august full moon in aquarius + lunar eclipse – sturgeon moon

Happy Mo(o)nday everyone! As you may have already heard, August is a huge month in the lunar/metaphysical sense. We’ve got two full eclipses – today is a Full Moon lunar eclipse, and then on the 21st we have a total solar eclipse! Historically eclipses have been viewed as bad omens, harbingers of death and bad news.

This full moon is in Aquarius, the sign of humanity, authenticity, and a little bit of eccentricity. This full moon eclipse will force us to see what’s closest to our hearts and will force us to ask ourselves some pretty tough questions – what’s holding you back from going after your desires? Is it time to let go of things – be they friendships, relationships, jobs, ideas, or material things that have become toxic to you and your growth? Basically, it’s time to stop hiding emotionally – it’s time to be honest about who we are and whom we love and how brightly it is that we can shine. This Full Moon and subsequent eclipse has really had me kind of returning to my roots and asking myself what is important to me.

If you’re familiar with the indie perfume world, you know it’s very witchy-minded. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is definitely witchy-minded, and for over a decade they’ve been putting out what they call “A Little Lunacy.” Lunacy is a special fragrance corresponding to each full moon every month.

August’s full moon Lunacy fragrance is Sturgeon Moon – A month of bounty, when the fish are plentiful and the corn grows high. This is the scent of breezes passing over the Great Lakes, mingling gently with traditional lunar herbs. Sandy shores and sweet fresh water, lichen, green algae, and whitestem pondweed, with benzoin, cyclamen, moonlit musk, cucumber, blue poppy, and agave.

I decided to wear this scent today for August’s Sturgeon Full Moon in Aquarius and it is giving me all of the aquatic beachy realness I’ve needed. I spoke earlier about returning to my roots and this scent is evocative for me – I’m from the shores of the Great Lakes, after all. This smells like a beautiful sea breeze, and I can smell the scent of the lunar herbs on the air. It reminds me of summers at home. It’s almost mouthwatering to me. It’s very refreshing and invigorating and I feel like it’s got me ready for all this full moon energy we’ve got going on right now.

I purchased this from my good friends Jenn and Sierra at Crown and Tulip. They decant pretty much every BPAL fragrance and make my love of fragrance a lot more affordable – I get to try things for a reasonable price rather than blind-buying all the bottles (which I have SO done in the past. That gets expensive).

Happy Full Sturgeon Moon, and happy Eclipse season to you!

friday faves

My Field Notes mini bullet journal and the Pelikan M400 White Tortoise.

Happy Friday, loves! I want to check in with all of you after a crazy week and talk about some of my high points/favorite things/etc. I’ll try to do this every Friday, hence the name “friday faves.” Be sure to chime in with your faves as well.

++ First and foremost, I’d have to say that bullet journaling is a fave of mine this week – it will be a fave most weeks, actually, but this week I really got a lot out of what I did in my little Field Notes pocket bullet journal. I figured that starting out bullet journaling would be best in the smaller Field Notes notebook so I could figure out if it’s something I really wanted to do. I’ve stuck with it all month so far and I’m really enjoying the creativity it’s inspired in me, as well as making me feel more organized and like I might have my head on straight.

This week, I started writing down a word to describe how I felt throughout the day. Monday I was feeling calm (thanks in part to a therapy session with a great new therapist), Tuesday I felt rested (likely due to Monday’s calm), Wednesday I felt loved, Thursday I felt fresh (had a shower before work instead of at night, haha) and then today I feel excited. (Big weekend plans, more below) I feel like putting a word on how I felt for the day really refocused myself inward. Thinking about where I’m at and reflecting on how I’m feeling should be really important to me, and I’m glad my little bullet journal can make it more of a priority.

++ My Asian skincare sample order from RoseRoseShop arrived this week – I had ordered it a couple weeks ago. There are already some standout hits, and my skin is feeling and looking so good.

++ A great weekend ahead – spending time with my boyfriend, attending an ADF ritual, and visiting my good friends Ruka and Michi who just moved into a great new house. It will be nice to just get out of town for a bit.

++ Konjac sponges. My skin has never felt smoother and more normal. The little jelly-feeling sponges work wonders for my sensitive skin.

++ BPAL Nefertiti perfume oil. So beautiful, it starts out light and floral, with a lily sort of scent, and then sandalwood and myrrh come through in the drydown, making you smell of warm, sunkissed goodness.

++ The support I’ve gotten from all of you in making the transition over to this new blog! I have full plans to continue Beauty Out Loud, but it may be a portion of what I share here. Thanks everyone for being so awesome and checking out this new home of mine!

So tell me: what are your friday faves? What got you through this week? What are your weekend plans? Hope you all have a great one, see you soon! 🙂