Medici

In the imp: Oooooooh myyyy gooooooood. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this! This is... a heady, sweet, purse-your-lips and grin evilly scent. Wet: Rose, lilac and opium. That initial heady rush bursts open when it hits my skin, the plum coming to the fore. It's juicy, and wet, and dark and seductive. This... awe hell. I'm going to need a bottle of this if it stays consistent through the drydown. Drydown: Plum, berries, florals wilting on dusty table tops, long skirts brushing across stone floors. This is beautiful. Really, honest-to-god, slap-in-the-face stunning. It makes me feel elegant, purposeful. I want to sit up straighter and keep my dirty, filthy, naughty secrets all to myself - only to be hinted at to passersby with a small, cheshire smile and lowered eyelids. Must. Get. Bottle. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: Lavender and something. Decidedly herby. Wet: Woodsy, almost pine-like, with a touch of lavender in the background. Drydown: There's something almost resinous about it, but for the most part, the herby aspect of this oil, almost tree sap-like in quality, tends to dominate the blend. It's not something I'd wear as a perfume. For practice, though, that's another consideration entirely. I haven't tested this with intent yet, so I won't comment on the oil's effectiveness.

Foreword: I've had my bottle of Alice for at least a year and a half now, and woe unto me, I've never reviewed her. (Actually, I've gone through a 5ml and I'm working on my 10ml now - long after the 10ml size has been discontinued. Bad BPALer, bad!) Needless to say, she's one of my favourites from the GC. In the bottle: Sweet, creamy carnation with a touch of tea. Wet: Spiced tea, over a bed of white florals with a large dollop of sweet cream. The carnation really kicks up the spice in this blend, turning it into a balanced cross between floral and gourmand. It's difficult to define which side of the fence Alice plays - is she foody or is she floral? For the most part, on me, she's both. Drydown: Much the same - lots of creamy, spiced tea underscored by the florals. Really brilliant blend, this, and as I said before, one of my top ten out of the GC. It manages to be light, soft, and a little playful at the same time. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: Wet, sweet fruits - mango dominating. Wet: Like Tweedledee, this is a really bright, sweet, fun scent. I get a lot of mango, but the sliced fruit with hints of the peel still sticking to it. There is a green edge of fruit peeliness that is present here. Drydown: After about five minutes the first wafts of patchouli come out, drying the scent out and making the fruits a little... dehydrated. Another five minutes, and the entire blend has gone powdery and dusty. That's a shame. It almost smells like plum after its settled completely, slightly reminiscent of Oya with vague hints at the earlier juicy fruit. Verdict: The onset's great, but the way this scent morphs turns me off a notch. That's my chemistry doing naughty things to good blends, right there.

Lilies. Soapy lilies through and through. I did not detect any honey in this whatsoever, and while I love the Lab's lily note, this bottle ended up being dumped into a body lotion because the scent on my skin as a perfume was far too faint for my liking.

Ridiculous! Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. In the imp: Wet fruits. Crazy kumquat, mostly. Wet: Gummy bears! Super sweet, chewy candy that's melted. And this is a good thing! Drydown: It's very sweet, very juicy and very fun - a nice addition for any fruit lover who needs a little bit of "SQUEE!" in their perfume cabinet from time to time. After about five minutes the white pepper emerges, levelling out the initial smack of sweetness with a bit of spice. This is really fun, but very young. I haven't the foggiest idea where I could wear this without giggling. I would, however, gladly buy a bottle to dump into an unscented body lotion. That I could see myself doing without hesitation, but as a perfume, eh.... not so much. It's too bubbly for my personality. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

In the imp: Lavender and all those great somnolent herbs that make me drowsy. Wet: Sit and drink pennyroyal teaaaaaaa... slightly minty, very fresh, and gender defiant? Wow. Wasn't expecting that. Drydown: The lavender takes a backseat to the minty quality of the pennyroyal, it's fresh, green, and slightly herby. After about five minutes I begin to see where others have mentioned that this might be better suited to a guy - a very refined sort of guy. On me, it's going powdery. It might fare better in a locket, so I will hold on to my imp. Nicely done. 3/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

Wet: ZOMG Rose bush! Drydown: Yeah, no. It's a massive bouquet of crazy, thorny roses that's making my nose dribble. It does smell very much like a rel rose garden, just not one I want to sit in for very long since my eyes are watering. Too true to life for me, but my mom would love this. Verdict: Not Medici's cup o' tea.

In the imp: Blat! Cherry sucker! Wet: Cherry sucker of the sweetest, stickiest, drippiest variety. Smells very much like hard candy. Drydown: This is way too cloying for my tastes. The cherry completely dominates everything else in the blend, then after a while it turns to plastic. So that's a definite no-go. (Methinks its the currant.) 1/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: Lemon tea. Slight citrus kick, with a hint of sweetness. Wet: Flower petal tea? The citrus quality morphs into something that reminds me almost of green tea. It's got a slight herbal edge to it - but very slight. Drydown: Cool green tea with a hint of lemon. Verdict: Dorian, as a tea scent, tends to smush everything else with tea in it into oblivion with my chemistry. If the Dormouse were a bit creamier, less herby and a tad sweeter, I think I might've had a winner. Unfortunately, this scent's a little too cool for my taste. Very refreshing, though. I can see myself wearing this on particularly muggy summer days when the humidity becomes unbearable. 3/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: loads of lily, a hint of sweet almond and a drop of cherry. Wet: Cherries and sweet almond. Drydown: The lillies come out to play! Considering I love BPAL's Calla Lily, this is an instant winner. However, I think it's a little too sweet to wear on a regular basis, so I'm going to pass on the Queen. Wonderfully blended, though. 3/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: patchouli and neroli. Dark, dusty and sweet. Wet: It smells like my local occult shop, dust included. Neroli has a tendency to dominate with my chemistry, blotting out everything else, and I'm afraid that's what's happening here. Drydown: All neroli, no oleander, no patchouli. Woe. Nice, but not a favourite.

In the imp: Cleaning solvent. Oh my, this is pungent. Wet: The washed floors of a kindergarten play room. OMG, white ginger hates me!! Drydown: Less offensive to my nose, now that the ginger's taken a backseat, but mostly I'm reminded of the first two minutes of wearing this scent and they are *not* pleasant. Not a keeper.

In the imp: Clove, balsam and *gurglegurglegurgle* pornographic content. Wet: Very woodsy, smoked-out, sultry and decidedly masculine. Drydown: Wonderfully spiced, warm and commanding - a touch of citrus peeks out, though I can't for the life of me find any mint in this. It's definitely woodsy, with a hint of spice and just the right amount of allure to make this blend dead sexy. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

In the imp: Mint-aux-max and mossy moss. Wet: Sweet mint and fresh grass. I've always been a little off-put by ambergris. In fact, in the two or so years I've been worshipping at the Altar of BPAL, I don't think I've ever actively sought out a scent with the note. So this is a first, and while I love minty scents for their cooler aspects, I really can't pick off anything particularly offensive to my nose here (as I thought ambergris and I wouldn't agree with each other.) It's barely there. In fact, I quite like it actually. Yay, a revelation! Drydown: Still minty with a little musk, almost cologne-like. Cathode's fresh. Maybe not my favourite mint from the catalogue, but nonetheless refreshing and pleasant. 3/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the imp: lily and vanilla, with a hint of citrus Wet: The mandarin peeks through first, warmed by a very soft, sweet vanilla. Wow, this actually glitters a little. It's a shiny scent! Drydown: I'm really surprised by this, actually. I was expecting a very strong floral, but the vanilla and opium notes really balance this out. With that light kick of mandarin in the background, the scent remains consistent and sparkling. It's really true to its name. I don't think I could wear this regularly, since it strikes me as the sort of thing that deserves refined attire and a glamorous nightlife, but it's definitely surpassed my expectations. Really beautiful. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

*sniff sniff sniff* Sugar Skull? *sniff sniff* Sugar Cookie on crack? *sniff* Very foody. Very sweet and sugary, with a slightly syrupy quality. Not my bag, really, But my skin hasn't destroyed it or turned it to burnt plastic so I suppose that's definitely bonus. (Usually, anything involving cake goes batsh*t crazy with my chemistry.) A little too gourmand for my tastes, though.

I saw the patchouli and I leapt. It's taken about two years of solid BPAL sniffing to get to the point where I really adore the Lab's note. These days, I can't get enough of it. Combined with the fact that I really, really loved the character in American Gods, Mr. Jacquel was a non-decision, a must-purchase. So I did. What a good call. It's dark, and resinous, and sombre, and all the things you'd expect a deity of the dead to be. My initial hopes would be that it would be close to Anubis from the GC, but it's not at all sweet. The amber is a secondary consideration with my chemistry, rising first and taking two minutes to settle into a light spiced patchouli. It's subtle. That's the best way to describe it. Very subtle, a little sweet towards the end of drydown with not a whole lot of throw. Nicely done. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

You know, to the circle of BPAL-lovers with whom I interact regularly, I always declare that I have a Holy Trinity of scents: Voodoo Queen, Mme. Moriarty and Snake Oil. Regarding the venerable three, I am pleased to announce that the Holy Trinity is now the Fabulous Foursome. Mama Ji is *exactly* what I'd hoped for: dark, sweet, and well-spiced. Really well-spiced. The florals are merely a hint in the background, with the spices taking the fore. On me, the cardamom is very prominent. It's a shade lighter than Voodoo Queen, but definitely in the same vein. Purchase again? I will. Definitely. This is the sort of thing I hoard compulsively. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

I was hoping for something dark, lush and tropical, with the "dark" dominating and only hints of the "tropical." (The reality is something akin to smex bottled, but I'm not splitting hairs.) In the bottle: Amber, wet leaves, and a stab of sandalwood. Wet: Eden? Is that you? Why do you smell like fig leaf? It's fig leafy! (Note to everyone else: I just knocked myself in the nose, and the ginger's burning my upper lip. No reaction on the arm, though, which is odd since its applied on a rather sensitive patch of flesh.) Drydown: The amber comes out, warming up the blend completely. On whole, it's a lightly spiced, subtly jungle-y concoction of smells that are very difficult to pick out as individual elements. The impression I have is that of something hiding just beyond the peripheral vision. Whatever that something is, it's damned dangerous and it's smirking at your back even while you struggle to catch a glimpse of it. Faiza's definitely deserving of a second bottle for my collection. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

You say "calla lily" and I leap. I do jigs for calla lily. Seriously. So when I saw there was a snake oil variant with a hint of my favourite floral, I ignored all the other notes and shimmied around happily for a good five minutes. The verdict: Cottonmouth is *everything* I had hoped for and then some... even ignoring the other notes in my first few moments of extreme excitement at seeing the lily. In the bottle: Sweet and floral, with passion flower dominating, and no hint of snake oil. Wet: Mmmmmm sweet flowers, with the linden blossom taking over the passion flower. As it warms it gets that musky, sultry quality in snake oil that I love so much, but it's not readily distinguishable. More like it's hinted at beneath that bed of flowers. Drydown: The lily peeks out. I cry out loudly with a shout of pure joy and declare: "I NEED ANOTHER BOTTLE!" 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve (This blend is right up my alley.)

I'll be the second person to throw up a hand and declare that Thalassa is taking rank of top aquatics. It's very clean, slightly floral, and especially fresh in the bottle. On the skin it rolls right into cool saltwater, like getting slapped in the face with sea spray on a hot day when you're on a reallyreallyreally fast moving boat. It's sort of airy and light, but decidedly "wet" too. Very glad I got a bottle at first go. Usually I'm not so lucky with aquatics, but Thalassa's a keeper. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

Heavy, heavy mint. The snake oil warms it up, making the blend rather musky, but it's stroooong mint, even towards the end of drydown. So strong that the spots on my collar bone have gone cold where I applied it and my arms have broken out in goosebumps. Awesome. Hello hot summer weather. Meet your adversary: The Green Tree Viper. 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

Nine Muses is the one TAL that I have been pining for... for at least a year. I've got strong psychological ties with creativity blends, and there are subtle differences when using them when doing something creative - Catalyst makes me lose track of time when working, for example, while Hymn to Pan gets me daydreaming of ideas. Nine Muses spoke to me the first time I heard about it - a little bit of everything. What I need right now is the blank state to turn into something brilliant, so that's the goal for today while working with NM. In the bottle: lemon and eucalyptus. (A nice little zot! straight to the head that leaves my nose tingling.) On skin: Eucalyptus, though not pure Vicks Vap-o-rub. The citrus evens it off a little. There's a trace of something green in there as well, a little herby, or maybe pine? It's sharp and goes straight to the head. Now, to see if this sonofagun will help me out with my writing...

In the bottle: Reminiscent of the old (discontinued) Voodoo blend. Cloves and dirt and something faintly herbal. Wet: Dirty cloves, faintly astringent, and I get a waft of vetiver. The TAL blend, much like the old Voodoo formula, reminds me of gutter water. While I'm not a fan of the smell, I remember the Voodoo blend working very well for me, so I'll put up with the scent although it's not a favourite. It still, however, reminds me strongly of New Orleans (especially Bourbon Street.) That faint bog-stink of dirty streets on a humid night. As it wears, it takes on a slightly metallic tint. As far as the effects are concerned, I'll have to see how the rest of my day goes before giving a proper assessment.