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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
HALLOWEEN WEEK! It’s been BUSY!
Last week I got to do a Guest Post on A Bottled Rose about some favourite Autumn Fragrances. I forgot to tell you all. Please jump over and have a read.
Tom Ford
Scent Diary: 8.10 – 14.10.2018
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
Life is change and mine is in flux. Yes, I have headed back to the gym for the first time in eons. Diabetes eating has arrived. 50 years of treating my body abominably (and loving every minute, mouthful and lazy couch hour) has come home to roost. I’ve got a year to turn it around or it will be a medical regime forever.
In other news perfume, pals, pets, fun and laughter ruled the roost. Wonderful week. So much self created variety in every day.
I would also like to say how much I enjoy all the chatter, banter, lives, stories, fun and fragrance we have on the APJ SOTD thread each week. I can’t answer every comment but I read almost all of them. It gets confusing when the chains of each comment get too long and I give up. Your stories make me smile and think and sometimes shake my head. Just like family. I love it. Thanks.
Scent Diary: 2.7 – 8.7.2018
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
We are back in business. Yes, things look a bit different around here and there will be some change. Please understand that this has been a big deal and now we are coming g back from the dead. We have lost all our followers & subscribers and will have to work really hard to get as many people back, and hopefully add a bunch of newbies too.
Scent Diary is a birdseye view of my week. Often there is a whole lot of living mixed in with the perfumes. Friends & family, food, travel, momentous events, everyday living. I love to read about your adventures too in the comments and often we get lively discussion down there. I try to reply to every comment and add my 2c, feel free to add yours when and wherever. We only ask that you keep it respectful.
Scent Diary: 26.2 – 4.3.2018
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
It’s Mardi Gras Parade week here in Sydney. Though I’ve kept a pretty low profile Sydney has been bursting at the seams with International Visitors here to enjoy the last week of our Mardi Gras Season. The weather has been perfect for everything and I’m hearing reports of a super year. Saturday nights parade was my Big Event this year, hosting the Sideshow Glam Stands. An excellent week, now I’m bushed!
Scent Diary: 5.2 – 11.2.2018
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
It freaking hot here. Loads of fun and adventure this week with friends and a few fragrances. What I really want to do in this heat is take off my flesh and lie under the fan just in my bones.
Scent Diary: 29.1 – 4.2.2018
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Portia
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Hey there APJ Crew,
This week turned out to be all about fragrance and friends. We also got the go-ahead to buy a new townhouse so VERY excited about that too. Life has been very generous with us and we are grateful in the extreme.
Cafe Rose by Tom Ford 2012
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Portia
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Hi there Fine Fragrant Friends,
Tom Ford , even the name produces this weird reaction in me. I love that this out, gay, handsome man has taken the world by storm in a field that he never was trained for. On the other hand he seems like a complete head up arse twat totally obsessed with form. His fragrances for Estee Lauder create the same ambivalence within me. Many are lovely, others only for about 15 minutes till they collapse into quagmire or worse banality. It’s a long way Continue reading
Scent Diary: 25.12 – 31.12.2017
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Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,
CHRISTMAS! Fragrance, friends, chosen family. There were adventures and excitement enough for a month.
Scent Diary: 25.12 – 31.12.2017
Monday 25:
Jin came home from work at 5.30am and we had our Christmas moment then.It was lovely. He got some cool Aussie Bum undies, Petrol Cards to fill up his real present which was a car earlier in the year and a couple of T-Towels from his Parramatta Ells football team. I scored 9 pairs of my favourite glasses from Italian brand Campo Marzio in myriad colours, Jin imported them from the South Korean shop in Seoul. VERY freaking cool present buying.
I wanted to smell yummy for the mini Christmas so Rouge Hermès. It was a good choice, soft white floral with a few bells & whistles. Not to mention how Christmassy the bottle looks.
Dogs got a new chew toy each, fed and walked.
While Jin slept I went to Kath’s Mum & Dads to meet Kath and have a quiet christmas morning hang out. We did presents there too and Dad was Jin’s Secret Santa so he got 2 bottles of Spanish Rosé, Lindt chocolate balls and a Bunnings Gift Card.
Lunch with the rest of Kath’s family. It was nice to wander in, eat, do presents and leave. SO EASY!
Home and Jin was awake so we hung out and watched some shit movies together. Dinner was leftovers. HAPPY afternoon and night.
Tuesday 26:
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc from a decant. Yes, I do have a bottle but found this old 5ml decant that needed finishing. Going clean and fluffy for Boxing Day.
