Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Ex Cathedra

BPTP is Blue and Windy

2009-12-02T01:08:32Z

The Whirling Wind Lunacy tee is live!

And the Blue Moon 2009 tee is also live!

Whirling Wind was illustrated by Alicia Dabney, and Blue Moon's goblin party was illustrated by Jennifer Williamson!

Whirling Wind will be live until December 5, 2009, and Blue Moon will be live until January 5, 2009.

Whirling Winds and Gritty Silt at Black Phoenix!

2009-12-01T07:31:12Z

HOLIDAY SHIPPING NOTICE:
In order to receive your Alchemy Lab package by Christmas Eve...

Internationals! Please place your order by midnight PST December 2nd.
Domestics! Please place your order by midnight PST December 7th.

In order to receive your Trading Post Package by Christmas Eve…

Internationals! Please place your order by midnight PST December 5th.
Domestics! Please place your order by midnight PST December 11th.

Black Phoenix Trading Post orders that include the Whirling Wind Moon tee and/or the Blue Moon tee are not guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas. Lunacy tees and most LE tees do not go into production until we’re done taking orders for them, and they take a few weeks to be made.

Please bear in mind that we are not responsible for USPS shenanigans. We do promise that we will bust our asses to get you your orders asap.

Please do not take offense at our using Christmas, specifically, as a date marker.

Without further ado…

Happy Yuletide, everyone! Whirling Wind is live at BPAL, as are the next scents in the Nile series!

WHIRLING WIND MOON
Swiftly walk o'er the western wave,
Spirit of Night!
Out of the misty eastern cave,
Where, all the long and lone daylight,
Thou wovest dreams of joy and fear,
'Which make thee terrible and dear, --
Swift be thy flight!

Dreams of joy and fear: swirling dark and airy musks, mogra, plumeria, hyacinth, lily of the valley, dry white sandalwood, gardenia, pale amber, and oakmoss.

SEASON OF THE EMERGENCE
Month after month the gathered rains descend
Drenching yon secret Aethiopian dells,
And from the desert's ice-girt pinnacles
Where Frost and Heat in strange embraces blend
On Atlas, fields of moist snow half depend.
Girt there with blasts and meteors Tempest dwells
By Nile's aereal urn, with rapid spells
Urging those waters to their mighty end.
O'er Egypt's land of Memory floods are level
And they are thine, O Nile--and well thou knowest
That soul-sustaining airs and blasts of evil
And fruits and poisons spring where'er thou flowest.
Beware, O Man--for knowledge must to thee,
Like the great flood to Egypt, ever be.

During Peret the Nile’s waters retreat, leaving a lush, fertile black silt behind. This is the time of plowing and seeding: crops and herbs were planted and cultivated, and prayers and sacrifices were offered to ensure a bountiful harvest later in the year.

The seeds and the seedlings as the sprout forth from the deep black silt: cucumber, flax, wheat, radishes, leeks, sesame, and beans, with thyme, frankincense, chamomile, coriander, spikenard, cumin, hyssop, and juniper.

HATMEHIT
The Egyptian fish goddess, orginally a deification of the Nile River, the Great Flood, and the Waters of Creation.

The scent of the depths of the River, teeming with aquatic life, sanctified by holy herbs.

The Blue Moon will be manifesting this December, and we will be offering two interpretations of the event this time around. First, my take on it:

BLUE MOON
The spirit of the full moon is capricious, intense and passionate, yet still distant, aloof and cold. Luna herself governs glamours, bewitchments and dream-work, innocent wonder, transient pleasure and delight, the Moment, impulse, mystery and veils. The Blue Moon is one of her rarest manifestations, and this scent is formulated to encapsulate her most complex and profound nature:

Mugwort, for psychic sensitivity...
Calea Zacatechichi, for divination through dreams...
Orchid and frankincense, for complexity, wisdom and noscere...

... with a potent lunar-charged, oneirongenic blend of blue musk, exquisite woods, moonflower, Madagascan ylang ylang, Florentine iris, Greek cypress, green tea absolute, palmarosa, cucumber, Clary sage, lavender, lemon balm, and passion fruit.

At the end of the month, Brian’s expression of the Blue Moon will be going live!

The Whirling Wind and Blue Moon tees will be going live at Black Phoenix Trading Post tomorrow, and the next Vampire Tarot scent and card set and matching tee will be going live at BPAL and BPTP later this month!

Whirling Wind Moon and all of the Iteru, Yule and Miskatonic Valley scents are $17.50 each, and Blue Moon and the Anniversary and Resurrected scents are $20 each. The anniversary and Yule scents will be live until January 2010. Blue-Moon-Beth-Style and Whirling Wind Moon will be live until December 5, 2009. Blue-Moon-Brian-Style will appear at the end of the month along with December's second full moon.

The four Dark Delicacies Yule scents are live on the Dark Delicacies web site, and are available at their brick and mortar shop in Burbank, CA!

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING CUTOFF INFO!

2009-12-01T01:45:28Z

In order to receive your package by Christmas Eve...

Internationals! Please place your order by midnight PST December 2nd.
Domestics! Please place your order by midnight PST December 7th.

Thankee! =)

Trading Post List for the BPAL Trunk Show @ Dark Delicacies!

2009-11-28T19:20:36Z

The following BPTP products, protos, and previews will be available at the Black Phoenix Trunk Show at Dark Delicacies on Sunday, November 29th, from 12-3pm:

PROTOTYPE BATH OILS AND ROOM SPRAYS
$25 each
Revenge Room Spray
Lola Montez Bath Oil
Grace Elliot Bath Oil
Champagne Bath Oil

RETIRED BATH AND ATMOSPHERE SPRAYS
$25 each
Lupanar Room Spray
Glacies Bath Oil
Jingu Bath Oil
Zenobia Bath Oil
Tomoe Gozen Bath Oil
Hua Mulan Bath Oil

RETIRED PERFUME OILS
$20 each
Boadicea Perfume
Jingu Perfume
Zenobia Perfume
Hua Mulan Perfume
Ysabel Perfume

PREVIEWS: PILLBOXES
$25 each
Courtesan Pillboxes (Four courtesans to choose from!)

PREVIEWS: THE DISTRICT / MOLLY CRABAPPLE ROOM SPRAYS
Proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity: New Orleans!
$30 each
Gertrude Dix’s
Pete Lala’s Café
Mahogany Hall

GC
Shot Glasses $15 each
Clocket $70 each
Triple Dagger Locket $70 each
Snow, Glass, Apples Locket $75 each
Brimstone Pendant $35 each
Triple Dagger Pendant $35 each
Bat-Woman Card Case $45 each
Triple Dagger Card Case $45 each
Salome Card Case $45 each
Dressed Thus Card Case $45 each
Leather Wrist Cuff $35 each

Where and when is this happening?

Dark Delicacies
4213 W. Burbank
Burbank, CA 91505 U.S.A.

Sunday, November 29
12pm - 3pm

1-888-DARKDEL
1-818-556-6660

darkdel *at* darkdel *.* com

On December 3rd, Dark Delicacies will be celebrating their 15th anniversary! 30% off most items (sale & consignment items not included) in the store… and CAKE! Bring in a new toy valued at $10 or more and get 40% off a single item that day. =)

The four new BPAL Dark Delicacies scents are live now on the DD web site! http://bit.ly/A640O

Peach Moon Brick and Mortar Lunacy

2009-11-26T01:26:29Z

In North Hollywood, we will be open for the Peach Moon Lunacy Event on Wednesday, December 2nd, from 7 to 10pm.

The address is:

12120 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA 91605

If you haven't been here before, it may be a little hard to find. We are in the industrial complex, right behind Game Dude. The nearest cross street is Laurel Canyon Blvd.

We will accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal.

Please do not bring any cameras. No photography of any kind will be allowed during this Will Call. Thanks for your cooperation.

***

GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA.

They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, December 6th from 6 to 9 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.)

Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076.

They will have all of the current LE’s available, along with their extensive selection of GC scents and all of the Retail-only Salon series as well.

Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders.

***

If you bring a new, unwrapped toy to the West Coast Will Call or Georgia Will Call Toy Drives, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re making a child’s Yuletide that much brighter… and you’ll walk out the door with a Quick Grope under the Mistletoe!

Sorry, only one Grope per customer.

***

The blends that will be available for purchase at both Will Calls include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Peach Moon update. This includes the Yules (Miskatonic and non) and The District. Anniversay and Inquisition scents will be available for testing, but not for purchase. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. No imps will be available for purchase at the GA location. Once again, thanks for understanding.

If you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following:

Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Tuesday, December 1st. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding.

We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person.

We will do our best to accommodate all orders of 5mls and imps, but sales will be based on availability.

Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at both locations, subject to stock on hand.

Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will also be available, only at the North Hollywood location. For Will Call, Twilight Alchemy Lab orders can be combined with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab orders.

***

If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

Dark Delicacies Trunk Show Info

2009-11-25T22:39:57Z

On Sunday, November 29th, Dark Delicacies will be hosting Black Phoenix’s last trunk show of 2009. We will be bringing back some scents we still have stock of from previous 2009 shows, plus some bottles that we tapped for this event. In addition, there are four new Dark Delicacies scents that will be debuting at the event!

- - -

Upon being discharged from his restful stay at Arkham Sanitarium, Del Howison and his wife, Sue, the former archivist and curator of the Cabot Museum in Beacon Hill, opened up a bookstore in Arkham specializing in hard-to-find grimoires, occult treatises, and mystical antiquities. They also cater to the lighter interests of the Valley’s cultists, and carry a vast selection of macabre books, DVDs, and ceremonial memorabilia.

Every Saturday at midnight, Sue hosts Tiny Terror Story Time -- including interactive ritual indoctrination for tots AND milk and cookies! Each week features the songs, stories, and rites of a different Outer God or Great Old One!

Fifteen years later, they have twelve stores across the Miskatonic Valley, and one in sunny Burbank, CA!

STORY TIME AT DARK DELICACIES
Heavy oak shelving, cracked leather bindings, incense-soaked parchment, ancient inks, baneful aromatic herbs, and crumbs of spilled sugar-glazed lemon butter cookies that have been accidentally dragged from the kiddie section of the store.

SUE’S GREAT OLD PUPPET SHOW
Sue’s adorable Cthulhu hand puppets and whirling Nyarlathotep marionettes help kids learn about ancient and terrible extraterrestrial beings! A wacky way to introduce your little ones to forbidden blood-chilling rites!

