'I took a one-day workshop on how to make solid perfume, made this unbelievably complicated perfume and people were impressed with it,' she said of the recipe - which included essences of frankincense, oak moss, rose, ginger, jasmine, lime, tarragon, tangerine and sweet orange. The 96-page guide features descriptions and detailed instructions on making solid perfumes at home with beeswax, jojoba oil and essential oils, which is exactly how Aftel - who at the time was a practicing therapist - first discovered her passion for the world of perfumery more than 10 years ago.

This month, Aftel's newest book, 'Scents & Sensibilities' ( Gibbs Smith, $12.95), arrives in stores. Her star brightened further last year, with the release of 'Aroma' (Artisan, 2004), a cookbook she co-wrote with former Frisson chef Daniel Patterson about how to incorporate essential oils into recipes for fuller flavor and greater culinary flair. Vogue, Vanity Fair, Town & Country and dozens of other publications have purred about the exclusive allure of Aftel's couture creations, which begin at $800 and involve extensive interviews and smelling sessions to determine a client's preferences. With a flair for combining exotic scents with more familiar ones in complex formulas, Aftel has carved out an enviable niche making customized natural perfumes for the likes of Madonna and Liv Tyler, as well as literary luminaries such as the elusive wunderkind JT Leroy (who referred the Hollywood A-listers) and the writer-adventurer William T. A former therapist, now a teacher, lecturer and author of several books and founder of Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild, an education group, Aftel has been making perfume for about a decade.Ĭhris Stewart / The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT Chris Stewart Show More Show Less Berkely perfumer Mandy Aftel blends custom scents for celebrity clients and has a new do-it-yourself book coming out next month.

A former therapist, now a teacher, lecturer and author of several books and founder of Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild, an education group, Aftel has been making perfume for about a decade.Ĭhris Stewart / The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT Chris Stewart Show More Show Less 5 of6 perfume29308.jpgĮvent on 5/17/05 in Berkeley.

She has a new do-it-yourself book coming out next month. Berkely perfumer Mandy Aftel blends custom scents for celebrity clients and keeps the recipes in a handwritten book.

Essence and alchemy by mandy aftel