Ouija

[Little Bird]

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.

Ouija is a very unique scent. It reminds me of being in my grandmother's attic. Old furniture and cloth, all covered with a thin layer of dust. The rose comes out after about 15 minutes, but those also smell dried and dusty. A bit powdery.

Ouija is a lovely mixture of old wood, dried roses, dust, and powder. I'm not sure if I'll wear this a lot, but it intrigues me enough that I'll keep the imp around.

[Wrenlet]

Bottle: Roses. Light but definitely roses.

 

On me wet: watery roses. Dust and watery roses.

 

Dry: Dust, water, roses, and a headache

 

This was a frimp from the lab, and probably not one I would have ordered due to my history with various florals. But Paris was a frimp, too, and I was so pleasantly surprised by it! Alas.

 

Me + roses = badness.

[urraca]

This is so lovely and it evokes the mood it is trying to create beautifully. The woods come forth first and I have the impression of an old Victorian library, full of esoteric old books. As the scent develops, the rose blooms. I think if I had to pick one single note, Beth's white rose would be my favourite of all.

 

The scent is quite subtle, and doesn't last that long on me so I'll play with it a little bit more before I decide whether I want a big bottle.

[Phaedra]

This is an unusual blend- it smells sweet and floral but also mossy and green. There's a pinch of spice in the background. It's also wet, wispy, and humid. This is similar to R'yleh but not as dark. This dries down to a soft rose. This scent is very light and fades about about 3 or 4 hours. Very interesting but I ended up swapping it.

[Miyabi]

In the imp: Sweet-scented wood.

 

Wet on skin: still sweet, but the woody notes are coming out. Where's the lilac?

 

Drydown: Meh. Nice, but not me.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Rosy.

 

In the imp: Rose and oak. Strong and very dry. This brings to mind the actual board part of a Ouija board.

 

On skin, wet: Already my skin is amping up the rose. A dry, dusty rose with a faint oak note in the background. Fitting, but not a good sign.

 

On skin, dry: I wish my skin could play nicely with rose. This is all rose now, dusty and faded.

 

Conclusion: If I liked roses, this would be grand -- an almost antique rose, yellowed and old -- but as I don't, it isn't.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[quikslvr]

Soft rose pops first--might be the rosewood. So wispy at first as to be a bit astringent. Strongly floral, but very neat--soft, even. Sweet, as well. Unfortunately, since my skin likes to amp rose, that's overpowering this blend for me. It's all rose and sweetness, and reminds me of a more mainstream commercial perfume I'm forgetting the name of. I like it, surprisingly (as one who doesn't generally like florals), but I don't think I'll be getting more.

[lookingglass]

This is so utterly, hauntingly beautiful. Sweet, slightly fruity (osmanthus flowers smell like apricot and honeysuckle to me), delicately transparent floral wet, it dries out with dusty woods unlike any other. It lives up to its name and description perfectly. It is a cool draft of a scent on me, without being "cold" or aquatic, like the Ghost is... I anticipate wearing this often, and I think it would do well in any season when I don't want something very overstated yet very special and ethereal.

 

Edited to add: I have never smelled a white rose perfume so perfect...I must get a big bottle.

Edited June 3, 2008 by lookingglass

[aedes]

Seance is probably my favorite scent, so I just had to give her sister Ouija a try. What I got was a teeny tiny sliver of rosewood, maybe a single rose petal, and a slight dusting of soap. So very faint! My nose has to be practically touching my wrist to be able to smell it. I think my skin is in a perfume-drinking mood lately, though, so I might give it a try in a week or two.

[Musamea]

Not a scent that would usually catch my eye, but I received a frimp of Ouija recently and decided to give it a shot.

 

In the bottle: Lovely! Fresh and clean, polished teak with a hint of green sweetness.

Wet: becomes very dark, with a cigarette-smoke scent prominent - ick

Drydown: the smoke fades back a bit, I'm getting a sweet, florally incense that's alternatively soapy and powder

Dry: Sweet floral, with rich wood swirling in the background. The stale smoke scent still pops up occasionally.

Overall: The smoke was so strong when I first dabbed this on that I only applied a small amount and this oil doesn't seem to have much lasting power. I do like the haunting floral-wood touch in this, but the smokey undertone kills it for me.

[theseagrows]

this one is kind of confusing to me. when i first put it on i smell a sharp but sweet floral scent with a bit of rose in the background, then it fades a bit and balances out between the sweet/sharp scent and the rose. it disappears a bit quickly on me, and at the end smells faintly of tea rose.

[herdivineshadow]

This is a very light airy rose scent on me with a very sweet note. It's not bad, but it's a bit too rosey for me.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: this is very faint. i think i get a hint of rose and wood, but that's about all.

on: very, very soft and dusty. woods and flowers. very pretty and subdued.

1 hour later: there's a bit of floral sweetness creeping out now. the woods are still there, but aren't as pronounced.

1.5 hours later: a soft and pretty rose with some woods underneath. dusty and light.

overall: this is a very light and pretty sense, but not something i would wear often.

[Nachtwulf]

Bottle: Woody yet floral... it -does- rather say 'Victoriana' to me... that smell of wood paneling and elegant potpourri.

 

On: ....Roses. That's pretty much /all/ I get from Ouija is roses. However, let me qualify that, as generally, rose goes kind of sour-ish like rancid potpourri on me. This -doesn't- go funny. I think there's some of the wood-note underpinnings that prevent it from doing so... I can't actually pick them out, underneath the roses, but it makes for a very genteel, pleasant sort of rose scent. I think I should come back to it in a couple of days though, after an 'all-work-day' test.

[wichapi]

Sweet with a tangy bit of ozone, rosewood definitely, something someone else described as smoke - but to my nose seems to be more of a moistened dust. I really like it, then I just like it, and then quickly don’t – all in a matter of split seconds. Are the notes that separate and rapid in succession? At the end, something seems to hook onto the back undersides of my tongue; an odd constriction sensation. Most intriguing, but not enough to include in the bottle stash.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Teak wood and lilac, with dried and dusty roses. It almost reminds me of a salad dressing one of the managers at my work loves.

On me: Definitely rosewood. The florals are faint but present, like a bouquet in a vase in a large room full of dark wooden furniture, which is quite sturdy, thick and richly carved.

After it's dried down, the scent makes me think of my mother's office, which houses somewhere between six and eight guitars. Whenever she opens one of the leather cases and pulls out an instrument, this fragrance wafts out and fills the room!

[terrierhead]

My impression: in the vial, it smells like pickle relish. On my skin, it smells like your grandma’s attic, if she opened a jar of pickle relish and flung it about with wild abandon. About an hour later, the pickle relish has faded out. Now, it smells like dried roses and warm, wooden furniture. I’m not willing to hang out for an hour smelling like pickle relish each time I’d want to wear this. Ah well. Off it goes!

 

ETA: This was taken from an earlier review I did on another site. My former imp is now in the hands of a happy new owner.

Edited December 14, 2005 by terrierhead

[empi girl]

On me, this turns into a spicy floral with a deeper woody note in it. It stays spicy floral for a long time, then becomes spicy flowers with honey powder dusting them. It's nice. I like it. I don't think I'll need more than an imp though.

[AngellicMystique]

Ouija is sharp woods with flowers and, I think, incense. Definitely makes me think of a parlor full of expensive wood furniture and huge bouquets, with a waft of incense and a table set for séance.

[Muppetk]

When wet, I thought this might be a new love. It's first pure rose, then a lovely rose/powder/deep-interesting/incense? blend. But about 10-15min later, it goes somewhat generic perfume on me. Usually that only happens from jasmine, and it usually goes alot worse on me in jasmine blends. Rosewood often doesn't work on me either, so I'm guessing that's the culprit.

 

It's too bad. This is ALMOST gorgeous. Maybe I'll try it in my hair at some point or as a room scent. Mmm, as a room scent! That might be the ticket, 'cause it's truly truly lovely when wet.

[Imptress]

This is another one I had to wear twice before I was ready to review it.

 

I really do like this-- the rosewood keeps the two other roses from amping up too much, and every now and then at the beginning of drydown I'd get a whiff of the lilac... so sad and old-fashioned at the same time (dunno why I associate lilac with sad-- just one of those things I guess!). I never picked up on the osmanthus either time I wore it and was disappointed, as it's one of my favorite scents. This settled down to warm, soft rosewood on my skin. Not a lot of staying power, but a really nice combination of florals and wood. I'm going to save enough of my imp for warmer weather to see if it will develop differently (and maybe I'll get to smell that elusive osmanthus!).

[vyola]

I adore lilac and rose so I was hoping for great things from Ouija. My only disappointment is that it isn't as "big" a scent on me as I'd like -- the throw wasn't nearly as all-enveloping as Tintagel.

 

This is a sophisticated, grown-up fragrance to both of Mom and me, sexy and mature, with a lot of facets. The lilac came up first, very sweet and heady. It began to mellow out and got a little powdery -- the white rose? -- but it isn't baby powder or old lady rose. It's more Myrna Loy in a backless dress, sitting at a vanity, whisking a puff over her shoulders before slinking off to a nightclub. Mmmmm, come sit by me.

 

After a while, the wood warmed up and the oak came through, then the roses made a comeback. Lilac drifted up again, mixing with the wood.

 

About this time, I decided to put on a little more. Right then, my father came up and I had him take a sniff of my wrist. "Oh, no!" he said as soon as he did. Uh-oh. But then I had him sniff Mom, who had not put on any more and he liked that. So this is definitely not a fragrance to waft by him until it's calmed down a bit.

 

Ouija didn't last through the night on me; there was the barest whiff around me in the morning. I'm going to have to layer it and refresh it when I use it but I don't mind -- this was another mood-elevating experience. I got very chatty and self-satisfied breathing it in.

[Scarlettfish]

This scent is so distinctly Victorian. It smells like roses and lilac and old books and a stately Victorian parlour. But it's not boring at all - it's a very multi-layered scent, with wood notes to ground the florals. The rosewood comes out strong in the dry-down, which is lovely and adds a certain resonance to the rose top note. This is very pretty, and a lovely addition to my ever-growing collection of BPAL rose scents.

[AlaskaSnows]

This was a lab frimp. Thank you!

 

Wet: Rosewood.

 

Dry: Dusty rosewood and air, and the HINT of floral way behind it. It's like smelling a room with nice antiques and a rose in a vase. Has little/no throw for me.

[PurringPulsar]

Ouija

 

In the imp: sweetish woods and roses with lilac.

Wet on skin: ooh, not bad! Sweet dewy woody, rosy and lilac notes, it’s very pleasant.

Dry: I like this a lot! First thing I smell is rosewood, with perhaps some dry oak in the background. I also get some gorgeous rose in here which strengthens as the scent dries even more. And then there’s the lilac, which is really lovely and stronger than I expected. There’s a nice contrast of moist, dewy floral notes and dry, dusty wood notes is very nice.

After a while: after just 10 mins, I get this wonderful juicy floral scent bubbling up from underneath the rosewood-is this osmanthus? I don’t know but it’s lovely…it may be that, along with lilac and a delightfully crisp rose. It’s a full, fresh and dewy floral note resting on a solid and dry woody base. This reminds me of Ephemera but it’s less dusty and old smelling, though this does have a feel of age and Victorian nostalgia about it.

The drydown after an hour is a bit more cologne-ey. I don’t mind, but now it smells a little bit woodier and fresher, and slightly more unisex than before. There’s a darker woody note coming through that could be teak.

Verdict: this one is surprisingly nice. It’s a lovely contrasting mix of rich, fragrant floral notes and dry, grounding woods. The lilac, osmanthus and rose notes are full and heady yet also dewy and fresh in scent, and these aromatic blooms rest on a nice solid base (or a wooden Ouija board?) of fragrant, slightly dusty woods-rosewood being most prominent and mixing with the rose notes nicely. It’s a haunting and evocative scent, it doesn’t smell old fashioned and stuffy, but does have a feel of something nostalgic and traditional about it-it seems to me a very Victorian scent, along the same lines as Ephemera. The drydown is a bit like a fresh, unisex cologne scent. I’m not sure if I’m up for a bottle of this yet, but I’m keeping the imp as I’m quite fond of this scent.