Aftelier Perfumes Patchouli Noir Perfume Review

Press Sample (Unaffiliated Links)

Mandy Aftel is an award-winning, and brilliant, natural perfumer who makes the most sublime fragrances, and their quality is truly beyond comprehension. Her newest fragrance, Patchouli Noir, is available in an Eau de Parfum, Perfume and Solid Perfume. There are also samples for sale, for only $8.00 each, that allow you to test the scent and select your favorite formula.

Aftel describes this fragrance as a, "A sumptuous perfume radiating a dark sensuality, Patchouli Noir is the perfect ménage à trois of boozy, woody and musky facets, draped in smoke" and this is such an apt and elegant description of this otherworldly fragrance. If your perception of patchouli is the pungent, edgy and ultra-assertive fragrance from the 1960s, then it is important to underscore the fact that this graceful fragrance has none of the hallmarks of those unfiltered mid-twentieth century permutations of the patchouli oil that could be found at health food stores. This fragrance, instead, is a captivating dark, smokey, musky and woodsy aroma that sits close to the skin and once it dries down it is the most sublime and balanced articulation of the constituent notes that define this fragrance. Against the backdrop of my personal body chemistry, a woodsy aroma punctuated by the ylang ylang and blood orange commingles with the patchouli, and the result is a warm, smooth, creamy and musky aroma that delights the senses in the most otherworldly way imaginable. 

Character: smoky, boozy, woody, musky, smooth.

Fragrant Notes:

• Top Notes: blood cedarwood, blood orange, pink pepper, damascenone.
• Middle Notes: tomato leaf, ylang ylang concrete, spikenard, nutmeg absolute.
• Base Notes: patchouli absolute, antique patchouli, patchouli EO, patchoulyl acetate, pine tar, ambergris, ambrettolide, cognac, coumarin.

According to Mandy Aftel,

A sumptuous perfume radiating a dark sensuality, Patchouli Noir is the perfect ménage à trois of boozy, woody and musky facets, draped in smoke.

This rich patchouli is created from four patchouli essences: patchouli absolute, patchouli essential oil, the natural isolate patchoulyl acetate, and the one-of-a-kind hundred-year-old antique patchouli. The sweet smoky darkness of pine tar causes the patchouli to smolder in the most fetching way!

Each aspect of this magnificent medley of patchoulis is enriched: the boozy facet by cognac and spikenard; the fruity woodiness, by a blend of blood orange, tomato leaf and blood cedarwood, and the musky by ambergris and ambrettolide. A wisp of floral counterpoint comes from the superb ylang concrete. Each facet is full of rich mystery and darkness, which is magnified many-fold when they are merged.

Overall Assessment: This fragrance must be experienced to be believed. The brilliance of Mandy's visionary approach to perfume-making is profoundly evident in Patchouli Noir. This is an extraordinary fragrance that is unlike any perfume that you have worn.

Press Sample. Available from Aftelier Perfumes (Unaffiliated Links). All views expressed are categorically my own. 

Copyright © 2026 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Mandy Aftel's New Book Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems

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My wonderful friend, and world-renowned natural perfumer, Mandy Aftel, has just published her latest book: Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems, and it is not to be missed. That Mandy is as brilliant a writer as she is a perfumer cannot be sufficiently underscored. Her creative genius and intellectual curiosity is evident in all of her endeavors, and her elegant writing is sure to delight all of her readers.

This extraordinary undertaking, in writing about Baroque emblems, is articulated with precision, but in a very approachable and edifying way. If you are at all curious about the iconography of the extraordinary emblems discussed in this book, then you will be utterly delighted from the first page turn to the last. This is a stunning achievement, and a book that is most certainly worthy of your collection.

About the Author,

Mandy Aftel, an internationally known artisan perfumer and authority on natural fragrance, is the owner of Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, California. Her other books include Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume, which helped sparked the natural perfume renaissance and has been translated into sixteen languages. Aftel's work has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and numerous other major outlets.

Publisher: ‎ Abbeville Press

Publication date: ‎ December 16, 2025

Language: ‎ English

Print length: ‎ 224 pages

ISBN-10: ‎0789215225

ISBN-13: ‎978-0789215222

About Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems,

Discover the esoteric insights and enchanting imagery of the Baroque emblem book, a long-lost cousin of the tarot.

The emblem book, which reached the peak of its popularity in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, presented mysterious allegorical images―rather like those we now find on tarot cards―alongside Latin mottoes. A learned text explained the connection between image and motto, and the lessons each emblem held for the reader’s life. Drawing on sources such as medieval bestiaries and Aesop’s fables, emblem books reflected an enchanted view of nature in which our human lives were intertwined with plants, animals, the moon and the stars.

World-renowned natural perfumer Mandy Aftel first encountered emblem books in the course of her researches into antique botanical illustrations, and quickly became entranced. Here she presents one hundred emblems from perhaps the finest emblem book, the Symbolorum et Emblematum of Camerarius, originally published in four parts between 1590 and 1604. Aftel has sensitively tinted in watercolor the bewitching circular engravings of the Symbolorum, in which giant hands reach from the sky; lions, bears, and unicorns gambol; and distant spires beckon. The mottoes and explanatory texts are given in translation from the original Latin, along with Aftel’s own commentary. An illustrated introduction illuminates the history and magic of emblem book.

Symbolorum will be a treasure for anyone who is drawn to uncover ancient wisdom and feel the breath of the universe.

Overall Assessment: What a stunning book, and such a distinctly delightful and satisfying read.

$20.00 from Aftelier Perfumes and Amazon (Affiliate Links). 

Copyright © 2025 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Mandy Aftel's New Book Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems Has Arrived Just in Time for the Holidays!

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My wonderful friend, and world-renowned natural perfumer, Mandy Aftel, has just published her latest book: Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems, and it is not to be missed. That Mandy is as brilliant a writer as she is a perfumer cannot be sufficiently underscored. Her creative genius and intellectual curiosity is evident in all of her endeavors, and her elegant writing is sure to delight all of her readers.

About the Author,

Mandy Aftel, an internationally known artisan perfumer and authority on natural fragrance, is the owner of Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, California. Her other books include Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume, which helped sparked the natural perfume renaissance and has been translated into sixteen languages. Aftel's work has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and numerous other major outlets.

About Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems,

Discover the esoteric insights and enchanting imagery of the Baroque emblem book, a long-lost cousin of the tarot.

The emblem book, which reached the peak of its popularity in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, presented mysterious allegorical images―rather like those we now find on tarot cards―alongside Latin mottoes. A learned text explained the connection between image and motto, and the lessons each emblem held for the reader’s life. Drawing on sources such as medieval bestiaries and Aesop’s fables, emblem books reflected an enchanted view of nature in which our human lives were intertwined with plants, animals, the moon and the stars.

World-renowned natural perfumer Mandy Aftel first encountered emblem books in the course of her researches into antique botanical illustrations, and quickly became entranced. Here she presents one hundred emblems from perhaps the finest emblem book, the Symbolorum et Emblematum of Camerarius, originally published in four parts between 1590 and 1604. Aftel has sensitively tinted in watercolor the bewitching circular engravings of the Symbolorum, in which giant hands reach from the sky; lions, bears, and unicorns gambol; and distant spires beckon. The mottoes and explanatory texts are given in translation from the original Latin, along with Aftel’s own commentary. An illustrated introduction illuminates the history and magic of emblem book.

Symbolorum will be a treasure for anyone who is drawn to uncover ancient wisdom and feel the breath of the universe..

Overall Assessment: This may just be the best purchase you make to close out 2025, and to welcome 2026.

$20.00 from Aftelier Perfumes and Amazon (Affiliate Links). 

Copyright © 2025 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog's Review of Aftelier Perfumes Biblioscents Bookmarks Featured on Perfumer & Flavorist!

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I was utterly delighted to learn that my review of Aftelier Perfumes Biblioscents Bookmarks (Reviewed HERE) was just featured in the perfume industry publication Perfumer & Flavorist. I am profoundly humbled and flattered for their coverage of my review of Mandy Aftel's gorgeous scented bookmarks.

