Ode by Guerlain 1955

February 1, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Greg Young

Bienvenue treasure-seekers.

Over summer I was in Canberra and visited the Treasures of Versailles exhibition. There were a few nice things in the exhibition, but nothing I could afford.

I was inspired to go hunt for a few treasures of my own. The suburb of Fyshwick has a cluster of antiques warehouses and markets that are always good for a trawl. In the stinking heat of New Year’s Eve, we headed up there and had a look around. I got lucky at the second market that we visited. My eye was drawn to a cabinet with a few little bottles in it. I particularly noticed a little bottle of Joy, but I thought the price was risible. Lurking behind it was this unopened gem, still in its original box.

(It wasn’t until later – too late to take a photo of it – that I got the musical pun, and am still wondering if it was intentional).

Ode by Guerlain 1955

Treasures from Australia’s Capital City

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Aldehydes, jasmine, rose, iris, sandalwood and musk

Ode was launched by Guerlain in 1955. The pun was intentional for Guerlain; Ode was a response to Patou’s Joy, a floral aldehyde built on jasmine and rose.

Ode was quite a stepping stone in Guerlain’s history, for a few reasons. It marked the changing of the guard, being the last fragrance of Jacques Guerlain’s career and the first by the then 18 years old Jean-Paul Guerlain. Monsieur Guerlain notes that it was also the first ever Guerlain fragrance to have a one syllable name (the house has strongly preferred three syllable names such as Shalimar, Vol de Nuit, Nahema, etc.) and was also the first to have a bottle designed specifically for that fragrance.

And what a bottle that was; a Baccarat design showing a single rosebud in a sculptured vase. Sadly, my find was not that bottle, being the EDC and not the extract.

Even the Ode EDC was a ground-breaker, introducing the “travel bottle”, a solid rectangular design also used for Habit Rouge and Vetiver. Sadly, I didn’t get lucky with that historic find either.

Greg. XXOXOO

(Ed: All photos supplied by Greg un less specified. Thanks buddy)

Micky & Moby Candles

January 27, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Portia

Hey Ambient Scenters,

One of my mates, who has been a mate since our teen years, gave me some Micky & Moby candles for my birthday last year. I thought the packaging with its black & white cats and paw print on the labels, the hand applied strings with scent names and the big glass jars were all very simple but beautiful. Almost a nautical look. As soon as my bathroom candle was finished I brought one of them in and it sits with the lid off on my bathroom window sill. The scent is exactly the right amount to give a calm, fresh and clean scent to the room every time i walk in. When guests come I light the candle and it cleanses the air of all the human waste smells in a minute, yes really. It’s also a lovely soft scented light for my late night baths. TBH it’s my preferred way to bathe but mostly I do it in the daytime for work purposes.

Micky & Moby Candles

This is the original glass jar I got my Micky & Moby candles in. Simple and perfect. They’re $20 and you can email Emma on mickyandmoby@gmail.com and below are a list of fragrances and sizes

Micky & Moby Candle Fragrances
Uplifting
Sweet lemongrass
Lemongrass and Ginger
Fresh Coffee
Jasmine
Gardenia
Rose
Lemon Verbena
Butt Naked
Coconut Lime
Bamboo and White Lily
Lavender
Watermelon
Love Spell
Black Raspberry and Vanilla

Large Candles $20
Small candles $10
Shot Glass candles $5.
Tea lights $1.00 each
To order please email mickyandmoby@gmail.com

Micky & Moby also have these great new jars and bowls. Aren’t they heaven?

Please tell Emma you were sent by APJ, she’ll be so excited that you’re part of the family.
Portia xxx

Un Jardin Après la Mousson by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2008

January 23, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

TinaG

Hi APJ!

In an effort to combat Sydney’s summer heat and humidity, I’ve been seeking out fragrances that I find refreshing. These have ranged through modern and retro aquatics, juicy citrus, and magnolia.

Un Jardin Après la Mousson by Hermès 2008

Un Jardin Après la Mousson by Jean-Claude Ellena

A new fragrance in my wardrobe is Un Jardin après la Mousson by Hermès. I can’t say what exactly made me race off to buy a full bottle of this, but one sniff in David Jones was enough to make me swoon – and so it’s now mine. The official blurb on this fragrance locates it somewhere unspecific in India, taking us to a garden which was in drought but has now been refreshed by monsoon rains. I’ve never been to India but I’ve experienced heavy tropical rains in Papua New Guinea, and the solid downpours can be quite punishing – here’s hoping that the imaginary garden of this fragrance survived the onslaught.

Un Jardin après la Mousson opens with a burst of warm spices and watery notes. Ginger, cardamom and black pepper waft up into the air. There’s a distinctive green melon note which develops at 5 minutes giving the watery effect but in a fruity and very mildly fetid way rather than anything specifically river/ocean/storm related. I really enjoy this combination, I have been finding that it cuts through the summer heat and provides a refreshing aura that even manages to get me through morning public transport in train carriages with no airconditioning. Urg. Speaking of punishing….

Wikipedia

And, as far as fragrance development goes, it is fundamentally linear. At 3 hours, the pepper and melon have softened appreciably, and there is a light white floral accord that I find very subtle and pretty. Reapplying at 4 hours for me brings out the sweet aspects of cardamom and a touch of coriander seed in the background. I’m not sure I find much ‘vetiver’ in there. Longevity is good – there’s still tangible scent on my skin at +8 hours even without a respritz.

The joy in this fragrance for me is very much in the wearing. In the summer heat, it becomes more beautiful and “lived-in” with an added touch of salty skin and dry summer dust. I think this fragrance is wonderful on its own but it is enhanced though use, it’s meant to be worn and be part of a day rather than placed up on a pedestal and admired.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Olfactoria’s Travels
Hermès stores and department stores carry the Jardin range

What fragrances do wear to cut through, or compliment, the summer heat?

Till next time,
Tina G

CHANEL: Le Baudruchage

January 21, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Portia

OK Folks,

Great to see you, as always.

Have you ever wondered about the piece of skin that they put around the neck of perfume to keep the air out? Me too. So it’s called a Baudruchage and it used to be animal, then became vegetal and I think it’s a petroleum product now.

YouTube

Anyway, here is a fascinating mini movie about how it’s done.
Enjoy.
Portia xxx

CHANEL: Le Baudruchage

Niki de Saint Phalle

January 19, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey there vintage fumie friends,

Travelling around winter South Korea recently I was astonished at how perfectly Niki de Saint Phalle’s eponymous fragrance worked in almost every situation. I took a 30ml spray bottle and went through more than half of it on a ten day journey. There is a soft furriness to its green chypre that makes it more cosy than CHANEL No 19 and less fancy lady than Robert Piguet’s Futur, in the cold weather. You may notice on APJ I often write about fragrances being wearable and unchallenging, on many blogs that would be a derisive pointer to bland uninteresting fragrance but from my point of view a fragrance must be wearable in my life. Sure I have a few that I spritz at home for my own freak flag enjoyment but when I venture forth I want to wear my scents as a comfortable cloak not ammunition.

Niki de Saint Phalle

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Artemisia, mint, green notes, peach, bergamot
Middle: Carnation, patchouli, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, cedar, rose
Base: Leather, sandalwood, amber, musk, oakmoss

Sadly I am finding it harder and harder to track down any of the spritz bottles of Niki de Saint Phalle and am kicking myself for not buying a dozen of them when I noticed they were getting harder to find. GRRRRR. It will be decanting into atomisers for the rest of my life. Oh well, not really a hardship.

So Niki de Saint Phalle is a chypre. Full of softly furry green-ness. To be honest I can’t pick most of the notes. Artemisia, galbanum, carnation, leather and oakmoss are the things I notice but everything else seems to sit in a background chorus. Once upon a time though the note list used to include tagetes (marigolds) now THEM I can smell and a light salt coating. Dry and austere it’s amazing how many moments it’s perfect for. Currently I’m sitting in my office and it’s a 41C day, Niki de saint Phalle cuts through the humidity and takes me to a cool dry thicket near a stream. Cool and fecund, I can smell the earth, greenery, woodland creatures or birds must have a nest nearby because the soft furry, powdery musk of creature babies is here and the smell of tree made shade.

WikiCommons

For real luxury grab the Shower Gel too, it makes the most unbelievably gorgeous bubble baths. Then when you spritz there’s already a soft layer of Niki de saint Phalle to layer over.

Further reading: Non Blonde and Yesterday’s Perfume
FragranceNet has AUD$31/30ml before coupon
The Perfumed Court has samples starting at $3/ml

Five years ago I wrote about Niki de Saint Phalle here at APJ, and have written of it elsewhere. It’s a staple around here.

Do you have a go-to, fits anywhere scent? Maybe one that’s getting harder to find?
Portia xxx

Hair Fragrance

January 18, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 13 Comments

Erica Golding

Hello, fragrance lovers!

Something is in the air tonight, and it’s floating around my head like a crown. Do you ever fragrance your hair?

Hair Fragrance

Over the last couple of years, I have acquired a small variety of incredible hair glosses from Black Phoenix Trading Post. They are lightweight and subtle in terms of the hair product effects, and their scents are works of art. They vary in throw and intensity depending on the perfume.

My favorite by a landslide is called Implacable Beautiful Tyrant. I can’t help but feel bubbling happiness when I inhale this scent! The notes listed include amber, frankincense, white ginger, and oudh. I swear I pick up fig as well. It is a completely unique, absolutely enchanting fragrance – impossible to describe. When I use it, I wear it on its own as my scent of the day. If they ever released IBT in a perfume oil, I would jump all over it!

Black Phoenix Trading Post

Another gorgeous BPTP hair gloss offering is a beloved, bestselling scent from the BPAL General Catalogue called Dorian. This is the hair gloss that I use most frequently, because it accents any complimentary perfume choice like a chameleon. The notes include sugared vanilla tea, pale musks, and a Victorian fougère. It doesn’t matter what the genre, any perfume I apply to my skin is magically enhanced when I wear Dorian hair gloss.

Kevin Murphy

Lastly, I am addicted to the scent in Kevin.Murphy Shimmer.Shine mist. There is no listed description, but to me it is a rich aura of sandalwood, Hawaiian ginger, and a velvety sexy dark Musk. It makes me feel really beautiful when I use it! The aroma is just so luxe to me.

Do you enjoy scenting your hair with anything in particular? I hear that the Frederic Malle Carnal Flower hair mist is divine. I’ve also tested Mugler’s Angel hair mist and it was lovey!

Until next time, be well and enjoy your scents in good health!
Erica the Smoochy Poochy XXXX

Habit Rouge Dress Code by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2015

January 17, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Robert Herrmann

Wait.

You HAVEN’T tried Dress Code yet???!!! Go order a sample/decant/bottle RIGHT NOW!!
You’re welcome.

I had been waiting for this since first hearing about the pre-release in the summer of ’15. It was at that time strictly a limited edition, and would only be available at 2 select retailers in the USA and at the Guerlain flagship store in Paris. So faster than you can say “Thierry Wasser” three times, I popped online and found ONE bottle available at Bergdorf’s in NYC. Three minutes later that bottle was on it’s way to my house…..

Now fragheads who know me, know that I am absolutely a Guerlain Ho’ of the ‘nth degree, hell I have one whole shelf in my Perfume cabinet stuffed full, and dedicated exclusively to Guerlain. New Guerlain offering? Come to Papa! Every. Single. Time.

Habit Rouge Dress Code by Guerlain 2015

Habit Rouge Dress Code by Thierry Wasser

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, neroli, rose
Heart: Spices
Base: Woodsy notes, leather, tonka bean, praline, vanilla

Aaaahhh Dress Code. Guerlain certainly hit it out of the ballpark with this wonderful flanker!

The regular HR has long been in my top 5, and a few years back I was lucky enough to purchase a vintage mid-90’s new-in-mint-condition bottle thanks to the largess of a Facebook fragrance friend. (Looking at YOU, Jake!❤❤❤)

But about Dress Code…..

Let’s just say that Mr. Sulu would give Dress Code his “oh myyyyyyyy” stamp of approval.

Do you love a fabulous Gourmand? HRDC opens with a huge blast of caramel/chocolate/vanilla which within minutes adds a wispy back note of orange blossom.

Right away however the spices and rose peek through, followed by a resin/leather and woody vibe.

All perfectly blended and seamlessly drifting in and out with no single note taking up the spotlight. Just a gorgeous amalgam which like the energizer bunny, just keeps going and going and going….there’s a smoky aspect as well, as if the spices have been roasting over an open fire with some tonka thrown in for good measure.

WikiCommons

By this time HRDC is firmly established in the drydown phase and swear-to-god if asked for a comparison, I would say that to me it’s solidly rooted in Shalimar territory. But purposely skewed masculine, although I suspect a woman would feel TOTALLY comfortable wearing this, especially to buttress up a “take-no-prisoners” attitude.

And HRDC has attitude.
In spades.
That first edition sold out in a heartbeat, but have no fear because Guerlain re-released it last year with their updated bottle. EXACTLY same perfume, just different packaging despite what you may read online. It’s the same, trust me.

And so for creating HRDC, and then bringing it back….Thank you Guerlain. Love it..

Flickr

Further reading: Scent Gent and Persolaise
Sadly Australia isn’t getting Dress Code but it’s available in Guerlain in major department stores of Europe & USA

Have you tried Dress Code yet? What other Guerlain’s do you adore? (I know right? There are so many!)
My Name Is Robert Herrmann (but I forget sometimes)

Vanderbilt by Sophia Grojsman for Gloria Vanderbilt 1982

January 11, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

Anne-Marie

Hi all, I hope the New Year is treating you well so far.

Vanderbilt is not a fragrance that gets much attention from the perfume crowd, and I have ignored it myself for years because:
a) I was suspicious of a perfume costing $10;
b) I assumed it is a hot swill of all those loud 80s and 90s perfumes like Red Door, Giorgio Beverly Hills, Oscar de la Renta and Amarige;
c) I don’t know anything about Gloria Vanderbilt except what I read yesterday on Wikipedia
d) I don’t like the muddy lilac of the box;
e) I don’t wear floaty dresses and I’m indifferent to white swans.

But – you should try everything once, eh?

Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt 1982

Vanderbilt by Sophia Grojsman

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, pineapple, orange blossom, lavender, green notes, bergamot
Heart: Carnation, tuberose, orris root, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose
Base: Sandalwood, cinnamon, opoponax, musk, civet, vanilla, vetiver

And here’s what I think. Yes, Vanderbilt smells like a perfume of its time. I won’t say it’s dated, perhaps ‘remote’. The opening bergamot and green notes I enjoy but a slightly harsh tuberose does indeed bring to mind all those fog horn white florals I spent years avoiding. (I’ve come around to Amarige.)

That calms. Actually, after a strong opening, I find that Vanderbilt settles to the skin and after about 20 minutes is much softer and quieter than I had expected. For the rest of its (relatively short, 4-5 hours) time on my skin it forms a pleasant veil of scent with a sweet, praline or cake-like note. It’s borderline gourmand on me, although I have low tolerance to gourmands so I may be hyper-alert to that facet. It’s pleasant, but perhaps suited to cooler weather than we have in my part of the world at present. I can imagine it wafting up beautifully from the depths of a winter jacket.

If you wore Vanderbilt back in the day, do comment. Was it bigger then? Carnation more prominent? I don’t get any at all. Pineapple? There’s a juicy note in there but I don’t identify it as pineapple specifically. Civet? Nope, left the building. In fact, after the opening few minutes I can’t really pick out any notes. It’s a sweetish and slightly spicy (cinnamon?), harmonious whole. Quite feminine, and recognisable as Sophia Grojsman’s work.

In my collection, Cacharel LouLou is about the closest I have to Vanderbilt, except that LouLou has decidedly more character. I’ll put Vanderbilt away until the autumn, when I’ll see how it performs as a casual set-and-forget fragrance.

Further reading: FragranceBouquet
My Beauty Spot currently has AUD$10/100ml

Not wanting to quibble, but white swans are usually quite muddy and grubby aren’t they? With black swans you’d hardly notice, and they are more interesting. I’d probably prefer a black swan of a fragrance. You?
All the best until next time folks!
Anne-Marie

The Paradoxes of CHANEL – Inside CHANEL Video

January 7, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Portia

Hi there Fashion Forward Fumies,

I love the CHANEL videos. Though I am ambivalent about Coco the person I do love the video creations of propaganda that the company makes. They are slick and watchable, even if they are not always 100% fact accurate.

Enjoy the latest in the series,
Portia xx

The Paradoxes of CHANEL – Inside CHANEL

Last Sydney Sniffy Get Together 2016

January 2, 2017 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Portia

Hi there crew.

On the 30th December 2016 a small crew of fragrance/fragrant enthusiasts got together to troll the Sydney City department store David Jones. Then we headed down the road to extremely Ra Cha Cha hotel and watering hole QT Sydney at 49 Market St for nibbles and beverages. It was a fun, frolicsome crew with loads of smiles and laughs, spritzing, bitching and fabulous repartee. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and got to spend some quality time with people I’d only ever spent skim time with.

Last Sydney Sniffy Get Together 2016

Normally we would fit in more than one fragrant store but on this particular day David Jones had enough to keep our noses and credit cards working hard for about 2 hours before we all catwalk down to drinks.

Here is a small snapshot of our afternoon.