Samples

Under My Spell Noelle by Benefit 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hiya All,

While in London earlier this year Val CookieQueen, Hannah BlondesWunder, Michael & I were on our way to BLOOM and we stopped by a benefit store. One spritz was enough to sell me on Under My Spell Noelle (hereafter Noelle) and so I bought a bottle for my BFF Kath, which she adores. Then I started craving it myself, for my own……. recently I was in our Myer, just a suburban mall about to close up for the night, roller door down, and as we walked past the Benefit counter there it was!!!! On special! only $29

Under My Spell Noelle by Benefit 2013

Under My Spell Noelle Benefit FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lingonberry, black pepper, cardamom
Heart: Violet, wild orchid, jasmine, vanilla flower, rose
Base: Patchouli, oud, black amber, vanilla, benzoin, raspberry

So I basically ran it home and have worn Noelle part of two days in a row and I think I got a super bargain. I’m worried because it’s only a 30ml bottle, should I grab another? Being in a metal canister there will be no light penetrating and I keep my stuff in fairly moderate temperatures, it should last for decades. There doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of naturals in here but that is purely guesswork. I love the bottle and the box, they’re super fun and I can imagine having one in a few years time and bringing it out, everyone surprised because they remember Benefit but didn’t credit them with having a fragrant winner.

Under My Spell Noelle Benefit fountain dpesta PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

If this was an oil it would be fairly eastern but the alcohol gives it a better throw and sillage. There are still plenty of references to North Africa or the Western Asias. Imagine, you are in the harem and this gorgeous amber/wood/oud/jam fragrance surrounds you all, the dry, dusty heat of desert countries and the tinkle of fountains over mosaic tiles and splashing into pools filled with fish, lilies and lotus. Not a breath of air and you wish you could take off your skin and lie around in your bones.

Under My Spell Noelle Benefit Mikolaj Pasinski FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

On first spritz I get a lovely amber and faux oud, it smells great. The berry, pepper and cardamom are not really noticeable for me though there is a jammy, sweet, rose-ish vibe behind the base, which really plays at full speed through the whole life of Noelle on my skin. Yes there is a little movement, more in the way of light and shade rather than featured notes appearing so Noelle is fairly linear. In this particular case that is a good thing in my books.

Really, the base line of the notes is all I get. Patchouli, oud, black amber, vanilla, benzoin, raspberry in a very delicious combination. The only thing I get that’s not mentioned in the notes is a dark chocolate note that sort of wraps up the raspberry/rose accord.Projection is good for the first 1-2 hours and then Noelle becomes a softer, more intimate fragrance. You are still fragrant for at least another 3 hours and sillage remains quite good till then too. After that 5 hour period there is still a gentle wash of something but nothing discernible as a note.

Under My Spell Noelle Benefit Glamour EstadodeSitio DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: The Plastic Diaries
Myer Australia has Noelle online for $29/30ml
Benefit USA has $36/30ml

What is a bargain fragrance you may have picked up lately? Is it performing well?
Portia xx

 

Oliban by Keiko Mecheri 2004

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 75 Comments

Heya Sniffy Sniffers,

Recently we had a bit of a Launch down at Myer Sydney City of the new niche fragrance counter. It was sniff sniff sniff and of course I got to show everyone that while I adore fragrance my nose is only very average at parsing the contents. Oh well, can’t be perfect at EVERYTHING!!! So I have tried this baby before but on the night I was showing it to everyone and since then I have been COMPLETELY obsessing. Today I had to drop some stuff into Libertine Parfumerie and while there I grabbed myself a bottle of…

Oliban by Keiko Mecheri 2004

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPhoto Stolen Libertine Parfumerie

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Virginia cedar, incense, olibanum, (blonde) tobacco, (Damascene) rose, palisander rosewood, tonka bean, ambergris

I reviewed Oliban not too long ago so if you want to know about notes and progression go check it out there. What I do want you to know about Oliban is that I love it right through its lovely jammy rose, woods and resinous life. It’s a lovely warm, feel good, great big happy hug in a wooden retreat with someone you love, and it’s reciprocated.

Oliban Keiko Mecheri Wooden Hut Marco Becerra FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Unusual, interesting, old and new, Oliban is gorgeous. Great in our lovely warm spring and just as gorgeous in the middle of winter.

Further reading: Katie Puckrik Smells and I Smell Therefore I Am
Libertine Parfumerie has $195/75ml including FREE Australian postage
First In Fragrance has €145/75ml and €5/4ml Samples

So to share my good choice today I though we could do a giveaway.

Portia xx

 

AllSteele giveaway 1Photo Stolen AllSteele

Oliban by Keiko Mecheri GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x 5ml Oliban by Keiko Mecheri decant
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

Go to Libertine Parfumerie and tell me any fragrance they sell online and a note that it contains. NO DOUBLE UPS!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: http://wp.me/p3PURw-3eU  Oliban by   

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 5th October 2014 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 9th October 2014 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.

 

Cuir Cannage by Francois Demachy for Dior 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Hello Fashion conscious Fumies,

OOOOW! When I first heard about Cuir Cannage it was a thrilling excitement. I couldn’t wait to get my sniff on it. Immediately I knew it was coming I emailed our Australian DIOR marketing arm and was told I would be contacted on arrival. Well, frankly I couldn’t wait for them, I went and ordered from Surrender To Chance a lovely 3ml spritz. It just arrived, WOO HOO! Let’s wear it together for the first impressions……

Cuir Cannage by Francois Demachy for Dior 2014

Cuir Cannage Dior Fragrantica 1Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange blossom, ylang ylang
Heart: Jasmine, rose, leather, iris
Base: Leather, Juniper (cade oil), birch

Instant leather on spritz like you are looking inside a new handbag for something, then a cool green sappy-ness then a warm wet suede shoe (all this happens in about a minute) and then I get a beautiful, sensual night flower that is the fatty orange blossom & the ylang, neither is wholly itself and they’re blended so beautifully that they create a whole new flower, glorious. This section lasts much longer than you’d expect from an opening and I’m really glad.

Cuir Cannage Christian-Dior Lady-Dior HelensPhoto Stolen Helen’s

The leather is new and very slightly earthy when it comes in, a soft and supple leather that I think anyone could wear. Smoked and tanned it reminds me of a very softened and gentrified Knize Ten. There is no fruit note to sweeten it like the Bottega Venetta and it’s not as plush and rounded as CHANEL’s Cuir de Russie but it is lovely and I can imagine it being worn by the boys to work and on dates. The girls will smell super retro in it and I can’t wait to smell Cuir Cannage on some of them, elegant and razor sharp cool. The girls will certainly stand out when wearing Cuir Cannage, nice one DIOR.

Cuir Cannage Christian-Dior PinterestPhoto stolen Pinterest

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Black Narcissus
Surrender To Chance has $3/ml
DIOR has 125ml, 250ml and 450ml available (450ml? WTF!)

How did Cuir Cannage live on you?
Portia xx

 

Karen Gilbert: 1 Day Masterclass : Photo Essay

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Hi there Perfumistas!!

Last Saturday saw a crew of us doing a One Day Fragrant Masterclass with the amazing Karen Gilbert. To say I learned a lot is a complete understatement, Karen is so knowledgeable, has the most incredibly diverse history within the fragrance industry and has the gift of making everything seem so simple and gives clear and concise instructions. I work best under those conditions and it seemed that everyone was drinking in the knowledge and we had a super fun time.

Karen Gilbert: 1 Day Masterclass : Photo Essay

Topics Covered In The Class:

  • The History of Perfumery
  • The Sense of Smell and What it Means To Us
  • The Beginners Guide to Training your Nose
  • Classifying Fragrances
  • Top, Middle and Base notes and Why They Are Important
  • Creating Accords
  • Practical Blending Techniques
  • Naturals Vs Synthetics

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #3

The first part of the day was meeting us, giving us some theory, history, insider gossip and news, information that has taken me a few days to percolate because it was completely jam packed. We broke for lunch, which was Sydney pub fare and that gave us a moment to really connect with each other and bond.

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #5

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #6

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #7

Then we went back to the classroom and started meeting accords, molecules, notes and learned a very basic how to for fragrance creation. Karen had brought both natural and synthetics for us to learn about, which was a total bonus. We were able to smell 3 different aldehydes, a bunch of fragrant fillers and smoothers and some that could increase diffusion and volume. It was engrossing stuff and we had so many questions. Each question led to 10 others so we were getting knowledge that only the rarest few are privy to. I cannot tell you enough what an excellent experience the day was or how giving and nurturing Karen Gilbert is. To be honest, I don’t know how Karen supplied so much stuff for the ridiculously small amount of $295 for the day. It was overwhelming how much choice we had when it came to creating our personal fragrances.

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #8

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #9

Mine ended up being these accords/notes:
Top: Coriander, lemon, Virginian cedar
Heart: Ylang ylang, orange blossom absolute, listea cubeba (May chang), P.E.A.
Base: Labdanum, galbanum, oakmoss

PEA is a synthetic aromachemical that gives lift and brightness to the naturals. Often used in perfumery apparently to add volume and enable diffusion. I used 4 drops and the difference to heart of the frag was astonishing.

Karen Gilbert Masterclass 2014 #11Photo Donated Ainslie Walker

I have been spritzing my fragrance quite a bit and am so happy with the outcome. As I said on Facebook: Perhaps Malle, YSL or Hermes will never be knocking on my door asking for recipes but I think it’s a rather lovely, simple fragrance.

From a one day class I wasn’t expecting to learn so much. I think it will help enormously with my own purchasing in the future and definitely gives me some insights that I will put towards my blogging. I would take the class again in a heartbeat, I know that I will learn even more next time.

Portia xx

Gardenia GIVEAWAY WINNER

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Hey there crew,

I hope this finds you all happy & well. Sorry this is a bit late but Jin & I were on a Motorbike Course today and both of us are now solid gold certified P PLATE Riders. Woo Hoo.

Portia xx

Gardenia GIVEAWAY WINNER

Gardenia Robert Piguet FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Gardenia, lily, ylang ylang
Heart: Madagascar vanilla
Base: Black leather, cashmeran, spice, woods

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
1 x 2ml Gardenia by Robert Piguet decant (nearly full remnants from my sample)
P&H to the USA

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 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 comment on Gardenia: it’s is a hard one to replicate, what are your favourite gardenia fragranes and why?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Gardenia by Robert Piguet GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3dG   @LibertineParfum

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sundayday 28th September 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner was chosen by random.org

Winner EverythingHealthPhoto Stolen EverythingHealth

LYUBOV

The winners will have till Thursday 2nd October 2014 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.

Caleche Parfum + EdT by Guy Robert for Hermes 1961

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hello Fumie Family,

Recently there was a sale down in South Australia. Early 21st century Caleche Parfum by Hermes refills for a staggering $10, in their cellophane! OMG! So the excitement here was quite expected. I know I should have bought a few but I only got my friend Susan to grab me one and for Dinner on Friday night I decided it was the perfect accompaniment.

Caleche Parfum + EdT by Guy Robert for Hermes 1961

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, lemon, bergamot, cypress, orange blossom, neroli, mandarin
Heart: Iris, gardenia, ylang ylang, rose, lily of the valley, jasmine
Base: Sandalwood, tonka bean, musk, amber, oakmoss, cedar, vetiver

Caleche EdT by Hermes (Vintage)

This is one of the bottles that I was given by Michael Edwards. Kept perfectly and the fizzy citrus and white flower open is devastatingly beautiful. Sheerer and a touch more green than I remember but so fragrant and rich. The buzzing, metallic overtones of aldehydes that lighten and throw the citrus is breathtaking and I swoon.

This is opulence, the feeling of running your hand over very expensive leather and silk brocades. When the flowers fully arrive they are a bouquet, it takes a much better nose than mine to pick them and I think the oakmoss lays a smoothing veil over all. Later, the shiny patina of the resins and smooth undercurrent of woods comes in but they are soft and furry to fade.

Caleche Hermes SabyaSachi_Mukherji brocade_sari WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Caleche Parfum by Hermes (Vint-ish)

Now imagine the above twice as intoxicating. Thicker, richer and treacle thick that is more diffusive to open, in fact one tiny little spritz fills the room with fragrance instantly, and wears more animalic and honeyed (though honey is not a note listed). Caleche Parfum has 100% more growl, is way less bright and glittery, creates a warmer and more intense ambiance and is in every way more luxurious. Though I think my EdT may be older than the Parfum there is a burnished depth in the Parfum that makes me feel ultra sensual. Like looking into those incredibly glossed parquet floors made of 10 different woods, loads of light and shade but over all an extremely beautiful whole fragrance.

Caleche Hermes Elizabeth1_Phoenix WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Lasting power is excellent too, having worn the Parfum to dinner Friday I spritzed at 6pm and was still deliciously fragrant at 1am when I got to bed. So much so that I curled up against my forearm and fell into blissful sleep almost immediately.

Caleche is definitely a brocade fabric, full of life, glitter, colour and movement. It shimmers and glistens like canary diamonds under LED lights. All the notes come together in a beautiful, sparkling fizz of a fragrance that is like champagne cocktails at brunch.

Pool-side Mimosas at The Standard HotelPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: The Black Narcissus says it all perfectly, better ever than I could.
FragranceNet has $89/50ml EdT (old packaging) before Coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples EdT $3/ml Parfum $7/.5ml

Are you a fan? Is Caleche something you like? Maybe your family has a Caleche wearer?
I’d love to read your Caleche stories too, leave them below in the comments.

Portia xx

 

Palimpsest by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes 2014

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Hiya Niche Nerds,

The other day I went and had lunch at the Sydney Opera House with a cool frag crew: Karen Gilbert (evaluator, perfumer, author, teacher, business coach), Ainslie walker (perfumer, candle creator, Jasmine Award winning writer, project manager, business woman) and Clayton Ilolahia (What Men Should Smell Like blogger, Director of Mens Fragrances for The Perfume Magazine, ex-Louis Vuitton Australiasia trainer and current Sydney Opera House trainer). Yes, these people are really inspirational, knowledgeable, interesting and fun. It was a fun lunch and I loved seeing these go-getters bouncing off each others energy. You know what they say, If you’re the smartest person in the room then you’re in the wrong room. I was in the RIGHT room, just sitting with them I learned so much, and their noses are spot on.

So, Mandy Aftel had sent me a spritz of her newest fragrance and I wanted to see how the super-clevers would like it. The deal was we would all get a spritzed touche, biro and writing paper and I would spritz my hand back. Then over the next 5 minutes we would record our first impressions as 10 words. That was the plan anyway….

Palimpsest by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes 2014

Palimpsest Aftelier FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords in a circuitous line:
Grapefruity Yuzu essential oil, Gamma dodecalactone (a natural isolate exctracted from apricots) brings a soft, milky peach/apricot, vanilla absolute, banana facets of ylang-ylang, jasmine, suede, rose, tobacco, honeysuckle, chocolate, firetree, ambergris, phenylacetic acid (an organic compound with a dirty honey aroma and animalic tones)

Aftelier Perfumes gives these featured accords:
Top: Gamma dodecalactone, phenyl acetic acid, yuzu
Heart: Jasmine grandiflorum, peach, ylang ylang
Base: Firetree, vanilla, ambergris

Gamma dodecalactone: Waxy, fatty, sweet aroma with green-rind undertones
Natural Occurences: Found in apricot, bilberry, guava, papaya, pineapply, blackberry, strawberry, celery, cheese, butter, milk, meats, rum, beer

Phenylacetic acid is used in some perfumes, possessing a honey-like odor in low concentrations, and is also used in penicillin G production.

SPRITZ!

THE WORLD EXPLODED!

Seriously, we are sitting in the Green Room of the Sydney Opera House, there are maybe 50-70 people around eating their lunch from all parts of the theatre and our table goes freaking ballistic. We are all speaking at once, sniffing chatting, getting louder so we can get our points across and gesticulating, talking, laughing. This was a totally fun experiment and using such a polarising fragrance made it even more fun.

#1: Jasmine, honey, honeysuckle, sweet sherbet, effervessence, civet, narcissus, ambergris, much

#2: Honey, heady, animalic, spicy, Absolue Pour Le Soir, hippy shop, patchouli, incense, karma

#3: Auto rickshaw ride through Mumbai, outdoor toilet, spicy, bubblegum, fun

#4: Heavy, sweet urine, floral, gods, hair/fur, back of neck, musk, amber, sensual

As the fireworks became less intense a friend of mine walked past and I jumped up to hug her, the first thing out of her mouthy after “Hi Portia!” was “Wow! What is that perfume? Is that you? You smell amazing!” and then she leant over my Palimpsest by Mandy Aftel and swooned. What better expression of love can a fragrance get. That is one spritz on the back of my hand.

Here are some pics of us MADsters

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #1

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #2

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #3

Opera House Lunch Sept 2014 #5

Palimpsest: noun
1. a parchment or the like from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text.

Sweet, feral, delicious and naughty Palimpsest is not for the faint hearted, is full of the joy of natural perfumery while smelling as finished, buoyant and aerated as the best niche offerings. Mandy Aftel seems to have captured the idea of rewriting fragrant history and planting her own delightfully wicked animal version on top of everything else we have. I was going to do a giveaway of the remaining juice but I have used it up. Sorry everyone. This is a fragrance all dedicated perfumistas are going to need to try….

Aftelier Perfumes has samples from $6

Portia xx

 

Femmes Savantes GIVEAWAY Winner

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hey there APJ Crew,

Great response and thank you to the lovely Azar for doing another amazing GIVEAWAY.

Portia xx

Femmes Savantes GIVEAWAY WINNER

Femmes Savantes La Comédie des Parfums HomePhoto Stolen La Comédie des Parfums

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
For today’s drawing Mr. Abraham has generously provided a sample of Femmes Savantes for one lucky winner residing in the continental US.
P&H to the USA

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone USA ONLY 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 comment on any of the fragrances from La Comédie des Parfums or tell APJ about your favorite citrus perfume (or fruit).

Extra Chance?
Tweet: Femmes Savante: La Comédie des Parfums GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-3cx  

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 25th September 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org or a fun other way

winner-is HighestSelfPhoto Stolen HighestSelf

CAROLINE

The winners will have till Sunday 28th September 2014 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.

Perfumes That Never Offend My Coworkers

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

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Post by FeralJasmine

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I work with a fantastic bunch of ladies. We have all been together for several years now, and couldn’t be happier with the arrangement. We know each other’s thought patterns, can predict each other pretty well, and have no serious trouble making decisions by concensus.

So when does the serpent enter paradise? Usually it has to do with perfume. My good colleagues are (thank The Lord and/or Lady) very outspoken and not given to passive aggression, which means that when I wear a scent that one of them doesn’t like, I am going to hear about it. Sometimes this is pretty damn funny: one of them calls anything that she dislikes “patchouli,” which leads to hilarious remarks like “I don’t like that patchouli perfume you’re wearing today” when I’m drifting around in Chanel #5. Aldehydes are a total no-go. Gagging pantomimes greet anything too sweet.

Perfumes That Never Offend My Coworkers

So what does work? I have a stable of stuff that draws purely positive comment. To my surprise, two of them are patchouli scents (but don’t tell my colleague!) Vanillas are happily tolerated if they aren’t too sweet, confirming my suspicion that for many of us, vanilla is THE primal comfort scent. The players are:

Boyfriend Kate Walsh FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Kate Walsh Boyfriend: this lovely warm patchouli-plum-tobacco scent is miles above the usual celebrity perfume and therefore is discontinued, but is still readily available on eBay. I have stocked up and will not be bidding against you.

Unknown Pleasures Kerosene FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Kerosene Unknown Pleasures: Earl Grey tea followed by a soft slightly sweet bakery vanilla. What’s not to like? This one is a great value, and I have obtained a backup bottle.

Lira Xerjoff FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Xerjoff Lira: An exquisite soft vanilla that wafts in the most delicate and appealing way. Unfortunately, it is also $285 a bottle, which works out to quite a bit per waft. Still, I wear it sometimes because there is nothing quite like it. But Unknown Pleasures, after the somewhat brash lemony opening, ends up in much the same place for less than half the price, so no back-up bottles of Lira for me.

Pink Gardenia DSH Perfumes FragranticaPhoto Stolen DSH Perfumes

DSH Pink Gardenia: my one objection to Ms. Hurwitz’s vanillic gardenia is that it is too civilized and private. Which is why I can wear it to work to universal approval. Nobody is aware of it unless they happen to get very close, and then they like it. Now, if only she made a louder version to put on when I get home…

Coze Parfumerie Generale FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

PG Coze: I can’t get my mind around wearing this one to work. But I did once, by mistake, and people loved it. Even the Patchouli-Slaying Queen commented on the lovely spicy resins. So I wear it once in a while at work, and a lot on weekends.

Here are a couple of sample sites that you can go see to try these.
Surrender To Chance
Posh Peasant
My Perfume Samples

I should add that I have dry perfume-euthanizing skin and these might not be subtle enough on everyone. But unless your workplace forbids perfume, there is something that you can get away with. Solicit honest feedback from a few work-buddies, and pay careful attention to what they say. After all, it’s their airspace too!

FeralJasmine X

En Passant by Olivia Giacobetti for Frederic Malle 2000

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

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Post by Gabriella

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Hello fragrance friends,

Do you ever get cravings for perfumes that you don’t have in your collection? This very thing happened to my last week. It’s actually very surprising as the scent in question was one of the very first perfumes to blow me away when I first started exploring niche scents and yet, after all these years, I still don’t have a bottle. Today, I’m talking to you about an oldie but a goodie – the fragrance I am going to discuss is the sublime En Passant.

En Passant by Olivia Giacobetti for Frederic Malle 2000

En Passant FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lilac, surrounded by watery and green notes, cucumber and wheat

My reaction to the initial spritz of En Passant is one of feeling overwhelmed, but in a beautiful way. I’m enveloped in the distinctive yet delicate scent of masses of white lilacs. It is morning and their tiny petals are covered in tiny droplets of rain from an overnight shower. The rain has freshened the blooms, providing an ethereal aqueous quality. I don’t get the cucumber note that has bothered quite a few people with this scent. It’s just pure fresh and fresh lilac and quite linear, yet when the sun starts to peek over the blooms in the yard, you can just begin to smell the warmth of baking bread from a nearby kitchen window. Yet the yeasty aspect doesn’t overwhelm, it just provides a welcome temperateness to the green, watery quality of the lilac.

En Passant Frederic Malle lilac WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Even as I write, I’m conscious that my words don’t capture the loveliness of this scent. The perfume is an essence of time and place the story it tells is a very distinctive and emotional one. The best I can do is a series of adjectives: it’s diaphanous, it’s ephemeral, and it’s impressionistic and just plain beautiful. It is a story of lilacs, bread and spring What Giacobetti has done with these elements in perfume is akin to what Monet or Pissaro did with light and texture in painting.

En Passant is not powerful, its beauty is sotto voce and it’s a terribly personal scent as Portia has mentioned in her review. Despite its quietness, I still get a good 4 to 6 hours of wear; over this time, it just seems to waft gently from the skin like a breeze.

En Passant Frederic Malle White_Breeze guitarzar DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Because of its discreetness, En Passant is something you could wear almost anywhere. But I find it’s best when I’m craving beauty and solitude. Oh, and the promise of spring that sadly, just quite hasn’t made it to Melbourne yet. Better satisfy those cravings and just get a bottle of this beauty.

Mecca Cosmetica has 3x10ml/$124 in Australia
Frederic Malle has €110/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $6/ml

Have you tried En Passant? What perfumes have left you speechless?

Until next time,
M x