2018 Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Collection

A small collection compared to many many others. I discovered Black Phoenix Alchemy lab a few years before purchasing from them. Not because I wasn’t interested but that it seemed so overwhelming finding what I liked. Having never been too involved with perfumes in general,  eventually I found myself in a cycle of trial and error. Do I like red musk? Oh no no no. Vanilla, yes please. Luckily on the website and forum small “imps or decants” are sold. These are small vial samples to try before purchasing a full size or 5ml bottle of perfume.

My first love was TKO. This blend’s notes (the perfume ingredients) are not disclosed. Many on the forums speculate this is a sweet dreamy blend of lavender. Often, wearing it is compared to sleeping on a lavender cloud. Many use it to assist in sleep. It is delicious, and has become a fan favorite on the site. It has extended to other lines as well on BPAL’s sister site Black Phoenix Trading Post, which sells various bath items such as oils and atmosphere sprays. TKO massage oil is even better than the perfume oil. It melts into the skin quickly, leaving no residue.

Apart from massage oil, the Trading Post also sells hair glosses. These are delightful perfumed oils to condition, manage, and tame hair. My favorite is The Moon Reflected in Every Rice Paddy, released during the 2017 Valentines “Lupercalia” limited edition release.

These limited releases make BPAL all the more intriguing. Many scents are hard to find and some sell for extremely high prices (hello Sir Thomas Sharpe from their limited Crimson Peak collection). But if human nature has proven anything its that we love when something is rare to possess.

One of my other favorite blends is unfortunately a rarer oil. Stekkjarstaur, described on the site as simply wooly marshmallow root. Was released in 2015 with the Yule limited editions. It was part of the yule lad line, scents based on the Icelandic gnome men of tradition. It is sweet and comforting.

Among my other favorites are Devos Unicorn, Antique Lace, and A Moment in Time. Once you find particular notes you enjoy the most it takes most of the guess work out of perfumes!

 

Shabu Shabu at home!

Since visiting an excellent Shabu Shabu joint in Shibuya I have been craving the delicious food and experience again! It dawned on me only last night that I had dozens of Japanese grocery stores right outside my front door. The perfect places to find ingredients to bring one of my favorite Japanese dishes to my own home. Now we don’t have a tabletop portable range or an earthenware pot so we did have to gather round the stovetop to cook. This ended up being mildly inconvenient but buying the large piece of equipment seems overkill. I followed a few recipes I found online, making my own sesame dipping sauce and buying a bottle of Ponzu for the same purpose. Cooking was relatively simple. Just chop chop chop some green onions, shiitake and enoki mushrooms, carrots, chrysanthemum leaves, and cabbage. Let a piece of kombu (thick sea kelp not seaweed) sit in the water for for 15+ minutes then bring to a boil and remove the kombu. Once on medium low heat we threw in some sake and got to dipping! Our pork and beef was pre-cut so the meal was very easy to prepare. And look how oh so beautiful all the veg looked laid out together! I found I enjoyed every kind. The chrysanthemum leaves were a very very interesting and new flavor. They tasted herbal and earthy. Maybe it’s an acquired tastes? In the end we had too much meat and veg, enough for dinner tomorrow. I’m sure it won’t take much convincing to have someone come over and help us out.

 

 

 

 

Tokyo Trip 2017

As I began planning my trip, many times I felt overwhelmed. I have spent my life moving from state to state, but never before have I moved abroad. In my preparation, I felt I had watched enough youtube videos, studied enough articles on how to travel the rail system. However, once I arrived I felt simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed. Overwhelmed by a city so different from those I had visited in the past. Underwhelmed by the things to do. Had I not planned enough? That is the only conclusion I could come to. While I had delightful experiences, I found a large amount of my time spent wandering the streets of Harajuku or Shibuya. Passing stores I personally had no interest in. Here is a look back on my trip, mostly the highlights. I will be returning to Tokyo this coming April. And believe me when I say I am really hitting the books this time!

First we begin on my plane trip. Air Canada all the way. Thank goodness for that. If I had to transfer in China I feel I might have died. I didn’t sleep the night before departing in an attempt to combat jet lag. After my first flight to Toronto I was really in trouble. I lay at my gate in exhaustion, unable to fall asleep for fear of missing my flight. Once boarded I really hit the jackpot. The seat next to mine was empty, unfortunately I was unable to sleep the entire flight. I tried and tried but had no luck. Once landing I spent around a half an hour going through customs. I was boiling in my sweater standing in the line of tightly knit travelers. Eventually I made it through and picked up my luggage. My husband stood outside the gate. I hadn’t seen him in over a year. I was overjoyed and ecstatic. We quickly purchased two bus tickets outside the gate and traveled to our Air BNB. The bus dropped us off at a popular hotel and we walked dragging in tail two giant heavy pieces of luggage. It was arduous, yet I was unable to ship many of my belongings to Japan so I brought them with me to Tokyo. Once we found and settled into our tiny BNB we stopped by a grocery store and Lawson convenience store. Personally, it’s the little things that make Japan special. New foods to try, new places to go. I was in heaven just browsing the similar, but oh so different products. I snapped many photos of Halloween themed products, as it is my favorite holiday. I wish I had bought the raccoon sanitizer, but it was a bit pricey.

The next day we visited Shibuya, Tokyu Hands, and the Mega Don Quijote. It helps to curb my makeup enthusiasm when I can’t read a lick of Japanese. Tokyu hands had a wonderful selection of pens and writing material. I will definitely be returning to those
two stores when my family visits in April. For lunch we had shabu shabu. It was an amazing experience cooking my own meal in the boiling broth provided. It was superbly delicious and I ate until I was full. I had no guide on how to cook and eat the food myself, yet I caught on with ease. There was a buffet like layout beside the seating area with rice, meats, vegetables, and noodles. Once you select what you’d like to try return to your table and begin cooking.

 

The next day we checked out Harajuku. I had a few stores on our itinerary, namely Kiddyland. It is a wonderful store, with many floors of goodness. Whether you enjoy Pokemon, Ghibli, Star Wars, or Hello Kitty. It really was my favorite shop in Tokyo.

For lunch we stopped by a small Ramen shop where I ate a rice BBQ bowl. For Dinner we went to Aoyama Flower Market. It was absolutely magical. The tea and sandwich were delicious. I would love to go again. It was the most beautiful restaurant I had ever eaten in. We arrived near closing time and we still had to wait in line behind one couple.

We took the train back home. Despite our confusion with the train system we never had any issues with using our Suica passes until our last day in Tokyo. The next day we decided to take a trip to Blue Lug so my husband could check out their bikes and gear. Despite not really caring for bicycles, I found myself picking up some cool items. Including a vintage michelin man mug and peacock shaped spoke reflector. Walking on our way to Takeshita-Dori street through Yoyogi park we came across the Portuguese Bakery Nata De Cristiano. I found it terribly funny being Azorian myself to find the little gem. We picked up delicious egg pastries. Walking through Yoyogi was a bit of peace during an otherwise busy trip that I found quite welcome. On another visit I would love to walk in a traditional Japanese garden. That is definitely on my bucket list.

Before heading back home we drop our luggage off a a convenient Yamato transport store. The luggage were shipped at a low price to our next destination in Aomori. This was amazingly helpful and helped alleviate the stress of traveling public transport. However trouble ensued. While trying to enter the station my husbands pass wouldn’t allow him in, though mine worked fine. They were bother loaded with enough money so I suppose it was a fluke. A station master let us through and we took the train to the Shinkansen station. We waited there for a time after purchasing our tickets. My husband had lost the tickets he purchased initially on the Shinkansen down from Aomori. Lost and found was easy to communicate with using english photo sheets. But, alas no luck. No one had turned in our tickets. The station was busy and bustling as we made our way up to our Shinkansen platform. I realized much too close to boarding time that we were on the wrong platform! We rushed over and just made our train back to Hachinohe.

Looking back, there are certain bits I loved of our trip, and some I felt were wastes of time. Particularly the bits where we wandered with no plan. Next visit I look forward to visiting the Ghibli museum and perhaps Universal Tokyo! So long Big Chaps!

 

Top Eight Father Brown Episodes

1. “The Wrong Shape” (Series 1 episode 3) This is the first episode that really hit an emotional chord in me. That is why it holds a strong spot as my number one favorite episode. Father Brown is dropped into quite an odd household consisting of a young woman, a sadhu, and a middle aged couple. This episode confronts the grief the couple shares over the loss of their baby daughter. The speech Father Brown delivers to the grieving Mother was so moving I showed it to my own Mom and we began watching the series together.
2.  “The Man in the Tree” (Series 1 episode 4) Who doesn’t love watching a Nazi war criminal get his just desserts? In this episode many topics are confronted; sex workers and romance, revenge, and forgiveness. It is a pot of goodness and mystery that had me guessing until the very end.
3. “The Ghost in the Machine” (Series 2 episode 1) Who doesn’t love secret passages and ghosts? This episode reminded me of a horror story I would have read as a child. This episode is worth watching simply because of how interesting and tragic the story is.
4. “The Prize of Colonel Gerard” (Series 2 episode 8) I did my best not confuse “best” and “coolest”. In this case I am ready to admit this episode only made the listbecause the murder is so crazy you just have to watch it! Also this episode featuresa familiar face for all you Harry potter Fans. Father Brown is keen as always as he unravels the reason behind a brutish Colonel’s murder.
5. “The Grim Reaper” (Series 2 episode 9) What a genuinely sad episode. It find’s it’s way on this list because of how it pulled on my heart strings. It features a couple with a distinct age gap who are harassed by an alcoholic young man. When the young man is torn up in a thresher Father Brown is on the case! Look for no cold blooded killer in this episode, there isn’t one.
6. “The Curse of Amenhotep” (series 3 episode 2) Mummies! This was the first episode togenuinely give me a fright. A seasoned explorer seems to have a mummies curse upon him as his new young wife is found dead. This episode featured notably wonderful makeup and costume. He’s no “Ramses the man in gauze” but he’ll do.
7. “The Invisible Man” (series 3 episode 3) Tall? Dark? Dangerous? The circus has come to town and the magician seems a tad bit guilty when the clown turns up dead. But appearances are only thus! This episode was terribly inspirational if you love anything circus. The plot, in true Father Brown form, tugs on your heartstrings and is full of surprises.
8. “The Crackpot of the Empire” (series 4 episode 4) Want to watch Saw with your Catholic Mom? You’d do best by popping on this episode instead. We are treated to a glimpse of Father Brown’s past as he played a part in having his whimsical friend Uncle mirth committed to a hospital years ago. This episode picks up after his release upon which Father Brown is invited to an odd party in a decrepit warehouse. No one loses their hand or whatever happens in Saw, but it’s just my cup of tea! I didn’t see the twist coming.

 

My current Doc Marten Collection💖

Well there they are all lined up in their British glory. I started collecting Doc’s sometime in Junior year of high school. I have always stuck to the same size when ordering Docs. If you are lucky enough to visit a Doc Marten store it’s easy to be fitted by the employee’s. In this lineup we have a yellow pair of Drench rain boots, a pair of tan Gryphon sandals, black smooth 2976 Chelsea Boots, Fitzrovia Tassel Loafer Cherry Red, and Velvet Gracie boots. The only pair that fits a tad too tight are the Drench rain boots.

I would say my favorite boot pair is the Chelsea style. They can make me feel a little goofy sometimes (because the tip is so rounded) despite that they are gorgeous. I wear them often with black leggings tucked in. They are quick to put on as well, a definite plus for me. They did not need to be broken into too much. When I first got them the part around my upper ankle chaffed a bit. I don’t notice any discomfort with them now. I once met a woman at the supermarket with the same pair and we had a nice little chat. Isn’t that sweet? Doc’s bringing people together.

 

My Drench boots are affectionately yellow. I pleasantly associate them with Coraline’s rain gear in the film. I’ve also been complimented on these more so than any of my other Docs! Perhaps due to how bold they are. As previously mentioned they fit with my toes right against the tip of the shoe. I purchase them online, without trying the fit. However I have still worn them on many snowy and rainy days. They have a fuzzy lining and do an excellent job keeping water out. They have a rubbery texture and tend to have dirt and mud stick. However they are very easy to clean. Just give them a wipe with a napkin or paper towel and all the debris falls off. These are relatively easy to put on and are great if you need a nice pair of water proof boots that will be very trustworthy in all sorts of weather. I have not had to wear these much in the summer but the lining is so thin I am relatively sure they will not turn your feet into furnaces. If you need shoes that breathe look elsewhere because these are waterproofed by having no gaps.

