Witchy things and exceptional gifts
Let's catch up on the new Stora Skuggan perfume release and what I've been up to lately.
Hey everyone, I'm back. Happy New Year, too! This newsletter is going to be a long one, so I hope you get comfy.
One of my resolutions this year is to not constantly apologize for unnecessary stuff, so I won’t be doing that anymore regarding my absence and silence over here. Good things come to those who wait and I hope you missed me as much as I’ve missed writing and sharing my thoughts with you all.
I am excited to get back to doing so and have some cute things planned such as a guest writer, more interviews, and possibly a face-to-face workshop or event thingy, which I don’t want to jinx by giving too much information about just yet.
What’s been up and some 2024 remedies
I’ve been extremely busy lately, hence the silence. I hopped for a two-week holiday to Finland to roll around in some snow during Christmas and after returning to Antwerp I’ve had my nose stuck in art theory and art history notes because of my exams, which are now finally over and which ultimately went quite well, I must say. Something I honestly didn’t expect.
Next up at school, we have our first jury of the first semester, which I’m excited about and looking forward to because I’m pretty proud to showcase my latest assignments and photography work. I am posting one of my assignments here later, you will see a bit of it when you keep scrolling down.
Keeping up my excitement and positive energy has been tested lately regarding some disappointment and heartache, too. So, as a remedy, I’ve been concentrating on taking care of myself and doing things I love and enjoy, now that I have more time again. One day on my way home I bought some palo santo on a whim for my apartment, even though I’m not a huge fan of the scent (Is it just me or does it smell a bit like licorice? A bit anis-y?) I figured I needed a remedy for exam stress and to clear out some unwanted and draining negative energy with its soothing, scented smoke. I could have bought some sage too, but as I’m taking an unwanted break from that scent at the moment, I didn’t grab any this time.
Believing in these remedies is slightly witchy and fun for me and I find it entertaining, rather than taking it too seriously. If something makes you feel better, by all means, go for it and believe in it, rather than being miserable. Palo santo and sage are believed to have healing and cleansing effects rooted back to shamanic history in different parts of the world. (Just as a reminder, I want you to make sure your palo santo and sage are ethically sourced, whenever you purchase some.)
Burning sage and palo santo give nice nuances to your living space just as incense does. Natural incense, or any natural scented element gives a more warm and organic feeling than unnatural synthetic scents which are used in cheap candles, for example. I feel like I’m mixing everything natural and synthetic at the moment and the scents in my apartment don’t blend well together, but that’s fine. And I’m fine. Everything is perfectly fine. Yes, please read that in a squeaky "Ross from Friends" voice.
A perfume inspired by modern-day witches
My witchy theme continues with Stora Skuggan’s new perfume release called Hexensalbe. The perfume was released at the end of last year, but I got an exclusive sneak peek from Helsinki that I will share with you lovelies now, finally.
Stora Skuggan is a Swedish niche perfume house, handmade in Stockholm and founded back in 2015. The brand is run by a small group of perfumers and designers, who make a point of not caring about what others are doing in the industry and testing boundaries by doing their own thing.
The perfume range is said to be centered around playful mythologies or phenomena in each perfume, providing some escapism with their bold and beautiful bottles and fantasy-inspired names with each fragrance. I would say Stora Skuggan is a pretty different and experimental brand regarding its odd and original scent combinations. It was nice to sell their products a few years ago and learn more about them while working at beam. store in Helsinki. I like it when brands are different and stand out, and it’s interesting to see who and what kind of people enjoy the products. If you are intrigued by metallic, fresh, and odd scents, make sure to test these out.
“Hexensalbe, also known as witches’ flying ointment, was a hallucinogenic salve used in witchcraft in the Middle Ages. It was a mixture of extremely poisonous ingredients that produced an ecstatic trance with powerful sensations of flying, images of otherworldly creatures and a primal sexual hunger.”
The new fragrance is said to be inspired by the modern-day witch. It is an aromatic and spicy unisex fragrance created by Anna Barkne, who is the nose behind the fragrance combination. The top notes of the fragrance are Wormwood and Licorice, with middle notes of Angelica, Rosemary, Belladonna and Tuberose and base notes of Patchouli, Black hemlock (or Tsuga) and Oakmoss.
Without smelling the fragrance myself, I would say it seems a bit earthy and dark to me, off the bat. (And because of the licorice note I most probably won’t enjoy it, so I won’t be buying it without testing!) I am lucky to have some insider info as I got an exciting review from my dear friend, perfume expert, and former colleague Alexander who now got his hands on the matte black bottle of Hexensable. "My first feelings are very very licorice, a bit woody and supple herbs, very masculine too, but in a good way,” he reported. He underlined the herby licorice notes and said the perfume stood out from the rest of the Stora Skuggan fragrances.
We discuss how even the bottle is different, with its all-matte black aesthetic compared to the other minimalistic yet colorful marble bottles from before. I tell him how I got a witchy, palo santo-crystal feel from the adverts to which Alexander agrees and continues to state that even the perfume bottle’s box etiquette is a hologram, which is new and exciting. He then sends a video of the package showing an amazing psychedelic goat-crazy face hologram which I think is pretty disturbing and amazing at the same time. I say I love this deranged goat perfume and can’t wait to try it and wonder who ultimately gets it for themself. Alexander agrees with my fascination for the psychedelic goat and I promise to try and hunt for some Stora Skuggan here in Antwerp.
To my disappointment, the store that used to carry their products here was closed in 2018 and is now only an empty space being renovated. Imagine me standing in the rain feeling sad I can’t smell this sexy witch-slash-goat perfume I was all excited about. I blame Google Maps, as it stated the store was going to be open until six. Thank you, Alexander, for the review, it made my day when I saw your messages pop up on my screen!
Possibly some of the most amazing gifts ever
I don’t want to brag or sound arrogant or annoying at all but I have to admit I have gotten some pretty amazing gifts lately that I want to share here and with this express my gratitude. The time, support, words, love and gifts from my friends and family have uplifted my spirits so much lately and have been a true remedy for feeling blue. Receiving amazing gifts also inspires me to be a better gift-giver myself and that is also another New Year’s resolution of mine.
Before Christmas, I was surprised with a gift from my new friend Fermin, who I met at school (we bonded over the fact that he knew the Finnish word for “bitch” and I knew instantly we would be friends from that moment on). Fermin shares a love for fragrance too, and I have been excited to see and hear about his personal woody and oud-inspired perfume collection. Fer travelled to Paris and as a souvenir got me a scented notebook by Diptique which blew my mind. I didn’t even know Diptique had stationery products. The notebook is so pretty and smells like the best book ever (green, fresh and airy paper) and I am going to write all my newsletter-related thoughts in it from now on. I am also so inspired to possibly print photographs on scented paper in the future, how amazing would that be? Thank you so much Ferm for the best gift(s) and for cheering me up on the daily.
Another mind-boggling gift was from my parents this Christmas, as I got a gift card and the experience to go and blow glass myself. I have been going on about it for a long time, as I wish and dream to work with photography, glass (and perfume), somehow marry all of these things together, and explore them within my personal work and art. I wanted to blow a clear piece of glass and take pictures through it and was so happy to be able to do so while I was in Finland. I am so proud of my very first glass object that I have officially named Blob / Patty. Thank you for the best gift (Mama I know you are reading this) I appreciate your endless support and love you both so much. I used the glass Blob for one of my assignments at school. Here is a sneak peek of the images I’m showcasing at my jury this upcoming Tuesday. We had to first generate images using AI and then alter them using different methods, and not by Photoshop.
Lastly, the gift that ultimately made my brain explode was a handmade perfume inspired by me and made especially for me by a new acquaintance of mine, Joonatan. Jonde is studying in their second year in the Fashion department at the Academy. We have met a couple of times at student parties and have bonded over being from Helsinki and how meeting someone from Finland feels like home. I was so busy during my trip to Finland that I wasn’t able to meet up with Jonde during the holidays but after coming back to Antwerp we met up for a cozy dinner at their place (which was very on theme with this dark cozy vibe in this newsletter, btw.) This precious perfume gift had been carted around Helsinki, but me receiving it now was probably best because it moved me deeply and I was happy I could sit and appreciate it properly. Jonde said that after the first time we met, they were inspired to make a perfume that smelled like me. The scent notes and blend they came up with were vetiver, sandalwood, pink pepper, cloves, geranium and patchouli. The perfume is gorgeous. I was speechless and over the moon that I had inspired someone, it’s insane.
We are planning on ordering some perfume oils and doing some blends together in the upcoming weeks, Jonde promised to show me how they make their perfumes at home. I can’t even express my gratitude and excitement. I need to write a separate newsletter about that, I think. Wow.
A quick list of inspiring things
I think I’m done for now. Congratulations on reading this far. One more thing quickly - I was inspired by another newsletter that shared the latest book, food, music and film recommendations so I will quickly do my version before I stop.
Films I’ve seen: We watched Saltburn with Matilda the other day and I have to say I wasn’t that inspired even though the film was aesthetic. The soundtrack was good. I can’t believe the grave scene was improvised, that’s so disturbing, my god. I am now going to see a Finnish Aki Kaurismäki film called Fallen Leaves and I will possibly be negative and judgemental because I tend to be like that with Finnish movies.
Books I plan on reading: Giovanni Boccaccio’s Mrs. Rosie and the Priest. Gifted by dear Mahdi who said I should read it with someone cool. And Bell Hook’s All About Love which I bought for myself and might grab a bit later and get into when I feel a bit lighter and more inspired.
Food I’ve enjoyed: The best pizzeria in Antwerp is Pizzeria Pugliese, hands down.
Music I’ve had on repeat: Chaos in the CBD is pretty nice and vibey study music which the girls requested I play when we revised together. I have also been obsessed with Kali Uchis’ new album and have been listening to it all day, every day. My neighbor might file a complaint soon.
That’s all. Finally. Thank you! I love you guys so much!!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Milja
❤️