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Post by Portia
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Heya Fashionistas,
Summer is coming in the Northern Hemisphere. Discover Bottega Veneta’s new pair of limited edition cat-shaped sunglasses. Sometimes I am completely overwhelmed by the incredible attention to detail of the multinationals. This is no exception as the Bottega Veneta crew show us a little of how their newest cool sunglasses are created.
Heavenly.
Enjoy.
Portia xxx
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Post by Portia
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Hello Fragrance Fans,
Now don’t be put off by the Pour Homme because this is a very sexy unisex only seems masculine on the men. It’s bracing herbal opening hides a chypre base with oriental overlay. Don’t believe me, come for a sniff.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Basil, bergamot, green notes, juniper berries, marjoram, thyme, lavender, sage, caraway, citrus notes
Heart: Guaiac, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine, orris, rose, carnation, spices, artemisia, cloves
Base: Amber, castoreum, incense, leather, oak moss, musk, labdanum, coconut
One of my first ever fragrant memories is of my Mum giving me a 5ml mini of Pour Homme by Van Clef & Arpels for my birthday. That 5ml lasted me till Christmas of that year when I was given my first ever full bottle, also from Mum, of Aramis. I have a pretty modern bottle and though it’s not exactly the same as my memory the basic scent structure is still there. I can remember the thrill of this completely adult concept, men’s scent. My Dad always smelled good because he wore Tabac Original by Maurer & Wirst so being a fragrant man was not an alien idea.
So how does Pour Homme by Van Clef & Arpels smell to me in 2016? Firstly I get a wonderful herbal opening that sparkles enough to give me a little aldehydes question. It’s rich, green, herbal and bracing but soft (in a touch rather than size sense) and smooth enough that anyone who loves a good green will really enjoy it. This is something that I could easily imagine a Katharine Hepburn or Julia Roberts sporting, a casual, dignified, elegant fragrance that speaks of country estates and effortless grace. A fragrance of time gone by.
The heart is a woodsy and rich adventure with still plenty of green and a quiet floral bouquet shimmering above. A dry tea rose and the snap and crackle of carnation, both perfectly surrounded with spices and herbs. The base with its warmth of amber cut through by the smoke and leather, my recollection is that the base was much furrier and more animalic originally but the current creamy amber woods is very nice too. Lasting power is excellent and Pour Homme by Van Clef & Arpels has a wonderful sillage, not overwhelming but noticeable. The perfect scent for a workplace that wants their staff to smell nice without punching people in the nose or making huge grand statements. Towards dry down I get a lovely clean mens soapy feel that lasts until next day. Excellent value and I think you could buy it as a gift for a non-perfumista guy and be guaranteed that he will rock it.
Further reading: From Pyrgos
FragranceNet has $30/50ml before Coupon
Do you have any infallible mens scent alternatives that you like to wear or smell on the guys around you?
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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Hello Frag Heads,
You know when you’re going through your fragrances and trying to find stuff to add to your sale doc? You come across something that you can not remember smelling, or the smell of, from when you got it and it’s sat there unloved ever since. You spritz and WOW!!! All of a sudden your searching comes to a swoon filled halt and….
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Star fruit, Curacao orange liquor, grapefruit, cardamom
Heart: Peony, pink honeysuckle, jasmine
Base: Vanilla, musk, woody accords
Guess Woman by Marciano is really crunchy and chewy vanilla toffee and amber with a wash of florals piping high above in descant and a fun citrus buzz murmuring in between. It lasts really well and once the sweet citrus booze burns off you are left with a wonderful toffee and vanilla ice cream style floriental. Wearing it the last few days I have not gone a group without a frag compliment, it’s uncanny. Every time I do something new someone asks what my fragrance is or says I smell really nice.
And I CAN’T GET ENOUGH!!
Yes, it seems for this tiny moment in time I have found a new favourite. There are stages where Guess by Marciano could be a caramel aquatic. I know. It sounds disgusting but the thing is. It’s fabulous. I’m enjoying it’s initial spritz, it develops nicely and ends on a sweet woodsy nothings whisper about 5 hours later. What’s not to love?
Further reading: Pop Sugar
FragranceNet has $21/100ml before Coupon
I can’t stop spritzing myself with Guess by Marciano. There is a room with some of the world’s most expensive, celebrated and lavish fragrances and I keep spritzing a $20 bargain bin wonder. Hilarious.
What have you fallen madly in love with that’s bargain bin?
Portia xx
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Post by Anne-Marie
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I am fussy about perfume books because there are some terrible ones out there. But slowly I’ve built up a little library and I thought I might share some impressions of one of my favourites.
