Friday, July 31, 2020

Ebb & Flow: July 2020

The highs and lows of the month.


Perfume:
Solstice Scents Lavender Vanilla

Perfume Oil:
Arcana Wildcraft The Huntress

Body Oil:
Blood Moon Botanica Coconut Silk

Soap:
Handmade in Florida Spa

Conditioner:
Future Primitive Bell, Book and Candle Conditioning Hair Rinse

Shampoo:
Future Primitive Shampoo Bar

Skin Care:
Forest & Fjord Deep Forest serum mixed with Blood Moon Botanica Moon Dew

Candle:
Bath and Body Works Rosemary Peppermint, love the way it smells, calming and elegant.

Wax:
Candles From The Keeping Room Strawberry Noel

Eating:
Israeli Bean Salad

Drinking:
Coffee, Water, Mango Tango iced tea

Awaiting:
Not much to anticipate right now.

Dreading:
Not knowing what/when/how the school year is going to look like. Feeling anxious for my students, my own kids and my fellow co-workers.

Hit:
Still loving the Wildroots natural deodorant.

Miss:
I miss my birds. I miss my wildflowers and vegetable garden.

Low:
One of my favorite coffee mugs was broken. Lots of menstrual pain. Just feeling kinda low in general. 

High:
Biking with the family in Key West. It was nice to snorkel and get out of the house for a bit and into nature. 

How did your July go? Are you looking forward to anything? If I was hard pressed I would say fall. Been melting lots of apple cinnamon around these parts. 

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Arcana Craves: New Honey Line, New Vanillas and New Strawberry

These perfumes were sent free from Julia as a gift. All opinions are my own.


Julia composed several new lovely perfumes for her Arcana Craves line in honor of the things we have all missed terribly during this pandemic. She also debuted a new Craves flanker in the form of honey. And Julia's iterations of honey are some of my very favorite. Her honey blends are never sour or gamey, syrupy or powdery. They flow along the lines of floral or heady, rich and sometimes tobacco-like. These range $18 each and there are some great deals and coupon codes going on too.


Honey Craves Festivals- Notes: Smoky dragonsblood and nag champa incense, dark honey, live music, green cannabis, spilled beer, bonfires, patchouli, soft earth, and laughter.
Uncapping this is a practice in self indulgence. At least for me. I get lusty whiffs of patchouli incense and I am here for it. Swiped onto the skin satiny incense sticks of spiced dragon's blood and carnation hued nag champa waft about in gray streaming clouds. A teasing thread of fresh sticky weed outlines the heart of the scent while that smokin' patchouli reveals itself through the haze of incense. The dry down is my favorite, a gauzy honeyed musk infused patchouli. The patch and soft earth go hand-in-hand and rest beautifully on the skin but eventually vanish leaving only the honey musk glow. If Honey Craves Festivals then I crave Honey Craves Festivals.

Honey Craves Paradise- Notes: Sugared mango, heady tiare blossoms, delicate honey, golden sand, and warm coconut scented body oil.
In the vial a swell of honeyed white blossoms rises up, they are moony with the essence of tropical gardenias and sweet like bananas. This dewy nectar wears like a silk sarong on the skin with a golden shoulder exposed and a creamy white flower tucked behind the ear. A honeyed sunset on Oahu with palm tree silhouettes and Billie Holiday's lyrical voice weaving through the coconut and jasmine scented air. Silken, narcotic and well, paradise.

Honey Craves Moonlit Paths- Notes: Night hiking in a deciduous forest under the moonlight. Beeswax absolute, forest floor, damp, decaying leaves, fragrant mosses, wild honey, sleeping trees, and a whiff of feral fur.
Kicking up drifts of browned damp leaves while hiking along a winding shadowy path, this is the mirage that unfurls from the bottle when the cap is unscrewed. This mirage unfolds onto the flesh when dappled upon it. Leafy trees, dusty bark and warm burrows spring up too. There is even a hint of a chilly nightwind that combs through the oaks then skims over a moonlit silvered brook. As the swollen moon skims across the icy sky a lonely lupine howl rises. The drydown smells of a cold stone den, gray wolf fur the dry leaves stuck to it. I love this perfume and the earthy wild romp it takes me on.



Honey Craves Coffee Shops- Notes: Roasting coffee beans, honey-drizzled cake, freshly baked vanilla cookies, soft, overstuffed chairs, and a hint of steamed milk.
This was the first one I sniffed when I opened up the delivery and I was knocked on my rump. A coffee junkie's delight. Creamy and frothy honeyed cinnamon lattes and a heady atmosphere that reminds me of Holy Terror for some reason, is it the honey? Beeswax? I don't know but it is like sitting in a dark cafe with heavy velvet drapes while slightly inappropriate indie flicks are playing silently on the wall. On the skin a cup of cafe con leche rests on a saucer with a sliver of almond biscotti and two honey sticks. The honey and coffee holds nuances of chewy tobacco and vanilla. The coffee feathers out to a smooth and mild honey and cream that continues to project as a glorious mild tobacco on my skin.

Honey Craves Ice Cream Parlors- Notes: Pistachio ice cream, honey ice cream, Madagascar vanilla gelato, and a chilled porcelain bowl.
Iced cherries dot three scoops of vanilla bean studded gelato. Freshly drizzled on the wrists I initially get a suggestion of sweet dark tobacco, must be the cherry vanilla flavors. As it melts into the skin honey slowly warms the scent up and the cherry vanilla richness twists into that pistachio ice cream but yes, there is still a tiny round ruby cherry on top. 

Honey Craves Theater- Notes: Golden vetiver, floral honey, sakura blossoms, rare orchids, white amber, pearl musk, a glass of chilled chardonnay, and a hint of leather.
Liquid flowers and dank vetiver emerge from the perfume bottle. Wet in the crook of my elbow spry cherry blossoms pair with edgy dark vetiver with its damp grassy aroma. Starched white amber, crisp like an oxford collar, begins to pull up through the sakura and the vetiver slips away. A touch of leather and drop of honey joins the act with the amber. 


Vanilla Craves Mermaid Shoals- Notes: A gourmand aquatic fantasy. Warm, musky neroli, lemon biscotti, bright tangerine, sunlight glittering on blue water, vanilla, sea foam, briny seaweed absolute, and scattered rose petal incense.
I swear when this was fresh from the mail I picked up a tiny ocean in the bottle. Now that some days have passed I mostly scent a lemony vanilla neroli bouquet. On the skin a balmy neroli blooms, surrounded by vanilla orchids, sweet and round. The ghost of Sand in Your Tail hovers in the back of my mind when I sniff it, but the vanilla in this particular perfume stands out. After several minutes of wear the undulating brackish greenery of seaweed slinks around the peripheral of the aroma. But I only catch fleeting glimpses of it out of the corner of my nose, the vanilla and neroli remain out in the open sunning themselves on the rocks. As it fades the perfume of lacy vanilla incense remains.

Vanilla Craves Grind Shows- Notes: Vanilla-laced cotton candy, deep fried funnel cakes encrusted with powdered sugar, salty peanuts, kettle corn, and caramel covered apples.
Sugary cotton candy as cheerful as strings of colored twinkling lights beckoning for a closer peep, salty treats hum with flavor like neon lights buzzing in the night and a raucous excitement that bites firmly into the spirit, crisp like an apple. Painted onto the skin the jolly pink apples and salted peanuts make a festive trail mix with a handful of brightly colored candied popcorn tossed in. It is that candied popcorn that sticks to the hands with its subtle fruity flavoring and joyful crunch that lingers after initial application. This is the snack before the show that amps the energy and gets the bones dancing. The popcorn crunch morphs into an illusion of bakery that begins to sweeten with vanilla icing, a build up to the finale of the show.`


Peaches Crave the Movies- Notes: Torn ticket stubs, peach gummy worms, cherry licorice whips, red velvet drapes, buttery popcorn, and smashed candy on the floor.
Crisp popcorn, peachy flavored lipgloss and murky leather shadows playfully tickle the nose when sniffed from the glass. There is naughtiness afoot in the dark of the movie theater. Wet on the skin the peach and popcorn are giddy with youth and mischief. The heart does expand into those peach gummy rings, almost plastic in their elasticity, while the old fashioned waxed paper buckets that hold the bounty of buttery popcorn come into play as well. As it dries down a pithy peach musk settles down to enjoy the film. 


Strawberries Crave Sunlit Paths- Notes: Sugary red strawberries with Arcana's Her Forest (forest moss, green lichens, fir tips, Bourbon vetiver, black oudh, and forest floor).
I must preface this by first saying that Her Forest is in my Arcana Top 10. This is my past review of Her Forest:
The notes on this one. They all speak to me. Sniffing gently from the vial the fir tips tumble out and scatter while notes of damp humus and grassy vetiver tease out between the evergreen tufts. Dappled onto the skin like sun through the leaves, the forest floor awakens and shakes itself from the winter slumber. The brackish leaves rustle like scales on a great beast, tannic and loamy. As the hide shivers and stirs the trees tremble and drop their needles and greenery in a waterfall of foliage. Papery skinned lichens and the dry curled tresses of moss float like confetti in the energized air, taking an indiscriminate path down to the earth. They possess a dried grass quality that hints at earthen romps in childhood. Her Forest burrows down into a gorgeous midnight oudh with a sweet resinous foundation. This has my heart.
Tart wild strawberries lie like so many chips of rubies on the forest floor when sniffing from the bottle and the beauty of Her Forest germinates anew. Brushed onto the wrists the strawberries and evergreen needles sparkle with dewy sweetness and verve. It smells like a holiday on the skin. It brings to mind Skookum just briefly. I had that one but ended up passing it on to my sister because I knew she would love it. Strawberries Crave Sunlit Paths sits more companionably on my flesh. It has a juicy ripeness to it amid the wooded charms. I now am teased with all the Her Forest variations I could imagine: Lavender Craves Forests, Vanilla Craves Enchanted Woods, Patchouli Craves Deer Trails. Filthy Vikings Raid the Woods. Holy Terror Haunts the Copse. I want it all. Just add Her Forest to everything.

I am overjoyed that Julia is crafting more Craves goodies. She generously offered a free full sized bottle of any scent up the release. You had to be the in Arcana Addicts Facebook group (which I highly recommend joining). Julia is very generous and kind. She also has a special for EMTs and first responders if you send her a message. Some of these scents are out of stock but WILL be restocked very soon. There is also a buy 3 get one free offer code (DAYDREAM) that will be on going for a good while. 

I am giving away four of these scents: Honey Craves Theater, Honey Craves Ice Cream Parlors, Honey Craves Paradise, and Peaches Crave the Movies. If you would like to win these beauties please comment below with what single note you are currently enjoying tremendously right now or what candle you are enjoying currently. I will randomly draw a winner over the weekend.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Candles From The Keeping Room: July Opening


Heeeeeey there good lookin'. I know I said I was trying to cut back on the whole summer wax buying thing and well, I do think I did ok overall. But you know when Carol opens up for some orders it is mighty hard to resist. I scanned her scent list and saw all those apples and felt kinda swoony. With all the afternoon thunderstorms we have been getting here lately it has brought a fall feeling to my soul. I find myself daydreaming of tiny orange pumpkins and goofy ghosts and cinnamon sprinkled into everything. I ordered. Wanna see?

Here is my most recent Candles From the Keeping Room order:

Fresh Blackberry Salt Water Marshmallow Taffy- I have tried and enjoyed Carol's Salt Water Taffy in a blend or two so when I saw this I thought I would pop it in for some last minute summer melting. The blackberry here is tart and zingy, which does bring freshness to mind. No syrups or jams here. No florals either. A nice robust blackberry with a tinge of redness still lingering on some of the druplets. The blackberries are softly sweetened with the taffy and marshmallow but on cold this lingers gently in the background. Looking forward to melting this!

Bayberry Black Forest- This one is new to me as well and will be wonderful to scent the house in winter. This smells like a classic bayberry scent: green, Christmasy, with a touch of eucalyptus and pine. 

Strawberry Salt Water Marshmallow Taffy- Like I would let this slip by? Juicy pink strawberries and melty sweet marshmallow taffy, a candied indulgence indeed.


Golden Spongecake- Another newbie that popped into my cart. This one is going to melt beautifully. A wonderful vanilla bakery scent that is heavy on the vanilla sugar with the depth of caramel all atop a dense cake. This does have a fresh baked moistness to it. No crunchy cookies here. No bready thickness. Just a beautifully rendered vanilla spongecake. 

Lavender Marshmallow- I recently burned a Bath & Body Works Lavender Marshmallow candle and quite enjoyed it. This tart is similar but more along the lines of their lavender vanilla scent. 

Ultimate Vanilla- I feel head over heels in love with this scent earlier in the year. I absolutely refused to melt any until I managed to grab another bag. This is vanilla to the 10th power. Vanilla extract, vanilla creme, vanilla bean pods and vanilla syrup gracing vanilla sugar cookies. 


Sweet Cinnamon Cake- I love these adorable cinnamon roll shapes! They look so real. This one I already melted a chunk of out of curiosity and well, it was dark and rainy and cinnamon always beckons to me then. This did not disappoint. It melted strong in the kitchen with the aroma of sugared cinnamon sweet bread. This read more like a homemade French toast rather than cake but was delicious nonetheless. 

Powdered Donuts- I am not sure why I have not tried this before. It is yummy! These remind me of the "hot now" sugar glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts my mouth waters for. There is a definite sugar note here along with the fluffy cake goodness. 

Sugar Cookie Latte- An old favorite and hands-down the best coffee scent out there for me in home fragrance. Every other coffee is puppy toes and Doritos to my nose. But this.... this is magic. There is still a faint roasted coffee bitterness but it is tempered by the robust sugar cookie and I love it. And that coffee bean?! Check him out!


I know... you heard about these apples and are giving me the side-eye... they are coming. I promise...

Cinnamon Pumpkin Coffee Cake- I think this was a sample I had. I needed more. Cinnamon strudel studded vanilla coffee cake with pumpkin puree mixed in the batter? I need to make this at home. To eat. But until then I will be melting this instead. It is heavenly if you like your pumpkins spiced and with cake. 

Primitive Wishes-  This is a throwback for me. I used to melt this all the time in fall and winter. I missed having it around. It's a funny little slice of nostalgia and very unique among scents. It is like eating vanilla frosted Christmas cookies while on a sleigh ride through the pine and spruce woods of Narnia. Well ok, maybe nostalgic in my head. I always felt like Mrs. Beaver probably made some mean vanilla Christmas cookies.

Coffee Cake and Spice- I think this might be new to me as well, but I try to pick up any scent with "spice" or "coffee cake" or "cinnamon" in the name so who knows at this point? This is perfect. It reminds me of Amish Quilt but with vanilla cake in it too. Mmmm. Simple comfort.


APPLES!!!

Home Made Apple Pie- This is heavier on the spice than the next apple pie, it is also sweeter too. You can smell the syrup of the apple glaze filling and it is quite frankly, divine. The apples are prominent, plump and toothsome when one of those pale cinnamon speckled crescents is plucked from under the lattice. Holy moly this is causing quite the late night craving.

Toffee Apple Crunch- This is a classic old school scent that I missed having on hand. It used to get blended with everything back in the day. This is a deceptively simple caramel apple. Not too much sugary caramel and not too much mac apple, but a wonderful mixture that balances each other wonderfully. 

Hot Apple Pie- This apple pie is yummy too, The spice is more dry and the sweetness is tamed. I feel like a get a little crust and perhaps some a la mode action too. The apples are still there but not in the forefront as much as in Home Made Apple Pie. This is more about the pie. It is still dang good too. 


Apple Cobbler Delight- This is a forever favorite along with the one below. Apple Cobbler Delight is a sweet candied apple treat. Quiet on the spice and more about being a tasty sugary apple treat. 

Apple Dumpling- Apple Dumpling is all about those cinnamon marinated apples. And will you check out those adorable dumplings?!?! How am I going to melt these? Apple Dumpling is more spicer than the Home Made Apple Pie, but still sweet along those lines. 

Apple Fritter- This is the one if you like a heavier bakery with your softly spiced apple. Definitely some flakey pastry layers with this one, perhaps even a touch of corn meal. This would be a nice Thanksgiving melt. 

Ok so in order of heaviest cinnamon to none: Apple Dumpling, Home Made Apple Pie, Hot Apple Pie (some crust), Apple Cobbler Delight, Apple Fritter (lots of crust), Toffee Apple Crunch (no spice/no crust). And now all I want to do is melt apple cinnamon scents. I should try to do a run down of all the apple cinnamon scents I have on hand. My nostrils would be singed by the end probably. Paralyzed like cilia. But I would have my aromatherapy for the day.


Free samples!

I am excited about the autumnal scents creeping into the samples. As usual, Carol was very generous in the gifting. 

Cherry Vanilla Birthday Cake is a soft airy cake with light cherry tones.

Unicorn Sprinkles is a tart fruity musk. I get currants from this.

Huckleberry Pizzelle reminds em of how much I miss the pizzelle blends. A creamy vanilla cookie with bits of sweet blueberry and grape-like fruits embedded. 

Cookie Snacks is delish. Vanilla and caramel cookies with the faintest hint of tonka.

Strawberry Pound Cake type is a great match for the Bath & Body Works version. I recently burned this candle while on vacation and this tart aligns with the sweet and creamy strawberry vanilla of the candle.


Gooseberry Pie smells of tangy grapes and perhaps a touch of citrus or peach. I would drink this up.

Welcome Home is lovely. Vanilla and honeyed apples and soft spice. There is an element of Leaves and a hint of sweet musk in this one that sets it apart. 

Honey Apple is a bowl of Honeycrisp apples thinly sliced and drizzled with honey and lemon juice and garnished with one apple blossom.

Apple Brown Sugar is similar to Toffee Apple Crunch but sweeter and less gooey.

Autumn Leaves type is a fragrant blend of fall foliage, cool breezes and amber musk. Looking forward to melting this one in my bedroom. 

Pumpkin Ginger and Apple is a wonderfully perky fall scent. The pumpkins and apples are field fresh and shinning with that morning's dew. There are also bundles of cinnamon brooms being sold on the cart and the crunch of fall leaves beneath boots of the market goers. 


Spearmint Cake is heaven. Crisp and refreshing spearmint with mellow vanilla tones to make it dreamy.

Tricks for Treats is fun! Normally the whole generic bag of Halloween candy hits my nose wrong, like one too many Tootsie Rolls. But here is it perfect. It is like recalling from memory the feeling of looking into that clean pillow case at your sweet wax paper wrapped treats. There is a touch of the linen, a hint of paper wrappings and underneath that candy bag mix but in just the right measure. Impressed.

Campfire Treats is a wonderful smoky sweet delight. The dessert aspect is kept in the distance while the focus is more on the charred wood fire and the gentle haze of smoke that surrounds the gathering.

Apple Vanilla Clove Butter is a beautiful blend. The sweet strength of the Apple Clove Butter is lifted by the vanilla into a lush dessert.

Pumpkin Souffle is a rich pumpkin and spice dish. If you had covered the label and had me sniff I would have guessed it was pumpkin zucchini bread with a dash of salt.

Pumpkin and Pine is right up my alley. Sweet mellow pumpkins and plush pine needles. Like visiting a pumpkin patch in the Smoky mountains.


Blueberry Maple Pancakes is a robust blueberry scent. I like it.

Grape Airheads type surprised me. I must have missed this one from Bath & Body Works. Well, this does smell just like grape Airheads. It is sour and tart and sweet with purple grape candy essence.

