Chanel No. 22 by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1922

July 19, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 35 Comments

HEYA APJ Family & Friends,

One cool morning in Paris out with Michael in early 2014 we stumbled across 31 Rue Cambon, CHANEL Headquarters and once home of Gabrielle Chanel. Inside I tried for the very first time Les Exclusifs de Chanel No 22, thinking it would be a soft and retiring scent like much of the rest of the Les Exclusifs de Chanel range I opened my shirt and 3 big blasts, one then on each wrist ( I really wanted to live this fragrance for the hour it would last on me) and……….. BOOM! Wowzas, damn near blew the back of my head off, I was incandescent with No 22 and Michael could still smell me across the room at dinner that night.

Les Exclusifs de Chanel No. 22 Chanel by Ernest Beaux for CHANEL 1922

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lily-of-the-valley, neroli, aldehydes
Heart: Oriental jasmine, rose, Comoro island ylang-ylang
Base: Haiti vetiver, Bourbon vanilla

Turned off? NO WAY!! It made me want CHANEL No. 22 like crazy. What a fragrance. So recently I was trotting through David Jones (the oldest department store trading under the same name in the same location in the world) with my girl friend Ainslie Walker and we came across the new CHANEL counter with all the lovely exclusives and parfums. YAY!!! The girl serving was so lovely, could not have been more helpful and wanted nothing more than to have us understand the range. Woo Hoo! An SA who knows their job. Delighted is an understatement.

Michael & I @ 31 Rue Cambon CHANEL (Photo donated by Michael)

I must say that I was definitely not in the market for product on this particular day. Had I been more financially flush this SA would definitely have had a sale. What I did get though was CHANEL No. 22 Extrait on my arm and on a porcelain. So that was about 2 weeks ago. Tonight I opened the porcelain expecting to get a base only reminder of CHANEL No. 22. WOW! My whole office is filled to the brim with this wonderful, green aldehydic like a glass filling with a fizzy, metallic, soda pop of a fragrance that is both bold and restrained. A cool character on a huge scale, that doesn’t make sense but that’s how it feels in this room right now. I am engulfed, happily, enthusiastically overcome by scent.

Photo Stolen SeedOfHappiness

When I wear CHANEL No. 22 the aldehydes are the complete and utter star of the show, flowers are mown down, fruit is pulped and what I end up smelling is a metal/citrus/vanilla/vetiver creature. It’s a bit like putting snow in your mouth with a stainless steel spoon in a rose house with them all blooming. CHANEL No. 22 is one of the few vetiver fragrances where I get the soil/dirt/wood of the vetiver without salt hints, maybe the very dry vanilla cuts it?

Longevity? FOREVER! Sillage? You could ride the waves of it on water skis. Projection? It will blow the back of the heads from people in the next suburb, a little moderation with CHANEL No. 22 is probably a good idea. Of course I spritz with abandon some days and the world be damned.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Posse
You can try or buy CHANEL No. 22 at any of the stand alone CHANEL stores or a very few department stores.
Surrender To Chance has CHANEL No. 22 samples starting at $4/ml and Extrait at $8/ml

Are you a CHANEL No. 22 fan? Is it a bit overwhelming for you? Which in the line do you particularly like?
Have a great and fragrant day. Waft on my loves, waft on.

Portia xx

Waikiki Pikake by Brook Harvey Taylor for Pacifica

July 17, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by Poodle

Pikake (pee’ kah keh) means peacock and is the Hawaiian name for jasmine sambac, a flowering bush that is prevalent on the Hawaiian islands and often used to make leis. It was so named by Ka’iulani (1875-1899), the last crown princess of Hawaii. She thought pikake were beautiful, just like the birds she named them after. As a young girl she lived on an estate near the ocean surrounded by trees, flowers, and her beloved peacocks.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Iliahi is Hawaiian for sandalwood and since Hawaii was known for its native sandalwood, one can assume she was familiar with those fragrant trees as well. Ka’iulani also had a white pony (doesn’t every princess?) which she rode by the ocean. She referred to Pikake as the flower of love and once said that she would only marry if she were in love and no other reason would persuade her. She was known for her strength as well as her beauty and grace. It has been said that it was impossible not to love her.

