Video

Scarlet by Cacharel

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Hello my lovelies,

I’ve had this video knocking around and kept forgetting to share it.

IndianWedding angpal.blogspot

Arrived safely in India, Stayed a couple of days in Delhi to do some shopping and organising for my mate Varun’s hotels and a new property the family is developing. Yesterday the main thing we did was buy lights for 2 floors of hotels and 3 residences. BEDLAM!!! Then to cap it all I drove the car about 20kms in peak hour traffic! I know, I am amazing. It was not without incident though, plenty of good natured swearing and screaming, a near car crash and a couple of whisper touches by other cars and some bikes. Hair raising but fun

Enjoy the video.

Portia xxx

Scarlett by Cacharel

Leaving for India! What fragrances did I pack?

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Hey Crew,

It’s time to pack bags and jet off again.I have written and sent all my Trivias to the girls. There are some REALLY curly Q&A this time ladies. The APJ family has worked overtime to make sure all their contributions are ready to launch while I’m gone, they’ve all been edited and pictures, notes and all the frills have been added and linked. THANK YOU GUYS!! My clothes are all washed, the beds are changed, food has been bought, prepared and frozen and I am almost ready to go. The plane leaves at 10.15 and I am writing to you from 2pm. How organised is that? Normally I’m throwing crap in my bags as we should be leaving.

incredible-india_1822 incredible-india-1 Taj Mahal

This trip I know there wont be much fragrance shopping like in Europe or LA sop I’ve decided to do a decant set for my travels 5ml & 8ml. It’s always so hard to choose and today is no exception. So what made the cut?

Ava Luxe Tuberose Diabolique Parfum
Caron Royal Bain de Caron
L’Artisan Parfumeur Cote d’Amour
Iunx Splash Forte Friction de Iunx
Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur de Male
Tauer L’Air Du Desert Marocain

I am also taking from Neela Vermeire Creations a bottle of Bombay Bling. How could I not? And a Vintage Chanel No 5 Parfum.

'Incredible_India'

So I just watched this video below and I’m crying like a baby, its been nearly three years since I’ve been back to India am I’m so excited to get back and see my buddy and his family and the magic that is India. I can almost smell it it’s so real in this little Incredible India ad. I can’t believe I’m going back……

See you tomorrow!!
Portia xxx

All photos stolen from the Incredible India Campaigns

Mecca Balsam by AbdesSalaam Attar for La Via del Profumo

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 36 Comments

Hello folks,

I was lucky while in Vienna to catch up with one a the scentbloggospheres most loved bloggers, Birgit from Olfactoria’sTravels. Sitting pretty at breakfast with the gorgeous Sandra they both plied me with samples and Birgit handed me the most fabulous bottle ever. I wish I had known that gift giving was a traditional perfumistas handshake, so embarrassed, but the girls are so wonderful that they didn’t even bat an eyelid at my gaucherie, for which I will be forever grateful.

Photo Stolen La Via del Profumo

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Labdanum, tonka bean, Arabic frankincense, raw tobacco, Indian tuberose, damask rose, incense, agarwood, benzoin

From the AbdesSalaam’s blog: In Mecca, the scents of Labdanum resin, of Benzoin, frankincense and of the precious Agar wood invade the streets together with the 4 million pilgrims who pour to the streets 5 times every day, walking to the great mosque like river. The trail of a million scents in the wake of the pilgrims at Mecca raptures the nose of the visitor and make this travel an unforgettable experience for a westerner little used to such a profusion of olfactory stimulus.

Mecca 22h22Photo Stolen 22h22

AbdesSalaam Attar is the name that perfumer Dominique Dubrana goes under to create his all natural, astounding fragrances. I have a little sample set of them on my desktop that I’ve almost used entirely and one of my favourites has always been the Mecca Balsam. The bottle Birgit gave me had the name Balsamo della Mecca on the base, in our excitement I did not put 2 and 2 together and realise that these two names could be one and the same. Oh joyous rapture, oh bliss eternal!! They are the same and I now have this extraordinary bottle on my desk.

Straight out of the atomiser and onto skin it is resinous and sweetly balsamic, bitter, herbal, dark and still light. Tobacco notes both sweet and burnt, burning, smoky. Oudh adding its cow poo/medicinal/acrid/beautiful voice and the whole is so complex and happening at once and big, brash, shouty. It picks you up by the hair and shakes you till your teeth clack like castanets, then it throws you to the ground a laughs at your incapacity. OK it doesn’t really do that but this is certainly experiential perfumery of a class that you will never find in department stores. This is the real thing and I love it. Loving it SICK!!

After an hour or so it calms to a dull roar, the size is considerable less but the fragrance is pretty linear, at this stage though there’s enough air between the notes that it’s not the bombardment of before. Now you have time and the ability to savour the resins and the flowers make a very quiet and pretty descant over the base notes of everything else. It softens and softens till gone, hours into the dry down.

Mecca Pilgrims abcPhoto Stolen ABC

Further reading PerfumeShrine and TheNonBlonde
La Via Del Profumo starts at €13.22/5.5ml up to €396.69/10gr of Attar
SurrenderToChance starts at $7/ml

Have you seen the website and do you have favourite names? They are all so evocative for me. Maybe you tried these fragrant masterpieces? What were your impressions?

Till tomorrow, take care of yourself and those in your orbit,
Portia xx

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)

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

Elysium – Matt Damon + Jodie Foster August 9 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 23 Comments

Hey Crew,

Do you love the movies? I find cinemas hard to deal with. Firstly, I can’t press pause and grab food, wee, drink or interupt the movie in any way. Secondly, I hate crying in public and inevitably do in the cinema, or scream at scary bits, or laugh too loud at mildly funny bits. Thirdly, after about 50 minutes I get the fidgets, in a long movie that means I get up and leave the cinema for a while and come back unable to concentrate because I’ve lost the plot.

These two actors, there are a few more, though are such favourites of mine that I am chomping at the bit to go see this movie. Jodie Foster and Matt Damon!! OMG! Together in one film. HEAVEN! Can’t wait for August 9.

elysium g4tvPhoto Stolen g4tv

Please enjoy the Official Trailer.

Portia xx

Elysium filmofiliaPhoto Stolen filmofilia

Amouage Interlude Woman Perfume Review by Eliza

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 47 Comments

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Guest Post by Eliza

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Hello you lovely Perfume Peeps!

We are joined today by one of our fabulous APJ winners from the past who has written in praise of Amouage Interlude Woman. I’d like to thank Libertine Parfumerie for their incredible generosity in providing our giveaway today.

Amouage Interlude Woman Perfume Review by Eliza

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, grapefruit, ginger, tagete (marigold)
Heart: Rose, frankincense, jasmine, orange blossom, helichrysum (immortelle), opoponax, sandalwood, walnut, coffee, kiwi, honey
Base: Vanilla, benzoin, amber, sandalwood, oakmoss, leather, tonka, musk, agarwood

Eliza here from the US. The package arrived today. What treasures!!! I immediately sprayed on the Amouage Interlude Woman. Initial thoughts were herby medicinal, like echinacia, or chamomile, so I was not surprised to read that it lists tagetes (marigold) in the top notes. Then peppers and something floral. Within a few moments I could smell incense, which finally developed into frankincense and probably myrrh. Right now it is softening to a lovely warm scent with floral underpinnings. But I can still smell the woods, and a bit of the medicine. Incensey perfumes are not my cup of tea, but this is quite lovely.

Amouage Interlude W + M GIVEAWAY!!

Interlude parfumeriePhoto Stolen parfumerie

I have an idea! Well it’s not such a new idea, I’m sure someone else has done it before and better but here it is. If you enter this draw and win then you must write me a MINI REVIEW of one of the fragrances that you win. Cool? The same as Eliza did up the top. Around 100 words. You too can be an APJ GUEST POST WRITER!!

I have four sets of Interlude Man + Interlude Woman by Amouage to give away and some surprises.

If we reach 100 Individual Commenters I will also add a 5ml metal atomiser filled with L’Artisan Parfumeurs recently discontinued Coeur de Vetiver Sacre

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

There are FOUR packs to give away this week, the winners will receive
1 x AMOUAGE Interlude Man carded 3ml Manufacturers Spray Sample
1 x AMOUAGE Interlude Woman carded 3ml Manufacturers Spray Sample
1 x Special Surprise Manufacturers Carded Sample
with P&H anywhere in the world

If we reach 100 Individual Commenters I will also add an extra draw -1 x 5ml metal atomiser filled with L’Artisan Parfumeurs recently discontinued Coeur de Vetiver Sacre

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who is a follower of AustralianPerfumeJunkies via email (eM), Bloglovin” (BGL), RSS, or WordPress (WP) and please leave how you follow in your comment. Yes, you may become a new follower to enter! In fact, we encourage it.
All you need to do this week is go to LibertinePerfumerie and get the name of any product they sell that hasn’t been used in this draw before! NO DOUBLE UPS!! That’s it!! EASY PEASY!

So 3 things you need to qualify!
1) Follow AustralianPerfumeJunkies
2) Tell us how you follow
3) Leave a fragrance sold by Libertine Parfumerie with your comment (no double ups)

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie AMOUAGE Interlude GIVEAWAY!! http://wp.me/p2fQBU-1wJ @AmouagePerfumes

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 21st 2013 10pm AusEST and winners will be announced in a separate post then.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin will pick them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.
The winners will have till Wednesday 24th 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Special THANKS to LibertinePerfumerie for the AMOUAGE Interlude Samples. Please visit their site because they are so generous and helpful. If you wonder why they are more expensive than the discounters or OS retailers it’s because they are the only licensed company selling their fragrances in Australia; where you know you are buying new, fresh and genuine product. The cost of importing and buying the right to import alcohol based fragrances (and having the right to send alcohol based fragrances throughout Australia, which are illegal to send in the Australia Post system) is expensive and they must cover their costs to bring you these luxury goods.

GO TO IT GANG!!!

See you tomorrow,

Portia xxx

Believe by Britney Spears 2007

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

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Post by Katrina

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2007 was the year we saw Britney Spears suffer a very public breakdown. She spent time in rehab, shaved her head and lost custody of her children. 2007 is also the year that the Britney Spears fragrance Believe was released. Believe, one of the best perfumes from Britney Spears was released at a time when her life was in turmoil. Its times like this when you need to believe in the future. Britney managed to get through the tough times and get back in the spotlight for the right reasons appearing as a judge on America’s X-Factor in 2012.

Britney Spears Believe 2007

Believe FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrance notes from Fragrantica
Top: guava and tangerine.
Heart: honeysuckle and linden blossom.
Base: patchouli, amber and sweet praline notes.

The green Believe bottle is quite spectacular, shaped like a multi-faceted triangular prism.

Believe starts out fresh and juicy with a delicious opening of tangerine and guava. This perfume deserves more than a quick sniff because if you rely on first impressions you will miss the best of this fragrance as it develops into a warm and spicy scent. There are beautiful soft florals and the perfume opens up with earthy notes from the patchouli and amber. Believe feels comforting with an easygoing patchouli that is cozy and warm. The praline carries on a delicious quality to the fragrance.

(Ed: Believe uses a softened version of the Mugler Angel base and is surprisingly wearable)

Britney Believe HotCosmeticsPhoto Stolen HotCosmetics

I haven’t been able to track down the name of the perfumer of Believe. Basenotes have the perfume listed as unknown. If I developed this fragrance I would proudly put my name on it.

Further reading at Now Smell This
FragranceNet starting at $15.95/30ml
MyPerfumeSamples has $2/ml or $4/5ml

Watch my video review of Britney Spears Believe on my CelebrityPerfume YouTube Channel

For more celebrity perfume reviews visit my website Celebrity Perfume Store

Katrina xx