"Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind."

photokanok

 Mary Ellen Chase

One of the things I believe about perfume is that a scent should tell a story and evoke a mood. So the title quote seems perfect for introducing my winter/Christmas perfume range. I wanted perfumes that evoked a true feeling of winter - icy rivers, frost-rimed trees, open fires, and the hushed excitement of Christmas Eve. But I also wanted to create perfumes you'd want to wear all year round, not just when the nights grow longer and the air turns cold. Perfumes you can indulge in whether it's the height of summer or the depths of midwinter. I hope I've done that, but of course, you guys will be judge. Want a look at what I've come up with? Of course you do!

Chalet Girl

I've always fancied a ski-in holiday. Well, to be accurate, I've always fancied being snuggled up in a chalet in the Alps, watching other people ski while I indulge in hot chocolate by an open fire. With that in mind, I created Chalet Girl - a decadent blend of milk chocolate, hot cocoa, toasted marshmallow, Christmassy candy canes and a dash crisp of peppermint. It's my dream winter holiday, without that pesky exercise business!

Comfort and Joy

My favourite Christmas carol has always been God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - I find it warm, uplifting and joyous. And that's the mood I've created with this seasonal perfume. Starting with the tang of frost-crusted fruit and melting luxuriously into notes of hot buttered rum and creme brulee, this perfume finishes with the solemn and soothing notes of pure frankincense, myrrh, and earthy white amber. 

Frau Holle

Frau Holle, or Mother Hulda, is the star of a German fairy tale where kindness and hard work is rewarded and laziness and greed is punished. So a fairly typical fairy tale...Frau Holle herself was most likely an ancient pagan goddess who became a folkloric figure as Christianity spread through Europe. I've put a seasonal twist on Frau Holle, taking the green notes of holly, ivy, and pine and blending them with the gentle floral scents of rose and carnation. A hint of tart cranberry finishes off this wonderful woman's winter scent. 

La Befana

In Italian folklore, La Befana was an old lady who delivered presents to children on Epiphany Eve. Good children were given honey, dates, and figs, whilst bad children had to make do with a lump of coal. In honour of La Befana, I've created a sweet, warm blend of honeyed figs and red and black cherries, on a bed of hazelnuts and acorns with a dash of sugar. Not a lump of coal in sight.

Special Snowflake

Be unique! Just like everyone else...No, but thanks to the magic of personal skin chemistry, every perfume oil really is unique, different on every different person. And this perfume is particularly playful in that respect. Mixing old lace with white chocolate, adding pale floral notes of wisteria and plumeria, and finishing off with juicy plums and just a suggestion of mint, Special Snowflake is delicate, ever-changing, and very special!

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The Holly King

The Holly King is a folkloric figure who rules the seasons of autumn and winter. I've chosen the same same base, green notes of ivy, holly and pine that you'll find in Frau Holle, but given them a rich masculine bent with deep chestnut, sharp red currant and resinous, creamy peru balsam. This is one for the boys, but women who like a bolder fragrance will love it too.

Of course, you can get sample-sized vials of all six to help you decide which one is the perfect winter scent for you, and don't forget - all these perfumes will be part of my Handmade Monday 20% off sale tomorrow!

Handmade Monday, Black Friday, Happy Days

Handmade Monday is fast approaching! I talked a little last week about why I think it's a great cause to support and a great time to do some shopping; this week I'm going to tell you my plans for the day, and for Black Friday on November 29th.

Handmade Monday

I'll be offering 20% off everything in store at my Etsy and Zibbet shops on 25th November. That's 20% off perfume oils, samples, sample sets, and solid perfumes. That's pretty huge, right?!

I'll also be launching my Christmas/seasonal perfumes - Holly King, Frau Holle, Chalet Girl, Comfort and Joy, Special Snowflake, and La Befana in time for Handmade Monday, so they'll be included in this offer. Stay tuned to the blog this Sunday for a preview of each scent!

Black Friday

I won't be running a sale on Black Friday, but in order to clear some stock I will be adding a "Discontinued" section to my Etsy shop. This will feature a selection of fragrances that just haven't proven popular since their introduction. It'll be the last chance to grab them before they disappear from my catalogue completely, and they will (of course) be discounted in price. So if you see one of your favourites there, snatch it up, because when it's gone, it's gone forever!

These will be my last sales/offers for 2013, and my cut-off dates for Christmas shipping are fast approaching (see here for details), so next week will be the perfect time to treat yourself or someone else to some Common Brimstone perfume. Enjoy!

Handmade Monday - 25th November

If you follow my Facebook page, you'll have seen me share this image already, but I haven't talked much about Handmade Monday, what it is, or why I want to be involved. Simply put, Handmade Monday is the handmade alternative to Black Friday, a day to buy handmade, artisan products and show your support for small businesses, artists, and crafters of all kinds.

Now, I know 25th November is a busy time for plenty of you in the US, with Thanksgiving right around the corner. And I know there are plenty of reasons why Black Friday is awesome - massive discounts are always awesome, after all. I also know that there are good reasons to buy commercial and mass-produced products - convenience, cost, availability, etc. So I want to give you some good reasons to support Handmade Monday and take a little time on the 25th to shop handmade instead of mass-produced.

1. You get something unique. Especially if you buy perfumes! Every person's body chemistry is unique and therefore the way a perfume reacts with every person is completely different. So nobody else in the world is going to smell like you do, even if they're wearing the same artisan scent.

2. You get to support starving artists. Well, okay, hopefully none of us are actually starving. But personally I love buying something know that the profits are going straight to the creator and not getting lost in a chain of bureaucracy. And buying direct from a committed, passionate artist is a great experience, guaranteed to give you something made with real love and care.

3. You know what you're getting. One of the biggest motivators for me in buying handmade bath and beauty products (as well as making my own) is knowing exactly what I'm putting in and on my body. Simple, natural ingredients packed full of skin-friendly bonuses. No man-made chemicals. I really believe that when it comes to my body, Nature knows best. And by buying handmade, you can be sure you're treating yourself right.

4. You can get a head start on your Christmas shopping. I'm going to be offering some great deals all day on Handmade Monday, and I know I won't be the only one (check the Facebook page and the #handmademonday hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to see what other people are doing), so if you're looking for one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts, this is a great starting point.

In the run-up to Handmade Monday, I'll be sharing links to some of the many shops taking part, so if you're keen to share the handcrafted love, keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter pages to see what's on offer!

"Winter is Coming"

Claire Louise

George RR Martin

Well, who else was I going to quote for this time of year? My! I have been a neglectful blogger lately. In my defense, I spent most of October being ill so I'm giving myself a pass on that. Still, no excuses now; time to get back to business.

Last time I did a proper blog, I said I was going to talk about some of the inspirations for my Christmas/Winter perfumes. Since those are now in development and will be in the shop very soon, I think that's still a good thing to talk about. In the same way that Autumn really got my creative juices flowing this year, the winter season triggered a great rush of inspiration and excitement. There are so many varied and amazing myths and bits of folklore tied to the solstice, it was hard to settle on just a handful of ideas and not try to make a perfume for every single one. How can you resist the lure of Inti Raymi or Wren Day? 

Well, I had to save some inspiration for next year, so I settled on five scents that take inspiration from five very different, seasonal sources. I'm not going to give them all away here (surprises are fun!), but here's a tiny sneak peek at what's in store...

The Holly King. Traditionally seen as ruler of one half of the year, with the Oak King ruling the other, the Holly King is a neopagan figure who gains strength at the Autumn Equinox and is at his height by Midwinter. A perfect starting point for a good, wintery cologne. My Holly King will contain notes of holly (of course), smooth peru balsam and warm chestnut among other things.

La Befana. This old lady is a charming piece of Italian folklore, visiting children on the Feast of Epiphany to deliver gifts of honey, figs, and dates (unless they were bad children. Then they get coal). I've started with figs and honey, but added a few twists...

Chalet Girl. Well, this one doesn't come from any folklore, but rather from my own fantasy Christmas...a

Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee

ski lodge in the Alps, a mug of cocoa, crisp white snow outside my cosy cabin...Let's just ignore that I've never been ski-ing in my life and would almost certainly break both my ankles the second I tried to do it.

I've also got two new solid perfumes to add to the Autumn/Winter collection and, fingers crossed, they'll be with you in the next week or so! Look out for Nog Nuts and Sticky Toffee Tea.

And of course I'm working on a million other new blends as well, so you can look out for The Expert Dreamer, Waters of Lethe, Capua, and many more over the next few months as we head into 2014. And this seems as good a point as any to check the to-do list...

Perfume Stuff

Brainstorm essential oils-only line - I now have enough ideas to start working with; I just don't seem to have the time! Hopefully over the next couple of weekends, I'll get the preliminary blends for the new line ready.

Brainstorm Spring/Summer solid perfumes - I'm now officially sick of getting up in the dark and coming home from work in the dark, so I'm all about Spring/Summer solids and have more ideas than I can possibly make use of! 

Make-over packaging - Hmm...Still a work-in-progress, but I feel like I'll never be 100% satisfied so I may have to relax a little bit! I am planning to get 10ml roll-on bottles in stock as soon as possible; hopefully before Christmas but no promises at this point!

Other Stuff
Learning anatomy for my aromatherapy course! Science was never my strong point at school, but I think I've just about nailed the fact that we have skeletons and they hold us up, so I feel like I'm learning. A bit.