Haunted Houses

[Invidiana]

HAUNTED HOUSES
All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

We meet them at the door-way, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.

There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.

The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.

We have no title-deeds to house or lands;
Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.

The spirit-world around this world of sense
Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere
Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense
A vital breath of more ethereal air.

Our little lives are kept in equipoise
By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires.

These perturbations, this perpetual jar
Of earthly wants and aspirations high,
Come from the influence of an unseen star
An undiscovered planet in our sky.

And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud
Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light,
Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd
Into the realm of mystery and night,-

So from the world of spirits there descends
A bridge of light, connecting it with this,
O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Quiet, ineffective ghosts haunting the realm of mystery and night, stretching dusty hands back to homes and lifetimes unforgotten: pale gossamer musks swirling in thick, dense otherworldly vapours through cracks in dry wood and old, old stones.

I've always wanted a haunted house scent that could work as a perfume on me. There have been so many I tried in the past that would have been great as atmos, but just didn't like my skin for one reason or the other. I think I finally found the big exception in Haunted Houses. It's a scent that evokes the feeling of a ghostly, abandoned house without actually smelling musty or moldy but more ethereal and even feminine, in an unexpected way. In the beginning I got the wood first and I was gritting my teeth hoping this wouldn't die an untimely cedar death on my skin, but it ended up doing a complete turnaround to show off the pale musks instead. They have a lovely cool, crystalline feeling that evokes things like fleeting ghostlike visions and dust swirling in late-afternoon light. There still is subtle wood in the background, and a bit of a cool stone note; they round out the scent more than anything else, adding to the feeling of a house from a forgotten era. Come to think of it, this really reminds me of the actual haunted house in NYC that I went to visit a few years back. I can almost feel the invisible presence of a ghost.

[Lycanthrope]

Wet, this is planks and wood and creaky splintery floors.

 

As it's trying to dry down on my skin, it's vacillating between strong hits of cedar, wood shavings, and this odd scent I've smelled a thousand times before but can't identify but... what is that? I swear I've...

 

OH. LILY SAVON SOAP.

 

I'm getting a huge hit of lily of the valley, rising up with a touch of something... foggy, gassy, almost a touch gasoline-y. I'm a big time cedar amping fiend, and so for me this is a duality scent, both scents rolling and ebbing, waxing together, and on my skin unable to decide if it is going to sit still as a giant, stolid house like House of Night, or a haunting spirit. It mixes together into a little bit of a cacophony, unsettling, very potent.

 

It's musty white florals and predominantly strong lily (of the valley type), darkened and corrupted by dusty, smutty woods.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, well, yeah, I guess that's a haunted house!

[sharkdiver]

This is gorgeous- I can't decide which I like better, haunted houses or Phasmophobia -

 

At first sniff and wet on skin, the wood note to my nose almost has a patchouli like quality similar to that in Banshee Beat - there is also that pure white shimmery floral peeking through, which is just lovely! This is way less sharp then phasmophobia, so floral haters, do not worry! The wood and dust notes take center stage in this one, with that soft floral lingering perfume of an entity floating in the background. This is really evocative!

Edited October 7, 2013 by sharkdiver

[Dark Alice]

Light, ghostly...woody Patchouli! Clean pale musks..and some more woody patchouli! I know this review sounds lame...but that's what it does to my skin. It is such a pleasant scent. I can't wait to get a bottle.

[Ohyeathat]

This was a woody moss while wet. Made me think of New Orleans. I will have to cleanly test it on my own skin soon. My 11yo son wanted to see what it smelled like so I placed a small drop on his arm. His reaction? "Smells like old flowers." I agreed that mossy blended with flowers can smell that way. Which is appropriate for a Haunted house. The phantoms of floral arraignments in a long forgotten and haunted house.

[Zii]

Those pale musks are just drop dead (heh) beautiful. There has to be cedar in those woods, but there is something both green and floral and just perfect that complements the musks and wood. This scent is both perfect and completely unexpected.

 

Someone mentioed that the floral could be lily, and am starting to think they are right, but am very thankful it's not doing the lily thing and giving me a headache. This scent is really a winner and I must get a bottle right away.

[tziporra]

I amp patchouli.

 

Since I enjoy many patchouli scents, this isn't a bad thing - I've found I need to be more adventurous about my patch scents, and this was my "stretch" decant.

 

But this starts and finishes as single note black patchouli on me. Dark and earthy and chewy and not offensive. But I wanted those pale gossamer musks and other ghostly things, not just dirt where they were buried.

