"A good home must be made, not bought"

Joyce Maynard

Good news! (For me anyway). We're moving house! We've found an adorable, pet-friendly cottage just around the corner from where we are now, and we're moving in early October. Why am I sharing this with you? Well, firstly because I'm excited and I'm telling everyone, but also because there may be an impact for you guys.

1. Depending on how busy the shop gets in the run-up to the moving date, I may have to extend my shipping times. I do my absolute best to get every order shipped out on or before its due date, but moving house (even just round the corner), is chaotic and stressful (especially with two snakes and a cat in the mix) and may affect how much I can do. I'm hopeful it won't impact things too much, but I'll keep you updated and note any relevant changes in the shop and wherever else I can.

2. I'm going to be destashing some perfume. It probably won't surprise anyone to know I have a HUGE perfume collection, and moving house seems like a good time to clear away a few things and make room for new things. I have a ton of solid perfumes from when I first started perfume-making and a few perfume oils that are either prototypes (the original incarnation of Fox Maiden, for example) or recently discontinued items.

If people are interested, I would love to send these on to new homes and will make a master list here of what's available to claim. I would ask you to cover postage costs, but won't charge anything else. All the solid perfumes are made with beeswax rather than soy wax, so they aren't vegan, and are in 10ml tins rather than tubes.

Let me know if you'd like to see what's on offer!

"“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”

Sylvia Plath - The Bell Jar

With the Halloween limited editions now available, I thought this might be a good time to bring you another installment of the infrequent series on some of the weirder and rarer oils in my collection. And since Vampire Hunter contains two of those oils, how about a double feature?

Let's start with styrax. Specifically, let's start with styrax resinoid, which is a product of the beautifully-named liquidamber orientalis tree. The sap of the tree is harvested through gradual stripping of the tree bark, after which it is placed in boiling water to soften it, and diluted with water to keep it soft and preserve the aroma. The finished product has a variety of medicinal uses, including for anxiety and bronchitis.

When it comes to perfumery, styrax resinoid has a beautiful oriental scent, subtly honeyed and slightly syrupy. It's main purpose in Vampire Hunter is as a fixative - an oil that increases the tenacity of the other materials and slows down the dispersion of the scent. So if you pay close attention, or your skin chemistry really loves this material, you will notice a faint "golden" note to the warm, woodsy mixture, but this is not an "in-your-face" material.

What might be considered a bit more "in-your-face" is nagarmotha, also known as cypriol, but personally I prefer the Hindi term for it. Nagarmotha is a plant that grows wild in certain regions of India and is prized for its uses in aromatherapy. Like styrax, it has plenty of medicinal uses, from treating fevers to pain reduction to digestive system disorders. It's also used an insect repellent, and it's rumoured to bring success in love affairs to boot.

That's all fascinating, but what I love nagarmotha for is it's dirty, musky, leathery notes. There's something wickedly masculine about this oil, and as soon as I knew I wanted a Vampire Hunter fragrance for Halloween, I knew I had to work nagarmotha into it. I've used a leather fragrance oil in some of my other scents, most notable in Duskblade, but that's very much a "new leather" scent. For Vampire Hunter I wanted the smell of a worn, battered, much-loved leather duster, one you've owned for years and really should throw away but can't stand to give up. Nagarmotha, with its warm and earthy nuances captures that feeling perfectly for me. And like styrax, it's a fixative, so it really helps hold the spice and nut notes together and keep them bold and strong.

These are two materials I can see being really valuable, especially as I develop more all-natural blends and work on my Secret Project (coming soon, probably!). I adore my millions of fragrance oils, but there's a real buzz to be had from creating something from purely natural ingredients, and the more diverse oils I can add to my collection, the more unique perfumes I can offer you. Enjoy!

"When other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers, I kind of wanted to be a vampire."

- Angelina Jolie

Summer is nearly over (although I have one more summery scent to offer you) and I don't know about your part of the world, but here in Cambridge the weather has turned distinctly autumnal. The skies are grey, the evenings are darker, and my cat is spending less time sleeping in the bushes and more time trying to sit on my lap (he's really far too big to sit there comfortably, but it never stops him trying). All this can only mean one thing:

Yes! Halloween is coming! Last year I created five limited edition fragrances inspired by B-Movies, and offered them for sale throughout October, with all the profits going to the British Heart Foundation. This was in memory of my dad, who passed away in October 2012.

This year I'm going a little bigger. I'm still going to offer limited edition scents, and I'm still going to donate the proceeds to the BHF. But this year I'm offering six new perfumes, and they'll be available from mid-September. This is to give people a better chance of snapping them up in time for Halloween itself, and hopefully to raise as much money as possible.

But what's the theme this year, you ask? Why, it can only be vampires.

They're the archetypal monster. Undead but so very vital. Blood-sucking, immortal, beautiful, alluring as sin, and as monstrous as any werewolf, zombie, goblin, or ghoul. They're just a little more glamorous. And they've fascinated us poor mortals since the days of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and long, long before that. Almost every culture in the world has some variant of the vampire myth and pop culture is still overflowing with them. As a writer, I hear every single year that the vampire bubble has burst, but still we see them going strong in books, on TV, in the cinema, and just about everywhere else. Vampires have staying power.

So where better to turn for inspiration? There are so many myths and legends around vampires, I could have made a dozen or more perfumes. And I probably will at some point...But for this year, I narrowed it down to six and picked a specific vampire-centric theme to play with.

Halloween 2014 is the year of the Vampire Hunter's Survival Kit. I'm not going to give away the exact notes of each scent yet, but just to tantalize your senses a tiny bit, here's a little sneak preview.

Vampire Hunter - world-weary and worn down, loaded with protective plants and a shot of Dutch courage.

Wooden Stake - no sensible vampire hunter leaves home without it. Strong woods and dark spices.

Holy Water - blessed by only the most devout of priests. Clean waters and gentle florals.

Vampire's Kiss - beguiling, bewitching, and utterly deadly.

Vampire's Bride - innocence tainted. A rotting wedding gown and a decaying bridal bouquet.

Nosferatu - as cold as the grave, but dangerously irresistible.

So stock up on garlic (or, if you'd rather be the vampire, sharpen your teeth), and get ready for some long, cold, dark nights...

"You've painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted hair...

Ruby are you contemplating going out somewhere?" - Ruby, Kenny Rodgers

So last night I posted this picture to the Common Brimstone Facebook page. Are you curious about that distinctive pinky liquid in that there pipette? Wondering what I've been doing to turn a perfume pink? Desperate to know what such a concoction might smell like?

Well, let me tell you about ruby gromwell essential oil.

This is by a long shot the most unusual oil in my collection. It actually comes from a plant called purple gromwell, which is commonly used in Chinese medicine and looks like this:

Not particularly red or purple, really. But the essential oil itself comes from the plant's dried roots, and that looks like this:

Yes, it really is that colour. I know because I managed to stain a bookcase with it whilst opening the bottle for the first time. It's very pretty.

Now the smell! The smell is something else. The thought that sprang to mind when I sniffed this for the first time was beetroot and balsamic vinegar. Okay. I know what you're thinking. Nobody wants to smell like beetroot and balsamic vinegar (probably. If you do, that's fine by me and I support your right to smell like a fancy salad with all my heart). So you may now be wondering what on earth I'd do with such an oil to convince you to try it out.

Two things:

1. I mixed it with pomegranate fragrance oil.

2. I used very little of it.

Some oils are not meant to be the star attraction. They're meant to be the supporting act. Quietly working away to enhance the show without stealing it. Ruby gromwell is that kind of oil. For August's full moon fragrance, Red Moon, I've taken the tiniest touch of ruby gromwell and combined it with pomegranate, calla lily, and white rose fragrance oils. The result is a knockout. Sultry. Simmering. Earthy. The ruby gromwell takes that light, sweet pomegranate and turns it into a hot explosion worthy of the deepest, darkest summer night. The lily and rose make for a silky lining wrapped around this frankly sexy heart of fruit and roots. There's something about the blend that makes me think of crushed berries, sticky sweet and a little messy. When I got my fiance to give it a sniff, he thought of plums. We're both agreed it's completely unique among my creations. And it's pink! (Don't worry, I've tested it extensively and it won't turn you pink).

I've made a habit of launching my full moon fragrances on the full moon of each month, and in August that means this Sunday, the 10th. Now, a while back I had planned to close the shop between 11th and 15th August because my brother's first child was due to be born. Well, like the soldier's granddaughter she is, she arrived early (congratulations, David and Laura!). And it seems a shame to launch a new perfume and then promptly close the shop, so I've decided to stay open and continue business as usual. Red Moon will launch on Sunday August 11th, and it'll be joined by some of the other perfumes I've road tested recently - Speakeasy, Bastet, and Lavender Praline. I'm always excited about sharing new creations with you all, but I'm especially excited about Red Moon. 

The transformation from beetroot to roll me around in this is rather magical, and one of the things I love most about natural perfumes - you just never know when you're going to stumble on something incredible. I'll admit this won't be a fragrance to everyone's tastes - it's quite strong and maybe too heavy for daytime wear - but I can promise you you'll have to go far to find anything else quite like it.

"The body is a marvelous machine...a chemical laboratory, a power-house. Every movement, voluntary or involuntary, full of secrets and marvels!"

ponsuwan

Theodor Herzl

Well. I have been rather neglectful here lately. *dusts off blog* I do have a valid reason, and really I shouldn't be blogging here now, but I have a couple of things to tell you, so!

First of all, the reason I've been a bit quiet here and generally online is (to cut a very long and not very interesting story short) that I'm dealing with a recurring injury in my right arm. Initially it was diagnosed as repetitive strain injury and treated as such. As a result of this injury, I've always favoured my left arm for computer work/carrying, etc. As a result of that I now have the same problems in my left arm. At the moment it's really severe. We're talking cramps, pins and needles, aches, strains, the works. Waking up in the night with both arms completely numb. Stress headaches at work because the pain is so intense. Neck and back ache because my posture is going to hell as I try to sit comfortably at my work desk for seven hours a day. So I went to my GP to see if she could recommend anything for the pain.

Instead, she's sending me for blood tests.

Now, this injury/problem goes back about eight years, and in eight years not a single doctor has ever suggested it's the result of anything other than repetitive strain. This is the first time anyone has suggested an alternative cause. This lovely GP listened to me describe my symptoms and said, "it could be RSI. It could also be a neuropathic condition, a vitamin deficiency, or a thyroid problem. So let's test you for those and then discuss management depending on the results."

My goodness! I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to hear that your chronic pain might have a treatable cause! I'm so used to hearing, "we can't do anything, just try to avoid computer work," that I can't quite believe there's a possible alternative answer.

But in the mean time, I'm still in pain and I still have to do my day job. And I have a short story and a novel coming out in the next few weeks, so I'm going to be editing quite a lot in the near future /o\ In light of that, I'm trying to restrict my "non-essential" internet/computer time as much as possible, so I may be a little quiet on social media for a while. But I am about and I will answer any questions/emails/Etsy convos I get, so get in touch if you need to!

Now, second point of business. I did mention this briefly on Facebook earlier in the week, but for those who might have missed it: the supplier I used to buy my tobacco flower fragrance oil from no longer carries it, and I can't find a new supplier for it. Currently I use tobacco flower in Absinthe with Faust and Jazz Hands, and once my current stock runs out, I'll be temporarily discontinuing those two scents to re-work them. So if you like them as they are, buy now!

Third point of business. I'm going to be taking a week off from August 11th - August 15th. My sister-in-law is due to give birth sometime then and I want to be on hand to take a look at my first niece! In addition, I'll be working on loads of new stuff for the shop and a Secret Project that I hope to unveil towards the end of this year!

So that's me at the moment! Hopefully I'll get some answers from my GP soon and I can get back to more regular blogging and general internet use!

“Sweet, sweet burn of sun and summer wind, and you my friend, my new fun thing, my summer fling.”

Summer Fling - k.d lang

Gather round, dear readers, for I am going to tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was a girl who worked in an office without windows. It was a dreary grey office in a dreary grey building, and all day long she filed dreary invoices and answered dreary phone calls. And the girl knew this was not the life for her, or for anyone. She knew, deep down in her bones, that the world was not dreary and grey. She knew the world was gentle sunshine and the whisper of salt winds through sand dunes. She knew the world was the scent of brine in the air and the sticky-sweet taste of candy floss melting on the tongue. She knew the world was the lights of the fairground at dusk, the music of the carousel and the rush of water on sand. 

So in her head, while she filed her invoices and answered her phone calls, she ran down to the ocean and pushed her bare toes in the wet sand. She picked up glistening seashells and watched crabs pick their way through tangles of seaweed. She watched gulls wheel over the waters, soaring off to places far away and dream-filled. She imagined mermaids and krakens and underwater cities bejewelled with coral and pearls. And she knew this was the life for her. So she wrote poems and stories and made perfumes, and she filled them all with the sea and its treasures. And she dreamed and she hoped and she waited. Because one day she was going to walk out of that dreary grey office and run down to the sea for real.

Seven|ElevenStudios

And I'm still waiting. It's been my life's dream to live by the sea. I love the British coastline - from the wild mountains and crashing grey waves of Northumberland to the long sandy stretches of Norfolk's beaches. The scents, the sounds, the scenery...it's just the most perfect combination for me. I love to sit and watch the ocean. I love walking along the shore barefoot, picking up seashells, trying (and failing) to skim stones. I love paddling in rock pools and finding strange fish and sea glass. I love sitting at the end of the pier, ice cream in hand, watching people come and go, inhaling the smells of sun tan lotion and frying donuts. That, for me, is the only thing to strive for. A life at the edge of the ocean.

All through my childhood, and still today, my grandparents have had a holiday home or caravan on the Norfolk coast. My summer memories are full of the fairground at Hunstanton - the safe scares of the ghost train, the stomach-churning thrill of the waltzer, the sticks of rock, and the endless flavours of ice cream. The cool haven of the sealife centre, filled with starfish and sharks. Tacky tourist gifts like sea lion keyrings and novelty sunhats. The long walk down the pier with the sea on one side and row after row of tiny, inviting gift shops offering everything from tumbled amethyst to bags of jelly beans.

When I go back there as an adult, I feel joyous and content, and I still want to do all the things I did there as a child. Splash in the waves, scoop up the starfish for just a brief moment, try that rum and raisin ice cream, collect those seashells. There's nowhere as magical as the seaside for me, nowhere I feel more at home. And one day, I will have my house by the sea.

In the mean time, I write stories about selkies and make perfumes filled with the scents of my childhood summers. I'm going to give you the ocean and the fairground, all that sugar-rich confectionery, all that briney tang and golden sunshine. I'm working on a collection of summer scents right now that are really helping lift that sense of dreary greyness that's sometimes so hard to see past. I hope, when they're released in the very near future, you'll get a glimpse of that magical seaside summer I love so much. And if you want to share your own summer memories - please do! Tell your own story :)

Chris Miles

"Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards...

...I got a full house and four people died." - Steven Wright.

When I decided I was going to open an Etsy shop I knew two things would hold me back: labels for my perfumes and photos for my products. Luckily I have a talented artist friend who took care of the former for me; unluckily the latter was all in my hands. And I'm not a photographer. Oh no. I spent hours trying to figure out how to make the most of my limited resources, hours reading advice forums for Etsy sellers. Props! No props! White backgrounds! Grain wood backgrounds! Clip art! Stock images! Nothing was right, though. None of the traditional ideas and tips worked for me, not just because my skills as a photographer/photo editor are limited, but because those styles of presentation didn't speak to me. I didn't feel like my personality and voice would shine through.

And then I had a brainwave: Aleister Crowley. Well, his Thoth Tarot deck, to be precise:

So let's go back a bit. I started reading Tarot cards when I was a first-year student at University in Liverpool. It was something I'd wanted to learn to do for...forever...but for various reasons I never had. But early on in my student days I found an amazing little indie bookshop that sold (along with various text books I needed) a small selection of Tarot decks. And there was me with my student loan and no sense of responsibility! I bought my first deck - the Tarot of a Moon Garden - and I taught myself to read the cards. 

Over the years I've done less and less Tarot reading, but more and more Tarot collecting. I just love how many different spins you can put on the traditional symbols - I've got everything from the Necronomicon Tarot to the Unicorn Tarot, and for the most part nowadays, they're all just gathered in a drawer under the snake tanks, hidden away from the world unless I feel a need to pull them out and admire them.

So, the Crowley Thoth Tarot! This was an early addition to my collection, both because of the unusual artwork and the historical context of the deck. Crowley's aim was to update the traditional Rider-Waite symbolism of the Tarot by incorporating imagery from science and philosophy, as well as his own personal take on the occult. He renamed many of the major arcana (Justice became Adjustment, Strength became Lust), as well as subtly adjusting the meanings of some of the minor arcana. The result is a very unique and often difficult to interpret deck, but if you're a student of the Tarot or the occult, it's worth picking up.

But none of that is why I jumped to the Crowley Thoth deck when I decided to use Tarot cards in my photos. My initial reasoning was much more mundane: they're big cards. Like, too big for me to ever get the hang of shuffling them elegantly. So that makes a great backdrop for my perfume bottles - a simple and straightforward solution for a very amateur photographer. The added bonus for me is that I really feel the use of the cards conveys that sense of "me" that I wanted. Tarot cards have been a big part of my life in one form or another for a decade now - it felt right to incorporate that love into a new one. I didn't want a homogeneous, big-brand look for my shop, either. Common Brimstone is a personal passion and I like it to have a personal touch. The cards help with that, I think.

Where I can, I've tried to use cards that can be symbolically linked to the perfume - the Death card with Grave Digger, for example - but otherwise I've chosen cards that evoke the same mood or feeling in me that the perfume does, as with Druid. When I started running out of Crowley Thoth cards that I felt were fitting, I dug back into my collection for some back-up decks. At the moment I'm slowly reworking all my photos, and the other "main" deck I'm using as backdrops now is the Tarot of the Secret Forest:

I love this deck! It manages to be both whimsical and slightly creepy, and whilst the artwork is in stark contrast to that of the Thoth deck, it has also turned out to lend itself surprisingly well to certain perfumes. This was a deck I bought purely for the art style, and like the Crowley Thoth, it subtly re-imagines the traditional Rider-Waite Tarot symbolism. I love a deck that puts a unique spin on Tarot reading - it forces you as a reader to focus harder and look deeper.

I've also got two more "backup decks" in hand for future photos - the Crystal Tarot and the Quantum Tarot. Now, the Crystal Tarot is just irresistible to me: the art work is elegant and beautiful, and it's lovely to read as well. You might recognise this image from my Lady of the Lake perfume - it's just a perfect fit!

The Quantum Tarot deck I could rave about all day (I won't, don't worry). I was a kid who hated science in school; I've grown up to be an adult (most of the time) who is fascinated by it. The Quantum Tarot is maybe the most unique deck in my collection, combining the principles of Tarot with the intricacies and mysteries of quantum physics, and throwing in some very stylish artwork as a bonus.

And if I burn through all four of these decks, you can keep an eye out for the dragon Tarot, the Sante Fe Tarot, the vampire Tarot, the Deviant Moon Tarot, the Dark Angels Tarot, and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head...

I'll admit that I was terrified that my shoddy photos were going to kill my shop before it even got started, but I do actually get quite a lot of compliments on them, even the older, crappy ones. I can only assume this is down to Aleister Crowley.