fragrance

Aftelier Curious Natural Perfume Review

Aftelier Curious

If you read EauMG, I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about Aftelier perfumes before. It’s a brand of indie, natural perfumes and flavors. Mandy Aftel, is also a teacher and author. I don’t think anyone else has influenced natural perfumery in the United States as much as Mandy. If this wasn’t enough, Aftelier opened the Aftelier Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, California. This is a little place where you can sniff a lot of raw materials (over 300… Continue reading

gift guide

EauMG’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Natural Beauties

natural beauty gift guide

I’m continuing the week with more gift guides! Here’s my gift guide for those that appreciate naturally beautiful products. Warning, it’s rose-heavy. I’m sorry. I can’t help myself.

natural beauty gift guide

1. Rodin Jasmine & Neroli Gift Set – This Rodin gift set has the best products, imo. It has the limited edition face oil, hand cream, lip balm and sample of the body oil. I adore the limited edition vintage wallpaper packaging. Retails for $134… Continue reading

fragrance

Aftelier Amber Tapestry Natural Perfume Review

Aftelier Amber Tapestry

When I moved to the NYC area, I started to take up tapestry weaving as a hobby. I don’t know why I decided to do such a thing while living in such a small space, but I did. I really enjoyed it. I took classes and rented space in a textile center. I would get lost in fibers and colors. When I started grad school, everything was pushed to the back burner. I still have a primitive handloom with an unfinished piece on it, but it just stares me down… Continue reading

fragrance, Personal

Women in Perfumery & A Story of My First Indie/Niche Perfumes

Recently Allure published an article in their July 2017 Diversity/”American Beauty” Issue, “The American Perfumers Modern Approach to Fragrance” by Liana Schaffner that briefly covers the rebellious spirit of American niche perfumery. I’m always delighted to see my interest introduced to a broader audience; however, there was something so curious about this article. Out of all the brands and perfumers interviewed¹, none were female. There was a total erasure of women in perfumery. Which is so unfortunate because I feel like there would have been no niche or indie perfumery in the US if it weren’t for women!… Continue reading | 19 Comments

fragrance

Aftelier Vanilla Smoke Natural Perfume Review

Aftelier Vanilla Smoke

Vanilla Smoke is the newest perfume from Aftelier. As the name implies, this is a fragrance that pairs vanilla with smoky notes (and in this case from lapsang souchong tea). With cooler temperatures, shorter days and dead leaves crunching beneath steps, I must admit that I’ve never  been more ready for a perfume called “Vanilla Smoke”.

Like many of the Aftelier perfumes, Vanilla Smoke is available as a parfum or as an EDP. Here’s my impressions of both:

Parfum

The parfum opens with more citrus than the EDP. It’s fruity and juicy… Continue reading | 9 Comments