 

Not for me.

 

Tzi

[SophieCedar]

Don't take this the wrong way, but the drydown smells like a comforting grandmother or aunt right after they apply their Oil of Olay... Relieved they don't stink of cigarettes and bad breath. Mystified by these secret Lady Potions that make me feel like everything's gonna be ok and growing up should be something to look forward to. Then you finally hit puberty and its all sugar flowers and Love's Baby Soft...you remember that mysterious feminine scent but can't help being a total over-obvious gimme attention geek about perfume.. instead of a sophisticated THIS.

 

Anyways, yes, I thought this would be more spooky, but pleasantly surprised. I bet if I skip getting a bottle I'll regret it. It translates as white and warm matte gold colors and smells like a warm hug.

Edited October 20, 2013 by SophieCedar

[Redillon]

I was hoping it would be a little like my Decrepit House from Halloweens past but alas, it was not. It had a slight woody scent to it but turned musky/floral on my skin. I love a good musk but it wasn't the type of musk that made me crave it's mellow scent. It was pleasant enough but not bottle worthy.

 

The pale feel and scent was spot on by others who commented. It did have a creamy golden feel to it. Interesting.....

Edited October 25, 2013 by PuppetMistress

[puck_nc]

Origin: Decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I tend to do fairly well with pale musks. Woods are hit or miss. I tend not to appreciate earthy/stone scents, but there's a first time for everything.

 

In the Vial: Cedar. A whole lotta cedar.

 

Wet: Still cedar, but not as strong as in the bottle.

 

Drydown: This is a bit frustrating. Whatever it is that's toning down the cedar isn't really coming on strong enough to be identified. It's just kind of muddled on my skin.

 

Verdict: I'll test again to be sure, but this one isn't speaking to me.

[Poenari]

At first scent, the woods are immediately followed by musk. At drydown, there is a cologne scent, and then soap. Fades very fast. Bummer.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Lots of chalky musk. I’m guessing the wood and stone are combining to make the chalk. The musks give the feel of vetivert without being vetivert, if that makes sense. Wet: Still very chalky musk, but more nuanced on the skin. The stone is soft, but moire distinct. This is not ideal on my skin. The musks don’t agree with my natural scent. Dry: Fast fading to mixed musks.

[MCS4096]

Editing my original comments as I believe I didnt allow the scent to rest adequately after travel.

 

The musk that I can smell from the decant never really makes an appearance on my skin. When first applied I get the pale wood-like patchouli others describe. It's got a slightly musty aspect-- must be the "otherworldly vapors" haha

 

And then.... Lycanthrope is spot on-- it is exactly Lily Savon soap! The woodiness remains and keeps it grounded; it's never high-pitched as lily blends can sometimes become. The throw is very very low for me.

 

As it fades out it get that subtle B.O. tinge that woody blends sometimes do on me, blech

Edited November 5, 2013 by MCS4096

[zankoku_zen]

Lilies and patchouli. It does remind me a little to Lily Savon soap from Lush, but there's an almost 'dusty' quality to them.

[lookingglass]

Ooooh! Green, musky, light floral with an earthy, dusty drop off (earth? vertiver? patchouli? there's so little it's hard to say-very subtle...), all in one sniff. It's BRILLIANT, evocative, and beautiful-a light scent I can and will wear. It's not sharp, or soapy, or overly anything! I was hoping for a Halloween light musk, and this is it!

[Bookgroper]

Reading these reviews makes me think I must be crazy (or really, just that I haven't learned to pick out notes very well yet)

 

I mainly got what smelled like vetiver. Not in a bad way; a nice, polite, friendly vetiver that snuggled up to my skin, kind of like in Desmonema.

 

I need to do a full-slather test when my nose isn't tired from sniffing 15+ decants and see if I don't end up with a bottle.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Stone, woods, those pale musks, a hint of ozone from the vapours.

 

Wet: Cool, pale musks flowing over stone.

 

The dry-down: The dusty wood lurks under the pale musks. An interesting and ethereal scent. I do suspect that I might like this better in spring and summer.

[bheansidhe]

Reading these reviews makes me think I must be crazy (or really, just that I haven't learned to pick out notes very well yet)

 

I mainly got what smelled like vetiver. Not in a bad way; a nice, polite, friendly vetiver that snuggled up to my skin, kind of like in Desmonema.

 

You aren't crazy! When it's wet on my skin, I also get a big waft of vetiver -- but, as you say, it's not scary. I used to buy Vetivert soap from Hové Parfumeur in New Orleans - it was a soft, grassy, vegetal soap, and it made me think I really liked vetiver. Most of the Lab's vetiver notes end up too aggressive for my skin (which made me think I *didn't* like vetiver).

 

The vetiver-like note in Haunted Houses, though, is tempered by the "chilly mist" (really, like the cold vapours from a smoke machine), a sweet sandalwood-ish or oudh wood note, a hint of oakmoss, and a very light waft of cold white musk, like the ghost of lily-of-the-valley (though not floral). Also, it burns off quickly, and you're left with a really evocative melange of wet faint mist, dry old wood, and cold mossy stone that appears and disappears in fits and gusts.

 

This ends up being very similar to Christmas Eve in the Counting House on me, which I have and enjoy and need to use the bottle of, so I won't be keeping my Haunted Houses imp you know what, I'll keep them both *sigh*. But I'm glad I tried it, and I think it will round out someone's collection nicely.

Edited November 25, 2013 by bheansidhe

[theseagrows]

This starts off like a powdery-wood scent with resins mixed in, but nothing that I can singularly identify. After awhile it has a dustiness to it, like a musty, dusty old room that's been locked up for a century. Very evocative of a haunted house indeed. I think of a haunted Victorian parlor when I smell this! Very intriguing, but I can't really wear this, personally, so it's of to swaps.

[BlueberryPie]

ON ME: To start with, this smells almost exactly like a musty dungeon. I suppose I should stop being surprised now that Beth can create a smell that so perfect encapsulates “old, old stones”. My old highschool was basically a castle on top of a cliff, Harry Potter style, and we had a legitimate dungeon where we held art classes. This scent honestly reminds me of going down rough stairs hewn out of stone into the art classrooms. It's certainly atmospheric.

 

However, as it dries, this turns to....uh, oatmeal on me. A bowl of cold oatmeal. I’m not sure why it happens, but it is rather amusing. It’s not a BAD scent, per se -- definitely not as bad as Hungry Ghost Moon turned out on me, but it’s not exactly what I was looking for either.

 

SCORE: 3/10

[cherrycherry]

Ooooh, this is a spooky one. How could old wood and old stone smell this good? It's like a ghost story in a bottle, giving all the chills it should give. This is a crumbling old castle, filled with white ladies and spectres and is so evocative of those mental images I can barely put it into words. HOW does Beth do this? Wearing this, even just a drop or two, makes me feel so... stirred. It's an eerie, dark, wet scent. It's not an everyday joy-giver like many of my GC favourites but I adore it all the same. Wonderful.

[Atrous]

In the decant: More of a feeling than a scent. It feels cold.

 

Wet Stage: Light musk, moldering wood and stone.

 

Dry Stage: I would say this qualifies as one of those White Noise fragrances. It's evocative of a cool, dark, abandoned building. It has a vaporous ethereal quality to it which does make this a haunting scent. Been waiting for a scent like this. I love, love, love!

[Roogna]

very pale and faint....and what I do get is biting, acrid, and yellow

if I sniff really hard (as it fades a lot on my skin), it reminds me my grandparents house - a mix of cigarette smoke (on the house, not the smoke itself) and, old potpourri or soap

 

a few minutes later and it's mostly gone from my skin, leaving yellow soapiness

Edited December 24, 2013 by Roogna

[milo]

Sharp, perfumey, offensive. Yuck, this one is just not good on me. There's also a pretty floral that I can smell from a distance, but mostly I get strong perfumey, old-fashioned avon perfume that's been sitting in the sun for 10 years. Blech.

[sailthetethys]

This is my first review and my nose isn't exactly trained in such things, so take this with a grain of salt.

 

At first application, it's very damp and mossy. I agree that there's initially a smoky patch hint to it, similar to Banshee Beat, but that's completely gone now. It sweetens up as it dries. At first I wasn't sure - I love green, mossy scents but wouldn't necessarily wear them - but the sweetness (I'm assuming that's floral/musk) makes it much more wearable. It's dusty too - reminds me of the dusty note in Tombstone and Dee that I love so much (that must be the woods).

 

There's almost something a bit marine to this - a clean, cool salty smell that seems at odds with the dust and moss - maybe that's the stone? All in all, it's an extremely evocative scent - makes me think of a crumbling Scottish castle by the sea. I'm absolutely ok with that, and wish I'd gotten a bottle. The longer this stays on my arm, the more I love it.

Edited January 8, 2014 by sailthetethys