Hello! My main blog is here: http://thefragrantelf.livejournal.com/

On the day that Emma and I finally got to try the Tonkotsu at Ichi Ban Boshi (I really need to post that soon) we also got to try the Fragrance Booths at the Frederic Malle counter at Mecca Cosmetica, Myer.

Frederic Malle is the grandson of Serge Heftler, founder of Dior Perfumes. Monsieur Malle gave free rein to some of the most famous noses in the business, such as Maurice Roucel (starting his career at Chanel’s Fragrance Laboratory), Dominique Ropion, Jean-Claude Ellena and Olivia Giacobetti, to create their own scents from the highest quality materials available, to make Editions de Parfums. All of the scents are intensely lush.

I have to admit, at first glance the fragrance booths gave rise to the thought of one of those money grabbing machines. Malle's booths though are much sleeker, fancier, and the fans inside are for a completely different use.

I still thought the idea was a tad silly...they want me to stand in that thing? How is it better to sniffing it on your skin or on a card?

The sales assistant noted us pondering all this and came over to tell us all about it. He was quite knowledgeable so we discussed the perfumes for a wee bit before getting to the booth.

The perfume is sprayed liberally inside the booth (the previous scent is cleared by the overhead fan), then the door is closed, and opened again. You now pop your head inside. By doing this you are able to get the scent as if it were in the air, like the sillage around someone wearing it, but in its purest form.

I think it was Le Parfum de Thérèse which we tried in the booth. A gorgeous floral created by Edmond Roudnitska in the early 1950's, which is considered a masterpiece because its water fruit accord (tangerine and melon) is said to be 40 years ahead of its time. The fragrance had not been realeased until a few years ago due to it being created for Roudnitska's wife Thérèse, and she was the only one to wear it. Unfortunately for me, there is a note in this perfume which is reminiscent of Etat Libre d'Orange's Secretions Magnifique which I have not so good relations. Nonetheless, it was an excellent way to experience a scent, albeit a novelty.

There are a few other Malles I would like to try properly on my skin, those being: Angéliques sous la pluie (wax floors, clean sheets, skin, an old sweater - a comfy clean one I imagine), Iris Poudre (tonka bean, musk and vanilla and a base of sandalwood and vetiver), and Dans Tes Bras (bergamot, clove, violet, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, salicylates, incense, Cashmeran, heliotrope, and white musk).

I am lucky to own a few small 5ml sprays which I received gratis a few years back:

~ Lipstick Rose ~ which really does smell like lipstick, specifially Lancome's to my nose, all violet and rose and powder.

~ L'Eau D'Hiver ~ smells of spring, powdery heliotrope, hazelnuts, almonds and oats on me, and unfortunately at other times, a tad reminiscent of Aeroguard...this does fade after a short while though.

~ and Musc Ravageur which I have reviewed previously in
this post


I also own Noir Epices which I've been trying to write a review of for a while...



I'm not quite as enamored with Noir Epices as I was when I originally bought it. Maybe it was the romance of being in Paris and my determination to bring home a fragrant part of it which was difficult for me to get by other means. It's not that I don't love it though, I do. And I still find myself wanting to wear it when the mood strikes.

Besides dark, smooth and spicy, I had to think about what it smelt like as despite orange being a top note, the note didn't pounce on me at first sniff. Although on subsequent sniffings, I could smell it and discovered it plays a large part in the scent, as does geranium which plays a part of being a little rosy.

The perfume begins as a very dark baked orange, studded with cloves and dusted with nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper. I am now thinking of a pomander, I've never smelt a handmade one so cannot say for sure if that's what it does resemble, but it would be quite close. And the notes would certainly point to a pomander's ingredients; but mixed with dark scented woods (with the patchouli being a dark aged one rather than sharp) and an inky red, velvet rose.

I'm now seeing a femme fatale's lingerie drawer. The drawer pulled open, the contents strewn about and falling over the rim...the scent of the fragranced garments permeating the air. It is fresh though, and not at all stale.

At first I thought such a spicy scent would be suited more to cooler weather, but Noir Epices seems to suit warmer (though not hot) weather as well, as first on the spices have a coldness to them. It's quite dense, yet the spices are very smooth and well-blended. And since Roudnitska has omitted vanilla, the dark spices are allowed to revel in their own rich, powdery sweetness. Because of this, it can be quite cloying and over-spraying will quite likely mean offending any poor soul within a block of you, (and yourself!). Indeed, too much sniffing of it can make me sneeze and sometimes, if I apply it twice in a day because I think it's faded too much, I find it further compounds and this can be a bad thing, like a heavy shroud covering me.

Noir Epices is neither overtly feminine nor masculine to me, but sits between the two. If pressed, I would say it's ever so slightly more feminine and definitely worth a try if you like richer, incensey fragrances.

The rainy day, and the street on which I bought Noir Epices.

Stupid Reality

It keeps getting in the way dammit!

In the meantime, I have this. I love it. There's a little bit of Pooh in there too.






Ivan Maximov ~ The Additional Capabilities of the Snout

Australia Day BBQ + Lemon Slice & Lamington Cupcakes

On Australia Day we went to my parent's friend's place again (as we did on New Year's Eve) for a bbq and to enjoy the live jazz music down on the foreshore. Unfortunately, it poured from about 4pm and then most of the rest of the day, but fortunately we had our shelter to go back to and we could hear the music from the balcony.

We made some things to take along...

I made Lemon Coconut Slice


My sister's Lamington Cupcakes


Our lunch, including tasty homemade
prawn cutlets, crispy chicken wings and my mum's coleslaw


The dreary day ... But Aussies persist!


Preparing the prawns




Awesome wings


The skin was perfectly crispy






Ahhhhhh...crunch!

And the recipes...

For my sister's Lamington Cupcakes, here's a recipe similar to the one she used.

There are a few recipes around the web but I used this one for the Lemon Coconut Slice and messed around with it a bit. The coconut biscuit base turned out quite dense and very moist, and the icing soft, sweet 'n' tart lemon. Delicious combo.

No-bake Lemon Coconut Slice

~ Makes about 40 pieces (each about 5cm by 6cm)
~ You will need two lemons and maybe a third in case the icing goes a touch dry
~ In warmer weather, the slice must be refrigerated before serving as the icing goes melty fast

Ingredients
180g butter (you may need a little more if mixture is a bit dry)
395g can sweetened condensed milk
Two 250g packets of Digestive biscuits*
2 cups desiccated coconut
2 tbps fresh lemon juice
Finely grated rind from one lemon

Lemon Icing
2 3/4 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

To Decorate
Finely grated rind from one lemon
2 1/3 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Method

1. Grease a 23cm x 34cm slice pan and line with baking paper**

2. Place butter and condensed milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes or until butter has melted and mixture is smooth.

3. Process biscuits until finely crumbed and combine well with coconut and lemon rind in a large bowl.

4. Stir lemon juice into condensed milk mixture. Add to dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

5. Press mixture into prepared pan, smoothing over with a large spoon. Refrigerate while preparing icing.

6. Spread lemon icing over slice and sprinkle with extra coconut.

7. Refrigerate slice until cold and firm then remove from the pan and cut into pieces.

8. Store slice in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Icing
Combine icing sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat.
Stir until mixture is warm to the touch and completely smooth.
Remove from heat and use immediately.

*For the one I made in these pics, I used one pack of Nice biscuits as per the recipe in the link, but didn't have two packets for the larger serving I made, so used Digestives on the other half of the pan. The Digestive side was a little more dense and richer in flavour.

**A reminder on lining a slab pan I found here when I was looking for other recipes: Lightly grease the base and sides of a slab pan, paying particular attention to the two short ends. Cut out a sheet of baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at each long side. Use the overhang to lift slice from pan in one piece. 

