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Metal by Robert Gonnon for Paco Rabanne 1979

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Portia

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Hello vintage lovers,

Arriving in the post yesterday from eBay and on my skin ever since is a 30ml old, old bottle of Metal. As I opened it I thought I’d give myself a spritz and sadly the sprayer sends most of the juice down the bottle and what little comes out smells broken and nasty aldehyde turn, GRRRR. I’m going to give it a soak in white vinegar & disinfectant.

Metal by Paco Rabanne 1979

Metal by Robert Gonnon

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, Basil, Green notes, Hyacinth, Lemon
Heart: Cyclamen, Iris, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Rose, Tuberose, Ylang-ylang
Base: Ambergris, Oakmoss, Musk, Sandalwood, Vetiver

Chypre! Metal is a chypre. The opening is all about galbanum and some citrus fizzed up by aldehydes. I thought my bottle had turned but a few spritzes without the dodgy atomiser and the scent smells pure, clean and fresh, while also not smelling of any of that because chypre. I am thoroughly surprised at how gorgeously it’s kept.

After only a few moments I can already smell the oakmoss furriness that chypres give me. It’s a cool comfort and it makes me feel safe and invincible. If CHANEL No 19 gives you backbone then Metal will give you armour and weaponry.

Wikipedia

Funnily I don’t really smell metal, no, that’s not exactly true….. maybe the smell of sharpening a Wiltshire knife in it’s plastic casing. The floral bouquet is a beautiful whole and I can’t pick any of the notes because underpinning the heart is this luscious oakmoss with hints of oily vetiver and a touch of salty brine that I’m attributing to the ambergris and vetiver.

Longevity is good and the baseline lasts hours. It hums away quietly in the background but if I change rooms suddenly I can smell it all over again. Fabulous.

Further reading: I Smell Therefore I Am and Black Narcissus

Do you love the chypre genre?
Portia xx

 

Fed Up With Fragrance? Perfumed Apathy!

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Hello APJ Readers!

The very fact that you are reading this already shows that you are at least one step beyond a normal person. Normal as in spritz and go and pay no attention at all to what you are wearing. I sometimes wish I could be like that, but there is not turning back is there? It is a very real part of the perfume junkie obsessive compulsive disorder, well mine at least. Analysing fragrances can be so exhausting.

Apathy set in a couple of months ago. I´m like, so bored with all this perfume stuff. I have some beautiful perfumes, but just haven´t been feeling the groove. However that most certainly does not mean I have wanted to stop wearing fragrance. That is a point I have not yet reached! I don´t feel properly dressed without perfume and probably never will, it brings great joy.

Fed Up With Fragrance? Perfumed Apathy!

MY CURRENT GRAB AND GO, NO ANALYSING OR DISSECTING NECESSARY FAVES

Fragrantica

CHANEL N°5 Parfum

After years of not having renewed my bottle of this I bought one at the end of last year. Am now half way through it. Sensual, rich and exquisite. Not to be confused with any other version of N°5. This is not all about aldehydes, we are talking vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, amber …….. Divine. Try it if you haven´t.

Fragrantica

CHANEL Boy EdP

Definitely a rare spray and go for me. Heliotrope, vanilla and musk. Hints of lavender and fruits. Lovely.

Fragrantica

Vero Profumo Kiki Extrait

So familiar with Kiki that it melts into my skin and just becomes a part of me. Luscious lavender, caramelised musks, patchouli, ambergris. Stunning.

Fragrantica

 

Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan

Came to this beauty extremely late. I only have a 15ml travel bottle and will be purchasing a full bottle. Have only worn it in the winter months. Smoked tea, apricot, bright, juicy, and yet resting on a bed of suede. A vibe of elegance and simplicity. Gorgeous.

Donated Val XX

But fear not! I am off to the Esxence in a month. Not only is NAJA, the new Vero Profumo ready for launch, but rumour has it I will be picking Portia up from the airport too. Coma sniffing, bring it on.

What do you wear when you´re kind of fed up with it all?

Bussis
CQ

 

Scent Free Day?

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Portia

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Hi there APJ,

Sometimes my nose needs a rest. I am not quite sure why. Today I woke up and usually before I grab the dogs to feed & walk them I scent myself so I can enjoy the fragrance as I wander with the boys. It’s usually around 10am and the day is warming up nicely, this summer it’s already been quite hot by the time I get home so I really feel I’ve put the scent through its paces. 30-40 minutes after spritzing I’m well into the heart of the fragrance, in some cases even the dry down already.

Scent Free Day?

