Friday, December 6, 2019

Arcana Wildcraft: Witches

Some of these perfumes were purchased by me and some were sent as gifts from Julia.


Julia at Arcana Wildcraft released several of her past Witches fragrances and even brewed up a few new ones to add to the line. These were part of a late fall collection for this year. I am thrilled to have been able to spend some time with these beauties these past several days and I hope you enjoy reading my interpretations of them. It is kind of a birthday celebration to myself. Today I am 39. <3 

Sample sizes are $6, 5 ml are $26 and 15 ml are $76.

The Bone Mother- Notes: The scent of an ancient forest with Russian pear, hand-cured tobacco, warped wood, 20 year vintage iron-distilled patchouli, dark, Slavic musk and tea tannin. (This was a gift with purchase in November).

I have had a fascination with Baba Yaga for a little bit now. I first read about her in a fictional story and have since encountered her in various forms. I also have an appreciation for well-aged patchouli, Julia's tobacco and ancient forests. This was bound to be an ideal match. Sniffing from the bottle invites the scents of boozy pears and whiffs of green tobacco leaves and tree sap to the nose. Woven onto the skin a teasing of that iron-distilled patchouli shows itself. However, first and foremost, the tart green pears and fir tree boughs weave rough garlands about the fragrance with a bouquet of crinkled leathery tobacco leaves in the heart. There is a soft sparkling sherry quality to the scent that reminds me of a wee tipple before bedtime. The patchouli is smooth as satin shadows and blends with the supple musk and tea leaves seamlessly. The Bone Mother is a scent I could crawl into and never leave. 


Witches Wear Big Black Stompy Boots- Notes: Billowing clouds of smoke over perfectly aged black vetiver and black musk.

Cold, damp ash and dank plutonian leather. The stuff of gothic legends. From the vial the vetiver has a dark fecundity that almost leans to wet leather. This is going to be a black perfume for a black soul. Ignited on the skin it smells like the first drag of a filterless cigarette, the smoke burning hot from the glowing red cherry ember and the freshly shaven nicotine almost bitter on the tongue. It is the effluvia of risk and youth. Crawling out of the second story window to sit on the roof in the chill of the night, blowing smoke signals up to the stars, asking them if they have seen this all before. The smoke has a brimstone flavor that reminds me of the same reckless mouth turned older. It houses a sour flavor between the teeth when it lectures youth to stay away from smokes. Now don't get me wrong. This perfume does not smell like cigarettes. It just takes me back in time with its smoke and ash and black as night mood. It is brilliantly done. My daughter who loathes the scent of cigarettes immediately said she loved it when I wore it around her. This is the perfume of smoke. It settles down into an inky dark musk with hints of patchouli and creosote.


Witches Draw Down The Moon- Notes: Infused vanilla oleoresin with sweet maple creme, maple sugar, dry Madagascan vanilla and moon-white marshmallow.

Mouthwatering vanilla cakes soaked in maple cream. Vanilla decadence turned into perfume. On the skin it transforms into creamy maple candy that melts on the tongue. There are caramel tones and chewy vanilla bits in this silken sugary treat. The maple makes it an epicurean pleasure, adding amber richness and texture. If gourmand vanillas and caramels are your delight then give this one a whirl. 



Witches Run A Farm Stand In Oregon- Notes: Green, uncured hemp with lavender, vintage patchouli, spearmint, fir needles, zucchini blossoms, Oregon roses, honeysuckle and white amber. 

Tender herbs with the cooling sparkle of spearmint and lavender jauntily bob beside tied bouquets of honeysuckle and wildflowers in the woven straw basket that lies in the crook of an arm of a lady strolling the outdoor market. Wet on the skin this is a spring-fed watery dream at first with the sap filled herbs and delicate blossoms giving way to a heart of petal soft pink roses with just a smattering of ambered evergreen needles. The rose and amber warms up under the green hemp that smells of hay and sunshine. These notes are brushed with velvety strokes so that the notes are blended beautifully and wear like a halo of verdant fragrance. The plant life in this is spiritual. I will happily be wearing this during spring and summer.


Witches Cast Love Spells- Notes: Created with witchy intent, this is a love-and-sex drawing blend of Autumn honey, intensely fragrant vanilla beans, sweet cinnamon and a dribble of milk.

Intoxicating honey with a mead-like quality is frothed with milk and sweet candied vanilla. It casts a spell simply by being inhaled from its dram. Dribbled on the wrists the honey retains that fulsome mead harvest with hints of swollen fruits and fertile pollen within its glistening beads. The heart warms up with a classic take on milk and honey, cream and sugar. That pairing which nourishes the body and soul. The merest pinch of cinnamon lends the milk a horchata vibe. The simplest things are often the most effective and this perfume is the embodiment of that. Simple notes that make a powerful spell.


Witches Wear Silky Drawers Under Their Witch Clothes- Notes: A heart of strawberry cheesecake and sugar-dipped ylang ylang is enfolded into dark vanilla silk, rose jam, French geranium, and black wool softly infused with incense and smoldering resins.

Lush femininity oozes from the bottle upon mounds of strawberries and cream, honeyed blossoms and incense scented boudoirs. Normally I run away fast from anything with the word cheesecake in it when it comes to fragrance but from the vial there is no hint of the curdled milk my nose normally translates cheesecake into. On the skin a whisper of Holy Terror floats about jammy strawberries and apricot scented flowers when sniffed closely, however, a cloud of dense milkiness from the cheesecake does orbit a little further out from the skin. It dissipates after a few minutes. Then the sugariness of the fruits melts away and the skins and rinds remain to lightly scent the pillows of incense and resin. I applied this at night a few hours before bed. It remains this way for the duration and was a lovely scent to wake up to in the morning. A beautiful play between strawberry jam and incense. Unexpected but lovely.


