kebechet

As some of you may know, I co-authored a book with Del Howison last winter, “Vampires Don’t Sleep Alone”. This is a bit about the book that I posted elsewhere on the forum earlier this evening… Last year, Del and I were hired to write a guide to dating vampires. The idea of vampire romance has been intriguing to people since Bram Stoker popularized the genre and added a tangible complex sexuality to the lore. Nowadays, you’re the odd man out if you don’t have vampire fantasies. Essentially, the premise of the book assumes that vampires are real and that they have recently come out of the crypt, so to speak. It explores the potential challenges found in actually dating vampires. I wrote the deadpan pseudoscience and false history, Del added warmth, contemporary advice, and wit. The project went through many iterations. It was initially supposed to be geared towards teen readers, and then the concept morphed to appeal to a more mature audience. It became both more serious and more tongue-in-cheek as it fleshed out. I’m really, really happy with the way that we tweaked the vampire mythos. In the end, after months of research, innumerable conversations, eleventybillion rewrites, and much love and tears, the book went to the editor… and here we are. This is my first time writing in this capacity, with publishers and all that snazzy stuff, and it was a nerve-wracking, wonderful, educational, and exciting experience. I want to thank Del (from the bottom of my heart!) and the people at Ulysses Press for this opportunity, and I hope that our book does them proud! I will be signing the book alongside Del Howison at Dark Delicacies this Sunday, July 11, at 2pm. Fellow vampire writers V. M. K. Fewings and Maggie MacKeever will also be signing their books that afternoon! At the signing event, we will be debuting ten scents inspired by the book, and an imp of an eleventh scent, Bocal de Sang, will be included with every purchase of the book at the signing, and will also be included with every purchase of the book through Dark Delicacies. There have been quite a few scholars and historians among the vampire population, and over the centuries, repositories of their collective knowledge have been established all over the globe, the most notable libraries being in Vienna, Baghdad, Madrid, Kiev, Venice, Kyoto, Santo Domingo, Damascus, Thebes, and Detroit, though their specific locations remain shrouded in secrecy. Even in the twenty-first century, there is still very little trust between Homo sapiens and Homo striga, and vampires generally feel safer keeping their information among their own kind, so it is almost impossible for non-vampires to access the historical records. From time to time, however, information does leak out, and the following is partially based on Valentina Luzio’s dissertation on intercultural vampire stereotypes, but it has also been pieced together through information we have gleaned through conversations with our vampire associates. Over the centuries, vampires have classified their own kind, and in the past, these classifications became the root of a rough caste system that some vampires still adhere to today. For the most part, though, the terms are now used as loose slang, similar to the way that humans have coined phrases to describe those who share related predilections, tastes, and behaviors. The terms of vampire classification that we have come across are Cicuta, Interfector, Tombeur, Silenti, Transeo, Philologi, Misericordia, Vespillo, and Sanctus. The Cicuta, also called the Rictus, are least likely to be accepted by human society, and are, sadly, also the least likely to be accepted by other vampires in general. Some vampires have a peculiar adverse reaction to the transference of the vampiric pathogen whereby their physical appearance is drastically altered: They lose their hair, their features become elongated, their eyes protrude, and a permanent and irreversible inflammation of their joints causes stiff movement and a clawlike rigidity in the hands and feet. Cicuta minds function as any other vampire’s, but their appearance is so startlingly different that they find it almost impossible to find any acceptance whatsoever among humans or vampires. Usually these afflicted vampires choose to live in isolation, either on secluded estates or literally underground. Occasionally, small groups of Cicutas can be found cohabitating, finding comfort and companionship with those that share their condition. The Cicuta were parodied somewhat in F. W. Murnau’s 1922 film Nosferatu. CICUTA Dry, dusty rose petals, candle smoke, frankincense, and saffron. There are two types of vampires that humans, and often other vampires, need to be wary of: the Interfectors and the Tombeur. The Interfectors are ruthless killers, ultimate hunters who view humans as livestock. They are brutal, but not necessarily cruel, and rarely toy with their prey. Universally, Interfectors perceive their transition into the vampiric state to be an initiation into a higher state of being, not transcendent or spiritual in nature, but rather a promotion to the top of the food chain. The Interfectors’ cousins in savagery, the Tombeur, are much more complex in their hunting habits and their perceptions. Like the Interfectors, they perceive their vampirism to be an initiation into a higher state of being and relegate humans to base foodstuffs. Unlike the Interfectors, however, the Tombeur are not straightforward predators, and there is a secondary purpose to their hunt: sexual gratification. They take full advantage of their saliva’s hypnotic and psychotropic effects on humans, the mystique that surrounds vampires, the seemingly unnatural attraction some humans have toward vampires, and the potency of the Tombeurs’ own sexual drive to lure humans into complex carnal relationships that culminate in feeding. They are consummate seducers, and some Tombeur feed, completely and terminally, on their conquests, while others create henchmen that are little more than sex slaves. Neither fate is something we would recommend to any of our readers. INTERFECTOR Ruthless, unfeeling, and inhumanly violent: tobacco, sharp woods, frankincense, and bunn. TOMBEUR Deadly and seductive: vanilla-infused sandalwood, blood musk, antique patchouli, vetiver, lavender, bitter almond, amber, and a trickle of Snake Oil. The Silenti reject human society completely, and are, quite literally, the living dead. Either due to trauma, sociopathic psychological conditions they possessed while human, or through a desire to embrace this peculiar aesthetic, they adopt many of the stereotypes and trappings of the vampire-as-undead. Some act as monstrous killers, akin to the murderous ways of Interfectors, while others are more peaceable, but no less strange. Most of these vampires choose to live in crypts, haunting graveyards like proverbial ghouls. Many vampire death cults have sprung from the philosophies and writings of Silenti, including the House of Azrael, whose members venerate death itself as the supreme deity and oblivion as heaven. SILENTI Grave beauty: Spanish moss, lilac, wisteria, myrrh, and olibanum. The Transeo are vampires that have assimilated into human society, often reaching positions of power. Among the Transeo there are many celebrated politicians, scientists, businessmen, philosophers, artists, writers, and musicians, and, surprisingly, a large number of influential clergy and militarists. Not every Transeo is an illustrious public figure; many simply desire the comforts associated with reentering society. In the past, most Transeo posed as humans as best they could, concealing their true natures. In the twenty-first century, more and more Transeo are coming out in the open, and they form the backbone of most vampire-acceptance movements. TRANSEO A cologne that (almost) blends well into human society: benzoin, orange blossom, cumin, King mandarin, gaiac wood, juniper berry, Calabrian bergamot, Ceylon cinnamon, and blood camouflaged by wine. The Misericordia, or Tristis, are vampires that are consumed with a longing to regain their lost humanity, some to the point of being driven mad by the desire to be human once more. The shock of their transition into vampirism and the rejection they faced from friends and loved ones was devastating, and it compromises their ability to find solace and comfort. Unlike the Transeo, Misericordia cannot merge into human society, but are relegated by their own grief to the position of outsiders. Their inherent melancholy and morose temperaments make it difficult for them to cultivate relationships with either humans or vampires. Most vampires treat the Misericordia with a fair amount of derision, and they are sometimes hunted by Interfectors who see the perspective of the Misericordia as an affront to their way of thinking. MISERICORDIA Eons of grief and unending hunger: magnolia, black currant, castoreum accord, lavender, labdanum, amber, rose otto, and opoponax. The Philologi are scholars and philosophers that have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of knowledge, utilizing their extended lifespan to further their research. They are usually reclusive, and some were once Transeo that have rejected the bustle of human society in favor of solitude. PHILOLOGUS Ancient books, crackled parchment, faded incense, and candle wax. The Vespillo are dedicated to assisting newly infected vampires in understanding and accepting their condition and learning to live with the challenges that vampires face. Vespillo, like the Transeo, tend to become members of vampire-acceptance movements, pushing for a wider understanding of vampires among the human population. VESPILLO A grounded, earthy scent, evocative of the soul’s finer qualities: patchouli, clove, neroli, night-blooming jasmine, sage, and iris. The Sanctus are considered by some pious vampires to be the saints of their kind, and from what we have gleaned, they are very likely the stuff of myth. These vampires are paragons that possess impossible, phenomenal powers that defy known physics, including the ability to shift shape, turn into a gaseous form, and command other vampires through will alone. The mythological Sanctus are venerated by some, but we have no evidence whatsoever that they truly exist. SANCTUS Diabolically otherworldly: golden osmanthus, lily of the valley, celestial musk, and frankincense. And last, but not least: VILF Because isn’t that what this book is really about? Vampire smut: patchouli-infused honey, red musk, red sandalwood, red ginger, pink pepper, Peru balsam, dark Eastern florals, Himalayan cedar, smoky vanilla, bitter clove, and leather. The artwork on all the labels, except for Bocal de Sang, were illustrated by the inimitable Julie Dillon! I know that this announcement is coming very close to the wire, and I apologize. We needed to make sure that the components would be available for a full LE run, and that took more time than I had anticipated. If you have purchased the book from another vendor before this announcement, we’ll take your word for it and will send you an imp of Bocal de Sang -- we don’t want anyone to feel left out or upset! =) Just email the kindly folks at Dark Delicacies (darkdel@darkdel.com), and they’ll be happy to send you an imp of Bocal de Sang for the cost of shipping ($4.95 for domestic, as we're using USPS Priority -- imps are fragile lil' guys, and first class mail can be hard on them). If you have already ordered the book from Dark Delicacies, the book will come signed, and will automatically ship with an imp of the event exclusive scent. Please direct any questions about the signing event or book sales to darkdel@darkdel.com, and any questions about the scents to answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Vampires Don't Sleep Alone Signing Event at Dark Delicacies July 11, 2010 @ 2pm Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505

Ia ora na, everyone! The first summer Black Phoenix update is live! This month, the Lunacy is Fledgling Raptor Moon – FLEDGLING RAPTOR MOON Why should my sleepy heart be taught To whistle mocking-bird replies? This is another bird you've caught, Soft-feathered, with a falcon's eyes. The bird Imagination, That flies so far, that dies so soon; Her wings are colored like the sun, Her breast is colored like the moon. Weave her a chain of silver twist, And a little hood of scarlet wool, And let her perch upon your wrist, And tell her she is beautiful. Warm, soft tufts of down and gleaming tawny feathers: clove, toasted sandalwood, aged patchouli, bourbon vanilla, carnation, massoia bark, hinoki wood, and West Indian Bay. Artwork for the tee by Jennifer Williamson. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Raptor perfume and the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Raptor tee will be live until Tuesday, June 29. Resurrected from the 2008 Limited Edition series, the Atomic Luau Lounge is now pitching a tent in the GC! ATOMIC LUAU LOUNGE: THE BAR In the spirit of Polynesian Pop and Tiki Culture, we present Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Atomic Luau Lounge: the Bar. Tiki Culture became a phenomenon in the late 50's, likely inspired by Hawaii's admission to the union in 1959 and by the memories of World War II veterans that were stationed in the South Pacifi. Tiki enthusiasts were influenced by a panoply of Polynesian themes, and they embraced pop renditions of island artwork, dress, and music, revamping them with a distinctly campy Western flair. This is our tribute to Donn Beach, a true Pisces if there ever was one. Light the torches, bust out the leis, and bust out the Martin Denny LPs! Without you, Donn, we wouldn't pu pu platters to gorge on, or Zombies to chug! AREMATA-POPOA Blackberry brandy, Castillo rum, ouzo, and iced black tea. BLUE FIRE Papaya, blueberry, lemongrass, and gin. GOLDEN WAVE Tangerine, gin, passion fruit, guava, and tonic. MAHANA Peach liquor, almond syrup, orgeat syrup, and pineapple cream de cacao. PAHOEHOE Grenadine, banana, and coconut rum. POLYNESIAN POP Ginger ale, white rum, and a squeeze of orange. RANGOON RIPTIDE Pineapple, mandarin orange, raspberry, passion fruit, and rum. RED TIDE Raspberry liquor, cranberry juice, gin, mango pulp, and a mint garnish. SCREECHING PARROT Golden rum, apricot liquor, pineapple, pomegranate, ginger, brandy, grapefruit, and pink lime. (Oh hey – what’s this?) At Black Phoenix Trading Post, we’re thrilled to debut the Ars Moriendi yoga pants, with artwork by Alicia Dabney, and a new pair of socks, courtesy of the master weavers at Sock Dreams! Due to the rising price of silver and the cost of manufacture, Black Phoenix Trading Post has no choice but to raise the prices of the pendants and lockets. The new prices are as follows: GC Lockets: $80 GC Pendants: $45 Clocket: $85 Neil Lockets: $85 Neil Pendants: $50 ---- A gentle reminder: Starting with this Will Call, West Coast Will Calls will now be held at Dark Delicacies! Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 The west coast will call event will be held on Saturday, June 26th, from 4 to 8pm at Dark Delicacies. We accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal. ---- 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, June 27th from 5 to 8 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.) Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076. 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 include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Lotus Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. f 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, June 25th. 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, but sales will be based on availability. At this time, imps, imp packs and Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will only be available at Dark Delicacies via preorder. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at Dark Delicacies, subject to stock on hand. If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

The Dark Delicacies / BPAL Spring 2010 series is live at Dark Delicacies! Four Horrid Novels from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey come to life! “Dear creature! how much I am obliged to you; and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read The Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of the same kind for you.” “Have you, indeed! How glad I am! — What are they all?” “I will read you their names directly; here they are, in my pocket-book. Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest, Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries. Those will last us some time.” “Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid?” CLERMONT Opium tar and Damask rose. HORRID MYSTERIES A savage, dark, lurid scent: blackened woods, pomegranate rind, mossy earth, mimosa, and thick, black wine. MIDNIGHT BELL Diabolical monastic incense and crumbling stone. MYSTERIOUS WARNING A scent evocative of poisonous family secrets: dry lavender-infused amber, battered leather, nicotiana, osmanthus, and jasmine tea. Label artwork by the inimitable Julie Dillon! The scents are live on the Dark Delicacies web site, and are available now at their store: Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd Burbank, CA 91505

(Forum burp!) Lotus Moon is live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post! LOTUS MOON "Courage!" he said, and pointed toward the land, "This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon." In the afternoon they came unto a land In which it seemed always afternoon. All round the coast the languid air did swoon, Breathing like one that hath a weary dream. Full-faced above the valley stood the moon; And like a downward smoke, the slender stream Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem. A land of streams! some, like a downward smoke, Slow-dropping veils of thinnest lawn, did go; And some thro' wavering lights and shadows broke, Rolling a slumbrous sheet of foam below. They saw the gleaming river seaward flow From the inner land: far off, three mountain-tops, Three silent pinnacles of aged snow, Stood sunset-flush'd: and, dew'd with showery drops, Up-clomb the shadowy pine above the woven copse. The charmed sunset linger'd low adown In the red West: thro' mountain clefts the dale Was seen far inland, and the yellow down Border'd with palm, and many a winding vale And meadow, set with slender galingale; A land where all things always seem'd the same! And round about the keel with faces pale, Dark faces pale against that rosy flame, The mild-eyed melancholy Lotos-eaters came. Branches they bore of that enchanted stem, Laden with flower and fruit, whereof they gave To each, but whoso did receive of them, And taste, to him the gushing of the wave Far far away did seem to mourn and rave On alien shores; and if his fellow spake, His voice was thin, as voices from the grave; And deep-asleep he seem'd, yet all awake, And music in his ears his beating heart did make. They sat them down upon the yellow sand, Between the sun and moon upon the shore; And sweet it was to dream of Fatherland, Of child, and wife, and slave; but evermore Most weary seem'd the sea, weary the oar, Weary the wandering fields of barren foam. Then some one said, "We will return no more"; And all at once they sang, "Our island home Is far beyond the wave; we will no longer roam." Soporose and lenitive: opium-laced golden lotus with rich amber, red sandalwood, pomegranate, frankincense, and rose otto. Artwork by Jennifer Williamson! Lotus Moon will be live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab & Black Phoenix Trading Post until 31 May 2010. Hail Eris! The time has come for this year's Chaos Theory! CHAOS THEORY VI Chaos is the score upon which reality is written. – Henry Miller An old take on Chaos! A new take on Chaos! This year, we are offering the traditional chaos of the original Chaos Theories, manifested as Eris’ Tilt-A-Whirl, and a new Recursive Self-Similarity series. Each CT:6 scent under the auspices of Recursive Self-Similarity, has a base of one of the following scents, in wildly varying proportions: Amber Frankincense Vanilla From these bases comes a new series of flowing, fragrant fractals that emanate from these three roots. Random combinations of oils have been added to every individual bottle, retaining their sensitivity to their initial component, resulting in a truly unique blend that swirls merrily around its core oil. This is an exercise in the joy of chance and uncertainty! Each is a one-of-a-kind, utterly random combination of scents, the composition of which is based on whim, mood and gut instinct. Most common allergens have been omitted from the experiment. No pennyroyal, no nuts, no cinnamon, no cassia. Regardless, if you have any sensitivities, please do not participate in Chaos Theory. The contents of the oils are not recorded [that's the whole point!] and we will not be able to answer questions about specific bottles of CT:6 or guarantee that an allergen is not present in your order. By purchasing CT:6, you agree to absolve Black Phoenix of any responsibility related to an allergic reaction to one of the oils in this series. Please make a responsible choice, and use caution and discretion when ordering. This is intended to be a fun, exciting project. Please bear in mind that all Black Phoenix oils are made in an environment that contains nuts, both literally and figuratively. We hope that you enjoy these scents as much as we enjoyed creating them! CHAOS THEORY VI: RECURSIVE SELF-SIMILARITY V5 The Amber Series CHAOS THEORY VI: RECURSIVE SELF-SIMILARITY V6 The Frankincense Series CHAOS THEORY VI: RECURSIVE SELF-SIMILARITY V7 The Vanilla Series CHAOS THEORY VI: ERIS’ TILT-A-WHIRL Turbulent, disordered beauty: sensitive to initial conditions, topologically mixed, and approached by periodic orbits with abandon. A dynamical system expressed through scent. Also new this month, an entomological reminder of the finer parts of our souls: METAMORPHOSIS Lo, the bright train their radiant wings unfold! With silver fringed, and freckled o'er with gold: On the gay bosom of some fragrant flower They, idly fluttering, live their little hour; Their life all pleasure, and their task all play, All spring their age, and sunshine all their day. - "To Mrs. P--------., With Some Drawings...", Anna Laetitia Aikin The grace, beauty, and complexity of butterflies and moths have permeated myths all over the globe. The symmetry and elegance of their form and the coquettish rhythm of their dance inspires visions of fleeting romance: The dawn is smiling on the dew that covers The tearful roses; lo, the little lovers That kiss the buds, and all the flutterings In jasmine bloom, and privet, of white wings, That go and come, and fly, and peep and hide, With muffled music, murmured far and wide. Ah, the Spring time, when we think of all the lays That dreamy lovers send to dreamy mays, Of the fond hearts within a billet bound, Of all the soft silk paper that pens wound, The messages of love that mortals write Filled with intoxication of delight, Written in April and before the May time Shredded and flown, playthings for the wind's playtime, We dream that all white butterflies above, Who seek through clouds or waters souls to love, And leave their lady mistress in despair, To flit to flowers, as kinder and more fair, Are but torn love-letters, that through the skies Flutter, and float, and change to butterflies. - “The Genesis of Butterflies”, Victor Hugo Though in some myths – notably, China’s Butterfly Lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and Japan’s tale of Takahama and Akiko – butterflies are symbols of eternal love and devotion. Most often, butterflies and moths represent change, transition, and metamorphosis. Butterflies are also seen as personifications of the soul,and symbols of mankind’s desire for spiritual evolution. They are harbingers of both love and death, and some believe that errant souls manifest in this form. Moths and butterflies are, to some, symbols of blind desire and madness, perilously drawn to the splendor of light and flame. This mad desire is also portrayed, at times, as transcendence: Tell it none except the wise, for the common crowd defames: of the living I shall praise that which longs for death in flames. In the love night which created you where you create, a yearning wakes: you see, intoxicated, far away a candle burning. Darkness now no longer snares you, shadows lose their ancient force, as a new desire tears you up to higher intercourse. Now no distance checks your flight, charmed you come and you draw night till, with longing for the light, you are burnt, O butterfly. And until you have possessed dying and rebirth, you are but a sullen guest on the gloomy earth. - “Blissful Yearning”, Goethe, translation by Walter Kaufmann This series, though seemingly simple, is a complex narrative in scent. It was created with the intention of illustrating the beauty of transformation and transcendence, the sweetness of romance, the joy of freedom and personal liberty, and the perpetuity of true love. Wake, butterfly - It's late, we've miles To go together. - Matsuo Basho + THE MOTHS GREAT GREY WITCH Orris root, Roman chamomile, white sugar, ambergris accord, and cimarrón. GYPSY Bourbon vanilla, Egyptian musk, tonka, white sugar, and cardamom. LUNA Touareg tea, Asian pear, carnation, lime sugar, green musk, armoise, and thyme. ROSY MAPLE Lemon blossom, vanilla bean, huckleberry, sweet pea, rose sugar, acai berry, and candyfloss. + THE BUTTERFLIES COMMON JEZEBEL Apricot, lemon sugar, coconut, red currant, and vetiver. MONARCH King mandarin, red ginger, sugar cane, golden amber, mango, and pumpkin. PAPER KITE Coconut, white sugar, angelica, and black pepper. SPICEBUSH SWALLOWTAIL Brown sugar, sassafras, clove, and wild plum. Lilith, this series is dedicated to you, my angel, for every time you say, "Bye Bye Butterfly", my heart expands with joy so fierce that it cannot be expressed in words. And last, but not least: a scent created solely to benefit the CBLDF –- BANNED IN BOSTON Banned in Boston was a phrase coined in the 19th century that was used to describe material, be it a motion picture, photograph, literary work, or other work of art, that contained objectionable or obscene content. Boston city officials and the Watch and Ward Society took their lead from the Comstock Law, which prohibited obscene materials from being distributed via the US Mail service, and formed their own strict censorship guidelines. Provocative or offensive material was prohibited from distribution or exhibition within Boston city limits. The effect was much like that of the RIAA’s Parental Advisory tags: if something was Banned in Boston, it only served to pique interest and spike sales or attendance. Obscene, lewd, lascivious, and decidedly objectionable. A filthy, post-coitus scent: sweaty and sweet, laced with laudanum, splashed with booze, and stained by tobacco. (Please note: the Banned in Boston label is NSFW.)

Dark Delicacies will be reopening at their new location tomorrow, May 20th! If you’re in the neighborhood, please swing by and help christen the new joint with some good cheer! The new DD scent series will go on sale this month, but testers are already at the new place for your sniffing pleasure. On June 4th, Black Phoenix will be hosting a trunk show from 7 to 9 pm at the new Dark Delicacies. We’re clearing out the cobwebs again! Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd Burbank, CA 91505 www.darkdel.com This summer, Black Phoenix Apothecary will be invading Dark Delicacies in earnest! Please stay tuned for more information!

A portion of all sales from the Black Phoenix Bats Day Exclusives will go to the Surfrider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education. The Bats Day 2010 exclusives affectionately portray a handful of goth subculture tropes! Voila – GEEK.GOTH Highly caffeinated, profoundly sugared lemon-lime soda. GOTHABILLY Black vanilla, Egyptian musk, Rožolj liqueur, and black cherries. LOLI.GOTH An effervescent combination of pink musk, white peach, wild strawberry, pale woods, iris, and raspberry leaf. RIVET.GOTH Black leather, tobacco absolute, rust, gritty musk, and machine oil. ROMANTI.GOTH Dark vintage musk enrobed in a velvet black swirl of plum, precious resins, opium tar, sweet incense, and Nepalese amber. VICTORIANA.GOTH English rose, lilac, frankincense, violet leaf, French lavender, and wisteria encased in amber and splashed lightly with a ghastly garden herb tincture. And the Black Phoenix Trading Post Bats Day 2010 Atmospheric Spray is a scent that embodies the essence of dark club life -- THRIAMBUS A tribute to club life, a modern day hymn to Dionysus: shiraz, clove cigarettes, tobacco, spilled absinthe, latex, vinyl, and artificial fog. The label artwork for the BPAL Bats Day exclusives were doodled by our beloved Alicia Dabney! Bats Day Black Market May 1, 2010 Anaheim, CA http://www.batsday.net/

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is thrilled to present a lone-awaited scent series inspired by Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere! Experience the scents of London Below! Original artwork created for this line by Enrique Alcatena. MR. CROUP 'A fox and a wolf', thought Richard, involuntarily. The man in front, the fox, was a little shorter than Richard. He had lank, greasy hair, of an unlikely orange color, and a pallid complexion; as Richard opened the door, he smiled, widely, and just a fraction too late, with teeth that looked like an accident in a graveyard. Pompous and predatory: tonka bean, black musk, bourbon geranium, and crushed porcelain. MR. VANDEMAR The second of the visitors, a tall man, the one he had thought of as a wolf, his gray and black hair cut bristle-short, stood a little behind his friend, holding a stack of photocopies to his chest. He had said nothing until this moment---just waited, huge and impassive. Now he laughed, once, low and dirtily. There was something unhealthy about that laugh. Dark and gangly, with a glint of razor-sharp stainless steel behind it: opopponax, costus, black pepper, black sandalwood, and polished metal. DOOR She was dressed in a variety of clothes thrown over each other: odd clothes, dirty velvets, muddy lace, rips and holes through which other layers and styles could be seen. She looked, Richard thought, as if she's done a midnight raid on the History of Fashion section of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and was still wearing everything she had taken. Her short hair was filthy, but looked like it might have been a dark reddish color under the dirt. Golden honey, nicotiana, blue chamomile, and cistus. THE MARQUIS de CARABAS He wore a huge dandyish black coat that was not quite a frock coat nor exactly a trench coat, and high black boots, and, beneath his coat, raggedy clothes. His eyes burned white in an extremely dark face. And he grinned whie teeth, momentarily, as if at a private joke of his own, and bowed to Richard, and said, "De Carabas, at your service, and you are…? A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue. THE RAT SPEAKERS For a moment, Richard was blinded by the sudden light. He was standing in a huge, vaulted room, and underground hall, filled with firelight and smoke. Small fires burned around the room. Shadowy people stood by the flames, roasting small animals on spits. People scurried from fire to fire. It reminded him of hell---or rather, the way that he had thought of Hell as a schoolboy. The smoke irritated his lungs, and he coughed. A hundred eyes turned, then, and stared at him; a hundred eyes, unblinking and unfriendly. A snuffling, brown scent: earthy patchouli, sage, russet sandalwood, grimy leather, fig leaf, and lemongrass. ANESTHESIA 'Ratty!' said the girl in something between a squeak and a horrified swallow. She had a large, water-stained red button pinned to her ragged clothes, the kind that comes attached to birthday cards. It said, in yellow letters, I AM 11. A scent that slips through the cracks: peppermint, lavender, bergamot, and mandrake. NIGHT'S BRIDGE And then they turned a corner, and saw the bridge. It could have been one of the bridges over the Thames, five hundred years ago, thought Richard; a huge stone bridge spanning out over a vast black chasm, into the night. But there was no sky above it, no water below. It rose into darkness. Stone and darkness. HUNTER He turned, and standing there was a tall woman, with long, tawny hair, and skin the color of burnt caramel. She wore dappled leather clothes, mottled in shades of gray and brown. She had a battered leather duffel bag over her shoulder. She was carrying a staff, and she had a knife at her belt and an electric flashlight strapped to her wrist. She was also, without question, the most beautiful woman that Richard had ever seen. Leonine amber, tanned hides, clove, and clary sage. THE FLOATING MARKET It was loud, and brash, and insane, and it was, in many ways, quite wonderful. People argued, haggled, shouted, sang. They hawked and touted their wares, and loudly declaimed the superiority of their merchandise. Music was playing---a dozen different kinds of music, being played a dozen different ways on a score of different instruments, most of them improvised, improved, improbable. Richard could smell food. All kinds of food---the smells of curries and spices seemed to predominate, with, beneath them, the smells of grilling meats and mushrooms. Stalls had been set up all throughout the shop, next to or even on, counters that, during the day, had sold perfume, or watches, or amber, or silk scarves. A cacophony of curious scents: copaiba balsam, petitgrain, citrus rind, sinicuichi accord, betel nut, wasabi root, coconut palm, and wattleseed layered atop innumerable strange herbs, spices, and woods. THE VELVETS Five almost identically dressed, pale young women walked past him. They wore long dresses made of velvet, each dress as dark as night, one each of dark green, dark chocolate, royal blue, dark blood, and pure black. Each woman had black hair and wore silver jewelry; each was perfectly coifed, perfectly made up. They moved silently: Richard was only aware of a swish of heavy velvet as they went past, a swish that sounded almost like a sigh. Smooth inky musk, cathedral incense, ylang ylang, violet leaf, rose-infused amber, red sandalwood, and iris. LAMIA 'And you said you'd pay me for being your guide. And it's what I want, as my payment. Warmth. Can I have some?' Anything she wanted. Anything. The honeysuckle and the lily of the valley wrapped around him, and his eyes saw nothing but her pale skin and her dark plum-bloom lips and her jet black hair. Deadly elegance: pale orchid, lily of the valley, vanilla amber, black currant, white peach, champaca, coconut, honeysuckle, Arabian myrrh, Burmese vetiver, and oude. This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single bottle from the Neverwhere series goes to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community. A million thanks to Neil for his friendship and support, and a million thanks to Enrique Alcatena for the fantastic illustrations that he created for the Neverwhere line! We love you, Neil! What if you go from, you know, Captain America to Doctor Doom? What if you go from Superman to Lex Luthor? How do you go from being the greatest hero in the world - someone that everybody knows, and everybody loves, and everyone recognizes - to the greatest villain in the world? What is that path? It's not a light switch, it's not an on-off switch, it's not something that you wake up one day and just become evil. - Mark Waid Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is also thrilled to present our first collaboration with the wonderful people at Boom! Studios: a series of scents inspired by Mark Waid's phenomenal comic book series -- Irredeemable! Series writer and creator Mark Waid has written more than one thousand comics stories for every major publisher of the past two decades. Currently, he serves as Editor-In-Chief of BOOM! Studios. Artist Pete Krause has worked for a number of publishers over a twenty-year career, and has illustrated stories starring Captain Marvel, Superman and the cast from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mark's writing is mesmerizing, and Irredeemable is, in our opinion, one of the best comics currently in print. We are extremely grateful to the wonderful people at Boom! Studios - people that are a true joy to work with - for the opportunity to interpret Mark's characters, locations, and stories through scent. PLUTONIAN Once the world's greatest, most beloved superhero, he has now become its greatest villain--a capricious and vengeful god who haunts the skies and toys daily with six billion lives. Soapy cleanliness sullied by blood and ashes. MR. QUBIT An eccentric genius and leader of the superhero team The Paradigm, Qubit can meld and shape technology with a gesture, allowing him to create whatever he can envision. Gleaming metal, electrical discharge, and a whiff of tinny cologne. BETTE NOIR The Paradigm's martial artist and weapons master, Bette carries a grim secret--that she alone knows Plutonian's one true vulnerability. Benzoin, wild plum, smoky amber, bergamot, orange blossom, myrrh, and dark berries. KAIDAN Youngest of The Paradigm, when Kaidan recites the ghost stories of Japanese legend, she brings their spectral warriors to life. Rosehip, plum blossom, white sandalwood, jonquil, and amber-laden incense. YÜREI The most fearsome of Kaidan's conjured warriors, his sword can shear through anything--or anyone. White tea, hibiscus, Arabian sandalwood, white amber, ho leaf, pale Japanese flowers, and vetiver. ALANA PATEL Plutonian's one true love, newswoman Alana Patel broke his heart--and, in doing so, helped set in motion the series of events that forever turned the hero into a villain. Faded perfume, cigarette smoke, and gin. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, in conjunction with Top Cow Productions and the Hero Initiative, is also debuting the first in a new line of scents inspired by Top Cow's Witchblade! Proceeds from every bottle sold in the Witchblade line goes to the Hero Initiative, the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need. Founded in late 2000 by a consortium of comic book and trade publishers including Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Wizard Entertainment, CrossGen Comics and Dynamic Forces Inc., the 501©(3) charity aims to assist comic creators with health, medical, and quality-of-life assistance. Top Cow Productions, Inc., a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. WITCHBLADE Antediluvian, sacred metal, glowing red musk, blessed frankincense, and antiqued amber. The Witchblade perfume was created to layer seamlessly with Sara Pezzini's scent, and is made to be worn with all of the future Black Phoenix scents inspired by Witchblade wielders. SARA PEZZINI A hint of leather and an understated vintage musk layered over the scent of lightly perspiring, honey-dusted skin. DET. PATRICK GLEASON A classic men's cologne splashed over a leather trenchcoat and a hint of gunshot residue. THE CURATOR Mysterious herbs and ancient resins. Dust settled on ancient relics, both holy and malevolent. A special thanks to Kathy Flynn, Jim McLauchlin, Mark Waid, Ross Ritchie, Lori Matsumoto, Charles Brownstein, Cat Mihos, and Neil Gaimain for... well, everything. Without all of you, these scents would not have been possible. I love you guys. Panther Moon is also live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post! PANTHER MOON Sein Blick ist vomVorübergehn der Stäbe so müd geworden, daß er nichts mehr hält. Ihm ist, als ob es tausend Stäbe gäbe und hinter tausend Stäben keine Welt. Der weiche Gang geschmeidig starker Schritte, der sich im allerkleinsten Kreise dreht, ist wie ein Tanz von Kraft um eine Mitte, in der betäubt ein großer Wille steht. Nur manchmal schiebt der Vorhang der Pupille sich lautlos auf - dann geht ein Bild hinein, geht durch der Glieder angespannte Stille - und hört im Herzen auf zu sein. His gaze those bars keep passing is so misted with tiredness, it can take in nothing more. He feels as though a thousand bars existed, and no more world beyond them before. Those supply-powerful paddings, turning there in the tiniest of circles, well might be the dance of forces round a center where some mighty will stands paralyticly. Just now and then the pupil's noiseless shutter is lifted - then an image will indart, down through the limbs' intensive stillness flutter, and end its being in the heart. (Der Panther by Rainer Maria Rilke. Translation by Walter Arndt.) Gleaming black musk, mandrake, labdanum, black ginger, benzoin, champaca, ambergris accord, myrrh, and star anise. Artwork for the Panther Moon tee by the lovely Alicia Dabney! A few Paduan Killer Bees have strayed into the Lab, harbingers of spring's new general catalogue series: Rappaccini's Apiary. To introduce the line, we are offering a small selection of toxin-infused honeys for a limited time. The general catalogue annex will feature honeys that have been created using somewhat unsavory nectar and pollen sources, including black hellebore, oleander, rosary pea, monkshood, wintersweet, and hemlock, some of which are debuting now, in April of 2010. There are four infused honey scents in the Paduan Killer Bees limited edition line: DURIAN FRUIT INFUSED HONEY WITH BRANDY DOLL'S EYE INFUSED HONEY JERUSALEM CHERRY INFUSED HONEY YEW BERRY INFUSED HONEY As well as… PADUAN KILLER SWARM A swarm of genetically modified, extremely aggressive European bees that were created by Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini. These bees are attracted to a peculiar set of pollens and nectars, and possess a particularly vicious temperament, a lethal apitoxin, and cruelly barbed stingers. Tonka, black licorice, amber, golden sandalwood, ginger cream, bitter clove, stinging nettle, cinnamon bark, and coconut shell. The following thrillingly toxic honeys are making their debut in Rappaccini's Apiary (located in the general catalogue): DEADLY NIGHTSHADE HONEY HEMLOCK HONEY OLEANDER HONEY YELLOW JESSAMINE HONEY (It goes without saying that the Rappaccini's Garden and Apiary scents do not truly contain poisonous plant materials.) Also new to the BPAL general catalogue… ++ SIN AND SALVATION PARAMATMAN Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the selfsame tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes. Orange blossom, East Indian sandalwood, and champaca. ++ EXCOLO EHECATL The Aztec God of the Winds. He is one of the faces of the Feathered Serpent, and in this aspect he gave life to the sun and the moon, revives the dead, and breathes love into the hearts all of men. Hibiscus, matcha, white musk, and lime. ++ BEWITCHING BREWS THE FOREST REVERIE 'Tis said that when The hands of men Tamed this primeval wood, And hoary trees with groans of woe, Like warriors by an unknown foe, Were in their strength subdued, The virgin Earth Gave instant birth To springs that ne'er did flow That in the sun Did rivulets run, And all around rare flowers did blow The wild rose pale Perfumed the gale And the queenly lily adown the dale (Whom the sun and the dew And the winds did woo), With the gourd and the grape luxuriant grew. So when in tears The love of years Is wasted like the snow, And the fine fibrils of its life By the rude wrong of instant strife Are broken at a blow Within the heart Do springs upstart Of which it doth now know, And strange, sweet dreams, Like silent streams That from new fountains overflow, With the earlier tide Of rivers glide Deep in the heart whose hope has died-- Quenching the fires its ashes hide,-- Its ashes, whence will spring and grow Sweet flowers, ere long, The rare and radiant flowers of song! A sunlit ancient forest, dotted with wild roses, grape vine, and queenly lilies, clothed in swirls of opium smoke. L'EXAMEN DE MINUIT Enfin, nous avons, pour noyer Le vertige clans le délire, Nous, prêtre orgueilleux de la Lyre, Dont la gloire est de déployer L'ivresse des choses funèbres, Bu sans soif et mangé sans faim!... - Vite soufflons la lampe, afin De nous cacher dans les ténèbres! Finally, to cheat sadness, we Have reveled at the board of Greed, With neither thirst nor appetite - We, of the old Pierian breed, Whose pride was to win ecstasy From sorrow, loneliness, and need. - Hurry! Let us put out the light, That we be hidden in the night. The rapture of sorrowful things: frankincense, black plum, melancholy lilac, rose otto, and myrrh. And at Black Phoenix Trading Post, the next duet in the Great Loves and Tragedies of Ancient Greece is live - + PYRAMUS & THISBE Pyramus was the most handsomest youth, and Thisbe the loveliest maiden, of all the East lived in Babylon, where Semiramis reigned. Their parents occupied adjoining houses; and neighborhood brought the young people together, and acquaintance ripened into love. They longed to marry, but their parents forbade. One thing however they could not forbid - that love should glow with equal ardor in the bosoms of both. They conversed by signs and glances, and the fire burned more intensely for being covered up. In the wall that parted the two houses there was a crack, caused by some fault in the structure. No one had remarked it before, but the lovers discovered it. What will not love discover! It afforded a passage to the voice; and tender messages used to pass backward and forward through the gap. As they stood, Pyramus on this side, Thisbe on that, their breaths would mingle. "Cruel wall," they said, "why do you keep two lovers apart? But we will not be ungrateful. We owe you, we confess, the privilege of transmitting loving words to willing ears." Such words they uttered on different sides of the wall; and when night came and they must say farewell, they pressed their lips upon the wall, she on her side, he on his, as they could come no nearer. Next morning, when Aurora had put out the stars, and the sun had melted the frost from the grass, they met at the accustomed spot. Then, after lamenting their hard fate, they agreed that next night, when all was still, they would slip away from watchful eyes, leave their dwellings and walk out into the fields; and to insure a meeting, repair to a well-known edifice, standing without the city's bounds, called the Tomb of Ninus, and that the one who came first should await the other at the foot of a certain tree. It was a white mulberry tree, and stood near a cool spring. All was agreed on, and they waited impatiently for the sun to go down beneath the waters and night to rise up from them. Then cautiously Thisbe stole forth, unobserved by the family, her head covered with a veil, made her way to the monument and sat down under the tree. As she sat alone in the dim light of the evening she descried a lioness, her jaws reeking with recent slaughter, approaching the fountain to slake her thirst. Thisbe fled at the sight, and sought refuge in the hollow of a rock. As she fled she dropped her veil. The lioness, after drinking at the spring, turned to retreat to the woods, and seeing the veil on the ground, tossed and rent it with her bloody mouth. Pyramus, having been delayed, now approached the place of meeting. He saw in the sand the footsteps of the lion, and the color fled from his cheeks at the sight. Presently he found the veil all rent and bloody. "O, hapless girl," said he, "I have been the cause of thy death! Thou, more worthy of life than I, hast fallen the first victim. I will follow. I am the guilty cause, in tempting thee forth to a place of such peril, and not being myself on the spot to guard thee. Come forth, ye lions, from the rocks, and tear this guilty body with your teeth." He took up the veil, carried it with him to the appointed tree, and covered it with kisses and with tears. "My blood also shall stain your texture," said he, and drawing his sword plunged it into his chest. The blood spurted from the wound, and tinged the white mulberries of the tree all red; and sinking into the earth reached the roots, so that the red color mounted through the trunk to the fruit. By this time, Thisbe, still trembling with fear, yet wishing not to disappoint her lover, stepped cautiously forth, looking anxiously for the youth, eager to tell him the danger she had escaped. When she came to the spot and saw the changed color of the mulberries she doubted whether it was the same place. While she hesitated she saw the form of one struggling in the agonies of death. She started back, a shudder ran through her frame as a ripple on the face of the still water when a sudden breeze sweeps over it. But as soon as she recognized her lover, she screamed and beat her breast; embracing the lifeless body, pouring tears into its wounds, and imprinting kisses on the cold lips. "O, Pyramus," she cried, "what has done this? Answer me, Pyramus; it is your own Thisbe that speaks. Hear me, dearest, and lift that drooping head!" At the name of Thisbe, Pyramus opened his eyes, then closed them again. She saw her veil stained with blood and the scabbard empty of its sword. "Thy own hand has slain thee, and for my sake," she said. "I too can be brave for once, and my love is as strong as thine. I will follow thee in death, for I have been the cause; and death, which alone could part us, shall not prevent my joining thee. And ye, unhappy parents of us both, deny us not our united request. As love and death have joined us, let one tomb contain us. And thou, tree, retain the marks of slaughter. Let thy berries still serve for memorials of our blood." So saying, she plunged the sword into her breast. Her parents ratified her wish, the gods also ratified it. The two bodies were buried in one sepulchre, and the tree ever after brought forth purple berries, as it does to this day. (Translation of Ovid's Metamorphosis by Thomas Bulfinch.) PYRAMUS Dragon's blood resin, frankincense, amber, white tea, lavender, and golden musk. THISBE Diaphanous sandalwood, pink rose, lotus root, lemon orpur, and iris stained by mulberry juice.

Much awesomeness will making its debut at C2E2! Scents inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere will make their first live appearance at our booth: ++ NEVERWHERE ANESTHESIA A scent that slips through the cracks: peppermint, lavender, bergamot, and mandrake. MR. CROUP Pompous and predatory: tonka bean, black musk, bourbon geranium, nd crushed porcelain. DOOR Golden honey, nicotiana, blue chamomile, and cistus. THE FLOATING MARKET A cacophony of curious scents: copaiba balsam, petitgrain, citrus rind, sinicuichi accord, betel nut, wasabi root, coconut palm, and wattleseed layered atop innumerable strange herbs, spices, and woods. HUNTER Leonine amber, tanned hides, clove, and clary sage. LAMIA Deadly elegance: pale orchid, lily of the valley, vanilla amber, black currant, white peach, champaca, coconut, honeysuckle, Arabian myrrh, Burmese vetiver, and oude. THE MARQUIS de CARABAS A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue. NIGHT’S BRIDGE Stone and darkness. THE RAT SPEAKERS A snuffling, brown scent: earthy patchouli, sage, russet sandalwood, grimy leather, fig leaf, and lemongrass. MR. VANDEMAR Dark and gangly, with a glint of razor-sharp stainless steel behind it: opopponax, costus, black pepper, black sandalwood, and polished metal. THE VELVETS Smooth inky musk, cathedral incense, ylang ylang, violet leaf, rose-infused amber, red sandalwood, and iris. The Neverwhere scents are part of an ongoing not-for-profit project, and proceeds from the sales of all Neil-inspired perfumes go to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Neil Gaiman will be performing a theatrical reading benefiting the CBLDF on Saturday, April 17th, at the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place. If you purchased the Dream Experience package for this event, you will receive a gorgeous, extremely limited print courtesy of Neverwear and a bottle of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume created specifically for the event. What’s the scent? In Neil’s own words it is: “Earth and Moss and Heather and Islands...” In addition to the new Neverwhere series scents, we will have all of Black Phoenix’s current Neil catalogue, including a few Sunbird sets and the three currently live tarot sets from 15 Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot, and Black Phoenix Trading Post will have the three live 15 Painted Cards tees and a selection of Neil’s short story lockets. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is thrilled to present their first collaboration with the wonderful people at Boom! Studios. The first scents in Black Phoenix’s new Boom! line are inspired by Mark Waid’s phenomenal comic book series, Irredeemable: What if you go from, you know, Captain America to Doctor Doom? What if you go from Superman to Lex Luthor? How do you go from being the greatest hero in the world — someone that everybody knows, and everybody loves, and everyone recognizes — to the greatest villain in the world? What is that path? It's not a light switch, it's not an on-off switch, it's not something that you wake up one day and just become evil. – Mark Waid + IRREDEEMABLE PLUTONIAN Soapy cleanliness sullied by blood and ashes. BETTE NOIR Benzoin, wild plum, smoky amber, bergamot, orange blossom, myrrh, and dark berries. KAIDAN Rosehip, plum blossom, white sandalwood, jonquil, and amber-laden incense. ALANA PATEL Faded perfume, cigarette smoke, and gin. MR. QUBIT Gleaming metal, electrical discharge, and a whiff of tinny cologne. VOLT Leather with a shock of eucalyptus, green mint, elemi, ravintsara and lime. YUREI White tea, hibiscus, Arabian sandalwood, white amber, white tea, ho leaf, pale Japanese flowers, and vetiver. Two additional Irredeemable scents will be available exclusively at C2E2: SKY CITY (BEFORE) Urban paradise: fresh air, lush green parks dotted with dandelions, blooming gardens, glossy marble, shining metal, and a hint of asphalt. SKY CITY (AFTER) The smoldering ashes of a dead city: smoke and cinders, scorched wood, creosote, tar-smeared concrete, singed bone, and dried blood. And one scent, Tony, will only be available at the Irredeemable 1st birthday party at Challengers Comics on April 16th at 7pm. TONY Soap and water, hair gel, and a hint of aftershave. Also debuting at C2E2 – the first in a line of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scents inspired by Top Cow's Witchblade! + WITCH BLADE THE CURATOR Mysterious herbs and ancient resins. Dust settled on ancient relics, both holy and malevolent. DET. PATRICK GLEASON A classic men’s cologne splashed over a leather trenchcoat and a hint of gunshot residue. SARA PEZZINI A hint of leather and an understated vintage musk layered over the scent of lightly perspiring, honey-dusted skin. WITCHBLADE Antediluvian, sacred metal, glowing red musk, blessed frankincense, and antiqued amber. The Witchblade perfume was created to layer seamlessly with Sara Pezzini’s scent, and is made to be worn with all of the future Black Phoenix scents inspired by Witchblade wielders. Proceeds from every bottle sold from the Top Cow Witchblade series go to the Hero Initiative, the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need. Founded in late 2000 by a consortium of comic book and trade publishers including Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Wizard Entertainment, CrossGen Comics and Dynamic Forces Inc., the 501©(3) charity aims to assist comic creators with health, medical, and quality-of-life assistance. As is always the case, Black Phoenix will be offering exclusive scents inspired by the locale: + C2E2 Exclusives: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab THE ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE Our version of a Black Cow, a 1920’s virgin thirst-quencher: sarsaparilla and cream. BATHTUB GIN Homebrew gin, thick with juniper, with hints of wormwood, clove, and nutmeg. GUN MOLL As sexy as ox blood lipstick and a Chicago typewriter: honeycomb, red amber, narcissus, bergamot, Zanzibar clove, opium poppy, tobacco leaf, skin musk, dark fruits, night blooming jasmine, tarragon, and gunpowder. THE VOLSTEAD ACT A bootlegger’s paradise. The scent of a Bizzy Izzy Highball: rye, sherry wine, pineapple syrup, and lemon. Black Phoenix Trading Post’s C2E2 offerings are inspired by the comic world’s villainous hideouts and heroic bastions -- + C2E2 Exclusives: Black Phoenix Trading Post LAIR OF NEFARIOUS MISDEEDS ATOMOSPHERE SPRAY A twisted, smoky, power-mad scent that inspires cackling, gleeful wickedness and unchecked depravity. Sinuous black incense, ambergris, polished leather, oakmoss, guiac, and Siamese benzoin. CITADEL OF AWESOME ATMOSPHERE SPRAY Sugary sweet and squeaky clean! The perfect background scent for those who kick ass for the good of mankind! Crystalline musks, spun sugar, ginger lily, neroli, violet feuilles, and white amber. The C2E2 exclusives will only be offered at our booth at the event, and are available while supplies last. In addition, Black Phoenix will be debuting a scent created solely to benefit the CBLDF – BANNED IN BOSTON Banned in Boston was a phrase coined in the 19th century that was used to describe material, be it a motion picture, photograph, literary work, or other work of art, that contained objectionable or obscene content. Boston city officials and the Watch and Ward Society took their lead from the Comstock Law, which prohibited obscene materials from being distributed via the US Mail service, and formed their own strict censorship guidelines. Provocative or offensive material was prohibited from distribution or exhibition within Boston city limits. The effect was much like that of the RIAA’s Parental Advisory tags: if something was Banned in Boston, it only served to pique interest and spike sales or attendance. Obscene, lewd, lascivious, and decidedly objectionable. A filthy, post-coitus scent: sweaty and sweet, laced with laudanum, splashed with booze, and stained by tobacco. (Please note: the Banned in Boston label is NSFW.) Now, you may be wondering… other than that, what all’s going to be at your booth, Black Phoenix people? So glad you asked! Alchemy Lab will have the bulk of its general catalogue, the Hellboy scents, the Gris Grimly scents, and the Shojo Beat scents. BPAL will also be selling… * The Black Helicopter series * The District * Valentine’s Day in the Miskatonic Valley * The 2010 Shungas * The Ode to Ares * the Bards * Ides of March Trading Post will have the current tees from the 15 Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot series, as well as… * ID Cases * Imp Cases * BPTP’s full line of pendants and lockets, including those inspired by Neil Gaiman’s short stories * The Elements & Artifacts BPAL Pendants * The Leather Imp Pouches & Clutches * The Triple Dagger Wristband * Shot Glasses * Courtesan Pill Boxes * Black Phoenix Claw Polish And yes… the Sock Dreams / BPTP socks! We will be located at booth 951, and we’ll also be attending the following events: Friday, April 16th, we will be at the Irredeemable 1st birthday party with Mark Waid, at Challengers Comics. What: THE IRREDEEMABLE 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY W/MARK WAID Why: IRREDEEMABLE's record first year and the launch of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's IRREDEEMABLE Fragrance line Where: Challengers Comics + Conversation located at 1845 N. Western Ave. 2R Chicago, IL 60647 (PH: 773.278.0155 / www.challengerscomics.com) When: April 16th, 2010 8pm This event is free to the public and you don't need a Con badge to attend. Beer and wine will be served. Saturday, April 17th, the CBLDF will be hosting "An Evening with Neil Gaiman" at 7 PM in the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. This is a paid, ticketed event. A small number of fans will also have the opportunity to attend the "Evening with Neil Gaiman Dream Experience", which includes front center row seats, a limited Meet & Greet mixer with Neil before the event, and a special gift set from The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, in association with Neverwear and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which features a never-before-published poem presented on a beautiful and exclusive art print, and accompanying fragrance, with other surprises. Sunday, April 18th, Pop Culture 2 will be hosting a Black Phoenix Meet N Sniff at Reggie's Rock Club, 2109 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, between noon and 2pm. There will be a free movie playing in the background, and you will be able to purchase food and drinks. This event is free to the public and you don't need a Con badge to attend. If you are attending the Con, there is a free bus to take you to the event and back again. And that, my friends, is all the news that’s fit to spew! Lord, I hope I’m not forgetting anything. Hope to see you in Chicago!

BPAL / BPTP mystery bundles up for auction at http://www.darkdel.com! Money raised goes to Dark Delicacies' moving costs!

Egg Moon is live at Alchemy Lab & Trading Post! EGG MOON One egg's lower half transformed And became the earth below, And its upper half transmuted And became the sky above; From the yolk the sun was made, Light of day to shine upon us; From the white the moon was formed, Light of night to gleam above us; All the colored brighter bits Rose to be the stars of heaven And the darker crumbs changed into Clouds and cloudlets in the sky. The scent of Creation: frankincense, bdellium, sweet cane, cassia, cinnamon, and dammar gum. The ancient symbol of the Orphic Mysteries was the serpent-entwined egg, which signified Cosmos as encircled by the fiery Creative Spirit. The egg also represents the soul of the philosopher; the serpent, the Mysteries. At the time of initiation the shell is broke, and man emerges from the embryonic state of physical existence wherein he had remained through the fetal period of philosophic regeneration. -- Manly P. Hall Artwork by Jennifer Williamson! Egg Moon will be live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab & Black Phoenix Trading Post until 31 March 2010. The much-anticipated Sock Dreams / Black Phoenix Trading Post collaboration is going live the second week of April, along with a gorgeous tee illustrated by Molly Crabapple! This month, Will Call will also be held at Area 51. This event is limited to resident extraterrestrials and military personnel with TS and SAP clearance, as well as SCI access, only. The date and time of this event is classified. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post will be vending at Sakuracon, C2E2, and Bat's Day this spring! - Sakura-Con 2010 The oldest and most well-attended Anime Con in the Pacific Northwest April 2 - 4, 2010 Seattle, WA C2E2 - Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo April 16 - 18, 2010 Chicago, IL Booth 951 Bats Day Black Market May 1, 2010 Anaheim, CA At Sakuracon, we will have a large selection of scents from our general catalogue and current LE lines, and the following event exclusives will be available: Seattle Exclusive: GIANT SQUID Cannabis blossom, tonka bean, tobacco, frankincense, galangal, juniper berry, lantana, spiky aloe, green and white teas, and salty sea spray. Sakuracon Exclusives: FUWU BANSAKU IN RUINED TEMPLE WITH BLACK MONSTER ON UMBRELLA Black coconut, red sandalwood, black currant, tonka bean, vetiver, and Malasian oude. SHIRAFUJI GENTA WITH A KAPPA Lansium domesticum, sweetgrass, benzoin, white mint, lavender, juniper berry, cedarwood, osmanthus, and rice wine. THE WRESTLER ONOGAWA KISABURO BLOWING SMOKE AT A ONE-EYED MONSTER Peru balsam, Mysore sandalwood, bodark bark, tupelo gum, black pepper, tobacco absolute, and white honey. At C2E2, we will be vending all three days, and premiering several new lines, including Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and Boom! Studios Irredeemable. A recap of event details that Kathy posted on the forum last week: If you're going to C2E2, you can find us at booth 951. While we are there we will also be taking part of a few outside events. Friday, April 16th, we will be at the Irredeemable 1st birthday party with Mark Waid, at Challengers Comics. What: THE IRREDEEMABLE 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY W/MARK WAID Why: IRREDEEMABLE's record first year and the launch of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's IRREDEEMABLE Fragrance line Where: Challengers Comics + Conversation located at 1845 N. Western Ave. 2R Chicago, IL 60647 (PH: 773.278.0155 / www.challengerscomics.com) When: April 16th, 2010 8pm This event is free to the public and you don't need a Con badge to attend. Beer and wine will be served. Saturday, April 17th, the CBLDF will be hosting "An Evening with Neil Gaiman" at 7 PM in the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. This is a paid, ticketed event. A small number of fans will also have the opportunity to attend the "Evening with Neil Gaiman Dream Experience", which includes front center row seats, a limited Meet & Greet mixer with Neil before the event, and a special gift set from The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, in association with Neverwear and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which features a never-before-published poem presented on a beautiful and exclusive art print, and accompanying fragrance, with other surprises. Sunday, April 18th, Pop Culture 2 will be hosting a Black Phoenix Meet N Sniff at Reggie's Rock Club, 2109 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, between noon and 2pm. There will be a free movie playing in the background, and you will be able to purchase food and drinks. This event is free to the public and you don't need a Con badge to attend. If you are attending the Con, there is a free bus to take you to the event and back again. We've still got a few more surprises for you in Chicago, including some special scents to benefit The Hero Initiative. More details will be posted closer to the event. The price adjustment at Alchemy Lab is taking effect as of this update. Thank you so much to everyone for their patience and understanding!

The Lunacy update will go live Sunday, March 28th, at 11am Pacific Time, barring incident. As of the update going live, the price adjustment will be in effect. The price change will be in effect at WCWC and ECWC this month. Thank you!

In my emotional urgh of having to post the price adjustment grid, I somehow omitted part of the flat rate explanation for BPAL’s international shipping. Please, please accept my apologies; yesterday was a very emotional, difficult day, and I screwed the pooch on posting the correct info for international orders. We use USPS Flat Rate on most international shipments. The Flat Rate service offered by USPS features a fixed price per package, regardless of weight. As a rule, we can fit up to 20 items in International Flat Rate packaging with occasional exceptions. The International Flat Rate shipping fee is $14.00 for all orders up to 20 bottles (or 240 imps); the rate jumps to $29.00 on orders containing more that 20 items that won’t entirely fit in the Flat Rate box. Shipping is free for all orders that exceed $500. For Canadian orders, $12.00 will cover shipments up to 20 items; the price is $21.00 for shipping over 20 items. For orders to Russia and Poland, please email us for a freight quote. We have looked at other shipping methods often in the past, and did so again recently. USPS has the most competitive rates on international shipping by far. Here are some sample rate quotes for a one pound shipment from other freight carriers: FedEx: To Canada $20.06; to UK $57.85; to Australia $65.61 UPS: To Canada $27.72; to UK $83.05; to Australia $94.12 DHL: To Canada $53.44; to UK $72.71; to Australia $77.69 Under no circumstances will we ship USPS First Class. We tried in years past, and there was an unmanageable series of problems with that method of shipping, ranging from damaged and missing packages to absurdly long times that the packages spent in transit. I understand that First Class is the cheapest option, but it is not a reliable method of shipping, and we just won’t do it. It is expensive for us to reship orders, and, in the end, First Class is a frustrating experience for our international customers all-around. I have corrected my omission on my initial post about the shipping charges. Apologies for the error!

In the four years since our last price increase, we have tried our best to weather escalations in our operational expenses without having to raise our prices again, but we can’t anymore. The cost of manufacturing materials, including packaging, labels, bottles, and the components themselves have gone up by an average of 10-30% over the past few years, as have in-house costs such as rent and utilities. Black Phoenix is a family. We strive to pay fair wages to our employees, which include cost of living pay increases and health benefits. Health insurance for our employees has gone up 10% every year since its inception, and in order to provide for our employees as best we can, we gave them the opportunity to add a dental plan. We have not raised our prices since August 3, 2006, and have made every effort to keep the price of our products as low as possible while maintaining diversity and our high standard of quality. We have also done our best to absorb the USPS postal increases. The last time we adjusted our shipping prices was in June of 2007, and there have been three USPS postage hikes since then: May 2008, May 2009, and January 2010. Regrettably, we have to adjust our shipping prices. This is our new shipping grid, effective as of the Lunacy update on February 26, 2010 -- Domestic shipping rates for the US are as follows: Orders totaling up to $150.00: $7.50 …up to $300.00: $12.00 …up to $500.00: $14.00 The International Flat Rate shipping fee is $14.00 for all orders up to 20 bottles (or 240 imps); the rate jumps to $29.00 on orders containing more that 20 items that won’t entirely fit in the Flat Rate box. Shipping is free for all orders that exceed $500. For Canadian orders, $12.00 will cover shipments up to 20 items; the price is $21.00 for shipping over 20 items. For orders to Russia and Poland, please email us for a freight quote. One 5ml = 1 item Twelve imps = 1 item Black Phoenix Trading Post is also forced to adjust their shipping rates: Orders weighing up to 1 lbs: $7.50 Orders weighing up to 2 lbs: $10.00 Orders weighing up to 4 lbs: $15.50 Orders weighing up to 6 lbs: $19.00 Orders weighing up to 7 lbs: $22.50 7 lbs + : $30.50 Shipping is free for all orders that exceed $500.00. The following prices will be in effect as of the Lunacy update on March 28, 2010: General Catalogue 5ml: $17.50 Carnaval Diabolique 5ml: $22.50 The Salon 5ml: $28.00 Panaceas 5ml: $28.00 Neil Gaiman series: $26.00 Hellboy series:$26.00 The District: $26.00 Sachs & Violens (Hero Initiative scents): $26.00 Gris Grimly series: $21.00 Dark Delicacies blends will continue vary by series. Price based on components. Single Imp's Ear: $4.00 6 pack of Imp's Ears: $22.00 The price for limited edition oils may vary, but will average $19.50 - $24.00 per 5ml, depending on the cost to manufacture. At this time, we are left with no choice but to bump our prices slightly. I truly hope you see the difficulty of our position; this is the last thing that we want to do. With all my heart, I hope you understand that we don’t have a choice in this. We’re not raising prices because we want to make more money; we’re doing this because we have to in order to keep the business solvent.

I wanted to use images of menfolk for the Ode to Ares, but there wasn't enough vintage boy booty to go around.

Happy New Year! Candles Moon is live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post! CANDLES MOON To-day is the Day of Bride, The serpent shall come from his hole, I will not molest the serpent, And the serpent will not molest me. The serpent will come from the hole On the brown day of Bride, Though there should be three feet of snow On the flat surface of the ground. Moonlight shining on the Quickening Tree, the heat and wax of sacred candles, the milk of ewes, Brigid's blackberry, the sting of keening wind, and the last flutter of the Cailleach's winter snow. Both the tee and the perfume will be live until February 2, 2010.

Posting here against my better judgment. I don’t want to be perceived as shit-stirring in any way; that isn’t my intent. The bulk of our reasons for not using prefab oils stem from their incompatibility with our vision for the company. They do not comply with my personal tastes, first of all, and Black Phoenix is really an extension of me… of what I enjoy, what I love, and what interests me. I don’t compromise my vision, even if it seems idiotic or Velveeta-cheap to others, and that goes from the concepts themselves through to the components we use to create our products. To me, it isn’t possible to achieve the aesthetic effects I’m trying for with prefab materials. I don’t want this to sound artsy-fartsy and high-handed – its just a fact: they aren’t conducive to me creating the scents that I want to create. If we went with most any prefab company on the market, it would be quickly evident, and the uniqueness of our product – which may be offensive, but is incontestable – would be nonexistent. There are many reasons that we do not use prefab oils to make our scents, and the least ethics-based one is that, quite bluntly, our customer base is not stupid. If we ever began using prefab candle fragrance oils in our products, our customers, who are intelligent, enthusiastic consumers, many of whom use prefab oils themselves for b&b crafts, would figure it out. It’s that simple. I respect our customers, many, MANY of whom I consider close personal friends, and my life is enriched a hundred-fold by the community that has grown around Black Phoenix and the friendships that I would never, ever have made had it not been for that community. Cutting corners with regards to my work is unethical to me, and there is no benefit whatsoever in bullshit. Our customers are not fools, and I have no intention of compromising my company’s integrity by taking shortcuts. I am in no way slamming people that use prefab scents for crafting bath and body products. That’s what they’re there for! They’re just not appropriate for the way Black Phoenix tackles perfumery, is all. Upwards and onwards… We purchase component oils from many, many small companies because we believe in small business, and we want to help people like us. We used to extract oils in-house YEARS ago, but it became impossible to continue in that vein and still fill orders in a timely manner and keep costs down. We could outsource to a fragrance chemist, our costs would be significantly reduced, and it would alleviate all of our problems with batch consistency and component issues. That, too, doesn’t fit into my vision for Black Phoenix. I like working with my hands, being immersed in the concepts and the scents. If we outsourced to a fragrance chemist, my life would be much easier, but I would derive very little personal joy from my work. I don’t consult fragrance wheels, or worry too much about harmonious or traditional top, middle, or base notes. I’m sure that to most perfumers this sounds idiotic. That’s ok. Creating scents is one of the great joys of my life, and even if we had no customers whatsoever, I would still do this because it is what I love to do. To me, outsourcing our needs to a fragrance chemist would be tantamount to me hiring a copywriter and a marketing consultant. This outsourced creative team could write words for Black Phoenix, create a sophisticated-yet-edgy image for Black Phoenix, and this team of experts could tell me exactly what scents are going to be fashionable next season. I will venture a guess that they wouldn’t have given a green light to Black Annis or Gore Shock. But BPAL would be soulless… dead. Black Phoenix is my way of expressing myself, and I do things the way I do it because it brings me joy to do so. We create everything, words and scents, from the ground up, while supporting other small businesses and using the safest possible ingredients. And onto the next point… In order to maintain a consistent price point for our customers, we had to calculate an average cost per bottle. The range of the prices for component oils is staggering. Orange oil and rose otto are galaxies apart in price. In truth, there are some GCs and some LEs that we do lose money on, and some that make a significant profit. It evens out. I could calculate the precise cost to manufacture each bottle, but that would not only make the whole catalogue a pain in the fucking ass for our customers (we would have to calculate SAMPLE PRICES individually, too, ffs) but the prices themselves would fluctuate often because the market price for oils changes based on everything from the quality of a crop in a season to supply and demand. Frankly, we would go nuts, it would be an accounting shitswamp, and our customers would be incredibly frustrated. Better that we take a loss here and there and just price things on an average. How do we keep costs down? We don’t have a huge advertising budget, and our choices of advertising outlets and sponsorship programs reflect our feelings about working with and supporting other small businesses. We don't pay for celebrity endorsements or hire marketing firms to polish our image and push our products. We don't pay for placement in television or movie spots. We don’t have fancy packaging or ornate bottles. We print most of our labels in-house, and do all of our own ads. We are hands-on in every aspect of the work, from concept to customer service and shipping. Our prices are not elevated much above the cost to manufacture. We generate a living wage for us and for our employees and provide our staff with benefits like health and dental while keeping prices reasonable for our customers. And on and on and on… I saw some mention of corporate charity work, ours and others. I don’t want to go around slapping my ass over this in a fit of pride, but I do have something to say about it. Charity, to me, is a labor of love. It’s not something that should come easily, and it isn’t something done for props or for a tax deduction. I know a lot of corporations donate to charities out of compassion, kindness, and genuine altruism. I truly respect that. I am fiercely proud of all the work that we have done for the CBLDF, Red Cross, UNICEF, BatCon international, the Orangutan Foundation UK, Hero Initiative, AIDS Project LA, Habitat For Humanity, the SPCA, and other charitable organizations. We take a considerable financial hit every time we run a fundraiser or do a charity scent or series. It costs us far more during the scent creation process, especially since we do not outsource, than we are able to recuperate. In this economy, taking the profits off of the oils for the Haiti fundraiser is very hard on us, but we do it because we give a fuck, and because life is a shitty, shabby thing if you don’t use your good fortune to give back a little. Not being all We’re So Fucking Awesome, but we donated more to charity in 2008 and 2009 than my fucking salary. Like I said, I am damn proud of what we do to help others, and I am damn proud to be associated with individuals like Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, George Perez, and Molly Crabapple who are so giving of their time, their intellectual property, and their resources to promote charity and goodwill. I’m all about the tl;dr today. I know Black Phoenix isn’t for everyone. It isn’t meant to be. Black Phoenix is for… me. I don’t mean that in a selfish way, but it’s true. I do what I love because I love it and I do it the way I want to do it, period, and if someone doesn’t like it, that’s really ok. It doesn’t diminish the happiness I feel when I’m able to create things that I find beautiful, interesting, or disturbing based on concepts that move me. It thrills me more than I can say that there are other people out there that like what we do and that I’m able to share the things I love with them. But it is also fine with me when someone doesn't dig what I do. Have I covered everything? If not, I apologize. If I’m a little terse in this post, I apologize for that, too. I’m not keen on having my company’s integrity called into question. You can say you don’t like our stuff, you can snerk at how prolific we are, and you’re always welcome to dislike my choices in theme or the scents themselves. All that is ample fodder for derision, I suppose. But I won’t stand for shadows being cast over our shop’s integrity. I like being able to look in the mirror and respect the person I see there. I’m never going to intentionally do anything to jeopardize my own peace of mind or jeopardize the reputation of the good, hard working, honest people that are employed at Black Phoenix. We work too fucking hard for that. I want my daughter to be able to look at what her family does for a living and be proud. Now I’m going to back out of this thread because, in all honesty, I’m juggling a ton of work, problems arising from the absence of DSL access at the lab, and a toddler, and I don’t have the energy to do much else right now. The Little Demoness is demanding my attention, and I can’t keep the Queen of the Household waiting! (ETA -- VF, you're right. We don't test on animals, and we do everything we can to ensure that we never work with companies that test on animals.) (ETA -- I prefer cake to pie, but I'm split on the ninja / pirate issue.)

This year, Mother Shub was commissioned to create a confection to celebrate the mesmerizing, cosmic ardor of the Green, Sticky Spawn of the Stars. In collaboration with the merry cultists at ThinkGeek, she is thrilled to present the Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love: an amorphous mix of oppressive, piceous ritual incense, macerated kelp, sea salt, sticky dark ocean plants, and… mixed chocolates. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

As mentioned previously, we will be offering a selection of oils from our past trunk shows at some West Coast will calls. We’re getting started at this upcoming will call, and following will be at our North Hollywood location on January 30th: Blue Phoenix (proto) Dorian v3 Grand Guignol v4 Harvest Moon 2005 (Vintage) Harvest Moon 2006 (Vintage) Iron Phoenix (proto) Kelly Pool (Vintage) Kostnice (Vintage 2004) Litha (Vintage 2006) Melpomene (Vintage 2004) Monsterbait: Bloody Mary (Vintage) O v5 O v6 Playing With Dangerous Toys v2 PO13 Punkie Night 2006 (Vintage) RM Renfield (Vintage) Set v3 TKO v3 XCDL13 First come, first served while supplies last! Gotta move this schtuff!

Good afternoon, everyone! Posting from home because, as Kathy explained, the lines are down at the Lab. The phone lines are wet, effectively wiping out our DSL. We have called our telecommunications company, and they will not be able to come out for service until Thursday. Evidently there are eleventybillion connectivity problems in Los Angeles due to the rain and they are swamped. We are hoping our DSL will come back up on its own when Los Angeles dries out over the weekend. Until the DSL is working, we will not be able to answer customer service emails or ship. During this time we will be packing as unusual. We’ll keep you posted as the situation progresses! Thank you for understanding!

Love, lust, and tentacles are in the air at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab! To celebrate our favorite manufactured holiday, Valentine’s Day, we present a vast and varied selection of scents that are sure to please the most ardent romantic and the filthiest libertine. This is, in part, a dirtybird update. There are naughty words in the Limited Edition section, and naughty pictures in the Novel Ideas For Secret Amusements Salon exhibit. Please exercise discretion. But first… The following is a paid advertisement from the Miskatonic Valley Tourism Board: ++ THE MISKATONIC VALLEY IS FOR LOVERS! From the decaying waterfronts of Innsmouth to the sagging gambrel roofs and crumbling Georgian balustrades of Arkham, the Miskatonic Valley is a haven for lovers. This Valentine’s Day, take your sweetheart on a stroll through the Valley’s picturesque sites of natural beauty, including Billington’s Wood, Devil’s Reef, the sweeping Cliffs of Kingsport and Hangman’s Brook, or dine at one of our many fine upscale restaurants. The Strange High Bistro in the Mist carries a 93 point rating from the Blackwood Survey, and offers marvelous wines from the Zadok Allen Vineyard. Looking for something a little different? The curious cuisine and desolate view at the Steeple are sure to make an impression! In search of the perfect gift? The Miskatonic Valley has much to offer! Dreamy arrangements are the house specialty at Enchanted Wood Florist, and no Valentine’s Day is complete without a traditional box of chocolates from the Sugared She-Goat. Need something shiny to catch your mate’s eye? Bijou Y’ha-Nthlei and Inganok Jewelers are masters of their craft, and can outfit your loved one with everything from engagement rings to custom-made thousand-pronged blackened Nyarlathotopic atef crowns. Single? Visit Dark Aeons Matchmakers! Now offering speed dating every full moon! Love may be fleeting, but madness is forever! Arkham Sanitarium’s visiting hours have been extended for the holiday. Please phone the reception desk for details. This information has been provided by the Miskatonic Valley Tourism Board and the Miskatonic Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtagn! Promotional artwork provided by Miskatonic University's Professor Julie Dillon, DFA. BIJOUX Y'HA-NTHLEI Innsmouth, MA New England’s most exclusive jewelers since 1778. The Darlings first opened their shop in 1772 under the name Lower Innsmouth Ritual Implement and Fancy Goods Emporium, constructing sturdy household wares and cultists tools in their workshop and importing strange and fanciful items from all over the globe and points beyond. In 1777, Prudence Marsh, matriarch of the venerable Marsh family, came to the Darling twins with a request. She had obtained a sizable quantity of a strange metal alloy that her brother had acquired from an extraterrestrial ocean trench by mysterious means. She asked Absalom and Zephania Darling, twin brothers, favored disciples of Dagon, and youngest of the Darling clan—who happened to dabble in metalwork—if they could fashion a set of diadems for ceremonial use in a very important high festival honoring Mother Hydra. The brothers complied, and found that they had found that they had unparalleled natural skill with jewelry crafting, particularly with rare and strange materials. Within a generation, their graceful, fantastic, odd, and provocative bangles, bracelets, pendants, and tiaras were prized the world over by the most illustrious and nefarious princes and priests. To this day, Bijoux Y’ha-Nthlei is still family-owned and operated. Mathematically impossible, curiously irregular adornments fit to please the most discerning collector. A strangely proportioned, opulent, lustrous scent: neroli, Hawaiian ginger, white musk, tarragon, beeswax, heliotrope, yellow rose, oud, coriander, amber, and lime peel. ENCHANTED WOOD FLORIST Arkham, MA Unmatched artistry! Skilled in terrestrial, extra-terrestrial, and dreamscape floristry, these are the only artisans on Earth that are qualified to work with Moon-trees. Please note: the Enchanted Wood Florist will not deliver to any residence or place of business where cats are present. A burst of sweet, strange flowers, luminous Moon-tree sap, and ornamental grasses. THE GILMAN HOUSE HOTEL Innsmouth, MA The quintessential Valley vacation destination! With its distinctive bulging cupola pushing into the Massachusetts skyline, surrounded by gorgeous views of the majestic Manuxet River on the south and captivating swampland on the west, the Gilman House Hotel is an Innsmouth landmark. Built in 1750, this hotel is rich in Miskatonic Valley history, and is heralded as one of the Valley’s most romantic getaways. By day, sail with the croaking, baying entities that lurk in the wharves, then come back to your room and bask in the many amenities that the hotel has to offer. Rest under the watchful eye of the Sleeping God, stroll through the boggy, vaporous central gardens, or unwind with your partner at the Gilman’s House’s renowned 4-star spa, famous for its sea salt scrubs and unique tentacle massage. The Gilman House’s central location puts it easy reach of Innsmouth’s open confluence of streets, its bustling downtown area, and the wharves, and it is a hop, skip, and jump from the Innsmouth Colony for the Insane. Banquet, convention, and ritual space available! Musty, dilapidated furnishings, peeling paint, swamp gas, and decay. INGANOK JEWELERS Arkham, MA Are you looking for the perfect ring to express your everlasting love? How about an amulet representing your sweetheart’s devotion to Zo-Kalar, Hargag Ryonis, Tamash, or Nyarlathotep? Inganok Jewelers carries a vast selection of onyx jewelry, mined in Inganok, designed by the natives of Y'Pawfrm e'din Leng, and crafted by the skilled artisans of Celephaïs! Each piece is as unique as your last psychotic break! Gleaming stone and silver. THE STEEPLE Aylesbury, MA Specializing in mycological delights and housed in a converted church that was once dedicated to Saint Anthony the Abbot, this charming hideaway sits high atop Zaman’s Hill and boasts a lovely view of the abandoned village below. Otherworldly fungus, Provençal herbs, and dark, shadowy woods. THE SUGARED SHE-GOAT CHOCOLATIER Arkham, MA Maddeningly addictive! This Valentine’s Day, melt your lover’s heart, figuratively, with a gift from the Miskatonic Valley’s premiere boutique chocolatier! This season’s specialty truffles are handmade by subjugated monks from Ghatanothoa’s monestary at Mount Yaddith-Gho, under the watchful eye of Mother Shub’s high priests. Imported to Arkham from Mu, they are distributed exclusively through the Sugared She-Goat. Iä, Shub-Niggurath, the Malefic She-Goat of Many Sugary Treats! Please note: each truffle is sold separately. Specify which truffle/s you are requesting when ordering if remitting payment via PayPal. DARK CHOCOLATE AND KEY LIME TRUFFLE DARK CHOCOLATE, WHISKEY, AND COGNAC TRUFFLE MILK CHOCOLATE AND MATCHA GREEN TEA GANACHE TRUFFLE MILK CHOCOLATE, COCONUT, CARDAMOM, RUM, AND GINGER TRUFFLE WHITE CHOCOLATE, BLACK RASPBERRY, AND APRICOT CORDIAL TRUFFLE WHITE CHOCOLATE, STRAWBERRY, AND WHITE PEPPER TRUFFLE THE ZADOK ALLEN VINYARD Innsmouth, MA Ut Sementem Feceris Ita Metes. Founded by the Esoteric Order of Dagon, and named after the man encased within the foundation of the winery, this fertile bastion of haphazard viticulture has been providing superb wines to the Miskatonic Valley since 1927. The site of the vineyard has been used for hundreds of years as an abattoir, and this environment lends a peculiar and exceptional terroir to all their wines and liquors. Visitors are welcome to observe Fishmen priests engaged in pigeage once a month. Please contact the vineyard for information on this as well as their scheduled wine tasting events. A deep velvety Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of plum, black cherry, rose petals, coffee bean, and smoky oak. Barrel and bottle aged, with a smooth and spicy hit mid-palate. Hints of Dagon’s tarry black incense and clotted blood complete this well-rounded, robust indulgence. And now, back to your regularly scheduled update. Congratulations and be prosperous! METAL TIGER A new year's blessing! Peony, China's national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, orange for happiness, lychee for household peace, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, cypress for longevity, and peach fruit and hemp to represent the fourth phase of Wu Xing, with a splash of blazing red of dragon's blood... to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. To counterbalance last year’s Ode to Aphrodite, we present an Ode to her lover, the God of War: a series of eleven emboldening, strengthening, aggressive scents that embody dominance, power, conflict, vitality, wrath, vengeance, and sexual potency. The Ode was illustrated by the fearsome Jennifer Williamson. ++ ODE TO ARES AATOS POLEMOIO Insatiate of War Cedar, black currant, and saffron. ANDREIPHONTÊS Destroyer of Men Tonka, benzoin, black sandalwood, and nutmeg. BROTOLOIGOS Murderous Tobacco, wenge, rose geranium, and myrrh. ENKHESPALOS Spear-Wielding Elder wood, leather, blonde tobacco, and cognac. ENYALIOS Lord of War Patchouli, frankincense, olibanum, thyme, cocoa absolute, Peru balsam, oakmoss, and juniper. KHALKOKORUSTÊS Armed With Bronze Champaca, pear, cedar, black pepper, jasmine, and red sandalwood. KHRYSOPÊLÊX Helmed in Gold Caraway, amber, saffron, bergamot, and neroli. MIAIPHONOS Blood-Stained Clove, anise, mandarin, and cumin. RHINOTOROS Skin-Piercing Vetiver, patchouli, white pepper, and grapefruit. THOOS Swift Tangerine, cypress, and white musk. THOUROS Furious Rose otto, lychee, and cistus absolute. From the passion of war, we move to the passion of love and sexual gratification – plus a few paeans to onanism. As always, our offerings during this Season of Schtupping contain adult material, and by clicking through to view the images and purchase our products, you are agreeing that you are a dirty bird who is 18 or older, and that you are permitted by law to view suggestive imagery. Blessed Lupercalia, everyone! The Season of Schtupping is here! ++ LUPERCALIA 2010 ANACTORIA 2010 I feel thy blood against my blood; my pain Pains thee, and lips bruise lips, and vein stings vein. Let fruit be crushed on fruit, let flower on flower Breast kindle breast, and either burn one hour. Why wilt thou follow lesser loves? are thine Too weak to bear these hands and lips of mine? The scent of the throes of violent passion: entangled limbs, teeth on flesh, furiously grasping hands, the taste of blood and sweat. Golden amber, white honey, red currant, daemonorops, kush, and Arabian musk. LUPERCI 2010 Piss off, Saint Valentine! Lupercalia is an ancient Roman celebration, held on February 15th, that kicked in the advent of Spring with a very, very festive purification, fertility and sexuality ritual. The ritual began near the cave of Lupercal on the Palatine, an area sacred to Faunus, as well as Ruminia, Romulus and Remus. During Lupercalia, Vestal Virgins first made offerings of sacred cakes to the fig tree under which the she-wolf suckled the Sacred Twins. A dog and two goats were then offered in sacrifice to Faunus. The blood of the sacrifice was smeared onto two naked patrician youths, who were assisted by the Virgins, and the blood was wiped clean with sacred wool dipped in milk. The youths donned the skins of the sacrificial goats, wielding whips made from the goat skins, and then led the priests and the Virgins around the pomarium, and around the base hills of Rome. This was a ceremony of great happiness and merriment, and was of particular interest to young women: being touched by the goat-whips young men that led the procession ensured their fertility in the coming year. It is believed that, after the initial rite, male participants would draw the name of an available maiden, with whom he spent the rest of the night. This scent is for the Luperci, the Chosen of Faunus, the Brothers of the Wolf: raw, down and dirty patchouli, Gurjam balsam, and essence of Sampson Root sweetened with the heightened sexuality of beeswax, virile juniper, oakmoss, ambrette seed over honey and East African musk. OLISBOS As for old flames and lovers—they're none left. And since Milesians went against us, I've not seen a decent eight-fingered dildo. Yes, it's just leather, but it helps us out. The ancient Greeks sure weren’t shy about taking care of business. The port city of Miletus was once famed throughout the Mediterranean as a source of excellent stone, wood, and padded leather dildos. This scent is the celebration of an age-old pastime: polished wood, well-loved leather, and olive oil. THE PERFUMED GARDEN 2010 Under her neck my right hand Has served her for a cushion, And to draw her to me I have sent out my left hand, Which bore her up as a bed. The Perfumed Garden for the Soul's Recreation. This scent is based on a venerable Tunisian perfume that was used to excite the senses, inspire sensuality and inflame passion. Myrrh and Moroccan jasmine with apple peel, Indian sandalwood, myrtle, quince, citron, and thyme poured over soft musk. SAINT FOUTIN DE VARAILLES Echoing the worship of ancient fertility gods, some early Christians attributed the power to grant blessings of reproductive fruitfulness to Christian saints through accidents of folk-etymology. A syncretic saint of questionable origin, he is possibly the result of a merging of the deity Priapus, or Mutinus Mutunus, and the sainted, semi-mythical first bishop of Lyons, Ponthius, often pronounced Fontin by the common folk of France where his veneration was concentrated. Saint Foutin’s name is an amalgamation of Pothinus and the verb foutre, which means “to fuck”, effectively granting this saint the prerogatives and powers of his predecessor, Priapus. Saint Foutin was said to cure venereal diseases and other genital maladies, grant fruitfulness to women, and restore potency to men. Scrapings of stone from the groin of one of the saint's statues in France was said to cure all sexual ailments. At other shrines, offerings of wine were poured onto the saint’s penis, and worshippers molded ex votos in wax shaped to represent their afflicted body parts to leave in his care, either at the foot of his statue or hanging from the roof of his shrine. Beeswax, frankincense, dried rose petals, and a dribble of wine. SIGNIOR DILDO With thanks to Sir John Wilmot. This signior is sound, safe, ready, and dumb As ever was candle, carrot, or thumb; Then away with these nasty devices, and show How you rate the just merit of Signior Dildo. Count Cazzo, who carries his nose very high, In passion he swore his rival should die; Then shut himself up to let the world know Flesh and blood could not bear it from Signior Dildo. A rabble of pricks who were welcome before, Now finding the porter denied them the door, Maliciously waited his coming below And inhumanly fell on Signior Dildo. Nigh wearied out, the poor stranger did fly, And along the Pall Mall they followed full cry; The women concerned from every window Cried, 'For heaven's sake, save Signior Dildo.' The good Lady Sandys burst into a laughter To see how the ballocks came wobbling after, And had not their weight retarded the foe, Indeed't had gone hard with Signior Dildo. A scent of pearls and ivory: orris, violet leaf, narcissus, and Madagascar vanilla. SMUT 2010 After all these years, BPAL is smuttier than ever. Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. TWO LOVES I dreamed I stood upon a little hill, And at my feet there lay a ground, that seemed Like a waste garden, flowering at its will With buds and blossoms. There were pools that dreamed Black and unruffled; there were white lilies A few, and crocuses, and violets Purple or pale, snake-like fritillaries Scarce seen for the rank grass, and through green nets Blue eyes of shy peryenche winked in the sun. And there were curious flowers, before unknown, Flowers that were stained with moonlight, or with shades Of Nature's willful moods; and here a one That had drunk in the transitory tone Of one brief moment in a sunset; blades Of grass that in an hundred springs had been Slowly but exquisitely nurtured by the stars, And watered with the scented dew long cupped In lilies, that for rays of sun had seen Only God's glory, for never a sunrise mars The luminous air of Heaven. Beyond, abrupt, A grey stone wall. o'ergrown with velvet moss Uprose; and gazing I stood long, all mazed To see a place so strange, so sweet, so fair. And as I stood and marvelled, lo! across The garden came a youth; one hand he raised To shield him from the sun, his wind-tossed hair Was twined with flowers, and in his hand he bore A purple bunch of bursting grapes, his eyes Were clear as crystal, naked all was he, White as the snow on pathless mountains frore, Red were his lips as red wine-spilith that dyes A marble floor, his brow chalcedony. And he came near me, with his lips uncurled And kind, and caught my hand and kissed my mouth, And gave me grapes to eat, and said, 'Sweet friend, Come I will show thee shadows of the world And images of life. See from the South Comes the pale pageant that hath never an end.' And lo! within the garden of my dream I saw two walking on a shining plain Of golden light. The one did joyous seem And fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain Came from his lips; he sang of pretty maids And joyous love of comely girl and boy, His eyes were bright, and 'mid the dancing blades Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy; And in his hand he held an ivory lute With strings of gold that were as maidens' hair, And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute, And round his neck three chains of roses were. But he that was his comrade walked aside; He was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes Were strange with wondrous brightness, staring wide With gazing; and he sighed with many sighs That moved me, and his cheeks were wan and white Like pallid lilies, and his lips were red Like poppies, and his hands he clenched tight, And yet again unclenched, and his head Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of death. A purple robe he wore, o'erwrought in gold With the device of a great snake, whose breath Was fiery flame: which when I did behold I fell a-weeping, and I cried, 'Sweet youth, Tell me why, sad and sighing, thou dost rove These pleasent realms? I pray thee speak me sooth What is thy name?' He said, 'My name is Love.' Then straight the first did turn himself to me And cried, 'He lieth, for his name is Shame, But I am Love, and I was wont to be Alone in this fair garden, till he came Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame.' Then sighing, said the other, 'Have thy will, I am the love that dare not speak its name.' Love beyond reach: sunset tones of amber, red musk, and blood orange with three chains of roses, velvet moss, white lilies, crocuses, violets, poppies, blue musk, neroli, angel's trumpet, frankincense, benzoin, and night-blooming flowers. WOMB FURIE In the middle of the flanks of women lies the womb, a female viscus, closely resembling an animal; for it is moved of itself hither and thither in the flanks, also upwards in a direct line to below the cartilage of the thorax and also obliquely to the right or to the left, either to the liver or spleen; and it likewise is subject to falling downwards, and, in a word, it is altogether erratic. It delights, also, in fragrant smells, and advances towards them; and it has an aversion to fetid smells, and flees from them; and on the whole the womb is like an animal within an animal. -- Aretaeus the Cappadocian Oh, that wily womb! Hippocrates and his followers considered the womb a mobile creature, causing mayhem as it writhed its way through a woman’s body. Sometimes this ornery organ, due to lack of sexual activity, would create conflicts within a woman’s system or would become blocked itself, causing anxiety, nervousness, water retention, and sleeplessness. With the assistance of doctors, nursemaids, hand tools, or, occasionally, self-manipulation, this vexing condition could be alleviated through hysterical paroxysms. Or, as we call it nowadays: orgasm. An itch that needs to be scratched: Snake Oil and three types of honey. Keep on scratching those itches with our third installment of Novel Ideas For Secret Amusements: Lupercalia, Metal Tiger, Iteru, Yule and Miskatonic Valley scents are $17.50 each, and the Anniversary, Resurrected, and Shunga scents are $20 each. The Anniversary and Yule scents will be live until February 2, 2010. Metal Tiger, The Lupercalias, Ode to Ares, and Valentine's Day in the Miskatonic Valley will be live until March 31, 2010. The Shungas will be live until April 30, 2010. They are the Pictures of Spring, after all. The Dark Delicacies / Black Phoenix Valentine’s Day scents are live on the Dark Delicacies web site, and are also available at their brick and mortar shop in Burbank, CA! Black Lace, Black Heart, and Black Death are all vastly different but utterly complementary scents. They can be worn alone, or layered with one another seamlessly. BLACK HEART Sweet pea, vanilla-infused sandalwood, bourbon vanilla, white honey, carnation, pomegranate, Vitis riparia, plum, and cognac. BLACK DEATH East African patchouli, bay, tobacco, golden amber, blackened sandalwood, orange peel, lemon verbena, clove, and a touch of lime. Adorably spooky label artwork by Manda Lander! Dark Delicacies 4213 W. Burbank Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 888-DARKDEL We are also thrilled to present Black Phoenix collaborations with the Mütter Museum and Space15Twenty! The Mütter Museum was founded to educate future doctors about anatomy and human medical anomalies. Today, it serves as a valuable resource for educating and enlightening the public about our medical past and telling important stories about what it means to be human. The Mütter Museum embodies the College of Physicians of Philadelphia's mission to advance the cause of health, and uphold the ideals and heritage of medicine. Their one-of-a-kind treasures include: The plaster cast of the torso of world-famous Siamese Twins, Chang & Eng, and their conjoined livers Joseph Hyrtl's collection of skulls Preserved body of the "Soap Lady" Collection of 2,000 objects extracted from people's throats Cancerous growth removed from President Grover Cleveland Tallest skeleton on display in North America The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Mütter Museum 19 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19103. The Mütter Museum is carrying Ü in their store. Created for the Mütter Museum by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, this scent is a mélange of balsams, leathers, and raw vanilla designed to evoke images of unearthed secrets and dusty, ancient libraries. Located in Los Angeles, Space 15 Twenty is a unique retail setting, which creates an opportunity for Urban Outfitters to collaborate with creative brands that they find inspiring and interesting. Within the 12,690 square foot Urban Outfitters store, they showcase distinctive designers with a new pop-up shop every month. Each store is connected by an outdoor courtyard, which includes a performance space and adjacent gallery, both of which encourage participation in the curated environment. Aligning with local music, film and art venues, the courtyard and gallery present a rotating cast of musicians and artists. Space15Twenty 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028 Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has created two scents exclusively for Space15Twenty: Sweet Life, a luxurious blend of gardenia, pikaki, ylang ylang, and Casablanca lily, and Banshee Beat, a tousled, sexy mix of patchouli, vanilla, and hemp. Due to component issues, Loviatar is being discontinued, effective immediately. We apologize for the suddenness of this pull, but we have no choice. Please accept our sincerest apologies! Once component issues stabilize, we will be able to confidently resume work on the general catalogue. General catalogue projects will be released once we’re sure that any component issues are stable. Thank you for your patience during this challenging time! And last, but certainly not least -- the Black Phoenix Trading Post anniversary update is coming soon! Happiest of Happy Schtupping Days!

Two Valentine's Day scents are live now on the Dark Delicacies web site! Created for Dark Delicacies by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab! Black Lace, Black Heart, and Black Death are all vastly different but utterly complementary scents. They can be worn alone, or layered with one another seamlessly. Black Heart Sweet pea, vanilla-infused sandalwood, bourbon vanilla, white honey, carnation, pomegranate, Vitis riparia, plum, and cognac. Black Death East African patchouli, bay, tobacco, golden amber, blackened sandalwood, orange peel, lemon verbena, clove, and a touch of lime. Adorably spooky label artwork by Manda Lander!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab will be adding proceeds from all January sales of the Orisha blends (in the Excolo category) to the Red Cross fund. The following scents apply: Elegba Obatala Ochosi Ogun Olokun Osun Oya Shango Yemaya This is in addition to the proceeds from January sales of Port-Au-Prince. The auctions for the bottles of Abe Sapien that have been signed by Doug Jones will resume this week. We will post details as soon as they are available.

Today, a devastating 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti ten miles west of Port-Au-Prince. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab will be donating proceeds from all of January’s Port-Au-Prince sales to the Red Cross, and Black Phoenix Trading Post will be donating proceeds from all general catalogue bath oil sales to UNICEF. You can help, too: AMERICAN RED CROSS INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE FUND UNICEF

.details here.

The Blue Moon will soon be high in the sky, and to celebrate we are presenting the second Blue Moon scent of the month. This one was created by Brian Constantine, and the emphasis is on the moon’s influences on the mysteries of the dreamscape. BLUE MOON 2009: BRIAN'S CREATION 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... Yarrow, for divination through dreams... Styrax and frankincense, for wisdom and noscere... ... with a potent lunar-charged, oneirongenic blend of tolu balsam, moonflower, white musk, delicate woods, star anise, Florentine iris, Clary sage, Roman chamomile, Greek cypress, juniper berry, night-blooming cereus, and a touch of cardamom. This fragrance has been infused with Neptune's pine and grains of paradise to help part veils and spark the imagination. This year, we have two interpretations of Blue Moon. This is Brian’s Moon. This scent is $17.50, and will be live until January 2, 2010. The Anniversary and Yule blends will come down about a week after Lupercalia goes live. Dates TBA. We hope that the blue moon will be a harbinger of amazing, wondrous things to come for all of you – and all of us! -- in this new year, and that 2010 is overflowing with joy, bursting with good fortune, punctuated by moments of true peace and tranquility… and that it contains just enough filthiness to make things interesting! Happy New Year, everyone! (Is that howling I hear coming from the nursery? How odd.)