Hiya Perfume Posse, it’s Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies and I hope this finds you happy and well, but if not hopefully today’s post will take your mind off your troubles for a moment, sometimes a break can help. Can you believe how fast holidays and gift giving times are approaching? There are a whole truckload of amazing Independent Perfumers around the world and I thought we could look at a few of my favourites and see what they are offering for 2013.

Christmas? How About An Indie Perfume Gift For 2013?

Independent Christmas? How About An Indie Perfume Gift For 2013?

Neela Vermeire Creations

Neela is one of my buddies, we talk regularly and I love her and her work. Like her perfumes she is beautiful, intricate, fun, glamorous and quirky. If you are unaware that Neela has released a new fragrance called Ashoka in 2013 then welcome from under your rock, or from your cave a la Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. I  hope you are enjoying the world of fragrance.

Neela has added a 2ml vial sample of Ashoka to her Discovery Set. You may not know but NVC uses about 8 x the worth of pre diluted contents than most niche perfume brands, they are extremely expensive to produce and take months and months to macerate, Neela herself is a perfume idealist and will settle for nothing less than the absolute best. Insider gossip has her as the most demanding customer in the history of perfumery, all in all a major win for purchasers and anyone that you buy a Neela Vermiere Creations fragrance for will be getting the best available.

Neela Vermeire Creations 3 original fragrances Bombay Bling, Mohur & Trayee are huge critical successes, even Christopher Chong the Creative Director at Amouage puts Trayee in his Top 10 publicly. Ashoka, the new Neela Vermeire Creation, is a rich and exotic fig/wood gem that will be finding its way into many perfumistas wardrobes because it is perfect.

Great for Gift Giving
Neela Vermeire Creations 3 x 10ml Discovery Set with 2ml Ashoka as extra €90 to the world<<<JUMP
(2 ml Ashoka Vial but if you mention PORTIA it will be a spray and not a glass vial. THANKS NEELA!!)

Aftelier Perfumes

Mandy Aftel, one of the most popular and adorable Indie perfumers who has already written a go-to book for perfumers/perfume lovers (Essence and Alchemy) and just finished a new book, has diversified from the purist form of perfume and now offers body oils, hair product, chef’s essences, candles and teas. There is sure to be something on the site that will tickle your fancy. Recently I grabbed a three set of Aftelier Parfums in a silk purse, they are Oud Lubin, Wild Roses and Honey Blossom with an extra of the newest in the lineup Cuir de Gardenia. They are a beautifully packaged set and anyone receiving them will know you’ve taken time to find them fragrant art pieces.
My two personal picks for gift giving from Aftelier are:

3 x Aftelier Parfum Minis in a Silk Purse for $140
.

2 x 30ml Chef’s Essences Sprays for $38

Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes

I would like to acknowledge firstly that I have a mad girl crush on Ellen Covey, the nose and genius behind Olympic Orchids. She is smart, funny, interesting and an aspiration character for me. Ellen wears many hats from perfumer to runner, orchid specialist and some kind of science thing that I am way too dumb to get. I do get her fragrances and this house goes through her fabulous soaps quite a bit. I have also been using her bath oil from last year so sparingly and still have a few drops left, can’t wait to get some more. In 2013 Ellen has again put a Christmas box together that will be excellent for any gift giving religious or otherwise.

There’s the Olympic Orchids Holiday Gift Set, for $35
1 x a boxed trio of 5-ml sprays of top sellers Ballets Rouges, California Chocolate, and Olympic Rainforest
PLUS a coupon worth $25 toward the purchase of any 30 ml parfum spray in the new packaging

In the DELUXE Olympic Orchids Holiday Gift Set you get, for only $45:
1 x Patchouli Lovers Soap
1 x Amber Labdanum Bath Oil (to die for)
1 x a boxed trio of 5-ml sprays of top sellers Ballets Rouges, California Chocolate, and Olympic Rainforest
PLUS a coupon worth $25 toward the purchase of any 30 ml parfum spray in the new packaging

Olympic Orchids Site: Holiday Gift Sets<<<JUMP

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

I have been an avid Dawn Spencer Hurwitz fan since finding you all on the internet. I love the range of sizes she offers and that her sample program is so excellent and reasonable priced. Often nominated for awards for her magical creations I find them beautiful, they are exquisite and often profoundly moving experiences as well as smelling really really good. Sadly new regulations mean that DSH can only send their fragrance in alcohol bottles within the USA but all samples and oils can be sent worldwide with no worries. The samples are extremely reasonable and you might like to pick a set of 10 samples for a Christmas Gift with a promise of a bottle of their favourite for their Birthday next year.

Above is the gorgeous, FIFI nominated Le Smoking from the YSL Collection in a 1 dram bottle only $45 and it is wrapped so beautifully. I have this exact size of Le Smoking, nearly empty, in my collection.

Le Cherche Midi

This is a super interesting crew that bring out sets of 3 fragrances every season. The scents are interesting, unusual, a little off beat but eminently wearable. Le Cherche Midi has a great $15 Travel Spray. You get 5ml of the fragrance of your choice and a very lavish silvertone atomiser. I have seen less lovely atomisers for $15 so to me this is an incredible bargain and a wonderful way to sample the Le Cherche Midi range. Two of their current fragrances are:

35: filled with leather, sandalwood, peat, tobacco and a very refined amber. It is warm and snuggly in the cool weather and surprisingly works well in the heat as a sensual, inviting perfect-skin-smell amped up and broadcasting. A very elegant, ever so slightly dark fragrance that is interesting enough for your perfumista buddies and wearable enough to gift.

06: a fun, fizzy and zingy peppercorn, tea, honey, rose and Turkish delight fragrance that is the most current and relateable of their set. This is a new look at a favourite super sweet gourmand, that is kept from being tooth aching or headache inducing by a dirty great shot of very sexy, animalic honey. While still as frivolous as its colleagues there is a depth that I really enjoy.

Nathan from Le Cherche Midi has also set up an exclusive promo code for PERFUME POSSE readers to receive 30% off any order over $100. 
Enter POSSE30 during 2nd step of checkout and VALID TILL SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2013

Photo Stolen  myprettypaints

Le Cherche Midi GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN

This week there will be 1 winner, who will receive:
1 x 5ml Travel Size Le Cherche Midi #06 and #35
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide

Go To Le Cherche Midi<<JUMP and get a Fragrance Number and an Ingredient then put them in the comments below. NO DOUBLE UPS!!

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 24th November 2013 10pm Australian EDST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 28st November 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.