Spiced Autumn Wreath is one I would gravitate towards. It smells like a twined grapevine wreath, there is a soft hay and straw scent that reminds me of those naked curling vines. The wreath is studded with tiny cinnamon pinecones and dried apple slices. 

Spiced Autumn Wreath, Cookie Snacks, Pumpkin and Pine, Apple Clove Vanilla Butter, Pumpkin and Apple Ginger, Campfire Teats,  Spearmint Cake, Tricks for Treats, and Welcome Home are all ones I would happily hunt down next opening if I can. I think Carol mentioned a September opening yesterday morning. I will probably try to collect a few more autumn scents. 

Are you ready for fall? What are you most looking forward to?

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

My Current Perfume Collection: 2020


I have been wanting to do a perfume collection update since my last one a few years back. My love of perfume oils has grown exponentially and my mainstream and niche perfume preferences have shrunk so my fragrance curation does look different. What better time to take everything out and play then summer break during an epidemic? Either that or sit around and chew my nails over what the coming school year will look like...

I figured I would start with where I keep my goods. The majority is kept in this old entertainment center turned Julie storage. Yes, the top shelf is bowing under the duress of ridiculous possessions. But it is a dark and cool place and they say that is best for the liquid happiness, I mean, perfume.


The top shelf houses my Solstice Scents EDPs, hand soaps, some candles, lots of elixirs and tinctures, body oils and my two favorite collections of oils (Arcana's deer and Nocturne Alchemy's Tarrie cats). 


The bottom is where I store the rest of my EDPs, the majority of my oils and my backup scents and samples. Also coin jar, rings and random things.


I display the scents I wear most often and seasonally on the wall. Right now it is full of staples (vanilla, amber, patch, woods, lavender) and summery fruits, greens and herbals. In about a month or so I will replace the fruits and herbs with pumpkins and apples. I am pretty much happy with my organization. I can usually find what I want and I feel like my smellies are well taken care of. The majority of my perfumes I paid for but some have been given to me for free. Some have been swapped to me. Some have been purchased used. I am one of those reckless fragrance heads who does something called BLIND BUYING. I purchase full bottles of perfume without even sniffing them first. Can you believe it?! I would say about 4 out of 5 times I am perfectly happy with the choice. The times when I am not I simply gift them away. I don't recall having ever sold a single perfume. I figure that I have been blessed enough to have them that I can share them too. It also helps that I feel like I have a very accepting nose.

Ok. We are about to dive into what I have. I tried to keep it organized by house as much as possible. I will list the scents and some thoughts about them and the house in general. But please don't expect anything rational like alphabetical order. Are you comfy? Did you pour a cuppa? Light a candle? Put on some music? At the very least some lounge pants? This is going to be a long one. Ok. 


Three Ravens Company: Grue Church Fire
- Sampled many scents from here, but only held onto this one.

Possets: Midnight Mass at Old Saint Mary's
- I always feel a desire to explore this house more. I'll take any recs you may have.

Hexennacht: Laudanum
- A popular house but not one I have really dug into.

La Abeja Herbs: Pinon Pine
- I won't be ordering from La Abeja again. It smells good but way over priced.

B. Perry Studios: Smoky Quartz
- I don't think I have taken the time to really try this one. It was leaking when I got it so I tucked it away meaning to clean it up.

Obscurus: Lovelorn Spirit
- I really like the mineral water and cool pebble scent of this one.

Violette Market: Gypsy Thread
- Totally bummed I missed out on buying from this house. I remember browsing their catalogue several years ago when I was first dipping my toe into oils and they had all these delicious carnival scents but I ended up trying Solstice Scents first, then they closed. So I will treasure this gift from a friend. 

Villainess: Effluvia
- Gifted from a friend. Smells divine. Love the bottle. Need more.

For Strange Women: Winter Kitty x 2
                                    November in the Temperate Deciduous Forest
- Will probably explore more. I had purchased some samples a while back. They are a touch spendy but nicely done.

Moonalisa: An old bottle of some type of amber incense gifted by a friend. It is so lush. 
                    Strega
                    Hearth
                    Broom Brittle
                    Moonlit Garden
                    Women of Orion
- Blew through a bottle of aged Salome. Got compliments all the time. Need to replenish it. I like Moona's frankincense and ambers.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Dorian
                                                Pumpkin Musk and Black Oud
                                                Svarta Fonix Bokaflod
- BPAL is very popular but I only have a few from here. Love Dorian. I will have three more coming from them soon- TKO, something about a demon bat and some spicy patch scent. I tend to get overwhelmed by their scent catalogue. I keep my eye out for Buck Moon and Revenant Rhythm, but who doesn't?

Astrid Perfume: Merci 140
                            Shell & Scarab - This one is beautiful.
                            Dust & Topaz

Verdant Faerie: Butterfly - My "let's calm yourself down" scent. Cool and minty and ethereal.
                        Undine
                        Bottled copal resin - Doreen went to Belize and harvested some copal and sent it to me.
- I have big plans to pick up Dryad soon. And I will be reviewing Undine in the near future.


