The Haunted Palace

[lysithea]

The moment before the ruin, frozen. The scent of captured glory, of glowing pearls and rubies, of golden sunlit joy and regal grandeur: red rose, Tunisian amber, blood orange, toasted vanilla, heliotrope, gardenia and red musk.

The juicy top notes of ripe bursting blood orange are beautiful, but all too fleeting. The rose parades herself out immediately after and makes her presence known.

Something in this blend is going to major powder on me. I suspect it is the heliotrope as amber usally doesn't go this route on my skin. There is something here that reminds me of Beatrice. It's probably the rose.

I wish I were getting more of the vanilla and the musk. The musk doesn't seem to want to play and the vanilla continually plays hide and seek with me throughout the day.

All in all, my feelings are favorable for this blend. I could do with less powder, but that's just the luck of the draw. My skin is fickel in what it decides to amp and what it decides to eat up.

[Northernminx]

Blood orange, sweet and citrusy with a soft overtone of golden vanilla and then fading into a soft floral. The odd part about this was I really loved the individual stages but together they sort of kept throwing me. I was wierdly unsettled by this scent and just didn't like the overall complexity of it enough to figure out WHY. Off it goes thanks to my brain/scent connections that I can't figure out.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Juicy spicy orange, smells a lot like Red Moon does in the bottle, so I was excited.

 

Dry: Unfortunately this dries down to a giant rose sitting on top of the merest breath of orange and spice. It smells somehow like one single gigantic rose.

 

I like it, but am disappointed.

[Fefferbella]

I was really excited to try this after reading the reviews... sadly it was a huge disapointment.

The haunted palace starts off pleasant enough floral, spicey citrus, but turns to pure baby powder and roses on my skin (yikes- the two notes I can't stand).

 

Swap pile...

[k00kaburra]

Man, I hope I love this one. It sounds so exotic and mysterious.

In bottle: Sparkling heliotrope! It instantly reminds me of Lolita. Definitely some blood orange and roses blooming, too.

 

On me: Such a joyful, cheerful blend. It's like a sparkling gem. A little juicy because of the heliotrope, with the red roses (like in Rose Red) blooming beneath it. A little bit of vanilla, lots of blood orange and amber.

Juicy and rich-red crystal.

Hard to describe, but I really like it. It's lovely.

[greywind]

There's rose in this?

 

Actually, the absence of rose on me (except as a supporting scent for the orange) is a very pleasant surprise. I ordered this because of the amber and orange combination, and frankly expected to like it least of the DiMV scents I ordered because it's relatively sweet. I was wrong. Yes, it's sweet, but it's a sweetness I can enjoy because of the lingering tartness of the orange. I'm not familiar with the smell of heliotrope, so I don't know how this factors in but the Haunted Palace goes on a brilliant tangy sweet orange with rich, supporting undertones. The scent is simultaneously lush and effervescent, and very joyous. It dries into a soft warm scent of amber mingled with something reminiscent of vanilla, but doesn't smell *like* vanilla (which is usually too foody for my taste). Over twelve hours after application there is still a soft, spicy, faintly tangy scent lingering on my wrist. This one's certainly a winner -- no grandmotherly rose scent, no shrill gardenia, and a very feminine scent this neutral or masculine scent lover actually enjoys.

[zenvodunista]

mostly, I smell amber. It's a lovely amber, don't get me wrong, but I seem to amp it up over everything else. While I like amber, I don't want to wear just amber. I wish that I could smell the other notes in this (I could in the bottle!) but on me this is alllll amber.

 

as usual, whatever is the most popular scent, it doesn't work on my skin. someone is going to be really happy when i swap them this!

 

i want to reiterate: this is in no way a "bad" scent -- not even on my skin. it's just that i'm not a huuuuge amber fan, and my tendency to amp it ruins the lovliness in the bottle.

 

*sighs*

 

i guess i will just have to console myself with Lenore, and Spirits of the Dead and A City in the Sea. oh! how i suffer!

 

n.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Yummy blood orange and amber.

 

On

I bought this for the blood orange. The vanilla, heliotrope and amber are all things I love too...this is absolutely yummy smelling. It does remind me of "Red Moon" and "Sol" too.

 

30 minutes

I was worried about the way it would dry as I thought "something has to go wrong, it can't be this good". I was wrong, it dries on my skin beautifully. When dry it smells like orangey Christmas candy. I don't even know if there is such a thing...but there should be.

 

Throw:

a bit more than average

 

Scent category:

citrus/foody/resin/floral

 

Summary

This is so orangey and bright with the blood orange and heliotrope yet the vanilla and amber provide a layer of warming goodness. This all works wonderfully.

I'd say it's right up there with Red Moon, Sol, Seraglio, Al-Shairan for a great BPAL orange blend.

 

Purchase again?

God yes.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4.5

Edited November 28, 2005 by UltraViolet

[Medici]

In the bottle: ringing, golden, citrus underscored with a softened vanilla… or is that amber? There’s something creamy underneath that first punch, in any case. Me likey.

 

Wet: Orangey goodness warms up to a spiced amber… not a Snake Charmer spiced amber, mind, because the orange is really dominant but it’s warmer than you’d expect it to be. (This is a juicy, real orange by the way – not some crazed Jailbait orange sucker. It’s sugared, but more like a dried sugar… like orange jerky.)

 

Drydown: Amber moves up while the citrus notes soften into the background. It is very “regal” if I could call it that, and without being sharp. Normally I associate citrus with the insane wake-up call offered by Moxie, but this isn’t that. It’s rounded off at the corners, and very comfortable. Roses come up at the very tail end as an afterthought, but thankfully, they don't dominate this blend for me.

 

(This has also received daddy’s seal of approval, the “My daughter smells good,” accreditation.)

 

4.5/5

Edited November 26, 2005 by Medici

[sookster]

straight up from the bottle this is a sweet orangey

dreamsicle....after 10 minutes the amber, gardenia, vanilla and

roses pop out and mix with the orange making it much more

subtle...this is an absolutely gorgeous blend and i am thrilled

to pieces i got a big bottle...very strong and i only need a few

drops of this preciousss to smell positively divine for hours...

thank you Beth

[grrrlennyl]

at first: all i'm getting out of the bottle is lovely blood orange.

on: i'm getting tons of blood orange and a hint of vanilla. very lovely.

half an hour later: sweet and lovely. it's still all vanilla and orange. wonderful.

1.5 hours later: sweeter and powdery. i can smell the amber, gardenia, and musk now. lovely.

2.5 hours later: lots of soft white gardenia and amber, and a dusting of musk.

overall: this is really nice on me. i'm glad i got it.

[SevenSins]

In the bottle: Orange. Blood orange. Sharp! Nice!

 

Wet: Something burnt? Something doesn't smell right and it's very strong. Smells burnt. With citrus underneath.

 

Drydown: Burnt smell is fading to the background. Rose and something else - geranium maybe? coming to the forefront. Complex, smells are blending in a way that is hard to describe. Citrus/orange is gone.

 

Hour later: Something musky, dark, old flowers. Don't know. I don't think I like it much though. Slightly burnt smell sitting in the background. I much preferred the heavy citrus.

 

I think this one is not for me. Something about it doesn't sit right. Maybe it's the toasted vanilla? I'll try again during a different part of my cycle - sometimes that changes things. But right now, this one is not my favorite at all!

[Em-]

Someone mentioned that this is similar to their hopes for Kunstkammer, and my reaction is similar - I get almost no florals from The Haunted Palace. I do get a few, but just enough to give some depth to the vanilla and amber and orange (which are what I smell, pretty much in order).

 

This does not smell sweet to me in a creamcicle/candy sort of way (a la Kunstkammer), but instead is a savory blend with just a hint of sweetness. It is really lovely and I think I am going to need a bottle.

[PilotKitten]

 

OMG... this smells wonderful!

 

In the bottle I get a very citrusy orangey scent.... hints of other spicy, passionate notes in the background... but they're ethereal.... I can't put a name on any of them.

 

On me wet, it's *very* orange... a ripe, full, juicy orange. Sweet and tantalizing. I want to gnaw on my wrist now....

 

After drying, it's still marvelous... a rose note has broken forth and is mixing wonderfully with the citrusy spike of orange. Beth does roses good. Seriously. Every rose scent I've tried so far I've fallen absolutely in love with... every other rose perfume I've tried on the "outside" has instantly given me a headache and turned to soap.

 

Ten minutes later, something else has come forward... amber I think. There's also a hint of something faintly powdery.

 

Wow... this scent has gone through so many mutations in just a short time. I'm loving it!! It changes moods as often as I do!!

 

I bravely keep sniffing forward through the medley of wonders.... aha!! There's the vanilla... it's slightly hiding behind the flowery powder scent... I think the gardenia?

 

This is such an interesting scent. As these new notes progressively take center-stage the previous ones do not disappear... they fade a bit but they are still noticeable.

 

Half an hour later and it's apparently settled into that flowery baby powder note. It's sweet and innocent now. Lighter and airy. Just wow.... I want more!

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: Oh! Not what I was expecting! Lots of orange!

Applied: I can immediately smell the vanilla, amber, and gardenia—it’s gorgeous. In a way, it reminds me a lot of some of the Wanderlust blends I like—Morocco, Baghdad, etc. I’m thinking this might be the DimV oil that I end up hunting down on eBay after it gets discontinued. (Isn’t it funny how you can never tell from the description? I thought I would be hardcore into three of the ones I ended up not liking the most…) Medium throw—it’ll be noticeable but not too heavy.

(On a second trial run of this, it was all cloying gardenias. But unlike the first time, it was “that time of the month” so it was probably me that changed, not the oil.)

On a scale of 1 to 5: 4.

[cindyrella]

This one has really different layers. It starts out very warm and spicy, do I smell some carnation with the amber and vanilla in here?

The carnation is gone very soon, but it's a lovely stage.

Then it becomes more fresh, citrus is what I can smell now. The roses are more dominant too.

This scent lasts very long, and is very complex and lovely. It's light flowery and airy. Nice!

[paradoxicaljlb]

On me, the Haunted Palace starts out as rosey creamsicle, then mellows out to spicy sugared amber.

 

Lovely.

[summer]

Mmmmm . . . ultimately, The Haunted Palace is a gorgeous, glorious, sweet, scrummy rose. What a surprise! I love rose blends, but was not expecting this to be one. Nevertheless, I love it and I'm pleased.

 

Upon first application, I smell the juicy fresh orange. It's not orange blossom . . . it's the actual pulp and juice of the fruit, blended smooth with vanilla and amber. Delicious. Almost immediately, the rose starts to emerge, and it dries down to rose encrusted with orangy sugar. The lingering scent after a few hours is that of a beautifully merged sweet rosey perfume.

 

I love it. This is an ideal "everyday" scent for me.

[zillah37]

I picked this one up because I adore amber scents. The fact it had blood orange, vanilla, and musk in it was just an added bonus.

 

On my skin, I get a really spicy gardenia. Which is not optimal. :/ It actually leaves a red mark on my skin at first. The amber and musk is definitely keeping the gardenia from completely overpowering me, but it's not enough.

 

However, this scent is really interesting and complex at the same time. There are two definite layers to this scent - the flowers on top and the spices underneath. I'm so very impressed with this blend even though it doesn't work on me! It's absolutely fantastic blending.

[Stephanie]

This is bright and sparkly, in the beginning. Grandiose and happy. But later, in the drydown, it feels very nostalgic...heavy and wistful. I'm reminded of scenes in the movie Sunset Boulevard were Norma Desmond sits in her mansion lost in memories of the past. I think of 1920's Art Deco and the golden tiles at Hearst Castle.

 

I like this blend a lot. And the label is perfect.

[Xiabelle]

I absolutely adore this. So very gorgeous.

 

In the bottle, this is bright, clear orange and a breath of florals. One of my favorite commercial perfumes is Coco Mademoiselle, and this reminds me of it a bit in the bottle with its warm citrus.

 

Fresh on, it just blooms into gorgeous warm citrus, underlit by the rose and other florals. It's yummy and not overpowering at all, and I can see this being a good all-season blend; it doesn't scream any season to me at all.

 

The dry down stays true, and it just softens a bit without really changing a whole lot on me.

 

Love it. This is exactly what I wanted Versailles to be, without whatever the component in Versailles was that made my nose run off my face.

 

I think I'm going to need another bottle.

[gingersnapp]

In the bottle and immediately after application, this is bubblegum sweet. So much so that, without knowing what the components were, I would have sworn there was lotus in this blend to some degree.

 

It doesn't have a whole lot of throw that I can tell, and as it has dried it seems to have faded quite a bit. It's not so much sweet now as floral, and I would say that the rose, gardenia and vanilla are the strongest notes. It's very soft and very pretty.

[Thaleia]

In the bottle: Really sweet floral. It smells like candyfloss, or similar. I was actually expecting a scent reminiscent of a Golden Age - heavier, opulent - but I can see how this scent embodies the lightheartedness that a Golden Age should have.

 

Wet: A citrusy floral. I can smell the orange floating above the florals, and yet it's got sort of a gravitas to it, like something's already weighing the lighthearted scent down, a portent of ruin.

 

Drydown: The rose is coming out more and battles with the orange, so it's now a red-orange colour on me, the colour of those yellow roses with the red tips. It turns out that my skin seems to love roses and magnifies them above all else.

 

Dry: The sweetness returns. I'm smelling peach, why is that? - kind of like a creamy orange-peach sherbet with vanilla ice cream swirl. It's now a fruity sort of floral, not so much citrusy as with the initial application, like a huge bowl of fruit on an elaborate banquet table with flower accents here and there.

 

Throw: not very much, as far as I can see - I'm holding my arm out in front of me and I can barely smell it. It's a come-up-close fragrance. Almost fitting for a Golden Age scent: it's elusive, but lovely when you do smell it.

 

Rating: 4. I do like this a lot, and I'm sorry to have to see it go in a few weeks. I might need to get another bottle (or two, if my relatives (whom I am visiting in a couple of weeks) decide they want it and take it) before it goes.

 

ETA: I just wore this to a holiday party and received a lot of compliments. Rock on.

Edited December 23, 2005 by Shollin

[em_h]

Wet: Roses and fruit. The orange scent is nice and fresh and juicy, but there's always a risk in fruit, for me. Still, the roses are hopeful, and all the other notes are good ones for me (though I'm not smellling much amber or vanilla or red musk at this point).

 

Drying: Working out pretty well so far; nice fruit-and-rose waft, and the orange is staying fresh; though I'm disappointed by the absence of vanilla and musk.

 

Further drying: A bit of cinnamon for some reason, along with the rose and orange. I'm certainly not going to complain about that.

 

I have a lot of rose scents, probably more than I need, but while this is not the best (nothing can beat Rose Red), it's definitely one of the better ones. And the orange doesn't go all nasty! Oddly, though this is not a Yule blend, it strikes me as kind of Christmassy.

[darkling]

The Haunted Palace is a fascinating scent. I imagine a bouquet of flowers whose color and scent are slowly being leeched from them through evil magics. The floral scents are so delicate that they seem about to wither and yet they are still kept sweet through the touch of vanilla. I tend to dislike florals but this is absolutely lovely.

 

The only problem is that this scent becomes powdery over time until the fading flowers deteriorate into baby powder. But I keep coming back for that first phase.