Fig

My first full-bottle Aftelier purchase. To me this is spicy and warm but I can't find the "fig." Perhaps I haven't been exposed to the right variety of fig? I love wearing this in winter. It's so mysterious - I say it is spicy, yet I can't pick out a single spice, not cinnamon, not cardamom, not pepper, etc. This mystifying quality has me coming back to smell it again and again every time I wear it. One of my favorites!

This is fig with pastry and booze. WOW!

213) grandiose abstraction quand j'essaye un parfum comme celui-la Je comprend vraiment pourquoi les connaisseurs râlent tellement sur les restrictions européennes. La densité et la texture apporté au parfum par les muscs-Civet et Castoreum- est tout simplement sublime. Avec une base pareil il est impossible de ne pas faire une merveille. La figue fait une petite apparition en tête mais toute la composition tourne autour du duo fir balsam et jasmin, relevé de poivre rose. C'est donc plutôt une figue abstraite, très mure qui explose entre les doigts et dégouline de sirop. Ce parfum est vraiment grandiose mais il me rappel un léger Tropic of Capricorn par Olympic Orchids plus balsamique. A essayer absolument néanmoins. when I try a perfume like that I really understand why the connoisseurs grumble so much about European restrictions. Density and texture brought by the musks -civet and Castoreum- are simply sublime. With such a basis it is impossible not to be a marvel. A tinny fig note makes a small appearance in opening but the whole composition revolves around the duo fir balsam and jasmine, topped with rose. It is rather an abstract fig, very ripe bursting between the fingers and dripping with syrup. This fragrance is really great, it reminds me strongly a light Tropic of Capricorn by Olympic Orchids more balsamic. Try it though.

This smells like Cashmeran. That's all I smell. Quite abstract. Sweet, musky, something greasy in the background.

Once again, it must be emphasised, natural perfumery is a whole different beast, ...and a different fruit too. This 'fig' scent is nothing like the widespread and popular fig accord found in a hundred other perfumes, ...because it's been constructed entirely differently. The only thing simple about Aftelier's Fig is the name. Fir resin, indolic jasmine, pink peppers, oud, ...and real civet and castoreum! The furriest fig ever. A recipe like this is going to be full of fascinating phantoms: olives in brine? tonka? marzipan? Does this remind me of figs? Hmm, a little, perhaps dried, salted ones at first, more jammy in the deeper drydown. Do I care this is not fully giving fig? No, not at all. That might be why I came here, but it's not why I'm staying around. The fruit-sweet fir, oud, and animalics together also create a quasi-church incense sensation. This instantly reminded me of Sorcinelli's Notre Dame Notte di Natale. ...yet I won't list them as similar, they aren't truly that close. Anyway, I'm enjoying this so much. This is why people want to smell things.

This is my first time trying an Aftelier. It was not a good try. BUT...I wasn't going to leave this review until I sampled a couple more, to get a better perspective. I've read about the Aftelier approach and watched various video interviews, etc. I consider her to be in the Indie realm, that I suppose many might also label "niche." And I like what she's about when it comes to scent as an art. Bought a four-sample pack. Have wanted to try these for years. Tried Fig randomly first. Because I love fig-centric accords/scents/frags. This smells like what your sht smells like after eating figs. I do not like sht-centric scents. It's a stanker. I took a risk choosing this. I saw the animal aged-poopie ingredient and thought to myself "hey, it's all in the *blend*, which could make it magical!" Magic manure in this case. Fig dung blend. Had a much better experience with Joie de Vert, which I'm testing now and will write a review on sometime soon. P.S. My demographic: middle age male, moderate frag experience, plenty of experience pooping. .

This does not smell like fig. I have read all of Mandy Aftel's books and am a big fan. But I have to say, that I hate this one. It does have this bitter, poopy smell, must be from the African stone. There is also a syrupy booze combined with a slight sour smell from the yuzu. I am trying to force myself to stick around for the jasmine heart, but it is really becoming unbearable. There is a strong medicinal bitterness kind of like the taste when you chew up an aspirin. Challenging.

Burned sweet fir. This is all about burned fur and woods with a background of jasmines. it does have ripe fig but kept to minimal. At first sprayed i detected some civet but when it settles civet is almost gone or maybe because of the overdosed fir i just can barely detect it. Good take on fir but no much figs are detected.

extremely, extremely over-ripe, near-rotting fig... no. even as a fig fan i dislike this. the jasmine doubles down and lends this a really cloying, nauseating quality. if you're a fan of fruity-sweet, slightly animalic fragrances you might like this, though.