Hot cocoa, tiny marshmallows, white glue, stick-on googly eyes, and felt!

In 2000, Del Howison opened the Nameless City Drive-In theatre in Arkham, and eventually expanded to Innsmouth, Dunwich, and Kingsport. While Del focuses on blockbuster horror hits in his theatres, he also shows documentaries of local interest, and hosts the Dylath-Leen Film Festival which showcases the work of both prominent and up-and-coming Miskatonic Valley filmmakers. As a public service, Del provides shuttle transportation to Arkham Sanitarium at the conclusion of each film festival.

Classic comedies are shown at the Nameless City Drive-In on the first Monday of every month! Abbot and Costello vs. the Lurking Ineffable Horror from the Depths of Space and Time is always a hit!

Due to increased Mi-Go activity in recent months, convertibles and Minis are gently discouraged at the drive-in.

THE NAMELESS CITY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
Chrome bumpers gleaming in cold, exhaust-fume laden night air. Soggy foliage and crushed grass dotted with popcorn that has been crushed under rubber tires. Leather seats moist with skin musk and the sweat of groping hands fumbling under ceremonial robes.

THE SNACK HUT
Hot popcorn covered in a glowing golden liquid substance, fried things, and artificially flavored cherry frozen carbonated beverages, extra-loaded with high-fructose corn syrup.

During this year’s Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire, Sue will be running the kid’s crafts booth, and Del will be showing holiday cinematic favorites throughout the season, including “It’s a Gibbering, Seething Life”, “All I Want For Yuletide is Bleating Madness”, and “’Twas the Night Before the Profane Horror Manifested”!

(The oils are devoid of felt, googly eyes, high fructose corn syrup, artificial cherry flavoring, glue, and tentacles. Don’t be silly!)

- - -

The following oils are this trunk show’s new offerings:

Absinthe v5
Absinthe v7
AF18
AF22
AF24
AF25
B.B2
B.B3
Black Orchid v3
BOBN1
BRA11
BTCS
BTLS1
BTMEM
BTOD1
BTOD2
BTPQ
BTPU1
BTPU2
BTSB
Dirty v3
Dorian v3
Dragon Pecker v2
Grand Guignol v4
HARLOT V2
Hel v6
HR1
HR2
Mason & Jenkins Port Jelly 2
MVJHL Bake Sale v3
Nepthys v2
Nepthys v4
NGAGL5
NGG023
NVF02
NVF10
NVL1
NVMA1
NVP1
NVP2
NVPR4
O v5
O v6
Playing With Dangerous Toys v2
Poisoned Apple v2
Poisoned Apple v3
PP416
PPH81
PSX54
Soothing System 1
XCDL13
XCDW5
YAR7
Zombie Apocalypse 4

The following oils from previous trunk shows will be brought back:

A Bachelor's Dog
A Bold Bluff
Albedo
Android V2
Aphrodite V7
Blue Phoenix
Capela dos Ossos V5
CD023
Dorian V2
Gossamer
Hellion V2
Hermes Trimegistus V2
Holly King
Ice Queen
Jingo Kogo V6
Lamia V3
Lust V7
MB: Underbed
Medb V4
NYE in Dogville 2007
Oak King
Orange Phoenix
Osiris v4
Pediophobia V1
Pink Phoenix
PO13
Purple Phoenix
PX117
Red Phoenix
Riding the Goat
Scurvy
Sekhmet V5
Set V3
Sitting up w/a Sick Friend
Smut 2007
St. Lucia
Strawberry Moon
Tetramorph v2
TKO V3
Vishpala

Please note: this list is subject to change. Very, very subject to change. Scents may be added as time permits, or deleted if circumstances dictate.

If we can swing it, Trading Post will be bringing room spray and bath oil protos. List forthcoming.

Each bottle of BPAL oil is $20. No preorders will be accepted for the perfumes and room sprays at the Cobwebs event. Bottles will be sold on a first-come basis, and there is a limit of three bottles per person until 30 minutes before the end of the event, at which point, the limit is lifted.

The Vintage scents will, as always, be sportin’ a new label that was created for this event. You will not be getting the original label used for this scent.

Where and when is this happening?

Dark Delicacies
4213 W. Burbank
Burbank, CA 91505 U.S.A.

Sunday, November 29
12pm - 3pm

1-888-DARKDEL
1-818-556-6660

darkdel *at* darkdel *.* com

On December 3rd, Dark Delicacies will be celebrating their 15th anniversary! 30% off most items (sale & consignment items not included) in the store… and CAKE! Bring in a new toy valued at $10 or more and get 40% off a single item that day. =)

Have you been bad or good?

2009-11-20T01:15:39Z

The 'aught nine Naughty & Nice Inquisition is live at Black Phoenix Trading Post!

Happy Anniversary, BPAL!, Seven stinkin' years!

2009-11-18T07:47:51Z

Happy birthday, BPAL! Holy shit: we're seven years old!

The past seven years have been some of the best years of my life, and I owe much of that to the family that has grown around Black Phoenix.

Thank you to my brother and partner, Brian, who spearheads Production, and without whom Black Phoenix would not exist. I love you!

Thank you to my husband, Teddy o'the Trading Post. Your love and support keeps me afloat, and you inspire me like no other. I love you!

Thank you, Kathy, my right hand woman. You keep me sane, and you find my head for me when its not screwed on properly, and truly, I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you!

Thank you, Jacquelynn, our general manager, whose gentle Virgo whip cracking ensures that the wheels of our strange machine run smoothly. I love you!

Thank you to Bill, the patron saint of customer service. Your beautiful heart shines through your emails. I love you!

Thank you to our production staff, who form the backbone of this company. You enable us to share our creations with the world, and I am eternally grateful. I love you!

Thank you to the mods and administrators of bpal.org for being the best friends anyone could ask for. You take on a difficult, often thankless, job with love and dedication beyond the call of duty. Thank you for being my proofreaders, my sanity check, and my foundation. You are amazing women, and I love you!

Thank you to Sue and Del at Dark Delicacies for giving BPAL a home away from home, for always being there for us, and for being wonderful grandparents to the Little Demoness. I love you! (And so does Lilith!)

Thank you to the artists that work with us, Jennifer Williamson, Alicia Dabney, Julie Dillon, Madame Talbot, Quique Alcatena, Jennifer Rodgers, and Sarah Coleman, for bringing our scents to life! I love you!

Thank you to Lisa and the crew at Whole Foods in Roswell, GA for giving their all to Dirty South will call! You are amazing people, and I love you!

Thank you to the Mütter Museum, Le Pink, Whole Foods, Urban Outfitters, Wildilocks, and Healthy Living for giving our products a home in your stores!

Thank you to the bloggers, journalists, magazines, and other media outlets that have shown interest in Black Phoenix, and have taken the time to do writeups on our shops! Thank you for your time and energy; it means the world to us!

Thank you to Neil Gaiman for affecting me like no other author, for being such a supportive friend, and for allowing me the pleasure of interpreting your beautiful, witty, soul-moving stories through scent. I love you!

Thank you to Amanda Palmer, Terry Pratchett, Terry Moore, Mike and Christine Mignola, George Perez, Peter David, Molly Crabapple, Mark Waid, Ross Ritchie, Jill Thompson, Brian Pulido, and Gris Grimly for giving us such all such joy through the beauty of your art, and for giving Black Phoenix the opportunity to interpret your work.

Thank you to the kind people at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative. You help those who cannot help themselves, and you are an inspiration to us all.

Thank you to all our clients. Thank you for being there for us, and for each other, throughout all these years. Thank you for sharing our happiness and holding our hands through times of grief, loss, and transition. Thank you for celebrating pivotal points in our lives with us… the challenges of our rites of passage and difficult times of change… beautiful moments… weddings and births… and comforting us in times of sorrow. Thank you for wit, your kind hearts, and your friendship. Without the amazing, beautiful people we have met through and because of Black Phoenix, this would all be ashes. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share all that I love, all that I fear, and all I desire with all of you. I love you!

Now, before I start weeping like a loon, let's get on with the new stuffs…

The BPAL 7th Anniversary scents are live!

++ THE ALCHEMICAL PHOENIXES
GOLD PHOENIX
La Lumiere sortant des Tenebres. The noblest of the alchemical metals, representing the splendor of the Sun. It is the essence of pure consciousness and represents the divine, creative force present in all spirit and all matter. It is the symbol of the goal of perfection, and is capable of radiating all the colors of dawn and dusk while still retaining its unblemished purity.

Three ambers representing common gold, astral gold, and elementary gold, with verbena, angelica, and heliotrope that has been purified by frankincense and Gum Arabic.

SILVER PHOENIX
Lustrous, pliable, delicate, and malleable, silver is as mysterious and radiant as the moon. Silver requires darkness in order to react, and receives light passively.

Opalescent orris shimmering through a blend of mallow, moonflower, wild pear, iris, starwort, juniper, and mugwort.

COPPER PHOENIX
Copper's lustrous, rose-tinted Venusian energy inspires creativity and assists in balancing spiritual polarities. It can be utilized as a literal mirror, and a mirror reflecting the beauty of the soul.

Rose-infused dark amber, with sweet orange, honey, cardamom, patchouli, apricot, pink pepper, and red sandalwood.

IRON PHOENIX
Blood and fire: a magnetic metal that burns brightly and easily. Iron illustrates the metabolic process and the need to control primal, brutal urges without quelling the fire of passion.

Dragon's blood and dark, dense metal, black pepper, clove, red ginger, basil, and myrrh.

TIN PHOENIX
A malleable, pale metal with a flexible, crystalline structure that speaks out with a thunderous voice when bent or shaken. It is representative of the breath of life and the storminess of the spirit.

Pale metals, crackling ozone, hyssop, white mint, tonka, and lemongrass.

QUICKSILVER PHOENIX
Mercury exists in three states of matter, just as Hermes, its patron, was the one deity that could move freely through the three classical worlds. In one of the alchemical processes, nitric acid, also called aqua fortis, is combined with Mercury, which then separates into a bed of red crystals and a cloud of red vapor. This experiment symbolizes the soul's transcendence over the polarities of mercy and severity, heaven and earth, light and darkness, life and death. Mercury is capable of forming complex compounds and amalgamating with elements that normally will not bind with others. Combined with phosphor and charged with electricity, it produces light.

Cinnabar and silvery liquid droplets of mastic, white sandalwood, elemi, and lavender.

LEAD PHOENIX
Solid, heavy, and resistant to corrosion, lead is the first and oldest of the Seven Metals. It is the metal of ammunition and tombs, radiation shields and solder. Though it represents limitations and boundaries, it also transcends them when combined with other elements to create Philosophical Mercury.

A dark and lusterless scent that contains the potential for limitless spiritual radiance: tobacco absolute, hemlock, plum, cypress, styrax, olibanum, and wild lettuce.

And this year's resurrected scents…

++ 2009 RESURRECTED BLENDS
HOD
Glory and Majesty, Kokab, God's Judgement.

SPOOKY
A maddeningly festive blend of warm, buttery rum, cocoa, coconut, vanilla and a jolt of peppermint. It's a sweet, decadent, slightly silly scent, reminiscent of rum-laced holiday cookies.

Much is also new at Black Phoenix Trading Post!

Several new claw polishes are live at the 'Post, inspired by BPAL's Bordello, Croquet, Malediction, Sed Non Satiata, and two Phoenix Steamworks-inspired colors: Smokestack and Robotic Scarab.

A tee commemorating BPAL's annual Resurrection of the Smells is live!

Artwork by Jennifer Williamson!

And last, but not least, Neil Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples locket is live!

Based on illustrations by Julie Dillon for the Snow, Glass, Apples chapbook produced by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.

We are tying up one remaining loose end with the Inquisition, and it will be live later this week!

Please mark it on your calendars: Dark Delicacies will be hosting the final Black Phoenix trunk show of 2009 on November 29, 2009 from 12pm til 3pm! Details to come!

Dark Delicacies Trunk Show on 11/29

2009-11-16T21:16:44Z

The final BPAL trunk show of 2009 will be at Dark Delicacies on 11/29, 12-3pm. Details soon.

Happy Friday the 13th!

2009-11-13T07:31:06Z

It's Friday the 13th in Miskatonic Valley!

GA Will Call Part Deux, Sunday, November 15th, 5 to 8pm

2009-11-10T20:39:31Z

Due to a massive USPS screw-up, the Dirty South Will Call didn't receive their Raven Moon and testers in time for Will Call. So, they're holding a second Raven Moon Will Call!

GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA.

They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, November 15th from 5 to 8pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.)

Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076.

They will be holding an auction to benefit flood damaged farms in GA. Everyone who donates will receive an imp of Daya.

They will have all of the current LE’s available, along with their extensive selection of GC scents and all of the Retail-only Salon series as well.

Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders.

Shoes + Shoes + Shoes + Bags

2009-11-05T21:15:09Z

Shoes + Shoes + Shoes + Bags, Space 15 Twenty's new shoe boutique, opens Friday night with goodies from Minx Nails, Green Truck. and....Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab!

They will be carrying a few of our scents in their store, so stop by for the party Friday night, or anytime, to get your BPAL fix

http://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/blog/category/los_angeles

Heads up re: filming at WCWC

2009-11-03T20:32:48Z

Just wanted to let November WCWC attendees know that E! will be filming a segment of That Morning Show at the NoHo will call. =) Don't want anyone coming unawares!

Peach Moon ripened early at BPAL & BPTP!

2009-10-28T20:25:23Z

Peach Moon is ripening early at Alchemy Lab and Trading Post! Both will be live on their respective sites until November 5, 2009!

PEACH MOON
Smoke hangs on the stream,
The peach-trees shed bright leaves in the water,
Sound drifts in the evening haze

Dew-covered peach blossom, white tea, moonlit musk, night-blooming jasmine, ho wood, and chrysanthemum.

Artwork by our little peach pie, Alicia Dabney! Two peach-toned shimmer inks on white tee!

Black Phoenix Trading Post has gone live with the next installment of Neil Gaiman's 15 Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot: the Magician!

Bring home your memories of this year's Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire with a stylish commemorative tee! Doubles as a cultist robe in a pinch, and machine washable, too!

The Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire Official Event Tee

Merrily macabre holiday artwork by Jolly Julie Dillon, the honorary emcee at this year's Faire! Mouldering green, sepulcheral white, malignant orange, and gnashing red inks on black tee!

What else is new at Black Phoenix Trading Post?

The Yule Bath Oils and Yule Atmosphere Sprays are back! - with a new addition!

++ YULE BATH OILS
ICE PRINCE BATH OIL
As beautiful and cold as a December storm.

Crystalline musk, winter lily, bergamot, plum, and frozen pine boughs.

PROSERPINA BATH OIL
For thine came pale and a maiden, and sister to sorrow; but ours,
Her deep hair heavily laden with odour and colour of flowers,
White rose of the rose-white water, a silver splendour, a flame,
Bent down unto us that besought her, and earth grew sweet with her name.

The emergence of light in darkness.

Frozen pomegranate and a hint of nocturnal blossoms.

WINTER MAIDEN BATH OIL
Ice-rimed innocence. The blush of youth, frozen for eternity.

Snow-laden woods, iced blackberry and bergamot, white rose, and crystallized amber.

HOLIDAY STRESS RELIEF BATH OIL
Relax, revive, restore.

Peppermint, spearmint, geranium bourbon, lavender, clary sage, white amber, juniper berry, laurel leaf, coriander, opoponax, and mandarin.

++ YULE ATMOSPHERE SPRAYS
KRAMPUSUMZÜGE
Dirt-spattered rags, rusted chains, and dry switches against a backdrop of black fir and snow.

SNOW WHITE
A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

Snow White and Krampusumzüge are $25 each. Ice Prince, Proserpina, and Winter Maiden are $30 each, and Holiday Stress Relief is $40. The Yule sprays and bath oils are available until December 15, 2009.

BPTP's District collaboration with Molly Crabapple will be ready to go live in a few weeks time, and the Inquisition is coming up as soon as we iron out some of the kinks!

Black Phoenix Trading Post customer service will be offline from Thursday, October 28 til Tuesday, November 3. Ted will be able to resume answering your questions and flirting long-distance on the 3rd. I, personally, will be offline, too, but BPAL customer service will be available and production and shipping at both BPAL and BPTP will continue as usual.

A gentle reminder: West Coast Will Call will not be on the full moon in November, as many of our will call staffers will be out of town for the holiday. WCWC has been moved to Wednesday, November 4, 7-10pm. The theme this month is Dia de los Muertos! Costumes welcome and encouraged! We will be holding a canned food drive this month, so if you bring canned food, we will give you something in return. East Coast Will Call is at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry's Farmer's Market, in Roswell, GA on November 8, from 5-8. If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

Please note: there is a slight delay in shipping for BPAL and BPTP orders at this time. We're experiencing the holiday crunch, but we are endeavoring to get everything you order into your hands as quickly as possible!

Raven Moon Brick and Mortar Lunacy

2009-10-28T00:00:13Z

Wednesday, Nov. 4th in CA, Sunday, Nov. 8th in GA

In North Hollywood, we will be open for the Raven Moon Lunacy Event on Wednesday, November 4th, from 7 to 10pm.

The address is:

12120 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA 91605

The theme this month is.....Dia de los Muertos! Costumes welcome! We will be holding a canned food drive this month, so if you bring canned food, we will give you something in return. ;-)

If you haven't been here before, it may be a little hard to find. We are in the industrial complex, right behind Game Dude. The nearest cross street is Laurel Canyon Blvd.

We will accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal.

Please do not bring any cameras. No photography of any kind will be allowed during this Will Call. Thanks for your cooperation.

***

GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA.

They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, November 8th from 5to 8pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.)

Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076.

They will have all of the current LE’s available, along with their extensive selection of GC scents and all of the Retail-only Salon series as well.

Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders.

***

The blends that will be available for purchase at both Will Calls include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Raven Moon update. This includes the Halloweenies, the Literary Vampire scents, and the new general catalog scents as well as the Hellboy and Gris Grimly lines. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. No imps will be available for purchase at the GA location. Once again, thanks for understanding.

If you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following:

Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Tuesday, November 3rd. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding.

We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person.

We will do our best to accommodate all orders of 5mls and imps, but sales will be based on availability. Imp Packs will be available at the North Hollywood location, but it’s best to pre-order, so we can make sure we have enough stock, or be able to tell you beforehand if we’re out of stock. You get the gist.

Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at both locations, subject to stock on hand.

Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will also be available, only at the North Hollywood location. For Will Call, Twilight Alchemy Lab orders can be combined with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab orders.

***

If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

Steampunk Month at Tor Books

2009-10-23T21:19:37Z

Do you love Steampunk and BPAL? Tor Books is giving away Phoenix Steamworks alongside some other awesome Steampunk prizes.

http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=58075#more

The Winter Update is Live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab!

2009-10-22T05:58:24Z

A very merry early Yule to all! First things first… while the Alchemy Lab update is going live now, the Trading Post update, including the Inquisition, winter seasonal offerings, the District Atmosphere Sprays, and the District tee, and the Vampire Tarot Magician tee, is slightly delayed. In the interests of staying sane, we're separating the two by a few days, but I'm planning to have the BPTP update live by the weekend. Fear not -- we'll be working our asses off getting all the Trading Post stuff ready to go!

And without further adieu… the Yuletide LE's are here!

++ YULETIDE 2009
BUT MEN LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT
The world's light shines, shine as it will,
The world will love its darkness still.
I doubt though when the world's in hell,
It will not love its darkness half so well.

The world will love its darkness: cistus labdanum, ginger, East Indian patchouli, pimento berry, oakmoss, saffron, smoky vanilla, sage, myrrh, and bitter blove.

DED MOROZ
Grandfather Frost! Accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, he bestows gifts to virtuous and hard-working people, rewarding their decency and integrity, and punishes those who are lazy, shiftless, and unkind, killing their fields with frost, cracking the trunks of their trees, and destroying their homes.

The first incarnation of Father Frost was not at all benevolent. He was the personification of the darkest aspects of winter, winter's destruction incarnate. He kidnapped unruly children, and slew people capriciously by freezing them to death.

Light, darkness, kindness, and malice: golden amber, white amber, redwood, teak, bois du rose, sage, tree moss, and snow.

DIABLE EN BOÎTE
The crickets sing, and man's o'er-labour'd sense
Repairs itself by rest. Our Tarquin thus
Did softly press the rushes, ere he waken'd
The chastity he wounded. Cytherea,
How bravely thou becomest thy bed, fresh lily,
And whiter than the sheets! That I might touch!
But kiss; one kiss! Rubies unparagon'd,
How dearly they do't! 'Tis her breathing that
Perfumes the chamber thus: the flame o' the taper
Bows toward her, and would under-peep her lids,
To see the enclosed lights, now canopied
Under these windows, white and azure laced
With blue of heaven's own tinct. But my design,
To note the chamber: I will write all down:
Such and such pictures; there the window; such
The adornment of her bed; the arras; figures,
Why, such and such; and the contents o' the story.
Ah, but some natural notes about her body,
Above ten thousand meaner moveables
Would testify, to enrich mine inventory.
O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her!
And be her sense but as a monument,
Thus in a chapel lying! Come off, come off:
As slippery as the Gordian knot was hard!
'Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly,
As strongly as the conscience does within,
To the madding of her lord. On her left breast
A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops
I' the bottom of a cowslip: here's a voucher,
Stronger than ever law could make: this secret
Will force him think I have pick'd the lock and ta'en
The treasure of her honour. No more. To what end?
Why should I write this down, that's riveted,
Screw'd to my memory? She hath been reading late
The tale of Tereus; here the leaf's turn'd down
Where Philomel gave up. I have enough:
To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it.
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning
May bare the raven's eye! I lodge in fear;
Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here.
One, two, three: time, time!
- Iachimo, Cymbeline Act II, Scene 2

There are few things more disturbing than a Jack in the Box. A strangely sinister, unnerving holiday scent: redwood, bitter clove, tonka, hemp accord, and tobacco with peach blossom, black currant, and red musk.

EL DIA DE LOS REYES 2009
The Day of Kings, the Celebration of the Magi. In Mexico, on January 6th, children place their shoes by their windows. If they have been good during the previous year, the Wise Men tuck gifts into their shoes during the night.

Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar.

EVENING CICADAS AND RED PEPPERS
It is so, so cold!
A cicada in the eaves
With the red peppers.

Frost-limned, ice-bejeweled branches, scattered blood-red maple leaves, a few camellia petals, red peppers, and nacreous, multi-colored musks that shimmer like gently-beating cicada wings.

FAUNALIA
Held on December 5th, this is the festival of the Horned God of the Forest, one of the di indigetes of Rome, god of cattle, fertility, wild, untamed nature, and prophecy through dreams. The scent of a thick, starlit, unspoiled forest, with a burst of wild musk, opobalsamum, black bryony, mandragora, and hemlock.

THE FIRST SOFT SNOW
The first soft snow!
Enough to bend the leaves
Of the jonquil low.

Heavy drifts of snow blanketing winter's narcissus.

THE FRUIT OF PARADISE 2009
While Persephone visited the realm of Hades, she tasted one single pomegranate seed, an act which compelled her to remain connected to the Land of the Dead for all eternity. Demeter's grief over her beloved daughter's absence that brings on the bleakness and barrenness of the winter months.

The Fruit of Paradise, the Nectar of Death: bittersweet pomegranate, nurtured and cultivated in the hollow darkness of the Underworld.

GACELA OF THE DARK DEATH
I want to sleep the sleep of the apples,
I want to get far away from the busyness of the cemeteries.
I want to sleep the sleep of that child
who longed to cut his heart open far out at sea.

I don't want them to tell me again how the corpse keeps all its blood,
how the decaying mouth goes on begging for water.
I'd rather not hear about the torture sessions the grass arranges for
nor about how the moon does all its work before dawn
with its snakelike nose.

I want to sleep for half a second,
a second, a minute, a century,
but I want everyone to know that I am still alive,
that I have a golden manger inside my lips,
that I am the little friend of the west wind,
that I am the elephantine shadow of my own tears.

When it's dawn just throw some sort of cloth over me
because I know dawn will toss fistfuls of ants at me,
and pour a little hard water over my shoes
so that the scorpion claws of the dawn will slip off.

Because I want to sleep the sleep of the apples,
and learn a mournful song that will clean all earth away from me,
because I want to live with that shadowy child
who longed to cut his heart open far out at sea.

Terebinth pine, pitch, and clove.

HYPOTHERMIA
Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm!
How shall your houseless heads, and unfed sides,
Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these?

Bone-chilling, heart-stopping cold.

IN WINTER IN MY ROOM
In Winter in my Room
I came upon a Worm --
Pink, lank and warm --
But as he was a worm
And worms presume
Not quite with him at home --
Secured him by a string
To something neighboring
And went along.

A Trifle afterward
A thing occurred
I'd not believe it if I heard
But state with creeping blood --
A snake with mottles rare
Surveyed my chamber floor
In feature as the worm before
But ringed with power --

The very string with which
I tied him -- too
When he was mean and new
That string was there --

I shrank -- "How fair you are"!
Propitiation's claw --
"Afraid," he hissed
"Of me"?
"No cordiality" --
He fathomed me --
Then to a Rhythm Slim
Secreted in his Form
As Patterns swim
Projected him.

That time I flew
Both eyes his way
Lest he pursue
Nor ever ceased to run
Till in a distant Town
Towns on from mine
I set me down
This was a dream.

Pink, lank, and warm: grapefruit, yuzu, tuberose, peony, violet leaf, pikaki, Indian frankincense, and tonka.

JOULUMUORI
Old Lady Christmas, the sweet, smiling wife of Finland's Joulupukki. Her scent invokes the comforts of Christmastime and the warmth of love and cheerful companionship: a glowing hearth, luumukiisseli, riisipuuro, and sima.

LICK IT TIL IT'S STICKY
The stickiest thing you shouldn't lick this winter. Peppermint candy cane with an extra jolt of sugar.

(As always, we have to state: don't lick perfume. Don't eat it, drink it, cook with it, or use it in any strange and unforeseen way. Black Phoenix is not responsible for that sort of irresponsible funnybusiness.)

MIDNIGHT MASS 2009
I will wash my hands among the innocent; and will compass thy altar, O Lord: That I may hear the voice of thy praise: and tell of all thy wondrous works. I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house; and the place where thy glory dwelleth. Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked: nor my life with bloody men: In whose hands are iniquities: their right hand is filled with gifts.

But as for me, I have walked in my innocence: redeem me, and have mercy on me. My foot hath stood in the direct way: in the churches I will bless thee, O Lord.

In Roman Catholic tradition, the Christmas season begins liturgically on Christmas Eve, though it is forbidden to celebrate the Christmas Mass before midnight. The most devout attend Midnight Mass, celebrating both the Eucharist and the drama of the Nativity.

This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God.

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis.

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

NES GADOL HAYA SHAM
But not long after the king sent a certain old man of Antioch, to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers and of God:

And to defile the temple that was in Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius: and that in Gazarim of Jupiter Hospitalis, according as they were that inhabited the place.

And very bad was this invasion of evils and grievous to all.

For the temple was full of the riot and reveling of the Gentiles: and of men lying with lewd women. And women thrust themselves of their accord into the holy places, and brought in things that were not lawful.

The altar also was filled with unlawful things, which were forbidden by the laws.

And neither were the sabbaths kept, nor the solemn days of the fathers observed, neither did any man plainly profess himself to be a Jew.

But they were led by bitter constraint on the king's birthday to the sacrifices: and when the feast of Bacchus was kept, they wore compelled to go about crowned with ivy in honour of Bacchus.

And there went out a decree into the neighboring cities of the Gentiles, by the suggestion of the Ptolemeans, that they also should act in like manner against the Jews, to oblige them to sacrifice:

And whosoever would not conform themselves to the ways of the Gentiles, should be put to death: then was misery to be seen.

For two women were accused to have circumcised their children: whom, when they had openly led about through the city with the infants hanging at their breasts, they threw down headlong from the walls.

And others that had met together in caves that were near, and were keeping the sabbath day privately, being discovered by Philip, were burnt with fire, because they made a conscience to help themselves with their hands, by reason of the religious observance of the day.

- The Second Book of the Maccabees, 6:1-11

In order to consolidate his power in Jerusalem and Hellenize the area, the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes outlawed Judaism and ordered the population to worship Zeus and the Hellenic pantheon. As this was anathema to the Jews, they refused, and Antiochus moved to enforce his religious decree by extreme force.

Some origin tales say that the dreidel was used at this time as a method by which the Jewish people were able to continue to study the Talmud in secret under the guise of gambling. Now, in addition to being a light gambling game, the dreidel is also a reminder of the strength, devotion, and perseverance of the Jewish people and the mercy of God.

One scent in four parts:

Nun, the Snake: nuun, nothing. Naḥš, in modern Arabic, means bad luck. Represented by scents of loss and remembrance: opoponax and lemon verbena.

Gimel, the Camel: the Ship of the Desert. Represented by scents of abundance, fortitude, and determination: patchouli, heliotrope, pomegranate, and almond.

He, the Window: sometimes used to represent the Unutterable Name of God, this is the window in our souls through which God's light touches us. Represented by scents of clarity and piety: frankincense, myrtle, and hyssop.

Shin, the Tooth: also stands for Shaddai, one of the names of God. The hand formed into shin acts as a priestly blessing. Represented by scents of strength, generosity, kindness, and benediction: carnation, myrrh, red poppy, and hibiscus.

The essences of Nun, Gimel, He, and Shin are blended to become Nes Gadol Haya Sham.

NOW WINTER NIGHTS ENLARGE
Now winter nights enlarge
The number of their hours,
And clouds their storms discharge
Upon the airy towers.
Let now the chimneys blaze,
And cups o'erflow with wine;
Let well-tuned words amaze
With harmony divine.
Now yellow waxen lights
Shall wait on honey love,
While youthful revels, masques, and courtly sights
Sleep's leaden spells remove.

This time doth well dispense
With lovers' long discourse;
Much speech hath some defence,
Though beauty no remorse.
All do not all things well;
Some measures comely tread,
Some knotted riddles tell,
Some poems smoothly read.
The summer hath his joys
And winter his delights;
Though love and all his pleasures are but toys,
They shorten tedious nights.

Shorten those tedious nights with a surge of body heat: vanilla-infused red musk, champaca, petitgrain, ylang ylang, patchouli, nutmeg, honey, galbanum, and traces of caramel.

ON DARKNESS 2009
You darkness, that I come from,
I love you more than all the fires
that fence in the world,
for the fire makes
a circle of light for everyone,
and then no one outside learns of you.
But the darkness pulls in everything;
shapes and fires, animals and myself,
how easily it gathers them! --
powers and people --
and it is possible a great energy
is moving near me.
I have faith in nights.

An embrace: black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin.

THE PEACOCK QUEEN 2009
In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred.

PINK SNOWBALLS
A lighthearted winter scent: chilly vanilla rose snowballs! Dainty, soft, and certainly unfit for flinging!

THE SEASON OF GHOSTS
In Latvia, the Ziemassvetki, or Winter Party, is a celebration of the birth of Dievs, the Sky God and Supreme Ruler of the Latvian pantheon. The two weeks prior to the Ziemassvetki is Ve?u laiks: the Season of Ghosts. Candles are lit to honor the gods and a fire is kept burning throughout the Season, burning away the unhappiness of the previous year so men's spirits can be renewed. At the feast of the Ziemassvetki, places are left as a courtesy to the ghosts, who arrive by sleigh.

A scent created to burn away sorrow: bergamot, frankincense, rose geranium, ginger, lemongrass, and blood orange.

THE SHIVERING BOY 2009
Cold, cold forever more. A winter storm roaring through empty stone halls, bearing echoes of despair, desolation, and death on its winds. The scent of frozen, dormant vineyards, bitter sleet, and piercing ozone, hurled through labdanum, benzoin, and olibanum.

SLEIPNIR
At Yule, Odin leads a divine hunting party through the heavens. On Yule Eve, children would fill their boots with sugar, carrots, and straw and place them by the chimneys for Odin's eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, to eat. To repay the children's kindness, Odin would refill the children's boots with sweets or small gifts.

Confections spun of hazelnuts, honey, elderberries, and bilberries with a dusting of hay and a bit of carrot.

SNOW-FLAKES 2009
Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.

This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.

The radiance and desolation of winter.

THE SNOW MAIDEN 2009
The Snow Maiden is the daughter of Spring and Frost: as lovely as the first snowfall, and as striking as a sliver of icicle. Isolated because of her chilly otherworldly nature, and unable to know love, she longed for the companionship and warmth of mortals. One bright, white winter's day, the Snow Maiden came upon a gentle, handsome shepherd named Lel. She grows fond of him, and beseeches Mother Spring to grant her the ability to feel. Her mother is moved by her daughter's plight, and blesses her, but the moment the Snow Maiden is struck by the depth of love she feels for Lel, her heart warms, and she melts.

SNOW WHITE 2009
A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

SNOWBALL FRACAS
This means war. A scent tight with delirious adrenaline. Muddy dirt and frost-covered moss from the trenches rubbed into winter clothes and snow impact overspray. This scent hits like the sting from those dang icy hard snowballs... the ones that have been packed too hard by someone who is not playing nice... nailing you right in the face.

SOL INVICTUS 2009
Sane, sol et in cloacam radios suos defert nec inquinatur.

A radiant blend of solar oils: golden amber, saffron, heliotrope, hibiscus, citron, frangipani, frankincense, tangerine, mock orange, and orange blossom.

WHEN THE WINTER CHRYSANTHEMUMS GO
When the winter chrysanthemums go,
there's nothing to write about
but radishes.

Lest the next few updates be dedicated solely to radishes, we've created this scent to keep the winter chrysanthemums alive. A gentle flurry of snow dusting the season's last chrysanthemums, illuminated by pale rays of winter's amber-tinted sunlight.

YULE CAT
The Yule Cat is a gargantuan Icelandic feline that feasts on indolent people who shirk their community responsibilities. Don't be lazy! - idle hands make for a very unpleasant Yule!

Malevolent musk, a drop of infernal civet, vetiver, club moss, birch, goosefoot, and rowan.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing… er… Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

The Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire is here!

++ THE MISKATONIC VALLEY YULETIDE FAIRE
Welcome to Innsmouth, the Pearl of New England!

Every December, the Esoteric Order of Dagon hosts the Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire, a holiday marketplace at the former Masonic Temple at New Church Green in Innsmouth. Mayor Obed Marsh, may the Deep Ones bless his eternal governance, lights the community sacrificial pyre on the first of the month, and the festivities begin!

Amidst holiday entertainments, local artisans and craftspeople ply their wares. The Voices of Azathoth, our local children's choir, and the Servitor Flautists perform on the Grand Stage of Malignity throughout the month! "Dread Hymns Ancient and Modern" and the canonical cult scriptures are always lovingly reprinted and distributed by the kind folks at the Wilbur Whateley Memorial Library so that residents and visitors can sing and chant with the carolers, Esquimaux wizards, Louisiana swamp-priests, and local cultists. At midnight on Midwinter Eve, the liturgical play "the Adoration of the Mi-Go" is performed under the lights of a synathroesmus of iridescent globes by Arkham's world-famous acting troupe, the Haunters in the Dark, on the Great Stage.

Get ready for holiday parties and ritual feasts with the help of our local farmers, bakers, and candymakers! Every year since 1928, Mother Shub has set up her tempting pastry and confections stand, the Yule Goat, and this year is no exception! Mason & Jenkin's Pantry will be selling their home made preserves, and the Innsmouth Canning Company will be offering a selection of fresh fish, true to their motto: You Are What You Eat!

Shopping for holiday gifts is a breeze at the Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire! Old Man Ackerman, proprietor of Miskatonic Valley's renowned toy store and antiquities dealership, Elder Things, brings hand-crafted clockworks and tin machines that spout iridescent, prolately spheroidal bubbles to delight the wee ones. Old Man Ackerman's educational toys make non-Euclidean calculus fun! Curwen Imports brings a selection of exotic merchandise and antiquities from all over the globe and points beyond, including authentic 12th century illuminated manuscripts crafted by Bartolomeo Corsi. There's no better time to get a pet magah bird for little Billy or a new set of yellow Carcosan robes for yourself! Bargains galore!

(For the pleasure of the adults, the Black Temple Burlesque Troupe performs nightly through January at the Vault of Zin in Innsmouth's Red Light District.)

And that's just a sampling of what the Faire has to offer! Fun for the whole family! May this Yule season bring madness and the void's wild vengeance to all!

THE ADORATION OF THE MI-GO
The time-honored ecclesiastical drama that illustrates the piety of the Fungi and First Coming of the Crawling Chaos to the majestic black stone terraces of Yuggoth! Recapture the magic!

Luminous, otherworldly wet and piquant odors mingling with black incense, the pitch-stench of Yuggoth, and fungal lichens.

MOTHER SHUB'S SPICED LAIT DE CHÈVRE
Nothing warms the cockles like a mug of Mother Shub's egg nog! Goat's milk egg nog with coffee liqueur and spices imported from the Crimson Desert!

MOTHER SHUB'S PFANCY PFEFFERNEUSSE
Fit for the finest oblation -- and your holiday table, too! Sugar-sprinkled pepper nuts with a bit of cinnamon, a bit of clove, a little cardamom, and a hint of nutmeg.

MOTHER SHUB'S TOOTHSOME BANKETSTAAF
A treat sure to please even the most finicky cultist! Tubular pastries oozing with spijs, glazed with apricot jam, and dotted with glace cherries.

MASON & JENKIN'S PORT JELLY
Red and sticky! From a genuine Old Salem recipe!

OLD MAN ACKERMAN'S INSTRUCTIONAL TOYS
Educational toys for tots! Learn non-Euclidean calculus, catoptric theory, quantum physics, and the mysteries of Elder magic the fun way! An ancient baetylus floating within an array of bizarre trapezoidal figures, glimmering tubes, rusting spheres, and whirling gogs formed from peculiar metals, glowing tektites, strangely suspended lead mirrors, and eerie driftings of meteoric dust.

THE SMILIN' SERVITORS' HYPERDIMENSIONAL HOLIDAY HITS
As seen on tv!

A musical extravaganza of madness, terror, and woe! Twenty-three insane interstellar holiday hits from everyone's favorite amorphous toad pipers, including "Doom to the World" and "Here We Go to Sacrifice"!

A discordant scent, silvery and strange like a lunatic's tinsel garland: freesia, eucalyptus, and yuzu, with sicilian lemon, massoia, opoponax, night-blooming jasmine, white bergamot, and copaiba oleoresin.

PET MAGAH BIRD
Every kid wants a pet magah bird! A prism of scent, an explosion of multi-colored feathers: blood orange, black plum, sugar cane, guava, frangipani, coconut, pimento berry, violet, caramel, and pear.

<>THE BLACK TEMPLE BURLESQUE TROUPE</b>
Straight from the pits of black, lightless N'kai: the voluptuous bat-winged vixens of the Black Temple Burlesque Troupe!

Cacao, black musk, and tobacco absolute.

The Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire was illustrated the eldritch and diabolical Julie Dillon!

The next card in Neil Gaiman's Vampire Tarot is also here! -- the Magician!

++ 15 PAINTED CARDS FROM A VAMPIRE TAROT: THE MAGICIAN
They asked St. Germain's manservant if his master was truly a thousand years old, as it was rumored he had claimed.

"How would I know?" the man replied. "I have only been in the master's employ for three hundred years.

Burmese rosewood, olibanum, benzoin, turmeric, currant leaf, and oude.

And finally, the latest addition to the GC… the District! A collaboration between Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Black Phoenix Trading Post, and Molly Crabapple that benefits Habitat For Humanity: New Orleans!

++ THE DISTRICT
Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense
Shame to Him Who Evil Thinks

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post are proud to present a scent series representing the people, places, and culture of New Orleans' Storyville, featuring artwork by the inimitable Molly Crabapple. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is pandering the perfumes, and Black Phoenix Trading Post is offering District-themed atmosphere sprays and a gorgeous District tee illustrated by Molly!

Lavish bordellos and shady cribs, dazzling jazz, and swinging saloons: bounded by Basin, Iberville, Robertson, and St Louis, Storyville, known to locals as the District, was New Orleans' legal red light district from 1897 to 1917.

This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture. Proceeds from every bottle go to Habitat for Humanity: New Orleans. Habitat for Humanity builds houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities, and homeowner families, whereby families are empowered to transform their own lives, and aids in eliminating poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

Molly Crabapple is an award winning illustrator, and the founder of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School. Molly has drawn for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Marvel Comics, the Bloomberg Corporation, the Coagula Art Journal, and Playgirl, and she has illustrated eight books including Scarlett Takes Manhattan. She has also turned her talents to 30-foot theatrical backdrops, children's books, parade installations, burlesque posters, critically acclaimed webcomics, pornographic comic books, art writing, and gallery shows around the world. More about the lovely Miss Molly can be found through a feature on her in the Art & Design section of the New York Times.

