June 4, 2024 by AustralianPerfumeJunkies

The Sandalwood Shop Australia CLOSING

Hi there ULGers, Sad news last week. The Sandalwood Shop is closing with a 50% off sale. Australian sandalwood, of all three varieties are represented. There are two international imports and an indigenous one. All of them get a mentholated, slightly rougher open from our incredibly red, iron rich soil and its nutrients but give them a minute and AHHHHHHH. Heaven.

The Sandalwood Shop Australia CLOSING

If you love sandalwood and want to buy, be quick. Quite a bit of the stock has sold out already. You won’t find any of the sandalwood bead jewellery left, which is a shame because the smell is divine. What you will still find, that can be sent overseas, are beautiful bath and body ranges. I particularly love their body lotions and hand washes. The soap bars are gorgeous too. At 50% off it’s a steal. PLUS you’ll have a little piece of Australia that smells utterly divine. They even have a small range of sandalwood lipsticks, YUM!

It makes me sad when really good quality, beautiful products stop being produced.

Here’s your last chance to try them,

Portia xx

February 13, 2024 by AustralianPerfumeJunkies

Southern Bloom: Sweating It Out Down Under

Hi there ULG crew, While most of our readers are from the Northern Hemisphere and feeling the cold, down under I am sweltering in one of the weirdest weather summers I can remember. It’s either blazing hot and humid or raining, cooler and humid. We are normally (till the last couple of years) practically a desert here in Sydney. We get a few really big thunder storms that drop oodles of water in a relatively short time and then blue skies. Out here in Parramatta, about 25km from the city, it usually doesn’t get ridiculously muggy very often. 2023/4 summer is like living in a tropical monsoon area. Without the daily afternoon downpour. I’m not complaining, just letting you know how unorthodox this year is. OK, maybe I am complaining, coz.

Southern Bloom by Goldfield and Banks 2018

Goldfield & Banks gives these featured accords:
Boronia Absolute Tasmania, Jasmine Sambac India, Cassis France, Sandalwood Australia, Vetiver Indonesia, Ylang Ylang Madagascar, Coconut Accord, Iris Italy

Australians are incredibly proud of Goldfield and Banks. They are an Indie House gone global. It was a thrill for me to see them in such diverse cities on our recent trip as Vienna, Paris, London, Budapest and Seoul. I can’t think of a perfume brand of ours that has ever had such distribution, especially with such a niche feeling product. Maybe Grandiflora is getting close? Tommi Sonia gave it a red hot go, if they had stayed the distance I reckon they’d be global by now too.

Anyway, I’ve been wearing Southern Bloom a bit in this strange weather. I want to say it’s a white floral but that is so much less than the whole experience. Straight up there is a lightly sweet, clear eucalyptus green. I’m thinking it’s the boronia and cassis but doesn’t really smell like either of them. This top stays but is overshadowed by the white floral dripping with tropical ylang and sandalwood. This heart is eye lollingly gorgeous and hums away merrily for a long time. It’s both warm and cool, sultry and exactly the fetishized dream of carefree tropical holiday nights.

The heart also has a boozy component and makes me think of those creamy cocktails that sometimes come in a pineapple or big glasses with fruity embellishments.

The base is very sandalwood heavy and I’m surprised there’s no vanilla noted, it’s a luscious creamy confection.

While anyone can and should try Southern Bloom it does lean towards modern traditional femme. The first hour or so is very fragrant and its lasting power is impressive. It fits most seasons but this super weird summer it is working perfectly for me.

Sound good?
Portia xx

May 18, 2021 by AustralianPerfumeJunkies

Jin and Portia: The Ghan Train Trip 2021

Hey Crew. Jin and I have been trying to get back on this train for over a year. There have been three previous dates, all postponed due to C19. Finally it’s happened. So I thought you might like a few photos and some small commentary. We were away for nine fun filled nights. A few in Darwin, three on the Ghan itself and one in Adelaide. We flew up to Darwin and back from Adelaide. I know your first thought is “What perfumes did you take?”

I thought it might be a good time to wear some of the decants I loved but have lain forgotten in the mad rush for new around here. All these decants (Except Rouge Saray, sent by my beautiful buddy Megan In Sainte Maxime) are quite old in my collection and really need to get worn. It seems my selection is VERY vanilla heavy. No problem. It’s one of my favourite notes. It’s like I’ve picked four vanillas on four very different points of the spectrum. One thing they all have in common though is how beautifully created they are. Also how easy wear and versatile, yet interesting statement pieces as well.
Coeur de Vetiver Sacre by L’Artisan Parfumeur: Vetiver, tea, incense sweetened by vanilla/amber. This was the most worn of the selection in daytime. It’s sheer yet interesting beauty went so well with the trip.
Mon Precieux Nectar by Guerlain: Vanilla heavy white floral with almond & incense.
Rouge Saray by Atelier des Ors: Spiced fruits and fairy floss over a patchouli/vanilla base. Very ra sha sha. I wore this to almost every evening event and had compliments every time. So beautiful and noticeable.
Neroli 36 by Le Labo: White floral citrus backed by a lightweight vanilla.

One of our friends, Martin, was our travelling companion on the journey. He’d always wanted to do The Ghan and when his wife Jane heard we were going she pulled out all stops to get him on ours. It was excellent having him on the trip and it made the whole adventure even more special. The photos below are a mixed bunch taken by all three of us. By this stage I’m not sure who took what.

The class we travelled on this trip was Gold Superior. There were only two of these larger cabins on the train, the rest of the Gold class has less floor space. There is a higher glass, Platinum, but we think the Gold Class bar car is infinitely more fun. Quite pricey for a four day holiday but there is no more comfortable or fun way to see the centre of Australia. My pictures hardly do the whole trip justice and don’t show any of our four night stay up in Darwin. Also, all food and booze are included in the price. VERY dangerous! I drank more alcohol in the four days than I’d drunk for the whole year beforehand.

Jin and I are currently planning our next adventure, also on a train with the same company. This time from Perth to Adelaide ands then up to Brisbane. That’s how much we enjoyed the experience.

As a final aside, how freaking gorgeous is my husband Jin? He’s a bit of a fool in some of the pics but he is so charming and lovely the whole train fell under his spell. Every morning or evening the staff and voyagers would fall over themselves to greet him and he had smiles and chats for everyone. It was like travelling with a celebrity. We had a beautiful time and now we are back home, refreshed and ready for another few months of work and life before the next adventure.