Realize Magazine talks to Mandy Aftel of Aftelier. It's a long conversation — about 40 minutes — and covers topics ranging from how Aftel got interested in fragrance; to her latest book, Fragrant; to her perfume organ and the basics of top, middle and base notes (they smell a 100 year old sandalwood, among others). At about the 23 minute mark, Aftel mixes up a perfume from one of the recipes in her book, and talks about how the music of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen helps her create. [Note that the sound is messed up for a couple minutes early on in the video, but it resolves quickly.]
Aftelier Bergamoss ~ new perfume
Indie natural line Aftelier has launched Bergamoss, a new solid chypre perfume…
Bunch o’ limited edition collector bottles (& some other stuff) 2015, part 4
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US. Today’s post includes collector items from By Kilian, Aftelier and Fendi; new concentrations of Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire and Cheryl Stormflower; and a new edition of Jimmy Choo Exotic.
From By Kilian, Good Girl Gone Bad, Straight to Heaven and Bamboo Harmony in bottles designed by artist Sophie Matisse (who has done collector bottles for the brand in the past). Due to launch in May, 50 ml for $195 each…
Aftelier Chocolate Saffron Body Oil ~ body product review
Call it a Christmas Miracle, but last week at a reading by Mandy Aftel at Cacao in Portland (Portlandia fans snicker here),1 I won a bottle of Aftelier Chocolate Saffron Body Oil and Hair Elixir in a raffle. A Cacao employee proffered a deep ceramic cylinder for Aftel to dig in for names. She grasped one card, but it slipped away. I held my breath. She grasped another and lifted it from the cylinder. It was me! Friends, this never happens. I had the choice of a chocolate parfum or the body oil. Fragrance is wonderful, and although the parfum would have made a delightful choice, let’s face it: daily body products are often more important than the occasional dab of perfume. Especially in winter, when skin can be so dry.
The Aftelier Chocolate Saffron Body Oil comes in a tall, rectangular glass 100 ml pump bottle with a cap. Its notes are chocolate, saffron and ylang ylang. Aftel says that it’s one of the oldest things she makes and continues to make…
Aftelier Organic Honeysuckle Face Elixir ~ scented body product review
Mandy Aftel of Aftelier has been creating fragranced facial oils for the past twenty years or so, rotating various blends in and out of production. I’ve been an admirer of Aftelier’s “elixirs” for the past year, since I first tried them, and I still haven’t decided which blend I prefer, the Organic Ylang or the Organic Rose; both are gorgeous (and effective). Now there’s a third blend, and it’s making my decision even more difficult. It’s the new Organic Honeysuckle Face Elixir, scented with “rare honeysuckle absolute from Italy.”
This facial elixir is richly fragranced: if you apply it to your face at bedtime, not only will you drift off to sleep on a wave of lush floral notes, you might even smell the scent again when you wash your face the next morning…