Haunted

[Mitzy]

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

Haunted made me nauseous! My first sniff of the imp gave me a department-store perfumey image. Which was ok.
However then I applied it... I dont know whether its the amber or the musk, but this gave off such a sickly sweet, powdery scent that I had a shower 1 hr later to get it off me. For the first 10 minutes I couldnt resist sniffing my wrist, but after that the scent changed and I got an immediate wave of nausea/headache with every sniff. And 3 scrubbings in the shower wouldnt take it all off, Haunted has some serious staying power.

This was a "why the hell not" imp thats notes are NOT typical for me to like, but I wanted to branch out. I think I learned my lesson!

EDIT - I took my oils out to visit my mom today. I gave her this to smell and she jumped up absolutely SHRIEKING - "I have this!! I know this smell!!!" She ran to the bathroom and after some digging produced a tiny perfume bottle, Eau de something, made in Paris. (must find the proper name!!) It was apparently a gift from someone back in the 70's and she has used it all up but saved the bottle in case she ever found it again! Needless to say I gave her my imp of Haunted, which she will now cherish like a long lost child. Edited October 1, 2005 by Shollin

[hypothermya]

I was really looking forward to trying this scent, because I adore musks and amber. Unfortunately, I don't think this one really agreed with me at all.

 

In the Bottle

 

This had a very potent smell, and the musk was very heavy, almost overpowering. It smelled dark and foreboding, very much like the description of it.

 

Wearing It

 

When I first put this on, the scent was very heavy on me. Almost immediately the scent morphed to a heavy talcom scent, very much like the Persephone that I had tried earlier this week. My boyfriend commented that I smelled like a sort of medicinal baby powder, with some sort of air freshener added to it. I had to agree -- the amber and musk were noticeable, barely, underneath the talcom smell, but were so drowned out that they weren't identifyable to anyone who didn't know what was in the perfume.

 

Later, after it had died down a bit, the amber and musk picked up a little bit, but not enough. After an hour of wearing it, the scent wasn't overpowering, but wasn't gentle either. My sister could smell it from a couple of feet away from me. She also mentioned that I smelled like baby powder (and that it was very nice). Eventually I just washed it off, because while some women like the scent of powder, I don't.

 

 

 

I'm not sure what causes some of these perfumes to pick up the scent of baby powder on me, but they do, and it's a shame. I was really hoping that this one would work out for me, but I think my body chemistry has it out for me and really screwed this one up. I'd love to see what it smells like on someone else, but it is definitely not for me.

[Anokhi]

First impression while wearing this:

Weird-I don't get a 'mournful' feeling at all. To me, this is all warmth, cozyness and peace. It's not a foody scent, though, more of a balsamic resin sweetness.

 

After two hours:

Oh my, I adore this! It feels like a soft blanket wrapped around you, but somehow I imagine no cashmere or wool, more like a thick, fluffy fur warmed by the sun. Maybe it's the musk-amber combination, there's something animalic and sexy about it, like a peacefully sleeping wildcat-lazy, cuddly, but dangerous when it's getting awake.

 

This is one of my favorites so far.

[alizarin]

I wanted to like this, I really did. I love ambers and musks so it sounded perfect.

 

Wet, it smells warm and dusky, somewhat heavy.

 

On me it was pure unadulterated baby powder. Very, very strong and a bit nauseating. It's a shame, I'm sure it's gorgeous on the right person but that person is not me.

[Witch Baby]

 

When I first smelled/tried this one, it reminded me exactly of the purfume that this old lady who taught me piano smelled like. Very cloying and elderly, with the overwhelming scent of musk coming through.

 

 

On the dry down though, it softened into a somewhat powdery vanilla. It's nice I suppose, but it doesn't really suit me. I think this imp will go up for trade.

[supasonicsage]

A weird thing happened to me when I put this one. I actually got warm. I don't mean that the oil was buring or anything, but my whole body got warm.

 

At first it smelled a little lemony, not sure why and I was worried that I was having the dreaded "lemon pledge" reaction. It did retain the lemon smell for about an hour or so, but then it not only softened, but sweetend. The boy went from, "oh, that's nice" to "wow, that is really great". It has a slightly powdery smell, but nothing like baby powder. Something much higher end than that.

 

And what I like about it is that this one has much more throw than anything else. I can smell it the whole time I am wearing it, without having to sniff my wrists. This one doesn't stay close to me at all.

 

Most likely will be a big bottle purchase for me in the future.

[GothicMissManners]

When I put this on, the amber was the only thing I could notice (which is fine, 'cos I like amber). I've had it on for about two hours now, and it's settled to a lovely warm, deep scent. In fact, it reminds me of a store I've dreamed about off-and-on for years; a tiny little curiosity shop filled to bursting with antique velvet & lace clothes, old obscure books, and odd little knick-knacks. Which means, of course, that Haunted is probably going to become one of my favorites.

 

-Jilli

[ipb]

very soft, sweet musk. very light, warm. i like it, but i don't know if i'll buy a bigger bottle.

 

eta: as it dried, it got slightly spicy and more musky in a very yummy and sexy kind of way. i changed my mind, i want a bigger bottle!

[VelvetSky]

These two notes meld together perfectly, counterbalancing each other with almost spooky precision. The amber morphs and twists into the musk seamlessly and vice-versa. There are no 'phantom' notes or impressions of anything other than amber and musk...it is what it is. No flowers lurking in the background. No herbs, wood or citrus. I believe it takes real artistry for a perfumer to blend two scents so skillfully. Brava Elizabeth.

 

I adore amber, but musk is something that my chemistry generally fends off, and this is indeed a potent musk.

 

Any musk-lovers out there...you must try this.

 

Velvet

 

ADDED June 5:

 

Just have to add....when I first wore and reviewed Haunted, I didn't pick up any citrus at all. Just tried it again this morning, and....weird....it's all lemony and tangy and lovely. It's drying down and the amber/musk thing is pushing forward to warm everything up.

 

By the way, everyone is so right about this being potent. A tiny swipe of the imp and I'm deluged with scent.

 

Hmmm...might have to get a big bottle of this.

Edited December 1, 2004 by Shollin

[Becky]

when I first smelled this one in the imp I loved it. all sweet and warm and musky. when it was on, for about the first 1/2 hour I swear I could smell lemon. kinda weird. but now after about an hour the lemon is gone and its all sweet and warm and musky again. very interesting. I don't know about a bottle, but I'll probably use the imp.

[Astarte]

This is so yummy, I had no idea amber and dark musk would create something so sweet smelling as this. I accidently fumbled the lid open on this and got it all over me. Which prolly means I'll still smell of this for a while if the other reviews are anything to go by.

[nevermore]

Like many other people, I thought I smelled lemon in this while it was in the bottle. After putting it on, it was a nicely balance amber/musk. So far, so good. Unfortunately, after it dried, the black musk was all I could smell, and musk isn’t one of my favorite scents. I swapped this one, and I think I’ll stick with Sin for my amber based scent.

[Effluvia]

In the bottle: This is a Christmas cookie with emotional problems. I don't mean that it smells foody, though. It's luscious and spicy and extremely warm and inviting, yet has a troubled edge to it that says that this could NEVER be a mainstream perfume. It's far too special.

 

Wet, on my skin: This is utterly delicious. I'm a big fan of musk, and this is the perfect musk scent because it's so well balanced with warmth and sweetness. If it didn't turn powdery, this would be an utterly perfect scent. It doesn't go powdery in an unattractive way on me for quite a while, so I still get this divine warm, delicious spiciness that does indeed have a "haunting" quality about it for a long time.

 

Dry: Powdery, which I don't like, but if I reapply when it gets to this stage, I'm cool.

[TygherRayn]

In the bottle: Amber and musk .. dead on. And generally, I love those two scents, or blends with them .. so I have some pretty high hopes for this one. In the bottle, the amber is pretty strong .. a sharp amber, rather than a warm one.

 

Wet: This goes a little warmer and sweeter once it gets onto my skin, and that's just perfectly fine with me. This is a night spent in a haunted house .. they did a show like that once .. it was some reality show, where they stuck these people in a house or something .. and they try to freak them out until there's only one left, and they win like 25k or something .. this smells like what some of those houses looked like they'd smell like.

 

Wearing: Yum. That's all I can say about this is yum. There will definitely be more purchases of this in my future.

 

ADDED Aug. 11:

 

In the bottle: I wonder where the amber is in this, but I have faith. It's smoky-sweet, and I rather imagine a dark bar, where illicit lovers hide in corners, whispering words of love to eachother while hiding from their 'real' lives.

 

Wet: My skin likes amber, that's for sure. Out it came, rather immediately. But I love amber, and so it's not a bad thing at all. This smells like that old house atop the hill .. the one noone will go into except on a dare, and even then, the slightest sounds sends you running for the door .. hoping it hasn't closed behind you.

 

Wearing: Keep this one. It's a bit warm for summer wear .. especially as warm as it's been here altely. But I'll wear this a lot more in the cool fall and winter months.

Edited December 1, 2004 by Shollin

[Reinaluna]

Haunted smells just like O without the honey when it dry's down to me. I dont know about a bottle yet because usually when one smells like another that I already have I dont bother. Anyway I like it and I will use up the imp.

[asa805]

First sniff: Hmmm very interesting. Cant tell if I like it or love it but I def don’t hate it. Its very musky but not in a bad way. Reminds me of an old antique store. The more I sniff the more I like. It also reminds me of an old lady but isnt an old lady scent if that makes sense!

 

Drydown: Ohhhh yummm.. im in love with this one. It mellowed to a nice powdery deep and very smooth musky amber smell. Its gorgeous!

[TheDarkMother]

I would have updated this one yesterday if my power hadn't been out for Charley. Oh well. I recieved Haunted from a swap my dear Minx gave me. Hugs and kisses to Minx, love ya dear!

 

When I first opened Haunted, it smelled of musk and a sugar sweet, hard to describe scent that made me mostly think of orange blossoms. I guess that must have been the Amber.

 

 

On me, the musk is gone, only a sugary sweetness that, once again, is hard to describe. It stays that way for 15 minutes, and then ...Lemons. Just....lemons. Almost as if it had lemon verbena in it. Wierd.

 

About an hour later, its a lemony babypowder, but very strong. I like that smell, actually. This is a keeper!

[Nepthys]

Although this is described as a mournful scent, on me it comes across more of as the sweet side of haunting, like an old attic trunk full of antiques and velvet. The amber and musk first start off as a drowsy, clean, just-took-a-shower smell, then deepen into something sophisticated and luxurious. I really love this scent. In some ways it reminds me of a drier, more foreboding version of O.

[darestodream]

Haunted came to me in a swap, and although it is not one I would typically choose, I'm glad of the chance to try it. Wet, it is rich and striking and very interesting. Amber hits me first, and then the musk rushes out and takes over. However, this scent seems like it will be strongly personalized by body chemistry.

 

On, the musk is gorgeous. I feel like I am enveloped in a fog, dark yet ethereal at the same time. It feels earthbound without being earthy, if that makes a bit of sense. The amber peeks through the cloak woven by the musk. This is a rich, mysterious scent, without question.

 

Unfortunately, it does turn to powder after about an hour. I'm pretty sure that is the amber, since O behaved similarly. Even without the powder effect, Haunted is too strong for everyday wear. Instead, this is one I will wear at home, so I can wash it off if it becomes too strong or too powdery.

Edited August 26, 2004 by darestodream

[fragrantgrasse]

Haunted.....Uh-oh.... As I was reading over the previous reviews of this scent, I was absent-mindedly swabbing my forearm and neck with it. Needless-to-say, I am overflowing with Haunted

 

And, if what the other reviewers have mentioned about it's longevity is right, I will be a human diffusor for many hours to come.

 

On first impression, it is sweet and voluptuous in a comforting sort of way and I detect something soft "inside" of the sweetness but have not yet gotten wind of any lemon or citrus notes I was reading about, not yet anyway.

 

I love musk and amber & was hoping that this would be a little more, what... edgy? But I think I need to give Haunted some mellowing time and I need emotional distance from this......more later...

 

Okay, now haunted has melted down into becoming liquid memories on my skin. It is evocative and reminiscent of high school. Maybe it reminds me of Shalimar?? Which I loved way back then.

That was a time when we (my girlfriends + I) would spray Shalimar all over ourselves, "annoint" our lips with this hideous, skin-colored lipstick (think concealer) that made us all look like we had been embalmed and float through school corridors - wafting from one class to another. Sounds like a scene from Picnic at Hanging Rock.......hmmmm, sort of got of into a parallel universe there for a minute, didn't I?

 

 

But, I love the overall creamy sweetness of Haunted and will certainly enjoy my Imp!

 

 

ETA many weeks and many wearings later - I absolutely adore Haunted! It is possibly my signature scent! I will buy a couple of 10mls. I love it.....!

Edited October 11, 2004 by fragrantgrasse

[serafina pekkala]

In the bottle it's very strong and musky, and not very 'me'. It reminds me of an old Lancome perfume sample of Black Musk. Hoo boy, is this strong when wet, I'm not used to that!

 

But after that it mellows beautifully into a cosy amber. Haunted smells like the colour amber, golden yellow, warm and autumnal. A keeper.

[Lady_Ell]

Excerpted from journal review...

 

I got my Haunted in the mail today and it smells OK on its own but layered with Aureus it's much better. I think I don't care for musk, or at least not as a topnote. On it's own Haunted is a bit too musky/powdery. But I really like how it softens Aureus up, and makes it less woody and more sexy, by sending the musk off to the background and letting the wood notes of Aureus stay in charge. Combining the two is very "me" - in charge and austere up front and on first acquaintance, but with a playful, loving bit upon getting to know me better.

 

ETA: Two parts Aureus to one part Haunted is now my signature scent. I have more bottles/imps than I can count and don't even want anything to do with them anymore. This combination is so perfect on me that it's rendering everything else obsolete.

Edited January 4, 2005 by ladylatemar

[ChupaChup]

Haunted is a really lovely perfume. It reminds me so much of Shalimar, but it's a little lighter, less spicy and possibly more lemony. But it's not a strong lemon, not in your face Pledge, it's just a whisper of it. I think the name is perfect, there is something Haunting about this oil, I keep going back to it every week just so I can remember how it smells. I can see why it's a favorite.

[purplecat]

I love this scent! I wore it today for the first time. The amber has a nice sweet scent and mixes well with the musk which is not overpowering. It has great staying power on me. Haunted will go on my list for 5ml.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Haunted is another of my "overdetermined" scents--one that resonates for me to such an extent that I put off trying it for a long time in case it didn't work out. I was once asked to pick one word that describes me; I picked "haunted." Personal theme song? "Haunted," by Poe. You get the idea.

 

So it gives me great joy to say: I LOVE THIS!! Warm and slightly sweet but not cloying, soft and lovely. There's a Dana O'Shee-ish whiff of something almondy, then it morphs into a slight alcohol touch (Disarrono?), then I'm left with musk for depth. This is a great fall/winter scent, or a great evening scent. I still prefer florals for every day, but this is perfect for when I feel...well, you know.