zankoku_zen

Floury cinnamon, whiff of icing, and a hint of coffee. This was a mainly cinnamon on wet, but then it dries to a glorious coffee with a touch of sugar and cinnamon. Good throw and wear length.

I am amping up the black leather in this blend. It's a very cozy, warm and worn black leather. And maybe a ghost of coffee? It's mainly a soft black cozy black leather. Great throw and wear length.

Sugary butterscotch on wet, Batman! There was some milkiness, but mainly butterscotch. After about two hours, you still get the sugary butterscotch, and a hit of coffee. Sugary, sweet, and then coffee. Medium throw, good wear length.

Spicy and green.

Actually, this coded as a clean manly aftershave on me. I got the tobacco, moss, patchouli, and it smells clean, cozy, and very appealing. For those that prefer a non foodie cozy blend. Medium throw and wear length.

All the vanilla cookie you've ever wanted with extra caramel butterscotch. Sweet, buttery, cookie. Great throw and wear length.

Chilly white tea. As advertised. Medium throw and wear length.

I have no idea why the lilac lovers are not all over this. It's a melancholic clean lilac with whiffs of musk and violet. Carrot seed is always wistful on me, and it turns the white musk into more of a blue musk blend. So lilac blue musk. Medium throw and wear length.

Agarwood just smells like black oudh to me. So this was earth, oudh, and a whiff of moss and stone. In other words, scary black earthy oudh. Potent. Loads of throw and wear length.

A sacramental wafer, frankincense smoke, and a drop of wine.

I mainly got a ton of red wine, and a whiff of incense, which gave it a spiced edge to me. Mainly red wine, and as it dried a whiff of flour. Medium throw and wear length.

A Jupiterian blend for merchants, business owners, craftspeople, and everyone that hustles in the marketplace. It is an oil crafted to expand your reach, increase sales, attract clients, and retain – joyfully – the clients you already have. The Agora is an oil of commerce, of prosperity, of increase and fecundity – of blessings bestowed on faithful merchants by Magnanimous, Commanding Zeus, He Who Nourishes – and of all the good that can be done to support yourself, your family, and your community through the expansion and support of ethical trade. Irish moss (Chondrus crispus), organic chocolate mint essential oil (Mentha piperita chocolat), sassafras leaf and bark (Sassafras albidum), grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta), benzoin resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis), essential oils from cinnamon bark and leaf (Cinnamomum verum), clary sage essential oil (Salvia sclarea), terebinth essential oil (Pinus palustris), Jamaican bay rum (Pimenta racemose), organic caraway seed (Carum carvi), whole allspice and allspice essential oil (Pimenta dioica), cinnamon powder (Cinnamomum verum), dark vegetal musk, and lapis chips washed in whiskey infused with bay leaves.

A snow-capped, untamed maze of fir, poplar, and oak. Ghostly beech reaches skeletal arms into the ink-black sky.

Every leaf tells a story.

A study and memory aid with a built-in confidence booster. Attracts positive friendships, quiets the mind, helps cultivate a positive attitude and a passion for scholarship, and brings joy to the learning process.

Dry clove, patchouli, touch of sandalwood, and oudh. This smells like a sophisticated bat. Brown. Cuddly. Would definitely keep as a pet. Medium throw and wear length.

Salty ozone, leather, and a whiff of dust. This smells like a Victorian gentleman's aftershave. Soft, dark, and slightly nefarious. Good throw and wear length.

Green fig, moss, and honey. Honestly, I sort of love how fruity, soft, and harvesty this is. Low throw, medium wear length.

Cotton Candy and incense

Frankincense oil, tears, and CO2 extract (Boswellia serrata), dragon’s blood resin (Daemonorops draco), organic milk thistle (Silybum marianum), clove essential oil, CO2 extract and bud (Syzygium aromaticum), organic Atlas cedarwood essential oil (Cedrus atlantica), organic Western red cedar essential oil (Thuja plicata), bay laurel essential oil and leaves from the TAL garden (Laurus nobilis), Calabrian bergamot essential oil (Citrus bergamia), angelica root and essential oil (Angelica archangelica) and angelica CO2 extract (Angelica sinensis), and garnet chips washed in red wine and bourbon.

A cherry bomb of guilt-crusted blood, black clove, red roses, and sweet black musk.

Every leaf tells a story.

A death knell: barren earth, rusted metal, charred wood, and dust.

Per S&S description: "This is an oil of tenacity, strength, determination, and the power and success that comes from hard work well-rewarded. It is an oil of ambitions achieved through perseverance, and it is a catalyst for prosperity, increased status, and material gain. The Red Eye of the Bull doesn’t take anyone’s shit, doesn’t shrink from hard work, and has the drive, courage, and authority to make its earthly dreams manifest." I grabbed this morning, as a sort of acknowledgment for Jupiter moving into Capricorn actually, and just sort of embracing that earth magic headed our way. 2020 seems to be about doing the hard work, putting your nose to the grindstone and getting it done. Not surprisingly, being productive at work. I am really going to use this in January 2020 to figure out where to go and what to do, and how to work to get there. ETA: 11/3/2021 I've had a few interactions with Red Eye of the Bull, and this to me has become the TAL of tenacity and determination bar none. It is absolutely 100% about putting in the hard work. This isn't about the lucky find, this is about grinding to get there. Yes, you will be rewarded, but you have to do the work. This is absolutely about drive. At this point, I also have a slightly better grasp on Aldebaran than I did in the beginning, and am less hesitant to tap into that energy.

The vibrant green of spring and summer, pulsing with life: dew-dotted grass, tea leaf, and sun-warmed herbs.