perfume shopping

Southern Bloom: Sweating It Out Down Under
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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

Southern Bloom Goldfield & Banks Australia

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.

Southern Bloom by Goldfield and Banks 2018

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

 

 

Knize Sec
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Knize Sec

Hey there ULGers, On our recent European journey our last stop was Vienna. Ostensibly to catch up with Birgit from Olfactoria’s Travels and Val the Cookie Queen from APJ. Sadly Birgit and family got the dreaded C19 so that was out but Val, her daughter Hannah, Jin and I spent a wonderful day and night wandering, eating, shopping and catching up. It was heaven. All the Christmas Markets and lights were out, it was lightly snowing and we basked in the joy of just being together. Vienna has been my favourite city since the 1990s and it was so fabulous to be back. We even stayed in my most loved Vienna hotel, the Royal. HEAVEN! Here’s the pic with us in front of Cafe Mozart, the place we first met face to face in 2013! So much has changed. Our love? Nope, fire’s burning bright.

Knize Cec Portia Val Hannah jin Vienna 2023

Jin and I also went into Knize (Ker Neez Ya). The main reason was to buy a couple of Thank You and We Love You gifts. We grabbed the Gold Edition of Knize Ten for leather lover Anna Maria and Knize Forest for Scotty who never met a deep green he didn’t love. While there  I grabbed a bottle of Knize Sec. Long on the To Buy List and changed some since I first fell in love with it, still it gave me a shiver of thrill and purchase was made.

Knize Sec 1985

Knize Sec Jan 2024

Knize gives these featured accords:
Top: Citrus fruits, orange, amalfi lemon, coriander
Heart: Lavender, jasmine, sage, bitter orange
Base: Leather, incense, amber, musk

Straight out of the gate I get a slightly screechy aldehydic soapy citrus with herbal greenery. A sparkling masculine aromatic, still soapy and lightly sweaty, comes through. Refreshing! Now that I’ve worn it a few times I’m noticing it smells like Paco by Paco Rabanne. Not quite as metallic but definitely in a similar olfactory ballpark.

As we move into the heart I notice the white floral aspect. It’s not very jasmine off the tree though. Much more perfumery and working in beautifully with the lavender.

My memory of Sec in the past was that it ended up with a mossy leather amber base, a little like Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme. It’s much less sophisticated and deep now. Actually, it smells a little of pine and juniper.

It’s funny, until I sat down to really parse and write about Sec I was thinking that it’s a heady aldehydic aromatic with a light base. It’s kind of that but I also think that Knize has cheapened the mix and that Sec really hasn’t recovered properly after being made to fit current guidelines. It’s still wearable but not what I remember.

Looking for something new for a guy who wants to smell nice all day in a traditional way? He probably only has one or two fragrances going at any time and scent is not really an important part of his regime. He knows that the spritz is expected though and does it dutifully. He will smell nice to leave the house and then softly masculine all day.

Portia x

 

 

Carmina by Creed 2023 NEW! NEW! NEW!
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Carmina by Creed 2023 NEW! NEW! NEW!

Hi there ULGers, Before going away in November the Libertine crew invited my mate Ainslie and me to the launch of their latest blockbuster. I often hear perfume people say Creed is a blokes brand and that the women aimed perfumes aren’t as good. Honestly, I beg to differ. The only Creed bottle I paid full retail for was Fantasia de Fleurs. It’s a very lightly salted, spicy Bulgarian rose. Sure, the guff about it being Empress Sisi’s personal perfume might be bullshit but the fragrance is glorious. Vanisia, Iris Tuberose, and Angelique Encens have all been decants in my collection, leading to a pre-loved bottle purchase of Iris Tuberose.

Carmina by Creed 2023 Launch

Carmina by Creed 2023 Launch

Carmina by Creed 2023 Launch

Launch night was a big deal. The perfume world of Sydney. Execs, SAs, marketing teams, bloggers, vloggers, TV stars and hoi polloi. I had already spent the day in town and was so completely underdressed it was hilarious. This was a dress to impress event. Oh well. Nobody got seriously hurt by my poor fashion choices.

Carmina by Creed 2023

Carmina by Creed 2023

Creed Australia gives these featured accords:
Top: Black Cherry, Saffron, Pink Pepper
Heart: Rose de Mai, Violet, Cashmere Wood, Peony
Base: Frankincense, Myrrh, Amber, Musk

First let’s look at the bottle. After the massive fail of the Wind Flowers bottle I’m really interested that they have taken this route. The colour is gorgeous, like seriously and ridiculously fabulous. Cherry pink! They have reworked the cap, it’s fine but I don’t really understand why they needed to. Then they’ve used the traditional male bottle shape. It’s definitely sturdier on the foot than the shield bottle. Maybe I’m a grouchy old goat but that shield bottle was one of my favourite in perfume land.

OK, enough about that, how does Carmina smell? The opening moments are CHERRY! Sweet cherry soda pop. Roses make an early appearance and the sweet sizzle of the pink pepper berry makes both the fruit and flower zing. Big, overblown, jammy roses only very slightly tamed by the green, white-floral-adjacent-ness of violet. This is a fun confection. I’m so not sure of this but the whole shimmering opening makes me think there are some aldehydes giving everything some razzle dazzle.

Do you remember Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss by Estée Lauder? Kendall Jenner was the face? It was a similar vibe but had this weird saccharine backtaste to the fragrance. Carmina is like they’ve taken a similar route but without that chemical waste undertow.

The heart becomes more peony as it goes forward. Not like a real peony though, this is the perfumers peony dream. That rose/peony/cherry accord is so good. It’s probably not exactly what I picture myself smelling of but that damn gorgeous bottle keeps me coming back for more.

Carmina by Creed 2023 bottle

The base remains sweetly cherry soda and rose floating over some woodsy ambers that you’ll definitely recognise. Carmina continues thus quietly pumping itself out for hours and hours. Creed has definitely listened to the masses wanting longevity. While not beast mode for ladies the projection and sillage are both excellent. It’s right up there with Baccarat Rouge and its horde of lookey likeys.

Do I love it? I’m totally ambivalent. I will say that I keep returning to Carmina and giving myself a cheeky spritz on one arm. The bottle calls me as it sits on my desk.

What about you? Sound good?
Portia xx

Trastevere by Pantheon Roma
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Trastevere by Pantheon Roma

Hey there Crew, Trastevere by Pantheon Roma was a blind buy decant from Surrender To Chance a while ago, so long that I don’t remember buying it. On looking it up it was only early 2022. Anyway it got an early spritz and then put in the already full to overflowing Must Try This Again box. So now I’m going through that box and there are SO MANY good things hiding in it. Many of which ring no bells in my memory. Knowing in the Northern Hemisphere it’s starting to get VERY chill up there about now I thought something cozy might just hit the spot. I can also imagine this being a perfect Holiday Season gift to yourself.

Oh, and that bottle looks bloody gorgeous too. That’s the 100ml bottle, the 50ml is clear glass and very squat.

Trastevere by Pantheon Roma 2015

Trastevere Pantheon Roma bottle

Pantheon Roma gives these featured accords:
Top: Vanilla, Licorice
Heart: Vanilla, Caramel, Jasmine
Base:  Vanilla, Davana, Chestnut Cream

They also write this: It is the evocation of when, in 1500, the district of Trastevere it was considered “the oven of Rome” and was teeming with bakeries and young girls. Let’s imagine one walking slowly through the narrow streets of the neighborhood, and the scents of sweets and bread come out from the small windows. Warm, gourmand olfactory construction: it moves around the tones of Davana (Artemisia Pallens), whose taste characteristics of licorice and coffee are enhanced here by tones of chestnuts and vanilla. A truly extraordinary jasmine accompanies the bouquet.

OM G! Cookies, and licorice all sorts. Trastevere opens like them exactly. It’s spooky and fabulous.

Not long before the caramel makes its presence known, smelling just like a Worther’s tastes. I’m smiling from ear to ear. This is ALL my favourite snack foods in a fragrance. YUMMO!

All that happened in the first couple of minutes. Trastevere’s opening is amazing and delightful but TBH it’s not how I want to smell through a day.

Here’s the cool thing. At about the 15 minute mark the direct correlation to lollies softens. Yes, still very vanilla, a little custardy, but much more fine fragrance smelling. You will still get your gourmand on but with much less chance of nasal diabetes. Trastevere becomes a very elegant amber with gourmand overtones. Beautiful, wearable and dead sexy.

Trastevere by Pantheon Roma 2015

Leaning seriously traditional feminine but wearing Trastevere was lovely for me. No worries, I love the idea of fragrantly messing with the binary. Longevity and projection are moderate plus.

Though not a new fragrance, and already available at the discounters, I thought you might like to know of something that I’ve not seen much chatter about,
Sound good?
Portia xx

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Uden Overdose by Xerjoff

Hey Hey Crew, Xerjoff Uden Overdose. I’ve got a vial and wanted to be excited by a Xerjoff. Had read some nice things about this being a winner. Maybe I’m missing something, it could need to be spritzed to get the full effect, maybe my body is rejecting the beautiful bits. It’s just so cheap smelling on me. Like a 1990s Diesel release. Not ragging on Diesel, they are cheap and cheerful and do their thing so well at their price point, punching well above often.

Uden Overdose, 50ml is over AU$400 here.

I know, I’m getting boring complaining about price but for what I smell here, on me, in this moment (yesterday too). I don’t get it.

Uden Overdose by Xerjoff 2018

Xerjoff Uden Overdose

Xerjoff gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, Bergamot
Heart: Tobacco Flowers, Ginger, Coffee
Base: Amber, Musk

OK, I smell a little citrus up the top. The tobacco flowers smell like scratchy woods. In the heart I smell some coffee and more dark oily woods. The base is more of those ubiquitous woods and a spiky, labdanum rich amber. None of it is AWFUL, this is wearable. A bit scratchy and average, maybe it smells a bit lazy. Anyway, I’m disappointed.

That late, on its way to dry down amber base is nice. It’s no Pierre Guillaume amber, but it is doing a good job of amber-ing.

Maybe my hopes were just too high? or expectations?

Please tell me I’m missing a whole piece of the story and that this is not the ride you’re getting.

Edit: This morning I woke and thought, before I’d become fully conscious, “What is that beautiful amber?” Just a whisper but so beautiful. Warm, honeyed, not too sweet and hints of chocolate. If only my whole wear had been this gorgeous.

Portia

 

PS I’m away but will come and read/answer comments ASAP.

 

Rake n Ruin by BeauFort London
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Rake n Ruin by BeauFort London

Hi there ULGers, Rake & Ruin by BeauFort London has been a First in Fragrance decant lying around this apartment for ages, years. It gets picked up and then put back, over and over again. So while I’m doing this New Idea 2023 thunking challenge I finally bit the bullet and sprayed the half that was left all over myself. WOWZERS! It’s so riotously over the top! You must try this fabulous freak.

Rake & Ruin by BeauFort London 2018

Rake & Ruin BeauFort London

Featured accords:
Top: Smoke, Angelica, Gin, Juniper, Sichuan Pepper, Pink Pepper, Licorice, Coriander, Orange, Lemon
Heart: Smoke, Cypress, Pine needles, Castoreum, Cade oil, Labdanum, Costus, Orris, Violet
Base: Smoke, Woody Notes, Ambrarome, Sandalwood

Smoky woods with a side order of peppery blue cheese. So outrageous and good in the Sydney heat.

The heart calms down a little and yes smoke but now it’s BarBQ smoke with some delightfully charring meat and twiggy greenery.

Dry down is BarBQ Shapes. It’s a spicy biscuit in Australia, don’t know if you have them in the world. Drizzled over charred wood, smoke and maybe a little burning tyre.

Rake & Ruin BeauFort London

Sounds ghastly? It’s not.

This is so fabulous. A true freak of fragrance.

Do I want it? Yes

Would I ever wear it? Probably not

HANG ON…. Maybe I would wear it. Do this crew do 10 or 15ml travels?

Rake & Ruin is something you at least need to try. Just for the fun of wearing something so wholly OTT.

Have you? Would you?
Portia xx

Spice Blend by DIOR
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Spice Blend by DIOR

Hey there ULGers, With my recent Vanilla Diorama came a sample of DIOR Spice Blend in its gorgeous box. They have definitely gone down market from the original 8ml miniatures and now we get a 2ml sample but at least it’s now a SPRITZ! YAY! That means we get to smell exactly what the fragrance will smell like as it’s jetted out of our full bottles. So though they aren’t as glam they are better for us perfume peeps to really know what’s coming. Also, 8ml is quite a lot of perfume. 2ml is exactly enough to get me giddy with excitement over a couple of wears and leave me wanting more.

Spice Blend by DIOR 2019

Spice Blend DIOR

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Bay rum, Ginger, Madagascar pepper, Pink pepper, Cinnamon, Rum absolute

The opening moments of Spice Blend are delightfully boozy with a sharp spicy flare up. I say flare up but in fact the spices are cool and still in their bottles but fragrant and portentous. It’s spicy but not overwhelming. This excitement lasts better than most openings and doesn’t really calm for nearly 30 minutes with only a few changes.

Once we hot the heart are still in a softly spicy place, maybe walking past a spice cart. Now I feel like unnamed resins are making a smooth play that changes the feeling of Spice Blend to a more sophisticated, less dazzle dazzle adventure. The heart stays linear for a while, the next hour or so. At this point still fragrant, done in the very laid back, under the radar gorgeousness of DIOR Prive style. My feeling is that you’ll still stand out but moderately. If someone passes you or spends a moment sitting near you they will be enamoured by Spice Blend. It’s different enough to elicit comment but similar enough not to be obnoxious. It’s at this point that I can smell the cinnamon as plain as day, quite a surprise that it’s taken so long to hoist its flag. It’s a fun moment that I can only really smell/taste when huffing up close and it remains till we head towards dry down.

What I find at the end is a sweet, resinous wash that fades to a better than me scent hours and hours later. For something so low key the longevity is excellent.

Spice Blend by DIOR sample

If you have not got a spicy, booze laden fragrance in your collection then Spice Blend could definitely be the one to fill that niche.

Is Spice Blend lovely? Yes. Beautifully blended? Yes. Does it make me yearn for a bottle? Yes. Are there other fragrances out there that scratch a similar itch? Yes, many, even a few in my collection. Is it so special that I really need to buy it, even in 40ml form? So here is my conundrum: Do I lay down money for something that delights me but in all reality will probably be passed over in favour of others that I’ve loved and worn for years? Or does it eclipse them and I wear Spice Blend over them, relegating old loves to the dreaded “love but don’t reach for” category?

Have you tried Spice Blend?
Portia xx

 

Vetiver Pamplemousse by Zara
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Vetiver Pamplemousse by Zara

Hey Crew, GOSH! It seems so long ago Jin and I were in South Korea. It’s only a couple of months. This year has already been jam packed. Sorry I didn’t get back to writing about Vetiver Pamplemousse EdP quicker. You may remember I wrote about the candle? Well, in Korea on our last night we wandered into a Zara at Seoul Station. coming across the fragrances I asked if they had Vetiver Pamplemousse. Yes, but only the 10ml. Then the SA looked into the computer and found one last 40ml bottle on the other side of town. The shop closes in 40 minutes. HA! Well, we jumped a train, changed trains and ran to the store (about 400m) and arrived with 7 minutes to closing. We were puffing and sweating and laughing. It was excellent fun and took us to a part of town I’d never seen. It had also been gentrified beyond Jin’s wildest dreams. Loads of shopping, eating and living. A really cool part of town.

Not being a new scent it’s probably going to be hard to track Vetiver Pamplemousse down but I promised a review and then never delivered so, um, SOZ. Here it is. Looking at ZARA Australia they still have stock so you might get lucky.

Vetiver Pamplemousse by Zara 2019

Vetiver Pamplemousse Zara

Zara gives these featured accords:
Grapefruit, mandarin, vetiver

Tangy, tart, lip puckeringly bittersweet is man opening impression of the grapefruit/citrus opening. Though it’s sharp it isn’t crazy and the grapefruit settles nicely into a more generic, sweet citrus. The tart doesn’t leave entirely though, keeping it crisp and interesting. As we head into the heart there is also a pithy softness and furriness. So refreshing.

Further into the heart and that citrus becomes those hard boiled Cavendish and Harvey Mixed Fruit Drops. You remember, in the round tins? Just like some of those. It’s such a visceral memory. We used to get those in our Santa sacks and often on long journeys Mum would bring out a pack to shut us up.

My wear gives hardly any of the slightly oily, grassy vetiver that I expect, especially in the open and heart. In Vetiver Pamplemousse it is a support act. If I sniff hard and go really looking it appears but this fragrance is really a citrus affair for the most part.

Vetiver Pamplemousse Zara

As we head for dry down the vetiver does make a bit of a showing. Dry grasses and a little bit twig and torn leaf. An interesting, low key representation of vetiver but not terrible. That sweet citrus and grassiness carry the fragrance quietly after about an hour. If you told me basil was an ingredient and that vegetal musks were involved I’d say that smells about right. The sugariness makes it all feel very 21st century.

This is an easy wear gem. Don’t be expecting to be blown away by their inventiveness. While it’s not a very common fragrance it’s also not a far leap from existing products. The price though, that’s the difference. Longevity and projection are moderate to low but Vetiver Pamplemousse can and could be worn by just about anyone. Simple and smells good.

Do you have a Zara fragrance? Love grapefruit or vetiver?
Portia x

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora
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Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora

Hi there ULGers, Grandiflora is an Aussie brand coming from a very cool, world renowned flower shop in Sydney. Owned and operated by the gorgeous and so friendly Saskia Havekes. She is a florist to the smart set and large corporations, author and creative director/owner of a fragrance house. Some people are like being around a light filled vessel, Saskia is definitely one of them from the little I know and lot I’ve heard. Actually, she’s one of the very few icons that I’m yet to hear a bad word about. In my journey through samples and decants this year I came across an 8ml Madagascan Jasmine from Surrender To Chance. I remember using the first couple of ml and instantly buying a bottle, and later a backup when the bottles were being changed. So, I thought I’d share my love for it with you all today.

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora 2015

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora

Grandiflora gives these featured accords:
Top: Mango, Green Tropical Fruits
Heart: Jasmine (Madagascan), White Flowers, Green Foliage
Base: Musk, Smoky Accord, Roasted Cacao

Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. Not the heady, breathy, creamy ylang and sweet version of so much perfumery but jasmine like the smell of putting your head in the flowering vine. Yes, it does have that fruity hit running through it and the greenery that jasmine so often holds. They make it seem alive and just bloomed in the evening but now it’s a cool spring morning. Chilled and super fragrant.

The heart remains all white flowers and a touch of greenery. That huge opening softens considerable after about 10 minutes and becomes an insistent, pretty white floral. Still fragrant but less over the top. The heart is my favourite part of Madagascan Jasmine. I’ve told this story before but when I was growing up there was a large jasmine growing over our side fence. In spring the scent would travel and I could smell it from the top of our driveway, getting stronger and stronger as I neared the house. The heart is like that scent as I’m walking down the drive. If I went to the vine the sound of bees buzzing would accompany the scent. Madagascan Jasmine is like reliving those days.

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora July 23

Though I fully support everyone wearing whatever they love, this feels like a feminine leaning fragrance. If you are a guy who either loves jasmine or is confident enough to go against modern traditional type then Madagascan Jasmine will smell so fabulous on you. PLUS you will fragrantly stand head and shoulders above most others. Longevity is good and after the first half hour or so projection is low to moderate.

Do you know Madagascan Jasmine or the Grandiflora fragrance house?
Portia x

Gilded by Boujee Bougies NEW! NEW! NEW!
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Gilded by Boujee Bougies NEW! NEW! NEW!

Hi Crew, If you are a regular reader then you’ll know I hit London in April to celebrate a couple of important birthdays with friends. It was a whirlwind trip of 11 days from my doorstep to arriving home. That meant 7 full days on the ground. One of those days I jumped a train or two from Green Square to Leighton Buzzard and met my buddies of the Olfiction crew, Nick and Pia. They are the masterminds behind the Boujee Bougies candle range that has now also become a perfume range. Seeing their headquarters and then having dinner at their home was so exciting and yet curiously mundane. It was as if we did it all the time and had lived next door for years and this was a regular catch up. They and their crew were so easy to be with, plus I got to smell the new perfume range. Gilded is the one that the scentbloggosphere has been going ape shit over so I thought I’d give it some wears and write you all a post.

I’m sniffing from a large decant because at the time they weren’t ready for sale and I couldn’t buy the whole range. This was a gift. Fortunately Jin and I are back in the UK in November so hopefully I can remedy the situation and properly shop.

Gilded by Boujee Bougies 2023

Boujee Bougies give these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, Saffron, Gold accord
Heart: Frankincense oil, Frankincense resin, Carnation, Cedar Leaf, Beeswax absolute
Base: Myrrh, Cedarwood, Labdanum, Leather, Civet, Musk

The opening citrus/metallic is something I’ve never smelled before. It doesn’t stay more than a couple of minutes but it is eye popping. The heart takes over and incense reigns supreme. It says cedar leaf in the notes but for me the scent is very bay leaf, I wonder if it’s the carnation clove-iness giving me cooking throwbacks. I can understand why everyone is going mad for Gilded. It smells like early niche, those gorgeous, mind-blowing, quilted layers of a richly furnished middle eastern dream.

Further into the heart my Roman Catholic upbringing is being revisited in the smoky prayers of Benediction, which always seemed like such a pagan rite to me. A man, led by acolytes, wearing a sumptuous sequinned gown and hat with a smoke stack pouring out scented fumes that forgive all our sins.

As we head towards dry down Gilded becomes a little darker and more feral. Animalic but not a tiger pit. More like a bear cave used for hibernation but now it’s summer and you are just getting some scented remnants of the winter/spring inhabitants. The incenses stay till the very last gasp, overlaying all other parts with a soft smoky patina.

Gilded Boujee Bougies

Gilded it gorgeous. Totally unisex. Fragrant but not overbearing. After the initial hour of spectacular it calms to a quiet, introverted beauty that would be wearable even to dinner, films or work. Obviously, the more you spritz the bigger it will be. I’m hard pressed to think of a perfumista who would not love this.

Have I piqued your interest?
Portia xx