When I was doing a lot of beauty writing, I received bags of pretty, scented frippery, daily. Ergo, beauty and fragrance posts on this little blog of mine, were plentiful. Building a life in a foreign city robbed me of perfume pocket money and moving countries took me off PR lists. Ergo beauty and fragrance [...]

Often when I talk about fragrance (or fantasise/wax lyrical) I talk about the ideas behind the fragrance as much as I do the actual notes. This is because fragrance is created on an idea and sold alongside that idea. It becomes synonomous with a concept, a story and I - in fact, most of us do - in [...]

Whilst I am averaging between 1-2 new fragrances a month, in a bid to boost my new collection (and in an attempt to numb the pain of missing my main collection back home) I thirst for more fragrant treats …

Famous for the almost illegally sensual Classique, Jean Paul Gauliter went down a completely different path with 2008′s Ma Dame, which joined my collection at Christmas. I have never actually worn a JPG myself, but I have discerned the scent of Le Male on many a cassanova over the years and recently made friends with [...]

Two months after arriving in Germany, I ran out of perfume. Not completely – my collection at home remains 80+ strong. But my travel collection, consisting of 30ml bottles carefully selected around the concept of a hedonistic, hippie summer, came to dry-bottled end. Dark days ensued. My funds, dwindling as they were, could not be directed at [...]

First published in Onya Magazine *** I love a portable fragrance. As someone who lugs around full-sized bottles of perfume (which get heavy, take it from me) a handbag-friendly scent is a winner. So I’d like to kick off proceedings by commending Rituelle for stocking their pretty, affordable lines of fragrances in travel-friendly packaging. Hurrah. [...]

Oh what a cute little fragrance this is. A burst of sweetness, a swirl of colour and you’re back to being sixteen again. Not that Love Etc … is an immature fragrance – it is simply a youthful one, lighthearted and fun with a hint of warmth; all the things one is supposed to be [...]

What I do love about perfume (one of the many, many things) is that they come in all shapes and sizes and for different prices. And the enjoyment a $40 EDT from The Body Shop brings can be on par with a Marc Jacobs EDP. It’s all about how they make you feel, what moments [...]

I have suffered through trialling eight beautiful fragrances that suit chilly nights and stockings. Someone has to do it. The result is a guide spanning the natural (One Seed) the luxurious (Van Cleef & Arpels) with the fun (Benefit) in between. It’s over on Trespass, you can find it here. Don’t forget, last month I [...]

Let’s talk about Van Cleef & Arpels’  Bois d’ Iris. It has been sitting in its box since last week, winking at me enigmatically every now and then, whispering, ‘remove my plastic, you know you want to.’ So, the other day, I did. Then I reverently lifted the pleasingly heavy bottle into my hands and twisted [...]

Hot cross buns, leggings and scarves may be common indicators of the seasonal shift from Summer to Autumn, as may the bite in the air and bed socks. But for me, I truly know dresses and bare feet have given way to cold hands and pink cheeks when I retire my full white florals and [...]

Am quietly thrilled to be given my own polaroid over at Onya and of course equally thrilled to be welcomed to the Onya beauty team as a regular contributor. As I have mentioned before, I’ll be fossicking about in the realm of Australian owned and made beauty products for this Australian owned and made webzine; [...]

Some of my favourite fragrances are mens and I wear them regularly. Calvin Klein’s Obsession for Men is a stalwart winter scent for me, warm and spicy and perfect with a scarf and beanie. Kenneth Cole’s Reaction for Men is a summer staple – it’s strong and fruity and clean. I also have in my [...]

In honour of the Christmas season, I’ve put together some fragrances for those who love the scent of the edible. Fragrances for Foodies is up now. Get hungry. * For those of you wondering what food note is in Sarah Jessica Parker’s Covet, and I know you’re out there, it’s chocolate.

Natural or synthetic fragrances? A touch of scented science happening over at Primped plus three natural favourites for the sensitive skinned amongst us.

Why does one perfume smell beautiful on your friend, but horrible on you? Does your skin colour really play a part in determining what fragrance suits you the best? Some Simple Science is happening over at Primped and it’s far more interesting than high school chemistry (I hope). Pictured: Hermes un Jardin en Mediterranee and [...]

The wonderful people at SheSaid are enabling my great love (or one of them, anyway. I’ll let you know when they’re paying me to travel the Greek Islands). I’ve rounded up five sizzling Summer Edition fragrances that are new, fresh, limited and highly covetable. Hello notes of green apple, lemon, cucumber, mint and rum cocktail. [...]

For the final installment of the One Seed reviews, I’m looking at Courage. I can’t remember the movie it’s from, but I can see the actor in my head saying ‘I’m a lookin’ and I’m a likin’.’ If someone would care to refresh my memory via the comment box, the details of this cinematic reference, [...]

Quite unable to satisfy my thirst for talking about fragrance, I have taken up a Guest Blogger (God I find the word ‘blog’ and any derivative of it quite unattractive) position over at Primped. For my inaugral posting, I’ve given you eight summer scents – four old favourites and four new releases to consider for your collection. [...]

We’ve talked about Freedom (scroll down my fragrant friends)  now it’s time to talk about Hope. Hope 2010 will be better than 2009, hope the summer will be a long and warm one, hope we have a good representation in the Australian Open next January. To me, Hope smells bright and fresh, like fresh lemon [...]

Let’s talk about Freedom, for no other reason than summer is in the air and bindis are beneath our feet and that makes me feel pretty free. Botanical perfumes can be tricky. By virtue of the fact they use natural ingredients and essential oils, if made poorly, the perfumes can be too heady, too overpowering. [...]