Saturday, June 15, 2019

Arcana Wildcraft: Classics


More Arcana Wildcraft! Wheeeee!!! These are some of Julia's Classics that can be purchased at any time and are not really seasonal so much as part of her general catalog of signature perfumes. The Arcana Classics run $26 each.


Swashbuckler- Notes: Proof that you can be the scourge of the high seas and still breeze into port smelling divine. Concocted from West Indies bay rum, scurvy-preventing limes and a dark blend of spices. 

Ernest Hemingway in a bottle. Masculine, swarthy, disreputable and brash but undeniably engaging. Bay leaf and spice swirl in the eddies and currents of tannic rum and salt water. This is the scent of shaded grottos in the keys, places where a drink can be had to escape the heat under a cobbled together bar made from palmettos and bamboo.  This is the scent wafted when passing an older gentleman in a straw hat and white linen shirt with the devil in his eye. It is dead sexy and I love it. On the skin anise and clove seep into those tannic and sepia toned aromas first, backed by the brittle wood and herb appeal of the bay leaf, though traditionally Bay Rum is not made from the familiar kitchen bay leaf.  Spices and rum from the Caribbean marinating in wooden barrels. The heart dries up some of the stronger aspects of the clove and anise to reveal black pepper, dried sage and hay-like vetiver suggestions. A more virile bounty, but still one I quite enjoy wearing. This is the portion that reminds me of my stepfather applying his Dominica Bay Rum aftershave. Bay Rum with its spicy woody scent of clove, pepper and lime oils infused into a dark rum with cinnamon. Arrrrrg. It is so good. I am so happy I picked up Swashbuckler. Bay Rum really is a huge scent memory for me but also is an ideal fragrance for Florida with its heat and humidity. The Bay Rum and sub-tropical climate jive well together.



Last Hours of Empires- Notes: A rich blend of precious oils, evocative or regret and resplendence, featuring highest quality Omani frankincense, true Indian sandalwood, delicate top notes of bergamot and tangerine and the smallest wisp of black patchouli. 

Rich golden bergamot and luminous tears of frankincense rest on a velvet pillow, weaving a fragrant tapestry of sacred aromatics from long ago. Painted on the skin the bergamot and tangerine glow beautifully against the nuggets of frankincense resin. The illumination is burnished and blended out by powdery citrus notes.The sandalwood even possesses the suggestion of orange wood. This is a Moroccan palace courtyard glinting with blue and white tile, forested with rare citrus trees with brass censers hanging like gilded fruits from the boughs. I don't know if it is just me that the bergamot and orange tones shine brightest on but I love it, as I don't have many orange centric scents in my collection. 



Tess- Notes: Rustic violets, fresh cream, vanilla bean, amber and soft, milky musk. 

In the vial Tess is a violet creme delight that has just the merest bite of baked goods in the belly of the scent. Dabbed onto the wrists the candied violets are dried and pressed into the centers of shortbread cookies, perfect for an afternoon tea. The milky musk and vanilla bean with cream possess a definite buttery crunch to them that lends the impression of a toothsome cookie but without all the sugar. Shortbread at its best. As the scent lingers the bready aspects of the cookie abate and the milky musk gains a touch of amber highlights with the violet's ghost still present. I tender scent for nurturing souls.



Herne- Notes: Horned trickster, lord of the forest, god of the wild hunt. Cassia cinnamon, Atlas cedarwood, fir needle oil and a whiff of Herne's holy oak tree. *All natural.*

I love Herne. That cassia cinnamon is a huge draw for me. I adore spicy cinnamon perfumes but I feel like most lean towards the pumpkin spice side of life, which don't get me wrong- I do love, however I do sometimes crave cinnamon scents that aren't just about fall or food. This is a great one. I will warn you that the cassia cinnamon is a touch tingly so if that type of things bothers you, it is something to consider (I like the tingles). Taking a whiff from the bottle is a tactile experience. The cassia warms the nose down into the back of the tongue and into the core of the body. It is dark and rich yet green and alive. I imagine it would like like gouging the bark of the evergreen Chinese cassia tree and its green pith oozing out its rich spiced sap. There is a natural sweetness to it, a sticky molasses hue to it. On the skin a touch of dank leaf litter and decay from felled evergreen firs and spruces mirrors the fecund sweetness from the bottle sniff and the cinnamon shines darkly within too. Even though it is primarily an evergreen and fiery cinnamon scent on my skin it does not read as holiday or Christmas to my nose but speaks rather of a mysterious and primitive melody of ancient woods and feral sprites that collect their offerings of fragrant spice with glee.

I was at work this past week doing pre-planning with the upper elementary team at my new job. I am really excited. I will be learning a lot this year. 

I am also really excited to be sharing some new perfumes from Julia from her collaboration with Brooke from B. Perry Studios. So stay tuned for those. I will also be drawing the winners from the Arcana/B. Perry giveaway from the end of May. Thank you for your patience, friends.

How are you doing? How is your June? Crazy it is half over already.

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