Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Blood Moon Botanica: Perfume Oils

 Britton from Blood Moon Botanica was originally the perfumer and part owner of Haus of Gloi many moons ago. Since they struck out on their own I have been following along and supporting them as they released and dabbled in many different things, from flower essences and tinctures to skin care and body care and more. They recently picked back up perfumery in a big way and I have been here for it.


Huckleberry Mountain- Notes: Conifer accord, sun-touched huckleberries, forest foliage, dusty roads, wildfire smoke, and dried grasses. Sample for $5.50 or 6ml for $20

From the bottle the huckleberries ensnare the nose first, tart and juicy like a blueberry with a seed-like crunch. On the skin those purple and blue hued berries sidle along with raw nicotine. This could be the grasses and dusty road, but it very much brings to mind smokeless tobacco and the papery and peppery insides of unsmoked cigarettes. The starkness of it softens and the berries settle into the woods.


Samhain Night- Notes: Graveyard dirt, rustling autumn leaves, a bundle of protective herbs along with vetiver and spikenard.

Loamy soil and damp, crumbling leaf litter fecund with humus dwells in the bottle. On the skin the soil and damp grassy vetiver mix to create a swampy atmosphere. The dank fog obscures the rickety shack on the edge of the mire where cypress knees rise up like horns of long buried fiends. Glimmers of green gas flicker like will-o-the-wisps over the rippling black waters. Earthy, herbal, decaying and ambient. The scent settles down into frangible dead leaves and broken twigs and pillowy herbs. Meditative and haunting. Hey there, you have dirt under your nails. Whatever have you been up to?


Harvest Moon- Notes: Clean clear moon accord, golden pumpkin leaves, pumpkin pulp, dried yarrow, and a touch of honey.

Honeyed pumpkin flesh floats right out of the perfume bottle. On the skin it is limpid and golden, honeyed pumpkin fruit. There is a tang of bitterness from the yarrow and pumpkin leaves that creates wildness and lends a pungent air. The herbal aspects fade and and the honey lingers on, warm and dusky.


Witch- Notes: Black musk, beeswax candles, dried vanilla bean husk, soot, and lunar night blooming jasmine incense.

From the bottle unfolds a thin plume of blackened vanilla musk. Something is brewing up in there. On the skin a spell of musk, candle wax and joss sticks creates a veil of perfume. Milky vanilla curls around the perimeter and the whole thing smells of cloaks scented in potions and petitions from working magic. It is a spooky and wearable witchy scent that will be in heavy rotation.


Canyon Lands- Notes: Juniper needles and berries, poplar buds, sagebrush, and feral homestead lilacs, sandalwood, mitti attar, and pine oils finish it.

Right out of the sprayer it is breathtaking. Arid creosote breezes, dry crackling juniper and ozonic static electricity attract sandy dusty earth and pithy smells. The electricity dissipates and an almost uric note seeps in, reminding me of budding sweat and the sap of sage. It is certainly a spirit of place as the name suggests, abundant with desolate beauty.

I really enjoy these squatty yet petite bottle shapes with the tiny caps. They hold 6ml and have not leaked on me. Most of these scent wear close to the skin, creating a hovering aura of sillage. The longevity is on the shorter side on my skin, around 3-4 hours or so. I don't mind this at all as I like to apply different scents sometimes. Britton is gearing up for a spring perfume restock and will be including Moon Dew face serum (get it!!!!) and some body butters (get them!!!). I love their body butter formula, it is very silken and creamy rich. I plan on trying to pick up Frost Giants, Dreamy, and Ponderosa. I will also try and nab two deodorant/perfume oils in Vanilla Patchouli and Holy Forest. I enjoy using these for weekends or when I am not working and sometimes before bed. They keep my pits from being too pungent when I don't want to really wear a heavy hitter deodorant. The shop will open on the 16th. Follow them on IG for updates or sign up for their newsletter. They do a great job of mailing those newsletters out, which I appreciate. 

8 comments:

  1. Wishing them the same success that they had with their first perfume line a decade ago. Even though it was Britton's creation, I felt that she might not have had any leverage to be fairly compensated when ownership was transferred to their partner, but maybe that was not the case, and as you said, it was many moon ago. I would like to emulate some of Britton's resilience, trying out different things, she seems fearless and lets her heart lead. And of course she has a boatload of knowledge at this point so that gives her confidence. Maybe its a Portland thing, or millennial thing, maybe not, but my sense of that region is there is a strong self-employment culture. I'm keeping an eye out of the all natural products, in the same vein as the creations of Kings Road, which I miss.

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    1. I wish the same for Blood Moon Botanica too! I am happy that their new indie brand has been consistently been putting out amazing stuff and has been around for a while now. It makes me happy. I agree, it appears Britton did get the short end of the stick on that one since they had to leave in order to be mentally and emotionally healthy, it was almost a preservation move rather more than anything else from what they stated. And the resilience! Yes! That independent drive and fearlessness. Love it. Could even be an Aries thing! LOL! Maybe all three together makes for a dynamo trifecta of creative drive and confidence.

      I miss Kings Road Apothecary too. I have two or three body oils left from stocking up and use them sparingly. I was hoping Forest & Fjord would kind of slide into that spot, but she only ships and stocks periodically with the new baby and all. And it is mostly skin care (which I do need and is still very nice). I am all about those natural products too when they are an option. So great to talk with you!!!

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  2. Looks like we both have Holy Forest on our lists, I thought there might be a review here but it looks like it's a modified version on the Northwest blend she used to make that you reviewed. I also have Solstice Scents' Runestone on my someday list, but from what I remember about the Crumbling Crypt bath salts its based on, maybe that is more of a fall/winter scent. Although I think you and I can do our earthy scents year-round, ha.

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    1. Absolutely! I love using her oils as deodorants so much. Northwest was amazing. I do hope that Holy Forest is similar. I remember sampling Runestone, Scrying, and one other and two I loved but one I did not enjoy at all so I think I need to sample them again. Yes!!! earthy scents are always my thing, all year long!!! I miss those bath salts. Angela makes some incredible ones. I guess I will see you later on at the Blood Moon Botanica! Best of luck and enjoy your goodies!!

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    2. I know you were on the ball, has your order has arrived? I was a little late last weekend but I think it's en route. Glad Britton got so much support!

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    3. I AM SAD. For some reason I had in my phone calendar that the sale was around 6pm in the evening. By the time I got onto the website almost all the butters were gone. Only a Rose Velvet (?) one was left. So I got that, the two deodorant scents I wanted (Holy Forest and Vanilla Patch) and Ponderosa and a Moon Dew. My package says shipped four days ago but I looked and only the label was made so it is still sitting in Oregon. I think she is having some issues with things so it will come later than expected. I am so happy she got support too!! Did you order anything?? Did you GET THE BUTTERS?!?!?! LOL!

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    4. No butters for me! Maybe they will be back later this month with the soaps. I got a Luminous Glow and Holy Forest, definitely will have to get a Vanilla Patch later. I have a Patch & Copal deodorant by Humble I got at TJMaxx so I figured I would hold off even though I'm sure Britton's patchouli has more depth to it!

      I hope you have some positive news with the health insurance bills soon. I would have thought they would have charges broken out by day so it would be clear how to divide. Or your situation with coverage changing would be something they would have an existing way of handling, like dividing the total cost by the number of days. At least summer is on the way. ♥

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    5. Ah! I hope for a return of the butters too. Not sure how the perfuming and soap making will go with Britton expecting, sometimes scents can be really over powering and nausea inducing while pregnant. I think you will enjoy the Luminous Glow. I have used it mixed with the Moon Dew and used up a whole bottle and purchased a second for when my Forest & Fjord serum runs out. I haven't sniffed my Holy Forest or Vanilla Patch roll-ons yet. That deodorant sounds really nice! I love copal. So much.

      Thank you for the well wishes. Right now we are having our insurance agent handle the discrepancies at the moment and in the mean time making payments. Hoping it will get resolved in the next month or so. Amen to summer approaching! Nothing makes me happier! LOL! How have you been?

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