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Imaginary Authors: Stories II

Posted on by elemonated

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Here comes installment two! In my previous post about Imaginary Authors, I decided that for these fragrances I would do something different and write some short stories based on what comes up when I smell them. These stories are based on a vigilante concept that Mr. Chokkattu and I discuss whenever someone who’s a waste of space shows up on the news, and the style hopefully smacks of Brandon Sanderson as well as a tiny hint of Haruki Murakami perhaps. Hope you enjoy!

Cape Heartache: pine, oak, embers, strawberries, vanilla Read More

Twisted Lily Haul: My Favorites

Posted on by elemonated

Before I begin, I will say that these are probably my current favorite fragrances, and thank you Twisted Lily for introducing me to Apoketer Tepe (though I wish I could stroll into Harlem and talk to the source, but perhaps that’s an ambition for another day) Apoketer Tepe’s After the Flood is a new darling, but I have no idea what took me so long to write about L’Artisan’s Tea for Two. They remind me of the best quiet emotions of spring and autumn. Having one on each wrist brings me some odd solace that only makes sense if you’re as obsessed as I am about the physical portrayals of transitions as a literary motif.

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Zoologist reviews coming soon!

Posted on by elemonated

This picture’s from the company’s Instagram!

Zoologist is a new perfume company started by Victor Wong in 2013 in Toronto. Their aim is to capture the many facets of different wildlife and to turn those facets into something interesting and beautiful. I got this pack over the weekend and am excited to share my thoughts on the scents soon!

I first heard about the line on Reddit, and I’m all for trying out new things :3

According to the website:

“Beaver Eau de Parfum opens with a breath of linden-blossom and fresh air, trailed by a redolent infusion of castoreum and iris. A whisper of vanilla interweaves with earth and smoke. Finally, crisp cedar wood and ash emerge, bathed in warm amber.

Using a base of synthetic beaver musk, also known as castoreum, Zoologist takes a modern approach to a classic ingredient, creating an elegant and subtle unisex perfume perfect for those who adore this powerful scent.”

“Panda Eau de Parfum is a fresh green fragrance that combines the delightful scents of bamboo and zisu leaves to send you on an unforgettable aromatic adventure. Your journey begins at a quaint Sichuan pepper farm surrounded by mountain streams and then leads you through a forest of osmanthus flowers as you finally make your way into a cozy garden filled with juicy mandarin trees and blooming lilies. Panda is a scent ensemble that will truly awaken and rejuvenate your senses”

“Rhinoceros Eau de Parfum establishes itself with a dry, slightly boozy rum note, like heat shimmering on the still savannah. The air crackles with lavender and sage. A warm breeze carries the scent of leather and rich tobacco. In the distance a rugged, dignified behemoth contemplates the vast expanse while amber, vetiver, smoke and sandalwood drift on the horizon.

This substantial and captivating scent blends the traditionally masculine and high quality notes of  leather*, vetiver, cedar, bergamot and sandalwood with the more mellow rum, tobacco, lavender and agarwood. The result is a musky, well-balanced, enigmatic and alluring accord.”

I’m probably most excited for the Rhinoceros and the Panda. And I can’t wait to spray certain people with it…

Mast Brothers Chocolate Tour

Posted on by elemonated

This is painted on the left wall.

I took a tour of the Mast Brothers’ factory on Friday. It was brilliant. I’ve taken “chocolate themed” tours before, and visited the Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco when I was a teenager, and neither of those visits made me feel as excited about chocolate as the ~45 minute walk around the factory watching things being made did. I feel more educated now, and not in the way Starbucks or Teavana wanted its employees to feel and to make the customers feel when I worked for them (apologies to the, honestly, really great people who complimented me on how genuine I was), but more like when we visited the Kitchen at Grove Station and talked to the guy serving Modcup coffee near the door about how cold it was to be right next to the door during a late autumn grand opening. I still need to try honey processed coffee.

Sorry for the potato.

I tried to take some pictures, but my new phone’s camera is kind of a potato (thought apparently an improvement on the old camera), and my hands are not the most stable. I should ask for a new camera for Christmas.

I like the wooden flag. The bags with the color on them are sugar and the bags with no visible markings are cocoa beans. I convinced my boyfriend not to go lay in them, somehow.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures after passing the counter, which is understandable, as the ideas behind any number of their machines is fairly simple and easy to steal with a few good pictures, and they have a policy of a human touch being most important, which means many of their machines aren’t perfect automatons. If they did, I’m sure someone with fantastic business sense and fewer ethics could probably drive them out with a few tweaks to make the machines perfect. Although the idea of keeping the machines imperfect and stressing out the employees is a little odd, they did make a comment about how the latest they’ve worked until was maybe midnight, made it sound outrageous, and confirmed that their job was way, way better than retail in that regard at least. Anyway, the machines obviously don’t hold them back. Read More