Old Palimpsest dating from 10 century: Greek Bible overwritten with Hebrew Poetry

/palimp,sest/ noun, a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but which traces remain.

Mandy Aftel, Natural Perfumer and Author (Photo: Aftelier)

As many devotees of Natural Perfumer and Author Mandy Aftel  have already read on these pages ,Palimpsest was inspired by the uncovering of layers of history while researching her new book “Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent. She wrote,  “leafing through dozens of volumes, some more than a century old, I felt as though I had stumbled into a secret world of scent whose story can still be read, in whispers and traces, beneath the story the world knows.”

 

 Aftelier Palimpsest Perfume: Photo Michelyn Camen

When this fragrance arrived, I had all the anticipation given the delivery of a long awaited object of desire; that I would stand amongst the ruins of ancient cities and uncover traces of unknown perfumers’ elixirs.   I opened the box and found folded paper printed in dark purple cursive with a scented story told by Mandy Aftel.  Palimpsest does not disappoint. It holds strongly to the notion that great works of art are timeless and that their creations are the manifestations of a vast cosmic universe. Beauty unfolds in great movement and bold gestures; it encapsulates the senses of wo/men, keeping us transfixed in its godly energy. Aftelier Perfumes Palimpsest embodies layers upon layers of history, slowly uncovered, rising in tendrils of smoke into the air.  My nose to my wrist, I smell ancient relics restored to their original beauty.  Make no mistake, this perfume could not be have been created millennia ago, as it Mandy’s masterful knowledge of fragrance lore, alchemy, natural essence and modern technology that sets Palimpsest apart. It is the culmination of someone who took the time to tirelessly search for truth and understanding of the mysteries of living and place this bounty firmly into the 21st century

Palimpsest is a higher rung on the olfactory ladder of Aftelier Perfumes. Before applying it, I am breathing in from its box the faint smell of an archival room with its temperature controlled environment. I have experienced this smell dozens of times while visiting the Egyptian Wing of many of the world’s great museums. This smell is a very uncertain kind of smell, it puts one in a strange sort of place, not knowing what to expect. But whatever is to come you just have this notion that magnificent mysteries that will unravel.

Adam and Eve with the Forbidden Fruit 1960 MarcChagall

Upon application of the perfume, there is a bold explosion of citrusy fruit, caramelized in sugar, the finest vanilla bean delicately infused with florals. There is a soft, milky peach-apricot note given by the Gamma do-decalactone carried on a wave of a citrus scented Yuzu.  The Vanilla smells like it was buried in a treasure chest off the coast of Africa for a thousand years. At this stage of the perfume’s development, Palimpsest seems both palpable and edible. At its core, there is a fiery essence emanating  from the ovedosing of primoridal Fire Tree oil. This is the lynchpin ingredient in the perfume's composition; every facet of this highly complex natural ingredient, like a plaimpsest that is continually rewritten,  other essences surface; at times this perfume smells lush and tropical, then it smells  leathery and darkly animalic. There are glimpses of honey and impossibly luminous floral tones.  The heat of Palimpsest, travels ups the nasal cavity into my head space. Without hesitation, it keeps going down through all the chakras until it hits the base.

Adam and Eve (1876 – Fernand Pelez)

 Jasmine is present, but through the indoles are traces of phantom aromas of honeysuckle, rose, tobacco. Always the soft, milky peach notes I spoke of earlier waft softly throughout like forbidden fruit.  In the dry-down this perfume reveals more rosy notes of Lilac and swirls of incense. However, its fire remains like the embers ablaze at the interior of a burning log. A sense of smokiness comes through the threading of all these notes mingling together. Aftelier Palimpsest is a multi-layered and complex perfume, it is woven beautifully together giving any notes that would be at odds with each other a sense of harmony. Mandy Aftel wrote her thoughts about the creation Palimpsest, she likened its scent to the lush aromas emanating from the Garden of Eden at midnight. As Adam and Eve fled into the wilderness, abandoning all thoughts of heaven, perhaps the memory of a scent similar to Palimspsest reminded them of the Paradise they lost.

Disclosure: We received our samples of Palimpsest from Aftelier Perfumes

Rodney F. Hughes, Contributing Writer, Natural Perfume (with contributions by and art direction from Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief)

Thanks to Aftelier Perfumes we have a  worldwide draw for 2ml of Aftelier Palimpsest. To be eligible leave a comment on what intrigues you about this perfume, where you live and your favorite Aftelier Fragrance. Draw closes 10/8/2014.

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