Ouija

[Shollin]

Ouija, from Bewitching Brews:

Lush parlor rooms draped in thick velvets and gilded in gold, unearthly whispering in the distance, fleeting flashes of wraithlike figures rushing just outside your vision, the chill of a phantom presence brushing by your cheek, the inscrutable knowledge that disembodied eyes are peering at you from darkened corners… this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus.

 

First sniff: Dark wood paneling surrounding a room full of spiced pipesmoke, with a dry edge to it. This is what I expect Ollivander’s wand shop would smell like. If there are flowers here, their brightness is obscured by dry wood… though there might be a hint of dried flowers.

 

Wearing: Immediately I smell cigarette smoke. I don’t think that would be allowed at Ollivander’s, especially around all those wooden wands! That seems to be just the first-skin-touch scent though, because it swirls up and then vanishes quickly, and in its wake come the dried flowers, much more distinct now than in the vial. White roses and lilies with a wee bit of greenery, all crisped and sere (I’ve been reading Ulalume too much…) They’ve almost overwhelmed the dark woodiness, and I’m not entirely sure whether that’s a good thing.

 

An hour or so later I think it’s probably not – another one for my floral friend Barbara, I’ll just have to convince her to sit through the dark-wood part of it.

[Hallows_Eve]

In the bottle: The woods are prominent, but the lilac is pretty strong. It is like you are a Victorian room, one without windows and with a "closed in" feel, a bit musty, but where someone has placed some flowers inside to freshen it up a bit.

 

On me: The florals come out stronger, now instead smelling the room itself, I smelled more of the young proprietor/hostess wearing a Victorian perfume who happens to be in said "closed in" room. Subtle differance, but there was one.

 

I like the wood combo a lot. I love the lilac and rose combination, since the lilac keeps the rose smell from becoming to overpowering as it normally would on me.

[Emu Nymph]

In the Bottle: very smoky, dry and dark. The floral notes are hard trying to peek through. But they just can't. Like a smoke filled roon with a lot of flowers places around it.

 

Wet: This very woody smoke like. but the roses are stating the swirl thier way up very stofly.

 

5 mins: The wood is just a nice back drop for the flowers now. The lilac is the strongest flower on my skin and I've always like lilac.

 

7 Hours: the wood is almost all the way gone and it just smells like a took a nap under a liliac tree and rolled in rose. Very light and flowery nit not too light. If I was going to go out I would need to re apply to get the full effect

 

I'm glad I go this, I got this as an extra YAY me. I think I may need more than an imp of this. it goes very well on my skin, it's need fiance and Moonmouse approved

Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: smoke, old velvet...

 

WEARING IT: dust, a little bit of wood, subdued blue lilac and something sharp at the very back of the scent that i can't put my finger on. this to me, is a stuffy old victorian room filled with dust and forgotten memories...

 

VERDICT: as it dries i like it more, but i don't seem to like it enough to buy a larger bottle of it.

[VelvetSky]

Dry dry dry. I too am getting the faint smell of cigarette smoke swirling around a vase of lilacs that are starting to droop and dry out in a dark room. A dusty rosewood table where hands are stretched out, touching. Heavy damask curtains drawn, making everything seem close and stuffy in the candlelight. I'm picking up just a very faint hint of rose petal, the favorite scent of some spirit probably.

 

I truly adore Ouija because it smells so....spookily Victorian, exactly as I think Beth intended. Another for my bigger bottle list.

[lorajc]

When I first applied this, I thought I was smelling woody/chocolate, if there was a thing. It must be the rosewood and oak notes. The wood/chocolate tone is the base of the scent and the florals are off in the background. I find this scent very mysterious just like the description reads...........it gives you that dark, dusky, floral, wood feeling. For some reason, this makes me picture a funeral parlor which is very odd, as Beth's scents are mostly related to colors for me and not images. This is a gorgeous floral for those of you ladies (like myself) that don't really care for florals. The wood notes ground it and keep it from being a pure floral. My kind of scent. Good job Beth.........beautifully blended. I'll be interested to see how long this lasts. I put it on 2 hours ago (I think I may have put too much on though.......sinus problems). I have a feeling it's going to last for a while.

