Heya Posse Peeps! Portia from AustralianPerfumeJunkies with you again from Sydney, Australia! Yesterday Ainslie Walker and I were invited to meet Christopher Chong on his whistle stop tour of Australia. For those that have been living in boxes and under rocks Christopher Chong is the Creative Director of the Amouage line of fragrances and has been firmly ensconced there since Reflection, released in 2007, and the major rebranding that has taken place since. In fact you can credit Mr Chong with making Amouage a household name among more than a select few perfumistas and the Middle East/Asia.

Christopher Chong, Creative Director of Amouage

What was I expecting from Christopher Chong? In my mind he was going to be petite, quiet, introverted and aloof, super clever and probably a little arrogant. I expect greatness and achievement to feel like being in the presence of a higher being.

Well, I was wrong on almost all counts. Christopher is tall and willowy, friendly, warm, mischievous, loud (but not overbearing), funny, clever, radiant, silly and NAUGHTY!! He was so charming and so excited to tell us the story of his fragrances, his beloved pets and to chat about our mutual friends that we were fast and firm friends in moments. Our very own Musette helped Mr Chong get through the agony of losing his King Charles Cavalier (that pooch has been the source of much inspiration), he studied French in London with Neela Vermeire (Back when he was a foetus and Neela a toddler) and we chatted happily and lovingly about the UK Bloggeratti. It was like old home week.

Laughter and silliness ensued and our 30 minutes allotted stretched out to an hour and a half. Poor man, we made him tell us the whole story of his Amouage journey and how he came up with the magic for each fragrance. A roller coaster ride to say the least. In the end we were even cheeky enough to make him sign our gift sets with foul language and innuendo. HEAVEN!!

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Artemisia, black currant, almond
Heart: Osmanthus, jasmine, magnolia, vanilla
Base: Juniper, patchouli, papyrus, white tobacco.

We were among the first in the world to try Sunshine, the newest fragrance from Amouage and a thrilling new chapter in their evolution. Christopher was quick to point out that he had reverse engineered this fun fruity macaroon of a scent from the offerings in Department Stores and Mass Market fragrance but he wanted to do it better and fill what is often super sweet, sickly dross with the ultimate in ingredients making it transcend the genre and putting a smile on the face of almost everyone who tries it (there will be haters). Smile? Yep, I was swept away on the wonderful honest appraisal of what this new scent and direction could mean for lovers of Amouage and a whole new slew of devoted adherents that I’m sure the joyous range will bring.

Christopher Chong was so much more than I ever dreamed but then how else could he produce such incredible fragrances? Next time he’s in Sydney we are going to get him to sing at the Sydney Opera House.

Which is your favourite Amouage and why?

Portia xx