Book Depository (AUD$28.45 Delivered)
You may know Lizzie Ostrom as Odette Toilette, a British-based speaker and commentator on fragrance history and culture: a ‘purveyor of olfactory adventures’. Her book is a tour of the twentieth century via 100 mini-essays on perfumes which ‘have something to say’, as Lizzie puts it, in their own times and often in ours. The book begins with Houbigant’s Le Parfum Idéal (1900) and ends with Demeter’s Dirt (1996).
Lizzie’s selection is not always based on perfumes which have survived until today. You’ll find plenty you have not heard about because although there is coverage of many fine and expensive masterpieces of ‘olfactory art’, there is also an emphasis on mass market perfumes which tell us a lot about what ordinary people actually wore, once upon a time.
So among the great Guerlains, Carons, Chanels and Lauders you’ll find (ahem) Climax by Sears (1900), a ‘mail order perfume’ costing 25 cents ($7 today), and Dri-Perfume (1944) by J.L. Priess, a strongly scented powder produced when war conditions restricted the availability of cosmetic alcohol.
Unusually, the book is not lavishly illustrated, coffee-table style. It contains no vintage ads, just simple, charming line drawings. Lizzie finds context not in images but in literature, movies and popular culture. This for me is pure fascination. Lizzie has, I swear (because I’ve been there), spent many, many hours in libraries poring over magazines and newspapers so as to understand the cultural context of each perfume. Her essays are not reviews, but a series of rich and original insights based on this research.
Lancome’s Magie Noire (1978), for instance, is described as ‘the wiccan perfume’. Its release made the most of counter-cultural interest in spells, tarot reading, cults and drugs. The Wicker Man – do you remember the film? Yes! So of course it makes sense that Magie Noire became an instant classic.
Then there is Jean Desprez’s Bal à Versailles (1962) and the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). What?! But yes – remember the Baron and Baroness Bomburst of Vulgaria, absurdly dressed in ermine and knee breeches, dripping with diamonds? The pure silliness of it all is a perfect match with the faux-opulent eighteenth century-style bottle and the gloriously vulgar scent that is Bal à Versailles.
Meanwhile Jōvan Musk Oil (1972) brings forth memories of the cheesy crooners of the era, especially Demis Roussos in full kaftan and comb-over. Yeesh!
A word for Shalimar lovers: sorry, but your idol is not here. This does not offend me but I do think it odd, Shalimar being one of the most loved and influential perfumes ever.
Perfume: a century of scents by Lizzie Ostrom (Hutchison, 2015) is available as a hardback for US $26.95 and in Kindle for $15. Check out Lizzie’s website
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Post by Portia
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Hi there Niche Nerds,
Yes, I know I’m late to the party. These samples were given to me at least a year ago and they have sat winking at me, reminding me not to forget them, wishing I would just damn well spritz. I did smell them on cards originally and thought they were interesting and fun. Mark Buxton has created many financial and critical hits and done a few things I really love: Salvador dali Laguna, a couple of biehl parfumkunstwerke, Le Labo Vetiver 46, loads of cool Comme des Garcons and the list goes on. He has also put his name to stuff I don’t love too. That’s cool, I like to be surprised. When the news came through that he was doing a self named line there was much excitement and fluttering of touchés (He He he who knows if that’s correct?). So finally I have grabbed them out from the draw and am giving them skin time. Here’s the one I really liked a lot…
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rhubarb leaf, ginger
Heart: Magnoli, neroli
Base: Patchouli, vetiver, musk
Everyone else gets sweet but I get a softly sweet green, a very olde worlde reminder of my Mum making rhubarb for the family and me thinking it tasted like shit. Everyone else loved it and asked for more. Here the rhubarb is a sweet starting point but not like the celebuscent spun sugar jelly crystals type sweet, more like a healthy sweet. Yeah, I’m making this clear as mud, I know.
Devil In Disguise opens beautifully, it’s lightly sweetened and edible but not cake or particularly gourmand. I taste no vanilla or biscuit or candy. It’s warm and vegetal, softly zingy. Though I cringe at using gender definers it smells like a sexy masculine that could easily be worn by either sex. While not being strange it is compelling and it lures my nose in to sniff it again and again. Never really offering me anything concrete to write down for you because it’s not the same as anything I’ve smelled or easily correctable to ideas. Bittersweet. That’s the best analogy I have. It’s like the bittersweet feeling of losing your love, slowly and knowingly watching them shut down and yet loving them too much to let go. The heartache mixed with joyful memories. That’s what Devil In Disguise smells like to me.