Thank you, Molly, for inspiring this series!

http://www.mollycrabapple.com/
http://www.drsketchy.com/
http://www.habitat-nola.com/

COUNTESS WILLIE
Sophisticated, dramatic, well-traveled, glamorous, and worldly, Countess Willie V. Piazza, owner of the French Studio, was a trendsetter in style and fashion. Countess Willie was an educated woman, a patron of the arts, and possessed an impressive library of rare volumes. She featured many historic jazz musicians in her House, including Tony Jackson and Jelly Roll Morton. Unlike many of her counterparts, she was known for having a kind heart and a generous, loving nature. She was fiercely protective: when a patron of her establishment, the nephew of a prominent New Orleans cleric, committed a heinous act of sadism against one of her ladies, Countess Willie shot him dead.

Chocolate plum musk, red musk, amaretto, candied fruits, and red ginger.

CRIB GIRLS
Situated on of the lowest rungs in the Red Light District's hierarchy, the crib girls solicited from their windows and doorways, entertaining their clients in sparsely furnished, dingy two-room apartments.

Seven honeys under one unkempt roof, with fiery-tart cubeb and dusty cardamom.

EMMA
Better known as the "Parisian Queen of America," needs little introduction in this country.

Emma's "House of all Nations," as it is commonly called, is one place of amusement you can't very well afford to miss while in the Tenderloin District. Everything goes here. Fun is the watchword.

Business has been on such an increase at the above place of late that Mdme. Johnson had to occupy an "Annex." Emma has never less than twenty pretty women of all nations, who are clever entertainers.

Remember the name,

Emma Johnson
331 and 333 Basin Street

Vanilla bourbon, tea rose, jasmine, pink pepper, and patchouli.

FLORA
Everybody in the sporting world knows Miss Flora Meeker and she knows everybody worth knowing. So it is unnecessary at this time to make any introductory remarks about Miss Meeker, suffice it to say she is still at her same old place where she has been for a number of years past, doing a boss business which deserves, Miss Flora is well thought of by all and her house is patronized by the best element. Carnival visitors should not overlook this swell mansion where the cream of female loveliness will be found which is situated at No. 211 Basin avenue.

Miss Flora Meeker's Palace of Mirth

Sweet, wet fruits, sibilant Eastern musk, apple blossom, tuberose, calla lily, osmanthus, wild orchid, amber, and sandalwood.

HILMA
The amiable, ebullient proprietor of the Mirror Ballroom, where Jelly Roll Morton got his first gig.

Miss Burt, while very young, is of a type that pleases most men of today - the witty, pretty, and natty - a lady of fashion.

Her managerial possibilities are phenomenal, to say the least, and her success here has proven itself beyond a doubt.

Miss Burt has been with us but a short while but has won all hearts. Her palace is second to none. It is good for one who loves the beautiful to visit Miss Burt's handsome palace. There are no words for the ladies - one can only realize the grandeur of feminine beauty and artistic settings after an hour or so in the palace of Hilma Burt.

Miss Burt, aside from having two handsome homes here, has one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City, Mo., where, it is said, she is as popular as in New Orleans.

Don't forget to converse with her, as she is very clever, jolly, and cultured.

205 N. Basin

Honeysuckle, Bulgarian rose, night blooming jasmine, sweet clove, cedarwood, black tea, and nectarine.

JOSIE
The brooding, raucous, and hot-blooded proprietress of the Château Lobrano d'Arlington, the gaudiest bordello in the District. Miss Josie had a true talent for hype, and promoted her ladies in an effusively romanticized, over-the-top fashion. La Belle Stewart, who was in actuality a circus hoochie koochie girl from Chicago, was billed as "a bona-fide baroness, direct from the court of St. Petersburg."

Heady magnolia and honeyed peaches.

LULU
The Diamond Queen. An expert showman and entrepreneur, the eccentric Miss Lulu was the Mistress of Mahogany Hall until 1917. She invested heavily, but not always successfully, and at the end of her career as a madam, wanted to fund production houses for the budding movie industry in California.

The 1934 Mae West film, "the Belle of the Nineties", was loosely based on Lulu's exploits.

Tobacco flower, white gardenia, bergamot, and bourbon geranium.

The Magician is $30 for the card and scent set, all scents in the District series are $25 per bottle, and all the Yules (including the Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire scents) are $17.50 each.

And that's it for now! Please stay tuned for the upcoming Black Phoenix Trading Post update!

Antique Lace

2009-10-08T21:12:37Z

Antique Lace is temporarily unavailable. =( There is a possibility that it may have to be discontinued due to component issues, but we’re holding onto hope. The AL dilemma does not affect anything else in the GC; the component in question has been in past LE’s.

Over the next few days, we will be contacting those of you that have orders pending that contain Antique Lace to make arrangements for either a refund or substitution.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding through this challenging time. =/

Raven Moon is live at BPAL & BPTP!

2009-10-03T03:58:43Z

Happy Halloweenie Month, everyone! The Lunacy this month is from the Algonquin calendar, Raven Moon, and the scent itself is inspired by a quote by Edgar Allan Poe:

RAVEN MOON
The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?

Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance: shining, moonlit ebony musk with benzoin, myrrh, smoky vanilla, patchouli, nutmeg, and dried red chili.

The gorgeous accompanying tee was drawn by Jennifer Williamson, and is available at Black Phoenix Trading Post.

Both the scent and the tee will be live until 6 October 2009.

This month, we are also presenting a scent dedicated to our beloved friend, Pa-pow…

PA-POW
Such glorious faith as fills your limpid eyes,
Dear little friend of mine, I never knew.
All-innocent are you, and yet all-wise.
(For Heaven's sake, stop worrying that shoe!)
You look about, and all you see is fair;
This mighty globe was made for you alone.
Of all the thunderous ages, you're the heir.
(Get off the pillow with that dirty bone!)

A skeptic world you face with steady gaze;
High in young pride you hold your noble head,
Gayly you meet the rush of roaring days.
(Must you eat puppy biscuit on the bed?)
Lancelike your courage, gleaming swift and strong,
Yours the white rapture of a winged soul,
Yours is a spirit like a Mayday song.
(God help you, if you break the goldfish bowl!)

"Whatever is, is good" - your gracious creed.
You wear your joy of living like a crown.
Love lights your simplest act, your every deed.
(Drop it, I tell you- put that kitten down!)
You are God's kindliest gift of all - a friend.
Your shining loyalty unflecked by doubt,
You ask but leave to follow to the end.
(Couldn't you wait until I took you out?)

-- Verse For a Certain Dog, Dorothy Parker

Pa-Pow, Ted’s best friend and companion for 17 years, passed away on September 1st, 2009. To celebrate her life and the joy she brought to all of us, we have created a scent evocative of bright days running through the grass and sun-warmed puppy fur dusted with California wildflowers. The proceeds from the sale of this scent will go to the Pasadena Humane Society so she can help care for the animals that were displaced and injured during this summer’s Station Fires.

To find out more about the Pasadena Humane Society, please visit: http://www.pasadenahumane.org/.

Pa-Pow, we love you so much.

At long last, there are some additions to the general catalogue…

++ MARCHEN: GODFATHER DEATH
GODFATHER DEATH
He went onwards, and then came Death striding up to him with withered legs, and said, "Take me as godfather." The man asked, "Who art thou?" "I am Death, and I make all equal." Then said the man, "Thou art the right one, thou takest the rich as well as the poor, without distinction; thou shalt be godfather." Death answered, "I will make thy child rich and famous, for he who has me for a friend can lack nothing." The man said, "Next Sunday is the christening; be there at the right time." Death appeared as he had promised, and stood godfather quite in the usual way.

Olibanum, elemi, Bulgarian rose, yew, and oppoponax.

THY GODFATHER’S PRESENT
When the boy had grown up, his godfather one day appeared and bade him go with him. He led him forth into a forest, and showed him a herb which grew there, and said, "Now shalt thou receive thy godfather's present. I make thee a celebrated physician. When thou art called to a patient, I will always appear to thee. If I stand by the head of the sick man, thou mayst say with confidence that thou wilt make him well again, and if thou givest him of this herb he will recover; but if I stand by the patient's feet, he is mine, and thou must say that all remedies are in vain, and that no physician in the world could save him. But beware of using the herb against my will, or it might fare ill with thee."

A bruised purple bundle of herbs with hyssop and life-everlasting.

THE LIGHTS OF MEN’S LIVES
When Death saw that for a second time he was defrauded of his own property, he walked up to the physician with long strides, and said, "All is over with thee, and now the lot falls on thee," and seized him so firmly with his ice-cold hand, that he could not resist, and led him into a cave below the earth. There he saw how thousands and thousands of candles were burning in countless rows, some large, others half-sized, others small. Every instant some were extinguished, and others again burnt up, so that the flames seemed to leap hither and thither in perpetual change. "See," said Death, "these are the lights of men's lives. The large ones belong to children, the half-sized ones to married people in their prime, the little ones belong to old people; but children and young folks likewise have often only a tiny candle." "Show me the light of my life," said the physician, and he thought that it would be still very tall. Death pointed to a little end which was just threatening to go out, and said, "Behold, it is there."

The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering.

++ MARCHEN: VASILISSA THE BEAUTIFUL
THE LITTLE WOODEN DOLL
"My little Vasilissa, my dear daughter, listen to what I say, remember well my last words and fail not to carry out my wishes. I am dying, and with my blessing, I leave to thee this little doll. It is very precious for there is no other like it in the whole world. Carry it always about with thee in thy pocket and never show it to anyone. When evil threatens thee or sorrow befalls thee, go into a corner, take it from thy pocket and give it something to eat and drink. It will eat and drink a little, and then thou mayest tell it thy trouble and ask its advice, and it will tell thee how to act in thy time of need." So saying, she kissed her little daughter on the forehead, blessed her, and shortly after died.

Little Vasilissa grieved greatly for her mother, and her sorrow was so deep that when the dark night came, she lay in her bed and wept and did not sleep. At length she be thought herself of the tiny doll, so she rose and took it from the pocket of her gown and finding a piece of wheat bread and a cup of kvass, she set them before it, and said: "There, my little doll, take it. Eat a little, and drink a little, and listen to my grief. My dear mother is dead and I am lonely for her."

Then the doll's eyes began to shine like fireflies, and suddenly it became alive. It ate a morsel of the bread and took a sip of the kvass, and when it had eaten and drunk, it said:

"Don't weep, little Vasilissa. Grief is worst at night. Lie down, shut thine eyes, comfort thyself and go to sleep. The morning is wiser than the evening." So Vasilissa the Beautiful lay down, comforted herself and went to sleep, and the next day her grieving was not so deep and her tears were less bitter.

