Perfume Book and Companion Kit of Essences Giveaway: Fragrant the Secret Life of Scent

This is the first of our Perfume Shrine giveaways for the holiday season and it's going to warm the cockles of the winner's heart; because it not only involves a perfume book that's sure to be referenced again and again along the way but it's also accompanied by a compaion kit that includes 5 natural essences among them the rare and precious ambergris for a better understanding of how perfumery works. The book in question? Fragrant the secret life of Scent by Mandy Aftel. Mandy has generously offered to give one signed copy of her book and a companion kit of essences to one lucky reader of Perfume Shrine.
So if interested don't miss your chance by writing a comment below this post. Draw is open internationally till Monday midnight and winner will be announced next week.

via rimanlibrary.com

The book doesn't simply address the fans of natural perfumery but aims at the hearts of everyone with an interest in the sensual and spiritual aspects of scents. It's more of a journey into discovering what the world around has to offer as well as the mystical bond between the senses and our grasp of the cosmos. Using scent as the medium Aftel with her usual sensuous prose explores basic essences and rarer or more exceptional ones with the same passion for observation and analytical deconstruction. Without requesting insider knowledge or expertise in perfumery jargon Fragrant takes the reader into a 5 part adventure; each punctured by a single momentous essence that can turn into fragrance.

Cinnamon marks with its spicy trail the beginning of man's search for the exotic East and the wealth it offers.

Mint is the smell of familiarity. Know throughout the world and marking home and homeland mint can act as a powerful symbol for that which is luxurious in its easing into the comfort of the "here and now".

Incense stands for mysticism and for a spiritual endeavor. The smoky trail these resins produce which rises in the air is our gateway to the realm of the gods.

Ambergris from the whale is the seafaring adventure turned prized loot; a substance as soft as a sable coat and as sensuous as bare supple skin itself. It's symbolizes human curiosity and evokes all the quirkiness that animal essences stand for.

Jasmine stands for beauty and the unapologetic pleasure in savoring that beauty; whether it be permanent or ethereal... like the vapors of a perfume.

Little anecdotes are dotting the pages and recipes for easily composed perfumes (in a variety of forms such as solid or oil or alcohol based) are included. A few of them involve the addition of one rare and unexpected ingredient into an otherwise familiar mix; like the chocolate drink laced with ambergris that Charles the I of Englad used to enjoy!

Fragrant the Secret Life of Scent is a book that should be part of every well versed library on scent and olfaction but also a welcome gift to anyone wanting to explore the sensuous facets of our everyday life.

Fragrant by Mandy Aftel: perfume book giveaway

More of a biographical mapping out of the discovery of a new career path and the richness with which it has gifted its author than a mainstream guide, Fragrant: The secret life of scent by Mandy Aftel is a fascinating journey into four key materials (cinnamon, incense, mint, jasmine and ambergris), their mystical significance, their aura, their historical pathway and with it the trajectory of natural perfumery. The book takes the form of a meditation on the sensuality and pleasure that natural materials offer, divided into 5 parts corresponding to each material) and a plea for the embracing of their sensuous capabilities in our increasingly sterilized world.

Aftel's Essence and Alchemy is already a perfume book classic, aimed at the fragrance enthusiast with the desire to learn (it includes a hands down approach to learning to build fragrant chords with natural essences and a classic fragrance pyramid structure tutorial a la Jean Carles), while Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent is less of a traditional guide. Instead Aftel muses on several points on scent while adding tidbits that are always interesting and a handful of recipes for edible stuff that would make you see things in a new light. For that reason it would appeal to the novice, as it does not require special knowledge in order to follow its beautiful prose, but also to the more accomplished fragrance collector as a tome to stand proudly in their library.

You can order the book on Amazon at a special price.

I have a new hardback copy to share with a lucky reader. Please enter a comment below to be eligible. Draw is open internationally till Friday midnight.