Girlfriend by Justin Bieber 2012

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Post by Katrina

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Hi APJ,

I really like this perfume. I wore it a lot last summer when it seemed like the perfect summer fragrance. But now in winter, wearing it for this review I’ve found that I enjoy wearing it all year round.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: mandarin, blackberry, pear and strawberry.
Heart: pink freesia, star jasmine, apricot and orange blossom
Base: vanilla orchid, luminous musk and white amber

Justin Bieber won big this year taking out US Fifi Awards in 2 categories. Justin Bieber’s Girlfriend, the second fragrance from the Biebster, won both ‘Fragrance of the Year – Women’s Popular’ and ‘Consumer Choice – Women’s’ categories.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

The packaging for this perfume is fun and playful. The cross section of the purple bottle is heart shaped and it slots into a colourful canister that reminds me of a slinky. Fun! Taking the bottle out to spray makes me feel just a little happier.

The perfume starts fresh and fruity with citrus and crisp pear. Girlfriend is sweet but not overly. As the perfume evolves the floral notes come out and the fruit changes to what smells like honeydew melon to me, although it should be apricot based on the fragrance notes listed. The base notes of the fragrance are quite soft and the fresh sweetness stays until the end.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: EauDeLucy and AccentGirl100
Fragrance Shop has from $26/30ml
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml

Which other celebrity perfumes won awards this year? Check out my Celebrity Perfume Website to find out.

Have any of you APJ readers tried Girlfriend? If not I challenge you to give it a try!

Katrina xx

ED: I added the Beaty & The Beat video because I think it’s SUPER FUN!

Advertisement

Manifesto by YSL Mini Movie

Heya Perfumistas,
Do you remember having a Kaleidoscope? My Mum knew that no matter how naughty or outrageous I was being that the Kaleidoscope would shut me up. Bored? Kaleidoscope. Cranky? Kaleidoscope. Couldn’t sleep? Kaleidoscope. It was the universal cure all for a while at Chez Turbo. Sadly it didn’t last but sometimes I wish I had one, just to remember the magic.

Manifesto by YSL Mini Movie

Jessica Chastain YSL Manifesto Ad.

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Green wave, bergamot, black currant
Heart: White flowers, Sambac jasmine, lily of the valley
Base: Cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean

Please enjoy the new Manifesto Mini Movie.
Portia xx

Oudh with Roja Dove: Mini Movie

Heya Oudh Heads,

Don’t forget to enter our GIVEAWAY for Rouge Avignon by Phaedon<<<JUMP

Here is a five minute journey into the history and uses of Oudh, Roja Dove takes us on an olfactory visit to the Middle east.

Photo Stolen agarwoodoudh

Enjoy!!
Portia xx

CHANEL: Where Beauty Begins Mini Movie

Hi there APJ,

This is nice. I love her mussed hair and soft focus makeup. A minute of loveliness.
Portia xx

Louis Vuitton: “Up On High Heels” Mini movie

Hello Hot Steppers,

I don’t know about you but shoes are something I adore. I have a 10 pair of male and 10 pair of female shoes rule because my collection was excessive and I had to downsize it, do you see a theme running through my life? Anyway, now it’s one in and one out, unless I have a breakage or disaster. So this fun mini movie with shoes, design, art and dance was right up my alley.

So I hope this entertains you while we wait and wait and wait for the Louis Vuitton fragrance…………. STILL WAITING…………

Photo Stolen StyleFrizz

LV Spiel: Louis Vuitton invites you to dance and take a leap in time, moving from more recent collections of shoes to past designs that have marked the House’s fashion history. See the story at http://vuitton.lv/Kn9Xiz

Enjoy,
Portia xxx

Louis Vuitton presents Up High On Heels

L’Invitation Au Voyage – The Louis Vuitton Advertising Campaign Film

Hello Fragrance Freaks,

I know you only want to know about scent but this is beautiful. Marc Jacobs is doing sensational things at Louis Vuitton. If only they would get their damn perfume on the shelves. GRRRR!

BTW Does anyone know if this is Kiera Knightly? It sure does look like her to this blind old tranny.

Photo Stolen ChicsFilles

Do please enjoy.
Portia xxx

GUERLAIN – “Light is in the Air” Météorites Perles New Mini Movie

Hiya Crew,

Off topic but I am loving some of the new mini movies companies are releasing for Spring/Summer 2013. Here is Guerlain’s “Light is in the Air” Météorites Perles New Mini Movie. I think it lovely and only wish it went a little longer.

Photo Stolen JuliasBeautyBlog

Enjoy,
Portia xx
“Light is in the Air” Météorites Perles 2013

Fahrenheit Absolute by Francois Demachy for DIOR 2009

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Post by Margeaux

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Hello everyone again! Dior’s Fahrenheit is 25 years old in 2013 and is still one of the best selling men’s scents of all time. The version I’m reviewing, Absolute, was released in 2009 to mark the fragrances 21st birthday. One of my ex’s was a huge fan of the original Fahrenheit and still wears it to this day so I tend to associate it with him. I’m not quite sure how I feel about a different version of such a classic scent, but I also have the Aqua version to try in a future review so here goes nothing!

Dior Fahrenheit Absolute 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Volet, myrrh, incense, aoud

Immediately I’m intrigued – surely 4 notes is too few for what is billed as a bold and sensual, woodsy, ultra masculine scent? Can it be done? We’ll see.

Although I’m using a sample tester for this review, I’ve always loved the original bottle shape and styling, and Absolute carries on this tradition with darker colouring that signifies the juice inside is more potent than the original.

