kebechet

The Queen of Spades.

Details will be provided on the 9th, at the same time the F'54 promo is posted.

Funny. I was thinking about making a super-sugary, strawberry bubblegum scent called 'Jailbait' for one of the winter updates. Is there a market for something that gooey?

=)

Salice, both Djinn and Brimstone are... er... kinda just plain Ash. Those with the single note of amber might be pretty groovy, though...

Sacred Whore of Babylon is a spicy gardenia. =)

The site update is live. A quick summary of new scents follows; please check the Shiny & New page for details.

BEWITCHING BREWS

BON VIVANT -- An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.

BRIMSTONE -- In Hermetic alchemy, brimstone is one of the Three Heavenly Substances, one of the primary alchemical Priciples. It represents the strength of will and the vigor of passion, and it is a symbol of the process of fermentation. A smoky, gritty blend, husky and gray.

HAMADRYAD -- Nature spirits and protectors of the world's groves and forests that appear as breathtakingly beautiful women. Hamadryads are born into a tree that serves as both a home and an anchor for the creature's soul. They are sometimes tricksters, sometimes seducers, sometimes helpful and benign, but they are always fierce and furious protectors of the natural world. Seven dry woods with mossy lichen and a gentle breeze of forest flowers.

HEMLOCK -- This infamous herb has a long, complex history: it has been used in spells of death and destruction, was a principal component in traditional witches' flying ointments, and was the poison used to put the philosopher Socrates to death. We have created a dark, profound herbal blend to personify and honor this wicked little plant.

LAMPADES -- The Lampades are the darkly beautiful nymphs of the underworld, also called the Lethe Nymphae Avernales. They are the daughters of the Gods that govern the many rivers of Hades. The Lampades are Hecate's torch-bearers and accompany the Goddess on her hunts, quests and revels. Their scent is the crisp, inviting bittersweet tang of cranberry with smoky dark lilies, heady, sensual musk, a tingle of ginger and a brush of Mediterranean spices.

MOON ROSE -- A crisp, pale, almost translucent rose dusted by moonflower and midnight dew.

WOLFSBANE -- Notorious for its properties for protection against werewolves and curing lycanthropy, this nefarious plant also has a fine history of use as a virulent poison. Clasically, Medea employed it in her many works of vengeance. This concoction of ours has none of the lethal qualities, but still personifies all of the herb's dark history beautifully.

- - -

BEWITCHING BREWS: THE MUSES

CALLIOPE -- The Fair Voiced. The eldest of the Muses, she is Eloquence, and thus, governs heroic and epic poetry, and her eloquence has served to calm quarrels even amongst the surliest of Gods. She is crowned in gold, and holds a roll of parchment or stylus and tablet. Hers is the scent of creative inspiration, and it is a boon to writers, poets and arbitrators: lavender and bright mint with bergamot, verbena, thyme and a touch of sweet orange and warm almond.

ERATO -- The Lovely. She is the Muse of mimicry, and inspires both erotic and romantic poetry. She is crowned in roses, holding a lyre. Her scent inspires creative expressions of love and lust: a crush of roses with sweet pea, myrrh, ylang ylang, orris and stephanotis.

MELPOMENE -- The Songstress. Melpomene is Tragedy, and the sound of Her voice is filled with beauty, power and strength. She is crowned in cypress branches, holds the mask of tragedy, wears the cothurnus and wields a knife or club. Her scent is rife with pathos, and inspires us with the ability to express our grief, loss, and the pain in our souls in a cathartic, creative fashion: dark cypress with mint, geranium, Bulgar lavender, orange blossom and passion flower.

- - -

SIN & SALVATION

TZADIKIM NISTARIM -- Also called the Lamed Vev, two letters in the Hebrew alphabet that translate to the number thirty-six. In this violent, ugly, strife-riddled world of ours there are thirty-six men, the Hidden Just Men or Hidden Saints, who bear on their shoulders the burden of all our pain, sorrows and sins. The Tzadikim Nistarim move in obscurity, and are usually found among the poor, the downtrodden and the meekest among us, and are chosen for this task because of their righteousness, stalwart sense of genuine justice, and the true goodness of their souls. When one of these men dies, God chooses another to take his place. It is for their sake and for love of them that God does not destroy His imperfect creation. As long as the Lamed Vav serves humanity, the world will continue to plod on, but once one of them dies and God cannot find another worthy to take his place, the world will be destroyed. In Qabala, the thirty-six men of the Tzadikim Nistarim together combine to symbolize the seventy-two bridges, corresponding to the seventy-two names of God, that connect the concealed and revealed worlds of our universe. The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity, with a taste of the world's eternal pathos, and the joy of suffering with grace: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal.

- - -

LOVE POTIONS

AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA -- A pale, delicate, truly angelic blend. A scent created to emulate Adonis' halo of beauty: fragile, distant, and radiant. Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris.

LE PETIT MORT -- Seduction, sensuality, the Act, and the aftermath all in one. The scent of warm, damp skin flushed with the glow of passion, touched by the luxuriant potency of ylang ylang and myrrh.

PERVERSION -- The perfect scent to wear to your next bondage ball, dungeon adventure or sojourn to your favorite pleasure dome. Smoky rum and black tobacco with a whisper of steamy leather with a splash of crystalline chardonnay, layered over a sensual, sweet, and deceptively magnetic base of tonka.

- - -

WANDERLUST

BAYOU -- .A lazy, warm deep green scent with a thick aquatic undertone: Spanish moss, evergreen and cypress with watery blue-green notes and an eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms.

MACHU PICCHU -- Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber.

NEO-TOKYO -- A scent that captures a meeting of the serenity and elegance of ancient Japan, the vibrant, shining, neon-lit and ultra-modern splendor of today's Tokyo and the fantastic electric fantasyland of post-modern manga fantasy. Urban metallics and an ozone-tinged breath of electric light mingled with reedy bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, delicate orchid and a splash of playful, wet fruits.

OLD KATHMANDU -- The scent of sacred incense swirling up the steep slopes to Swayambhunath Stupa. Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices.

TINTAGEL -- According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin.

- - -

MAD TEA PARTY

THE RED QUEEN -- Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant.

- - -

VOODOO BLENDS

AUNT CAROLINE'S JOY MOJO -- Bottled happiness. Helps reverse misfortune, brings light and laughter to even the most troubled and discordant place, and aids in alleviating the stress and discontent that accompanies so many of life's daily trials.

BLACK CAT -- A very tricky kitty, indeed. Used most often as a key to bringing back the joy one needs to have in life in order for living to feel worthwhile. Brings back a sense of delight in simple pleasures, and creates a surge of childlike curiosity and a youthful sense of fun. This blend can also be used to reverse troublesome lesser crossings, create a playful air of catlike sexuality, and, because cats will be cats, it can also be used to throw minor, irritating or bothersome hexes, causing small amounts of chaos and disruption to your foes.

BLOCK BUSTER -- Used to open up options in your life, overcome obstacles, and create opportunities. This blend increases your potential for success, inspires creativity and quick thinking, and helps you to be more flexible, adaptable and open to change.

FOLLOW ME BOY -- A houdoun recipe dating back almost 150 years. This blend is favored by prostitutes, exotic dancers and others in the sex industry for its power to attract, seduce, and enthrall. Ensures financial gain and increased profits.

GOONA GOONA -- A soft, sweet peace and harmony blend. Used to create an atmosphere of compassion, understanding, trust and love. This is particularly useful in mediation, calming tense or volatile situations, and in strengthening relationships.

HAS NO HANNA -- Brings a rush of good luck, lifts the spirit, and helps alleviate depression.

HORN OF PLENTY -- Forces a change of fortune, helps overcome poverty and want, and helps attract prosperity, prestige and earthly bounty.

INDIA BOUQUET -- Used liberally in love magick to ensure tranquility, calm quarrels, and rekindle faltering flames of attraction, sensuality and romance. Used also to put an end to infidelity, and in this aspect, it can be used not only on your mate, but on your self to keep your own eyes from wandering and hands from straying.

JUJU -- Both a fearsome crossing and fiercely potent uncrossing blend, depending on your intent.

QUEEN -- For use only by women. An extremely potent passion blend, used to great effect when you're converting feminine sexual energy into power.

RED DEVIL -- A sinfully playful lust blend. Inspires sexual spontaneity, a little bit of kinkiness, and new and inventive ways to get dirty

On August 9th we will be offering Formula 54 to the first fifty-four [coincidence?] forum members that respond to a thread that we will be posting in the BPAL Chatter section of the site at 12pm PST that day. The bottles are 1/3 oz, cobalt blue glass with a glass stopper, and will be closed with artificial bull sinew and a wax seal.

An example of the base bottle.

The price is $45.00 per bottle; one bottle per person, please. They will ship in the first week of September.

This will not be available for purchase on the BPAL site, and will be sold only to BPAL forum members.

More details soon.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=5510856835

Brian and I are still in the process of cleaning out boxes and boxes of Lab weirdness. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting prototypes, unearthed limiteds, and other random items.

A note: Midwinter is in a 1/8oz cork-topped bottle, not a 5ml bottle.

A million thanks to everyone that emailed us with new bottle leads and to those that went out of their way to actually send us bottles. You all helped us through a very tight pinch, and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your love, your efforts, and your support.

We love you guys. =)

The site update, including the Lunacy deal, will be up as scheduled on the 31st. A few more oils are being set up for the update. In the meantime, we will be working our a$$es off to get the “full bottle” orders that were delayed due to the bottle issue out as quickly as possible. About a hundred orders went out this morning, and we’re still cranking.

Tomorrow, CcNow access will reopen, and we will begin accepting new orders again.

Right. Now back to the Oil Mines for me.

When ordering, please remember that no samples are offered for our Limited Edition scents. If you place an order for a sample of a Limited Edition scent, it will be substituted with a random perfume sample from our permanent collection. Samples of our permanent collection are always available.

I. After 11.30pm tonight [6 July 2004] Black Widow will no longer be available. We are selling the remaining stock, and then it’s gone f’er good.

Hey Beth,

 

How 'bout creating Bleak Widow?!

heehhehehhheh

 

micHELLe

HA!

Mars and Saturn in Cancer.  This too shall pass.

Oh holy hell, are you serious? I had no idea.

I think a group hug is a fantastic idea.  I'm a little scared of the tone this board has been taking lately.  This forum is what I measure all others by.  Please don't let me be disillusioned.  Please.

Something in the air is a little snarky, Andra. This too shall pass. Everyone here is too beautiful to let this ride.

[Nella, come home!]

If you have emailed answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com since about 6/20 and have not received a reply, please resend to blackphoenix@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Some emails seem to have fallen into the abyss.

Group hug?

I. After 11.30pm tonight [6 July 2004] Black Widow will no longer be available. We are selling the remaining stock, and then it’s gone f’er good.

II. Due to an incoming bottle issue, some of the current orders that contain 5ml’s will be sent in amber 5ml bottles. Nothing will be altered except for the color of the glass.

III. There was a slight delay in answering emails over the holiday weekend due to a massive hard drive crash. We will be catching up on correspondence between tonight and tomorrow.

[GAK!]

hey gang,

 

maybe i'm outta the loop but was hecate changed recently? i received an imp a couple of months ago and it was very dry and heavy on the myrrh and when i received my 5ml of it, it's VERY almond/berry smelling with less of the myrrh i fell in love with. anyone know?

No, it hasn't changed, but the component oils are from a different batch. It's hard to standardize a scent perfectly when you use organics instead of synthetics. =/

OMG, I almost peed myself!!! ROTFLMAO!! Beth, you should just throw in the old "acts of God" line and be done with it!

 

 

   

*GRIN*

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

Question that I meant to ask in my earlier comment...

 

Beth?  Anyone with an answer?  I think I know the answer to my question, but I just want to make sure I'm on the same page since you mentioned earlier about the shipping updates on the forum.  When he does make a shipping update, you know...the "Shipped through..." ones, if I order through CCNow, in terms of shipping updates, would I go by the date in which I physically put things in my basket and check out, or the date in which you, BPAL, actually got my order "delivered" from CCNow.  And yes, I do feel the need to put the equivalent of air quotes around delivered when referring to CCNow.  Did that question make sense?

 

I think I know the answer, but I just want clarification, cause knowing me, I'm probably wrong.

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.

First of all, just let me say, yeah I understand what you're saying Beth, and I do agree with the request.  So yay

 

But on the flip side, its just fucking hard waiting for a May 11th order when people are saying that they've received their June 1st orders, even if I am an international order and I did realise there would be at the very least a months wait when I ordered.

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.

The wait being unbearable speaks volumes about how much we all love your skills as a perfumer, Beth.  It is in no way a dig against any of the hard work you, Brian, Nella are doing.  Any order, large or small is worth every second of the wait.

 

Thank you for taking some of your precious time to let us know what going on.  It's very much appreciated.

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.

I do have one question, Beth hun.  What if .. as in one of my most recent orders ... a customer calculates something into their order .. pays for it, but forgets to note an item into the notes field (this could only happen in PayPal, I believe).  Would an email .. within say 24 hours or whatever .. be sufficient to clear up that little snafu?

Then, of course, please let us know. =)

The perils of using PayPal. =(

This is being posted in response to several comments I've read in the forums asking me to restate the estimated ship time on incoming orders. On the web site's Welcome, FAQ and Shiny & New pages it states [in various ways] the following information:

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.

This is correct. We are averaging a three week turn around on orders with little exception despite all efforts to speed up the process. Brian will be reposting his continually updated shipping thread as quickly as possible. Yes, we do hand-blend and bottle everything individually. Yes, this takes just short of forever lately. I apologize if some feel as though this wait is unbearable. When someone invents an android akin to those in a Philip K. Dick novel that is both efficient and affordable, you can be sure that I'll buy one to help expedite this process. When I am able to purchase enough of these androids to create my own international perfume delivery courier service, you can be sure I will do that, too. In the meantime, I do not foresee us being able to close the 14-21 day gap in the near future, though we are doing our best to work out the loose ends that are slowing down the process [as an example, disallowing changes to orders once they are submitted to us for processing].

Androids. Or clones. I can't forget the clones. Cloning is always an option.

I am also going to reiterate that we are doing our best to respond to all email inquiries in a timely manner. As you all know, Nella is still out of town, and it may take a day or two extra for Brian or I to have a moment to get back to you.

Thank you all for your patience. If anyone hears of a bent-android closeout sale in the near future, please feel free to PM me with the info.

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 Announcements and will appear on the site tonight.