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STRINGS IN THE EARTH AND AIR (The Bards of Ireland 2012 ||...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:30:06 -0500

STRINGS IN THE EARTH AND AIR (The Bards of Ireland 2012 || LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 || $20 per 5ml)

O’ffogerty Harp by ~BWS

Strings in the earth and air
Make music sweet;
Strings by the river where
The willows meet.

There’s music along the river
For Love wanders there,
Pale flowers on his mantle,
Dark leaves on his hair.

All softly playing,
With head to the music bent,
And fingers straying
Upon an instrument.

— James Joyce

White sage, white musk, honey myrtle, galbanum, lilac, and everlasting flower.

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LIADAIN AND CURITHIR (The Bards of Ireland 2012 || LIMITED...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:05 -0500

LIADAIN AND CURITHIR (The Bards of Ireland 2012 || LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 || $20 per 5ml)

Star-crossed by ~Jessajakejimjam

When thou art hidden fears throng into my heart:
I am as one who has found a treasure of gold
Whom the stars watch
And the winds threaten
And swords wait in the dark.
Or can the dream break, Curithir, into the cold dawn?
Do not even the angels tremble gazing on us?
For only within God’s Dún such joy can live.

Come let us dream, love, that we sail to the west
And in enchanted islands are free of the sun
And the cold blind eyes of the years that pass unheeding sorrow.
O by the sweetness of love and joy like the piercing of spears
I have known the vain life that dies beaten back to the sod,
And the moan of all impotent things cries in my heart;
For that which can wither the budding trees can wither love.

O Curithir hast thou bidden the birds to sing of thee?
They have awoken me to the grey sweet skies
And the out-breathed light stealing over the stars.

There is no bird whose song is not of thy love
No laughter of sudden dawn winds whose joy thou art not –
O that the world could know thou lovest me, Curithir!

— Moireen Fox

An hour of love, all-too-fleeting, set against the tumble and crash of the somber seaside: honeysuckle, ivy, white moss, and salty spray.

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IN THE FOREST (The Bards of Ireland 2012 || LIMITED EDITION:...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:12:05 -0500

IN THE FOREST (The Bards of Ireland 2012 || LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 || $20 per 5ml)

Faun by *Ruth-Tay

Out of the mid-wood’s twilight
Into the meadow’s dawn,
Ivory limbed and brown-eyed,
Flashes my Faun!

He skips through the copses singing,
And his shadow dances along,
And I know not which I should follow,
Shadow or song!

O Hunter, snare me his shadow!
O Nightingale, catch me his strain!
Else moonstruck with music and madness
I track him in vain!

— Oscar Wilde

A wild, passion-inflamed skin musk with black pine pitch, brown leather, black clove, copal, white sage, oakmoss, patchouli, and saffron.

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THE FAIRIES (The Bards of Ireland 2012 || LIMITED EDITION: LIVE...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:35:05 -0500

THE FAIRIES (The Bards of Ireland 2012 || LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 || $20 per 5ml)

Up the airy mountain
Down the rushy glen,
We dare n’t go a-hunting,
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl’s feather.
Down along the rocky shore
Some make their home,
They live on crispy pancakes
Of yellow tide-foam;
Some in the reeds
Of the black mountain-lake,
With frogs for their watch-dogs,
All night awake.

High on the hill-top
The old King sits;
He is now so old and gray
He’s nigh lost his wits.
With a bridge of white mist
Columbkill he crosses,
On his stately journeys
From Slieveleague to Rosses;
Or going up with music,
On cold starry nights,
To sup with the Queen,
Of the gay Northern Lights.

They stole little Bridget
For seven years long;
When she came down again
Her friends were all gone.
They took her lightly back
Between the night and morrow;
They thought she was fast asleep,
But she was dead with sorrow.
They have kept her ever since
Deep within the lake,
On a bed of flag leaves,
Watching till she wake.

By the craggy hill-side,
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn trees
For pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring
As dig them up in spite?
He shall find the thornies set
In his bed at night.

Up the airy mountain
Down the rushy glen,
We dare n’t go a-hunting,
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl’s feather.

— William Allingham

Supping with the Queen of the Fae: apple blossom, white clover, huckleberry wine, dandelion sap, milkweed, primrose, thyme, pink moss, thorny thistles, and opium pod.

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THEOTOKOS (LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 || $20 per...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:36:06 -0500

THEOTOKOS (LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 || $20 per 5ml)

Mother Mary by ~ErisVonSinclaire

It is truly meet and right to bless you, O Theotokos,
Ever-blessed and most-pure mother of our God.
More honourable than the Cherubim,
And beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,
Who without corruption gave birth to God the Word,
True Theotokos: we magnify you.

Calla lily, Egyptian amber, frankincense, chrysanthemum, daphne, and red roses.

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THE IDES OF MARCH 2012 (LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 ||...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:12:05 -0500

THE IDES OF MARCH 2012 (LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 4/30/2012 || $20 per 5ml)

The Ides Of March by ~jbamutant12

The Ides marked an auspicious time in the Roman calendar. Depending on the month in question, the Ides fell on the thirteenth or fifteenth, and usually marked the Full Moon. As we all know, it was not an auspicious day for Julius Caesar, nor was it fortuitous for H.P. Lovecraft, who also met his maker on this infamous day. Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi! A mixture of springtime greenery and classical Roman cologne: rosemary, bergamot, lemon rind and vervain with costus, benzoin, coriander, rosewood, gray amber, cardamom, white narcissus, dark musk, and iris.

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CANDLES MOON 2012 (A Little Lunacy || LIMITED EDITION: LIVE...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:35:05 -0500

CANDLES MOON 2012 (A Little Lunacy || LIMITED EDITION: LIVE UNTIL 2/10/2012 || $20 per 5ml)

To-day is the Day of Bride,
The serpent shall come from his hole,
I will not molest the serpent,
And the serpent will not molest me.

The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground.

Moonlight shining on the Quickening Tree, the heat and wax of sacred candles, the milk of ewes, Brigid’s blackberry, the sting of keening wind, and the last flutter of the Cailleach’s winter snow.

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CANDLES MOON IS LIVE

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:51:27 -0500

Last night, the Lab had another massive update.

Candles Moon: live until February 10.
The Ides of March 2012: live until April 30.
Theotokos: live until April 30.
The Bards of Ireland 2012 series: live until April 30.

As a reminder, the following are also live:

Only one more week to order the scents that end on the tenth of February!

SUNRISE WITH SEA-MONSTERS (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:35:05 -0500

SUNRISE WITH SEA-MONSTERS (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Sunrise With Sea-Monsters, Joseph Mallord William Turner.

Ocean mist, kelp, ambergris, amber, white pear, osmanthus, freesia, and seafoam accord.

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SUNFLOWER (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml) Sunflower,...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:08:06 -0500

SUNFLOWER (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Sunflower, Egon Schiele.

Sunflower bouquet, black amber, creeping black moss, wilted greenery, and scorched, dry stems.

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SPIRIT OF THE KOMACHI CHERRY TREE (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:05 -0500

SPIRIT OF THE KOMACHI CHERRY TREE (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree, Yoshitoshi.

Cherry blossom, blue lilac, lavender monofloral honey, white sandalwood, and Asian pear.

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THE SMILING SPIDER (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml) The...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:31:05 -0500

THE SMILING SPIDER (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

The Smiling Spider, Odilon Redon.

Bitter clove, black musk, mahogany wood, and patchouli.

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SCHLAFENDE BAIGNEUSE (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:12:05 -0500

SCHLAFENDE BAIGNEUSE (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Schlafende Baigneuse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Skin musk, white cream, honeycomb, yellow rose, King mandarin, chrysanthemum, golden amber, honeysuckle, and wide-throated yellow monkey-flower accord.

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PHILOSOPHER IN MEDITATION (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:30:05 -0500

PHILOSOPHER IN MEDITATION (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Philosopher in Meditation, Rembrandt van Rijn.

Smoldering woodfire embers, Galen’s Kyphi, and Abramelin incense.

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MONNA VANNA (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml) Monna...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:34:05 -0500

MONNA VANNA (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Monna Vanna, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Russian rose, mimosa, gardenia, bois du rose, parma violet, calla lily, red currant, ambergris, and bourbon vanilla.

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MADONNA (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml) Madonna, Edvard...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:12:05 -0500

MADONNA (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Madonna, Edvard Munch.

Hyssop, pomegranate, Angel’s Trumpet, Indonesian patchouli, iris, white orchid, and frankincense.

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MAD MEG (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml) Mad Meg, Pieter...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:30:05 -0500

MAD MEG (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Mad Meg, Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Fire-scorched earth, black mandarin, cinnamon bark, bitter almond, sage, vetiver, and balsam of peru.

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SCENT REVIEW: VARIETY OF PLEASING AMUSEMENTS

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:39:29 -0500

Honey, leather, tobacco, and myrrh.

In the bottle: Dear God, it’s the same smoky note that slayed me in the cases of Philologus and Agnes Nutter. Oh dear. I’m already having trepidations about this one.

Immediately: Tobacco. Leafy but dry, earthy, and a little smoky (perhaps from the myrrh). That’s honestly all I’m getting.

Fifteen minutes: After a few minutes, Tobacco decided they didn’t want to talk to me any more and transferred me to Myrrh’s line. Oh, wait, no, they’re both trying to talk to me at once. I want to like you – stop chatting so loudly!

One hour: I want to like you. I really do. But this ends up smelling like a dusty china hutch to me. I’m getting more ‘wood’ than leather, at least when I’m comparing the scent to my leather Filofax. That’s the myrrh, then. Myrrh is skipping lively through the fields and dragging Tobacco with them, while Honey and Leather refuse to leave the house. No honey. There’s nothing sweet about this at all. It’s exceedingly masculine.

Several hours: Soft, soft myrrh – but myrrh is all I’m getting now. No tobacco to temper it and make it behave, either.

Overall: Really, because of the myrrh, this just smells like a less complicated blend of Voodoo. Either I amp myrrh or paying my monthly bill is wreaking havoc on my ability to test. Oh well. Someone out there is going to love this like I don’t. Once I test a few more of my bottles, I’ll have to post a sale.

DISCLAIMER: Due to differences in skin chemistry, inherent olfactory powers, and other scents that an individual might use throughout the day (i.e. scented deodorants, shampoos, room sprays, cooking odors), these oils will smell different on every individual. This review is only intended to illustrate my personal experience wearing it throughout the day.

MACBETH AND THE WITCHES (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:35:06 -0500

MACBETH AND THE WITCHES (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Macbeth and the Witches, Henri Fuseli.

Lightning-charged ozone, steel, myrrh, mugwort, colophony, ajowan, and leather.

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LOVE AND PAIN (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml) Love and...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:09:05 -0500

LOVE AND PAIN (The Salon: Exhibit III || $28 per 5ml)

Love and Pain, Edvard Munch.

Lavender, Balkan tobacco, black musk, dark vanilla, and golden copaifera.

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