shopping

Baie Rose 26 by Frank Voelkl for Le Labo 2010

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Portia

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Hi there Niche Nerds,

Todays fragrance was released as the Le Labo Chicago city exclusive. You may remember that I find the Le Labo adventure somewhat wankerish. The whole, we’ll mix it for you in store so it’s fresh shit doesn’t wash for me. Just because the ingredients haven’t been blended yet doesn’t make them any fresher, AND it takes months for the damn fragrances to settle properly after you buy them. It’s all a big fat GRRR for me.

Nevertheless when Le Labo get it right they do make some fairly spectacular frags.

One of my mates was doing a decant cleanout and I was lucky enough to buy this baby from them. There’s only about 2-3ml left in a 15ml so it has been well loved.

Baie Rose 26 by Le Labo 2010

Baie Rose 26 by Frank Voelkl

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Rose absolute, Pink pepper, Musk, Cedar, Aldehydes, Ambrox, Clove, Pepper

Victoria from Bois de Jasmin taught me something in my reading today, “baie rose means pink pepper in French”. AHA! So not only is Le Labo doing its usual name it something and have it smell like something else trick but there is also a pun in action. Clever. Funnily, both the pepper and rose are front & centre for most of the scent.

So here we smell the interesting by-play between rose and pink pepper.

The opening is all rose and metallic sparkling aldehydes shimmering over the pink pepper. It’s a meaty, thick and dense scent that also manages to feel lightweight and airy. Haughty and powerful are the two words that keep coming to my mind while wearing Baie Rose 26, also masculine (which is weird because I try not to subscribe to frag gender unless it punches me in the face wit it).

PDI

Baie Rose 26 is cool, in both the frosty and fun refinement explanations. It has a space age feel about it and a metallic twang, the best way to present roses in my mind.

I get fleeting correlations to other roses CK Contradiction Woman, Amouage Opus X and Oriza L. Legrand Royal Fillet. Not same obviously but there are resemblances.

The musk, ambrox, wood dry down is far less exciting that the first hours of Baie Rose 26 life. It doesn’t implode into banal but it isn’t a showstopper. A comfortable, safe scent that lasts and lasts with a hint of rose.

PDI

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Non Blonde

Did you ever get to try this beauty?
Portia xx

Le Petit Robe Noire L’Extrait by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2012

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Hello gorgeousnesses,

Blind Buy Part II

As you may or may not recall I blind bought Guerlain Black Perfecto LPRN a not long ago. It wasn´t really blind as I bought it for the bottle and could see that quite clearly. It was a big bonus that I totally liked the perfume in the gorgeous bottle. On thing led to another and I got it stuck in my head that I had to have the LPRN Extrait

Thanks to both Portia and Vero I have vintage extraits of Chamade, Shalimar, and Mitsouko. I am not a Guerlainophile nor am I a vintage digger. All three get worn and they are exquisitely beautiful. I would like to have a L’Heure Blue vintage extrait and perhaps one will come my way one day but I am sure not hunting for one as I am utterly terrified of buying old perfumes online and have never done so. If anyone has a spare, contact me please.

I thought it would be interesting, in the name of science of course, to try a modern Guerlain extrait. After a couple of weeks of hunting around I came across a 20% offer on the 7.5ml bottle of LPRN Extrait. That made it about 80 Euros. My husband was biking in france, I had his credit card, so it seemed just to good a chance to miss out on and I ordered it. I couldn´t imagine for a second it could go wrong as I liked the BP so much. I was offered a 250ml bee bottle for 1100 Euros or a 500ml one for 1660 Euros. I never buy blind in such large amounts.

Le Petit Robe Noire L’Extrait by Guerlain 2012

Le Petit Robe Noire L’Extrait by Thierry Wasser

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top:  Fruits, Glycyrrhiza, Lemon
Heart: Cherry, Almond, Rose, Violet
Base: Musk, Patchouli, Smoky tea, Vanilla

LPRN Parfum – Completely Gorgeous.

Velvety Amarena cherry, rich and with a dark and bitter edge. It is an adult cherry, not a Maraschino. Tendrils of black liquorice, sweetening the fruit, and lending a smoky tea effect. A hint of rose gives way to the classic orris, vanilla and tonka magic of a Guerlain. The cherry remains and the whole experience is one of pure pleasure, so thick you could chew it. Divine. For adults, all genders.

“She walked up to me and she asked me to dance.
I asked her name and in a dark brown voice she said “Lola”
L-O-L-A Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola

Well, I’m not the worlds`s most physical guy,
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola

Well, I´m not so dumb that I can´t understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man
Oh my Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola …….. “ Ray Davies

Kirschen Bussis
CQ

 

(Ed: Photos supplied and taken by Val.)

Portia Turns 49

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Portia

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Hey Crew,

Yes, it’s BIRTHDAY time around here and I’m entering into my last year in my 40s. This year is anti production so a few of the crew will be coming around for my 100% favourite Take Away Chinese. Yeah, I’m so foul, I know. It’s the best for ever and I have just realised in the last few years how often I choose it, how enjoyable it almost always is and it’s made with super fresh ingredients. Not quite as good as home made, and a lot more deep friend that I’d usually do, but compared to other fast foods it seems so much better to me.

Portia Turns 49

Though you can’t be with us for dinner I did steal a cake picture so you could feel part of the festivities.

I know you’re dying to know what my birthday scent is.

Ma Folie de Noel by DSH Perfumes. I had a bubble bath in the same (THIS WAS A LIE!! I had a Shalimar bubble bath because I FORGOT that I was going to wear Ma Folie. I still smelled fabulous in Ma Folie so no real harm done), talk about spoiling myself silly. Dawn has a terrific selection of accessory products to go with a bunch of her fragrances. LOVE THEM!DSH Perfumes

You can try it from $6 at DSH Perfumes. It’s unbelievably gorgeous, mine was first gifted to me by Natalie of Another Perfume Blog. Huge thanks to her.

Thank You all for being such a huge part of APJ.
Portia xx

Musc Kalirii by Jean-Claude Gigot for Maison Incens 2014

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Portia

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Hey Hey APJ Crew,

The lovely Kate Apted sent a Frag Care Package recently. In it were a bunch of new-to-me samples. A selection of Maison Incens, a Diptyque and a couple of Goldfield & Banks that I’m leaving till last because I’m so excited that a new Aussie house has formed.

Musc Kalirii by Maison Incens 2014

Musc Salirai by Jean-Claude Gigot

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, orange
Heart: Orange blossom, rose, jasmine
Base: Leather, vanilla, sandalwood, musk

Ahhhh, interesting opening. Yes I can smell the citrus but already the rose and leather are making themselves known with some herbal greenness that is sharp and cool like artemisia.  The white flowers are clean and sweet like marshmallow or chewing gum and Musc Kalirii reminds me happily of five star hotel lobby bathrooms through Asia.

Musc Kalirii Maison Incens Turkish_Delight WikiMediaWikiMedia

An interesting mix of musk, flowers and candy that veers towards Turkish Delight but without the oppressive sweetness of Keiko Mecheri’s Loukhoum. It’s dense and rich but here we feel space between the notes, space to smell rather than being punched repeatedly with it for 18 hours. Still, big enough to change the way food tastes in a restaurant though and projection is excellent if you sit still for a minute it creeps out and grabs people by the nostrils.

I’m having trouble placing a demographic for Musc Kalirii. It doesn’t seem sugared enough for the kids, not bakery or fairy floss enough for the gourmand lovers, not souk-isa enough for the Arabic inspired fragrance lovers and not weird enough for perfumistas. Having said that it does the job of fragrance and smells good to me, certainly is nose catching. I find myself drawn again and again to sniff myself when I wear it. There’s something completely other about Musc Kalirii that I would never have chosen to try for myself but I’m really glad I have.

Musc Kalirii Maison Incens dewet Turkish delight FlickrFlickr

Maison Encens has €139 and Sample Sets
Free World Shipping

Has anyone else fallen madly in love with a surprise perfume sent by a buddy?
Portia xx

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2010

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Kate Apted

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Voice of an Angel!

Oh, sorry…I mean Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer

My deepest welcome to you APJers,

The world isn’t making much sense to me right now. I am watching my boys grow up with a lack of innocence I had at their age. While I sit outside and watch the birds go about their nest building business, my boys are inside reading up on the news via social media. There is a strange dichotomy between hope and despair that exists within me. Nevertheless, I try to make our home a place of safety and trust.

To capture a sense of innocence I turn to a scent that is probably one of Andy Tauer’s less lauded offerings, but the one I consider to be his magnum opus. Let me introduce you to Carillon Pour Un Ange.

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Tauer Perfumes 2010

Carillon Pour Un Ange by Andy Tauer

Carillon pour un ange Tauer Perfumes FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, ylang, lilac, lily of the valley
Heart: Jasmine, leather, lily of the valley
Base: Ambergris, moss, woods

The name translated into English is Chime for an Angel. This gives absolutely no indication of what lies in the bottle. And to be honest, I don’t give a care for what the official notes are. The star of the scent is Lily of the Valley. I am so mesmerised by the star that I just don’t register any other players. The Lily of the Valley is so high pitched in it that I think of Carillon as Voice of an Angel rather than chime for an angel. From opening to dry down hours later, Carillon is linear and carries that high note all the way through.

Carillon pour un ange Tauer Concierto_de_angeles WikiMediaWikiMedia

I suspect Mr Tauer is unapologetic in his creation of Carillon. If you do not like the opening, then there is no chance you will enjoy the scent at any stage. It was made to carry the glory of the Lily of the Valley. There is no taming of the notes sung. Unadulterated, perhaps amplified, but in no way tame or smoothed over. Mr Tauer has simply used his hand to elevate the Lily of the Valley to be seen (or smelt) by all.

I find it ironic that a delicate bell shaped flower which harks from a dip in the earth’s crust is one that Mr Tauer associates with angels so high up in the proverbial heavens. There is a poetic beauty in it. This is where I find the hope. If a little flower can sing so strongly to reach the heavens, then we can each hope that our small acts of kindness will reach outwards and have an effect. Like prayer beads used to focus the mind on worship and supplication, Carillon acts like a chime when I smell it. I am brought back to a moment of stillness and a reminder to stay focused on the ample good in the world.

Carillon pour un ange Tauer gerson_rodriguez PixabayPDI

Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
Men’s Biz has $249/50ml FREE Australian Delivery
Tauer Perfumes has samples from $5

Do you have a scent you turn to when you have conflicting emotions? Do any of your scents bring you to a centred internal peace?

Love, peace and mungbeans,

Kate xxx

Concrete by Comme des Garcons 2017

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TinaG

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Hi APJ,

Any new Comme des Garcons fragrance is bound to cause a stir in the fragrance community, and Concrete is no exception. I was intrigued, as I enjoy industrial notes in fragrances and was excited to see what this may entail. Then I started hearing rumours that the fragrance was actually a sweet woody floral. Huh? How does that work? After reading some of the press releases, it is exactly how it was supposed to be.

Fragrantica

Candy Perfume Boy gives these featured accords:
Sandalwood, Rose Oxide & CDG Spice Signature

So, my preconceived ideas were quickly demolished when I sprayed Concrete on skin. First impressions were of a sweetness, a pink floral with green undertones. There’s a pepperiness to the sillage and I realise the green note is cardamom, one of my favourite aromatic spices. The pink floral has an initial wateriness to it and it reminds me of cactus flower. There is a distinct CdG signature hovering in the background of a quirky synthetic, which my mind associated with a pink dishwashing liquid. After about 10 minutes I get a plastic rose note, and pink lolly musk.

As an aside – you know you are Australian when you can easily differentiate between variations of pink musk. It is a common ingredient in many sweets – musk sticks, musk lifesavers, and Fruit Tingles which have slightly different citrus flavours and the prized “multi-coloured” tingle. So when I’m talking in this case about pink lolly musk, I’m referring to musk sticks. I’m sure these are available in other countries but they don’t seem to be globally ubiquitous.
https://pixabay.com/en/sugar-sticks-candy-sweet-tasty-2099736/PDI

The fragrance settles and loses the cardamom, to feature plastic rose and the musk. Then I lose the plastic over 2 hours for a residual musk-rose which stays for the remainder of the dry down. There is supposed to be sandalwood in here but I can’t find it, and I thought that the sillage was quite low until I met up with a friend for coffee. She immediately identified that I was wearing a CdG, and she could smell the sandalwood. I think that I just don’t have enough experience with sandalwood notes when they have been disintegrated from each other, whereas my friend has much more perfume-creating experience than I, and clicked on to the smell immediately.

The main selling point of this fragrance is the aesthetics of the packaging – the funky bottle made out of concrete is a winner, and the familiar shape will slot neatly into any CdG collection. I’d recommend leaving expectations behind when testing the fragrance – as, really, you should with any CdG. I’d also be curious when this becomes more widely available to see what people think of the paired-back sandalwood note. Currently (August) Concrete is available at Selfridges in London, and Dover Street Market in New York City and London, but I understand it will be distributed more broadly during September 2017.

PDI

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy and Persolaise

Do you have a favourite CdG scent?

Till next time,
Tina G

Trouble by Jacques Cavalier for Boucheron 2004

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Portia

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Hiya Frag Heads,

From the man who brought us Kingdom, L’eau d’Issey, JPG Classique, Stella, Zanzibar and M7. The man who is now the head perfumer at Louis Vuitton. A fragrance that was panned by the critics, Luca Turin famously wrote it was a one star dismal oriental, a murky broth the colour of mud in which float shreds of past fragrances. Ouch! Harsh indeed. It may be all of that and a mess but I love it. Impossible to find nowadays I have stockpiled enough for this lifetime and the next.

Trouble by Boucheron 2004

Trouble by Jacques Cavalier

Trouble Boucheron FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top:  Dyer’s-broom, Lemon
Heart: Jasmine
Base: Musk, Sandalwood

Trouble has been sitting unloved lately. I wore it a lot for years and then it got put in a box and ignored. Searching for something else I rediscovered my Trouble cache and now have worn it for at least part of three days running. The notes seem so straight forward, I’m pretty sure they’ve left out dozens of ingredients, but they are also irrelevant. I don’t smell the parts but the whole scent. Trouble smells like itself only to me and interestingly the fragrances that it’s most often compared to (Allure, Cinema, Addict) are not perfumes that I like for myself at all.

Trouble Boucheron Henri_Rousseau_-_Eve_in_the_Garden_of_Eden WikiMediaWikiMedia

An oriental fragrance with loads of amber and vanilla all the way through, a crunchy biscuit base accord, creamy white flowers and some soft focus woods are how my nose smells Trouble. Let’s be honest here it’s about as much trouble as a cuddle from a loving mother.

Longevity is excellent and though pretty linear it does head even more amber/woodsy in the base. Probably too thick and bombastic for modern workplaces and definitely interferes with your palate at dinner but for smelling fabulous while doing the vacuuming and housework I can think of no better glam scent to life you far above the hum of domestic boredom.

