A Treatise On White Magic

Hiking through a forest of thousand-year-old redwoods recently, I sat for a breather on a fallen tree.  As I stood up I realized my hands were covered in sap, and while searching for a way to wipe the resin off, I caught the piney scent, buried my nose deeply into my hands and inhaled one of the purest fragrances I’ve ever come across. I embraced the moment, realizing just how disconnected from reality I’d become. The purity of the experience took me, through the power of smell.

Smell is the single most powerful trigger for memory, and our choice in wearable scents can embed us deep in the memory of others.  Amber is one of these distinctive and memorable scents, rich and woody, warm and resinous.  It is also the base of White Line Hotel collaborator, perfumier, and artist Emmelie Brunetti’s balms. What you may have formerly recognized as Hopi Botanicals has now been re-launched as A Treatise on White Magic and along with the name change, she’s introduced a new Nomad collection of solid perfume amulets.  The eight perfumes come in sterling silver Navajo pillboxes, enclosed in handmade leather medicine bags by Heyoka Leather, based in California. Worlds of shamans, trading posts, and old-fashioned apothecaries inspire the amulets.  The names come from the psychoactive flora and fauna in Snu Voogelbreinder’s “Garden of Eden”, an exploration of the spiritual healing powers of plants and animals.  You can choose your amulet, then have it filled with one of eight 8 classic scents: Rose, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Tobacco, Vanilla, Vintage Patchouli & Pure Amber.

The perfumes are created in small batches and only available in the limited capsule collections. Her latest collection is called Littlefeather Organics, and true to form, is botanical perfumery at its finest, using only plant based materials and natural raw ingredients.  The scents can be used alone or layered with other black amber scents.

The 13 original perfume amulets can be found at www.blackamberbalm.com

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Categories: Crafts, Collaborators

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter