Medici

In the imp: Watery florals. It's not overtly aquatic, but I do get that sense of fluidity. It's a little pink and a little murky green to my nose. Wet: Sweet pea and more of that aquatic floral. Drydown: Just murky water with a lingering bit of sweetness that borders on being soapy. Verdict: Sweet pea, nine times out of ten, usually fairs well with my chemistry. This blend would appear to be the tenth time where I end up with soap bubbles. Woe. 2/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

In the imp: Jasmine and lily. Wet: The uber jasmine. The floral just blew up on me in this blend. Drydown: Ahhh sandalwood and vanilla, a little creamy, a little boozy, with the floral notes stepping back and letting this blend warm up nicely. I get an eensy little bit of clove spicing things up, but its surprisingly warm. I'm really liking this type of vanilla, and I do get a teeny bit of musk too. I think this would be light enough for spring/summer wear, actually. The florals do a nice job of lightening it up. Verdict: Le yum. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the imp: Lavender. (Damnit. Why does lavender always have to dominate my nose?) Wet: Dry sandalwood, a little lilac with a jumble of other florals behind it, and ylang ylang sweetening it up... and that dreaded, sleepy lavender in the background. Drydown: Lavender dominating. Oh, like I didn't know where this was going. *sigh* My chemistry always, always, always boosts up the lavender and then it drowns everything else in the blend out. Verdict: Not my cup o' tea. 1/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

In the imp: Mint and chocolate... like the peppermint patty variety. Wet: Mint that's gone a little herby... and you know, I don't think that's mint at all. In fact I think its catnip, which would totally be appropriate since the name is Black Cat. *a light flicks on somewhere* Drydown: Herby catnip, a touch of wood behind it. Very pleasant, it’s both light and sure at the same time. Verdict: I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this blend, but I can say I do like the smell. I did some digging in Cunningham's Herbal Encyclopaedia, and if that is indeed catnip, its supposed to be a very prosperous, fortuneful herb. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve for the scent alone

In the imp: Coconut, florals and white musk. It's warm, and a little foody. Wet: Spices? A little hazlenut, and the iris. Drydown: Still rather spicey... but the cooking sort. The coconut's disappeared totally, and for the most part, all I'm sniffing is the iris and musk. Woe. Verdict: I really was hoping for something like Elegba - I wanted the coconut to stand out so badly, but it's the first thing to disappear in this blend. Pretty, but not for me. 2/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the imp: Oh boy. This is a sweet floral. Wet: Sweet, syrupy floral on top of damp woods. What woods? I have no idea, but I imagine birch. Visually, I get light trees and thick, swollen blossoms in the warmth of a summer's day with just enough shade for you to be comfortable. Drydown: It's sweet and tangy, though not tart. It is still fresh despite its heady aspects, and it does have a bit of a zing to it... like honey with a drop of lemon juice. There's the metaphor: honey with a drop of lemon juice. (Though I don't smell any honey in here, nor lemons. Just sayin'.) 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the imp: Green tea? A wee little bit of ivy? It's light and white and fresh. Wet: Mmm, that's rerfreshing! i think I detect a little itty bitty bit of fresh apple peel that makes it just a little sweet and a little tart. We're moving in increments here, folks. Again, this is a fresh, light green scent. I do think I'm getting just a bit of a white floral still clinging to the vine - or maybe that's the vine itself. Verdict: Ahhh... 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

In the imp: The unholy scent of crayon melted on the stovetop. Wet: Woodsy with a touch of fig, but mostly melted crayon. Drydown: Scorched plastic. Verdict: Since this is my first experience with palm, I'm going to point my figure at said black palm and give it the evil eye. That went wrong superfast.

In the imp: Aye oi... cedar and sandalwood. Wet: Sandalwood and cedar, with a touch of lemon verbena. Drydown: The lemon verbena pretty much takes over this blend as it warms. It turns it tart while the cedar dries it out. Nice, but not me.

In the imp: Patchouli with a touch of citrus. Wet: Patchouli and orange with a hint of floral. The "citrus" makes it a little tangy, though its otherwise a pretty dark blend. It's got a bright little sparkle and shimmer. Drydown: No carnation at all, which is the primary reason I wanted to try this one. If you added dust and a bit of resin to this, I think you'd land pretty close to The Masque. Both blends smack of dimly lit ballrooms with low-burning tallow. Masquerade is simultaneously comforting and mysterious, and it reminds me a little of The Haunted Palace - save the sharp smack of blood orange. The orange blossom mellows Masquerade out considerably. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

In the imp: Choco-vanilla wood. Like a cutting board that you've been using to make comfort food with that's been near the stove. Warm and decandent. Wet: Choco-vanilla wood, again. Foody and slightly spiced - more cocoa than chocolate, though, which is nice since chocolate tends to go syrupy super fast on me. Drydown: Much the same, though the sandalwood becomes more pronounced as it wears. No appearance of myrrh, though. The myrrh's lurking somewhere in this blend and I suppose it decided to keep lurking. Verdict: Gourmand yum. 3/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the imp: Dr. Pepper mixed with Cherry Coke. Lots of sweet almond with a fruity snap. Wet: Almond mostly, grounded with a bit of earthy vetiver. Still smells like cherry coke from here, though. Sweet and juicy, and a little bit mischevious. Drydown: The myrrh finally stands out on its own, but the sweetness of the blend is still stuck in my nose. I do get a nice smack of clove from time to time, but I can't banish the idea of a coca cola offering left over the markings of a veve. In short, this is one awesome blend. It's sweet and spicey and a little naughty too. Usually vetiver doesn't work with my chemistry at all, but here it plays nicely with the other notes. Voodoo is not a blend you can forget easily. I've had the imp a while, and I can recall it with little effort. It's a fast love for me, though once in a while, depending on the time of the month, it can take a nasty turn and go all-out vetiver which I can't stand. For that reason I've held off buying a bottle, hoping that the imp would age nicely. It hasn't aged at all, really, but that doesn't mean I don't love it. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Luuurve

In the imp: Cranberries and musk. It sort of reminds me of Smut, actually - the same sweet, tanginess. Wet: Cranberries underscored by herby greens and... TOMATO PLANTS! That's how I remember this blend. I've had the imp sitting around for ages, and for ages I've been convinced it smelled like tomatoes still on the vine with a little dusting of dirt. I'm glad it still turns that way on the drydown. Drydown: Florals come out: a fistful of dark, tangy blossoms that... ok, well it says "dark lillies" but I don't smell lillies. They're not cold, in any case. It's a warm and sweet floral that gets amped by the musk. There's a wee little bit of a spicy snap to it, but its understated. I don't smell any ginger at all. Verdict: Awesomeness in an imp. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the imp: Mostly lavender and rosemary... and I have issues with both. One will put me to sleep on my keyboard, the other makes me sneeze. Oh dear. Wet: Rosemary and frankincense, and lavender coming up strong. I expect the lavender will dominate this blend, but the verbena makes a quick appearance before drydown. Drydown: It's pretty herbal - like kitchen spice rack herbal, with a sweet twinge of resin and just an itty bitty bit of woodsyness to it. Again, spice rack. Verdict: Not my cup of tea. One for the lavender, and one for spice rack. I do like the woodsy quality to it, though. It's a bit dry and understated, but it's still there.

In the imp: White musk, smoked vanilla and a hint of citrus. This is fresh and creamy and delish! Wet: I get the bergamot when it first goes on, followed by a powdery white floral and then overtaken by the musk. As it settles, the vanilla comes back out again and warms the blend. In a really, really strange way it sort of reminds me of Lush's American Dream, though without the strawberry. It's really, really, yummy and soft, and there is just the teensiest bit of floral in there. Verdict: 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the imp: Green, crunchy apples and oak. Miam miam! There's a little bit of smokiness to it too - leaves? I am appreciating this muchly already. Wet: Mmmm apple and that smokey leaf scent. The apples are juicy and crisp, and the smell makes me want to salivate. Damn this is incredible. That little hint of smokiness makes it just a little bit more refined. Drydown: Oak barrel and apples. What an awesome combination for summer. Verdict: I would not say no to a big bottle of this. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the imp: Sweet white florals, a great big crazy bouquet of them that have been heated under the sun and have begun to wilt. Wet: Man, I can't pick off anything but the gardenia. Again, its another travesty of my chemistry eating up everything save the most dominant notes. Bugger. Not even any rose. Double bugger! Drydown: *mutters something about the wrist of d00m sucking up the pretties* Verdict: For a floral, I think its gorgeous. While I could wear this as it is an enjoy it thoroughly, I sort of wish this had a wee little bit of lily in there that might reign in the rest of the notes. I'm a little disappointed that I can't make out the subtler components.

In the imp: Purple popsicle! Wet: Sandalwood and purple popsicle. There's a slightly powdery white floral below there with a touch of herbal greens. Visual associations: unbleached muslin cloth. Drydown: This blend didn't last five minutes with my chemistry. i still get a lingering bit of sandalwood, but my wrist has gobbled up all the subtler bits (and the popsicle smell) that made this blend enjoyable in the onset. Verdict: Pretty, soft, and short-lived.

In the imp: Orris and musk, a little clinical smelling, and bringing with it a freakishly morbid ambiance too. (That could be me, though - I make too many visual associations with these blends.) Wet: Patchouli and musk, laced with a little bit of myrrh. It's sobering - makes me think of coffin wood. Drydown: Very woodsy and very dry. I think a little too dry for my tastes, actually. This might fare better on a guy than it does on me. Verdict: I'll pass the imp along to my dad and see what he thinks. It's slipped back into full-on orris again, and cut off a bit of that claustrophobic stuck-in-a-six-foot-long box smell. Interesting? Yes, definitely.

In the imp: Wooo! Moss and cypress! It's a bit aquatic actually, or maybe that's my predisposition to Bayou's Spanish moss speaking. I also get a lot of frankincense from this blend, as well as the oude which freshens it up considerably. Wet: Cypress and cypress and oude. A little tangy, a little foresty, but the frankincense is wreaking havoc on my nose. It turns this blend into insta-pine cone. Drydown: Damned frankincense. My chemistry just amped it up and its drowned everything else out. I smell like one of those car freshener pine trees that you dangle from your rear-view mirror. Verdict: Awesome in the imp, but utterly destroyed by my chemistry.

In the imp: A heady smack of opiates and myrrh. Wet: Black as pitch and dusted heavily. Not be redundant, but I see where this gets its name. It's not just dark, it's a great big freaking unending abyss that you either launch yourself into fully, or you teeter on the edge a while, considering just how far down the rabbit hole you'd like to go. Drydown: Mostly opium and narcissus, a little sudsy. (I don't think narcissus likes my chemistry too much, its going a bit soapy.) Verdict: I love it in the imp, I'm not too sure my chemistry particularly cares for it though.

In the bottle: Night bloomers and creepers clinging to their trellises. There's something a little green that reminds me of vines in here. Wet: Dark florals - heady and rich and drooping. I can't pick off individual notes in herre, since I'm not as familiar with the selection in this blend. So let me summarize by calling this a moon-kissed garden, complimented by a humid evening and the unknowable things that lurk beneath the foliage. Drydown: They only come out at night, the days are much to bright, they only come out at night... Awesome. I've had this bottle sitting in my storage chest for some time since I don't usually wear humid floral in cold weather. I'm happy to be able to break it out again. It is deep, and dark and beautiful. Verdict: Midnight's one of my long-time loves, 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

Cinnamon apple cider gone cold. It's sweet, but not too sweet, spicey, but not too spicey. While I like the scent of Blockbuster, and I've used it on occasion to get into more mentally involving projects, its just not as effective as a swift kick in the pants like the TAL blends.

In the imp: Sweet and thick, florals and amber, maybe? A hint of resin? Wet: Mmm, that's a heady floral, alright. I get gardenia mostly, but there's a truckload of something else in there that I can't make out at all. It's rich and sultry, though not... how do I explain this? I find some blends to be really somnolent. It's not that it's sleepy, but it feels sort of heavy-lidded: Like you want to line your eyes with kohl and rouge your lips and give every member of the opposite sex bedroom eyes. Drydown: This is totally a "come hither" blend. Mysterious and heady and exotic. It's going straight to my head. Verdict: Still too darn floral though. I'd like to say its almost too mature for my mentality.

In the imp: Myyrh and an overwhelming sweet slap to the sinus. Wet: Hey! There is something green in there. Must be the balsam, funny I never noticed that before. Drydown: I'm getting something smokey and almost resiny coming up - like a thick, carmelized syrup. It's warm and dark and resonant on whole, and I quite like it. Very comforting - I almost want to dim the lights and set up a few pillar candles to work by. It reminds me of black ink and parchment and brass braziers with curling incense smoke. Very visual, and very somber too. Verdict: A fast favourite: 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve