shopping

Chai by Spyros Drosopoulos for Baruti 2015

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Post by TinaG

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Hi APJ!

Tea fragrances excite me. It is the anticipation of finding a fragrance that captures that wonderful mix of invigoration and relaxation experienced through the ritual of making and enjoying a great cup of tea. Many types of tea are reflected in fragrances, and usually done very well – Oolong, rooibos, black tea, mate, mint, lapsang souchong, ginger, fruit tea, floral tea, you name it , chances are it’s out there. Today I’m reviewing a Dutch perfume line Baruti and their fragrance Chai.

Chai by Baruti 2015

Chai by Spyros Drosopoulos

Chai Baruti FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Cardamom, Pepper, Black Tea, Steamed Milk, Cocoa, Roses, Vanilla, Musk, Leather

Chai opens with a waft of coca that disappears into the aether as a troupe of spices claim their olfactory territory. Cinnamon, cardamom and clove are supported by a background milkiness and a tannic black tea. A light spray and I’m instantly warmed and feel relaxed. We are just at the tail end of winter here in Australia, and I have enjoyed wearing this fragrance on bright and cold Sunday mornings, pulling on an oversized knitted jumper and snuggling into a sunny sofa corner to read a book. Such a great way of spending a few hours. Chai is the perfect comfort fragrance.

Myrrh Casati Mona di Orio Laura D'Alessandro Comfy Couch Nook FlickrFlickr

I do need to put in a warning note here – keep this to a light spray only. An over application makes it a massive spice bomb with the milk note turning waxy on skin. I made this mistake in an office environment – it was OK, my colleagues loved it! Two of which were craving a chai tea after smelling it, but it was too much for me in close proximity to fragrance ground zero (my arms).

This black tea/spice/milk combo has a great staying power and lasts at a reasonable strength for around 3 hours. At this time, during one of my first trials, I had noticed a rose scent in the room but couldn’t work out where it was coming from. I thought one of my colleagues had possibly put on a rose scented hand cream, but no! The rose scent was coming from me! Chai had opened up to a gentle pink rose which was remarkable. It reminded me of Perfumers Workshop “Tea Rose”, and it definitely was not a skin scent, had a sillage of at least a metre.

Chai by Baruti tea and roses pixabayPDI

This fragrance lasted at least 10 hours, the spices eventually fading and leaving a musk rose on my skin with the faintest ghost of vanilla. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed giving Chai a run through, it is a wonderfully comforting fragrance and the rose note was an enjoyable surprise. And – a quick shout out to Annindriya Perfume Lounge, my source of Baruti samples. Yes they ship to Australia.

Annindriya Perfume Lounge has €98/30ml

Do any of the features of this perfume appeal to you?

Thanks all, have a great start to the week.

xx Tina G

Tocade by Maurice Roucel for Rochas 1994

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Post by Anne-Marie

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Hi all,
Ah … Tocade! This is one of the perfumes forever associated with critic Luca Turin. A bit of ‘harmless fun with roses and vanilla’ is what he called it in Perfumes: the Guide, but so beautifully done from top to bottom, with simple materials normally taken for granted, that it deserves five stars.

Tocade by Maurice Roucel for Rochas 1994

Lullaby of Broadway

Tocade Rochas FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green notes, freesia, bergamot, geranium
Heart: Magnolia, iris, orchid, jasmne, lily-of-the-valley, rose
Base: Patchouli, musk, amber, vanilla, cedar

I have no quarrel with a perfume that sets out do nothing but please receiving a top rating. Why not? Aren’t Shakespeare’s comedies masterpieces as well as entertainments? Does something have to be cool, dark or moody to deserve the highest accolade? No indeed. No-one – not even me! – can wear Chanel No 19 every day.

That said, I don’t completely love Tocade. It is a bit too loud and too artificial (LT likens it to nail varnish) for me. I enjoy the sillage much more than the scent on skin. Vanilla is Tocade’s key message, and I can only take vanilla in moderate amounts, usually.

There is a darkness to Tocade as well though. I think its ‘pretty, dancing feet’ have seen a few tawdry dance floors over the years. You know that beautiful song ‘Lullaby of Broadway’? It’s been recorded many times but I love Diana Reeves’ version, which pulls the tempo right back to a sweet, wistful imagining the life of a Broadway performer. Behind the ‘hip hooray and ballyhoo’ is a weary existence for a girl who works all night, every night. It’s early in the morning before she can go home to sleep; the ‘milkman on his way’.

Tocade is her perfume. It’s a pretty, showy piece but with a haunting density of patchouli and cedar underneath. The vanilla is smoky as well as sweet. Backstage, as our ‘broadway baby’ she waits for her next cue, she rubs her calloused feet, mends the laced on her dress, and longs for her rest. Sure, her ‘daddy’ buys her ‘this and that’. Perfume, sweets and roses adorn her corner of the dressing room. But when she goes home, she sleeps alone.
Tocade has strong sillage and lasts ages. I snapped up a bottle in the old, crazy packaging, but in 2013 Rochas shoved Tocade into a uniform bottle. I don’t know if the formula has changed, so do comment if you have compared them.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Non Blonde
FragranceNet has the 2013 edition under $50/100ml Before Coupon!
Surrender To Chance has samples of the original starting at $3/ml

The apparent simplicity of Tocade never fails to give me something to think about. And what about you? Do you have a perfume in your collection which is as puzzling as it is beguiling? Sweet but sad?
Until next time, keep spritzing everyone!

Mon Patchouly by Ramon Monegal 2009

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Post by Portia

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Hey there Fragrant Friends,

Ramon Monegal’s line needs little selling for me. His general fragrant aesthetic works very well for me. The bottles are incredibly gorgeous to look at and hefty, the ink well design making them look both ultra modern and vintage. Though they are not the easiest to spritz yourself with but never mind when something looks this good we can work around the problems.

When Ramon Monegal first came to the world’s attention they arrived having already been a famous Spanish elite fragrance house for years. Which meant that they already had a huge back catalogue that they put on the market all at once. So much gets missed when this happens and is part of the problem with insta-lines, one huge rush of publicity and then nothing. I tried them all in passing and talked about the couple that took my attention at the start but the whole line seemed incredibly daunting. Already I have Impossible Iris and Dubai Next To Me in my collection and wish for Umbra, Ambre de Luna and Lovely Day.

Found this sample while trolling through one of my sample bags and it’s been getting a bit of skin time around here. Before it runs dry I thought I could share my enjoyment with you….

Mon Patchouly by Ramon Monegal 2009

Mon Patchouly Ramon Monegal FragranticaFragrantica

Ramon Monegal gives these featured accords:
Indonesian patchouli, Yugoslavian oak moss absolute, Somalian frankincense, geranium bourbon, Egyptian jasmine absolute, amber

Mon Patchouli opens with a cool, wet, lightly spicy geranium and sheer patchouli. It’s cool and refined speaking of elegant restaurants rather than the earthy beatnik and headshot. My first thought is that Ramon Monegal has created a sci-fi, 21st century patchouli. There are still soft remnants of when patchouli was the preferred oil of hippies but in an almost aquatic vein. It’s like smelling the joyful freshness of petrichor and someone walking by under their umbrella wearing a modern rose/patchouli fragrance.

As Mon Patchouli warms into my skin it becomes more earthy and is warmed by the amber, but it never really heats up because the cool incense, now rosy geranium and jasmines keep it aloof and restrained. I’m not really a patchouli soliflor wearer, it seems that my choices almost always have it as a backing note. My only real comparisons are DIOR’s Patchouli Imperial and patchouli oil, both of which are so much more intense and challenging than Mon Patchouli. Here the fragrance is muted and the house I think it smells like Mon Patchouli’s from is CHANEL. It could easily sit in line with the Les Exclusif range, the blending feels plush and even with no sharp or spiky extraneous additions.

Mon Patchouly Ramon MonegalRamon Monegal

Mon Patchouli remains pretty linear from the heart onwards adding only a slight furriness. Not a huge perfume but you will be noticeable because it is so unlike what is currently being worn by the masses. Longevity is excellent and projection moderate to low.

From LuckyScent: Mon Patchouly perfectly represents the free-spirited essence of exotic patchouli, the ultimate emblem of “Flower Power.” Blended with vanilla, nutmeg, and amber, this archetypal scent puts down its daisy chain and picks up a different white flower – one that’s far more serious and sensual. This gorgeous jasmine note creates a beautiful balance with the earthy patchouli and amber – a stunning contrast that keeps it very unique and definitely grown-up. Mon Patchouly is a statement of identity. Pure Ibiza in its Mediterranean freshness and singularity.

Further reading: Non Blonde and Scented Hound
LuckyScent has $185/50ml + Samples
First In Fragrance has €145/50ml + Samples

Do you have a favourite Ramon Monegal fragrance? Or a fave Patchouli I should try?
Portia xx

No 4 Natalie by Milton Lloyd 2014

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Post by Poodle

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Hello my Fume Friends!

Milton-Lloyd is a UK based fragrance company offering fine fragrances at affordable prices. They do not spend money on fancy packaging or advertising and claim to put the money in the juice. I received a few of their perfumes to sample and review and found them to be as good as higher priced mainstream scents. Today let’s chat about No.4.

No 4 Natalie by Milton Lloyd 2014

No 4 by Natalie Milton Lloyd FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Red berries, iris
Heart: Floral notes, cedar
Base: Amber, woodsy notes, vanilla

Natalie seemed okay on paper so I spritzed it on before heading out the door to work. It reminded me of La Vie est Belle and a bunch of other similar perfumes. It’s classified as an oriental floral but I think it’s too sweet for that.

The opening is bright and bursting with sugared berries and cherries. Yes, it’s sweet. I will admit my tolerance for sweetness increased this past winter. Perhaps I was seeking comfort foods in my perfume closet rather than in the kitchen. Anyway, it’s a big cloud of pink and purple artificially flavored cotton candy but as long as you don’t overspray its not as bad as it sounds. In a short while, floral notes appear and neutralize some of the sugars. Thankfully the iris is not that nasty, rooty iris of my nightmares but rather a powdery, floral iris. It’s difficult to pick out individual floral notes but they’re there creating a suggestion of flowers in the candy floss. The top notes linger and soften over time and the woody notes appear. The base is an ambery vanilla which is not nearly as sweet and dessert-like as the whole thing began.

No 4 by Natalie Milton Lloyd red-currant-sweet-and-sour-berries colourboxColourBox

The fact that I could still smell it after arriving at the office was a good sign. Many scents barely make the ride. Within minutes of getting in I received my first compliment on my scent. I had to agree I did smell pretty good. I’m also saying that that was my first compliment because I received a total of 4 compliments on my fragrance that day. That’s 4 in only 5 hours. That was on Friday. On Monday I wore it again and got 3 compliments.

Natalie probably won’t be a hit with the hardcore fumies since niche lovers want things a bit more challenging but I could see this being a popular alternative to higher priced department store scents. Regardless of how you feel about perfumes with sugared berries, sweet florals, and vanilla cream people seem to love this type of perfume and react positively to it. There’s nothing exotic or complicated here and I find it incredibly easy to wear. It would be great for a teen if you didn’t want to break the bank on a fragrance. Lasted for hours on my skin so on the average person I imagine it would be an all day scent.

No 4 by Natalie Milton Lloyd tpa pixabayPixabay

Further reading: I Scent You A Day
Milton Lloyd has £14/83ml

What’s your most complimented scent lately?

Hugs
Poodle

Shalimar EdC by Jaques Guerlain for Guerlain 1925

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Shalom APJ Shalimar Lovers!

I never had the slightest intention of writing about Shalimar. Suddenly I fell in love with the extrait last year and bought myself a bottle. Of course everyone said “ But the vintage is so much better, blah, blah, blah ….” Fingers in my ears, it might well be, I don´t care. Indeed I have a few drops of a vintage version which Portia kindly sent to me. Of course I LOVE it. Actually I was talking to Vero the other day about rare and vintage perfumes and the business they have become. I AM interested. Duh. But have no intentions of hunting old stuff down. Not prepared to pay the prices nor take the risk. I do own a couple of exquisite vintage fragrances but they came to me as gifts.

Amazon, eBay, Walgreens, Low Price Shoppers. No Shalimar Shame!

