The Abandoned Mansion

Continuing with Imaginary Authors, The Abandoned Mansion leans heavily into the storytelling that defines the house, and this one paints one of its most vivid scenes yet. The narrative follows a couple who stumble upon a forgotten home deep in the Adirondacks and slowly make it their own, settling into a life shaped by isolation, nature, and the quiet passage of time. There is something both romantic and slightly haunting about that idea, where warmth and decay exist side by side, and comfort is built within something long left behind. On paper, the blend of cedar, quince, petitgrain, pimento, and oakmoss reflects that setting, suggesting dry woods, soft fruit, and a green, slightly damp earthiness that feels aged rather than fresh. It sets the expectation for a fragrance built on atmosphere, one that captures not just a place, but a feeling of stillness, resilience, and quiet transformation. Let’s step inside and see how this forgotten space comes to life once it meets the skin. Opening: The opening is woody, mossy, and earthy. The primary notes I get are cedar, oakmoss, ambreine, and pimento, with the cedar and oakmoss leading. Cedar is far and away the most highlighted note in the opening, bringing an enormous dose of dry and prominently dusty woodiness that immediately sets the tone. It has that aged, almost abandoned quality to it, like old wooden beams or long-settled furniture. The oakmoss works underneath the cedar, reinforcing that atmosphere with a natural earthiness, along with subtle damp, green undertones that keep it from feeling completely arid. The ambreine acts as a supporting note, adding a soft, ambery warmth that gives the composition a faint sense of glowing life beneath the surface. Lastly, the pimento lingers in the background, contributing a restrained, clove-like spice that adds just a bit of movement without disrupting the mood. The result is a supremely woody and immersive opening that leans heavily into that dusty, timeworn character, tying in seamlessly with the story being told. Dry Down: The dry down is still woody, mossy, and earthy. The primary notes I get are still cedar, oakmoss, ambreine, and pimento, with the cedar and oakmoss continuing to lead. This is largely an extension of the opening, making The Abandoned Mansion a very linear fragrance in its overall development. The cedar maintains that dominant presence, carrying forward its dry, dusty woodiness, while the oakmoss continues to reinforce it with a grounded, slightly damp earthiness. The most noticeable shift comes from the ambreine, which becomes a bit more pronounced, adding more of a soft, ambery warmth that subtly smooths out the composition and gives it a slightly more lived-in, settled feeling. The pimento remains in the background, still offering a faint, dry spice that adds just enough contrast to keep the scent from feeling completely static. Despite these small adjustments, the core identity remains intact, preserving that atmospheric, timeworn quality from start to finish. Performance: The initial projection within the first hour is very strong and capable of filling a room, immediately announcing itself with presence. The sillage follows closely behind, leaving a dense and noticeable scent trail that lingers in the air. After about three to four hours, the projection remains impressive at around six feet, showing very little drop-off in strength, while the scent trail softens slightly but remains clearly perceptible. As the fragrance moves into the seven to eight hour range, the projection begins to settle into a more moderate radius of about three to four feet, and the sillage becomes more subdued, though still present. It doesn’t fully pull in until around the ten to eleven hour mark, where it finally transitions into a skin scent. Overall, this is a strong and reliable performer, especially for a fragrance that leans more atmospheric than traditionally bold. When to Wear: The Abandoned Mansion is not the easiest fragrance to categorize, as its identity is more conceptual than seasonal. That said, it naturally leans toward fall and winter, where its dry woods and subtle warmth feel most at home. It thrives in the evening, when its moody and introspective character can fully settle in. This is the kind of scent that works best in more personal settings, whether that’s a quiet date night, a creative environment, or even just relaxing at home and wanting something that feels immersive and different. It can make for a memorable choice in the right context, especially if you want something that stands apart from typical crowd-pleasers. However, it doesn’t translate well to formal environments, and it’s far too unconventional and atmospheric for office wear. Blind Buy: The Abandoned Mansion is not a safe blind buy. This is a fragrance built around the idea of aged woods, dust, and atmosphere, which is inherently niche in its appeal. While it may resonate with those who appreciate woody fragrances or enjoy scents that prioritize storytelling and mood, it is not something that aligns with mainstream expectations of freshness, sweetness, or mass appeal. Even for experienced fragrance enthusiasts, this is something that should be sampled first to fully understand whether that dusty, timeworn character is something you genuinely enjoy wearing. Final Verdict: The Abandoned Mansion is exactly what its name suggests, and that is both its greatest strength and its biggest limitation. Imaginary Authors once again demonstrates their ability to translate a narrative into scent, creating something that feels immersive, textured, and intentional from start to finish. It captures that sense of stillness and age remarkably well, balancing dry woods, soft earthiness, and a subtle warmth in a way that feels cohesive and thoughtfully composed. At the same time, that commitment to atmosphere means it doesn’t behave like a traditional fragrance, and it won’t appeal to everyone. For me, it lands in an interesting space where it is undeniably enjoyable and creatively impressive, even if it is not something I would reach for regularly. The performance adds to its appeal, giving it a presence that supports the concept without fading too quickly. All things considered, this is a fragrance I can see myself adding to my Imaginary Authors collection, not necessarily as a daily wear, but as something to revisit when I want to experience scent as storytelling rather than just as a finishing touch. Scent: 8/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 8/10 Versatility: Average Compliment Factor: Low Gender: Unisex, leaning masculine Value: Fair

As a longtime fan of Imaginary Authors, I was eager to try The Abandoned Mansion, especially after hearing whispers that it might be a spiritual successor to the now-discontinued O, Unknown, a personal favorite of mine. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint. This fragrance leans completely into the “dusty old library” aesthetic, and it does so without hesitation. While many scents from IA are often described as “dusty” or “bookish,” The Abandoned Mansion embraces that identity fully and unapologetically. From the very first spray, it paints the picture of an untouched basement archive. It’s dry, papery, and steeped in the scent of time. Imagine walking into the oldest bookstore you’ve ever visited, the air thick with yellowed pages, cracked leather, and forgotten stories. That’s exactly what this smells like. The notes list suggests a more dynamic composition than what I personally experience. To my nose this fragrance wears fairly linear but there are gentle shifts that give it a quiet sense of depth. It opens with a soft brightness from the quince and petitgrain slightly green and a little sharp like light filtering into a dusty room. The cedar follows quickly like aged wooden shelves dry and steady giving the scent structure and grounding it in something solid. As it settles, the oak moss and ambreine add an earthy warmth that softens the edges. And just beneath it all, the paperbacks note comes through clearly. It may be imaginary but you can almost feel the dry texture of old pages and the stillness of forgotten shelves. Where O, Unknown softened things with tea and orris, this fragrance skips the polish and goes straight for the heart of the atmosphere. It’s less introspective and more immersive. A pure dive into the crumbling walls and dusty shelves of a long-abandoned space. It’s haunting, nostalgic, and deeply transportive. There’s no sweetness, no modern twist. It’s not trying to be anything other than what it is, and that’s what makes it so special. Like all Imaginary Authors fragrances, The Abandoned Mansion tells a story, but this one feels timeless. It’s a quiet narrative of forgotten corners, faded memories, and the beauty in decay. If you loved O, Unknown like me or just have a soft spot for literary, atmospheric scents, definitely get close to this one. It’s something well worth experiencing.

Imaginary Authors The Abandoned Mansion Josh Meyer possesses a certain cunning: the ability to distill a vision into scented form without pretension. While I can’t say every Imaginary Authors scent tells a story that I resonate with, The Abandoned Mansion does. I have always been attracted to library smells. Old books with a hundred creases from use, the ambered, dusty pages held within, and the scent of old, often lacquered woods humming through waxy flames are images that entice my mind in a time and place. I picked up The Abandoned Mansion due to the “paperbacks” accord the perfume has, as I cannot see an offering themed around books and not click to add it to my cart. Some may deem it as an affliction; I prefer to frame it as the pursuit of olfactory perfection. Upon the skin, The Abandoned Mansion reveals its thesis with layers of desiccated wood. The old, untouched layer of dust recalls a place that was once used yet fell into disrepair as the world moved on. It’s a warmed cedar, weathered and bone dry, still carrying the scent of a faint resin, perhaps incense, upon the chipping desks. Upon the shelves, rows of books, some stuck together from humidity or parched from sunlight breaking through, rest upon the failing wood. Their stories were forgotten and replaced with digital access. No hands have caressed these pages in years, nor have they taken in the stained vanilla tinge and faded ink held within. The quince offers a brilliant, dare I say severe, revelation. It does not yield a cheerful sweetness as it’s a bit warm and pungent. Perhaps this is symbolic of the sunlight breaking through, as it’s not fresh and awakening, but the light that highlights the dust and age of this place through a broken window. Dried moss, green and oaky with a subtle earthiness, crawls around from the invasion of nature into the library. It clings to the walls and smothers the books, which adds a profound age to the elixir. It keeps the profile classic and unbothered, a clearly deliberate intention by Mr. Meyer. The Abandoned Mansion eschews labyrinthine architecture; it executes its tales with brilliant precision. I will likely opt for a full bottle once this travel size has been expended.

My second sample from Imaginary Authors, and it quite easily blew A City On Fire straight out of the water. So much that it inspired me to order a full size bottle almost immediately. Being in possession of a small computer in your pocket has made such things too easy. Now, the sillage and longevity are not great on this fragrance, but it is so exciting, deep and scrumptious, that I couldn't give a flying fuck. The story is beautiful and evocative, and the scent completely matches it. It is a tour de force. A lesson in storytelling and scent craftmanship, that plenty of people can learn from. If Imaginary Authors come up with more scents like this one, they will get plenty of penny pounds out of me. So what does it do that excites me? It smells PRECISELY of an abandoned, dilapidated mansion. Wet and mouldy floorboards, aged parchment, peeling wallpaper, dust, fungi, green shrubbery that has began it's overtaking of the house. It also has a delightful spicy base, which pushes up through the whole thing like the cream rising to the top of a milk bottle, which sits outside the house. I am thinking about taking it into town, and waiting like a coiled cobra in a ghastly perfume graveyard, such as "The Fragrance Shop", which sells discounted "big name" crap like Shitvage and Arwankies. When a customer enters and enquires about a fragrance, I will jump into action, like a hidden perfume ninja, and make them smell The Abandoned Mansion, instead of whatever dull fuckery they are requesting to smell from the shop. I bet they'll be converted. If they aren't, I will follow them home and post a used tissue that contains The Abandoned Mansion on it through their letterbox. That is how much I identify with this piece of excellent olfactory art; I am willing to go to such an extra mile for it, that I would be arrested for stalking. 8/10. But it's a very strong 8. It loses a point for the moderate sillage, and a point for the moderate longevity. Otherwise, it would be a glorious 10.

Sampling the latest release from Imaginary Authors, The Abandoned Mansion, a perfume adaptation of the scent used for one of the house’s longstanding candle offerings. It’s led by cedar and quince, a woody/citrus center made idiosyncratic but the inclusion of petitgrain, pimento berries (most strikingly), oakmoss, and an ambergris-like note, ambreine, not to mention the imaginary note of “paperbacks.” It’s a fruity, spicy, woody blend with a lot of heartiness via the petitgrain and oakmoss pairing, especially, a sort of mature, indoor complement to the more outdoor, exuberant Sundrunk citrus/rhubarb blend. It’s inviting and cozy, a bit familiar and evocative, while still being intriguing to the point that I keep sniffing it to gain a bit more insight. Quince does not really brighten the mix—it won’t be confused for Saint Julep—but it does, along with pimento berry, provide a bit of pulp and juiciness to give the blend some life, some reality, along with the darker heart of an old house loaded with overly-humidified, old books. The current pricing for the entire house is $115 for 50ml, very reasonable for the quality of this house’s fragrances, the pricing of which has only increased by a little more than 20% in a decade, quite a feat. And it seems to be sold by the standard US boutiques that carry the line like Perfumology, which is great. Performance is quite good, as well. Overall, I’m really pleased with this one and love the creativity that it was made with. 8 out of 10