Mandy Aftel: 7 posts

Mandy Aftel’s passion for perfumery is contagious. When she speaks about her creations, one realizes that this is an individual whose love for perfume is as immense as her knowledge of essences and perfume history. Ms. Aftel’s work as a natural perfumer has been trendsetting, aided by her book “Essence and Alchemy” (North Point Press, 2001), which was a labor of love, distilled from her research and her experience as a perfumer. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this book became a corner stone upon which the contemporary natural perfumery movement was built. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Used for centuries in China and ancient Greece, licorice is a scent that vacillates between sweet and cool, creating a sensation of an ice cube sliding across hot skin. Sweetness of anise laced with spicy greenness is accented by warm and delicately earthy vanilla. Aftelier Perfumes Licorice teases with its subtle spice and luscious vanilla notes.

Jasmine solid perfume opens with a tart note of pink grapefruit and sweetness of orange, which are a nice counterpoint to the lush opulence of jasmine. Amplifying its fruity facets, citrus creates a scintillating burst, given the presence of aldehydes in its oils. The solid perfume melds into the skin creating a gentle veil of sparkling jasmine.

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