The Season of Ghosts

[Rouge]

A scent created to burn away sorrow: bergamot, frankincense, rose geranium, ginger, lemongrass, and blood orange.

In the vial - My first impression is, very sadly, that of bathroom cleaner. Lemongrass always does this to me. Underneath that harsh, bitter citrus note, though, there's a lovely rich bergamot trying to get out.

Wet on the skin - That's better! It's a mix of the sweet powderiness of frankincense and rose geranium with a tangy fruit note and the warmth of ginger.

Next stages - The lemongrass refuses to soften, but there's enough sweet fruit and resin to stop me washing it off.

Dry down - After an hour the blend has mellowed enough to let me appreciate its warmth and cheerfulnes. The ginger adds lovely depth to the fruit and flowers, but there's still that harsh lemongrass in the background.

Other notes - I think this is going to make a great room scent, but as a perfume the lemongrass is just too astringent.

If you like this, try - Rose Cross (for the frankincense and floral mix)

[yamiko]

This isn't something that I would normally wear... I'm not even sure why I grabbed this in the first place! But it isn't completely unpleasant. I can smell the lemongrass, bergamot, and geranium mostly. Very herbal and citrusy. It's a pretty uplifting scent overall, but not something I see myself really wearing regularly.

[countessmouse]

Based on the individual notes, this should have been a perfect scent for me -- but, alas, that is not to be. In the bottle and on my skin, I get the smell of crayons. I'm not dissing crayons, mind you, because I like the smell, but not for a perfume. More than two hours after application, I'm getting a hint of the bergamot; however, the throw is fading quickly.

 

Terribly disappointing.

[milica]

I hate it when all the good stuff is there, but it simply does not work for me. I love bergamot, frankincense, rose geranium, ginger, lemongrass, all of them. And instead burning away sorrow, this is making me sad. I get mostly bergamot and frankincense, and it is a pretty scent, but it really makes me uncomfortable, I don't know why. But I know that this is going to be really good on somebody else, it probably just needs another skin chemistry... sigh.

Edited November 3, 2012 by milica

[skyelyric]

this is the most bizarrely amazing scent on me, not because of how good it smells necessarily (I do love the scent on me though), but because it's half my childhood in a bottle. I can't pick out any individual notes, but this smells exactly like our little old condo in Florida. There's something very gentle and sweet, I do get a little of the citrusy feel, and the kind of sunscreen that didn't smell like coconut. I'm hording my couple of imps for when I want to smell home.

[absinthetics]

I wanted to review the 2015 version because my mother is Latvian and she told me all about the background of this, and how to say all the words =D I will say the main citrus note for me is the blood orange. It's lovely!

[Kerry]

In the bottle the orange jumps out to me the most, then there's a little spice from the ginger, and something a little sugary.

 

On my skin it's still orangey and citrusy and stays quite sugary for a few hours, then when it dries down it turns a little smoky, possibly the frankincense.

This stays on the skin for ages! It's not exactly my favourite, but definitely a nice scent and I think could be worn for the Autumn and holiday season.

[radiantfracture]

I ordered this as a mood lifter, and I do find it cheerful.

 

In the bottle and on my skin, this smells like flavourful orange bitters -- the blood orange is ascendant, made more complex by the citrussy lemongrass and bergamot. At drydown, I get a little of the rose geranium's floral, gently blending with the citrus. Subtle and pleasing.

 

The only odd thing is that I get repeated moments of a smell like raw dough. It isn't unpleasant, but I'm not sure what it is.

[LizziesLuck]

2015

 

This contains ginger and lemongrass, a combo that I adore in tea, and so I had to try is despite the fact that citrus notes hardly ever work on me without something much heavier in the mix. Maybe the Frank will provide that....

 

 

Wet: We're off to a good start! Gorgeous lemongrass and hints of ginger and citrus. Really strong! I can detect the geranium a bit. Frank hasn't shown up to the party yet.

 

Dry: This dries down to almost a lemongrass single note, and then pretty well fades away. This may be due to wear I tested and my skin being a little dry. I need to test this against Phobos, which is also pretty much a lemongrass single note on me, as I can't see needing both in my collection.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

2015 version.

