Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

 

10

86

Jill H.

Sunnyvale, CA

Wow, what can I even say about this company. Beth and company make the most gorgeous and imaginative oils. Each scent is truly a work of art. Very sexy, sensual,  and complex. They have over 1000 different scents in their current product line and many limited, special editions, and seasonal oils. All the scents have themes and small stories behind them. You can always find something you MUST have whether it be sweet, foody, floral, citrusy, green, herbal, etc.

You can order scents online 24/7, hit the shop only during "will-calls", or browse their scents at certain events. Not only does Beth come up with the most glorious scents but she is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

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Elite '08

10

79

kate w.

Oakland, CA

black phoenix alchemy lab is the pinnacle of perfumery to me.  the scents are gorgeous and the creativity is astounding.  they literally have hundreds of scents, and i have  tried most of them!  i love the gothic and mythological themes that inspire the scents.  they often come out with limited edition collections which are always creative and fascinating.  the writing on the website makes me drool.

they also have a sister website, black phoenix trading post.  here they sell soap, massage oils, nail polish (this is amazing nail polish!), t-shirts and other sundry.  in addition to that they have the twilight alchemy lab website to buy oils for all of your useful occult purposes.

i love love love bpal.  i'd give them 10 stars if i could!

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5

30

Flick R.

Studio City, CA

This company makes gorgeous perfumes. Really unique, fabulously crafted scents, with the odd bottle of bath oil and bar of soap, too. Their online store is open 24/7, but be aware that if you place an order their turnaround time could be anywhere from a couple of weeks to (occasionally) a couple of months, depending on how busy they are. They have a huge variety of general catalog scents, and every month, they release a new round of limited editions. Pricing for 5ml bottles are generally $15 - $30.

Once a month (usually on the full moon!) the Lab's location in North Hollywood is open for a few hours to sell directly to the public, and this is the only time you're able to go there to buy your goodies in person. BTW, Marcy was wrong when she said they were at the Black Broom in NoHo - the Black Broom has been closed since fall 2005, and though Enchanted Deva's has taken it's place, they do not stock Black Phoenix oils or products.

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Elite '08

143

136

Julia N.

New York, NY

As has been said, this is not a very physical store; it's primarily online.

BPAL creates a truly enormous variety of wonderfully, uniquely blended, all natural, pure perfume oils for both genders. Any possible type of scent that you can imagine, whether it be sweet, foody, floral, citrusy, green, ozone-y, herbal, aquatic - or any combination of these - can be found on the BPAL website. Some oils contain just a few notes which stand out distinctly in stark simplicity; others are complex blends of many notes that resemble more traditional perfumes in their amorphism.

The Lab puts great thought and precision not only into the actual creation of the oils, but also the choosing of a name and crafting of the description. These are not just scents; they are concepts brought to sensual life. Every mood you could want to feel or project, can be found amongst the oils, often magically so. These vivid qualities of the oils and their sheer breadth of variety make them so wonderfully unique.

A warning: these oils are beyond addictive, and while the individual bottles are reasonably priced ($15-$27), collecting them and seeking out limited edition/discontinued scents can become a very expensive endeavour.

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31

126

Valerie J.

Campbell, CA

In case you're wondering BPAL has a cult like following.  I have a number of their glorious scents and many of us horde and trade them. We covet them and they've become a near obsession for many of my friends.

Why?  Because Beth creates so many truly scrumptious and imaginative oils. Each scent is like a work of art - many are sensual, complex and heady. With over 1000 scents in their current product line - there are many limited, special editions and seasonal oils. The scent lines have themes and each scent has a fanciful generally poetic description.

Since I live far away, I haven't been lucky enough to go to their full moon open call at their Hollywood lab. Ordering a scent based on website descriptions is very difficult and I've been lucky to attend a number of cons where BPAL is vending.

My personal favorite scents are:  black rose, snake oil, gingerbread poppet and my most favorite boomslang.

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Elite '08

51

99

veronique m.

Los Angeles, CA

this is another one that i actually don't  want to review for fear that it will get too popular.

These are some of the best fragrances that I have found outside of Paris.

The concept is intelligent as well... meaning that much thought goes into the blending and naming of every  fragrance.

It's not expensive at all, considering the quality and the fact that it is oil and therefore one only needs a dab here and there.

Truly magnificent.

Now shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

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22

113

Deborah S.

Seattle, WA

It's CRACK! The best kind of crack though. This crack smells good. and comes in tiny tiny bottles with beautiful labels , tiny vials with tags, assorted soaps of special scents, and bath bombs to fizzy up your bath.

The best thing is going to Will call where you can actually smell to your hearts delight and get an order filled right away. Beware its crowded and like all crack, its not cheap.

I would plan a visit to LA just around the lab being open.

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8

32

stacey a.

Pasadena, CA

As has been mentioned before, the actual store is mostly online. The North Hollywood location is only open for customers for a few hours monthly. If you do get to go to the actual location and shop you will have the opportunity to try hundreds upon hundreds of oils. The sheer number of different oils is astounding. I've walked away with some delish smellies though - my faves are Scherazade and Numb. My husband loves Lightning. You'll find a little something for everyone.

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10

70

Patrick M.

Seattle, WA

Oh, BPAL, smelly wonderful addictive crack.

You don't need to be a goth to like their scents.   Nor be female - this male likes a good many of their oils and soaps as well.

With a line of scents based on fantasy, horror, the occult, philosophy, and religion, there's a wide variety of scents to choose from.

They *do* tend to be a bit costy ($3.50 for a sample "imp", up to $19 for a bottle), but worth it.   Soaps and "fizzy bomb" bath salts are also available.

For LA residents, they are open at the full moon to introduce their latest scents and do "will call" to pick up orders.

The only reasons they don't get five stars?   The price and the fact it can take up to four weeks for mail orders.

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7

13

Betty B.

Livermore, CA

Don't try to go to the physical location; Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, or BPAL, is only open every so often (roughly around the time of the full moon).  _Do_ visit their website. Frequently. Today.

http://www.blackphoeni...

BPAL sells essential oils. It's perfume for people with functioning noses and functioning brains.  Not only are these perfume oils locally made and vegan, they're absolutely incredible.

I used to read the news, or blogs, or books (those things with paper and bindings).  Now I read the advertising copy at the BPAL website.  Good Lord- talk about eloquent, stirring, adventurous, and different!  Want to smell like Baghdad? How about a Hellcat? Want to try a VooDoo potion? Maybe you want to smell like Shakespeare's Ophelia.

BPAL perfumes evoke a sense of place, or a concept, or a mythical/historical figure. They're reasonably priced: for about twenty bucks you can get a six-pack of sample sizes. For fifteen dollars, you can get a bottle of their general catalogue perfume.

Watch out for the limited editions and the full moon blends! Keep a keen eye out for their special runs of thematic scents.  Hanker for the updates. Hit refresh- and join the forums!

More to the point:

The perfume oils are wonderful, and you should buy some.
The BPAL forums are a great community with generous members.
BPAL deliveries take a long time to get to your door (sometimes more than a month!) but the wait is worth it.
The website is engaging and offers hours of fun exploration. Perusing all those scents takes forever- and is a lot of fun.

Fear addiction to BPAL- even if you've never been a perfumey type of person.  BPAL really gets you.

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Elite '08

26

244

Marcy C.

Redwood City, CA

Oh Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, you used to be a 5 star operation. As the previous reviewer mentioned, they don't have a brick & mortar store, just a website, although if you live in the LA area you CAN pick up some of their oils from the Black Broom in North Hollywood. I reduced my star rating because the prices went up to about $17.50 a bottle, which is a lot for me to shell out for something unsniffed. I still love my tried and true favorites such as Oneroi, which is a jasmine & lavender blend that helps you sleep..I take it with me when I travel. Also fab are their limited edition blends. And if you hate what's in the bottle there's always someone willing to take it off your hands on Ebay or in a swap.

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