Ghost Pine

(Review of the Eau de Parfum) Opens crisp, dewy, Christmas pines, slightly medicinal and mentholated. A shady, misty effect present as one comes to expect of Lvnea’s forest blends. Enchanting. Here you encounter the whole tree—the bark, the needles, the moss adorning the base. Really makes one feel situated in the middle of a shady pine grove. Possibly while lightly snowing. If a deeper woodiness and a smokiness were added it’d be quite reminiscent of Rising Phoenix’s Dark Forest 2012 attar which I also love. Delightfully fresh. Like Forêt Dormante, very naturally therapeutic, meditative. Smells like there might be a hint of lavender used here as well to help create the foggy effect. Dreamy. On skin the deep drydown consists of green, citric-astringent plant juice and dried leaves—on fabrics, the fresh pineyness lingers. Sillage intimate to moderate, longevity great. Highly recommended for fellow forest lovers. Priced competitively in the niche market. Bravo, madames!!! And since there’s no Fragrantica page for it yet, here’s my review for their limited edition Hemlock Shade EdP... An even deeper iteration of Lvnea’s classic shadowy pines. If Ghost Pine puts you in the midst of a misty pine grove, then Hemlock Shade transports you to the depths of a Northern evergreen forest, towering spruces and firs swaying in the night sky overhead, a mysterious, sweet smoke crawling through the valley... Opens fresh, green, coniferous, a tad bit minty/mentholic, with a fleeting medicinal funk which is difficult to place. Soon a soft, leathery smoke begins to echo, painted in subtle streaks of caramel, fruits and moss, with a rich and warm, sweet woodiness welling up from below. I wasn’t able to notice as many of the nuances my first couple times, but this is actually superb. Like Ghost Pine’s sexy, mysterious cousin who sleeps out under the stars every night. Although dark, the impressive freshness keeps it from becoming too much, evoking the atmosphere of an old growth pine forest lit by the glow of a full moon’s light. I also find that the warm, woody and slightly caramelized features keep it from being too solemn a scent, bringing to mind cozy evenings spent among company rather than by oneself. Sandalwood also provides a fitting creamy backbone for the scent to settle down onto. Sillage intimate to moderate, longevity great. While sharing similarities to Ghost Pine, the wonderful addition of Hemlock makes the blend worth seeking out for fellow forest aficionados. As a limited edition it’s priced a little higher than their standard line, but still relatively competitively in the niche market especially considering the desirable all-botanical nature of their scents. Bravo, madames!!! Long live Lvnea!!!!

Ghost pine is a fall day rife with wet pine needles and moss, an herbal bite underlying the scene. The notes from the website are crisp pine needles, crushed foliage, damp moss patches, and ancient woods, which is fairly close to what I smell in the blend. Pine and oakmoss are both present in equal doses upon first application, as well as a bit of syrup-y clove and allspice, and the underlying herbs give it a slight medicinal quality that I enjoy. The pine note is beautiful; it likely was achieved with fir balsam absolute and is crisp and clear, easily detectable at all phases of wear. The heavy use of moss gives this fragrance an almost-vintage feel, but I don't imagine anyone could easily confuse this for a vintage fragrance. Ghost pine lasts a respectable amount of time on my skin with a somewhat heavy sillage, an especially impressive feat for a natural perfume. I absolutely loved the sample of the oil version of Ghost Pine, so I ordered the 50 ml edp, which I am slightly less enamored with. It attains a nuance of vetiver in the drydown that I don't appreciate as much. Still excellent, but I prefer the oil.

TLDR: A scent you have to warm up to (unless you like crushed pine needles and smokey spice). I am completely new and by no means an expert, nor can I compare other niche perfumes to this, but wow. When I got my first whiff, I was slightly disappointed. I was only familiar with people-pleasing perfumes/colognes so when i heard of fragrances that potray an atmosphere that didnt purely involve flowers and vanilla or musk, I was intrigued and got a bottle of this forest scent. My first impression was that it was very VERY piney before it turned spicy, and it wrinkled my nose a little. Putting it on my skin, it softened into this kind of smokey scent with a little tea tree oil. On the second wear, I got more accustomed to it. I took the time to assign a scenery it invoked in my mind: the scent is reminiscent of opening a spice cabinet inside of an old cabin, crushed pine needles sprinkled on the unswept floor and a fireplace recently snuffed out. Honestly, I grew to love it and so did my cats.

I bought this as a Christmas fragrance, but it’s become one of my staples. While the pine note definitely can suggest the winter festive season, however found this scent so complex and agreeable I wore it most of the winter & early spring. This fragrance reminds me more of rainy forests and mist. It’s mysterious and sexy, and I get compliments every time I wear it. It’s definitely a more masculine scent but I love how it avoids the classic cologne musk, which I usually quite dislike. My biggest love for this fragrance is how green it is, every note feels harvested and fresh. My only complaint is that the longevity could be a bit longer, but I’ve found it clings to clothing quite well so it’s helpful to spritz whatever I’m wearing if I’m out for the day.

I love this one...an authentic dark, damp forest at night. I have bought the oil several times, and it always makes me happy to smell it; it brings out werewolf feelings that I enjoy. The only issue I have with this is that the patchouli note (not listed above for some reason?) starts to become dominant after a few hours, especially as the bottle ages (usually after a few months). For me, this limits the scope of when I feel comfortable wearing it. Alone on a rainy evening, (or around my partner who loves the smell of forest dirt more than just about anything), this is fine, but around a lot of people, it's a little too intense for me to pull off successfully. I agree though, certain women definitely could make this work... someone sensual and witchy.