Product Review: Imaginary Authors ‘ The Abandoned Mansion.’ Zoinks!
NOTES:
Cedar, Petitgrain, Quince
Pimento berry
Oakmoss, Ambreine
THE MANSION: The fragrance evokes the ambiance of a Southern gothic library frozen in a particular time and place, complete with creaking wooden stairs and an air of mystery. This mood is quite different from the holiday vibes one might expect from the presence of pimento berry (allspice) and quince notes. (To clarify, the ingredient is pimento berry, not simply pimento, as is sometimes mistakenly listed on Fragrantica.) Initially, I thought the scent might conjure Casper’s First Christmas, with warmth and sweetness taking center stage. However, the allspice and quince serve more as subtle modifiers rather than the scent’s main focus, which remains firmly rooted in that spooky library atmosphere. In essence, think less 'friendly' Casper and more the startled, "zoinks!" reaction typical of Scooby Doo.
Zoinks!
IS IT QUINCE?: No. I know a couple of people who are truly desperate to find a quince-forward perfume, so I was pretty excited to see if this fragrance might fit the bill for them. Unfortunately, I have to report that THE ABANDONED MANSION is not the elusive, quince-forward scent the gals have been searching for. Rather than highlighting the bright, fruity notes of quince, it instead delivers a charmingly theatrical "dusty cedar" experience.
THE WARMTH: The "ambreine" note adds a subtly animalic touch to the fragrance, though it is not at all overt or overpowering. The brand responded to a comment from someone asking about this specific nuance on their Facebook page, clarifying that the ambreine imparts a ‘sweet, warm, and nearly animalic’ character and is actually a synthesized variant of labdanum. From my experience, I did not find it to be very animalic, or at least, it was nothing unpleasant or too intense for me to handle. The ambreine note isn’t the only time the brand’s fragrance hints at a certain missing “warm sweetness” in the scent; in fact, the brand even goes as far as to suggest that wearing it could result in what they describe as a “cuddle puddle.” That said, I personally do not think it’s quite that warm and cuddly—rather, there are quiet, bespoke ‘keep your distance’ vibes that come through, giving the impression of the ‘ooooOOOOoo’ noise you hear in the distance that tells others to head on out.
Is it as warm and cuddly as the marketing says?
The fragrance has me conjuring something, but not sure it’s the infamous ‘cuddle puddle’ Ghost scene that IA hopes we’re conjuring.
This takes nothing away from the fragrance itself but does make me wonder where the disconnect between the marketing team and the formulation occurred.
THE… PREGNANCY?: The brand's synopsis mentions a (ghost?) pregnancy, an odd detail unrelated to the fragrance itself. Not entirely sure I love that little detail that Millie has an unsuspecting ghost baby ‘in her belly’ (as the synopsis puts it.) I have no idea why I read the synopsis again and again and kept assuming Millie and Calvin are siblings. It never claims they are siblings! There is some backwater ruralness to the fragrance brought out by the oakmoss but it’s not full on Roll Tide.
THE SOAP: The accompanying soap is HIGHLY recommended for its mysterious, charming, leathery, and sophisticated feel. I am so glad I did it for the soap.
THE VERDICT: Perfect for a spooky October, creating a Mystery Machine-esque dusty library atmosphere without actual dust, and lasts around 7 hours. If you have any experience with indie makers, the perfume will probably be comparable to a parchment-y atmospheric fragrance from Solstice Scents and BPAL, nothing groundbreaking in the indie world but a very nice addition to IA's library.
