Hey there APJ Crew,
Black Opium is here, masterminded by Nathalie Lorson, Marie Salamagne, Olivier Cresp and Honorine Blanc and centred around the smell of coffee beans. Sounds marvelous, so good that I know I’ll be disappointed. The mini movie is wonderful though and stars British model Edie Campbell, shot by Daniel Wolfe.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pear, orange blossom, pink pepper
Heart: Jasmine, coffeeBase: Vanilla, patchouli, cedar
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Post by Azar
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I have no doubt that Olympic Orchids Perfumes are magical. Ellen Covey’s success as an indie perfumer is grounded in her creative spirit and reinforced by her extensive knowledge of fragrance materials, countless hours at the perfume organ, carefully considered artistic marketing and her commitment to the time consuming and repetitive tasks associated with any successful enterprise. While I have no illusions about my ability to create a fragrance, I do know that I can handle the time consuming and repetitive. In my experience even the most glamorous jobs can dull with repetition. I have also learned that it takes a relatively high level of discipline to successfully perform the same small motor task over and over again without losing focus or precision (both lessons learned from 60 years at the piano). I am certain that my talent for the tedious could be put to good use on a fragrance sample assembly line.
Unfortunately, many of today’s independent perfumers and niche fragrance houses cannot be bothered to offer samples. The labor and expense involved in filling, labeling, packaging and posting the samples is not seen as cost effective. These guys rely on their websites, social media and the blogging community to sell their perfumes. Why go to all the trouble of offering samples when new customers can be so easily manipulated into blind, full bottle buys. I have succumbed to this strategy more often than I care to admit. As a result I have come to appreciate and support the perfumers who offer their customers a sniff.
Photo Donated Ellen Covey
About a month ago I visited my friend Ellen with the express purpose of putting together samples. Before we began she took me on a tour of her bamboo grove, orchard and gardens. She opened and shared some newly arrived absolutes and then we headed upstairs to the atelier where we tested (and Ellen tweeked) several soon to be released fragrances. After all the fun we finally set to work putting together samples of California Chocolate.
I am no stranger to decanting and labeling but have had no previous experience with the solo assembly line. Ellen gave me the simple tasks of labeling tiny plastic bags, labeling and filling vials and packaging the samples in the bags. She monitored my progress and gave me helpful suggestions along the way. A pipette gun with disposable tips and a rack for vials made working the line a lot easier. My first adventure in serious sample production was rather slow and clumsy but I know, that with practice, my speed and precision will improve. As a reward for the work both Brad and I were treated to a fabulous salmon dinner prepared by Ellen and Michael followed by an amazing dessert of ice cream, guava sauce, whipped cream and figs freshly picked from Ellen’s garden. “Nice work if you can get it…Emoji”.
Azar xx
Photo Stolen myprettypaints
This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
The draw includes a VM Hedonist sample, an Elektra sample, at least one Amouge carded sample and more good stuff. I’m not trying to unload things I don’t like, not used or rejected samples but new packaged and carded samples and a few fresh decants, I just want to give away duplicates!
P&H Anywhere in the world
Open to US RESIDENTS ONLY 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
Reveal, if possible, approximately how many samples you have laying around your house, place of business, in your car, purse wherever. Have you developed a workable plan to store your samples? Let us hear about it!
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ Sample Selection GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-38D #Perfume #Giveaway
Entries Close Thursday 11th September 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will probably be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Sunday 14th September 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.
OMG!!
MAC is constantly coming up with super fun stuff but this is the BEST idea in ages. I can’t wait for this set to hit Aussie stores, just so I can check that it’s real. I love MAC and I love the Simpson’s. How totally excellent that they have been married in make up. Too Freaking Good
Portia xx
To celebrates the 25th anniversary of The Simpsons, MAC Cosmetics is launching a limited edition range of make-up inspired by our favourite cartoon family. The colourful range includes Nacho Cheese Explosion yellow lipglass, false lashes, a powder peach blush and Marge Cuti-cles nail stickers.
The limited edition collaboration will hit stores and online starting September 04th. (source)
Karen Gilbert is coming to Sydney in September, so save the date Saturday September 20. I have cajoled her into hosting her 1 Day Introduction To Perfumery Class here in Sydney. This is the event that Karen runs worldwide and it will be her first ever training day in Australia. A once off, one time only deal with someone who has worked in the fragrance industry for years as a Perfume Evaluator at IFF, then on to working as a perfumer herself and consulting for some of the world’s best known brands. Now Karen is writing, fragrancing, teaching and traveling the world. We are so lucky that she has agreed to host her 1 Day Introduction To Perfumery Class here in Sydney.
Just so you all know, I will be receiving no kickback for organising this event and that Karen is doing a very special price because it’s for me. Normally in the UK a day with Karen will cost guests around £200 each (that’s over AUD$350) and having Karen teach a corporate day is priced beyond my wildest dreams. You can book here 1 Day Introduction To Perfumery Class<<JUMP. There are a very small amount of guest places for this event because Karen wants to make sure everyone gets as much of her attention as possible.
Can’t wait to spend the day with you getting a better understanding of fragrance and how the industry works. We will have a great time together, promise.
Portia xx
BookDepository AUD$19 delivered worlwide
BookDepository AUD$16 delivered worldwide
I have been wanting to run a class for my Aussie readers for ages so when Portia of Australian Perfume Junkies suggested fitting one into my September trip to Sydney I jumped at the chance.
For those of you who have never met me before you can read more about my background HERE
All my classes are very in depth with lots of industry insider tips as well as lots and lots of hands on practical experience. Many students who have done classes with other teachers and are still stuck find that even after the 1 day class it all makes sense and falls into place. I tend to tailor each day to the experience level of the group so each class is a unique experience. This class is suitable for beginners or more advanced students
This introductory workshop in perfumery will give you the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of the history of perfumery and then work with a variety of materials to design your own fragrances. You will have plenty of hands on experience in blending and creating your own accords and finished fragrances. All materials and equipment are provided and no previous experience is necessary. All you need is imagination and a love of perfumery.
You can book here 1 Day Introduction To Perfumery Class<<JUMP
Hi there Perfume Junkies,
There are a few brands that I have looked at occasionally and wondered if they would suit me, or work for me. My interest is tweaked but still I never quite get around to trying their wares. No reason except I don’t come across them in my life and forget to order them when sample/decant shopping. While we were in Korea recently I stumbled across a store that sold The Scent Of Departure range, I love their idea, the fun packaging, the relation to travel and the price point. At the time I spritzed myself with Bali and enjoyed the 100% artificial feeling ride immensely, it was a fun, plastic version of what I imagine Bali to be and I was sad that I’d not purchased. Now I can’t seem to find it online from anywhere that sends to Australia for less than the asking price. Even IndieScents has none left, though they do have others.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mint, cut grass, floral notes, lemon, bergamot
Heart: Lotus, tarragon, anise, cinnamon, rhubarb, clove
Base: Mexican chocolate, vanilla, coffee, licorice, patchouli, woodsy notes, Guaiac wood
Imagine lemon balm dipped in chocolate and with a side of ice cream. That’s how Vienna opens for me. A fizzy, fun, citrus extravaganza that is both cool and warm. The note list seems quite arbitrary and bears only the most nodding acquaintance with what I smell. Mint, kinda, cut grass, ummmm no, anise, yes, something flowery and slightly wet and some spices that are not particularly cinnamon or clove. Patchouli I get once the opening notes blow off and the anise could be construed as licorice. Chocolate is most pronounced at opening but makes interesting re-appearances throughout pairing with this or that note. Tarragon slides in surreptitiously and sweetens the mix with its lovely green warmth. YUMMY! Next day I am still softly but noticeably fragrant, it’s a woody sweet remnant.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
So how does this tie in with Vienna? One of my favourite cities in the world where Empress Sisi once lived, the heart of the Austrian empire. Where in 1994/5 I used to visit my childhood friend David C who was dancing in the Vienna State Opera Ballet. Where I have been visiting Birgit, Dr O & Sandra (and Sean) from Olfactoria’s Travels, staying at the central but fading majesty of the Royal Hotel. It’s reasonable priced, around the corner from St Stephen’s Cathedral and in the heart of the Vienna shopping and historical district.
Photo Stolen Pixabay
What does this fragrance have to do with the Schonnbrunn, Hoffburg, Belvedere or any of the nearby historical monuments? To be honest I think very little. Unless you take the fizzy opening as cold snow covered Vienna, which is my favourite way to view it. Then the spicy, stark heart could be the beauty and interest of the architecture, artists, cathedrals and parklands. If we can stretch the analogy then the slightly freaky gourmand base is the people. Underneath their reserve they are a warm people to strangers, friendly and welcoming and when you hit their funny bone they are quick to laugh and enjoy themselves.
Photo Stolen Flickr
Further reading: EauMG and Ca Fleure Bon
LookFantastic has £27.20/50ml (ONLY UK shoppers though)
IndieScents has some samples
Are these discontinued? Is there a shortage? Have you tried any of them and what did you think?
Portia xx
Heya APJ Fashion Fiends,
After a long while of fashion de yawn it seems that the houses are getting interesting again. LOVING this new layout from Hervé Léger. So fun and retro.
Portia xx
The images with model Maria Flavia Ferrari were shot by Steven Pan and styled by Elizabeth Cabral. (source)
How’s it going APJ?
Hopefully all is well in your world. If not, please don’t stress because as the Medieval Sufi poets so accurately wrote, “this too shall pass.” As, perhaps, has today’s fragrance. I can’t find the modern iteration on the DIOR site and only two of the discounters have it. I haven’t checked department stores but ,maybe some of you all have seen it around? My vintage Dioressence was given to me by Michael Edwards, what a gentleman he is.
Problem using this photo? Tell me I’ll pull it down
Fragrantica give these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, orange, fruity notes, patchouli, green notes, bergamot
Heart: Carnation, tuberose, cinnamon, violet, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, geranium
Base: Musk, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, oakmoss, vetiver, styrax
So I read what I had written and then when reading for the Further Reading list below I found this from Angela at Now Smell This which made my words look like dreck. This is exactly how I experience Dioressence: …kicked off with an intriguing mix of soap and rot. The rot was not musky like body odor, but decomposed, like the vague dead squirrel smell I catch here and there in Guerlain Jicky and Shalimar. The rot smell faded to the background, and a gorgeous floral bouquet, languorous and spicy, nudged in, supremely blended and supremely French in feel. For all its richness, Dioressence wasn’t heavy, and even though the sample was only of the Eau de Toilette, it lasted for hours….
Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Now Smell This
AllBeauty in the UK has £68/100ml
Beauty Encounter has $25/7.5ml
Surrender To Chance has a range of samples starting at $4/ml
Photo Stolen manoneileen
This week we will have 1 Winner who receive:
1 x spray decant of my Vintage Dioressence, courtesy Michael Edwards
P&H Anywhere in the world
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
Tell us about a vintage in your closet with a story? Or even a vintage you remember smelling once upon a time.
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Vintage Dioressence by DIOR GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-33y @Dior #Perfume #Giveaway
Entries Close Sunday 7th September 2014 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 11th September 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.
Have you seen Dioressence in the stores recently? Smelled it?
Portia xx
Hey Hey All,
It has been freaking hectic around here at APJ HQ. Life is buzzing along at a crazy rate. Today I am able to breathe for the first time in weeks, the first week of SPRING! YAY! It’s so lovely outside I’m going out to sunbake. MMMMM. When I come back in I will spritz Bronze Godess Fraiche in joyful anticipation of a glorious season.
Portia xx
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
This week we will have 1 Winner who will get:
1 x decanted sample of all 5 Scent Task Fragrances
P&H Anywhere in the world
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
Tell me a favourite fragrance in your collection and why.
Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie APJ Facebook Scent Task #2 GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-37Q #Perfume #Giveaway
Entries Closed Tuesday 2nd September 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners will be chosen by random.org
Photo Stolen FallOutFactory
The winner will have till Friday 5th September 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.
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Post by Ainslie Walker
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Yes, that’s right, if you haven’t heard Mr Burr himself is gracing our shores – He has agreed to an APJ interview PLUS the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne will be showing:
Photo Stolen Flickr
Press Release:
The NGV garden has never smelt and felt so seductive, replete with a scented clouds, 16,000 daffodils and 2,000 violas and pansies, come spring it will be a blissful sanctuary with a one-of-a-kind sensory experience.
A maze of clustered clouds will offer a sensory exploration of scent design when an installation and exhibition by New York curator of olfactory art Chandler Burr opens in the back garden of the NGV this Spring.
Hyper-Natural: Scent from Art to Design will present seven small scent stations shrouded in man-made clouds and scattered throughout the NGV’s garden. Each station will house one of seven specially selected synthetic scent molecules and be paired with a major olfactory work of design, or perfume, in which that molecule is a vital design element.
These seven molecular scents tell the story of olfactory design and innovation, offering visitors a visceral exploration of this little considered design medium. The experience begins with the first molecule created in the 1850s and weaves its way through the misty landscape to the sophisticated molecular scents of today.
Chandler Burr commented, ‘In Hyper-Natural we consider the beauty of synthetics and their ability to free the designer from the constraints of nature, allowing for previously unimaginable designs, that introduce abstraction, surrealism and photo-realism to the design medium.’
Director of the NGV Tony Ellwood commented, ‘Like any art form or design discipline, the creation of a scent results from curiosity, experimentation and innovation. Yet, perfume and scent creation is rarely appreciated as the thoughtful design process it is. For this reason we are thrilled to be presenting the first Australian exhibition to recognise scent as an important medium of artistic creation and design production.’
Curated by former New York Times perfume critic and author Chandler Burr, Hyper-Natural introduces us to this thoughtful, intricate, fascinating and under-acknowledged medium of design.
Mr Ellwood added, ‘We are delighted to be collaborating with Chandler Burr on this extraordinary project. Chandler’s insights into scent and its relationship with design will shift visitors’ perceptions in a poetic and profound way.’
In addition to the exhibition, a program of scent design events led by Burr will allow visitors to experience the world of olfactory art from many perspectives.
Burr will present a keynote lecture examining the global nature of the scent industry and the complex world of technology, nature and creativity, which coalesce to create any successful scent.
Burr wrote a seminal feature on scent in the New Yorker magazine in 2005 and has published books including The Emperor of Scent and The Perfect Scent. Burr is currently Curator of the Department of Olfactory Art at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York.
Burr commented, ‘A key inspiration for the project is to get visitors to move beyond mere emotional responses and memories and to recognise and think critically about scent design.’
Photo Stolen Vroman’s Bookstore
PROGRAMS
Keynote Address: Hyper-Natural: Scent from Art to Design
Wed 24 Sep, 6pm | NGV International
Join Chandler Burr as he reveals the thoughtful, intricate and fascinating medium of scent.
Speaker: Chandler Burr, Curator, Department of Olfactory Art, New York
Cost | $20 A / $16 M / $18 C
Venue | Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, Ground Level (enter North Entrance, via Arts Centre forecourt)
Yoga in the Garden
Fri 3 Oct & 7 Nov, 7.30–8.30am | NGV International
Relax and unwind in the NGV Garden before the world awakes.
Cost | Free
Venue | NGV Garden, enter Garden Gate (via the Arts Centre forecourt)
Yoga for Kids
Thu 25 Sep, 10.30–11.15am | NGV International
Relax and unwind with your family in the garden as part of the exhibition Hyper-Natural. Ages 3+ recommended.
Cost | Free
Venue | NGV Garden, enter Garden Gate (via Arts Centre forecourt)
Parent/carer supervision required
Curator’s Perspective
Thu 25 Sep, 12.30pm | NGV International
Join curators for an introduction to the exhibition.
Speakers Chandler Burr, Curator, Department of Olfactory Art, New York and Ewan McEoin, Co- curator and NGV Design Consultant
Cost | Free
Venue | NGV Garden, Ground Level
The NGV acknowledges the generous support of a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
Supported by
Guerlain
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Post by Tina G
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“Too well we know a man’s failings, his cowardice and lapses, and our writers of today are all too proficient in exposing these… but we stood in need of one to tell us how a man may be lifted far above himself by his sheer force of will.” Preface – Vol de Nuit. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1931.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, galbanum, petit grain
Heart: Jasmine, daffodil, spices
Base: Earthy woods, iris, vanilla, amber, woodsy notes.
What powers you on, to reach beyond what you thought was possible?
The heartbreakingly beautiful night-scape slides silently below. The endless shades of silver and midnight blue, white mountain peaks and low clouds reflecting the half-moonlight, the never-changing stars lost to the deep horizon. Flying feels like a time outside time, meditative, reflective, but never quite lonely as there is always that presence of the person who is so often in your thoughts, close enough to be at your shoulder but in reality so very far away.
Who brings your thoughts home?
Back in an age where air travel was in its infancy, the activity of night flight (vol de nuit) was much more immediate. Surrounded by dinky light globes, basic electrics and feeling every bump & jolt of the aircraft, night navigation was a treacherous task at best of times and drew on the absolute strength of spirit of the pilot. The 1931 novel Vol de Nuit, on which Guerlain based its fragrance by the same name, finds our heroic-hearted pilot flying through heavy clouds and raging winds of an unpredicted cyclonic storm – all distances skewed, fuel is ebbing, location is unknown and any minute all could be so easily lost.
Photo Donated Amarah Tabbah
Where does the heart’s comfort lie when the end is looming?
Spring. The rich earth of the garden bed outside the small country cottage has been recently turned, but the rebellious daffodils and irises are sprouting directly from the edges of the lawn. On the warm air is the intoxicating scent of sweet jasmine. Wandering inside, the kitchen hearth is still smouldering, bringing a warm amber glow the room. On the rustic wooden table sits an old resinous wooden bowl, holding a few oranges and bumpy skinned lemons.
But…there is a feeling that someone has just been here, the swish of an apron, a laugh, the trail of gentle vanilla – moving through the cottage, the rooms get slightly darker and mustier until the boudoir is reached. A side dresser has evidence of feminine presence. A well-worn pink powder puff lies temporarily discarded, picking it up, breathing in, that musky-powderiness is like every act of comfort and kindness in your life all rolled into one, deep, breath.
Home is where the heart is.
Our fated night pilot, surrounded by biting gale-force winds and lost to the world of men, fighting with every sinew to survive, sees the clouds break for an instant and the cold stars shine up above. This is his one impossible chance at freedom, at reaching home and the person who holds his heart. He turns the plane, up and up, and with all his might and sheer force of will aims straight for those stars….
Surrender To Chance has Vol de Nuit samples starting at $3/ml
TinaG x
Australian Perfume Junkies 