Arcana Wildcraft: Nectar and Crossing

 Julia sent these perfumes as a gift.

Julia at Arcana Wildcraft released these two perfumes as a fundraiser for Ukraine under the collection Pax, proceeds donated to help refugees from the war. 

Crossing- Notes: The soft earth of home, a swath of incense-infused linen, unsweetened violets, dark stones, freesia, purple iris ocean tides, rich olibanum resin, a whisper of leather, and ultra sheer patchouli. $26

In the bottle it smells like crossing a brook in the springtime. Tender green and purple violets spring underfoot at the edge of the water, icy cool pebbles shimmer in bronze and silver, carelessly tossed like coins, embraced by the mud and silt. The water undulates, pulses, and rushes past carrying leaves, petals, and silvers of silver minnows. Fresh. Cleansing. Calming. On the skin this is an exquisite iris perfume. Julia truly outdid herself on this one. The hazy iris and gauzy incense flutter around the soil stained hem of Mother Nature's gown. If dryads dwelled in secret hollows where creeks thread and iris and violet dance under oaken canopies then this is what they smell of. The leather and frankincense resin elevate this scent from being purely earthen to ethereal as well. As it transitions along its journey the leather and iris entwine effortlessly, it is floral and subdued, delicate and ghostly. I feel like a vintage starlet wearing this. Don't sleep on this one. It is absolutely stunning.

Nectar- Notes: Ripe, plump blackberries and creme de cassis with sheer summery georgette, cold swirls of vanilla ice cream, a tuft of tender lambswool, and a field of softly blooming sunflowers on a nearby hillside. $26

Holy crow. This one is divine straight from the bottle. Julia was NOT playing around with those blackberries. They are intense. Sweet, fruity, deep and dark. They are fresh-picked, macerated with sugar, jammy with nectar and ready to spoon onto a mound of custardy ice cream. Wet on the skin the blackberries do not disappoint. They are just as plump and lush out of the bottle and graced on the flesh. The black currants lend a tart bite to the tail end of the sugary berry that adds a dimension of hyper realism. There are other nuances to the blackberries but this is definitely a situation where the sum is more than the parts. There is a hint of creaminess, a touch of sunlit, the glint of something lovely seen form the corner of an eye, like a prism or a butterfly wing. Nectar must be how bees see their flavors, how butterflies feel the perfume of petals, how birdsong harmonizes with the wind. It is all the sweetness that spills out of an embrace, out of the wombs of flowers, that feeds the gods and nourishes our tastebuds. Simply delicious.

Feel good about smelling good. Pick these up when you get a chance.You won't regret it.