Haunted

[maijasu]

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

This smells kind of sharp on me. I'm not sure if it's the amber or musk that's doing that, but I think it's the musk since amber usually just turns powdery. It does smell very perfumey, and I'm not getting the lemon that others are. It's ok, but I'm not in love, so I'll be passing this one on.

[Naamah_Darling]

I love amber scents. This is amber and musk in the bottle, at once very soft and very perfume-y. It goes on in a heady blast of warm, warm amber threaded with a dark hint of a very throaty, animal musk. It's a thick, muffling smell. The throw is alternately warm vanilla-tinged amber or an almost sandalwoody musk. Up close, I'm not at all sure that there isn't a touch of something citric in here, just a bare hint. There is an air of something cola-like in here, and I actually think that's the musk, which gets stronger and stronger as the amber settles down.

 

This dries to a very powdery scent similar to the drydown of several others I have tried. In my head, I think of it as "the brown scent." It's a kind of musk/sandalwood/patchouli smell that is like a sludgy compote of base notes, and it occurs at the tail end of some BPAL scents I've tried that have musk, sandalwood, or patchouli in them. It's not a bad smell, but it is a smell without distinction, and one that is too thick and faintly cloying on my skin.

 

I can, of course, make all this fit into the concept of "Haunted" by framing its wet phase as the initial pain and beauty of passing, followed by the sodden and reeking emotional sludge of grief. A faint but relentless animal note prowls around this scent, like a thing in pain. It's not beautiful. It's the memory of beauty, spoiled by the grave mold of regret.

 

For some reason this didn't work out on me. I don't understand why, since both amber and musk like me. I can only conclude that there is something else in it, either patchouli or sandalwood, or that the difference between the lighter musks and dark musk is a difference my skin takes exception to. The amber loses its brightness and sort of backwashes into the rest of the scent. Not at all what I was hoping for.

[Teggy]

Ohhhh...that's amber I'm detecting. *smacks forehead*

 

Haunted to me smells oddly similar to All Saints (2004 at least which is the only one I've tried). At first It was like a softer version, but now I see that it's amber. Duh. Soft and sweet. Almost a powedery, muted floral.

[PixieSkull]

Alright, I thought Haunted might have been nice and dreamy and calm and lovely on my skin and... well... it was calm. At the mention of amber I should have ran, but I didn't. As all amber scents do, I smelled heavily of baby powder. I have no clue what it should have smelled like either. I'm of absolutely zero help to anyone on this scent, sorry, guys!

[Monster]

Whew! Out of the imp this is a very heavy musk! Perhaps too strong for me.

 

On my skin, wet this is still a very strong musk. It's bitter, sharp, dark, and heavy.

 

As this dries down the soft, powdery note of the amber starts to peek it's head through.

 

I love amber, but I think the musk is a bit overpowering in the scent :/

Not for me. Off to swaps!

[themerrybaker]

I can't believe that Haunted is such a simple blend. The amber is obvious - it's the powdery note, but what must be the black musk is alternately patchouli-sweet, fleetingly citrus, and fleetingly cinnamon-spicy. Darned if this doesn't remind me of a less woody, less salty Swarzer Mond.

 

A surprizing like, I bet this imp will be good for layering.

[Quiara]

My first review!

 

I got this imp in a swap session that involved La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente and some fabulous merino yarn. Bonnie is a sweetie.

 

In the vial: Whoa. Muskmuskmuskmuskmuskmuskmusk. Also amber. And something else between the two, like a sliver of light peeking through dark curtains, slightly bright and bitter. This is not smelling promising. It's heady and perfumy in the commercial sense; reminds me of an older, well-aged "grown up" perfume. Not a friend, I fear.

 

On, wet: Muskmuskmuskmuskmuskmusk. I think my skin ate the amber. Considering what musk is, "clean" is the last adjective I would choose to describe this scent. Feral, yes. Dark, yes. Clean, not so much. Sweaty and, well, musky. And strong -- did I mention strong? Cause dang; strong.

 

20 minutes: Hello, smoke! Where'd that come from? The amber is back, peeking out from behind the musk, but the musk is not about to back down. It's boss and it knows it.

 

Next day: Smoke is gone, which is sad because it actually gave it a spicy, incense-y feel that I quite liked. But that lasted all of about 5 minutes after it showed up and then it fled to wherever good scents go when they die. In the end, I'm left with musk, a whisper of amber and the tiniest bright note floating between the two.

 

All in all, not for me. Off to swaps. I hope it will find a home where it will be well and truly loved.

[supremegoddessofall]

The amber here is doing something strange - it's almost going to a souring milk smell, and I get a slight fruitiness, too. This is *very* musky. Something isn't working for me, but I'm sure it's not the scent's fault.

[urbanruralferal]

I got this as a frimp from some dear swapper, and it has been lingering in the corner of my imp box for awhile, every now and again it gets a little rotation...

the thing is, I really like it. It isn't the kind of scent I usually wear, so I forget about it. Soft scents are normally not in my repertoire, and the amber provides so much softness here. On me amber is often too powdery, but what a lovely surprise! the amber is kept in check by the musk. there is a bit of tension between them that keeps things interesting. Perhaps some would decribe this tension as velvety, I suppose. Velvet is a tense fabric, if you think about it.

 

so, here are some review-y type notes:

 

Putting this on, without a memory of what notes were in it, I thought perhaps I smelled vetiver. If not vetiver, than certianly something as just as comforting. Second thought, as the amber makes itself clearly known, is that this reminds me of a lady's deodorant, but in the nicest of ways. It's not like I feel like I just applied Lady Speed Stick to my wrists. lol.

Than I thought, wait! Bluebeard was similar in this quality! And it all sort of gelled for me. This is a feminine version of Bluebeard on my skin. Which is very very good. If Bluebeard for me is Russell Crowe as Captain Jack in Master & Commander (and, yes, I know, Bluebeard wasn't a pirate...) than this is Jack's adept sister, dressed in palest of violet (I could smell those blossoms in this perfume), and ivory colored silk, velvet ribbons, rustling skirts. she knows what she wants and she gets it, but she isn't wicked, no.

 

I have an imp at my disposal, and I imagine I will get another. I am sure that what I am in possession of is indeed aged. I wonder how well a bottle would last...

[talula_fairie]

This scent reminds me a lot of Snake Charmer, or maybe Gypsy Queen without the rose. It's in that sort of category, anyhow.

 

Dark, mysterious, and thick. Sweet but yet musky too. Like a faded memory, tinged with grief.

 

Lovely! Will become one of my regular scents, for sure.

 

Eta: hmm. When it hits the very bottom notes it turns to something that does smell a lot like baby powder. I still kinda like it though...

Edited December 20, 2006 by talula_fairie

[chrisann]

I will have to sadly agree with what some other member's have said. BABY POWDER! It's unfortuate, because it starts out so lovely. In the end though, baby powder, and that's not something I wish to smell like. Into the swap pile it goes!

[jasmine]

At the first touch across my skin, Haunted manifests as a soft, surprisingly creamy scent. There’s a faint touch of citrus, but only a very subtle touch; more dominant is the creamy, slightly sugared scent. This isn’t foody, per se, but it reminds me of the scent of a lemon cream -- that sweet, subtle allure. Definitely vanilla here in addition to the lemon. This is also a pretty unisex scent at this stage, and it might be venturing more toward masculine than feminine.

 

...and I know that pretty much contradicts everything the lab description says. I know it, but I also know that it’s what I was smelling. It really isn’t a thick scent at all... it’s a light, creamy, slightly sugared scent. Also, I know by now what black musk does on my skin, and this isn’t doing it.

 

The thing is, though, that this is a good scent. It’s subtle, unisex, gently tasty, and just generally nice. It may not be doing what it’s supposed to be doing (to the point where I wondered if the bottle was mislabelled for a while), and it really doesn’t fit the name worth anything, but it’s doing something very good, and therefore I have no complaints.

[marietta]

Haunted made my throat itch, and changed my voice enough so someone who called me asked if I had bronchitis.

 

When first on, I smelled citrus (I want to say bergamot, but I've been smelling it all over the place lately, so . . . ), amber and pine. It was a little harsh, but not really unpleasant. It eventually dried to amber plus, though if I sniff my wrist, I still get a little of the piney something that's effing up my voice. Objectively, I like the way this smells, but subjectively, I can't imagine I'll be able to wear this.

 

Nice amber frag, though!

[presotm]

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed, based on the notes alone. Soft golden amber......black musk.....hell yeah!

 

Unfortunately once applied, my skin said, hell no. I'm finding that black musk likes to turn to powder pretty much instantaneously on my skin, and that is soooo what happened with Haunted. I managed to detect a citrussy musky scent before my sneezing fit began.

 

Verdict: bottle has gone to a hopefully more appreciative owner.

[concrescence]

this definitely doesn't work on me. i like amber, but i think it's turning to baby powder in this scent for some reason. the black musk smells musty or moldy. and, oddly, i also smell some sort of sickly sweet citrus, even though that's not listed among the notes. i don't like citrus all that much. my skin really turns this funky, and i think i need to wash it off. eww.

[cinderfallen]

This was pretty terrible on me, to get that out of the way. Very sharp citrus, cleaning liquid citrus, with a sticky-sour underbite--must be the amber. It dried down 5 hours later, forgotten on my wrist, to what a friend described as "expensive perfume!" Nuh-uh, no thank you. Faint citrus, but enough to remind me of the horrors of Haunted wet on me.

Edited September 5, 2007 by cinderfallen

[Elrianra]

In the imp, sweet honey - ah how I love golden amber! But just a little bitter, that's the musk. Wet, this is a heavy honey with a touch of dust to it, delicious but a hint on the 'perfumey' side for me... As it dries? HONEY. Sweet, sticky, let me lick it off your skin honey. Yummy. This is warm with just a touch of wild dark musk that reminds me of fireweed or basswood honey. Sweet and warm but spicy/bitter. Mmmmmm! So a keeper.

[melrose]

This is my first BPAL where the ingredients separated in the imp. The black musk was at the bottom and the amber above it. I must say it looked really cool, but I had a heck of a time trying to mix it up, because the musk wasn't quite liquid.

 

I love amber and I love musk, but first on, this was lemon with a bit of a bite. It didn't smell bad, just not at all what I had hoped for.

 

Later, for a brief while, it smelled magnificent - sweet amber, earthy musk, yum.

 

All too soon, poof! Gone, all gone. It barely hung around for an hour.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

Blech. Sometimes amber goes bad on me, and when it does it's spectacular.

 

Dirty baby diaper, and something burnt.

[waternight]

Haunted was one of the blends I was most excited to try, based on the description and notes, so I was thrilled when I got a frimp of it in my last order. Alas...

 

In the imp: Thick, sweet amber. Heady and rich. Very resinous.

Wet/Drydown: Oh my God, this is amazing. The thick, sweet, gooey amber provides an intensely beautiful base, and the black musk adds such a heady, woozy note. This is my first blend with black musk, and WOAH, it’s definitely darker and more sinister than the other musks. This is sweeter than I expected. VERY resinous. Bit drier – WOAH BLACK MUSK. Strong, sweet, strong… this is a very heavy blend.

Dry: Oh, Haunted, I wanted you to work on me so much. But alas, you are crazy-strong and overpowering.

 

I'm guessing that it's the black musk that does what honey does on my skin - AMP LIKE WOAH. This blend gave me a headache. I'm sorry, Haunted, but I must swap you.

[Riven]

Straight out of the bottle, Haunted smells like a dark, spicy and kind of sweet musk. Mmm. There's even somewhat of a fruity tang lingering in there that I'm digging.

 

As I apply it, the scent becomes a bit softer; a little powdery. The spice is not as sharp, but the scent is still very strong. I can't help but feel I'm starting to smell like some kind of little magic shop full of candles and incense. It's dark and mysterious. Very sexy and very gothy. I don't feel like it's me. I love musks, and I love spices, but I think this one is too 'Hot Topic' for me. The fruity tang I mentioned has totally disappeared, which makes me sad because I think it's that hint of zest that kept it from being too 'mournful' of a smell for my everyday taste. That, and for some reason scents of this calibur tend to give me a headache.

 

I do like Haunted, though I don't think it is a scent I could wear all the time. Definitely not in Spring or Summer, but for the fall, especially around October, I think it would be really nice. Its just too dark for the warm seasons. If you're looking for something DARK, definitely give it a try. The name "Haunted" is well-suited for this wicked oil.

Edited March 21, 2007 by Riven

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Musky

 

On Skin: Powdery amber and musky

 

Drydown: The powdery amber is still there, but there is an edge to the musk that makes it almost bitter. It's like bitter powder on my skin.

 

Verdict: Okay, I like amber and now I'm pretty sure that black musk isn't my friend. This is a good scent to figure out what musk works on you and what doesn't. I'd been curious about which musks work on my skin and this was a great blend to figure that out. And definitely something to keep if you're a black musk fan.

[isabella]

mmm i love the amber in this.....its sweet yet dark. makes ppl turn heads for sure

[xoe]

Haunted is ambermusk goodness. It is a bit powdery on me, but not in a bad way at all.

[jiggahava]

This goes on very heavy and almost smoky. Without looking at the notes, I guessed I was smelling patchouli and myrrh. Then I look up the notes and it's amber and black musk! Woah, I was way off. At first it's smokey and acrid and overpowering, then it mellows into the dreaded baby powder smell. I'm not liking it at all. Then a couple hours in it turns back into amber, with the black musk wafting over the top. It smells better wafting around me than when I sniff my wrist. I like the drydown stage, but I dislike the first stage so much that it's not worth the wait. I will be passing my imp on to someone else.

 

Oh, and this stuff stays on FOR-EV-ER. It lasted through several scrubbings and rubbing alcohol.