"When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween."

Friday 11 September 2015



*sweeps the cobwebs off the blog*

Yes, it has been a while. My excuse is that 2015 has been incredibly busy for me, not just with Common Brimstone, but with my day job (I got a promotion), my writing (five books published so far, one still on submission, so keep your fingers crossed for me!), and my ongoing quest to open Shy Saliana (it is going to happen, dammit!). Phew. I'm actually still a little incredulous to find it is now September.

But it definitely is, and that means October is just around the corner, and that means it's time to think about Halloween! If you've been with me for a while now, you know that for the past two years, I've released limited edition scents and donated the profits to the British Heart Foundation, in memory of my dad, who passed away in October 2012. And this year will be no different!

I had several ideas for possible themes this year, and if you take a look at my Halloween Pinterest board, you can probably get a feel for what future themes might be, but after reading some fantastic articles on the subject, I decided to go with Victorian Spiritualism for this year's set. Spiritualism developed and reached its peak growth in membership from the 1840s to the 1920s, and had many famous supporters such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Nobel laureate, Pierre Curie. It had some equally famous detractors, including Harry Houdini.

The basic principles of the Spiritualist movement were a belief in the afterlife and a belief in spirit communication, with spirit mediums being able to contact the dead. I have a huge weakness for all things paranormal, occult, and generally spooky, so I've always been fascinated by Spiritualism. Translating some of the themes and ideas into perfumes has been fun, but definitely tricky! Hopefully though, I've created five scents that conjure the mood just right...


So what are these scents, you ask? Well, I'm going to keep the actual notes a surprise for now, but here's a quick sneak preview...

Buried Alive - I admit I'm playing a bit fast and loose with the theme here, but being buried alive was a huge fear during this time period. Waiting mortuaries and safety coffins were all the rage in case of premature burial! This scent combines soft earth and funeral flowers.

Ectoplasm - A substance said to formed by mediums during their trances (and often faked with cheesecloth and potato starch, among other things), ectoplasm was said to enable spirits to interact with the world of the living. This scent starts out shockingly sharp and bright, then pales away to a softer, more delicate finish.

Medium - The medium is the intermediary between the living and the dead, able to listen to and relay messages from spirits, or that they can allow a spirit to control their body and speak through it directly or by using automatic writing or drawing. This scent is a shimmering, otherworldly blend, perfect for opening your senses to the spirit world.

Mesmerism - A theory developed by Franz Mesmer, mesmerism is also called animal magnetism, but today we probably associate it more closely with hypnotism. For our purposes...you are getting very sleepy with a resinous and soporific blend that's bound to enchant.

Seance - Of course! We have a medium, we have ectoplasm, so there must have been a seance. A smoky and compelling scent, I have to say that if I was going to pick a favourite from this set, Seance would be it.

So...How do they sound? Good, I hope! My plan is to have them listed this weekend (probably Sunday), and they will then be available until the end of October. Happy (early) Halloween!