The Haunted Palace

[Voleuse]

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.

This is super-sweet orange at first, with a hint of warm vanilla behind it. As it dries, it gets even warmer--the effect of the amber on me--and I begin to smell the gardenia and rose.

After a few minutes, the rose and gardenia become the dominant notes, amplified by the musk. The orange and vanilla still linger, making the blend sweet, but it ends up being quite well balanced. It's warm and has the perfect dollop of spice to counter the sweetness. Beautiful. Edited November 25, 2007 by Shollin

[ktesedale]

This is a lovely scent, a mixture of the orange and the florals with a bit of vanilla. I really, really like the scent, and normally would consider hunting for a second bottle. Unfortunately, this scent makes me want to sneeze and hurts my nose. I don't think there's ylang ylang in here, which is the usual culprit, so I'm not sure what's causing this reaction. I had to wash this off. ::sigh::

[QueenFae]

This one goes on very sweet. It's innocent yet haunting; and oh so beautifully blended. It meshes so well with my body chemistry, there's really not one note that comes out on top. I can definitely smell the amber, the orange, and the heliotrope. The vanilla and rose gracefully melt into the background, but still leave their slight mark on the blend. The longer I wear it the more apparent the rose becomes, which has a lovely result. This one is fantastic; I am glad I have a nice full bottle, and I will definitely be using it. Bravo

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I don't expect to like this. It's only got two notes in it that generally work on me. The rest are notes that never, ever work for me, but I want to try this one. Just because.

 

First sniff:

 

Floral oranges. This reminds me of expensive potpurri for some reason. The blood orange is very prominent, but the rose and gardenia also put in a strong appearance and the amber pokes its head in way in the background. I know this isn't going to work, but it's certainly interesting.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The red musk is stronger now and it's making this more of a musky orange scent than a floral orange scent. The flowers are still here and putting in a strong appearance, but it's not the same on me as it was in the imp.

 

Dry down:

 

Strong oranges and amber (but thankfully not sour milk amber) with a background of musk and flowers. This really is a nice scent, but it's just not for me.

 

The bottom line:

 

I can't pull off scents like this and they don't really appeal to me as scents on me, but this is a surprisingly lovely scent, all the same.

[nancybridget]

Oh, I'm in love!

 

Vanilla, blood orange, amber....a touch of rose and gardenia.

 

Everything I love and it's all fabulous! I really feel that without vanilla, and in this case toasted vanilla, that floral/fruit blends can get overwhelming. Alone, floral is nice, and alone fruity is nice, but when they're together, they need some bbase and amber and vanilla do their jobs beautifully here....

[Neely]

In the bottle: citrus, wax, and something woody. Smells like furniture polish on old antique furniture. Nice as it makes the name have visuals for me.

 

Wet: amber turning slightly powdery on me, with citrus.

 

Dry down: amber still trying to go all baby powder on me, which it sometimes trys to do, and a candy note has crept in.

 

30 minutes: this turns into a bright citrus amber that sparkles. The powder is gone. I love it in this phase. But I don't like what I had to go through to get here.

 

Conculsion: it turned creamy and woody, which is really pleasant, but this is not for me. I will send my imp to my pal Mandragora, as a gift. She loves this one.

 

Rating 1-5, on my skin this is a 3.5.

[Shollin]

First sniff: More than anything else, it’s blood orange. Fruity and juicy, but dark. There’s a lot going on here, a bit of sweet floral around the edges, but the orange is dominant.

 

Wearing: Mmmmmmm. Red-musky dark oranges and carnationy spice.

[yellowrose]

Haven't been able to smell properly, so I've been putting off testing.

 

Preconcieved notions: vanilla, blood orange, amber and roses!?!?! Sure to be a winner!

 

In the bottle: confusing mix of florals and spice with a hint of orange.

 

Wet: gardenia.

 

Drying: spicy gardenia and nothing more. No vanilla. No blood orange. No lovely amber. No rose.

 

Seeing as expectations didn't match reality and my body chemistry, I got upset and impatient. Although lightly tested on both wrists, I said "t' heck with this" after an hour of sniffing and wishing and washed it off. Grossly disappointed. I could layer Parlement of Foules, 13 and Kunstkammer and see how that works.

[BlackDahlia]

Very nice blend.

 

In the bottle I get floral with a note of orange hiding in the background.

 

It is a lovely fragrance.

But it is not for me, I don't think.

 

On, my skin turns it really soft and talc-y.

Not unpleasant, but not me.

It smells wonderful and is a very pretty floral and citrus blend, soft as a whisper.

 

I think I seem to enjoy the fragrances you can smell...

from 80 miles away.

Thereabouts.

[Melantha]

I loved the name of this, and the notes sounded wonderful, so I was really hoping....

 

Open: Delicious! I can pick out a few of the notes, especially the honeysuckle, probably because I love it so much.

 

On: The orange suddenly blooms for a few seconds, then fades to the background.

 

Dry: I really like this, but I'm going to have to try it again, and put less on. It seemed a bit faint on at first, so I put more on, and when it dried, it became almost overwhelming when my chemistry amplified it. The florals together are lovely, and the orange sits in the background, adding interest.

 

Throw: Goodly amount.

 

Verdict: I suspect I'm going to become quite fond of this!

 

ETA: After an hour, it calmed down quite a bit, and occasionally threw flashes of orange out at me. I'm so glad I got this!

Edited April 23, 2006 by Melantha

[klio]

In the bottle: All orange, nothing but orange--the muted mustiness of the blood orange.

 

On, wet: orange and vanilla.

 

Drying: The citrus fades and mellows, leaving behind vanilla and roses.

 

On, dry: Yesterday's roses, pressed between the age-softened pages of a heavy book. A perfect subtlety. I'd like to smell like this from head to toe. I'm glad I took the trouble to find a 5ml, and will look for a second bottle so I won't have to worry about using it liberally.

[13bodies]

Initally this is a citrus/floral. The rose is dominant, and it's very red and very fresh. The blood orange floats over the top, and it's wonderful. It makes me think of a big, dark house on a dark hill; it's all lit up from inside and the red-orange curtains glow against the darkness. Yes, there could be evil in there, but there could also be a birthday party. It's wide open at this point.

 

After about an hour my chemistry turns the amber perfume-y. Sigh. It's not overwhelming but it changes to something a bit more prosaic. This stage is also very formal. I feel as though I should be dressed in a sparkly gown that costs more than my mortgage. Other people seem to really like this stage and while I don't hate it, I like the beginning more.

 

Drydown: slightly musky perfume. I'm going to try it in a scent locket and see what it does when my chemistry is taken out of play.

[deleahrium]

This is the scent of a haunted palace. It has a dusty background, reminding you that the place is old and abandoned, but an amazing sweetness tops that-- it makes me think of the way people describe ghosts. Sweet scents and cold chills are common in spirit observations, but I love that this scent isn't just that. It truly is the scent of the place itself. It's exactly how I imagine a haunted house to smell. Well done!

[dragonryder]

We want more....... This is one of the best scents from this set. The musk really blends well with gardenia. Not overly powerful, but stays with you. Got to get another bottle of this!

[juniperus]

Bottle: blood orange and heliotrope.

Wet: still very orange, the darkness of the toasted vanilla without the upper edge (please let me not amp this, oh pleaaase), and amber.

Dry: oh here comes the vanilla. down boy! catching the musk now, no rose interestingly enough, and barely a hint of the gardenia.

Later: oh the amber! oh the musk! oh shit, it's all behind that damn amped vanilla! I could cry! This is still wearable - it's not amped to the point of making my head pound - but there is so much more it could be if my chemistry wasn't so wonky. I am tempted to try layering it with Aureus and see if I can tone down this vanilla..here's hopin'!!

 

 

[edited to add: tried it with Enraged Orangutan Musk tonight for grins and giggles and it worked well!]

Edited June 3, 2006 by Juniperus Intrepidus

[edenssixthday]

The Haunted Palace - Wow, it's gorgeous. The orange combined with rose is simply a brilliant and lovely blend, and is definitely the predominant notes on my skin with a strong undercurrent of something warm, rich and almost buttery -- I suppose that's probably the toasted vanilla and amber combo. In the background are hints of light florals flitting in and out among the more predominant scents. Just a lovely, lovely scent. I bought a full bottle and ended up tracking another one down so I wouldn't be devestated when I used up the first bottle.

[sarahj]

The Haunted Palace

 

in bottle: rose, orange, and vanilla...smells like a rosy creamsicle

 

wet: same

 

dry: as it dries, the amber gives it a slight powdery note for a bit, but then that disappears and the rosy creamsicle scent is back full force...lasts about 5 hours

 

verdict: lovely...goes on my list of favorites

[TheFairestLady]

In the bottle, this reminds me of a sweet orange sherbet with just a tiny hint of amber in the background. It seems to be a mysterious and rather unexpected scent for a perfume named "The Haunted Palace."

 

Upon application, the scent changes dramatically and the floral notes are very clear, crisp, and clean. I don't think they're overpowering, but this wouldn't to be a blend for one who finds floral scents to be particularly noxious.

 

The dry-down makes me think of the Coty face powder my grandmother wore, which isn't really a bad thing, mind you. It's not an "old lady" smell by any means. It's just a surprisingly floral, and faintly feminine blend that I find to be intriguing and full of nostalgia. The scent of captured glory, indeed.

 

This is a dainty, lovely scent and I really do enjoy it, even if I don't think I would wear it everyday.

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Musky vanilla incense burning on the porch with flowery gardens in the backyard.

 

Wet: Whoa! This smells exactly like this pagany/witchy/new age store in my city! I love the smell of that store! It's a deep dark yet ever so slightly flowery incense smell.

 

Dry: The Gardenia, Musk, Amber and Vanilla mix in the wonderful dance of mellow-smoky-floral goodness. The strength of it wet dies down just enough whilst still staying true.

 

Throw: Great throw.

 

Overall: I love it! Can't you tell? I never thought i'd like a blend with rose in it, as I'm not a fan of rose at all, but in this the rose doesn't seem to peek much more than a sweet-smoky hint into the mix.

Unfortunately it all goes rather powdery smelling after only a few hours. That damn amber always does this!

 

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Orange, musk, gardenia.

 

On me: Warm florals, orange, vanilla. The musk doesn't really stand out to me. I smell more amber. This is very different from what I expected from the name of the blend, but I really like it a lot. It's very exotic.

 

Verdict: No need for a bottle, but I like this and will enjoy my imp while it lasts.

 

Rating: 4/5

[luna65]

Thanks to Blood onmy hands for the decant.

 

Vial: Very sweet floral. My nose finds the rose and the vanilla right off the bat, with just a hint of the heliotrope.

 

Skin: The amber comes out immediately and makes this into a warm opulent floral, with that "golden" quality which amber always seems to possess for me.

 

Drydown: After a time I can detect the other notes, primarily the gardenia. The musk is making everything blend nicely. This does have an air of grandeur to it, like the queen's chambers when she is absent and only her scents remain: her toiletries and the countless flowers which grace the room. It makes me feel very haughty and privileged; but I don't know if I can live up to that standard often enough to track down a bottle, though I'm glad I managed to get an decant.

Edited April 23, 2007 by luna65

[malanna]

The Haunted Palace smells so familiar. It smells like a BPAL scent I've tried before, one I've enjoyed, but not enough to hold onto. It's not light, but it has an otherworldly quality to it. The amber is apparent, as is a dark citrus that's light in strength. The sweetness comes from the gardenia, and the red musk makes it vaguely exotic. This is so hard to describe; the notes meld so perfectly. And amazingly enough, I can tolerate, and even enjoy, the red rose! I enjoy it for the exquisite smell, but I don't feel as though I'd wear it very often.

[portalkat]

In the bottle - rose and blood orange with a bit of amber

 

On the skin - Very sweet floral with underlying hint of orange

 

After a few hours - The amber, musk and vanilla combine to make a beautiful incense with floral undertones. I love the way that this develops and I am so glad that I have a bottle.

[steffanina]

The Haunted Palace-

 

In Bottle: Mmm, a very heavy orange scent. Deep and rich.

 

Wet: Deliciously sweet musky. So far very nice!

 

Dry: I really like this! It's grape-like and musky and reminds me a lot of Shango. Possibly a bit of a novelty, but it resonates with me really well.

 

Overall: I like!

[supremegoddessofall]

Interesting. Very complex. I get florals, primarily rose, in a bed of musk. Not getting the vanilla at all. I think it will need a retest.