Haunted

[Dharklady]

A mournful, poignant scent, thick with foreboding. Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk.

In the bottle: Nose full of musk with just a touch of sweetness from the amber.

Wet: The musk quickly mellows out and turns mostly amber.

Dry: The musk is keeping it from going too sweet which is nice. It has a pretty strong start and good lasting power.

Notes: The smell definitely brings thoughts of rituals and incense to mind. Should be a win for anyone who enjoys a wonderful amber note...

[strahlend]

This scent is pretty straight forward for me. Black musk with amber rounding it out. Feels like the same black musk as in BT Burlesque Troupe. As it mellows on my skin every once in a while I get a whiff of beeswax or something similar. It's fairly strong, long lasting and stays very warmly musky from start to finish. I bought my bottle from someone and it has an older style label so I'm thinking about getting another bottle now to age, it seems like with these musky scents the age works to their advantage. I don't get any lemon at all, which I'm happy about and I'm not having any powder issues, so that's good too. I can see this scent being in heavy rotation for me during the fall.

[BReaves86]

As I am very new to detecting notes in perfume, the only thing I can think of when I smell this is Shalimar (and I'm glad to know I am not the only one that thinks this). I figured with a name like "haunted" it would be dark and sultry, it does go on very spicy but I can't get over the dry down. If you like Shalimar get this oil, you'll appreciate it. While I don't care for this scent, I do want to say how much it speaks for Beth's ability to blend sophisticated smells, and Shalimar is a classic!

[ModderRhu]

Haunted

Was not expecting to like this! I can tell it's only a two-note blend, but they are very well blended together. Musk can sometimes smell like soap on me, and amber can overpower. Together they're awesome. This is an elegant and simple blend, and I can see it becoming a staple in my BPAL wardrobe.

4.5 out of 5

*This was frimped to me from the Lab!

[tailoredshirt]

This is an aged imp, probably 2 or 3 years old.

 

Wet: I get a lot of musk and a lot of amber. There is a Lemon Pledge edge to it that is unexpected, and it's a bit unpleasant. I was expecting to love this from the notes, but it's mustier and not quite as smooth and sexy as I was hoping it would be.

Dry: The amber really fades a lot as it dries. I love musks, but this is almost pure musk on me now, and I'm not sure I like it. I am surprised, because usually sweet notes amp on me, so I was expecting the amber to take over. Apparently not! It is still lemon-musk.

 

After about 30 minutes on my skin (I slathered, and it took a while for it to dry, so it has only been dry for a few minutes), it is almost nothing. Just clean musk blending in with my skin. The lemon is gone, but...I was expecting amber! I love amber and musk together and had high hopes for this one, so this is disappointing. Oh, well.

[ajansuz]

In the imp, I could really smell the amber more than the musk, a sweet, calming scent, rich and almost creamy.

 

On me wet, hubby turns to look at me and says, "Are you wearing baby powder?" Gawd. Baby powder. The kiss of death.

 

Dry down, still baby powder. Usually, my skin does really well both with amber and musk. I can't figure out what's going on here, unless my body chemistry is wack right now from that time of the month. I'm leaving it on to see if it'll morph out of this phase, and I'll try it when the hormones are less wonky. If I can't get out of the powder phase, this one will have to line up for a swap.

 

EDIT: For a brief moment, the fragrance bloomed on me after about an hour, very lush musk and amber, both in equal measure. Then the whole thing went playdoh! I have never had that happen to me with any fragrance before, but I've seen a few others on the forums talk about getting that scent from various blends. I had to wash it off. It was super strong playdoh, and it showed no sign of changing. I'll still give this another chance in about a week or two, just in case, but I'm not feeling too hopeful for this blend at the moment.

Edited May 23, 2010 by DarkSinestra

[ami226]

On the skin: Same black musk from Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. This black musk always turns really powdery on me. Sweet powder.

 

I don't think black musk is a note I like.

[cherrycherry]

Sweet, sorrowful, spooky...

 

I do love Beth's spookier blends. They centre me and inspire me and I always seem to wear them when I'm writing. Haunted is no exception to this. When first smelling it in the bottle, it reminded me of cough medicine, the sort of thing you would give to a child because of its sweetness. But then the musks and amber started to lift and I found myself sat motionless with the bottle, consistantly inhaling, my eyelids heavy.

 

Very nice.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: soft and slightly sweet

 

Wet on Skin: This is beautiful on the skin - spicy and slightly sweet.

 

While Drying: Haunted is more poignant than foreboding.

 

After a Little While: Musk appears, and this turns a little sour (I didn't notice this as much the second time I tested this). There is an elusive citrus scent that peeks in and out.

 

Later: Mostly a spicy amber at this stage. Very nice. (Seems like the same amber from Tamora).

 

Final Thoughts: I'm interested in seeing how this ages.

Haunted earns a 4/5 on my skin.

[Lill]

I really, really like this. It is VERY reminiscent of Snake Oil; earlier in this thread someone commented that perhaps those that get play-doh from Snake Oil should try this and I think that is a good call.

 

Wet: Really strong, dense, surprisingly perfume-y. I wasn't sure I liked it at this stage. I agree with the reviewers who said it smells "vintage." It is also vaguely reminiscent of Shalimar (maybe older Shalimar, prior to the last few reformulations?). I smell lemons, and amber. I also smell whatever component is also in Snake Oil that sometimes smells musty. I always thought it was the patchouli that did that but it must be something else.

 

Dry: The mustiness only lasted a few seconds. I still smell everything else but the scent immediately starts lightening, softening up, and smoothing out. Now I smell vanilla! I have heard that other people get a caramel-vanilla scent from amber sometimes so maybe that is what is doing it. It's getting more and more delicious. Not foody, but definitely yummy. I put it on my wrists and rubbed it on the inside of my forearms-- to me the throw is not huge, but I get whiffs of it as I move. I will check with my husband when he gets home.

 

One hour: More of the same. No noticeable fading yet; although I did reapply a smudge of it. To me, this is definitely an oil whose dry down is much better than the initial application. I will update if it morphs again, or if it lasts an inordinate amount of time.

 

Good stuff! I am going to try it a few more times, but I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes one of my favorites. Unsniffed bottle purchase FTW!

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This is very perfume-y in the imp. I put a dab on my forearm and smudged it a little and sniffed. Amber and musk blend perfectly and I feel so delicious. It's not so heavy that I'd classify this as an evening scent, but I wouldn't wear this in the middle of Summer in LV.

 

Hmm...on further dry down it gets a little powdery, then I'm reminded of Snake Oil.

Edited September 19, 2010 by mxtine

[raisin]

A nice, dark amber with a lot of throw. I'd agree that the musk mainly just tones down the sweetness. Not a terribly complicated scent, but it ought to be pleasant enough for amber fans.

[ravenzwart]

the scent is the same, wetether you sniff it out of the bottle or apply it on your skin

this one doesn't morph on me and i have to say i find Haunted really dull... nothing special

i'd rather go for Wigs of Azarael

 

 

shame though but im gonna have to swap/sell this one, so if anybody wants it PM me

 

EDIT: I've changed my mind about this! i just didn't liked it fresh from the lab, so i since i had a

little slather incident i left it in my drawer for one and a half month, tried it yesterday and now i

happen to like it *yaay*

Edited November 21, 2010 by lucifera

[Lorna Brigid]

I was looking so forward to this one....

It's very pretty in the imp.

Unfortunately, on me it is pure baby wipes. Not just powder, but total in your face baby wipes or baby lotion.

[calivianya]

I decided to try this out because of all of the people who say that this smells like Shalimar. I do get the "feel" of Shalimar in this one, though my mother, a consummate Shalimar lover, does not. It is a very pretty scent, but not for me. Shalimar has been my mother's signature scent since before I was born, and I want to smell like my own person, if that makes sense.

 

If you like Shalimar, give this a try! I feel like I would be in love with it if I could bring myself to wear it.

[subtlesiren]

Haunted starts off nice, with a dark musk smell with the amber lightening it up slightly. Unfortunately on my skin, the amber overpowers the musk and the scent becomes very powdery. Still a nice scent, but I don't think I'll be getting a bottle.

[heatherovka]

These are my first impressions only, as I have only tried my imp once so far!

 

Very nice amber. I had forgotten that this had musk in it, and I honestly did not identify that note (either it is very subtle on me or I just didn't pick it out). It seems to me to be a fairly classic 'amber' - a little spicy, deep, and rich, however it is more complex than a single note amber. It has a little bit of a lemony accent to it, but it definitely is not in-your-face-lemons. I smelled the lemon more when I pressed my nose to my skin, and a general nice cloud of amber pleasantness around me. Hours later, I was very surprised to smell vanilla and little else! A powdery, ambery vanilla, but yes, vanilla. Good lasting power on me, but perhaps not a lot of throw.

 

My impressions: not dark, fairly light actually. I love amber so naturally I like this. I'll update this after I give it a few more tries.

[lejlkwiet]

I'm not quite sure if it's the amber or the musk coming out more on me - so far most of what I'm getting from Haunted is heavy scented powder with a bit of lemon in the background. And...that's it, really, it's a very heavy scent on me. I do think it fits the description of being poignant and mournful, but while it's a lovely scent on its own it's not something I'm going to want to wear.

[Ella LaRose]

ok, I am not a nose specific as most people here, But I ould love to give my impressions.

haunted imp, gotten in forum sale, dont know the age.

 

in the bottle, a bright amber, with a sweet earthy smell behind it.

on my body, wet, the amber scent deepens, the sweet earth smell comes out stronger, the scent gets darker.

dry. a sweet blend of amber and a background of sweet earth, not dirty like patchouli, but more like walking through a feild.

[Monday]

Oh wow I really like this one. My swappee thoughtfully included two imps of Haunted, one with a light yellow color of oil and one with a dark orange oil. Both took a long time to dry on my skin.

The lighter oil (probably the fresher one) has an amazing amber scent with a topnote of citrus. The citrus fades off after a while and it turns in to something reminiscent of Snake Oil.

The dark (aged) oil is still drying! It's not as outspoken as the fresh one but smooth, powdery and like Snake Oil a bit oriental.

Looking at the notes ...there is musk in this one? I did not get any musk out of this and I'm thankful for that.

[arrow]

Oh, what an interesting blend! Especially for the small number of notes.

 

For me, it starts out as a barbecued lemon, all blackened and charred on the outside. As it dries, the grilled bits crumble off, leaving a sweetly smoked lemon behind; high and light, but it is grounded a bit by the leftover musky dust.

 

Ten minutes later and the amber is adding a bit of warmth. Oh, if this does what I think it might, I could actually be swept off my feet, which would be quite a surprise as the lemony phase, while pretty in its own way, isn't my thing at all.

 

Amber, you are my friend. I especially love how you bring Vanilla along to play so frequently.

 

I just deleted a few paragraphs I'd written relegating this to the "not a big bottle, maybe as a bathroom scent" pile and would actually consider a bottle. For me, this is a good "neutral" scent, for all those days when I don't know what to wear. It's like a glorified skin musk on me (not the skin musk note in BPAL as I haven't tried that yet; more like how I would want my skin to smell in an ideal world): a little warmer (amber), a little sweeter .(amber/vanilla), a little deeper (musk). Yay.

[Viridian]

Haunted is very simple and sweet on me - the lab's dark musk turns soft and can go a little powdery, and this does have a powdery stage that I don't love.

 

But the drydown is sweet, sweet vanilla amber. I think this would be a lovely layering scent to anchor some of the ones that don't stick around/need some extra sweetness.

 

It's not as complex as I generally like my scents, but I think it might be a nice bedtime scent even. It's so very soft. My imp is fairly old, so it may have softened over time. I don't get a huge amount of throw from this, but I get sweet ambery wafts of scent every now and then. I like this particular amber a lot! Sometimes amber is a death note because I amp it so much it's overwhelming, but this is a quiet skin scent on me.

 

ETA: after four days of daily wear, I think it's safe to say this is bottle-worthy. I can see myself layering it under a lot, too.

Edited July 22, 2011 by Viridian

[jkfagtongpun]

All I get is lemon thyme, which I don't like, it makes me feel like a piece of chicken.

[brittanywut]

In the imp: Sweet and musky. Something about it just lures me in.

 

Wet: Warm, sweet amber and musk. Quite lovely.

 

Dry: Deep musk with the warmth of amber. Very comforting. :} I knew I'd absolutely love this. *sniffs wrists to no end*

[Tamalee]

I didn't get a chance to smell this in the imp again before I put it on (I smelled all my imps when I got them but only put on about one a day)because I opened it too hard and the wand smacked me in the wrist. So I smeared the scent on that wrist and added some to my other wrist.

 

Soap. Powdery soap. Strong, powdery soap. Kind of burned my nose when I would smell it. I noticed I didn't smell it as often as I did with Desire and Dorian.

 

Eventually the strong, powdery soap scent turned into spicy strong powdery soap. I didn't get a chance to let it fade to nothingness before I had to wash my hands after getting grease on them from a bike chain.

 

It eventually smelled good, but smelled like soap for way too long until then. I'm going to hang onto the imp for a while though and see if it changes. It might have been the amount I had on...