm, spicy green wood. WOW! That was totally unexpected. Suddenly Nature is an elegant and cozy fragrance with whispers of jasmine wending their way through the galbanum and a lovely sweet spicy rose makes her appearance.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

To my nose there are some slightly feral undertones here like a just past clean armpit, not yet stinky but warmed through a bit of heat and exertion. Wrapped up with the rest of the notes it gives interesting dimension and depth.

I have to give this sample away, if I wear it even one more time my life will end up in a chronic search for this fabulous fragrance. Nature is beautiful, unusual and really interesting. Yves Rocher often surprises me.

Portia xx

Nature GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x Nature by Yves Rocher (left from my own gift from Ainslie)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us a favorite green fragrance, in nature or perfumery

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 28th May 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thuesday 2nd June 2015 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.

Mardi Gras GIVEAWAY WINNERS

May 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Another great giveaway thanks to the incredible Azar, and Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids. Thanks to you girls for being amazing. Consistently amazing.

Portia xx

Mardi Gras GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Olympic Orchids

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 2 ml decant of the new Mardi Gras
1 x 1 ml decant from my bottle of Version #1
1 x mystery sample of a dark and musky perfume oil
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you have tried Olympic Orchids new Mardi Gras fragrance or about your favorite “parfum de puta”!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 28th May 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen brooklodge

Laura Matheson

Claudia

The winners will have till Sunday 31st May 2015 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.

Sunshine by Sidonie Lancesseur for Amouage 2014

May 28, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Post by FeralJasmine

Originally from Musette on Perfume Posse: Sunshine, is that brightest gold! It’s the summer sunlight as you emerge from a shaded canopy in a primeval forest, where darkness really does have its own backstory. You can sense the spirits of Nature that have gone before but there is also a thread of new life that is woven within that forest and once you come out of the canopy the brilliance of the sun affirms that life. Sunshine weaves all of those feelings into its composition – this is no sparkly little citrus, with a frilly sort of charm. It’s a grounded, warm scent, with a core of burnished brightness…….

Sunshine by Sidonie Lancesseur for Amouage 2014

Warm Sun on Skin: Amouage Sunshine

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Artemisia, black currant, almond
Heart: Osmanthus, jasmine, magnolia, vanilla
Base: Juniper, patchouli, papyrus, white tobacco

This is a pretty perfume. From the rush of blackcurrant softened with almond and apricot (probably the davana and osmanthus),through the jasmine-floral musky heart, to the drydown of blond tobacco and an earthy touch of patchouli, this one is just plain pretty on me. I love warm florals, and this one is definitely warm. It has some fresh notes but they aren’t obnoxious. It is light. It sparkles and effervesces. It smells like spring. It comes in a bottle that reminds me of a yellow Chanel handbag that I once desperately wanted for most of a day (I got over it.) It lasts about four hours even on my skin, which means it would probably last eight on normal skin. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Sure, I’ll take a bottle. It will be a nice addition to my summer line-up. And it costs what? Really??? Areyoufuckinkiddingme? You are trying to charge me 450 American dollars for this? I’ll give you $150. Okay, 200, I’ll throw in 50 for the bottle, and that’s my final offer. What do you mean, you won’t haggle?

So I will never own a bottle of this, as much as I want one. Like that brilliant Chanel handbag, I long for it but the value-for-money factor just isn’t there. I am not among the reviewers who think it’s an awful synthetic mess; I like it a lot. But I just can’t get my mind around the idea of paying that sort of money for it. At the end of the day, it’s a warm and pretty floral in a nice package. No more, no less.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse
Libertine Parfumerie has $499/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/.5ml

What was Amouage thinking? What do you think?
FeralJasmine xxx