NOV, 2010 – It started with a line of STAR TREK fragrances that left some of us wondering if Diamond Distribution was playing a practical joke. There in the pages of Previews we stared upon a sight that even the most die hard Trek fans couldn’t seem to believe. A cologne called PONN FARR, named after the period when Vulcans go into a sort of “mating season” or to put it in animal terms – they go in heat. And that, my fellow nerds, was just the beginning.
Next came TIBERIUS and now two others are available for January pre-ordering: SHIRTLESS KIRK and RED SHIRT.
If you can’t order them from your local comic retailer (and it’s very easy to ask them because they might not carry the products in stock but will gladly order from Diamond for you), then check out these links (AmberUnmasked is not an affiliate of the shops linked):
STAR WARS unveiled a product line of colognes at Comic-Con International which included Slave Princess Leia and Landa Calrisian varieties. The Eau Lando bottle comes complete with blue cape and Slave Leia’s bottle of course comes with a chain. If you like the combination of mandarin, lotus flower, exotic woods and musk, then you might find Eau Lando suitable for you. Slave Leia features cashmere, musk and jasmine.
For the Indie Comics fandoms, the absolute must-haves are within the bottles at BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LAB. Several of their fragrances will also make you feel good at heart since part of their proceeds are donated to important organizations. Kathy Flynn filled in the details:
We have also done scents in the past to benefit AIDS Project L.A., Red Cross, SPCA, etc.
At the November Will Call event, we conducted a canned food drive. Every one who brought a can received an scent that was exclusive to that event. For our December Will Call event on December 21st, we will be conducting a toy drive for Toys for Tots and everyone who brings a toy will receive an exclusive scent. Additionally, we will be conducting a soap drive at the same time to benefit Clean the World, and anyone who donated soap will receive a free perfume squirt from Black Phoenix Trading Post.
The proceeds for all of the Neil Gaiman scents benefit The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) and we have also done two previous non-Gaiman scents for them, Banned in Boston and Liberty. Those two were limited editions and are no longer available, but all of the Neil Gaiman scents are still available. The Good Omens scents benefit both the CBLDF and Orangutan Foundation UK.
The proceeds for Sachs and Violens, and the Witchblade and Dawn scents benefit The Hero Initiative. We also just released a scent just for them, Heroine.
The proceeds for the District scents benefit Habitat for Humanity Hurricane Katrina relief.
How complicated was it to make arrangements with people like Neil Gaiman and Mike Mignola?
The majority of our collaborators are very easy to deal with. Some are very hands off and some, such as Neil Gaiman, have very specific ideas on the tone or feel they are looking for.
BPAL is a very small operation. Besides Beth, Brian and Ted, there are only 6 employees at the moment.
Besides your site and the support of Top Cow, what other distribution do you have?
We have a few retailers we work with, such as several Whole Foods stores in the South, knows perfume in Seattle, WA, and Healthy Living in Vermont, but we prefer to do the majority of distribution ourselves. We have done specific exclusive scents for online retailers such as Urban Outfitters, Think Geek, and Clockwork Couture, and have two scents that are only available from the Mutter Museum in Pennsylvania.
Do you have holiday specials you want to promote?
We don’t really do specials, but we do have Yule scents live! In addition to our regular Yule scents we have a line of scents based on The Christmas Carol and another based on The Nutcracker. You can find those on our Limited Edition page. Additionally, we just released the first series of our scents based on Peter S. Beagle’s timeless classic, The Last Unicorn.
FROM STARDUST LINE:
The East: But there were times when the wind blew from beyond the wall, bringing with it the smell of mint and thyme and redcurrants, and at those times there were strange colors seen in the flames in the fireplaces in the village.
The scent of the winds beyond the wall: bluebonnet, passion flower, freesia, jasmine tea, mint, thyme, and redcurrant.
Fairy Wine: Mr. Bromios had set up a wine-tent and was selling wines and pasties to the village folk, who were often tempted by the foods being sold by the folk from Beyond the Wall but had been told by their grandparents, who had got it from their grandparents, that it was deeply, utterly wrong to eat fairy food, to drink fairy water and sip fairy wine.
An ethereal vintage, steeped with dandelion, honey, and red currants.
FROM NEVERWHERE LINE:
Door: She was dressed in a variety of clothes thrown over each other: odd clothes, dirty velvets, muddy lace, rips and holes through which other layers and styles could be seen. She looked, Richard thought, as if she’s done a midnight raid on the History of Fashion section of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and was still wearing everything she had taken. Her short hair was filthy, but looked like it might have been a dark reddish color under the dirt.
Golden honey, nicotiana, blue chamomile, and cistus.
Anesthesia: ‘Ratty!’ said the girl in something between a squeak and a horrified swallow. She had a large, water-stained red button pinned to her ragged clothes, the kind that comes attached to birthday cards. It said, in yellow letters, I AM 11.
A scent that slips through the cracks: peppermint, lavender, bergamot, and mandrake.
HERO INITIATIVE
Heroine: Nepalese amber, East African patchouli, dark musk, apple blossom, petitgrain, aged leather, skin musk, and rhubarb.
Sachs (Scents based on the title characters from George Pérez and Peter David‘s groundbreaking comic book mini-series, ‘Sachs and Violens’!): A sensual scent, compelling and passionate, that stays close to the skin: Roman chamomile, bourbon vanilla, and smoky vanilla bean.
Violens: Rugged and understated: five sandalwoods, dusty leather, and light musk.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.