Happy New Year

I only wish I was in Paris but Maldon in Central Victoria will have to do, for some very hard earned R & R after an amazing trading period in December.

Over the last few months I have been searching for new products and I am pleased to say that there will be some fabulous new brands to launch in the newly refurbished Peony at the end of January. So watch this space.

I look forward to welcoming you into our new 'Salon' soon.

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year.

Heeley Parfums Paris

This amazing perfume range has just arrived in time for Christmas. One of my personal favourites, the Heeley range of perfumes are simply divine. I met with James Heeley at the Pitti Imagine fragrance fair in Florence and was immediately impressed with his passion for perfume.

Heeley Eau de Parfum, is characteristically elegant and natural. Made in France from a selection of rare ingredients of the finest quality, it is a contemporary version of the traditional Eau de Parfum.

The unique and distinctive scents within the collection are characterised by fresh, green, woody or light floral tones. Suitable for both men and women, the choice of scent is best left to the individual.

The fragrance range includes all our favourites: Ophelia, Cardinal, Cuir Pleine Fleur, Esprit du Tigre, Figuier, Iris de Nuit, Menthe Fraiche, Verveine and the latest offering Orange and Lemons say the bells of St Clements!!

We hope to see you in store for a glass of bubbly and the opportunity to show you these amazing fragrances.......

Amouage Memoir

We received the latest instalment from Amouage today - the most delicious Chypre (Mossy Wood) fragrance for men and women - Memoir. It is described as a shadowy, mystical Chypre that takes the Absinth top notes of Memoir Man and infuses them with the spices of Pink Pepper and Cardamon. The heart notes artfully clash Dark Wood and Frankincense with White Blossoms, Jasmine and Rose. Whilst Labdanum, Leather, Musk and Oakmoss in the base provide a smoky, uncompromising conclusion to the fragrance.

I truly love this fragrance range - they understand luxury and the beautiful black bottle is stunning.

We have Memoir women and man available in a 50ml Eau de Parfum.

Mizensir Candles

So exciting! my new candles and room sprays arrived today from the bespoke company Mizensir in Geneva, Switzerland. Created by Alberto Morillas, 'Master Perfumeur' and winner of the Francois Coty award for the best perfume artist in 2003, Mizensir is still a family run business and one of the very few 'Ateliers' to still make all it's products by hand. A rarity in these times of mass produced products.

Everything about this company is a symbol of craftsmanship and a homage to luxury.

We have 14 beautifully perfumed candles to choose from and six room sprays. Candles are priced at $85 and $65 for the room sprays.

An Invitation .......

The Auburn Village is having it's first shopping night next Wednesday the 8th December from 5pm to 8pm. We would love you to join us for Champagne and Chocolates to discover our 2 newest arrivals - James Heeley Paris and Mizensir candles from Geneva.

Click on the image above to preview the invitation - please feel free to send to your friends and family.

We hope to see you next Wednesday.....

Joyeux Noel

I would have to say that Christmas is my favourite time of year in the store. We are all things French this year with our Red, White and Blue theme. I found these cute little Eiffel tower ornaments and the vintage French flag works in the background.

This image is of the smaller window with the crystal Eiffel tower, vintage French Flag and my huge vintage Louvre sign - which I was very happy to have found at a recent Antique Fair.

We are full to the brim with all our festive decorations which include beautiful mercury glass decorations of nutcrackers, acorns and owls. We have some hand blown jolly Santa's and the most divine glass eggs that open which you can put a special surprise in. Today we received a delivery of metal bell wreaths, so every time you open the door they jingle.

More festive posts to come with all our new goodies - so stay tuned..........

Puredistance Master Perfumes

We are incredibly excited to be able to showcase a very beautiful perfume by Puredistance - Master Perfumes.

A meeting between perfumeur Annie Buzantian and the founder of Puredistance Jan Ewoud Vos, realised a perfume Ms Buzantian had created for herself perfectly fit with the brief for Puredistance One. The fragrance is chic, beautiful and understated in it's elegance.

Puredistance One is a Floral with Crisp Green notes. The perfume opens with notes of bitter orange, tangerine blossom and blackcurrent buds. Heart notes are Jasmine, Magnolia, Mimosa and Rose. The base notes of vetiver, amber and white musk make this a truly memorable fragrance.

Peony's current window display showcases the beautiful paper flowers from the divine Noel Soloman of Fanciful Designs, the stunning jewels by Rodrigo Otazu and Puredistance One.

Puredistance One is a pure perfume made from a high concentration of perfume oil (32%) and is available as a 17.5ml perfume spray in a classic white gift box. Priced at $325.00.

A New Arrival

I am so excited to announce the arrival of Les Parfums Keiko Mecheri. A truly inspiring perfumer who understands the artistry in creating original fragrances.

White Petals is shown above - I have posted this image because it is my favourite at the moment - who could resist this delicious Soft Floral fragrance of Freesia, White Peony, Camellia, Iris, Muguet, Mai Rose, Sandalwood, Precious Woods and White Musk.

At the moment we have 10 fragrances in the collection (more to come) - Cuir Cordoba, Genie des Bois, Gourmandises, Loukoum, Mogador (stunning Rose fragrance), Myrrhe & Merveilles, Peau de Peche, Sanguine & White Petals. These perfumes come only in a 75ml Eau de Parfum and are priced at $269.00.

Lawrence Mynott Prints

Peony Melbourne introduces limited edition prints by the illustrator Lawrence Mynott. Mr Mynott was invited by Ramdane Touhami of Cire Trudon to illustrate it's latest catalogue. Lawrence Mynott is an English painter and has received both Gold and Silver awards from D&AD. His work has been exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the National Portrait Gallery in London.

This image above is the delightful interpretation of 'Roi Soleil' - the Sun King.

Ramdane Touhami (on the left) and Mr Lawrence Mynott at the recent soiree in Paris to launch the new catalogue and introduce the prints.

The window of Cire Trudon in Paris for the launch. Don't you love how they have displayed the candles.

Peony has images of Odalisque, Trianon, Dada, Empire (my favourite of Napoleon's wardrobe), Roi Soleil and Abd el Kadar. Prints are priced at $750 each.

Stunning Flowers

The world of blogging is amazing - just look at these delicious French paper flowers supplied to Peony by Fanciful Designs who I met through clicking away to find her beautiful site.

These gorgeous flowers are totally handmade by Noel and to me they represent my most favourite flowers - the Peony, the Rose and the Gardenia. They come in 4 sizes from Petite to Le Grande!!!

These little shoes are also made by Noel - aren't they divine - they would make the most gorgeous wedding favour/memento.

These beautiful flowers will be displayed shortly in our Wedding window - so watch this space!!

A fond Farewell

Diptyque will unfortunately no longer be available through it's smaller retailers in Australia....so we bid this beautiful range a fond farewell.

We have limited stock available so please be quick to secure your favourites.

20% off all Diptyque

Nuit de Tubereuse

Peony launches the stunning new Tuberose fragrance 'Nuit de Tubereuse' from L'Artisan Parfumeur - Paris.

Created by nose Bertrand Duchaufour this tuberose is a beautiful rich floral.

Top Notes: Mandarin, Pink Berries
Middle Notes: Rose, Tuberose, Ylang Ylang, Broom, Mango
Base Notes: Clove, Sandalwood, Rock Rose, Blonde Woods, Musks

This version of a tuberose perfume is not like 'Fracas' which is loud and bold, Nuit de Tubereuse is much softer and sexier.

100ml Eau de Parfum is $210.

Cire Trudon Display

I love Cire Trudon candles. I purchased a number of antique apothecary jars and together with some beautiful Singapore orchids the window came together.

The beautiful curtains of the 'Paris' streetscape I found in a delicious store in Hawksburn. They are screen printed by hand.

The old leather books were a bit of a find in a gorgeous store called 'Cote Provence' in Carlton. It's one of my favourite places to find items for my window displays.

Last but not least this stunning antique zinc tub was the perfect container for my new orchid. I thought my box hedge wreath was an inspired addition.

Sex in the City 2

We have just launched the stunning pieces of Rodgrio Otazu jewellery that featured in the latest instalment of Sex and the City. Rodrigo is Argentinian by birth and now resides in Amsterdam where the jewels are made. What I love about the jewellery is the attention to detail and the drama, they are just so beautifully made.

This beautiful 'Carrie' necklace (pictured) is available in very limited quantities and priced at $465, which given the detail and workmanship is very well priced. The other pieces include 2 of the pearl and crystal cuffs - just have to try these on!! and the divine earings worn by 'Samantha'.

We Love NY

I have just returned from Brisbane where I met with Christian David from Honore des Pres, Paris. He made the trip from Paris for the huge media launch in Sydney and then he travelled up to Brisbane. We were both staying at the Emporium Hotel which was lovely. On Friday we met with Nick Smart from Agence de Parfum (who are the importers/distributors) at his retail store in West End. The store looked amazing, this is a picture of the window display above.

Christian gave the most interesting talk on his collaboration with one of the most famous noses 'Olivia Giacobetti'. He spoke of his passion for creating an organic fragrance range and what a journey it has been to be presenting these beautiful fragrances as it can take over 12 months just to produce the perfume.

An interesting snippet from Paris - as they were launching Honore des Pres in Collette the wonderful Karl Lagerfeld just happened to pop in - Christian is so humble - he said his heart was racing as KL is one of his idols. The new collection 'We love NY' - Vamp in NY has outsold Chanel 5 for the month of May in the fabulous department store 'La Bon Marche' - a staggering achievement!!!

After our little presentation we stroled down the road to a wonderful organic restaurant called Mondo Organics where we had the most delicious of lunches:

Starter: Tin Can Bay Prawn with prawn bisque
Main: Pan fried John Dory with saffron potato, braised fennel, peas, bacon baby clams and saffron veloute
Dessert: Amaretto creme brulee with hazelnut crumble, burnt caramel ice cream and rose water coulis

All in all it was a wonderful few days which I thoroughly enjoyed!!

Ladurée Candles

A Little taste of Paris comes to Peony. We have launched 8 candles from Ladurée Paris - Brioche, Cafe Creme, Rose Water, Caramel Butter, Roasted Chestnuts, Orange Blossom, Black Tea and Wild Strawberry. They are good enough to eat.  Priced at $99 each.

Founded in 1862 in the rue Royale by Louis Ernest Ladurée, the company quickly became famous especially for its macaroons. Its tearoom was at the time one of the first meeting places for "Ladies". Ladurée had invented the Parisian "Salon de thé".

At Ladurée, decor is king and its royal stamp is everywhere. The salons have a sumptuous style of the Second Empire with its taffeta curtains, crystal chandeliers, gilded caryatids, and velvet armchairs.

Ladurée, creator of magic moments, will bring an olafactory scene of opulence into your home.  The candle collection is a breath of refinement and elegance, where every fragrance is within an attractive China pot engraved with the Ladurée emblem.

Burn time approx 40 to 50 hours.

Our first Organic Perfume

Launched in 2008, Honoré des Prés was established by Christian David and debuted with 'Pure Extracts of Nature' to world wide acclaim. Since then HDP has paved the way for organic haute perfumery, with its natural ingredients revealing themselves in the simplicity of each fragrance.


Carrying the Ecocert Organic Label, these exceptional and rare essences are 100% natural in origin, use 100% botanical ingredients produced using organic farming methods, contain no petrochemical products or synthetic perfumes, are free of colouring agents and phtalates, are produced without animal testing or ingredients of animal origin, and contain no elements which aggress the skin.

Parfums Honoré des Prés were created by one of the world's most celebrated perfumers of modern times, Olivia Giacobetti. She was the first to accept the challenge of creating unique and perfectly organic perfumes which do not compromise beauty or style.

Peony presents 'Pure Extracts of Nature' (100ml eau de toilette - $205) and the newly released 'We Love New York' collection (50ml EDP - $169). In store on Wednesday June 9.