Haunted

[lysistrata]

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

In the vial: Lemon! Smells very much like 4711 Cologne, which my mom used to wear, which was lemon and bergamot with lavender, rose, rosemary, and musk.

On me, wet: A little fresh sawdust, a hint of lemon. This is a really lemony amber, and a nice gentle musk. The lemon comes and goes, peeking out behind the musk.

On me, dry: It dries down to a very subtle and skin-hugging musk, not overt at all, with maybe a little creamy musky vanilla and a rosiney smidge of amber somewhere in there.

Verdict: I wouldn't have expected something that's just musk and amber to smell this fabulous, and I like most that it's very subtle and light, but still detectable. This is a wonderful perfume for days when you just want to enhance your own natural smell a bit. It clings, yet it is simple and unperfumey. A great scent.

[Abbie]

In the bottle: A very light musk scent, warmed by amber and a sweet lemony scent. Might be a bit sweet for me.

 

First on: Not too much of a morpher... it's getting a bit soapy.

 

Dry: This one just isn't impressing me. It gets too soapy. One for swaps.

[blueroses]

This one somehow reminds me of a funeral parlor, the mingling of women's perfume with men's cologne, combined with the scent of lemon polish and flowers in the corners of the rooms.

 

When I pick the scent apart, it doesn't seem like this would be the effect, but it is. Haunted goes on smelling of a golden amber, but the dark musk comes out immediately. The musk is similar to the musk in Enraged Orangutan - very dark. Then I smell something lemon-y or citrus-y. It reminds me very much of The Star. The longer I wear Haunted, the more I smell like the The Star.

 

But overall, I smell like a lemon almond cookie. But the beginning stages are too melancholy for me. I'll pass on this one.

[midnight_aeval]

Haunted... Haunted.. I'm undecided.

 

In the vial it smells like Lemon Pez Candy. On my it has turned to a lemon baby powder smell that is a tad sour. I'm not sure if my body chem really likes this blend. Seems like a lot of these oils with lemon is sour on me. boo on that, I really liked the smell of it in the vial!

 

ETA: Well I retried it today and got NO sour smell! I also put it in my scent locket and it smells nummy- I'll have to keep this imp after all!

Edited July 16, 2006 by Midnight Aeval

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

musky

 

wet:

same. Very traditional perfume scent to me.

 

dry:

the musk turns much darker when dry - still there, but I have to admit I like it better - although not on it's own. I can't really smell any amber

 

overall:

too musky for me

 

rating: 5/10

[edenssixthday]

Haunted - BPAL ambers and musks are really hit-and-miss for me. This one is a miss. The scent is very light and barely shows up on my skin. I would be hard-pressed to believe there is not a touch of lemon/citrus in this blend, because wet on my skin, that is the predominant scent -- citrus that's grounded by the musk. As it dries, the citrus scent clashes with the amber and creates a "scentual" experience that is to beautiful fragrance as a room full of pre-schoolers playing marching-band instruments is to a beautiful symphony. It's strange, startling, and noisy, making me raise an eyebrow and wonder what the heck happened here. Fortunately for me, the scent stays close to the skin and lasts only 60-90 minutes at most. I will be swapping this one away!

[provocateur]

In bottle: Lemon? Where the? An woody? I'm not sure if this is turning out to be just amber and musk...

 

On skin, wet: Cedar, and amber. (Again, the hell?)

 

On skin, dry: Amber powder.

 

Conclusion: I have to wonder where the lemon and cedar came from. That was one of the bigger abnormalities for me. Normally, I love amber and musk, but I guess this combo just didn't do it for me.

 

Rating: 0/5

[Cupcakedancer]

bottle:

Damp, musky, very dark citrus

 

wet:

Similar, citrus lightens up quickly once on my skin

 

dry:

reminds me of sandalwood, amber, and dried lemons, very rich

 

overall:

I didn't like this one when I received it a year ago. Now (perhaps with age) I find it wonderful

 

rating: 7/10

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Amber, a bit of musk.

 

On me: Amber, and a LOT of black musk! This is a truly exotic, beautiful scent. It smells fantastic on me.

 

Verdict: A favorite! Will probably get around to buying a bottle someday, but for now, the imp is good enough. It's such a strong scent that I don't wear it too often.

 

Rating: 5/5

[jarvenpa]

imp was a gift from Olympia301, the lovely and generous.

 

As usual (I am stumbling into the BPAL universe like the trusting soul I am--these days I don't even bother to smell something in the imp before trying it. I'm going to try it, no matter what it smells like, so why bother)--I simply slashed some on my wrists.

 

I had no preconceptions of what Haunted might smell like (vague memories that other ghostly scents seemed to rush away from me, trailing vapor)

 

Immediate hit: oh, lovely fresh lemons. What a surprise! Lemons? Yep, lemons, and flowery smells of delight and meadows and dancing. This is far from a sad scent, at least as it opens: it is all about joy. Perhaps remembered joy.

 

The fragrance deepens, and wafts. I find myself thinking of my mother, who loved the color yellow, who was quite the vamp, who died too long ago (had she lived she'd be 80 this June).

 

There's soul stirring sweetness here, and it definitely reminds me of playing with my mother's perfumes and makeup as quite a little girl, spilling things everywhere, peering at my reflection in the mirror, hoping to catch a bit of her beauty. I think flowers and vanilla (later, checking the notes, I figure what I smell as vanilla may be the amber). It's seductive.

 

While I wear all sorts of BPAL in my bookstore, normally the bookish types don't say much about the fragrances (possibly the overwhelming scent of nice doggies and kitties interferes). This afternoon a young guy came in. We chatted religion and politics. We introduced ourselves. As he left, he turned and said "I just have to say--there's something magic here". Now, I noticed he was inhaling the lovely fragrant air...I think it was the Haunted effect.

 

This one is likely to go into my list of things I will buy when I teach my dogs to live on air (or, maybe well before that).

 

It is truly delicious (maybe a faint memory of Shalimar??)

[BrightRedScream]

I got this as a frimp with my last orders from the lab

 

In the vial: Very fresh smelling..is it wierd that I'm not getting any foreboding? The amber stands out a lot, and I'm really not getting a ton of musk.

 

Wet on the skin: Why am I getting lemon? There's this lemony tone coming out...and the musk starting to stomp it's way up to the forefront.

 

Dry down: Lemon candy? *sighs* This smells like a cross between lemon candies on me and lemon bathroom cleaner. I personally don't want to walk around smelling like a giant, musky lemon.

 

That really sucks.

 

Oh well! No Haunted for me.

 

EDIT: After about half an hour of dry down time - this scent totally morphs into a powdery type of smell on me...it smells just like talc powder - and that is something I REALLY do not like smelling like!!!

Edited July 3, 2006 by BrightRedScream

[SultryWolf]

In imp: a bit perfumey, but in a good way.

On: strong florals, drying to musk and amber. Gradully, the musk fades leaving a warm amber that persists pretty much all day.

 

I'm an amber junkie, so - love this one, even if it's a bit strong for me at first.

[shellyshells]

I got this as a frimp from the lab, thanks so much!! I would have totally overlooked this!

 

Imp: Hmm, definitely amber.

 

On me: Ridiculously awesome blend of amber and musk. My skin chem totally agrees with musk, so I'm lovin this! I don't detect any lemony wafts though. Oh well, I love it the way it is!

 

Overall: Definitely will be in my fall/winter rotation. Hopefully my big bottle comes just in time for the season! 10/10 for me!

[seamor]

Wow, it seems like I've wanted to try this forever!

 

I love all the ambers, and like the the musks, too (although I don't wear them as often. It seems like weird things happen at work when I wear musk... Hmmm...) Anyway, the combination sounded absolutely luscious.

 

Wet: The gorgeous, slightly spicy golden amber is at the forefront, with a gentle, amost imperceptible, darker foundation. Just beautiful!

 

Drydown: YIPES! The black musk has totally overpowered the amber! Just gulped it down like a puppy treat! This is a shocker, because amber is nearly always the strongest note on my skin. The black musk scent is intoxicating, a little smokey, with a slight earthy undertone. So, YUM! Okay, I would probably wear this alone.

 

A bit later: I think the amber has rebounded a bit. There's a lighter note here now.

 

Later still: The amber and musk seem to be switching off - amber for a while, musk for a while, and repeat. Interesting.

 

Later (maybe 40 minutes?): Aha! The notes have found a way to blend on my skin! Now I have a kind of velvety warm musk (with a subtle hint of chocolate) and the occasional amber highlight.

 

This is very nice. I'd have liked a bit more of the amber, and I didn't get the citrus or florals that some other folks reported - that might have been nice. Also, I didn't get the foreboding (although my coworkers may have. I didn't ask, but I thought I got some odd looks today. )

 

This one lasted a very long time. There was still a hint of it on my wrists 12 hours later. That's quite unusual, and definite plus. Still, I think I'll probably trade it. I still have plenty of my beloved EOM for those times when I'm in feelin' a little musky.

[juniperus]

Bottle: amber, amber, amber. ooh lovely.

Wet: the musk is coming up from the depths, like something surfacing in a sea of liquid amber.

Dry: both dark and golden, warm but underneath a dark chill. like feeling a chill, unfamiliar touch on my neck on a warm day in the sunlight.

Later: yep, haunting. you know I was going to say that, didn't you? very melancholy, a sorrowful embrace.

[mirutai]

I get more musk than amber out of this one. It is _extremely_ dark! It actually makes me feel a bit uneasy - the musk is quite feral. So a very good match for the name, but not something I'd wear!

[hologhost]

No amber on me! Just black musk which seems to communicate itself to my senses as "unwashed socks."

[lunareclipse]

In the imp: lemony-musky

 

On, wet: Lemons, musk and sandalwood, maybe?

 

Drydown: Very musky, with a sweet, powdery overtone. jarvenpa said it reminded her of Shalimar, and I have to agree with that, although Haunted is wearable, and appealing, in ways Shalimar never has been on me.

[copyshopclerk]

In the imp: Dark, almost spicy, and sweet at the same time.

 

Wet: Initially sharp, almost commercial (like alcohol in commercial perfumes). This fades quickly though, and it becomes more balanced. While still wet, it takes on the quality of incense, with something deliciously sweet.

 

Dry: Sweet, almost vanilla, almost almond, with spice & incense on top. This is what I wanted Snake Oil to be but didn't get!

 

This is really beautiful - it's dark, but sweet. A "going out for the evening" kind of scent, definitely - not something for a sunny afternoon - too sensual for that!

[steffanina]

Haunted-

 

In Bottle: Dark and musky; there's a bit of that insect repellent smell that accompanies a lot of men's colognes/aftershaves and puts me off. Will forge ahead, though...

 

Wet: Ah, no insect repellent once it's on. This is heavy and ominous, like dark graveyards, like the air before the mother of all storms. Interesting! I think I smell the amber, and the musk is not so overpowering.

 

Dry: Boy, my skin loves this one! This is heavy rich amber, all powdery and delish. This is not a light scent by any means; this is a "what a gloomy Monday; let's not fight it but wallow in it" kind of scent. Of course that might be because today is an overcast Monday, but it really fits my mood. If rich scents would turn me off on a particular day then I won't be able to wear it on that day, but otherwise it'll work great. --This also has HUGE staying power, and the longer it dries, the sweeter and more pleasant it becomes. Lovely!

 

Overall: I really like.

[birdiefu]

I love musk, I love amber . Haunted should have been a glorious deep musky golden amber, right? Nope, for some reason these two loves of mine together turned into powder . I only had about 3 minutes of loving this scent before an invisible fairy poofed baby powder all over me. I usually dislike comparisons of scents to powder or soap, but today I had to write my first two reviews likening lovely BPAL to these generic body products. I hope it's just a bad scent day and will try again in a week or so, but I'll at least hold on to Haunted for layering purposes. I'm so dissapointed in my skin!

Edited September 3, 2006 by birdiefu

[arachne]

One of my favorite BPAL scents! Haunted is deliciously sexy - it makes my toes curl. I love anything with amber in it and mixed with dark musk, Hello! It's very long lasting, not powdery at all and it has that elememt of mystery and intrigue that I love so much. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that Haunted drives dear husband mad.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

*siGh*

i so wanted to love this... i adore dark musks but amber mostly hates me and thinks i should reek of powder.

strangely, this somewhat-aged bottle smells rather of Snake Oil without some of the spices, more than anything else.

 

doesn't really work on me. i guess it'll need to find another new home

[MilkAndSugar]

I was a little bit nervous to try this, because like many of you here, the darker musks are hit or miss for me. I was expecting something like the musk in Black Rose, which to me is really really powerful, to the point of not being able to wear it as much as I would like.

 

Then I received my bottle, and carefully sniffed it. Wow!

At first I thought it was mislabeled or something, because it smelled very similar to Snake Oil.

But after applying some on my wrist I discovered it's not like Snake Oil. They have similarities, but they're not the same. Where Snake Oil regroups and attacks your senses (in a nice way!) after being dabbed on, Haunted breaks into a cloud of amber powder. The scent is not powdery, but the way it wafts is like powder floats in the air.

I don't know if that makes any sense. This must be that famous Haunted-effect.

 

The scent is sweet and ambery and so very yummy. And sexy too, it has that Snake Oil/ Shalimar richness to it. It actually smells more like Shalimar than Snake Oil has ever smelled to me. Very decadent.

To my delight the musk is really soft and skin-musky. Not agressive at all, and not overly animalistic.

I keep sniffing myself because it's so good

 

The drydown is perhaps my favourite part. There's vanilla underneath it all, the vanilla bean kind, that stays on your skin with a whisper of powdery musk.

 

Haunted is my new signature scent. I adore it.

[fiddledragon]

When I ordered this, I thought I loved both amber and musk, but I'm discovering that I need something sweet to temper either of these. Combined, the musk is kind of sexy but not really doing it for me, and the amber comes off kind of sharp. If I end up with another imp of it, I may try layering with one of the honey blends that I've fallen in love with.