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Aftelier Joie de Vert ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 30 December 2021 8 Comments

We recently marked the winter solstice in my part of the world, and I'm so relieved that we're now slowly edging towards the "longer" days and milder temperatures of spring. I'm already extracting as much sensory value as possible from every brief outdoor errand, despite the grayness, the wind, and the ongoing threat of Covid-19: sniffing the air in local parks when I'm alone and can remove my mask, turning my face to catch a ray of winter sun, taking close visual note of evergreen trees and any lingering greenery in my neighborhood.

I've reread a few favorite works of children's literature over the past year, including two that employ secluded, leafy spaces as symbols of renewal and transformation. One is Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden (1911), in which a pair of lonely children observe the arrival of springtime in a long-forgotten garden: "[I]t seemed that green things would never cease pushing their way through the earth, in the grass, in the beds, even in the crevices of the walls..." Mandy Aftel of Aftelier offers a perfume named Secret Garden, named after this book. I need to get out my sample and revisit it.

I also reread Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia (1977), a more contemporary tale of two young friends who form their strongest bond in a natural setting. This time, it's a hideaway in a forest. As one character muses, "this was where he would choose to be — here where the dogwood and redbud played hide and seek between the oaks and evergreens, and the sun flung itself in golden streams through the trees to splash warmly at their feet." That latter description ran through my mind while I was sniffing Joie de Vert ("Joy of Green"), Aftelier's newest release.

Joie de Vert is a "green dream of a fragrance" featuring anise, hyssop, oakmoss, firetree, orange flower, pear, styrax, bitter orange and coriander. Many "green" fragrances fail to engage me, personally, just because they're either too sharp, too monotonous, or too conventionally masculine. However, Joie de Vert is a harmony of disparate natural materials — fruit, flower, leaf, resin — blended into a complex yet wearable impression of a verdant forest clearing.

Joie de Vert starts off as a woody citrus, with the oranges still very much on the stem. A surprise element that ties the composition together is some anise hyssop essential oil — it's slightly licorice-y without being cloying, and its coolness balances out the warmth of the citrus notes. Then there's a leafy-green heart to Joie de Vert, shading into a deeper woody-green finish. Altogether, Joie de Vert conjures up several aspects of a forest, overlapping and shifting in shadow and sunlight: tree leaves overhead, clumps of ferns, the slightly damp rotting wood of fallen tree trunks, patches of bright green moss.

Joie de Vert reminds me that only truly natural materials can offer a particular sensation of "nature" in a perfume. And it's very long-lasting on my skin, especially for an all-botanical fragrance, so I'm able to enjoy my imaginary forest stroll for an entire afternoon. If you're already an Aftelier fan, you'll love this one; if you're not already familiar with the line, you might try Joie de Vert as a starting point. I'll be making the most of my sample in my own indoor semi-seclusion in the days to come.

Aftelier Joie de Vert is available in 30 ml Eau de Parfum ($210), or in 2 ml mini Parfum ($55) and 8 ml Parfum ($210). Samples of Eau de Parfum are also sold ($8). For information on where to buy Joie de Vert, see Aftelier under Perfume Houses.

Note: top image is ... [cropped] by catherine ¨MOSINIAK-PAILLIER at flickr; some rights reserved.

Possibly of interest

Aftelier Boheme Confection ~ new fragrance
Aftelier Joie de Vert ~ new fragrance
Aftelier Violet Ambrosia & Olfactive Studio Violet Shot ~ fragrance reviews

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: aftelier, green, mandy aftel, natural perfume

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8 Comments

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  1. meredifay says:
    30 December 2021 at 2:36 pm

    I would like to smell this, but many of her efforts make my nose itch. By the by, I think there is a typo in the prices. The 8 ml bottle probably isn’t the same price as the big bottle?

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    • LizzieB says:
      30 December 2021 at 4:37 pm

      It might be the difference between Eau de Parfum and Parfum.

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      • meredifay says:
        30 December 2021 at 7:17 pm

        Ah, May be.

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        • Jessica says:
          31 December 2021 at 4:08 pm

          Yes! Just double-checked…the pure perfume is much more expensive, per ml.

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  2. sariah says:
    30 December 2021 at 10:15 pm

    Wow you make this sound very appealing. I’ve never ordered samples from this line, maybe in 2022! I haven’t read the Terabithia book but enjoyed the movie, have you seen it? Happy New Year Jessica.

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    • Jessica says:
      31 December 2021 at 4:09 pm

      Some of my other favorites are Honey Blossom and Violet Ambrosia! The face oils and facial cleansing balm are also lovely.

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  3. Jewel says:
    2 January 2022 at 3:15 pm

    I love Mandy’s perfumes and body oils! I’m looking forward to trying this one. And The Secret Garden is one of my all-time favorite children’s books!

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  4. nozknoz says:
    2 April 2022 at 3:08 pm

    Thanks, Jessica — I love this line and will try Joie de Vert!

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