Gossips of Ghost Land

[LiberAmoris]

They are imps of the kitchen, or drawing-room at most; and, if any spirit answers to their sphere, it must be those of unclaimed and disaffected ghosts, who, having no substance within themselves, out of which to compound a spiritual body, wander about church-yards, or haunt the localities where they enacted old crimes, or lived frivolous and disjointed lives. … It may be that the spirits called the Rappers… belong to this class. They are in, what Dante would call Limbo, driven to and fro, perturbed and lonely. These eagerly question the finer spirits, who pass through their realm on their way to higher spheres, of all the gossip that used to interest them on earth. But, inasmuch as the companionship of these people was in no way desirable while they lived in this world, they become less so when separated from the body. They are the gossips of ghost land, poor, frivolous, flimsy wretches, who receive the shred of thought here, and the shadows only of through in the spirit world, for all thought has a body and a substance as it were to itself, so that we say a thought may be grasped in anticipation of the fact hereafter; hence, thought finding no lodgment in these thin poor spirits, floats right through them. They have a restless desire for tangibility, and are perpetually trying to command material objects in a way to make themselves known.

 

—d’Espérance, 1897

 

Idle poltergeists and truant phantoms loitering in darkened corners and shadowed hallways: black cedar, patchouli, and tea leaf spiked with a tittering cackle of pink peppercorn, mate, and lime rind.

 

Gossips of Ghost Land is kind of a wild olfactory ride. First applied, it's definitely cedar and patchouli, with something that feels minty but might be the lime? The tea leaf, mate, and pink peppercorn add color and movement so it does smell restless, like different spirits moving around in the dark.

Dry, this is primarily patchouli and tea leaf on me, with cedar lingering but not dominant. (I don't amp cedar, though, for the record.) The pink peppercorn and lime smooth into an interesting layer that adds subtle spice and freshness. The sillage smells a bit like chocolate, which is so weird and fun. The overall effect is really unusual and perfectly evocative—there's something a bit disturbing about this one, in the best way. I'm definitely hanging on to my bottle because the progression is so fascinating and the patch/tea leaf drydown is really nice.

[bheansidhe]

Gossips sniffed: dark indeed. Tested, my nose reads it as a progression of colors. It starts as gritty blackened woods and black wet soil (without an earth or loam note; just the feel of black soil). It blooms from black into a dark but luminous mahogany, like sunlight through a jar of blackstrap molasses. I get the cedar and a hint of the lime, and lots of black tea leaf, but the other notes are seamless. It's gender-neutral and actually gorgeous. (Skin notes: tea is usually a winner; cedar can be vinegary if it's not tempered as it is here.)

 

Drydown: woods. Also beautiful, but completely different from the wet stage.

 

Verdict: I may slather this one, repeatedly, to gauge how well I like it in all of its stages, because it's a real morpher. Signs point to a permanent slot in the collection, though.

[Lethran]

In bottle: This is quite interesting. Cedar dominant with patchouli support, the cedar having a burnt feel to it. The mate is a soft background. The peppercorn and lime are bright accents, beautifully bright against the darker dominant notes. Wet: Still burnt cedar dominant with patchouli support. The pepper is surprisingly strong, with the mate and lime soft echoes. This suits it’s concept, but is less exciting on my skin than in the imp. Dry: Mmmmm….Cedar. A hint of patchouli lingers.

[zankoku_zen]

Evil smoky cedar, patchouli, with accents of lime, mate, and tea. It's like the base is a smoking cedar/patchouli with lime and mate and tea all whirling and swirling about. Unfortunately I am amping up the cedar something terrible. Absolutely terrible. Of course it has good throw and good wear length.

 

Evil, smoky, cedar.

[agirlnamedfury]

Wet: Black, BLACK cedar. I do detect the tea as well, but it's an overwhelming woodiness. It's quite pleasant in its way, though -- though I can't really pick out the supposed lime and other notes, there's something in there lightening it up.

 

This mellows out into something lovely and comforting as it dries, and I like it more and more the longer it's on my skin.

[milo]

Ugh, right away, the cedar is stomping all over everything. I often read cedar as vetiver, and it's doing the same thing here. Green, planty smelling cedar, and not much else.

[Blood onmy hands]

The tea, mate and lime are a very sharp, sour, overwhelming, green citrus on my skin, with an undertone of smoky wood. Reminds me of citrus scented floor cleaner + a hint of smoky, ashy wood...