lola's secret beauty blog: Aftelier Perfumes Sacré Bleu Perfume Review

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Mandy Aftel, the creative genius who created Aftelier Perfumes, continually creates unparalleled and peerless perfumes, and her latest creation, Sacré Bleu is a stunning example of her creativity. Available as an eau de parfum and a perfume, this fragrance's character is described as, "watery, luminous, honeyed, transcendent, mesmerizing."

Notes: antique sandalwood, blue lotus, ambergris, boronia, black tea, mimosa, beta ionone, methyl anthranilate.

There is something incomprehensibly mystical and magical about this aroma. Sacré Bleu opens up with a sweet aromatic sensibility, as though it is a fruity floral incantation. However, as this rare fragrance unfurls against the skin it undergoes a metamorphosis, and the sandalwood and blue lotus deepen the way in which this fragrance articulates its identity. It transforms into a deeper and more mysterious aroma that beckons any gender to luxuriate in its comforting, somehow familiar sensibility. It is rich, warm, alluring, captivating and somehow defies any simple characterization. It is a truly sublime perfume that is sure to hold you captive in the most alluring way imaginable. This is a triumph in perfume making, and Mandy's creative genius is strikingly evident in Sacré Bleu.

According to Mandy Aftel,

The inspiration for my Sacré Bleu perfume is the marriage of sacred blue lotus absolute with divine hundred-year-old Mysore sandalwood oil. One of our most precious offerings, Sacré Bleu is luminous, honeyed, transcendent, and mesmerizing. The aroma of blue lotus is watery, but extremely complex and blissful with stone fruit and powdery floral facets. Truly legendary blue lotus was the most important scented plant in ancient Egypt. Rumored to have a psychotropic effect: this extraordinary aquatic plant played a prominent role in mythology and religion.

Over the last hundred years, this soft, sweet and woody Mysore sandalwood oil has aged, like a fine wine, into a smooth, sweet creamy woody aroma of profound richness and depth. Boronia plays a supporting role offering up a mouthwatering combination of aromatic raspberries, apricots, and freesia. Sacré Bleu dries down to the warmth of black tea wrapped around rare ambergris.

About Mandy Aftel's Process,

I started making natural perfumes almost 30 years ago. I create each of my perfumes from the comprehensive collection of strikingly beautiful natural essences that I have assembled over the years from hidden corners of the world. Finding these essences is a quest that I enjoy as much as the act of creating with them. Often I smell a dozen versions of the same oil, searching for one that surpasses all the rest. Some of the essences in my palette are antiques that have aged for many decades, like fine wines.

Everything I make is free from synthetics, parabens, glycols, and petrochemicals. I hand-blend and bottle all my products in small batches in my Berkeley, California studio, and personally attend to every detail of the process in creating every product. I love adding a sense of luxury and well-being to people’s lives.

As the founder of Aftelier Perfumes, I have been hailed as one of the fragrance industry’s “most prolific talents” by Vogue and an 'angel of alchemy' by Vanity Fair, and listed as one of the top seven bespoke perfumers in the world by Forbes. I am an advisor at The Institute for Art and Olfaction, which has created the annual Aftel Award for Handmade Perfume in my honor, and in 2022 honored me with the Septimus Piesse Visionary Award for my lifetime achievements.