023. Life Alternatively, Fragrance Library, Open Door

Alternate reality me, my current fragrance collection, and a smattering of interior design inspiration!

Hi! I'm Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter about slow beauty and slow living. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below! No pressure but thank you if you do.

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My recent job booking has ended! It was 2.5 weeks of intense organization and design, but I have to say it was so much fun. I feel most myself, most balanced, most happy when I'm working. Even if the hours are long and the job is tough, there's something about work that makes me feel like I'm in the right place. Somewhere that I belong and where what I do is useful.

Sometimes I wonder if I would be as happy in a different industry. I've been watching a lot of "café vlogs" on YouTube lately at the end of the day to unwind. And there's something so satisfying about fulfilling drink orders. I imagine myself a barista, finding joy in seeing how many milk cartons I make my way through in a day, and how clean I can be while keeping up with orders: beauty in the mundane.

I've always dreamed of what else I could have chosen for a career. In another life, I might have been any of the following:

• Filmmaker

• Ballerina

• Cellist

• Pianist

• Ceramist

• Author

• Jewelry Designer

• Fashion Designer

• Architect

As you can see, all of these are in a creative field! So I guess, for the most part, I'd still be a craftsman of some kind. Clearly, I enjoy any industry where I have to be building towards something constantly. Learning, tending, honing my craft.

While I love my career, there's no harm in dreaming about what another you could have achieved. And that's why I'm so happy to have Tender Forms. To be able to try something else creative and produce more than just my work. You never have to be only one thing.

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With the past few weeks of hazardous air quality, nothing has helped lift my mood more than skincare and fragrance. Today, I want to share my current fragrance library!

Before I entered the realms of green beauty, I used one perfume and one alone, and it was Lancôme Miracle. My mother had always used Lancôme Trésor, and for one of my teen year birthdays, she bought me Miracle. This was my fragrance. Something about this scent worked so beautifully with my body chemistry. How did I know? Because both loved ones and random people would tell me this. And I have to say, the most challenging part of transitioning to green beauty was not being able to find something like this! Something that works exactly the way that Miracle did with me, and so, I had to venture outwards towards new scents.

For a long time, I wasn't wearing any because I was having such a difficult time: 1. finding a perfume that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and 2. one I liked enough to use daily. But somehow, within the last year, I went from owning no fragrances to having a library of them!

Sigil Amor Fati* $120, 1floz | 30ml

If you're a long-time Instagram follower, you may remember early this year when I shared a series of posts on Sigil. My dear friend, Salwa of @bergamotbeauty, kindly gifted me the stunning collection of four Sigil scents: Anima Mundi, Solutio, Prima Materia, and Amor Fati. I passed along one to a friend, did my first pay-it-forward ("giveaway" of lightly tested products) with two others, and of course, kept Amor Fati. It's stayed close by my side ever since. 

The key notes are oud, galbanum, palo santo, opoponax. As with all Sigil scents, the fragrance blend is much more complex than anything you could ever imagine. It's layered, decadent, yet precise. While the key notes offer a little insight, it doesn't provide much else because they're almost indescribable. To me, they're much more a feeling than a scent. And that's always a trait of an amazing fragrance. 

Amor Fati blew me away so much that the day I tried it, I sent Patrick Kelly (founder, perfumer) a DM over on Instagram that still accurately describes my deep love for it:  

Scent is so personal to every one of us, and I am beyond grateful that you resurrected Amor Fati into the world. I say resurrect because it feels ancient and modern at the same time. One spritz today, and my spirit and state of mind have transformed. I feel both a warmth and lightness of being.

The feel of this bottle in your hand is perfection—perfectly smooth glass, with a weighted metal magnetic cap. I've kept all of the original packaging because they're just too beautiful to recycle. They currently house some of my favorite makeup. And if you're looking for that indescribable signature scent, take a look at Sigil. They offer individual samples for purchase now too, or you can opt for the Magnum Opus sample flight that includes a $50 voucher towards a full-size, making the Magnum Opus free!

Crosby Emerald* 1.7floz | 50ml

I first learned of this local brand (Portland, OR) on an outing with my friend, Trish. We ventured into DANO, and the beautiful candles first lured me. I'm not much of a candle person, but wow, did these smell incredible. Melissa (owner) pointed out that the hair perfumes were great sellers, so naturally, I tried all of them. But when I smelled Emerald, I knew that was the one. It was everything I loved: cypress, cedarwood, fir balsam, patchouli, sage, and so much more. I always regretted not buying it that day (along with another which I'll get to in a moment), and told my friend, Olivia, as we daydreamed of all the things on our current wishlists.

Fast forward to my birthday earlier this year, and sneaky Olivia purchased the perfume for me! Their full-sized perfume is a concentrated version of their Hair Perfume and is only released, I believe, once or twice each year. She had gotten it early enough that it even has my name on it! The combination of the beautiful glass mixed with the wood cap's warm, toothsome quality is so satisfying to hold. And the sprayer has a look of brushed gold, giving an extra glimpse of that gold-hued richness before spritzing. The scent also speaks to my soul and love for all things green. I also love layering it with…

Crosby Gold Label $75

This was the other regret that day. Melissa had also talked about this beautiful rose rollerball, and when I heard rose, I immediately thought it wasn't for me. I'm not a rose person. But when the scent wafted my way, again, wow. This was such an earthy and spicy rose, unlike any other. This one layers beautifully with most of my fragrances and is equally stunning alone.

Since it was a limited edition, the page has been removed from the site, so I'm not 100% sure about the notes. But I do know this is made from Nootka Roses, and I'm 99% sure there's peppercorn in here adding to that spicy quality. Kelly (founder, perfumer) also called this an anointing oil, which I understand entirely. It's such a soothing and luscious fragrance in that way. The rollerball itself has a beautiful weight to it, including an audible click as the cap turns and locks into place upon closing. I also love that the rollerball has no visible branding and is simply called the Gold Label: elegant, sensual, timeless.

Trish’s Summer Lilac Enfleurage*

I wish I were as well-versed in speaking to fragrances as Trish and my friend, Andie, are. (Venture over to their linked YouTube channels to hear them wax poetic on all fragrances.) Alas, I can only do my best. Last month, Trish made her first few enfleurage and kindly gifted some to me! The one I have is Summer Lilac, and it is so calming. It's such a delicate scent, and I love that one has to get close to smell it. I especially love using this one at night time for some reason. Again, it must be because of that calming quality.

In Fiore Night Queen Parfum Solide Haute Concentré $85, 7.4ml | .25floz

Last but not least is one currently not shown in the photos. Last December, I ordered a sample of this from Beautyhabit, and: this is the one. I love all the fragrances in my current library, but if I had to choose one, it's this one. I always go back to it, and I am still using the sample! 

This is a solid perfume, and a little goes a long way (mainly because I have a sensitive nose when it comes to fragrance). There is something about this scent that stirs deep within me. As it makes its way through my olfactory system, it locks into place, and we become one. It feels like putting on an item of clothing specifically tailored to you. Or what I imagine it must have felt like for Cinderella when she slipped into those fancy glass slippers.

When I first smelled this, I wasn't surprised by its feminine-leaning scent, but I was surprised by how much I loved it. It's described as having white floral bright notes thanks to its jasmine, bergamot, saffron, rose, and dark patchouli. And while it contains these bright notes, it's also incredibly sensual. Descriptors like dark, moody, and unctuous come to mind. It also has quite a heady effect on me, which I love. 

This is another scent that remains close to your skin. It won't permeate a room, and if you blink, you might miss it. I apply this to the inside of my wrists most often. And throughout a workday, will catch glimpses of it here and there. I'm trying to get through most of my other fragrances before I splurge on this one. But I truly can't wait for that day. 

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I was binge-watching Ryan Murphy and Evan Romansky's 'Ratched' on Netflix (it was just okay if you're wondering) and noticed a specific house's interior decoration in the show. It reminded me of one of my favorite Architectural Digest Celebrity Open Doors, so I thought I'd share my Top 4 with you. I love all of these for reasons listed below:

For if ever Husband and I move into a multi-level home:

For reference creating a warm home:

For the introvert in me who wishes every guest would leave promptly (wait for her comment on her couches):

For the masculine, clean, non-decorated lover in me:

And of course, here are a few I had to include for their entertainment value (most blown away by Liv Tyler's home):

• Liv Tyler

• Cara and Poppy Delevingne

• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

• Robert Downey Jr.'s Windmill Home (yes, what?)

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Thanks so much for reading! Remember, you can always reply directly to this email or leave a comment to chat.

I'd love to hear what alternate-reality-you would have as a career, any fragrances you love, or which AD Open Door you like most! As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you next Sunday!