Medici

In the imp: Neroli and a hint of raspberry. Wet: Raspberry jam. Drydown: Rapsberry jam, a hint of orange lollipop. Verdict: Very sweet, extremely fruity, but in the fruit preserve family and not fresh fruit. It's a little too candy-like for me, and rapidly turns to powdery Flintstone chewables.

In the imp: Musk and wet leaaves. Wet: Musk and playdoh. Very light, faintly floral. Drydown: Soapy floral. Everything else disappears behind a touch of greenery and something that reminds me of the way lotus behaves on my skin. The throw is barely there, I have to put my nose right up against my wrist to smell it. Verdict: Not enough of a kick for me, I'm afraid.

In the imp: Predominantly musk and pine. Wet: Musk and pine, rich brown/orange in colour. Decidedly woodsy. Drydown: Loads of juniper and musk. Very rich, very "earthy." Reminiscent in some ways of Hexennacht/Hunter Moon, but I think it's more of a mental association for me as opposed to something that I can directly scent off my wrist. It's in that family, though. I like it. I'm actually a little surprised that it's not more masculine, I think I could pull this off with little fuss. Verdict: The imp's a keeper. The musk note in this adapts wonderfully to my chemistry.

Grandmother of Ghosts for autumn, bar none. The Ghost for the summer, Ephemera, the Reaper and the Flowers. Anything that's laced with ivy is what I'll reach for. (Those blends remind me of Victorian Garden Cemeteries, Highgate in particular.)

I wore Mme. Moriarty into the last pit I went into, and it's pretty strong on me, and I wanted to wear something heavy and dark to begin with, but I still came out smelling like nothing at all. (Was a very sweaty, exciting night.)

I'm wearing The Ghost. It's the end, I've been spoiled mercilessly, and I'm a little sad. (It wasn't a willful spoilage. Some nasty person posted the deaths on a livejournal community.) So I'm wearing a mourning blend for reading. It's gonna be a rough one.

In the bottle: Holy crap, Beth really pulled of mildewy raincoat. *is apprehensive* It's got an aquatic base, that much I can tell you. Wet: Huh. Sweet milk. Huh, that's kinda nice. Interesting combo. There's something decidedly aquatic right below a creamy layer. It's not something I would have considered for myself, but in practice it actually works quite well. Drydown: As it warms up, I begin to get the impression that this might fare better on my father than it does on me. I get a little sliver of tobacco, but mostly, that aquatic note dominates, making it a little too boyish for my liking.

In the bottle: Ginger and musk. Wait! Nope, ginger more ginger and musk. This does not bode well. Wet: Dry ginger. Dry, woodsy ginger. Drydown: Medicinal ginger. *cries* A little spice, a little wood, baking cookies? It smells like Gingerbread Poppet's evil twin. *cries some more* It's roasting my skin. This is coming off now. Verdict: Nope, I knew this would be a risky blend for me, and it goes way to fiery for my liking. I was hoping the patchouli might dominate like it usually does, my skin grabbing the note and making everything else play second fiddle to it, but it's not happening here.

In the Bottle: Oh my, that's sweet. Amber and sugary fluff, and little happy winged things floating 'round my head. It's sort of... cottony? Not cottony smelling, but cottony feeling in my nose? I hope that makes sense. First impressions: it's fluffy. Wet: Oh hot damn that's nice... from fluff to fruit, it's all candied florals from here, with just a hint of naturalness that stops the blend from going cloyingly sweet. Drydown: As it warms I get a hint of lavender, but where I can't pin-down the exact floral notes, I get the overall impression of a sweet fruit mead. It's a little fresh, a little fruity, a little sweet, and then once and a while, if I turn my wrist just so, I get a waft of something airy. It's not sharp enough to be ozone, but it kind of reminds me of something I sometimes find in The Ghost. Verdict: Awesomeness. It's getting progressively fresher as it wears, but the scent keeps morhping on me. Every few minutes the sniffable quality changes. I really, really like this, and I'm not one for sweet florals or candy anything. It settles wonderfully into something light and fresh and summery with my chemistry. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the bottle: Cuuuuuuuucumber and moonflower. Wet: Cuuuuuuuuuuuucumber and moonflower. But mostly cucumber. 'Tis froosh. Drydown: Warming up, you get a light slap of something green, likes vines or foliage, or cut flower stems. 'Tis the lily methinks. The cucumber has disappeared. Mostly, I smell lily. I was hoping for the moss note to come out an play early on, but it seems to me that if it decides to make an appearance at any point, it'll be on another day when my chemistry isn't being so wonky. Ah ha! After ten minutes, the moonflower plops itself on top of the pile of smells in my nose, and that solidifies it. I like it. This is very much the sort of lighter white floral I like to wear - just a hint of green, and a little cool. Overall, it's a lovely, fresh, white floral that hangs very close to the skin. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

Huge surprises with Robin Goodfellow. I had intended to steer clear of it entirely, thinking the musk would make the blend very animalistic, and perhaps a shade too masculine. But there's something about BPAL's moss note that just loves my skin chemistry. Overall it's a very fresh, dry green scent with barely any musk underneath at all. I really like this a lot, since to me, it smells like the dry counterpart to Bayou (which I only wear on rainy days.) Methinks a bottle purchase is in order.

Before Even Opening the Bottle: This is going to be a strong one. I can smell it a foot away on my desk. Banging off those hollow wood notes, and battened down by a heavy patchouli. In the Bottle: Cloves - sharp, pungent, and medicinal. Wet: Please to note that my arm is presently on fire. Clove, patchouli, a little on the dirty side, but tempered off by the musk. Drydown: Very nice. Very aggressive, but nonetheless, lovely. It's a dark, heady clove-musk-patchouli swirl of yumminess. I do get the impression of unlit clove cigarettes as well, this smells exactly like that. It's a little dusty, a little dry, and very warm. Verdict: Something cozy for the fall. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the bottle: WOOOOOOOOOOOOT! WOOOT! WOOOT! SQUEEEE!!!!!! Ivy, a hint of musk, IVY, a brush of phlox. Teh smeh. This is right up my alley in the ephemeral division. Wet: Ivy, moonflower, phlox, a scrape of orchid - cold floral, cold and green and fresh and yum. This is the sort of thing I thrive on in the summer months - I like my florals gellid and fresh, and this is right up in there - nestled in happily between the fresh, soft green of The Ghost and the smooth tones of Bat Woman. Bat's the happy medium. Drydown: Much the same, though the orchid gains a little more punch as it wears. Verdict: I love it. I love ivy. I love flying rodents. This is a winner. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

Yep. Definitely an awesome blend. I get a little bit of everything out of this, the top notes being the most floral - with moonflower and orchid standing out the most. Below that is a wispy blend of green tea, cucumber, soft herbs, a touch of powdery fruit. It's sweet, and light, and floral and for me, it really fits the whole notion of a "lunacy oil" (which isn't something that happens too often with my chemistry.) It's nicely rounded, and while it has absolutely none of my favourite notes, it's blossoming into something sweet and soft and wonderful, and I do very much like it. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: Red musk, musk musk, white musk, strawberry, sickly, psychotic sweetness. Wet: Red musk and strawberry psychosis. Drydown: Thank the gods the red musk tapers off enough to let this blend chill out a little. The onset shrieked on for a few minutes, there. Had me worried. After the blend warms, its still a little cloying with my chemistry, the grapefruit is completely absent, and the strawberry is tottering along merrily. Unfortunately, the musk in the background and the combination with the other notes has made Mania particularly medicinal (in the cough syrup variety) and that makes her a no-go. I'll be be off to my padded cell, now. Kthx.

In the imp: Well, despite the majority of reviews in this thread, I definitely smell that creamy lily note in here. That's not the interesting part (lovely, but not interesting.) The interesting part is the heady, musky nectar balancing out the floral. Wet: Smells like lily and body sweat. So much for the nectar. :/ Drydown: Okay, no. Gym socks and melted wax candles. Verdict: Not for me.

In the imp: Mmm... green apple? I had expected red, but this smells like Granny Smith to me. Wet: Apple, fresh, crunchy and sweet - very true to life. And it is a red apple, definitely - red and plump and juicy. Drydown: Apple and oleander, with a darker, almost wooden herbal undersoring the blend. Me likey. I like the fact that the sweet and tart get levelled off as the blend warms, unfortunately, its so subtle that in a few minutes, it's easy to miss.

In the imp: !!!!!! !!!!! !!!! It's a citrus explosion of fizzy pink goodness! Wet: Grapefruit, lime, sweet florals, bergamot... it smells like Barbados... it smells like a cabinet of candy... it smells like... it smells like... *glitches* Damn, this is *really* good. Drydown: It's sweet and fizzy and bubbly but in a non-obnoxious, non-cloying way. The lime and grapefruit are almost lemonade-like without the pucker. It fresh and sweet and very fun, and youthful but not juvenile. Very much a pick-me-up-scent. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve. Big Bottle, here I come! (Doh. If there were still 10mls in manufacture... I would so be all over one of Croquet. It's really that good.)

In the imp: Predominantly red musk, dry sandalwood and cassia. Wet: Red musk, slightly spiced, with a touch of lemon. There's something very dry in this blend, which by my assumption is probably the sandalwood, and there's also a little wee something that smells like paste... the sort that kids eat behind their teacher's back the minute attention's directed elsewhere... Not that I'd know anything about that. Drydown: Cassia and red musk, mostly. The red musk in this blend is hogging all the limelight of my precious and elusive mango, though there is a very very very slight hint of that lovely tropical fruit way in the background (wrapped in with the paste.) Verdict: Eh. Not for me, I don't think. Too much paste makes Medici crazy.

In the imp: Methinks this is not going to go well. The first thing that leaps out at me is a very sugary treacle, and me + sugar = burnt plastic. Woe of the woes. Wet: Burning sugar burning sugar burning sugar PLASTIC and a hint of cider. Drydown: Plastic. Damnit.

In the bottle: ZOMG LILIES AND SPICE! And... Cherry Coke? Right now, this is literally Voodoo (from the Voodoo Blends) meets Black Lily. Creamy, sweet, and spicy. Wet: Holy mother of bejeesus that's incredible! I'll agree with the previous reviews in that it does smell like a freshly cut flower, but with a little snap of ginger spice and a bubblyness I wasn't expecting. Drydown: That creamy lily base comes out as it warms, balanced by the sharper underside. This flower's got teeth, let me tell you. It gets progressively more sinister as it wears, showing it's other side (other head? Two-Headed Lily? Get it?! ) Yeah, I love it. It's much more than I was expecting, but as a Lab's-lily-note-lover, I am probably biased to begin with. In summation - if you like lily, this isn't as straight up as you might expect. The note's predominant in the blend, but balanced nicely with a sharper side that makes this blend wholly unique. Truthfully, I haven't smelled anything like this from the Lab before, so I'm rather excited. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the bottle: Heavy swamp moss and cypress, decidedly masculine. Wet: Cypress with florals coming up fast and strong. Dark, murky and aquatic with a hint of musk, and still very masculine and robust. Drydown: Soggy wood notes, but most surprising is the fact that this really smells like the Bayou - or at least, the bayou in autumn on a cold night. It's not nearly as muggy as I expected. The florals come up, with the wisteria dominating, and evening off my initial impression that this might have fared better on my boyfriend than on me. Alas, I'm a girl who loves the Lab's spanish moss and cypress, so I'm glad that as it wears, Roux-Ga-Roux begins showing its more feminine side. It's still aquatic, but it's a deep, murky aquatic that spells mystery and darkness. (Totally up my alley, right there.) The cypress, though its taken a subtler turn as the blend warms on the skin, is ever-present and accompanied by a much dryer woodsy note, I'll assume that it's hickory. Very nice, overall. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve. Tucked away neatly with her other rainy day blends.

In the imp: Crushed berries and deep amber. Yum. Wet: A really, really rich amber, with a light hint of spice, a dark, drooping florals to level it off. It's a very heady scent, the smallest dab'll do ya. Drydown: It is really sophisticated, though it doesn't morph a whole lot with my chemistry. I feel womanly wearing it, which is a nice change since I have a tendency to stick to the dark and mysterious blends from the Lab. This, however, is quickly winning my affections. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: Myrrh and really rampant patchouli, very resinous. Wet: Patchouli, very earthy and dry, still resinous. Someone mentioned pencil shavings before, and I tend to agree. It's dry and woodsy, and maybe a little too hippy-chic for the likes of me. Drydown: Pencil eraser. Verdict: That would be a no thank you kindly.

In the Imp: Pure myrrh. Wet: All things dark and beautiful - more myrrh, no florals as of yet. Drydown: I was hoping for the jasmine to peek out, since I do like the note, but the myrrh isn't letting anything else through. It's a little too dark and too resinous for my tastes. Verdict: Not my cuppa. 1/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve