Hello Everyone!
I hope this winter has been kind to you, and to those of you below the equator, I know this summer has been a cruel one. Soon, the seasons will change and we will long for the heat when we're freezing and dream of the days we were shivering when the mercury shoots to the triple digits.
I've been extremely busy this past month. If you are awaiting an order, please know that it's going out this week. Because I'm VERY PREGNANT and it's hard for me to move, I have to rely on the kindness of my helper elves to get orders out. My helper has been busy getting her school and work schedule dialed in so she could help me. Now she's available twice a week and things will run much smoother on out. It's kind of humbling to have to have someone help me to this extent. I mean if Lucy still was unable to put her own socks and shoes on, she'd be barefoot all the time! In fact, she helps me find my boots most days!
There are three parts to this Lupertine update. First, we have Selections from the Book of Love. A fragrance collection inspired by the myriad ways we have to express love, loss and desire. Second, we have our Mardi Gras collection, the Conjure Krewe! Six darkly playful scents to mark the revelry of Fat Tuesday and the debaucherous fun that comes before the austerity of Lent. Inspired by the comical figures found within Commedia dell'arte, Doktor Schnabel von Rom and just a little Steampunk for good measure, these figures promise to delight, entertain and disturb just slightly! Plus if you order the whole set of the Krewe, you'll get a free Gris Gris bag made with love and spirit by yours truly! Which brings us to the third aspect of this update: Gris Gris Bags! Similar in nature to a Mojo Bag, but based in the Vodoun tradition (as opposed to Hoodoo in the case of the Mojo) the Gris Gris bag is a prayer in a pouch. It contains symbolically and spiritually potent items that create an energetic synergy to help you fulfill your desires. In concert with my Egun (the spirits of my ancestors whom I work with closely) I have designed nine different Gris Gris styles for you to choose from! From Love and Sex to Protection and Dark Arts, I'm sure there will be something for everyone! They'll only be available for a month, so be sure to get one while you can!
This update is on the large side because I'm trying to wind down in anticipation of the birth of my son. (He still doesn't have a name, but he'll get one eventually, I'm sure!) He's due April 16th and I'd like to have a pregnant pause (see what I did there?) and take a break from April to the end of May. I'll be open for orders during that time, but there will be no summer update. I am working on some special perfumes to celebrate the birth, but that will be small and manageable for me. The next large update you can expect from Conjure will be the Hallows 2013 update.
I'm telling you all this so you can plan accordingly. All orders placed before February 4th will be shipped for a timely Valentine's Day arrival. Now that I have reliable help once again, I'm going to try and keep a short leash on the turn around time just in case Junior decides to arrive unexpectedly!
So, enough of an introduction! On to the reason you're here - THE SMELLIES! Thanks again for your patience and understanding during this time of transition here at Conjure. It's already starting to mellow out. I hope you had a fantastic holiday and that 2013 is shaping up to be the best year EVER.
Love and Bliss,
Vajra
Sometimes we lack the
words to express the depth or essence of what is thought or felt so very
deep within our souls. We string together strands of nouns, adjectives
and verbs hoping for just the right sequence to express the secrets
buried in our hearts. We imagine songs and poetry or visual art in an
attempt at a melodic, abstract or symbolic explanation.
Language is the art of
the tongue acting in concert with the heart and mind. Some languages are
clumsy in their presentation of complex theories and emotions while
others are more graceful, playful or efficient. In crafting this series,
I wondered what it would look like if all the human expressions of love
were assembled in one place; a proverbial Book of Love in a fashion. As
I searched for words that conveyed ideas of love, longing and loss in a
unique way, I stumbled upon a couple blog articles investigating the
same subject and was inspired by what I had found. All of the words in
this collection are non English in their origin and while English is my
native language, I find that it often lacks the elegance and grace found
in many other tongues.
In the end, what I take
away from this collection is the commonality of love, loss and desire.
We all ache, yearn, have our hearts broken and share the bliss of love -
all evident in the myriad ways we have to say, sing or recreate our
inner worlds.
We hope you enjoy the Lupertine 2013 collection.
PLEASE
NOTE: Please order by February 4th for delivery by Valentine's Day.
Also, last years Lupertines - Mlle Victoria's Lupertine Burlesque
Cabaret are still available
HERE! No other scents will be
resurrected at this time. If there is a Lupertine from the past you're
interested in, please contact Vajra.
LUPERTINE 2013 and MARDI
GRAS 2013 perfumes will be available until March 15th, or until supplies are exhausted. Gris Gris Bags will be available until February 28.
CAFUNÉ
Brazilian Portuguese
The act of running ones fingers gently and lovingly through a beloved's hair.
Black tea, toasted sweet tobacco, Sudanese frankincense, cocoa absolute, black pepper and vanilla infused coconut husk.
FORELSKET
Norwegian
The pure euphoric bliss experienced during the first moments of falling in love.
Davana, blood orange, spun sugar, vanilla musk, hibiscus and Indian patchouli.
ILUNGA
Bantu
An
individual who is willing to forgive a lover's transgression the first
time that it is committed, show tolerance toward a second event and
refuse to abide any abuse a third time.
English lavender, juniper berry, allspice, Himalayan cedar, aged pine resin, palo santo and black copal.
KOI NO YOKAN
Japanese
The instantaneous intuitive knowledge that you and the person you just met will fall in love with one another.
King mandarin, rose geranium, bois de rose, beeswax absolute, crimson orchid, magnolia, pink lotus and golden honey.
LA DOULEUR EXQUISE
French
The exquisite agony that accompanies the desire for someone who is unobtainable.
Coriander, clove absolute, Meyer lemon, oleander, white musk and amber milk.
MAMIHLAPINATAPEI
Yagan, Tierra del Fuego
A silent, aching look shared by a couple who long for one another that is shadowed by a mutual, bashful reluctance.
Sweet pea, cardamom, fresh fig, Baltic amber, ginger and stargazer lily.
RETROUVAILLES
French
The joyous reunion after a long separation.
Ruby red grapefruit, cassia, black pepper, pomegranate, black tea and red sandalwood.
SAUDADE
Portuguese
An
unrelenting longing for someone who was loved and lost. Also, a nebulous
and nagging desire for people, places or things that never have, cannot
and never will exist.
Passion
fruit, candied Parma violet, vanilla blossom, balm of Gilead infusion,
guaiac wood, love-lies-bleeding and French opium.
YA'ABURNEE
Arabic
Literally: "You bury me." The hope that one would die before their loved one, as a life spent apart would be unbearable.
Black musk, aged patchouli, Spanish moss, desert hyacinth, leather, oakmoss and clove soaked myrrh.
YUANFEN
Chinese
A
complex concept rooted in Buddhist theological determinism. A
synchronistic, predetermined karmic force that links or binds two people
together in a relationship that is fated or destined to be. This
relationship can be shared between lovers, friends and family as well
and is, according to the ancients, indicative of connections forged in
past lives.
Dragon's blood, temple sandalwood, white amber, black locust blossom, white ginger and quince.
Join the Conjure Plague Circus as the good Doktor leads our rag tag krewe down paths devious and debaucherous!
Order all six of the
Conjure Krewe and receive a free Gris Gris bag conjured by Mama Vajra
herself! The bag comes along with a pip of a specially formulated
anointing oil and instructions for use! The current Gris Gris we are
offering can be found HERE. If you're ordering a complete set, please
let me know your free Gris Gris selection either in the Message to
Merchant section on the PayPal check out page, or send a separate email
to vajra at conjureoils dot com.
You can also purchase the Gris Gris bags individually. They are $40 each and are available
HERE.
DOKTOR PLAGUE
Ringmaster and mysteriously dark leader of this motley Conjure krewe!
Smoked black tea, cardamom, aged myrrh, robust sandalwood, sweet sage and silver lavender.
COLUMBINE
Clever
Columbine is an artful and confident juggler, carelessly tossing glass
spheres, sharp toys, grenades and the hearts of the men who adore her to
the delight and dismay of her audience.
Cherry blossom, guava fruit, blood orange, golden patchouli and sugared amber.
HARLEQUIN
Harlequin
serves up his comedy nimbly with the aid of his robotic limbs, ever
trying to catch the heart of Columbine with his acrobatics and foolish
antics.
Crystalline amber, black coconut, sugared tobacco, vanilla musk, osmanthus and salted caramel.
PIERROT
Wrapped
in a straight jacket and donning a gas mask, Pierrot is the picture of
the sadness and madness born of unrequited love; he pines for Columbine
whom he always loses to the agile Harlequin.
Blue iris, antiqued frankincense, red sandalwood, aged vanilla resin, bergamot and white carnations.
MLLE. JUDIE
Half
human, half skeletal, Mlle. Judie tries her best to keep her brute of a
husband, Punch, in line. She insists that one day she will get it
through his thick skull that when baby sitting, one doesn't actually sit
on the baby.
Red amber, black currant, kush, orange blossom honey and lush gardenia.
PUNCH
Despite
his ability to fight the devil and win, Punch will always be just the
the hen pecked husband and eternal tormentor of his formidable wife
Mlle. Judie. He's all bark, and some bite, too!
Black musk, champaca blossom, red myrrh, cassia, burned sugar, narcissus, pomegranate and black patchouli.
Gris Gris Bags are available at Conjure Oils for a short time only!
Made by hand using a
combination of organic and/or wildcrafted herbs, roots, semi precious
stones, minerals, metals, shells and other mystical curios, these Gris
Gris bags come in beautiful color appropriate pouches with a small charm
affixed by hand to the exterior. Each Gris Gris comes with complete
instructions on their preparation with suggestions on how to enliven
them using various candle colors, moon phases, days of the week and
instructions on how personalize them with anointing oils and personal
concerns.
Before they're sent out
to you, each Bag is prayed over and passed through sacred smoke that is
burned as a daily devotional on my Boveda, or spirit altar.
CURRENT GRIS GRIS SELECTIONS:
TRUE LOVE - To attract LOVE. Pink bag, heart charm.
LA FLAMME - To enliven an existing relationship or attract SEX - Red bag, devil charm.
TREASURE CHEST - To draw :PROSPERITY - Green bag, coin charm.
GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT - To
acquire employment that meets financial, mental, emotional and spiritual
needs - Green bag, clock charm.
PEACE CLOUD - To create an aura of peace for the wearer - White bag, dove charm.
SPIRIT VEIL - To encourage COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEAD - Violet bag with skull charm.
THIRD EYE - To strengthen PSYCHIC ABILITIES - Silver bag with ankh charm.
BLUE FLAME - To create a fiery wall of PROTECTION - Haint blue bag with anti evil eye charm.
SHADOW WEAVER - To create PACTS WITH DARK SPIRITS - Black bag with inverted cross charm.
Please note that bag color and charm may vary in accordance with availability; any substitutions will be expertly chosen.
Prices are as follows:
SELECTIONS FROM THE BOOK OF LOVE - $19/5ml $20/5ml roll on
MARDI GRAS - $20/5ml $21/5ml roll on. Set of SIX $120 plus a FREE Gris Gris of your own choosing.
GRIS GRIS - $40/1 Bag $100/3 Bags $300/All NINE Bags
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, understanding and support of The Little Perfume House that Could!
Love and Mystery,
Vajra, Sterling, Miss Lucy and the little one yet to be born (and named!)
