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

I love this one as well. It starts off really spooky. I kind of felt like I was walking in an abandoned house. I have done that before as a kid. We had lots of abandoned houses and barns in the area I grew up. It immediately brought me back to those times. The smell of damp wood, barn boards, abandoned old books with yellow pages. As this fragrance goes along it becomes something different. It goes from an abandoned house to a home that is filled with warmth and love. Cinnamon and allspice in homemade wine, a roaring fireplace tended by a husband who is keeping the chill of approaching winter away from his wife. They are just about to snuggle under a blanket by that fire and drink the homemade spiced wine she has prepared and enjoy the cozy feeling captured by turning an abandoned house into a home. It reminds me of the vibe I get from Avon Tomorrow but in a more unisex lean male approach. Very unique. There is a loving vibe to this fragrance.... I think this will be a great Christmas gift for my husband. Edit In the far far dry down it becomes a ghost of the abandoned house. The soft scent of old barn boards, creaky stairs, a hint of a varnish can left behind, wet letters never mailed. A whisper of memories.

I had no idea how much I needed this in my life until perhaps the second time I wore it. I adore this. I can pick out the cedar, quince, petitgrain, and pimento individually if I think about it, but the collective impression comes together as something like a whisky-focused craft cocktail bar designed specifically for introverted book-readers. Whomever described it as the answer to MM Jazz Club for the more sophisticated set was on to something, even though the notes are very different; this has no obnoxious vanilla or rummy sweetness, and only a suggestion of smoke, but it evokes a similarly snug, slightly self-indulgent vibe. For all of that, I'd wear this at any time of day or season. As I've found with numerous IA scents, something about it's synergistic dry-fruity-spiciness is unexpectedly, subversively addictive.

Man I absolutely love this scent. Its wierd, its dusty, musty and loaded with character. It's got such an odd but good scent profile. It really does capture that dilapidated mansion vibe. Personally this fragrance holds a dark academia vibe to it as well. I'd imagine this is what Hogwarts smells like. My only complaint is it dosen't last all that long, about 2hrs before becoming a skin scent on me. The sillage isn't that crazy either, but I find it's enough for what it is. I don't think this fragrance would be mass appealing. All in all this fragrance holds something special. It actually portrays the story it's trying to tell perfectly and it's has a special place it takes you to when you spray it. As always, buy a decant, live with it before you buy a full bottle. For me Abandoned Mansion is a solid 8/10.

It's so interesting reading through reviews of this fragrance that describe it as dusty, dry and papery. I find Abandoned Mansion to smell exactly like a little candlelit amaro bar in my neighborhood - warm and and even juicy, like a spiced punch with a healthy dose of fernet branca. I feel like the quince + pimento come through pretty strongly but are rounded out well with the woodsiness of the cedar and the low deep aliveness of the oakmoss. There is certainly a worn-in feeling to the scent (which may be the kind of musty, cedar closet scent that reminds people of their grandparents). It is not very bright, but for someone like myself where most forms of sweetness become cloying, it melts into my skin over the course of the day leaving a nice faint foresty warmth.

This will probably be my first full size purchase. It goes on warm and woodsy on me, I get leather and wood with a light spiciness, and it stays like that for the first hour. I like leather/wood/smoky scents, so it's great! But after that, and for the rest of the day, it's... old books. Like books with the pages browning and the glue having gone funky. It's a little sweet and musty but in a good way, with some woodiness to ground it. Not for everyone, but yes I want to surround myself with the smell of old books, so I love this. Imo it's perfectly on-brand for Imaginary Authors.

Fits the vibe of the bottle design but not the vibe of the story. The vibes of trudging through the woods in autumn with a hot coffee with strong spicy syrup (although the scent itself is not syrupy) immediately spring to mind. I really like this one. The initial spray held a sort of dusty smell that soon disappeared into a warm spicy scent that was somewhat overpowering when smelling it directly on my skin. Letting it settle and project however leaves a gorgeous warm spicy fragrance with a slightly old smell that is pleasant and kind of nostalgic. Love it, full bottle worthy.

Yep! I love this. It's different and unique. If I close my eyes, I am transported to an old house my parents were renovating as a child. I can just smell the old wood. The opening may be a little too peppery for some, but it does dissipate, and the dry down is sublime in my book. Love the spice mixed with the cedar and the oakmoss. Great for fall, but like most IA fragrances, it's definitely not for everyone. Sample first! Scent - 9/10 Performance - 8/10

I love this but then again I seem to love nostalgic grandpa scents. I dont get "paperback books" from this but I do get the attic that those paperback books were stored in, which helps set the scene. Its dry and dusty with an old woody tinge. Imagine blowing dust off your great grandmothers diary in her attic after exploring her house after she left you the mansion in her inheritance. Thats this fragrance.

At first the petrichor scent. The smell of my grandmother's house in the South that was over one- hundred years old. The moss.This takes me back. Wonderful memories.

love it for what it is and not how it smells, artistic perfumery

I know a couple of people desperate for a quince-forward perfume so I was excited to see if this fit the bill for them. Sad to report that THE ABANDONED MANSION is not the elusive quince-forward fragrance the gals are looking for. Instead, it offers a "dusty cedar" charmingly theatrical experience, evoking a 'time-and-place' Southern gothic library equipped with creaking stairs rather than the anticipated holiday vibes I might have guessed from pimento berry (allspice) and quince notes. (To clarify, it's pimento berry and not pimento as listed on Fragrantica.) I thought we were going for Casper’s First Christmas, but the allspice and quince are merely modifiers to the primary spooky library theme. Think: less 'friendly' Casper and more 'zoinks!' Scooby Doo. The "ambreine" note adds a subtly animalic touch, though not overtly so.The brand answered a comment to someone asking about it on their Facebook page and clarified that the ambreine pulls it ‘sweet, warm, and nearly animalic’ and is a synthesized variant of labdanum. I do not think it was very animalic, or at least, nothing I couldn’t stomach. 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 accompanying soap is HIGHLY recommended for its mysterious, charming, leathery, and sophisticated feel. I am so glad I did it for the soap. If you have any experience with indie makers, the perfume will probably be comparable to a parchmenty atmospheric fragrance from Solstice Scents and BPAL, nothing groundbreaking in the indie world but a very nice addition to IA's library. I agree with the other reviewer that there is no sweetness here, nor was I wanting it. But the marketing from the brand hints otherwise-- referring to "warm sweetness" when describing the ambreine and even going so far as to say it should cause a "cuddle puddle." I do not think it's that warm and cuddly-- there are quiet, bespoke 'keep your distance' vibes here. Despite this, it's perfect for a spooky October, creating a Mystery Machine-esque dusty library atmosphere without actual dust, and lasts around 7 hours.

Not really what I anticipated based on the image and story. If you like the smell of bittersweet herbaceous liquors, with a hint of musk and wood, you'll like this. The latter part of the Abandoned Mansion story gives you a better sense of what this is meant to smell like: it is like coming into a family's home after a long hike, where the flowers of the outdoors and the moisture and musk of exertion still cling to your clothes. You're sprawled out on the floor and can just subtly smell the cedar floorboards. The opening might lead you to imagine someone preparing a post-hike negroni cocktail (or as another reviewer noted, a heavy splash of some other bitter, herbal liquor like Fernet). But the earlier parts of the story aren't here in any strength for me to notice them: I don't smell dusty books, let alone a pile of paperbacks, extinguished candles, or any of the other fixtures of Gothic Romance that the bottle's imagery suggests. If that's what you're after, this might not be for you. Imaginary Authors missed an opportunity to market this more as the upscale, modern alternative to Jazz Club, and lean into the millennial hipster fascination with Fernet-Branca: there's definitely many a San Francisco cocktail bar that smells like Abandoned Mansion. But Poe-like libraries and old mansions aren't here.

tbh this is a very acquired taste and the average person would say you smell like a grandpa it's VERY spicy at the opening and smells like moss and dusty, antique wood (cedar specifically). like a spicy antique shop people have to understand that imaginary authors makes perfumes through means of art. their aim is to create photorealistic scents for the vibes they're going for and they DO IT. it's not meant to be pleasant but instead immersive idk why people buy a perfume that's meant to smell like an abandoned house and get shocked when it smells like a dusty mansion, it's not the perfumer's fault that they nailed the vibe they were going for

It's definitely woody. The cedar is under the spotlight in this fragrance, and while the perfume doesn't remind me of paperbacks or old books, it does definitely capture what an old abandoned mansion in the mountains could smell like. There is something in the opening that feels ever so slightly green/citrus/pepper, something that is slightly sharper, but it goes away very quickly. More dusty than moist, which I am fine with. Just makes me think of old wooden floors in an old mansion and some dusty wooden furniture, and the faint smell of nature coming in through the cracks. It's nice!

The first time I tested this I sprayed the normal amount. It wasn't overpowering, headache inducing or anything like that. Pretty standard performance. But I got sick of the smell pretty quickly. Fast forward and I relented to a second wear. This time I undersprayed, just a quick spritz. I do like this scent, sitting here getting little wafts of woody cedar and pimento and damp mossiness. And I do get the slight similarities to L'Air du Desert Marocain (not identical of course). This will be something I wear more in the Autumn - but I'll underspray.