Hello, everyone!
This blog/forum idea was inspired by an Instagram contest I recently hosted, where I invited followers to write a short story with a dark twist in the style of Dark Tales. Each story concluded with a proposed set of ingredients and a perfume name. The response was overwhelming—your stories were so incredible that I ended up creating eight perfumes instead of the promised two!
Now, I want to take this concept to the next level by building a community where you can share your creative ideas. Whether inspired by history, mythology, literature, or any other source, the only guideline is that your submissions align with the unique, dark, and evocative style of Dark Tales.
I’ll be actively monitoring your comments on this post and selecting the best ideas to develop into collaborative limited-edition perfumes. Think of it as a creative exchange: you bring fresh, imaginative concepts, and I’ll transform them into bespoke fragrances. It’s a win-win, and it’s going to be so much fun!
If your idea is selected for our next limited edition perfume, you'll receive a complimentary 30 ml bottle of the Eau de Parfum as a token of appreciation.
Here’s an example of how your submission might look (written by @altar_antiques):
Perfume Name:
"Haunted Circus"
Story:
As she stepped into the woods, the crisp fall air embraced her, each breath carrying the earthy scent of decaying leaves. A sudden, incongruous whiff of salted caramel popcorn drifted through the darkness, mingling with a rich, buttery fragrance that seemed to lure her deeper into the shadowed forest.
The trees soon parted, unveiling a dilapidated carnival, its once-vibrant hues dulled by a shroud of dust and mist.
Faded signs, adorned with grotesquely grinning clown faces, leered at her from the gloom, their peeling paint and warped features unnervingly animated in the moonlight. Rusted rides stood like skeletal remnants of a forgotten revelry, their joints groaning in the oppressive silence. The air hung thick with the scents of aging rubber balloons and the faint, powdery trace of old theater makeup. As she ventured further, the faint echoes of distant laughter morphed into eerie whispers, beckoning her to delve deeper into the haunting remains of joy, now claimed by the night.
Notes:
A scent with notes of leaves, powder (theatre makeup ), dust, fog machine and salted caramel popcorn with added hints of rubber, sweetness and dirt.
PLEASE POST YOUR PERFUME IDEAS IN THE COMMENT BELOW.
If your scent is selected, I will contact you using the email address you provide when posting your comment. Rest assured, your email will remain private and will not be visible to other users.
LET'S GO!
2 comments
RESTLESS DREAMS (Inspired by Silent Hill 2)
The town appears before you, surrounded by a thick, oppressive fog and a chill air with a touch of metal. It’s the smell of a town long since forgotten, where time itself feels suspended and nature has started to reclaim what was once human-made.
There’s a distant floral undertone, something soft yet tragic, like wilting flowers in an overgrown graveyard, adding a touch of fleeting beauty amidst the decay – like the memories that never quite fade.
Earthy notes like damp wood and wet concrete approach you, reminding you of the town’s abandoned buildings and unsettling silence. There is a sense of foreboding and unease, like the shadows lurking behind every corner and in your mind. The longing for your lost love creates a melancholic tension, and although there is a feeling of guilt and unease you can not quite place, you embark on the journey of hope from within as you enter the town.
Notes suggestions: Decaying flowers, damp earth, moss, wet concrete, stone, ozone, fog, mist, rust, metal, leather, vanilla, blood, ashes, old paper.
HUBRIS SIDERIS (inspired by Ice Queen!)
As midnight approached, the wizards’ steps became heavier and heavier with anticipation. The way to the peak of the mountain was arduous, icy air laying glittering crystals on their long, white beards.
Blanketed in fresh snow, gleaming under otherwordly, silvery light, the highest point in the kingdom delivered its promise: the whole universe felt tantalizingly close to the tiny spot, like it could touch the old men with long, bedazzled fingers.
The ritual circle was laid down in slow, deliberate gestures, the smoke from the burning incense, a positive omen, was the first to rise up in spirals. Right in the center of the circle, where the sky seemed more reachable than ever, gleaming lilac, hovered the tiny, precious soul of the maiden princess, stolen before her desperate eyes through ancient, dire magic that left her heart and her kingdom trapped in a dark everwinter.
But what was a kingdom, to the universe? What even was a girl to the infinite stars? That night they would finally reach them, breach the veil that separated their tiny, pathetic world from the others. How much iron lay up there in the stars? How much gold, on the distant planets?
OPENING – fresh and ozonic, evoking icy air: violet, pine, mint
HEART – cosmic dust, metallic and mineral: metallic notes like iron and silver, slate, dust, mineral notes, salt
BASE – dark, incensy and resinous, evoking the night ritual: myrrh, olibanum, frankincense, styrax, rose, patchouli