Medicine Show

[Chaos the Crazy]

A veritable miracle, I tell you! A scent that soothes the spirit and stimulates both the libido and the mind: tobacco, balsam, ginger, elemi and rosewood, with a touch of opium to fuddle your senses.

in the bottle it's tobacco and green...like walking into a greenhouse. On my skin the tobacco note leaps out and takes command but it's supported beautifully by the rosewood. And it's not a crappy ew cigarrette tobacco, it reminds me of walking in to a tobaccists shop. A bit more green scent comes out as it changes, but it's a musty green rather than bright. Very beautiful scent, reminds me in some ways of green tea fragrances and a definite keeper. After 30 minutes more of the tobacco comes out, still very pretty.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - a somewhat medicinal combination of tobacco and balsam.

 

Dry - oh yeah! Tobacco, balsam, ginger, rosewood, and yes I think I get the opium too. I don't even know how to describe this, but I like it. All the notes seem to swirl about together. As it dries the tobacco, balsam and rosewood merge together to create a slightly sweet, slightly smoky, slightly woody blend. And then..it's gone. I wish this lasted longer, and I wish there was more throw, but this was quite nice while it lasted.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[Hallows_Eve]

In the bottle- a bit like the home remedies or vintage medicines that grandma would have around, slighty antiseptic.

 

On me wet: Hallelujah, something with the word rose in it isnt turning bad on me! Granted its rosewood and not quite the same, but baby steps, baby steps. I get fresh plants and salve out of this and a tweek of the rosewood. I can pick up the ginger, it kind of enhances the medicine smell to it. A bit like Apothecary.

 

On me dry: I get more tobacco out of this now. Not smoking tobacco, the fresh kind. The rosewood is still distinct on me. Not picking up much of the balsam at all.

 

This, I think, will be a good winter scent for me, its got that warm spice to it that seems like it would go well with mulled wine.

Edited July 28, 2005 by Hallows_Eve

[sarahmarie]

In the bottle, I smell balsam, mostly. There's a hint of the rosewood and a lemony scent too, but the balsam is the most identifiable. On my skin, the balsam drops away (awww!) and the lemon scent and the rosewood come out full force. It's very clean, but it's heading towards soapy, and I hope that stops. I wanted this to be more balsam-heavy than it is wearing on my skin. It's wearing very sharp and soapy at the moment...I'll give it a little more time, though.

 

(About an hour and a half later)

 

Now I can smell a soft base of darker notes, and it's nice. It's toned down a lot, and it's still clean-smelling, but not as sharp. However, it's not quite enough to counter the way my skin has pushed the lemon-rosiness so loudly to the top.

 

Overall, I think this is a really cool blend. It's medicinal in a very different way (not herby or eucalyptus, which is what I often think of when people say something smells medicinal). It's also very mysterious, with a nice mix of masculine and feminine tones. If my skin can refrain from pushing the notes that feel feminine on me straight to the top with such force that the rest of the blend is hidden, I might like it...but I suspect my skin isn't going to behave. I'll give it one more try, though, I think.

[sookster]

upon application this fantastic blend is both really medicine like (laudanum??)

and woodsy with perhaps a touch of lemon or herb......so ultra unique......

i can already tell this is loving my chemistry as it lasts and lasts and does not really change much dimensionally with the exception of warming up a bit more...

but green warmth....warm tobacco leaves ....mmmm....delightful!!!

 

i am so loving this concoction.....Beth outdid herself "yet again" with this one....

 

i totally dig...esp, the fact that the name of this scent describes it to a "T"......

 

[Scylla]

In the bottle: Green, spicy and perhaps a bit, well, medicinal. Interesting.

 

Wet, on my skin: Well, phooey! Apparently my skin amplifies tobacco because really all I am getting is tobacco. And as an ex-smoker, that is NOT a good thing! I swear I'm getting amber in here, also, but it's not listed as a component. Hmmmm....

 

On drydown: Still pretty much the same. It's really sad that I'm not getting any of the other notes because I had really high hopes for this blend. I asked my daughter to smell my arm and tell me what she thinks it smelled like and she said "You smell like the tobacco shop where dad buys his cigarettes!" I did not mention the components to her.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

spicy, resinous sandalwood? I think it must be the rosewood.

 

On

The ginger, wood, and elemi are primary.

 

30 minutes

It's quite nice especially after it dries, it's not as strong but it is sexy. If you like a strongly scented, spicy, musky, woody, reinous quality, this is your blend.

 

Throw:

a bit more than average

 

Scent category:

spicy/resin/woody

 

Summary

It's nice actually, it reminds me of a sexy men's scent. I'd love to smell this one my husband. *slurp*

 

Purchase again?

No, not for me but maybe for my husband.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

3.5

[miss apple]

Medicine Show

 

In the bottle this is a fairly dark scent, no particular notes jump out but it definitely smells medicinal. Once on something very strongly smelling of vetiver bursts forth. I don't see vetiver in the list but that's the only thing I get initially. After a bit the vetiver impression calms down and the medicinal aspect comes forward. This scent is fuddling because I can't pick out any other notes - no tobacco, no ginger, no opium - just an antiseptic mishmash with a hint of dark. A very interesting oil indeed and I'm curious what else it has up its sleeve.

[Diana]

In the bottle, I can smell tobacco most easily. Everything else is kind of a weird mixture of scents, that oddly enough, remind me of commercial perfumes of my childhood (think Jean Naté or Love's Baby Soft).

 

Going on, it still smells like that. Weird. Sharp, perfumey, 70's scent. And a touch of tobacco.

 

It does start to change a bit after about an hour. The rosewood, I think, and possibly balsam are more evident. It's soft & powdery, slightly perfumey. Less tobacco.

 

After about 4 hours though, it's quite lessened in intensity. It is still not really something typically me, something I'd wear with any regularity. But I don't dislike it. I just don't love it.

 

I give this one a MEH.

[sophia_helix]

This sounded wonderful in the description -- I loved the tobacco in Hellfire, and I've been looking for something else similar for a while.

 

In the bottle:

 

Spicy, strong tobacco note that's more like cigars than pipe tobacco, and something indefinably green, though more medicinally so than herbally.

 

Wet:

 

Woof, tobacco! Followed by the heady tinge of opium beneath. Still the chemical green between the scents.

 

Drydown:

 

This got spicier as it dried down, definitely the rosewood coming up, but I couldn't shake that medicine smell. I mean, duh, that makes sense, but it wasn't pleasant at all, and was ruining the scents I did like.

 

After a few hours, though, it was a more likeable spicy-cologne smell, which is when I decided to try it on my husband.

 

On him:

 

Nice when wet, spicy and resiny, and I was hopeful... but on drydown, the medicinal smell morphed into something very brown-smelling. I couldn't place it, until he said it smelled like motel soap!

 

And yup, that was exactly it. Cheap, harsh brown soap, with a hint of cigar. No thanks!

 

We were both very disappointed, because this sounded so promising, but I think we'll have to try something else in the CN line. Boo.

[luxuria]

Spicy tobacco and wood in the bottle. Very manly and rather dark but quite sexy!

 

On my skin...it smells like cigars. I love tobacco notes, but pipe tobacco kind. I LOATHE cigars.

 

I had to wash it off, my grandma actually asked if I'd been smoking.

[wolfie13]

This was mostly tobacco and rosewood on me with a touch of lemony spice which I think is the elemi (the scent is sometimes described as "lemon pepper").

 

Not for me, but I think this would be great on the right guy - something I picture a manly, older gentleman wearing.

Edited August 15, 2005 by wolfie13

[ChupaChup]

This is mostly just tobacco on me. I'm really not getting any of the other notes and they sounded so good. I definitely prefer Hellfire for a tobacco scent though, that one has a lot more body and Medicine Show is very faint.

[Sistinas]

a review of Medicine Show

 

Vial ~ In the bottle I can pick out the tobacco, ginger and traces of the

elemi

 

Wet ~ on my wrists, the tobacco is still the strongest scent.If there was

balsam, I have no idea how it smells, which I know sounds odd.

 

Drying ~ Still the same clean smelling tobacco leaf

 

Dry ~ unfortunately I am not picking up much throw from this.

It is just sitting on my skin and I have to really sniff to find traces of

this scent on my wrist. Completely dry and at least 30 minutes later, I

think I am in love, it is warm from the tobacco and I bet the balsam also.

But it is slighty spicy and it does come across very sexy.

 

Final thoughts ~ I really went back and forth with this scent. While I do

love the tobacco aspect of this scent, it really wasn't giving me the OMFG

type of love. However on the drydown, it really started to appeal to me

and I have a new found love. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give it a 4.5

[Northernminx]

Balsam and rosewood in the bottle and while wet, this was fairly subtle on me and a little green and herbal and medicinal to start. It starts to sweeten as it dries, turning into mix of tobacco and opium on my skin but alas it also fades quickly on me. I adored the drydown, sort of sweet and smokey and soothing but it's just being eaten by my skin so I'll send this elsewhere.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I've got high hopes for Medicine Show. I love tobacco scents and all but one note (rosewood) in here sounds absolutely wonderful, so hopefully it won't disappoint.

 

First sniff:

 

Mmm, tobacco! I also smell the opium, balsam and ginger. This is rich and dark and simultaneously seedy and decadent smelling. It definitely puts me in mind of snake oil salesmen and miracle cures. So far, this is fantastic!

 

Wet on skin:

 

Hmm, something in here is going strangely perfumey on my skin...it's either the rosewood or the opium, I'm not sure which. Medicine Show was gorgeous in the bottle, but on me it's turning into a powdery perfumey scent that really doesn't work on me. Damn skin chemistry!

 

Dry down:

 

That's a little better. The powdery perfume is mostly gone, but now I'm left with an odd musty scent that's not quite "right" in my mind. I'm sure my skin chemistry is wreaking havoc with something in here (probably the rosewood, since opium's never given me trouble before) and making this smell "off" on me. I was really hoping I was going to love this, but my skin seems to have different plans.

 

The bottom line:

 

Damn skin chemistry. I wanted to love Medicine Show, but it's just not loving me back. I may keep one bottle to use in a scent locket, but since I can't wear it on my skin without smelling icky, I'll probably get rid of my other bottle once it arrives.

[WavyLocks]

This is the first of the Carnaval Noir fragrances I'm reviewing.

 

So far, I'm not much good at picking out notes on BPAL fragrances, but in this one I do notice the balsam, but it's blended with other notes, so it's not smothery. I like this one, it's definitely got potential for further wear. At first it had a sweetness I disliked, but that's mellowing, and there's a powderiness that balances things out. I'm never quite sure what people mean when they say something's 'powdery' but to me, it means it's reminiscent of an expensive, fragranced body powder. Not overpowering, but subtly there.

 

I don't get a strong 'tobacco' sense from this one, whatever's there is blended with greeness and powderiness. I do like frankincense, so whatever relationship it has with olibanum in terms of fragrance, I'm not sure any of it hits me over the head. This is good: I prefer my fragrance notes to balance with each other so they have a sort of equilibrium, and no one element smothers the others.

 

So far, this one's a keeper, though I think I'm tempted to try it blended with some perfumer's alcohol, to make my own EDT.

[joseybird]

I've just realized that even though I love tobacco, I'm not huge on tobacco leaf =/ unfortunately, that note dominates this blend. The rosewood+ginger combo, unfortunately, goes all soapy on me I love the traces of opium, but that can't save this blend for me.

 

A pity...I thought I'd really like this blend, based on my positive reactions to Langour and Darkness =/

[cuervosueno]

I was really looking forward to this, because I love all the things in it, including rosewood.

In the bottle it smelled...like nothing much at all. How odd. Maybe a hint of citrus I thought. (when I tried it I didn't have the list of notes, so I was sniffing blind).

I put it on, and all I could smell was the faintest slightly citrus scent. I put more on. Still nothing.

When I checked the notes, I was surprised, because there are so many things I like in it, but I wasn't getting any of them. Tried it again later, and all I got was a faintly green scent with something slightly citrusy-sharp in it (elemi? didn't smell like ginger, but that could add the sharpness). Even in my scent diffuser it did virtually nothing.

Wierd. I've read reviews in which people say some scents just disappear on them, and I guess I'm experiencing that.

I'll try it again and see if it changes, but I'm afraid my Medicine Show will likely hit the road.

[arabella]

First Impression: I hate to say it but it smells medicinal - like some type of unguent - and a bit astringent.

 

Dries down to: A non-descript slightly medicinal, slightly earth-y, slightly resin-y scent. I can't pick out any notes and it's very weak on my skin.

 

Additional Comments: Again, I'm surprised by the description. I get no tobacco or ginger, whatsoever. I do get an undertone of the elemi (peppery, citrusy) and the opium. The balsam and rosewood make sense, too. In fact, out of all the notes, it's got more of a balsam feel to it than anything else. I don't hate it but it does nothing for me whatsoever.

 

Lasted: About an hour.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5

[sarada]

Like some other people I had trouble smelling this in the bottle, possible because I was still overwhelmed by all the other things I have been smelling!

 

When I put it on I have a hard time telling the difference between this one and Geek except the tobacco aroma I thought I smelled in Geek is on top in this one (obviously, since this one actually contains tobacco!) and I get a little of that "dad's pipe" smell that I really love (even though I hated it when dad actually smoked a pipe....it's the lingering aroma of smoke-stained wood that I like).

 

It's fairly elusive though, it's not a scent that really blossoms on my skin and I like things with a lot of throw that hover around me like a cloud of incense. I have to sniff my arm really obviously to get a good sense of it...and it's nice, it's smoky tobacco combiend with something a little lighter, almost medicinal. This will work nicely in the fall I think, along with its cousins Geek and the King of Clubs...all very masculine, dark green, slightly woody and smoky. I don't know how other people might perceive these scents on me, they might be a little too manly, but I like them and they'll have a place of honor in my collection.

 

I'd say this ranks fourth or fifth out of the seven I've tried, but to be honest I pretty much like all of the CN scents equally so far except for the aquatic-tinged ones!

[lorajc]

I wasn't sure if I'd like this one but I ordered it anyway. It turns out that I was right. I don't really care for tobacco but wanted to try this. I agree that it is very medicinal. I think Beth did an excellent job with this collection and conveying the name of the blend via your smell. This is not really me.

[tempete]

The initial medicinal smell of Medicine Show is vaguely citrus-y, which makes me think that elemi and perhaps ginger dominate during this stage. Quickly though, the tobacco and balsam notes take over, making me smell very much like cigarettes and wood for about two hours. Eventually, what I think is the opium note (or some other sweet resin) pushes its way through and dries down in a slightly powdery manner.

 

I love how Medicine Show ends up on my skin, but I have a DSH oil that gives me an end result with a similar feel much quicker, and it doesn't go through the intervening cigarettes and wood stage which is not really pleasant for me (if you worked bingo halls in high school, you would feel the same way too).

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: balsam and tobacco

 

wet: ginger, strong strong fresh ginger root. almost all ginger, not sweet ginger like poppet, not lemony ginger like shub, but a fresh root being chopped for tea

 

 

as it dries: this is mostly ginger on me, and i am lovin it. i get a slight whiff of opium occassionally but it is just a wink and then slips around the corner....tease. i aslo think the foundation of this is mostly balsam. s it is balsamy fresh ginger w/ an evil twist of opium

 

 

man for some reason this is comforting to me. very very soothing and i love it!

[coulrophobe]

I was excited about this one because of the tobacco, which I love, but it just wasn't meant to be.

 

Straight from the bottle, I can smell the tiniest hint of tobacco, with medicinal, almost sour herbs. On my skin, there's a weird almost anise scent, but greener, and yet still extremely wet and murky... if this scent were a color, it would be a deep brownish green... not the best color association for me!

 

As it dries down, I get... roses. Nooooooooooo! The rosewood is making this an odd blend of roses blooming too close to the compost pile - then it goes straight to an overwhelming artificial rose scent. I really hate to say that about one of Beth's creations, but that's what my chemistry does to it!

 

I'll just consider myself very lucky that the rest of the CN blends have worked much better on me, and admit that the Medicine Show just isn't my bag.

Edited August 25, 2005 by coulrophobe