kebechet

*GRIN* I was going to add a clause for Mecha-Godzilla stomping your order flat, but I thought it would be overkill.

It's by the date that you placed the order, not the date we pulled it. The only inconsistancy in this is that sometimes an order "posts" to us after the order was really placed. For example, someone may order on June 1st, but when we look up the order on CcNow it might say that it was placed June 2nd or 3rd. I assume this is a reflection of the date that the order was actually charged, but I can't be sure. I'm confusing matters more, aren't I? The point is, the Shipped Through Post refers to the date that you placed the order, within an rough 24-48 hour window.

A May 11th order should have arrived by now, barring incident at customs. Two international customers emailed me about some customs problems recently, so perhaps that's the hold up. =( Orders go out in order of date received, regardless of whether they are domestic or otherwise.

Thanks everyone for all the love and support. Your friendship and your patience keep me from grinding my teeth off in frustration. I'm going to quickly address issues that have come up since my inital post, and then I need to get back to work. First: yes, we are quite desperately trying to get away from CcNow. It is not as easy a task as it seems, and has been a four-month-long process so far with very little progress made. I won't bore everyone with the details, suffice to say that the documentation that credit card companies require in order to give us merchant gateway access is staggering and has been difficult to produce in some cases. It's been a very rough time, but I have faith that the change will come within the next few months, and we won't have any problems with miscommunication through our current processor to deal with any longer. Spaceprostitute, I understand your point completely. Yes, I do know that not everyone reads these forums -- though I wish they would, as it would save some of my rapidly fracturing sanity. I do my best to keep the shipping notices updated on the site itself, but it becomes difficult when I have to repost the same thing here, there, on LJ, and communicate it to people all day in emails. Sometimes I neglect to update the info in one or more places. In addition, the 2-3 day turnaround used to be the norm. Despite the influx of orders, we still cannot afford to hire enough people to process orders as they come in, partly due to the bottleneck in the cash flow, again due to having to go through CcNow. When one thing goes amiss and a pileup ensues, it's very difficult to pull back out of it quickly. At this point I do not know how I could possibly be any clearer on shipping estimates. The average turnaround is three weeks, and the time gap seems to be closing, barring incidents like running out of a component oil [the Bordello situation, as example], the postal service delaying shipment for any number of odd reasons, or customs raping an international package. When I talk about the estimated ship dates, I can only speak for us, and I don't have any control over what happens to a package once it leaves my hands. I honestly don't feel as though it is necissary for me to state something along the lines of "Please note that all orders, including domestic orders may take in excess of 14 - 21 business days to process, pack and ship out when we have a heavy workload, due to the process of hand-blending and the nature of our product. All oils are made once they're ordered to ensure freshness. We do our best to ensure that all orders are shipped within ten business days, but in some cases this is not possible. In addition, you have to keep in mind that the USPS will do what it wishes with the shipments, and your order is at their mercy once it leaves our hands. Please allow an additional six months once you factor in the possibility of USPS incompetence, customs poking your order, alien abduction of your mail carrier and your package being struck by lightning. Thank you for your patience. You'll see the box eventually." I give as much information as I feel I should. However, if consensus says that I should state in fifty places that it will take months to get a shipment so that people will be relieved when it only takes three weeks, then I'll consider changing it.

You're sweet, Andra. Thanks. =) But will you love my androids, too? Damn if I don't want a couple that look just like Rutger.

Then, of course, please let us know. =) The perils of using PayPal. =(

Once you place your order with us -- through the web site, by mail or through CcNow -- it is final. No swap outs, no substitutions, no add-on's, no combining orders. I hate to do this, but it has caused far too many problems and is slowing up the packing and shipping process terribly. We do not have the manpower to cross-reference everything, and since every third order required some sort of post-order alteration... we were running into too many problems. I apologize for the inconvenience. This is being copied to the forum FAQ and will appear on the site tonight.

That /does/ happen. Oils can be quite fragile. When we moved the Lab to the Atwater location, I didn't realize exactly where the sun hit in the mornings and we didn't have curtains in for a few days. 16oz of apple blossom oil spoiled by sitting in direct sunlight for too long. It broke down the components of the oil and the whole damn thing went off. Luckily it was the only casualty. Thank Hell I smell everything before I blend. Another potential problem is that sometimes the oils seperate a little. When you are about to apply an oil, place it between your palms and roll it gently to "re-mix" the blend. Don't shake, as that can possibly break down the oil, too, and it will spoil faster. Sometimes I wonder if I should start using preservatives and fixatives. =/

Bottles remaining as of today -- HAVISHAM 5ml: 3 10ml: 1 JUNE GLOOM: 5ml: 17 10ml: 7

Bits copied from the Shiny & New section of the site: Site update: 17 June 2004, 12.01am: Dark Moon. Can you believe it? We're only three weeks behind on shipments. It may not seem so, but it really is an amazing feat. Brian constantly updates our shipped-through info in this thread on the BPAL Forums, so if you want to know if your order has gone out, that's the best place to start. Nella, our Customer Service Goddess, Facilitator of Client Pleasure and High Lady of Answers will be out of town for the next thirty days. In the meantime, Brian and I will do our best to get back to everyone in a timely manner. Please be patient, as, for the next [long, harrowing] thirty days of her absence [yes, we are again short-staffed], we may be a bit swamped and pressed for time. I assure you, we will try our hardest to provide you with the quality of service and all-around love that she has shown you in her emails. On with the new scents... two Limited Edition, two for the permanent collection: LIMITED EDITION: A LITTLE LUNACY BLUE MOON -- How often does the bright moon come? With wine, I ask the blue sky. The Heavily Palace, I wish to return there, riding the wind, But fear that in the high places of jade halls and eaves, I cannot fend off the cold. Rising to dance with my clear shadow, Scarcely believing that I among men, I turn around the red lacquered pavilions, Dip below the silken-curtained windows, Shine on the sleepless. Let there be no regrets, What else is always so full at the time of parting? Men have sorrow and joy and farewell and union. The moon has clouds and clear skies, Waxing and waning. Perfection is rare since days of old, So wish only that the years be long, To share beauty even across a thousand miles. -- Su Shih 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 poppy, calamus, orris, wood aloes, moonflower, cucumber, and pale creeping buttercup. LIMITED EDITION: SABBAT LUGHNASADH -- The first of the year's Harvest Festivals. Lughnasadh represents a rest from toil and a time of reflection. Fertility magick is practised, as is agricultural magick used to ensure a bountiful Autumn harvest. The holy day is named after the Celtic deity Lugh, God of Skill in All Things, Patron of the Arts and Sciences. Though he and Rosmerta, his consort and the Goddess of Nature, are venerated at this time, the holy day was created out of respect for his foster mother Tailtiu, one of the Earth-Goddesses. Though she was a Lady of the Fir Bolg, she was a good, loving and honorable being, and cared for Lugh well. After her people were defeated by the Tuatha Dé Danann she was forced to clear a vast forest for the purpose of planting grain, and sadly, she perished from exhaustion in the process. The Hill of Tailte in Ireland was named in her honor, and legend states it was there that the first festival of Lughnasadh took place. To some outside of the Celtic mythos, this holy day also marks the annual death of the Sun God or the God of the Grain. The holiday is celebrated with contests of skill and cunning, feasting, oath-making, and agricultural competitions. In addition, two new scents have been added to Bewitching Brews as part of our permanent collection: BEWITCHING BREWS INTRIGUE -- A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes. LA BELLA DONNA DELLA MIA MENTE -- Inspired by Oscar Wilde's poem. Soft, lush myrtle and dry, sweet melilot with wild rose, pomegranate juice and peach blossom against a background of deep aquatic notes and a twirl of melancholy autumn breezes. A reminder: Blue Moon will be available til midnight tomorrow.

The Blue Moon update is going live from midnight tonight [yep, 2.5 hours from now] til midnight tomorrow, giving everyone 12 additional hours to order. This is a one-shot, due to the nature and infrequency of the Blue Moon itself. Future Lunacy updates will still be limited to the 12-hour ordering span. Along with the Blue Moon update, the Lughnasadh Sabbat oil will be available for pre-order... so I can ensure that it arrives in ample time for the festival. Two new "permanent scents" are being added in this mini-update, La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente, as part of an ongoing poetry-inspired series, and Intrigue. More after the update is finished.

As of next month we will be starting to post Lunacy Oils every full moon. They will be in the Limited Edition section for exactly 12 hours on the day of the full moon [noon til midnight] and will feature a scent dedicated to the next month's full moon's theme. Time will be calculated PST. The schedule for the remainder of 2004 is as follows: Red Moon [August] available July 2nd AND July 31st [see notes at the bottom of this post] Harvest Moon [september] available August 29th Hunter Moon [October] available September 28th Frost Moon [November] available October 27th Cold Moon [December] available November 26th Wolf Moon [January] available December 26th The scent will only be available within that 12 hour period so the we can ensure that our clients receive them prior to the next full moon. Details will be provided as soon as I finish wrestling with tonight's mini-update. There is a Blue Moon in July of 2004, and to celebrate we will offer a special, limited edition Blue Moon perfume which will be available on the dark moon in June, specifically June 17th, from noon til midnight Pacific Standard Time. This scent will only be available during that 12 hour window, and will not come around til the next Blue Moon. Can you tell I have something of a Lunar Fetish?

Still working on the [now] 12 returned boxes, and still working on a few straggling missing packages, but I wanted to post that we're clear through orders placed prior to 3/13. I've been trying to come up with a way to post individual shipping updates here, but I can't think of a way to do it and maintain confidentiality. =/ I was about to write more, but my brain blanked out from fatigue.

As of 5/18, the following is relevant: 1. All April orders that contain O or Lady Macbeth should ship at the end of this week. 2. All April orders that contain Bordello will ship late next week. 3. Due to the inability to acquire one of the components in Lady Macbeth, the formula has changed very slightly. The scent is now a bit drier and the wine is more pronounced. 4. I have posted a small site update. The new scents will be available in June. 5. Please direct all shipping status and order inquiries to nella [at] blackphoenixalchemylab [dot] com. She is generally available to answer questions during daylight hours, Monday through Friday. If you email her over the weekend, you will most likely not receive a response til Monday.

I'd write more, but it's 1am, and I am dead tired. We're starting to move the Lab to the Atwater Village location tomorrow, so I really need to get some sleep. But here they are... the new scents, as promised! + LIMITED EDITION PERFUMES FOR JUNE HAVISHAM -- The embodiment of heart-wrenching loss, torment, of mad, obsessive cruelty and chilly revenge. This is the scent of a frost-limed wedding bouquet, frozen forever in time. JUNE GLOOM -- Teddy's gloriously dismal creation. As a lover of rainy days, grey skies and chill air, summer is his antithesis. A spell of June Gloom is always welcome in our household. A bouquet of bright summer flowers dampened by the scent of morning mist and rain. + MAD TEA PARTY THE DORMOUSE -- A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. TIGER LILY -- A feisty bouquet of golden, warm, gently honeyed lilies. THE UNICORN -- A misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs. + BEWITCHING BREWS SHATTERED -- A scent as sharp as glass shards, and as brittle as a broken heart. The formula came to me - quite literally - in a dream, and is named after, and created in memory of, the last poem that I ever wrote… almost ten years ago to the day. A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms. The Lion will not be available until the August update. I am, however, never too tired to cross-post like a fiend. Mea culpa!

For some weird reason it's bothering me that I posted it over an hour late. I think I need to make some tea.

Ok guys, here goes. I know I don’t need to say this, but please don’t order any of these scents til they’re officially live on the site. With all the weirdness and changes going on [and the fact that now we’re down to it just being Brian practically alone in the Lab at the moment] we can’t really get going on them til they’re properly set and ready. Thanks for understanding. =/ - - - + BEWITCHING BREWS ARCANA The essence of magickal enigmas and long-forgotten esoteric mysteries. Frankincense, rosemary, lavender, neroli, and verbena. BLOOD LOTUS Lush, velvet-red blooms born from the blood shed in the eternal battle between Set and Horus the Avenger. Inspired by Tammy Roth. CATHODE A negatively charged scent. Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints. THE HESPERIDES The Hesperides are the Nymphs of the Evening who dwell in a verdant garden located in the Arcadian Mountains, guarded by the terrible three-headed dragon, Ladon. Within their garden lives the tree that bears Hera’s sacred Golden Apples. Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple. INCANTATION Though thy slumber may be deep, Yet thy spirit shall not sleep; There are shades which will not vanish, There are thoughts thou canst not banish; By a power to thee unknown, Thou canst never be alone; Thou art wrapt as with a shroud, Thou art gather'd in a cloud; And for ever shalt thou dwell In the spirit of this spell. A profound and entrancing potion. Deep, wispy, and unfathomably dark: vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind. KALI Kali, the Black One, is the fearless Goddess of Destruction, Creation, Energy [in her Shakti aspect] and Dissolution. Also named Kaliratri [black Night] and Kalikamata [black Earth-Mother], she is the fiercest aspect of Devi, the supreme mother goddess. Kali is a protector Goddess, the destroyer of evil spirits and guardian of the faithful. She, along with her consort Shiva, represent the unending cycle of death and birth, sexual union, creation and destruction. Kali annihilates ignorance, maintains the natural order of the world, and blesses those who strive for spiritual awareness and knowledge of true holiness with infinite tenderness and motherly love. The constant, unending Work of Creation is called the "The Play of Kali". This perfume is a blend of the sacred blooms of cassia, hibiscus, musk rose, Himalayan wild tulip, lotus and osmanthus swirled with offertory dark chocolate, red wine, tobacco, balsam and honey. MYSTERY A swirl of shadowy incense smoke and the lingering perfume of cloaked strangers. OUIJA Lush parlor rooms draped in thick velvets and gilded in gold, unearthly whispering in the distance, fleeting flashes of wraithlike figures rushing just outside your vision, the chill of a phantom presence brushing by your cheek, the inscrutable knowledge that disembodied eyes are peering at you from darkened corners… this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus. PELE Whimsical, temperamental, radiant and ravishingly beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes, Fire, Lightning and Dance. She is the Mother of Eruptions and the personification of destructive power. Volcanic eruptions are said to be a side-effect of her jealous rages and her epic quarrels with her siblings are legendary. This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms. SCARECROW An agricultural gargoyle. Though he is the Guardian of the Crops and Keeper of the Fields, his visage is still the stuff of nightmares. The scent of a hot wind blowing through desolate, scorched, barren fields. TUSHNAMATAY Pure internal harmony and spiritual bliss: the perfected meditation blend. ULALUME The skies they were ashen and sober; The leaves they were crisped and sere - The leaves they were withering and sere; It was night in the lonesome October Of my most immemorial year: It was hard by the dim lake of Auber, In the misty mid region of Weir - It was down by the dank tarn of Auber, In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir. Starry white lilies lend an eerie brightness to the deep black wooded scents of cypress and oak, layered with a touch of crushed dried leaves and the faintest aquatic note. WILDE To stab my youth with desperate knives, to wear This paltry age's gaudy livery, To let each base hand filch my treasury, To mesh my soul within a woman's hair, And be mere Fortune's lackeyed groom,--I swear I love it not! these things are less to me Than the thin foam that frets upon the sea, Less than the thistle-down of summer air Which hath no seed: better to stand aloof Far from these slanderous fools who mock my life Knowing me not, better the lowliest roof Fit for the meanest hind to sojourn in, Than to go back to that hoarse cave of strife Where my white soul first kissed the mouth of sin. A sophisticated traditional gentleman’s cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli’s passion, tonka bean’s decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss’ cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme. XIUHTECUHTLI Patron of the Aztec pantheon, he is the personification of light within darkness, warmth in the cold, and life in, and after, death. He is a creative and destructive God of Fire and Light, and is appeased only by sacrifice, trial, and the slaughter of his people’s enemies. Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms. + FUNEREAL OILS DANSE MACABRE An allegorical expression of the ineffable, indisputable triumph of death, generally expressed in medieval artwork as a violin or flute-wielding skeleton leading a procession of dancers to their graves. Black cypress with oakmoss, frankincense, oude, and a sliver of toasted hazelnut. MIDNIGHT An ethereal bouquet of night-blooming flowers. Evening primrose, ruellia, flowering nicotiana, wild petunia, panani-o-kai, night phlox, night gladiolus, moonflower and the elusive scent of Nottingham Catchfly. + SIN & SALVATION: The Kindly Ones Sub-Series ALECTO Unceasing in Anger Olive leaf, raspberry leaf, vetiver and cedarwood. MEGAERA The Unwilling, The Jealous One Orris, black amber, bergamot, plum and grapefruit. TISIPHONE The Avenger of Murder Oleander with black patchouli, ylang ylang, and neroli. + SIN & SALVATION BLACK DAHLIA Voluptuous magnolias strewn over orchid, star jasmine, black amber and smoky rose. DISSIPATION Strands of bacchanal ivy wind through sweet wormwood, pungent poppy, and a sliver of murky sassafras. HELLFIRE A scent celebrating Sir Francis Dashwood’s Order of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe, also known as the Hellfire Club. A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass. KOSTNICE A celebration of the Bone Church of Prague. Frankincense, rosewood, lily, and geranium rose. MAGDALENE A stirring yet gentle perfume. The scent of love and devotion mingled with an undercurrent of heart-rending sorrow. A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid. ROADHOUSE Truck stop sleaze. Weedy dandelion and hops with a whiff of tobacco and hemp and a swirl of booziness. + LOVE POTIONS AIZEN-MYOO A bright, bittersweet scent honoring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarajas, the Shingon’s Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshipped by all those in the sex industry, musicians, and – oddly – landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea. DESIRE The overwhelming agony of passion crystallized into a singularly dark and magnetic blend: bittersweet neroli, black patchouli and black musk, gilded by apple, bergamot, blood red rose, teak, and vanilla. QUEEN OF SHEBA A woman of exquisite, unearthly beauty, profound intelligence, wit, and exceeding wealth, the Queen of Sheba – called Bilquis by the Muslims and Makeda by the ancient Abysinnians – traveled by caravan to Solomon’s realm seeking proof of the king’s reputed wisdom. Bearing gifts of exotic spices, a veritable mountain of gold, hearty camels and precious stones, she presented herself to the king and, bearing her heart to him, asked him a series of challenging questions, and was ultimately convinced of the truth of his wisdom, knowledge and judiciousness. In the end, the great king and queen conquered each other’s hearts and fell breathlessly in love: the perfect marriage of equals. Her scent is a bounty of golden honeyed almonds and a whisper of African and Middle Eastern spices. SEVERIN Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the Father of Masochism and sexual surrender, had planned on writing six volumes of erotic literature entitled The Heritage of Cain. Only the first two volumes were completed, the more famous of the two being the notorious Venus in Furs. This novel tells the tale of a man, Severin, that enters into a relationship of slavery and increasingly debauched degradation with his mistress, Wanda. Dry black teas, Earl Gray, and leather. WANDA “And yet a restless, always unsatisfied craving for the nudity of paganism," she interrupted, "but that love, which is the highest joy, which is divine simplicity itself, is not for you moderns, you children of reflection. It works only evil in you. As soon as you wish to be natural, you become common. To you nature seems something hostile; you have made devils out of the smiling gods of Greece, and out of me a demon. You can only exorcise and curse me, or slay yourselves in bacchantic madness before my altar. And if ever one of you has had the courage to kiss my red mouth, he makes a barefoot pilgrimage to Rome in penitential robes and expects flowers to grow from his withered staff, while under my feet roses, violets, and myrtles spring up every hour, but their fragrance does not agree with you. Stay among your northern fogs and Christian incense; let us pagans remain under the debris, beneath the lava; do not disinter us. Pompeii was not built for you, nor our villas, our baths, our temples. You do not require gods. We are chilled in your world." Along with Loviatar, she has become something of a 21st century Patron Goddess of all Dominatrixes. While Loviatar is the Goddess of Pain, Wanda govens Control. She is the breathtakingly beautiful sable-wrapped marble queen of Sacher-Masoch’s fantasies. Her scent is a deep red merlot with a faint hint of leather, sexual musk and body heat over crushed roses, violets and myrtle. + DIABOLUS DJINN An ancient, free-willed race created from the essence of Fire, much as man was created from Earth. They prowled the land at night, vanishing with the first rays of dawn. Myths surrounding the Djinn paint them as many things: benevolent champions of mankind and slaves to mad sorcerers, malicious incubi / succubi and energy vampires, or malevolent harbingers of madness and disease. The Djinn are ruled by Iblis, the Prince of Darkness, who bears unspeakable contempt for man. The scent of black smoke, of crackling flames, and smoldering ashes. MASABAKES Masabakes is a Cantabrian demoness that governs lustfulness and lechery. In order to tempt virgins to corruption she employs the aid of her lackey, the imp Tentirujo. Under the cover of magickal invisibility, the imp caresses maidens with mandrake root, instilling uncontrollable passion and wantonness in the unsuspecting girls. Thick black currant with the darkest, deepest myrrh, a drop of bitter mimosa and the slightest touch of mandrake dust. NEPHILIM Dark children conceived from the union of Fallen Angels and the Daughters of Men. According to lore, the angel Shemhazai led a group of his angels to earth to instruct mankind in the ways of piety and righteousness. After a time, the angels became prey to earthly desires and began to lust after the daughters of man, and thus they fell. They instructed their mortal mates in the arts of conjuration, summoning, necromancy and other magickal arts. The fruits of their union are the Nephilim: possessed of superhuman strength, cunning, and infinite capacity, and hunger for, sin. Venerated as heroes by some, vilified by most, the Nephilim eventually annihilated one another in a cataclysmic civil war instigated by the angel Gabriel as punishment for their transgressions. Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. SZEPASSZONY The Fair Lady, Winter Witch, White Maiden of the Storm. Szepasszony is a Hungarian demoness that appears as a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silver-white hair and a blinding white dress. She revels in storms, particularly when hail rains down on her. Water dripping down eaves into a puddle is an invitation for her to cause mischief: she uses the puddle as a magickal tool for casting her wicked spells. It is considered foolhardy to step into a circle of short grass ringed by taller grasses, as those mark the circles where the Fair Lady dances. A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. + ILLYRIA QUEEN GERTRUDE Imperial violet softened by wisteria and chrysanthemum, but edged with the regal iciness of delphinium. REGAN A deceptively sweet orchid vanille with a faint trace of stephanotis. TITIANA A nocturnal bounty of fae dew-kissed petals and pale fruits: white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon. + WANDERLUST, formerly Venerable Cities DANUBE Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes. OLD AMSTERDAM Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses. + MAD TEA PARTY Still working on the descriptions. + LIMITED EDITION JUNE GLOOM Ted’s gloriously dismal creation. As a lover of rainy days, grey skies and chill air, summer is his antithesis. A spell of June Gloom is always welcome in our household. A bouquet of bright summer flowers dampened by the scent of morning mist and rain. - - - So not to confuse matters, I’ll refrain from listing the scents that are coming up in the Solstice update.

The mail seems to be fixed for now. I think all the boxes have been reinstated. If you have emailed us within the last 48 hours, please resend. We have zip in our boxes. I apologize if anyone has been frustrated by this experience. You have no idea how aggravated I am by this.

Any PayPal orders sent to cupcake@blackphoenixalchemylab.com or blackphoenix@blackphoenixalchemylab.com are fine. It's just the papow.com one that's a potential problem. =P

The mail seems to be fixed for now. I think all the boxes have been reinstated. If you have emailed us within the last 48 hours, please resend. We have zip in our boxes. I apologize if anyone has been frustrated by this experience. You have no idea how aggravated I am by this.

We're still trying to figure out what's going on. It looks like all of our email boxes may have been deleted. I'll keep everyone updated.

Normally I would re-post all of my blah blah blah from the Shiny & New section here, but it feels like that would be just... just... taking up too many 1's and 0's. The site update for June is complete, and between that and the 'countdown' post, I think I've answered most of the questions about the new stuff that I saw floating around here. If I missed anything, poke me. Gently, please. I am a little bleary right now, so my proofreading skills were sketchy at best. If you catch any snarks, please PM or email me and let me know. I'm going to post the update news on the LJ community and do a quick all-around pimping, and then I am going to pop open the first bottle of wine I have bought in over three years [no time to drink!] -- a bottle of '02 Windy City Pinot Noir [cheap but nice & fruity], pour a glass, lay down on the couch and watch a CSI rerun while I reread Prisoner of Azkaban. Good night, all! I hope you enjoy the new update.

I'm a dumbass and screwed up that POP box. It should be fixed by 6pm today.

I'm proofreading at the moment. Just had a weird little spasm of tension / excitement / neurosis and had to pop in and say hi. I think I've got everyone's questions about the update covered in the 'Shiny & New' section of the site, except for the following: 1. The reason the description of Desire changed is that I went from the original idea / formula to a reformulation and back again. The one posted on the site is the final. 2. The Mad Tea Party update will be done on June 7th. Every other section is complete until the August update is ready to go live. 3. Gods willing, I will be making a whole seperate sub-site for people who want to utilize PayPal by the end of next week. We are starting up another PayPal-specific email dealy-bobber, but that will take several days to "verify". In the meantime, please use blackphoenix@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. 4. Ingenue, Wolfsbane and Hemlock have not been re-incorporated back into the site yet. This should happen on the 7th, too. Er... I think that's it. I'll post again once I'm done proofing and uploading. See y'all in an hour.

Send an email to blackphoenix@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with LEAK as the subject. In the body of the email give us your name and address along with the oil name and milliliter size of the defective bottle. If possible, please also include your order number, but this isn’t a necessity. Thank you! Cross-posted to other threads to ensure everyone who may have this problem sees this notice. - - - ORIGINAL POST: The fun never stops! Brian discovered this afternoon that some of the damned caps are faulty in our latest set of bottles. Some seem to be loosening up, not just in transit, but also while just sitting here in the Lab. Tonight we're going through the 100 or so orders that are in process and trying to find the faulty tops. ETA instructions on what to do if you've received a defective bottle so we can ensure that everyone's problem is rectified.