Waikiki Pikake by Brook Harvey Taylor for Pacifica

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Pikake (jasmine), sandalwood

The perfume Waikiki Pikake is all about jasmine and sandalwood. There’s a definite tropical feel to the fragrance but without the fruitiness commonly associated with tropical scents. The jasmine here might just be a gateway drug for people who are usually afraid of it. There’s nothing here that says “dirty girl”, it’s more a beautiful jasmine fit for a princess. Never having been to Hawaii I imagine this is what the Pikake flowers smell like on an ocean breeze. Green leaves and ocean waves mingle with the jasmine and then swirl around a heart of warm, creamy sandalwood. A perfectly clear day in an island garden is what comes to mind but overall this isn’t a smothering white floral. It’s reminiscent of new love, fresh and innocent. On my skin it wears nicely in the heat without becoming overwhelming. Oddly it seems the heat tones it down but you might have a different experience. Waikiki Pikake wears somewhat linear on me, not changing much but gradually softening and fading away. I love it as a bedtime scent but I think it could be worn anytime.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

My first sniff of this came from the body butter that I found at the discount store. That’s one thing I love about Pacifica, companion products. I love layering my scents once in a while and having a body cream that matches my perfume is so much easier than trying to coordinate which scent goes with which. That being said, you could easily get just enough fragrance from the body butter alone. I had the body butter first and loved the fragrance and the longevity of it so I bought the perfume to go with it.

Pacifica has Waikiki Pikake in $12/10ml roll on and loads of other stuff too.

So tell me, do you have a favorite Pacifica scent? Have you tried this one? Ever been to Hawaii and is it as fabulous as I think it would be?

Until next time…hugs.

poodle

Shalimar by Guerlain 1925

July 16, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Post by Erica Golding

Hello! My name is Erica, and I’ve enjoyed a lifetime obsession with scent. In all my journeys, I never gave Shalimar a chance on my skin. Shalimar, the bottle waiting patiently at practically every perfume counter, mysterious yet familiar. Recently, I was inundated with a torrent of love for this perfume by fans of all ages, all over the world. In the face of such genuine devotion, who was I to resist? I headed straight to a perfume counter, and my first impressions of modern-day Shalimar EdP are as follows:

Shalimar by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1925

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citruses, mandarin orange, cedar, lemon, bergamot
Heart: Iris, rose, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli
Base: Civet, musk, tonka bean, opoponax, leather, incense, vanilla, sandalwood

This scent opens with a citronella-like, sharp, insect-repellant bergamot. I just really don’t like the beginning. Much brighter on the card than on my skin. The aroma becomes a little more interesting after settling. Nicely spicy, but with some undertone that comes across as almost rubbery. I’m still not into it, but I admit that I am starting to be hypnotized by the unique, complex puzzle of it all. I keep sniffing, curiously. Later, the fragrance begins to warm into something more harmonious with my aesthetic. I am starting to sense precious woods, amber, and sandalwood, maybe a waft of vanilla as well.

Later still, even more attractive, almost like vanilla pipe tobacco.

And then….

Yes.

Now I understand. It takes about 30 minutes to get there for me, but – wow. Gorgeous and singularly exceptional, yet hauntingly familiar. Woods and amber with a hint of vanilla, but so much more that defies my recognition. Indescribable. A sensual poem.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Next, I sought out vintage bottles. My first scores were EdC in the “watch” bottle and Parfum in the “rosebud” bottle. I decided to review them side by side:

Shalimar EdC:

A quieter, softer opening. Morphs into soft vanilla incense tobacco magic within a few minutes. Fades fast on my skin, a quiet haze that hugs my body closely and shares its presence only with those I allow in that space.

Shalimar Parfum:

A sharp, bold opening. Spicy, and the citronella note is not as bright as with modern EDP but surprisingly still pronounced. Throw is fairly intense, yet somehow focused for me – not a diffusive cloud of fragrance, but a moonbeam piercing the humid summer night’s sky. The aroma drifts into a powdery stage before reaching the equilibrium of the true intent of Shalimar: a warm, almost indescribable perfume that slows my breathing and makes me feel powerfully magnetic. Sultry, mysterious, dark, thickly sensual.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Shalimar lasts anywhere from 5-8 hours on my skin. It is definitely an evening, date-night fragrance by tradition ~ and I am a very non-traditional person, so I wear it whenever and wherever the hell I please! That being said, I often crave it at night and wear it as my midnight aromatherapy.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies EdC and Australian Perfume Junkies Parfum
FragranceNet has $48/74ml EdC and other selections
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Erica’s Shalimar Collection Photo Donated Erica Golding

I hope you have enjoyed my account of how I lost my Shalimar virginity; and I hope that I’ve either conjured precious scent memories of your own, or piqued your interest in sampling this beauty for your own first time.

With warmly fragrant hugs,
Erica Golding

Aqua Sextius by Cécile Zarokian for Jul et Mad Paris 2014

July 13, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

OK Happy Huffers,

Today a beautifully presented silver spray sample arrived from the Jul et Mad crew. Can I tell you from the beautiful and detailed packaging that I already feel like I am having an uber luxe experience. It all feels so finished and thought out. Then I went to look up the perfumer Cecile Zarokian whose name rang only faint bells for me till seeing that she has been quite prolific and done some fragrances I know well: Amouage Epic Woman, Tango for Masque and Pink for Undergreen. Curiouser and curiouser I decided to do a first spritz piece for you today. Come with me and try ….

Aqua Sextius by Cécile Zarokian for Jul et Mad Paris 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus zests, bergamot, mandarin, orange, grapefruit, tea notes, mimosa blossom
Heart: White flowers, sea notes, fig, pine tree resin
Base: Labdanum, amber(gris), cedar, guaiac wood, oak moss, musk

So the structure reads very much like a chypre, lets call it a modern chypre. The fragrance is in parfum concentration and I have to give a big fat bravo to Jul et Mad for doing 5ml, 20ml and 50ml bottles. It means that you can test, enjoy and have choice to suit your budget. So important now that fragrance is becoming increasingly expensive.

How does Aqua Sextius smell on my skin? Well, the opening is fun and fizzy citrus, very smile inducing and sweet. The mimosa is clean and adds some warmth to an otherwise cool sweetness and the whole opening is effortlessly wearable. I can already imagine it becoming a go-to for the opening alone. I am reminded of another fragrance but can’t put my finger on which one. If summer, or the dream of summer, could have a scent then Aqua Sextius could definitely be it. this is scent of the fun summer that you want always to remember, like a scent-track.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

It’s not long before we get salty fig and resins, here there is a soft, elegant reminder of Womanity; sensual and not in your face at all like the Mugler. Here we are treated to similar parts but put together for an unstructured creamy linen suit and a pistachio T-Shirt rather than the spiky, shoulder padded, OTT and aggressive tone of Mugler. While Aqua Sextius is infinitely more wearable I think I prefer the Womanity at this point, for me anyway. Aqua Sextius is light and spare, clean and fresh in the modern 2014 new vision of such things. It feels bang up to date and has a lovely sillage. That’s basically how it stays on my skin for hours, just getting quieter and parts of the fragrance slowly falling by the wayside. At every point I find Aqua Sextius very wearable and non confrontational. It is interesting enough for a perfumista, but more importantly I think almost everyone would think this a fabulous gift.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

After about 8 hours, yes EIGHT hours, I am left with a slightly salty wood waft that is barely discernible. Very sexy: if I didn’t know better I would think it was my own smell. It’s not my own smell, it is a beautiful mask.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Colognoisseur
Jul et Mad have 3 sizes all in a Parfum concentration: 5ml/€22.50, 20ml/€95, 50ml/€230 (All with postage inclusive!! To the world)

One of the comments I really love is about the name: Empliau writes, “Aquae Sextiae was the Latin name of Aix en Provence. Aqua is feminine in Latin and requires a feminine adjective. Aqua Sextius is simply impossible and grates upon the ear.”

Have you tried the lovely little beastie?
Portia xx

Lolita Lempicka: Elle L'aime 2013

July 11, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Hey Hey APJ,

Today we are wandering the mainstream halls of department stores. Yes it’s designer fragrance day and I was surprised to see a lovely new bottle in the designer section last year. Earlier this year I gave myself a quick spritz. Lolita Lempicka is a favourite mainstream house because they are often edgy and boundary pushing. Their original Lolita Lempicka, Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin and L de Lolita Lempicka Coral Flower have been favourites of mine through smelling on my mates. So, how did the new one measure up?

Lolita Lempicka: Elle L’aime 2013

Christine Nagel and Serge Majoullier

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, neroli, lime
Heart: Coconut, jasmine, ylang-ylang
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, myrrh

Can I first say how terrible I think the name is when you aren’t French. Elle L’aime? Isn’t that like “Pretty Lame”? or “So Lame”? What a crap name.

Elle L’aime, for those that are wondering means “It’s Like”. So what is Elle L’aime like? Well, the fragrance is pretty and wearable. The citrus opens with a zing and already there is a beautiful fat coconut note pushing through, it’s very gourmand on my skin. Like a Lemon Meringue Pie with Coconut sprinkles and Vanilla and Biscuit base. All ice cream delicious. Fun.

As the very slightly breathy jasmine and the thick, glutinous, fatty ylang oozes in all slinky-like they are paired very nicely with the citrus remnants and the coconut. Though I am pretty sure there aren’t a LOT of natural parts in this recipe the whole vibe is surprisingly dense and the sillage is quite noticeable though you have to sit somewhere for nearly a minute before the fragrance pushes its way out from you. The jasmine and ylang heart is surprisingly green, maybe remnants of the neroli(?), but it feels like some kind of sappy leaf has been torn and it’s just a hint behind the rest of the fragrance.

I think Elle L’aime will be a perfect first grown up fragrance or a lovely addition to your easy wear, spritz and forget wardrobe. In fact, though they don’t smell much the same I am reminded of Annich Goutal’s Songes, a sugared version made in the 21st century perhaps.

They have done a nice job on the sandalwood, it has some lovely facets of the Australian sandalwood but there’s probably not much of the real deal, if any. It’s warm, buttery and cuddly and has a lovely softly polished age to it that sits very well with the vanilla and of myrrh I can see no sniff or scanty scent. But that could very easily be me, my nose is notoriously wonky.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

The girl in the picture is well chosen as representative. Elle L’aime is pretty, creamy, at once lovely and perfectly groomed, she is probably arriving at the party in this shot and will not change overly throughout the night. I imagine her leaving only very slightly mussed and a little less expectant, perhaps even a little sparkle from the dancing and the kissing. While hard core perfumistas will probably be bored to tears by Elle L’aime because it is in no way challenging or outrageous. If the job of perfume is to smell good then Elle L’aime is doing a good job. I smell lovely right to dry down in well over 5 hours till Elle L’aime is just a quiet hum of something close to nothing….

Further reading: Now Smell This and NYMag: The Cut
FragranceNet starts at $37/38ml after coupon
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml to $7/5ml

Do you ever go mainstream? Which designer fragrance house in department stores will get your attention when you wander through? Do you await a particular crews latest? Does a bottle ever capture your attention?
Portia xx

Discover Pacific Northwest Perfumes

July 7, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 69 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ!

In my last post, an interview with Meredith Smith of Sweet Anthem Perfumes, we talked briefly about the Indie Fragrance Criterion – Discover Pacific Northwest Perfumes. Today I am reviewing all six of the fragrances in the collection (whew!). In an attempt to be brief I will list the perfumers’ notes for each scent, my perceived notes and a short comment about each perfume. Years ago my mbira teacher referred to melodic lines that emerged from complex interactions of rhythmic patterns as “the present and obvious”, the present but not obvious” and, my favorite, “the obvious but not present”. You will notice in my lists of perceived fragrance notes there are scents that are totally obvious to me but not at all present in the perfume compositions.

Indie Fragrance Criterion – Discover Pacific Northwest Perfumes

Photo Donated by Azar

Blooming Dream Natural Fragrances: Otto by Suzinn Weiss

The Perfumer’s Listed Notes: Savory basil, pepper, cardamom, a spicy carnation accord, irresistible chocolate, lavender, cocoa, pink pepper, amber accord.

Perceived Notes: Top – milk chocolate, cocoa, pink pepper. Middle – lavender, garden herbs, Herbes de Provence, a peppery red flower, cardamom. Base – cocoa, amber.

Otto is a rich and complex oriental semi-gourmand that smells a lot like the cabinet where I store my dried herbs, flowers and spices for cooking, and the extracts, powders and chocolates for baking. I am a sucker for fragrances with basil. My 2 ml sample will soon be gone.

Olympic Orchids: Olympic Rainforest by Ellen Covey

The Perfumer’s Listed Notes: Cedar leaves, green sword fern, rhododendron, forest mushrooms, wild flowers from the clearing, oakmoss, Port Orford cedar (also bee-balm, myrtle, black spruce, balsam fir).

Perceived Notes: Top – the Olympic Rainforest in WA state USA. Middle – wild flowers, sweet grass, myrtle, cedar greens and wood. Base – cedar, balsam and oakmoss.

This is one of my favorite “scents of place” from Olympic Orchids. I really hate breaking down and dissecting this one. To me it IS the scent of the Olympic Rainforest; fecund, lush, cool, verdant, wet and dripping with life. The sillage is moderate and longevity a respectable six hours on the skin and longer on clothing.

Pirouette Essentials: Wild Spruce and Tobacco by Karyn Gold-Reineke

The Perfumer’s Listed Notes: Crown – bergamot, fern, spruce. Heart – spice, smoke, leather. Root – vetiver, tobacco, roots.

Perceived Notes: Top – Vicks Vapo Rub, vanilla, bergamot, spruce. Middle – lime, spice, spruce, smoke. Base – spice, vetiver, spruce.

The medicinal, “Vicks Vapo Rub” component actually serves to pull me into this fragrance. The bergamot morphs to lime at the heart. I don’t really get the tobacco but perhaps what I believe to be vanilla is actually part of the listed tobacco note. After exhausting my sample I immediately purchased full bottles of cologne and cologne oil as well as a shaving soap for B.

Rebel & Mercury: Royal Couple by Nikki Sherritt-Lewis

The Perfumer’s Listed Notes: Top – white grapefruit. Middle – Russian rose, Bulgarian rose, organic jasmine. Base – cognac, oud, sandalwood.

Perceived Notes: Top – funky oud, cumin, coriander, dry white grapefruit. Middle – woods, labdanum and just a touch of rose. Base – labdanum, woods, a whiff of grapefruit.

Several of the notes I smell in Royal Couple are in the “obvious but not present” category. The oud is scorched and funky and partners well with the white, dry grapefruit. The rose is almost invisible but the grapefruit lingers throughout the entire life of the composition, evaporating in a dry breath after about two hours. Royal Couple is a unique and fun to wear woody/grapefruit unisex scent.

Sweet Anthem Perfumes: Phoebe by Meredith Smith

The Perfumer’s Listed Notes: Head – maple sugar, snow. Heart – lavender. Base – dirt, tobacco, white amber.

Perceived Notes: Top – cumin, celery seed, maple sugar. Middle – muddy snow, lavender. Base – dark patchouli, amber.

For just an instant after spraying I smell something dirty and sweaty (cumin?) and then immediately celery seed and maple sugar candy. Despite the dirty aspect, Phoebe leaves an overall impression of something sweet, cold, green and clean, reminding me of playing in the snow and eating snowballs fortified with drops of maple syrup.

Sweet Tea Apothecary: Dead Writers by Jen T. Siems

The Perfumer’s Listed Notes: Black tea, vetiver, clove, musk, vanilla, heliotrope, tobacco.

Perceived Notes: Top – heliotrope, amber, clove. Middle – heliotrope, carnation/red flowers, black tea. Base – heliotrope, strong sweet vanilla.

Heliotrope is usually not for me and so I was a bit surprised when I initially got along so well with Dead Writers. The sweetness of the flower seemed to be tempered by warm, rich amber. I loved the top and the heart but in the end I was left with just too much heliotrope for my taste. If you are a fan of this purple flower I would highly recommend Dead Writers, a creative, modern and well crafted resurrection of a classic, sweet floral.

If you happen to be in San Francisco on July 17th don’t forget to drop by Tigerlily Perfumery (http://www.tigerlilysf.com) for the Indie Fragrance Criterion event where you can meet the proprietress Antonia and say hello to some of today’s featured PNW noses.

Azar xx

Photo Stolen sassisamblog

Indie Fragrance Criterion GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

Meredith Smith of Sweet Anthem Perfumes in Seattle has generously provided the prize for today’s drawing, one complete sample set of the Indie Fragrance Criterion – DiscoverPacific Northwest Perfumes.
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please comment about “the obvious but not present”> In your perfume experience have you ever smelled a note that wasn’t really there?

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Indie Fragrance Criterion GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2Xc #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 10th July 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Monday 14th July 2014 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.

Rosae Mundi by Profumum Roma 2012

July 7, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Post by SarahK

Profumum is known for the strength, the depth, and the often sweet, gourmand nature of its fragrances. I find some of their fragrances far too rich for my blood (including their famous Ambra Aurea, though it is adored by many) but I am in love with Rosae Mundi. Portia has already reviewed this scent here, but I wanted to offer another take on this dark rose.

Rosae Mundi by Profumum Roma 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accord in one line:
Rose, patchouli, vetiver, cedar

Rosae Mundi made me sit up and take notice from the very first spray. It’s a glorious perfumey, patchouli rose, which for some reason immediately brings to my mind the cool, dark spaces and stony walls of a soaring gothic cathedral. The aura created by the top notes is more than just a scent to me, it’s a physical space.

Photo Stolen Geograph

Within five minutes, Rosae Mundi has developed a berry overtone that I find familiar: it’s the sweetness and muskiness at the heart of Kilian’s Rose Oud, though Rosae Mundi feels less neon bright and more earthy than the Kilian creation and contains no oud note. Not that I think Kilian’s Rose Oud contains much oud either… An hour or so in, the berries sitting on top of the patchouli rose become juicier and the powdery muskiness gets yet more pronounced. At this stage it’s quite hypnotic. Portia’s review of Rosae Mundi mentioned that this scent could be transportive for those around somebody who wore it as a signature scent, and I totally agree. Beneath its sweet rose facet, this is a deep and meditative scent experience for me. My nose is glued to my wrist for the first 4 hours! During the dry down, the scent continues for a long time as a musky-mossy rose and soft berry mix. At this stage, if the scent were fabric, it would be a dark red velvet. In the far dry-down the rosy patchouli becomes a soft candle-wax that lasts for several more hours.

Photo Stolen IndianWeddingSite

Like all the Profumum fragrances that I have tried, this is potent stuff. A couple of sprays will last all day on me (20+ hours), with a good scent trail for the first few hours.

Further reading: NowSmellThis
LuckyScent has $265/100ml and samples

Have you tried Rosae Mundi? Are roses your thing? What’s your favourite rose?
SarahK xx

(Ed: SarahK will be taking a break from APJ. She is currently pregnant and finding her nose has gone a little wonky. We all wish her the best of luck with the whole shebang and can’t wait for her return)

Shalimar: Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2013

July 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

OK,

My mate Chairman Meow not long ago told me about this fragrance being sold for a song at FragranceNet. I was interested but at the time I’d just returned from Europe and was already thinking about our next adventure in Korea. There has been plenty of chatter about the differences in the Ode a la Vanille range with Madagascar (known as ShaLemur by the perfumistas) coming out as the clear winner from the group. Today’s offering has been called too close to the original, uninspired and lackluster. Well, I think that depends on what you are after and your expectations….

Shalimar: Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique by Guerlain 2013

By Thierry Wasser

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Caramel, chocolate, incense, iris, opoponax, vanilla, tonka bean

Here’s the deal for me. I love Shalimar. They all sing to me on some level. Shalimar: Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique (hereafter known as Mexique) is pretty, furry, sweet and glamorous. Close to Shalimar original? Yes, they could be sisters, where the others are probably cousins. How I think though is that Shalimar original has changed over the years too, the Shalimar we bought in 1930, 1970, 2011 and now in 2014 are all different. Sometimes the differences have been subtle and at other times the fragrance bears a more distant relationship. Though I have no knowledge of how Thierry Wasser works, or any of his reasonings, my mind has made some completely unsubstantiated jumps to conclusions. Please read the following paragraph as a story, not as truth:

I think Thierry Wasser has been playing around with Shalimar to try and get it back to what is more like the original intent of Guerlain. Over the years the tweaks and turns, the different perfumers, the availability of ingredients and now regulations had changed what we bought as Shalimar in 2011 to something still lovely in and of itself but at a far remove from the sensual, dusty, creamy, furry, animal, confection that it was. Having smelled his recreation of the original Shalimar at the Osmotheque in February I wonder if he was inspired by being able to make his houses mainstay fragrance as close as he could to the original formula. So did he, Mr Wasser, then decide to see if he could reinvent the masterpiece? Are we now getting the batches that were made as test runs? Could these be the lead up to what I think is one of the loveliest Shalimars in my coillection, 2013/4, where the growl is back, the lovely and brilliant opening already infused with a tiger that stalks the fragrance till the very last gasp in dry down? Are these the beauties that were lovely but not Shalimar enough?

Photo Stolen Flickr

So here I am with a 5ml atomiser of Mexique from My Perfume Samples. I have worn it a coup0le of times and the first hour and a half is mesmerisingly beautiful. I spritz before work and find myself transported to another world, this is like Shalimar: Taste of Fragrance. What was already an ice cream laden gourmand has become a modern chewy choc-caramel lolly, similar but dry and lacking the HUGE zing of citrus that is so Shalimar, Also missing from Shalimar and found in the Mexique is a furry, mannish, animal purr: a darkness. I get a quirky amberish, macaroon type sweetness that is both crispy and gooey simultaneously, like big coffee sugar pieces that you crunch in your mouth with the dregs of your coffee. It also seems slightly weightless, as if it’s missing some of the important base notes and its lifespan is also considerably shorter at under 4 hours fragrant on my skin, leaving a trail of sweet nothings for a little while longer.

FragranceNet has $46/50ml
My Perfume Samples starts at $3/ml to $9/5ml

Do I love Mexique? Is it different or special enough to FB? To be honest, I have just ordered one.
Portia xx

Cologne du Maghreb by Tauer Perfumes 2011

July 4, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hi there Niche Nerds,

As you may know already I really like Andy Tauer’s work. Not all of his fragrances work on my skin or to my nose but the ones that do are fantastic and I enjoy them very much. Usually with a Tauer fragrance you need to put aside a full day of wearing because they linger for hours and you will wake up next morning with a delicious Tauer-ade hangover on your skin. I never tried today’s offering last time it was released but Jeffrey Dame from Hypoluxe, the distributor through the Americas, asked if I’d like to try it. SURE, said I and a week or so later a pack arrived from Switzerland with a hand written note from Andy Tauer. COOL!!!

