Aftelier Honey Blossom

Aftelier is one of the oldest and one of the most respected natural perfumers. Their fragrances run the gamut of light and pretty to dark and sensual. But no matter what side of perfumery you swing on, you cannot deny that undeniable quality and complex beauty that a natural perfume possesses.

In Bottle: Warmed up honey and a dollop of sweet florals. This makes me think of sweltering summer days spent under an umbrella and gardens full of sweet flowers.

Applied: Beautiful honeyed fragrance that’s supposed to come from the honeysuckle. I’m always very impressed with full-natural fragrances and how incredibly genuine and gorgeous they are. There’s a layer of complexity in this fragrance that you won’t find in a synthetic and this is why I think naturals are so well-respected. I smell honeyed florals, but I can feel the warmth. I can detect the little hints of other ingredients, blending and mixing into the sweetness to make this utterly appealing mix that simply defies description and can be left at, “Awesome!” Wearing Honey Blossom is like taking on a personal scent. It doesn’t sit on my skin and give away that I’m wearing a perfume. It blends in and makes me feel like I could smell like this naturally. There’s something so personal and lovable about this that I can’t do much else but gush about how awesome I smell. The long and short of it? Sweet, warm, honey, floral, and complex. Definitely worth a try.

Extra: Aftelier, the company, was established in 1997 by Mandy Aftel. Aftel has written books about natural perfumery. I have a copy of her Essence and Alchemy but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.

Design: I have a sample of this as the full on bottle is a bit too steep for my wallet. From what I can see, it’s a squat glass container with a stopper. The sample bottle I’ve got is a cute little glass cylinder with a plastic cap. I see these in supply stores and they never stop being cute.

Fragrance Family: Floral Oriental

Notes: Mimosa, linden blossom, orange blossom, honeysuckle, ambergris, benzoin.

At $150 USD for a 1/4 oz of perfume, your eyes may be bugging out right now. But also put this into perspective considering the quality of the ingredients and how long a 1/4 oz bit of concentrated parfum will last you compared to a 3.4 oz of eau de parfum. And of course, the joy of natural fragrances. After all, natural ingredients are not cheap or easy to come by.

Reviewed in This Post: Honey Blossom, ~2010, Parfum.


Peace, Love and Juicy Couture

Peace, Love and Juicy Couture is the brand new Juicy perfume released this year. It’s got a hippie flare to it that makes it as cute as original Juicy Couture and Viva la Juicy. But that could just be the bottles talking. Did I mention I’m coming around to loving those bottles? Peace, Love and Juicy Couture

In Bottle: Green with a capital G. Peace, Love and Juicy Couture smells like the rind of a lemon mixed with various green notes and what I swear is a beautifully done iris.

Applied: Initial greenness leads the way with that nice lemon lime scent. This isn’t juice, it’s rind we’re talking about here. Sharp, green, fresh, crisp rind that envelops the opening and slowly fades into the mid-stage where Peace, Love and Juicy Couture turns to a bright, happy green floral with more emphasis on the hyacinth with a little punctuation on the iris. The lindem blossoms give this fragrance a nice, feathery softness to it. The green floral quality of this fragrance reminds me of Chanel Cristalle. That crisp, spring-like scent that lifts spirits. After having spring in autumn, Peace, Love and Juicy Couture splashes up the soft linden blossoms and dries into a very slightly earthy and woodsy patchouli.

Extra: I don’t think I give Juicy Couture enough of a chance when it comes to some of their fragrances. I’m not a fan of their apparel but Juicy Couture, Peace, Love and Juicy Couture, as well as Viva la Juicy are very well done scents.

Design: Bottled in a similar fashion as Juicy Couture and Viva la Juicy. Peace, Love and Juicy Couture features different decorative elements while keeping the same basic bottle concept. Dangling from the neck of this perfume bottle are two cute and colorful tassels.

Fragrance Family: Fresh Earthy

Notes: Lemon tree blossom, hyacinth, apple accord, black currant , sambac jasmine absolute, star magnolia, Malibu poppy, honeysuckle, linden blossom, orris extract, patchouli flower, musk.

This fragrance is clearly inspired by the 60s but I don’t  smell the 60s in this scent aside from that slightly earthy patchouli. The lasting power in this fragrance is unremarkable as it is quite a quick fader.

Reviewed in This Post: Peace, Love and Juicy Couture, 2010, Eau de Parfum.