London, who won the Aftelier Haute Claire contest! Congrats.
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Up for grabs: Aftelier Haute Claire
What is it: A 5 ml spray of Aftelier Haute Claire.
How do I get it: Leave a comment, telling us your favorite natural perfume, if you have one! If you don’t, tell us the name of the last perfume you bought.
Be sure to use the “Post a comment” box; do not reply to another comment…
Two teas from Aftelier, with a quick aside about Rococo floral chocolates
Much of the money that I don’t spend on perfume goes to other household staples, like tea and chocolate. I have “collections” of both that rival my perfume collection in terms of profligacy, but I don’t feel guilty because I do manage to use them all up before they go bad. I wish I could say the same of the perfume.
Today, reviews of two oolong1 teas from from indie natural perfume house Aftelier, and very brief descriptions of two floral chocolates from the British brand Rococo.
Aftelier Rose Ginger Oolong Tea
This is a lovely flavored Tie Quan Yin oolong. It’s lightly oxidized but with a warm finish, accented with rose (quite noticeable, mostly in the aftertaste) and ginger (subtle but adds a nice kick). If you’re not used to floral scented teas (or foods), it might, at first, seem like drinking perfume, but you’ll get used to it quickly, and if you’ve ever had jasmine tea it will not seem so unusual.
Rose Ginger is reminiscent of one of my favorite Mariage Frères teas, Lune Rouge, but made with a much higher quality tea, and it quickly became one of my favorite scented oolongs of all time.2 It smells fabulous, with just the slightest hint of smoke…
Aftelier Haute Claire ~ new perfume
Indie natural line Aftelier will launch Haute Claire in July:
This name suggested by Nathan Branch refers to a famous sword from 12th century French literature…
Aftelier Perfumes Parfum Prive ~ fragrance review
What kind of fragrance does a perfumer make for herself? When someone has smelled through the full range of olfactory materials and has the skill to compose something personal, what is it? In the case of Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes, it’s a dense, sophisticated floral oriental built on real ambergris, a perfume she calls “the most extravagant in my collection.” Fittingly, she named it Parfum Privé.
A few years ago I saw Aftel speak in New York City. Her casual, down-to-earth appearance set her apart from many of the high-heeled, artfully coiffed perfume industry women I’d soon meet at the Fifi semi-finalists’ awards breakfast. She was friendly but not pandering, and smart but not pretentious. My impression was she had nothing to prove, but was happy to share her love of natural perfumery if you were interested enough to listen.
Aftel said her route to becoming a perfumer wasn’t straightforward…