Cologne du Maghreb by Tauer Perfumes 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, bergamot, clary sage
Heart: Rosemary, orange blossom, lavender, neroli, rose
Base: Atlas cedar, labdanum, vetiver, amber

I wore Cologne du Maghreb yesterday and I was surprised. Not because it’s lovely, it is but that’s not surprising. Not because it’s very required manly cologne-esque, it is that too. My surprise was how long it lasted on my skin. One of the things Andy Tauer is stressing is that this all natural fragrance is a short lived adventure. I got over three hours of fragrance, from top to dry down, then I couldn’t smell it but this morning I awoke and there it was the amber/wood had made it through the night and while drinking my first coffee of the day in the very cool morning temps I put my face into my top to suck out the cold air and add some hot and there it was. Faint but noticeable traces of Cologne du Maghreb.

Something else I love is that Cologne du Maghreb has a terrific scent story going from brightest, neon, dazzling citrus to dark, sweet, herbal, woodsy dankness. There are plenty of shades of floral, green, lavender, bracing and cuddly along the way and the whole fragrance has a smooth quality that moves beautifully between stages. No wonder Andy wanted to re-release this treasure, it’s great.

The experience was so fun that I decided to live it all again tonight. The picture below reflects my whole experience of Cologne du Maghreb perfectly. Bright, citrus, fresh, wet, green, shade, woods, sunlight, warmth, comfort.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Though the smell is different, what Cologne du Maghreb most reminds me of is my Dad. He was a Tabac Original by Maurer & Wurtz wearer and one of the things I loved about him was his smell. I still keep Tabac original around and often use the soap, deodorant and/or fragrance. So my question is, has Andy Tauer pushed an Eau de Cologne towards being an Aromatic Fougere?

From IndieScents: The Cologne du Maghreb is hand crafted and created in the traditional way of cologne making: With all natural and all botanical raw materials only. Essential oils, absolutes, resins and love find their way into this Cologne…..

Further reading: Chemist In The Bottle and Bonkers About Perfume
IndieScents has $85/50mlSurrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/ml

Have you tried Cologne du Maghreb? What did you think? Would you like to?
See below,

Portia xx

Photo Stolen kbaird

Cologne du Maghreb GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x 1.5ml carded manufacturers sample of Cologne du Maghreb by Tauer Perfumes (both I have spritzed from for review purposes)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

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

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me your favourite Eau de Cologne or Aromatic Fougere fragrance, experience, memory or why you would like to try this one.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Cologne du Maghreb by Tauer Perfumes GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2WJ #Perfume #Giveaway @tauerperfumes

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 6th July 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 10th July 2014 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.

Louis Vuitton Presents The Spirit of Travel Campaign Film

July 4, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Well, well, well, Louis Vuitton.

Sometimes advertising people reach into me and grab one of my key concepts. This then makes me feel like I’m part of a movement, that I belong, part of a thought process that could become a credo. It’s extremely clever marketing and I wonder how many other people are taken in by it too. The feeling that a multi national profit driven money making machine is a part of you, or that it is riding the same wave as you. Interesting, and repulsive and gently alluring all at once.

Louis Vuitton has reached into me and grabbed “To Travel Is To Live” from deep inside me and created a film.

Here is what the Louids Vuitton people have to say: A new Louis Vuitton advertising campaign conjures the original spirit of travel for the next generation. The allure of the unknown, the thrill of exploration, the wonder of discovery — all are captured in a series of stunning images, shot in South Africa by Peter Lindbergh, styled by Carine Roitfeld, and starring models Karen Elson and Edie Campbell.

Do enjoy, please
Portia xx

Photo Stolen Flickr

Louis Vuitton Presents The Spirit of Travel Campaign Film