Meg

This review is for the original formulation AND the 2006 reformulation which I find particularly similar. In the bottle: Curry. No, I'm not kidding: to me, these are the delicious spices of a curry: ginger, turmeric, cumin and cardamom (2006 is particularly heavy on the cardamom, which smells citrusy). Wet: Spices, still, getting richer and a bit darker. It still reminds me strongly of Pilau rice, from all the ginger I suspect. Drydown: One of the gingers reminds me of the candied ginger served with sushi... sweet and deep, yum! There's something sweet and sinuous with the spices, probably resins, that bring a smoky element to the blend. I think it's opoponax or something that was in Medea, as I recognise it vaguely, there might even be some myrrh. As time goes by, the sweet resin develops to balance perfectly with the spice. Overall: It's a highly sensual blend, and I understand a lot of the raving over it. It's a soft, slightly foody spice, with a very beautiful resin base, and everything is well balanced. It took a long time for it to really grow on me, because at first it mainly made me think of curry, and that took away quite a bit of the darker associations I could make with this blend. But then, after the re-release, I tried my aged imp again, and found something really delicious and beautiful in the deep resins and sweet ginger (also, it was winter, I felt more in the mood for warm blends). Now I wear it from time to time, and I've tried the 2006 version - to me it's is indeed heavier on the citrusy cardamom, sharper, but it's the same blend deep down and I'm sure some ageing will make it the wonderfully warm resinous scent I enjoy.

In the bottle: Deep plum and peony. Wet: Plum and peony mixing together, very aquatic. Drydown: It sweetens, it's nearly candy-like - I suspect the lotus root for that. I get a slight acid bite from the ginger. The peony fades away to leave a majority of plum juice, it's warm and sensual. It has some tartness from plum, but at the same time it's obviously a floral. I get a return of lotus-like scents, but it's not really unpleasant. Overall: A fruity floral, very pretty, very pink-purple. It is a bit too candyish for me, and I'm surprised to smell so much fruit in what's supposed to be a pure floral, but I suspect it comes from the lotus root, that also smelled fruity in Strawberry Moon. Classically, the Chinese musk disturbs me with its slightly gritty texture. It's a pleasant, pretty blend, but not one that I really regret passing on when it came out, either.

In the bottle: Hmmm, cake... with sweet frosting? And something fresh, must be the cheese cake. Wet: Slightly boozy cake mix, with quite a floury component and something a bit sharp and... musky? It smells a bit "cheeky", as Beth says. Drydown: Uh... it smells of pencil shavings on me. With a sweet vanilla icing on top. The sweet note is so strong that I get a sweet taste in the back of my throat, whoa. But it's covering up pencil shavings all the same. It has a sort of spiciness that I can't really place, like nutmeg. And it smells... yes, it smells burnt cupcakes with frosting. Ick. After a while the sweet frosting becomes dominant, but it still has an underlying weird woodiness to it. Extreme drydown is all frosting, fortunately, but I need to wait at least an hour for it to smell nice. Overall: A real dud on me. I get the woodshavings-beaver association, but that wasn't really what Beth was going for. It's probably a great scent if your skin chemistry works with it, but mine seems to bring out the base notes of the blend, and they don't work out well on me, and the frosting really is too sweet to my taste. Off to swaps!

In the bottle: A musky, spicy scent, with the scent of fir needles. Wet: Red musk... surprisingly not obnoxious, because it's covered with fresh pine needles. There's also a rich, nearly foody scent in here, probably the crushed grains - it reminds me of nuts. Also, I think I can smell cinnamon. Drydown: I smell woods, grains and musks, and they all smells surprisingly red. They're also rather sweet and I'm certain that there's some cinnamon in here - it's nearly foody. I start recognising other herbs, possibly cumin. I don't get much pine anymore, and I suspect that there's some almond deep in here. Then at extreme drydown I get pretty much straight red musk and grains. Overall: It's a warm, creamy blend, with delicious spices and hints of musk that work perfectly together. It reminds me of various spicy blends like Baghdad and Morocco. And, surprisingly, I don't find the red musk disgusting here. It's still not something that I'd wear myself, but I think I understand the attraction now. It's sweet and rather foody, too.

In the bottle: Sickly sweet, aftershavey grapefruit and vanilla, I think. It has a bit of a similar vibe to CK One. Wet: All white musk, and then the grapefruit comes back out again, very sweet and cloying. Drydown: The grapefruit calms down and lets through sweet vanilla notes and a hint of booziness. Citrus comes back over the mix, softer than before. I don't really identify it that much with grapefruit, it's closer to orange. There's a thick warmth to the blend, which makes me think of rice - possibly from the wood and the vanilla. Overall: Is white musk and citrus the formula to aftershaves? You'd certainly think so, because on me this is pure cheap men's cologne. It's also rather foody to me, and I find that vanilla mixed with citrus really doesn't suit me at all, it's a very nausea-inducing. I'm broken up over this, it's my first lunacy, and it really hates me.

In the bottle: Minty cold fir and birch, with a certain spicy sweetness. Wet: Same as in the bottle, sweet fir and mint, very tingly and cold. I don't get any florals. Drydown: I get sweet icy mint with a sort of gooey base from the birch. At first I don't get any florals. I'm seriously starting to wonder if this isn't some mislabeled Talvikuu. And then the mint lifts and I get florals that I can't really recognise. I suspect that there's narcissus and rose in there, and something has gone a bit powdery. Overall: Not at all my thing. It's icy and minty at first, then it dries down to rather soapy indistinct very sweet florals. It smells clean and rather refreshing, but it would be so much better if the flowers actually came out instead of staying a mass of sweet vagueness.

In the bottle: Oooh, rosewood and opium! Wet: Yum, still rosewood and smoky opium, it's a bitter woody scent. Actually, a little bit too bitter right now, very medicinal. Drydown: Still a very bitter scent, the rosewood is still dominant, with a hint of rose in it. The opium is dark and bitter, and the tobacco is very herbal. Then finally, the bitterness shifts just a bit, letting the sweeter side of the blend come out. It's still very woody and herbal, it reminds me a bit of an artichoke cordial that we used to have. Extreme drydown is stunning, it becomes a beautiful soft floral. Overall: It reminds me of a medicinal potion that would make you retch if you swallowed it on first use, but that you'd finally get used to and manage to stomach because it did you good. It's pleasant on extreme drydown, but the bitter notes are too much for me in the beginning. Very true to its name, though.

In the bottle: Leather and cinnamon! *keels over* Yum! Wet: Pine and resins, with a sort of marine scent. And cinnamon comes back. Then leather comes back again, hmmm... then patchouli and clear opoponax. Drydown: It becomes dry and biting with leather and grasses, and spicy with patchouli. The base is opoponax and possibly a bit of oakmoss, and the pine needle seems to have disappeared. The cinnamon comes out, it's more like cooking cinnamon than red hots, and it mingles with the leather. It develops slowly into a nearly marine, deep, sexy resinous cinnamon and leather blend. Overall: A very hot blend, clearly snarling with spices and rough with leather, but also deep and complex. However, it's a very masculine scent which I wouldn't wear myself. On a man, it would drive me wild. It's a very rough blend, though, scorching and dark as well as sexy. It's a pity I couldn't pull it off, because it's wonderful.

In the bottle: Ooh, toffee and caramel and burned sugar - sugar tarts? Wet: Delicious buttery toffee and cake, with a hint of apple I think. It's a very discreet blend that easily gets overpowered by anything else. Drydown: It strengthens as it dries down, and it becomes sweet buttery caramel, with salty hints, hmm. There's a tart note in there that I can't quite place, maybe some apple. It's a very sweet and delicious caramel, nothing much more - or perhaps it's just very subtle, I don't really get cake or cotton candy, but it might just be part of this soft sweet buttery haze that is Midway. Overall: Yum! Mouthwateringly good, though relatively simple. It's the best toffee smell I've tested and there's a buttery note but it's extremely discreet, which is wonderful. I'm nearly tempted to hunt down a bottle, now. It really does have a wonderful, warming and comforting aroma. Hmm, toffee...

In the bottle: Iris and amber. Wet: A bit of iris and some rather woody spices. Drydown: Fresh green iris, that starts turning powdery, and amber that also smells vanillaish and powdery. I get a hint of berries that I can't really place, possibly blackberry or redcurrant, very tart. Of course, the iris goes rotten on me and smells like baby powder. Overall: This smells like grubby baby powder on me, with a hint of perfume, and lots of dust and dirt. Iris really hates my skin and nothing in this seems to be able to save it. There's a tart note from the fruit that just hurts my nose. Off to swaps with it.

In the bottle: Oof! Eucalyptus and camphor, with a woody base. Wet: Still camphor and eucalyptus, I'm reminded of Vicks Vapo Rub. As it dries down, it gets a bit more earthy and sweet. Drydown: A very green blend of eucalyptus and other herbs that smell quite strong, and a bit of an earthy undertone, possibly some vetiver and a bit of a dusty scent. It smells a bit aquatic, actually, very much like a pond, with an astringent scent. Overall: Other than clearing my sinuses, it doesn't have much of an effect on me. It's extremely green, very fresh, it smells like nature, but I don't get any florals to soften it. It's a very vegetal scent, and not really something I could see myself wearing. On the other hand, it does smell as poisonous and cruel as belladonna.

In the bottle: Red rose and wine and - blegh - red musk. Wet: Rather sour red wine - very realistic actually. Drydown: Hmm, an interesting, weird mix of red rose beneath very tart wine and dragon's blood (that I'd mistaken for red musk at first). It sort of takes turns at smelling like wine, then like lush red rose petals, with a dragon's blood undercurrent. It gets pleasantly sweet, a bit candylike. Overall: It's a rather interesting blend, very strong and rich, warm and sensual. I'm still not a fan of dragon's blood and I still find that the overall result is a bit like red musk, and the wine really is sour and unpleasant, but at the same time it all works together. Just not on me.

My first review was eaten when the server crashed. Unfortunately, in six months, my opinion hasn't changed about it. In the bottle: Rubbery red musk and loads of sickly sweet booze. Wet: Same as in the bottle - full on dirty red musk with sweet booze. Drydown: Red musk, with its typical overwhelming weird rubbery scent, dominates the blend completely. It has a sweet boozy backdrop, but it's really the main actor on the stage, here, throwing its weight around and putting its rubber scent everywhere. Overall: Seriously, in this blend, the red musk smells like rubber, and not in a good way. While it certainly evokes the smell of condoms, it's not something that I'd want to smell of or that turns me on. The sweetness of the blend is sickly and unpleasant, and generally, it's much too "in your face". I'll stick to my Loviatar for my porn-blend needs, Smut is much too blatantly dirty to work with me.

In the bottle: Apple, lemon and a bit of quince, I think. It's extremely pretty. Wet: White musk, very airy, with... undefinable notes over it? Apple maybe? A hint of myrrh and herbs. Drydown: I get some lemon and a bit of sandalwood, and generally, all the notes in the description pop out at some point, specially the apple, sandalwood, myrrh and herbs - but everything is extremely subdued, which means that I had to reapply to actually be able to smell it. The most prominent notes end up being myrrh and lemon over the white musk. Overall: For the life of me, I don't understand this blend. It's absolutely beautiful when it's in the bottle, and then as soon as it hits my skin, it all but disappears without giving me a second glance. I so much wanted to smell the quince and the apple on my skin, or even see the jasmine pop out. But no, it's just a touch of faint sour lemon and burnt myrrh, like a memory of an incense stick. Sigh.

In the bottle: A very herbal scent, I think frankincense and osmanthus. It smells oriental to me. Wet: Frankincense and herbs, rather sharp and bitter. It nearly smells like there's dill in it. Drydown: Lily starts coming out over the dark smokiness of the frankincense. It smells generally very sour, probably from the osmanthus that always does that on me, and from the white musk that seems citrusy to me. At some moments, I get a waft of lily-scented frankincense, which is lovely and airy and ethereal. But up close, this scent is very herby and sour. Overall: It's a very pretty, solemn, quiet blend, simple and bitter and painful, with hints of sweetness. Lily and frankincense work very well together, but the very herby osmanthus really isn't my cup of tea. And in fact, frankincense gives me a sore throat, so this will have to go to swaps.

In the bottle: Oakmoss and honey. Wet: Ooh yeah, beeswax and honey, yum. And oakmoss developing. Drydown: Hmm, the honey gets a bit dirty from patchouli and a bit of juniper, I think. The honey becomes the background note over which a load of resiny and spicy scents coming in. The oakmoss is slowly developing in the background along with various resins. I get juniper, very invigorating and a little bit shrill over the rest. Overall: It's a musky, gender-neutral scent, with a very sensual touch of honey and depth from the oakmoss. On me, it's very well-balanced, nothing seems to be turning horrible, which is surprising, as both oakmoss and juniper are on my "to-avoid" list usually. It does become quite perfumy as it dries down, a classic oakmoss effect, but it works in this blend, making it quite elegant. I'm not sure if I'd wear it, but it's a very nice combination.

In the bottle: Caramel and spices, with a hint of coconut. Wet: Same as in the bottle, with the caramel coming to the front. Then a rather green note comes forward, I'm guessing the delphinium or the tobacco. Drydown: Hmm, caramel, rather salty, with coconut and tobacco - it's a dark, smoky combination, probably with hints of opium thrown in, and spices sprinkled here and there. There's still the very green note from delphinium which is a bit jarring because it doesn't really seem in its place, and a sort of menthol note from the tobacco. Overall: There's a note in this blend that just doesn't work with the rest - fresh and sort of Cologney when all the rest tends towards foody. It would have been a nice caramel blend, but that note makes it completely weird. I really suspect the delphinium, it's practically aquatic. It's actually really like a man's perfume, and I find it very obnoxious.

In the bottle: Melon and... red musk? Hm, it's spicy, anyway. Wet: Melon and... yep, red musk! Drydown: Soft melon under a dusting of mimosa. There are some spices but I can't put my finger on what it could be. It becomes powdery sweet with mimosa, and then I still get very warm thick spices. The melon has very tart aquatic notes which get to my nose. Overall: Huh, I thought it smelled so good in the bottle, but on my skin it's just faint melon with a lot of sweet dust. I'm not a huge mimosa fan, the spices in this are rather weird, and the mix generally smells a little odd - chaos is to be expected, I suppose. It disappears pretty fast, too.

In the bottle: Orange and patchouli, as far as I can tell. Wet: Orange, patchouli, and the dryness of paper, as well as something spicy. Drydown: It's mostly parchment now, with the spice of patchouli and softness of wood, and hints of orange. Actually, it makes me think of orange-juice-soaked paper. After a while the orange lifts to leave me mostly with paper notes, patchouli and wood. Overall: While I wouldn't wear it often, there's a certain appeal to this. The papers gives a special intellectual feel to the blend, it really makes you think of writing essays, and the orange acts like a booster for the mind, while the woods ground it. I'm very disappointed that lavender never makes an appearance, because I love lavender.

In the bottle: Very strong almond. Wet: The almond is immediately warmed with cinnamon, which slowly becomes the dominating note. Drydown: It's... interesting. At first it's relatively foody, with almond and cinammon working together to smell like biscuit dough. Then the neroli turns up, giving a slight orange blossom smell to the rest, and bringing a fresh breeze into an otherwise hot blend. It also ends up smelling quite bitter, more like cyanide than like foody almond. Overall: I can see how this works as the dark side of fire, it's hot and cold at the same time, and very bitter and angry. It's not really a pleasant scent, and it has a bit of a plasticky scent to me from the almond and neroli combination. It certainly has throw and personality, but it's not really me.

In the bottle: Very overpowering tart plum, wow! Wet: The scent becomes very discreet, wafting a very gentle daffodil scent. Then plum starts coming out, very rich and fruity. Drydown: It dries down to a very clean, delicious plum scent, with an underlying greenness from the daffodil. It has the classical soapy quality of white musk, but it goes well together. It gets rich from what I think is the orchid, and plays between light and soft, rich and biting. Overall: A lovely springtime blend, very light, sweet and playful. It has a bit of a bite, too, from the daffodil's greenness. Actually I think it smells very much like a more perfumy version of Dirty, which is certainly a good thing. I'll definitely wear this one in the spring, it's delicious.

In the bottle: Peach over woodsy patchouli, and I think I get a whiff of amber. Wet: Patchouli and peach playing together... very well! Peach comes out as fruity and nearly floral, while patchouli lingers in the background. Drydown: Strangely, the blend reminds me of Loviatar with peach instead of leather. It's the musk/patchouli/amber combination that resembles Loviatar's base. I get very sweet peach underscored - or sometimes invaded - by a sweet musky patchouli. It smells clean and sweet, but not at all foody. Overall: A very sweet peach/pachouli mix. It's a surprising mix, and it smells candylike and a bit creamy. I think that again, it confirms that I don't like the Lab's peach note, it's too cloying and sweet for me, so even underscored with patchouli, I wouldn't wear it.

In the bottle: Earth and thick resinous fir. Wet: Ooh wet earth and pine needles, yum! This is exactly the site description. Drydown: A misty fir wood, with thick resinous sap, and very cold moist air. There's a lot of spice to this, from the fir resin and possibly the mosses. It goes quite sweet on me, so I have sweet resin, very subtle earth and night air on me, with a hint of blackberry, possibly. Overall: A very intriguing, wonderful scent. I absolutely adore the earth note, as usual, though it's always the first one that disappears from my skin (but I can add some Graveyard Dirt, hmm). This reminds me of a more wintery and somber Hexennacht. I love this, so mysterious and warm, yum!

In the bottle: Rose with the underlying perfumy darkness of violet. Wet: Tea rose, a bit green, that becomes richer and richer, and sweeter from the violet. Drydown: It's mainly tea rose, but it becomes rather perfumy and rich with the dark sweetness of violet. After a while it's really very sickly sweet and the violet under the rose reminds me of some classical women's perfumes. Overall: It's a haughty, highly elegant and expensive-smelling blend, that I associate with older women, because friends of my mother or teachers smelled like this, when I was a kid. I'd always imagined Marie Antoinette wearing something lighter and more playful, because this is heavy and nearly somber. And it's very invasive, which is why I will be saying bye-bye to it.

In the bottle: Violet and other florals through a vanilla-like amber and musk blend. Wet: A white floral, a bit tart, and sandalwood over it. The vanilla smell lingers and comes back to the front. Drydown: White sandalwood and vanilla, which is really peculiar when I look at the description. There's the powdery presence of vetiver and violet, but they're not too violent. This is a soft woody blend with a breath of white florals. The amber comes out more obviously after a while, making the blend more forceful. Overall: It's a pretty and regal scent, there is an angelic quality to it, a certain innocence, but also a very domineering and regal amber that makes it take on all it's meaning - the fallen angel. Unfortunately the violet, vetiver and amber ally on me to make it into a powdery smell that's not all that different from talcum powder.