kebechet

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!]

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

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!]

Group hug?

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. =/

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.

Dee and I are working together to create a line of Blackrayne / BPAL soaps. The problem is... I'm a weird, indecisive Fish and I can't make up my mind about which scents to use. Please post here with your requests if you have a moment. Once I narrow it down a bit, I'm going to set up a final poll. We can't start off with too many scents, so...

The most important thing that needs to be stated here is our love and thanks to Slythwitch for her time, effort, and love in creating this amazing forum. Thank you so much! Thank you also to all the mods for making sure everything runs smoothly, and another huge thank you to all of the wonderful, bright, creative and insightful people that take the time to give us this much needed feedback on our creations. I ruv you. :oops:

*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.