Halloween 365 Thanks to BPAL

I've always been big on Halloween. It broke my heart to move to NYC in the fall of '02 and not have the resources to be able to scratch together even the most homespun costume. Every year since I've tried to outdo myself in the costume department, but it's always sad to spend weeks or even months working on something and then retiring the costume after a night or two of use. [Update: here's this year.]

There are lots of ways to kindle that strange feeling of hiding in plain sight, but so far my favorite way has come via Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, the perfumer that I've been advertising up above for several months now. I wish I could plug them more without looking like a shill -- it's been so exciting to hoard piles of excellently hand-blended fragrances that evoke the darker, more lyrical and romantic aspects of art and literature. I look forward each morning (to the great amusement of my immediate kin) to pawing through bottles marked "Snake Oil" and "Jazz Funeral" and "The Great He-Goat" and figuring out what olfactory costume I feel like putting on that day. Even the most outlandish titles conceal incredibly evocative, tasteful blends; "He-Goat" is based on this painting by Goya and contains "Haitian vetiver, Egyptian amber, carnation, black musk, pomegranate, patchouli, and smoked ginger." My sister says it smells expensive. I'm just satisfied as long as I can surreptitiously sniff the back of my hand while riding the subway and imagine that I still have my plaster antlers on.

BPAL recently rolled out their annual crop of fall fragrances, including a series based on the tale of The Headless Horseman. Today they released their new set based on Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. I welcome my friends to explore the site (you can even use their Search page to hunt by ingredient, if you already know what kinds of smells you like) and consider how great you'll feel in two months (or six, or ten) when you're able to sidestep your unbearably boring life for a bit by slapping on a little "Rumpelstilzchen" and painting the town black, orange, and red.

I'll add a photo of this year's costume to this post first thing tomorrow, so be sure to come back and check it out. Have a beautiful night, everyone!