Scented Snippets New Fragrance Review: Aftelier Vanilla Smoke

by: Ida Meister

Smoldering Orientalism

My very dear friend and colleague, Ms. Jodi Battershell, recently announced Aftelier Vanilla Smoke - click me. In her latest fragrance, Aftelier Vanilla Smoke,Mandy Aftel has rendered the oft-considered foody aroma of vanilla both woody and Eastern in feel, complete with beckoning tendrils of smoke.

Notes: yellow mandarin, Siam wood, saffron absolute, Madagascan vanilla absolute, Lapsang Souchong, ambergris, coumarin

Hauntingly wistful and full of aromatic yearning, Vanilla Smoke opens brightly [and briefly, as citrus top notes are wont to do] with the scintillant yellow mandarin, all light and brilliance – before its descent into the deeper, rounder notes brimming with resin and the charred no-holds-barred tarriness of Lapsang Souchong.

[Having recently purchased minute quantities of many botanical absolutes /distillates / oils, I can vouch for the veracity of the Lapsang Souchong tea!]

In Mandy's capable hands, this intensely smoked tea note never overpowers, and that's some real sleight-of-hand. It adds to the decadent richness – not sweetness – of the overall fragrance. Despite the elegant simplicity of notes, each material contributes to the harmonious whole: yellow mandarin imparts a lemony, tangy floral tart/sweetness; Siam wood is warm and creamy, tinged with a rosewood nuance and a subtle conifer reference; saffron breathes exoticism with less medicinality than its usual calling-card; vanilla is sumptuous with only a kiss of sweetness; Lapsang Souchong contributes its campfire green-tinged smoke; coumarin's sweet, hay-like balsamic warmth; and ambergris acts as a natural aromatic anchor with its briny rosiness, so subtle – marrying each component to the others while rounding out and stabilizing the composition.

I'm thankful for the samples of both edp and perfume [thank you, Mandy !]: it enables me to contrast the effects of each upon the skin, and I relish that opportunity, as each unfolds in its own time and manner of being.

The eau de parfum is more diffusive on my skin; while it feels livelier in the opening, it swiftly melds into the middle and base notes. The sillage is low to moderate in range, but it lingers for several hours, whispering upon the flesh seductively.

The parfum concentration lies closer to the flesh, ripe with carnality and a certain mysticism. Initially, it reminds me a bit of the glory that was the original Shalimar [despite the absence of opoponax]; that yellow mandarin clings much longer. The effect is brilliant.

One has to truly move into personal space in order to fully appreciate it; it is a perfume for lovers and would-be lovers, intimate and decadent. I would put it in my hair, my décolleté, the nape of my neck.

I suspect that a bottle might wend its way into my future...

From Aftelier.com: Vanilla Smoke is a sexy sophisticated smoke-laced vanilla perfume. I have always loved the refined aroma of vanilla absolute from Madagascar for its gorgeous facets of wood, resin and spices. Fine vanilla absolute possesses none of the ubiquitous creamy sweet candy-like notes associated with commercial vanilla fragrances. The dark smokiness of lapsang souchong tea essence has been extracted from tea leaves that were smoked over pinewood. The vanilla becomes even more beautiful when accentuated with the fire and mystery of lapsang. Precious Siam wood offers warm balsamic wood notes that merge seamlessly with the vanilla. Sumptuous saffron brings a touch of the exotic and the faraway, while yellow mandarin with its slightly floral citrus sparkle lifts the opening of the perfume. Meanwhile ambergris insinuates its shimmering presence, creating a luminescence and sheer texture.

Images from Askthejudge.com & Aftelier.com