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TinaG
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Hey APJ!
Perfumer and friend, the gorgeous Ainslie Walker, recently collaborated on a project by Courtesy of the Artist for their Rare Earth: Australian Made jewellery collection. Rare Earth: Australian Made is a showcase by six jewellery artists who design and display their work with precious gemstones which have been fossicked and cut in Australia. For anyone in Sydney, they have a shop in the Strand Arcade so you can view & purchase their pieces. Ainslie brings a new dimension to the project with her luminescent limited edition perfume called Sapphire: The Scent.
Sapphire: the Scent by Courtesy of the Artist 2017
Sapphire: the Scent by Ainslie Walker
Sapphire: The Scent captures the essence of the Australian bush unlike any fragrance I’ve come across. Many native Australian plants and trees naturally release aromatic volatile oils. The heat-haze from eucalypt oils can give the air a shimmering ‘blue’ appearance which, incidentally, is how the “Blue Mountains” were named.
Ainslie has carefully chosen an abundance of raw materials such as Boronia Absolute, Southern Rosalina, Kunzea and sustainable Sandalwood from Western Australia and blended them beautifully. The fragrance has a concentrated cologne style, which is focused through burst of top-note aromatics that lift and shine like the light of sapphire through the hazy majesty of the Australian natives. The effect is a rush of freshness and a feeling of the open freedom of the outdoors.
On first spray of Sapphire, I am instantly transported by the eucalyptus-style notes, boronia, citrus and light woods to the Blue Mountains on a summer’s day, walking along the sandstone tracks & feeling invigorated by the smells and sounds of the bush.
After a while, my mental image has shifted to the surf beaches around Anglesea in Victoria. Here, Sapphire has a warm and slightly waxy floral, a living wood scent with a slight spiciness, and menthol undertones. We used to walk along scrubby tracks to get to the beach, brushing along Boronia and Rosalina bushes. Ainslie has even managed to capture a sweet stickiness to the woods as if a branch has been broken. The dry down of Sapphire: The Scent continues to have a gorgeous sandalwood and woody notes that are warm on my skin for ages.
Sapphire: the Scent will be available from Courtesy of the Artist in the Strand Arcade from November 16.
What three notes would you chose for a fragrance to capture “Australia”?
Till next time,
Tina G
(ED: All photos supplied by Ainslie Walker unless specified)