Giveaway: Full Size Niche Perfumes for our Readers

There is a time when silence descends. Dear readers you have seen it. And I apologise for it. "And even if you're not here to stay I'm happy the universe allowed your soul to stop by." So let's proceed beyond the silence and venture into new adventures.

To usher in the new beginnings I am hosting a giveaway for two purse bottles of Neela Vermeire Creations' wonderful (really gorgeous!) Pichola. The bottles are as depicted above: 15ml Eau de Parfum concentration. I have posted a detailed review of Pichola by Neela Vermeire Creations on THIS LINK.

At the time I had written that "Pichola is not a travel "selfie". This shape shifter of a fragrance has backbone, finesse and above all the charm that makes a fragrance go beyond the mere pretty into addictive. [...] This creature purred...and I purred with delight over it."

The fragrance has been developed by Bertrand Duchaufour who has excelled in his work for Neela.

To enter the draw please post a comment under the post stating your prefered flowers in fragrance and why they work for you.  The draw is open till Monday 5th February midnight.

Summer Giveaway: Win a Goodies-filled Tijon Beach Bag

The time is finally here. Vacations and I'm going away. But fret not. The PerfumeShrine has prepared a fabulous giveaway for our fabulous readers thanks to our resident sponsor the fabulous Jovan of Tijon Fragrance Lab and Boutique.

The contest:
Tell us about your favorite beach scent memory. It can be a story about your favorite beach fragrance, your favorite beach vacation or anything involving the beach and a vivid scent memory.

Contest is open to any Perfume Shrine member in the world! Contest ends August 14th. Winner will be announced on August 15th.

The prize:
The winner will receive a Tijon beach bag filled with all kinds of wonderful gifts from our Tijon boutique. Grand Prize Value: $500.00

Please note: this is NOT an ordinary beach tote bag. The Tijon beach tote folds out to become a beach blanket for two and includes 4 sand stakes so that the blanket stays put!

Kαλό καλοκαίρι! Have a great summer!

Surrender & Coldwater Canyon by La Via del Profumo: Free Perfume Giveaway

Anyone familiar with the work of Dominique Dubrana (the passport name of perfumer Abdes Salaam) is rejoicing at the news of a new fragrance by him. The two ladies of the tried & tested decanting service Surrender to Chance commissioned two fragrances to him and the results are predictably gorgeous. I had reviewed them both on Fragrantica, where I held a draw for 2 decants provided by Surrender to Chance (the winners are announced at the bottom of the article).

Today it is my honor to hold another draw for another 2 decants, 5ml of each scent that is, prepared again by the ladies of StC, for 2 readers of Perfume Shrine, sent by post by me anywhere in the world.
Please post a comment below, (voicing an opinion, a question or commentary on the blog etc.) and you're eligible. Draw is open till Wednesday midnight and winners will be announced on Thursday.

What's the Best Holiday Surprise You Ever Received? (Contest with Special Prize)

There have been several giveaways in the last month of the year here on Perfume Shrine, but this one is a bit different. Our sponsor, Tijon Fragrance Lab & Boutique and the lovely Jovan Van Drielle have a very special gift for a lucky reader: a gorgeous handbag in the shape of a classic perfume bottle; with a leather braided chain and beautiful black lacquer finish (depicted below).

All you have to do to enter is tell us WHAT IS THE BEST HOLIDAY SURPRISE YOU EVER RECEIVED in the comments below and you're eligible (anyone already having posted can add a story sharing their best surprise). Draw is open internationally till 24th December midnight and winner will be announced on Christmas Day, on the 25th. Best of luck to all!

And ms.Santa Claus (Jovan) even generously suggested she might have several runner prizes for the second best stories, as it is the season of giving, after all. So keep them coming please!!

Giveaway: Tauer Advent Calendar & Musings on Perfumes to Be Confused

First things first: We are honored to participate for the 6th consecutive year in the Advent Calendar of Tauer Perfumes. You know what this means: prizes by Andy Tauer!!! The winner can pick an Explorer Set from Tauer, 3 x15ml fragrances of scents of your choice! Cool, if you ask me.  (it even gives the choice on some of the less popular but quite interesting in my books Vetiver Dance, Incense Extreme, Carillon pour un Ange, Zeta, or Noontide Petals, among many others such as the gorgeous and limited Phi Rose de Kandahar or the modern classic Une Rose Chypree.
Enter a comment on this post, below, to be eligible.
[NB. Limitations/shipping restrictions apply. Find them on bottom of this post].

And now on to musings on something that happened to me recently and put me into thinking.

I smelled a GORGEOUS scent on a very efficient and smart lady the other day. She was wafting it copiously, but the scent wasn't at all "thick" nor "cloying", it trailed beautifully as we walked through a gallery display, she guiding me, I listening attentively, distracted only by the amazing sillage. Initially I thought it was something along the lines of Teatro alla Scala (Krizia) which is a beautiful spicy oriental with a rich, satiating citrusy top note that I know pretty well, own and wear myself (and was wondering whether this is the trail I leave behind!). The lady in question was munching on a juicy mandarin at the time, too, as she was showing me around.
Before parting I had to confirm. I asked, point blank. Turns out it was .....Aromatics Elixir (which I otherwise recognize immediately on other people, I am practically surrounded by it, Athens adores this fragrance), her "signature for 20 years", as she added. Plus juicy mandarin orange...

And I got thinking. Much has been made of the growing resemblance of Aromatics Elixir by Clinique to (parent company) Lauder's Youth Dew and orientals in general. Maybe there's a bit of truth there, though I always remembered AE as very patchouli rich and powdery-mossy, and still do. But surely there are other elements at play and I assume we all have gotten confused as to what someone wears at a given moment, even if it is something we know perfectly well and could otherwise pinpoint.
Do you have such examples? What was it that confused you and what did you confuse it with? I'd love to read in the comments.   

LIMITATIONS: The draw is worldwide. Some exceptions apply: Italy, Spain, Croatia, Russia, Greece (Swiss FedEx cannot ship there). The prizes will be shipped for free from Switzerland, through FedEx. Local taxes, VAT, and import fee may apply and are not covered by Tauer. The winner is responsible to make sure that they are allowed to import the prize.
Tauer ships to the address given and do not contact the addressee afterwards nor will use the contact information for any other purpose than sending the prize, nor will they forward the address to anybody else except for the purpose of shipping the prize to the winner.

Fragrant by Mandy Aftel: perfume book giveaway

More of a biographical mapping out of the discovery of a new career path and the richness with which it has gifted its author than a mainstream guide, Fragrant: The secret life of scent by Mandy Aftel is a fascinating journey into four key materials (cinnamon, incense, mint, jasmine and ambergris), their mystical significance, their aura, their historical pathway and with it the trajectory of natural perfumery. The book takes the form of a meditation on the sensuality and pleasure that natural materials offer, divided into 5 parts corresponding to each material) and a plea for the embracing of their sensuous capabilities in our increasingly sterilized world.

Aftel's Essence and Alchemy is already a perfume book classic, aimed at the fragrance enthusiast with the desire to learn (it includes a hands down approach to learning to build fragrant chords with natural essences and a classic fragrance pyramid structure tutorial a la Jean Carles), while Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent is less of a traditional guide. Instead Aftel muses on several points on scent while adding tidbits that are always interesting and a handful of recipes for edible stuff that would make you see things in a new light. For that reason it would appeal to the novice, as it does not require special knowledge in order to follow its beautiful prose, but also to the more accomplished fragrance collector as a tome to stand proudly in their library.

You can order the book on Amazon at a special price.

I have a new hardback copy to share with a lucky reader. Please enter a comment below to be eligible. Draw is open internationally till Friday midnight.

Perfume Giveaway: Win a Free Bottle of Eau de Parfum plus an Extrait de Parfum mini!

It is my privilege and honor to make the very choicest acquaintances through the pages of this site. People with varied interests from the arts and with a budding or steadier interest in perfume reach me all the time with insightful comments and emails and sometimes with enriching experiences. One of them is Lia. She is not only a lovely, warm personality but a person immersed in the arts who has been testing fragrance after fragrance and discovering bits and pieces to delight a perfume addict's heart cockles. In a supremely generous gesture, she is giving away a 2oz eau de parfum of Lauder's classic oriental fragrance Youth Dew in a (indeterminate) vintage edition, accompanied with a mini 0.12oz extrait de parfum of Youth Dew in the classic style flacon! These sure look pretty, don't they?

The draw is open internationally and you're eligible by leaving a comment below; ask a question or make an observation or say what you enjoy most when reading blogs etc. I will announce a winner by the end of the weekend.

Free Perfume & Body Products Giveaway

A chance to win a full set of 3 scented products (eau de toilette, body lotion and hand creme) today. Nice way of kickstarting the week, eh? Thought you might like it, so read on.

DownEast Basics has a new line of products and they kindly gave me the opportunity of hosting a giveaway for our readers. The DownEast fashion SCENTS in Sugar, Coconut and Fresh are available as lotions, hand creme and eau de toilette. Best of all the entire fragrance line is 100% organic and paraben-free so it won’t bother sensitive skin. They also include coveted natural ingredients like aloe, cocoa & shea butter and vitamin E, so you can cover yourself in your favorite scent while treating your skin to intense moisture and skin saving antioxidants. That's not so bad, is it?

Check out the entire line of Fashion Scents and tell me which one matches your style in the comments section below to be entered to win!

One randomly selected winner will win a full Fashion Scent set to include the lotion, hand creme and eau de toilette of their choice (US$35 value). Winner must be able to receive prize shipment to US mailing address.

Best of luck to all!!

Fantastic Giveaway of 1,000$ worth by Tijon Fragrance Lab & Boutique for Mother's Day

It is my great honor to have Tijon Fragrance Lab and Boutique as a partner on this adventure for the past few months. Jovan van Drielle, the gracious owner, appreciates our readers so much that she wanted to feature a HUGE giveaway for the Perfume Shrine audience in which one USA winner will get to win a prize worth 1,000$ (yes, you heard that right). We also appreciate moms a LOT so we combined forces to make this a very special celebration for Mother's Day celebrated on May 11th in the USA and many countries around the world.
So you ask: what do you have to do to enter?

She also kindly provided the directions and specifications you have to follow. Find the Tijon Facebook page by clicking on the top banner on the Perfume Shrine Home Page or on this link.

Fire away! May the best story win!!

Love is in the Air part 2: A Very Special Valentine's Day Giveaway

You all love gifts, and why not? I have a special one for you today, thanks to the kind generosity of Jovan Van Drielle of Tijon Fragrance Lab & Boutique.

The prize? A Swarovski crystal pen/atomizer (depicted) which sprays perfume (!!) in black velvet gift box with genuine black velvet pen purse pouch, to write scented billets d'amour with!

The contest:
Please share with us your most romantic story.  It could be an actual date, or just a romantic gesture that you were fortunate enough to experience. Draw is open till February 12th midnight and winner will be announced on February 14th.

Jovan's take to get you started? "My romantic story happened in 2013. I was meeting someone for lunch, it was a first date. As I approached the restaurant someone called out my name, I turned around and my date was standing face to face with me, and before I knew what was happening, my date kissed me! (I'm not talking a peck on the cheek) This was a full blown, take your breath away, "Paris" kiss. LOL.... We've been inseparable ever since. "

Your most romantic story wins a prize...and if there are several good ones, then I will pick MORE than one winner! This is a worldwide contest with no geographical barriers!

Thanks Jovan and good luck to everyone!

Penhaligon's Tralala: Win an Exclusive Preview Decant of the Latest Fragrance Launch

Tralala by Penhaligon's, which we announced on these pages (where we posted the fragrance notes) a few days ago, was presented in London  the other day and yours truly managed to get her little paws on some preview juice. [Yeah!] So yes, you know what that means, one lucky winner gets free perfume that hasn't even hit the stores yet (and will actually hit them in May, so wow!)! To enter the draw, leave a comment on this post; draw is open internationally till Sunday midnight and winner will be announced on Monday.

gap by ssilence on deviantart.com (via Pinterest)

So…Tralala by Penhaligon's and eccentric fashion duo Meadham Kirchhoff, aka the latest fragrant opus by the British niche brand. It presented two major stumbling blocks for me, when I first heart about it. Luckily I was able to sample it in real time and see whether my qualms were founded in reality or they were a figment of my imagination. I wrote a full review on the scent for Fragrantica which you can find on this link. [You're welcome to comment either  here or there on it.]

Tralala will launch exclusively at Harvey Nichols on April 21 and at Penhaligon's boutiques and at www.penhaligons.com on May 5, priced at £150.

Start 2014 with a Grand Perfume Prize: One to One Consultation Making your Own Perfume (Win 450$ Worth Gift)

Happy New Year to all my readers and may 2014 be fragrant and loving!!
You may have noticed before our banner sponsor above, the Tijon Fragrance Lab Boutique in California, who is offering custom consultations, allowing you to make your own perfume guided by trained professionals that will see you through the steps. If this idea had always appealed to you but thought it prohibitively expensive and out of reach, read on.

For this special day of the year, Tijon is offering a great prize for Perfume Shrine readers:
one winner wins a gift certificate for two for a 2.5 hour fragrance making session at Tijon Fragrance Lab in La Jolla, California, worth 300$. (NOT redeemable for cash). You can select from 300 oils, get a bottle of your very own perfume, an unlimited amount of recipe trials, an education on perfume history and notes composition (top-middle-base notes) and a workbook for taking home.
But that's not all: this ALSO includes a $75.00 gift bag for each person (thus a TOTAL OF 450$!)
(The only requirement is that the winner will need to visit La Jolla sometimes in 2014, so if you're international take this in mind; assuming you can go, you're eligible.)

Here is the quiz question:

WHAT SCENT INCREASES BLOOD FLOW TO THE PENIS by 40%?

The first person to answer correctly wins!

Play along!
(And if you haven't checked our resident giveaway for some free Amouage perfume, join the draw which remains open till Friday midnight)

New Year Is Upon Us with Perfume Giveaway

The old year isn't quite over, its many gifts settling in and the new one tentatively stealing a glimpse, and I'm celebrating by offering my readers a special treat on this special day: A brand new bottle of Amouage Dia perfume 30ml in a velvety pouch which will be given to one lucky reader who will comment on this post and suggest their favorite charity. The draw is open internationally until Friday 3rd 2014 midnight and winner will be announced in the weekend.

Below Pantelis Thalassinos sings the (fragrant!) folk version of the New Year's Carols from Chios island in Greece. I wish you all the many blessings of the lyrics.

"Good evening I say, ushering fragrant air,
from the frothing waves, sung a thousand times over.

No stone should crack in the house we came to
and may the landlord live for many years.

Saint Basil dear and my dear Saint Nicholas,
protect the sailors in the hour of the storm.

May you live many years and be merry, you and yours,
and may your immigrant beloveds and all your sailors come back.

We wish you all to get love, peace and good health,
a jolly heart, a smile and blessings too.

First day of the month and first of the year, my tall rosemary tree,
and first of January, the day of Saint Basil.

(St.) Basil, my dear, wherever you're coming from and wherever you're descending,
holding roses and anointing,
sit down and feast, sit down and drink, sit down and tell us your troubles,
sit down and sing, and welcome us and come out and treat us,
may you live, may you live and get to an old age. "

Neela Vermeire Talks and Offers Free Perfume Bottle Giveaway

What would Neela Vermeire of NVC do and say if she were a guest at my dinner party and we brought out the wine, the amuse-bouche and the board games for adults? I invited her over to have a Scent Game and she gracefully and playfully indulged me. So take thee over to Fragrantica to read our little game, where she describes her perfumes in dessert terms and not only (saffron kheer with bhang for Trayee for instance or rose & carrot halwa for Mohur) and post a comment here on Perfume Shrine to enter a fabulous giveaway she's offering to our European readers. The draw is open to European Union addresses and the generous (fabulous!) prize includes a classic flacon of NVC Mohur perfume with samples of Trayee and Bombay Bling as well as a glass sample vial of Ashoka. Submissions will be counted till Friday midnight and winner will be announced on Monday.

Now that we have gotten this out of the way, let me elaborate why I feel Neela Vermeire Creations is such a big deal. From the musky depths of the historically inspired Trayee to the delicate and graceful arc of Mohur right up to the fruity exuberance of Bombay Bling and the unusual Ashoka, Neela Vermeire Creations is among the best niche lines to grace the horizon in some time. Although I personally discovered it with at least one year delay, I consider it one of the brightest "a ha" moments in my course of scent writing. And those don't come often, let me tell you.

I was personally interested in finding out how and why the 4th installment, Ashoka eau de parfum, came to be, especially since it's such a multi-nuanced and unusual fragrance that seems both a little apart and at the same time very much in tune with the spirit that traverses through the Neela Vermeire Creations line. Neela obliged me: "The first trio were based on wide historic eras in India. We wanted to continue this journey and develop our India inspired collection with our fourth fragrance, Ashoka Eau de Parfum. Ashoka is a tribute to the internal/philosophical changes that occurred during the life of Emperor Ashoka (when he realized upon his conversion to Buddhism that wars were not the solution and compassion was the way forward). It is an important message for the world we live in and Emperor Ashoka has been of interest to us. After all our logo was inspired by Ashoka's chakra."
Indeed the fragrance presents a panorama of redemption and spirituality. You can read my review of it on this link.

The bottom line I suppose is that the success of the line lies not only on the deft handling of the concept by the perfumer (Bertrand Duchaufour) but first and foremost on the art direction of Neela herself; a dedicated person, an aficionado as well as a connoisseur, and an excellent communicator all around. It's been a true honor knowing her.

A Different Giveaway Leading to a White Christmas

I'm accosted by several different marketeers and companies, often related to our little scent interest, many times related to peripheral beauty and health products. The chance to touch up one's smile before the holiday parties sounded like a good idea to me, wine and coffee drinker than I am, therefore this is what I'm offering today to anyone who's interested in some free product!

Try being one of 2 lucky winners of the Smile Brilliant LED teeth whitening system which contains:

· 1 LED Accelerator Light
· 1 Teeth Whitening Pen 4ml (containing 22% carbamide peroxide & enough for 7-10 applications)
· 1 lip protector
Looks at once customized and easy to use.

Countries Eligible for the Draw: US, UK, Canada

Please post a comment stating you're interested. Draw is open till Monday midnight and I will pick 2 winners to be announced on Tuesday.

Free Perfume Giveaway: Win a Bottle of the Special Edition of Iris Nobile

Iris Nobile by the Italian brand Acqua di Parma (makers of the famous Colonia and the Colonia Assoluta) is celebrating with a special edition, Iris Nobile Edizione Speciale 2013. I have long favorited this graceful floral eau de parfum with notes of white flowers, chypre accords and iris, going through my bottle with gusto, feeling like the pinnacle of elegance. So the new anniversary edition is good news for those of you who haven't tried it yet: the purple box is lovely to look at. Perfume Shrine is happy to be able to offer one Iris Nobile 2013 edition bottle to its readers, full, new and pristine (see below), for your delectation. Cool, isn't it?
Just take a look at this video clip on how the special edition bottles are created by Acqua di Parma.

Notes for Iris Nobile include ylang ylang, Florentine iris, patchouli, vanilla, oakmoss.

To enter the draw, please post a comment below saying what is your favorite iris fragrance and why you enjoy it (or if you don't like iris scents, why is that, you suppose?).
Draw is open internationally until Sunday 20th October midnight, winner will be announced sometime on Monday. Good luck!

Free Perfume Book Giveaway: Coming to my Senses

"Alyssa Harad’s affair with scent begins in secret, late at night, by the glow of her computer screen when she stumbles on a blog devoted to perfume. Candid, elegant, and full of lush description and humor, COMING TO MY SENSES takes readers from a private museum of rare essences in Austin, Texas, to the glamorous fragrance showrooms of Manhattan, and finally to a homecoming in Boise, Idaho, to prepare for Harad’s wedding." She's one of us, guys, need I say more?

Thanks to the kind provision of the publisher, I have three paperback copies for USA residents for the picking. Please leave a comment to be eligible. Draw remains open till Wednesday midnight and winners will be announced on Thursday.

L'Artisan Perfumeur Free Perfume Bottle Giveaway

No long post today as I'm running, but a lucky draw not to miss: a small perfume bottle of L'Artisan Parfumeur's Caligna, their latest creation inspired by Province, France. You can find more info on these pages, as posted previously, when I broke the news, and there's this snippet from L'Artisan Parfumeur:

"Caligna – meaning to « court » in the local Provençal dialect – is in essence the story of an encounter with nature in this glorious part of France. This new woody-aromatic Eau de Parfum captures and brings to life different impressions of the Grasse countryside. It evokes a warm breeze blowing over the land, a sense of freedom in the wild open spaces, a lightness of being with laughter echoing into the distance."



Draw is open internationally; to be eligible leave a comment with some of your questions or musings on scent-related things and check back to see whether someone replies or has something to offer. Draw is open till Sunday midnight and winner will be announced shortly after.

A Very Special Giveaway for Our Readers

There are several giveaways on Perfume Shrine, because hey, who doesn't want to win something, and it's a good way to connect with my shyer readers as well. I don't usually post all the giveaway opportunities that come into my inbox from companies and PR agents because so many of them have no relevance or are boring and staid. But I was sent a courteous email by Shabby Apple, a vintage clothing line, and there was a variety of dresses to choose for my readers.

So, this is what I did. I made it a giveaway of one gorgeous, easy, stylish dress of my choosing for you to wear & enjoy and think a little of Perfume Shrine every time that you do.  :-)

I chose this model above, called Jacob's Pillow (click on the link to see details and alternative views). Not only is it something I'd wear myself in a heartbeat (in fact I do own similar things), but I thought it was both cute and streamlined enough, with its French-style polka dots and its trendy peplum detail; plus I should image it would hug curves and bring out the best of them. It's also available in a variety of sizes, is cotton stretch and would look good any time, dressed up or down (and would go perfectly with a classy vintage fragrance too!).

Careful: there's one caveat; the giveaway is open (due to specifications of the company) only to US readers. (And sorry guys this is a feminine thing, and you're not catered this time, but perhaps you could grab it for the woman in your life if you have one?) So if you have an address in the United States, please write a comment as to whether you enjoy vintage-looking clothing and why and you're eligible for winning this lovely dress. Draw is open till Thursday 8am and I will announce the winner later that day. Good luck!

Free Perfume 3.4oz Eau de Parfum Bottle Giveaway

Something special today for the readers of Perfume Shrine in celebration for the national fragrance day tomorrow and the official start of spring. So if you're game, please leave a comment with scent-related thoughts about spring in the comment section. Anything goes! Bonus points for new Twitter followers who gain two slots for the draw!

This giveaway wouldn't be possible without the kind sponsorship by 99perfume.com [link is unaffiliated] who are offering a full 3.4oz eau de parfum bottle of Burberry Brit for women to a lucky winner. The draw is open to readers in the continental USA at this time, since the company is offering free shipping to those addresses only. [I'm sorry if this inconveniences international readers but it is beyond my control.]
Draw is open until Thursday midnight and winner will be announced on Friday.



Burberry Brit for women opens with fresh notes of lime, frosted pear and white almond. The heart blooms with white peony. The drydown is very gourmand with vanilla, amber, mahogany and balsamic Tonka bean accords.

Good luck!!

And don't forget to check again later today for the announcement of the winners of the Tauer draw!