Ghosts And Phantoms
June 26th, 2007
By Donna Hathaway
This is about two fragrances I wish I could review and then tell you where to get them – but they are nowhere to be found, or are impossible to obtain even if they are technically still available, or are otherwise out of reach for mere mortals like me.
I have in my possession a tiny sample, nearly gone, of a limited edition perfume, Ghost Deepest Night, originally released in 2002. This is not to be confused with Ghost Deep Night, which can still be bought on discounter sites. I ran across a description of it a couple of years ago in my ramblings through the various online merchants’ sites, and I knew when I read about it that I had to have it. It seemed to be the closest thing yet to my long-departed Holy Grail, Jean LaPorte’s L’Eau des Merveilleuses, truly a marvel of composition, a symphony of mango and vanilla. (Before you who fear fruit and vanilla together wonder why that would be a good thing, please remember that Jean LaPorte discontinued his eponymous line to create L’Artisan, and then moved on to found Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. Jean LaPorte does not create cheap fruity-florals. Ever. Sadly, the original LaPorte scents did not continue on when this happened, a great loss in my opinion.) When I first smelled this in a boutique, I thought it was the sexiest fragrance I had ever smelled. The vanilla was dark and complex, dangerous even, and not in the least foody. The mango was not the watery, fleeting top note found in so many fragrances today, from drugstore body wash to mainstream designer perfume. No, it was the buttery, seductive, perfumed living fruit, fleshy and seductive. I wanted to wear it, roll around in it and devour it, all at the same time. I felt like a different person when I wore this perfume. For a while it was my signature scent, back when I believed in such things. Then it was just…gone.
Anyway, since I could no longer find it, some years later I was delighted to discover that Ghost had come up with a mango and vanilla fragrance, with the addition of “jungle” notes, hence the name. I had not known much about Ghost, a fashion and fragrance line that has never really caught on in the
Many people in the
So what is Deepest Night like? At first, it seems to be a simple mango and vanilla scent, with the vanilla just a bit sweeter at first than the L’Eau des Merveilleuses vanilla note. The mango is plump and juicy, though not quite as prominent. Thankfully, it is definitely not the watery travesty I was dreading. It is not as “big” a fragrance as the other, which could be a good thing under some circumstances. The Jean LaPorte stuff could take over the whole room; it was exhilarating and expansive, almost dizzyingly heady. Deepest Night is quieter, more secretive, and aptly named. As it develops the vanilla becomes darker and less sweet and more like what I remember of the old LaPorte perfume, or like the much-lamented older Comptoir Sud Pacifique vanilla was. (I bought the original version of CSP Tiare several times, and loved every minute of wearing it.) There is a leafy greenness to this fragrance as well, just peeking out from the lushness. A hint of spice – my favorite cardamom as far as I can tell, due to an almost complete lack of available information on this perfume – rounds out the sumptuous feel of this scent as it dries down. It does not have the sillage of the LaPorte but stays close to the skin, like your own seductive secret, waiting for someone to come closer…
Ghost has come out with a whole haunted house full of “special editions” like Summer Dream, Sheer Summer, Summer Flirt, Anticipation, Serenity, et cetera, and I am sure they are all very nice, but I want to go back to the jungle. When I smell Deepest Night, I can hear the rustling of unseen things in the undergrowth and feel the sultry air of a tropical night. Take me away!
Image source: “Mango II” by Jeanne-Marie Derrick, West Indian Art Studio, jeanne-marie.com; escentual.co.uk
Entry Filed under: Guest Blogger, Perfume Reviews
14 Comments Add your own
1. Kelley | June 26th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Donna, I had a bottle of the LaPorte and was always struck by how close to real mango it was. Actually, to mango over vanilla icecream. I did get some flack over it upon occasion because it was sweet and back then that meant “feminine”. Oh god, if I had a bottle of it now I would proudly wear it every day. I am still mourning the untimely loss of LaPorte’s L’eau de Incroyable. Did you ever smell that one? It was plums and blonde tobacco.
2. Flora | June 27th, 2007 at 1:26 am
Kelley, I did experience L ‘Eau de Incroyable back then, and it WAS incredible! I got a rush of scent memory just reading your comment! I never bought it though. I wish I could have bought a case of all the LaPortes if I had only known they would go away.
I am so glad someone else knows about the mango, and appreciated this great line - now I don’t feel so alone….
3. Amy K | June 27th, 2007 at 3:22 am
Well, if you really, REALLY love Deepest Night, it looks like you could buy 3 sets of 20 sample vials on eBay and make yourself a full bottle.
4. Amarie | June 27th, 2007 at 4:53 am
Hi Donna,
Just recently I picked up an old sample set of 12 LaPorte vials in a presentation folder. I think that they must have been just before his L’Artisan time, but I couldn’t lind anything on them. It doesn’t include the two mentioned above but it is an interesting collection. It is so nice to hear a little history, and to find out a bit more.
5. Elle | June 27th, 2007 at 6:52 am
I love the Ghost bottles. And I’m now in mourning over the LaPorte scent Kelley mentioned w/ plums and blonde tobacco. I’d never heard of it, but I live and die for both plum and tobacco notes and my having missed that one now seems like one of life’s grand tragedies. Am definitely going to be on the look out for both of the LaPortes and Deepest Night.
6. Marina | June 27th, 2007 at 7:51 am
I always suspected that L’Eau des Merveilleuses was marvellous. Now I know. *sigh*
7. Dana | June 27th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Fascinating! Mangoes in perfumes can work out really well, especially paired with vanilla and other notes to enhance it. I just got the lucky chance to try that Jean LaPorte’s L’Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau des Merveilleuses…. (I think I remember it being sold at Aedes a while ago in the bottles that have the caps like the Maitre Parfumeur bottles)…. it’s a really nice perfume, although it doesn’t seem to last very long or have much vanilla to me… but the mango is definitely there and very realistic and juicy. Could it be I have an old sample that has lost its once-upon-a-time glory, seeing how this one was first released in 1985, according to a book by Nigel Groom?
Ahhh, how I hate falling in love with discontinued fragrances, or hearing of ones I most likely may never have the chance to try, like the Incroyable, or the L’Artisan Bouton d’Or- the children’s perfume made up of rosewood and pears- or Pomme Cannelle or Fruit de la Passion or the original Jour de Fete with mandarin and hyacinth, etc. Ghosts indeed. And of course, the later Monoprix L’Artisans like the beloved Framboise Tralala and The Des Sables and Un Bouquet En Mai. I wish I had a time travel machine for exploring (and buying, knowing what I know now) perfumes… what fun that would be.
8. Ina | June 27th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Donna, I suspect Ghost Deepest Night might still be available somewhere in Europe (I got the image from Escentual.co.uk which is an online fragrance retailer). I’ve never smelled it but you sure make it sound super delicious! Thanks for your post!
9. Flora | June 28th, 2007 at 1:14 am
HI everyone, glad you liked it. I am a mango freak as you can tell, and when I hear that a perfume has mango in it I am always afraid it will be some horrible imitation. These two got it right. Now if someone would just make it and keep it in production!
Amy K, I will have to check that out! I would settle for a whole bag of just samples if I could find them and they were still in good shape.
Amarie, what a lucky find for you! Thee were some great perfumes.
Elle, I totally agree - that Eau de Incroyable was a stunner, all right. You have no idea.
Yes Marina - *sigh* is right! I have to stop doing this to myself.
Dana that’s just amazing - I see you and I are pefume soulmates! I wonder if I could find some of that in the MPG bottle. If MPG reissued some of those other old LaPortes and L’Artisans I could die happy! I must check around some more.
Ina, you found what I could not! (I was looking for the actual perfume for sale, since hope springs eternal. I saw that Escentual does ship out of Europe - for a price….)
10. faizanjax | June 30th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I feel the same way about Creeds’ incredible Feuille Verte (released last year as a limited edition)…its a good thing I got hold of 50mls of this precious wonderful juice ..
11. Flora | June 30th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
faizanjax, I just had to look that up right away - it DOES sound fantastic! (For those who never tried it, here are the major notes: mandarin, lime, oak moss, vanilla, bulgarian rose, and jasmine absolute. It is supposed to be a “masculine” fragrance but I would totally wear it!) I think I need some of this. Of course it is sold out everywhere now - even Neiman-Marcus doesn’t have it, not that I could afford it if they did. Another phantom…..
12. Elena | September 19th, 2007 at 5:03 am
What I wouldn’t do for a bottle of Merveilleuse. I still have s feww drops left (the perfume is ancient but guess what? being the old Jean LaPorte it’s still fabulous). I am trying to find Jean LaPorte in person at the moment to write an article about him. Does anyone know where he is? I keep hearing these stories about him (here in europe), such as he has lost two companies two a bad gambling habit. True? Not true? anybody out there know? At any rate, as I live in bologna I will be on the lookout for Ghost deepest night and if I find it here I will let everyone know!! I’ve been wearing LaPorte perfumes since they first arrived in the States in the 70’s. No one does it better!!
13. Flora | September 20th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Elena, I think it’s wonderful that you still have some of that! It was of the very highest quality. Had I known what was going to happen, I would have stockpiled!
Well, Jean LaPorte is still on his third company as far as I know, still heading up Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. Beyond that I know nothing about him in recent years. You might try contacting their web site. He seems to be one of those “artistes” who shuns celebrity, though I would like to know more about him myself. He has been so influential over the years. As far as I know, he was the first to take such artistic risks with niche perfumes - no one else did mango & vanilla back then, and nothing since that first perfume line has changed the landscape of modern perfumery like he did, IMHO.
14. Colin | September 21st, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I hadn’t even heard of the Merveilleuses before last week, but was in a shop and there were a couple bottles of it. I tried it, and agree: sweet, rich, and different. And I thought I knew about everything L’Artisan… I tried looking it up on line and ended up here. Lovely blog!
Anyway, parfumelle.com has 2 bottles of it for sale today (I bought the third). Tell Fares or Melissa I sent ya.
Colin
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