25:43 by LUSH 2012 and Johnny Ruffo

Hey Fumies!

So I know it’s not extravagantly pricey or hard to find but I was trolling the local mall recently and I stumbled across, no my nose led me to, a new LUSH kiosk in the middle of the mall. The crew at the kiosk were so friendly and fun, knew about their products and had clearly been testing the range and then talking together about their tastes and one of the girls had a definite perfumista in training feel, it was a great experience. Now I will always reward a good shopping experience with a sale, especially when the price is SO DAMN REASONABLE!! WOW!

25:43 by LUSH

Photo stolen LUSH

The LUSH site says:
Fresh, sophisticated and light
LUSH inventor and co-founder Mark Constantine created this perfume in twenty-five minutes and forty-three seconds especially for his son Simon on his wedding day. Talk about a flash of brilliance! Simon’s bride wore this fresh and citrusy perfume down the aisle, and it captured the moment beautifully with notes of tonka and lime accord. Simon (not one to be bested by his Dad) later added notes of lemongrass, vanilla, ylang ylang and listsea to round out the already light and clean essence of 25:43.

I love LUSH, my BFF Kath is a Bath Bomb fan, they are a great fun affordable range. Their fragrances can often be quite overpowering but in a soapy, fresh, bathroom spray way. That sounds like I dislike them but I don’t. I love their sillage and scent bubble, love that though they are quite strong they don’t seem to be skunkers, like you have applied a scented body lotion that smells amazing all day. 25:43 is no exception, it goes on all lemongrass and lime and not much later the warmer tones come through and then the fragrance stays as is for most of the day till it decides to be just an almost edible vanilla and then it disappears. If you are testing 25:43, or any of the LUSH frags, make sure you do it on a card first because they last so well that you are making a decision about how you smell for most of the day. Excellent products if you are not a huge perfume person but want to smell good all day every day.

Man, woman or child appropriate. I think this would be a super after gym and off to the evening choice, weekends, casual adventures, holidays et al. Perhaps too scented for offices or cinema or really close confines.

LUSHAustralia has 33ml under $40, 10ml under $15, 3ml sample $3

Johnny Ruffo

Completely off topic but this is the latest viral campaign for McDonald’s Australia. Cool squared! Obviously the web and social media is spaz-la-la over it here and I thought you may like to see how we advertise burgers down under. I also added 2 of the getting it together videos because then you get a sense of who the LOVELY star, Johnny Ruffo, is. I know!! SO CUTE! And not overly complicated by genius. My favourite combination in pop stars.

Rive Gauche by Jacques Polge and Michel Hy for YSL 1970

Hey Hey APJ Fumie Family,

A lot of the time we smell, think or write about perfume is spent on the memories it evokes when we smell them. It is amazing to me that when I get a whiff of many fragrances popular during the 1970s, 80’s and 90’s I am instantly transported back. One of the most glamorous girls in our circle as teens was Margie G. she had a horde of older sisters and they were the coolest of the cool. In many ways Margir G. was the diffused collective knowledge of her older sisters as well as her own striking personality. She was the first to bring back the mini skirt, corduroy, black wool skivvies and a host of other marvelous things in our crew, needless to say we all adore her. I remember her also as the one who wore Rive Gauche.

Rive Gauche by Yves Saint Laurent

Recently I wanted to be transported and went to a counter to spritz. The bottle is pretty much the same but I can’t smell my memory of Rive Gauche in Rive Gauche. Maybe the reformulation has changed it, said I. So off to eBay.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, honeysuckle, green notes, peach, bergamot, lemon
Heart: Carnation, rose, lily of the valley, ylang ylang, jasmine, gardenia, iris, magnolia
Base: Sandalwood, musk, vetiver, tonka bean, oakmoss, amber

