FRAGRANCE REVIEW: Haute Claire By Aftelier Perfumes: Pure Nobility + 5ml Draw

 

 

There are myriad Francophiles among us here at CaFleureBon , readers and writers alike- myself included.

A fragrance named for the burnished steel sword [replete with crystal imbedded in its golden hilt] brandished by Paladin Olivier in the Chanson de Roland?

La Chanson de Roland is quite possibly the oldest surviving pivotal work in French literature- the epic saga of Charlemagne’s campaign.

  Such an inference is thrilling!

Mandy has chosen “high and bright” to describe her new fragrance, Haute Claire , a scent born of recent correspondence with fellow perfumer Liz Zorn, and part of a series entitled Letters To A Fellow Perfumer  hosted on Nathan Branch's blog  ( he suggested the name Haute Claire ).

 

 

I love words. I love that nothing is so forensically simple, that words simply burgeon with interpretative possibilities. Haute Claire  is also known as Hauteclere (or Halteclere, or Hauteclaire

 

 

The French word haute has several meanings: high, tall, loud-pitched, early [usage in antiquity, the Middle Ages], far back in time, noble, high-ranking, upper.

Claire has many plausible definitions as well: light, fair, bright, neat, pure, clear, pale, plain, evident.

I have worn Haute Claire for several days now, and for me it is pure nobility, pure and simple.

 

 

 

If Haute Claire were a social gathering, it would be an eclectic, crackling mix of discrete individuals, each with his / her own distinct personality and gifts.

Mexican lime yearns for grassy galbanum; he compliments her greenness charmingly.

With citrus suavity he woos her tenderly, as wild sweet orange seeks to insinuate herself between them.

Welcoming ylang ylang [co2] enters the room clothed in bright raiment like the sun, kissing her guests on both cheeks.

 

 

The heart feels glowing warmth- the patisserie is all about the sweet, tempered by herbal clary sage, intoxicating.

Such a wine-like bouquet is added by his presence, flavored with a growing ambergris note reminiscent of tobacco and coriander!

Heavenly honeysuckle, ylang ylang extra duet with a beloved expansiveness.

Extravagant, the pair of them- dancing cheek to cheek, shamelessly young, luscious, smitten with one another.

They have eyes for no one else in the room.

 

 

The vetiver/ vanilla coupling reminds me of what makes such magnificent fragrances as Habanita of yore tick.

Each passionate enough in her / his own balsamic right, they embrace one another seamlessly, as only seasoned lovers who anticipate the other’s steps can.

 

 

Floral, honeyed, rosy, dulcet: ethyl phenyl acetate accompanies her parents on the lute.

The beauty of her playing makes one weep.

 

 

The singularity of this successful union of the bitingly verdant and the opulently warm is what draws me instinctively to Haute Claire.

My final impression is one of voluptuously honeyed greenery, a very private venue for reflection and delectation.

 

 

It is pure, it is noble, it is my secret refuge.

-Ida Meister, Natural Perfume and Senior Editor

To qualify for our draw please leave a comment on your favorite   www.aftelier.com or one you would like to try. Draw ends July 22, 2011

 

 Editor's note : As  Ida noted Song of Roland or La Chanson de Roland, the earliest surviving masterpiece of French literature, is an epic poem written in Old French which reached its final form in or around the later 11th century. It centres on the death of Charlemagne's nephew Roland at the battle of Roncevaux.

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51 comments

  • Haven’t tried any of the Aftelier perfumes but very intrigued by Cepes and Tuberose. Would love to try their new scent!

  • AFter so many great reviews of Aftelier I still haven’d tryed any of her scent.Thank you for this chance I would try any of her creations.They all sound fantastic,I’m curious about all of them.

  • Honey Blossom!!! Followed closely by Cepes & Tuberose. Mandy is so gifted and open about her craft. This perfume sounds like a delight. I didn’t follow this correspondence as closely as I did for linden, sadly. I can catch up, though.

  • I’ve not had the chance to try any Aftelier yet. I’m sure these natural botanical scents are just addicting. I would just love to try Pure Nobility, as all of the notes together are so intriguing to me, I’m having a difficult time imagining this scent. So curious!

  • ElizabethN says:

    My favorite so far is Parfum de Maroc, which is warm and yummy! I haven’t tried Honey Blossom or Cepes yet, both of which sound lovely!

  • Z. Boudreaux says:

    I love Mandy’s Orchid with it’s shiso note. I adore her Fir and Rose and Fig!!!!!! and I’m sure I’ll love this new member of the Aftel family. I would love to try it.

  • Well i have not had much experience with Aftelier fragrances, but i can say i love Aftelier Cognac which i believe is no longer available. They all sound nice…Honeyblossom would be the one i am most curious about.

  • Haven’t had the chance ,yet, to try any of Mandy’s creations- I would like very much to do so
    I would love to try Haute Claire

  • I have read great reviews about this line and it’s hard to choose so very interested in them. Thank you!

  • This is a bit difficult as I haven’t yet tried and Aftel perfumes but if I were to go by what Tarleisio reviewed recently, I’d say Parfum Prive.

  • I haven’t tried any of them yet, but I think I would love Honey Blossom. I generally like honeyed scents, and this sounds lovely, being all natural 🙂

    Thanks you!

  • I have never tried any Aftel fragrances but would like to start! Please enter me into the drawing. Thank you!

  • I would love try Pink Lotus – love a chypre! Thanks to you and Mandy for the draw. Great review, sounds wonderful.

  • Lynne1962 says:

    I do have Ambre edt—lovely lovely amber-lavendar. This new release has me drooling–galbanum setting the lead. Love, Love. Thanks for the draw!!!

  • I have had the pleasure of sampling about half of the Aftelier scents currently offered and my favorite is Amber. Its a really beautiful creation that ends in a yummy labdanum-rich base.

    Thanks!
    Michael

  • What a lovely review! I was intrigued by the notes and imagery, both.

    My favorite one is Honey Blossom, and the one I want to try most is Haute Claire, this one went on my test list as soon as I heard about it. I would also love to try Parfum Prive one of those days…

  • What a dramatic and evocative way to describe a perfume! You have your own very distinctive writing style, and you’ve got me very intrigued. But if I had to pick one that I’ve heard about to try (I’ve only tried a few so far), I’d pick Honey Blossom.

  • Thank you ida for your evocative portrait of all the different personalities that went into creating Haute Claire. Thank you Michelyn for featuring this new perfume on Cafleurebon — the pictures are lovely and so evocative of the perfume. AND thank you everyone who left a comment above — hello to new friends and old.

  • Lovely description, Ida! I’d love to be entered in the draw!

    My favorites are Cepes and Tuberose, Tango and Shiso..The ones I’d love to try are Haute Claire, Honey Blossom and Parfum de Maroc!

  • Love Tango and Pink Lotus, plus I was lucky enough to meet Ms. Aftel…Please pick me for the giveaway!!!!

  • What a beautiful description…I haven’t had the pleasure of testing any of the Aftelier perfumes, but the one that intrigues me most is Parfum de Maroc.

  • kastehelmi says:

    Wow, what a wonderful fragrant experience! I would love to try Haute Claire, and would hope it would smell as stunning on my skin!

    I have enjoyed testing Shiso very much, and find Cepes and Tuberose very interesting, a perfume to wear as a study. I am very attracted to Pink Lotus, Honey Blossom, and definitely Haute Claire. In general I prefer the clearer lighter side of natural perfumery, so Haute Claire sounds like a dream!

  • The one Mandy Aftel fragrances I’m most intrigued about is Privé. I ordered some samples the other day and I didn’t pick that one as it’s rather pricey, and Oh-my-god, I’m regretting it. But I’d also love to try Haute Claire, so please include me in the draw. Thanks!

  • Wow, this really sounds exquisite. Honey Blossom is my current favorite in the line.

    By the way, your link to Mandy’s site is wrong. It’s simply Aftelier.com

  • I have been trying a number of Mandy Aftel fragrances recently. At the moment my favourite is Cepes and Tuberose but I am also very attracted to Candide which is a very sunny and joyous fragrance. In fact its very difficult to pin down a favourite because the fragrances seem to shift slightly with each wearing and mood, but they are all interesting.

  • Mandy
    What an intriguing brief for a perfume and thru ida I can almost smell the scent from here

    My favorite is lumiere such an etheral and complex floral

  • Thank you to Mandy and CaFleureBon for this lovely draw offer.
    I haven’t tried any Aftelier scents yet, but the one I would most like to try (after Haute Claire which appeals strongly as a green) is Tango. Even though I’ve never been a smoker, Mandy’s description of it as a dry woody scent that is meant “to convey the naughty eroticism of a night of drinking, dancing, smoking” is appealing, as are the notes listed. I also woudn’t refuse Shiso or Lumiere, and am curious about, but possibly not ready for, Cepes and Tuberose.
    PS – Can’t think about tango and perfume without picturing Michelyn and Maurice Roucel dancing.

  • Being part Francophile (mother’s father was French) and with my daughter being conceived in Paris (that’s another story Ida), you most certainly can count me in for Haute Claire. Great work Ida! And Mandy rocks!

  • Before reading this review, Alchemy and Honey Blossom were the scents I most wanted to try. However, Haute Claire is now giving them a nudge to the side.

  • what a lovely lovely review.
    and what magnificent artwork 🙂

    i’ve always wanted to try mandy’s fir fragrance.
    maybe the whole fir/rose combo even.
    but this haute claire seems truly wonderful.

  • I must mention my choice and would like to choose Trevert. Thanks once again Michelyn!

  • Haute Claire sounds gorgeous. I would love to try it! Another that has caught my attention is Candide. I’ve been curious how the jasmine in this one would work for me. Very intrigued by the entire line. Thanks for the draw!

  • I always enjoy your reviews Ida. Like many here, I really have wanted to try honey blossom, and also Candide. Thank you for the draw.

  • angiefunk says:

    My favorites of Mandy Aftel’s are Luminere and Boronia. I have a small obcession with the boronia flower. I would really love to try some of her new releases Haute Claire, Honey Blossom and Candide.

  • I would really like to try them all but if I must choose it would be Parfum de Maroc and also Cepes and Tuberose just for this unique combination.

  • Aftelier Orchid solid perfume and Candide are just stunning. The jasmine in Candide is the most beautiful I have smelled.

    I have no doubt that Haute Claire is simply gorgeous.

  • Honey Blossom, Haute Claire… in all honesty, I’ve yet to be privy to wear any of Mandy’s yummy sounding creations. However, reading various blogs there is no doubt in my mind that any of her scents would be lovely to “work with” as I am forever mixing them up more often than not depending on mood, time of year, etc.
    I can say with little, well actually NO, hesitation that any of Aftelier fragrances would be more than delightful to experience! So looking forward to doing… cheers!

  • Thanks for the imagery & explanation of The Song of Roland. It’s something I should have known about, but didn’t. Now I want to read it.

    I haven’t spent enough time with Mandy Aftel’s perfumes yet to say that I have a favorite, but I would like to explore her line further. I would particularly like to smell Pink Lotus in the edp concentration, and, of course, Haute Claire.

  • Currently there are two scents on my “to try” list – Honney Blossom (since I’m looking for a perfect linden scent) and Tango (there were several very nice reviews recently and I’m very curious).

    Now, of course, this new scent also goes on my list.

  • Michellle Hunt says:

    I’ve always wanted to try Cepes and Tuberose because I love the idea of an earthy tuberose! Haute Claire has also piqued my interest!

  • Would love to try this, before her sale later in the year. I have Candide, but wold lobe to try an exotic green scent.

  • I love, love, love Fig and Parfum Prive…..Would love Parfum Prive or to try Haute Claire