Ghost Anticipation Eau de Toilette Spray

.../> I've discovered the first Ghost fragrance 'Sheer Summer' a limited edition in 2005. I love their quarter-moon shaped bottle they used for 'Sheer Summer' and because I happened to like the scent, I'm now curious to find out about the rest of them. Nevertheless, I'm always on the lookout for the next 'big thing' let it be old or new unbeknowst to me.

== The perfume house ==

Ghost was established in 1985 by a businesswoman, ...
...I like the efficient, no-frills Ghost logo, the simple and clean font type that is immediately recognisable. The name 'Ghost' was apparently chosen when setting up the business saying 'it won't stand the ghost of a chance'. Well, look how far they have come.

== The Fragrance ==
=== Top notes: cranberries, mandarin, violet ===

The powerful opening cranberry notes makes this fragrance tart, very fruity and incredibly ... more

Launched: 2007
Available: stores, online
Olfactive group: Floral

A budding chemist who's passionate about perfumery I have a large collection of perfume samples. I have a few favourite perfumes I reqularly wear so these samples tend to sit in the drawer waiting to be decanted and tested. To 'get to know' a scent I need a few days of wearing to familiarise myself with the scent and able to describe it.

I've discovered the first Ghost fragrance 'Sheer Summer' a limited edition in 2005. I love their quarter-moon shaped bottle they used for 'Sheer Summer' and because I happened to like the scent, I'm now curious to find out about the rest of them. Nevertheless, I'm always on the lookout for the next 'big thing' let it be old or new unbeknowst to me.

The perfume house

Ghost was established in 1985 by a businesswoman, Tanya Sarne. The first fragrance Ghost by Ghost was introduced in 2000 followed by Deep Night (2001), Serenity (2003), Cherish (2005) and the latest Anticipation (2007).

The packaging

Yes, it is Ghost. Both the bottle and the scent evoke previous fragrances of this fairly young designer brand.

The bottle is pale, slightly frosty glass that looks like a tall, lady-like figure but this time she's dressed in an evening gown. The shape is more linear here though and the trailing end of the light pink dress - the colour of the liquid inside - is flowing in the air behind her as she's ready to go… apparently as the advertising is suggesting - to "the night ahead filled with adventure and fun". Is this an evening scent then? An Eau de Toilette would be too light to use on the night out anyway unless you intend to be a wallflower, of course. The lid follows the shape of the bottle and clicks tight on.

The box is a light iridescent lilac pink reminiscent of all other perfume boxes of the brand. It does fit nicely in the rest of the collection. (Ghost, Cherish). I like the efficient, no-frills Ghost logo, the simple and clean font type that is immediately recognisable. The name 'Ghost' was apparently chosen when setting up the business saying 'it won't stand the ghost of a chance'. Well, look how far they have come.

The Fragrance

Top notes: cranberries, mandarin, violet

The powerful opening cranberry notes makes this fragrance tart, very fruity and incredibly sweet at first. It becomes fresh citrusy after half an hour with soft flowers starting to develop. Into an hour of wearing and the violet has gone stronger, the mandarin softer. Overall this gives the scent a fresh, soapy feel.

Middle notes: peony, orange blossom, 'Chocolate lover's' orchid, freesia

The lovely peony

The main detectable notes are the peony and freesia. The heart is refreshing and floral with some of the bitterness of the subtly green - woody freesia but it is still mainly soapy which gives the impression of freshly washed clothes and clean cotton.

Peonies have a romantic, powdery and floral aroma. The scent of peony reminds me of a musky rose scent with some bitter citrusy trickle inside. I noticed this bitter freshness in some of the other Ghost fragrances too which I find quite a nice touch unlike other fragrances which are dominantly sweet in the heart.

The invisible orchid

Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants. The most widely known orchid is vanilla.

As there are thousands of species that produce smell, perfumists and chemists are continuing to analyse the scent of orchids in order to identify the molecules they carry in their scents.
In nature, orchids can smell like vanilla, chocolate, curry, cinnamon or corn chips. Some only release their fragrance at night. Some smell fishy; others stink like rotten meat and some do not smell at all.

Ghost claim the type of orchid they used in Anticipation is the 'Chocolate lovers' variety that smells vagely of vanilla and chocolate.

I do smell some subtle vanilla aroma lingering in the drydown and at first thought it the scent actually had vanilla aroma in it. The vanilla scent is in fact a nice softening touch to the dominant florals. I've been unable to detect any chocolate however.

Base notes: blond woods, white amber

There's definitely something remotely Guerlain L'Instant Magic in the drydown... maybe it's the citrus mixing with the amber base but here it is a lot more downed watery cologne version.

The amber base is soft so it never overpowers the composition and it's not even noticeable until about 4 - 5 hours. What ultimately becomes of the dry down is what reminds me of a powdery, subtle rose scent amplified by woods mingled with a creamy base. This base stays close to the skin and it makes you feel you're wearing a velvety body lotion that's creamy and fresh at the same time.

Being an Eau de Toilette the staying power is about 6 hours (depending on your skin, or outer temperature this can vary) it's clean and fresh even after 4 hours and does last throughout the day (provided you sprayed enough of it in the morning).

** please skip this bit if you've read my previous reviews **

Music to my nose - What are fragrance notes?

Different plant oils break down at different rates, light molecules evaporate quickly, heavy ones slower. The composition of a perfume is called an accord where there are three set of 'notes' that appear gradually on top of each other thus creating an olfactive harmony.

Top notes (head)

The compounds that make up the top notes are usually sharp and volatile. When you spray the perfume on, you get the impression of these notes first. This note will last for about 10 - 20 minutes before it evaporates.

Middle notes (heart)

These scents appear just before the top notes die down and are usually rounded and soft. Rose, jasmine and lily scents are typical middle notes. The 'heart' gives the perfume its main character together with the base notes. The middle notes can start appear a few minutes after application and will last about 3 - 6 hours on the skin.

Base notes (dry-down)

These scents are heavy and large molecules that evaporate slowly. They emerge last and have a rich and deep character. They are also used to give lasting power to the perfume. You'll probably detect the first base notes between half an hour to an hour and they can last up to 24 hours on the skin.

** skip this bit if you've read my previous reviews **

How to choose your perfume

Each individual will have a different preference when choosing a perfume. Why?

Firstly, perfumes are a mixture of essential oils and aromas. The smell of a particular perfume will vary slightly from person to person, as each person's individual skin chemistry and body temperature will react slightly differently to a given scent.

Secondly, our olfactory memories are continually formed since the day we were born. Memories are formed in a biochemical process as an 'emotional imprint' in our nerve cells. We can unconsciously identify a staggering 10,000 different smells. so what we like in a perfume may be the smells our brain registered as a positive olfactory memory associated with people / events in our lives and the comfort / contentment we were experiencing at the time with them.

You will notice that even if you don't stick to a particular brand, you will most likely to choose a perfume from the same olfactive group(s).

Which group my perfume belongs to?

Fragrances are put into 8 main olfactory families or groups. I added another one, aromatic, which is a group made up of aromatic plants. Widely used in aromatherapy and herbal medicine their popularity has lately increased in high-end perfumery as well.

Perfumes rarely belong to a single olfactory group nowadays. You'll see that often 2 or 3 names of these groups are combined when classifying a particular fragrance e.g oriental woody, floral fruity, floral aquatic.

1. An aldehydic perfume contains chemicals from the aldehyde group. Character: pure and fresh. Example: Chanel No. 5 (Chanel)
2. An aromatic perfume is made up of various herbs e.g rosemary, basil or thyme. Character: rustic and fresh. Example: Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca (Guerlain)
3. An aquatic perfume will have a base of synthetic ingredients that give the sensation of the sea, mountain air or fresh linen. Character: clean and modern. Example: L'Eau d'Issy (Issy Miyake)
4. A citrus / fruity group includes bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin and sweet orange and fruits such as peach, red berries, watermelon. Character: fresh and light. Example: Dior Addict 2 (Dior)
5. A floral perfume will contain extracts of flowers such as rose, lily or jasmine. Character: sweet and delicate. Example: Pure Poison (Dior)
6. A green perfume formerly known as chypre is made up of bergamot, labdanum, patchouli and oakmoss. Character: woody and floral. Example: Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel)
7. A gourmand perfume contains notes like vanilla and tonka bean, chocolate or caramel. Character: sweet and edible. Example: Delices (Cartier)
8. An oriental perfume will have a base of amber, musks, vanilla and other exotic plants. Character: warm and sensual. Example: Dior Addict (Dior)
9. A woody perfume is made up of woods such as cedar, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver. Character: earthy and masculine. Example: Mediterranean (Elizabeth Arden)

How to try a perfume

The worst place to sample a fragrance is in the fragrance shop where all the different odours mix and float about.It's best to take a fragrance sample home and try it out for a day. If you want to test the perfume in the shop,make sure you squirt once on your wrist and once inside of your elbow.

Never rub it in your skin as it will destroy the small molecules of the more delicate notes. Make sure you're not already wearing a perfume on your wrist as this can alter the composition you're about to test. When you leave the shop, cover your arm up with a sleeve if possible so the volatile ingredients do not escape.

Let it settle for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the top notes appear without the alcohol fume.

Conclusion

If I was a cynic I would say that Ghosts perfumes are middle-of-the-road scents that smell nice but are forgettable. Their permists are competent and the scents are nicely blended but they lack that 'something special' we all secretly want from a fragrance.

Ghost themselves claim their range to be feminine and deliberately not trying to be fashionable but rather timeless and ageless. It is a valid philosophy but at the same time their scents are all watered down to something you probably wouldn't notice someone wearing it.

It sort of blends into the thousands of other average scents out there that you can purchase from any high-street retailer, smells that were destined to the mouse-grey and inconspicuous masses of the metropolitan.

For me it just says 'Ghost'. They seem to be too much on the safe side; too shy to finally release a 'make it or break it' perfume into this world. It reminds me of a saying about the womanizer man: if you try to please every woman you'll end up satisfying none. Their scents lack character and personality. They are 'OK', 'wearable, or even 'nice' but they will not be loved nor loathed for that matter!

Having said that, having produced a dozen or so fragrances in over 7 years of their existence is something worth noting!

To sum up, Ghost Anticipation is a pleasantly fresh, light floral Eau de Toilette, great for everyday outdoor wear or for the office. A well-blended and balanced quality fragrance that represents the house's statement: "timeless, ageless and never tries too hard ". Mission accomplished.

Additional rating

Composition: 4 / 5
Originality: 4 / 5
Staying power: 3 / 5
Overall value: 4 / 5

Price / where to buy

Boots

£23 / 30 ml Eau de Toilette
£30 / 50 ml Eau de Toilette
£42 / 75 ml Eau de Toilette

http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/

£ 26.95 / 50 ml Eau de Toilette Spray
£ 21.99 / 30 ml Eau de Toilette Spray

Other products in the line

http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/

£ 28.50 / 50 ml Eau de Toilette Spray, 50 ml Body Lotion and 50 ml Bath Shower Gel Gift Set

Boots
£18.00 / 200 ml Body Lotion

Thanks for reading my review.

Lilla

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