Customer Reviews

Scents & Sensibilities: Creating Solid Perfumes for Well-Being

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a fan of Aftel's work, and I would recommend this for the person casually interested in making solid perfume. This small book -- it's about the size of a CD case -- contains a brief history of solid perfumes, an overview of top/middle/base notes, and easy-to-follow instructions. It's also packed with some beautiful photographs of Aftel's studio and various vessels, such as the shells of pocket watches, used to carry solid perfumes. For beginners, I would give this 4 stars.

For those already familiar with her work, I would give this 3 stars. 90% of the material in the book has already been covered in Aftel's other works, the excellent ESSENCE & ALCHEMY and AROMA. If you have the former, there really is no reason to get this book unless you are a completist or enjoy the photographs.

Not the nicest thing to say, but I found this book is acompletely waste of both money and reading effort. After reading Ms Aftels first book on natural perfumery, I had expected something similar and was deeply dissapointed. This is one tiny book, but so is Mindy Greens book "Natural Perfumes" and that one is surely worth every dime. The size of the fonts are too large = very little text on each page and the sad fact is, that it contains absolutely nothing new, that wasn't covered in Ms Aftels first book. Some of the pictures are beautiful, but so are the ones in other books on perfumery. The very few formulas that is offered are simple beyond simpleness and I believe that even beginner at the art of NP could come up with more inovative ones.

My advice is - don't buy this book! If you is interested in natural perfumery, there are quite few books on this topic, that offers more knowledge and inspiration than this one.

This is not the most informative book about perfumes or aromatherapy that you can purchase. It has rudimentary info on a handful of selected oils and concretes. These topics are covered in more depth in Mandy Aftel's previous books, for those who want to know more. I am giving this one four stars for its beauty, its simplicity and for two very important points that it makes: 1) the act of creating a solid perfume is meditative for the practitioner, and 2) the use of a solid perfume, carried in a lovely container, can be a comforting and joyful daily ritual.

Aftel truly understands that the creation a beloved perfume should be a pleasant harmony of art, science and magic. Read it, try it and prepare to be delighted!

"Using solid perfumes is a simple activity to incorporate into your life for reduction of stress...over time, just a whiff of your special fragrance can help you to become calmer and more grounded." ~Mandy Aftel

Mandy Aftel's work has been featured in Vanity Fair, Vogue and Allure. She creates unique perfumes for private labels and for individual clients. In this lovely colorful book, she explores how you can make your own solid perfumes and maybe even refill a collectible compact you discovered in an antique store. This book has made me want to go visit more antique stores to look for the little compacts you refill with the liquid perfume mixture. You could also use glass or new metal containers.

A Brief History of Perfume introduces you to the process of extracting the essential oils from plants. Entertaining facts about the Egyptians wearing solid perfumes on their heads makes this very enjoyable.

"As the ancients used perfumes in brooches, rings, pendants, and charms, so can we incorporate the same pleasurable effects of solid perfume in jewelry today."

The chapter on essential oils also explores top notes, absolutes and concretes. Perfume ingredients that are described include: Bitter Orange, Bois de Rose, Ginger, Lime, Pink Grapefruit, Virginia Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Jasmine, Lavender, Nutmeg, Rose, Ylang Ylang, Bezoin, Cocoa, Frankincense, Labdanum, Oakmoss and Vanilla.

Tools, beakers, bamboo skewers...so many things I didn't know to use when making perfumes. You will probably find you have many items in your kitchen.

A Basic Solid Perfume Recipe is the starting point for your own discovery. Detailed instructions with pictures lead to the blissful moment of your own creation.

A soft, warm and sensual blend I made up recently: Ylang Ylang III, Egyptian Musk, Lavender and Patchouli. You can mix your own essential oil blends and then add them to the solid perfume while still a liquid.

~The Rebecca Review

This book is a milestone by a pioneer of natural perfumery. It is a beautifully presented and well-written little treasure, precious enough to carry around, much like the luscious aromatics that will result from the formulas given. The instructions are clear and the photographs are beautiful. The only caveat is---making solid fragarance may become addictive!..a unique present for the Holidays---highly recommended!!

This book is a great beginners book, and provides basic information on essential oils and solid perfume making. I enjoyed the archaic history of perfume making.

Mi ha fatto veramente molto piacere acquistare da te.
Sei un venditore, molto preciso e serio.
Itempi di consegna sono stati brevi ed i costi molto ragionevoli.
A presto

If you have Essence & Alchemy, you don't really need this book, although I'm happy to own this one, as well. I love the many pictures and the lush binding and the overall aesthetic mood of the book. I also enjoyed the history sections, where she speaks of balms and perfumes in antiquity (some of which is in Essence & Alchemy, but it's presented somewhat differently in this book).

Scents & Sensibilities is slightly more safety-aware than Essence & Alchemy, but in it she still advises the use of of cold-pressed citrus oils (I'm guessing Mandy Aftel had not, at the time her books were written, heard of phototoxicity), so before you use any of the recipes in this book, do your homework and learn about the cautions associated with essential oils.

As for the perfume recipes, there aren't that many of them, and the basic recipe for the beeswax and jojoba base is the same as the one given in Essence & Alchemy. If you know anything about aromatherapy or perfumery, you don't need these recipes, so buy the book for its lovely aesthetic graces, rather than its formulae or other content.

I have read this book and I love it and take it wherever I go because of its portable size and I am getting the supplies together so I can make some solid perfumes and will enjoy this book for years to come

If you like perfumery, buy this book. A must have for your library