Behold, from the ashes of Victory Wolf comes VICTORY WOLF! The new version is now available. It's the same but different.
SOLD OUT. New version releases in June.
Please read this post while playing "Wind Beneath My Wings" quietly in the background.
Victory Wolf was my second OLO Fragrance. I made it way back when this was still a hobby and I wasn't even trying to do anything other than pay for my supplies. It is with great sadness that I announce that Victory Wolf, as we know and love it, will be no more. One of the ingredients is no longer available. There was little notice so I'm down to the last batch. There are about 50 bottles left on the website and whatever inventory available in stores. I will remove Victory Wolf from the site once it is sold out.
I have outlined the five stages of grief for you below.
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
I am currently between numbers 4 and 5. I am still depressed but have accepted the situation.
There is hope. I have reworked the Victory Wolf formula. It is different. It will never, ever be the same. Some people will notice the difference and like the new version better. Some will hate it and curse my name for daring to try to pass this off as anything like Victory Wolf. I will release this new version in a few months, after we have all had time to heal. I may keep the name, I may release it under a different name. Time will tell.
At this time I would like you to turn up the volume to "Wind Beneath My Wings" and scream cry into your pillow.
XO,
Heather
"I want to do something different. You are just going to have to trust me"
I still remember those words. Kimmy had just watched Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard and French New Wave was fresh in her mind. She had a plan for me. I walked out that day with a pixie cut. I had never cut my hair that short and I had no idea how empowering it would be. My life at that time was a tapestry of conflict and this drastic change was the elixir I needed to power through. Discarded was my idea of myself and what made me attractive or feminine. It felt like stripping down to my core, the true essence of me. Any time I think of Kimmy I think of that haircut and what kind of skill and perception it takes to create that kind of physical change in a person.
When asked to do a fragrance for WINDOWWALL I reflected on that day, on what inspired us at that time and how I surrendered myself to Kimmy's vision. D'or is my interpretation of that moment in time. D'or translates to "golden" or "of gold". Gold is a soft, malleable metal. It can be hammered and shaped so thinly that sheets of gold may appear greenish blue. This fact made me realize how each of us can manipulate our appearance, changing how we are perceived by others and in turn, changing how we perceive ourselves. We are all golden. Absinthe always fills me with warm light when I drink it. It offers a physical release in the body while maintaining lucidity of the mind. It is bitter sweet in scent, a reflection of life. I always think of Paris when I think of Kimmy and I always think of absinthe when I think of Paris...it all came full circle to create D'or.
The main notes of D'or: bergamot mint, lavender, fennel, anise, wormwood, myrtle, cypress, labdanum, balsam
This is a custom scent so it will only be available at WINDOWWALL. Launch date is Saturday 3/15/14.
This collaboration between OLO Fragrance and Bridge & Burn started in earnest when we shared a booth at Portland Bazaar two years ago. This is when I convinced Erik that Victory Wolf and Erastus would change his life for the better. He trusted me, traded an awesome coat for the two scents and a mutual appreciation for each others work was born.
Both brands draw inspiration from the Pacific Northwest. We live in a small city but the abundance of unmarred nature surrounding us can't be ignored. Who would want to? It's so easy to head out of the city limits in any direction and find yourself in a lush forest or standing knee deep in a lavender field. With OLO, I try to bottle those elements of nature and bring them back to the city with me. Bridge & Burn creates clothing that allows you to stay in town for the day or take a quick hike in effortless style and comfort. It's all about coexisting with our surroundings instead of fighting them.
Black Lodge is meant to be like the fastest day trip ever! It starts off with the dry, slightly fruity undertones of bitter orange, unfurling into the sweet warmth of juniper berry and a herbaceous yet soft lavender. Lavender various so much depending on location and season, I decided to blend seven different lavenders to get the scent I wanted for this fragrance. The dry down opens up to bright, coniferous evergreen and birch and settles into a rich, resinous amber and labdanum. It's like spending the morning picking lavender in Hood River and the afternoon hiking Cape Lookout in the rain. What starts off as soft and dry ends up warm and animalic.
There is also, of course, the Twin Peaks reference in the fragrance name. It had to come up eventually! Many people have only seen the Pacific Northwest through the lens of that show. It definitely put this place on my radar when I was young! Motor oil, cherry pie and coffee might not really wear well on the majority of people though so I opted to stick with physical elements we encounter on the regular. However, there is that duality of the White Lodge/Black Lodge present here. The plateau and the temperate rainforests coexist as almost alternate realities of the same place. This land is magic in the realest way I've ever experienced.
Black Lodge is a unisex fragrance blend.
Main notes: bitter orange*lavender*juniper berry* evergreen*birch*labdanum
Stop by Bridge & Burn this Thursday 12/5/13 at 5:30 for the release of BLACK LODGE.
I'm happy to announce the release of one of my favorite collaborations of 2013. Pearl+ soap and OLO Fragrance have joined forces to release limited edition gift sets!
TOJI is based on the yuzu baths popular in Japan during the winter solstice. A citrus similar to grapefruit, yuzu is floated in steaming hot tubs of water. The hiba wood from the bath mats brings forth the wet warmth of cedar to intertwine with the brightness of the yuzu. I tend to visualize scent and TOJI looks like liquid gold and soft brown mist winding around one another, like an intimate dance. Main notes are yuzu, hiba and hinoki.
FORÊT NOIRE is a modified version of the original Forêt formula. We wanted something a little more heavy, a bit mysterious. It's still based on every forest I've ever walked through, I just added more moss notes to capture the essence of the forest floor after the rain. It feels a little misty, a little dark. Perfect for winter. Main notes are cedar, fir and oak moss.
These gift sets are limited edition so there will be no samples available. If you want to smell them live, I will be selling at Black Magic and Portland Bazaar. They may also be purchased on the Pearl+ website.
Each set contains an OLO Fragrance 5ml perfume and 2.5 oz Pearl+ Moisturizing Soap.
$39
It's done, it's done!!! We are launching Spartan next week in Austin. That's Texas. I'm going to Texas for the first time ever! Please join us for the fragrance launch party at Spartan next Wednesday, October 23rd from 5pm-8pm. I will be there to talk about the new scent and free samples will be given to the first 20 folks in attendance. Come see me!
Spartan is inspired by the Texas landscape and the people that love it. Austin is home to Spartan the store so it made sense to try to capture the essence of the place and people involved. I've never been to Austin but store proprietress, Currie Person, filled me in on her favorite smells from her hometown and surrounding areas.
There were a few notes I knew I had to include in this scent, things that I always think of when I think of Texas. First off, tequilla! Every Texan in my life knows their tequilla. Therefore, the top notes of Spartan are tequilla, lime and cilantro. That sweetness mingles with notes of rhododendron, cactus flower and yellow rose. I wanted to capture the idea of the variety of landscapes of Texas. The seemingly unforgiving desert and it's delicate cactus flowers combine with the oasis of humanity, the gardens of Austin. As the scent settles, it dries down to sage, hay, Mexican linaloe, ponderosa pine and Ashe juniper (Texas cedar), all native plants of the area. There is a hint of leather too. It ain't Texas without boots!
Spartan (the fragrance) is exclusive to the store for a few months so it may only be purchased at Spartan or on their website. It may also be made available at their sister stores, Beam & Anchor and Voyager in coming months.
XO,
Heather
P.S. I will be traveling October 22nd-28th. A friend will be living here, feeding my cats and filling OLO orders. If I don't answer your email or fulfill your special requests it is not because I don't love you, I just need a break. I'll be home soon.
The name Palo Santo means "holy wood". This South American wood has been burned by healers through the years in ceremonies to cleanse, purify and protect the spirit. PALO SANTO is a modern take on energy clearing rites of old.
Main notes are white champa flower, palo santo, siam wood and sandalwood.
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