Artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel is a fragrance tour guide, guiding you on a scent journey through history, filled with cultural touchstones and alchemy. The backdrop to the aromatic adventure is what Mandy calls the five “landmark scents” from around the world: cinnamon, mint, frankincense, ambergris and jasmine. Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent is Mandy’s exploration into a world of mystery, power, medicinal practices and the pure pleasure of perfume. The author, who is also the creative force behind Aftelier Perfumes writes, “Lands have been discovered and conquered for the sake of perfumed materials.” According to Mandy, mankind has a common desire for the exotic, the familiar, transcendence, the curious and beauty. As she writes, “Scent is a portal to these basic human appetites.” I spent time with Mandy one recent afternoon at her Arts & Crafts home in Berkeley, California that serves as her perfume atelier. She embodies the eclectic,…
New Indie Scents Shine At Artisan Fragrance Salon
He’s the perfect Olfactory Ambassador. Meet Mario Tomas and you’ll quickly learn he loves martinis. “Jerry my partner and I are known for our martini glass collection and our martinis,” says the budding perfumer during his debut at the Artisan Fragrance Salon. This is the third year of the Salon in San Francisco, put on by TasteTV, the same people who bring you the International Chocolate Salon, held at the same time. Many of the perfumers were inspired to create wickedly delicious chocolate inspired scents. Olfactory Ambassador Passionate, with an infectious smile and charming manner, Mario’s new perfume line, Olfactory Ambassador, was an immediate hit with judges and fragrance lovers alike. I was one of the judges and I loved his packaging — using mini martini shakers painted black as snifters for each of his three aromas. “Ever since a kid I’ve always loved fragrances,” he says. I love Mario’s…
An Aromatic Afternoon in Carmel
I always love walking around downtown Carmel. It’s fun to go down the little alleyways off the main roads or pop into courtyards hidden from street view. That’s where you’ll find Ajne, an organic perfume apothecary that’s tucked into a peaceful courtyard with a gurgling fountain. This is a gem of a boutique, filled with natural scents and skincare, all beautifully displayed. I could spend hours in here, and I always discover something to add to my perfume collection. Last time I was in Ajne, perfumer Jane Hendler had just released Big Sur, a warm, sultry scent with champaca, patchouli, rosewood, sandalwood and vanilla. It has become one of my all time favorite perfumes. On this visit I was really liking Desir, one of Jane’s first fragrances. The notes are Moroccan jasmine, sandalwood, oud and cacao. Calypso was intriguing to me — it has frangipani, jasmine, cardamom and vanilla -…
New! The Essence of Wine and Perfume – A Pairing Workshop in LA
Please join me and master perfumer Sarah Horowitz for a super fun wine and perfume pairing workshop in Los Angeles! We’ll be pairing wine with fragrant essences curated by Sarah at her perfume studio. You’ll get to sniff and sip. The best part of all is we’ll be creating a custom, one-of-a-kind fragrance on the spot, with your input, inspired by one of the wines! You’ll be able to take a home a sample vial of this bespoke scent. This is a great way to learn about both wine and perfume, and how the two are more similar than you ever imagined. Our guest vintner is Sonja Magdevski of Casa Dumetz Wines and we’ll be pouring and pairing her wines with Sarah’s perfumes! Tell all your perfume loving friends, especially those in the Los Angeles area. Sign up early! Space is extremely limited. Detailed information on ScentTrails.com, a new perfume boutique finder and…
Learning To Blend Perfume – A Class With An Artisan Pefumer
When you’re really passionate about wine, there’s nothing better than getting an opportunity to visit one of your favorite wineries, meet the winemaker, and then have a blending session led by that winemaker. By learning the basics of blending, you can taste how just a few drops here or a few milliliters there of Cabernet Franc added to a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend can make all the difference, one creating a blend that you don’t like at all to one that is sublime, one that you can’t wait to drink. The same principle applies in perfume blending, as I learned one recent Saturday in Los Angeles. I had met perfumer Sarah Horowitz through the Artisan Frangrance Salons held in San Francisco and LA, and I liked her perfumes very much. I’m obsessed with Perfect Coconut Milk and Beauty Comes from Within. When I heard that she also teaches a beginner’s…
Scent as Pure Art
Fragrance is having its moment. You expect to find perfume on display in drug stores, in department stores, in high end boutiques. You even find it airports at duty free shops. In a museum? That’s probably the last place you’d expect to find perfume. By the way, don’t call it perfume. I’ll explain later. Chandler Burr is the mastermind of the new Department of Olfactory Art at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City. His position as curator is one he created, successfully pitched to MAD in 2010. At that time, Chandler was the one and only scent critic for the New York Times, where he wrote about fragrance the same way as art, dance and book critic would write about the art they cover. Chandler’s point of view then as now, is that scents are works of art and the people creating them are artists in their own right.
6 Indie Perfumes You Need To Sniff Now
Twice a year fragrance lovers descend upon New York City for the tour de force that is Sniffapalooza. One of the fragrance event group’s signature perfume odysseys is the annual “Spring Fling,” a weekend event that explores scents all over the city. While many large perfume houses introduce new scents to our group, Sniffapalooza is also known for the debuts of small boutique labels. I love discovering new fragrances and sharing the stories. While we tried over 100 scents, I fell in love with six of them, all different, but complex and interesting. Some are just launching, others have been around for a few years, but all are making a big splash in the perfume world.
A Scentsational Weekend with Sniffapalooza
I recently returned from a weekend in New York City with Sniffapalooza. Sniffa what? How do you spell that? Funny name. Indeed, most people I know or meet have never heard of Sniffapalooza. They think it’s a word I made up. No, it’s actually a group of perfume lovers who get together to sniff out the latest and greatest fragrances from around the world. What has this got to do with wine? Read on. More…
SHOP – Mystery perfume arrives
I just got a box with the fragrance that I’m going to be test driving for the Fragrance Advisory Board. The letter enclosed with it instructs me not to open it yet! First, I have to start the online survey. My mystery perfume is labeled “346,” and it looks like it has a pale lilac color, but that means nothing. Ok, here we go! First, they want me to open the bottle and spray just ONCE on my wrist. Easy enough…can I sniff yet?? No, I have to click the “start exercise” button and wait 60 sec. (Ok I cheated, the fragrance is kind of floral and fruity). Time’s up. Now I answer a series of questions. Do I love it or hate it? Like it so far…but not crazy about it yet. A little sweet to me, some rose, and a big fruity note. Cherry? What is my initial…
SHOP – Test driving a new perfume
I am going to be a perfume tester. No, not one of those annoying perfume spritzers spraying everyone who walks through the department store cosmetics counters (although the thought of that brings back memories of Obession). Instead, I’m actually gonna take part in a Fragrance Advisory Board program where I’ll be sent an unmarked bottle of perfume. I’ll fill out a survey about my impressions when I first try it on, and about my impressions after wearing it for a couple of weeks. I hope I like it!! I’ll blog about the process as I go. Just be aware, I may come up to you and stick my wrist out and ask you what you think of the scent. If you are a perfume fanatic (like me), check out the Fragrance Advisory Board’s website. It’s free to become a member, and you get to take part in online surveys and…