Hey Niche Nerds,

I know, I know. It’s taken me ages to write this review. There was so much chatter about it when it first came out that I wanted to let the dust settle. I was also deeply ambivalent about the fragrance and still am but having spent some time with it now, and having two people’s opinions that I respect highly with me as I’ve smelt it was interesting too, so welcome to

Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink pepper, aldehydes, sweet orange, blackcurrant (flower, fruit & leaf), hawthorn, rum, wine, rosemary, davana
Heart: Blackcurrant buds absolute, CO2 blackcurrant, Russian coriander seed, honeysuckle, rose, carnation, vetiver
Base: Opoponax resinoid, Siam benzoin, amber, oakmoss, fir balsam absolute, Patchouli, castoreum absolute, cedar, vanilla, musk

The first time I smelled Enchanted Forest was with Denyse of Grain De Musc and The Perfume Lover (available softback soon) at Jovoy in Paris early in 2013 and I found it interesting and a nit naughty, with a slight kitty litter accent that made me smile. Of everything we smelled that glorious sunny winter day it was Enchanted Forest that I kept the strip of and went back to over the next couple of weeks till it lost all memory of itself.

Photo Stolen MorgueFile

Months went by, as quickly as they do, and other fragrant launches and tests mounted and I forgot about Enchanted Forest until we started doing a Sample Round Robin here in Australia, along came a generous sample of Enchanted Forest that I swapped out for 3 or 4 things that I had here in the swap box. I put Enchanted Forest in the MUST TRY AGAIN pile and forgot completely because I went to Scentsation in LA and then India (bragging is a disgusting habit and I am fully ashamed). So yesterday I was having lunch with Catherine du Peloux Menagé, the producer of Sydney Perfume Lovers (a meet-up group), who is an avid fragrance lover and has started a business helping people choose a scent through education and interest rather than showing them gleaming ad copy bullshit: she is clever, fun and lovely and I wanted to take some fragrances for us to try over lunch, as we do. I pulled out the Enchanted Forest to get Catherine’s take on it.

Photo Stolen MorgueFile

So what did I smell? Sweet fruity opening that reminds me of very ripe melon or guava, it’s bright, fizzy and in your face taking the modern fruity fragrance by the neck and giving it a shake till its teeth rattle. All the green herbaceous notes slotted in here stop Enchanted Forest from being a so so SO sweet train wreck. Though  it opens both sweeter and neon brighter than I would choose, once the initial screaming opening sequence calms it is surprisingly wearable. I get no real cat but can understand the sweetness could be a public urinal far enough away that you can smell only the sweet but not the disgusting, make sense?

Honeysuckle often skews nasty on me but here it plays along well with the others, I get a little Ribena syrup through the middle section, a sweet blackcurrant children’s cordial that was responsible in Australia for more dental bills than all the other sweet stuff put together. I don’t get coriander, rose, carnation or vetiver, I do get booze through the middle and down into the base and the vanilla comes in giving a pudding vibe. Resins come through but I miss so many of the things that they write as notes: woods? No not really. Patchouli? I don’t know. I think my nose is too poorly tuned to catch a lot of what’s happening.

Enchanted Forest is intriguing and I have been wanting to spend some alone time with it. This is a statement fragrance, fun and ebullient. It is a modern fruit take on Giorgio Beverly Hills (though only by comparison, not scent) and I can imagine it on big haired, shoulder padded women with high heels, nipped in waists and peplums (anyone been looking at fashion lately?). They are ready to make an entrance and unafraid of fragphobes and the boorish who feel that less is more. It’s exciting, naughty and possibly the next step in frag evolution if we could just get it on the kids who’ve been wearing celeb fruitchouli (as they get bored) then it may be the perfect gateway scent.

Further reading: Kafkaesque and The Muse In Wooden Shoes
LuckyScent has $180/100ml and samples

What did you think? Have you tried it? Would you like to? well, here’s your chance….

Photo Stolen kbaird

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

There are 2 prizes this week. Each winner will receive:

1.5ml Enchanted Forest Manufacturers Carded Sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

All you need to do is be a follower, tell us how you follow and leave a hello in the comments! EASY PEASY!!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Enchanted Forest PERFUME SAMPLES GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p2fQBU-1Ld #Perfume #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 28th July 2013 11pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner.
The winners will have till Wednesday 31st July 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE,

Portia xx

Hey there Perfume Junkies,

Don’t forget our Enchanted Forest GIVEAWAY <<<JUMP

Following on from FeralJasmine’s story this week about Afghanistan Orange Blossom my friend and APJ contributor Jordan River, from The Fragrant Man, has put together a story about The Noble Rose: another of The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc fragrances aimed at giving farmers in Afghanistan something else as a cash crop than poppies. This is world changing economics in action and all through fragrance. AH MAY ZING!!
Portia xx

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Guest Post by Jordan River

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Pashtun People, Afghanistan 2007, Oil on canvas.
Artist: Durar Bacri, Palestine.

Make Perfume NOT War

The Story of The Noble Rose

Fields of rose bushes have replaced some opium growing areas in Afghanistan. The petals are handpicked and distilled into rose oils and absolutes for the world markets.

Jalalabad, Nangarhar, Aghanistan. Photo: Sandra Calligaro

There is one fragrance company that has placed the Afghan Rose on the new ingredient shelf – The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc – and so far, only one perfume has been released from this rose source.

Noble Rose of Afghanistan was signed by Canadian perfumer Susanne Langmuir in 2010. This company is owned by Barb Stegemann, the same person who dreamt up the concept of an export path for the harvest conversion. Stegemann was considering the consequences of war and peace, and her considerations became reality after investment through the TV program Dragons’ Den where she found her investor and business partner, W. Brett Wilson.

Stegemann sources her rose oil from Abdullah Arsala who owns Gulestan Essential Oils based in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Abdullah also grows orange blossoms and distills them into essential oils for The 7 Virtues Afghanistan Orange Blossom Eau de Parfum.

Abdullah Arsala, Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

These essential oils travel to market on what Stegemann says is the most dangerous highway in the world.

Barb Stegemann

The 7 Virtues pays $10,000 USD per litre of rose oil to the Afghan supplier, Abdullah Arsala and the farmers.

There are 178 hand picked rose petals in every bottle of The 7 Virtues Noble Rose of Afghanistan. Viewers of Name This – a show on History TV – chose the name of the fragrance, naming it Noble Rose to honour soldiers, and to reference the rose farmers who no longer grow poppies.

Photos: Abdullah Arsala

Notes
Afghan Rose, Carnation, Clove, Peppercorn

This spicy rose, Noble Rose of Afghanistan is available from The 7 Virtues.
International shipping rates are available via email.

Samples from The Perfumed Court start at $US4.95 / 1 ml to $US36.95 / 8ml.