Off to Kath’s Mum & Dad’s place for early Boxing Day shenanigans. We stayed to have lunch with everyone and then split. From there I went and collected Wendy and Jin, she and I all hung out into the early evening. We ate a scruffily delicious cheese, ham & fruit platter while watching How To Train A Dragon and drinking lashings of tea.
10 hours later I can still smell soft musk wafts from Serge Lutens Clair de Musc but I’m wanting something else. Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely has won the day and I’m basking in its comfortable glow.
Wednesday 27:
We were woken by the apartment block across from us at 6.40am, they were having a right old barney. Screaming and fighting. It was pretty crazy but not up to their usual standards where I call the police. It raged on for 30 minutes.
Being wide awake I went and got the dogs and they came and snoozed with us on the bed. I’m changing the sheets today so no worries.
Feeling so lazy. It’s hot and humid. How about some James Heeley Esprit du Tigre?
This afternoon I added vintage Miss Dior EdT to go see Jumanji with Eve, Lola and Jin. I admit to being fairly unexcited to see it.
O M G! Jumanji was freaking EXCELLENT!! Cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it. The Rock and Jack Black totally steal this fun romp of a film. I was on the edge of my seat through quite a lot of it and laughed heartily.
We came home and had some lunch with a delicious McLaren Vale Spanish inspired red wine and then watched most of Happy Feet till Lola started falling asleep. To be honest, I don’t drink very often so the heavy red wine sent me off to bed to sleep it off too.
Jin woke me at around 8.30pm when he came to bed and so now I’m up and awake. About to walk the dogs on this cooler summer evening. I thought a triple spritz of Peau d’Allures by Starck a perfect choice, green, boozy, swampy with a lovely ruinous undertow. This bottle was a gift from my friend Tim and I adore it.
Thursday 28:
Fort & Manlé Charlatan this morning. Maybe because I showered yesterday it smelled a bit funkier, a little pissy and hairy mannish. It was a good ride.
Yum Cha with Kath, Alice, TinaG and Tim. It was nice, chatty and fun.
You’ll note Alice was wearing the birthday earrings Jin picked out for here. SO CUTE!!
Came home and crashed on the couch. Ate Christmas Cake with cream and custard and watched Daniel Radcliffe in 2013 film Horns. It was OK, one thing I did notice was that after a minute he became this new character and had successfully sloughed off Harry Potter for me.
Jin came home and we had pizza for dinner while watching The Danish Girl (2015) with Eddie Redmayne. IMDb gives this blurb: “A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.” Heavy and deep, we were moved by their plight and Gerda’s unstinting love.
For bed I gave myself a solid dousing in Niki de Saint Phalle. It’s parched greenery helps to dry this muggy night.
Friday 29:
It was already warm this morning when I walked the dogs. They were puffing so much that I brought them home after only walking around the block. They gratefully came inside afterwards and sat on their beds in the cool.
Thinking tropical I went for Guerlain Lys Soleia. It was a good fit.
Hung out with Jin, Kath and Mum and had a swim with Kath in this outrageously muggy heat. It’s drier than the last couple of days but trying to get stuff done means I’m sweating much more.
Jin and I had KFC for lunch that we grabbed on the way home. It was freaking delicious.
After that I basically fell into a food coma and didn’t snap out of it till 9pm. While food coma-ing I started watching Luther on Netflix.
BTW, did you notice Netflix has been removing content? A few times this fortnight I’ve gone to rematch stuff and it’s disappeared. BUMMER!
Tonight I wear Sarah McCartney 4160 Tuesdays Up The Apples and Pears. Fun and freaky. LOVE it.
Saturday 30:
Stayed up VERY late watching Luther on Netflix. Idris Elba is my new celeb crush. Let’s get him to make a fragrance. I’ve put on some Gres Cabochard parfum in his honour.
So I fell asleep watching Luther and woke up with a mouth that tasted like the bottom of a cat litter box. GAH! Awful, ran straight for the bathroom to clean my teeth.
Feeling a little more human after feeding and walking the dogs. L’Artisan Batucada got some skin time today. I don’t understand why this is not lauded as a freaking genius perfume. It smells like a Pine Lime Splice, an Australian ice block with pine lime icy coat and creamy vanilla ice cream inside, with a hint of coconut. Batucada is YUM!
Went and had a coffee and baklava with my mate Nikki but TOTALLY forgot to take a photo. We chattered away a very happy hour.
Back home and doing some blogging for next week. Wearing a melange of scents.
Cool bath. No bubbles, just Radox Bath Salts.
Alice sent me this genius Scarf Knot map.
Sunday 31:
2am and I’m for bed. Tonight I’m wearing Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise Blue to bed, from the teardrop bottle that I love so much. That cold gasoline opening that melts into a white floral waterfall with lightly creamy and lavender touches.
It’s New Years Eve. I have a bunch of running around and organising to do but before I get started on all that I’m meeting Kath at her Mum & Dads for a SWIM!
Today I’m rocking Tom Ford Jasmine Rouge. It requires respritzes every two hours but that’s part of the fun!
Tonight I’ll be at Parramatta RSL ringing in the New Year with my besties Kath and Phil. Can’t think of a better way to do it. Can’t decide on my fragrance for tonight yet but I’m thinking Madonna Truth or Dare or Mugler Taste of Alien.
I would like to thank everyone involved in Australian Perfume Junkies. If you write, read, comment or are in any way involved THANK YOU for making 2017 a really wonderful year. Got to meet a few more of you too this year which is always special.
Wishing you and your crew a fun and fragrant 2018 chock full of all the good stuff and hardly any of the other.
It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?
Did you do anything Fun or Fragrant, with Friends and Family or maybe even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? How is or was your New Year?
Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx
Scent Diary: 4.12 – 10.12.2017
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Portia
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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,
SO MUCH PERFUME this week. It seems I have spritzed every two hours.
Also loads of fun and excitement in the rest of my life. BIG week.
Scent Diary: 4.12 – 10.12.2017
Monday 4:
MONDAY morning! It started out sunny and warm while walking the dogs but just as we came home soft persistent rain appeared. It’s misty and warm rain, very nice.
Lunch with Jin at a Vietnamese place up the road.
Working tonight, filling in for one of my girls because tonight is Sydney’s gala Night of Nights; the DIVAs. Drag Industry Variety Awards. Every queen and her hairdo will be out to see who won and who lost. It used to be my favourite night of the year, something changed and now I don’t think I’ve been for a decade.
Annick Goutal Musc Nomade bubble bath, Keihl’s Original Musk lotion and Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur fragrance. It’s a musky moment here at Chez Turbo.
Great fun tonight at Stonewall filling in. It was nice to catch up with all the girls and have hellos. I didn’t stay to party but came home, had dinner, watched a movie and cleaned the kitchen.
Now I’m sitting down to finish and send the Trivia Q&A. Just spritzed Parfumerie General Suede Osmanthe. I sit swathed in beauty.
Busy boy, busy life.
Tuesday 5:
I was up at sparrows fart to clean the apartment. Just the regular weekly vacuuming, bathroom (Jin cleans his own bathroom), kitchen and bin emptying. I had it all done by 9am, sat down and had a cuppa then got the dogs fed and out walking.
Wearing Goldfield & Banks Wood Infusion and loving myself sick.
Scotty is here. We got so much done today. Emails, Post Office, Bank, APJ Mailouts, Lunch and general chatter.
Bathed in Bath & Body Works Rainkissed Leaves, wearing Aedes de Venustas Palissandre d’Or. So pretty, a woodsy fragrance but the woods are tempered by a zing of pink pepper and the earthy smoothness of modern patchouli. Aides de Venustas are clever, they do fragrances that are interesting and extremely wearable, this is no exception. Not a big scent but quietly confident.
Wednesday 6:
Up early, well early for me. Dogs fed and walked, had a cuppa and off for a perfume adventure with my mate Tim. A couple of chest spritzes of Guerlain Meteorites from a decant to keep me fragrant till the real sniffing starts.
So first stop was the Annual CosMax SALE. It was quite fabulous. We were like kids in a candy store. I bought Guerlain Angelique Noire and Oriental Brulant, 2 x Burberry wet packs and a 30ml each JPG Classique and Le Male. There was SO MUCH great stuff I could have spent $2000 but only spent $360! YAY!
Then we went to the Estee Lauder Staff Shop where we bumped into Willa Zheng, ex APJ writer and all round good time girl. I bought 2 x Clinique Aromatics Elixir Shower Gels and Scott’s Xmas present, sorry can’t tell you in case he reads it.
Then home for a nap on the couch, then off to work tonight again.
I’m home now but tomorrow is a very early start. Good night.
Thursday 7:
3am bedtime. Original Lolita Lempicka EdP. Sweet liquorice cotton candy. Perfect to float off to la la land.
Woke up in a sweet violet liquorice fog, beautiful scent. Straight in the bath, even before feeding and walking the dogs, because I have a daytime Christmas party gig today.
What to wear for a daytime Christmas Party? Mugler Womanity! What else?
Came home and got undressed, had a little lie down. Got back up, fixed my makeup and went out to do tonights gig. This time I was wearing CHANEL Boy. It fit in perfectly over the Womanity and I got three lovely compliments on how good I smelled. YAY!
Now I’m home and completely stuffed.
A sneaky spritz of Tom Ford Ombre de Hyacinth before bed. NIGHT!
Friday 8:
Neela Vermeire Creations Pichola for a warm morning, full sunshine and not very humid. Perfect dog walking morning. The grevillias are blooming.
Jin and I were approved to buy a new townhouse nearby. This is a big deal. Having sold the Tasmanian properties we now have an excellent deposit for it. With it being so close it means there will be no travel to fix problems. It’s already tenanted with a family that loves it and doesn’t expect us to do a thousand improvements. Borrowing this kind of money makes me very jumpy and nervous and I relied on my Pichola to act as a calming agent, it did.
Parfum d’Empire Equistrius for a shot of gorgeous after lunch.
I can say honestly that my afternoon/evening was spent sleeping and watching TV. Nothing got done, no Trivia work, no house work, almost no blog work. It was blissful. I ate junk food, drank coffee, juice, water and was generally a slob. Currently re-watching The Crown on Netflix. Wonderful time, by myself with the dogs.
Saturday 9:
Arrivals Guerlain Lui & Insolence parfum
For the afternoon/evening I was wearing vintage Miss Dior parfum. Took Kath out for her birthday to our fave steak joint, Alice came too. It was bloody delicious. Afterwards we had ice-cream in cones YUMMMMM.
Bed Guerlain Floral Romantique from a decant.
Sunday 10:
Annick Goutal Songes inspired by a SOTD post this week. Great choice for this warm humid weather.
Jin and I grabbed charcoal chickens for Kath’s Birthday Lunch. It was a very nice morning hanging with the family.
O M G !! Walked into the house after work tonight and Jin had been cooking stuff. It stank. On top of that he had candles of all different scents burning to muffle it. My head exploded in a headache immediately. It was like being in a scent nightmare. I grabbed the dogs and fed and walked them as soon as I could to get some fresh air. Came back and it is much better, not perfect but bearable. PHEW!
It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?
Did you do anything Fun or Fragrant, with Friends and Family or maybe even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx
Scent Diary: 20.11 – 26.11.2017
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Portia
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Hi there APJ,
This week has been blissfully fragrant and as close to low key as I’ve had in a long time.
A few meals with mates but mostly it’s been Perfume, TV, Computer and Home. Loved it.
Scent Diary: 20.11 – 26.11.2017
Monday 20:
Want a BWF that doesn’t punch people in the face but still manages to remain hefty and a little breathy? Rouge Hermès is the answer. I wore it today and loved every minute.
Went and grabbed the dogs from the trainer. OMG they were so happy to see me. Jinx was sad that Jin wasn’t there but kind of happy I was.
Went to the bank again to re-organise the new card and where it sits on my internet banking. Aurio was there to help, what a handsome, helpful man he is. So sweet. Don’t you want to squish him into a big old bearhug?
Saying farewell to a glamorous friend? Guerlain Shalimar. It was a perfect fit.
Took Gaye’s ashes to Neilson Park. What a wonderful send off. Six friends in a water taxi, some finger sandwiches, wine and champagne. We remembered Gaye, chatted about her wending through our lives , scattered her ashes and threw flowers to mark her passing. As we let her go the sunset went golden and all of us sang “For She’s A Jolly Good Fellow”. What a perfect way to go.
Obviously after such an evening it was impossible to concentrate on my Trivia Q&A so I went to bed.
Tuesday 21:
7am up to do my trivia Q&A Tom Ford Patchouli Absolu today. Soft and plush patchouli. It keeps coming and going all day. I’m now at the nine hour mark and still smell fabulous. A powdery patchouli, MMMMMMM.
Powered through postage, banking, sampling, and the rest with Scott today. He put some vintage Bal a Versailles parfum on while here and the smell was fabulous, seriously gorgeous.
My sunburn is still tender so I didn’t get myself into drag for work tonight. Guerlain Lys Soleia. PERFECT!
Got home, fed and walked the dogs through a cool spring evening. Got home, watched a few eps of The Good Wife, chatted to Jin who is working nights. Spritzed Andrea Mack Sharp, that weird yet cozy, warm, woody, boiling sand scent.
Wednesday 22:
Day doing computer work.
Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique from a decant. I don’t really love this but for some reason I keep grabbing it and spritzing. It’s a thin white floral with a bunch of other stuff going on, slightly space age. Hints of freaky that I can’t stop huffing.
Filled in for one of the Queens at a gig tonight. Wore lashings of La Via del Profumo Mecca Balsam. Super spicy, resinous incense. It wafted up to me all evening at work and now I’ve triple spritzed to watch The Good Wife.
Thursday 23:
Woke up like surfacing from the bottom of the sea. Just as I was about to open my eyes the phone rang. It was a very nice way to wake. Wearing Armani Prive Cuir Amethyst, cool and clever fruity leather. I like it a lot.
Another computer day.
Watched the last episode of The Good Wife.
Hopefully this will be my last night not in drag. My burn has browned off but the skin is peeling a bit and it’s still quite tender.
Bath and Body Works Rainkissed Leaves in my bubble bath, Madonna Truth or Dare Naked lotion and L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Intense, inspired by a memory Kate Apted’s post gave me. Smells fantastic.
At around 11pm went to bed with Jin, 2am and I’m up, wide awake. Came and did a very small amount of computer stuff and had a cup of tea. Gave myself some Diptyque 34 spritzes and now back to bed.
Friday 24:
Day of visitors.
TinaG and Jean-Luc dropped in for lunch. We had a great time chatting and laughing, getting shallowly into politics and having a rumble about graffiti. Sandwiches and cups of Mandy Aftel’s tea, followed by fresh mango, strawberries, blueberries and yoghurt. YUMMY!
We opened a whole bunch of fragrant mail, so my next couple of weeks are sorted for posts. Can’t wait to get you all up to speed with this haul.
Then Phil dropped in for afternoon tea. Loads of news and excitement punctuated with belly laughs. Good day!
Jin had a bunch of king prawns in the fridge. I don’t like to eat them but begged him if I could cook for him. He was VERY skeptical but acquiesced. I made him Garlic Chilli Prawns with toast points, avocado, mayo and lettuce salad. So impressed with my work that I forgot to take a photo but Jin was really excited. It was a culinary triumph.
He’s up early tomorrow so we had a little snuggle before sleepy time.
Cacharel Liberté was tonights spritz while trying to get ahead with my Trivia Q&A.
Saturday 25:
Woke up gradually and got out of bed two minutes before the alarm went off. I love that.
Breakfast was delicious. Yesterday I cut up some fruit for lunch with TinaG & Jean-Luc and there were leftovers in the fridge. Mango, Strawberry and Blueberry with Yoghurt on Cereal and Milk. Bloody delicious. You can see my current favourite mug, a birthday gift from my BFF earlier in the year.
Paris was wondering why I am eating breakfast and not patting him. This is his come hither look that I usually find irresistible. He was pointedly upset that I refused his cuddly advances and walked over to make himself clear.
Arriving in the mail today. The BRAND NEW Goldfield & Banks Wood Infusion to review and do a giveaway for. YAY! OMG! I am swooning at this stuff. SO GOOD!
Quickest sluice bath ever, just a L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons soap up and a spray really. Then dressed up a bit nice and heavily spritzed Tom Ford Ombre de Hyacinth. I love its fresh spring zing, so green and fecund, smells like the Tarot Empress card should.
Indian dinner tonight for Alice’s birthday. The food was unbelievable. I had Goat Curry and Aloo Mutter Paneer with Garlic Naan. YUM!
Sunday 26:
Vintage Miss Dior Parfum. to go have a solo pedi. LOVED being there alone and enjoying the peace and quiet. Perfect way to wake up.
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Then went and met Thierry from City Perfume. We tried Creed Viking (MUCH better than expected. A Patchouli, vetiver, resins bomb), the new Shakespeare line (particularly like Romeo & Juliette) and the new YSL frags Sleek Suede and Magnificent Gold (<My fave of the line).
Don’t forget the 10% Discount Code for APJ crew (AFG17) and FREE AUSTRALIAN EXPRESS SHIPPING if you spend over $150
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The Zegna pair are interesting too; quite niche or even indie smelling. Boundary pushers. One smells like drinking a G&T in a wood panelled club room during India’s sweaty summer. So annoyed I can’t remember which one. Weird but yummy.
Came home and had a nap, then I couldn’t even work up the chutzpah to get into drag. BAD PORTIA!!! Luckily the Austral BC crew didn’t mind. Anna-Maria and I chatted about our next international adventure! YAY!
So what’s happening in your world? Did you do anything Fragrant, Fun, Friends, Family or even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 