Ok, time to spritz and wait for the alcohol to evaporate so I can start to get a decent whiff happening. And oh boy, is this something good to my nose. The devilish simplicity of those opening notes, sweet and yet not sweet at all, nearly soapy but again not quite there. I had to go reading some more about Myrrh just to be sure of what I was supposed to be smelling and even after all that, I’m not sure if that is what my nose gets to start with, but whatever is going on its tantalizing and sensual and exotic and I am hooked.

Photo Stolen MorgueFile

Its very flowery and gently sweet as the fragrance settles into my skin. I’m sniffing and writing while I work on some of my clients projects and it’s a soothing, comforting warm smell that wafts up from the back of my hand as I type. Francois Demachy who created this perfume is credited with just about all of the Dior range and is surely one of the hardest working perfumers out there with Fragrantica listing over 80 fragrances that he’s had a hand in creating – amazing!

Deeper into the drydown and the oud and incense caress and envelop and warm my senses and my soul. I can’t get much projection from this but that kind of suits me that it stays pretty close to my body. I think if I spritzed with abandon as I like to that it may become overwhelming both to me and those around me and perhaps this is a good late evening (read bedtime) kind of scent. I find it quite sensual.

Photo Stolen GoogleCommons

Having read a few reviews around other sites and the general consensus is pretty evenly split between those who love Absolute and those who don’t like it at all. This is a wonderful fragrance on me but the real test will be when I wear it when I am with the boyf next.

Further reading: The Scentrist and The Scentualist
My Perfume Samples has Absolute starting at just $2.49/ml
FragranceNet has 50ml from $64

I’m looking forward to testing the Aqua version soon too. Thanks for reading and as always, please leave me a comment if you’ve enjoyed the review or have tried this fragrance yourself. I love hearing from you all.

Until next time,
Margeaux x

The Fahrenheit Absolute Mini Movie

Oud Yaqoub by Ensar Oud

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Guest Post by Jordan River

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There are very few wild Agarwood trees left in the world due to over-harvesting. This has created another issue; the early-harvesting of cultivated trees. Harvesting these trees early has resulted in a less potent Oud oil, because the resin has not been aged long enough while the tree is alive.

Many of you will be familiar with the smell of synthetic Oud in modern perfumes. This is not what we are talking about. We are talking about Oud from nature, from a tree.

Oud is a journey through scent with all sorts of interesting ‘breezes’ making appearances over time; like a treasure trove of nature referencing smells from the barnyard to spring blossoms.

I like to think of ‘barnyard’ as the smell of Mother Nature regenerating. There are also other words used to describe this aspect of some Oud oils, especially the Hindi oils. Cambodi Ouds (agarwood trees grown in the Cambodia/Thailand area) are less barnyardy while the Papuan Oud is more floral. The medicinal note is a fleeting feature of many true Oud oils. These are very broad descriptions; a universe of scent swirls around in each Oud oil. We interviewed Ensar from Ensar Oud last month about The End of Oud and the beginning of sustainable cultivation.

Oud Yaqoub was distilled from the resin of this 60-year-old cultivated agarwood tree.

Ensar has been keeping his eye on a 60-year-old cultivated tree in Thailand that just recently began to show signs of readiness for harvest. An ethical choice to harvest, this tree at 60 years old instead of earlier means that a rare oil has just been produced. There is a video; you can follow the making of this oil from harvest, through distillation to its manifestation as Oud Yaqoub.

This is an Oud oil to keep and age as the scent profile will change with time. Keep away from sunlight and smell or swipe every year or as suits your yearning.

Oud Yaqoub
Single Tree Harvested
Cultivated
Organic
Rare

A perfumer-to-be would think this a rare ingredient. I would consider this release to be a collector’s item. The yield from the tree was 23 tolas ~ 268 grams.
Oud Yaqoub
Scent profile

Narcotic à la the finest jasmine, Oud Yaqoub is already the finest Cambodi you’ll ever lay nostrils on. Age it a year or two, and you’ll be in possession of one of the Greats of all time.
-Ensar Oud

The most interesting aspects of this oil are the intoxicating flowers: jasmine sambac, ylang ylang, sweet violet and rose that permeate the whole journey.
-Andrej, Croatia

Oud Yaqoub Experiment
3 grams is $US 299.99 from Ensar Oud
You can choose a decorative or sturdy glass bottle.
For Arabic readers you can visit Ensar Oud in Arabic.

Nomenclature: Lest you be confused by the word ‘experiment’ in the name Oud Yaqoub Experiment I have asked for clarification from Thomas at Ensar Oud. Here is his explanation.

When we started our journey with organic oud, our focus was not only on ethical and sustainable harvesting practices. We also wanted to imbue these new distillations with the techniques and standards that you find in our vintage ouds. The ‘Experiment’ not only refers to this oud being a custom distillation, but also that it’s a departure from the norm. Oud Yaqoub’s fragrance attests to how the distillation tweaks we put in place were able to produce an oil that’s against the grain when it comes to the typical Cambodi/Thai scent profile.
Thomas Kruger
Ensar Oud

See you next month,
Jordan River

GUERLAIN – Gloss D’Enfer: Nails + Lips 2013 Mini Movie

Hiya FUMIES,

Here’s some more of the Guerlain 2013 mini movie fest. This one is so fun and 50s. I love it. Makes me smile just watching and the colours really POP this season. Lucky us.

Photo Stolen jetsetfashionmagazine

Guerlain’s Spiel: Discover Gloss d’Enfer collection made of 20 shades of bare lips sensation gloss and 10 colourful nail polishes. Play with colour and shine to capture your admirers’ hearts even more than ever.

Enjoy it,
Portia xx