Anyway, today I walked into my fragrance room and my body just said no. So I walked back out again with only the merest traces of last nights fragrance on my T-Shirt. I quite liked having my nose open to smelling the various eucalyptus, cars, coffee and toast at the local cafe, the mown yesterday grass in the park and the myriad other scent snippets of a half hour wander around the neighbourhood.

There are other times I don’t like to be scented. Some illnesses, in very enclosed spaces, meeting potential employers for the first time. I do have a little Meeting New Employers Hack though. I always have a softly scented hand cream with me and apply a very smell amount before going in. Int means my hands feel nice and leave a fresh, clean scent on their hands when we shake. You’ll notice people touch their face almost directly after shaking hands, unconsciously they are reading your hand scent.

By now though I have given myself a spritz. Ballets Rouges by Olympic Orchids to fit with Lucasz at Chemist In A Bottle‘s rose month. MMMMMM

So, my question to you all today is “When do you need a Scent Free Day?”. Are there specific moments or periods in your life when being scented feels wrong? Is there a friend or colleague that prefers you go unscented? Or are you a give me 10 spritzes no matter what kind of person?
Portia xxx

 

CHANEL No 19: The Furriest Green

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 31 Comments

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Portia

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Hey APJ,

We talk a lot about the rigid backed, aloof and cool angel that CHANEL No 19 is but rarely does anyone speak about the furriness. While wearing it today I had this FUR-piphany. Though I love 19 in all weathers it seems to bloom particularly well in the heat. It’s as if the usually buttoned up girl blossoms and blooms into a voluptuous siren of a woman and calls to one and all in alluring cadences.

CHANEL No 19 by Henri Robert 1971

CHANEL No 19: The Furriest Green

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Galbanum, Hyacinth, Neroli
Heart: Iris, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Narcissus, Rose, Ylang-ylang
Base: Oakmoss, Leather, Musk, Sandalwood, Cedarwood

I’m guessing my current bottle is somewhere 1980s or 1990s. It’s the silver plastic 50ml EdT with the gold trim. The opening is quite high pitched and the base lasts well into 4 hours fragrant.

Sparkling citrus and green, furry galbanum. One of my favourite fragrant openings. At once sheer and dense, like being completely encased in a green bubble made of coolest, smooth marble. It’s a wake up shock, a welcome surprise every time.

PDI

Here’s the problem, I refuse nowadays to spend time parsing the notes in the heart. What I do is sit here and enjoy the scent of CHANEL No 19 in its entirety. The bouquet in 19s heart is fresh and crisp, it smells buttoned up and ready at action stations. How could you be anything less than efficient and in charge when you smell like this? Hardly seems possible.

Then the base slowly, sinuously, darkens this crystal display with creamy sandalwood, animal musks and furry oakmoss. Here is where CHANEL No 19 captures my heart and holds it in thrall. Somehow while maintaining its regal dignity the whole fragrance becomes comfortable, cuddly and comforting. Like the 6pm bell has sounded and Miss Hard Assed Executive has let down the French roll, undone an extra button on the blouse, swapped 4″ for 2″ heels and headed off to hang with the family.

PDI

Further reading: Anne-Marie at APJ and Portia at APJ
CHANEL counters worldwide have No 10 EdT. Mine was a vintage eBay buy

Do you CHANEL No 19?
Portia xx

 

 

Micky & Moby Candles

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

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Portia

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Hey Ambient Scenters,

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

Micky & Moby Candles

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

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

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

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

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

CHANEL: Le Baudruchage

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

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Portia

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OK Folks,

Great to see you, as always.

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

YouTube

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

CHANEL: Le Baudruchage

Niki de Saint Phalle

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

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Post by Portia

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Hey there vintage fumie friends,

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

Niki de Saint Phalle

Fragrantica

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

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

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

WikiCommons

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

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

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

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

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

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Portia

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Hey All,

Thank You for another year of amazing fragrance chatter and beyond. Last year I wrote that the world was in trouble. SHIT! Seems the world took that as a challenge. Brexit, Putin, Trump, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, almost everywhere there is backlash against saving our planet, it’s flora and fauna and people. Big business has us all hoodwinked and most governments are in the pockets of Pharmaceuticals (drugs), War (guns) and Oil. The big picture is bleak.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017

Around me though I see regular bright sparks of creative giving and helping that gives me hope for the small picture. Jin cut his beautiful hair for leukaemia fundraising this year and raised thousands. He did it on my Mum’s The gang at Hair by Phd Parramatta Store cut it for free so we could send it off to become a wig for children with leukaemia. Jin is a dead set hero in my eyes.

jin-worlds-greatest-shave-2016

jin-worlds-greatest-shave-2016-hair-by-phd-22

My friends Rita and Cathy (and a GF of theirs whose name I can’t bloody remember) are fundraising and cooking with the One Meal crew here in Sydney to provide one decent meal a week to families who are right on the edge of the poverty line and street people. We did a Turbo Trivia Fundraiser for them and raised nearly $22,000. In a year filled with fundraising this was a major highlight.

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Another mate Matt Moore and his buddies Matt White and Ben Dunley have started the idea of using the Aussie men’s mates’ mantra ‘Grab a pie, Grab a mate, Have a chat’ helping men to talk about their feelings. From Matt’s own depression problems sprung this idea of doing something so regular, so common amongst Aussie mates and making it a moment to discuss life issues. In 2015, preliminary data showed a total of 3,027 deaths by suicide (12.7 per 100,000), 2,292 males (19.4 per 100,000) and 735 females (6.2 per 100,000). Aussie guys are 3x more likely suicide and at a rate of over 6 per day, from a population of just over 23 million. That’s bad, anything that can help is good. Go visit Guys & Pies and donate.

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What do I do? Well, I give myself at a heavily discounted rate for fundraisers, help a few people who I know are struggling sometimes with food, time or cash, give regularly to charities that I feel the money is being spent on helping not admin and we rescue dogs. While none of these things are earth shattering they are game changing for the people that are helped. That’s all I can do.

sydney_habour_bridge__opera_house_fireworks_new_year_eve_2008

So Happy New Year Australian Perfume Junkies. To everyone that’s contributed, commented, lurked and followed I wish you a peaceful & prosperous 2017. Fill it with fun & laughter, fragrance and stuff you enjoy. Make time to care for yourself, push yourself to be the best you can be and treat everyone you come in contact with as you’d hope to be treated.

We love you all,
Portia xx

Portia’s Desk Fragrances December 2016

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Post by Portia

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Hi there Fragrant Fumies,

As you know my desk regularly gets a declutter from all the accumulated fragrant stuff that lurks there. This month has been particularly spectacular for frag usage without putting it away. I know, naughty boy. So before I find the homes where all these beauties belong I thought I’d share the true horror of my mess.

Portia’s Desk Fragrances December 2016

portias-desk-dec-2016

Samples/Decants?Travel

5ml Vert Malachite by Armani Prive
10ml vintage CHANEL Coromandel EdT
8ml In The Woods by Cult Of Scent
3ml Palissandre d`Or by Aedes de Venus’s
15ml Rose Ikebana by Hermès
15ml Iris Ukiyoé by Hermès
8ml Bali oil by Coast Sydney
3ml Calypso Ambre by Christiane Celle
10ml Lumiere Noire Pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
10ml Tabac Rouge by Phaedon
10ml Iris by Santa Maria Novella
15ml Cuir Mojito by Daniel Barros
8ml I Love My Man by Dear Rose
10ml Shanghai Lily by Tom Ford
10ml vintage CHANEL No 22 EdT
20ml Splash Forte by IUNX
8ml Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora
30ml Milly-la-Forêt by DIOR
8ml Le Musc et La Peau by Perfumerie Generale
5ml Ispahan by Yves Rocher

Full Bottles

200ml Cologne Pour le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
100ml vintage Diorella EdT by DIOR
100ml vintage Miss Dior EdC by DIOR
50ml vintage Miss Dior EdT by DIOR
50ml vintage CHANEL No 19 EdC
60ml Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations
120ml vintage Infini PdT by Caron
50ml vintage Infini EdT by Caron
30ml vintage Infini Parfum by Caron
50ml Mitsouko EdT by Guerlain
100ml Le Jardin de Monsieur Li by Hermès
100ml JAZZ by YSL
50ml vintage Musc Nomade by Annick Goutal
75ml Evening Edged In Gold by INeKE
50ml Tom of Finland by ELdO
60ml Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations
50ml vintage Samsara EdT by Guerlain
30ml vintage Vol de Nuit propellor bottle by Guerlain
50ml vintage Eau de Gucci
50ml Contradiction Woman by Calvin Klein
50ml vintage Opium EdT by YSL
50ml Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
30ml Stash by Sarah Jessica Parker
60ml The Aoud by Mancera
75ml Liberté by Cacharel
7.5ml vintage CHANEL No 22 extrait
15ml vintage Chloe extrait
50ml Coup de Foudre by Parfums DelRae

So, what’s cluttering your workspace?
Portia xx