Ouija

[Etaven]

... this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus.

Out of the bottle, I can smell a hint of the smoke, and a lot of the flowers. The more "wood"ish smells aren't really coming out, but it's an interesting sort of smell. It definitely puts an image in my head of a gathering of nervously excited gentlemen and ladies, about to attempt to contact spirits.

On me, like most floral-type-scents I've tried, the flowers go to war. And get slightly acidic smelling, only to be covered over by smoke. The farther I sniff from my wrist, the more I get the smoke, while the flowers stay close to my skin. And if I get to close, it hurts my head. It also seems to be getting a bit powdery.

After a bit of drying, it got a bit more smokey, and the flowers seemed to have died and dried out. There was a bit more of a hint of wood, though, overall, the scent was not as easy to pick up.

[UltraViolet]

Wet

Oh I love the lilac smell of Ouija initially.

Don't smell any rosewood, oak nor teak which is a pity because I like Beth's wood notes.

I do smell the rose and the osmanthus is very nice with the lilac.

It almost has similar notes to Blue Moon in my opinion, not the cucumber-y notes but something else I'm not quite sure what it might be.

 

I don't find any of these notes offensive as a person who's chemistry is leery of florals. It's gets right up to that line lol but it's quite lovely.

It is old fasioned but not quite in an overpowering way.

It gets powdery as it dries and I love powdery so I'm happy.

 

Ouija is a medium strong, sweet floral.

Yep, you've gotta love lilac and you've gotta love floral to like this blend.

This is a "maybe" on getting more or a bigger bottle. My love of lilacs may prod me into getting more Ouija at a later date.

[kythryne]

I got an imp of this in today's mail, and I'd really been looking forward to to trying it. At first sniff it was very smoky and the woods came out very strongly, with just a hint of a dusty dried rose smell -- I thought I was in love! Sadly, on my skin it instantly morphed to lilac. Very, very strong lilac. And now it's smelling like flowery soap.

 

*cries*

 

I'll give this another try, just in case the last remnants of the Neo-Tokyo I put on this morning skewed it, but I think I may have to wear this one in a locket or on my hair, because I love the way it smells in the vial but can't stand what it does on my skin.

 

Edit: I'm not going to be able to wear this one at all. It promptly turned to very strong lilacs on both my hair and on a tissue, and it's giving me a headache. Sadness.

 

Into the swap pile, methinks...

Edited March 7, 2005 by kythryne

[surf-tormented]

Ok, the description alone got me to try this one. Who can't resist a Victorian all-round-the-spirit-board get together with tea and gloom? I tried it even though rose, by any other name, still gives me a headache.

 

And yup...a little too strong on the rose. It is rose-rif-ic, rose-tac-u-al, of a rose-mark-able nature. It is taking over and know I smell like I dove into a pool of rosewater.

 

Yea...next.

Edited April 5, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[theshapeshifter]

I'll have to edit this later after I see how it fare over the course of the day, but wow! Ouija was a generous lagniappe from the Lab, and something I probably never would've ordered on my own, because between the roses and Victoriana, the description made it sound a bit 'old ladyish' to me. So, it is with pleasant surprise (so far, at least) that I offer this review.

 

In the imp: Woody/floral. I like wood, and am nervous of florals, so this feels like a gamble.

 

Initial application: All flowers, no wood... but yet, I'm liking it. It doesn't smell like a floral perfume, it smells like someone just brought in a big damp armload of late-spring blossoms. It's a little strong at first, which makes me nervous that it'll turn into soap, but promising so far.

 

After about 15 minutes: Wow. Like I said, 'floral' makes me nervous, but one flower I truly and deeply love is lilac, and this is like standing in the middle of a lilac grove... heady lilac scent, with just an undertone of the woody stems and crushed grass underfoot. I was expecting 'Victorian parlour' but this is more like 'The Secret Garden' on me.

 

I've had it on for about an hour now and it's still this lovely lilac-grove scent, almost like a lilac single note. I don't want to get ahead of myself, because I've had scents change substantially on me over the course of the day, but if Ouija keeps on as it is right now, it's IMMEDIATELY going on my big-bottle list.

 

Edited to add: Yes! After wearing it for ten hours, it's still going strong, and still lovely. Onto the bottle-list it goes. The wonderful lilac has hung around all day, and the wood notes have finally shown up, just a little in the background. There's also a hint of something tangy and almost-but-not-quite fruity. It's official - I adore Ouija. The perfect scent for days when I'm feeling a little girly.

Edited April 12, 2005 by theshapeshifter

[misfitroxy]

Ouija smells very floral and wet straight from the imp. More like damp green leaves, though, instead of the petals themselves.

 

The rose jumps out first once it’s on my wrist. It’s a very fresh rose, a garden rose in the summer hot from the sun and in full bloom. Yet there’s a dusty dried rose behind it mingling slightly.

 

As it warms, I start to catch traces of the lilac. I think these two florals blend together nicely. One does get the impression of sitting in a parlor and catching whiffs of the blooms in their respective vases perched upon various table tops.

 

I don’t know that this blend is one I would personally choose to wear. But I’d love to have my house smell this way. There is truly a kind of spiritualist imprint on the oil, and I can’t escape images of people sitting in a darkened room meditating on those who’ve gone before them. Very true to its name and its description.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: I'm slightly afraid of this one. Those wood notes scare me but here goes. That's pretty strong. I can pull out the oak along with something that's terribly green and is probably the osmanthus. The roses aren't appearing yet, but I think the teak is in the background. It's not a good sign that just sniffing out of the imp bring a little headache to the forefront of my brain.

 

Wet: Bursts of teak and oak with that green osmanthus in the background. The roses are coming to the surface, but they're paler and more subdued than in other blends that feature them.

 

Dry down: Roses now with some wood notes in the background though they've faded together in such a way that I can't tell them apart. The green osmanthus is also sitting right out in the open on my skin. I'm not getting much lilac, but there is a dusty, powdery quality to the scent that makes me think it's there.

 

Dry: Mostly rose and osmanthus with a powdery note and some wood in the background. This is probably too heavy a scent for me, though, even if it is pretty nice. I can feel some pressure building in my head from sniffing at it so I mgiht just wash this off and ditch the imp somewhere. Hmm...although now it pans out to a nice, sweet, pale rose scent that still, somehow, manages to make the head alarm go off. Pity. Thankfully, I have plenty of rose scents that leave my head alone.

[Aurelius]

This (in the bottle) really does conjure up images of a lush parlor room, somewhat closed in, dusty. However, one of the notes is very bitter on me. It just clings to my skin and won't let anything else come out. It morphs from bitter to sour, and it isn't pleasant. Silly body chemistry.

[olympia301]

Hate to say it, but this one didn't strike me as a unique scent either. I tested it about one month after I got my first order and my nose wasn't particularly adept at detecting notes I like. This one was pleasant but not a memorable smell. I swapped it. somehow nothing that I have read has made me regret letting it go. I am sure that there are some people for whom this is their favorite BPAL.

 

In light of the ingredients, I don't understand why Ouija didn't unleash the full power of its beauty as soon as I opened the imp To refresh your memeory, the Lab says,"rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus." Really wonderful choice of elements. Go figure.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

High hopes for this one--I love my single-note rosewood, and all things Victorian.

 

If you've tried Fleurs du Mal, there's the same touch of green floral, and that note in Eternal that I can only call "sad floral"--but Ouija is both spicier and rosier than either. Yet it's VERY soft--it is indeed "wispy", a sad but romantic ghost in a dusty old mansion. How does Beth capture these things?? She must have asked some Victorian spirits via her ouija board...

 

Overall, I like it but it's too faint. I think I will layer with Rosewood for a little more oomph, since I seem to be smelling--appropriately enough--the ghost of a perfume...

[quimerula]

Wet it's osmanthus with a soft bottom line of roses and rosewood.

Then, after a while, lilac and tea rose come out, but just a bit.

 

Of all the BPAL blend's I've tried, this is the most classical one because the unusual notes (like the teak) can't be smelt in my skin.

 

Intense and feminine.

[Orodemniades]

Oh, the first time I tried this I loved it! And then...

 

imp Wow, heavy florals, but I'll give it a try.

 

 

Wet: er...florals with a hint of...sweet pickle relish?! Must be the osmanthus, as I tend to get along with everything else.

 

 

Drydown: Wth...?! I love love love the florals, although this time around they do seem heavy on the violetlilac. Unfortunately that pickle smell is just not going away.

 

 

7 hours later...: there's still a very faint odor of faded florals, kind of like dusty/musty potpourri - which is not necessarily a bad thing, mind

 

Overall: I guess my skin changed between last week and today - or maybe Ouija just doesn't like being layered with Endymion? An accidental layering, I assure you! I'll try it again because I had such a great response the first time around, but I have to confess I'm scared something will try and eat me if I do.

 

Oro

Edited May 16, 2005 by Orodemniades

[starrykitten]

I ordered a 5 mL of this, unsniffed. I have a thing for Ouija boards and the description sounded awesome, especially thinking of dusty lilacs and rose.

 

Unfortunately, the osmanthus decided to be the star of Ouija for me, and it just doesn't smell all that interesting with my body chemistry. The drydown was more woodsy than the wet application, but the rose and lilac never took over as I'd hoped they would. Alas!

[Janie]

None of the woody notes came out to play with me, sadly. Lots of florals, but not big ass florals ... more shy and retiring florals. It lasted well on me. I could faintly smell it 8 hours later, which for a floral is pretty good for my skin.

[daybreaksdisdain]

First applied: Nice, flowery this could work.

 

One hour later: Roses, roses and more roses. Did I mention roses. Beating me over the head roses, must wash this off.

 

Verdict Ummm, roses, not for me

[tourmalinqueen]

What the heck was it? I got a whiff of generic mildly sweet incense and my skin totally gobbled it up!!!!!!!! Re applied and was gone within the half hour again, very light notes I couldn't really decipher. Just doesn't work with my chemistry. Swap bin.

[sookster]

ooooh.....quite decadent and so different!!!

 

all the notes shine through loud and clear with my chemistry...woohoo

 

rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus....wow....fantastically unique blend that will have everyone ask what you are wearing

 

and this one lasts a good long time on me too! yay!!

 

*scampers off to add this to my "big bottle list"*

 

thanks Beth

[eclecticaurora]

I am not really a rose wearing girl, but the lilacs and woodnotes really tempered it down. The rose wasn't all that noticeable in this on me which was good. This scent was definitely beautiful and I really enjoyed wearing this, but alas on me it faded within a couple of hours, so I probably won't be getting a big bottle, but thanks Lab for letting me expand my horizon and letting me know that rose in small amounts is wearable for me!

[magdalene]

in the bottle: faint, dried roses. I'm very fond of Ouija imagery (my bathroom is decorated in it), so I was very excited about this blend.

 

wet on skin: This is a dusty wood-panelled room, long closed up, with scattered vases of forgotten roses.

 

dry: The lilac makes an appearence, but it's very gentle. My skin amplifies rose to the nth degree, but I like that.

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

A delicate floral on a base of darker, mellow woods. Definitely not cedar, pine, cypress, or darker woody scents like patchouli, more rosewood, mahogony, teak.

Wet, on Skin:

Punch of rose, which thankfully retreats behind the lilac curtain (to torture me some other day). Definitely getting more and more of the creamy teakwood aroma.

Drying/Drydown:

Rose curse returns, althought the pungent, grounded teak is doing its best to repel the screamin' rose on my skin.

Over Time/Longterm:

Less rosy than most rose-included blends that have gone wrong on my skin. It is definitely evocative - I think of a wooden chest or cabinet used to store perfume for years that has captured the combined little droplets of perfume from time to time, and now smells like none of them and all of them at the same time.

[oatmealneko]

Imp: Lightly floral.

Wet: Lightly floral, with the scent of crisp, clean mountain air. No wood notes.

Dry: Ahh, there you are, my nemesis, lilac. Lilacs everywhere, a bit of rose, & crisp air. Lilac overpowers anything else in Ouija, & this is going into the swaps.

[mmcfa2]

I'm not sure how I missed this one! Ouija was my very first BPAL love, from my very first swap:)! On my skin it is herbal, rosey and woody and quite nice for fall, but as a room/house scent? OHH I LOVE IT! It indeed is olivanders wand shop minus the dust I use it in my oil burner, as well as a few drops in my mop bucket or dusting cloth to make my whole home smell divine but not at all fake or perfumy! Everyone comments on how nice my home smells and they aren't hunting to find the plugin It's an "always must have on hand" scent

[Medici]

*hums happily*

 

I'm a woodsy person by nature - that is to say, I'm drawn to woodsy notes - damp woods, rotting woods, lush woods, dripping jungles, drooping cypress - now, it's all about the dry woods.

 

Ouija is the pinnacle of supernatural grace on me, thank you very much. So much so that I'm bypassing a 5ml and jumping straight into 10ml bliss.

 

It's like a soft, dusky rose tinged with brown at the edges - like an old linen closet. I don't get a lot of lilac from this blend, as mentioned by a couple of other people - I do get rosewood, dried roses and a touch of that "cabinet" smell that is startlingly feminine in an austere sort of way.

 

It's not a dramatic blend - very subdued with exceptionally good staying power. I quite like it for day wear - and as I said, in my case it's worthy of a 10ml.

[Nox Eterna]

This reminds me of an antique shop my parents used to frequent. Old wooden dressing tables, underneath, a hint of what might have been stored in it's old dusty drawers, linens with a lilac sachet tucked carefully in the folds. After wearing it for a while the woodiness disappears and it becomes all lilac. Very strong lilac

not for me, but glad I got to try it and evoke some old memories.

[Rackham's Vanity]

Ouija went on almost sandalwoody, but then immediately calmed to a warm, creamy, rounded lilac scent.

 

And that's when my skin broke out in itchy welts.

 

The end.