Phantom

[eviltemptressdq]

Myrrh, dark musk, attar of rose and ylang ylang.

Ok, hmm... when I opened this bottle, I was hit with a smell I didn't like at ALL. But, I had a similar experience with Black Cat, so I wanted to give it a chance anyway. I made my boyfriend sniff it, and he didn't like it either (he liked Black Cat).

Anyway, I put it on my wrists this morning anyway. It is definitely too musky for me! I got in my car to go to work, and had to open the window. LOL.

SIx hours later, the smell is still pretty strong if I have my wrist go by my nose at all... but it isn't overpowering. Still not for me, though

I will give this a shot in a candle tonight (like I did with Black Cat, which I ended up loving as such). We'll see how that turns out!

so far? I give this one a 2 out of 5 (not a "1" only because it wasn't bad enough to me for me not to give it a chance. if that makes sense!)

d Edited April 30, 2006 by Shollin

[Ryvre]

In the imp: Heavy and womanly.

 

On me: Musk and rose. Very perfumey. It's definitely a womanly scent. This is nice, but not me at all.

[kunoichi]

There's just something I'm not fond of about this, making it an iffy blend for me. It's a touch floral, but it smells ... well ... savory. This non-sweet smell sticks around for quite some time, and I'm not sure if I want to wear it for that long. It kind of also reminds me of a man's cologne, but not fully. When the savory scent dies away, after a few hours, I can smell a sweet floral. I'm just not sure I want to wear it for that long first ...

 

After reading the ingredients listed, I guess it's the myrrh that I am detecting behind all the flowers. It isn't strong like in Athens, but myrrh isn't a scent I like. :/

[juniperus]

Bottle: sour?!? must be the attar, I don't think I know that note. how odd.

Wet: mmmmyrrh. and a hint of ylang ylang.

Dry: oh the myrrh and musk are just wonderful, lovely and dark and not powdery...dusty?

Later: tremendous. fantastic. warm and dark and no more sweet-headachy edge at all. YAY!

[filigree_shadow]

I guess Phantom isn't all that popular, judging by the number of reviews compared to others. But I like it a lot.

 

I can barely smell the rose (which is a good thing for me), the yling ylang is strong and gives it an edge, and the musk is nice. This is a sensual blend, quite mysterious. I really like myrrh and dark musks, and this is very well done. It gets very slightly powdery on me after an hour or so, but I don't mind it.

 

I'm putting this on the list of bottles I would like to get.

[kakiphony]

This is circulating as part of the general catalog sniffing circle. I would normally have stayed far away as rose is something that tends to induce wheezing and excessive snot production in me. But, in keeping with the spirit of the circle, I smelled it anyway.

 

In the imp: Heavy musk with myrrh's bitterness hitting me at the back of the throat. The rose is perceptible as I lift the imp away from my nose and finish the breath. It's a deep, full-bodied rose, like a large, slightly wilted, completely open bloom.

 

I did not apply this to my wrists as even the hint of rose had me reaching for the kleenex. That was too bad since the musk and myrrh combination which was the first whiff from the imp to me seemed interesting. A bit dry and dusty as others have said, but also fierce. I wonder how this would be without the florals...?

[Shollin]

First sniff: Sharp resins and liquid flowers.

 

Wearing: It just doesn’t work for me. Myrrh and roses are not at all my thing.

[lilfaerywingz]

Bottle:reminds me of that weird old people smell along with strong perfume

 

Wet: does not agree with my skin AT ALL. I can only smell rubbing alchol

 

Dry:then it becomes very strong, slightly musky, but probably the ylang ylang

 

 

I couldn't smell the rose at all in it unfortunately.

[kuanyin]

Reading the reviews, I have a hard time believing they were all the same scent! Smells like a man, very womanly, sexy, old person....what'the?

 

I'm not the best at distinguishing notes, I got an imp because I know I love all the individual components. Ok, wasn't familiar with attar of rose, now that I'm reading it is rose with sandalwood, oh baby! But, by the time I tried it last night, I didn't remember any of that. I couldn't detect any one scent that I knew for sure what it was. It was very sweet, but not in a foody way, just heavenly, sexy, dark syrupy sweetness. When I woke up this a.m., I still had just a touch of it that I could smell, still wonderful. Mmmmm....this is one of my top ten, maybe top five.

[indicolite]

I quite like it. All of the ingredients appeal to me. However, I already have many perfumes that share the same notes, so I am not sure Phantom will get the exercise it deserves. But I will keep the imp close for now.

[edenssixthday]

Phantom - What a wretched odor this becomes on my skin! I think this is the first rose scent that completely disagrees with me. The scent is full of dark musk and smoky-incense, and reminds me somewhat of the dry-down of Hecate. Rose and ylang ylang blend together to create a sour scent that I can barely stand (it actually does make me slightly nauseated). This is one to be washed off and quickly removed from my home. The throw is light to moderate, and I can’t remark on the lasting power, as it had to be washed off within the first 20-30 minutes of wear.

[Miss Lynx]

This one sounded so interesting - I really like contrasts in scents, deep earthy notes juxtaposed with sweet ones. Myrrh and musk are generally quite good on me, rose is dodgy but can sometimes be OK, and ylang ylang - well, ylang ylang is generally my nemesis and has killed many otherwise good scents for me. It's so high and sharp and seet, it's like the olifactory equivalent of nails on a blackboard.

 

But still, I thought, if anything could tone it down, myrrh and dark musk should be able to. And it almost works. This scent does indeed have a lovely deep earthy base to it, with the florals layered overtop, in a way I want to love - but can't quite. Maybe if my skin amped florals a bit less, the balance would be perfect, but as it is, the floral notes (ylang ylang especially) are just too powerful, and lend it that headachey edge that usually keeps me from wearing florals.

 

*sigh* Oh well. I think I may just have to resign myself to the fact that if there's ylang ylang listed in the description, no power in the 'verse can stop it from turning into screaming floral death on my skin.

 

Grade: C+

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i'm not sure how to begin describing this...

but i think it has red musk in it, because i'm getting the same latex/rubber-y scent that i do from red musk. and amber tends to go wierd on me. the lab's ylang ylang tends to go medicinal to my nose...

 

and the end result is...

somebody please adopt this imp and love it?

[birdiefu]

Hmm, the notes in Phantom didn't seem to want to blend on me. First it was myrrh, pure myrrh. Next came ylang-ylang, totally overpowering and replacing the myrrh. I was about to post in recommendations for someone who was looking for ylang-ylangy scents, when suddenly the ylang-ylang was eaten by rose. I'm left with pure rose on my skin, but it's that old, almost rotten rose that I get from most rose notes.

[Vampy]

Hmm. Kind of ambivalent about this. In the bottle the florals are rather sharp, and kept me from trying it for a while out of fear - always a risk of strong floral blends giving me a raging headache. I tried it on, and thankfully it doesn't seem to be doing so (though I wouldn't want to risk it in great quantity.)

 

Ylang-Ylang is most prominent at first, with a backdrop of myrrh and rose and a subtle earthiness. I too get a curious impression of violets. As it dries down, the earthy notes become more prominent - musk and patchoulli, I think, but I could be wrong. They're still playing second fiddle to the ylang-ylang though.

 

It's an elegant blend, and very feminine. Very well blended and balanced, but it just doesn't evoke anything for me. I feel sort of meh about it.

[steffanina]

Phantom-

 

In Bottle: Ooh, a very...how do I put this?...it's a high scent, and by that I mean a high-pitched piercing, in your sinuses and into your brain kind of note. My nosehairs all stand on end and it's not from a mint or eucalyptus scent; it's from a floral, which is very different.

 

Wet: Resinous. Rich.

 

Dry: I don't really like this. It's too cloying and heavy on the resin-sweet for me. It's only been a short while and I already want to wash it off because I feel a little nauseated.

 

Overall: Not good for me.

[supremegoddessofall]

Very faint roses that smell a touch too chemically. The musk is rounding down the florals. I barely get the mrryh or ylang ylang. I'll have to try this one again later and get a better impression - my skin has eaten most of it.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Frimp from an eBay purchase

 

Initial Thoughts: Hmm, I see two of my problem notes, myrrh and dark musk.

 

In the Bottle: Dark and tangy, I can definitely pick out the ylang-ylang. It smells nice in the bottle, very mysterious and tantalizing.

 

Wet: Blast of myrrh! Myrrh, myrrh, myrrh. I wish I liked myrrh.

 

Drydown: The other notes struggle for supremacy, but alas, only the dark musk wins.

 

Verdict: This will be sent on to someone else.

 

code fix --Shollin

[kwelge]

I believe this was a frimp from the lab... I've been very hesitant to try dark musks. Once again, the lab wins.

 

Wet: Ooooooh, myrrh with a dark undertone. A little rose overtone, too.

 

Dry: Someone said it earlier -- dark and womanly. Perfect dark blend of myrrh + rose, with darkness and slightly powdery scent provided by the musk. This would be my choice if I were playing a female heroine in a noir film -- it's got class and mystery stamped all over it.

 

Verdict: Gotta hang onto this imp -- bottle may be in the offing, depending on how soon it's used up.

[lookingglass]

I received a frimp from the Lab back in the day and fell in love. She is quite like Black Phoenix without the almond, a smokier, more earthy rose, and more myrrh-longer lasting and less powdery.

Edited June 26, 2011 by lookingglass

[Browneyes]

Received in a swap

 

Imp: uhoh.. sour/ sharp resins. And rose. I like rose.

Wet: Warms up to red musk and rose. I'm not entirely sure what myrrh smells like, but if it's smoky, then yes, I definately get a smokiness.

Dry: Dries to something heavy. Powdery. Perfumey. Kind of a chic department-store perfume.

 

Evokative of a rich middle-aged woman in a big brown fur coat, big sunglasses, lots of gold jewelry, clacking on her high-heels through the perfume department of Harrods or something

So... not unpleasant (these notes tend to work well on me), but the image I get from the blend is not really me, so I don't think I'll wear it much!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Thought I had already tested this, then realized that was Phantasm, whereas this is Phantom, as in "of the Opera is there inside my mind". Well, if it has rose, I'll give it a shot! Whew, this is a strong one! My skin amps the musk and the rose--very rich and sweet. It would be a good evening-wear scent, but I like Spellbound better.

[veganhothead]

Mmmmmmm, this is lovely. Ylang-ylang has long been my "sexy" scent and I love how it works with the dark musk. It seems to smell a bit different every time I sniff my wrist.

 

Mysterious, alluring, slightly spicy with a hidden sweetness, one you would almost have to discover accidentally as you become more emeshed. There are many layers to be peeled back and experienced here.

 

Like a certain man I wish I knew.

[bulletslc]

In the bottle-ylang ylang...that's all I'm smelling.

 

Wet-ylang ylang and rose (with the ylang ylang still prevalent) and a dark smokey base which I'm guessing is the myrrh.

 

Dry down- on my wrists its gone ultra sweet light musk. In my elbow creases its pure rose attar! (Funny how each pulse point amps a different scent!)

 

Verdict--I like this. Its a floral I can wear without it being TOO sweet and cloying. I like rose and the ylang ylang mellows out on my skin.

 

I don't know that I'll get a bottle of it, but I'll definitly keep the imp and use it for those ultra femme days.

[CiCi]

I received a frimp of this but never tried it. I did try it at the Lab just out of the blue (I tried on many). I kept smelling something really good and couldn't remember what it was and went back and started going through the bottles that I tried on. I still couldn't figure it out. When I got home I saw the imp here and picked it up and remembered I had tried it on there. I sniffed it and, "That's it"! It smells so good! It is light musk and ylang-ylang and a hint of rose. After thirty minutes a spiciness comes out that makes this really special. The rose fades (which I like, I'm not a rose girl), and this is now on my bottle to get list!