Trouble Boucheron Thomas_Cole_The_Garden_of_Eden_detail_Amon_Carter_Museum WikiCommonsWikiMedia

Further reading: I Scent You A Day
eBay sometimes has bottles pop up

Do you have an ignored or soundly trashed fragrance in your favourites list?
Portia xx

Clair de Musc by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 2003

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Portia

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Heya Fumies,

So recently there have been wild rumours going around about the Serge Lutens brand. Bottle changes, discontinuations, export going to bell and vice versa. It has freaked me out so I finally bit the bullet and bought a few I’ve been humming and having over. Grabbed some of them on the discount sites and others I paid retail. Got a couple of the DCd vaporisator bottles and a brand new 100ml of La Fille de Berlin. Expensive couple of months but I am glad.

Clair de Musc by Serge Lutens 2003

Clair de Musc by Christopher Sheldrake

Clair de Musc Serge Lutens fragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Iris, musk, neroli, bergamot

My noses telling me fruity musks but it doesn’t smell like citrus. Actually it has a kind of metallic smell like icy gutters. Sheer and weightless yet surprisingly full of scent. An interesting oxymoron.

In Clair de Musc the iris is earthy and only slightly cardboard, a very cool, aloof, spacious iris that whispers elegant restraint.

I have some problems smelling some musks but these are fragrant to me. Both clean and animal come through, there’s a very soft funkiness but the focus is laundry clean.

Clair de Musc by Serge Lutens -John_Downman_-_The_Ghost_of_Clytemnestra_Awakening_the_Furies WikiMediaWikiMedia

My mind keeps wandering to who this scent could be created for. It seems to sit at a weird crossroads between animal and mechanical. As if a robot or computer are trying to generate human smells to cloak their inhumanity. It seems they can only work within the confines of their AI scented vocabulary though. Though Clair de Musc gets furry, it’s not a puppy or even a piglet but the scratchy glass fibres of roof insulation or the petrochemical created fake fur in flour colours. Everything seems just a bit off true. It makes the journey really interesting.

So I’m thinking it would be an excellent scent for work, to project the scent of absolute industrial strength dedication and a computers focus. Brilliant job interview scent, especially for someone in IT, engineering or construction.

Will I wear mine? I’m not sure that it will reached for often but the times that I want to smell just like this it will definitely get a triple spritz.

Clair de Musc by Serge Lutens chipmunk lilac & green field jil111 pixabayPDI

Further reading: I Scent You A Day and Non-Blonde
FragranceNet has around $100/50ml before Coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples from $6/ml

Also, having read a few reviews of Clair de Musc it seems everyone gets entirely different experiences from it. So even if my review has you gasping to grab a bottle do test first.

Have a lovely day.
Do you like musks?
Portia xx

Oyedo by Diptyque 2000

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Portia

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Hey Hey Frag Family,

Today we are looking at a scent that Kate Apted sent me in a fragrant care package. One of the wonderful things about this addiction hobby is the joy of sharing and Kate was extremely generous. THANKS!! So I have a few new to me things that I’m snuffling happily.

Oyedo by Diptyque 2000

Oyedo Diptyque FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Lime, Mandarin, Orange, Lemon
Heart: Caraway, Thyme
Base: Woody notes

You feeling down? A bit blue/ Dog tired/ Maybe you are just exhausted from running the rat race. Oyedo seems to be the perfect foil. Even though I’m at that 3/4 way through the year slump lately, plus being super busy, and turning my ankle somehow Oyedo makes me want to jump back into the fray.

Citrus backed by herbs that seem smooth as resins. A citrus with poopy, sweaty background.A citrus as vibrant and fresh as the farmers fruit markets on an early Saturday morning. Cool and alive and zinging. A jolt of lively scent that makes my eyes pop open and my body lighten its load.

Oyedo Diptyque farmers Fruit_market WikiMediaWikiMedia

The citrus stays right through the heart, still zingy like a mixture of their zests. The herbs really smell to me like they have labdanum or elemi helping them to stabilise and give a lovely smooth growl purring underneath the rest.

I can so imagine Oyedo being someones go-to spring or autumn scent and them using it to get everyone around them on board with fun and ideas. Longevity is pretty good and you stay quite fragrant for over two hours before the perfume softens off considerable. Basically the woody base is hardly relevant because the citrus/herbs/resins stay around getting softer and a bit dryer.

Oyedo Diptyque oranges flowers field pixabayPDI

Further reading: Scentualist and Now Smell This
Mecca has $108/50ml FREE Australian Shipping
My Perfume Samples has $2.50/ml

Citrus. Are you a fan? When do you wear it?
Portia xx

 

Carner Barcelona Floral Collection 2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

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Sandra

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Hey there APJ! How are you all doing? Are you already changing seasons? It is still August as I write this and I am blown away that we have already entered autumn and all I can think is – stop it! It is only August! This is NOT supposed to be happening yet.

Carner Barcelona launched three new perfumes in 2017 starting the Floral Collection and described them as Three luminous perfumes that talk about love, passion and seduction through the flower, which has been and will always be the best expression of love.

Carner Barcelona Floral Collection 2017

Besos Carner Barcelona FragranticaFragrantica

Besos by Carner Barcelona

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Italian mandarin, Madagascar pepper
Heart: Jasmine sambac, iris
Base: Benzoin, vanilla, musk

Carner Barcelona describes it as A come-hither kiss, sensual and deep that leaves you wanting more, Besos has an air of romance with a robust sprinkling of lust.

Besos which means kisses in Spanish is an aptly named perfume in my mind. It opens with a delicious mouthwatering citrus with a hefty sprinkling of pepper. It really is scrumptious and lasts for about an hour in this stage. The floral heart moves in and I get a predominantly jasmine powdered puff with the hint of spices humming along in the background. It rounds out a bit powdery, but not sweet at all. I find this romantic and billowy – it is a white blouse with long cuffs.

Latin Lover Carner Barcelona FragranticaFragrantica

Latin Lover by Carner Barcelona

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, ylang-ylang, magnolia
Heart: Violet, jasmine sambac, French narcissus, lily-of-the-valley
Base: Benzoin, Indonesian patchouli leaf, white musk

Carner Barcelona describes Latin Lover as a fine balance between smooth seduction and hot-blooded passion… What do you think of the name Latin Lover? I find it fun to be honest. Latin Lover opens up with a cocktail of flowers exquisitely tied in a bouquet. The flowers are so intricately intertwined that it is next to impossible to pick them apart. The narcissus and lily of the valley are inviting, intoxicating, yet tempered with the other flowers and patchouli – all of my senses are aware. Well worth a sniff in my books.

Sweet William Carner Barcelona FragranticaFragrantica

Sweet William by Carner Barcelona

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: White pepper, cardamom, Chinese cinnamon wood, galangal
Heart: Dianthus, ylang-ylang, rose water, tobacco blossom
Base: Ambraromei, styrax, Tuscan iris, vanilla absolute

Carner Barcelona describes it During times of gallatry lovelorn bachelors sat to have their portrait painted with a red carnation, a sweet william, symbolizing their search for true love.

Sweet William is decidedly the more unisex leaning perfume of the three entries. With warm spices throughout the development of the perfume, this is also the most complex of the three. There is a sense of lush green, almost vegetal green, which has been warmed by the sunshine that mingles with the spices. It is a element of the unkown that captures my interest. Could it be the galangal that is keeps me thinking green? It is a rich perfume which lasts all day with intriguige – pulling me back in for a further sniff.

ParfuMaria has the collection starting at €95/50ml
Career Barcelona has 3 x 1.7ml Samples €15 (EU Only)

Summer vacation here was a mere six weeks and we had a wonderful fully packed vacation in Spain where we lapped up the abundant sunshine, warm sea air and water and friendly people. What have you all been up to? I would love to hear from you.

Sandra xoxo