Shalimar EdC by Guerlain 1925 Val 2016

As I placed an order on Amazon a few weeks ago, an advertisement came up for Shalimar Eau de Cologne. Of course the NSA know all the perfumistas and stalk us by offering us Amazon perfume deals. This one was interesting though. I frantically Googled the EdC and came up with next to nothing. Except that it is only available through low price, super deal, bog standard drug stores and the big two, Amazon and eBay.

Shalimar EdC by Guerlain 1925 Val 2016 Geraniums

Thirty five euros including postage? Ordered. Nice bottle if nothing else. Shalimar was created as a tribute to the love story between Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. After thirteen kids and dying in childbirth with the fourteenth, she left her husband devastated (but with enough offspring to take care of him I guess). He built the Taj Mahal in her memory but seriously, I guess we all know the story? Did you know Shalimar is named after the Gardens of Shalimar, Mumtaz´s favourite garden?

Shalimar EdC by Guerlain 1925

Shalimar EdC by Jaques Guerlain

Shalimar Eau De Cologne Guerlain FragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, mandarin orange, cedar
Heart: Iris, patchouli, jasmine, vetiver, rose
Base: Leather, sandalwood, opoponax, civet, musk, vanilla, incense, Peru balsam, benzoin

It’s absolutely fantastic, Shalimar EdC. Gobsmacked to be honest. It knocks spots of the current EdP and EdT. It opens with a divinely cooling bergamot lemon zing, and I just want to drown in it. Delicious but not sweet. Iris and rose are there. Slightly smoky, leathery and a veil of such exquisite vanilla. Unlike the current EdP there is no patchouli in the base and it is all the better for it. Spraying it in abundance leaves you shimmering with Shalimar for hours. It has a lot in common with the current Shalimar Extrait, albeit a cologne with a the raunchy drydown. Absolutely fabulous.

Shalimar EdC by Guerlain 1925 Val 2016 Altmuenster Lake Austria

Shalimar EdC by Guerlain 1925 Val 2016 ViewThis is where Val lives, the view from her balcony

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies
FragranceNet has $50/75ml Before Coupon

Dislike Shalimar? Don´t bother. Nearly like it but not quite? Try the Shalimar EdC. Own the vintage version already? Tell me about it. This is hands down my favourite Shalimar and my take to the pool staple this year. Who would have thought of it?
Love Shalimar? Buy it.

Fourteen kids?
Sheesh.

Aromatic Bussis
CQ

(Ed: Photos donated by Val. Thanks. XXOX)

Mandarine by Olivia Giacometti for L`Artisan Perfumer 2006

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Post by Portia

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Hello Fragrant Friends,

I’ve had this 5ml decant of Mandarine for years. It has about 1ml left in the bottom so I thought I would use it up this week. When the decant first arrived I used it a lot but when it got down to nearly nothing I thought it should be kept for reference purposes. So when I went to grab it and realising this is my last wear from the decant I began looking for a bottle but BUMMER, D/C. Thank goodness for FragranceNet!

I think I’ve told parts of this story before but it bears repeating, mandarines are special to me for a few reasons. They used to be a perfect play lunch in primary school and became a lunchbox fave through high school too. Then when in India and the whole culture shock drama plays out if I’m lucky enough to be there at mandarine time they are a welcome respite from Indian food and Varun used to go to extraordinary lengths to get them for me. Lastly and most recently Jin loves mandarines, he has a favourite type that comes with a sticker and he looks all winter and ONLY buys these. They are sweet and nearly seedless and come easily away from the rind. Mandarines and their scent have such joyful connotations for me so a fragrance based on them was bound to hit my sweet spot.

Mandarine by L`Artisan Perfumer 2006

Mandarine by Olivia Giacometti

Mandarine L`Artisan Parfumeur FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Green mandarin, Ginger
Heart: Frangipani, Yellow mandarin
Base: Orange, Red mandarin, White cedar

Mandarine is simple, fresh, bright and sparkling. It has a soft pithy fleshiness that works beautifully against the juicy mandarine ripeness. Though I miss most of the ginger it does feel like there are some aldehydes lifting and gently expanding the fragrance. The frangipani reads like of coconut undercurrent my skin too but I am pretty sure it is meant to be the frangipani.

What I am surprised about is that this isn’t a bigger hit. L’Artisan is pretty much a general public fragrance house nowadays and Mandarine seems like it would be very popular as a spritz and go refresher fragrance, it has a lovely holiday vibe without feeling like the now ubiquitous salty jasmine. Not mentioned in the notes but I think there are a fair number of laundry musks in the base too, which seem to be highly sought after in the non perfumista arena.

Mandarine L`Artisan Parfumeur Mandarines WikipediaWikiPedia

Who would wear this? Well, me for one. Other than that I could see it being a really easy wear spring/summer go to or holiday fragrance. After an hour it does calm considerably so it would be very safe for work. Maybe Mandarine is just a bit too much like laundry softener or shampoo for the perfumistas but perfect for a gateway fragrance, or even a first step from the celebuscents. Mandarine is a little like a Guerlain Aqua Allegoria fragrance, maybe too close?

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Bois de Jasmin
FragranceNet has $71/100ml before Coupon SOLD OUT
Sephora Australia has AUD$145/100ml FREE Delivery

Do you know or love Mandarine? I’d really like to hear from you if you do, how do you wear it?
Portia xx

Rose Delight Body Oil by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2016

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Post by Robert Herrmann

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Hi Frag Friends!

Robert H. here writing from my (very warm) tiny island home in the Pacific Northwest.

The Tauer line of fragrances are kind of a “tough love” for many people. There are ones that don’t work on me at all (Zeta, Pentachords White, Sotto La Luna Gardenia), and others that absolutely sing with beauty and joy (Phi Un Rose De Kandahar, LADM, Noontide Petals etc…) The ones that work are not necessarily scents I would reach for on a daily basis, more like very special performance art perfumes. Often I will spray with abandon when I’m alone in the house and can wander around for hours encapsulated in my very own cloud of scented gloriousness!

Rose Delight Body Oil Tauer 1

What I really love about Tauer Perfumes, is Andy Tauer’s willingness to step outside his own box to create fragrances for a secondary range (Tauerville) that are like little masterpieces, and priced affordably so anyone can enjoy his work. To me, this speaks volumes, this attitude and desire to make perfume accessible to everyone! Rose Flash, Fruitchouli Flash, Amber Flash, and one of my favorites, Vanilla Flash are as great as anything you’ll find at five times the price!

Rose Delight Body Oil by Tauer Perfumes 2016

Rose Delight Body Oil by Andy Tauer

Rose Delight Body Oil Tauer 3

So when I first heard of the new and reasonable Rose Delight Body Oil, I jumped online to order, because A.) body oil, and B.) Another Tauer rose! Hell yes!

Tauer Rose Delight Body Oil, is a luxurious sheer body moisturizing oil described by Mr. Tauer thusly: ” …based on pure cold pressed jojoba oil, totally free of added other oils, free of added phthalates, antioxidants, parabens and stabilizers. The scent is rose petals on a gourmand base. A rose veil for a grey or sunny day.”

It is indeed a rose veil, at first simplistic and seemingly linear, but like a new bud opening up…. layers upon layers of rose and something spicy (Pepper? Clove?) all on a deep and absolutely captivating and hypnotic base. Absolutely gorgeous, as in eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head gorgeous!

Rose Delight Body Oil Tauer 2

Yup. Love it.

Available exclusively through the Tauer Perfumes website (CLOSED July 21-August 5), Tauer’s new Rose Delight Body Oil is a delight in every sense of the word!

Do you use body oils? What’s your favorite or go-to?

Child Perfume by Susan D. Owens 1990

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Post by Portia

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Hey there APJ,

Over the years I am often told about a fragrance that is used by a bunch of the Hollywood stars as their signature scent, it’s even the first thing that Fragrantica mentions in its blurb. When I was told it though I always seemed to forget which fragrance it was, like my brain was totally disinterested in holding the information. I’d come home & wrack my brains to no avail. Anyway, I came across it on Surrender To Chance and it has the SAME Hollywood Stars bit, Ta DAAAA. We have a winner. Let’s see what al the fuss is about…..

Child Perfume by Susan D. Owens 1990

Child Perfume Susan D. Owens FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Vanilla, Lilac, Magnolia
Heart: Jasmine, Tuberose, Violet
Base: Creamy musk, Rose, Mimosa

OOOOOH! Child Perfume opens with cool, sharp, waxy lilac and the most gorgeous jasmine. Jasmine with all the fat and breath and hefty, heavenly swathes of tuberose. So sharp it could be a cleaning product but also gorgeously alluring and intoxicatingly OTT. It’s reminiscent of the jasmine from my vintage Joy parfums, strident, strong and unstoppable. I’m surprised that Hollywood is wearing something so large and outrageous.

Child Perfume dwarf-crape-jasmine sarangib PixabayPixabay

Jasmine is the Child Perfume star and everything else is merely a supporting player. Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. Cool, slightly astringent, a little breathy and mildly narcotic. If you close your eyes, put your wrist to your nose and breath slowly in & out it becomes engulfing. Letting my mind drift in that state and I go on fabulous fragrant journeys that are pure fantasy, colours: green, purple, blue, ideas: swimming in a waterhole, in the breeze at the top of a hill, winter in Korea, caught in a summer sun shower, laughing around a table with my mates, visiting Val the Cookie queen in her home town in Austria and walking into the cool of a department store in summer. All of these things, and a few that I couldn’t hold onto, pass through my mind in 20 minutes of huffing this way.

Surprising longevity too. I can still smell a pretty, slightly sharp jasmine and some musks next morning.

Child Perfume is surprising and beautiful. I can see why the Hollywood stars love it.
From Beauty Habit: One of the most sought-after perfumes worn by devoted fans world-wide! Celebrity fans include: Khloe Kardashian, Maggie Smith, Jennie Garth, (she made the famous statement that child drives men wild!) Sigourney Weaver, LeeAnn Rimes, Madonna, Mandy Moore, Jennifer Aniston, Rebecca Gayheart, Christina Applegate, Ashlee Simpson, Britney Spears, Denise Richards, Lindsey Lohan, Tiffany Amber Thiesen, Tori Spelling and John Mayer. This is the original and authentic Child Perfume – not a copycat.

Child Perfume Maggie smith YouTubeYouTube

Further reading: EauMG
Beauty Habit has the range from $68/10ml Rollerball
My Perfume Samples has EdP from $8/ml

Have you tried Child Perfume? What is your jasmine?
Portia xx

Fakhama and Majalis – The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

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Post by Sandra

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Hey there APJ! Today, I would like to introduce you to a new perfume brand which is celebrating the city of Dubai – The Spirit of Dubai. I have been longing to visit Dubai as I can only imagine it to be beautiful, filled with luxury and culture and wonderful architecture. Modern architecture captivates me and to imagine a city with such stunning architecture against a backdrop of desert, sea and sand together with a whole new plethora of sights and smells has me dreaming of making a trip soon.

The niche perfumery in Vienna, Maison de Parfum, showed me The Spirit of Dubai’s initial five perfumes and gave me samples of their two new releases, Fakhama and Majalis. A complete and utter shock awaited my nose when I tested the perfumes because I could not fathom that I would enjoy them so much.

Fakhama and Majalis – The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

Fakhama The Spirit of Dubai FragranticaFragrantica

Fakhama: The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Turkish rose, Bulgarian rose, fruity notes, agarwood (oud), sweet orange, spicy notes, damask rose, elemi, cardamom, coffee, dried fruits
Heart: Sandalwood, benzoin, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver, coriander, ginger, rose, saffron
Base: Amber, castoreum, civet, moss, spun sugar, animal notes, incense, leather, oakmoss

Fakhama opens up strong and masculine to my nose. It is oudy from the outset but interlaced with fruits and spices. This stage lasts for a good two hours and then the perfume warms up. The sandalwood and vanilla curl around the oud and fruits and keep me sniffing my wrist wondering what is so bewitching. Underneath all of this lies an animalic tone which I attribute to the deep drydown. Summer weather should make this stand out and bring out the animalic undertones – at least I am hoping. This is seriously beautiful and I believe will appeal to both men and women.

Majalis The Spirit of Dubai FragranticaFragrantica

Majalis: The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Incense, peach, apple, rose, osmanthus, green notes, cardamom, pink pepper, grapefruit, artemisia, strawberry, raspberry, cacao, coffee, olibanum
Heart: Saffron, flowers, powdery notes, cloves, vetiver, patchouli, guaiac wood, dates, carnation, iris, heliotrope, mate
Base: Incense, agarwood (oud), leather, vanilla, woodsy notes, sandalwood, benzoin, myrhh, musk, honey, olibanum, tobacco, hay, labdanum

Majalis starts off with a blast of fruity floral notes deftly laced with cardamom and saffron, two of my favourite spices. The coffee and cacao notes peak through but very quickly and then they go into the background. There is also a lot of yummy goodness coming from the dates which I love. Dates conjure up my trip to Abu Dhabi and eating luxurious dates filled with nuts for the first time in my life. The florals are mixed beautifully with the fruits and woods and the oud is not prominent at all. Majalis takes me on a trip to a far off land filled with sun, sand and a warm breeze. Eventhough this leans on the feminine side I think it could smell amazing on a man. Wonderful perfume – I love it.

I would like to test the original 5 Spirit of Dubai perfumes one by one. I hope to be able to share my thoughts on them soon. Maison de Parfum in Vienna, Austria carries the line and will be adding Fakhama and Majalis as soon as they are available. Maison de Parfum Online ships worldwide.

What is your exotic scent?
Sandra xx

Iris Palladium by Amélie Bourgeois + Arnaud Poulain for Les Eaux Primordiales 2015

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Post by TinaG

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Hi APJ!

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to catch up with Tara from A Bottled Rose on a whirlwind perfume extravaganza in London. We had an amazing day! One store we visited was Les Senteurs which has a fabulous range of fragrances, quite a few which were unknown to me. (Sorry they don’t ship to Aus).

One of my unknowns was Les Eaux Primordiales, a French fragrance company launched in 2015. We had a quick sniff of each of the perfumes on paper, and Murray (who is one of Les Senteurs’ superbly knowledgeable sales assistants) provided me with a sample of Iris Palladium to try later.

So later is now!

Iris Palladium by Les Eaux Primordiales 2015

Iris Palladium by Amélie Bourgeois + Arnaud Poulain

Iris Palladium Les EAUX Primordiales FragranticaFragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Italian Bergamot, Carrot Seeds, Sage, Solar Jasmine, Cedar, Patchouli, Labdanum, Sandalwood, Iris, Tonka Bean, White Musk

The iris in the opening of Iris Palladium starts off doughy and thick, before morphing and bring in some metallic / chlorine / carrot notes along with a prominent dusty sweetness that softens the composition, taking off some of the metallic edge. The mix of dust/powder is not so much in the “makeup” category, but is a musk. I tend to shy away from fragrances which list ‘white musk’ as a note, for some I can’t bear at all – sorry to say that the Body Shop fragrance of the same name is one of these. However this doesn’t hit my no-go nasal zone, the musk is pleasant, soft and warm.

Iris Palladium Les EAUX Primordiales Iris_palladia WikiCommonsWikiCommons

At 4 hours I’m taken by surprise as a beautiful clean jasmine shines through. It’s really lovely and I realise that it had been humming around in the background all this time with some nutty notes adding to the blend but not overpowering.

The fragrance recedes back to skin at 6-10 hours in a yellow woody powdery waft with the lightest impression of citrus and I smell a hint of bitter ash in the dry down. It’s a pleasant combo and I enjoy the longevity that it keeps well into the evening.

Overall the two predominant notes (varying iris / dusty musk) are complimentary, and round each other out. For people (like myself) who revel in a bold metallic iris it may feel like a pillow has been put over it and muffled the composition. It’s very yin/yang, notes curling around each other & balancing out. But there’s a few surprises in there which keeps it interesting. Worth a trial if you have the chance.

Iris Palladium Les EAUX Primordiales Yin Yanf FlickrFlickr

Further reading: Black Narcissus
Les Eaux Primordials has an outlet page

Have you had any new fragrance lines cross your radar lately?

xx Tina G