Monday, June 18, 2018

Obscurus: Bath, Body and Wax Tarts from Femme Fatale

These products were sent free of charge from Femme Fatale in exchange for photographs, all opinions my own. 


Femme Fatale Cosmetics is an Australian based company that sells indie products from bath and body to nail polishes, makeup to perfumes and even wax tarts. If you are looking for a new way to explore some really talented makers Femme Fatale is a wonderful outlet to do just that. Sophie, the owner of Femme Fatale recently debuted her own in-house brand of bath, body, perfume and home fragrance via a line called Obscurus. The Obscurus line is vegan, cruelty free and handmade. It has a dark edgy styling that features the arcane and mysterious. Today I have a sampling of various products to show you. Prices are in AUD, but I will put the US price in parenthesis after the product. I want to start with the wax tarts since I was totally surprised to see these in the box I was sent. The wax is soy and comes in the clamshell format.

Superstition- Notes: Citrus, agave and lavender with woody warmth, musk and amber. ($7.37)
This scent conveys what many oceanside fragrances attempt to capture but in a more realistic and refined manner. The citrus smells of lightly aged bergamot and paired with the lavender it paints landscapes of sunsets in Tuscany or glowing coastlines off the coast of France. I think it may be the agave that lends the salt encrusted atmosphere. It is a beautifully rendered aroma. Once melted, it performs a mercurial transformation, a bit of the sweetness in the citrus comes out and plays dreamily with the lavender. The amber and musk pulls through more the whole scent becomes elevated. One cube threw medium-strong in the bathroom and two cubes threw medium in the larger kitchen and living area. We had gone grocery shopping about an hour after I put this scent in the warmers. We came back and I started cubing a cantaloup I purchased and kept catching streamers of this magnificent perfume as the A/C would kick on and off. I finally realized it wasn't me (or rather my own perfume I should day), but Superstition. I want to smell like Superstition. It has a very elegant high class style.



Astral- Notes: White florals with hidden rose crystals and musk. 
An antique hand tatted bridal veil of tiny white and palest pink roses cascades back through generations of women, each with a fluttering heart of nerves stitched next to hope, youthful eyes luminous with ancient knowledge. The effluvia of gossamer roses floating like a trail of love's musk behind them. This is a gauzy pale rose that was utterly lovely to melt in the bedroom. Two cubes gave a medium-strong throw. The rose was not cloying, too peppery or overbearing, but wonderfully blended and softly sweet. Somehow it calmed me as I would float in and out of the bedroom as I was going about my evening routine. I discovered that this wax needs some nurture time while melting. Be patient and it will bloom and unfurl. 



Out of Body Experience- Notes: Freshly baked cinnamon buns drizzled with lemon and vanilla icing and a dash of orange zest. 
Sniffing this wax tart does indeed provide my senses with an out of body experience. Experiences of the past, Christmas mornings where cinnamon and clove pricked citrus fruits in a wooden bowl grace the same table as piping hot cinnamon rolls ready to make eager fingers and lips sticky with their sweetness. The vividness of the oranges and lemons and spice really liven up the comforting bakery aspects. This is not your typical Hot Orange Danish scent. I am saving this one to kick off fall. 



These lidded tubs are about 3 ounces and hold bath bombs called Tub Transmutation. They contain moisturizing almond oil and bloom in lovely shades of color. 

Agoraphobia- Notes: Sweet citrus bubbles and ginger ale, fizzing ripe red grapes, tart blood plums and lily. ($6.14)
My mouth waters when I open the lid and inhale this effervescent fruity libation. The ginger ale is unmistakable and forms the foundation of the brew. Sliced lemons and sweet sparkling grape juice join the ginger ale to create something I want to imbibe, but even better, I get to bathe in it. I am tucking this one away for an evening bath when I need an extra little pep, but I did use the next one...


Red Moon- Notes: Warm buttermilk doughnuts rolled in sticky sugar and oozing strawberry and raspberry jam. 
This is definitely an aroma I could get down on more in a wax tart format than bath and body care, but it is still well done. Tart and tangy raspberries merge with crispy fried donuts. In the tub this bath bomb fizzed and whirled with verve, turning the waters a candied watermelon pink tint. The fruits rose up out of the water and bakery notes dappled the steam. It was a fun bath and I will be looking to pick up some of these bath bombs in other scents that would be more my bathing ritual style. It was an excellent bath bomb and I like the way these are packaged. They make for easier storage than the spheres. 



Purge Potion is a thick consistency sugar scrub made from Australian cane sugar, grapeseed oil, avocado oil and shea butter. 

Tunguska- Notes: Forest greens with lime and winter berries, floral heart blended with ozone, green apple and musk. A crisp breeze and wilderness. ($10.65)
Tunguska takes the subtle perfume of evergreen and spruce from faraway woodland tundras and entwines it with ozone pulled in from the northern pole of the Earth's atmosphere. There is a stony chill wetness in the woods, but also an ethereal sweetness. Aquatic apples and airy limes. I love this scent. It is an illuminating scent, an olfactive representation of the teals, lime greens and pulsing indigo hues of an aurora borealis skimming over the snowy evergreen needles, reflecting and refracting like magic. 


I love the styling of this brand. The lids have stickers that reflect the scent within. Tunguska revolves around the phenomenon of the largest meteoritic impact that happened in recorded history. The shooting star is quite lovely but also hints at that event. I love it. 


The consistency of the sugar scrub reminds me of a lighter, more yielding version of The Bathing Garden's sugar scrubs. I can get a nice scoopful with my finger tips and massage it into my skin easily. Its medium sized particulate exfoliates wonderfully and the oils and butters aren't too heavy but add the right amount of moisturizing. It left my skin smooth and soft. I would happily buy this product and do plan on it.


Rota Fortunae- Notes: Jasmine, lily of the valley and rosewood blends with oriental spices and sweet citrus, mellowed with musks and vanilla. The capricious nature of fate. 
Though some say she may be fickle, she smells undeniably opulent. She is shrouded in a velutinous cloak of inviting jasmine woods. This is not tropical, heady jasmine but the ghost of jasmine long ago dried, a token from a former lover that lived a past life tucked behind the curl of an ear. Musky rosewood and the lily of the valley enhance that gossamer jasmine silhouette. Capricious Rota Fortunae is always welcome on skin and in my life. This would be amazing as a bath treat or bedroom fragrance. 


Check out this art! An arcane wheel of fate. Love. 



It is hard for me to capture the lovely subtle mica shimmer in this scrub but it is very nice. Not gaudy or over the top at all. Just right. 

I am impressed with the Obscurus line from Sophie of Femme Fatale. I can tell she put a lot of thought into her scents, ingredients and brand. I have not looked into the shipping yet, but the pricing of the products is more than fair with the exception of the wax tarts, those are a touch high when looking at market prices, but in my opinion not too high for me as I would pay extra for these types of boutique scents that blow me away. The packaging is top notch. The stories behind the scents add mystery and that extra level of detail I admire. 

Tomorrow I am going to feature Obscurus' Spring 2018 perfume oil line. Come by and check it out. 

Have you ordered from Femme Fatale? What lines do they carry that you love and I need to try?

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