Medici

Wet: pine and tomato Drydown: In the intial stages, the tomato leaf takes backstage and the cedar wood comes to the fore. It dries out the blend considerable. As it wears a little more, I get a hint of blackberry and overall it gets a little sweeter, but I miss the sharp green earthy edge of tomato leaf. I was hoping it'd have more longevity with my skin chemistry, but apparently not. Nicely blended, but not for me.

In the bottle: The buttery pumpkin of Jack, blunted by a juicy slice of orange just underneath. Wet: Pumpkin aux max, I get a warm waft of amber, and the slight, bitter edge of clove that burns oh so sweetly. Drydown: Here's where I ran into problems this afternoon when I slathered my collarbone thinking I wouldn't have spice-related issues. See, clove and me? We're usually cool. Cinnamon and me? We're mortal enemies. We each try to do each other wrong - now, here me out. I definitely don't get any cinnamon in this, but I think the clove is playing havoc with my chemistry in this blend. Damn, does it ever smell good at this point, but my flippin' arm is burning like I doused myself with cinnamon oil. *whines* The pumpkin takes a backseat as the spices amp up. The cardamom smells sooooo insanely good, like warm chai and a slice of pumpkin pie, and then whammo - rounded off by that amber and figgy figgy goodness, only to be chased down by the citrus as it sweetens. Burn baby burn. My arm is on fire. But it smells divine. This really is the best pumpkin scent I've tried yet. I'm hoping the searing fiyah won't be so evil in another week, because I dig this scent like you wouldn't believe. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa. In the bottle: Oppoponax. Cherry Cola. It makes my nose fizzle. Wet: Ohhhh myyyyy gooooooooood. Black amber, oppoponax, and patchoulli to sweeten. Ohhhhhh dear. Ohhhh my. Drydown: That patchoulli comes out and dries off the immediate herby slap to the face. The amber calms down a little, but rounds off the blend - making it warmer, almost golden. It's dark, and dry, and comforting. I can see the comparison made to Doc Buzzard, but for me, this blend leans a little heavier on the Voodoo side of the family. The more it wears, the more I get anise (of all things). Just a little hint of licorice in there to spice things up... I guess that's the Pimenta racemosa? Does that translate as a sort of pepper? Because it's got a bit of a nip to it. Wow. This is incredible. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

In the bottle: overwhelmingly crisp pear Wet: Pear, underscored by a light floral Drydown: Orchid dominates, rapidly pushing the fruitiness of the blend into a strong floral. The pear takes the background and keeps the scent juicy and fresh, mouthwateringly so. I get a sly hint of green, with the barest edge of the musk. There's a little bit of a dry edge beneath all that wet floral. It is heady, it is lush. I wasn't expecting that t all. I'm a little sad that I'm not picking up the cucumber or mugwort, at least not directly, though there is a bit of a bite when I turn my arm away just a little. The throw is incredible, but I'm going to have to say this is a lot brighter than I'd expected, and a lot more bold. Not that that's a bad thing at all, it's definitely surpassed my expectations. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

Smoked out, sugared floral with a slightly soapy undertone which makes the blend slightly volatile with my chemistry - at the present time, it's more resiny floral than it was last week. Last week, it was pure soap and I couldn't have worn it even if I wanted to. Right now, I am in the Midway zone, man. If the blend holds like this for the rest of the night, it's paradise. It's dark and glossy and a little airy too - like a spooked out night hanging around the carnival after ingesting a stomachfull of psychoactive mushrooms. The florals are very understated on me, for which I am positively gleeful.

A few more CD shots with the most excellent shwag: http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cdlm1.jpg http://img123.imageshack.us/my.php?image=clouseupon8.jpg

Item the first: I cooed at the bottle as soon as I tore it out the box that just arrived. It is a beautiful piece of artwork, and the presentation is absolutely stunning. Item the second: I cooed even louder when I cracked this baby open. I am a calla lily fan, through and through, so that initial whiff of light white floral with a subtle green edge already had me sold before I even applied it. Wet through Drydown: The green fades after about five minutes, and the blend sweetens progressively, becoming less clean and more floral, but the initial impact is the exact thing I look for in my BPAL favourites. It's light, it's airy, it's white and fresh smelling - I LOVE THIS BLEND! I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT! Instant winner. 10/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve.

In the bottle: apples Wet: more apples Drydown: apples again, a slightly floral undertone. Fifteen minutes in and I get a hint of that spicey smack furygrrl mentioned above, and something a little tart, like lemon oil dropped in the wash water. Overall, very clean, very fresh. I have to agree that this reminds me of a warm autumn day spent outside, either in or around a fruit orchard. This scent didn't change very much on me, other than to get progressively juicier as it wore. I'm hoping that because I'm right before the you-know-what, that a second demo after the you-know-what will bring out the other notes.

CLXI: Pine, wet cedar, a slightly sharp, green sappy undertone that sweetens as it dries, taking on a light, dusty characteristic. Towards the end it slides into a sweet apple, and finally a very subdued lilac (at least I think its lilac). It reminds me of a toned down Hex meets Ouija saying hi to Shango. In the last round, I didn't have any success (CT2). I got all the notes that I don't like. This time, while it's a really odd combination, the result is a dry, woodsy swirl with a sweet ending that is so so so very me. The progression of the scent is fantastic. Very pleased this time. CLXI is slated for my fall lineup of scents, methinks.

Hand of Hermes, to me, provides a slightly stronger punch than Hymn to Pan. Mentally, at least, I consider both to be within the same realm (of what I'm trying to accomplish). For the most part, I've been using Hand of Hermes when writing - especially when slamming into that fun wall called "Writer's Block." It's predominently cinnamon, though it starts off with a smack of minty lavender. A great way to dump out a bit of the mental clutter and get on with whatever creative task is ahead. It helps me think clearer, in short, which is beneficial especially when getting finger-tied (tongue-tied.) I use a drop on my wrists when settling in for a particularly gruelling session in front of the laptop. It's like... writer's nirvana. My fingers start moving and sometimes, it takes a few moments for my brain to catch up when using this blend. I like it a lot. It's proven to be one of the stronger creative blends in my arsenal, and I may try it out when doing presentations this term to see how well it holds up in front of an audience.

I think my eyes just rolled back in my head a little. Eat Me is divine - I don't pick up any vanilla at all, but I do detact a nice creamy wollop of cake batter which is making my nose sing happily. The currant isn't standing out for me at all, which is a real nice change. Usually, I get beaten over the head with Beth's currants, this time around they're hanging out in the background. I almost get a little woody something too - dunno where the heck that's coming from, but I'm not about to complain. Low throw, though - sadly. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

... However, this bottle was not marked `poison,' so Alice ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice, (it had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,) she very soon finished it off. I get a lot of maple, a rich buttery note and a bit of spiced pumpkin... below that there's a baked note, slightly along the lines of scorched sugar cookie, and below that something red and fruity. Definitely an interesting blend, but the butter's reminding me strongly of Jack, and for that I'm going to say that while it works on me, it's not my cuppa.

The Ghost? White and green and nicely chilled.

Bayou. ("If it's ok by you, it's ok by me.") Swamp water!

I agree with Tulzscha as a great quencher. Milk Moon, Chaste Moon and Black Cat are nice additions to any collection if you're a mint lover - and yeah, Spooky. Sweet and cold, on me it's just sweet enough to wear on those hot summer days without getting cloying.

Wet: Wow, what an excellent rose! It's light, and spiced just a little. Drydown: (After spilling half my imp) It tingles a little on my arm. Some of the spices are singe the skin just a little bit. It's still a dusty, light rose, with just a bit of peppered tingle to it to make it interesting. It is burning, though - and I doubt that's a good sign. Verdict: Lovely, light, but now my arm's got a big red welt.

In the imp: Creamy ginger. It sort of reminds me of Alice, actually. Wet: Again, sweet, creamy ginger. Very soft, a little spiced. Drydown: I'm not too sure what happened to it, actually. One second it was there, and then the next it wasn't. My arm litterally sucked it up and there's no scent left. Verdict: It's pretty, but because it didn't hang around too long, I think I'm going to pass this on.

In the bottle: Super, super dry wood. Wet: Much the same. It reminds me of timbers that have been exposed for too long and have dried out so thoroughly that they've cracked. Drydown: This blend stays fairly consistent with my chemistry - dry rosewood throughout, and it does seem sort of dusty to my nose. Really beautiful, and really subtle. A keeper for sure. 3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

In the bottle: Mint mint mint mint mint mint! Wet: Mint mint mint mint and something a little aquatic which, after a few moments, begins resembling cucumber. (It smelled a little ozoney at first, before turning a little wet and green.) Drydown: I put a little on the back of my neck (along with swiping it over my wrists and collarbone) and the spot on the back of my neck tingles pleasantly. It's very fresh, very green, and very cool. This is an excellent scent for summer, and I'm just so insanely happy that the swap wasn't lost in the mail like we thought it was because I have been pining for Tulscha for what feels like forever. *coddles little bottle* 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Luuuurve

I lilies! In the imp Black Lily is very much a soft, dusted lily. Wet it's much the same: subdued, slightly sweet, and very gentle. To me, this blend is shadowed (and I hope that makes sense.) It's been kissed with a touch of shade, and on me, that's a great thing. I hope this gets released soon, I want a bottle!

In the imp: Orchids and dirt. Wet: A bunch more orchids… like getting beaten around the head with a bouquet of them, and I’m yelling, “Stop! Stop! It’s too much floral!” and it’s not stopping. In fact, I think I’ve been smothered with said bouquet. Whoy. I’ve met the uber orchid. Drydown: Tentatively, I get the arm another whiff. It’s relaxed (a little) into a dusted, subdued perfume counter at the local department store. Verdict: It is way too floral for me. This is the kind of thing I can’t wear around my mom because it’ll trigger her migraines. (And I do have to keep that in mind when selecting certain scents… as long as I live here, anyway.) The throw is crazy strong, and while I feel that the scent is very true to the actual flower, it’s just not me.

In the imp: Uhmmm… hi, Gingerbread Poppet? I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. You keep coming back to haunt me. This reminds me strongly of Shub from SiA, there’s even a touch of citrus in there that’s making me uneasy. Wet: Gingerbread and butter and musk. It’s sweet and spiced and foody. As it wears, it gets a little creamier with just a wee little bit of barely there resin in the background. I’m not getting the link to Smut at all, though I hoped I would originally. There’s almost something floral to it too, but it’s only there for a second before disappearing on me. Drydown: TechnoKittn mentioned pralines. I’m going to agree – there’s a butter creamy sweetness that’s been hardened a wee little bit. In its final drydown, it’s that sort of smooth, smoked, drunken creaminess that comes out that is so insanely delicious. It took about ten minutes to reach that point, but holy heck, was it ever worth it!

Doc Buzzard, at first sniff, reminds me of that crazy cherry coke smell I get from Voodoo (in the general catalogue). It’s darker, though – both in colour and in sniffability. There’s something a little woodsier to it than Voodoo – though without any overt vetiver. (No vetiver here. In Voodoo, that’s the second note that jumps out at me. Doc Buzzard isn’t earthy like that on my wrist.) Wet, it turns sweet super fast, and then dries into a dark, dusted wood over a dark musk. It’s got a bit of resin to it, but for the most part, it’s settled into a nice, deep, sweet smoked musk with just the slightest hint of incense. I’m going to agree with the above posters and say Voodoo Queen on one wrist and Doc Buzzard on the other is the way to go – they balance each other out wonderfully.

To me, Voodoo Queen is a spiced musk with a bit of a resiny background. It seems to me that it’s darker and a little less sweet than Smut – but it’s the spice in here that makes the greatest impact with me. Mulled spices? Maybe – I can totally see how there’s something almost cider like to it, though I’ll agree with embezel, I don’t get a distinct apple at all, but the feeling is there. I get a lot of cinnamon and a bit of clove too. Damn that’s good stuff. As it dries, it takes on something of a smoked wood smell, with the spices clinging happily to the wrist. I really, really like this blend. It’s so damned sexy.

In the imp: ASLAN! Ok, you Narnia buffs might get the association. This is a strong, golden scent with a touch of saffron cream and cinnamon. Wet: Honeyed amber and dry spices. Sweet and rich and thick and majestic. Drydown: As it warms, it gains throw. The littlest drop will do ya, me thinks. Verdict: I'm not a huge amber fan, but this might just convert me. The Lion really is something else, I've never sniffed anything quite like it before, and I doubt I'll find something similar in the catalogue. It's unbelievablly warm and comforting, while at the same time it inspires some serious confidence. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve