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Everything posted by kebechet
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We’re going to call this the Bastille Update (thank you, Jeff!). For a limited time, the following scent will be available on our Limited Edition page: PRIVILEGE Polished party-girl sleaze. This is a shameless scent, devoid of caution, regret, or introspection. This perfume reeks of tabloid glamour, and has no substance whatsoever. Armoise, tuberose, white citrus, rose absolute, oakmoss, tiare, vanilla, linden, and lemon tree blossom. Although this scent originated with fine plants and the pure essences, the final result is a grotesque, eerily empty caricature of a debauched, narcissistic would-be debutante. PRUNO Jailhouse hooch. Distilled in toilets, this vintage is comprised of chow line droppings, including oranges, apples, ketchup, and sugar. - - - Is it cruel to commemorate someone’s jail sentence with a festive set of fragrances? Maybe. But it is far fouler to drive drunk, endanger the lives of others, and expect to get away with it because your family has cash. It is our opinion that everyone should be held accountable for their actions. Period. These scents will be live for as long as Paris Hilton stays in jail. Money shouldn’t exempt you from basic human decency, and it certainly shouldn’t shelter you from justice. We’re not fooled by your brand new Bible, your pottery, or your practiced penitent pout, Miss Paris. Besides, you’re a resourceful girl. Or, at least, you have a resourceful PR rep. We’re sure you’ll find a way to turn this to your advantage. Memoirs from the Big House, perhaps? (By the way… Candy Spelling, we love you!) In addition to being a celebration of one irresponsible, horrid person’s comeuppance, these scents do go to a good cause… albeit, in BPAL’s crass, snotty fashion. A portion of each sale of Privilege and Pruno will be donated to Southern California women’s shelters. In the interests of privacy and at least a sliver of good taste, the specific shelters are staying under a veil of anonymity. We hope you understand.
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It’s the Blue Moon, boys and girls! BLUE MOON The spirit of the full moon is capricious, intense and passionate, yet still distant, aloof and cold. Luna herself governs glamours, bewitchments and dream-work, innocent wonder, transient pleasure and delight, the Moment, impulse, mystery and veils. The Blue Moon is one of her rarest manifestations, and this scent is formulated to encapsulate her most complex and profound nature: Mugwort and bay, for psychic sensitivity… Juniper, for divination through dreams… Orchid and galbanum, for complexity, wisdom and noscere… … with a potent lunar-charged blend of exquisite Asian woods, moonflower, Madagascan ylang ylang, Florentine iris, Greek cypress, davana, green tea absolute, palmarosa, cucumber, Clary sage, melilot trefoils, wood aloes, and pale creeping buttercup. July’s thunderstorms are the harbinger of this month’s Lunacy scent: Thunder Moon. THUNDER MOON This is the scent of a summer storm: thick black clouds pass over this full moon, the Goddess roars, and Her Beloved hurls his forked bolts of lightning in the distant sky. Ozone deepened by liquid amber, and a spray of hot nighttime rain mingled with the scent of lightning-struck wood, water-soaked summer blooms, and sun-scorched grass. And this month’s shapeshifter comes to us from Scotland, by way of Norway: SELKIE In Norway land there lived a maid, 'Hush bee loo lillie' this maid began; 'I know not where my baby's father is, Whether by land or sea he does travel in.' It happened on a certain day When this fair lady fell fast asleep, That in cam' a good greay selchie And set him down at her bed feet, Sayin' 'Awak, awak, my pretty maid, For oh, how sound as thou dost sleep! An' I'll tell thee where thy baby's father is- He's sittin' close at thy bed feet!' 'I pray, come tell to me thy name, Oh, tell me where does thy dwelling be?' 'My name it is good Hein Mailer An' I earn my livin' oot o' the sea. I am a man upo' the land, I am a selchie in the sea, And when I'm far frae every strand My dwellin' is in Sule Skerrie.' 'Alas, alas, this woeful fate!- This weary fate that's been laid for me, That a man should come from the Wast o' Hoy To the Norway lands to have a bairn wi' me!' 'My dear, I'll wed thee with a ring, With a ring, my dear, I'll wed with thee.' 'Thoo may go wed thee weddens wi' whom thoo wilt, For I'm sure thoo'll never wed none wi' me!' 'Thoo wilt nurse my little wee son For seven long years upo' thy knee, An' at the end o' seven long years I'll come back and pay the norish fee.' Now he had ta'en a purse of guld And he has put it upon her knee, Saying 'Gi'e to me my little young son, And take thee up thy nourrice fee.' She says 'My dear, I'll wed thee wi' a ring, Wi' a ring, my dear, I'll wed wi' thee!' Thoo may go wed these [thee's] weddens wi' whom thoo wilt, For I'm sure thoo'll never wed none wi' me! But I'll put a gold chain around his neck An' a gey good gold chain it'll be, That if ever he comes to the Norway lands Thoo may have a gey good guess on he, An' thoo will get a gunner good, An' a gey good gunner it will be, An' he'll gae oot on a May mornin' An' shoot the son an' the grey selchie.' Oh, she has got a gunner good, An' a gey good gunner it was he, An' he went out on a May mornin' An' he shot the son and the grey selchie. Alas, alas this woeful fate This weary fate that's been laid for me.' And once or twice she sobbed and sighed, An' her tender heart did brak' in three. The chill waters of the Orkney coast, tea-leaved willow, honey-touched Grass-of-Parnassus, sea aster, and Scottish Primrose. -- A traditional Scottish ballad. This is a variant of the one collected by Francis James Child. Happy birthday, Moonchildren! CANCER Cardinal Water: the essence of feeling. Wild lettuce, wild pear, chamomile, germanica orris, sweet pea, and mallow. Midsummer is approaching, and with it comes a small Midsummer Night’s Dream-themed update! ++ ILLYRIA HELENA I'll follow thee and make a heaven of hell, To die upon the hand I love so well. Rose amber, calla lily, night-blooming jasmine, water lily, and white rose. HERMIA How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak; How low am I? I am not yet so low But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes. Pink pepper, golden amber, honeysuckle, and passion flower. LYSANDER The course of true love never did run smooth. Lilac musk, tonka, wood violet, and urbane lime rind, with a Venus-kissed tangle of myrtle, blackberry leaf, and benzoin. ROBIN GOODFELLOW Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon; Whilst the heavy ploughman snores, All with weary task fordone. Now the wasted brands do glow, Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud, Puts the wretch that lies in woe In remembrance of a shroud. Now it is the time of night That the graves all gaping wide, Every one lets forth his sprite, In the church-way paths to glide: And we fairies, that do run By the triple Hecate's team, From the presence of the sun, Following darkness like a dream, Now are frolic: not a mouse Shall disturb this hallow'd house: I am sent with broom before, To sweep the dust behind the door. Dark musk, moss-covered wood, ragwort, heather, and sage. And a few new Shakesperean plants have bloomed in the Garden: ++ RAPPACCINI’S GARDEN DIAN’S BUD Be as thou wast wont to be; See as thou wast wont to see: Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower Hath such force and blessed power. LOVE-IN-IDLENESS Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before, milk-white, now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it love-in-idleness. The Thunder Moon update will be live at Black Phoenix Trading Post tomorrow night. This update, unfortunately, also marks the passing of the following scents: ARACHNE DUBLIN EMPYREAL MIST MANTIS NEO-TOKYO We absolutely hate doing so with zero notice, but we have no choice. Due to a grave emergency, one of our single note artists has closed their doors, and we are unable to procure some of the components that go into these blends elsewhere. All pending orders placed prior to this update will be filled, but we will no longer be manufacturing these scents. Thank you all so much for understanding. We wish them all the best during this trying time. We are currently working on the next Carousel and Carnaval updates, and new soaps, unguents, and tchotchkies will be available at BPTP soon!
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We're in communication now. =)
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I've seen that, and at this time, we have still received nothing. Not on my email, not on our customer service email, nowhere. We aren't experiencing any server issues at this time, so I honestly don't think there's any lost communication. We found, after some sleuthing, an email at which to contact her. We wouldn't know about this issue at all if I hadn't been pm'd by other (uninvolved) members on the board about this. At the end of the day, I'm sure everyone will hold hands and sing Kumbaya. We always work our hardest to solve problems to everyone's satisfaction when they arise. I'm not going to be back from vending until late tonight, so hopefully the excitement stays to a minimum until I at least get back to my room and get my shoes off.
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In something of a rush, as I need to get downstairs to vending. Sorry if this is a little hurried. When Macha made the labels, the information she gleaned about the image used was that it was a public domain photo. We are now finding out that the information she was given about the photo that was used could have been erroneous, and we are working to rectify the situation. As most of you know, we are extremely diligent about all copyright and trademark issues, but it looks like we, and our art department, were snookered by false information. =/ The owner of Sunkist, who we believe may be the actual snake in the photo, has not contacted anyone at the Lab at all, and we are having some trouble at the moment making contact with this person, as the bulk of us are in Portland, and we have a limited opportunity to chase someone down that is presenting this issue through public posts scattered to the four winds, instead of emailing us. Or at least sending one of us a PM. Since this problem came to light, Macha is redoing all the labels for the series. If we were presented with false information with regards to one snake, there is a chance that there are more that may be compromised. Check out my run-on sentences! Gotta go. I'm really, really late.
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The Phoenix Parade Portland: Friday, May 25th 4pm The Phoenix Parade Friday, May 25th - 4 PM - FREE The Someday Lounge 125 NW 5th Ave, Portland NO COVER Doors open at 3:30pm A phenomenal fashion event including the following artists: KAMBRIEL http://www.kambriel.com/ ARSENIC FASHIONS http://www.arsenicfashions.com/ TO DIE FOR DESIGNS http://www.todiefordesigns.com/ ORIGINAL SIN http://www.originalsindesign.com/ THREE CROWS TEXTILES http://www.myspace.com/threecrowstextiles MANGE LA MODE http://www.mangelamode.com/ ART OF ADORNMENT http://www.artofadornment.ca/ DARK INDUSTRY http://www.darkindustryclothing.com/ Photography by Mbarrick, Icarusfell and Circle 23 There are going to be multiple DJ's (TBA) who will be spinning 80's ghoulie tunes, and a classical vocal performance! http://anneaphasia.bottle-imp.com/ We’ll be popping in and out during the event. =) If you can, please come by and support these amazing designers! For more information: http://community.livejournal.com/phoenix_parade/ http://www.somedaylounge.com/
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As of May 14, 2007, the USPS has skyrocketed their international shipping prices through the damned roof. Accordingly, we have had to make adjustments to our international shipping grid. This is the new scale, using the examples from our FAQ page. The rescaled shipping for international orders is thus: One 5ml = 1 item Twelve imps = 1 item If you purchase 12 items or less (in any combination of imps and 5mls), these are the shipping rates: $11 to Canada $13 to Western Europe & Australasia If you live outside these areas, or are placing an order larger than 12 items, please email us for rates. DOMESTIC Orders totaling up to $150.00: $6.50 …up to $300.00: $11.00 …up to $500.00: $13.00 Shipping costs will be waived for all orders over $500.00. If you live outside of Canada, Western Europe, or Australasia or if you need a shipping quote above and beyond what's listed here, please email customer service with your order [so that we can approximate the weight and figure out specific shipping costs] and she will get back to you as quickly as possible. All prices are in US dollars, and thus: all payments must be made using US dollars. I know this fucking sucks, and over the next few weeks, we're going to try our hardest to find a solution, but in the meantime, we've got to rescale. =/ Edited: Halloween Update 2007