 

i don't use fabric softener on towels, or my handkerchiefs, or my husband's bandannas. (that softness takes away absorbency - that's why "hotel towels" seem so much nicer - they don't have that fabric softener residue, so they're super absorbent!)

 

i use a vinegar rinse. plain, usually, but whenever we have citrus fruits (satsumas or clementines, mostly, because that's what i like) i put the peels in a glass jar and add vinegar to the jar and let them soak for a few weeks.

then i strain liquid into another jar - to use in the laundry, and for cleaning - and because i wedged the jar so full of peels, i have to reach in and pull the gunky, slimy, semi-pickled citrus peels out.

 

and that almost pickled citrus vinegar-y rind smell really sticks to my hands. and here's a tiny little bottle just full of it.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Very citrusy and bright.

 

Wet on skin: This applies with a burst of bitter orange and the very quickly there is something sharp and herbal poking up through it. It's loud and sharp, mostly ginger -- and fresh, eye watering ginger at that -- but with a little bit of green spice from the geranium.

 

Early dry down (5-10 minutes): In the early stages this a VERY strong on me. The bitter orange morphs into something more like lemon scented cleaner (pledge, dish soap, that variety) with a healthy kicker of ginger and a little geranium if I hold my nose right up close to my wrist and huff. I can almost detect some more subtle notes waiting to come out as this wears, but they're very faint and absolutely crushed by the citrus/ginger combination.

 

Late Dry Down (60 minutes+): For all the amping in the early stages, this almost disappeared rather quickly. I am left with faintly sweet frankincense. It's rather powdery and so subtle that it could be the skin-scent left behind by a scented soap or scrub.

[mymymai]

ITI: Oh, sharp lemongrass, dusky ginger, and blood orange rush to meet my nose, jolting me awake. Beneath these, the rose geranium begins to bloom, but not enough to tamp down the invigorating bouquet that emerges upon opening the imp.
Wet: I want to roll around and bathe in this citrusy delight. The lemongrass is crisp, clean, and downright cheerful when paired with the blood orange (and a touch of rind). The ginger is minimized on my skin, which makes way for the bergamot and a touch of floral from the orange geranium. I might be able to make it through the PNW winter on the zest of this scent alone.
Dry: I'm a little disappointing in the dry down, honestly. I was still looking for that uplifting, pungent citrus, but instead I'm left with a soft, contemplative blend of rose geranium, sweet frankincense bergamot and a faint impression of what used to be blood orange.

[skyelyric]

Putting up a new review since I just got the 2015 version, and I'm comparing the two. Both are equally light, but the 2015 doesn't have the mellow, almost dusty vibe of the original, instead it's got a much clearer, sharper citrus from the lemongrass and blood orange.

[tealeaves]

In the bottle: a bright, spicy citrus, sweetened somehow. I get a lot of lemongrass, maybe a little blood orange, and ginger, but it's a candied ginger, not a fresh one. It reminds me of spiced gingerbread cookies a little bit, or Constant Comment tea - that strong, citrus-y, spicy blend.

 

Wet on skin: citrus punch! The lemongrass takes over, and strongly, with a hint of fresh spice from the ginger and maybe some bergamot in the mix. No frankincense or rose geranium, really, nor do they temper the citrus.

 

As it dries down, the sweetness returns, with a foodie-like lean, reminiscent of lemon cookies and sugared ginger. Just the tiniest touch of smoke from the frankincense and a slight hint of lemon zest-like bitterness. I'm not sure about this scent burning away sorrow, unless its just using its brightness. The dramatic transformation is odd, and I'm not loving either of its iterations. However, it is oddly comforting, and while the scent is too food-y for wear, for me, I could see it as a good room scent in the winter. It reminds me of curling up with a hot cup of ginger tea and some fresh-baked spiced cookies.

Edited May 19, 2018 by tealeaves

[Pyretta]

I got a decant last year and I know I didn't love it, but I'd forgotten what it smelled like.

 

Bottle: A lovely balance between citrus and rose. It definitely fits the theme - it's very cheery.

 

Wet: Oh no... it instantly morphs into that nose-tickling cleaning supply scent. It's overwhelming citrus and lemongrass now.

 

Dry: Thankfully after around 10 minutes the cleaning-chemical scent fades. I'm not really sure where to place this blend of notes. I think it's mostly frankincense and ginger, with a little bit of citrus mixed in? I tested it on one wrist about 20 minutes before testing on the other wrist, and the fresher one is much nicer. It's much closer to what I expected from looking at the scent description, whereas the one I've had on for a while has started to go a bit funky. I'm guessing that's the ginger.

 

Verdict: I'll keep my decant. The early dry stage is actually pretty nice, definitely a cheerful smell. I'm just happy it morphed past that awful cleaning supply stage at the beginning!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

As it happens, I had just been discussing oil diffusers with a friend who is into natural healing...she keeps a wellness/immunity-support blend of essential oils diffusing in her office in cold/flu season. She mentioned that her recipe contains orange peel and geranium, as well as other citrus notes like lemongrass. So my first thought, on sniffing Season of Ghosts, was that I need to put in in a diffuser--it smells like exactly what she described, and sure enough, similar notes! I don't like it as a perfume on me; it's sharp and the orange is bitter rather than sweet. However, it definitely "opens" my sinuses and I think would be great for a room scent in winter.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: About equal parts bright, juicy, mouth-watering citrus (primarily blood orange, I think?) and a big ol' snootful of ginger. There might be some frankincense way down at the base, giving the whole scent some traction, but it's hard to tell under the one-two combo punch of citrus-ginger. Definitely a get-up-and-go scent!

 

Wet: The citrus softens down and blooms almost immediately, but it stays pretty close to the skin, where it's pretty much a blood orange/lemongrass/bergamot combo, with maybe some ginger or frankincense for complication's sake. (I almost want to say there's a brown or red musk in there?) But from afar...wow. Just, wow. It's one of those scents that's so well-blended it's impossible to pick out any individual notes, but it's a homey, comforting, bright, and strong scent - I would almost swear beeswax is involved somehow, since it has a similar warm, almost smoky feel to The Lights of Men's Lives or Alma Venus. I think ginger might be a main player? And frankincense? But if so, this is frankincense as I've never seen it before - it normally goes thin and sour on my skin, but this is downright lovely, warm, and well-rounded.

 

Dry: I still say there's beeswax or honey in here somewhere - it has that kind of mellow sweetness. There are occasional worrying whiffs of chemical-lemon-scented cleaning products from afar, but mostly it settles down into a comfortable citrus-ginger scent, with the rose geranium becoming more distinguishable over time, and maybe the frankincense still anchoring the whole thing. I definitely want to pair this with The Lights of Men's Lives. Interestingly enough, this is possibly the first time frankincense has worked on my skin without amber or some other resin to bolster it - normally it goes unpleasantly thin and sour (see above), but this warm, resinous sort of frisson must be what everyone else gets, and I love it!

[sunlitgarden]

In the decant: Wow! Lots of stuff! This makes me think of a yellowish-orange color. There are a lot of notes swirling around, but I can definitely smell the lemongrass, citrus (bergamot/blood orange), ginger, and roselike rose geranium. Not sure I specifically smell the frankincense. The ginger, lemongrass and citrus notes are making me think of some sort of yummy herbal tea blend or a sauce used in cooking.

On my skin: Still smelling edible/drinkable, zingy with the ginger. Still is making me think of some kind of herbal tea blend. It's indeed bright and invigorating and would probably make a good aromatherapy blend. I'm mainly getting the ginger, lemongrass and citrus. I've learned that in blends with rose geranium, I usually can smell it in the decant but not at all, or very little, on my skin. Which is too bad because I enjoy the note. I don't know that I smell the frankincense specifically here, but there is a sort of "glowing" resiny note to this, which I guess is it. This is a nice scent overall, but I keep wishing I had a nice hot cup of tea made out of it!

Dry: Okay, I'm getting more recognizable frankincense now. It's warm, glowy, and reminds me a little of violin bow rosin. I still smell a little of the other notes as well (including more rose geranium than before--maybe it's able to come out again once the citrus top notes leave). It's really nice at this stage. But overall this scent reminds me of tea so much that I want to drink it and it's actually kind of distracting/makes me hungry. O_o

Edited January 16, 2017 by sunlitgarden

[joopjoop]

This scent makes me smile. It smells like fruity tea - the kind I like to drink as a pick-me-up on cold winter mornings.

 

I've learned I amp bergamot and so the 'tea' aspect never really fades, and in fact grows stronger during the dry down. That's disappointing as I wish that the other notes - the lemongrass and ginger in particular - asserted themselves more.

 

Ultimately not for me. But lovely nonetheless. If you love bergamot scents, this one is for you.

[Lucchesa]

2015 version

These are some of my favorite notes, and I definitely want to burn away sorrow. Wet, despite all the warm citrus notes, this had a cool, astringent, almost minty feel, presumably from the lemongrass. The minty fresh sensation waned in drydown, and I got strong lemongrass and rose geranium and citrus. The notes never quite settled into the perfect citrus blend I am still searching for, and like almost all citrus BPAl it is not long-lasting on me, but I like it a lot and look forward to wearing it in the dead of winter, when I have a cold or am just depressed from not seeing the sun for so long. I think it will be more spectacular then.

 

ETA:  Wearing in December 2018, and although I applied right after a shower, it's still there after eight hours, which is really good wear length on me, so that may be improving with aging.  I really enjoy Season of Ghosts.  It is not a sweet citrus blend; in fact, it is primarily geranium on me, which is a leaf, not a flower (I'm sure rose geranium plants must bloom at some point, but I associate the smell with the foliage), and the dry herbal geranium blends beautifully with the lemongrass and frank.  Definitely a warming blend.  

Edited December 3, 2018 by Lucchesa

[doomsday_disco]

2015 version.

In the decant, I smell rose geranium and citrus.

On my skin, I get lots of citrus at first, followed by the rose geranium. The blood orange and lemongrass notes stand out the most to me, but I can also smell the bergamot if I go looking for it. It's not long before the rose geranium becomes the dominant note on me, with the ginger and frankincense joining in once the citrus notes calm down. After a day's worth of wear, it is mostly rose geranium and a soft frankincense on me with some ginger.

I am not normally a fan of florals plus resins, but rose geranium is more herbal to my nose, and I've been finding that note comforting lately. I think it also helps that the frankincense in this isn't a heavy variety.

I am so glad that I was able to try this, because of the notes involved, and because of the sentiment behind the scent. I do find it to be uplifting, and that's just what I need right now. I think I am going to have to grab more of this at some point in the future. Thank you to the lovely BPALista that made this decant for me.

[Casablanca]

2018

I've had a thing for geranium and citrus lately, so I had to check this out. 

 

Fresh on skin, I get a complex citrus that's well blended, yet still with some identifiable parts. Blood orange feels strongest on me, but not by much, because there's also plenty of geranium, ginger, and lemongrass. Like Doomsday Disco, I find bergamot if I look for it. I don't catch frankincense at this point.

 

Later, after drydown, I find a super mild frankincense. It's just the perfect base for the other notes.

 

This ginger is working on my skin (!). It's not shrieky at all. I've been drinking so much ginger tea lately as I recover from a stomach bug, and have come to love the scent even more, so I'm giddy to have it work in a perfume. 😼

 

I'm huffing this like it's oxygen on a high mountaintop. I'll try to stick to one bottle, but not sure I can resist a backup.

 

[theredkilt]

I get this high voltage of citrus notes, mainly lemongrass and blood orange, enveloped by the geranium, geranium leaves to be more specific. I smell no frank or ginger. It's a well rounded citrus herbal scent a tad sharp, but very wearable and finally frankincense shows up and acts more as a  fixative base.

[donkehpoo]

(2019 version.)

 

Wet: Citrus! Lemongrass, blood orange, and bergamot are mingling (with blood orange being the strongest, currently). Definitely understand the "lemon cleaner" scent that some people have mentioned previously; it's borderline cleaner-smelling on me.

 

Dry: Ginger! Ginger, and a light citrus scent are left. Light, fresh, and clean(without going the cleaner route).

 

It's nice, but nothing I'll need a big bottle of.

[tinyvulture]

At first, a slightly soapy floral and frankincense blend. The lemongrass and bergamot might be giving it the soapy vibe. It’s citrusy but in a subdued way, not very bright or sparkly. I’m not getting ANY ginger. Now, this IS a 15-year-old decant, but it’s really too subdued, not popping enough. Will frimp.