Portia’s Christmas Perfumes

Hi there Posse. I’m sorry. Got just about nothing much so, I thought we could look at the Christmas Perfumes I wore in sunny, summery Sydney. What I do have is a groaningly full stomach, yes even on Boxing Day I overindulged. Also a home that looks like it was designed by the Al Quada Christmas Liberationist Front. Jin and I have no family here in Sydney. We do have an amazing bunch of friends, some of whom ended up at ours, plus we also went to Kath’s family for Xmas lunch. Then at night we went for Korean BarBQ with a small crew and ended up at McDonalds eating Soft Serve Ice Cream for dessert.

It was a decidedly non religious event. I was brought up RC by Mum, Nuns then Jesuits and Jin has three religions in his upbringing. We did have a tree and presents and we did say Thank You for each other and our good fortune. A carving of Jesus from a demolished church in India, a blessed silk quote scroll by the Dalai Lama and a picture of Ganesh are in the hallway of our apartment so they were probably the presiding deities, although all the god/esses were welcome if they had time and inclination.

Boxing Day Kath and Alice joined Jin and me for lunch at home. Then I went for a swim at Kath’s but my tummy told me it was probably time to go home and de-cater. Then in the evening and afternoon Jin and I lazed around watching TV and trying to organise next years holidays.

Portia’s Christmas Perfumes

OK, loads got a look in over the two days. Here’s the Christmas Perfumes breakdown

SOTChristmasDay: Shalimar Ode de la Vanille by Guerlain

Not very much different to regular Shalimar after the first couple of minutes. Wears beautifully in the heat. This was a Christmas gift from my mate Tim and I adored wearing it for the big day. Perfect for my list of Christmas Perfumes.

SOTAfternoon: Brasil Dream by Estee Lauder

Brasil Dream is a long discontinued, crazily creamy fragrance. It’s so tropical and warm it smells more like a high end suntan lotion than fine fragrance. Overloaded with all the lactonic night bloomers and a bunch of maybe coconut cream. Ridiculously good for the sweaty summer heat.

SOTBed: Oriental Mint by Phaedon

By this time I needed to cool and calm down. One of the most Christmassy of Christmas Perfumes. What a ride. Oriental Mint is like a crisp, cool, sweet, striped candy cane. A wickedly zingy minty opening that slowly sweetens to choc mint vanilla.

SOTBoxingDay: Niki de Saint Phalle

Niki de Saint Phalle so often hits the exact right spot. Whether it’s hot or cold, casual or high faulting it always smells perfectly poised. A chypre in the 20th century vein. Perfection.

SOTBoxingDayAfternoon: Exultat by Maria Candida Gentile

Incense from a Roman Catholic mass. This is the closest match I have ever found and it brings back happy memories of singing in the St Aloysius Boys Choir. One of the true highlights of my school fiasco. We did masses (obviously) but were also booked for weddings, events, sang in St Mary’s Cathedral a few times and did a couple of albums. The smell of incense from the burners made mass seem like a theatrical, pagan ritual.

Who knows what I’ll wear tonight? Maybe something cool and calming like Caron Pour Un Homme.

I know many of you aren’t Christian but there are events over this period for most religions and even for atheists so join in, what Christmas Perfumes did you wear over the season?

Portia xx

 

 

 

Portia also writes for Australian Perfume Junkies