Vintage Rive Gauche EdT opens sharp, metallic and green but also seriously sweet: it is an interesting counterpoint and has a very retro feel to it. I think my smell-o-vision has changed somewhat because though this hints at my memory it is not as I remember. Already in that opening half minute there is a fecal feral snarl though that is decidedly of the time and now IFRA and animal rights removed via Tom Ford’s direction of Daniela Andrier during the early 2000’s. That sweet citrus metal welcome warms enchantingly as the flowers come in, it is a big bouquet and no one flower makes a huge stand on my skin but it is honeyed, sweet but not the modern sugary sweet more fresh breath sweet. Beyond flowers but floral, when you smell it you’ll know what I mean but my vocabulary is not up to the task. The heart lasts for hours before allowing the base accords to shine, they are there but very background buoying the whole composition up. It is sweet amber/tonka and wood over dark oakmoss and something animalic that may be the musk. It is quiet by this time, around 5 hours, and will remain so on my skin for longer than I take notice of it, or sometimes I want a respritz before it has gone.

Leroy Neiman CafeRiveGauche Photo Stolen MyNewMaster

BoisDeJasmin and PerfumeShrine for further reading.

FragranceShop has 100ml/$60
MyPerfumeSamples has modern Rive Gauche EdT starting at $2/ml & 5ml/$7

Though my memory wasn’t served perfectly this is a lovely fragrance. Is there a fragrance that should ring bells for you but doesn’t? Have you had a similar experience? I love to read your stories too in the comments below.
Till tomorrow, oodles of love to you from us at APJ,
Portia xx

1980’s Rive Gauche ad, French

Tuberose Diabolique by Serena Ava Franco for Ava Luxe

Hello Perfume Peeps,

So nice to have you back with us, for first timers, WELCOME to the APJ Family. The name of this fragrance alone was enough to send me to the shopping basket.

Tuberose Diabolique Parfum by Ava Luxe

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Indian tuberose, wild gardenia, Egyptian tuberose, amber, spice, white carnation, bitter orange

This opens so lavish, lush and white floral, it is a tropical miasma so thick and treacle-ish that you feel like you must wade through the scent to get across the room. If Tuberose is your thing OMFG!!! Not as outrageously over the top as Madonna’s ToD, and I don’t get the same sweetness of Fracas. Here I find a greener, less sexual tuberose but beguiling none the less. Maybe that is the crispness of carnation and sharpness of bitter orange keeping that cloying OTT head ache away. I find it very hard to concentrate when I am wearing Tuberose Diabolique when I spritz my brain goes out the window and into la la land.

As the fragrance ages it becomes softer in scent bubble though please don’t take that to mean unnoticeable. Even 12 hours after application it is still more potent than most L’Artisans first spritz. Wearing this at dinner I found it interfered with my food flavours and I would never put a cinema, bus or work environment through it. You will feel fragrant but they will be skunked!! Very linear through its lifespan it does get warmer and woodsier/spicier towards the end at around the 16 hour mark.

Where would Tuberose Diabolique be wearable? Outdoor activities, shopping, cleaning, bed if you’re lucky enough to have one to yourself, washing day, al fresco dinning, the beach, anywhere that you are not enclosed.

Do I like Tuberose Diabolique? OMG YES!!! And, it’s so ridiculously well priced that I went and bought both Parfum and Oil last night in my second day of wearing the Parfum. The Ava Luxe site has 5ml Perfume Oil $25 & 5ml Parfum Extrait $27.

The Ava Luxe website has this to say:
A French legend of tuberose warns young girls not to breathe in its intoxicating fragrance after dark for fear that it would put them in an amorous mood. we, on the other hand, would encourage you to wear this tuberose fragrance after dark (or anytime) with wild abandon.

Photo Stolen AusGardener

I can’t believe no blogger on the first 3 pages of google has written about this. Make Up alley has a fair smattering of love and hate.

Have you ever scored an under the radar hit? What is your story? I love to hear about new and interesting unknowns. Leave us a message in the comments.

Till tomorrow we wish you enough wealth, good health and enough sense to be happy with those 2.
Love,
Portia xx

A beautiful piece of Indian guitar music in honour of the tuberose.

CHANEL No 19 by Henri Robert and Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle

Hiya Fume Heads,

Today’s post is a little different. I am sitting at the computer surrounded by a soft cloud of CHANEL No 19 Parfum (the start of this century formulation) it is green, crisp and powdery and I am loving it. Though I must say that audacious and assertive aren’t adjectives I’d use when describing it. Effortless, Collected, Arrived. This is fragrance for someone who doesn’t need to show off because they are so comfortable with their success. I’m imagining silk jersey and jeans, hair tousled but chic, cuban heeled brogues and that look of welcome contentment that comes from success;  financial, physical and moral.

CHANEL No 19 Parfum

Photo Stolen factio-magazine

CHANEL No. 19 includes featured notes of galbanum, hyacinth, neroli, bergamot, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, iris, vetiver, sandalwood, leather, musk.

Really, I am enjoying the gorgeous wafts emanating from my person too much. It is green, crisp and powdery to open and though it has a lovely bouquet of flowers that used in most fragrances would be flirty, lively and bold here they are pretty and fresh but they are restrained because of choice. for the next couple of hours of the fragrance on my skin it seems that one little push would send this good girl bad, it skirts the sensual side of jasmine offering glimpses of what it could become but never goes beyond hints, much later on CHANEL 19 Parfum will become ever so slightly warmed by leather and sandalwood, but not so much that it becomes anything other than cool, fresh and wearable. MMMMmM MMMMMMmm MMmMmm MmMm!!! I smell GOOD! I knew that I would now…..

Unfortunately my scent hungry skin finds CHANEL 19 Parfum delicious too and I’m lucky to get 5 hours before it is completely eaten up, you will probably get much better lasting power.

Photo Stolen girlwiththecuriousnose

For further reading I suggest you take a look at BoisDeJasmin and Olfactoria’sTravels
TradeServices has CHANEL No 19 100ml EdT (tester) and 50ml EdP under $90
ThePerfumedCourt have a terrific selection of samples from $3/ml for EdT to $18/ml for Parfum
But I would go directly to me nearest Department Store and have a spray at the CHANEL counter. Tell them Portia sent you.

I thought I’d leave you with the 4 minute life story of a Monarch Butterfly. Till you come by again tomorrow please try to do one thing that will lead to a dream of yours coming true. What will I do? I am going to take Jin to the accountant to organise his company and also sort out my Public Liability Insurance so I can hire some more Drag queens to host Turbo Trivia’s for me. What are you going to do caterpillar?
Loads of love,
Portia xxx

Gardenia by Marc Jacobs 2007 LIVE Video Sniff

Hey Ho Everyone,

Today has been so lovely, slept in, went to brunch with TSO Jin, did some grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks, caught up with Clayton from WhatMenShouldSmellLike for late lunch at AGNSW Members Lounge to find out about his sensational travels and Grasse Perfume Short Course and we  wafted some seriously fabulous frags down there, home for a disco nap, cooked dinner for Jin & I and now I get some computer time. EXCELLENT Saturday!! I hope you had some fun too.

Gardenia by Marc Jacobs

Margeaux and I have another mental video for you today. This time we are reviewing Marc Jacob’s Gardenia. Yet again, we are up late, have had a few boozy beverages and are completely full of shit. You must not take anything we say for the absolute truth. What you must do is come along for a rolicking adventure through the opening notes of a lovely Gardenia perfume. We have so much fun making these videos.

As always I need to do a THANK YOU shout out to my BFF Kath for her Video & Editing skills, Margeaux for being such a good sport, TSO Jin for making the video blog ready. You guys are so wonderful and I am blessed to have you all in my life. XXXOX

Photo Stolen mgonline

So for some reason I have become obsessed lately with that clean musk scent of a freshly waxed ballbag of someone who swims. It’s a scent I will always associate with clean, fresh and daring sexual adventures during my school days and then later at the gym. I know! Bad girl. So that smell holds for me MANY happy memories of my glorious youth, now a memory so sweet.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives only these featured accords:
Middle: Honeysuckle, gardenia and jasmine
Base: Ginger, musk and cedar.

I put those notes there so you can see what we are talking about and the photo below is referenced also.

Photo Stolen hollywoodreporter

PerfumeEmporium has 300ml $60
SurrenderToChance starts at 2ml $4

I hope you enjoy our look at Marc Jacob’s Gardenia.
Till tomorrow take care of yourself, please,
Portia xx

Fendi by Fendi 1985 and Shake Your Groove Thing by Peaches n Herb

Hiya Gang,

Once upon a time there were 2 baby drag queens. They were young, thin, glamorous, popular and ready to be superstars. Devoted fashionistas they were caught up in the 1980’s swirl of ENORMOUS fragrances and in the end they both chose their signature scent, the same scent. Roll on 1990 and their worlds collided in fast friendship, creativity and seismic tremors. Together in shows, at parties, in magazines and newspapers, even sharing the funeral scene in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: you could smell us coming for MILES. What were we wearing?

FENDI

Photo stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, mandarin, Brazillian rosewood, cardamom, coriander
Heart: Carnation, jasmine, cypress, rose, ylang ylang, lily of the valley, geranium
Base: Cedar, amber, vanilla, tonka bean, oakmoss, sandalwood, leather, musk, patchouli, spices

I have been looking for a Fendi that I could afford for ages and then one of my favourite eBay shops got a 4ml EdT and I was on it!! Boy oh boy! The memories come flooding back. WOW! It opens spicy citrus, all gloriously sparkling and effervescent and the cardamom makes it funky and slightly feral and happily blows your brains out with the back of your head. Trying to pull notes out of this magnificent cacophony is not really possible, there is a bouquet but it doesn’t smell like any flower on this earth yet manages to smell like ALL of them. The only thing shining above the bouquet is a sexy, breathy, bedheadish jasmine and ylang ylang but I’ve been wearing my little eBay 4ml of Fendi for over an hour before it properly started to show. I think I’m in for a seriously long ride. I’m still getting serious cardamom and coriander action too. I start to get some woods and amber at about the 2.5 hour mark but still the fragrance is dominated by this incredible breathy, salty, body scent. Is there unmentioned ambergris here?

It’s 2am here and the woods and amber have moved in. There is a murky depth that I think may be the oakmoss or patchouli and there are hints of old, well loved saddle leather, almost an oudh-ish backdrop all washed over with the lovely smell of humanity, slightly rank but real and beautiful. Nearly 4 hours into the life Fendi and still pumping out full throated power frag. I reckon there’ll be some left in the morning.

Photo Stolen Italymag

Speaking of Priscilla; Queen Of The Desert I have a special treat for you below. My gratitude to Stephan Elliott for involving me in that wonderful film can never be expessed often enough or fully. Way back in 1994-5 I was living in London and had just finished with the Priscilla making when I left Sydney, when the cast and crew were off to the Cannes Film Festival for the opening I was lucky enough to be invited along, more on that another time. Another incredible upshot from being in the film was that because I was easily available to the powers that be there, and Oscar winning Costume Designer Tim Chappell was staying with me at the time, I was asked to be the star of the next single from the soundtrack’s video because the group Peaches & Herb had no interest in doing it. Here are a bunch of the Drag queens who I was friends with and my 2 male dancers for pub and club shows I was doing across the UK and Europe all together having a HOOT! Do please enjoy.

BTW It’s my first Thursday at Perfume Posse and we have a LIVE Video Sniff going on over there featuring Frederic Malle fragrances. Please drop in and say HI.

Thanks for dropping by. Do you remember Fendi? Priscilla; Queen Of The Desert? What are your recollections? I love to read your thoughts and this should be a conversation so leave a comment in the box, even a hello would be wonderful. Till tomorrow,
LOVE YOU ALL,
Portia xx

Grand Amour by Isabelle Doyen for Annick Goutal 1996

Well Hello there Fragrant Friends,

AustralianPerfumeJunkies has a long held love affair with Annick Goutal’s fragrances. They are beautiful and interesting without being confrontational or divisive. You are elegantly fragrant and perfumed, without the 1980’s strength but with a nod to the depths and intricacies that went into fragrance then. Even if you are a brand new perfumista, and for many people who will never fall down the fragrant worm hole, they are easy to love. Often it’s the Annick Goutal I reach for because they are so wearable, just add an extra spritz for evening.

Grand Amour EdT by Annick Goutal

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives the featured accords as Floral, Amber & Musk: these are further divided into :
Top: Turkish rose, lily, honeysuckle, hyacinth, fruity notes
Heart: French jasmine, lydia broom, leather, Indian mimosa
Base: Amber, vanilla, myrrh, musk

Annick Goutal’s website says: Grand Amour is the perfume of the serene passion Annick experienced with her husband, the cellist Alain Meunier, who would bring her a bouquet of white flowers every week.

Photo Stolen Annick Goutal

YUM as I spritz the first glorious waft is pure lily and fruit salad with a vegetative greenness that I attribute to the hyacinth but of course I’ve been wrong before. It is lush, ripe and crisp simultaneously and a perfect mid season scent, light enough for Spring and deep enough for Autumn. When the Turkish rose makes its entrance it seems to herald the introduction of French jasmine which does not come through as the sensual dirty ho at first but as a honeyed green sweetness pours in there are definite signs of all primness being forgotten and the rigid bun being let down. As Grand amout turns towards dry down I get a very sweet resinous musk, for some reason it doesn’t read vanilla and is definitely not gourmand, it is alluring though in a soft and calm come hither way.

I think you could wear Grand Amour by Annick Goutal in most social situations and at work as long as they aren’t fragrance phobic. You will be fragrant but not skunking unless you go spritz crazy. Go on, everyone deserves a Grand Amour.

Photo Stolen whitelibratexas

If I am intending to wear Grand Amour for any length of time I have to do a full respritz at the 2 hour mark. This self layering gives me a much greater fragrance life, depending on my movements and the weather up to 8 hours. Otherwise I’m lucky to get 4 hours.

ISmellThereforeIAm does a wonderful review for further reading.
MyPerfumeSamples start at $2/ml and does $7/5ml (What a FRICKEN BARGAIN)

So if you’re looking for a Grand Amour Annick Goutal has you all covered. You’ll smell awesome and don’t have to feed it breakfast.

The whole time I was writing this post Oh L’Amour by Erasure was playing through my head. It has the same sweet, sparkly, engaging sound as Grand Amour has fragrance. I put the video for you to enjoy. He He He.
Till tomorrow only the good stuff coming your way,
Portia xx

Opium by Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac for YSL 1977 and Guo Pei, China’s Haute Couture Queen

Hiya Fashion & Fume Heads,

Opium by YSL 1977

It’s 1977 and the reigning king of Parisian Haute Couture is 41 year old Yves Saint Laurent. He has brought the Peasant Shirt and Gypsy Look and is about to do a sensational Oriental Brocade themed Autumn/Winter that will also usher in his most extraordinary success, Opium. So much legend and myth surrounds the launch of this fragrance, so many of our friends mothers were Opium Only girls and my BFF Kath’s Mum still wears only Opium to this day. She is the catalyst for this post because I have been lucky enough to procure a 36ml Vintage EdT for her and I also found a 7.5ml Parfum that I will share with her. Don’t tell her though, it’s her Xmas present. SHHHH

YSL Nude Photo stolen leblogdesovena

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Coriander, plum, citruses, mandarin orange, pepper, jasmine, cloves, west indian bay, bergamot
Heart: Carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, orris root, peach, lily-of-the-valley, rose
Base: Labdanum, tolu balsam, sandalwood, amber, opoponax, musk, coconut, vanilla, benzoin, vetiver, incense, cedar, myrrh

The Parfum opens sweeter than I remember, very fruity, nearly over ripe fruit fermenting on a hot humid day, and then the bay and spices wander in, its big but restrained and the skank is hidden beneath layers. The EdT is similar but much more feral, fecal, bed headish with a skanky jasmine lurking around the edges, there is hardly any citrus at all. The EdT is everything I remember of hugging my mates Mums. This is what they smelled like! Fully fragrant, sensual, wealthy Mums that quite often ran their own businesses, ferried kids, looked a million dollars and made sure all the housework was done. How did they do it? Gods know?! We’d jump in the back of their gleaming cars and this is what we’d smell. 30 minutes in and the EdT is starting to warm into itself and become that lovely buttered sandalwood and spicy, floral bouquet; the Parfum hasn’t really moved much but I am getting the beginnings of the skank attack that I knew was coming. The Parfum is definitely taking its time to show all the loveliness that it has to offer.

When I put my nose up to them they are far more similar that if I get a surprise whiff as a hand goes by my face, the EdT is memories, the Parfum not so much and I get a minty/carnation and cool orris during the heart that I had never noticed before. Maybe they are from different eras and they have tweaked the Parfum a little, or maybe some of the notes have become heat damaged or oxidised. It’s Opium but slightly different, the colour, packaging etc all point to it being the real deal though. Ha Ha Ha!! OK Here it is. Parfum has hit skanky town at just over the 1 hour mark there is a very dirty bitch growl coming from my left hand that matches the EdT’s slightly lived in opening but not so outrageous.

I wonder if there is a major difference between the amount of fragrance you put on in a spritz and a dab? The EdT is bigger and more voluptuous all the way through its 5-6 hour span but the Parfum, while remaining softer all along, is more nuanced, sweeter and less animalic throughout and I can smell a coconut twang towards the 6 hour mark that never occurred in the EdT and I can still smell some sweet woods next morning, just barely.

NowSmellThis does a great review and PerfumeShrine talks about the IFRA regulations causing the big change etc
.

Guo Pei, The Queen of China”s Haute Couture

I stole these lavish pictures and the video from Fashion&StyleGuru, the most fashion forward blog I’ve found so far. Never in my years in the fashion industry, the theatre or drag have I seen such work. FLAWLESS!

I hope you enjoy a new to me beyond incredible Haute Couture designer from China. Guo Pei is a name that you will be hearing a lot of.

Whatever you do today, give it your best shot. Sloppy work is habit forming, and being less than your best is a quick way to the guilt spiral that heralds depression. The difference between a mediocre job and a brilliant one can be as little as 5% extra effort. It’s worth it for your own peace of mind.
Till tomorrow ,
Portia xx

Mitsouko by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1919 and Lolita by The Veronicas

Hiya Gang,

Mitsouko is one of the fragrances that sits high upon a marble Guerlain plinth in my mental fragrance catalogue with Shalimar and Vol de Nuit sitting right there also. They are the extra special “Jacques Guerlain” Guerlains. Of the three my family and their friends circle wore mainly Shalimar though I have a cloudy memory of the Vol de Nuit bottle at a courtesy Aunts house but can’t remember having smelt it previously when I smell it nowadays. I only remember the name Mitsouko but have not an inkling of someone owning or wearing it, having been a Guerlain squirt bitch for a while I would definitely have come across it then but it really does draw a complete pre fragrance craving blank. That was then…

Mitsouko by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1919

Photo Stolen Basenotes

Fragrantica and PerfumeShrine give these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin, Neroli, Jasmine, Rose
Heart: Peach, Rose, Clove, Ylang-Ylang, Lilac, Jasmine
Base: Oakmoss, Labdanum, Patchouli, Benzoin, Vetiver, Cinnamon.

I am spoiled enough to own a vintage Mitsouko PdT and a modern Mitsouko EdP. The last couple of days I have been wearing them on opposite wrists to see how different the really are to my nose.

The PdT is definitely more animalic on opening and the EdP is fruitier. The heart notes are almost the same but again the fruit & florals (jasmine is very breathy) are cut through with beast in the PdT and the peach, clove and citrus play lead in EdP over the floral heart. If I was not wearing them side by side I would not really know the difference between the 2 but together they are different. Dry down on the PdT is darker and more fetid but the brighter EdP lasts much longer on me and is still giving its sweet, nutty and earthy whisper next morning. Neither is wearable in a work environment if you are near anyone and they may interfere with your food and will definitely upset the people around you at the cinema, opera or even a bus. wear with caution. A big, glorious peachy floral statement that will not be forgotten easily and will leave a coruscating trail behind you as you waft fragrantly through your day. An especially good choice for days you are cleaning, grocery shopping or anything that could do with a lick of glamour to make it more enjoyable.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

BoisDeJasmin does a great modern & vintage throwdown and PerfumeShrine has history, myths, movies and other interesting titbits
FragranceNet had modern EdP 75ml around $55
SurrenderToChance have modern EdT & EdP $3/ml and Vintage Parfum $7/.25ml
I was very lucky and got my Mitsouko 70-80s Vintage PdT from a sale at FacebookFragranceFriends, Thanks Chris!!

The Veronicas are an Aussie band who had to go overseas to get famous. They are sisters and I think they and this song are a great match with Mitsouko, beautiful, dark, alluring and slightly obnoxious. I love their music and think this is a particularly good mini movie too. Enjoy

I can’t thank you all enough for being part of the APJ Family. I am so grateful that you all love to visit regularly.

Do you or have you worn Mitsouko? Is there a favourite incarnation or strength that appeals more? Please share your thoughts because I love it when it becomes a conversation in the Comment section and I know you have something to say.
Till tomorrow,
Portia xx

Lolita by The Veronicas

CB I Hate Perfume LIVE Video Sniff

Hey Ho Frag Hags,

We have another mental look at some slightly sideways fragrances with the ever lovely Robert “Radium” Maxwell. This time we give a couple of the CB I Hate Perfumes a go. They are an interesting group led by Christopher Brosius and here is what he has to say on the CBIHatePerfume site.

When I was a child, I wanted to be an artist or perhaps a scientist. Instead I am a perfumer – this is perhaps a bit of both. I’ve been described as one of the most innovative perfumers of the 21st Century. I’ve won awards, my work is in museums and countless people in all civilized parts of the globe enjoy the unique scents I create. Much to my surprise, at least in a small way I have changed how people think of perfume: what it is & how it’s used.

Photo Stolen CBIHatePerfume

As always I like to remind you that we are fragrance enthusiasts, not professional noses, it’s late after I have hosted a smashing night of Turbo Trivia and we’ve all had a few alcoholic beverages. The long suffering BFF Kath is on the video camera and constantly has to pull us back to focus on the job at hand because EmmaKate, David and a couple of other friends are all sitting off to the side making faces and doing regular dumb ass stuff. The filming of these mini movies is one of the great highlights of being an AustralianPerfumeJunkie.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I hope you get an inkling of how much fun we are all having and get a smile, smirk or chortle from our videos; and learn something too. Special thanks to Kath for filming and editing and also to the long suffering Jin for making it blog ready.

This is NSFW unless you have earphones on, the language is quite ripe and fruity.

Please go and have a look at the CB I HATE PERFUME site
You can also grab samples/decants from SurrenderToChance

As always we wish you only the good stuff you wish yourselves till we see you tomorrow.
Love from all us MAD FRAG HAGS at APJ,
Portia xx

Please enjoy our look at Patchouli Empire and Fire From Heaven.