Mandy Aftel superimposed on Star-Forming Region S106, © NASA, ESA
Mandy Aftel’s Essence & Alchemy: A Book of Perfume and her portofolio of perfumes have inspired a generation of natural perfumers and all of us who appreciate the rich and complex depth that can be achieved when using all natural ingredients in fragrance. As the dark half of the year symbolically ends at dawn on Beltane, (known as the Gaelic May Day), I was drawn to Mandy Aftel’s perfume Cepes & Tuberose (2003) which resonantes with the energy of Persephone returning from her stygian realm to walk again on fertile earth, breathe warm air and stir sleeping blooms.
"Dancing Moonlit Trees" by Mike Fisk
When our Editor-In-Chief Michelyn Camen told me that Cepes & Tuberose is a milestone scent in the Aftelier catalog, both for its originality and construction, I knew I had to experience it. Composed of six notes, the resulting perfumed chord is incredibly textured and complex and wafts hauntingly from the bottle with an underlying warmth resplendent with wood, flower and fertility. Dabbing it on my skin, I was transported as a comforting rosewood aroma had me on a forest’s edge. Wandering deeper into the forest, the scent of disturbed earth greets the nose, mingling with the slightly pungent aroma of softly crushed mushrooms, bathed in silvery moonlight flooding between the trees. As my senses adjust to the changing sylvan inkiness, I notice a clearing ahead. The air is filled with the mysterious fragrance of straight stems filled with delicate white blossoms, freshly opened, swaying in nocturnal breezes. The lingering aroma of wild roses, ending their day, lends a fruity floral gentleness to the green-edged tuberose’s intensity.
Standing in the middle of this woodland clearing, surrounded by a sheer fragrant veil of sensual rose and delicate white petals, it is easy to see why the ancients personified flowers with feminine spirits. Cepes & Tuberose is first and foremost an innovative take on the opulence of tuberose and the addition of boletus edulis mushroom absolute is what seperates this perfume from any other tuberose fragrance I have smelled.
Still from "The Life Cycle of Mushrooms", a short film by Jordan Buckner
The lush and loamy scent of these wild mushrooms is reminiscent of soil and sod, paired in the finish with benzoin’s resinous sweet spicy warmth. The cohesion of diametrically opposed accords of fresh floral and dark fertility, supported by a woody core, showcase Mandy’s talents as an artisan; yet it is the way in which it conveys the delicate elegance of mystery and shadow that makes it a work of art.
"Persephone" Thomas Hart Benton
Gracing the skin with a close wearing aura of wild woods wrapped in shadowy floral growth that lasts well, Cepes & Tuberose is a poignant fragrance to celebrate the return of the maiden goddess as she splits the earth to rise anew, touching flowers and imbuing them with life and energy. As I wandered through and clear of the forest, the dry down had me smiling and imagining pre-dawn breezes caressing my face. On the last long night of the dark half of the year, if you can’t get out and spend the night in Nature but would really like to, dab on some Cepes & Tuberose and let Mandy’s magical perfume show you the beauty of what hides within shadow, under bough and behind leaf. Sillage: slightly below average. Longevity: slightly above average.
Notes: Bois de rose, tuberose, Moroccan rose, cepes absolute, benzoin.
Disclosure: Review based on the Parfum version of Cepes and Tuberose sample sent to me by Aftelier Perfumes.
John Reasinger, Senior Editor & Natural Perfume Editor.
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