 

 

Salem Trip 2015

Visiting Salem, MA had been one on my bucket list for a very long time. And in September of 2015 I was able to take a road trip there with my boyfriend Jack. I had planned extensively before my trip and it was wonderful. Along the ride we listened to my spotify Autumn playlist which set the mood.

We parked in a city parking garage closest to the wharf. It was a central location and made walking around easy. First, we took in the town and passed by a few shops in the central Essex pedestrian mall. This strip was full of witchcraft and book shops. Our first shop visit was Modern Millie, a vintage clothing store. The prices were a bit on the high side and the styles didn’t suit me much. I enjoyed the atmosphere inside, very retro. It would have been a pin up girls dream!

We then moved onto my favorite part of our trip, visiting Aroma Sanctum Perfumes. The Owner, Akuura Kulak, was inside the empty shop (just our luck!). Having one on one time with her made the experience much better.  We spent a long while trying out all of her different house blended perfumes. Akuura used a long glass rod when applying the perfumes to our inner arms. She told us scents change based on our bodies chemistry so we talked and noticed the scents shift over time. Jack and I both walked out with our own scents. I purchased for him, Trade winds perfume described as fresh and spicy, with lemon, bergamot, cinnamon, clove, bay leaf, amber and musk. For myself I picked up Spice, the comforting scent of gingerbread and vanilla. I also grabbed Jack his “favorite soap ever” which was Akuura’s oatmeal bar soap.  This Christmas I also received Darkwoods, a scent I loved in store. It is crisp evergreen and pine notes with a deep patchouli and oakmoss base, like a winter night in a mountain forest (My Mom loves it on me). This shop is definitely a shining star in Salem.

My boyfriend, being the bike connoisseur he is, demanded we visit Salem Cycles. The bike shop was small and I picked up an orange water bottle with their logo. The man at the till was extremely friendly and asked us where we were from and what our plans for the day were. Jack walked out with a brass bike bell I bought for him. For Lunch we swung by the Gulu Gulu cafe. Definitely a place to visit just for the atmosphere. The food wasn’t very memorable and they were out of what I wanted, but I didn’t let that rain on my parade. This cafe was in a very nice part of Salem and the famous Bewitched statue stood out front. Half way through our lunch the man from the bike shop ran inside the cafe straight to our table. He was holding our Aroma Sanctum bag and explained breathlessly we had left it  inside the shop! Luckily he was such a friendly guy he ran it all the way over. That little act of kindness brightened my slightly soured mood (because of the boring food) considerably.

Next we stopped by the popular Witch house located in the far west of Salem. There is a small museum inside, but it was not on our itinerary. The architecture is beautiful and one of the most iconic of Old Salem. In the picture to the right Jack was walking towards the front door of the house. We didn’t linger too much here. There was an antique store across the way filled with junk we spent some time in.  We soon left and headed back out to explore more of the town. Another hidden gem of Salem amid the throngs of witchy shops was Artemisia Botanicals. I would say it is closer to a health food store than the flashy witchcraft stores scattered across town. My first thought upon entering was how much my Mother would love the store. The walls were lined with rows and rows of aromatic teas and spices. Jack and I spent a very very long time inside combing through the beautiful shop. If you must satisfy your witchcraft tooth the best shop for the job would have to be Hex. Jack and I ended up visiting every witchcraft shop in Salem and Hex was just hands down the best, but also the most expensive.

