Scents & Sensibilities: Creating Solid Perfumes for Well-Being Hardcover – Bargain Price, June 7, 2005

A charming little book that is great for the budding perfumer. It was a bit simplistic for me at this point in time having taken Mandy's in studio workshop. Still I enjoyed it. Check out her other book, Essence and Alchemy.

Just mentioning that this is a little tea table book in case others don't notice the size. I didn't think to check.

Excelente opción muy inspiradora para los perfumistas que recién se inician en el maravilloso mundo de los aromas, es una muy buena fuente de inspiración.

This is a very small book. It's 93 pages (not counting a list of merchants in the back), with large margins, fairly large print, lots of large illustrations, and the pages are only about 5 or 5 and a half inches square. It's sort of like a novelty child-sized coffee table art book.The content is fine, and the book was priced inexpensively, but I wish I had realized just how small and brief this book was. I read it in one short sitting, and though I consider myself a beginner where natural perfumery is concerned, pretty much everything in this book I had already found online. There is a section on the history of solid perfume which is ridiculously brief.That said, there's certainly nothing wrong with the book's contents or the quality of the editing and binding, and I will check out Mandy Aftel's other books in hopes of getting a more substantial meal. And it's my fault that I didn't pay attention to the info on dimensions, page count, etc. that Amazon provides. But I think this just should have been published as a pamphlet or an e-book. If you literally know nothing about perfumes and are averse to using the internet, this book will be good for you.

If you have Essence & Alchemy, you don't really need this book, although I'm happy to own this one, as well. I love the many pictures and the lush binding and the overall aesthetic mood of the book. I also enjoyed the history sections, where she speaks of balms and perfumes in antiquity (some of which is in Essence & Alchemy, but it's presented somewhat differently in this book).Scents & Sensibilities is slightly more safety-aware than Essence & Alchemy, but in it she still advises the use of of cold-pressed citrus oils (I'm guessing Mandy Aftel had not, at the time her books were written, heard of phototoxicity), so before you use any of the recipes in this book, do your homework and learn about the cautions associated with essential oils.As for the perfume recipes, there aren't that many of them, and the basic recipe for the beeswax and jojoba base is the same as the one given in Essence & Alchemy. If you know anything about aromatherapy or perfumery, you don't need these recipes, so buy the book for its lovely aesthetic graces, rather than its formulae or other content.

Mandys other book is a 5 star read, but this book is sub par. Basic information that can be found very easily online and as an experienced perfumer I found absolutely nothing new. If you're completely new to natural perfumes and have no idea how to make a solid perfume, then you may find this book helpful. I gave it 3 stars because it may have value to a newbie. One thing I must mention, if you're a newbie and have only a small collection of the basic essential oils and absolutes, you'll be happy, as the ingredients used are few, and each recipe can be tweaked. In other words, you don't need a massive collection of eos and abs to complete these recipes.

The author installs a passion for the subject of natural perfumery. It makes me want to create my own perfume with a finesse and touch of beauty, as well as hunt for all the exotic essences of the world in the manner of a quest. She is also extremely generous with her recipes and references saving much time and effort for the beginning perfumer.

This is a small book, but has a lot of good inforamtion for a beginner to start making solid perfumes,

If I were to buy this again, I would buy the actual book, not the Kindle version. It just seems like sections are missing - I could be wrong, but it doesn't feel like all the information is there.

A well-presented little book that covers materials and mixing with many images, accessible to the beginning hobbyist. The handful of recipes included are quite basic. This could make a lovely gift for someone just getting interested in making wearable solid perfumes on a small scale.

I am a big fan of Mandy Aftel and her previous work actually inspired me to create my own perfumes and start a small business. However, this book is a bit of a let down. A very simple one recipe book and a bit of history with a few images - all available for free on the internet. Might make a nice coffee table book

Very please with the information on the subjet and please with my purchase. Historic content is very interresting and section of recipes at the end very easy to try.....

Libro molto bello come tutti gli altri dell'autrice.