The Ghost

[Fefferbella]

A thin, sinuous, creeping chill, the scent of glee-filled undeath: white iris, osmanthus, Calla lily, tomb-crawling ivy and a coffin spray of gladiolus, lisianthus and delphinium.

The Ghost is very light. It faded within minutes, leaving an unpleasant saopy smell on my skin.
Before it faded it was a lovely, complex floral... I couldn't stop smelling my wrist the entire time I had it on. I loved it, I wanted it to last... but sadly, like a ghost, it was fleeting.


Very pretty, just wish it had better wearing potential. Edited December 8, 2005 by Shollin

[Wench457]

The Ghost: This is another scent that I had a lot of trouble discerning the individual notes from. Actually, I find that I rather like that in a perfume, when every note is so perfectly balanced with the other notes, that the scent seems to be entire in itself - like smelling a unique flower. It just smells like itself.

 

All that aside, this is a lovely light floral, and I like it quite a lot.

[malanna]

Mmm, this isn't quite my usual style, but I find myself drawn to it anyway. It's soft, sweet, not quite ethereal, but not quite easy to pin down, either. The Calla lily dominates this scent, with delphinium coming up closely behind. The Ghost like a dream you wake up from wishing you had lived it and the details of the dream falling from your grasp as the seconds tick by.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I think I had this on my to-try list because I have lately discovered how much I love ivy as a note. Ohhh, and that was a good call on my part! Ivy is the topnote here; green in an incomparably fresh way, "clean" but not like detergent. The lily is not at all sweet; I dislike the cloying lilies. Instead, iris and other fresh, light florals mix with the ivy. There's a translucent, slightly aquatic quality; I can definitely see this as the "ghost" of a bouquet of spring flowers. It's a little bit elusive; I keep dabbing and sniffing some more.

 

Although the fragrance is different, The Ghost reminds me of The Dormouse in that I can (and do) keep slathering and it's never going to be too heavy. A great one for when you don't want to overwhelm people with fragrance, but just smell fresh-scrubbed and nice. A perfect winter-turning-to-spring scent.

 

ETA: I realized that The Ghost reminds me of paperwhites, one of my favorite flowers because they *do* smell so clean, white, and fresh from the earth.

Edited January 4, 2006 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[Katinka]

I received this in a swap with a friend, and what a pleasant surprise! It has the same clear, cool aquatic feel as Szepasszony, but with a touch of green in place of the citrus. I like swiping a little of it on my pillowcase at bedtime -- it's very restful.

[silver_springs]

Ok I believe I am falling in love with this scent. I bought this imp off a forum member (thank you!) and I'm blown away by how lovely it is.

 

I have had very little luck with the funeral oils I've tried so far. And the only other one that I have liked enough to keep the imp was Dance of Death, and still that one was only so-so for me.

 

The Ghost reminds me strongly of Has No Hanna (a favorite) only it's lighter and much more delicate. I've found that I'm either a hit or a miss with florals but this blend has everything right. Clean and light but still distinct. And thankfully, it doesn't come off as soapy on me like some florals that I've tried have.

 

Needless to say, a big bottle must be purchased.

Edited January 10, 2006 by silver_springs

[undream]

oh, i am beside myself with how in love i am with this one. the ghost is absolutely gorgeous on me!! i think it may easily be my favourite BPAL scent so far.

 

right away, it was all crisp, clean, green and floral - no fruityness for me! - but strangely, the scent completely disappeared for me after a few whiffs from the imp - just there, and then quietly gone (very aptly named) - and then i could not really detect it on my skin for about five or ten minutes, either, save for a faint but lovely crisp, green smell. i was already quite in love despite this, figuring i would just need to be rather generous when applying, but then it blossomed into this amazingly beautiful cloud of scent!!

 

i do not know what i am smelling, what notes i am getting or any such thing, but i CAN describe it as very clean & fresh, delicate & light, floral, atmospheric, exactly as it would smell to be in a lush garden of white, light flowers & greenery during a summer rain. it is making my heart ache with how much i wish to be doing just that in new orleans, my favourite of all places, come springtime! this is the PERFECT scent for such wishes, for such places. this is the perfect scent for me.

 

truly, i cannot keep my nose out from the crook of my arm, i am nearly drunk with it.

 

i absolutely want a bigger bottle of this one. simply glorious.

[Sheila]

This is light, delicate, ethereal, and wistful--it perfectly captures a mournful ghost!

 

It smells like a white flower (I can't distinguish any notes). It's very soft, and very feminine.

[terrierhead]

Add me to the Ghost fan club! This is a lovely, cool floral with decent staying power for me - I can still smell it a few hours after applying. There's a cucumber note early on which is not at all bothersome, and fades after about 20 minutes. I've worn this to work today, and it seems appropriate both for daytime and for the office. It's feminine but not frilly or shrill, and is ok for a professional environment. If you're interested in BPAL that you can wear to the office and are curious about fragrances outside the tea family, give the Ghost a shot.

[urraca]

Lovely. Sweet, but not too sweet, green, but not to green, flowery but…you get the picture. The most vivid notes I detect are the osmanthus and the calla lily. A perfect scent for summer, I think.

[AlaskaSnows]

Clean cool watery scent with light subdued floral. Some green in there too. Lovely and calm. Would be, I think, a terrific hot day scent, or cool spring day scent.

[salamandrina]

This came in my decant circle from syrenemyst.

 

I don't like florals, normally - they just give me a headache and smell too girly, but I'm glad I tried this one. It's so bright and light and airy. It smells like my wedding day, honestly. The day was a cold, wet rainy October day, and I had a big bouquet of burgundy calla lilies and green leaves, and this smells just like that - cold and wet, with the sweetness of the lilies and the brightness of the leaves. Lily usually makes me gag - I loathe the scent of stargazers, but this really smells like callas, and I'm so happy.

 

I might have to get a big bottle of this just for the warm fuzzies I get.

[jarvenpa]

The Ghost wafted into my life as a freebie from the lab.

 

Tried it this cold morning for the first time. (did not check the description first; that always feels like cheating, and I want to see what I really experience without predetermination)

 

Sniffing the vial--what's wrong with my nose? I see the oil. I can't smell anything. Am I coming down with a cold? Didn't think so.

 

Swabbed on wrists: okay, there is a scent here (whew!). Very faint though. Misty (not watery so much as misty) and greenish and cool.

So faint that I decide to reapply within ten minutes, and go out with my youngest kid. I stick my wrist in front of his nose "Can you smell this?" He can, but doesn't articulate delight or disgust.

 

An hour later it is almost gone. Never changed much on me from the initial misty maybe-lilies-of-the-valley fragrance. Maybe Ghosts are afraid of me and retreat quickly? Maybe there is something in this scent that either is very familiar to my nose, so it doesn't pick it up well anymore--or that my skin just sucks in and destroys.

 

Well, interesting. May try again on a warmer day and see if there is any difference. For now, thank heaven, I will not need to get a big bottle of this.

[Neely]

In the bottle: soft white florals. Like Snow White without the cream or greeness.

 

Wet: soft white creamy floral, but a floral I can apparently wear.

 

Dry down: soft white creamy floral, but without the "funk" bitter stank I usually get with paperwhites or jasmine.

 

30 minutes: This doesn't really morph. It is still soft creamy white paperwhite florals with the hint of something sweet and fruity (osmanthus maybe?).

 

Conclusion: This is ethereal just like the name. Not a lot of throw, but has a lot of staying power. I usually don't like florals and they sure don't like me. But there is always and exception to every rule. This floral didn't turn into old ladies who mug me or my wallet leaving me beaten and smelling of either hard candy or powder. This stays soft, creamy, and ultra fem. I could actually see wearing this in October, my floral for the ghosts and ghoulies. October being my favorite month, this would be my choice for a sophisticated evening out. Lovely!

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 4.5.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Ghost

In the imp: osmanthus! Crisp, watery florals, fresh and dewy. The most prominent one is osmanthus at this point.

Wet on skin: the scent gets a greenness that really does remind me of florists shops, but not in the usual lily-scented way-gladiolus maybe? Or lisianthus?

Dry: ooh, this is nice. It’s floral, but it’s also very much unlike any other floral that BPAL has…though it does bear a very slight similarity to Dreamland thanks to the iris and osmanthus. The scent is of waxy white petals (the lily, I think) covered in dew or raindrops, framed with green leaves and ivy, and a variety of smaller, equally fragrant blooms. An ethereal, light, pale, scent-very ghostly indeed, yet also with a feel of spring to it.

After a while: eventually the blend smoothes out so nicely, to leave a papery white scent which brings to mind white petals resting on green spring leaves. The scent is still incredibly natural and fresh, it reminds me of a flower I’ve smelt before. It’s a gentle, serene scent, almost youthful but in a gentle way. This ghost, to me, is that of a young, innocent girl…distant and delicate, fragile and feminine, she died too young.

The scent has a slight chalky scent to it, reminiscent of Chiroptera, but not as much as that scent…I like this better. I get more osmanthus after a few hours.

Verdict: this is a very unique and different floral scent-it’s not like anything else I’ve smelt in perfume. A light, pale scent of springtime florals, pale waxen petals sprinkled with dew, this scent has an amazing fresh floral scent which is like smelling real flowers, moist and newly blossomed…there’s also a greenness to the scent thanks to the ivy, and the osmanthus is prominent. A scent that is ghostly, in a delicate, ethereal wispy way, it is also the scent of bouquet of spring flowers-this is one of the more life-like ‘ghostly’ scents thanks to it’s moist, springy feel. Not one for a bottle, but I’ll keep the imp because I am quite fond of this different take on the floral theme.

[abberlaine]

Wow! This smells really nice! Now this -- out of all the BPALs I've tried so far, this is the one I'd see the store-brand perfume fans really enjoying ("it's green, young, and fresh").

 

On me, this guy's a morpher. I get sweet, fresh lemony coolness that stays out of cleaner territory; a green garden (whoops, it's mostly lily); a curl of ivy, and there's the osmanthus from Night's Pavilion! Oh, you're so much nicer without the white musk.

 

Sometimes, I get a cool scent, like splashing my face with cold water; other times, it's heavier and more substantial lily and grass scent*. I can see how some people get green apple out of it. It's a springtime scent, but there are stages where it's very wispy and does indeed bring to mind a gleefully shrieking ghost.

 

Thumbs up!

 

*That's something that hasn't been working out for me, actually. A lot of BPAL scents tend to... sit there on my arm, thick and heavy. I prefer my scents lighter and airier.

[storme]

In the imp: gosh. on first sniff I get a whiff of *fruits* ( a lot of apple and melon) and aquatics and lilies.

 

On me, wet: a melon-ish fruity scent, some wet ozone-ish scents, and a lot of gentle white and green florals.

 

On me, dry: well, this is a morphy scent. the ivy came up strongly, and now it's a weird mix of ivy, ozone and lots of lily-ish white florals. There's something soapy hiding behind this all too. It keeps fading in and out - the melon keeps reappearing just when I think it's completely faded, and then it goes through the whole range of scents again.

 

Verdict: Oh, I think I'll keep this, if only to try it again to see if it keeps being so weirdly unpredictable. None of the phases are exactly unpleasant to wear, in any case, and some of them are positively delightful.

[Shollin]

First sniff: The ghost of a bride-to-be, still wearing her moonlight-white wedding gown and clutching her faded bouquet. Outwardly elegant but nervous underneath… she’s still expecting her groom to arrive at any moment. She doesn’t realise.

 

Wearing: It’s not just her… the entire banquet hall is a ghost. Formal place-settings and floral centerpieces all frozen, awaiting a celebration that will never come. Perhaps when she understands, she’ll become the sinister presence of the poem, wooing in death the lover she never knew in life, but for now… she doesn’t know, and that innocence is breathlessly sad.

[lysistrata]

A very subtle green floral. The ivy keeps it from getting too sweet. Unlike many of the scents in my first BPAL order (I'm looking at you, O and Snake Oil!) this was not an allergy trigger.

 

Not really me, though. Too grassy/planty.

[cranberry]

In the imp: unsweetly floral, bulbous

 

On the skin: this is a soft, pretty, floral, almost but not quite aquatic. It’s well blended but I can pick out the iris. I’m not familiar with most of the notes in this so I can’t really identify them more. It’s a lush scent and brings to mind the color pale green. There is a touch of green in this scent. As it wears on, it turns a bit sharp and bit soapy. It’s been an interesting scent to try but not one that I need.

[mountainwitch]

Delicate flowers in a spring twilight. This smells like spring in the mountains to me, and it never loses that quality. The ivy makes this one for me, giving a hint of something green and alive running through all those flowers.

[laurahcory]

The Ghost smells like overripe flowers on me, maybe rotten honeysuckles. I definitely get an impression of sickly sweet death. Another one for the swap pile, methinks.

[juniperus]

Bottle: ethereal florals, especially lily.

Wet: a hint of the green of the ivy behind the floral. subtle, pretty.

Dry: one of the florals, and I'm not sure which, is growing stronger and getting very sweet. headache-y sweet.

Later: it was gentle and subtle and lovely until one of the floral notes decided to beat me senseless. "We sinuses who are about to die salute you."

[edenssixthday]

The Ghost is aptly named: it is light and soft and very ethereal. This is the first BPAL fragrance in which I cannot identify any notes, even after reading the description and knowing what some of the notes are! It's very well-blended and obviously a white-floral, but that's as far as my nose has been able to determine. This is a lovely scent. Smells like a lot of almost-nothing in the bottle, but as soon as it touches my skin, the scent warms up and becomes a truly lovely white-floral plus....???? Like I said, I can't distinguish the other notes even knowing what they are! The more I wear this fragrance, the more I like it. I doubt I'll buy a full bottle, but will probably keep this imp on hand for those days when I want to smell soft and ethereal and well, faintly ghostly!

[midnight_aeval]

I thought this have been the one floral scent that I like...

 

In the vial it has a mysterious, sweet, floral scent to it. After I applied it, and it dried-down some, it's a very strong, sharp floral. Drats. Why don't I like florals?! WHY?!?!