Trying to figure out when to roll out new labels for existing products has been more confusing than I think it maybe should be

label redesigns/new designs are continuing apace

label redesigns/new designs are continuing apace

Happy Trans Day of Visibility, friends. For those who don’t know, Luminis is a proudly trans-owned business! 🏳️‍⚧️

Thank you to everyone who buys from trans artists and artisans— we’re tired and scared but doing our best to find and share joy through our work, and your support makes that possible.

Today!!! Products will populate here at noon Pacific time: www.luminiscandleco.com/collections/...

Today!!! Products will populate here at noon Pacific time: www.luminiscandleco.com/collections/...

This collection is going live tomorrow!!

A low-resolution picture of a fat white chihuahua looking like it's grimacing and/or smiling. Text above the image: [strained labored wheezing] hee.... hheee

Also, real life picture of me as I pull a fragrance oil called "Davy Jones' Locker" off my shelf to test in the new Limsa blend

I deeply underestimated how pungent this hops FO would be

Six wax melt labels arranged in two rows of three. From left to right and top to bottom they read "The Bird's Lament", "The Fox's Wedding", "Aibou", "Ayakakashi", "The Dark Shrine", and "Village of Phantom Flowers".

I want to talk just a little bit about the process of developing the Silent Hill f collection, because it's maybe the most ✨cerebral✨ collection I've ever done and I'm really, really happy with how it turned out.

(Basically just yapping about the thought process behind the scents and label designs)

Six silver candle tins stacked in a pyramid. The top candle's label reads "The Bird's Lament". The two candles on the second row are labeled "Aibou" and "The Fox's Wedding". The three candles on the bottom row are labeled "Village of Phantom Flowers", "Ayakakashi", and "The Dark Shrine".

Six wax melts arranged in two rows of three. The top row melts are labeled "The Fox's Wedding", "The Bird's Lament", and "Aibou". The bottom row melts are labeled "The Dark Shrine", "Ayakakashi", and "Village of Phantom Flowers".

Six small silver tins arranged in two diagonal rows of three. The top row tins are labeled "The Fox's Wedding", "The Bird's Lament", and "Aibou". The bottom row tins are labeled "The Dark Shrine", "Ayakakashi", and "Village of Phantom Flowers".

Six roll-on vials with black caps standing on end. From left to right the labels read "Ayakakashi", "The Dark Shrine", "The Fox's Wedding", "The Bird's Lament", "Aibou", and "Village of Phantom Flowers".

The time for the traditional scent description thread is nigh!! Read on for photos and additional information!

NO FOR REAL THOUGH… I still can’t believe it lmao

I don't go nuts talking about ~the process~ very much because I don't know how much that interests folks, but this collection was such a product of really strong inspiration that I couldn't NOT talk about it :')

There's probably a lot more I could say about each individual element of each item in this collection, but I already went past talking "just a little bit" LOL

But I hope everyone enjoys experiencing these products as much as I enjoyed making them!!

A closeup picture of a head of red spider lilies.

A wide field of blooming spider lilies, interspersed by mossy trees. People line a path around the park.

Ebisugaoka of course has spider lilies on it; another thing I've been extremely fortunate to see is the spider lily bloom in Kinchakuda park in Saitama, and these things are incredible (and a little spooky) in real life, so that was another element I was really really happy to highlight.

With the labels, most of the designs came pretty easily; Hinako's label features the poppy I wanted to feature prominently in her blend, Fox Mask's features... his fox mask, avec suspiciously glowing eyes, Shu's features herbs common in traditional Chinese medicine, Ayakakashi looks all cracked, etc

I did a lot of incense research, and ended up going very hard on sandalwood and resins like myrrh and olibanum (aka frankincense). Similar to the Ebisugaoka blend, I also wanted to include other "environmental storytelling" notes, like more aging wood, clay, dust, and embers.

In terms of the Dark Shrine, I had a very strong impression of what I wanted; I've been incredibly fortunate in being able to travel to Japan several times, and shrines are my very favorite places to visit there, so it was really exciting to interpret one here, even if this one is much spookier, lol

It makes me really happy you'd consider trying them without knowing the source material!! 🥹 of course I highly, highly recommend the game if it's at all your kind of thing because it is INCREDIBLY good, but I hope these scents give you an idea of the vibe regardless!!

Fermented fruit was included both as a nod to the significant number of (often opened) alcohol bottles you find scattered around town, and also to give idea that the place is full of slow decay.

In the Ebisugaoka scent, I really wanted to present the feeling of a remote, dying mountain village. There are of course foresty notes like cedar, cypress, and moss, but also things that speak more to Ebisugaoka as sparsely inhabited place: cement foundations, mildewy cellars, dusty wood structures.

Outside of those hyper-niche notes, you'll also see cyclamen (resignation, goodbye), chestnut ("be fair to me"), freesia (innocence, friendship, trust), and heliotrope (devotion).

Less on the hanakotoba side of things, I wanted to include notes evoking things that might be found around Ebisugaoka.

I had to look pretty hard to find single-note carnation and passionflower fragrance oils-- they aren't common, and especially not as single-note products. If a spider lily fragrance existed (alas, it doesn't), I would have put that EVERYWHERE; in hanakotoba it symbolizes abandonment and lost memory.

Individual flowers in plant symbolism can have multiple and somewhat varied meanings even within one regional "system", but the ones I went with were these:

Poppy: oblivion, sleep, imagination
Carnation: rejection, disdain
Mimosa: secret love
Passionflower: holy love, faith, religious fervor

Hanakotoba/Japanese flower language was THE central pillar of formulating the scents. The most specific notes I wanted to include were poppy and carnation in Hinako's blend, passionflower in Fox Mask's, and mimosa and carnation again in Shu's, as well as rice and rush grass for the ayakakashi.

Six wax melt labels arranged in two rows of three. From left to right and top to bottom they read "The Bird's Lament", "The Fox's Wedding", "Aibou", "Ayakakashi", "The Dark Shrine", and "Village of Phantom Flowers".

I want to talk just a little bit about the process of developing the Silent Hill f collection, because it's maybe the most ✨cerebral✨ collection I've ever done and I'm really, really happy with how it turned out.

(Basically just yapping about the thought process behind the scents and label designs)

Also, the incense! All scents will be available in packs of 10 sticks; one stick lasts approximately 60 minutes.

A silver candle tin. Its black label features bright red spider lilies. White text atop the image reads "Village of Phantom Flowers".

Warm grey wax melts in the form of six connected cubes. The wax is decorated with brown glitter.

A small silver tin containing an off-white balm with a slight green tinge. The lid is removed and rests against the mouth of the tin. Its black label features bright red spider lilies. White text atop the flowers reads "Village of Phantom Flowers".

A roll-on vial containing a greenish-yellow oil. The black cap is removed and rests slightly to the side. Its black label features bright red spider lilies. White text atop the flowers reads "Village of Phantom Flowers".

EBISUGAOKA: THE VILLAGE OF PHANTOM FLOWERS
Strange and lonely-feeling, this blend opens with juniper and bamboo dampened by a layer of dust. Hinoki cypress follows, mingling with hay and fermented fruit. Base notes of hay, cement, labdanum, mildew, and aging wood fade slowly, lingering in silence.

A silver candle tin. Its black label has a gradient into dark red in the center, evoking a fiery glow, and it features a vermillion torii gate. Gold text atop the image reads "The Dark Shrine".

Bright vermillion wax melts in the form of six connected cubes. The wax is decorated with gold glitter.

A small silver tin containing an off-white balm. The lid is removed and rests against the mouth of the tin. Its black label has a gradient into dark red in the center, evoking a fiery glow, and it features a vermillion torii gate. Gold text atop the image reads "The Dark Shrine".

A roll-on vial containing a pale yellow oil. The black cap is removed and rests slightly to the side. Its black label has a gradient into dark red in the center, evoking a fiery glow, and it features a vermillion torii gate. Gold text atop the image reads "The Dark Shrine".

THE DARK SHRINE
A deep, heady scent. Myrrh essence is brightened by saffron and melon. The intoxicating core combines sandalwood, guaiacwood, hinoki cedar, olibanum, tobacco leaf, clove, and burnt embers; the blend then softens down into patchouli, dust, clay, amber musk, silk, and ancient woods.

A silver candle tin. Its label is white and grey, with dark cracks reminiscent of broken pottery or plaster. Black text reads "Ayakakashi".

Warm brown-grey wax melts in the form of six connected cubes. The wax is decorated with white and red glitter.

A small silver tin containing an off-white balm. The lid is removed and rests against the mouth of the tin. Its label is white and grey, with dark cracks reminiscent of broken pottery or plaster. Black text reads "Ayakakashi".

A roll-on vial containing a pale yellow oil. The black cap is removed and rests slightly to the side. Its label is white and grey, with dark cracks reminiscent of broken pottery or plaster. Black text reads "Ayakakashi".

AYAKAKASHI
Ethereal and grounded all at once, this blend begins with the simplicity of rice, paper, and stone. Rush grass, hay, ginseng, heliotrope, and lily follow in the heart notes, and earthier tones of musk, toasted sesame, aged wood, and tobacco leaf draw the scent to a close.