New Perfume Review: Aftelier Perfumes Vanilla Smoke + Alchemy and Transformation Draw

Study of a Young Man - John Singer Sargent

Study of a Young Man  John Singer Sargent

The perfume shelves overflow with mainstream vanilla scents, most marketed to teens and young women. As our editor in chief Michelyn Camen wrote, “No one over the age of 12 wants to smell like a cupcake.”  That’s because most of these fragrances use cheap vanillin diluted in water, and have no relation to real vanilla or vanillin extracted from the bean; upon closer scrutiny many contain the disclosure of “artificial ingredients”. (Just read the back of a Twinkies package…be very scared).  I can’t think of a commercial vanilla perfume that a man would wear.

mandy-aftel-of-aftelier-perfumes-and-authorbyAftelier

Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes

Natural perfumer Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes offers an alternative.  Ms. Aftel offers richness and refinement in her new perfume Vanilla Smoke. As a student of natural perfumery, I know that Madagascar vanilla, the finest in the world, begins its life as an orchid. Vanilla beans are scentless and require a long and arduous process, dried and curated in the hot sun in order to create its  beautiful  scent, the pod itself has woody and floral nuances and its the seeds that smell like what we would recognize as vanilla.  The lapsang souchong tea Ms. Aftel uses in Vanilla Smoke,  must first be heated in a basket over a pinewood fire, drying the leaves to achieve smokiness.

1JohnSingerSargent-MountainFire

John Singer Sargent-MountainFire (digitalized by Michelyn)

Vanilla Smoke opens intense and smoldering with lapsang souchong tea essence.  Unlike common smoky notes such as cade and birch tar, lapsang souchong is not overpowering nor does smell like a five alarm fire. It hovers like a smoky veil, transparent allowing the beauty of the yellow mandarine to peak through.

John Singer Sargent, FUMÉE D’AMBRE GRIS 1880

John Singer Sargent, FUMÉE D’AMBRE GRIS 1880

As the veil is lifted,  the facets of the Madagascar vanilla begin to unfold, exhaling woods and amber that smells to my nose like a good single malt scotch.  Siam wood warmed by saffron takes on an almost incense quality before leading to the caress and creaminess from the vanilla.  The more delicate floralcy of the vanilla breaks through, not at the top or heart as most florals do, but unexpectedly at base with the beauty of ambergris  keeping the vanilla from becoming ‘foody:

And in her recent book Fragrant, Ms. Aftel tells us of the miraculous transformation of ambergris: “Fresh black ambergris is not prized; But as it floats on the ocean for years and decades, a white coating forms on the outside… and the inside also becomes lighter in color as it dries and cures, with the fragrance growing lighter and more refined”

Vanilla Smoke is a fragrance of transformation. From raw materials in their natural state to a work of alchemy as only Ms. Aftel can achieve.  Finally a vanilla perfume a man can love.

Perfume Notes in organic alcohol:  Yellow Mandarin, Siam Wood, Saffron Absolute, Vanillin, Vanilla Absolute, Lapsang Souchong, Ambergris, Coumarin
Michael Singels, Sr. Contributor and Natural Perfumery Editor (with contributions from Michelyn Camen Editor in Chief)

Disclosure: Samples provided to me by the perfumer for review.

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen. Rather than using pictures portraying burning wood, vanilla beans nd raw materials, I wanted to portray the artistry of Vanilla Smoke and John Singer Sargent came to mind.

VanillaSmokeEDP2mlSample

Thanks to the generosity of Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes, we have a 2ml sample of Vanilla Smoke Eau de Parfum for a  registered reader worldwide.  To be eligible, please leave a comment with what intrigues you most about Vanilla Smoke and your favorite Aftelier fragrance.  Draw ends 11/13/15.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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42 comments

  • The name “Vanilla Smoke” alone is plenty intriguing to me! I’m so curious to know how the lapsang souchong will smell in this context. I love the tea but have not yet experienced it in a fragrance before. Favourite Afterlier has got to be Secret Garden. Thanks 🙂

  • Haven’t come across a fragrance with a combination of vanilla and lapsang souchong tea essence. I love smokey scent and vanilla, this could be a hit for me. 🙂
    I’m agree with Michelyn’s quote “No one over the age of 12 wants to smell like a cupcake.” I’m over 12 and I don’t want to smell like a cupcake haha! :p

    Sorry I haven’t try any Aftelier scent but I will soon.
    I’m in Malaysia. Thank you for the draw.

  • The combination of lapsang and vanilla sounds interesting, especially given the smoke part of the name – vanilla is too sweet in new (modern?) fragrances, hopefully this scent can change that! I have only tried Aftelier’s Honey Blossom, which is divine! I live in the US, thank you for the draw.

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    A thin veil of smoke hanging above the vanilla sounds absolutely delightful! I love the idea behind this fragrance and all of the notes. Unsweet vanillas are a fave of mine. I already call “La Treizieme Heure” Vanilla Smoke with its smoky mate, leather, and vanilla…looking for a new fragrance to obsess over! I love so many of Aftelier’s scents, especially Cuir Gardenia, Tango, and Secret Garden. They are so complex and rich! I’m in the US, thank you for the draw.

  • I enjoyed reading this review, all the nuances of the natural ingredients curing and drying and wafting. You had me at lapsang souchon; my mother used to like the tea more for the smell than anything. A natural, unsweetened vanilla with lapsang souchong sounds marvelous. Hard to go wrong with any Aftelier scents but Honey Blossom is my favorite. Thanks for the review and opportunity, I’m in the US.

  • Michael’s analogy of ambergris to describe vanilla smoke is good and when Michael said no commercial vanilla is wearable by men, I wondered if that includes Shalimar, too. thanks a lot for the draw. My favorite creation from Mandy is Absinthe from Grandiflorum line. I am in the US

  • “No one over 12 wants to smell like a cupcake” That’s a good one!
    I am fascinated by ambergris and would live to try Vanilla Smoke. I know only Mandy Aftels Amber but read her books with great pleasure.
    I’m a registered reader from Germany.

  • I want to smell real Madagascar Vanilla. Plus I know that it is gorgeous everything Mandy creates is. I love Secret Garden and Cepes and Tuberose.

    I am in the U.S.

  • Very nice review. I love all natural perfumes. I would very like to try Vanilla Smoke, because from the article it sounds fabulous. I have never tried any Aftelier fragrance yet. Thanks for the draw! I live in Europe.

  • I’ve had my eye on Aftelier’s Fig for years now. What’s not to be intrigued by with a name like Vanilla Smoke. As a Spiriteuse Double Vanille addict, always looking for incense with realistic vanilla. It’s been a pretty empty playing field up to now. Lapsang Souchong is a favorite at the tea shop, so that’s what attracted my attention. Thanks for the draw!

  • I love the smell of vanilla but tend to avoid vanilla-centric fragrances because they tend to be too sweet to me. I also love smoky fragrances, so the dryness that I am imagining the cade and birch tar give to the vanilla is something that truly intrigues me.

    This would be the first Aftelier product I try. 🙂

    I am in the US. Thanks for the draw.

  • Huge thanks Michael for your terrific, knowledgeable review of Vanilla Smoke, and thanks so much Michelyn for the perfect choice of paintings from John Singer Sargent!

  • I really enjoy this part of the review.
    vanilla begin to unfold, exhaling woods and amber that smells to my nose like a good single malt scotch. Siam wood warmed by saffron takes on an almost incense quality before leading to the caress and creaminess from the vanilla. The more delicate floralcy of the vanilla breaks through, not at the top or heart as most florals do, but unexpectedly at base with the beauty of ambergris keeping the vanilla from becoming ‘foody:

    Thank you for the draw, I live in the U.S. And my favorite scent by Aftelier is Secret Garden.

  • The description of the tea smoking process and its effect on the final product is a fascinating read. And I think you’re mostly right about there not being a vial vanilla-centric fragrance for most men. I think Vanille Galante comes close, but I don’t find it to be worth the price tag and not an easy everyday wear. I think Dame Perfumery’s Mexican Vanilla also comes close to a men’s friendly vanilla. If it came in a lighter concentration, I could see myself wearing it more often.