My nose misses the heart completely and sniff directly to the base, particularly the vetiver and shaded by the patchouli. Vetiver becomes king though and the opening sweet green is repeated over the vetiver to warm its rough rasp and soften and smooth. Draped elegantly in clean musks the whole fragrance fades slowly and a whisper remains for morning, amorphous and pretty.
Further reading: Non Blonde and Black Narcissus
Mark Buxton has €140/100ml
Did you spend any time with the Mark Buxton range? What did you think?
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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Hello Independent Perfumery Lovers,
A few weeks ago we had Jocelyn Fullerton over at my place to take us through her beautiful range of fragrances. There is a half written piece on the day waiting for me to finalise it (Sorry Jocelyn). A few things struck me during the day but I was most impressed with Jocelyn’s excitement and enthusiasm for fragrance, her broad knowledge and talent for relating an engaging story that told of the creation of her scents. It was a lovely day.
The scent that I wear most from the Cult of Scent line so far is …
Cult Of Scent gives these featured accords:
Orange blossom, Neroli, Tonka, Honey, Amber
From Cult Of Scent: Something Beautiful began with a story of dawn kisses under an orange tree and was brought to fruition by spring nights filled with music, candlelight, passion and laughter.
Calming, angelic, elegant, refreshing, lively, sparkling, comfortable, summer, clear, happy. These are the words that run through my head while wearing Something Beautiful.
Breathy white flowers float effortlessly over citrus and a sweet amber. The citrus is main player for a while after I spritz but orange blossom is present already and I think I detect a whisper of jasmine and some other flower, maybe lily? There are lightly fruity touches too that peek through the bouquet and later the honey/amber and something coniferous waft gently in and warm it down to fade.
I can easily imagine Something Beautiful as a perfect wedding scent. It’s joyful bursts of citrus and the elegant swish of white flowers, soft yet insistent, would make an excellent pairing with either the traditional wedding in a church (or whatever the religious centre is called in your religion) to a windy, sunlit day at the beach. Beyond gorgeous and I think it would be so memorable. Better still it’s completely unisex, you could both be rocking it.
Today I hosted my first TUPPERWARE party coming back into the business after a 6 or 7 year hiatus. Something Beautiful helped me rise above the nerves and get straight to the excitement. Well not COMPLETELY rise above my nerves, I was sweating like a farm hand at the summer round ups but Something Beautiful huffed out of my top and I remembered to breathe and that everyone here was on my side. The party went splendidly and I have one booking, hopefully 2. If you’re in Sydney and want a party leave a comment below and I can come hang with you and your buddies for a couple of hours. Just so you know I do EXCELLENT scones and it makes a wonderful snack at the party.
Cult Of Scent has 3 sizes starting at $35/8ml
If you like to dazzling opening of a cologne but the herbs and mossy patchouli bases get you down the I heartily recommend you get your hands on Something Beautiful. It really is perfectly named and I have quite a bit of air in my 8ml already.
Portia xxx
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Post by Poodle
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I recently received some fragrances from Milton-Lloyd. They are a UK based perfume company that specializes in good perfumes at great prices. In case you didn’t know it, I love a bargain. Sure, I have been known to spend a hefty amount on a bottle of juice but my heart sings when I find a good deal. I’m also not too snooty to think that only the expensive perfumes smell good. I’m also a fan of perfumes that remind me of other perfumes. Sometimes I like a scent but not enough to justify the price. If I find something similar for less I’m a happy girl.
Notes: white rose, almond blossom, lily, geranium, heliotrope, spice, vanilla, musk
Pink is a floral perfume that is incredibly soft on me. I’ve been wearing it as a bedtime scent because on my skin it’s just a subtle wash of fragrance. Your skin may react differently. It reminds me of those billowy vintage roses that smell of powder and spice but not really rose. I find it to be reminiscent of carnation probably from the lily and geranium notes. I do like this fragrance and the overall effect is like a bouquet rendered in watercolors. If you like perfumes on the soft side, think Pink.
Notes: watery notes, bergamot, watermelon, violet, rose, jasmine, fruit, woods, vanilla, oakmoss, amber, patchouli
Purple is my least favorite of the bunch but Purple garnered quite a few compliments for me so I guess it smells better to everyone else. I like it but it isn’t love. It’s listed on the Milton-Lloyd site as a fruity chypre but to me it’s a watery, slightly sweet floral fruit-chouli. It’s not overly fruity surprisingly, and is a much more wearable perfume than a lot of others of this genre. Starts off a bit like an upscale shampoo but then settles into a pleasant floral. I couldn’t detect oakmoss. Smells like a lot of popular mainstream scents and the people I work with really liked it.
Notes: citrus, neroli, raspberry, jasmine, lily, rose, caramel, honey, musk, patchouli
Femme Gold opens with a burst of juicy fruits then blooms with lily and jasmine. This one reminds me of another perfume but I can’t for the life of me think of which one it is. The name Femme Gold is fitting because all the notes are covered with golden honey and caramel. To my untrained nose it’s an oriental gourmand without a lot of spice. It is a bit sweet yet since it doesn’t smell like fruit salad I do like it. I’m a sucker for lilies too.
So tell me, have you tried any perfumes by Milton-Lloyd? Do you ever buy inexpensive perfumes or do you not even bother to sniff?
Hugs
Poodle
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Post by TinaG
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Since writing my article about Fueguia 1833 a fortnight ago, I’ve discovered that their range is even more extensive than their wide fragrance catalogue. A number of “scent identities” have been developed in conjunction with Fueguia 1833 – for example I came across London’s Trunk Clothiers who have two bespoke fragrances – “Linnaeus” and “Endeavour”, and Milan-based designer Marcelo Burlon has a co-branded Fueguia 1833 fragrance for his “County of Milan” line. Fueguia 1833 also provide amenities lines (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shower gel, and room & textile perfume) for a range of luxury hotels around the world.
Today I thought I’d showcase a charming floral which is part of the Destinos collection.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cactus flower
Heart: Cedar
Base: (Nanah) Mint
On first spritz, Cactus Azul gives a big blast of mint which wafts around unapologetically for about 15 minutes. It is fresh and invigorating, with a medium sillage that cuts straight through our lingering summer humidity. “Nanah” mint, aka spearmint, is commonly used in Moroccan tea. It was distinctively a spearmint which I could smell, like those old-school sugared leaf lollies, with a slightly more regular broad leaf mint note behind it.
This then settles into a minty herbal veil over an unusual pink floral note. The floral is all at once soft, watery and pulpy and has a strange way of lingering in my nostrils and back of throat in a ‘taste’ sensation, in a similar way that pepper in fragrance sometimes can. I imagine this is the reported cactus flower centre note from the Fueguia 1833 three-note description. The colours which I see in my head at this stage are like watermelon skin – mottled green, and the light pink of the flesh which is closest to the pith after you’ve taken a bite.
The floral note starts to deepen and at 1 hour dives in to a peculiar sticky jam. It is sweet but still keeps a damp floral aspect, and my head runs through different options trying to place it. Redcurrent? Strawberry? And I finally settle on what I imagine a homemade jam made of small wild strawberries may taste like. Wild strawberries in Australia are white in the middle, not red, and are only mildly watery/strawberry flavoured.
At 2 hours the fragrance starts to dry out with a peppery wood note coming through, and ‘round the 4 hour mark the fragrance seems fragmented. On some areas of my skin I get a sweetness, like caramel, however in the sillage I can smell something reminiscent of a bitter woody patchouli. I can’t quite work it out so I often respritz at this stage & start all over again.
First in Fragrance has €230/100ml and Samples
I like the both the uplifting and gentle aspects of this fragrance. It doesn’t have a massive longevity, but it is a joy to wear.
I’m interested to hear – what are your favourite fragrances that include mint?
Tina G xx
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Post by Portia
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Heya Bargain Hunters,
Recently there was a very excited thrill through the frag community. One of the biggest discounters, FragranceNet, was having an end of year clearance on eBay. I think they were getting rid of the years returns and calling them 95% full. The postage was a bit of a bummer to Australia but still the deals were so good it was hard to pass up. (I sent mine to a mate in the USA who sent it on at a fraction of the cost) So, what did I buy? Extra Niki de Saint Phalle 60ml splash in a beautiful bottle, a 100ml Parfum de Peau by Montana that still has enormous amounts of outrageously naughty bits and for a steal a lidless 100ml of …
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top Dog rose, Lily-of-the-valley, Frankincense
Heart: Orris root, Jasmine, Myrrh
Base: Amber, Oakmoss, Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedar, Civet
Disclaimer! I wore this the night it arrived and I may have overspritzed. Jin got in the car and within a minute was asking what fragrance I was wearing because it’s disgusting and so big and reminds him of the smell they spray in old peoples homes to get rid of the old people smell. His head was pounding so badly from it that he had to take headache tablets and open his window to full. Poor boy.
I on the other hand am swept away by Amouage Gold Man.