 

ETA: After wearing for the entire day.......the end of the drydown was mostly rose with osmanthus. I don't really care for rose, so I much enjoy the scent in it's earlier stages.

Edited July 8, 2004 by lorajc

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: A pretty floral with a sharp bite.

 

Second Impression: I can't pick out any individual notes on this. I don't like the sharp and almost sour drydown on my skin. It reminds me of another floral, perhaps Ophelia that didn't agree with me.

 

Final Analysis: Off to the swap with you.

[Northernminx]

A dry, dusty scent that leans more toward floral in the end. I can very much smell the rosewood and teak as this starts out, dust filled and warmed and perhaps draped with some velvet. It's a good smell but mellows quickly into something more floral. I get strong hints of rose and lilac after the drydown which, unfortunately, fade quickly on me.

 

Pretty and nice but off to the swap pile.

[Ailgwyn]

Ouija...

 

In the bottle:

I can smell mostly wood and rose. It's a nice combination...very earthy, very mysterious, gently sweet and floral underneath the wood. A scent that is the brown-pink of dried roses.

 

Wet:

When I first applied it, most of the sweetness faded into a baby powder-esque scent, heavily mixed with...dirt. Not bad dirt. Just earth. Sweet, dusty, powdery earth, or maybe cut grass. Something very natural. Not entirely unpleasant, but not like I'd really like to smell.

 

Dry, about half an hour later:

Dude...I never knew perfumes could change so MUCH. Now all the earthiness has completely disappeared. All that's left is a nice rosy smell, very floral, very sweet, simply lovely. There's a little extra sweetness in the rose-- osmanthus? Lilac? I don't know what either one smells like, but it must be one of those. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. And it's amazing how strong these are! Normally I can't smell for shit, but this is actually sticking around.

 

About 3 hours later:

Damn you, body chemistry! If Ouija could have just stayed at that pretty floral, I would have been happy, and at least used up the imp. Well, it did stay floral...but it got progressively sweeter and sweeter, and less rose and more one of the other florals. Sickly sweet. Like a Bath and Body Works. I was a little carsick at the time, and smelling the sickly sweet did not help. It's not...horrible, but I don't really want to smell so cloying.

 

9 hours later:

Still there. The sickly part of the sweet has faded mostly, so it's now just a dusty hint of floral on my skin. Nice.

 

Verdict:

Not for me, I THINK, but I might have to use it again to determine it for sure. I hate to give up on it after one try.

 

At this rate I'll go through all the perfume in the imps just to make up my mind!

[TheDarkMother]

I got this one as a swap from da Minx. It wasn't even on my "got to get now" list, so let's see if this is a keeper.

 

In the Bottle: I actually smell the florals first and in the background a light cedar quality. That's totally backwards from what everyone else has said. Weird.

 

On Me: Now the cedar is really out, but the tea roses are still more prevalent. Now here comes the lilac to help win the day, but continues to play peek-a-boo with the wood notes, much like someone opening and shutting a huge wooden door to a room of flowers. It wafts in on the breeze along with the smell of the door.

 

There is a slight smoky quality, more like swirling, dancing smoke, such burning cedar chips and leaving the embers to smolder. For some strange reason I am thinking of Madam Trelauney in the tower for Divinations class. The smell of burning incense, rosehips from the teas, the cedar and teak from the boxes that hold crystal balls, and the wands and tables. The slight floral scent from her incense and purfume. All of that comes through beautifully, and seems to really be staying with me. As one scent fades slightly, another takes its place, only to be rejoined later on. Like a type of dance.

 

I'm definately keeping this one!

[heartbeast]

I'm really lucking out with this latest shipment; it's full of scents--some chosen by me, some freebies--that are "chords". And I really think--although I love straight florals, straight "orientals", green scents and aquatic scents as well--that my very favorite scents are very complex chords, with lots of notes, not-too-sweet floral or fruit notes up top, and something deep and rich anchoring them at the bottom. Could be woods, could be spice, could be musk. Juliet, Viola, Wanda and Red Queen all smell that way on me--and here comes another one.

 

The lilac and rose are nice and whispy on top, and the wood notes are so rich and yummy at the bottom! I think the osmanthus is the "bug spray" element that doesn't agree with me in Queen Mab, but here the other notes smooth out that harshness and just leave it as a touch of piquancy. Sadly, though, this one has very little staying power as compared to the other "chord" scents I've fallen in love with. I'll thoroughly enjoy my imp, though, and maybe try it out for a little communion with folk on the other side, as I do a fair amount of that.

[Faerykin]

Ouija

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): I must admit that this is a unique scent that I cannot say I have ever smelled before. At first I could have sworn I smelled smoke, then it transformed into an old wood scent – like walking through an ancient forest, then I swear the scent of chocolate came whisking by (very short-lived), then it mellowed into a soft, powdery, rose scent. Unique indeed.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): This maintains it’s soft, powdery/incense, rose manifestation. It sweetens a little from the wet stage. It is still quite a unique scent – like none I have ever experienced. Hmm … roses in an old library?

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): Okay, the roses have mixed with the lilac to create a very nice bouquet – but it is the scent of dried flowers. There is so much more to this scent than what I can describe – it is truly complex. A dusty old library filled with dusty old books – and vases of dried flowers placed here and there to give the illusion of freshness. Incense wafting through the room … and shadows dancing in the candlelight.

 

Wow – Beth has outdone herself here. I can totally envision a séance or spirit contact taking place in the image this scent conjures forth in my head.

 

This is a scent for the long nights between Samhain and Yule – when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. A scent for ghost-hunting at haunted places, for walking through moonlit cemeteries, for communicating with those who have passed over.

 

The morphing continues throughout the day; little whiffs of old wood, then a whiff of dry flowers, a whiff of incense and a whiff of something else … finally settling on a powdery darkness, and it lasted all day (still with me as I get ready to leave for home). A definite mystery scent – ethereal is right.

 

This is the third scent I borrowed from my friend, Kim (she’s such a sweetie). Though I like it – and am so glad I had the opportunity to try it - I won’t be ordering an imp of my own, as I can’t see myself wearing it that often.

[Surreal]

I was really excited to try this as I had been looking forward to it for quite a bit.

 

First Impression: I can smell the warmth of the woods and a hint of the flowers.

 

Drydown: The woods are taking a backseat to the flowers. I can definitely smell the lilac and roses. And it's not as if the woods' scents are gone; they seem to give a very subtle foundation.

 

All in all, this is a lovely scent and it is one of my keepers.

[Azrhiaz]

In the bottle: a very dry rose indeed; definite lilac, slight dusty quality that I always associate with lilac. Moderately cool and mysterious, and very Victorian.

 

Wet: rose comes out, but not overly so; my skin loves rose (not that I mind, as I love it back), but this is probably the most restrained rose I've ever smelled. It minds its manners--a Victorian lady? Something sharp and green, too-- not light, cool green, but more of the green of crushed rose leaves. Perhaps the osmanthus? Not sure, am unfamiliar with osmanthus.

 

15 minutes: a bit of rosewood coming out now, and a nice spiciness.

 

Drydown: more rosewood, and I love woody scents. Very nice.

 

Verdict: this is a very pleasant, not-too-frilly floral. I'd wear this as a work fragrance. It seems to be lasting moderately well, currently at four hours, although it's beginning to fade. I do wish it was stronger and had more throw, however. I tend to like stronger scents.

[Neko]

Wet: This is predominantly floral, with the various wood notes hiding in the background. I can smell both of the roses, and strangely enough lily (that might be the osmanthus). The lilac doesn't really make itself apparent to me, which is fairly unusual (my skin chemistry loves lilacs). This definitely becomes a pale, cool floral scent on me, with only a breath of wood weaving its way through the blend. This stage reminds me of Kostnice. I can imagine sitting in a bright drawing room, the windows wide open, and a cool breeze blowing in the scent of the garden outside.

 

Dry (15 min): Within ten mintues the first rush of florals has faded and the scent of wood begins to emerge. The once fresh flowers become powdery, and a very mild floral-spicy scent emerges. I am reminded more of a lady's perfumed powder then true flowers at this point. I can imagine the same room, thick curtains drawn over closed windows, the traditional heavy wooden furniture looking a bit more imposing under the dimmed lights. Women are gathered, the scent of their powdered skin filling the now close and crowded room.

 

Dry (30 min): The wood notes are fading and fast. If I really try, I can still pick them out, but at this point they are almost blended beyond distinction.

 

Dry (1hr 30min): Dry, powdery florals tempered slightly by something that once was wood (I can no longer distinguish the wood notes with any certainty). This scent had become incredibly light, and it alternates between mildly spicy and mildy fresh (I keep smelling a green note peeking through). I can see the exhausted individuals returning for their seance, riding home in chilly carriage.

[NoirRosaleen]

This was one of the few rose blends I*ve tried that I didn*t mind too much. The other flowers in the blend really softened this up for me, and made it not nearly as "sharp" as most rose scents I*ve tried (I think that might be the "powdery" sensation on me). It still wasn*t screaming my name, though, so off it went.

 

Man, I*m horrible at reviews...*laughs* I wish I could pick out different notes for you, but my nose just isn*t that picky.

[Reinaluna]

Ouija is a very pretty different Rose scent to me. I get mostly the tea rose scent on my skin. It is very nice and pure, no bottle for me but im keeping the imp.

[sarada]

Ouija is one of those ones that I bought a full bottle of without ever smelling it, just based on the description! The idea of teak and lilac together seemed quite wonderful, although straight florals are often a little too much for me.

 

In the bottle, my main impression was a dusty, powdery lilac -- perhaps a nice after-bath powder. The woody bite of teak is a whisper in the background, but if I concentrate on it, I smell it more and more. I want it to be woodier, but I really enjoy the cloud of lilac.

 

The floral notes come and go as this dries down -- the initial bath powder smell becomes a more fragrant lilac-rose mix, but a very white smell, like Easter flowers. I do not get any smokiness from this -- just the teak peeking through.

 

The sharp woodiness is gradually replaced by the flowery wisps of fragrance, but they do last for some time. I just reapply things often and generously because I love that first rush of scent so much. It recalls flowers pressed in dusty old books and faded funeral bouquets -- this scent does inspire some very poetic imagery! It will be perfect for spring, I think -- I just couldn't wait that long to try it! I wear this when I am wearing clothing with a lot of lavender color in it.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab!

 

First sniff:

 

Wow, that's really unusual. I get some sort of spicy smelling varnished wood from this on first sniff. My best guess is that it's the rosewood I'm smelling here. I don't get any florals apart from maybe the barest hint of tea rose. This smells more like a freshly dusted Victorian parlor than it does flowers, which is surprising to me.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Wood of some sort...it smells almst like redwood. Maybe it's the oak...I'm not really sure. It doesn't smell like a tree, more like varnished furniture. There's also the faintest hint of floral notes starting to peek out. This actually reminds me very strongly of the Victorian mansion where we're having our wedding reception. I was expecting something more floral out of this, but I'm getting wood furniture most strongly, which is fine by me.

 

Dry down:

 

Now the flowers are coming out. I get a hint of lilac and a lot of rose. It's not an unpleasant, headache-inducing floral, but I'm not sure if it's me or not. I may have to give this one another couple tries before I decide for sure.

 

The bottom line:

 

This definitely captures the spirit of the Victorian era, no doubt about it. I'm not sure yet if Ouija is for me or not, though. I'm going to have to give it another couple tries before I decide, I think.

[inkstone]

In the imp: Woody mixed in with some florals. It reminds me of a Victorian old lady. We'll have to see how this goes.

 

Wet: Smoky, oiled wood. Interesting.

 

Drydown: Ah, there are the roses. The rosewood retreats to the back to form the base, with the roses mingling with the lilac. It's very pretty and sweet in this stage.

 

Final thoughts: Unfortunately, despite how pretty the lilac and rose combo is, the tea rose starts to go to powder and it becomes this weird mix of rosewood, powdered tea rose & lilac. Off to swaps, for this one.

[tinyvulture]

I didn't get any of the wood or smoke other reviews alluded to. On my skin this smelled strongly of dried flowers, particularly lilacs. Very "Victorian" - flowery and restrained. But it also smells kind of...ominous, or haunted? It's not just sweet and nice, there's something else there. I didn't immediately go wild for it, but I do like it and find it interesting. This imp will probably be used up very quickly as I keep reapplying it and sniffing it to try and figure out this complex scent.

[requieminblack]

Wow, the description of this one decribes it perfectly. It smells just like antique furniture!

 

First sniff out of the bottle- Wood! Smells vetiver to me. Maybe that is teak I am smelling...

 

After 10 minutes- I have now been transpoted to an antique shop filled with lots of old wood furniture and random 100 year old bric a brac. The wood is polished and clean but the mustyness still comes through.

 

After an hour- the wood smells have faded and the rose and lilac have taken over. It is still an old and musty scent but now it smells soapy.... like a Victorian bathroom.

 

Summery- I really like Ouija because it captures the scent of antiques perfectly. I can't however see myself wearing this on my body. It would make a better room spray or candle scent.

[Witch's Dagger]

Ouija

 

Preconceived notions: Victorian, woody...

 

In the vial: This is a very green scent. I’m detecting some rose, but it’s a green rose. Very green.

 

On me: Ah, cedar. This is a very nice cedar, near my skin, but around me, all I smell is rose. The rose wafts, and the cedar stays by my skin. Now, even my wrist smells like rose. Ah, one of those. There have been a few scents that have gone entirely rose on me, and it seems this might be one of them. I could be wrong though - I’ll give it some more time.

 

In a few minutes: Well, the rose is still what I’m smelling, but it is as more complex rose. I get furniture polish and lemon - a nice good lemon, mixed with the rose. Unfortunately, I don’t think this rose goes with this lemon. They seem to be fighting, and the furniture polish (again, *not* lemon pledge) isn’t helping.

 

In 15 minutes: Well, luckily, the furniture polish has turned back into cedar, but the cedar/lemon/rose combination still isn’t working for me. It’s too sharp. And, as happened in Spellbound, their sharpnesses are enhancing each other, making it the epitome of sharpness. I’ve found this to be true with rose and my skin in general - if something is there to make it go very shallow and sharp, it will. I can tell that this would be a very intriguing and complex scent if the notes weren’t constantly trying to prove to each other which was the sharpest. As it is, I think it’s going to give me a headache. However, I’ll give it a bit more time. . .

 

Later: Yes, it’s calming down, and the rose is sticking to wafting only. My wrists are a lovely combination of cedar and lemon - and now, the cedar is a deep, warm, and somewhat spicy scent, instead of just sharpness. I’m still getting a slight furniture polish scent, but now it’s more dignified. Still, this doesn’t seem to be me. I can’t really think of an occasion on which I’d wear it.

 

Overall: Interesting, but not really for wearing. Or scenting a room/bath/etc. I think I’ll be swapping this one.

 

After reading the description: Why in the world do I get lemon?

[gdogs]

this was a generous gift from the lab - thank you!

 

wow. hard hitting florals at first, and i can't identify the notes. then i get roses, roses, and something woody. i wonder what it is until i check the description.

 

duh! rosewood.

 

 

after a while, it dries down to just roses, and stays that way. its nice, i'm just not fond of rose scents on me. i'll be sending this on to someone who can give it more love than i can.

[dreadeddragon]

I like a nice floral scent to wear every so often. Ouija is a lovely combination of different scented roses.

 

Wet it smells of a fresh boquet of roses, of different types/colors. There's a hint of the rosewood & teak, but not much.

 

After drydown it really turned into a beautiful blend on me. It wasn't overpowering rose, but it was definitely a rose scent. The name & description are perfect, I get an image of Victorian women gathering round for a seance or reading cards. I'll be keeping this one for my occasional floral.