Grandmother of Ghosts

[Medici]

Mania, Roman Goddess of the Dead, Matron of Madness, Governess of the Ancestral Spirits, Bestower of Divine Frenzy. Her scent swirls with a high-pitched tumult of laurel, stargazer lily, splintered woods, peony, mandarin and white musk, and is spiked with pale pepper.

I had my doubts, in the bottle she seemed a touch too animalistic for my liking, but after wearing her for under half an hour – the Grandmother has elevated herself to a place among my most revered and exalted scents. I will *definitely* be getting a big bottle of this, and here I thought I wouldn’t like woodsy notes.

Grandmother of Ghosts elicits images of dark forests, walkways draped in shadows, moon-speared hills and the elegant, surreal atmosphere of a graveyard at night on an August evening.

This is so good I could cry.

I’m just trailing along behind the black shroud of Mania – there are strong woodsy elements here that are tempered by sharp jabs of pepper and hints of citrus. It’s accented by these delicate, bursting snaps of floral that come up intermittently – overall, a very complex, rolling fragrance that lifts you up with it and carries you along for a night time romp with the spirits.

I am in love with this scent. I need more and I need it now because I have every intention of slathering myself with it regularly.

Considering I went through a complete and utter floral indulgence today between Aeval, Florence and Old New Orleans – this is the way floral needs to be executed, on me at least, because there’s something much more seductive about the mystique that gathers around this fragrance – as opposed to the heavy wilting flowers of Old New Orleans and the whip-crack and subdued berry-stupor of Florence - they’re both lovely by the way, I’m just too enthralled right now with Grandmother to give a damn about anything else in my collection.

[Northernminx]

This as what I previously thought of Anne Bonnie's signature ability to mimic old wood on my skin. The splintered woods are predominant with a sharpness and cut of pepper. At the end of the dry down I start getting some of the peony and florals, thick, rich flowers and not light ones. It's a bit overpoweringly dry and herbal for my tastes despite my love of the wood smell. Off it goes despite this one being a great deal of fun to try

[omly]

Wet: This is overwhelming at first, and I found myself wrinkling my nose in dismay. There is a strong incensy note (pale pepper?) that is strongest now.

 

After 10 minutes: There is definately some white musk here, but surprisingly it does not immediately turn me off. The peony adds a softness, but without being really floral. If anything this strikes me as (unsurprisingly) very gender neutral. I could see it being great on either a man or a woman. The woods, laurel and pepper really make this intriging, and I find that I really like this although I thought I wouldn't.

 

Edit: What I was really amazed by was the throw on this. It is a soft scent, but I could smell it for hours even without holding my wrist to my nose.

Edited May 25, 2005 by omly

[Orodemniades]

When I put this on, I was positive I wasn't going to like it. There's a deep woody note that I really disliked, when I first sniffed the imp, and something quite astringent.

 

About 20 minutes into wearing it, though (swiped on the wrist), the lily came out and topped the woody note and the whole thing turned into loveliness.

 

The undertones are dry and dusty, which I chalk up to the woods, but the lily wets and sweetens to wood.

 

I really like this, and although I doubt I'll buy a bottle, I'm definitely keeping the imp.

 

Oro

[MissAnthropy]

I don't know why, but when I'm wearing this blend, I feel as if I'm sitting in tall grass, mingled with breath taking wild flowers. The blend isn't woody at all on me, and I don't detect any pepper at all. Just... flowers... and a warm, lingering note of white musk.

 

I had assumed this scent would fade fast from my skin, but I was wrong. It really stuck around.

 

I put some in one of my scent lockets, and, it REALLY held it's ground.

 

Very nice

 

 

 

 

-Leslie

[Dark Seraphim]

All I can say about this one is that it's a nice, musky earthy scent. That's what stayed with me whether I sniffed it, wore it, or burnt it.

 

While a decent scent, it doesn't seem to stand out the way some others have done. Doesn't seem to last too long either. Good imp, but I can't imagine getting a bottle of it. 6/10.

[arabella]

First Impression: A hit of lime and something dry underneath - straw or hay, perhaps.

 

Dries down to: Some faint floral notes creep in and it all combines to create a a wonderful, stimulating scent.

 

Additional comments: It appears that what I thought was lime was actually the mandarin and pepper and the straw/hay was actually the splintered woods. I'm not usually a fan of stargazer lily but it works beautifully with the peony. So far, this is one of my favourite BPAL blends.

 

Lasted: Overnight - very rare for me, especially with a blend that I like.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

[olympia301]

 

I got this one as a thank-you imp from the lab. I like it and admire its many facets, but it is fugitive on my skin which absorbs it's smell in far less than an hour. That's a shame because it is a pretty scent with lily and mandarin, peony and pepper. Its initial impression is smoky, but the drydown gels around the orange note, but then as I am hoping for a floral burst it fades rapidly just like a ghost.

 

Oh well, I hate to put this one in the swap pile, but I bet there is someone else out there who has skin the ghostly granny would like to flit around.

[Falathwen]

This was a very intriguing free imp from the Lab. The mandarin and wood stand out at first. The floral notes are in the background.

This blend seems like Ullalume’s big sister…probably because they share a wood and lily combination.

It is entertaining to try to pick out the individual notes in this swirl. I had a feeling that this would work fine with my skin chemistry and it does, though it is more complex that I normally prefer.)

[grrrlennyl]

at first: this was a freebie from the lab. i think i'm smelling patchouli, but it might be something else because there is a lot going on here.

on: lots and lots of woods. i don't know about this.

1 hour later: woods and flowers. nice, but not me.

2 hours later: very warm. this is pretty, but i can't pick out any of the notes.

overall: this is ok, but i dont' tend to go for oils with a lot of woods in them very often.

[Janie]

There is no need to list the notes, as others have done that far better than I could.

 

suffice to say this is a beautiful, INTERESTING oil which captivates and entrances. It is warm, woody and and slightly floral all at once. I wish it had a smidge more sillage and lasted a bit longer (I get a few hours out of it, but no more than 3) but aside from that it is a delight - in the imp and on skin.

 

Just lovely.

[dcmo]

I've always sort of avoided the woodsy scents thinking they wouldn't work for me, but Beth is such a genius and I'm finding whole new categories of scents that work with my skin chemistry. This is very woodsy while in the imp and initial wet, but as it dries down I do get the lillies and poeny popping through which really balances this scent so it's not too woodsy and not too floral. Very pretty and soft, but definitely long lasting.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: In the vial, this is woods with a spicy citrus kick.

 

Wearing: The lily comes out briefly, but this quickly morphs into something closely resembling the bottle scent. As it dries even more, it starts smelling like straight patchouli. After a few hours, it goes back to spicy woods, but this time there is a slightly sweet floral scent too.

 

Final Impressions: The straight patchouli phase lasts a little too long for me. I do love patchouli... in small tempered doses. The final drydown is nice, though.

[sookster]

more spicy/ever so slight florally.... yet has a real kick to it.....

 

has a slightly boozy/tobacco touch....ever so slight.... deee-lish!!

 

i am really loving this ..... Grandmother of Ghost is a must try for anyone looking for a completely different yet overwhelmingly magnificent scent that will get you noticed.....no bout adout it

[rellyjean]

In the imp: It's darker than I expected, colorwise, and the scent is a bit muskier. I like it.

 

On: Ooooooh. It's - smoky. Musky. Mysterious.

 

Drydown: a hint of sweetness comes out to play. It's still dark and sophisticated, but there's a lighter delicious streak cutting across the middle.

 

Looking at the notes, I think it's the woods and musk that dominate, and the lily and mandarin teaming up for that swatch I wasn't getting at first. It's a step away from you, enveloped in the woods and musk, peering out through the gaps, and brightening all of it.

 

Something in the underpinnings reminds me of Imp, but that was playful and very young, whereas this is Imp's Crone Power mom/aunt/grandma who likes to kick ass and take names.

 

It's exquisite. It's enigmatic and unusual. I love it.

 

Hour or so in: I can still smell it. It's a bit lighter than I'd like, but that may be my nose adjusting to the scent. Or else maybe I just need to reapply a lot? I'm fine with that.

 

This will be a big bottle.

[gothiccastle]

Bright floral notes. Not overly sweet floral, but a heavier and bright. I get the peony and lily when it is wet. As it is drying, the musk is coming through. Completely bypassing any mandarin and wood. A tiny dab of pepper under every thing, almost as an after thought. I have to search hard to find it. Now, some mandarin is coming out. A light, sweet, but not sickening smell. It seems to be fighting with the flowers for domination. Musk hangs strong. And completely dry, musk and a bright floral.

[Nox Eterna]

 

Pure and simple...I LOVE Grandma !!!

[Essay 28]

In the bottle: floral but woody.

 

On skin initially: strongly floral, with a bit of an herbal leaning for the floral...I'm thinking this is the laurel? Musk is present but very low key.

 

After an hour: Interesting, very interesting. Some pepper has finally appeared, giving it a tang of musky, woody floral. I can't really decide if I like it or not, but it plays with my head a bit. Better than most floral mixes for me, but not a keeper really.

[Scarlettfish]

I like the wood notes, but pepper isn't the best on me. It is more herbal/woods rather than floraly woods, as I had hoped. It also seems to disappear rather quickly on me. Will finish the imp off, however.

[Blueelm]

This is a strong scent, but one of my favorites. I actually used the whole imp up before I tried any others. So this will have to be a purchase. This is definitely not a typical spicy-floral.

 

Wet this smells woody and sharp with strong Lily and Tuberose notes, and a bit of peppery punch. I'm a huge tuberose fan, and the laurel, dry wood and oriental musk made this so unusual. I really got the peony. Definitely an oriental more than a floral.

 

While wearing this settles some, which is good because it's so confusing at the start. I love it so much, but worry that it might be a bit strong for people near me. Laurel, for sure. One of my favorite notes in this. Not what you expect with lily. It gives it this dark undercurrent, and merges with the musk.

 

Drydown is so pretty. More herbal and woody than anything, but warm from the musk. A complete whirlwind of musk, flower, herb, and wood leaves me smelling faint traces of each for hours.

[herdivineshadow]

This starts off as a slightly bitter, very dry and woody scent. It's definitely a bit peppery, though I'm not really getting any of the floral elements or the mandarin. After a while the musk starts to come to the fore and dampens the dryness a bit.

 

Fairly nice, but not really a favourite scent I think.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Woody floral.

 

On Skin: Interesting… The woods seem dominant but then the lily shines through. Almost like a ray of sun in a dark forest just filtering through the leaves. The musk and pepper give a inticing soft spice, while the laurel gives a pretty clean green note. The madarin is light, barely noticable. I am intrigued by this scent and would love to smell it on a man.

[Barb25]

This was a frimp from the lab, and thank you lab! It is a very complex scent, sweet and floral on top with the mandarin, then the woodsy/musk scent, and then underneath is the pepper which gives it a little bit of a kick. It's different, I don't think I can compare it to anything I've tried, but it really is a lovely scent - very refreshing and uplifting. Definately more of a morning scent than a night scent I think, but I really liked it. Possibly bottle-worthy.

[joseybird]

Fresh, clean cloths, warm from the dryer (although NOT "dryer-sheet"-like)Totally unexpected, yet very cozy!

[Raygun]

This was one of the very first imps I tried, back in May. I enjoyed it but there was a very strong perfumey note in it that kept me from wearing it. I'm not sure if it's just that my nose has gotten more sophisticated or if aging just does amazing things for Grandmother of Ghosts- or even a little of both- but I love this now. The wood is dry but whisper light, with a veil of pepper and a mere drop of sweetness from the florals. It is quiet but has a definite and long lasting presence. Another one for my big bottle list.