YouTube
On opening I get a fabulous blast of incense, the rose and lily of the valley play backing roles and were they not mentioned in the notes list I’d be hard pressed to pick them. What I smell is an animalic frankincense that is like a 1000 x blast of the little pebbles you can buy in the Middle East markets. Patchouli and woods are present after a few minutes and white flowers but not specifically jasmine, my nose also picks some daffodil/narcissus. There is something CHANEL No 5-ish about Amouage Gold Man that I like very much.
Then the whole fragrance turns beautifully soapy on me, expensive, waxy soap like in the 20th century. I’m not sure what the notes are now, the scent has become Amouage Gold Man for me now. A conglomerate scent that is sexy and big but not overbearing (Jin would beg to differ). I find it a very comfortable scent to wear. Intricate, harmonious and nuanced; like lying on a silk, hand knotted rug from Kashmir and still being able to smell the market you bought it in and remembering the people who are fun to bargain with and smile so happily.
Next morning I still have traces of Amouage Gold Man lingering, buzzing over my skin. Soft woods and resins of no name that have now melded with my own scent; me but not me. Better by far….
Further reading: Non Blonde and Candy Perfume Boy
Libertine Parfumerie has $415/100ml and FREE Australian Delivery
Peony Melbourne has $415/100ml and FREE Australian Delivery
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/0.5ml
What is your Amouage?
Portia x
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Post by Portia
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I wrote this while on holidays and then totally forgot about it!
Heya APJ,
So we have been on holidays for a couple of weeks now but I’m getting my first chance to write to you all about my favourite scent from an amazing day spent with the men from Le Galion at the Tranoi event in Paris. They have so much new stuff on the way for you all and I know it’s going to knock your socks off. New releases and a new brand, we were treated to previews and so much information that most of it has filtered from my brain. Sorry about that.
Further down check out how you can be the first to smell Le Galion’s newest release.
Right now I’m at a Slovakian Hot Springs but am too shy to get undressed and go in.
Jin is loving the hot spring in the freezing cold of winter
Our niece & nephew were having the time of their lives. So happy to get to hang out with us and their parents. Jin’s brother took his first day off this year to be able to take us on an adventure.
The lower half of my body is covered in psoriasis and it makes me feel very self conscious so while everyone else is going batshit crazy in the acres of pools and waterslides I am happily ensconced at a table and rugged up to chat to you.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, palisander rosewood
Heart: Clary sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, spicy notes
Base: Cedar, patchouli, woody notes
(Ed: Added the notes after. I was surprised that my guesses wasn’t ridiculously wrong. YAY ME!)
So I am flying blind without a note list because the product is yet to hit Fragrantica and I have completely forgotten the conversation with Nicolas and Enno. What you will be getting is a Portia Nose View of Cologne Nocturne. When it’s released we can all have a bit of a laugh at how poorly I did. No problem, I’m tough.
We open citrus sweet and herbal. I’m guessing the usual suspects of bergamot and mandarin, but it could be pomelo because the sweetness is softer, I get very little pith or creaminess. The herbaceous vibe could be coriander, basil, tarragon or green hay. Lavender swirls around and through. A very traditional opening, attractive and clean.
Milkiness enters, I can’t decide if I’m getting a creamy sandalwood/amber, almonds or am I smelling a milky byproduct of fig. What I can tell you is that the fragrance warms through slightly and maintains its sweetness, the sweetness of fruits not sugar. Maybe it’s vanilla I smell? Naah, probably not that kind of sweet. Woods play a part but I’m struggling here.
Let’s chat about how Cologne Nocturne makes me feel, where it takes me on a journey too, who I can imagine wearing it. Cologne Nocturne smells super expensive and luxe, more depth and warmth than I expect from cologne, more fragrant twists and a sweet heart that could very easily become fabulously killer in the cool of winter cologne, or the dark of night. You want to smell nonchalant but magnificent. This is the fragrance that doesn’t try too hard, smells like you are comfortable in your skin and don’t need to be making bold statements or to challenge your sense of smell.
I could imagine snuggling into the scent on a partner or loved one and also imagine wearing it as a seduction tool.
The men of Le Galion, here I am with Enno Ebels and Nicolas Chabot. Handsome men who make yummy frags.
Not sure when it will be released as yet but it will be available at LuckyScent and First In Fragrance.
Have you spent any time with Le Galion? Maybe you remember the brand from before its resurrection?
Portia x
Kesha&Co
This week we will have 4 winners who will receive:
1 x decant of Cologne Nocturne by Le Galion
P&H Worldwide
Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. 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 (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.
You must tell me how you follow APJ
and
Please tell us what is your favourite Cologne?
Entries Close Sunday 3rd April 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Thursday 7th April 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.
Australian Perfume Junkies 