Witches Want Chocolate & Terror- Notes: Arcana's Holy Terror (burning frankincense, sandalwood, deep myrrh and dusty beeswax candles) with rich, dark chocolate and French cocoa absolute.

Insanely luxurious dark chocolate, almost ganache like with its smooth silken texture, is paired with Arcana's iconic Holy Terror incense. And I am here for it. Darkly drizzled on the skin, because yes this is one chocolate hued potion, the dark cocoa showcases facets of roasted coffee beans and leather in its rich depths. This full bodied chocolate stands up very well against the heady incense of Holy Terror. The chocolate also makes it more festive for the holiday season from Halloween to New Year's. This will be my wintertime Holy Terror variation.


Witches Cavort With Cupcakes- Notes: Pumpkin spice cupcakes are smothered in gobs of cream cheese frosting. Many sugar. Such gourmand.

Mmmmmmm... this does smell delicious. Dense yellow cake and buttercream frosting are served directly from the perfume bottle. Freshly applied on the skin the pumpkin and spice with the cake has a dryness to it, almost like parchment paper. As it wears the papery texture lifts much like the lining of a cupcake peeling back and the pumpkin cake comes into its own. The frosting possesses touches of coconut in its vanilla flavoring. Witches know where to find the good cupcakes.


Witches Fly Through The Forest With Sasquatch- Notes: The scent of a forested joyride on besoms. A knapsack stuffed with graham crackers, gooey marshmallows, and dark chocolate for making s'mores over the fire. Tree tops, black pinewood, delicate juniper branches, black spruce, Atlas cedarwood. A sliver of orange peel and a bit of fur.

Dark chocolate, quiet forests and some graham cracker crumbs lurk in the amber bottle. Perched on the skin it tastes of artisan dark chocolate infused with flecks of fir needle and sea salt. I have tasted a chocolate bar such as this from Immortal Mountain but with rosemary instead of fir. It was marvelous and so is this scent. The evergreens gently give way to the graham crackers and it morphs into that ubiquitous campfire treat, however, there are tones of chocolate liqueur and nuances of vanilla tobacco in this warm dessert and it smells incredible. I would love to fly through the forest with Sasquatch any day. I was wearing this one when I went to the dentist and an assistant came into the room and said "what smells so good?!" The hygienist said "it's my patient here." So I am not the only one who thinks this smells pretty special.


Witches Trace Sigils In The Dirt- Notes: The essence of a dark ritual in the wild wood. Lush green moss, soft forest floor, blood cedar trees, tangled vines winding over crags, damp patchouli leaves, and a faint trail of rosemary.

Out of all the witches this was the one I wanted to cover myself with the most, given the notes. Moss. Trees. Patchouli. Rosemary. Yes. Yes, please. From the bottle the perfume of the woods germinates into fruition: airy herbs, camphorous sap, loamy patchouli. I could not wait to slather it on. So I did. Top notes lift quickly upon the camphorous and mentholated tree sap and rosemary exhalations. Their green spirits hover about leaves and branches, grasses and needles. This is the scent of the Green Man dwelling in his wild spaces. As it wears the greenness of the leaves and sap fades into the darkness of the understory: cedar bark and soil and aged patchouli. I am over the moon with this scent. It makes me want to run through a forest with my brown and silver threaded curls waving like a banner behind me. 


Witches Stumble Home After A Crazy Night Out- Notes: Black vanilla with blonde tobacco, juniper-infused gin, champagne, green cognac absolute, wine grapes and cassis.

Wine spritzers and laughter bubble up from the glass bottle. Amethyst and peridot grape skins curl on the skin, their natural sweetness kept in check by effervescent gin and champagne. I am really enjoying the subtle fruitiness of this scent and the jubilant bubbling ginger ale that accompanies it. This has to be my New Year's Eve scent this year. The ginger ale moves fluidly into the green cognac while the grape skins begin to blend with vanilla tobacco. This is easily my favorite grape perfume ever. Cheers!


I don't have many plans today other than go to work. I took off the day yesterday to go to the dentist. My crown popped out at work (not even the tooth that was bothering me- that is another dentist appointment for closer to Christmas- yay). Scarlette is stage crew in a play for school tonight and most of the day tomorrow. Adam has something planned for us, but I am not sure what it is. I do know we will be picking out our Christmas tree this weekend and going to a football game. The Bucs, I think. I did ruin my birthday gift surprise. I was digging through the shed looking for Christmas decoration boxes to bring inside and put up and saw a compost bin. :-) Adam was mad, but I was thrilled. I cannot wait to start tumbling it and making my own compost. I think 39 will be good. If I can keep all my teeth in my head. 

5 comments:

  1. Happy belated Birthday!! <3 I hope your special day and weekend were great! <3
    Gorgeous photos, like always!!
    That Silky Drawers one sounds so unique- I think I may have to go purchase a sample. Wow!
    Trace Sigils in the Dirt sounds like perfection to me!

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    1. Thank you!!! It was VERY special. I had a nice weekend with my friends and family.

      Thank you! I had fun taking these pictures outside with my youngest. She helped light the smoke bombs and gave me set-up ideas and help.

      Silky Drawers is very unique. I like how it straddles that line between gourmand and incense. Definitely worth sampling. Sigils is my ultimate scent in this collection. I just adore all those notes and could wallow in them all day long. <3

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  2. Such perfume poetry! I feel like these reviews are little poems and stories. The link between a scent and our dreams and fantasies. It's my favorite thing about perfume.

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    1. Thank you! I enjoy getting lost in a scent. I love the way you put that... scent, dreams and fantasies. <3 I enjoy being transported to the past or to locales yet untraveled through the medium of perfume too.

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