Los Angeles - October 31, 2008

Olfactory Girl

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Perfumes

Love Potion No. 9’s charms aren’t what they used to be.

So shelve it in favor of one of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s intoxicating airs.

Using historical formulations and original blends, the North Hollywood-based perfumery makes atmospheric scents that live only to tell a tale.

Antique Lace (dried flowers, aged linens) captures Victorian nostalgia; Rosalind (berries, grass, spring flowers) is redolent of Shakespearean romance. In keeping with the season, get spookier with gothic Eternal (stephanotis, cyclamen, heliotrope, white rose, gardenia) or Madame Moriarty, Misfortune Teller (red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli, wild plum).

And there’s always the Conjure Bag, a New Orleans spice- and voodoo-tinged line made from recipes passed via oral tradition — including the heady No. 20 Love Oil.

A worthy addition to your own bag of tricks.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, 12120 Sherman Way, at Laurel Canyon Boulevard, North Hollywood (blackphoenixalchemylab.com). Brick-and-mortar open only on the full moon (next is Thursday, November 13), 7-10 p.m. (if it falls on a weekday), 4-8 p.m. (if it falls on a weekend).