A veil of glamour with Perfume

Perfume means more to me than just smelling nice. Often times I opt for intrinseque combinations of scent notes, that rarely ever appeal to the masses. To me perfume is a form of expression, it ricochets the energy I want to embody for the day. Or it acts as a finishing touch to my looks. However, perfume can also be included in one’s witchcraft practice. A common use for perfume in witchcraft is to include the notes of the perfume into spellwork and ritual. By spraying perfume (on yourself, sigils, charm bags etc.) with notes that line up with your intention, you add an extra layer of energy to your workings that  Although I have utilized perfume in this manner many times before, my favourite way to include it in my magical practice is through glamour magic. 

What is glamour magic?

Glamour magic characterises a range of magical practices that alter the way others perceive you. It can be done through directed spells and rituals and added on as a layer to workings to enhance the energy and intention. The beauty of glamour magic however, is that it can also be rooted in the mundane. Let’s say you have a job interview and want to appear confident, wearing a red clothing item with the intention of confidence can add on to this energy. Glamour magic is very versatile and there are many ways in which it can be done. In this article I am diving into glamour magic with perfume. 

Perfume glamour magic

It’s quite clear now that I employ perfume as a form of glamour magic. I do this through looking at the notes and, if available, the stories perfume houses create for their perfumes. Often times perfume acts as finishing touch to other glamour magic. If I dress fully in black for protection for example, I’ll opt for perfume with frankincense, cedar, sandalwood or black pepper. The beauty of perfume as a form of glamour magic is it’s ability to quickly top up the energy and switch between different glamours. Where other forms of glamour magic (especially more mundane ones) can quickly lose their effects, perfume can be sprayed again, renewing the energy. 

Glamour magic through perfume can be performed in multiple ways:

    ♥ Charging the perfume bottle beforehand through various means. This way you only have to spray the perfume on you. 
    ♥ Ground, center and then hold the perfume bottle as you focus on your intention. Then spray the perfume while still holding that     intention in your mind’s eye. 
    ♥ If you have perfume rollers, you can draw a sigil with them that represents your intention. 

These are the main methods I use for utilizing perfume in glamour magic. In the next section I’ll provide an overview of my favourite perfumes I employ for glamour magic purposes. 

Midnight Church – Obscura Fragrancia 

With notes of incense smoke, palo santo, frankincense resin and juniper this perfume lends itself well for shielding purposes. It provides me with the perfect energy of cleansing and protection, making sure to keep unwanted energies at bay. I also personally quite adore smoky scents. I always feel like it adds a mystical or witchy touch to my looks. This perfume also specifically gives off a vibe of walking through a churchyard at night, where protection is most definitely warranted. The packaging of the perfume (a coffin as seen in the cover image of this article) adds an extra layer to this intention. Also for Rosalía lovers, this scent captures her album LUX pretty well. 

Nosferatu – Heretic 

A cult favourite among many alternative communities, for good reasons. In collaboration with the 2024 movie Nosferatu, it radiates vampiric energy. Honestly, the perfume itself tells a story as it moves through the notes. It opens up with a hefty purple flower scent, resulting from the lilac, violet and iris in it. It rapidly moves to a petrichor like I have never smelled before. As if a heavy thunderstorm hits the old stone of a gothic castle. It settles here before it moves on to a dampy resinous smell. In conclusion, it’s a cold ethereal scent. For glamour purposes I like to use it for when I want to appear distant and dreamy. Moreover, it lends itself well for psychic work, due to the purple flower notes. Though I have never used it for this purpose. 

If I can be quite honest though, I love this perfume so much due to it’s storytelling, that I tend to wear it regardless of glamour purposes too. Although this is definitely not a “smell nice” scent, it’s absolutely magical. 

Black Cat and Dark Academia – Black Moon Botanica 

Black Moon Botanica has to be my favourite witchcraft store. I own many of their perfume oils and wax melts, which smell amazing. Since it’s a witchcraft store, the idea behind the perfume oils is to use them in magical workings. Therefore the perfume oils (and wax melts too for your room/home!) lend themselves perfectly to glamour magic. 

Black cat is a warm comforting incense scent, with notes of frankincense, myrrh, tuberose and amber. At it’s base reside patchouli and cedar, with hints of jasmine and bergamot. I often wear this perfume if I want to appear comforting, cozy and warm. However, it’s also perfect for protection, resulting from the frankincense, cedar and myrrh. The packaging enables you to draw protection sigils on your body adding to the energy of the sigil. 

Dark academia is by far my favourite perfume oil and wax melt from Black Moon Botanica. This is my second bottle already (I have also gone through many wax melts) and truly there is nothing like it. It’s a lovely woody scent, with notes of sandalwood, cedar, baies and rock rose, vetiver and a hint of amber. In accordance with the combination of woody and rosy notes, I tend to use this perfume oil for when I want to tap into more masculine energy, appearing more dominant and academic. Think Florence + The Machine meets Arctic Monkeys.

Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar – Kayali 

This scent will be quite a contrast to all the other scents. It definitely doesn’t adhere to a witchy aesthetic like the other scents do. It’s a lovely gourmand, where the scent isn’t overly sweet and quite alluring. Where I use Dark Academia to tap into more masculine energy, I utilise this perfume to tap into a seductive, alluring, feminine energy, as a result of the vanilla, fruity accords, cashmere woods and candy notes. Dream Girl Evil by Florence + The Machine characterises this scent well, and it’s why I chose that piece of lyrics for the picture. Furthermore it lends itself well for love and sexual workings.

In conclusion, glamour magic through perfume is quite versatile, quick and easy and can be implemented in many ways on an everyday basis. 

Have you ever experimented with perfume in your witchcraft practice?