Monday, June 28, 2010

Aftelier Perfumes Giveaway!

Mandy Aftel is the perfumery guru and pioneer who managed to alight an all naturals aromatics Renaissance with her body of work and especially her seminal book Essence & Alchemy, the cornerstone on which the naturals movement has flourished; absolutely delightful and all around highly recommended reading. She has just revamped her Aftelier Perfumes site into a friendlier and prettier format, including many rare vintage photographs. To celebrate this launch she asked us to host a Giveaway of some of her products.

There will be four winners in this drawing, and each winner gets to pick out one of the following: a Face Elixir, a Bath Oil, a Body Oil, or a perfume Mini of their choice (except Parfum Privé).
You need to do something to be entered, so read carefully!
1). Go to the Aftelier website and give a little feedback in your comment here about the new design.
2) You need to see the visuals on the store website to answer this question: What flowers are shown growing on the vintage postcards from Grasse on Mandy's site? (Except on the Samples page) Clue: They're four of them and they're extremely popular perfume notes! Include the answer in your comment here.
Bonus points if you follow Mandy at Facebook or Twitter. (just click the links and leave some feedback if you like)

The winners choose their own perfume Mini gift from this page and the next one!
DRAW is open till Friday 2nd July midnight.

While you're at it, don't miss the new samples page as well as the solids, the traditional liquid perfumes of course, my favourite new feature: the chef's essences (for adventurous cooks!) and the perfumed teas.

Other giveaway hosts: Scenthive, Cafleurebon, The Non Blonde, Now Smell This.

52 comments:

  1. Violet, jasmine, rose and tuberose... Love the new design. It is done with the same care and layering that Mandy lavishes on her scents. The former site was very businesslike... this one is fun to explore and the photos are really stunning. Great job in the design and how I love all of her products (especially those chef essences that I adore and use constantly) I already follow Aftelier on facebook and would love a perfume!

    ReplyDelete
  2. violet, jasmine, rose, tuberose ,and orange flower . . . The new design is ery attractive and any info you could want is very easily found. I will have to visit again as soon as I am working again; s there are many things I want to buy there. . . .

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  3. There are five in postcards from Grasse, that I could tell: violets, roses, tuberose, jasmin, orange flower. Nice redesign on Mandy's site. Thanks for entering me in the draw, E!

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  4. Disteza17:16

    I also saw five postcards, violet, rose, tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom. I'm so glad they put the link straight to the samples page right up front. I remember it being buried on the various pages before and it was noticeably harder to order samples.

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  5. You're all doing great, keep it up!
    I am glad that Mandy can see you are pleased with the functionality, it's always a concern for any online boutique.

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  6. Saw five postcards - violet, rose, tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom. I really like the layout of the site, and the vintage art work makes it beautiful.

    I also follow Mandy's site on Facebook - that's how I found out about this giveaway. Thanks!

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  7. Violet on liquid perfumes
    Rose on solid perfumes + must haves + store The rose picture on must haves is blast from the past!
    Tubereuse on antique cases & classes
    Fleur d'Oranger on perfumed teas
    Jasmine on chef's essences and gift cards.

    I didn't mind her previous site that much, as it was clearly intended for computers running very small screens.
    This new design is wider, and easier to navigate. More professional by today's standards.
    Best wishes!

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  8. Violet, tuberose, jasmine, orange flowers, roses.

    I know it's not included but is the flower on the sample page Pyrethrum?

    I follow Aftelier on Facebook and Twitter and I've been a fan for years!

    The website design is brilliant - clean and easy to follow as well as being beautifully done.

    Thanks for the opportunity to enter!

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  9. I am a fan of Aftelier and Mandy on facebook. I can't go back on Twitter since they perm disabled my account. The flowers are Violet, jasmine, rose and tuberose. Those are beautiful. I love Mandy's work and I am a huge fan of perfumes.

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  10. Just discovering Aftelier, and it's wonderful. the site is very clear, I like the pictures and most of all, the perfumes are really tempting, seem that they are made with care and love. would love to try them. I'd also would really like to learn from her, her experience. Thanks for the game and giveaway.

    So the flowers are, in french : roses, tubéreuses, jasmins, fleurs d'oranger et violettes (this last one wasn't for perfume I guess)

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  11. Mimi Gardenia22:58

    Lovely give away !
    5 postcards- The flowers are jasmine, violet, rose ,oragne blossom and tuberose. The new website is visually more appealing and user friendly I think . It looks polished and professional .

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  12. Maria B.23:51

    Actually, I found SIX flowers represented: violet, rose, tuberose, jasmine, orange flower, and "fleur de pyrèthre" (which would make it Tanacetum, possibly the one from which insecticides are made).


    The Web site is very attractive, accessible, and logically organized.

    Oh, what a good point Anatole makes about the violets not having been collected for perfume!

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  13. The 5 flowers are jasmine, violet, rose ,oragne blossom and tuberose. I like the organization of the new site! It's really easy to navigate (did I miss it before? I never realized that she offered samples).

    Just have to say: Essence and Alchemy is SO GOOD! This book really is what created the perfume addiction. She had me thinking about perfume ingredients in a whole new way. Yay for the giveaway! I haven't tried any of her frags yet, but have been *dying* to for over a year!

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  14. Cheryl G.01:56

    Mandy Aftel is my Hero in alchemy! I just missed meeting her by 5 minutes last year in Berkley. Arghhhh! I am on her site frequently because I want to purchase a fragrance to layer with my Aftel Jasmine solid. It really is the perfect Jasmine Soliflore, however, I want to give it a deeper base.
    Her new site is certainly an improvement. The store front is easy to navigate and the vintage postcards are charming-great job. I also just joined her facebook page.
    Fleurs de Tubereuses
    Fleurs de d'Oranger
    Fleurs de Jasmin
    Roses

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  15. Anonymous02:15

    Dear Mandy - Lovely colourful beautiful.... the flowers are tuberose, violet, jasmine & rose. Congratulations! Love, Karen

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous02:40

    Love the new website - looks beautiful and is easy to navigate. Also love the fact that you can order single samples now, instead of in multiples of 3. The flowers are rose, tuberose, jasmine, orange flower and violet.

    Karen M

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  17. Hi,
    nice blog u have there :)
    we enjoy reading your blog.
    keep posting friend.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Cheryl G.02:49

    Ooops, Berkeley. I needed to buy a vowel.

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  19. d3m0lici0n04:50

    the site is really easy to navigate and also is nice that you can order samples as well.
    The flowers are: Tuberose, Jasmine, Violet, Rose and Orange Blossom
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you for all of your kind and generous comments. And thank you Elena for doing this.
    One of my favorite books that I own is a beautifully handwritten one-of-a-kind recipe book from 1838. If you go to the 3 pages, in the "Perfumer's Botanicals" section on the website, you can see the perfume formulas.

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  21. Anonymous07:51

    Wow, wonderful web with very clear and indicative design. Flowers I found there - violet, rose, tuberose, jasmine, orange flowers. Lovely!! Alica - alica@cleis.net

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  22. I saw violets, roses, tuberose, jasmin, orange flower. Plus 5 postcards, I like the navigation, so easy, and made it easy to order the samples!

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  23. It's like a treasure hunt! I saw the postcards for jasmine, rose, violet, orange flower and tuberose. And I've discovered a few new things I must have skipped over during previous visits to the site; I'm rather intrigued by the Chef's Essences.

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  24. Roses
    Violets
    Tuberose
    Fleur d'Oranger
    Jasmine
    It would be so fun to have a perfume designed by Mandy! *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love the new site- As I'd mentioned on trish's blog- I love how spare yet visually pleasing the site looks.

    The flowers I found on the postcard were: Violet, Roses, Tuberose, Jasmine, Orange Blossom

    (I also follow Mandy on Twitter and Facebook).

    Wonderful giveaway! I can't wait to rediscover Mandy's scents!

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  26. Fernando17:25

    The site is well done, though I still find myself overwhelmed by the sheer number of things on offer. I wish it were easier to get information on each of the individual perfumes without clicking on each and every one. Perhaps the pages with the list of perfumes (or minis, or other things) could include just a little bit of description in addition to the names?

    I think the flowers are violet, rose, tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom.

    ReplyDelete
  27. lilacskin19:14

    as i'm not familiar with the previous site, i can't compare but what i saw today had me coo-coo with desire! i want it all! and i find it fascinating that just everything is available in sample sizes. one question (desire?)...why no iris perfume, ms aftel?

    oh and...i spied rose, tuberose, jasmine and orange flower...then violet when i went back to look again.

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  28. Amy K19:43

    Violet, tuberose, jasmine, orange blossom, rose. I might have to get my husband (he's the cook in the family) one of the chef's essences to try out because they sound so interesting! I'm not sure what the old website was like, but the new one seems easy to navigate. I follow Mandy on Facebook and Twitter now.

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  29. ElizabethN21:30

    violet, rose, tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom, and I love the color scheme and layout. Much improved! I live very close to her and would love to check out her studio, especially since the ont store in Berkeley that sold her perfumes is now out-of-business. :-(

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  30. Rappleyea01:44

    I'm woefully behind on my blog reading, but am very happy that I caught this contest as I have wanted to try Mandy's line for a very, very long time.

    I LOVE the French inkwell bottles, and am lemming a scent in one of them very badly. As to the site - very well organized and easily navigated. I would prefer a softer background than white - easier on the eyes. I love the romantic feel of the old postcards as well as the colors she did use.

    Oh, and the 5 flowers are: violets, rose, tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom. Tricky, E.

    Cheers, Donna

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  31. Oh my goodness I got so absorbed perusing all of the lovely perfumes and vintage compacts I almost forgot to return here to comment. Love the vintage postcards and adore the perfume solids. Everything not only looks good but the site loads quickly for me as well.

    As for the flowers, I saw rose, jasmine, tuberose and orange blossom. I think I saw violets but it could have been lavender, my eyes aren't what they use to be. Thanks for this giveaway.

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  32. Am following on facebook, Audrey H.

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  33. Love the new website. It is easy to navigate & looks professional.
    Flowers are:
    Solids page~ Roses
    Antique cases page~ Tuberose
    Face body bath~ Jasmine
    Teas~ Orange blossom
    Liquid perfume~ Violets

    Thank you so much for having a giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  34. PhinClio11:10

    The five flowers are jasmine, violet, rose, orange blossom, and tuberose.

    I've heard great things about this line, but have never tried it. The website is certainly doing its job insofar as it makes me more curious to try Aftelier products (and to win the draw)!

    The one thing I wish the site did was also provide a page that gives some overview of the scents. The website is currently entirely organized by product type. This is helpful and useful, but a second, more fragrance-oriented way of navigating Mandy's product line would be a nice addition.

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  35. 1. Even though the site looks good in general, my main comment is about the grouping of the perfumes. Instead of being grouped by format (1/4 Oz. Perfumes, Miniatures, Eau de Parfum, etc.) I wish they had been grouped by fragrance (which is what we as perfume lovers care more about), and underneath that all formats available of that fragrance can be listed. Also, on the sample page, I wish each name would link back to the page describing the fragrance.

    2. Jasmin, rose, orange blossom, tuberose. Plus now following Mandy on Facebook & Twitter!

    I haven't tried any Afterlier perfumes before (though I've certainly heard of them). Now I'm definitely interested in giving them a try. I agree the teas and chef essences sound very interesting! I should get me a nice batch of samples now to figure out where to start..

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  36. I really love the new website set up! It makes me want to start looking around and shopping as soon as I see it, because the pictures are so nicely displayed and they're not too crowded. The side columns make it really easy for me to see where I've been and what else there is to discover!

    As for the postcards, there were purple flowers (violets, it seems), rose (I guess tuberose is a rose, too), jasmine, and orange blossoms!

    Love the new site!

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  37. Zazie14:42

    The site has a nice airy feel: I love the vintage postcards, they make me travel to a bygone era.

    For what concerns identifying the flowers on the website images, I admit cheating: except for the roses, which I recognized, I had to read on the postcards themselves what were the other four flowers: tuberose, jasmine, orange blossoms, violets.

    I would love to win this draw and test that cepes et tubereuse... But also the Parfum de Maroc sounds wonderful...

    Thank you and Aftelier for the draw!!

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  38. I have a netbook, so my monitor is very small and it was difficult to tell what the flowers were, but thankfully I could read a little; I saw: Rose, Tubereuse, Jasmine and Fleurs d'Oranger, which I am guessing is Orange Blossom or Neroli?
    I really love the antique postcards, and to be honest, this is the first time I had visited the site, so I can't really compare with how it used to be, but I can say that it is a fun site to browse and is full of little surprises for the perfume lover (the workbooks, what a great idea!) and some for everyone else, like her other books on the likes of the late Brian Jones of Rolling Stones, and the wonderful little antique cases, chefs essential oils...whats not to love about this site?

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  39. Face/body/bath/workbooks and chef's essences: Jasmine
    Antique cases: Tuberose
    Perfumed Teas: Orange blossom
    Botanicals/must haves/solid perfumes: Rose

    So I say rose, jasmine,tuberose, orange blossom.

    The new design is visually beautiful. I love the balance of the vintage postcards and the studio shots.

    A couple suggestions to consider in the future.

    1)Include the FAQ section under the "store" heading. People just browsing may be surprised by the high costs of natural perfume, and the FAQ explains why this is. But for those just browsing the store, it is tough to find.

    2) Consider adding a section with some photographs of natural ingredients. Since people cannot smell your beautiful fragrances, draw them in with their eyes. Let people see what a damask rose looks like. Perhaps one photo of an essence (such as pink lotus) and then a few photographs of the ingredients (the lotus, sandalwood, etc.) The photographs from the "Aroma" book would be stunning on this website.

    And I am an avid fb follower, devoted customer and recent proud owner of the highly coveted honeysuckle absolute.
    ~Matthew

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  40. P.S. On the liquid perfume page is violets but I did not include it in the main four, because other than the leaf, it is not commonly used among natural perfumers.

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  41. mariablogrom09:11

    The new website is great. I think it's a good idea of Mandy Aftel to remind us to check her website this way. I always admired Aftelier but lately I just forgot about it.
    And forgot I am for so long hoping for Tango. And no matter I win here or not I will have my hands on Tango :-)

    Th flowers are violet, tuberose, jasmine, orange flowers, roses.
    And may be hyacinth? Not sure.

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  42. I love the new design! The colors make it look fresh and bright and I like that it's neatly organized.

    Flowers: jasmine, tuberose, violets & orange blossoms.

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  43. I have been dying to try their perfume ever since I read about it in a magazine about 6 years ago as the hot new celeb perfume ( think the celeb was madonna and maybe the magazine was vogue! I bet their classes, workbooks, and oil kit would be amazing! I love that they will teach you how to make scents and actually sell the oils and botanicals…. I think it is super cool that yoga + joyful living magazine did a review on their perfume, I adore yoga!!! Pair yoga with natural perfume and its a win win for me. I love scents like fig, cacao, tuberose and linden…There aren’t enough linden scents…I used to have fresh’s linden back in the day. I would love to sniff their chocolate saffron oil….yummmmm!!! I should order a sample, actually I should order many samples!!! I love sites that offer a good sample program…would love to see a sample bundle. And the color of the trevert is georg! I also love those antique cases! I just added her books to my reading list….and I love this line ” It is my hope that people have a feeling of luxury, well-being, beauty and excitement when they wear Aftelier Perfumes.” Who doesn’t need a little luxury, well-being and beauty…..I know I could use it! I think Mandy’s site is GREAT and very user friendly!

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  44. I really like the new lay out: easy on the eye and pleasant to navigate. I'm already a FB follower of Aftelier's and would be delighted to win a fragrance!

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  45. Amazing website! Gorgeous postcards and pictures of antique perfume bottles! The flowers pictured on the five postcards would be violets, tuberose, jasmine, orange blossom, and rose.

    I follow Mandy on Twitter and Facebook!

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  46. Thank you all again for your comments on the website and on my work. I appreciate the attention to all the aspects of the website and my work in general.

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  47. Becca Moss Kratky18:48

    Hi Mandy,

    I am new to your site and love it! I have just started my studies in Aromatherapy and now see that you have a perfumery course, fabulous!
    I see Rose, Jasmine, Orange, & Tuberose. Looking forward to learning from you in the future :-)
    Take care,
    Becca

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  48. I think it's absolutely brilliant that there is such immediate and abundant feedback on the site and suggestions too! Thanks for all your comments and your excellent detective skills, everyone.
    And Mandy, thanks for the chance to host this and for being so kind in commenting to people acknowleding paying attention to what they're saying!

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  49. In these hot summer days - having something natural and special it is gift from Heaven. ;)

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  50. Anonymous16:05

    The flowers are tuberose, jasmine, violet, rose and orange blossom.

    And the site is easier to explore (I really like the new page for ordering samples).

    quimerula

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  51. I am currently reading Essence and Alchemy and I love the book.
    I also really like the new design of the website....there are five different flowers on the cards though: rose, jasmin, tuberose, violet and orange blossom. :)

    ReplyDelete
  52. I am looking through the blog and I did not see who won the contest. Did I miss it or have the winner not been drawn yet? Thank you.

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