Fragrance Belles-Lettres Magazine

Noblesse Luxe Publishing

FRAGRANCE REVIEW


                           CUIR DE GARDENIA
                                   The creation of a modern island flower
   

I  will always appreciate the classic scents of  fragrances that represents a single note such as the rose, jasmine, gardenia, marigold and a host of others. My curiosity and passion for perfumes always peaks to another level when a perfumer takes a single note scent and creatively combines, adds, renew this component with other scents that makes its own unique a newly created scent.

  CUIR DE GARDENIA by Aftelier Perfumes is based on the Tahitian Gardenia, the home flower that represents the South Seas...Tahiti to be exact.

  The Tahitian Gardenia is found only in the South Pacific which makes the island of Tahiti a gem where this gorgeous scented flower is grown.

  The "tiare" flower is another name for Tahitian flower and this scent is one of those that hold a soft place in my heart. When I was a child and my passion for scents started to flourish, the tiare flower scented perfumes became my favorites.

CUIR DE GARDENIA is beautifully transformed into Mandy Aftel's ideal of the Tahitian Gardenia.
There are certain aspects of this flower that Mandy maintains such as the creamy sweetness of this milky white flower. However, CUIR DE GARDENIA has a hint of woodsy musk that provides a modern flair to an ancient flower.

Mandy provided me with the liquid and solid formulas for my review and I wore both of these over several weeks.I was immediately transformed into a luscious oasis miles away. Cuir De Gardenia is not what you think in terms of the major island brand Monoi for the tiare flower but Cuir De Gardenia is a flair of a Tahitian flower for the modern age that finds a woodsy essence a true delight of blended notes what truly gravitates my vision of the exotic tropics.
formula. To me, the Solid version of Cuir De Gardenia became my passionate friend over those weeks because it worked best with my body chemistry and the texture was soft and smooth as I mildly rubbed it on my wrists.

The tiare scented perfumes I have smelled always consisted of a coconut oil enfleurage. Mandy did not add this ingredient, instead she created it with tiare (gardenia) absolute and honey (these are not the only ingredients) but to me the honey  is a welcoming change to the usual coconut.It gives a added delicate aspect to CUIR DE GARDENIA, which is a rare and beautiful component.

As I stated, I love the diversity in perfumes that take the old and renew it with a new and often times improved scent. However, it has to be done carefully because a lot of people at not conditioned for change.

The immediate scent of gardenia is a rush of endless streams of the flower and cascading jasmine to continue an epic of white flowers so I really don't see any problems in experiencing Cuir De Gardenia because she realizes that working with nature is best. 

 I admire the modern complexity of this fragrance. 'The Art of Perfumery' never stops admitting that there is always more to come and Mandy definitely demonstrates this in her ever quest to continue beautifying this art.


FEATURED NOTES

Middle Notes : tiare (gardenia) absolute, jasmine grandiflorum absolute, benzyl acetate
Base Notes: castoreum, ethyl phenyl acetate, maltol

RETAIL INFORMATION

Cuir de Gardenia comes in various liquid and a solid sizes.

Sample 0.25ml  $6.00 USD
1/4 ounce liquid (extrait)  $195.00 USD
Extrait mini  $55.00 USD
Eau de Parfum Spray $195.00 USD
Solid 1/4 ounce $240.00 USD

* The lovely compact is designed by Mandy Aftel from handmade one ounce sterling silver. It comes presented in a choice of orange or purple silk pouch.

www.aftelier.com


Photo: Courtesy of Aftelier Perfumes USA Berkeley, California













FMH