September 2022

  • A Portrait Perfume Oil

    As much time that we spend together as a family, things have been so hectic that we don’t have as much “Dad and Kiddo” time as we used to. I truly miss carrying Lilith my shoulders all the time while we’d laugh about dumb shit. As Lilith has gotten older, they have started to grow a bit distant – as teenagers do – so the moments that we share now become even more important to me. Sometimes, I miss my little kid and I hope they know how much I love them and that I would do anything for them.

     

    This is one of my favorite memories of the year because we were just sitting together enjoying each other’s company, laughing and joking around.

     

    A cluster of sugared carnations with strawberry juice, sweet patchouli, and lush red labdanum.

    Out of Stock
  • Back in the Recording Studio Perfume Oil

    After a long plague-induced hiatus, Lilith was finally able to go back to the recording studio. This time, it was for background vocals on a song that was being recorded for a charity project.

     

    Tonka bean, black amber resin, patchouli root, candlewax, lavender bud, driftwood, and honey dust.

    Out of Stock
  • Be Happy Still Perfume Oil

    She can, though every face should scowl

    And every windy quarter howl

    Or every bellows burst, be happy still.

    – WB Yeats

     

    Orange blossom and sweet balsam threaded through vivacious white musk and serene lotus root.

    Out of Stock
  • Cherry Red Perfume Oil

    Middle school saw myriad hair colors and cuts, but this blood red is how Lilith started the school year.

     

    Maraschino cherries, California bing cherries, scarlet musk, and sugar.

    Out of Stock
  • Dad! Let Me Do Your Makeup! Perfume Oil

    What should a father do when his baby begs him to let them give them a makeover? You sit down and become beautiful. I was attempting to watch a Seahawks game (ignore the baseball on the TV, it was a commercial) and Lilith kept taking my glasses off to apply makeup on my eyes – but that meant that I couldn’t watch the game. Every time I turned to see what happened, I would get a sharp command, “DAD! Look at me.”

     

    Let me tell you, if that is not love, I don’t know what is. Plus, Lilith made me look extra fancy.

     

    Earl Grey tea, honey, heavy cream, and toasted marshmallows.

    Out of Stock
  • Easter Egging Perfume Oil

    It might come as a shock, but we’re not much of an Easter-y family. However, we sure do like decorating eggs.

     

    A pastel swirl of pink sandalwood, mallow flower, white chocolate, and tea rose.

    Out of Stock
  • Final Girl Perfume Oil

    For Halloween 2021, Lilith was the Final Girl, and as their mom I can attest that they’re definitely the one that lives to tell the tale.

     

    Vanilla cream, white honey, and marshmallow sugar splattered with red currant, blackcurrant, and clove.

    Out of Stock
  • First Class Upgrade Perfume Oil

    Travel has been sketchy ever since the pandemic hit, especially after the mask mandate was lifted on airlines, but it’s an unavoidable risk when you’re moving 2800 miles away.

     

    The scent of good fortune blessing you with a first class upgrade, filtered through a KN95: bougie Australian sandalwood, cotton blossom, frankincense, white amber, white leather, orris root, and ambergris accord.

    Out of Stock
  • First Day of High School Perfume Oil

    There is so much hope in this photo – it sparkles with the champagne-pop mingling of delight and anxiety that chaperones new beginnings: hope for new friends and new loves, hope for new joys and new triumphs, hope for safety and comfort.

    Lavender sugar and honeyed mandarin with late summer apples, glittering vanilla musk, red chypre, and benzoin.

    Out of Stock
  • Harvest Moon Love Potion Perfume Oil

    An attraction and sensuality blend that is delightfully camouflaged as a perfume. Autumn romance personified, infused with the comfort of fall leaves and apple pulp, cacao, 7-year aged patchouli, vanilla absolute, benzoin, cubeb berries, and rose absolute.

    Out of Stock
  • Haunt 2021 Perfume Oil

    Our first Halloween outing in what feels like centuries: Cemetery Lane at Heritage Square.

     

    Photo by Lilith. Dry leaves under amber lighting, a whiff of Snake Oil and Dorian, lavender oil, and distant fires.

    Out of Stock
  • Hearts Are Not Had As A Gift But Hearts Are Earned Perfume Oil

    When you’re a Virgo with five planets in Libra and it shows: red rose petals, bourbon vanilla, deeply rooted patchouli, sweet labdanum, and pepperberry.

    Out of Stock
  • Hell is Empty And All The Devils Are Here Perfume Oil

    After not having left our cocoon in ages, we finally emerged for Independent Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest in Griffith Park.

     

    Griffith Park in the summertime: white sage and California live oak, sumac, walnut, and wild lilac, eucalyptus leaf, blue elderberry, California bush sunflower, century plant, California buckwheat, and sagebrush.

    Out of Stock
  • High School Hair Perfume Oil

    New state, new city, new house, new school, new hair: burgundy wine, spiced chestnut, merlot musk, and clove bud.

    Out of Stock
  • High School Orientation Day Glamour Perfume Oil

    Sheer gardenia and coconut milk with a hint of lavender, white clove, golden sandalwood, black tea, and almond blossom.

    Out of Stock
  • Horses Cooling Themselves in Water Perfume Oil

    Nils Kreuger

    Chestnut musk, candied fig, russet amber, sweet clove bud, pecan, and myrrh.

    Out of Stock
  • Its Own Sweet Will is Heaven’s Will Perfume Oil

    Considering that, all hatred driven hence,

    The soul recovers radical innocence

    And learns at last that it is self-delighting,

    Self-appeasing, self-affrighting,

    And that its own sweet will is Heaven’s will

    – WB Yeats

     

    Self-delighting radical innocence: amber-haloed fig fruit and caramelized chestnut with rose resin, clove bud, cardamom, and galbanum.

    Out of Stock
  • Juicebox Perfume Oil

    Sometimes being a dad is not just caring about your human child. Maggie is less than a year old and she has been in and out of the ER five times. She had a botched spay that resulted in her getting an infection that needed emergency surgery, and before that she almost died when she got a cut near her neck and was shooting blood everywhere. (I still have the bloodstained shirt to prove it!)

     

    She is the sweetest disaster dog ever and she is my baby and I love her lots and lots.

     

    Chocolate honey cakes with hazelnut and ripe figs.

    Out of Stock
  • Last Day of Summer Froyo Perfume Oil

    Cake batter yogurt and gummy uh… bear-shaped candies… made of sugar, gelatin, food coloring, and other candy-related ingredients.

    My suggestion of Gummus Ursus was shot down.

    – Doc Constantine

    Out of Stock
  • Luceat Perfume Oil

    Sometimes I feel that they are more mature than I am, and this scent reflects it: wispy cashmere musk, sweet amber, iris butter, heliotrope, and tolu balsam.

    Out of Stock
  • Mean, Green Production Project Perfume Oil

    Last year, Lilith switched conservatories from theater to production and design, and the midterm project that they were assigned was to make… anything. Any prop, any costume, any special effects makeup look. Lilith chose to make a light-up wizard’s staff, a ribcage corset, and a model of a specific carnivorous alien plant since the school was doing a production of a certain musical.

     

    A mean, green scent evocative of gargantuan homicidal extraterrestrial flytraps splooshed with guava blorps, blood red berries, and a hint of bruised lavender.

    Out of Stock
  • Nightfall Perfume Oil

    A few months back, we took Lilith to see Rhys Darby perform his standup. The scent of a long-awaited, much-needed night out at a comedy club: bitter and sweet oranges, King mandarin, a swoosh of deep velvet musk, and blooming mock orange.

    Out of Stock
  • Oda a La Luz Encantada Perfume Oil

    La luz bajo los árboles,

    la luz del alto cielo.

    La luz

    verde

    enramada

    que fulgura

    en la hoja

    y cae como fresca

    arena blanca.

     

    Una cigarra eleva

    su son de aserradero

    sobre la transparencia.

     

    Es una copa llena

    de agua

    el mundo.

    – Pablo Neruda

     

    Moroccan amber, sweet cream, lavender mist, Roman chamomile, golden musk, and pear blossoms.

    Out of Stock
  • Philos, Adelphos Perfume Oil

    On August 9th, 2022, we flew out to start the process of moving ourselves – and BPAL – from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. This scent is a mingling of Southern California and Eastern Pennsylvania native plants with a little Mlle. Moriarty, Theodosius, and Mme. Moriarty tossed in: California poppy, Catalina currant, white sage, California mock orange, California spice bush, wild rose, and brickellbush with wild blue phlox, goldenrod, blue flag iris, wild indigo, white yarrow, anise hyssop, beaked hazelnut, and scarlet strawberry.

    Out of Stock
  • Poolside Perfume Oil

    I took this photo of Lilith while we were sitting by Donna and Jeff’s pool, and Lilith was talking about how excited they were to finally go to high school and how this year is going to be a great experience. It was a wonderful moment of just us being together and knowing that we love each other and are always there to support each other. I love them infinity.

     

    Blooming peonies, Moroccan jasmine, vanilla tea, and lavender reflected in a glimmer of blue musk.

    Out of Stock
  • Read 10:42PM Perfume Oil

    A reflection on the selfie as a form of introspection and communication: ylang ylang and blackberries with sweet aged patchouli, vanilla absolute, cade, and labdanum.

    Out of Stock
  • Secret Donuts Perfume Oil

    As is our tradition, Beth takes a photo of me walking with Lilith on their first day of school. This photo is special because it is one of the first ones taken at our new home in Philadelphia, and though it wasn’t taken on the first day of school, it was snapped on one of the first days of high school. Lilith was so excited and nervous to start and we kept telling them that they will do great and will meet lots of new people and love the school.

     

    They came home so happy, and had tons of stories of new friends and how much they love high school.

     

    Not shown in this photo are the two boxes of donuts that Beth got (as bribes?) for the faculty.

     

    Glazed donuts, chocolate frosted donuts, and maple bars.

    Out of Stock
  • Skeleton Hands Perfume Oil

    All through 8th grade Lilith would come home with various “tattoos.” This one is my favorite, and one that they swear they’re going to get someday. Bourbon cream, bony sandalwood, oak bark, frankincense resin, hazelnut, myrrh smoke, and tattoo ink.

    Out of Stock
  • Spoopy Kid Assaulted by a Sunbeam Perfume Oil

    California Summergoth: sweet patchouli, sugar cane, cotton candy, golden amber, honeysuckle nectar, and vanilla ice cream.

    Out of Stock
  • Summer Rain Perfume Oil

    One week into high school, and Lilith couldn’t be happier. This morning we experienced our first summer storm in Philadelphia.

     

    A smidge of coconut milk and lavender mingling with huge droplets of summer rain splashing on wild herbs pushing through hot cement.

    Out of Stock
  • Tahitian Landscape Perfume Oil

    Paul Gauguin

    Coconut meat, frangipani, plumeria, red torch ginger, freesia, Tahitian gardenia, palm fronds, and a cluster of wild orchids.

    Out of Stock
  • Teenagering Perfume Oil

    Spicy pink roses, an explosion of pink carnations, and squished sugar cookies.

    Out of Stock
  • This More Than Bloody Deed Perfume Oil

    Lilith’s final year in their Shakespeare troupe before moving East. A triumphant but somber scent commemorating Lilith’s ten years with the theater: wildflower honey, bourbon vanilla, and lush red labdanum.

    Out of Stock
  • Ticketed Perfume Oil

    One day at the Happiest Place on Earth, we were approached by this policeman who said that we did not look happy and that is not allowed here. We joked with him for a few minutes about wearing all black when Lilith said something about Magic Mountain. The cop got all upset and pulled out his ticket book and proceeded to write Lilith a joke ticket for the heinous crime of mentioning another amusement park on sacred grounds.

     

    It was the funniest moment and it just made our day.

     

    Caramel corn, cotton candy, and a pop of cola fizz.

    Out of Stock
  • We’re #1 Perfume Oil

    The ancestral Barrial coat of arms just says “Classy” in Latin.

     

    Frozen strawberries with a jolt of sugar syrup.

    Out of Stock
  • With My Flayll I Erne My Brede Perfume Oil

    The grape harvest: a heady wine-infused musk sweetened by late summer blackberries.

    The proceeds from this scent benefit Cradles to Crayons, which provides children in the Philadelphia area that are living in poverty with everyday essentials.

    Out of Stock
  • You Are So Emo Perfume Oil

    Conversations with Lilith-

     

    Lilith: You know what colors I want to paint my bedroom? I want to paint it white and tan.

     

    Dad: White and tan? Why?

     

    Lilith: Because those are pretty colors and it would look great.

     

    Dad: I don’t know about that.

     

    Lilith: What color would you want to paint it?

     

    Dad: How about black and red?

     

    Lilith: Oh dad, you are so EMO.

     

    This perfume is SO EMO. A pale, melancholy blend full of feels: white amber and oakmoss, bittersweet labdanum, ambergris accord, white tea, white lavender bud, guaiac wood, and carrot seed.

    Out of Stock
  • Young Corn Perfume Oil

    Grant Wood

    Corn husks and upturned soil, haystacks and spicy late summer breezes.

    Out of Stock
  • Young Pilgrim Girl Perfume Oil

    Alexis Grimou

    Black silk and crisp linen, polished abalone, wildflower honey, jasmine milk, and rose-touched sweet cream.

    Out of Stock