During my San Francisco vacation this past week I had the honor of visiting with three different women in the natural perfume world; Mandy Aftel, Master Perfumer (AKA The QUEEN of GREEN), the pioneer of botanical fragrance and celebrated author, Laurie Stern, Master Perfumer, and Libby Patterson, Master Perfumer and Quantum Alchemist. I sipped fragrant tea with these three lovely ladies within the intimacy of their personal creative spaces and experienced the energetic vibration of their work and the rooms in which they mix their fragrant potions. Over the next two weeks I’m going to share my experience with two of these lovely artists.
Mandy Aftel – The POWER of an Organized Mind
The organized mind of perfumer Mandy Aftel’s space and the beautiful aesthetic of her perfumes create a classical harmony similar to how I feel looking at Post-Renaissance art. Within the clean functionality of her Atelier sparkling glass cupboards hold perfume bottles in neat rows while hundreds of fragrant oils hold court on the graduated shelves of the perfume organ.
If these oils made music their symphony would rise and fall of at the desire of their conductor. Bass, middle and top notes would form accords at her command, each note building upon the next forming harmonies of scent and color, playfully whimsical, sheer and shimmering or deeply passionate according to the mood and intention of the perfumer.
Mandy is a record keeper. Her collection of antique and rare essences is stunning, some of which are never to be used and are in her fragrance library for historical value and for educational purposes only. The care with which Mandy evaluates the essences she purchases is rare in itself, sometimes testing 20 or more different oils from the same botanical before choosing the fragrance most desirable to her palette.
Mandy’s aromatic oil collection reminded me of the esoteric antique book collection of a gentleman I once visited in Maine (his personal collection is one of the best in the world). It has the same historical value and a similar vibrational intensity I felt while being in the room with his books. Indeed the out of print and antique perfume and essential oil books flanking one side of her room, in Mandy’s words, “bring her much comfort”. If only books could talk…
What is something that excites you most about your job?
MA: I am constantly sourcing new materials. I love the thrill of the hunt. It’s like digging for treasure.
Do you have a scented wish?
MA: My scented wish would be to find a source for beautiful shiso/ perilla essential oil.
Is there a fragrant fact that you find most people don’t know?
MA: Coffee beans don’t work for clearing the nose but breathing into natural wool freshens the "olfactory palette”
What’s next for you in 2011?
MA: I am working to finish my new book. It is about everything I feel passionate about in perfumery, like artisanal work, the aesthetic of perfumes, culinary uses of essential oils…
Which of your scents do you feel deserve more recognition?
MA: My bath oils ~ they are essential oil blends with no carrier, some people use them as perfume. My body oils…facial serums…and some of my perfumes that haven’t been covered in a while like cacao, orchid and jasmine solids…
Is there a natural perfume that you have tried lately by another natural perfumer that you have just loved/ liked?
MA: I have just been so busy I haven’t had time… I just got back from teaching at Esalen (http://www.esalen.org/) and I’m wiped out!
Most Amazing part of my visit with Mandy Aftel?
Smelling real ambergris, castoreum and Civet for the first time.
SOTD for Monica: Mandy’s rich velvety Cacao perfume fairly bounced off the shelf towards me during my visit. The boisterous pink graperfruit and blood orange accord flew with a high kick into my heart, singing of days filled with pleasure drinking rum and dancing the tango. The two jasmines ~ grandiflorum and night scented sambac continued the party from dusk till dawn supported by Costa Rican dark chocolate (tinctured by Mandy) and comforting sexy sweet vanilla…muy rico! www.aftelier.com/cacao-1-4-oz..html
–Monica “Skye” Miller, Natural Perfume and Senior Editor
The Draw is for Cacao Mini Perfume by Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes, leave a comment to be entered. We will draw on Friday January 28.