    I haven’t tried Aftelier perfumes, but this sounds like a good place to start! Thanks!

  • Wow! The note of lapsang souchong is so appealing to me. I have never tried Aftelier fragrances before.

    Many thanks for the draw! US

  • I’m intrigued by the note of lapsang souchong. I don’t know all her perfumes, but the description of Shiso makes it sound pretty great. I live in canada.

  • Great review! I’m so excited about this perfume — like Michael, I’m a student of natural perfumery, too, and have been following Mandy’s work for years. What intrigues me most about Vanilla Smoke are the tea, saffron and ambergris notes — these along with natural vanilla sounds like a dream! My favourite Aftelier fragrance is still Parfum Prive, but this one has potential to be a close second I live in Canada; thanks for the draw.

  • I have long loved vanilla and its potential for sultry and sweet that isn’t a floral. However, it has such strong food/kitchen/home associations for me that I never really consider wearing it. I’m intrigued to smell how Vanilla Smoke manages to overcome those associations and create something new.

  • First, I love the art! Sargent is a favorite always.

    Second, I have not yet tried an Aftelier scent but I want to very much, especially now (Honey Blossom and Cepes and Tuberose were the top two).

    Smoky non-foody vanilla is awesome! I adore Mona di Orio’s Vanille which is gourmand in a spicy/boozy way, but I do wonder what a drier, smoky, woody sort of vanilla would be like. Lapsang Souchong is a great idea and I’d love to inhale Ms Aftel’s rendition! That alone would have hooked me, but this part was line and sinker: “Siam wood warmed by saffron takes on an almost incense quality before leading to the caress and creaminess from the vanilla.” Saffron is my favorite and I really want to know what Siam wood smells like.

    USA thanks for the draw

  • My favorite Aftel is Cuir Gardenia. I can’t wait to see what she’s done with Vanilla Smoke; I tried a dry vanilla fragrance not long ago and it reinvigorated my interest in the note. Plus, she always uses such wonderful ingredients!
    I’m in the US.

  • Mandy After has such a wonderful reputation and as i love Vanilla and smokey scents, ergo Vanilla Smoke sounds just the ticket!
    Aftelier’s Fig is my favourite of what i have sampled so far. Thanks for the draw – in the UK, therefore the EU.

  • I’m intrigued by the fact that the vanilla is paired with tea. I’m generally not a vanilla fan, but this sounds like it could be the one that converts me. I love Mandy’s perfumes and my favourite so far is Fig.

    Thanks for the lovely draw. I’m in the EU.

  • I’m totally excited about this, it will be wonderful I know, just feeling those ingredients float over my imagination. Alchemy springs to mind of course, a trick of the trade with Mandy Aftel’s work. Surprising and exciting. The Lapsong is such a wonderful tea, one I associate with Virginia Woolf and Katerine Mansfield, great women from another era. Bringing it to now, thanks Mandy and thank you for the review. My favorite Aftel Fragrance:is Shiso and I love Privee as well. I am in Aotearoa (NZ)

  • Tea, ambergris, yellow mandarin and vanilla? I love everything about the notes in this fragrance! Beautiful! My favorite Aftelier perfume is A toss up between two of the solids – Fig and orchid. Both stunning! Thank you and thanks to Mandy for the generosity!

  • Oh my… I’m anxious to experience what Mandy has done with this one! She’s one of my favorite noses – her work is just magical! My favorite Aftelier perfume is a tie between Shiso and Cepes & Tuberose. Thank you for being YOU, Mandy! 🙂

    I’m in the US.

  • I also am intrigued by the tea note. I wonder if it is anything like Atelier’s Vanille Insensee, which I quite enjoy. I love that Sargent; was lucky enough to see it in person when it toured through our local museum a couple of years ago. My favorite Aftellier is Wildflower. Thanks for the draw!

  • Non-sweet vanilla and Lapsong Souchong are two favorite smells and I would love to see what Mandy has created with them. I like a number of her scents. I owned Tango some years ago and I have tried numerous others, all of them beautifully composed.

