Haunted

[The Forest Floor]

A mournful, poignant scent, thick with foreboding. Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk.

 

I love this one, it's so soft, warm, and soothing but also dark, profound, and mysterious, quiet but powerful... it has a shadowy luminous golden mood, perhaps like what a smoky quartz would smell like if a crystal had a smell... (maybe the color of the liquid in the imp is giving me that impression?) In the vial there is an unexpected sharp edge to it- my nose doesn't say "lemon" but I can see how others make the association- which promptly disappears within a minute or so of being on. After that, it's just a perfectly blended, darlky beautiful and warm scent that feels both very natural and lovely yet otherworldly... evocative of things from the past... unlocking a delightful attic haunted by long lost heirlooms and amber-hued treasures from days gone by... old sepia photographs, yellowed antique letters, poems, sheet music, and journals with frail pressed flowers between the pages, a decaying ribbon tied around a dry lock of hair found in a tarnished gold heirloom locket.

[lady_pandora]

Spicy amber, a little orangey in the beginning, snuggly-musky later, a little powdery. Simple, and really psychologically comfortable to me--it feels like "me," it feels like a second skin. This is a little black dress perfume--you could wear it anywhere. Definitely will need more of this!

[LizziesLuck]

Love amber, love musk - high hopes!!

 

Wet: Yep, that's amber and musk. A bit heavier on the amber. So good!

 

Dry: I really like this. I'm trying to decide if I need a bottle. It's simple and gorgeous - warm amber, black musk. I love both of those notes, and they're great together. But I have lots of amber blends and lots of musk blends, so I'll have to think about it.

[Spaztic]

I'm torn with this one, I love the dry down but dislike the opening.

The opening: Smells like I'm in a dollar store, smelling cheap unpleasant incense and someone recently mopped the floor with a lemony cleaner. I thought for sure I was going to have to get rid of this one

But then the middle: It loses the lemony-ness completely and the cheap incense smell is becoming richer and deeper

the dry down: Ohhhh soooo nice! Dry, slightly sweet amber goodness. I'm guessing it's the black musk that makes the amber smell dry but Im still new to bpal's musks so I can't say for certain.

 

I've had this bottle for 2 years now and it's aged wonderfully, the opening that I dislike gets shorter and shorter with age and even though I DO dislike the opening, that WONDERFUL dry down makes it all worth it.

 

edited because autocorrect is trying to sabotage me

Edited October 10, 2017 by Spaztic

[sunlitgarden]

I think Haunted was a frimp a while ago, but we've had it for a few years at least at this point. Michi mainly uses this imp, but I found that I hadn't reviewed it yet or tried it on myself, so I figured I would try it.

In the imp: This is very powdery smelling to me, close to baby powder. The amber smells wood-like, and black musk tends towards sweet, as it often does.

On my skin: In some blends, I can't really pick out the amber specifically, but I think that it makes a blend smell what I describe as "perfumey"... which isn't always a bad thing, just that it's something I associate more with commercial/department store perfumes. This is not that perfumey amber, though. It reminds me more of the gilded amber in The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair, almost wood-like. The musk is sweet and tending towards powdery, and it has that sort of "deep" quality I sometimes find in black musk.. where it's like you're trying to peer into the bottom of a dark pool. I keep sniffing at it, feeling like I'm getting closer to the "bottom", but never quite reach it. It's kind of an unsettling feeling, but also enticing and interesting. I got this feeling from the black musk/ambergris in Panther Moon too. It could be compared to the feeling of being scared but strangely compelled by an old abandoned or supposedly haunted place. I just saw the lab description again and saw that they mentioned "foreboding" -- that's a good description. The amber gives this a glow and warmth to it. If the black musk is a dark haunted house, the amber is like the glowing orbs of light that show up on photos.

I probably wouldn't seek this scent out to buy a bottle, but I do enjoy it enough to want to keep the imp around. I think I might actually prefer it to Playful Wooden Mallets for a black musk scent (yay GC!)

[Casablanca]

Bottle: Amber and the black musk. More "perfumey" than the other amber-musk blend I tried on the same day, Coyote.
Wet: This amber is gorgeous with the lab's black musk I like so much. It's not a small ratio of musk, either.
Dry: Black musk, and a little amber. Fairly long-lasting.

There's nothing to add. Love this.

[Candice Chen]

Going by the scent notes I was expecting a sweaty, treacley amber but this surprised me by opening as cool, powdered sugar and incense with a twang of lemon (or maybe frankincense), before it settled into a more honeyed, powdery amber which I love.

 

I so wanted to avoid comparing it to mainstream fragrances but it's hard not to cos I love and try so many. This reminds me of the luminous Guerlain Eau de Shalimar, with its bright tangy citrus top notes anchored on a powdery iris-amber base. But Haunted is the darker, more mysterious sister. The fruity opening fades quickly, and it morphs into a beautiful, slightly powdery amber-resin on my skin. If I put my nose to my skin, the musk does give a teeny-tiny undertone of something which smells almost like - a certain masculine body fluid..... Just sayin...

 

Might be just me!

Edited May 25, 2016 by Nightphlox

[Sio Bhan]

Initially this smells almost lemony on my skin. It soon dries down to a dusty, warm fragrance that reminds me of a library. My partner loves this perfume on me and it is perfect for everyday wear. Very classy.

[Scarlet Woodland]

...it morphs into a beautiful, slightly powdery amber-resin on my skin. If I put my nose to my skin, the musk does give a teeny-tiny undertone of something which smells almost like - a certain masculine body fluid..... Just sayin...

 

Might be just me!

It's not just you The throw on this is stunning; light gold amber/musk yet fresh. I so nearly bought a bottle before I re-tested and alas found the same, um, aroma, hiding close to the skin. Much as I love the throw I'd be too nervous to wear this out!

 

Will experiment with layering this at some point as I may be able to neutralise said disconcerting note and enjoy this in public.

 

 

ETA: Ooh, The Lion! Must try this with The Lion.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Scarlet Woodland

[freyasfae]

This is really pretty and mournful like the description says. It's not in my usual repertoire of scents, I got it as a frimp with a weenies order, but I find myself sniffing my hand a lot. It reminds me of Insects from Crimson Peak - another dark scent that surprised me with how much I liked it despite all the death notes. I don't think I need a bottle of this, but it is lovely and I liked experiencing it.

[roseus]

Sweet dark, musky amber. Absolutely glorious. The wet stage is pretty sweet and there the amber reminded me a little of Mouse's Long Sad Tale but all grown up.

[Miss Landau]

For me this is a fairly straightforward amber, a warm delicate, pretty scent. Not quite the connotations the word "haunted" has for me. Maybe more haunted by the ghosts in "The Secret Garden" musical than "Crimson Peak".

[renfair]

This came to me as a frimp with a Lab order, so it was nice and fresh.

First Sniff Impression: Strong cologne. Like the cheap stuff from the 80's.

Wet in Vial: Just very cologne-y. Strong and almost alcoholic.

 

Drying Down on Skin: It starts to mellow out immediately upon application, which I kind of expected since the scent in the vial was just so strong. Musky but slightly sweet, but still a bit too much on the cologne side for now. -- Aaaaaand now it's getting powdery on me. Cologne baby powder, here we come?

Dry on Skin: Apparently I was such NOT A FAN of this that I didn't even bother finishing my notes until the next day. It just got really sweet and musky, like maybe a perfume a woman who's trying really hard to be "sexy" would wear, but she kind of bought it at a gas station, you know? It made me kind of sick to smell it.

Conclusion: Not a fan. Maybe good for people who like heavy, musky, sicky-sweet stuff. Or, of course, there's the possibility that the scent just did not like ME, since it seems like I'm in the minority for disliking it. So, maybe just a skin chemistry thing? Either way, it was a no-go in the end.

[TheresaRedSkull]

Haunted, for me, hovers somewhere between "quite pleasant" and "powdery old lady." I wanted to love it, and I'll keep the imp, but it's not bottle-worthy, alas.

[ramblingrambler]

Dear me. I want to supercharge my aging on this imp. I don't know how or why I haven't come by Haunted before, as this sounds like the perfect blend, but I haven't... and I've been missing out.

 

On application it is very sweet. I was slightly taken aback at how it read immediately on, wet. How could black musk and amber scream lemon sugar? I was flabbergasted. I love lemon and sugar, don't get me wrong, but it was not what I was expecting at all.

 

Two minutes in and then things started coming together as amber and musk. "Wowie-zowie, this is good!" I exclaimed like a child. Yep. It moved me to become five years old again.

 

Into drydown it's resinous and deep, and my goodness, I can't wait to get my hands on a bottle or seven and stick them away to age.

 

Holy wow. HOLY WOW. Yes, this is perfection.

[lexyOZ]

I tested this without looking at the notes so let's see how off-base I am!

Wet: it's an earthy lemon scent. I'm getting little bit of that pencil shaving cedar scent.

Dry: the lemon is hanging in there with that woody base and a slight musky scent. It puts me in mind of an old cedar chest that's been regularly rubbed down with lemon oil (not lemon pledge!) and maybe a whiff of patchouli or some other earthy herb. It's a nice grounding scent, not really haunting at all!

Edit: after looking at the notes, lol, never would have guessed this is just musk. I would swear that's lemon in this.

Edited June 27, 2017 by lexyOZ

[gloame]

My second time smelling this, it smells much sadder now. The first time was in 2015 and I wonder if it's from the blend or from me paying more attention to it. It has an almost... tang to it. But that's not quite right. There's like a sharp nip that fades before you even notice it, but the pain it left behind lingers. I feel like there must be a lemongrass or something similar in here. Very poignant.

 

Where I'd wear it: Summer funeral, a mix of bright with gloom.

[Teamama]

Haunted is a rich caramel colored oil. It's a wonderful, rich amber & black musk blend.

 

Black musk's lemony component is at the front when freshly applied, but fades to a musky skin scent as it dries. The combination of amber & black musk is drier than I expected, considering how sweet both components are. The amber stays true & resinous on my skin; this is a sweeter, more "sappy" amber, almost like a golden syrup.

 

Dried, it's a warm, come-hither musky amber. Low throw, long wear length.

 

I wasn't very excited about it when I first tested it from a fresh imp, but as it has aged, it's become one of my favorite amber blends. I just got a fresh bottle from the Lab.

[fenharel]

An instant 5ml buy for me.

 

in the imp: somewhat masculine. citrus and woods, a powdery wood, like sandalwood maybe?

 

wet: oH MY GOD it smells EXACTLY like Lush's Dragon's Egg bathbomb, an all time favorite of mine. It's a sweet, creamy citrus - not astringent - tempered by the rich and spicy amber. My notes say 'Sweet Tarts & incense' which sounds like a weird combo but.... i love it to death? my nose isn't sophisticated enough to suss out the different varieties of musk, but i do smell the musk, and it adds a clean fullness to the entire scent. this is a 'hold wrist to nose and inhale so deeply my eyes roll back into my head' scent. it transports me. it makes me feel happy (which is odd, because it's supposed to be a mournful scent.) it's effervescent gold (the color of the oil actual trips me out because i feel like it smells like it should be so much lighter.) the throw is PERFECT - my coworker standing right at my shoulder remarked on how good i smelled. she said 'earthy, but not overpowering.'

 

dry: lasts 3-4 hours. softens to pure amber and musk - the citrus mellows down quite a bit. sweet and cozy. sun-warmed skin.

[strick9]

In the imp: Just how it sounds, albeit more astringent than it lets on. I Think there's copal and myrrh in here- there's some lemon-peel going on.

 

Wet: This one is heady, and super aromatic. The amber and black musk really come through. There's a smell reminiscent of Shalimar. If i had to assign a color to it right now, it would be dark, dark, chocolate brown. like 72% cacao chocolate-brown (i read other reviews AFTER i wrote mine- it's nice to know other folks got the Shalimar too!).

 

Drying: As it dries, more of the amber comes through and starts to sweeten up all that thick black musk. This is one sexy scent, and it is indeed haunting. its "mysterious person walking into a bar" haunting. The further we go, the more the citrus notes start to come back- just ever so slightly. My grandmother wore scents like this, and if she were still with us, I'd definitely have her try this.

 

As it continues to dry down, there are subtle notes of cinnamon coming through. Light star anise. The amber is really coming through nicely, and there are some light honey and citrus notes coming along for the ride. Bitter orange and lemon zest. There's got to be some sort of copal in here.

 

Twenty minutes later and this is gorgeous. The musk has gone a touch powdery and the amber has toned town just a touch, but this is pretty true to what it was twenty minutes ago.

 

I'm really happy to have this imp, and it might very well be bottle-worthy.

[achildoftime]

This is very much an inky black musk with a bit of amber. It feels very heavy and solemn as I usually get from black musk. It's pretty much a single note on me, and while I actually really like black musk I'm not crazy about it being the only thing I can smell. I can see keeping this for layering to add some depth to other things, but as a stand-alone scent it isn't for me.

[Cali]

In the imp: Old dusty house!!! Old creepy dusty house!!

Dry: Old dusty house!!! Old creepy dusty house!! (A little warmer/sweeter thanks to the amber)!

[Juliamon]

Wet: the amber from The Lion, but with a thick layer of sharp citrusy musk over it. The comparison to the Dragon's Egg bath bomb makes me think there's bergamot involved, it doesn't smell strictly lemony to me. It's really intense for the first 10 minutes, then softens dramatically to let the amber shine sweetly.

 

Dry: This keeps getting sweeter, like someone keeps adding sugar, and I have to try not to lick my skin. It's kind of leathery if I sniff too deeply, a dusty crumbling leather. I like it, but I don't know that it likes me. Doesn't seem to have great longevity, but may be good for layering with something that does.

[tansy19]

This almost went in my nope pile. But it's a morpher. I've never tried a scent from bpal that morphed quite like Haunted does. It started out sharp and weird wet. But I didn't wash it off because it wasn't completely off putting. Later I was laying in bed and kept getting a whiff of something soft and comforting. I realized it I was dried down Haunted. I was very surprised. I was like "there's no way this is the same oil."

So today I tested again and sure enough yes. Don't throw this one out on first sniff! Give it a chance to dry down!