Aftelier Perfumes Biblioscents Scented Bookmarks

Gift (Unaffiliated Links)

My friend, Mandy Aftel, is the artistic genius who created Aftelier Perfumes. She is not only a truly gifted visionary as a natural perfumer, but she is likewise an extraordinarily talented writer with an impressive list of publications. It is fitting that an award winning perfumer and author, of her stature, would create scented bookmarks, and no one other than Mandy could have done this so brilliantly. The visceral nature of inhaling beautiful fragrances while occupying the transformational and meditative space of reading is such a perfect pairing. These bookmarks are utterly uplifting and gorgeous. From the magnificent illustrations to the sensational olfactory experience that each of the bookmarks embody, this is one of the most extraordinary gifts to give oneself or anyone who loves fine fragrance and reading! I highly recommend Aftelier Perfumes Biblioscents Scented Bookmarks, and think that you will be truly impressed by the way in which they transform your reading experience. It deepens one's focus and brings joy to the experience in a very tangible way.

According to Aftelier Perfumes,

Rich with cultural and emotional associations of every kind, fragrances have the power to transport you to a different time and place―just like a good book. I created this set of four scented bookmarks―featuring the aromas of vetiver, geranium, frankincense, and ginger―to add a new olfactory dimension to the reading experience. These Biblioscents will be the perfect gift for every reader who seeks a sensual escape in books.

Box (2" x 8.2" x 0.3") of 4 bookmarks (1.8" x 7")

Even the box is a delight to behold.

Overall Assessment: I cannot sufficiently underscore the extent to which these bookmarks are a try delight to the senses.

$15.00 from Aftelier Perfumes (Unaffiliated Links). Gift. All views expressed are categorically my own.

Copyright © 2025 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Aftelier Perfumes New Biblioscents: Mandy's Gorgeous Scented Bookmarks

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Aftelier Perfumes just launched their New Biblioscents!! Mandy's Gorgeous Scented Bookmarks!

According to Aftelier Perfumes,

Rich with cultural and emotional associations of every kind, fragrances have the power to transport you to a different time and place―just like a good book. I created this set of four scented bookmarks―featuring the aromas of vetiver, geranium, frankincense, and ginger―to add a new olfactory dimension to the reading experience. These Biblioscents will be the perfect gift for every reader who seeks a sensual escape in books.

According to Mandy Aftel,

I created this set of four scented bookmarks with absolutely gorgeous essential oils so that you can read and smell beautiful aromas at the same time. I chose frankincense for its ability to evoke a soothing spiritual experience; vetiver for its grounding nature; ginger to uplift and enhance focus; and geranium for its calming rosy beauty. $15 at www.aftelier.com/biblioscents

Aftelier Perfumes Sacré Bleu Perfume Review

Press Sample (Unaffiliated Links)

Mandy Aftel, the creative genius who created Aftelier Perfumes, continually creates unparalleled and peerless perfumes, and her latest creation, Sacré Bleu is a stunning example of her creativity. Available as an eau de parfum and a perfume, this fragrance's character is described as, "watery, luminous, honeyed, transcendent, mesmerizing." 

Notes: antique sandalwood, blue lotus, ambergris, boronia, black tea, mimosa, beta ionone, methyl anthranilate. 

There is something incomprehensibly mystical and magical about this aroma. Sacré Bleu opens up with a sweet aromatic sensibility, as though it is a fruity floral incantation. However, as this rare fragrance unfurls against the skin it undergoes a metamorphosis, and the sandalwood and blue lotus deepen the way in which this fragrance articulates its identity. It transforms into a deeper and more mysterious aroma that beckons any gender to luxuriate in its comforting, somehow familiar sensibility. It is rich, warm, alluring, captivating and somehow defies any simple characterization. It is a truly sublime perfume that is sure to hold you captive in the most alluring way imaginable. This is a triumph in perfume making, and Mandy's creative genius is strikingly evident in Sacré Bleu. 

According to Mandy Aftel,

The inspiration for my Sacré Bleu perfume is the marriage of sacred blue lotus absolute with divine hundred-year-old Mysore sandalwood oil. One of our most precious offerings, Sacré Bleu is luminous, honeyed, transcendent, and mesmerizing. The aroma of blue lotus is watery, but extremely complex and blissful with stone fruit and powdery floral facets. Truly legendary blue lotus was the most important scented plant in ancient Egypt. Rumored to have a psychotropic effect: this extraordinary aquatic plant played a prominent role in mythology and religion.

Over the last hundred years, this soft, sweet and woody Mysore sandalwood oil has aged, like a fine wine, into a smooth, sweet creamy woody aroma of profound richness and depth. Boronia plays a supporting role offering up a mouthwatering combination of aromatic raspberries, apricots, and freesia. Sacré Bleu dries down to the warmth of black tea wrapped around rare ambergris.

About Mandy Aftel's Process,

I started making natural perfumes almost 30 years ago. I create each of my perfumes from the comprehensive collection of strikingly beautiful natural essences that I have assembled over the years from hidden corners of the world. Finding these essences is a quest that I enjoy as much as the act of creating with them. Often I smell a dozen versions of the same oil, searching for one that surpasses all the rest. Some of the essences in my palette are antiques that have aged for many decades, like fine wines.

Everything I make is free from synthetics, parabens, glycols, and petrochemicals. I hand-blend and bottle all my products in small batches in my Berkeley, California studio, and personally attend to every detail of the process in creating every product. I love adding a sense of luxury and well-being to people’s lives.

As the founder of Aftelier Perfumes, I have been hailed as one of the fragrance industry’s “most prolific talents” by Vogue and an 'angel of alchemy' by Vanity Fair, and listed as one of the top seven bespoke perfumers in the world by Forbes. I am an advisor at The Institute for Art and Olfaction, which has created the annual Aftel Award for Handmade Perfume in my honor, and in 2022 honored me with the Septimus Piesse Visionary Award for my lifetime achievements.

Notes: antique sandalwood, blue lotus, ambergris, boronia, black tea, mimosa, beta ionone, methyl anthranilate.

Overall Assessment: What an extraordinary perfume that is captivating, sublime and truly breathtaking. A+

$12.00-$315.00 from Aftelier Perfumes (Unaffiliated Links). Press Sample. All views expressed are categorically my own. 

Copyright © 2024 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Aftelier Perfumes Launches Sacré Bleu Perfume by Mandy Aftel

 

Aftelier Perfumes launches Sacré Bleu perfume by Mandy Aftel: www.aftelier.com

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Atelier Perfumes Summer Roses Body Oil is the Best I Have Ever Used

Press Sample (Unaffiliated Links)

This summer I used body oils more than anything else to moisturize my skin, and what became very obvious to me was the fact that one stood out above all the rest. Aftelier Perfumes Summer Roses Body Oil is my holy grail body oil that is utterly peerless in the vast sea of body oils. It is a true revelation. If you are looking for an exquisite ultra-luxe lovingly handcrafted body oil, then I highly recommend this gorgeous Mandy Aftel creation. I have used this oil for quite some time now, and cannot find anything that even comes close to this gem.

As I have previously noted, 

Aftelier Perfumes is an extraordinary atelier perfumer, and everything created by Mandy Aftel is magical. Her deftly created masterpieces often feature unexpected combinations, and surprising juxtapositions of scents that are so wondrous and sublime that love quickly gives way to unmitigated obsession. Her scents are utterly captivating, and these creations are at once evocative and penetratingly visceral. When one slowly and deeply inhales her perfumes and elixirs one is quickly enveloped and enraptured by their complexity. Each of the individual elements slowly unfurls as they undergo metamorphosis against warm skin. The inevitable result, with Mandy's creations, is a perfectly balanced intoxicating scent that is far more than the sum of its parts. As any fan of Aftelier Perfumes will surely attest, everything that Mandy creates has an ethereal quality that inspires profound wonderment. Her creations are so masterfully articulated that they are truly works of art.

Aftelier Perfumes Summer Roses Body Oil is unlike anything that you have ever experienced, and as an award winning perfumer and an avid rose gardener– with a gorgeous rose garden of her own– Mandy knows as much about roses as most horticulturists and botanists. Mandy describes Summer Roses as, "a soft bouquet of honeyed, fruity, and slightly spicy roses on a summer’s day"– and that is such a poetic, and apt description of this fetching fragrance. It is such a surprising and sublime interpretation of the known permutations of the rose aroma. The honeyed and fruity rose aroma is underscored by this alarmingly beautiful spicy undercurrent, and the complexity of this commingling of disparate elements is nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful. It is the embodiment of the most beautiful, and complex, rose aroma transported in a warm summer breeze.

The nourishing base of jojoba oil and fractionated coconut oil is lightweight, fast absorbing and it has a lovely silky texture. Skin is left soft, smooth, supple, hydrated and luminous. The veil of fragrance sits close to the skin, and invites frequent sniffs in order to be enveloped by its transcendental beauty. I have never loved a body oil the way that I love Aftelier Perfumes Summer Roses Body Oil, and you must experience it firsthand to see why I love it as I do. 

Additionally, Summer Roses Body Oil can be used as a hair oil, and in that capacity it effectively fights frizz and fly-aways, conditions and moisturizes the scalp and hair, and it leaves hair manageable. The veil of fragrance is such a treat in the hair since it is ever-present throughout the day.

The elegant minimalist glass bottle is beautiful and befitting of the masterpiece that it houses, and it is so lovely that you will want to repurpose it after you finish Summer Roses.

According to Aftelier Perfumes, Summer Roses Body Oil is:

A soft bouquet of honeyed, fruity, and slightly spicy roses on a summer’s day. The mingling of their aromas is intoxicating and transporting, like when you bury your nose in a bunch of roses. This body oil leaves a soft rosy veil on the skin.

Our body oil & hair elixir is in a nourishing non-greasy base of moisturizing jojoba oil and fractionated coconut oil. This lightweight formula absorbs easily, immediately moisturizing, softening, and conditioning. Damp hair is the most vulnerable to frizz: our oil won't weigh hair down and seals the cuticle to prevents moisture from creating frizz. It leaves a veil of fragrance on your skin or in your hair that mixes beautifully with your own chemistry. As a hair elixir, apply a small amount to clean, towel-dried hair, from mid-length to ends, to nourish hair and give it extra luster.

Overall Assessment: This masterpiece is unquestionably best-in-class. This is also the best body oil to end the summer and start the fall. A+

$75.00 for 50 ml Bottle and $8.00 for 2 ml from Aftelier Perfumes (Unaffiliated Links). Press Sample. All views expressed are categorically my own. 

Copyright © 2024 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Mandy Aftel's The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance

Gift (Affiliate Links). Images Courtesy of Mandy Aftel.

My dear friend, Mandy Aftel, just sent me a signed copy of her eagerly anticipated new book, The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance, and it is an extraordinary accomplishment. This book is an enchanted magical journey from cover to cover, and it is truly transformational. Mandy's beautiful and poetic writing style, her encyclopedic knowledge of fragrance, and her extraordinary historical knowledge makes this book a peerless masterpiece. Her knowledge of her subject is nuanced, intelligent and enlightening. Her beautiful Berkeley rose garden frames the contents of this book, and she even includes a scented Clary Sage bookmark to heighten the sensory experience while reading this otherworldly book. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in fragrance, and I can think of no better gift to give anyone who wants to understand the living history of fragrance.

You can buy The Museum of Scent on Amazon, and it is available now!

Amazing article about Mandy's new book in Hyperallergic:
Looking over Aftel’s life work, one is inclined to believe anything she has to say about smells. The book is a codex in the truest sense, but it is also a kind of cabinet of curiosities that encompasses elements of Aftel’s research. Connected to culture, nature, food, history, trade, and the simple fact of breathing, it seems like scent might be among the most shared of human experiences. Read more [here].

Great interview with Mandy in Perfumer & Flavorist+ magazine:
Aftel says "I want the readers of my book to fall in love all over again with the sensuality and beauty of fragrance as they learn more about the botanical materials and history that create the fragrant world around them."
Read more [here].

Mandy would love to see you at one of her virtual book launch events online, where anyone anywhere can join on zoom. Learn about the book & her museum, and get your own signed copy of The Museum of Scent:

Nov. 6 - Institute for Art and Olfaction with Saskia Wilson-Brown (Los Angeles. Online)

Nov. 8 - Book Passage with Chef Daniel Patterson (Corte Madera / San Francisco. Online)

Nov. 10 - Fumerie Parfumerie (Portland. Online)

Nov. 11 - Perfume Playground (Melbourne, Australia. online AND in-person)

Nov. 18 - The Raconteur (Paddington Sydney, Australia. In-person only.)

Nov. 19 - Ministry of Scent (San Francisco. Online)

Overall Assessment: This is a must-have book from one of the most brilliant perfumers, teachers and curators. 

Available from Amazon (Affiliate Links). Gift. All views expressed are categorically my own. Copyright © 2023 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Pre-Order Mandy Aftel's New Book The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance

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Mandy Aftel's new book The Museum of Scent is coming out in October, but it is available to pre-order now on Amazon [here]. It is a gateway to a lost world of plants and scent that stretches back to the beginnings of human culture, intertwined with medicine and magic, sexuality and spirituality. Full of gorgeous photos, botanical paintings, and a scented bookmark! Published by the amazing Abbeville Press.

About Mandy Aftel,

Breathe in the natural and cultural history of scent with this richly illustrated book inspired by the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents.

Mandy Aftel is one of the world’s leading bespoke perfumers, with a clientele ranging from the singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen to Sir Jony Ive, the former chief design officer of Apple. Eschewing the synthetic molecules that dominate commercial perfumes, Aftel creates her complex and subtle fragrances using only natural essences. For her, each of these essences is a gateway to a lost world of scent, stretching back to the beginnings of human civilization and intertwined with the history of medicine, cuisine, adornment, sexuality, and spirituality. In 2017, Aftel opened a one-room museum―the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents―in her backyard in Berkeley, California, to help a modern audience rediscover the enchantment of this lost world. Her museum has attracted thousands of enthusiastic visitors and has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, Goop, O: The Oprah Magazine, and numerous other media outlets.

Now Aftel has created this beautiful book, illustrated with treasures from her museum’s collection, so that readers at home can immerse themselves in the world of scent. She guides us through the different families of botanical fragrances (including flowers, woods, leaves and grasses, and resins), depicting each plant with a hand-colored antique woodcut and revealing its olfactory notes and lore. Special chapters are devoted to the most rare and precious fragrances―such as ambergris, formed of a rare secretion of the sperm whale―and to antique essential oil bottles, handwritten recipe books, and other evocative artifacts. The Museum of Scent, which includes a bookmark subtly scented with a natural essence, invites us on a sensuous, imaginative journey.

Aftelier Perfumes Gift Guide Extraordinaire

All Images Courtesy of Mandy Aftel (Unaffiliated Link)

My dear friend, Mandy Aftel (shown above), has put together a lovely gift guide of her amazing Aftelier Perfumes creations, and I just had to share them with you!

☞ For the person who looks forward to cleansing their face with a gentle balm: Our luxurious and nourishing facial cleanser: Berry Cleansing Balm ($60.00. Reviewed HERE).

☞ For the person who would enjoy applying perfume from a sumptuous Sterling flask: Silver Perfume Flask ($300). 

According to Mandy Aftel, "Everything about perfume should be beautiful, including its vessel, which led me to design this sterling silver flask complete with a silver dauber. The flask holds a little less than a quarter-ounce of perfume and is handmade by a silversmith in Mexico. Carried in a bag or pocket and refilled over the years, it will become part of your daily ritual and part of your history." Refills available starting at $140.

☞ For the person who likes to keep their options open: Mini Trio of perfumes ($155) Select 3 perfumes in the most irresistible tiny bottles, nestled in a purple or orange silk pouch. 

☞ For the person who wants to learn how to make natural perfume: Natural Perfume Workbook and Essence Kit ($700).

☞ For the person who loves scent but may not want to wear it on their skin:
Perfume Pomander ($75). Choose from any of our 20 liquid perfumes. 

☞ For the person who can't decide which one of our solid perfumes is their favorite: Let them pick two! Double Solid Perfume in Sterling Case ($550).

☞ For the budding alchemist: Our newly revised edition of Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume ($18. Featured HERE).

☞ For that special person (including you): A one-of-a-kind antique case filled with solid perfume: Antique Cases ($310-500). 

Visit: www.aftelier.com

If You Buy One Luxury Face Oil This Year, Pick One of These Three from Aftelier Perfumes

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If you are seeking to treat yourself, or someone on your holiday gift list, to a luxury face oil, then I urge you select an Aftelier Perfumes otherworldly Face Elixir. There is truly nothing comparable to these beautifully handcrafted wonders created by world-renown perfumer Mandy Aftel.

Aftelier Perfumes Jasmine Face Elixir ($75.00 for 20 ml. and $8.00 for 1 ml from Aftelier Perfumes): Excerpt from my review (full review HERE): Mandy describes this intoxicating permutation of jasmine sambac as one that is "naturally fresh and spicy," and stated that its aroma is "uplifting and relaxing." This is an understatement of the highest order. There is no luxury face oil that feels or smells anything like this anywhere. The raw resources that she painstakingly selected for this luxury face oil represent the best ingredients available. However, it is undoubtedly Mandy's visionary juxtapositions, of the select ingredients, that account for its exceptional quality, otherworldly aroma, and its unparalleled sensory experience.

Each of the ingredients yield to Mandy's vision and artistry, and allow her to create something far greater than the sum of its parts. In the same way that Renaissance artists perfected nature by creating idealized portraits, so too, does Mandy take her creations to a level unseen in nature. The spicy jasmine sambac is, indeed, an intoxicating jewel, and it naturally invites repeated deep inhalation, but it is what Mandy creates with it that is so astoundingly brilliant. When combined with the other ingredients, Mandy is able to coax the greatest realized potential from each of them, and this symphony of raw materials, at her hands, play a supportive role that facilitates the prima ballerina, that is this sensual jasmine sambac, to shine with extraordinary grandeur.

The scent alone is both mood elevating and relaxing, and it soothes the spirit and quiets the mind unlike anything else that I have experienced before. When applied at night, Aftelier Perfumes Organic Jasmine Face Elixir simultaneously envelops, captivates, delights and relaxes the senses– paving the way for the most relaxing slumber and the sweetest dreams. This alone would be enough to fall madly in love with this intoxicating elixir, but what it does for the skin is equally astounding.

Aftelier Perfumes Rose Face Elixir ($75.00 for 20 ml. and $8.00 for 1 ml from Aftelier Perfumes): Excerpt from my review (full review HERE): Rose Face Elixir with Sandalwood and Frankincense is a hauntingly beautiful oil based face serum that is absolutely otherworldly in its mysterious mixture of scents. While the top notes reveal the most tantalizing rose that you have ever imagined, it is tempered by a warm depth from the Sandalwood and Frankincense. This is no ordinary rose- it is an intoxicating and titillating scent that reveals an indescribable complexity as it reaches the temperature of the body and melts into the skin. This rose is elegant, sensual, lingering, and utterly addictive. The scent acts as a sweet lullaby urging you to fall into a tranquil slumber when applied at bedtime. Not only does this golden elixir offer a fantastic sensory experience, but it also does wonders for the skin.

Aftelier Perfumes Vetiver & Frankincense Face Elixir ($75.00 for 20 ml. and $8.00 for 1 ml from Aftelier Perfumes): Excerpt from my review (full review HERE): Aftelier Perfumes Vetiver & Frankincense Face Elixir is the most unexpected, sophisticated, refined and intoxicatingly beautiful permutation of Vetiver and Frankincense that could only have been imagined by Mandy. Her erudition is felt in the way in which her alchemical mastery pairs unexpected aromatic juxtapositions, and this new elixir perfectly underscores this point.

Mandy's brilliance is, in part, a function of this very ability to unite disparate elements into a singular unified heavenly elixir that is unprecedented in the vast sea of face oils. Each note, no matter how assertive, is tempered by the properties inherent in the other oils chosen. and her nuanced selections are a function of her intimate knowledge and intuitive ability to navigate thousands upon thousands of aromatic possibilities, and to then capture those most perfectly suited to her vision. She does not follow trends, and her standards exceed the expectations set by everyone else making face oils.

Aftelier Perfumes Vetiver & Frankincense Face Elixir is an otherworldly ultra-luxe face oil that is mystical, sublime, deep, warm, creamy, soothing, woodsy and ethereal. It has no sharp edges, it lacks pungency and it immediately calms and soothes the spirit while deeply nourishing and hydrating the skin.

Overall Assessment: You simply can't do any better than Aftelier Perfumes if you are seeking a peerless handcrafted luxury face oil.

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