Pushtan People, Afghanistan
via The Pushtan Forum

Pushtan People, Afghanistan
via The Pushtan Forum

Pushtan People, Afghanistan
via The Pushtan Forum

Pushtan People, Afghanistan
via The Pushtan Forum

Tribal people, Pakistan / Afghanistan

Further Reading & Viewing
Afghanistan Orange Blossom – APJ review by FeralJasmine
Gathering the Ingredients for a Love Story
Elements New York
Barb Stegemann on Dragons’ Den
Naming the Fragrance
The 7 Virtues Review at Cafleurebon
Oil on Canvas $3,600 - Alhoush, House of Arab Art and Design

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Guest Post by Jordan River

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Hey there Perfume Junkies,

Don’t forget our Enchanted Forest GIVEAWAY <<<JUMP

Following on from FeralJasmine’s story this week about Afghanistan Orange Blossom and the Jordan River, from The Fragrant Man, story about The Noble Rose: another of The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc. World changing economics in action through fragrance.
Portia xx

Afghani Woman Harvesting Orange Blossoms

In response to Ellen Covey’s comment on Make Perfume not War…

Barb Stegemann from The 7 Virtues has supplied this photo of one of the women employed on this project.

Afghani woman harvesting orange blossoms for the perfume Afghanistan Orange Blossom by The 7 Virtues.
Her name is Rose Petals in the local language.

Further Reading
Afghanistan Orange Blossom – reviewed by Feral Jasmine on Australian Perfume Junkies
Make Perfume not War – Opium poppy fields turning into fields of roses

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Guest Post by Jordan River

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Hey there Perfume Junkies,

Don’t forget our Enchanted Forest GIVEAWAY <<<JUMP

Jordan River of The Fragrant Man has again got the hottest news, an Australian story that makes me very happy,
Portia xx

Mysore Sandalwood in Australia!

Santalum album is Mysore Sandalwood, now growing sustainably in Australia
Photo: J.M. Garb

It’s all Good News here at Australian Perfume Junkies.

The demise of Mysore Sandalwood from India is well documented. The root stock of the Mysore variety, Santalum album was planted in Australian plantations sometime ago and is now being sustainably harvested.

Australia does have a native sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, with an interesting scent profile but it is not as creamy or luscious as the Mysore variety. Now Australia has Mysore Sandalwood plantations.

I know Kafka will be thrilled and I suspect Bertand Duchaufour, the man who ate niche, has left India and is in Australia right now checking quality and shipping. Suzanne R. Banks will be glowing with happiness. I also predict a sighting of Neela Vermeire in Australia soon.

So how does Mysore Sandalwood grown in Austalia smell? And can you buy it? How does 1 gram for 55€ sound?

Let’s travel now to Italy to see what perfumer AdbesSalaam Attar has to say about this development.

Click link: The Return of Mysore Sandalwood

Addition: The largest grower in Australia, Tropical Forestry Services has a purpose built nursery with the capacity to produce over 500,000 Mysore stock seedlings per planting season. They have an astonishing 7,600 hectares of trees planted in the tropical north of Australia.

Further Reading
Brie’s historic encounter with Mysore Sandalwood
Suzanne on Australian Perfume Junkies
Amer on Sandalwood
Perfume Shrine – see comments section
The End of Oud - a similar situation to Mysore Sandalwood
Ecological Conscience – Ensar Oud on sustainability at Australian Perfume Junkies

Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Thank you all so much for entering. It was lovely to have you all join in and i hope you all enjoyed the thrill of anticipation.

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

There are 2 prizes this week. Each winner will receive:

1.5ml Enchanted Forest Manufacturers Carded Sample
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

All you needed to do is be a follower, tell us how you follow and leave a hello in the comments! EASY PEASY!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 28th July 2013 11pm Australian EST.
Winners chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin picked a winner.

MaggieCat, DGambas

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The winners will have till Wednesday 31st July 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Thanks again team
Portia xx

Photos Stolen TheTruthAboutMummy and berryreview

Hello Niche Nerds,

Last week I met up with Clayton Ilolahia from What Men Should Smell Like, he happened to have recently been to NYC and spent some time at Aedes de Venustas. There he was given samples of their newest baby: a sleek greyhound of a fragrance that feels like 3000 years of selective breeding have culminated with

Iris Nazarena by Aedes de Venustas 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Iris, anise, musk mallow, juniper berries
Heart: Leather, cloves, rose, oudh
Base: Vetiver, amber, woods, incense

Straight out of the gate I get a sweet iris/leather mix that is very much like brand new shoes. After initial burn off my skin smells wet and earthy prettiness that feels so elegant and refined, green and sappy like the smell after cutting hydrangeas for the house. Iris Nazarena is all crustless finger sandwiches, cream silk blouses, yellow gold + pearl jewellery and Cape Cod in blue and white. In fact it reminds me of how I imagine the women to smell in the upper crusts of John Irving books. Glamorous, pretty, fresh and just a little spicy,

Post Stolen TempletonRye

Parsing Iris Nazarena is easy because even I can smell most of the given notes, or nods to them, but even more enjoyable is spaying myself quite lavishly and just breathing in the beauty of a fragrance that seems particularly well constructed and seamless. One of the things that I particularly like is that the opening greenness stays well into the heart, riding over the leather, oudh and amber effortlessly, though I imagine to make something smell this pure and easy must have taken an enormous amount of persistence. There are some faint crossovers here between Bottega Veneta and Chanel 19 but Iris Nazarena feels newer and easier. Like the other two are trying a bit hard, Iris Nazarena is so comfortable in itself that it doesn’t have to try.

My advice is to give yourself an extra spritz of Iris Nazarena, it’s light and sheer enough not to skunk but the extra spritz gives a fuller and deeper story, and sillage. Longevity is good, though it softens off dramatically after 2 hours to a very sexy whisper, and scent bubble quite close but noticeable.

I can see why people are raving about Iris Nazarena, it is a grand beauty but without the pomp and ceremony.

Photo Stolen Aedes de Venustas

Further reading: Grain de Musc and Perfume Shrine
Aedes de Venustas has $245/100ml
Surrender To Chance starts at $7/ml

Did you try the Aedes de Venustas eponymous fragrance or have you smelled Iris Nazarena yet?

Till tomorrow be nice to yourself and those in your orbit,
Portia x

Hello Avid YouTube Watchers and APJ Crew,

It’s been a long while since we had LIVE Video Sniffs. These were filmed ages ago but I have not got them up yet, MEA CULPA 100%. So far this year has been a fabulously hectic whirlwind of adventures, travel and new work. So finally it feels like we have time to do some catch up.

This LIVE Video Sniff is a solo one. I am all alone with a rather special fragrance. It’s filled with my usual screw ups and a bit of silliness, please take it in the fun vein it is intended. My potty mouth doesn’t get too out of control, well, maybe a bit… NSFW unless you have headphones

As always special thanks to my BFF Kath for shooting and editing and TSO Jin for making it ready to watch on YouTube.

See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Coco by CHANEL: LIVE Video Sniff

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Coriander, pomegranate blossom, mandarin orange, peach, jasmine and Bulgarian rose
Heart: Mimose, cloves, orange blossom, clover and rose
Base: Labdanum, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, opoponax, civet and vanilla

Thank you, as always, for watching and being a part of the madness that is a LIVE Video Sniff.

Further reading: Coco (Modern) Australian Perfume Junkies and Bois de Jasmin

CHANEL…Iconic CHANEL…Sampler – Posh Peasant has the 5 x 2.5ml Spray $44

CHANEL Gateway Sampler – Surrender To Chance has 4 x 3ml Spray $28

Photo Stolen Jerine Lay  Flickr

Hey there FUMIES,

A few months ago I grabbed a bunch of the Montale fragrance samples, I tried a few of them but didn’t get to the rest, here’s one that I should have tried immediately. There are a few of the Montales that don’t seem to have come from the house, Sandflowers is one and this is another….

Powder Flowers by Montale

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Rose, jasmine, osmanthus, cedar, tonka bean

Clear, sheer and fresh are three words I would never have linked in my mind to Montale who usually go for heavy hitters. Powder Flowers is so far from my knowledge of the brand that I had to check I hadn’t mislabeled the spritzer. Even Sandflowers is more Montale-isah than this. Lovely, pretty and dainty are not words I had previously used either but all of these adjectives are absolutely accurate when talking about my skins reaction to Powder Flowers. If you have a celebuscent crazed teen or a fruitchouli addicted friend then this could be the first step in their rehabilitation. While giving the sheer, barely there feel of many of the current offerings there is a story, a level of interest and change, and it is fragrant. The sillage is excellent, changing the air as you walk past and making it interesting, drawing your nose after it, it sits close though and after leaving my office to make coffee and returning there is no appreciable remains of it.

Powder Tower, Prague Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Like many of the Montale fragrances though the parts are so reduced from naturals that they are barely recognisable, there is something in jasmine that reads salty to my nose and I’m wondering if it was in the sunscreen that I grew up with here in Australia and that the memory of the beach is forever locked in stasis with it, I also notice it in other scents featuring this super clean jasmine. Rose passes me by completely in Powder Flowers and though I have often liked osmanthus fragrances it doesn’t seem present because I get no fruity/lactonic emphasis, the cedar and tonka are there all through but it takes a while to notice them.

Photo Stolen Tanaka Juuyoh Flickr

It’s called Powder Flowers, it is not a typical powder but an abstract, “If I was the Queen of all powders this is how I’d smell.” I don’t think the notes list tells us much here, could we be missing musk, iris, heliotrope and others? Having now drained my second sample of Powder Flowers I am thinking a large decant to see if I go through it as quickly. The only reason I haven’t bought a bottle already is that I can’t believe that I am so in love with a fragrance so definitively UN-me.

Photo Stolen DuboseLawFirm

Further reading: Scent For Thought and I could find anything else specific
Parfums Raffy have $105/50ml
Neroli Budapest has €56/50ml
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

You may wonder why the Prague Powder Tower pic is above, well, Jin and I were in Prague earlier in the year and we kept walking around and through this gate so when I saw it while looking for Powder Pix I instantly wanted to share this reminiscence.

Have you tried this far from usual Montale?
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Heya Frag Hags,

Recently there has been a flurry of excitement because La Via del Profumo, the natural perfume house from Italy, run by a French ex-pat who dresses like a fairytale Arabian desert bedouin (plural of badawī بَدَوِي,) is releasing a series of fragrances in honour of his adopted country Italy. The first of these arrived today with samples of two others for me to try. VERY EXCITED!!

Milano Caffe by La Via del Profumo 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Coffee, cappuccino, chocolate, iris, woody notes, spicy notes, opoponax, tonka bean, amber

Milano Caffe, the name alone is fabulous. I have a 15.5ml spray bottle and love its aesthetic. Chunky square glass with a smaller version repeated in the lid in plastic, its simplicity is exotic, feels expensive and is so perfectly simple. I have only had Milano Caffe 3 days and have worn it all three mornings, just for myself, completely selfishly and have enjoyed it immensely.

A warning: Give Milano Caffe a minute to soften off before you put nose to wrist, or in my case down your top, it will burn you out very quickly and some of the enjoyable development will be lost for you.

Photo Stolen Özge Okcuer Flickr

OK second go. First spritz gives me a blast of woodsy, resinous amber that could be the creating of coffee at the barista bar, that blast of hot water meeting ground beans, the milk being heated and the street smells of cars, pets and humanity all encompassed in that five minute rush of excitement. It is big and loud and in your face, just like a busy Summer streetside coffee house (though I’ve only done Florence, Rome and Venice, assuming similarities) in the middle of the tourist section.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Interestingly here I get the amber and other resins through the heart of the fragrance with some totally gorgeous smoke, still with a coffee teinté over the top. The whole fragrance then softens off and becomes a sweet/woodsy very sensual wash before drying off to cool, earth and woods, then just wood, dry wood alone and then gone. Around 4-6 hours before I lose the scent completely depending on the day, it may still be hovering over my skin but I can’t smell it. That’s pretty good longevity for a natural.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Now Smell This
La Via del Profumo has €12,40/5.5ml (Splash), €33/15.5ml (Spray), €71,40/33ml (Spray), €98/50ml (Spray)

Photo Stolen Kesha&Co

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

1 x 2ml Manufacturers Sample of Milano Caffe
1 x 2ml Manufacturers Sample of Palermo Don Corleone
1 x 2ml Manufacturers Sample of Venezia Giardini Segrett
P&H Anywhere in the world

These are remains after I have sampled them so not exactly 2ml (1.5-2ml)

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

Go to La Via Del Profumo and find me ONE perfume and ONE of its ingredients. NO DOUBLE UPS!! EASY!

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie La Via del Profumi ITALIAN SERIES GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p2fQBU-1QK @LaViaDelProfumo #Giveaway

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday August 4 2013 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin will pick a winner.
The winners will have till Thursday August 8 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Good Luck Everyone!
Go To It.
Portia xx

Don’t forget to enter our La Via Del Profumo GIVEAWAY!!<<<<JUMP

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Post by Julie of Aromatique Essentials

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Today we start a new ongoing story of the creation of a scent. Julie will be our guide and I (Portia) will be the guinea pig. The other day Julie came to my home and we did a consultation which included talking through favourite smells, things, people and memories. I was also asked to fill out an in depth questionnaire so Julie would have something to reference as she worked on my scent. It was loads of fun and she is a character full of wonderful stories and anecdotes of the fragrances and her own personal history. Time flew by with loads of laughter and knowledge exchanged. I hope you enjoy the story of a creation of a scent.
Portia xx

Who Is Julie Nelson of Aromatique Essentials?

Hello Australian Perfume Junkies,

As a Holistic Aromatherapist*, I am guided by instinct backed by knowledge of the way fragrance has been used as decoration and medicinally through many different countries and cultures into pre-history. Almost 20 years professional experience, as a practitioner, educator and consultant and I am still learning. At Aromatique essentials we create the highest quality bespoke perfumes and use only the highest quality of pure organic and natural essential oils selected from all around the world and Aromatique Essentials products are free from synthetic ingredients.

I fell in love with essential oils and the art of aromatherapy after my daughter was born. She was the youngest and smallest TOF (tracheoesophageal fistula) baby born in Australia at that time, with many complications and challenges. As a mother I looked to do more for her and help her in every way possible. Using aromatherapy every day improved her early life and transformed us both physically, emotionally and spiritually. So, grateful for this, I have devoted my life to learning how aromatherapy can support and enhance the well-being of others.

A Holistic Practitioner, Aromatherapy Consultant and Aromatherapy Coach, with 13 years as an educator responsible for the design and delivery of Aromatherapy and Beauty programs for Australia’s leading natural therapies colleges and featuring in national publications like Pharmacy Trade, Pregnancy Magazine, Cleo, For Me, Body & Soul, Good Weekend, Sydney Morning Herald as well as health/beauty blogs and radio segments.

Julie Nelson

I am an alchemist, healer and teacher. It is my calling.
With love,
Julie xo

The Journey of ‘Capturing the Fragrant Essence of Your Soul’

Why have a perfume made especially for you?
A Bespoke perfume is a signature, testament to your unique and beautiful self, who you are. Imagine having a fragrance that no other person has, every time people smell you it will become their eternal memory of you.
It can be the mark of a special occasion: Wedding day, Birthday, Mothers day, Giving birth, any Milestone. Or simply because you can.

One of my favourite things to do is creating a signature perfume. There are no synthesized ingredients or animal products in my creations but pure essential oils, floral waters and hydrosols. Essential oils alone are very complex containing hundreds of natural chemical constituents. Rose essential oil has over 400 natural chemical constituents and is very difficult to duplicate with the nuances and depths of the real thing.

Blending is my art; involving two decades of study, experience and passion, referencing your astrological birth chart and trusting my intuition through spending time with you. I love to create something so intimate, personal and magical for, and with, you.

In preparation for your creation I need to know as much as I can about you, so that your personality, what you love and how you desire to feel is evoked when you wear your Bespoke Perfume. When crafting your perfume my intention is to ‘Capture the Fragrant Essence of Your Soul’.

The first step to creating your perfume is filling out a detailed perfume consultation form with as much information about yourself as possible. Tell me your favourite scents, food, colour and season. What type of aromas you resonate with such as floral, woody, spicy or fresh citrus tones. Astrologically your Sun, Moon and Rising sign can be taken into account when creating your perfume because they give me more insight in to your personality and assists me in creating.

From here, I then begin the process by creating samples, which can take up to 4 weeks. Once they are ready I then send them to you. What you receive is 3 x1mL perfume vials numbered 1,2 and 3 in separate sealed bags. I allow one week for you to choose your favourite perfume sample. (It is best to inhale and try them in the morning after you bathe)

Your 2nd consultation can be held via phone, Skype or you can come to me. This consultation allows you to ask any questions you may have.
I then make your 2nd 3 x 1ml mods and allow them to sit and synergise/brew for 4-6 weeks before they are posted to you.

Your 3rd consultation can also be held via phone, Skype or you can come to me. This consultation allows you to finalise your fragrance.
I then make your finished Perfume and allow it to sit and synergise for 4-6 weeks before it is posted to you. Your own fragrance.

Should you need more mods then this perfume can be layered and built on to and you will be charged an hourly rate.

Packaged in a beautiful heart shaped green glass 100ml spray bottle decorated with a charm crafted from vintage jewellery dating back to the 1930′s-1950′s. These charms are made especially for Aromatique Essentials and no 2 charms are alike. Or you can choose one of our spectacular hand blown glass creations for your fragrance. Each perfume comes with a personal note listing each essential oil and what it represents and is kept on file. Your formula can be used to create a range of bespoke products including body creams and lotions, bath salts, body oils and room sprays.

Enjoy a touch of luxury every day, all it takes is a few drops or a gentle spray of your custom made perfume and you are wrapped in an your own personal veil of fragrance.
The beauty of using pure essential oils also assists on other levels such as boosting your nervous and immune systems uplifting your mind mood and emotions, which adds another dimension to your perfume!

Julie

Please come and visit me at the Aromatique Essentials website<<<JUMP

All photos from Aromatique Essentials site

*Adj. holistic – emphasizing the organic or functional relation between parts and the whole/pertaining to or using therapies outside the mainstream of orthodox medicine, as chiropractic, homeopathy, or naturopathy.

Don’t forget to enter our La Via Del Profumo GIVEAWAY!!<<<<JUMP

Hello lovers of fine fragrance,

I think this little gem came in my box of goodies from Birgit or Sandra at Olfactoria’s Travels but I could be wrong, it may have been from Sheila at The Alembicated Genie or even as a Gift With Purchase. It is a manufacturers carded sample in a beautiful heavy, matte, white card with silver writing and inside was a 2ml dab vial that I immediately upon opening decanted into a spritzer to get the scent thatv you would get from the bottle.

Shanti Shanti by Miller et Bertaux 2008

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Bulgaria rose, iris, warm spices, cardamom, patchouli, sandalwood

LibertineParfumerie gives this list:
Top: Rose (Bulgarian or Damascene)
Heart: Iris, rose (Baie)
Base: Cardamom, patchouli, sandalwood (Indian)

Rose, ROSE, a big, wet, musky, sweet, spicy rose with tea facets and a little leaf and twig. Clean and fresh, no hint of manure or humus, like sitting in the middle of a field of roses very early in the morning and it’s cold, as the sun comes up it warms the flowers and the dew and fragrance flies, on an icy but stunningly fragrant breeze. Thank goodness for the thermos of tea because otherwise you’d be freezing. Adult rose, manly rose, green, crisp and alive are all things I’ve jotted while sniffing. It’s a wonderful opening.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

As Shanti Shanti settles the rose stays and is joined by cool, rooty, powdery iris but it feels very musk also, maybe the thing that my nose/brain thinks is musk is another ingredient. At two hours wear time and though the fragrance has softened appreciable it still is a very fresh green rose, I can just detect some sandalwood/patchouli/cardamom but it’s a green, milky softness rather than each note separately. Shanti Shanti has work quite linear really, not much story, but not boring either. That they have kept it so defiantly green is beautiful, I bet this would be a fabulous Summer scent.

