Lyrical

This is the 2005 version. In the vial: rum! Reminds me very much of Mr Nancy even down to a touch of lime and a whiff of smoke! Although I might be imagining that part! As this bottle is vintage there is a little residue around the rim that looks exactly like powdered sugar! This amuses me! Wet on skin: sugary and boozy, and unexpectedly masculine. I guess it's the candied fruits that are coming across as lime. Me likey! Dry on skin: it's going a little sour and smoky. Otherwise it's mostly dark brown, molasses-rich sugar with a hint of booze and a touch of fruit. Not at all what I expected, but rather nice! 2nd test: I like it even better this time. Mostly brown sugar on the drydown, and good throw. Afterthought: I've never seen a sugar skull, but when I was a kid we sometimes had sugar mice as a great treat. That's what this smells of - an old-fashioned sugar mouse with a hint of booze. Compared to other sugary scents, such as MVJBA and Midway Resurrected, this is quite strong with good throw.

Oh my! This was an impulse buy that really paid off! In the vial: blackberry and lavender with a hint of honey. Wet on skin: French lavender and and blackberry. The honey emerges gradually. It's light and sweet like a summer dessert eaten in a sunny garden next to a lavender bush! Dry on skin: the lavender fades and what remains is soft, honeyed blackberry - light and pretty. The honey isn't as cloying as in Hony Mone and Lady Una. Overall, this is very light and doesn't last long. Not sure about the honey, but it is pretty. 2nd review: this is simply beautiful! The lavender, blackberry and honey remain 3 distinct and very realistic notes, but dance around each other to produce the prettiest, most summery scent imaginable!

It reminded me of El Dia De Reyes too! It took me a while to place the rather vague note they have in common and I think it's coffee or brown sugar. In the vial: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Caramel goodness! Wet on skin: caramel, caramel, caramel just ready to pour over ice cream or into your latte! Dry on skin: there is a faint suggestion of coffee. It's very sweet and creamy - the best sort of caramel sauce! If I keep on sniffing I can get some butter. It's not really popcorn or peanuts, perhaps just a tiny bit boozy? But mostly creamy caramel. Second test: oh look! There's the popcorn! Caramel and popcorn! This scent is a winner!

In vial: rich and heady. Mostly dark musk and patchouli, but with fruits and flowers too. Wet on skin: the musk reminds me of the dark musks in well-aged Spellbound. It's in the same scent family as Mme Moriarty and Phantom Calliope, but richer, more perfumey, more feminine, and the patchouli, while evident, is behaving itself and staying in the background. I can't smell blackcurrant, but the rich dark fruitiness indicates its presence. Dry on skin: it stays fairly constant - warm, just sweet enough, deep and heady. Not much throw. This is unusual in that it gets sweeter the longer I wear it. A bit too much patchouli for me to love it, though.

In vial: FRUITY! Tangerine, guava, passion fruit, and a hint of gin. Wet on skin: the same. Dry on skin: very fruity, mostly tangerine. This is a lightweight scent. As the initial brightness of the tangerine fades a slightly spicy undertone emerges. After an hour or so there's not much left except a herby something that reminds me of sage, but which is probably gin.

In vial: odd! I can make out apricot and citrus but it's kind of muddled. Wet on skin: brandy, rum, ginger and citrus. Smells like something to drink rather than something to wear, but then so do most of the Tikis, and I guess that's the fun of them! Dry on skin: this one is loads of fun! With brandy, rum, ginger and citrus fruits, it smells almost Christmassy, but still tropical and bright. In less than an hour the top notes fade and I'm left with a soft, spicy brandy/rum, which is pleasant, but not as good as the earlier phase.

In vial: sweet rum in a jumble of fruity notes. Wet on skin: sweet, fruity and delicious, with an unexpected creamy touch! Dry on skin: I wonder what gives that creamy note? This is gorgeous! The fruits are blended smoothly together - in fact, this is a creamy tropical smoothie made with vanilla and cream, or perhaps a tropical fruit cheesecake. Two hours later, it's all but gone.

In vial: creamy, lemony, vague. Wet on skin: very soft and creamy but I can't make out any particular notes. Dry on skin: still creamy and sweet. It's nice and completely unexpected! Very short wear length, though. Keeping this one!

In vial: mostly almond, some lime. Wet on skin: Almond, rum and lime - sweet and lovely! Dry on skin: Rum, lime and sugar, with perhaps a hint of cherry. It's a little smoky around the edges and the almond liquor is almost buttery. It's a sweeter, fruitier version of Mr Nancy, without the tobacco and cookies. I love this, but it's a little too unconventional for me to wear! It fades fairly quickly into sweet, buttery rum with a wisp of smoke and a hint of lime peel, then ends up as dry rum, cloves and cinnamon that lingers close to the skin for hours. I wish the top notes lasted longer.

In vial: sweet rum, coconut and vanilla. Wet on skin: rum, coconut, vanilla and a hint of pineapple. The spiciness develops as it dries. Dry on skin: mostly rum. Quite good throw. After a fairly short space of time it ends up as pure rum and dry spices. I'm glad I tried it, but I'm also glad I didn't get a whole bottle!

In vial: sweet, pale, fruity, floral. Wet on skin: tropical, fruity, pale and sweet. It reminds me of a conventional perfume, but I'm not sure which one. Dry on skin: the musk is faint, tropical flowers and coconut dominate, but it's beautifully blended. Not quite me, but very pretty. In the morning I can still smell it on my T-shirt (although not on my skin) and it's lovely - cool and sweet and summery!

Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke. In vial: warm, spicy, sophisticated. Wet on skin: warm, spicy and smoky. Dry on skin: as it dries, the bitter plum comes out, mingling with musk, creamy heliotrope and beeswax. It's a mysterious, earthy blend of fruit, flowers and musk, with a tiny bite of pimento, in the same family as Mme Moriarty but thankfully with no odious patchouli to spoil it for me! In the final stages, this softens into a gentle, creamy blend of heliotrope and red musk. If you like Red Moon, you might well like this one.

In vial: pale, musky floral. Wet on skin: gorgeous, sweet floral with musk. I usually dislike straight up florals but the vanilla musk completely saves this one. It's a sweeter version of The Body Shop's White Musk, which was my signature scent for years (so much so that I can no longer smell it). Not much throw. Dry on skin: very pretty and feminine - white musk, vanilla, rose and lily. I like this and I'm regretting that my decant is only a half-imp! However, this ends up rather too much like old-fashioned bath salts for my taste.

In vial: woody, warm, a little sharp, masculine. Wet on skin: woody, sharp, muddy, spicy. Dry on skin: far too sharp and masculine for me, but not altogether unpleasant. Woods, coriander and patchouli are the dominant notes on me. The tonka and mint are very faint, and I can't make out any lemon peel. The throw is strangely soapy and spoils the overall experience!

In vial: sweet, herbal, flowery, a little sharp. Wet on skin: very sweet, herbal and a little spicy. Dry on skin: syrupy, light, fresh and slightly ethereal. Not quite my thing, but pleasant, and I'm glad I got to try it. I'll probably use up the imp. As it fades I like this more and more! It's sweet, fresh and summery, and pretty without being old lady or little girl!

In vial: wow! Very perfumey, very pretty! Wet on skin: Honey, musky, leafy, vanilla-y, spicy, juicy, yummy! Dry on skin: very pale and cool and sweet and sophisticated. Not much throw at all, which is disappointing, because this is lovely! Great for summer! This reminds me of Kali, so if you like that, you'll probably like this. However the second time I wore it, it was disgustingly cloying and sickly and it has remained so ever since! For the record, I can't smell blackberries or cat pee!

Having searched for a BPAL equivalent to Body Shop White Musk ever since I started, I've just tested Victoria, which shares the notes of (white) musk, vanilla, rose and lily, and I really think the wet stage is very similar to White Musk. On me it gets more floral on the dry down, but it's definitely worth a try if you like White Musk!

In vial: I'm so glad someone else said elderflower cordial, because that's just what it is - a very fruity elderflower cordial! Or perhaps elderflower wine, but I've never tasted that. Wet on skin: sweet and fruity elderflower cordial. Dry on skin: stays fresh and fruity, with a touch of honey and a decent amount of throw. Not at all boozy. This is the perfect scent for a hot summer day, and conjures up images of sitting under a shady tree, wearing a big hat and sipping home-made elderflower cordial, sweetened with honey. Short wear length.

I find that while Vice isn't the same as MB:Bloody Mary, it has some of the same creamy cherry gorgeousness and would probably make a decent substitute.

In bottle: somewhere between chocolate and Ovaltine (malted chocolate drink). Wet on skin: Ovaltine! Or possibly brownie batter. Definitely not a bar of chocolate. Dry on skin: nice! It hasn't gone musty on me as Gluttony and El Dia De Reyes did, nor is it the chocolate blancmange note of Vice. It isn't quite like real chocolate, but it's close and very pleasant!

In bottle: I can smell chocolate, sandalwood and vanilla, and a medley of other yummy notes. Wet on skin: faint at first, but mostly soft chocolate on a gentle, woody background. Yummy! Dry on skin: I think I need to slather this, because it's not very strong. The chocolate note fades into the background, leaving a very soft and pleasant medley of notes, dominated by sandalwood and vanilla. *applies more* Wow - I love this! Chocolate and sandalwood and vanilla, slightly reminiscent of Haloes only nicer, blended with all the other notes so that nothing stands out. I keep using the words "soft" and "gentle", and that's what this scent is. Later on, the chocolate, vanilla and sandalwood fade, and tea and fruit come into prominence, with a malty hint of nutmeg, but it's still a very smooth blend. Good stuff! I layered some Bliss on top, after the chocolate note had faded, and it was a good match.

In the vial: I think this sharp floral must be honeysuckle. Peppery spice and jasmine too. Wet on skin: pretty much what it says - sweet flowers with lemon and spice. I hate jasmine! Dry on skin: if you like sweet, soapy florals, you'll like this. I don't.

In the vial: ew! Very masculine - lots of notes that don't appeal to me! I can smell lavender, tobacco and sandalwood. Wet on skin: it's dry, acrid, and very masculine. Dry on skin: I might not mind this on a man! It improves a lot on drydown and it's now dark, woody and smoky. Not for me, though.

In the vial: *cough* pale floral dominated by violet. Wet on skin: garden flowers - mostly violet. Dry on skin: the violet gives a little depth and warmth but it's still way too floral for me.

In the vial: sweet and strangely foody, despite the florals! Wet on skin: mmmmmmm - I wasn't expecting to like this from the notes listed, but the vanilla is very prominent and saves it! I wish that jasmine would go away, though! Dry on skin: nasty jasmine! With some very nice vanilla. *sigh* I don't get rose at all.