Some unknown experimental scent that I think is from Alkemia and it is sweet and smoky and bliss.
- I sampled a ton of Alkemia. I need to go back and choose one to buy. Do you have any favs?

Blood Moon Botanica: Lavender Amber
                                        Summer Dreams Conceived in Winter Days
                                        Dark Winter Amber - Divine amber, thick and snuggly.
                                        Coconut Silk
                                        Western Red Cedar - Arid turpentines in the best possible way.
                                        Confier Gold
                                        The Fool
                                        The Magician
                                        High Priestess
- I really enjoy Britton's work. She crafts beautiful natural fragrances. She began working on a perfume line derived from the major arcana of tarot and I plan on collecting them. I should probably feature them soon.

Aftelier: Rosemary
                Frankincense
                Aged Frankincense
                Aged Patchouli
                Lavender
                Fir
- These are the perfumer's oils from Mandy. I like to use them to make my own linen sprays and sleep scents. Her aged patchouli is dreamy.


Sixteen92: Baker Street EDP
                The Bottling Room EDP
                Supercell
                Liber Officiorum Spirituum - Mysterious books and unearthly sugary snacks.
                Black Sugar
                Les Tables Parlantes
                Hellebore
                Death By Stereo
                E Lucevan Le Stelle 
                The Golden Age
                The Witching Hour
                Dr. Van Helsing
                Lycanthrope
                Ultima Thule
                One Good Scare
                Penny Dreadful
                Bell Witch
- I enjoy Sixteen92. Being a part of The Circle last year confirmed this. I love the way Claire crafts stony, cool, and atmospheric scents. She has a deft hand at gauzy florals and chilled steel, moody earth and smoky leather. I particularly love Liber Officiorum Spirituum. I do find she has a classic white fog musk that tends to weave in certain scent profiles. I find her gourmands to be almond leaning. I have a handful of Resurrection scents from January that I am waiting on still. I cannot wait to get them. When I went to Salem I packed a lot of goodies from her house and it was the right choice.

Whisper Sisters: Brigid 
                            Strega
                            Black Lung
                            Patchouli Clove
                            Frankincense Dark Cedar x 2- Almost as good as Britton's Red Cedar. 
                            Cupid
                            Be Mine
                            Banchouli
- I really enjoy the affordability of Darla's perfumes. For my nose she does spiced patchouli scents extremely well, especially clove. I did branch out once to a variety of other genres from Whisper Sisters but they did not go over too well on my skin. I also like the rollerball format. I tend to use these up fast. 


Solstice Scents: Lavender Vanilla Glace'
                          Lavender Vanilla EDP
                          Foxcroft EDP- Fall in a glass bottle.
                          Headmaster EDP
                         Flintlock EDP
                         Wolf Spirit EDP
                         Night Watcher EDP
                         Manor EDP- Halfway drained. My easy pick that always feels right.
                         Guardian EDP- Nature's Shalimar
                         Hidden Lodge EDP x 2
                         Black Forest EDP- The newest addition. To be reviewed (again) soon.
                        Vanilla Pipe Tobacco EDP
                          Conjure
                          Pinyon Truffle- One of the few chocolate scents I crave. The pine in it is heaven.
                          Butter Rum Mallow
                         Basilica
                         Gibbon's Boarding School
- I am a huge fan of Angela's EDP perfumes. I love the sillage and longevity and warmth. I tend to gravitate towards Angela's woods, vanilla, amber, incense, and forest laden scents. I do like some of the sweet gourmands I have sampled here and there but I have White Feather and Estate Vanilla on my radar to sample next. 


Nocturne Alchemy: I have a gross of Nocturne Alchemy. One hundred and forty-four bottles of aromatherapy to inhale. I am going to try to break these down according to category. 

Studio Limited: Moonstone x 2, Santalum, Pyramid Santalum, Tibetan Crystalline, Ember (this is a billion times better when aged very well), Nokturne: Ember Resurrected, Bastet Musk, Osirian Purnima Set, Osirian Purnima Pakhet, Osirian Purnima Maahes, Myrrh Ombre #3, Santal Ombre #5, Oud Ombre #23 x 2, Bloodstone Dark, Diamond Dark, Crystalline Dark, Crystal Dark

Permanent Collection: Eternal Tut Ankh Amun, VApothecary Gothic, Pharaohs & Queens Smenkhare and Ozymandias, Royal Amber Bastet Amber and Sky Amber, The Library Dracula, All Hallows' Eve Halloween 2017

Collaborations: Firelion, Polychrome, Mists of Arcacia, PZB: Ghost

Limited: Anubis Oudh Iconic, ICONS III: Copal, Incense Pumpkin (kickstarter), Vanilla Pumpkin (kickstarter), Blue Vanille, Holger, Khyah, Tarrie Cat #1, Tarrie Cat #2, Tarrie Cat #3 x 2, Tarrie Cat #5, Santalum 11, Horus Haven #5, Vanilla Black Patchouli, Santalum and Cardamom x 2, 1922 x 2, Cream Soda Crane, Amber Beetle, White Amber Beetle, Coconut Cockatoo, Hallowcats, V by Thoth, Cardamom Chai Sandalwood x 2, Sam Sugar Glider, Bastet's Ice Cream Original x 2, Bastet's Ice Cream: Wisteria Petal Creme, Bastet's Ice Cream: Halloween Spice Cake Santalum Creme, Witchypoo, Dracs, Swampy, Skelekin, Vampire Cardamom Bat, Sienna Bat, Halcyon Bat x 2, Scarlet Bat x 2, Amethystine Bat, Halloween Evening, Halloween 2020, Pumpkin Library 2, Pumpkin Library 15 x 2, Pumpkin Library 4, Pumpkin Library 30, Halloween Dreams, The Mummy Returns, All The Strange Things, The High Priestess, The Symbol, Holy Grail, My Valentine, The Day Dream, Egypt I, Witches and Black Cats, Pyewacket Cat, Blue Chakra, Red Chakra, Tyrannosaurus x 3, Dimetrodon, Utahraptor, Velociraptor, Maiasaura, Pteranodon, Cryolophosaurus, Camarasaurus x 2, Deinonychus, Iguanodon, Pachycephalosaurus, Plesiosaurus, Holiday Rex, Candied Patchouli, Candied Moonstone, Guidance, Protection, Strength, Dream Walking, Crystalline Holiday Spice Cake x 2, Santalum Holiday Spice Cake x 2, Alchemist Bazaar x 2, Spice Bazaar, Evening Bazaar, Bastet's Amber Vanilla, Vanilla Copal, Pink Sugar Patchouli Cotton Candy Sweater, Ammonite II, Sandalwood Copal, EA Blue, EA Green, EA Orange, Incense Chai, Crystalline Chai, Night-time Slumber Cat, Afternoon Tea Cat, Midnight Bunny, Private Universe, Moon Dust Kashmir, EA Summer, Imsety, Egyptian Gold Vanilla and Sandalwood

eNVie: Saphir, Bleu Saphir

- I am a sucker for NA's sweet spices, especially cinnamon and cardamom. I also adore their vanillas, especially Moonstone, Crystalline and Spooktacular (which I need to buy another bottle of since I used mine all up). I find I gravitate towards their candied patchouli scents (hence all the bats) and their limestone amber (hence all the dinosaurs). I feel like NA does many things well: lavender, sandalwood, copal, oud, and moody deep accords. Sweet roses (Polychrome, Evening Bazaar, and Imsety) and these strange green musks (Pyewacket Cat, Swampy, Witchypoo, Witches and Black Cats) are alluring to me as well. I feel like I have a handle on what notes I know will work for me. I had owned almost all the EA colors but gave away or swapped the majority. I ended up sticking with EA Blue as my top favorite. They recently moved and reopened. I picked up one more dinosaur and a backup of EA Blue. I look forward to each release and usually end up picking up two or three from the bounty that is served up. I also want to mention their eNVie branch which is high-end. Beautiful, beautiful perfumes that I would love to be able to explore more of in the future. Nocturne Alchemy is a larger artisan house with many perfumers and a robust collection that is usually revolving for the seasonal offerings and stable for the general catalogue. They normally are open and the customer service is excellent. I feel like their perfumes are always made from high quality ingredients and crafted thoughtfully.


Arcana Wildcraft: Ninety-six bottles of beauty. Arcana was and is my first true love as an artisan perfume oil house. Julia has since separated her house into Arcana Wildcraft and Arcana Craves branches/lines. Most of my collection is from Arcana Wildcraft.

Trees, Marshmallow, Cake Lust, Anodyne, Haint x 2, Filthy Viking x 2, Cottage Witch, Forest Witch, Hedge Witch, Garden Witch, Hexen Moon, Sea Wolf, Yurt, Sleepy Hallow, Tinderbox, Cottage in a Clearing, Leaving Falling Like Rain, Venus Callipyge, Raven Rock, Vatican Archives, The Huntress, Herne, Mustardseed, Oberon, Cobweb, Moth, Puck, Jack for a lover, Her coal-black hair, Eyes under eyelids did so gleam, Undead Gentleman x 2, Quick Bright Things, Two Finger Ballet, Quim, Holy Terror, Quelle Horreur!, Twirling the Pearl x 2, Bonfires at Dusk, Devilish, Mad Monk, The Bone Mother, Sabbath Eve, Mars Exalted: Courage, Venus Exalted: Tenderness, Cunning Folk, Timberline, Terrible Enchantment, Love Her Love Her Love Her, x 2 Estella, Dirty Nog, Hotboxing in the Gingerbread House, Krampus Nacht, Krampus Cones, Marshmallows Burn Down the Yule Tree, Merrywidow, Bullet Bra, Peignoir, The Kraken, Guy Fawkes, Ursa Minor, Witches Wear Big Black Stompy Boots, Witches Drawn Down the Moon, Witches Cavort with Cupcakes, Witches Cast Love Spells, Witches Trace Sigils in the Dirt, Witches Stumble Home After a Crazy Night Out, Witches Want Chocolate and Terror, Celestite, This is Not Canada, Her Tribe, Her Forest, Her Antlers, Her Fawn, Her Sky, Her Crown, Her Shaman, Star Dark, Death in the Afternoon, Mongolian Death Worm, Tammany Hall, Waterfall, Rose Petal Blunt, Chillum

Arcanan Craves: Pumpkins Crave Terror, Pumpkins Crave Trees, Pumpkins Crave Quietude, Pumpkins Crave Nog, Apples Crave Resins, Strawberries Crave Waterfalls

- Julia is an amazing perfumer. She also gives incredible customer service. She is usually open for business and possesses a wonderfully curated general catalogue with seasonal releases that contain old favorites with a few new creations thrown in. I find her collection to be large enough for variety but not overwhelming. For my nose she does the very best pine/fir/spruce/evergreen/cedar/woods out there. Hands down. She is also a deft hand at vanilla, smoke, lavender, herbs, gardenia, jasmine, amber, patchouli, and gourmands. Her gingers are the snappiest. Her junipers the snazziest. Her tobacco the snuggliest. My very favorite scent from her is Filthy Viking. I have blown through 10ml so far and have half a 10ml left and one 5ml backup. I wear this when I am sick, when I am happy, when I am stressed, when I need clarity. Before bed. Before walks. I am already a mint sucker and a fir sucker so this is perfection to me. Holy Terror and Haint are also forever favorites that will be worn with happiness. Julia's Deer Collection is probably by far my most favorite release. Every scent in it is lush and breathtaking.


My mainstream and niche collection has dwindled considerably. I have used some and gifted some. These left over are ones I enjoy the most or are sentimental. The solids are not mainstream or niche but I added them here.

Tocca Collette, Chanel No. 5 (my great aunt's), Chanel Coromandel (New York City trip with sisters), Le Labo Gaiac 10 (Tokyo trip), L'Artisan Caligna (Adam's favorite), L'Artisan Vanille Absolument, Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri, Dasein Winter (my favorite from my Olfactif days), Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero, Wild Bee Soap Co Sorrow and Twilight solid perfumes

- I need to review these solid perfumes soon. They smell amazing. My mom picked them up off Etsy. 


Serge Lutens: One of my very first niche houses and still my favorite.

Full Bottles: Muscs Koublai Khan, Chergui, Fille en Aiguilles, Fleurs d'Oranger, L'orpheline, Un Bois Vanille

Minitures (5ml): Fleurs d'Oranger x 2, L'orpheline, Nuit de Cellophane, Ambre Sultan, L'eau de Prille, La Religieuse, Clair de Musc, Feminite du Bois,Jeux de Peau

- I adore all of these scents and I do keep an eye out for Five o'clock au Gingembre and Fille de Berlin to join the collection one day. 


Sonoma Scent Studio: Laurie was a perfumer that had my heart and nose as well. She has since retired and sold her business to another who keeps the formulas and perfumes in production. 

Full bottles: Tabac Aurea x 2, Equestrian, Winter Woods, Incense Pure, Sienna Musk, Fireside Intense, Champagne du Bois

Travel Sprays: Lieu du Reves, Yin & Ylang, Pacific Forest, Wood Violet, Ambre Noir x 2, Forest Walk

- I want to use these instead of hoarding them now that I know they can be made again. These need to be dusted off.


Olympic Orchids: Woodcut
- I am head over heels for this one. And I have many more fragrances from this house that I wish to pick up (I should do it soon since Ellen is having her yearly 20% off sale). Cafe V and her bat scent are two on my mind.

Wylde Ivy: Autumn Twilight
                The Green Lady
                Day of the Sugar Skull
- I love the easy wearability of WI perfumes. They are sweet and cozy, like wearing a cotton candy cloud. I desperately need to pick up Ashley's lavender scents.


My small pile of samples. May sound strange but I rarely sample. And when they come into my hand I am quick to either wear them up or gift them out. The only house I make a point to sample is either a new to me house or Solstice Scents when I am scouting out a new EDP. 


So here it is. All my perfume. I am only missing my tiny Poison bottle and my two 5ml Tauer perfumes. My collection is an ebbing and flowing thing. Scents are used, swapped or gifted and others trickle in here and there. I am on a 3-4 perfume bottle limit per month now but I have skipped a few months during quarantine and only recently bought three from BPAL and two from Nocturne Alchemy so I think I am doing fine. I still will pick up more here and there but I am mostly focusing on enjoying what I do have. I probably still have several dozens of scents I have not reviewed and I would like to get around to that. Just to keep my imagination and writing going. I know my reviews aren't always helpful (or at least that is what I read the other day in a perfume discussion) but I mostly do it for the challenge of describing scent. It is my hobby and it makes me happy.

Do we have any overlap in our collections? What perfume houses make up the most of yours? 

Some houses I would like to explore more of: Carnival Wax, House of Orpheus, Zoology.

What about you?