The Phantom Wooer

[Medici]

A ghost, that loved a lady fair,
Ever in the starry air
Of midnight at her pillow stood;
And, with a sweetness skies above
The luring words of human love,
Her soul the phantom wooed.
Sweet and sweet is their poisoned note,
The little snakes' of silver throat,
In mossy skulls that nest and lie,
Ever singing "die, oh! die."

Young soul, put off your flesh, and come
With me into the quiet tomb,
Our bed is lovely, dark, and sweet;
The earth will swing us, as she goes,
Beneath our coverlid of snows,
And the warm leaden sheet.

Dear and dear is their poisoned note,
The little snakes' of silver throat,
In mossy skulls that nest and lie,
Ever singing "die, oh! die."

A lifeless love song: stargazer lily, bone dust, tomb mosses, buttonweed, moonflower, and honey myrtle.

In the bottle: Moonflower and moss, first and foremost. If the nose could discern color, I'd say this is green, pale purple and white. There are tangly things in here that twine around trellises, work their way into the mortar and split apart the stones that hold together walls. I'm struck by the idea of an overgrown garden cemetery (and if I close my eyes, and lean back in my chair, I can rest against the caretaker's shed and take in the gnarled, clustered work of nature as she attempts to overtake the tombs.)

Wet: Floral notes dominate - lily and moonflower, backed by an almost herby green spread that, as it warms, turns to lemon. There is lots of sharp lemon here, and for the life of me, I can't say if that's the buttonweed or the myrtle. (Perhaps I'll have to append this once someone with a better nose can get a whiff.)

Drydown: Admittedly, I was hoping the mosses would ground this blend from becoming an outright floral - as it were, my chemistry has other ideas. There's something that hints at gritty about it; not outright dirty, and definitely not as soft as dust. The best way I can explain it is if you've touched stone after a heavy rain, and the fine granules of kicked up earth rub against your palms. If you sniff you hands afterward, that's the almost-but-not-quite-earthy-scent that makes the florals a little bit gray, a little softer, and not as sharp. After fifteen minutes, the lemon takes a backseat to the moonflower/lily duo, and something I'm imagining to be honey myrtle sharpens them both.

Overall, I like it. (Although I do miss my moss, which hasn't reappeared since opening the bottle.)

[zankoku_zen]

I can barely pick out any notes on this one.

 

What can I say? This is a haunting, ethereal floral. It was barely there upon application, and then closer to the drydown it blossomed only the slightest so that I could catch whiffs of it.

 

Haunting. Poetic. It really are like the words of love whispered in the wind. This blend embodies a concept so well, it's actually a little creepy.

 

Bravo labbies!

[edenssixthday]

The Phantom Wooer – the first note I detect is very fresh and lemony, despite there being nothing of the sort listed in the ingredients. Right behind that is the scent of “bone dust” which makes the entire scent remind me of a lemony “Eshe, A Vision of Life in Death.” As it dries down, the scent becomes a light floral and the lemony part fades into the background. It’s got something sweet about it that’s not a floral sweetness, and which may be a contribution of the moss. It’s a very pretty scent, quite feminine, and at least on me, it’s very subtle. There’s not much throw and the scent has below-average staying power.

[slave1]

THE PHANTOM WOOER

 

In Bottle: Light dry florals

 

On Skin: The note that is dominant on me is lemon, tart and sour. But as the other notes show themselves, the honey myrtle sweetens it and gives it a light tea scent. The florals are soft, light and quite delicate. A good choice for someone who wants something flowery without it being heavy or cloying. The tone is white/light yellow to me. Somewhat sad and haunting… It’s a nice scent but doesn’t excite me too much but I wouldn’t mind smelling it on someone else. Very light throw and short to average wearlength.

[Blood onmy hands]

This sounded so beautiful from the description. So why do the funeral blends hate me so? I'm a big fan of moonflower, and the thought of a mossy moonflower is what made me Have to Have this blend.

 

Then, on my skin, I get an immediate stab of sharp, soapy lemons. As it dries down this is oddly herbal and sharp. The Phantom Wooer isn't at all the soft, cool, sweet, night time floral blend I was expecting. The floral aspects do make an appearance after about a half hour on my skin, but then it's a dry, sharp, thin little floral essence. Perhaps the dust, buttonweed, and honey myrtle ruin this for me...

[angelfish323]

At first, this is actually very bright on me. Which I found surprising, given the name and description. A bright, lemony floral. Not a really sour lemon, but definitely lemon. Maybe a touch sweet.

 

But then I left it alone for a minute and it transformed.

 

Lifeless indeed! It stays so very, very close to my skin. It's dusty, a bit powdery. A gorgeous lily & moonflower combination with the faintest touch of sweetness. But in the end, it's difficult to pick out any notes. It's whispy, ethereal, haunting (borrowing words from other reviewers). Perfectly captures its namesake and concept.

 

Probably not a bottle purchase for me, but I'm definitely keeping the imp.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is a delicate floral honey

once applied i get a bit of a lemon note...quite pretty;

this has a similar feel to whitechapel...so if you like that, you'll love the phantom wooer

[steelxrose]

The Phantom Wooer - not much change from the bottle to skin. Overall it's a very cool, light floral. When first applied to my skin, it has A LOT of throw, unfortunately it doesn't last very long. About an hour later, I couldn't smell it on me anymore.

 

A definite keep, definitely love. Wish it would stay around longer though.

[euterpe414]

I have no idea what is giving me the impression that there is citrus in this blend... but as soon as I put it on I smelled citrus, moss and florals. The "citrus" is somehow making this blend a little too sharp for me, and obscuring the moonflower and lily which I really want to smell. as it dries some more the bite goes away and I am left with a nice earthy moonflower scent. Now I am really enjoying this; it reminds me of a less heady version of Midnight, somehow. After the blend calms down on my skin it is really quite beautiful, but unfortunately it also doesn't last long. I am probably going to keep my imp, but I am not sure if I need a bottle of this.

[hkhm]

imp: myrtle and lillies. lovely in a sad sort of way.

 

wet: very lemony, i wonder what that is? i still smell the myrtle faintly but it's mostly lemon.

 

dry: soft lemon with a faint trace of myrtle.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Frimp of the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: Well, I adore stargazer lily, moonflower is iffy on me, and the bone dust would have kept me from ordering it.

 

In the Bottle: Herbal and dusty.

 

Wet: Whoever mentioned purple and pale green was right. This is high, sharp, thin floral with a strong earthy component.

 

Drydown: Something starts turning sour on me. I think it's the moonflower.

 

Verdict: Not for me.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

sniffed from the bottle: sweetened cigarette smoke

on skin: this is nice, but not outstanding. it smells rather like furniture polish. (the non-lemon spray kind) or spray starch. reminds me of my mom.

[filigree_shadow]

I'm not sure what honey myrtle is, but I don't usually like honey or myrtle. The rest of the notes seem like they would have been all right on me, except moonflower (which so far I have always loved).

 

This combination smells masculine to me, for some reason. Perhaps because it reminds me a bit of Wilde, which is a scent my husband wears sometimes (and I love). It's a brighter scent than Wilde but it has a similar feel, in my opinion. It's a little mossy, a wee bit of some sort of citrus scent, and a barely detectable powdery scent. I believe I'll hand this one off to my husband and see what he thinks.

 

ETA: He likes it! Smells good on him, too.

Edited December 19, 2007 by filigree_shadow

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: blended floral, moss, very dry smelling

 

On Wet: light, very blended floral, very green

 

On Dry: green floral, soft moss

 

Final Impression: I really love this. The greenness and the moss really make this a gorgeous scent.

 

Rating (on a scale from 1-5): 4

[Northernskygal]

I also get a kind of.. citrusness from this.. it does actually kind of cross the line from.. fresh real lemon.. to lemon scented furniture polish fairly quickly. There is a sweetness lurking in the background (the honey myrtle maybe?) but.. I get little to no floral in this and just kinda.. not so great lemon..

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Lily, mosses, myrtle. Slightly sweet. Delicately floral and feminine.

 

Wet: The myrtle lends a distinct citrusy note that is very fresh and reminds me of lemon balm/melissa. The stargazer lily shines strongly. The mosses here lend a vague earthy, herbal note. There is also a strange dryness to this, though no dust.

 

Dry: Slow-drying. Lemony myrtle and feminine lily reign. The dustiness does sort of take away from the freshness of the blend, giving it an appropriate ethereal, ghostly feel.

 

Summary: Dusty, delicate, stargazer lily and citrusy myrtle. A touch dry for my tastes, but a lovely blend. Good throw, great lasting power.

Edited April 24, 2008 by fairnymph

[cranberry]

The first thing I smell is lemon. That dominates and obscures the other notes. I was hoping for moonflower, lily, and moss but that’s not what’s happening here.

 

After it’s been on a while, the moonflower comes out and it’s lovely. The lemon is still there but it’s far in the background now. Unfortunately, at this point the oil is very faint and I can barely smell it. Too bad, this phase of the scent was quite nice.

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: hi there, honey myrtle. Also a little bit of dust and some miscellaneous white florals.

 

On me, wet: the honey myrtle won't budge. It's basically taking over this scent and obscuring all of the other interesting notes that're just lingering on the edge of this.

 

On me, dry: much the same.

 

Throw and duration: low and low.

 

Overall: Fortunately for me, I like honey myrtle. But the way it takes over on this one when I wear it strips out all the complexity this might otherwise have, which is a disappointment. It also lasts all of about an hour and a half on me. Sadness. I've got two imps of it, so one'll probably go to the swaps, and I'll probably keep the other for when I really want to smell like honey myrtle.

[suki]

in the imp: wow. this makes me think of white musk, but something...more meaningful...underneith.

 

wet on skin: white musk, lemon and again, there's another note. i can't place it, except to say it fills me with longing. damn, Beth is GOOD.

 

dry down:it's lighter now, but still a musky sweet skin scent, full of subtleties to keep 'em guessing!

 

in all: if you are looking for a scent that will make you long for your own misspent youth, look no further!

 

 

[theseagrows]

i mostly get lily and moonflower from this, and maybe a bit of the 'bone dust'. something definitely smells a bit dusty here. i get a slight semi-aquatic scent which could be the tomb mosses? at first i wasn't sure about this, but the longer it's on my skin, the more i like it. the lily tends to go wonky in the wet stage, but i am kind of liking this now.

[ClareN]

This is a light, pretty floral-herbal scent when freshly applied - the moonflower and lily, I guess, along with a lemony-herbal note that must be honey myrtle or buttonweed, a little moss, and a definite dust note. This is not an overly floral scent, nor is it herbal in a harsh or unpleasant way; it's in the category of fresh scents like Embalming Fluid, but the lemon is quite subtle here (I think it's a lemony herb, not any sort of actual citrus).

 

As it dries, the florals get fainter and the soft herbal-lemon note and the moss are the most prominent. This is nice, but it doesn't grab me.

[savage_rose]

There's something almost menthol-like in this blend, so it ends up smelling a bit like flowers, a bit like menthol, and a bit like plastic. Not a winner for me.

[CrazyPretzel]

At first, a blend of green earthy scent and something light and tangy. If I sniff deeply I can smell a musty dusty clay-like note that I remember from The Forbidding Foyer. That particular note is interesting but queers the blend for me somewhat. Definitely light and tart florals overlaying the scent of decay.

[Indigo78]

How did I miss this one?? Well, maybe unreviewed until now, but I instantly loved this imp from my first lab order!

 

Very green/herbal in the imp, but the warmth of skin releases this one's magic. It is initially quite sweet and slightly citrus (moonflower?), with the bone dust notes whispering beneath like some playful ghost. The dust amps as the sweetness recedes, and gives the scent an eerie yet comforting texture. It lies very close to the skin, and the wear length is short-average. The drydown is so beautiful that I don't mind needing to reslather from time to time. A gorgeous keeper.

[alicia_stardust]

This is mostly stargazer lily and myrtle to me, with a sheer white layer of fine, dry bone dust. I do get a touch of the mosses as this dries down and it kind of lends a diffuse green quality to the sweet lilies.