Our last stop of the day was The House of the Seven Gables, the only actual tour I had planned for the day. They offered a student discount and Jack and I took advantage. Weirdly enough their website described this discount as ages 5-12 but they gave it to us anyway. It was a slight walk away from the center of the town but it was refreshing and very enjoyable to travel along the wharf. As we were walking I noticed a small plastic baggie on the ground with a small green bunch inside. Being in Salem I laughed and wondered if someone had bought it at some witchcraft store. Jack told me it was weed so I left it where I found it. We waited for our tour in the garden of the House of the Seven Gables. It was the most breathtaking view on our entire trip. Soon our tour began and we entered the house. I admit, the tour would have been a tad more exhilarating if I was more familiar with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work. Before you visit, try reading The House of the Seven Gables or the Scarlett letter. Inside, the house is a sort of odd maze with secret doors and staircases. The tour guide was very kind and professional. Afterwards we were given the option to self guide ourselves through Hawthorne’s family home, which was moved to sit across from the Seven Gables. The house was small and Jack and I moved onto the gift shop. I have to say it trumped all of the Salem knick nack tourist shops. It was extensive with really cool patches and memories of Salem to bring back home with you. They had tea in wooden boxes which I picked up for my Mom as a souvenir. I also grabbed my baby sister a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which I read in middle school. Upon leaving we noticed a quaint candy shop across the street. We stopped in the cramped shop and stocked up on delicious homemade sweets. Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company had a variety of candy and I grabbed a dark chocolate covered oreos and marshmallows. Jack picked up some fudge.

As our day drew to a close we decided on dinner at The Howling Wolf Taqueria. Jack and I are huge fans of Mexican food and it was a wonderful end to our trip. The restaurant is not in a very ideal location (far from the wharf and shops) but the food made up for that. I received such a large portion of fajitas that I had enough for 3 meals! Jack ordered a burrito heavier than most babies and we enjoyed ourselves so much. When we left it was with a heavy heart and even heavier bellies. The old woman in the parking garage booth was adorable and the fee was only a dollar for the whole day!

On the ride back to Rhode Island we stopped by an Ikea for our first time and had a blast in the almost empty store. I missed Salem the moment we left. I was also very happy with how well everything worked out. Everything was in easy walking distance. I truly miss Salem and hope my guide can be in someway useful to anyone planning a trip.

 

Lulu Organics Review

I am pleased as punch I discovered this brand. Lulu Organics is a body care company based in upstate New York. They have a variety of haircare products that really sparked my attention. As the name entails, their products are beautifully blended with all natural ingredients. I have to say though, the packaging may have been 95% of the reason I was so entranced. Like many women I feel like my hair is a constant uphill battle that I will never be able to win. I am supremely hesitant about haircare products because none have ever truly worked for me. In the end I purchased Lulu’s Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Oil and the Thieves Oil Hand Purifier. The latter was a gift for my mother this Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning with the Hand Purifier, although it was a gift, my mother had me try some. She is a Montessori teacher and having something to purify her hands is very useful when there aren’t any sinks nearby.  When I tried some I was hooked! The scent reminded me of an Orange Tootsie pop mixed with amazing natural herbs. The exact scent is described on the website as,

Our Thieves Oil Hand Purifier is a wonderful alternative to alcohol hand sanitizers leaving your hands soft and smelling like lemon, cinnamon, rosemary + thyme.

My mother was so excited and happy she was surprised I didn’t pick a bottle up for myself (which I plan to do in the future). I would like to add the bottle was surprisingly large. The purifier also has a pretty enchanting back story, which they describe on their website. I encourage you to check it out!

Above is my own personal bottle of the hair oil, which truly is becoming my first ever holy grail hair product. Yes, I bought it for the packaging, but as an illustration major I don’t feel guilty for that particular vice. This little lady (who is totally giving off Blood Ceremony vibes) is such a great oil! I was cursed with frizzy curly hair that if not treated right will quite easily resemble Hermione Granger’s in the Sorcerer’s Stone. No brushes ever touch these locks I promise you.

My hair after using The Oil

The bottle says to use this product on days of wash after your hair has air dried. Every time I do so, without fail, my frizz is managed and my hair feels conditioned without any visible oiliness added. My hair also has a nasty habit of holding oils when I do hair masks, but this oil is so light my hair never looks greasy. I can’t get enough and will definitely be purchasing from Lulu again.

UPDATE*

Four months have passed since this review and I thought I would share how I still feel about the hair oil. I can’t say I touch it as often as I used to since I made the switch to non-detergent shampoo. That is washing with Bronners and conditioning with an ACV rinse. I believe I felt an aversion to product while transitioning to a different routine. A few days ago I ran out of ACV and only washed with Bronners, which left my hair dry and very basey. I used some oil and it definitely seemed to help my hair. I would like to get back into using it more often.