Unnumbered Sparks by Janet Echelman March 2014

March 28, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hiya APJ,

This is an amazing, enormous, interactive art piece in the middle of an Canadian city, Vancouver. The sheer scale of what the artists have achieved is mind blowing and that anyone with a smart phone can get involved makes it triply special. This is future art. I feel blessed to live in a world where something like this is not only possible but happening. Done as a installment for TED 30th Anniversary in conjunction with Studio Echelman and Google Chrome.

Photo Stolen Hashslush (if this is your image and you are upset, comment, I’ll take it down immediately)

From the Janet Echelman site: Studio Echelman installed its largest, most interactive sculpture installation to date at the TED Conference’s 30th anniversary, March 2014. The monumental aerial sculpture spanned 745 feet between the 24-story Fairmont Waterfront and the Vancouver Convention Center, challenging the artist to work on her most ambitious scale yet – over twice the size of her largest previous sculpture.

The sculpture was presented with an original, interactive work created in collaboration with artist Aaron Koblin, Creative Director of the Data Arts Team in Google’s Creative Lab. At night the sculpture came to life as visitors were able to choreograph the lighting in real time using physical gestures on their mobile devices. Vivid beams of light were projected across a massive scale as the result of small movements on spectators’ phones.

The Making of Unnumbered Sparks

The Technology Behind Unnumbered Sparks

New Ad: Coco Mademoiselle by CHANEL with Kiera Knightly "She's Not There"

March 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Hiya APJ,

Kiera Knightly seems the perfect choice for advertising, gorgeous and quirky looking she is both elegant and seems to have a pretty good handle on fun. I loved her since Bend It Like Beckham and wish she was in more stuff that I see. well THANK GOODNESS for CHANEL who have created some wonderful ads for her to star in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEIRA KNIGHTLY!!

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Coco Mademoiselle by CHANEL with Kiera Knightly “She’s Not There”

The Evolution of Keira Knightley

CelebBuzz.com

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2014. 4 min Snapshot.

March 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Hiya All,

Fragrance is what takes up most of my brainspace but I also love fashion. Though I will never be rail thin, super rich or ever invited to be one of the Haute Couture clients (yes invited, it’s an invitation only experience) still I love the flamboyance and often unwearability of the runway shows and then later the trickle down effect where two or three seasons later I notice a particular thing that I thought ridiculous or totally innovative or terribly unfinished walking the streets and being sold on high streets everywhere.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Here is a four minute snapshot of Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2014. What did I notice? I loved the cut out fabric reminiscent of the cheap nylon curtains that we used to have in our garage as children. The sheer glitter knee high socks, asymetrical but unmatching fabrics, the single cut drape from a miniskirt front to floor length back, the gathered backs of the jackets which meant they float out as you stride. SO MUCH! I think Raf Simons is doing a great job.

Photo Stolen Style.com

Please enjoy a moment out of your day to see into the future.

Portia xxx

MAC Cosmetics' Maleficent

March 23, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 11 Comments

WOW!

Can’t wait for the movie Maleficent by Walt Disney and now I can’t wait for the make up range from MAC too. LOVING the ad copy and the cosmetics look killer too. MAC available in June 2014

(source) via art8amby

IMDb

ROZY Voile d'Extrait by Vero Profumo 2014

March 22, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Dearest APJ Readers, Hangers On (please subscribe) and all Vero Profumo Aficionados.

ROZY Voile d’Extrait by Vero Profumo 2014

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Oriental rose, tuberose, currant buds and leaves, honey, spices, sandalwood, labdanum

A huge spritz and a long sniff and nine hours later, I am charmed. Did you expect anything else?

I am not Freddy from Smelly Thoughts who would really do this justice. I will however try.

It opens with a bright burst of cassis and a an atypical rose combined with tuberose undertones. By this I mean it does not scream rose. It’s gorgeous and not like anything I have ever sniffed. I know you want more information but I can’t do it that quick. Droplets of sandalwood are there too. But what has thrilled me the most is the last couple of hours. It is the softest, cosiest, creamiest honey I have ever experienced. It creeps up on you.
And no, it is nothing like any of the other Voiles.

The Rozy EdP is, however another story.

Don’t forget to enter our 300,00 views Acqua di Parma GIVEAWAY<<< JUMP

Bussis from the Campomarzio70 Happy Nose Days Vernissage!!

Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatique: New Fragrance 2014

March 19, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Hey there APJ,

You are probably aware, or sick to death, of my love for Bottega Veneta’s original EdP and Parfum. It has become Jin’s signature scent and whenever I smell it now I think only of him. The rest of their offerings are quite good but sadly none has caprured my heart in any where near the way of the original beautiful fragrance. Now we have a new one and though I haven’t tried it, I can’t wait. It looks lovely in the ad, let’s hope it lives up to it originator.

Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatique: New Fragrance 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, coriander,
Heart: White rose, tonk, vanilla
Base: Patchouli, sandalwood

(source) via art8amby

Experience the original Bottega Veneta Parfum mini movie

Jardins d'Armide by Oriza L. Legrand 1909/2013

March 16, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 61 Comments

Hello you Gorgeous Frag Geeks,

During out European Frag Tour 2014 Michael and I made a point of going and seeing the boys of Oriza L Legrand at their 18 Rue Saint-Augustin, Paris store. We organised a date and expecting to be given a mini tour of the range and their history, which I had read a fair bit about and then forgotten, we walked to the store. Michael was excited to discover a new fragrance house and I was very interested to meet two men who were able to bring their dream of owning a fragrance house to life.

Turns out that Franck & Hugo are the sweetest men in the history of the known universe, they explained the history, the ideas, the fragrances and a whole lot else. Charming, amusing and extremely dedicated to perfumery and their brand I foresee great things for them. If the quality of their product and service remain at these standards then I can see no reason why not. Today I am going to introduce you to the Oriza L. Legrand fragrance that rocked my world more than the rest.

Photo Stolen Oriza L. Legrand Facebook

Jardins d’Armide by Oriza L. Legrand 1909/2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, orris, powdery notes, orange blossom
Heart: Iris, violet, carnation, wisteria
Base: Honey, almond, tonka bean, musk

Interestingly I bought the fragrance that quite a bit of the scentbloggosphere has either not loved or actively disliked. When Michael and I were being taken through the range it was all touche spritzing until we got to Jardins d’Armide and withing 10 minutes of it being spritzed on a card I was asking to see how it lived on my skin. A little over an hour of fragrance, fun, good humoured banter and the super great story of the company’s inception and reincarnation I was asking for some Jardins d’Armide. Hugo thought I wanted a sample and had already done me a 10ml to take with me (SO kind and thoughtful) but it was a bottle and some of their delicious soaps that I was after. The boys were even so sweet that they posted the bottle back home for me at a very small extra cost, and they put some sample packs in for me to do a giveaway on the blog!

So, what does Jardins d’Armide smell like when it hits my skin, and during its lovely long life? The first thing I get is a funky Musk Stick smell that is both super sugared and soapy, like a sweet rose jam soap. It’s fun and neon bright and it stays for around 5 minutes before receding slightly to let a very breathy, indolic, orange blossom play along and here is where we really get to see the full blown spicy fruit rose bloom. There is an accord that I’ve come across lately and Michael and I decided it was the Hairspray and Nail Polish accord, I FREAKING LOVE IT! Jardins d’Armide has this accord in spades and I think it may have something to do with violet and iris together.

Well into the second hour I think I’m getting a little saffron but it could easily be the violet & iris and honey all smooshing around together. The almond and honey take over somewhere around the 4-5 hour mark but still there lingers a lovely powdery sweetness. It wafts around for a while then slowly fades to nothing. A beautiful ride and I enjoy it immensely. Maybe it’s my skin but I find Jardins d’Armide to be an extremely wearable fragrance that is noticeable, has good sillage and low to medium projection after the first hour. I definitely made the right choice because even here back in Sydney I am reaching for Jardins d’Armide more than almost everything else in my collection.

Photo Stolen Oriza L Legrand

Oriza L Legrand Online Boutique has €120/100ml and send worldwide
Oriza L Legrand Online Boutique also has Sample Sets only €9/7 x 2ml spray samples of their line

Have you tried any of the Oriza L. Legrand fragrances yet? Did you know that their Horizon has been nominated for an Olfactorama Award?
Portia xx

Photo Stolen myprettypaints

Oriza L. Legrand GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 3 winners who will each receive:

1 set of 7 x 2ml Oriza L Legrand samples
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

Go to Oriza L. Legrand<<<JUMP and find me a fragrance and one of its notes, or another of their products and it’s fragrance name. NO DOUBLE UPS!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Oriza L Legrand GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-2z9 #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 20th March 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 24th March 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.

Photo Stolen Oriza L Legrand

Maison Oriza L. Legrand – History

March 16, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 3 Comments

Hi there Perfumed Peeps,

Later today APJ will look at one of the fragrances from this house but I thought it might be good for you all to read the history of the company beforehand. The story presented here is from the Oriza L. Legrand website, and gives a very nice potted history that will have you up to speed in a couple of minutes.

Portia xx

History of Maison Oriza L. Legrand

In 1720, during the reign of Louis XV, Fargeon Elder Parfumeur Distiller of the king and his court (known in Europe as “The Perfumed Court”), gives birth to Oriza House. In 1720, Oriza House enjoyed the trust of the most illustrious and especially King Louis XV of France.

The company was the official supplier of the King and the Fargeon were famous as the perfumer of Queen Marie-Antoinette.

The creams and powders Fargeon created were also destined to the eternal youth and beauty of the famous courtesan, Ninon de Lenclos.

Since the beginning, the House received the royal warrant as the official supplier of toiletries and fragrance of the Royal Courts of France, Italy, England and The Imperial Courts of Napoléon III and Russia.

The name of the house originates from Oryza Sativa, the latin name for rice, which was part of the ingredients for rice powder, make-up and wigs.

Michael at Oriza L Legrand with Franck & Hugo (Photo donated by Michael)

Then in 1811, Louis Legrand took over the house as he understood its potential prestige. With its fragrant creations, he developed it to its full extent. Legrand led Oriza to its fame and set his boutique on the famous rue Saint Honoré in Paris. He created the most refined, the most exquisite and the most complex products. Legrand was a true fragrance artist.

Some time later Antonin Raynaud joined the house as an associate. Legrand then sold him the house, and he renamed it Oriza L. Legrand as a tribute to its first two owners and the story of the famous house of perfumes.

In 1887 the company Oriza L. Legrand patented and produced the world’s first solid perfume (Essence Oriza Solidifiée). The whole manufacture, from the distillation and maceration of perfume ingredients to labelling, from soap making to grinding rice for powder, was concentrated in the factory of Levallois-Perret. Oriza L. Legrand was one of the rare houses that provided the Courts of Russia, England, Italy and France. The house was also one of the firsts to turn its fragrances into lines of products.

For most of its perfumes, Oriza L. Legrand had a perfume, a powder, make-up, soaps and lots of perfumed items.

The factory employed over 200 staff at the end of the 1800s. It ran at full capacity and Raynaud put his financial means at the service of the house. He created for instance his own, very refined package boxes. He also turned to Baccarat, who created bottles for prestigious editions. And he left Faubourg Saint Honoré to set up to shops on 9 boulevard de la Madeleine and on 11 Place de la Madeleine, where Baccarat currently stands. this provides an indication of how important the house had become by then.

Company Oriza L. Legrand successfully participated in international exhibitions and has been regularly awarded prizes, from the bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris (1867) to the Grand Prix in 1900. At the turn of the 20th century, 90% of the production went abroad.

Today Oriza L. Legrand is still made in France and works with small companies all over the country. Raw materials of the highest quality are still used and the apothecary’s artisanal processes followed.

We are very proud to open 4 centuries of archives and present to the world a part of our prestigious history.

All Photos unless otherwise specified Stolen Oriza L Legrand

Epic Body Lotion by Amouage 2009

March 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 38 Comments

Hiya Perfume Junkies,

I love most forms of scent: Fine fragrance, Lotions, Bath products, Home fragrance etc etc. Obviously spritzing perfume is a joy all by itself but for real, no holds barred luxury give me a fabulous Body Lotion, I love the whole experience and also that it is a good frag base. Body Lotion is another thought re-railer, if I find myself heading towards bleak or morbid thoughts something as simple and fun as applying a lavish body lotion can be exactly the thing to send my mind in another direction.

Epic Body Lotion by Amouage 2009

Daniel Maurel

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Caraway, pink pepper, cinnamon
Heart: Rose, geranium, jasmine, tea
Base: Amber, vanilla, incense, orris root, patchouli, agarwood (oud)

The fragrance notes are repeated pretty closely in the Body Lotion but with less of a story, basically the lotion goes on and smells like it does for its whole life. A very pretty mix of caraway, rose, amber with the rest in background roles. What is does do though is smell fabulous, pumping out a perfect dosage of fragrance and leaves my skin looking and feeling lovely, even rubbing it on it feels great and my body absorbs it super quickly which is great when leaving the house in a hurry, you don’t have to wait to put your clothes on.

I have an admission to make. I did have a decant of Epic woman that I was totally going to buy a bottle of. Then I grabbed this bottle of Body Lotion and the Body Lotion and fragrance together are amazing but so HUGE that ever since I wear the Body Lotion by itself and feel that it is completely fragrant enough for around 5-6 hours. After that Epic Body Lotion makes an incredible base for almost any fragrance I choose to spritz over it and gives that fragrance extra life length too with a lovely depth that only Amouage can bring.

Libertine Parfumerie has this to say: The body lotion contains glycerine, shea butter, aloe vera, almond oil, silicone and a protective film leaving the skin supple, smooth, silky and radiant.

Photo Stolen Libertine Parfumerie

There are plenty of places to buy your Amouage Epic Body Lotion if you’re looking for a bargain but I buy mine from Libertine Parfumerie where it may cost a few dollars more but I know that they have new and fresh stock and SHIPPING IN AUSTRALIA IS FREE!

Libertine Parfumerie has $107/300ml pump pack including shipping in Australia
Beauty Encounter has $75/300ml

What are your favourite fragrant indulgences? Is there a lotion that really makes you feel special? Do you find a self application of something lavish can be a mood changer?
Portia x

Oscar de la Renta GIVEAWAY WINNER

March 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments