Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection perfumes/ liquid and solid courtesy of Aftelier Perfumes (collage Michelyn)
“To Sherlock Holmes she is always The Woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex…there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory.” ~ Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal in Bohemia
Sherlock, A Scandal in Belgravia TV Series 2012 with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Laura Pulver as Irene Adler
Probably one of my favorite characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories is the infamously beautiful, brilliant and cunning Irene Adler – an operatic contralto who has graced the stage of La Scala. In Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in Bohemia, Irene outwits Sherlock and rescues her reputation (as well as that of the King of Bohemia) in the process. Irene is deliciously seductive yet subtle, and very much her own person: custom made to personify award-winning natural perfumer Mandy Aftel’s newest fragrance, Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection.
Patchouli and Lotus Blossom Botanical drawing hand colored By Mandy Aftel for Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection
Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection is a hauntingly lovely perfume which weds decadent, earthy facets of aged patchouli with the complex floral profile of pink lotus absolute: a rich, creamy, honeyed, dense aroma – spicily verdant on top and delectably fruity and worldly in the drydown.
Slice of homemade Hungarian Dobosh cake with caramel via Istock
Echoes along its path retain the vestiges of old-world Austro-Hungarian Empire pâtisserie – a dollop of strawberry confiture, murmurs of marzipan, the chocolate layered in a Dobos torte, surrounded by crushed almonds and encased in vanillic shell of burnt caramel – such dainties as would have been prized by the Victorian inhabitants of London’s 221B Baker Street, as well as the regents of the Hapsburg monarchy. Benzoin’s notes of vanilla and cinnamon act as a perfect fixative for prolonging the elegant gourmandise of Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection, especially when in cahoots with Peru balsam. Maltol contributes a pure candied sweetness – while sarsaparilla’s rooty spiciness adds a delicate touch of indole. At first glance, Boheme Confection might appear toothachingly sugared and over the top by its notes alone, but this is far from the case. It’s surprisingly sophisticated and charming without revealing all of its secrets at once – much like the mysterious Irene Adler herself.
Mandy Aftel courtesy of the Perfumer
2022 has been an exciting year for natural perfumery; some truly wonderful compositions have surfaced and given great pleasure these past months, and Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection stands amongst them. It is an intelligent nuanced gourmand, replete with persuasive, endearing contrasting elements. Mandy Aftel feels that a solid perfume format is well-suited to this fragrance, and I heartily agree. For a brief time, a limited supply of Boheme Confection will be available as a liquid perfume, after which it will only exist as a solid. She was kind enough to send me a sample of each; while the fragrance is lovely in either form, there is something about the solid which sings in a manner which liquid does not – a rounder, fuller experience, albeit less ebullient than its kin. I treasure Boheme Confection for its ethereal innuendo, like a ravishingly spun legato phrase.
Notes: Pink Lotus, Patchouli, Bitter Almond, Sarsaparilla, Strawberry, Chocolate, Peru Balsam, Benzoin, Methyl Anthranilate, Maltol, Vanillin.
Samples generously provided by perfumer Mandy Aftel – many thanks! My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection mini
Thanks to the generosity of perfumer Mandy Aftel, we have one 2ml mini bottle of Aftelier Perfumes Boheme Confection for one registered reader worldwide. The giveaway is for registered readers only, so be sure to register if you have not done so. To be eligible please let us know what appealed to you in Ida’s review, where you live and your favorite Aftelier Perfumes fragrance. Draw closes 11/27/2022
Mandy Aftel received a CaFleureBon Best of Scent in the Hall of Fame category 2021
Ida awarded Aftelier Perfumes Joie de Vert a CaFleureBon Top 10 perfume of 2021
Please read Michelyn’s Interview with Mandy Aftel here
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