Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.
Used for centuries in China and ancient Greece, licorice is a scent that vacillates between sweet and cool, creating a sensation of an ice cube sliding across hot skin. Sweetness of anise laced with spicy greenness is accented by warm and delicately earthy vanilla. Aftelier Perfumes Licorice teases with its subtle spice and luscious vanilla notes.
Jasmine solid perfume opens with a tart note of pink grapefruit and sweetness of orange, which are a nice counterpoint to the lush opulence of jasmine. Amplifying its fruity facets, citrus creates a scintillating burst, given the presence of aldehydes in its oils. The solid perfume melds into the skin creating a gentle veil of sparkling jasmine.
While Licorice and Jasmine make for lovely fragrances on their own, layered together, they are beautiful. Licorice, with its dark balsamic vanilla layered against the delicately spicy backdrop of anise, is perfect for softening the indolic richness of jasmine. The effect is comforting and relaxing, akin to slipping into a silk robe. As other Aftelier solid perfumes, they have a soft gentle character, staying close to the skin. The effect makes solid perfumes very intimate and seductive. One needs to get quite close to get a whiff.
All Aftelier solid fragrances are made in an organic, unfiltered beeswax and jojoba oil base. The fragrances and samples are available directly from Aftelier Perfumes.
20 Comments
Robin: These sound lovely, V, thanks for the great review. Must try the jasmine at least… October 5, 2005 at 10:31am
Anya: How daring to use these two notes together. Mandy loves to take chances by pairing intense odors, like her Cepes and Tuberose. Your description is mouthwatering, and I don’t even like licorice, as a flavoring or scent, lol. Of course, now I must try this. October 5, 2005 at 6:50am
BoisdeJasmin: Anya, they are wonderful together! I could never have imagined how lovely the combination would be, but it is definitely mouthwatering.
Happy Birthday! Hope that your day goes well! October 5, 2005 at 10:17am
Tania: I had a sample of the solid Jasmine scent a while ago, and I have to admit, I was never impressed. I liked the orange-zest opening but found the jasmine follow-up pretty flat. Layering with Licorice seems like a so-crazy-it-could-be-great idea. Do you know of any already blended scents that use the idea? October 5, 2005 at 10:30am
BoisdeJasmin: Tania, I think that solid perfumes tend to pull down the top notes, being more of a base, therefore not surprisingly citrus blast does not last well, even though it gives a lovely opening. Jasmine and anise is a combination that I have found myself liking a lot. I think that Anisia Bella (Guerlain AA) has jasmine in it, however I shall research this topic and get back to you. October 5, 2005 at 10:41am
BoisdeJasmin: R, they are very lovely fragrances with impressive lasting power on my skin. I find that in the evening when I need to stay up late to study, the combination of licorice and jasmine is just perfect. It helps my concentration. Another thing I do is to keep a few scent strips around, covered with a blend of anise and jasmine oils. October 5, 2005 at 10:42am
Marina: Oh my…layering those two would be an olfactory if not actual death for me. *shudder* Mind you, it’s just me, I know you like jasmine V., and I am sure it is stunning on you (what note wouldn’t be!) 🙂 October 5, 2005 at 11:22am
BoisdeJasmin: Oh, you are so sweet, Marinochka! I have to introduce you to jasmine somehow. I am surprised you do not like it, because summer in almost anywhere in Eastern Europe is not complete without mock orange (what we actually called zhasmin) and acacia, which is definitely close to jasmine sambac. Do you not care for those scents? October 5, 2005 at 11:27am
Judith (lilybp): Licorice and jasmine are two of my favorite things: I love them both as teas and as scents. I adore eating licorice as well; sometimes it seems to make me feel much better (I admit I haven’t tried consuming jasmine flowers yet). So this combination sounds absolutely wonderful to me. Tempted again! October 5, 2005 at 8:32pm
BoisdeJasmin: Judith, I once had jasmine gelato, and it was amazing. I have been trying to reproduce it at home, however I am wary of ingesting jasmine absolute. Licorice is a new discovery for me. I used to dislike it because it reminded me of cough medicine we would be given as kids in Ukraine (it was flavoured with licorice). However, at one point, I became enchanted with the scent. Perhaps, I have just grown nostalgic. October 5, 2005 at 8:49pm
Anya: V, jasmine absolute is safe. The solvents used in the extraction are highly volatile, and vaporize off, leaving only the most minute %. That said, as with any product, there are some manufacturers that are better than others. If it has a strong petroleum scent, avoid it, or leave the bottle open for a bit to let it evaporate. Another source could be jasmine CO2, which is very pure, and aimed at the flavoring industry. It is very hard to get, and in fact, I’m trying to source some now. October 5, 2005 at 10:51pm
BoisdeJasmin: Anya, thank you for reassuring me. My absolutes do not have any petroleum scent to them, therefore I shall try to replicate gelato. I would be curious to hear what you think of jasmine CO2. October 6, 2005 at 12:05am
Karin: I love the scent of licorice in a fragrance, such as in Lolita. I will have to try this.
Interestingly, our Finnish son (exchange student) did not like anything root beer flavored as that was the flavoring added to medicines in Finland.
Again, interestingly, in Finland they have many different (black)licorice and chocolate candies. It was quite intriquing. It took some getting used to, but I find myself wanting some, so I will have to write to him and have him send me some. I’ve never come across that combination in any other country. October 6, 2005 at 8:30am
Karin: I’m soooooooooo disappointed! This is so expensive…I have to rethink it. I wish I could really smell it somewhere/ somehow. I don’t want to invest the money unsniffed. Wah! October 6, 2005 at 1:42pm
BoisdeJasmin: Karin, I encountered a lot of different types of licorice candy from Sweden. Some had a distinct salty taste, and others were sweet, but not overly so. I suppose that a reconnaissance trip to Dean&Deluca is in order. October 6, 2005 at 11:44am
BoisdeJasmin: This is expensive, I agree. However, you can obtain samples from the website. You should definitely never purchase anything unsniffed (even though I often break this policy). October 6, 2005 at 2:19pm
koneko: Hello V!
I love the Jasmine solid perfume! It is one of those items that I feel too guilty to purchase, but one of these days… 😉 You know how jasmine-crazy I am, after all! October 7, 2005 at 5:34pm
BoisdeJasmin: M, I can imagine how much you would love this fragrance! The jasmine note is rendered very nicely. I hope that your jasmine plant is still thriving. October 7, 2005 at 8:55pm
Karin: I am blessed to try tiny samples of this…they are truly delightful and definitely on my short list of fragrances I would like to buy. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a Jasmine that smells exactly like this. It is quite translucent to me and instead of being heavily sweet/cloying it is light and vibrant and airy and reminds me of walking in the garden while the rain is still sparkling on the flowers. Adding the Licorice to it (which is also nice on it’s own and not really like the licorice in other fragrances I have, but more like real black licorice when you first open the package) gives it a surprising depth and warm. They really do work well together! Thanks for sharing this review and fragrance with me, V. October 12, 2005 at 8:57pm
BoisdeJasmin: Karin, I am very glad that you enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing such beautiful thoughts on both of these fragrances with me. Like you, I find that the combination of both is quite special. October 13, 2005 at 4:39pm