Gently carved wood warm with a maternal love that reaches beyond death: rose-infused amber and soft golden sandalwood.

THE WHITE RIDER
The wood was very dark, and she could not help trembling from fear. Suddenly she heard the sound of a horse's hoofs and a man on horseback galloped past her. He was dressed all in white, the horse under him was milk-white and the harness was white, and just as he passed her it became twilight.

White leather and sandalwood.

THE RED RIDER
She went a little further and again she heard the sound of a horse's hoofs and there came another man on horseback galloping past her. He was dressed all in red, and the horse under him was blood-red and its harness was red, and just as he passed her the sun rose.

Red leather, red moss, and balsam.

THE BLACK RIDER
As she stood there a third man on horseback came galloping up. His face was black, he was dressed all in black, and the horse he rode was coal-black. He galloped up to the gate of the hut and disappeared there as if he had sunk through the ground and at that moment the night came and the forest grew dark.

But it was not dark on the green lawn, for instantly the eyes of all the skulls on the wall were lighted up and shone till the place was as bright as day. When she saw this Vasilissa trembled so with fear that she could not run away.

Black leather, oppoponax, tobacco, and black amber.

THE CHICKEN-LEGGED HUT
But at evening she came all at once to the green lawn where the wretched little hut stood on its hens' legs. The wall around the hut was made of human bones and on its top were skulls. There was a gate in the wall, whose hinges were the bones of human feet and whose locks were jaw-bones set with sharp teeth. The sight filled Vasilissa with horror and she stopped as still as a post buried in the ground.

Creaky wood and sun-dried thatching, clacking bones, leering skulls, burnt herbs, and enormous magical chicken feet.

BABA YAGA
Then suddenly the wood became full of a terrible noise; the trees began to groan, the branches to creak and the dry leaves to rustle, and the Baba Yaga came flying from the forest. She was riding in a great iron mortar and driving it with the pestle, and as she came she swept away her trail behind her with a kitchen broom.

Spell-soaked herbs and flowers, cold iron, broom twigs, bundles of moss and patchouli root, and moth dust.

THE WITCH’S REPAST
"Well," said the old witch, "I know them. But if I give thee the fire thou shalt stay with me some time and do some work to pay for it. If not, thou shalt be eaten for my supper." Then she turned to the gate and shouted: "Ho! Ye, my solid locks, unlock! Thou, my stout gate, open!" Instantly the locks unlocked, the gate opened of itself, and the Baba Yaga rode in whistling. Vasilissa entered behind her and immediately the gate shut again and the locks snapped tight.

When they had entered the hut the old witch threw her self down on the stove, stretched out her bony legs and said:

"Come, fetch and put on the table at once everything that is in the oven. I am hungry." So Vasilissa ran and lighted a splinter of wood from one of the skulls on the wall and took the food from the oven and set it before her. There was enough cooked meat for three strong men. She brought also from the cellar kvass, honey, and red wine, and the Baba Yaga ate and drank the whole, leaving the girl only a little cabbage soup, a crust of bread and a morsel of suckling pig.

Kvass, honey-drizzled bread, roasted meat, and wine.

FIRE FOR THY STEPMOTHER’S DAUGHTERS
Vasilissa ran to the yard, and behind her she heard the old witch shouting to the locks and the gate. The locks opened, the gate swung wide, and she ran out on to the lawn. The Baba Yaga seized from the wall one of the skulls with burning eyes and flung it after her. "There," she howled, "is the fire for thy stepmother's daughters. Take it. That is what they sent thee here for, and may they have joy of it!"

Flaming coals, hellfire, and blackened bone.

VASILISSA
"Take it, then," the Tsar said, "and bid her do it for me." The old woman brought the linen home and told Vasilissa the Tsar's command: "Well I knew that the work would needs be done by my own hands," said Vasilissa, and, locking herself in her own room, began to make the shirts. So fast and well did she work that soon a dozen were ready. Then the old woman carried them to the Tsar, while Vasilissa washed her face, dressed her hair, put on her best gown and sat down at the window to see what would happen. And presently a servant in the livery of the Palace came to the house and entering, said: "The Tsar, our lord, desires himself to see the clever needlewoman who has made his shirts and to reward her with his own hands."

Vasilissa rose and went at once to the Palace, and as soon as the Tsar saw her, he fell in love with her with all his soul. He took her by her white hand and made her sit beside him. "Beautiful maiden," he said, "never will I part from thee and thou shalt be my wife."

So the Tsar and Vasilissa the Beautiful were married, and her father returned from the far-distant Tsardom, and he and the old woman lived always with her in the splendid Palace, in all joy and contentment. And as for the little wooden doll, she carried it about with her in her pocket all her life long.

She herself had cheeks like blood and milk and grew every day more and more beautiful: creamy skin musk and blushing pink musk with soft sandalwood, white amber, dutiful myrrh, and star jasmine.

++ WANDERLUST
EL DORADO
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old
This knight so bold
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be
This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied
"If you seek for Eldorado!"

Copal resin incense blowing through halls of dazzling gold.

OGYGIA
[i]On to Pieria he stepped from the upper air, and swooped down upon the sea, and then sped over the wave like a bird, the cormorant, which in quest of fish over the dread gulfs of the unresting sea wets its thick plumage in the brine. In such wise did Hermes ride upon the multitudinous waves. But when he had reached the island which lay afar, then forth from the violet sea he came to land, and went his way until he came to a great cave, wherein dwelt the fair-tressed nymph; and he found her within. A great fire was burning on the hearth, and from afar over the isle there was a fragrance of cleft cedar and juniper, as they burned; but she within was singing with a sweet voice as she went to and fro before the loom, weaving with a golden shuttle. Round about the cave grew a luxuriant wood, alder and poplar and sweet-smelling cypress, wherein birds long of wing were wont to nest, owls and falcons and sea-crows with chattering tongues, who ply their business on the sea. And right there about the hollow cave ran trailing a garden vine, in pride of its prime, richly laden with clusters. And fountains four in a row were flowing with bright water hard by one another, turned one this way, one that. And round about soft meadows of violets and parsley were blooming. There even an immortal, who chanced to come, might gaze and marvel, and delight his soul; and there the messenger Argeiphontes stood and marvelled.

Sea air, kelp, and climbing vines, flame-singed cedarwood and juniper branches, cypress boughs, alder wood, violets, selino, parsley, glistritha, and white sage.

PAÍS DE LA CANELA
The legendary Valley of Cinnamon located east of Quito, deep in the Selva Amazónica. A thick tangle of [/i]deep green leaves, wild orchids, soft lichen, Patauá and Babassu palm spiced by the scent of deep, rich cinnamon.

The bad news: De Sade is the latest to fall victim to misfortune. He’s being discontinued as of today. Pending orders will still be filled, but we do not have enough stock to accept new orders for this scent.

The good news: later this month, a Vampire Tarot card enters the deck, we take you on a trip through the red light district, a sticky bat flits into the house, and snow falls early in New England. (The Stars Are Right!) At Black Phoenix Trading Post, they’re oiling the racks and heating up the pokers for an upcoming Inquisition!

Falling Leaf Moon Brick and Mortar Lunacy

2009-09-24T21:05:21Z

In North Hollywood, we will be open for the Falling Leaf Moon Lunacy Event on Sunday, October 4th, from 4 to 8pm.

The address is:

12120 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA 91605

It may be a little hard to find. We are in the industrial complex, right behind Game Dude. The nearest cross street is Laurel Canyon Blvd.

We will accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal.

Please do not bring any cameras. No photography of any kind will be allowed during this Will Call. Thanks for your cooperation.

***

GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA.

Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076.

They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, October 4th from 4 to 8pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.)

They will have all of the current LE’s available, along with their extensive selection of GC scents and all of the Retail-only Salon series as well.

Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders.

***

The blends that will be available for purchase at both Will Calls include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Falling Leaf Moon update. This includes the Halloweenies, the Literary Vampire scents, as well as the Hellboy and Gris Grimly lines. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. No imps will be available for purchase at the GA location. Once again, thanks for understanding.

If you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following:

Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Friday, October 2nd. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding.

We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person.

We will do our best to accommodate all orders of 5mls and imps, but sales will be based on availability. Imp Packs will be available at the North Hollywood location, but it’s best to pre-order, so we can make sure we have enough stock, or be able to tell you beforehand if we’re out of stock. You get the gist.

Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at both locations, subject to stock on hand.

Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will also be available, only at the North Hollywood location. For Will Call, Twilight Alchemy Lab orders can be combined with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab orders.

***

The date for November's Will Call has changed. It will now be held on Wednesday, November 4th. Bring out your costumes once again and join us for our apres-Halloween bash. We will also be hosting a canned food drive at the November Will Call. Details to follow.

***
If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com . Please note that emails sent after October 2nd will not be seen before the event.

Gris Grimly in VA THIS THURSDAY!

2009-09-22T19:07:54Z

Reminder: Gris Grimly will be coming to Richmond, Virginia and bringing his BPAL this Thursday! Don't miss this one-of-a-kind event. http://grisgrimly.blogspot.com/

Attn Philadelphia area BPALers

2009-09-17T18:28:33Z

The Mutter Museum is now carrying Ether, Embalming Fluid, The Apothecary & Laudanum in their store.

Gris Grimly in Richmond, VA

2009-09-11T18:21:43Z

Attn: Virginia area BPALers.

Wanna buy some of the Gris Grimly Poe scents from Gris himself? Then read this...

http://grisgrimly.blogspot.com/

bpal_excathedra @ 2009-09-04T09:41:00

2009-09-04T16:41:52Z

The Falling Leaf Moon tee is live at BPTP!

The tee will be live until 9 September 2009!

Holy moly! It's an update!

2009-09-02T18:37:45Z

Neil Gaiman's 15 Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot is live on BPAL & BPTP!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is proud to present a 15-month scent and art series based on Neil Gaiman's short story, "15 Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot."

Each package comes with a 5ml bottle of perfume inspired by the tale and a corresponding tarot card, created by Madame Talbot. The Fool's perfume: apple blossom, peppermint, allspice, and yellow sandalwood speckled with grave loam and clods of grave dirt.

The Fool premiered at San Diego Comic Con 2009 through the CBLDF, along with a Limited Edition variant of the Fool, created by Alicia Dabney.

The Fool is going live online with this September update. A new set will be added to the collection each month, spanning 15 months. T-shirts featuring Madame Talbot's artwork are available through Black Phoenix Trading Post.

The Fool tee will begin to ship on September 14, 2009.

We chose to utilize tees that have been put through the burnout process in order to mimic parchment. It is an extensive and expensive process, and along with the 2-sided print, it makes for a higher price point. The fabric is weathered and has been washed over and over again. It looks deliberately vintage, and has a comfy, well-loved feel to it. The fabric is garment dyed 50% cotton and 50% polyester, and was made in the good ol' US of A. Due to the burnout process, no two tees are exactly the same. We tested the burnouts for two years prior to offering them. The tees we tested withstood innumerable washings over the years, in addition to the abuse of being worn by Ted while he plays hockey (yowch!), and they just keep getting softer and more comfortable over time. (No, we are not selling tees that Ted has worn during hockey. That would be a biohazard.) The fit of the tees, both babydoll and standard crew, are slightly smaller than the usual Black Phoenix Trading Post tees. Please refer to the size chart on the Trading Post site for more information.

The babydolls are crews, have a "boyfriend" fit, and were created to hang gently on the body and slide across your figure; they are not skin-tight.

Black ink on grey-brown parchment fabric.

The oil and tarot card set is $30, and the tee is $45.

This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single set and tee go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve the First Amendment rights of the comic community.

Also new this month! The Hellboy series is live! So much thanks to Mike and Christine Mignola for their support and friendship, and for the opportunity to interpret the world of Hellboy through scent!

HELLBOY
Aftershave, candy wrappers, brimstone, and cat.

TREVOR BRUTTENHELM
A classic men's cologne mixed with the scent of old, yellowed books, a splash of bay rum, and summoning incense.

KROENEN
Shining black leather, gleaming metal, labdanum, and myrrh.

LIZ
A light, feminine vanilla floral perfume and a swirl of smoke and leather.

PLAGUE OF FROGS
Rubbery, wet, and warty.

ABE SAPIEN
A soft aquatic musk with kelp and juniper.

The Hellboy scents are $25 each!

Also new this month - scents inspired by Gris Grimly's illustrations for Tales of Death & Dementia!

These scents debuted at the Tales of Death & Dementia Launch Party at Dark Delicacies, and will be carried here and on the Mad Creator website.

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe, Gris Grimly fully illustrated four of Poe's short stories, the Tell-Tale Heart, the System of Dr Tarr and Professor Fether, the Oblong Box, and the Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. We are thrilled beyond belief to have the opportunity to translate a few of Gris' illustrations into merrily macabre complimentary scents!

A FIT OF ARTISTIC ENTHUSIASM
Inspired by Gris Grimly's illustrations for the Oblong Box.

Electric jolts of mania: a salt-crusted coffin bobbing through tumultuous ocean waves.

DETESTABLE PUTRESCENCE
Inspired by Gris Grimly's illustrations for the Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.

Melty vanilla ice cream!

HIDEOUS HEART
Inspired by Gris Grimly's illustrations for the Tell-Tale Heart.

A macabre Valentine: wild black cherries, licorice root, and cinnamon.

SOOTHING SYSTEM
Inspired by Gris Grimly's illustrations for the System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether.

A lunatic's vintage cabernet.

These scents are $20 each!

And let's not forget this month's Lunacy…

FALLING LEAF MOON
My sorrow, when she's here with me, thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be; she loves the bare, the withered tree; she walks the sodden pasture lane.

The first autumn rains dripping onto fallen leaves against a backdrop of opoponax, labdanum, patchouli, agarwood, and oakmoss.

Unfortunately, our illustrator is running a little late, so we're not able to post the Lunacy tee for another day or two. We're truly sorry for the delay, and will be extending the ordering time on the tee. It has been a very strange year.

There's been a little revamping and clean-upping happening on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab web site! A million thanks to our lovemuffin, Alicia Dabney, for the new menu bar art on the main site, and for the artwork featured on the new Neil Gaiman menu page!

We do have a bit of bad news: Bat-woman has been discontinued due to component issues. We apologize sincerely for the lack of warning; it hit us suddenly. The price for the Salon series 1 imp packs has been adjusted to reflect this change, as well.

There's a whole lot new at Black Phoenix Trading Post, too -

Two new Atmosphere sprays!

EREBOS
Thus saying, from her side the fatal Key,
Sad instrument of all our woe, she took;
And towards the Gate rouling her bestial train,
Forthwith the huge Porcullis high up drew,
Which but her self not all the STYGIAN powers
Could once have mov'd; then in the key-hole turns
Th' intricate wards, and every Bolt and Bar
Of massie Iron or sollid Rock with ease
Unfast'ns: on a sudden op'n flie
With impetuous recoile and jarring sound
Th' infernal dores, and on thir hinges great
Harsh Thunder, that the lowest bottom shook
Of EREBUS. She op'nd, but to shut
Excel'd her power; the Gates wide op'n stood,
That with extended wings a Bannerd Host
Under spread Ensigns marching might pass through
With Horse and Chariots rankt in loose array;
So wide they stood, and like a Furnace mouth
Cast forth redounding smoak and ruddy flame.
Before thir eyes in sudden view appear
The secrets of the hoarie deep, a dark
Illimitable Ocean without bound,
Without dimension, where length, breadth, and highth,
And time and place are lost; where eldest Night
And CHAOS, Ancestors of Nature, hold
Eternal ANARCHIE, amidst the noise
Of endless warrs and by confusion stand.

Solace in darkness, the personification of shadow: lavender, black vanilla, white melon, night-blooming jasmine, rose, cedar, cyclamen, violet, and hyacinth.

THE FAINTING ROOM
Lush velvet cushions and prim tea rose, a splash of rose water on a lace doily, strong black tea, a whiff of pomander, and an orris root sachet.

Also new to the Post! - the SKELETON LIBRARIAN PLAQUES!

The Skeleton Librarian Plaques are here! Inspired by the Skeleton Librarian t-shirt, this plaque is based on artwork created for Black Phoenix Trading Post by Kali of Johnny Ace Studios! Hand cast and hand painted, these plaques come in two styles: cold cast bronze and cold cast resin with a bone finish. These plaques aren't simply decorative: they hold eight bottles for display. Due to the handcrafted nature of these plaques, no two are exactly the same!

Dimensions are 15"x9.5"

This is a limited stock item: there are seventy-five bone plaques, and twenty-five bronze plaques. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Please note: the cold cast bronze plaque will patina over time.

The Post is also thrilled to offer some Halloween treats!

The Wanton Voluptuousness series -

At Black Phoenix, we have a real thing for Lucy.

This collection contains a bath oil, Oceans of Love and Millions of Kisses, which is innocent sensuality and sweetness personified. There are two room sprays: Lucy's Boudoir, which embodies Lucy's youth, beauty, and coquettish innocence, and another, Lucy's Darkness, that is the scent wafting through her room during her room during her final days among the living. They can be used alone, or the latter can be sprayed to corrupt the former.

Lucy, Kissed is a perfume illustrating the scent of her undeath.

$29 per 8oz Bath Oil
$25 per 4oz Room Spray
$17.50 per 5ml Perfume Oil

No squirts or samples are available for this series.

OCEANS OF LOVE AND MILLIONS OF KISSES BATH OIL
Why can't they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?

Orange blossom and honey.

LUCY'S BOUDOIR ATMOSPHERE SPRAY
Rose water and lavender with stargazer lily, white carnation, bois de rose, white iris, violet, and honey.

LUCY IN DARKNESS ATMOSPHERE SPRAY
And then insensibly there came the strange change which I had noticed in the night. Her breathing grew stertorous, the mouth opened, and the pale gums, drawn back, made the teeth look longer and sharper than ever. In a sort of sleep-waking, vague, unconscious way she opened her eyes, which were now dull and hard at once, and said in a soft, voluptuous voice, such as I had never heard from her lips, "Arthur! Oh, my love, I am so glad you have come! Kiss me!"

Denn die Todten reiten Schnell. Black opium poppy, laudanum, blood, and a chaplet of garlic flowers.

LUCY, KISSED PERFUME OIL
There was a long spell of silence, big, aching, void, and then from the Professor a keen "S-s-s-s!" He pointed, and far down the avenue of yews we saw a white figure advance, a dim white figure, which held something dark at its breast. The figure stopped, and at the moment a ray of moonlight fell upon the masses of driving clouds, and showed in startling prominence a dark-haired woman, dressed in the cerements of the grave. We could not see the face, for it was bent down over what we saw to be a fair-haired child. There was a pause and a sharp little cry, such as a child gives in sleep, or a dog as it lies before the fire and dreams. We were starting forward, but the Professor's warning hand, seen by us as he stood behind a yew tree, kept us back. And then as we looked the white figure moved forwards again. It was now near enough for us to see clearly, and the moonlight still held. My own heart grew cold as ice, and I could hear the gasp of Arthur, as we recognized the features of Lucy Westenra. Lucy Westenra, but yet how changed. The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness. Van Helsing stepped out, and obedient to his gesture, we all advanced too. The four of us ranged in a line before the door of the tomb.

Van Helsing raised his lantern and drew the slide. By the concentrated light that fell on Lucy's face we could see that the lips were crimson with fresh blood, and that the stream had trickled over her chin and stained the purity of her lawn death-robe.

Diabolical voluptuousness, a siren song from the grave: juniper and yew brushing against blackened violets and funeral roses, red musk and hot blood, veined white marble and icy, brittle musk, all pulsing with the sinister, hypnotic scent of patchouli, amber, oude, and cubeb.

(Many thanks to Aunt Beastie for inspiring the perfume's name! You were born to be an undead seductress, woman!)

There are also some traditional Halloween offerings! -

PUMPKIN PIE BATH OIL
Devilishly decadent and a little bit ridiculous!

BARMBRACK ATMOSPHERE SPRAY
An Irish Halloween tradition! This fruit bread is used as a method of divination: a medallion of the Virgin Mary, a sliver of rag, a pea, a coin, a stick, and a ring are baked into the pastry. On Halloween night, it is cut up and served to the household. If you received the stick, you would spend the next year in conflict…

if you received the medallion, you would be called to the priesthood…
if you received the rag, you would be plagued with misfortune…
if you received the ring, you would be married within the year…
if you received the pea, you would not marry within the year…

Each bottle of Barmbrack spray comes with a toy coin and a wish for your good fortune in 2010!

KNOCK-A-DOLLY
Ding Dong Ditch! Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Samhain scent with cinnamon sugar and candy dust!

Every single order placed with Black Phoenix Trading Post from now til November 2nd will receive an imp of the Last Squished Jelly Bean.

And that's that for now!