What does a witch house smell like?
Witch House by Black Baccara, the indie brand founded by photographer, artist, and perfumer Kalliope Amorphous, is a bewitching atmospheric gourmand fragrance that encloses an imaginative medley of aromas. It conjures a witch’s house through contrasting olfactory facets: dark and foggy, fruity and comforting, herbal and healing, deep and enveloping.
To me Witch House smells like the kitchen in an ingenious witch’s house: woody herbs, blueberry jam, spices in lined up jars, mulled wine in a cast iron cup, tendrils of incense smoke, ancient wood furniture, and a potion steeping in a cauldron – a brew of sharp herbs, sticky berries, and gooey resins.
The fragrance’s opening brings together the juxtaposing aroma of something slightly medicinal and the syrupy sweetness of stewed blueberries drizzled with honey. But, something dark and brooding lies beneath. As the fragrance settles, a solemn and elegant patchouli comes through. Mixed with this bold patchouli and the fruity notes that persist throughout is a fog of spices and incense that contribute to creating a homey yet mysterious ambiance.
Description by Black Baccara:
“Aroma palette is dark and earthy with a touch of fruit. Highlights include black patchouli, plum wine, cinnamon smoke, black honey, blueberry, and burning sage.”
Both cozy and mysterious, Witch House is only one of the many mood-setting and enigmatic fragrances offered by Black Baccara. I highlighted three of her perfume oils – Undead, Witch’s Veil, and Bygone – in My Guide to Halloween Fragrances article last year, but I look forward to exploring more from Kalliope’s creative mind and expert hands.
The featured 15 ml bottle (EdP) was purchased by me (I’m unsure whether this size is a limited edition). However, the fragrance is part of Black Baccara’s permanent collection and is available in 50 ml bottles (also as EdP) and in 5ml and 10 ml vials (perfume oil).
The featured photo was taken by me.
Now, tell me, what does a witch house smell like to you?
To me it smells like dark violets and velvet rose petals, clumps of melted candle wax, pine needles, wet leaves and soil, stone-cold myrrh, and an old amphora filled with absinthe. Maybe there’s a touch of magic orris root dust to tie it all together.
Happy Halloween!
Although I don’t do the Halloween thing, dear Damiana, this sounds like my kind of brew. Great to read about it.
This is a great fragrance for the cooler weather, and I think you’d really like it, Rich!