Why is it called Shanti Shanti? Shanti (from Sanskrit शान्तिः śāntiḥ) means peace, rest. Yes, this is extremely peaceful and restful, the final dry down has a musk and herbal tinge over the rose that could with your eyes squinted and a bit of imagination be a referral to India, but only the travel brochure pictures of India not physically being there.

Photo Stolen Bulgaria-Trips

Shanti Shanti has opening heft, I am decidedly fragrant but it would take mega spritzes to get skunkish. After an hour it calms to a light, but not too light, fresh fragrance that is green and clean without being generic or laundry. Like a breath of fresh air all day, well for around 5-6 hours.

Further reading: PerfumeNW and Perfume Posse: both these reviews are smaller bites in a post but I couldn’t find others on the first 3 pages of Google. Sorry. They’re both worth a read though because they catch stuff I miss.LibertineParfumerie has $195/100ml including FREE Australian Shipping
First In Fragrance has €94/100ml and does samples €4

Photo Stolen Alianna Logan Flickr

See how this girl is both elegant, dressed up, lovingly thought out but then her hair is artfully disarrayed, that’s how Shanti Shanti feels. Perfect but comfortably so. Miller et Bertaux is a line that I keep coming across and I think I like them very much. Spiritus/Land #2, A Quiet Morning and now Shanti Shanti have all been winners for Jin & I.

Have you tried any of the Miller et Bertaux fragrances? If so, what did you think? If not, are they now on your radar?
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Hey there Stink Monkeys,

Recently they had a big sale at Parfum1 and I wanted to know what they had done to Burberry Brit that made them want to produce it as an extrait version. Even why they did it has me baffled, unless it was made purely to sell as a top of the range glam moment for men to buy their girlies when hunting for that elusive something that says “I know you, your taste and want the best for you.”

Burberry Brit Parfum 2003

Photo Stolen 99Perfume

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green lemon, pear, almond
Heart: White peony
Base: Vanilla, amber, mahogany, tonka bean

The Burberry box and the bottles shape, heft and colouring are all fabulous and fun, I enjoyed the process of opening up the package the first time and continue to do so every time I go back for a spritz.

So Burberry Brit Parfum opens in the extremely popular hefty sheer way that so many perfumes of the new millenium do, was Gucci Rush or Kenzo Flower among the first? It was a step from watery ozonic to floral but with a delicacy like a silk crêpe Georgette scarf that has been heavily printed, or do you remember those Versace silk shirts in the 1990s? You could see flesh and muscle through them but the patterns were bold and intricate. This family of fragrances is a soft shimmer of perfume but with fabulous sillage and projection. They are like a neon light, no heat but extra full on light.

 Photo Stolen WearIt.com

The pear is the same fake pear that you would expect , sweet and fizzy, but the almond meal/milk scent grounds it beautifully. I am so embarrassed by how much I enjoy Burberry Brit Parfum. I can understand why it is so popular, well understand why the EdT and EdP have remained constant great sellers and why they decided to do a parfum. The peony has a overblown, blousy, 3 days in their water smell that is my favourite time of peonies, they are on the verge of fully opened and their promise is palpable still. Such a wonderful flower, does anyone grow them? Do you have hints? I’m not sure our winters are cold enough here in Sydney, Australia? The milky almond meal comes back in later and melds beautifully with the amber and vanilla before we hit deep dry down.

The dry down is pretty sweet vanillic woods, slightly generic. There’s a reason that it is so common, it’s pretty and wearable and doesn’t get cloying or annoying. That fades and your left with very slightly better smelling skin, nondescript but better.

Photo Stolen Platinum

I am getting between 3-4 hours fully fragrant and then a long time in dry down, even next morning there are traces.

Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume.org(Ellen’s blog)
Parfum1 has $35/15ml
My Perfume Samples has a great Burberry Brit selection starting at $2/ml, sadly no parfum

Have you ever been happily surprised by a fragrance that you thought you’d dislike?
See you tomorrow,

Portia xx

Hey there all,

We have had a lovely response for the Milano Caffe Giveaway. Thank you all so much for getting involved, I hope you also took a moment to go and follow the La Via del Profumo crew on twitter. If not this is the handle: @LaViaDelProfumo

Milano Caffe GIVEAWAY WINNER

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

1 x 2ml Manufacturers Sample of Milano Caffe
1 x 2ml Manufacturers Sample of Palermo Don Corleone
1 x 2ml Manufacturers Sample of Venezia Giardini Segrett
P&H Anywhere in the world

These are remains after I have sampled them so not exactly 2ml (1.5-2ml)

HOW DID YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You had to go to La Via Del Profumo and find me ONE perfume and ONE of its ingredients. NO DOUBLE UPS!! EASY!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday August 4 2013 10pm Australian EST.
Winner chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and Jin picked a winner. He hardly even looked up from his iPad because he is choosing a hotel for a weekend in Melbourne. YAY!! I love Melbourne, can’t wait.

AND THE

Photo Stolen ganjer

NATALIE

CONGRATULATIONS!! You have till Thursday August 8 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Thanks everyone!!

Portia xx

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Post by Brie

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Local NYC Artisanal Fragrant and Edible Delights

Soap and Paper Factory/ Harney and Sons Teas/ Sweetniks

When my middle daughter turned thirteen she decided that she wanted to celebrate with a NYC shopping extravaganza. Much to my horror she chose Black Friday as the day to do it.
After spending literally all day waiting on long cashier lines and dodging Japanese and German picture taking tourists on the streets of Manhattan we arrived at Grand Central Station in the evening completely depleted. Having a few minutes to spare before our Metro North train arrived I spotted in an alcove a multitude of booths set up by local artisanal artists selling their products.

Soap and Paper Factory Shea Butter Bois de Santal Hand Cream

Photo Stolen soapandpaperfactory

Those who know me well can attest to the fact that I am a strong supporter and advocate of purchasing from local and artisanal companies. So it was no surprise that I high-tailed it over to one of the booths, the Soap and Paper Factory Company which calls Congers, New York its home. What my eyes witnessed were a large assortment of all natural solid perfumes, shea butter hand creams, natural soaps and soy candles- a deluge of olfactory delights hand poured in recyclable, eye popping packaging. I immediately purchased Bois de Santal shea butter hand cream, a bourbon vanilla and sandalwood amalgamation. The shea butter makes this cream uber-luxurious and the decadently sweet scent lasts for hours and hours. (Ed: At this time they are currently out of stock of Bois de Santal but there are plenty of others)

Harney and Sons Vanilla Comoro Tea

Photo Stolen Harney&Sons

I discovered Harney and Son Teas at a small local farmers market in upstate New York. It is one of my absolute favorite tea companies and produces high quality loose teas, tisanes and tea bags beautifully packaged in tetraheaval silken sachet pouches. A relatively short scenic drive through bucolic landscape brings me to their factory and store in Millerton, New York. Vanilla Comoro, a decaffeinated black tea nuanced with boozy vanilla notes is the perfect accompaniment to Bois de Santal.

Sweetniks Candy Bacon Spiced Pecan Nougat

Photo Stolen Sweetniks

Finally, my introduction to Sweetniks was through http://www.coolcookstyle.com. This local artisanal candy company based in New York City conjures up a perfume lover’s wildest fragrant candy desires. My absolutely favorite offers from Sweetniks are the Candied Bacon Spiced Pecan Nougats. These spicy bourbon scented nougats with bacon and pecans are what I nibble on whilst drinking my Vanilla Comoro Tea with the scent of Bois de Santal Shea butter hand cream wafting from my delicate little fingers…. utterly delightful!

Do please go and visit these artisanal stores websites, each name is its own jump.

Soap And Paper Factory (Please write to the Contact Us email for Outside US Shipping)

Harney & Sons Teas

Sweetniks (USA Only unless you contact them)

See you next month,

Brie x

(Ed: Brie wrote this post ahead. She may not answer your comments but please leave some in case she drops in. I, Portia, will answer though)

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Post by Suzanne R Banks

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Neroli Neroli Neroli

Neroli, neroli, neroli. I love it, I love it, I love it.

The oil is produced from the blossom of Citrus aurantia ssp amara or bigarade. It is a powerful, beautifully enchanting blossom fragrance with a little spice and bitter-sweet citrus.

It is an oil that is precious and expensive to make and therefore is mostly sold in a 3% blend. (see my article “Essential Oils 3% in Jojoba – What are they, and Why?” for more information on 3% blends).

Photo stolen WikiCommons

In the world of essential oils and plant-based medicine it is a relative newcomer. While some herbs and oils have been used for thousands of years (lavender, myrrh, frankincense, cypress for example), this scent was made popular in Italy in the 1700′s. The story goes that “by the end of the 17th century, Anne Marie Orsini, duchess of Bracciano and princess of Nerola, Italy, introduced the essence of bitter orange tree as a fashionable fragrance by using it to perfume her gloves and her bath. Since then, the term “neroli” has been used to describe this essence.”

The principality of Nerola is close to Rome where the Princess really worked the diplomacy angle in the Italian capital, securing her future in the courts of France, Spain and Rome. The essence was used particularly in Venice to ward off water born viruses and nasties. She later changed her name and title (when the duke of Bracciano died) to Marie Anne de La Trémoille, princesse des Ursins. Apparently the title was created by herself and had no real credit, but her influence in politics remained until her death.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Thank goodness she was a scented visionary and left us with a love of this beautiful flower and perfume.

In aromatherapy neroli is therapeutically used for -

* relieving tension and anxiety, depression and melancholy

* sleeplessness

* improving the look and feel of facial skin by reducing the look of small capillaries

* some claims say it can be beneficial in treating muscle spasms and is also used in heart patients – massaged over the heart

Neroli is best used therapeutically as a sedating agent and for a treatment against anxiety and depression. Perhaps the small white flower allows one to open to the simple beauty of life.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Try these recipes:

1. Facial Oil

Use Neroli 3% straight from the bottle as a moisturiser or an overnight treatment. The scent will be heavenly and will soothe and calm your skin.

2. Pure Pulse Point Perfume

Once again use this oil straight from the bottle as a perfume. I always get comments when I wear Neroli as it appeals to men and women.

3. Nourishing Body Oil

Add these oils to 3 teaspoons of carrier oil for an all-over body moisturiser -

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

“Princess”

Neroli 3% 21 drops

Photo Stolen Flickr

“Feminine Power”

Neroli 3% 9 drops

Cardamon 1 drop

Rosewood 3 drops

Photo Stolen Flickr

“Influence”

Neroli 3% 9 drops

Fennel 1 drop

Patchouli 1 drop

Orange 2 drops

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Remember to use your intention when making a blend or using an essential oils as a perfume. You will be creating your life!

Suzanne R Banks

Suzanne R Banks Blog
Suzanne R Banks Aromatherapy
Suzanne R Banks FaceBook

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Post by Dionne

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Hello APJ,

“Why Don’t You Ever Smell Like Strawberries?” My oldest son, Bones, asked me that one day about three years ago when he was 17. I’d fallen down the rabbit hole about six months previously, and was still in the first flush of my new obsession: chatting about perfume incessantly and lifting my wrist as a smell offering to anyone who walked through my front door.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

My husband, The Engineer, and Archimedes (then 15) were interested, and each would eventually discover fragrances for himself that he liked, but Bones just didn’t get it. I have to give him credit that even at the age of 17 he showed enough self-restraint not to tell me how silly he thought the whole thing was, but I’m willing to bet he worked hard not to roll his eyes whenever I proffered a wrist.

When he asked why I wasn’t wafting strawberries, my response at the time was a sarcastic, “Because I’m not a seventeen year-old girl.” To me the question seemed ludicrous; strawberries made me think of Bonne Bell Lip Smackers and Strawberry Shortcake and I, well *I* was a serious perfumista, discovering that iris and incense smelled fantastic on me and getting packages from France and Switzerland and England. Good grief, did he think I shopped at Bath & Body Works?

I cringe a bit now when I type that and face my past snobbery. It’s quite ironic too, when you consider my present love for Pulp, Bombay Bling, Pear + Olive, Philosykos, Bronze Goddess and that apple note in Wazamba. So thankfully I was past my anti-fruit snobbery by 2012 when Monica Miller of Skye Botanicals announced her Strawberry Passion Project.

Strawberry Passion Green by Skye Botanicals

Photo Stolen Perfume Pharmer

PerfumePharmer gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink Pepper/Red Mandarin/Bergamot/Tangerine/ Lemon/ Natural Ivy Accord
Heart : Rose/Tuberose/Boronia/ White Water Lily/ Black Currant/ Natural Peach Accord/ Natural Strawberry Accord
Base: Green Tea/ Amber/ Sandalwood/ Patchouli/ Vanilla/ Vetiver/ Oakmoss/ Beach Found Ambergris

If I understand correctly, the project came about because she’d created some strawberry flower essence at her home in Martha’s Vineyard – flower essences don’t have a smell – and approached Kedra Hart of Opus Oils to create an all-natural strawberry perfume to go with the essence. In the end, two of the mods were so good she offered them to reviewers as semi-finalists with the names Cream and Green, and you could buy samples from her Etsy store.

Cream didn’t get along with my skin chemistry (a pretty common occurrence for me, unfortunately), but oh, that Green! I tend to pull out the sweet notes in a fragrance, so it’s not as green-smelling on me as most of the reviewers reported, but there’s a hint of leaf and stem in there. As I read the list of notes provided, I must admit my nose is not good enough to pick up the disparate threads of pink pepper and mandarin and boronia and tuberose and other ingredients. Basically, I get the most amazing and natural strawberry smell overtop a rich base of vanilla and sandalwood. Holy cow, this is sensual stuff; every time I wear it I get compliments.

 Photo Stolen Tricia Flickr

And I have to give major props to the perfumer Kedra Hart. First off, for the 2013 Fifi nomination in the Indie category. But even more than that, this has truly phenomenal sillage and longevity for a natural perfume. Seriously, how did you pull that off? Ten hours in, I still smell fantastic. In fact, even though it’s EDP, I find it wears more like a parfum and prefer it dabbed to sprayed.

Photo Stolen michellehebert Flickr

Considering the fact that 30ml is $115 at Monica’s Etsy store, that’s a fantastic deal. My bottle is going to last me a looooong time. It’s a good thing I’ll never be too old to wear it.

Dione x

(Ed: Dionne is off camping with her lovely family so she may take a day to respond to your messages, Please do leave a “hello” because sometimes it’s nice to get a line to the real world when you’ve gone bush)

Wedding Fragrance for Grooms

As if men don’t enough to worry about on their wedding day…right? You can imagine the poor hung over fools frantically fumbling around at the back of the bathroom cabinet on the morning of the wedding hoping they’d come across some scent Gran had bought them for Christmas eons past…can’t you? I’ve only ever had to prepare a groom for his wedding the once, I was best man for my brother and if he was an example of a typical man on his wedding day it’s a safe bet that pretty much all men fall to pieces in exactly the same way he did! He he he

I’ve been doing a little reading on the interweb to see if there were anything suggesting wedding fragrance for grooms and I was shocked, given that we live in an age of ‘metro sexuality’, that 99.9% of advice regarding which fragrance one might contemplate wearing on the day of nuptials and the exchanging of rings was directed at the bride. Many ‘advice’ rich sources even went so far as to suggest to the bride that she ‘ditch the fragrance he normally wears and buy him something you like instead’! Hang on a cotton-picking-minute! Roll back!! Remember? I clearly suggested in my opening paragraph that men cannot think for themselves. But really?

I hear you laughing already.

Imagine the chaos if two men were permitted to marry each other! Of course this depends entirely on which country you live in. Well this is exactly what my partner of 15 years and I did two weeks ago. After 12 months of planning we left the backward backwaters of Australia and jetted over to Las Vegas to get married. We were not alone. 35 of our nearest and dearest met us there to celebrate and share the love with us.

We had almost everything planned, which is no mean feat when we are in Australia and our planner the USA. We had excellent help from a few friends who bent over backwards to make it all come together and run so smoothly. My husband and I were left to our own devices and to make our own decisions (men cannot think for themselves remember) on a number of things, for example where we’d all eat and drink after the ceremony, what colour boutonnières we wanted and what we wanted to wear (very dangerous in my case as I dress for comfort, not style or fashion) and of course this included our personal choice of fragrance.

My husband played it safe and stayed with a fragrance he already owned and liked, but I went with something new. In my opinion one should wear a fragrance because one loves it. A fragrance can and should make you feel good, evil, safe or dangerous, attractive or aloof…it’s a personal thing right? Incidentally I’m not a fan of purchasing fragrances for other people unless I know they already wear it or have requested it as a gift. So what did we wear?

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I wore Tiffany for Men on the day. I’ve often popped into Tiffany & Co. to spritz myself with his classic as I loved its powdery scent. Imagine how shocked I was firstly to find out it contained patchouli (my favourite) but secondly that Jacques Polge was the nose behind it. I don’t have a sensitive nose at all, but I know what smells good…and this is good. It’s powdery, light and very subtle – perfect for standing in front of a pastor!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

My husband wore Chanel’s Allure Homme Sport. Again, this is another subtle but fresh fragrance and, once the spice from Allure mingled with the spice of Tiffany we were all spicy together! Allure doesn’t smell great on my skin, but, it’s not about me…it’s my husband’s fragrance. Chanel’s Allure Homme Sport is also pastor-friendly and wouldn’t you know it – slap me across the face with a wilted bouquet of roses – Allure Homme Sport is ANOTHER Jacques Polge treasure!

Until next time stinkers.

Kxx

PS. In case you were wondering…yes I did wear white!

Hello APJ Family and Friends,

Recently they had a 20% off sale at Parfum1 and I had been lemming this bottle for a while, so I naughtily purchased. Some people call this Black and some Black Ananda, maybe because the original white bottle was called Ananda.

Black by M. Micallef 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Amalfi lemon, bitter orange, plum
Heart: Jasmine, tuberose, neroli, ylang ylang
Base: Musk, powder, benzoin, vanilla

Before I write about the fragrance I have to tell you the packaging is seriously gorgeous and the bottle feels like a million dollars when you pick it up. The Drag Queen in me adores the cognac rhinestones on the matte black porcelain bottle and the lid is a harem girls dream. Seriously. I know how shallow that is but couldn’t give a rats, this bottle is beautiful.

Black opens prettily perfumey, it is softer and less intrusive than I expected from its packaging, the plum taking dominance over the citrus. There is so much space between the notes, so sheer, a pastel scarf of finest gauzy silk Georgette. My skin gives an interesting brown sugar waft as the opening slides into the heart. Here we have white flowers being slightly indolic, a little bit retro, and the fragrance gets a touch more oomph but is still extremely ambient, a feeling of space and lightness, introverted fragrance that generates the kind of heft that you expect from body products. It’s close and personal. I can tell Black by M. Micallef has used some good product in the juice, the composition is seamless (so sheer it is hard to tell imperfections really) and clean. What I am most reminded of is a less milky Burberry Brit (towards the end of BBs life), it has a similar spare musky/vanillic/floral wash. For most perfumistas I think Black by M. Micallef will be a big fat yawn.

Photo Stolen MySuperficialEndeavours

Maybe as a gateway frag from some of the extremely barely there white musks of Bodyshop etc this would seem a logical step, good for a grown up scent for young girls who have only had those before. Also if you want to feel laundry fresh all day but without being definitively laundry, but close.

Surprisingly for the lack of fragrance Black by M. Micallef lasts well, this is the PERFECT scent if you really want to have perfume but work in a frag phobic environment. Also good for people who don’t really like scent but wear it because ,”It’s the thing you do”. The bottle alone is worth having as a piece of art and looks killer in the bathroom, recently on Perfume of Life there was a conversation about growing up surrounded by people who had The One And Only Perfect Bottle of scent that was displayed on dressers or in bathrooms. If you are that kind of person then Black by M. Micallef could be the bottle for you.

Photo Stolen mararie on Flickr (not the Black bottle)

My question to M. Micallef is how can Black be packaged in this outrageous black, gold and cognac diamond bottle? There is a TOTAL disconnect between the enclosure and the juice. It’s like putting Gendarme into the bottle above when you would expect an Amouage/Lutens/Vermeire/Tauer, weird! It reminds me of the Coco Noir conundrum.

Further reading: I could only find sellers who have written about Black. Sandra on Olfactoria’s Travels does a beautiful job with the original Ananda though
Parfum1 has $115/30ml
Surrender To Chance starts at $7/ml

Are you a Micallef fan? Are there any in their range that you adore? Maybe you’ve tried black? What are your thoughts?

Have a lovely fragrant day,
Portia xx

Hey there Perfumed Peeps,

Tonight I’m giving my fresh bathed skin L’Heure Bleue,  the modern EdP from Madeleine’s reject pile. I am totally ignoring my many other new frags for Madeleine’s unloved babies, they are seeing more wear time than anything else right now, even though I’ve still not finished opening bottles from my various travels this year. I am officially a TRAGIC, GREEDY, FRAG HOARDER!!!

L’Heure Bleue EdP (2011) by Raymond Guerlain 1912

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, neroli, aniseed, bergamot, coriander
Heart: Bulgarian rose, carnation, tuberose, violet, cloves, ylang, orchid, heliotrope, neroli
Base: Vanilla, Tonka bean, iris, musk, vetiver, sandalwood, benzoin

There has been much talk of reformulation, IFRA regs etc, especially around some of our long term favourite and historical hallmark perfumes. L’Heure Bleue is a case in point, especially because last year was its centenary and that century has seen so many changes in fashion, materials and consumers taste. My oldest L’Heure Bleue in the collection only goes back to the 1980s and is an EdT. What happens on my skin with the modern EdP?

There is no denying that even in the 30 years across my L’Heure Bleue collection that it is changed. The opening is still definitively Guerlain, all sugared citrus candy and adding in the very slight spicy/herbal tinge. In fact for me the openings are the most similar part of the fragrance life. I can’t parse all the flowers for you but the bouquet is still gorgeous and beyond. Lighter, floatier, fluffier: the powders are silken soft and they waft gently in spring breezes compared to the heft and depth of the vintage. More floral and its lasting power is considerable less. It still has something glorious and fun, like eating PEZ in a bakery’s back alley. MMMMMMM

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

It has had some of it’s animalics and dirty back end amputated and towards the very dry down end in about 5-6 hours, depending, I get a very clean laundry musk that first wear surprised the freakin’ shit out of me. It is nice but not something I expect from a Guerlain, maybe a Body Shop. Really, it’s not offensive, just unexpected.

Wearing the current L’Heure Bleue is fear free. I find it polite and wearable in most situations and it has moderate to low sillage now, with good wear life. I will be interested to see how it changes over the next 30 years. If I am extremely lucky.If L’Heure Bleue was released today as it is currently I think we would love it and it would probably come out in the Guerlain exclusives line, especially with DIOR’s Milly-la-Foret and CHANEL’s 28 La Pausa being popular powdery releases by the big guns.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Olfactoria’s Travels
Fragrance Shop has $74/75ml EdP
Surrencer To Chance starts at $3/ml EdP

Have you smelled any of the L’Heure Bleue formulations or strengths? Which is your favourite?
Till tomorrow, waft fragrantly,
Portia xx

Hey there Crew,

Sometimes when I am in touch with Birgit from Olfactoria’s Travels she might mention a bottle or two that I love and she is ready to let loose, just such a one as this. I can tell she loved it for a while because there is a fair amount missing, sometimes tastes change or something along a similar vein eclipses your current bottle, a million reasons. Maybe you need to sell off a few to buy a newby, always an excellent way of keeping stuff loved and in rotation.

Songe D’Un Bois D’Ete by Guerlain 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Cedar, jasmine, saffron, cardamom, laurel, oud, myrrh, patchouli, leather

BaseNotes gives theese featured accords:
Top: Laurel, Neroli
Heart: Jasmine, Patchouli, Saffron, Cedar
Base: Leather, Myrrh

Perfume Shrine tells me that Songe D’Un Bois D’Ete means Dreaming of a Summery Wood, cool summer evening maybe? Summer doesn’t really fit for me to be honest perhaps Autumn? Maybe that’s the dreaming bit? Dreaming in Autumn and Winter of the memories of a Summer wood but surrounded by the scents of winter. OK I’m on board with that. I love the beaded curtain on the bottle with tiny little Guerlain logos and bees, also the Arabic/French writing and the squarish, spare design that you can fit loads of on a shelf. Did I mention the box this comes in? It’s so ridiculously luxe all by itself.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Opening up I get honeyed sweets, like baklava or sugary real Turkish Delight (some days it’s more a candied citrus) with woods and fairly early on I also get a patchouli/oudh vibe that runs baseline. Songe D’Un Bois D’Ete is woodsy and sensual, spicy, and a little waxy. It washes over me in warm, elegant waves like toffee, making everything seem fluid and the air thick. Imagine looking into a brightly lit room through 1970s amber glass, a teinte, a glow, a wash of luminous whiskey coloured grandeur. Thierry Wasser has made something regal that throws such a luscious nod to the middle east but is ensconced firmly in the heart of Paris, the oudh/patchouli clean and dinner suited. How has he made these notes into a gourmand, I seriously want to eat myself up. There are some hints of smoke and the sweaty green of cardamom/cumin adding depth and variation through Songe D’Un Bois D’Ete life.

 Photo Stolen LASZLO ILYES Flickr

Through my wear I am most conscious of how amazingly international I smell. It’s as if all the sweet, delicious and pretty pieces of the middle east have been distilled into a fragrance. No dust or desert, not super sweet rose or oily, cloying, heavy and dark fragrance, no camels, tents, sand or oasis. Songe D’Un Bois D’Ete is sheer but still super fragrant, it’s like Mr Wasser has added air and space to the denseness of what we expect from the middle east. So wearable and still unusual. Guerlain from top to bottom: but 21st century Guerlain.

The deep dry down is clean sweaty skin, softest, most loved, old suede and resinous myrrh but that is far, far, far into the future. Next morning there are still viable traces of Songe D’Un Bois D’Ete. What a fragrance. Wear it everywhere if you dare.

Photo Stolen BBC.UK

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Olfactoria’s Travels looks at the three Les Déserts d’Orient collection
PlaceVendome in Belguim has €190/75ml and also sends to the world (Birgit bought my bottle there)
Universal Perfumes has Les Déserts d’Orient collection $276/75ml and send to the world
Surrender To Chance has Songe D’Un Bois D’Ete from $4.60/.5ml or has Les Déserts d’Orient 3 x .5ml from $13

Have you tried any of the three Les Déserts d’Orient? What was your favourite? Would you like to?
Till tomorrow we at APJ wish you health, wealth and happiness, and the ability to see them all when they come.
Portia xx