En Voyage & Facebook Fragrance Friends SNIFF! + Photo Essay

November 15, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey APJ Frag Darlings.

To help commemorate reaching 7000 members, 20 folks from Facebook Fragrance Friends met in Portland Oregon on Oct. 22nd 2016, for a (very) full day of perfume fun and happiness at an event hosted by Shelly Waddington, owner/perfumer of the fabulous En Voyage Perfumes.

En Voyage & Facebook Fragrance Friends SNIFF!

We started the day at Shelly’s apartment, pawing and sniffing our way through her fabulous range, pawing and sniffing our way through her amazing workshop and perfumer’s organ, before setting off to visit two perfume emporiums, the brand new niche-centric Fumerie Perfumerie, followed by a pilgrimage to the venerated Grand Dame of Perfume shops, The Perfume House.

What a day it was! So much fun, total insanity, perfume, lots of “nasty women” talk, pizza, Hello K_tty, Shelley and Rich’s’ gorgeous new digs and Shelly’s new workshop, their amazing hospitality, new wonderful friends, and finally meeting people after 2.5 years on FB, Barbara Carters’ custom cocktail (with flankers..) Release The Kracken, an amazing finger-food supper and finally the ‘fume swap to end ALL swaps, and so very much more. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

Kind of like the BEST grown-up slumber party/cocktail party EVER!! It was simply magnificent!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

RHX

NEW!!! Civet by Shelly Waddington for Zoologist Perfumes 2016

October 29, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 138 Comments

Post by Robert Herrmann

Hey there Indie and Niche Nerds,

News of a new release by Victor Wong’s Zoologist Perfumes is ALWAYS cause for celebration. More so this time as the release is scheduled for New Years Eve day, Dec. 31st, 2016. So break out the confetti and champagne, because Zoologist has hit it out of the park yet again.

Hot on the heels of Bat (2015 Art & Olfaction award winner- Independent Perfume category), and most recently the stunning Nightingale and Macaque, Zoologist returns to continue the theme of popular animal musks started with Beaver (2014/ reformulated 2016) with this latest release. It’s called Civet.

Civet by Zoologist Perfumes 2016

Civet by Shelly Waddington

Zoologist

Zoologist gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Lemon, Orange, Spices, Tarragon
Heart: Carnation, Frangipani, Heliotrope, Hyacinth, Linden-blossom, Tuberose, Ylang
Base: Balsams, Civet*, Coffee, Incense, Labdanum, Musks*, Oakmoss, Resins, Russian Leather*, Vanilla, Vetiver, Woods

*Synthetic notes, Zoologist does not use animal products.

Authored by Shelly Waddington, award-winning creator of En Voyage Perfumes and Zoologists earlier 2015 release Hummingbird, Civet is a glorious musky woody floral, that brings to mind vintage French perfumes from the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Shelly Waddington is an olfactive storyteller of the first degree, her perfumes always take me on a journey, and Shelly does vintage scents extremely well (Zelda, Fiore Di Bellagio among many others). Civet is absolutely no exception!

This is Josephine Baker running out the stage door after a performance on her way to a small hidden Parisian Boite to continue the night with dancing and cocktails and a bevy of admirers men and women both, vying for her attention. Her fur stole is flying behind her, and she is still slightly sweaty from the show, but covered in a sexy, sultry perfume which doesn’t mask the skin-smell of sweat, just makes it all the more alluring and enticing.

Flickr

Floral, feral and in-your-face gorgeous, this is the scent that will end up perfuming crumpled sheets in a bedroom, and staying on the skin of a lover who will spend the day drinking endless demitasse of espresso trying to erase the mental fog of the night before, hoping for a future assignation. The scent of coffee with its slightly chocolate and bitter aroma rises from the small cup and mixes with the smell coming off his skin and clothing, reminding him of the previous nights love making…languid, hot, and absolutely unforgettable.

Bravo Shelly, and bravo Zoologist Perfumes!

Civet will be available December 31st 2016 from the Zoologist website, and you’ll find a list of stockists there as well.

Civet by Zoologist Perfumes GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 11 ml Civet by Zoologist travel spray
(It will be sent as soon as Civet is bottled, yes we are THAT far ahead)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us what you liked about this review, or if you have any favorite Zoologist perfumes?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Monday 31st October 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Friday 4th November 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

A Full Speed Perfume Trip Around the USA Photo Essay

September 29, 2015 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 51 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

A Full Speed Perfume Trip Around the U S and A

Seattle. San Francisco. Los Angeles. New York.

I do not know where to begin. Everyone that I met in the US were absolutely amazing. They took time out of their schedules to meet up, made me and my family so welcome, showed us around the cities and were generally mind-blowing. I was so touched. A lot of it is personal and has no place on a blog. However over the months I will include things that happened as there are perfumed tales to tell. I am not too reliable at taking pictures, but I hope you enjoy the few that follow. New York was so much fun that nobody even remembered to take photos. An absolute highlight was meeting Azar of APJ. I have many samples of perfume to brighten up my winter.

The one question I have been asked by a number of people is did I find anything new that really impressed me. I absolutely did. It will be my
next post. You will have to tune in again.

Jetlagged Bussis
CQ

Perfume Trip Around the U S and A

Photo Essay

Sniffing Ellen Covey´s überfragrant Cattleya orchid. iIhad NO idea how narcotic an orchid could be.

The very elegant Azar. Australian Perfume Junkie´s very own!

One of Ellen´s orchids.

Ellen and her husband and a basket of Azar´s homegrown tomatoes.

Me with Mary. A San Franciscan perfumista and Verophile.

Part of Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids work materials.

A not very clear picture of the beautiful Virgina of Té de Violetas.

Shelley Waddington of En Voyage and Mary on the comfy sofa in Tiger Lily.

Antonia. Owner of Tiger Lily in San Francisco. Such a charming store.

Ellen Covey’s Olympic Orchids shelf!

Leaving Twisted Lily in Brooklyn. Daisy from Coolcookstyle leading the way. The charming Arielle of Scents of Self and of Arielle Shoshanna Scented Luxuries.

Mary, Virginia and me trucking`through San Francisco.

The most beautiful toffee apples I have ever seen. Seattle.

Ellen showing a tiny orchid in her greenhouse.

Jtd Jtd of Scenthurdle. Los Angeles.

Hannah the BlondesWunder in the makeup store at midnight. NYC.

Carlos Powell of Peace, Love and Perfume having a dhosa for lunch. NYC.

Hannah me and Daisy. Daisy organized a New York perfumista extravaganza for me. However what happened in New York, stays in New York.

Laundry rates in then hotel we stayed in. NYC.

Tonka beans in a golden bag. On the recommendation of Barbara Herman, author of Scent and Subversion. An old voodoo spell. brings love and luck. I have left one in the bag and the rest I shall use in my baking.

Tiger Lily.

Twisted Lily.

Inside Twisted Lily..

Hannah learning how to use and umbrella. Outside Twisted Lily.

Two with Connor

Selfie. Val and Undina. San Francisco.

(ED: This is the mad, disjointed and crazed order these pics were sent. Nobody got time to organise this lot, clearly not even Val)

Captured In Amber EdP & Extrait by Shelley Waddington for En Voyage Perfumes 2014

July 29, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

I don´t like amber. It´s not for lack of trying. I always thought I would be the perfect amber babe. After all I adore patchouli and it´s the same right? Actually it´s not. When I fell for Captured in Amber I thought that the amber part of my brain had finally been unlocked. I got hold of 5 different ambers ready to love them all. I didn´t. I found them as flat and one dimensional and nauseating as they ever were. It is not my wont to knock other perfumes/perfumers but suffice it to say they included Dior´s Mitzah, which is just not made f or me. (I think Dior can handle it!). Not my cup of tea. Or should I say chocolate?

The Spanish conquistadors first brought chocolate to France in 1615. It was only for the nobility and upper bourgeoisie. It was all the rage at the Court of Versailles. At that time it was cheaper to buy a prostitute than it was chocolate. Chocolate was recognized for its aphrodisiacal qualities so I have know doubt that there were those who purchased both! In 1770 when Marie- Antoinette married Louis XVI, she arrived at the court with her own chocolate maker along with the title “Chocolate Maker to the Queen”. Cocoa beans only became accessible to the public in the 19th century.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Shelley Waddington informs us that Marie Antoinette also took a little ambergris in her hot chocolate. Marie-A also wore perfume using ambergris. Madame du Barry supposedly bathed with ambergris to attract Louis XV. It was known as “dragon´s spittle fragrance” in ancient China, and was believed to ward off the black plague in the Middle Ages. It too has been attributed with aphrodisiac power as well as healing properties.

Captured In Amber EdP & Extrait by En Voyage Perfumes 2014

Captured In Amber by Shelley Waddington

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Ambergris, labdanum, vanilla, tonka bean, floral notes, spices, woody notes, olibanum, resin, peru balsam, tolu balsum, benzoin, patchouli, myrrh, dark chocolate

Captured in Amber is part of the Souvenir de Chocolate Trio from En Voyage Perfumes. It is utterly delicious, three dimensional and not a hint of powder to be seen. So with chocolate and ambergris? We have an erotic fragrant bomb on our hands.

CAPTURED IN AMBER: EDP

It goes on in a powerful chocolate, sweet, veil of perfection, a nosegasm. It is rounded and complete. A 3D effect. Although it is rich it is not cloying. Very grown up and sensual but comforting too. After several hours of subtle spicy development it slowly ends up being salty and musky, which is how I imagine real ambergris to be. Nevertheless there is till a dusting of chocolate there. It reminds me of the crushed cocoa nibs that I use to bake with. Chocolatey but not sweet. The components of Captured in Amber EdP are blended to perfection. A seamless fragrant ride. This needs to go straight onto naked skin. Skin enhances.

Photo Stolen Flickr

CAPTURED IN AMBER: EXTRAIT

Not just a stronger version of the EdP. This is not as sweet and is made to be annointed. It is so rich, distinctive, highly seasoned, poignant, smoooooth, and erotic ……… gorgeous!! I would hardly call it an amber, as to my untrained amber nose, the amber doesn´t make a clear appearance until after a couple of hours. I cannot lift my nose away from my wrist.

The Extrait is quite thick, but didn´t seem like an oil. It intrigued me so I got in touch with En Voyage Perfumes and asked Shelley what it was.

Shelley uses an alcohol based perfume carrier. This is blended with another non-oil ingredient that smooths the sharp blast typical to alcohol, and this is somewhat thick. Because it is an extrait, the resins and some of the other ingredients are heavier and thicker than the more typical perfume materials. That´s enough secrets of the trade huh?

En Voyage Perfumes have a selection of Captured In Amber<<JUMP

For the first time I am Captured in Amber.

Bussis
CQ

Zelda by Shelley Waddington for En Voyage Perfumes 2013

March 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Val the Cookie Queen

Zelda: NOT the Legend of Zelda

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

When this fragrance was brought to my attention, I already decided that it wasn´t for me. After years of computer gaming in my home I fall into the traumatized mother category. I could´t imagine anyone naming a perfume after a computer game, unless perhaps they were traumatized too? Despite hearing good things, it was not on my hit list.

Fast forward a few months to the legendary Blogger´s Meet in London. In the middle of eating a very nice plate of fish and chips I was handed a bottle of Zelda from the extremely charming Vanessa, her of Bonkers About Perfume fame. I gave myself a hefty spritz, which I promptly ignored. Nevertheless she packed me up a little sample to take home with me.

Photos supplied by Michael

I now have my own bottle.

A Perfume Trip

I spent several summers in the seventies and early eighties at Stonehenge and Glastonbury, in the days when they were free festivals. I remember very clearly (which is surprising) a particular psychedelic experience. We were sat on the stones of Stonhenge and as my friends and I spoke to each other the words came out of our mouths in sheets of colours. Each more vibrant than the other.

Each time I wear Zelda I have a comparable experience. I exhale, put my nose to my skin, and then inhale deeply. The notes unfold in layers like magic. First the spicy top layer, and then the thick magnolia and flowery layer, and then hidden under that you hit a smoky, musky, vanilla, sandalwoody and who knows what else accord. It stays layered on the skin. Absolute genius, and it doesn´t stop. It is deep and complex, and I wonder how Shelley Waddington came up with this. Be careful though it´s a twelve hour trip! Still there in the morning.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Zelda Fitzgerald (1900 – 1948) “I don’t want to live. I want to love first, and live incidentally.” – Zelda Fitzgerald

Zelda was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald, quintessential flapper and inspiration for her husband F. Scott Fitzgerald. She lived her life to the full, but hovered on the edge of madness. She was a writer in her own right. Gone are my thoughts of computer games.

Zelda by Shelley Waddington for En Voyage Perfumes 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Italian Bergamot, Spices, Iranian Galbanum
Heart: Magnolia Blossom, Garden Florals
Base: Amber, Musks, Vanilla, Peru Balsam, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cedarwood, Oakmoss (Mousse de Chêne)

You can order from En Voyage Perfumes and they do samples too. I look forward to exploring more of the line.

Further reading: Jordan River at Australian Perfume Junkies and Smelly Thoughts

“Nobody has measured, not even poets, how much the human heart can hold.” Zelda Fitzgerald

Bussis
CQ

Zelda by Shelley Waddington for EnVoyage Perfumes 2013

March 12, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Jordan River

Her name was Zelda,

She was a showgirl,
But that was 60 years ago when she used to have show…

Well now she has a perfume!

It’s a neo-oriental (what?) for woman (what?) featuring a chorus line of notes who have learnt their choreography to Broadway standards.

Zelda by Shelley Waddington for EnVoyage Perfumes 2013

Notes
Top: Iranian Galbanum, Spiced Italian Bergamot, Spices
Heart: Creamy Magnolia Blossom, Garden Florals
Drydown: Cedarwood, Balsams, Mousse de Chêne, Sandalwood, Smoky Amber, Vanilla, Vintage Musks, Vetiver

I opened the bottle at the same time as I sipped on a cup of tea. My senses went awhirling and I thought I had discovered an exotic tea. I was awondering just how those leaves had found their way into the teapot. Not that Zelda smells like a tea note; that was just a trick of my taste and smell sensors. A dab and a spritz and my tea returned to English Breakfast while I was enveloped in warmth from this beautiful beautiful perfume.

The addition of spice to bergamot for the opening gave Zelda the warmth I was feeling. Persian Galbanum adds the green of spring at this stage. Let’s call that youth.

The show stopper is magnolia which breaks through a powdery cloud (the cloud is like very very expensive talc), taking the stage with big effects and affectations for about 3 hours with The Big Magnolia Show. Really it swirls around magnificently then retreats to the wings and retires while the smoke machine puffs amber, vanilla, balsams and Mousse de Chêne across the audience. The stage backdrop of trees is very choreographed; slow dancing real sandalwood trees surrounding a towering cedar with a stage floor of jazz-tapping vetiver grass.

I kept waiting for the magnolia to return but even a standing ovation (applause, applause applause, she lived for the applause) did not bring a bow. Zelda left the world’s stage at 48 years young. Let’s call that gone. Reapplication is the answer here if you want to smell the Magnolia Diva herself after 3 hours. The drydown will keep you entertained though to the 5 hour mark. A long enough show and like all good shows left me wanting more.

Now; for women? Nonsense. I am so rocking this floral. Neo-Oriental; yes it is an Oriental and yes it has just been released but it smells like vintage to me.

If this Art Deco perfume bottle could speak you would hear Zelda’s voice saying:

I give a damned good show.
– Zelda Fitzgerald

Zelda Fitzgerald. Photo Enchantment: Tarleisio

This 2013 ‘show’ has won an award: The 2013 Top Artisan Fragrance Salon Award; Silver in The Most Seductive Scent category.

Showgirl History
Before the days of Portia Turbo there was Zelda Fitzgerald, the first American flapper who pounded the boards in the 1920’s. As The Alembicated Genie tells it, Zelda was a woman…

too passionate not to burn so bright, too talented to ever go unnoticed, a free spirit too uninhibited not to thumb her nose at convention, only to be done in by the very conformity her fiery heart raged against.
– Tarleisio
– The Alembicated Genie

Shelley was inspired and elated; voilà Zelda!

EnVoyage has $US75/17ml in an Art Deco bottle

Further Reading
Scents of Self – Arielle’s experience
The Alembicated Genie – Liquid Filigree
Another Perfume Blog – sunny and dusky

The book mentions “white flowers perfuming midnight”, “sweet-smelling blossoms…and night-blooming vines

Zelda’s book mentions “white flowers perfuming midnight”, “sweet-smelling blossoms…and night-blooming vines”

There is a brightness and bloom over things; she inspects life proudly, as if she walked in a garden forced by herself to grow in the least hospitable of soils. She is already contemptuous of ordered planting, believing in the possibility of a wizard cultivator to bring forth sweet-smelling blossoms from the hardest of rocks, and night-blooming vines from barren wastes, to plant the breath of twilight and to shop with marigolds.
– Save Me the Waltz
– Zelda Fitzgerald

Jordan River XX