Serge Lutens

Un Lys by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1997

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments
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Gabriella
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Hello fellow perfumaholics. I hope you enjoy my story today on one of my favourite scents.

Un Lys by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens (1997)

UnLys FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

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Fragrantica gives these featured accords on one line:
Lily, musk and vanilla
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Many years ago, a long, long time before I became a perfumista and perhaps even before the advent of perfume blogging, I found an exquisite bottle of fragrance in a local boutique. It was housed in the most elegant rectangular bottle I’d ever seen and emblazoned with a peculiar name: Serge Lutens. It was called Un Lys.
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I fell in love with its clear bright beauty immediately. It was simply the best thing I had ever smelled. Its price tag, however, was another matter.  (You see, back then, I thought that anything over $100 way just way, waaay too much money to spend on a bottle of perfume. How things have changed!) I winced at the price, stood there for a while, decided against it and left. And I then promptly forgot about it.
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Fast forward some years later, and it was actually another lily perfume, the magnificent Lys Mediterrannee that sent me tumbling down the rabbit hole of full-blown perfume obsession. Its hold on me was so great, that for years, I did not think I needed another lily fragrance in my collection.
girlNlily mi9Photo Stolen mi9
However, earlier this year, Un Lys started calling my name again. I ordered a bottle, completely unsniffed besides that brief, but powerful encounter many years ago.
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Second time around, Un Lys took her time to ensconce me with her charms. I pulled it out one steamy Sydney morning thinking it would be the perfect accompaniment to a summery Saturday. But now, compared to Lys Med’s spicy voluptuousness, Un Lys struck me as rather wan, pale and uninteresting but therein lies the rub, Un Lys’ lack of complexity is its beauty and its simplicity is its mark of exquisiteness. Whereas Lys Med emphasises the tropical, heady, vampy vibe of the lily and others, like Donna Karan Gold, emphasise its green qualities, Un Lys is aims to be no more than an olfactory portrait of the flower. It needs no adornments and no bells and whistles to amplify its serene and quiet beauty.
field-of-lily travelizationPhoto Stolen travelization
Further reading BoisDeJasmin and NowSmellThis
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ThePerfumeShoppe sends 50ml to the world $140 before shipping
SurrenderToChance starts at $4/.5ml
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Till next time.
Mx

Serge Lutens GIVEAWAY WINNERS

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Hello Gorgeous!

So my mate Jordan River from TheFragrantMan blog really put me in the poo the other day by offering a GIVEAWAY! I had to quickly scramble around to find some stuff that the gorgeous Serge Lutens Palais Royal girls had thrown into my bag when I dropped in in February this year. My mate Neela Vermeire, the famous perfume curator from Neela Vermeire Creations, took me in the day before to show me the store and introduce me to the SAs who were so friendly and welcoming to both of us. It was like old home week. Hugs, kisses and fragrance!!

SergeLutens The MakeUpMolePhoto Stolen TheMakeUpMole

Let me tell you the Palais Royal Serge Lutens store is FREAKY!! All done in purple and black lighting and OMG! It’s like an Addams Family parlour. And a spiral staircase in the middle from which you can see a speck of colour, I think it was yellow. The whole place gave me the willies, the heebeegeebees and stirred my head up so I couldn’t even think about perfume for myself. Next time I will at least do some serious testing.

What Jordan failed to tell you all was that though I have four Serge Lutens fragrances in full bottles,
Muscs Koublai Khan
Fleurs d’Oranger
Five O’Clock Gingembre
Santal Majuscule
(Sa Majeste la Rose, Chergui, Un Voix Noir and Gris Claire are the next on my list and maybe Cedre or Ambre Sultan down the track)
and many more in decants, unfortunately I am not a Bell Jar fan. I know!! PLEASE DON’T KICK ME OUT OF THE CLUB!!! I’m sorry but I like my perfume spritzed and also the square bottles look so neat and pretty together. What did happen though was that I had to buy two Bell Jars for APJ bloggers, everyone that writes for APJ was allowed order one bottle of impossible to find in Australia perfume to be brought back, so Madeleine asked for La Myrrhe and Michael asked for Iris Silver Mist which I dutifully bought, and returned to Australia with, for them.

For those that have never seen one, below is a specially decorated Bell Jar for Borneo 1834. I understand why you all covet them so freaking madly but they just do not ring my bells.

Borneo1834 parfumoPhoto Stolen Parfumo

WHAT YOU COULD WIN

There are 3 prizes today for our lovely readers who left a message in comments with a Serge Lutens fragrance I may have bought from the Palais Royal Store. Courtesy of the beautiful girls who work there there are 3 x Solid Sample Quartets to give away.

#1. De Profundis, Santal Blanc, Iris Silver Mist, Louve

#2. Chene, Un Bois Sepia, Borneo 1834, Vetiver Oriental

#3. Cuir Mauresque, Fumerie Turque, Boxeuses, Muscs Koublai Khan

Included is P&P to anywhere in the world

NO you don’t get to chose!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries closed Friday March 22nd 2013 10pm AEDST.
Winners were chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin picked them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.

WINNERS berryreviewPhoto Stolen berryreview

Fiberliza

Kandice

LaurenW

CONGRATULATIONS!! The winners have till Wednesaday 27th March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else, or even keep it for myself.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

With all our love in Birthday week at APJ.

Portia x

A Perfumista Pilgrimage – Serge Lutens

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 73 Comments

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Guest Post by Jordan River

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Serge Lutens

sergelutens.com

sergelutens.com

Mr Lutens is the magician of the fragrant stratosphere. A self-described sorcerer. A virtual recluse who conjures mysterious and amazing perfumes. He puts the genie in the bottle and you get to take it out. He is A Spell Jar of Adventure. The gravitas of the critiques of his releases and by who makes for fascinating reading. Wax Samples are the entry point to this particular wormhole. You have been warned. The solid perfume is an almost exact scent rendering and an excellent method to choose what to explore further in these eau de parfums. After that you have three collection choices, La Fille de Berlin, Selective Distribution (formerly ‘export’) and Exclusives. And after that you have numbered limited edition flacons. The Exclusives come in bell jars that until very recently have only been available at the Paris store. Hence the need for a pilgrimage. All 36 bell jars will suffice you for 3 years at the rate of a bottle a month. Clever people place small glass marbles in their bell jar to raise the juice level after constant application.

What interests me is going further, not into the perfume, but deeper into myself, exploring my innermost depths to extract darkness from light, and make it just as visible – Serge Lutens

sergelutens.com

sergelutens.com

In 1992 Serge opened his house of perfumes called Les Salons du Palais Royal. His vision was for

a unique place in the world where one would come as an enlightened being to define oneself through one’s perfume, in order to stand out from the identity-free crowd which previous times had imposed upon us.

It is to this salon in Paris than many a perfumista has made a pilgrimage. The latest one to embark on a quest for a bell jar is our very own Portia. Which bell jar of Sergian notes is calling out to her as she leaves The Land Down Under for The Perfume Capital of the Universe? A dry dry desert wind, a night or tuberose, a cry from the depths, the sweat of Kublai Khan, blackened amber, or the atmosphere, if not the very voice of Billie Holiday? If you can guess (and if this offer is not edited out!) then a decant will be yours on her return (Ed: Better than a decant I have something VERY special for our winners Jordan. SEE BELOW). Careful here, Portia is unpredictable! I’m thinking Sarrasins. What do you think?

Jordan River

Jordan River

References and Further Information

Serge Lutens Bell Jars are now available in New York at Barneys.

La Fille de Berlin (Selective Distribution range) was launched at Les Salons du Palais Royal last month.

Serge Lutens Interview 1 – Denyse Beaulieu
Serge Lutens Interview 2 – Denyse Beaulieu
Serge Lutens
Serge Lutens US site
Serge Lutens – Information by Snap

WHAT YOU CAN WIN

As you know it’s our ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY WEEK. There are 3 prizes today for our lovely readers who leave a message in comments with a Serge Lutens fragrance I may have bought from the Palais Royal Store. Courtesy of the beautiful girls who work there I have 3 x Solid Sample Quartets to give away.

#1. De Profundis, Santal Blanc, Iris Silver Mist, Louve

#2. Chene, Un Bois Sepia, Borneo 1834, Vetiver Oriental

#3. Cuir Mauresque, Fumerie Turque, Boxeuses, Muscs Koublai Khan

Included is P&P to anywhere in the world

NO you don’t get to chose!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Friday March 22nd 2013 10pm AEDST and winners will be announced in a separate post on Sunday 24th March.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin will pick them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.
The winners will have till Wednesaday 27th March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Best Birthday Wishes to you all.

Portia xx

Scented Niche Christmas Gifts to Impress

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

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Gabriella

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Ten Niche Scented Gifts for Christmas

Hello APJ friends! Hope you are all well and looking forward to the festive season.
When Portia suggested I compile a list of niche perfume Christmas picks, I was filled with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excited because I could get really creative and think outside the square and scared because, well, let’s face it, buying perfume for loved ones, let alone niche, is fraught with difficulties.
So, I have taken a deep breath and hopefully risen to the challenge. For ease, I’ve chosen more approachable scents and assumed price is no object. Enjoy!
1.   Dad: Bigarade Concentree by Frederic Malle
Bigarade concentree Frederic Malle for women and men
Jean Claude Ellena’s modern take on eau de cologne, Bigarade Concentree starts with piquant, zesty blood orange and aromatic cardamom notes before settling into soft orange and hay. This is as refreshing as a dip in an ice cold pool, but still a refined classic scent.
Notes: bitter orange, rose, cedar, grass and hay
2.   Mum: Antonia by Puredistance
Antonia Puredistance for women
Possibly the most beautiful and sublime release of 2012, Antonia is an intricately weaved green floral with galbanum, ivy and jasmine. The Antonia woman is intelligent, graceful, self assured and wise – the best qualities of Mums everywhere,
Notes: jasmine, rose essence, ylang ylang, orris, ivy greens, galbanum, vanilla and vetiver.
3.   Brother: Sunday Cologne by Byredo
Sunday Cologne Byredo for women and men
A slightly balmy and spicy scent, Sunday Cologne combines the freshness of bergamot with star anise, incense and lavender. Clean, cool and utterly debonair, this can be worn equally with a sharp suit or t-shirt and jeans.
Notes: cardamom, bergamot, star anise, lavender, geranium, incense, vetiver, patchouli and oakmoss.
4.   Sister: Nuit de Cellophane by Serge Lutens
Nuit de Cellophane Serge Lutens for women
A refined take on the standard fruity floral, Nuit de Cellophane combines osmanthus and jasmine to create a gorgeously translucent scent. Nuit de Cellophane is demure and pretty with just a hint of coquettishness.
Notes: mandarin, osmanthus, jasmine
5.   Significant other (Male): Amyris Pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
Amyris Homme Maison Francis Kurkdjian for men
Sex in a bottle. A blend of aromatic rosemary and mandarin tempered by cool iris and warm woody notes, Amyris is the tall, dark handsome stranger at a swanky bar who buys you an ice-cold martini before saying sotto voce: ’Come hither’.
Notes: rosemary, mandarin orange, amyris, coconut, coffee, iris, milk chocolate, tonka bean and agarwood.
6.   Significant other (Female): Flor Y Canto by Arquiste
Flor y Canto Arquiste for women
A bewitching white floral, Flor Y Canto tempers the heady notes of tuberose and frangipani with bright marigold. Sunny and carefree, but still devastatingly sexy, this is for a confident woman who doesn’t take herself too seriously.
Notes: Mexican tuberose, magnolia, frangipani and marigold
7.   For the budding perfumista friend: Frederic Malle’s Coffrets
frederic-malle_coffrets
In my opinion, Frederic Malle offers the best variety of all niche brands. These coffrets offer small vials of the brand’s scents: men’s, women’s or a 2012 selection. Your friend is sure to find new love, whether it’s the mint barbershop vibe of Geranium Pour Monsieur or the brooding oriental of Portrait of a Lady.
8.   For the friend that hates perfume:  Aqua Universalis Perfumed Candle by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Aqua Universalis Perfumed Candle
An impressive, weighty candle without an oppressive scent, Aqua Universalis is a fresh and delicate blend of green notes, orange blossom and jasmine.
Notes: bergamot, sicilian lemon, lily of the valley, sweet mock orange, light and musky woods
9.   For kids: Les Bulles d’Agathe by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Les Bulles d'Agathe Scented Bubbles 3
These blowing bubbles are lightly scented with pear, violet, mint or cut herbs – fun for the little ones or just for the kid in all of us.
10.  Top niche Christmas pick: La Myrrhe by Serge Lutens
La Myrrhe Serge Lutens for women
In one of those coveted bell jars, Serge Lutens and his partner in crime Christopher Sheldrake have created a luminous rendition of myrrh – the essential oil and resin carried by the Three Wise Men. Warm aldehydes suggest the twinkle of Christmas lights on powdered snow while gentle spices and almond evoke the last bite of Christmas pud washed down with a glass of warm Amaretto.
Notes: mandarin, myrrh, lotus, bitter almond, sandalwood, honey, jasmine, amber, musk, various spices and pimento
Pictures sourced from Fragrantica, Basenotes, Polyvore and Wantist.
 
Where to Buy:
Arquiste: arquiste.com and Barney’s
Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Serge Lutens: Les Senteurs, Luckyscent and Mecca Cosmetica
Puredistance: Luckyscent
Serge Lutens bell jars: sergelutens.com and Barney’s
 
Hope you’ve enjoyed my picks. What are your top niche Christmas choices?
Love,
M x

De Profundis by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2011

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 29 Comments

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Gabriella

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Hello everyone! Hope you’ve all been well and had a lovely fragrant month.
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Today’s post is part review and part confessional. The confession is that, until recently, I have somewhat overlooked the Serge Lutens line. Pre-perfumista days, I tried Fleurs D’Oranger and thought it was nice, but a little too much for me at a time when Marc Jacobs was my perfume of choice.  Once on my perfumista journey, I tried a few, but the whole stewed fruits and woods thing that Serge Lutens is famous for scared me a little. Somehow, I also got busy trying other things and the rest is history. Thankfully, I’ve now righted my transgression and have been delving into Serge’s world quite seriously of late, so much so that it now ranks as my favourite line with as many full bottle wants as the line which incited my passion – Frederic Malle.
Photo Stolen marathi.wunderground
Exploring Serge has also been a wonderfully informative journey. The perfumes I thought I would like and that get a lot of love in the blogosphere – Chergui, Ambre Sultan – simply don’t work on me. However, Serge’s weirder florals that I’ve tested with ambivalence are the ones I’ve swooned over and are ones that simply bloom on my skin. These include Datura Noir, Vitriol D’Oeillet and the magnificent Paris exclusive, De Profundis.

De Profundis by Serge Lutens

Photo Stolen zuzafun

De Profundis is a composition based on chrysanthemum, a flower traditionally associated with funerals and death. The name, translated from Latin means “out of the depths” or “a cry of appeal expressing one’s deepest feelings of sorrow or anguish”.  Indeed, literary and biblical references of the term emphasise feelings of melancholy and despair: Oscar Wilde’s letter written during his imprisonment, Christina Rossetti’s poem and Psalm 130, which starts with the line: “From the depths, I have cried out to you, O Lord”.
The copy accompanying the release also emphasises morbidity, stating: “the chrysanthemum invites Death to leave the cemetery and offer us its flower.” For me, however, this fragrance is not so much about death, but a story about the cycle of a complete flower, from the first signs of buds to petals bruising, brown and overripe.
 De Profundis Serge Lutens for women and men
Photo stolen from Fragrantica.
De Profundis’ notes are chrysanthemum flower with additional notes of violets, green and earthy notes.
The perfume’s opening is very sumptuous, green and radiant. It is the smell of a garden after a winter’s storm, a cold wind against dew on stems, bright and chilly. It is reminiscent of other green florals, but here the green notes are voluptuous and full, not austere or astringent in nature. The vivacious opening is tempered by the slight pepperiness of the chrysanthemum and powderiness of violets.
The composition is fairly linear in character, but as it warms on the skin, the wood notes become more prominent, giving the perfume a richness and earthy feel.  It becomes a portrait of flowers left in their vase too long, their blooms now pale and wan, the stems slightly fetid and decaying.
Photo Stolen paranoias
But De Profundis is not nearly as melancholy or moody as I expected. Whilst somewhat haunting, it still manages to have a fresh, sparkling quality that is joyful and bright. What I love most about it is that it full of contradictions: bright but dark, happy but sombre, elegant but vampy, restrained but voluptuous.
De Profundis is a must try for anyone who likes green scents or for those who appreciate some of the stranger Serge florals.  For me, it’s very much full bottle worthy. Mr M and I are now hatching a plan to try and secure one of those bell jars from Paris.
For other reviews, please see Bois de Jasmin, Perfume Posse, and The Non-Blonde
Samples available from Surrender to Chance starting at $4/ml
Have you tried De Profundis? What are some of the more bizarre Lutens creations that have worked for you? Is there a fragrance line that you’ve overlooked and then come to love?
With much love till next time!
Madeleine x

Santal Majuscule by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

Hiya Lovelies.

I have been over at FacebookFragranceFriends and was lucky enough to be involved in a split for Santal Majuscule created by Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens and released recently. Such a great way to get a good sized sample, thanks Andrea!! I don’t know if you have read much about it or even smelled it but it has been eagerly awaited as a sister to the 2 other Lutens Sandalwood offerings Santal Blanc (sweet) and Santal de Mysore (smoke) but this one is quite a different take.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Sandalwood (That’s it? R U FECKING JOKING!!!!)

I smell honey and spice, flowers that could be rose, wood, butter, smoke, sweet whipped cream on warm cinnamon honey cakes. This is not quite as gourmand as all that sounds and has some definite musky tendencies as it wears into the 2nd hour that sing alongside the woods beautifully but not intrusively. There is also a slightly sharp greenness lurking that raises its head and gives you a saucy wink every so often, as if they have tried to capture the sandalwood from bud to burning and every moment in between. I find this an infinitely more varied ride than expected and am enjoying the flow. The longer it wears the more buttery it becomes, really woody and animal fatty. So nice. I’m at around 4 hours now and Santal Majuscule is starting to lose its strength and go quieter on my skin, not a bad run so far. I get about 6 hours till it is really a skin scent that stays around till morning.

Sandalwood Cross Section Photo Stolen austoils

I have just knocked over my 10ml split and broken the glass atomiser, the place smells GORGEOUS! Looks like the office will be off limits for fragrance testing till next Friday 2015. Interesting that even though 10ml just went AWOL I am not overwhelmed by the fragrance, yes I can smell it and the room when you leave and re enter is awash in fragrance but it’s lovely and luxe and exquisite, not Pow! WhaM! Bam! at all. There is a sheerness to Santal Majascule that is fully fragrant but also full of spaces and air so that you can breathe, deep but not dense. Well there has been a good development come out of all this, I am to have a full bottle. It has been agreed. YAY!!! Went to Escentual and grabbed it, ON ITS WAY. HOORAY!!

Photo Stolen en.wikipedias

TheAlembicatedGenie, BoisDeJasmin and Patty at ThePerfumePosse all review it much better than me.
Escentual has 50ml for around £80 ($125) delivered worldwide!

Have you tried any of the Lutens sandalwood trio? How do you rate them? Is there another sandalwood that I simply MUST try? Leave me a note in the comments, I love to read your ideas too. Even if you just want to say HI, do it. I’ll be thrilled,
Have an excellent day till we see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Borneo 1834 by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2005

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 32 Comments

Heya Perfumistas,

I have had a decant of Borneo 1834 for some time. I would look at it and pass it over for something else. I don’t know why, clearly its pedigree is good and people rave about it but it just never got picked. An interesting name, Borneo is divided by 3 countries Indonesia, Malaysia and the Sultanate of Brunei and I think they plucked 1834 out of their arses because I can’t find anything interesting to do with that time and Borneo on the net. (edit: It was the year patchouli first arrived in Paris, and thus perfume, from Borneo)

Photo Stolen Borneo.com

So today I bit the bullet.

Fragrantica gives the featured accords: Patchouli, white flowers, cardamom, galbanum, french labdanum, cacao

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Someone somewhere wrote that this is like chocolate covered raisins and I can’t get the scent image from my head. It’s uncanny! I love the uber bitter chocolate here with forestry patchouli, this is not sweet at all to begin with. The cardamom and crackly green galbanum work double time under the radar to keep the whole dusty, smoky, murky; like being in a cold furnace with only the memory of woods or being in an underground cellar. I completely miss all traces of white flower on my skin until about an hour into the fragrance life and then just almost wafts, like they are outside a window. The labdanum is slightly vanilla but still not sweet until about 3 hours in when it gets an extremely low hum of a bakery feel to it but very quietly, just huffs every now and then, like those chocolate sea shells that are vanilla chocolate. Borneo 1834 is gloriously bitter sweet and has a dark resinous quality that is maintained through the 7+ hours I get of real and fully apparent lifespan, I feel like I’ve made a new friend. Sometimes you just have to wait for the right time to test something.

So now it’s 16 hours after I triple spritzed, I’ve worked, slept, woken, done my emailing and breakfasted and there is still a fabulous soft spicy vanilla presence on my skin, astounding.

Will this be a full bottle in my collection? I have a feeling it will be very soon gracing the fragrance fridge here in Sydney.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

TheNonBlonde does as great review as does AnotherPerfumeBlog
FragranceNet has 50ml for $112 after discount
SurrenderToChance does decants starting at $3.99/.5ml but for only $12.99 you can have a 2ml spray.
Thank you for dropping by. I’m not sure if you know how happy it makes me that you do? Very Fecking Happy!
Don’t forget to come check out my Guest Post on ThePerfumePosse it’s one of the biggest frag blogs on earth and I am so proud and honoured to be a regular contributor.

Till tomorrow, loads of love,

Portia xx

Wild Ginger Chai by SOIVOHLE Winner Announced

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Hey All,

I have a full day of Liz Zorn and SOIVOHLE coming up soon but I received an order from them and can’t stop spraying myself with Wild Ginger Chai, then I come to review it and its been finished. No mention on the website, and I only bought 11ml thinking I would be sensible for a change.

STOP PRESS, false alarm!!! No not gone but that part of the site is currently down. Liz just return emailed about my query and said it will be back up July 24, with the release of some new stuff. Yippeee! If you want to be kept in the SOIVOHLE loop here is a JUMP to their Facebook Page. Which will also give you links to their blog updates.

I love the queer start, like it’s going to be a hot stinking mess. As it opens on my skin the ginger and vanilla seem to grind against each other for the first 5 or so minutes like rubbing corduroy the wrong way, not a bad feeling, just unexpected. When the honey floats through the shape of this masterpiece begins show itself. Really masterpiece you ask? I have had this on me at some point during the last 4 days, 2 of those days I wore nothing else. OMG!! So I don’t get a tea like the Bvlgari’s, but there is a jasmine/orange blossom like lactonic note here and the spicy milk accord does nod vigorously towards the smell of chai being cooked out of the milk in India, which is a totally different smell to ours, there is also still a quiet kick of ginger right through but like a gingerbread man, slightly doughy. Wild Ginger Chai continues to grow and change, but not distinctly, as it fades away to a soft and wearable sweetish vanilla This all takes around 4-5 hours till I completely lose the ability to smell it. Cor! It is soooo good. Excuse me while I respritz.

Wild Ginger Chai Soivohle for women and menPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica said,
Wild Ginger Chai by Soivohle is an Aromatic Spicy fragrance for women and men…launched in 2012….and features vanilla, tea, honey and spices.

MAKING TRUE CHAI
Indians bring the water to the boil in a saucepan on the stove, throw in their tea leaves, sugar/honey and special tea spice mix (called Chai Masala) to taste, every home is different. As the water changes colour they add milk, I prefer quite a bit, then let the mix almost boil again and it’s ready. Strain into cups and serve with warm biscuits, yummy. Surprisingly, Indians drink this in all seasons, even the hottest part of summer.

THURSDAY GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Our giveaway was open to blog followers only this week, we are now well over the 100 followers mark so I decided to add an extra little prize for our 100th follower, COOL huh? Thank you to all our contestants, so glad you all jumped on board for this one.

You were all put on a paper, folded, put on a plate and picked by Jin (repeating; this was not a game of chance, you had to be a blog follower and tell us your fave post this week). Here’s what was on offer for the major prize

5ml decant spray Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf
3ml decant spray Beloved by Amouage
2ml manufacturers sample Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens
1ml sample vial Fleur de Glace by Olympic Orchids
1ml manufacturers sample Outspoken by Fergie for Avon
P&H anywhere in the world

All measurements are approximate

For our 100th follower we have 2 things I love and 2 that were meh! I hope you like them all.

2ml decant spray Gujarat by Olympic Orchids
2ml decant spray Commes Des Garcons EdP
1ml manufacturers sample Honey Blossom by The Beehive
1ml manufacturers sample In Bloom by Reese Witherspoon for AVON
P&H anywhere in the world

All measurements are approximate

Photo Stolen propercourse

THURSDAY GIVEAWAY- Laniersmith

100th FOLLOWER- anutu13

You have till Wednesday July 18 9pm Australian EST to get in touch with your addresses so I can send these off. PM me on Twitter @OzPerfumeJunkie or Facebook Portia Turbo-Gear If you don’t I’ll give your prize to someone else.

Photo Stolen bitrebels

Thank all for coming around, I have a special thank you video. It’s just a bunch of Brazilian male models saying Hola. Do please enjoy,
Much love and highest hopes for your health, wealth and happiness,
Portia xx

THURSDAY GIVEAWAY

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 36 Comments

Hi gang,

We’ve had a couple of weeks off the Thursday Giveaway because I was over it. Now it’s back. This giveaway is open to anyone who follows the AustralianPerfumeJunkies blog.

What do you have to do to win? Easy! Just tell us which of the posts this week was your favourite. We’ll go through and randomly pick one. This is not a game of chance, you must answer the question to fulfill the criteria, but it’s not a writing contest either. Got it?

You have till around 10pm Saturday July 14 Australian EST. Should we not hear from the winner in a week we will give the prize to someone else. Fair enough? You bet!

Here’s what’s on offer:

5ml decant spray Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf
3ml decant spray Beloved by Amouage
2ml manufacturers sample Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens
1ml sample vial Fleur de Glace by Olympic Orchids
1ml manufacturers sample Outspoken by Fergie for Avon
P&H anywhere in the world

All measurements are approximate because they’ve been used as review samples

I love to do giveaways. It’s the only way I have of saying Thank You physically. We are so glad that you come back so often and read our mad passion for fragrance. When you like, follow or comment we do little air pumps and there are high 5s all round. Every time we reach a goal it is BIG news here.

Our next goal is to have 100 people following the blog. We aren’t far off but would love your help. How can you help? Well, you can follow us yourself, tell your friends about us and ask them to follow if they’re interested, facebook, tweet or retweet our updates and posts. That would be AWESOME!

Much love and wishing you only the good stuff you wish yourselves,
Portia XOX

PS Pictures Stolen lavanyasrecipes and kbaird

Ambre Sultan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2000

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 25 Comments

Hiya Everyone,

Although I have a bottle of Muscs Koublai Khan the Serge Lutens line has remained a mystery to me. Trolling through my sample boxes the other day I found a manufacturers sample in its posh black/white box. It had fallen out of the bag it arrived in, some lovely fumie had sent it to me (Dionne? Undina?) but as it was running free I am unsure. I want to say Thank You.

Photo Stolen indiatimes

Ambre Sultan opens huge and stays that way for nearly an hour on me, then it takes you on a walking trek of itself, there is no need to worry that you’ve been distracted for 15 minutes because large chunks of time are allotted for each section, like a raga made into fragrance. I have now smelled of one perfume for 24 hours, with only 2 spritzes.

Photo Stolen ebay

On my skin I love the crackling, nearly burnt herbs and spices that fly and waft freely as soon as you spray Ambre Sultan, as if you’ve just thrown them on a very hot, dry pan over a campfire. It’s harsh, bitter, green, wood, vanilla and smoke all at the same time and it jumps up and assaults your nostrils, BAM! Through this whirlwind of an opening begins the life of the star of this fragrance, amber; by the time you lose the cacophony of the opening the resinous vanilla has already entered and been playing in with the chorus, unnoticed. As it unfolds it lights the whole composition as if I am suddenly snuggled in my duvet all warm, clean and safe.  Later on Ambre Sultan gets a little bit flesh and sweaty too. Though it doesn’t get gourmand sweet, there are lovely almost flashes of sugar/nectar that weave through, constantly cut off without notice by the greens and spices. I love the way that sometimes I get the smell of religious devotions and others almost a patisserie, there is something new, unexpected and wonderful often.

Photo Stolen wikipewdia

Hours and hours later, about 14 hours later I am surrounded by the still interesting, warm vanilla and wood. The scent is discernible and is good enough to be the opening of a fragrance, even though it has come a long way and changed its smellable components throughout the day countless times. This is an amber oriental done by 2 masters. Even after a good nights sleep I wake up smelling amazing, here is where you get your gourmand, I am now a freshly baked, still warm vanilla brioche, just broken open and buttered.

Fragrantica gives the notes as coriander, sandalwood, bay leaf, patchouli, angelica, resins, myrrh, amber, oregano, myrtle, benzoin and vanilla.

FragranceNet has 50ml (including 15% discount) under $85
PoshPeasant has decants starting at $6

I hope you’ve enjoyed my day with Ambre Sultan, it has been a ride,
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx