style

Dsquared2 Fall Winter 2013/2014 Full Fashion Show

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Hiya Huffers,

While the Dsquared fragrances don’t give me a huge wear life they are interesting and usually boundary pushers. This F/W 13/14 show is so classically beautiful but with wonderful and outrageous features that make it modern, so bang up to date. And so much of it elegant, beaded evening wear. Bravo! Sequins and glitter are back.

Dsquared2-FW13 FMVMagPhoto Stolen MFVMag

I like that they have followed the LV 12/13 over-large hat look. It’s fun, silly and sometimes fabulous. The jewellery is astounding BTW. Enjoy.

DSquared2_FW13 GloveLoveBlogPhoto Stolen GloveLoveBlog

Portia xx
Dsquared2 Fall Winter 2013/2014 Full Fashion Show (Feb’13)

Dionne’s Spring + Fall Top 5’s

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

.

Post by Dionne

.

Greetings, fellow ‘fumies,
Portia wrote a post a little while ago (Portia’s 2013 Spring Top 10) listing her top ten for spring/fall, and I was intrigued to learn that she reaches for the same fragrances for both seasons, since they have warm days and cool nights in common. My own list for the two seasons is not similar at all, so instead you’re going to get a shorter list for each season.

Dionne’s Spring + Fall Top 5’s

Spring WallpaperPinPhoto Stolen WallpaperPin

SPRING

Ahhh, my favorite season! Maybe that’s because it’s so welcome after six months of winter, and since it’s such a short, ephemeral thing that lasts only a month I always feel a combination of hope and wistfulness. Spring is when I reach for my light florals, and that in itself is a special event. Most higher-pitched florals don’t play well with my skin, so this list represents perseverance and many, MANY samples.

Après l’Ondée by Guerlain

This is the pre-2011 formulation, when heliotrope still sang alongside the iris and violet. So gorgeous that if I was forced to choose only one Spring fragrance, this would be it.

Mimosa pour Moi by L’Artisan Parfumeur

I did a major sampling of the mimosa note, and out of about 14 contenders, this was my favorite. And oh, such a tender thing. Fuzzy yellow pom-poms in a bottle.

Heure Exquise by Annick Goutal

The prettiest of my green quartet, this floral green pulls off the trick of freshness and elegance at the same time. The highest praise my Scottish father-in-law would bestow on something was the phrase, “Oh, that’s just lovely,” and that’s what this is.

Le Temps d’une Fete by Parfums de Nicolai

Supposed to be a green floral, on my skin the green doesn’t really show up because narcissus and hyacinth in all their lush glory has completely taken over the conversation. Heady stuff and just a hint of naughty.

After My Own Heart by INeke

I adore the scent of lilacs so it’s no surprise my very first bottle after falling down the rabbit hole was After My Own Heart. I must respectfully disagree with Coco Chanel – sometimes I DO want to smell like a flower. And after comparing AMOH with the lilac bush outside my window…. oh yeah, I definitely do.

Autumn WallpaperPinPhoto Stolen WallpaperPin

FALL (Autumn)

It’s harder for me to choose specific Fall fragrances because I usually wear the same ones this season that I do in Winter, with one exception. My favorite perfumes are the spicier, warmer fragrances, and after a few months of fresh, floral, green or fruity options, I’m ready to give all my snugglies a go again.

Jour Ensolleilé by Sonoma Scent Studio

This is THE fall fragrance for me. Laurie Erickson combines orange blossom with tuberose and jasmine in a way that’s golden, and it’s the perfect match for the rich sunshine filtering through the trees.

Tilda Swinton Like this by Etat Libre d’Orange

Ginger, pumpkin, maple syrup and all things orange, this is the way celebuscents should be made.

Kyoto by Comme des Garcons

It turns out that incense + green tea + vetiver = a Zen state of mind. Calming and reflective.

Traversée du Bosphore by L’Artisan Parfumeur

At first smell, it’s sweet Turkish delight, but give it a whirl and you discover there’s some intelligence under the hood as well as the leather, saffron and tobacco come to the fore. It’s the Dolly Parton of gourmand fragrances.

Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne

OK, now I’m really cheating, because this isn’t a Fall fragrance by any stretch; it’s my signature , my Holy Grail. It’s just that the Lady gets worn less in the summertime and I’ve missed her. Dark green forests wrapped in amber, a one of a kind.

spring-festival WallpaperPinPhoto Stolen WallpaperPin

SurrenderToChance has samples and decants of all of these beauties if you’d like to try any of them. Samples start from as little as $3/ml and they are a great way to test a fragrance.

So, what are your top five? Do you reach for the same thing in Spring and Autumn like Portia, or do you mix it up like me?
Dionne

Stop and Smell the Roses

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

.

Post by Suzanne R Banks

.

“Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” Gertrude Stein, 1935

Some say Gertrude Stein is referring to the rose like this to express her feeling that things are what they are. According to Wikipedia: “In Stein’s view, the sentence expresses the fact that simply using the name of a thing already invokes the imagery and emotions associated with it,..” So when you say rose do you invoke the scent, or the colour, or everything? It is the most romanticised flower in history and appears in many poems, prose and plays. It is often associated with love and intimate moments of the heart.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Do you take time to stop and smell the roses? What is life if we don’t connect to its beauty at every turn? The scent of a beautiful rose is a true gift of nature which invites us to convene with the oneness of the universe in the now!

rosa-centifloiaRosa centifolia – another rose used to make essential oil

I never buy a rose that doesn’t have a scent – to me that’s the most important part. Isn’t it a wonderful thing when you enter your house to be greeted by the natural perfume of roses? Essential oil of rose is made by either steam distillation or as an absolute (where the scent is extracted into a fat and then lifted by a solvent). I tend not to buy absolutes as there seems to be a heavy chemical intervention and I’d rather have my oils extracted in the simplest way.

Rose oil is a complex arrangement of hundreds of molecules, some of which have still not been identified. No wonder it is referred to as the “Queen of Oils”. We know Cleopatra used roses in her beauty regime, and it is claimed she used rose petals in her boudoir to seduce Marc Anthony from the Roman Empire. The Romans used roses too, and the mention of roses appear in Christian, Buddhist and Confucian literature. Roses are seen in Asian motifs dating back to 3000 BC. It seems as though commercial production of rose oils and rose by products can be traced to Persia in the 10th century. The oil was referred to as “attar of roses” or “rose otto”, which is a term still used today.

rosa_gallica_jamesmasonRosa gallica – a sub species named “James Mason”

So what can we use use rose oil for?

* use rose oil to help with any heat or infection in the body (you would put a few drops into some carrier oil and smooth it on the face and body – a great treatment for any illness)

* use this rose body oil to help take the sting out of eczema and psoriasis

* a drop on the temple to relieve stress and tension and counteract a headache

* a great oil for attending to grief (use it a single drop on the heart chakra or in a personal mist or room mist)

* a drop added to your facial oil or cream will refine your skin and give you one of the most powerful aromatherapy treatments in the world. You will feel soft, unruffled, connected to the universe and ready to be the Queen of your world

* a few drops of rose oil in an oil burner will create a scented paradise of peace and calm so it’s great for upset children, the elderly and even pets (if you are using 3% in jojoba it’s not really suitable for an oil burner – you will need to buy the pure oil)

* a drop or two in the right place, as a perfume, will do amazing things for your self esteem as rose is the oil of self-love and nurturing

rosa-damascenaRosa damascena – the most used rose for oil production

When buying rose oil you will mostly find it comes in a 3 % dilution in jojoba oil and this is simply because it is a premium oil and is very expensive. Even if you buy wholesale, pure rose oil can cost hundreds of dollars. It is precious!

Remember, treat yourself first then everyone will benefit!

Suzanne R Banks x

Ed: If you thought this was good go see the Suzanne R Banks site (LINK JUMP) or like her Facebook Page (LINK JUMP)

All Photos from Suzanne R Banks site. This post is a reprise of a piece from Suzanne R Banks blog

Chile Vanilli By Brent Leonesio for Smell Bent

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 24 Comments

Hello lovelies,

Make no mistake, I am a Smell Bent fan girl. I love their fun and interesting take on fragrance, their gorgeous Chairman and their price point. Smell Bent’s modus operandi is to spend all their money on the juice and little on the packaging, next to nothing on advertising. Now that is a sensible niche game plan to me, and it’s generating worldwide interest. Recently I dropped by the website a grabbed a couple of their perfumed oils.

Chile Vanilli By Smell Bent

Chile Vanilli FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Patchouli, Vanilla, Cinnamon

Firstly, I love the little oil pots from Smell Bent with their glass want applicator in the lid, it feels very new and ancient at the same time: this is how the Indian and Arabic oils are often presented and it’s really easy. Another wonderful thing about oils is that you get a longer wear time and slower development of the fragrance, though in Chile Vanilli’s case not really important because on me it wears quite linear. A lovely soft, warm blend that is perfect for Spring and Autumn. Today Sydney is a little brisk and I am feeling cuddled and coddled in a divine dry dessert fragrance that is delicious without being overly food-ish, though there are bakery moments towards the dry down. I think the patchouli, which is not excessive, keeps the composition grounded and earthy.

Smell Bent oils FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Though Chile Vanille is fragrant, it will not skunk those around you, especially in the oil form. I think it would be a perfect work, date, dinner scent where you want to smell fresh, clean, warm and inviting but not announce your perfumista status too loudly. In oil form there is less projection though any length of time spent somewhere and you will be smellable, soft but invasive.

For a complete list of the current, and often changing, Smell Bent choices go to the Smell Bent Site (<<<JUMP) my Chile Vanilli 8ml Oil was around $20, super good value for money!!

Here is a shot of the lovely, movie star good looking Chairman at Smell Bent, Brent Leonesio. If that’s not a good reason to go check out the Smell Bent Site then I don’t know what is.

Brent Leonesio FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Until tomorrow, Be Nice To Yourself.
Portia xx

Safran Troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur 2002

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 50 Comments

Hello Fellow Fume Heads,

Sometimes I read other people’s reviews and I am swept away by their incredible love, moment, articulateness or sheer joy at a perfume. It’s like the love is transferred by osmosis through their excitement. Safran Troublant is a case in point, I read a terrific post and could almost smell the fragrance while reading, at that same time I was ordering some splits from my favourite split enabler, Ruth K on FFF, and wondered if she had a bottle lying around that she would like to share 5ml of. Oh yes she did, in its old packaging and everything. YIPPEE!

Fragrantica has Bertrand Duchaufour and BaseNotes has Olivia Giacobetti responsible for creating Safran Troublant. Mystery!!

Safran Troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur 2002

Safran Troublant FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Passion flower, sandalwood, red rose, vanilla, saffron, sugar and ginger.

What a terrific scent. It is so calm, collected and unpushy. When I wear Safran Troublant it encases me is a glorious and interesting magic that is sweet and delicious without being particularly edible, though foody it is. Does that make sense? The spicy rose, ginger and vanilla are what I smell most through the whole life of the fragrance but I think the saffron is just not a note I’m familiar enough with to really understand how it fits here. Sometimes people mention that there is a clean plastic-ish smell to it, well I often find that in roses too, are they the same? Is it a particular molecule that gives me this reaction? Dunno gang but I love it.

Safran Troublant Sugared Rose ediblecraftsPhoto Stolen EdibleCrafts

Some of the bloggers have called this a comfort scent, a warm blanket to wrap yourself in on a cool day but I find it much more aloof than that. It’s a cool Autumn day filled with rain here in Sydney and I am not feeling the warm wrap effect at all. Sweet, yes, warm, no. Rather a cool sweetness, a green sweetness, Safran Troublant feels like an expensive sweetness that relies on sophistication and prior knowledge to enjoy it fully. Like Bach, so pretty and intricate to listen to but when you start to study him it becomes a math equation, a geometric vision in sound. L’Artisan is often like that for me. Very pretty and wearable by almost everyone till you start to try and dissect what it is you love and it is so far out of my knowledge realms that all I can do is go back to, “I really enjoy how I feel when I wear it.” Curiously, I smell it for hours and hours but the people around me say it’s too faint to discern, interesting huh?

Safran Troublant Red Rose Girl LayoutSparksPhoto Stolen LayoutSparks

You will not skunk your colleagues or dinner guests even if you, like me, spritz with abandon. Safran Troublant is an introverted perfumistas scent, not that you are unsmellable but it flies under the radar.

Further reading GrainDeMusc and the reason I got my hands on some Safran Troublant was the recent post at Kafkaesque
L’Artisan Parfumeur has 100ml/$145
Libertine Perfumes in Australia has 100ml/$169 including postage in Australia. Good deal!
SurrenderToChance starts at $4/ml

Has it ever happened for you? Read a review and can’t help but buy the fragrance? Which fragrances have you done it for and are you happy with your purchase?
Till tomorrow we wish you only good,
Portia xx

Villeroy + Boch – LoopArt Project

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hello Fragrant Fumies,

I am often inspired by the depth of commitment shown by artists. It is rare though that a multi national company shares this view or that they give us stories of such behaviours. Here is a 6 minute mini movie by the Villeroy & Boch brand. One I have loved for years because of their fun and often gorgeous tablewares that so many of my friends families used as we were growing up. It shows how the company has been created with the idea of art as king and how they keep that idea going into the 21st century. Inspiring and interesting.

Villeroy & Boch Second Glance Bowl Villeroy & Boch Second Glance EbonPhotos stolen Villeroy & Boch

Portia xx

Villeroy & Boch – But Different!

2nd Glance #1 – LoopArt Project

Escale à Portofino by Francois Demachy for DIOR 2008

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Hello Happy Huffers,

In todays post we look at a fragrance that I’ve always thought of as a mid summer spritz to cool, calm and collect myself. I have rarely worn it in the cooler months and then only for memories of summer. It has always felt beautifully blended but today for the first time I am wearing it for review purposes.

Escale à Portofino for DIOR 2008

Escale & Portafino FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, petitgrain and lemon
Heart: Almond, orange blossom and juniper berries
Base: Cedar, cypress, galbanum, caraway and musk

BANG! WHOOSH! Citrus opens bright, effervescent and audacious. A sparkling and fun fizz that says summer is around the corner, we are gripped by spring, life is good and wonders will never cease. For a fun pick me up to any blue day then Escale à Portofino is the antidote. A big cheesy smile in every spritz. We maintain a green freshness as the juniper berries sweep in but my skin and nose doesn’t register the orange blossom except as background voices to the lovely green snap of those berries, and the citrus stays around for a very decent length of time into fragrance life.

Lemonade WallpapersCraftPhoto Stolen WallpapersCraft

When the almonds come through its a sweet milky surprise, woodsy too, adding a lovely depth to what is essentially a very cologne-esque adventure. I am surprised that Escale à Portofino hasn’t been marketed more directly to the men, it would be a perfect masculine as well as being a lovely feminine. The dry down never registered with me before today, it maintains its green heart but warming and unsweetening slightly and becoming a bit more herbal. Very interesting. A very Green Tea scent to close, gorgeous whispers and wafts before finally, gone.

My main qualm with Escale à Portofino is that usually when I wear it the lasting power is terrible, around 3 hours maximum. Today though when worn with the express purpose of reviewing it I got over 6 hours of fragrant life, interesting. This may be better in mid seasons rather that the heat or cold? Today is a lovely 20 degrees celcius with the sun shining and I feel like I have made a new fragrant friend, the whole life of Escale à Portofino got more interesting and longer.

GreenTea Fragrance-OilPhoto Stolen Fragrance-Oil

Further reading BoisDeJasmin and Olfactoria’sTravels
FragranceNet has $55/75ml
SurrenderToChance starts at $3/ml

Don’t you love it when an old favourite that you’ve worn for ages at a certain time changes its face for you? What frags have done this for you?
Portia xx

Baque by Slumberhouse 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 26 Comments

Hello Niche Nerds.

I make no disguise of the fact that I love this crew. Every time I try a new fragrance from them there is something magnetic, audacious and animal in every bottle. This particular decant came from a split run by Ruth K on FFF if my memory serves me correctly.

Baque by Slumberhouse 2012

Baque FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Apricot, cedar, vanilla, tobacco leaf, artemisia and ambergris

I have an apology to make, Baque is no longer available and was a limited release made for IndieScents. Josh tells me though that Slumberhouse will be bringing back a couple of their previous Limited Editions, Sana and Flou, in coming weeks so do go check out the Slumberhouse website for those.

Baque Slumberhouse green girl SpiritPartagePhoto Stolen SpiritPartage

So Baque, opens woodsy, sweet, rough and dangerous! The artemesia giving a gorgeous bitter and herbal depth that is at once antiseptic-fresh clean and healthy-damp compost-heap earthy. The apricot and vanilla sweetness cuts across all this forest through the mid range of wear and gives a syrup like patina that would be welcome on pancakes. I am sad that I never bought a bottle because Baque is so deep and luscious. I also detect a hint of freshly used coffee grounds and bitter, dark chocolate. Extraordinary scent that you will never find the likes of in Sephora unless we see drastic change in GP consumer tastes.

Towards the dry down the whole fragrance warms slightly into the vanilla and wood giving a golden warm sepia tint to the whole, much like the below image.

As with all the other Slumberhouse fragrances that I’ve tried and worn sillage is wonderful and projection moderate. Too fragrant for close office quarters, and probably quite a few not too close workplaces, unless fragrance is a welcomed addition to your person. I am fragrant from one spritz for more than 6 hours.

Baque Slumberhouse Wood girl ListOfImagesPhoto Stolen ListOfImages

From Slumberhouse: Slumberhouse is a boutique cologne label in the heart of Portland, OR; created and inspired by urban and street culture, art, film and music – especially the new school of hiphop and graffiti artists. We are a group of young gents who march to our own beat, embracing an absolute disregard for other brands, trends and marketing cliches. Slumberhouse represents an unequivocal love for the art of fragrance making.

Further reading NotableScents and SmellyThoughts looks at a few in the Slumberhouse range
Slumberhouse Website
Parfum1 has a good selection also
SurenderToChance has a selection of the Slumberhouse samples and decants

What from the Slumberhouse range have you tried? Did you enjoy their work? I’d love to hear about your Slumberhouse experiences, good or bad.
Till tomorrow,

Portia xx

Pure Vanilla by Lavanila Laboratories 2007

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Hello Vanilla Lovers,

Have I got a special treat for you today! Sophisticated vanilla…

Pure Vanilla by Lavanila Laboratories 2007

Pure Vanilla FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Patchouli, freesia, heliotrope, Madagascar vanilla and tonka bean

I have just realised how little vanilla-centric fragrance is in my collection. When I think vanilla I go straight for JPG Le Male, it’s still a fragrance that will make me follow a person wearing it to continue the sillage trail sniffing. Sure, many of my fragrances have or end in a vanilla of sorts but this is a whole new ballgame.

Pure Vanilla is a natural fragrance (whatever that means) and opens with a fabulous rush of lactic, spicy, vanilla. It’s awesome! Rich, warm and comforting, sexy and sensual. Great sillage and excellent scent bubble, though I wasn’t skunking people, and everyone elses fragrance was smelled through a vanilla haze tonight. I felt really beautiful while wearing Pure Vanilla, beautiful and rich. Considering how affordable it is, that is an awesome feat. I enjoyed the ride so much that at home tonight after work, 6 powerhouse hours later, I wanted to relive the fairly linear journey again. Maybe the flowers and patchouli add something elegant to this creation because it’s not just vanilla, it’s so much more: more interesting, more alluring and more beautiful. I am so impressed that I will track a bottle down while in the USA in May.

Pure Vanilla Beans chefleticiaPhoto Stolen chefleticia

If you live in the USA or Canada then go to Lavanila Laboratories with $58/50ml
SurrenderToChance starts at $3/ml

Till tomorrow,
Love, hugs and fragrant waftings.
Portia xx