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BPAL Spring Cleaning spills out all over eBay! http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZblackphoe...chemylabQQhtZ-1 The warehouse is in dire need of a spring cleaning, so, over the next few months, we’re going to be auctioning like crazy. We’re starting with our old decanting bottles: - - - BLACK PHOENIX MEMENTO 4OZ PERFUME BOTTLE ONE-OF-A-KIND Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Memento Decanting Bottle Not at all New, Very Used, and Straight from the Lab Truly OOAK! This type of bottle was used to store larger amounts of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oils within our warehouse from 2001-2005. We hand-blended the oil into the 4oz bottles, then decanted from them into the imps, 5ml, and 10ml bottles that we sold to the public. They mean a lot to us, as they are memorabilia from the initial growing years, and all the growing pains, joys, and excitement that we went through during that time. We’d rather that these bottles went into loving hands, instead of just sitting in a dark box in the back of our warehouse. PLEASE NOTE: These bottles DO NOT contain 4oz of perfume oil. They each contain somewhere between four and five ml of perfume oil. These are 4oz bottles, most with handwritten labels. Some have been mod-podged on, some haven’t. Some have silly doodles and deliberate misspellings – goofy work-related jokes. Some have ridiculous colored stars on them; we used those as specific coding notes sometimes, and sometimes we just like putting stars on things. Some are blue, some are amber. They're smeared, smudged, oil-stained, and generally goobery. The bottles will come to you with a black screw-top phenolic cap, and approximately 5ml’s of fresh perfume oil. The cap is new. We used glass pipettes with the bottles while they were in the Lab. In the interest of ensuring safe travel for these puppies, the pipettes have been discarded. We’re keeping the ones with the strongest sentimental value, and some are hanging out in BPAL's front room, but in order to pay for the research and development of new scents, we’re auctioning off the rest of these bottles. - - - We’ll be auctioning them off little by little, along with gobs of oils on dutch auctions and the like. We have an enormous amount of perfume, limited editions and discontinued scents, that have been sitting in the warehouse, unloved, gathering dust. While we usually put most of our single-shot auction proceeds towards charities, the 4oz bottle and LE/discont dutch auctions will be going back into the Lab. Running a business ain’t cheap, and, truth be told, it is a kamikaze venture in the state of California. These particular auctions will be going back into R&D and daily operations so that we may continue to provide you with new pleasures.
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Another mini-update on the update! The correct LE page with Gemini tanked. Fixing it now. =)
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Thank you for your patience. =D
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Due to unforeseen demand, we are backordered on Tokyo Stomp until Monday. Thank you for your patience!
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CcNow doesn't seem to like some of our skus. =P As soon as we can, we're going to try and fix all the errant ones.
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Happy Friday the 13th, ladies and gents! We have a small update tonight, and, for the first time, we’re extending the “live” time for 13. It will be up on the site until midnight on the dreaded 15th of April in a small gesture intended to cheer some people up at tax time! Milk Moon, Minotaur, and Taurus are also getting a slightly extended stay, and will be live until 13 comes down. And now, on with the show: 13 13 is significant, whether you consider it lucky, unlucky or just plain odd. Many believe it to be unfortunate… … because there were 13 present at the Last Supper. … Loki crashed a party of 12 at Valhalla, which ended in Baldur’s death. … Oinomaos killed 13 of Hippodamia’s suitors before Pelops finally, in his own shady way, defeated the jealous king. … In ancient Rome, Hecate’s witches gathered in groups of 12, the Goddess herself being the 13th in the coven. Concern over the number thirteen echoes back beyond the Christian era. Line 13 was omitted form the Code of Hammurabi. The shivers over Friday the 13th also have some interesting origins: … Christ was allegedly crucified on Friday the 13th. … On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and sixty of his senior knights. … In British custom, hangings were held on Fridays, and there were 13 steps on the gallows leading to the noose. To combat the superstition, Robert Ingersoll and the Thirteen Club held thirteen-men dinners during the 19th Century. Successful? Hardly. The number still invokes trepidation to this day. A recent whimsical little serial killer study showed that the following murderers all have names that total thirteen letters: Theodore Bundy Jeffrey Dahmer Albert De Salvo John Wayne Gacy And, with a little stretch of the imagination, you can also fit ‘Jack the Ripper’ and ‘Charles Manson’ into that equation. More current-era paranoia: modern schoolchildren stop their memorization of the multiplication tables at 12. There were 13 Plutonium slugs in the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Apollo 13 wasn’t exactly the most successful space mission. All of these are things that modern triskaidekaphobes point to when justifying their fears. For some, 13 is an extremely fortuitous and auspicious number… … In Jewish tradition, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy. Also, there were 13 tribes of Israel, 13 principles of Jewish faith, and 13 is considered the age of maturity. … The ancient Egyptians believed that there were 12 stages of spiritual achievement in this lifetime, and a 13th beyond death. … The word for thirteen, in Chinese, sounds much like the word which means “must be alive”. Thirteen, whether you love it or loathe it, is a pretty cool number all around. … In some theories of relativity, there are 13 dimensions. … It is a prime number, lucky number, star number, Wilson Prime, and Fibonacci number. … There are 13 Archimedean solids. AND… … There were 13 original colonies when the United States were founded. Says a lot about the US, doesn’t it? A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits: cardamom, fig meat, grains of paradise, rice flower, chamomile, sandalwood, catnip, clove, and a bundle of five blessed blossoms and herbs. BAD LUCK WOMAN BLUES Did you ever have a bad luck woman on your trail? Did you ever have a bad luck woman on your trail? Always keeps you broke, always keeps you in jail. I used to be happy, (as good Lord), all the time, I used to be happy, (as good Lord), all the time, but soon as I got this woman, (lost) all I can call mine. My bad luck woman is a jinx and a worry too, My bad luck woman is a jinx and a worry too, I can't get rid of her no matter what I do. I tried to make her quit me by callin' another woman's name, I tried to make her quit me by callin' another woman's name, She said, That is all right, he loves me just the same. She keeps a ra't's foot in her hand at night when she goes to sleep, She keeps a ra't's foot in her hand at night when she goes to sleep, to keep (me with) her, so I won't make no midnight creep. My bad luck woman keeps me feelin' blues, My bad luck woman keeps me feelin' blues, I can't get rid of her, she sticks to me like glue. Keep that bad luck woman away with a blend of Spanish moss, black pepper, mullein, sweet sage, vandal root, cypress, cigar tobacco, and a puff of goofer dust cloaked by a swarthy cologne of vetiver, lime, dark musk, caramel accord, and lilac. LADY LUCK BLUES Bad luck has come to stay Trouble never end My man has gone away With a girl I thought was my friend I'm worried down with care Lordy, can't you hear my prayer Lady Luck, Lady Luck Won't you please smile down on me There's the time, friend of mine I need your sympathy I've got a horseshoe on my door I've knocked on wood till my hands are sore Since my man's done turned me loose I've got those Lady Luck blues, I mean I've got those Lady Luck blues Lady Luck, Lady Luck Won't you please smile down on me There's the time, friend of mine I need your sympathy I've got his picture turned upside down I've sprinkled goofer dust all around Since my man is gone I'm all confused I've got those Lady Luck blues Find my good man I've got those Lady Luck blues Lady Luck, please smile down on me. A melancholy scent, aching with longing, created to appease Fickle Fortune. Honeyed Bulgarian rose, vanilla flower, benzoin, tonka, black plum, peony, and iris. Lady Luck Blues, © 1923 William Weber & Clarence Williams. Recorded by Sidney Bechet, Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, and the Clarence Williams Orchestra. Bad Luck Woman Blues, © 1926 Aletha Dickerson. Recorded by Papa Charlie Jackson. This weekend will see a Black Phoenix Trading Post update. Please keep your eyes peeled! May crickets chirp in your homes, may four-leafed clovers fill your gardens, and may every chimney sweep that you pass blow you a hundred kisses.
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They're holding a contest, and BPAL is the prize. =) http://www.shojobeat.com/reliccontest/ http://www.shojobeat.com/style/22/010.php
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April is looming, and that means its time to hunt the gowk at BPAL, so to speak. Happy April Fool’s Day, friends and neighbors! To commemorate, we have a slew of springtime sillyscents in addition to this month’s Lunacies. ++ LIMITED EDITION: LUNACY MILK MOON 2007 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. A fertile scent, generous, life-affirming, and swelling with a sense of triumph, warmth, and abundance: sweet milk, golden honey, fig fruit, pomegranate, dates, and white grape. MINOTAUR The Bull of Minos, guardian of the Labyrinth in Knossos. A deep, swarthy black musk dusted by a dark, resinous blend of sacred bisabol myrrh, atramentous benzoin, tsori, balsam, and galbanum. ++ LIMITED EDITION: SUSPICIENDO DESPICIO TAURUS 2007 Fixed Earth: the essence of possession. Rose, daisy, apple blossom, violet, poppy, columbine, thyme, and mint. ++ LIMITED EDITION: APRIL FOOLS POISSON D'AVRIL Not at all fishy; rather, quite Springy! Innocence spiked with a little bit of foolishness: Lenten rose, crested iris, Virginia bluebell, primrose, moss phlox, blue crocus, daffodil, and dewy tulip with a touch of sugar blossom and honey. And while we're on the topic of April Foolishness... the Monster Baits are back! In 2006, Black Phoenix presented the public with the opportunity to reconnect our clients with their childhood friends… A flashback: Did your bedroom monsters vacate the premises once you hit puberty? Do you miss their creepy scrabblings, chittering whispers and their bits that went bump in the night? DO YOU WANT YOUR MONSTERS TO COME BACK? LOOK NO FURTHER! The sympathetic alchemists at Black Phoenix have devised a sure-fire way to tempt those prodigal bogies back into your boudoir. A few drops of BPAL’s patented Monster Bait on your person, in an oil burner, or on a small sachet or swatch of cloth will lure them back in no time. Now, in 2007, we are overjoyed to present you with another series of Monster Baits! Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, our ability to attract monsters is no longer limited to the confines of your shadowy bedroom. Advances in science have enabled us to expand our oils’ ability to coax even more beasties, both great and small! MONSTER BAIT: TOKYO STOMP Beckons all giant creatures from gargantuan reptiles and humongous moths! These babies are sure to crush everything from dollhouses to shopping malls! Can even be used to summon colossal robots in a pinch! A sweet and crisp vanilla mint! MONSTER BAIT: VENTRILOQUIST DUMMY Menacing, maniacal, and slick with the one-liners … this guy does it all with a wink and a smile! Savage apricot, depraved dry woods, and psychopathic patchouli covered by a disarmingly sweet mishmosh of caramel, brown sugar, hazelnut, and butterscotch. Be warned: this oil will instigate possession in most puppets, including some marionettes and the occasional finger puppet. And last, but not least… a ghoulish lure that is Perfect for your next gathering! MONSTER BAIT: BLOODY MARY Why waste time chanting her name in the mirror 13 times? Bedevil your next slumber party the easy way! Chunky, glistening red fruits with sweet cream accord, black clotted cherry, and powdered sugar! Nighttime heebies can be yours again! Milk Moon, Minotaur, and Taurus will be live until April 5, 2007. The Monster Baits and Poisson D'Avril will be live until April 30, 2007. Spring is springing, and it sure as hell is a stimulus for creativity and bustling work in every facet of the Black Phoenix family. Upcoming in the next few months: We visit Lower Tadfield. We read you a few bedtime stories and moral parables. Another wing opens in the Salon. Offerings will be made at Excolo’s shrines. And we continue our trip through Carnaval Diabolique twisted, spectral midway. Our sister shop, Black Phoenix Trading Post, is incredibly proud to present a stunning interpretation of Milk Moon by our beloved Jennifer Williamson. This beautiful tee will be live until April 3, 2007. A wee bit more Trading Post news: FizzyBOOMs have been discontinued until further notice. As much as we love them, the little buggers are just smooshing too often in transit. They will be down for a bit while we work out the shipping kinks. Thank you for your patience and understanding! We'll keep you posted on the boom status! Do not despair, however, as new soaps, new shiny things, and new incarnations of bathtime joy are all in the works, in addition to solid perfume, ambience blends, and new garment designs.
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We topped one million unique hits today.
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Before I get started on anything else… Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett have graciously given us their permission to use Good Omens as a source of inspiration for a line of perfume. Half of the proceeds will go to the CBLDF and the other half will go to the Orangutan Foundation International. All hail Neil and Terry!!! BPAL LOVES NEIL AND TERRY!!!!! We are in the process of finalizing the first burst of scents. We’ll keep you posted! Gleeful, crazy screams of love to Penn Jillette for mentioning us a couple of times on Penn Radio. Thank you! We love you, Penn! Pink Moon is the first full moon of Spring, and, indeed, spring is rearing its flowery head at Black Phoenix. The most adorable Lunacy tee EVAH is live at Black Phoenix Trading Post. And, at BPAL, the first LE’s of the season: ++ LIMITED EDITION ARIES March 21 – April 19 Cardinal fire: the essence of identity. Black pepper, honeysuckle, opoponax, dragon’s blood, and wild ginger. THE IDES OF MARCH 2007 The Ides marked an auspicious time in the Roman calendar. Depending on the month in question, the Ides fell on the thirteenth or fifteenth, and usually marked the Full Moon. As we all know, it was not an auspicious day for Julius Caesar, nor was it fortuitous for H.P. Lovecraft, who also met his maker on this infamous day. Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi! A mixture of springtime greenery and classical Roman cologne: rosemary, bergamot, lemon rind and vervain with costus, benzoin, gray amber, cardamom, white narcissus and iris. OSTARA The Vernal Equinox. Also called Alban Eilir and the Festival of Trees. At this time, we welcome the reawakening of the Earth after winter’s long sleep. Sap flows, flowers bud, the world itself is exuberant, and the vitality of the universe’s life-force is palpable. This is a day of rebirth, but it is also a day of balance. Equal parts masculine and feminine, light and dark, mercy and severity, surrender and contemplation. Our springtime celebratory perfume is crafted with orris root, bergamot, frankincense, daffodil, orange pulp, attar of rose, jonquil, strawberry leaf, benzoin, violet leaf, copal, honey cakes, sweet cream, and the blossoms of springtime. PINK MOON A sweet and silly compliment to the first breath of Spring! Sugared carnation and phlox! ROUX-GA-ROUX Just in time for Lent, cher! A native of Louisiana, this Cajun lycanthrope stalks the swamps, forests, and fields of Acadiana and New Orleans in search of prey. It is believed that if one breaks Lent by failing to give alms, fast, or pray for seven years in a row, she will be God-cursed, and will transform into this snarling beast at every sunset, a slave to her desperate, mindless hunger until dawn. Spanish moss, swamp jessamine, bog water, cypress, hickory wood, lobelia, sweet flag, wisteria, and marsh milkweed. - - - Starting this month, the appropriate zodiacal blend of the month will be live during the time that the Lunacy is live. While we have offered astrological blends in the past, these are new incarnations for 2007. Aries, Roux-Ga-Roux, and Pink Moon will be live until March 7, 2007. The Ides of March and Ostara will be available until March 15, 2007. A gentle reminder: no imp's ears are available for Limited Edition scents. Also this month… thirteen new blends are making their debut in the general catalogue. - - - ++ BEWITCHING BREWS CALICO JACK Sea air, driftwood, waterlogged kelp, and the memory of plundered spices sprayed over worn leathers, rough musk, and the salty wooden floorboards of the Revenge. POISONED APPLE The queen stepped before her mirror: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who in this land is fairest of all? The mirror answered: You, my queen, are fair; it is true. But Little Snow-White with the seven dwarfs Is a thousand times fairer than you. When the queen heard this, she shook and trembled with anger, "Snow-White will die, if it costs me my life!" Then she went into her most secret room -- no one else was allowed inside -- and she made a poisoned, poisoned apple. From the outside it was red and beautiful, and anyone who saw it would want it. Then she disguised herself as a peasant woman, went to the dwarfs' house and knocked on the door. Snow-White peeped out and said, "I'm not allowed to let anyone in. The dwarfs have forbidden it most severely." "If you don't want to, I can't force you," said the peasant woman. "I am selling these apples, and I will give you one to taste." "No, I can't accept anything. The dwarfs don't want me to." "If you are afraid, then I will cut the apple in two and eat half of it. Here, you eat the half with the beautiful red cheek!" Now the apple had been so artfully made that only the red half was poisoned. When Snow-White saw that the peasant woman was eating part of the apple, her desire for it grew stronger, so she finally let the woman hand her the other half through the window. She bit into it, but she barely had the bite in her mouth when she fell to the ground dead. The queen was happy, went home, and asked her mirror: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who in this land is fairest of all? And it answered: You, my queen, are fairest of all. A perfect, lovely, gleaming red apple whose sweetness masks a swirl of narcotic opium, oleander, and hemlock. ++ LOVE POTIONS BIEN LOIN D’ICI This is the house, the sacred box, Where, always draped in languorous frocks, And always at home if someone knocks, One elbow into the pillow pressed, She lies, and lazily fans her breast, While fountains weep their soulfullest: This is the chamber of Dorothy. — Fountain and breeze for her alone Sob in that soothing undertone. Was ever so spoiled a harlot known? With odorous oils and rosemary, Benzoin and every unguent grown, Her skin is rubbed most delicately. — The flowers are faint with ecstasy. The Scarlet Woman, aglow with sensual indolence: red musk, benzoin, caramel accord, golden honey, and spiced Moroccan unguents. ++ MAD TEA PARTY CROQUET `Get to your places!' shouted the Queen in a voice of thunder, and people began running about in all directions, tumbling up against each other; however, they got settled down in a minute or two, and the game began. Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in her life; it was all ridges and furrows; the balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the soldiers had to double themselves up and to stand on their hands and feet, to make the arches. The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo: she succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm, with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as she had got its neck nicely straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it would twist itself round and look up in her face, with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing: and when she had got its head down, and was going to begin again, it was very provoking to find that the hedgehog had unrolled itself, and was in the act of crawling away: besides all this, there was generally a ridge or furrow in the way wherever she wanted to send the hedgehog to, and, as the doubled-up soldiers were always getting up and walking off to other parts of the ground, Alice soon came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult game indeed. We have some trouble managing our flamingos, too. Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk. THE DODO ‘In that case,’ said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, ‘I move that the meeting adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies—’ ‘Speak English!’ said the Eaglet. ‘I don’t know the meaning of half those long words, and, what’s more, I don’t believe you do either!’ And the Eaglet bent down its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds tittered audibly. ‘What I was going to say,’ said the Dodo in an offended tone, ‘was, that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.’ ‘What is a Caucus-race?’ said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything. ‘Why,’ said the Dodo, ‘the best way to explain it is to do it.’ (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.) First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, (‘the exact shape doesn’t matter,’ it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. There was no ‘One, two, three, and away,’ but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out ‘The race is over!’ and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, ‘But who has won?’ This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, ‘everybody has won, and all must have prizes.’ Red musk, lemon peel, sugar cane, cassia, white sandalwood, mango, and agarwood. THE KNAVE OF HEARTS `Herald, read the accusation!' said the King. On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and then unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:-- `The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, All on a summer day: The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, And took them quite away!' Crushed roses and blackcurrant tarts. QUEEN ALICE At this moment the door was flung open, and a shrill voice was heard singing: `To the Looking-Glass world it was Alice that said "I've a sceptre in hand, I've a crown on my head. Let the Looking-Glass creatures, whatever they be Come and dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me!"' And hundreds of voices joined in the chorus: `Then fill up the glasses as quick as you can, And sprinkle the table with buttons and bran: Put cats in the coffee, and mice in the tea-- And welcome Queen Alice with thirty-times-three!' Then followed a confused noise of cheering, and Alice thought to herself `Thirty times three makes ninety. I wonder if any one's counting?' In a minute there was silence again, and the same shrill voice sang another verse: `"O Looking-Glass creatures," quoth Alice, "draw near! `Tis an honour to see me, a favour to hear: `Tis a privilege high to have dinner and tea Along with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me!"' Then came the chorus again: `Then fill up the glasses with treacle and ink, Or anything else that is pleasant to drink: Mix sand with the cider, and wool with the wine-- And welcome Queen Alice with ninety-times-nine!' Carnation, posies, and white amber with a hint of inky treacle, sandy cider, and wooly wine. ++ WANDERLUST 51 Luminescent, glowing, and otherworldly: green mandarin, neroli, honeydew, white amber, guava, freesia, white and green musks hovering over desert scrub, smashed wood, and the dry, biting scent of night air over the Groom Lake salt flats. ++ RAPPACCINI’S GARDEN SQUIRTING CUCUMBER Yikes! A spurt of wet, grassy greenness. VOODOO LILY Amorphallus, indeed. A breathtakingly exotic, wild, and grossly erotic spicy gold, purple-black, and burgundy lily. ++ A PICNIC IN ARKHAM BROWN JENKINS The yellowed country records containing her testimony and that of her accusers were so damnably suggestive of things beyond human experience - and the descriptions of the darting little furry object which served as her familiar were so painfully realistic despite their incredible details. That object - no larger than a good-sized rat and quaintly called by the townspeople "Brown Jenkins - seemed to have been the fruit of a remarkable case of sympathetic herd-delusion, for in 1692 no less than eleven persons had testified to glimpsing it. There were recent rumours, too, with a baffling and disconcerting amount of agreement. Witnesses said it had long hair and the shape of a rat, but that its sharp-toothed, bearded face was evilly human while its paws were like tiny human hands. It took messages betwixt old Keziah and the devil, and was nursed on the witch's blood, which it sucked like a vampire. Its voice was a kind of loathsome titter, and it could speak all languages. Of all the bizarre monstrosities in Gilman's dreams, nothing filled him with greater panic and nausea than this blasphemous and diminutive hybrid, whose image flitted across his vision in a form a thousandfold more hateful than anything his waking mind had deduced from the ancient records and the modern whispers. A small, furry, sharp-toothed scent that will nuzzle you curiously in the black hours before dawn: dusty white sandalwood and orris root, dry coconut husk, creeping musk, and the residue of ceremonial incense. THE DEEP ONES I think their predominant colour was a greyish-green, though they had white bellies. They were mostly shiny and slippery, but the ridges of their backs were scaly. Their forms vaguely suggested the anthropoid, while their heads were the heads of fish, with prodigious bulging eyes that never closed. At the sides of their necks were palpitating gills, and their long paws were webbed. They hopped irregularly, sometimes on two legs and sometimes on four. I was somehow glad that they had no more than four limbs. Their croaking, baying voices, clearly used for articulate speech, held all the dark shades of expression which their staring faces lacked. Black algae, drooping seaweed, salty brine, and crushed coral. HERBERT WEST Of Herbert West, who was my friend in college and in after life, I can speak only with extreme terror. This terror is not due altogether to the sinister manner of his recent disappearance, but was engendered by the whole nature of his life-work, and first gained its acute form more than seventeen years ago, when we were in the third year of our course at the Miskatonic University Medical School in Arkham. While he was with me, the wonder and diabolism of his experiments fascinated me utterly, and I was his closest companion. Now that he is gone and the spell is broken, the actual fear is greater. Memories and possibilities are ever more hideous than realities. Aftershave, embalming fluid, and splatterings from a panoply of reanimation reagents. - - - There have been some minor changes to the BPAL site. Propaganda, the links page, and the ‘about us’ schpeel have been updated, and (after 4 years of procrastinating) the Funereal Oils category has been renamed. This season promises to be a fruitful one, and we believe that you’re going to enjoy all the sinister, strange, and silly things that the Black Phoenix family is concocting for Spring.
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Ted posted some listings today. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZblackphoe...chemylabQQhtZ-1 =)
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We calculated the Carousel sales for the first half of February at the end of last week, and thanks to you guys, we’ve been able to raise just over $6000 for the CBLDF so far! Thank you! =D
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Hey guys! We’re having a little Phoenix Vs. Phoenix confusion on our end. =) If you are placing an order for Black Phoenix Trading Post lockets using PayPal and you’re getting one of the phoenix lockets, please specify whether it is the original BPAL logo phoenix or the new Carnaval Diabolique phoenix. Thanks!
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At last, the new lockets are here! Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations of the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit have been cast in silver, along with Carnaval Diabolique’s Phoenix, Calico Jack Rackham’s Jolly Roger (a new shape!), and the brimstone symbol (dainty and round!). http://www.blackphoenixtradingpost.com/jewelry.html Also new this month… some damn fine environmentally-friendly, free-trade-lovin’, handmade skin-butterin’ soap created as a joint venture between the Black Phoenix Family and Silk Road Trading Company. Sud your buns in good conscience! The first seven soaps are Bliss, Carnal, Dorian, Kumiho, Miskatonic University, Shub-Niggurath, and Snake Oil. http://www.blackphoenixtradingpost.com/suds.html These gloriously luxuriant soaps were created with the finest environmentally-responsible ingredients, including Palm Kernel oil farmed from organic, fair-trade farms in Brazil (on reclaimed, replanted mixed-use rainforest) and organic Jojoba Oil grown in Arizona. The soaps are made by hand, from scratch, are generously scented with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab brews. They are completely free of artificial colors or preservatives, and are blissfully lacking in petroleum, silicone, or other unwholesome fillers. As always, no animals were harmed during the creation of this soap, and all products were tested on friends and family. With the exception of Bliss (that guy contains goat’s milk!), these are all vegan. In order to really wake your ass up for your Dreamland Physics course or a droning morning lecture in Medieval Metaphysics 101, our Miskatonic University soap has an extra shot of coffee butter!
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Crow Moon is live at Black Phoenix Trading Post! Get down with the Morrigan, 'cuz these guys are taking flight on February 5, 2007.
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This update thrills me. It thrills me so much that I, for once, am almost at a loss for words. We are inexpressibly proud to present the debut of the Carousel, the Neil Gaiman Collection. Neil has been an inspiration to me since I first came upon a copy of Sandman #1 in 1996, in more ways than I can explain. He is a wonderful man, a passionate and profound author, and one hell of a clever guy. I am extremely grateful to him for the opportunity to interpret his characters and stories through scent. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Neil, we love you. Going live tonight in the Carousel… THE CAROUSEL: AMERICAN GODS BILQUIS The Queen of Sheba, half-demon, they said, on her father's side, witch woman, wise woman, and queen, who ruled Sheba when Sheba was the richest land there ever was, when its spices and its gems and scented woods were taken by boat and camel-back to the corners of the earth, who was worshipped even when she was alive, worshipped as a living goddess by the wisest of kings, stands on the sidewalk of Sunset Boulevard at 2:00 A.M. staring blankly out at traffic like a slutty plastic bride on a black-and-neon wedding cake. She stands as if she owns the sidewalk and the night that surrounds her. Honey, myrrh, lily of the valley, rose otto, fig leaf, almond, ambrette, red apple, and warm musk. MAD SWEENEY "Coin tricks is it?" asked Sweeney, his chin raising, his scruffy beard bristling. "Why, if it's coin tricks we're doing, watch this." He took an empty glass from the table. Then he reached out and took a large coin, golden and shining, from the air. He dropped it into the glass. He took another gold coin from the air and tossed it into the glass, where it clinked against the first. He took a coin from the candle flame of a candle on the wall, another from his beard, a third from Shadow's empty left hand, and dropped them, one by one, into the glass. Then he curled his fingrs over the glass, and blew hard, and several more golden coins dropped into the glass from his hand. He tipped the glass of sticky coins into his jacket pocket, and then tapped the pocket to show, unmistakably, that it was empty. "There," he said. "That's a coin trick for you." Barrel-aged whiskey and oak. MAMA-JI Shadow saw the old woman, her dark face pinched with age and disapproval, but behind her he saw something huge, a naked woman with skin as black as a new leather jacket, and lips and tongue the bright red of arterial blood. Around her neck were skulls, and her many hands held knives, and swords, and severed heads. Spices, cardamom, nutmeg, and flowers. MR. IBIS The smoke stung Shadow’s eyes. He wiped the tears away with his hand, and, through the smoke, he thought he saw a tall man in a suit, with gold-rimmed spectacles. The smoke cleared and the boatman was once more a half-human creature with the head of a river bird. Papyrus, vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, African musk, aloe ferox, white sandalwood. MR. JACQUEL Shadow looked up at the creature. "Mr. Jacquel?" he said. The hands of Anubis came down, huge dark hands, and they picked Shadow up and brought him close. The jackal head examined him with bright and glittering eyes; examined him as dispassionately as Mr. Jacquel had examined the dead girl on the slab. Shadow knew that all his faults, all his failings, all his weaknesses were being taken out and weighed and measured; that he was, in some way, being dissected, and sliced, and tasted. We do not remember the things that do no credit to us. We justify them, cover them in bright lies or with the thick dust of forgetfulness. All of the things that Shadow had done in his life of which he was not proud, all the things he wished his had done otherwise or left undone, came at him then in a swirling storm of guilt and regret and shame, and he had nowhere to hide from them. He was as naked and as open as a corpose on a table, and dark Anubis the jackal god was his prosector and his prosecutor and his persecutor. "Please," said Shadow. "Please stop." But the examination did not stop. Every lie he had ever told, every object he had stolen, every hurt he had inflicted on another person, all the little crimes and the tiny murders that make up the day, each of these things and more were extracted and held up to the light by the jackal-headed judge of the dead. Golden amber, hyssop, North African patchouli, and embalming spices. THE CAROUSEL: ANANSI BOYS MR. NANCY Before Fat Charlie's father had come into the bar, the barman had been of the opinion that the whole karaoke evening was going to be an utter bust; but then the little old man had sashayed into the room, walked past the table of several blonde women with the fresh sunburns and smiles of tourists...He had tipped his hat to them, for he wore a hat, a spotless green fedora, and lemon-yellow gloves, and then he walked over to their table. They giggled....He was older than they were, much, much older; but he was charm itself, like something from a bygone age when fine manners and courtly gestures were worth something. The barman relaxed. With someone like this in the bar, it was going to be a good evening. Sugar cookies with bay rum, tobacco, and lime. SPIDER There was a family resemblance between the two men. That was unarguable, although that alone did not explain the intense feeling of familiarity that Fat Charlie felt on seeing Spider. His brother looked like Fat Charlie wished he looked in his mind...Spider was taller, and leaner, and cooler. He was wearing a black-and-scarlet leather jacket, and black leather leggings, and he looked at home in them...There was something larger-than-life about him: simply being on the other side of the table to this man made Fat Charlie feel awkward and badly consructed, and slightly foolish. It wasn't the clothes Spider wore, but the knowledge that if Fat Charlie put them on he would look as if he were wearing some kind of unconvincing drag. It wasn't the way Spider smiled--casually, delightedly--but Fat Charlies's cold, incontrovertible certainty that he himself could practice smiling in front of a mirror from now until the end of time and never manage a single smile one half so charming, so cocky, or so twinklingly debonair. White ginger, artemesia, vetiver, nutmeg, King mandarin, bergamot, and lime. For more information on his work, please take a gander at the following links: Neil Gaiman's Official Site Neil Gaiman's Official Online Store This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single bottle go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Each bottle is $25.00, and imps are not available for this series. Crow Moon is shining over the Limited Edition section. Beneath him, the transformation into werebeast begins: LIMITED EDITION: LUNACIES CROW MOON This is the final Full Moon of winter. The call of the crow signals the end of the frost, and their scent, of vervain, black violet, white musk, and Chinese cedar, is brushed by the last cold wind of winter on their wings, and the scent of evergreen boughs touched by the season’s final flowers and the first blossoms of spring: wintersweet, green-barked dogwood, primrose, snowdrop, and lenten rose hellebore bouquet. OBOROT A scent of transformation. He who desires to become an oborot, let him seek in the forest a hewn-down tree; let him stab it with a small copper knife, and walk round the tree, repeating the following incantation: On the sea, on the ocean, on the island, on Bujan, On the empty pasture gleams the moon, on an ashstock lying In a green wood, in a gloomy vale. Towards the stock wandereth a shaggy wolf, Horned cattle seeking for his sharp white fangs; But the wolf enters not the forest, But the wolf dives not into the shadowy vale, Moon, moon, gold-horned moon, Check the flight of bullets, blunt the hunters' knives, Break the shepherds' cudgels, Cast wild fear upon all cattle, On men, all creeping things, That they may not catch the grey wolf, That they may not rend his warm skin! My word is binding, more binding than sleep, More binding than the promise of a hero! Then he springs thrice over the tree and runs into the forest, transformed into a wolf. Balkan fir sap, dark mosses, Greek Mountain tea flower, black pine, salty ocean spray, deep black earth, and a moon-touched magickal incense of sandarac, frankincense, and ravensara. Gongxi facai! Congratulations, and be prosperous! As we enter a new lunar year, Fire Pig dances through the Lab: LIMITED EDITION FIRE PIG 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, pussy willow, and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, and peach blossom for longevity, with a splash of blazing red of dragon’s blood… to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. The Yuletide scents and Oborot will leave us when Crow Moon takes flight on February 4, 2007. Fire Pig will boogie on out of here on March 14, 2007. The illustration of Neil on the Carousel page was doodled by the Goddess of Doodling, Jennifer Williamson. =D A trillion hugs for Jennifer! +++ IN ADDITION... There is a new forum scent available. http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/forumscents.html
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Meabh, Beenzie is a mutt cat. =D 100% pure rescued alley cat!
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The Dark Delicacies scent is available now on the Dark Delicacies web site! It is located under Dark Delicacies' Own. =)