Ghoulish

[whisperstilled]

This season's Ridiculous Scent! Creepy like Creepy and as spooky as Spooky, this is the scent of a black cherry and coconut amaretto confection gently laced with saffron.

Wet: Almond sharpness here and back again, with alcohol making the whole thing even sharper and bringing out the cherry. This is a scent that packs some punch. Straight up the nose. I'm getting a tiny bit of coconut on my breaths out through my nose, but otherwise not much. Going to give this one time to sit and see how it morphs.

Dry: 2 minutes: Getting that softening effect and the cherry is beginning to smother the almond. 5 minutes: There is the cherry and the coconut! From a punch in the face alcoholic scent as it began, this has died down into a more demure foodie scent, but still quite pleasant. The opening almond and cherry are a little strong even from this almond/cherry lover, and it's died down into a pleasant enough scent to deserve another try and a full all-day test to see how it does. Edited August 4, 2017 by Whisperstilled

[carriesmom]

The most delicious cherry almond cookies! OMG! I love how it smells in the bottle. I don't get saffron or much coconut but the cherry and almond is so wonderful. I want to eat my wrist. A Definite keeper.

[astarinel]

Immediately applied, the first thing that hits me is cherrrrry. Wow, that's a sweet maraschino cherry, very candy and reminiscent of the cherry note in MB: Bloody Mary to me. The amaretto is definitely present behind the cherry, adding boozy almond. This smells like something I would happily drink. I fortunately am not getting saffron, as I'm not a fan of the note, and coconut, which is usually pretty strong on me, doesn't start to peek its head out until the drydown. The cherry and almond are really the stars of this show. A dark, delicious boozy cherry complemented by a sweet almond. This is along the lines of what I hoped last year's Suck It would be like, and I intend to test it more closely versus my cherry scents to see how it stacks up in death matches.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this is all cherry-almond. It smells like tart & super-sweet maraschino cherry syrup. I'm not normally a huge fan of cherry scents, but this has a gentle, sugar dusted quality to it that I'm kinda liking. As it dries down, I can smell a little touch of creamy, suntan-lotion-esque coconut underneath the sugared cherry. The cherry also takes on a fresh, breezy quality (reminding me of The Body Shop's Wild Cherry) and isn't so sickeningly sweet. I can't really pick out any of the saffron.

 

Ghoulish smells surprisingly beachy on me. It's like cherry popsicles and a hint of coconut lotion on a warm ocean breeze. I'm not getting the cookie impression that other reviewers have found. I think that Ghoulish is the only bpal cherry blend that I've ever actually liked. It doesn't go tart or overpoweringly candied and fruity on me. My only complaint is that this only lasts about an hour on my skin. Still, it's very pretty and might be a full bottle purchase.

[Ethaisa]

Maraschino cherry studded marzipan. A little boozy in the bottle, but it opens up on my skin and with drydown I get just a hint of that can't-really-quite -describe-it wonderfulness that is saffron. I'd feared this might be too sickly-sweet, but it has a good balance to it of fruit and nut and spice. I'm craving marzipan fruit now...

[brilliantcat]

I could cry, I love all the components in this, but somehow they just didn't work on me. It smelled deliciously syrupy cherry and amaretto in the vial but on me it went plasticky and sour. This is the first coconut note to go plastic on me (at least I think it's the coconut doing it). The saffron just smelled bitter to me. It was a mess of plastic, sour, and bitter notes. Oh Ghoulish, we should have a love to last the ages

[Poenari]

In the bottle and at first on my skin, this is overwhelmingly cherry-almond. In fact, sniffing it from the bottle made my nose twitch (not in a good way) but I know that you have to apply the scents to truly experience them. So at first on my skin, there was a strong maraschino cherry mingled with the almond, but I am surprised at how quickly it softens and fades to something wearable.

 

Then after drydown, all of a sudden there was this beautiful scent that is exactly like a cherry tobacco that my husband used to smoke in a pipe when I first met him! I know there are no tobacco notes listed, and no one else has mentioned this, but I swear it was the perfect cherry pipe tobacco scent. It stayed that way on my skin until the scent completely faded.

 

The overall scent is not long-lasting, and after the initial burst it doesn't have a strong throw, but it was beautiful while it lasted. I am definitely keeping my bottle.

[moon_lemming]

Ghoulish is spot-on in the imp! Well, I don't know what saffron smells like, but I do smell cherry juice, sweetened coconut (like a coconut candy bar) and amaretto.

 

On my skin the cherry fades almost immediately, and the amaretto fades as it dries. What's left behind is a foody coconut -- like pastry heaped with shredded coconut with a little kick of brightness which I assume is due to the saffron. It's not bad, but I liked it a lot better in the imp. I really enjoyed the cherry, which doesn't show up on my skin at all, and for a mostly-coconut scent I already have Tiki Princess.

[nenia]

at first very acrid-nose-burny cherry. fades to a cherry tootsie pop scent. it's less amaretto than I was hoping it would be. (amaretto sour's my favourite alc drink) it also has slight creamy undertone, maybe the coconut. the scent stays very close to the skin. i like this okay, dunno if it will ever be love though. might give it some aging time.

[edenssixthday]

Ghoulish - Oh, I love this! Sweet, syrupy cherry, sweet shredded coconut, and sweet, syrupy amaretto all blend together to make so much deliciousness I can hardly stand it. And unlike most foody scents, this one does not turn to dust, band-aid, plastic, or burnt plastic on my skin. Instead, once it dries down, it disappears. Completely. POOF! GONE!!! So instead, I will wear this in a scent locket and see if that works better, but I might find that everyone I encounter gnaws at my neck, because this smells way too good not to eat.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this smells exactly the way I expected, based on the notes: cool cherry and round almond with the barest hint of coconut. To my surprise, the almond DIDN'T morphs the scent to cherry plastic on my skin, as almond usually does. The cherry laces together with something a little sharper, staying sweet and real. The almond fades almost completely! In the end, this is a warm, sophisticated, cherry-tinged cream. Lovely.

[zagadka]

I'm sadly unsure of this one, it is a lot sweeter than I thought it was going to be. Though, from reading the description I'm not sure what I was expecting.

 

In the bottle it is cherry, cherry, cherry and then you're hit with a sharp sting of almond, and the smoothness of dark chocolate. If you keep sniffing, the coconut rounds it out and warms it up a bit. Overall, its sweet, sticky, syrupy but somehow doesn't smell like a simple candy. Its definitely more layered and complex. Strangely enough, I asked my BF what he smelled in the bottle and he said "Its really spicey!"...I got no spice...interesting!

 

On, you definitely still get the blast of cherry and sting of almond, but it is starting to fade and the coconut is coming to the forefront just a bit. But, its more of a creamy note. I also get some fresh floral notes in there. But what could it be??? Hmmm... At this point and about an hour in, it still has a really strong throw, like I am walking in a cherry-almond cloud!

 

Dry down- most of the cherry has gone, but if you move a certain way it seems to peek out. It is mostly a sweet, nutty, slightly alcoholic, boarderline gourmand scent. It reminds me of browned butter, very rich, caramely, warm with just a hint of earthy spice from the saffron. It has a pretty low throw, one of those scents that if you move quickly you can subtly smell yourself and just get a smile on your face.

 

 

Overall, I LIKE this scent but I don't know how much I can wear it. Scents like this seem to give me headaches really often. Too sharp and sweet, but I will wear it several more times before I can tell.

 

EDIT,EDIT.. Ok, now that it has gotten colder here, this scent is working much better for me. Its too heavy to wear on warm days, but when its cold its like wearing a nice sweater...cozy and warm.

Edited November 7, 2010 by ECLECTIC

[TriGirlJ]

In the bottle: sweet, boozy cherries

 

Wet: strongly cherry, sweet, and almond extract. Yum! I wish I could eat this one!!

 

Dry: Once it dries down, I get lots of the other lovely scents: coconut, almond, cherry, and maybe saffron. I'm not sure about the saffron as I really don't know what it smells like, but there is definitely something underneath all the sweetness that is interesting and lovely.

 

I was so excited about this scent, so I ordered a full bottle right away. It was not a mistake. I'm loving it. I love the sugars and sweetness and think I'm going to try layering it with other scents like Tiki Princess or Sugar Skull.

[fairestrocza]

Disclaimer: Saffron is the only listed note that usually behaves on me. I only bothered testing this because there was a drop left over in the pipette after I was done decanting.

 

In the Bottle: marzipan and cherry cordials

 

Wet on Skin: It is going a bit sharp, but the cherry and marzipan scents are staying true.

 

While Drying: I can pick up a bit of coconut on top of the marzipan.

 

After a Little While: The marzipan has turned into a slightly alcoholic amaretto. I can still pick up a touch of cherry in the elbows, but not elsewhere. The coconut is faint. The saffron is coming out to play now and I like the character it is adding to the scent. It is definitely a boozy amaretto now instead of a foody marzipan.

 

Later: For a while, it is pure amaretto, then it develops this weird, high-pitched thing which I think is the coconut misbehaving & interacting with the alcohol (the coconut in Elegba does something similar, but there I can handle it. Not so much, here).

 

Final Thoughts: I love the bottle scent. Most of these notes are iffy at best, so it isn't surprising that I'm not thrilled with the scent on my skin. If I wore jewelry more often, this might be a scent-locket contender, but as it is, I'll have to pass.

Ghoulish earns a 3.5, maybe even 4/5 in the bottle, but sadly only 2/5 on my skin.

[Schmoozy]

Hmm, for once a cherry and almond blend I can stomach. I wish the coconut were stronger, but it's actually not that bad.

[cherrycherry]

Sweet black cherries, candied and mouthwatering. The almond penetrates next but thankfully is gourmand rather than bitter. This reminds me of those little cherry bakewells you get, with the layer of jam between almond-sponge and pastry.

 

It makes me want to make a pot of tea and eat tiny cakes with my lady-friends, pretending to be ladylike as we exchange salacious gossip. May need a back-up bottle of this baby.

[Sabir]

Holy amaretto batman! This scent is very boozy on me, but I kind of like it. The bite of booze keeps it from being overly sweet. I don't get much cherry, but then to my nose I find I distinguish between fruity cherry scents and the marzipan/almond/amaretto type of cherry that some people describe. This scent is all about the latter.

 

All in all, fair throw and good lasting power. It's a little different than I thought it might be, but it's still yummy. I will be keeping this one around.

[CreamyJade]

In the decant: Booze and almonds, black cherry

Wet on skin: Booze still, almond extract (almost), black cherries. I think I might be getting drunk just by sniffing my arm.

Dry on skin: Sugared almond booze, black cherries, still, slight spice. I don't get any coconut or saffron per se, but I get more to this concoction than its amaretto and cherries top notes. Good throw!

Final thoughts: I'm not a foody, but I like to try foodies because I love baking desserts! But this is perfume and it suits me well enough, I still find that I smell "delicious" instead of smelling "sexy" or "beautiful". I'll try to layer it with a scent with musk.

Try if you like: 13 (March 2010, if I recall correctly), Gothabilly, the other silly Halloween scents

Edited October 19, 2010 by CreamyJade

[surlygurl]

Why did I get this? I do not like cherry. Still..... it's a Halloween scent.

 

Fresh on the skin, it's a cherry cordial. Not as bad as I expected. Even better, the cherry fades into oblivion and almond comes out - a sweet foody almond. I am liking this. Then comes a pastry-type smell. Maybe not pastry exactly, but definitely foody. There's an added sweetness, too. It sort of reminds me of Golletes, but fruitier and not as sour. Much more my speed.

[ami226]

This one is like boozy cough syrup on me. Wasn't really expecting anything different though since I just can't do cherry....

 

After a bit, the cough syrup cherry is nearly gone and I am getting a huuuuuge wave of amaretto. I want to say almonds or hazlenuts? Pure boozy nuts. Hee hee!

[ianastar]

I started off loving this, kind of a creamy almond scent.

 

The drydown started to smell more like maple syrup or something similar to me. It kind of remind me of Grog(?). I really didnt' get any of the cherry notes at all. Overall it's probably not something I would wear a whole lot of.

[milo]

Wet, this is delicious marzipan, with a definite alcohol flavour. Dry, very little marzipan anymore, sadly. It is now dusty nuts with a pastry cherry flavour. I loved the wet stage, but the nuts ruined it for me.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

This is pretty much what I expected.. cherry, almond, and coconut. It's not as boozy or rich as Suck It from last year's Weenies, but the cherry note seems to be the same. The amaretto is strong on the almond, rather than a confection I'm getting more of a pastry from this one.. like almond or marzipan cookies. The coconut isn't the tanning lotion kind, it's a nice natural coconut smell. The saffron is being its usual classy self - just adding a touch of shimmer - but really this is all about the cherry & amaretto.

 

It's a fantastic smell, but I'm not sure it's a wearable one for me.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle, maraschino cherries with an extra helping of almondy goodness. Mmm, amaretto. I can smell the coconut if I turn my head and squint. I wouldn't say the cherry is overwhelming -- as I said, I mainly get amaretto.

 

As it dries, the saffron comes out alongside what I think must be vanilla, and everything else disappears. What I'm left with smells exactly like Love's Philosophy.

 

This is a tasty scent and I definitely like it, but I already have Love's Philosophy and so I don't feel like I need this. Ghoulish will go to another lucky sniffer.

[steelgossamer]

Wet: Cherry lollipops and almond extract

Drydown: coconut and saffron come in and soften this up

Dry: barely there sweetness

 

It's like my skin just eats the scent . I got from POW cherry candy and almond to a nice blend on the drydown, then a slight toasted coconut and sweet stuff smell, to... almost nothing. It's really nice before it disappears, so I'll give it another go before giving up.