  • This sounds like the absolute perfect scent for me! Ambergris is my favourite base, I love natural vanilla (most artificial vanillin perfumes unfortunately smell like plastic on me), and I’m a bit obsessive about trying any smokey fragrance I come across. I first got into fragrance through natural perfumery and have been dying to get my hands on an Aftelier perfume ever since. Mandy Aftel is a rock star in natural perfumery! Sadly I haven’t been able to find her line where I live in Canada, but was most interested in trying Cuir de Gardenia and Sepia.

  • I am always searching for a wonderful smokey vanilla scent and this one sounds absolutely intriguing. The Aftelier line is new to me, I would love to try out this one very much.

  • Many of my favorite fragrances hover over an area in my mind that I call Deliciously Inedible. I love vanilla, but I do not often want to smell like food. Tea, smoke, woods, and vanilla sound like an arresting combination that hit the deliciously inedible mark. I would love to try Vanilla Smoke from Aftelier as I have not yet had the privilege of trying Mandy Aftel’s work. Perhaps it would become my favorite. Thank you for the draw.

  • From the description of how the notes in this develop, it sounds like an adult version of Vanilla. Smokiness, beautiful vanilla, perfect for the cooler weather. Secret Garden is probably one of my favorites. Tango is another one I like to wear often. Wondeful creations!
    I’m in US and registered. Thank you!

  • The ambergris keeping the vanilla from becoming foody sounds interesting as I do not like a sweet vanilla. I have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing one of Mandy’s perfumes, though I am completely absorbed in her Essence and Alchemy book ( which lives on my bedside table)

  • Madeleine Gallay says:

    Everything Mandy creates is soulful and sublime. I’d love this and a Sargent would be nice.

    Vanilla can be so sensual. I love the bergamoss solid, it’s subtle earthiness and womanliness.

    In the USA. Thanks.

  • baroness_octothorpe says:

    Definitely intrigued by the smoky tea notes! (In the USA and just registered) Thanks for the opportunity!

  • Mrs. MacDonald says:

    I love vanilla, and I love smoke. Sometimes I like to smell like cupcakes, and sometimes I do not. I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing any of Ms. Aftel’s creations, so now would be the perfect time to begin. Thanks, I’m in Canada.

  • I would love to experience this divine smell, the blending of Madagascar vanilla with tobacco smoke sweet and sensual I imagine it to be. Amber is a creation that I like from this house. Thank you for this lovely review and draw as well. I am a registered reader living in EU.

  • What appeals to me in this fragance is the quality of the ingredients and the combination of them. Lapsang S. tea as the smoky part, ambergris, Vanille from Madagascar….raw materials is what I want to smell in this fragrances. I like Cepes and Tubereuse and I am always curious about Aftelier fragances !
    I’m in Europe (Spain)

  • Mandy’s perfumes are close to my heart. It is always exciting to read the news from Aftelier or explore the new perfume. The idea to get smokiness from lapsang souchong tea is excellent. This smoky effect is certainly different than many others.
    This review is a reminder on making scented vanilla from the beans, too. I have not tried all Aftelier’s perfumes, but all I have explored, I love to wear. Cuir de Gardenia, Oud Luban, Wild Roses and Palimpsest are amazing. I’m in the EU, Croatia. Thank you.

  • Thank you for the review! A dramatic transformation is not frequent in perfume. Moreover, I love the astringent smokey note of Lapsang Souchong, and I am pretty curious how it is blended with vanilla, ambergris, and especially with coumarin.
    My favorite from what I have tried from Mandy Aftel’s range is Tango.
    I am in Bulgaria (EU).
    Thank you for the chance!

  • Great review! I love the intense opening of this one. Vanilla is one of my favorite notes and this one sounds very well done. I haven’t tried much from Aftelier, but I do enjoy Cacao a lot. I am in Canada and thank you for the draw!

  • Very nice review on this fragrance. Vanilla is a note that works well with me when its not overdone. I do like the sound of this though. I’ve never tried anything from this house. Thanks for the draw

    Canada