This above recipe also had an alternative method for the icing which uses butter instead of water. I might try it next time..

Lemon icing
2 cups icing sugar mixture
40g butter, softened
1 lemon, juiced

Method
Place icing sugar mixture, butter and 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Spread icing over slice. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes or until icing has set.

One mix with Nice biscuits, the second with Digestives




Again, Nice on the left, Digestives on the right


 

Ichi Ban Boshi

I had the day off today and was really craving ramen, so I treated myself to lunch in the city at Ichi Ban Boshi . I wanted to try the Tonkotsu Ramen of which they only make 15 bowls per day. Tonkotsu means pork bone and is a super rich and thick pork broth made by boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen for many hours. The result is ultra creamy and like melted butter and milk.

I arrived about midday taking a chance that they would have made the ramen early, but chose another menu item just in case they hadn't: Shio Butter Corn Ramen.

I was all ready to order but I waited...and waited...and waited...about ten minutes. The restaurant was starting to get busy but not at all manic just yet. There were about six waitresses all with their headsets on, buzzing around, and a couple of times they even walked past me to usher in new customers but they never looked at me looking at them earnestly. I had become invisible. And I was getting frustrated. I may have been more frustrated because I was worried I was going to miss out on a bowl of tasty Tonkotsu. As it turned out, I didn't have to worry. When I finally did get to order after standing up to get someone's attention, I was informed that it wouldn't be ready until 1:30pm. So, Shio Butter Corn Ramen it would be! I also ordered an extra of a fried dumpling on top.

As it turned out, I LOVED my pork and corn ramen. The broth was rich but not too salty, it was filled with loads of crunchy bean sprouts and corn. The pork was delectable, I could have done with another slice. It was tender and just the right amount of fattiness. And the butter...OH, the butter! I let mine melt right were it was and only mixed it in the slightest bit, rather than dilute it, so I would get globules of buttery goodness bursting in my mouth every few mouthfuls. And the noodles were so moreish, slippy with a little bite. I could feel myself filling up but not finishing it was not an option.

Delicious toasted rice green tea



The arrival!


So beautiful.


Love the nifty spoon


Mmmmm, dumpling

Ichi-ban Boshi
Level 2, The Galeries Victoria Bldg
500 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000

Phone +61 2 9262 7677

If you're curious about the Tonkotsu experience and flavour, it's well documented here.

Scents o' the Day ~ No. 31 ~ Villainess

I’m trying to get back into my perfume reviews again and thought it best to start off with my Scents o’ the Day with smaller reviews and notes. Villainess Soaps released a bunch of their most popular soap, cream and scrub scents in perfume oil form late last year, so I had to jump in with a few decants.

Bathory
The cloying sweetness of a covetous lust for misspent youth, offset by a geriatric touch of rose and carnation, and underscored by a malevolent insinuation of sandalwood.
Mostly fruity berry musk on me. Not getting the sweetness of rose or the dryness of carnation at all. Nice, but not exciting and not me.

Blush
A blend of sweet berry and tart lime notes, grounded by a slightly tipsy touch of cheap dry wine.
I loved this in cream form. The perfume is a good blend of all the notes, the berry, lime and wine all seem to be playing equally. Seems to have good sillage. The wine goes a bit fizzy and up my nose a bit. Ooh hang on, going a bit sharp powdery, not so good. After a while it softens and it’s more how I loved it in the cream. Like this one but not enough to get.

Canaan
Warm milk, sticky bronzed honey, succulent grapes and berries, and exotic perfume - Tunisian jasmine, tuberose, the indolent lily of the valley, and Madagascar cloves.
Mmmmm, like milk warming in a pot with soft almond and honey. Very warm, sweet and lightly spiced with the cloves. I’m getting a hint of grapes but not much berry. Definitely getting the warm milky notes which start coming out more on the dry down along with gentle white florals. Quite like.

Datura
An intoxicating blend of crisp, regal gardenia, sweet frangipani, verdant tuberose, and soft, beguiling pikaki lani.
Mmmm, lovely in the vial. And lovely on, soft at first. Ooop, this quickly ramps up to be a touch sharp heavy floral, which is reminiscent of room spray. I think it could soften nicely though. … Yep, it has. Hmmmmm, quite beautiful. A really lovely very true tropical floral.

Decadence
An indulgent vanilla - alcoholic, buttery and bittersweet with delightful undertones of tonka and coconut. Our favourite vice.
This is indeed decadent and alcoholic! A very tasty, rich foody vanilla with good sillage. It reminds me of the rich vanilla tonka feel of Arcana Frilly Underpinnings but I prefer Frilly with its more complex notes.

Pearl Diver
A delicate play of bergamot and jasmine, orchid and violet, over a sensible wash of sandalwood, and salty kelp.
I really like Pearl Diver. Really fits the name. An excellent aquatic with definite salty kelp notes, so fresh and mermaid-like. Gorgeous. I may not want a bottle but always want this one around, I love the imagery of it!

Pyromania
A highly unique fragrance based on black pepper essential oil. Peculiarly spicy, warm black pepper, sweetened with brown sugar, and touched with a veil of smoke.
Reminds me of Arcana Frilly Underpinnings with pepper and vanilla notes but this is way more tickle your nose peppery and smoky. Frilly works better on me. Does soften nicely but is still mostly pepper.

Scintillating
A complex blend of revitalising mints - spearmint, cornmint, peppermint - grounded with a rich base note of black tea, and barely sweetened with soft vanilla.
Really delicious creamy mint tea. I love minty scents (BPAL Nuclear Winter, Spooky, Tokyo Stomp, Arcana Anodyne, Winter Nights, Puppy Kisses, Nocturne Alchemy Bergamot and Egyptian Mint Tea, Ra’s Chocolate Mint…erm, that’s just to name a few!) and this is one of the good ones. Has a sort of smoky musky drydown which is a bit different from others I’ve smelt.


All in all, there’s some standouts, my favourite being Pearl Diver, plus I like Datura, Scintillating and Canaan. Nothing is screaming at me to buy full size fortunately, but I think I’m going to try cutting down in that area this year in any case!

2009. Who ordered that then?

So, here we are. 2009. 2008 didn't totally suck, but there are many parts of it I am more than glad to see the back of. I have a few goals and hopes for this year, the main one being that I make it through in one piece.

I mostly though, hope for the usual stuff of good health and happiness for my man, family, friends offline and online, pets, the world... and me while I'm at it. Health and happiness seem to cover it all, because if you have them, most other stuff follows. Okay, enough of my nonsensical ramblings.

This year was the first year in many in which we celebrated it with the family. Usually Christmas is family and New Year friends. We spent the evening at an old friend of my Dad's at Pyrmont which has fantastic views of the harbour. We wouldn't normally go out of our way to see the fireworks due to the heavy crowds, but viewing them from the comfort of a lovely home was worth it. We chatted, ate tasty foods, played Guitar Hero and of course watched both the 9pm and midnight fireworks. They were amazing. For the first year ever, I really felt like we were heralding in the New Year...a fresh start and all that. It can all look the same the next morning, but even to have that feeling for a moment is pretty special and hopefully I can hold onto it throughout the year.

A beautiful afternoon

The crowd building up in the park below


North Sydney to the left of the bridge


The city on the right


Homemade spring rolls


Tasty


Night falls...


9pm fireworks!




Mango and avocado salad


Awesome chicken wings made by our host and my Mum's colesalw


My sisters made two kinds of fresh fruit trifle




I made my caramel tarts




Midnight!

Please excuse my poor photography..




The pretty lit up boats which sail around the harbour afterwards