Mabon 2010

[Loligo]

MABON 2010
The Autumnal Equinox. The Second Harvest of the witches: a celebration of rest after labor, and repose after the rigors of Initiation. This is the mark of the completion of the Harvest and giving thanks for the previous season's abundance. In ceremonial magick, this is a time to begin the search for one's Higher Self anew, to celebrate rebirth and new life, and to revitalize the spirit. It is an Osirian time, contractive and catabolic. At this time, the Eleusinian mysteries were observed, celebrating the drama of Kore and Demeter. Blackberry wine and apple with hops, English ivy, rosemary, hazel, sage, chamomile, sweetgrass, oak bark, wild nuts, and myrrh.

I've never been first to review a scent before -- hope I do this right!

I am thoroughly in love with this. LOVE. When wet, there's a burst of fruity-winy juiciness that almost tips over into Kool-aid territory, but luckily that tames down pretty quickly. It becomes the dry, aromatic blackberry scent that I love in Glasgow. Blackberry is somehow... spacious. It has a lot of throw on me, that's part of it, but also, it just feels somehow vast and airy in my nose. Anyway, I'm a blackberry fan. The nuts provide a richness in the background, and the herbs are so well-blended that I can't pick any of them out individually. (Maybe some other time when it's not allergy season?) The overall effect is fruits and nuts and incense-y sun-warmed hay, and it is gorgeous.

[cuervosueno]

I just got this today, literally just got it out of the mailbox and put it on, so this is very much an initial impression sort of review.

 

But so far, I like it! I was thinking I would like Harvest Moon more, and was a bit worried about this one, but I think I may end up liking this more.

 

In the bottle: it is fruits, a hint of nuts, and is somehow a dry scent rather than a juicy one, which is appropriate, perhaps for the time of year. On, it does share some things with some of the dry grasses scents like coyote, etc. Not that it is at all like them, but it has an edge of dry grasses and leaves, which I have decided is sweet grass and oak bark (not that I necessarily get a sweetgrass note, but I get the impression of it). It also has a slight herbal note without being an herbal scent. The blackberry wine and apple is not coming out as a fruit per se, but adding a slight sweetness to this. The nuts just add depth.

 

Overall, I very much agree with Loligo: this is dry and aromatic, and sun warmed, and not fruity per se (and I don't get any booze notes at all).

 

I like it!

[reynardine]

In the bottle, I’m getting the impression of blackberry, sage and nuts. Applied, it starts off with blackberry, a touch of apple, hops and nuts. Later, the chamomile starts coming out. Maybe some ivy? Drydown, the blackberry comes back out but is nicely balanced with the other notes. On my skin, this is a very nutty scent! I agree with the previous reviewers that this is a “dry” scent rather than a “juicy” one, but it is perfectly suited for the season and would be appropriate throughout autumn, not just September. I like it a lot and will order a backup bottle before it comes down!

[sarahmarie]

Wet on my skin, Mabon 2010 smells like grape to me, with some warm, dry florals (almost like dried flowers, actually) and sort of a hay-like smell. After about a minute, I smell apple in there too.

 

Dry, the florals gets stronger, along with some more apple. This scent is warm and dry, very evocative of a fall harvest celebration. I don't know that it's *me*, but it's nice.

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle: Sticky sweet blackberries and hickory nuts.

 

Wet: Oh wow, this is nice. Lots of fruit, both the sticky darkness of berries and the soft brightness of apples. Some of the apple notes are problematic on me, and I don't have any predominantly apple scents in my collection. But this one is really spectacular, almost floral like a ripe cider apple instead of juicy, cidery, or peel-ish. There's a warm nut note and some grassy-sweet herbs over a dark herbal resin base. As it warms an unexpected cognac note comes out, rather like the one from Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand.

 

Two and a half hours: Steady reduction of the bright fruit notes, and the cognac and nut notes have blended down into something soft and rich. It is more herbal-woody now, with a grassy impression. I like it very much, although it's not as spectacular as it was earlier.

 

After it gentled down, it stuck around for another couple of hours. This doesn't last as long on me as some scents do; it's more the kind of scent I'd want to refresh after a few hours.

 

I'm so glad I bought that bottle unsniffed; I'm going to wear it tomorrow for the equinox.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: Bright juicy blackberries and apple...which my skin promptly eats up.

 

Dry: Florals...Green florals at that with hints of nuts which again my skin seems to gobble up.

 

Overall...this is truly lovely but it has little to no throw and my skin keeps eating it up. If it weren't for that...this would have serious bottle potential. *sigh*

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: dry herbs and nuts and hops and bark.

 

Wet: the herbal quality is still there, but I'm getting a hint of apples.

 

Dry: This is a very faint scent to me. Perhaps a trace of blackberry wine. I'm so disappointed in this scent, as I adore the heady wine of the original. My original bottle obviously aged well, as I was able to obtain it earlier this year, and was hoping that the Res. version would be more like it. It's pretty herbal, with only hints of the blackberry and apple notes. I can only hope that this will age well, and that the fruits will come out more with aging.

[angelicruin]

For me, I get dry herbs more than anything else, particularly the sage note. I can barely smell the blackberries and no apples to speak of.

 

I'm hoping that with age the blackberry wine and apple notes will become stronger. As it stands now, I am disappointed in how it's reacting on me. The reviews above are how I wanted it to smell on me.

[edenssixthday]

Mabon 2010 - I don't recall how this compares with the original Mabon, but this one was a disappointment. I really wanted to smell myrrh and blackberry wine, but most of what I'm smelling is sage, chamomile, hops, and a bit of nuts. It's comes across as fairly masculine and herbal on me and really isn't my type of scent at all. It is fairly subtle and doesn't last very long on my skin, either.

[Akurarei]

Mabon 2010

 

I wasn't around for the original Mabon so I can't provide a comparison.

 

it's a lovely grape scent to me.

I don't think grape is listed as a note, but that's what I smell.

 

Like the best fresh squeezed sugared grape juice ever!

I thankfully don't smell the myrrh, which recently has decided to amp up on me.

 

evocative of fall and bounty.

beautiful, even if it doesn't smell like anything but enchanted grapes to me.

[SurrealReality]

Side by Side Reviews of Mabon '04 & Mabon 2010 (hope this is allowed in the 2010 thread)

 

Mabon '04 in the Bottle: Smooth, sweet (but not sugary) blackberry, apple cider, and a hint of apple blossom

 

Mabon 2010 in the Bottle: Hops, chamomile, and sage are the strongest notes, followed by sweetgrass, nuts, apple, a few other herbs, and a tiny hint of blackberry

 

Mabon '04 Wet on Skin: Smooth, sweet (but again not sugary) blackberry, apple cider, and hints of myrrh, oak bark, and perhaps a tiiiiny hint of sage

 

Mabon 2010 Wet on Skin: Sage and lots of it, hops, chamomile, sweetgrass, ivy, nuts, & oak bark.... I'm barely getting any apple now and I really don't get any blackberry at all

Mabon '04 Dry: Apple cider is the strongest note now, followed by blackberry, myrrh, oak bark, and a hint of apple blossom. After about 1 hr on my skin, blackberry is the strongest note again, followed by apple cider, with only hints of myrrh & oak bark

 

Mabon 2010 Dry: Any hint of apple is definitely gone and the nuts and oak bark have faded too. Now it's just herbal and green. About 1 hr later though, the nuts and oak bark return

I have to say I'm surprised. There is almost no similarity between the two scents. If you're looking for a moderately sweet fruit & woods scent, you want '04; if you're looking for a dry herbal/green woody scent, you want 2010

Edited October 4, 2010 by SurrealReality

[surlygurl]

This scent starts with a warm herbal note on top of sweetish liquid - the blackberry wine, I'm guessing. I get the apple cider/grape thing. It smells like an extremely diluted Samhain. I don't really get nuts or woods. Just a watered down Samhain & herbs, which is alright with me. I like it

[plainjean]

Hm. I like it at first, when it's mostly blackberry wine. But then it starts blending with the apple and the hops and the sage and it just gets really dry and kind of sour. Oh, Mabon! I was so sure you were going to work on me! But instead you turn into weird blackberry and sage turkey stuffing, turkey and all. I just don't think I can do these blackberry and sage scents. The same thing happened with Bewitched. Alas!

Edited October 16, 2010 by plainjean

[countessmouse]

Apple pipe tobacco with nuts.

 

Really.

[NaiadOreiad]

The blackberry wine was so round on me, the herbs gave it a nice dry feeling, perfect for the season.

 

4/5

[kbrighton]

I've worn this three times, and have three different impressions on this blend.

 

First time was at Will Call and I loved it wet, but it seemed to become a jumble as it dried--I chalked this up to the fact that I had somewhat overdone my sniffing at my first Will Call and overwhelmed my nose.

 

The second time was when my bottle arrived. Again, I loved the first few minutes, apple and blackberry. But then it became a horrid jumble--oh no!

 

But third times the charm. Again it opens with that beautiful apple note I love and can't get enough of. As it dries the fruit fades and a dry herbal blend emerges. This is reminiscent of Whoso List To Hunt, it must be the oak moss note.

 

I wish the apple note lasted, even though it's fleeting I love what remains behind.

[dawndie]

In bottle: woodsy and sweet

 

On skin: luscious blackberry

 

Half-hour later: less fruity sweet, more woods and nut meat

 

In conclusion: woo, I loved the beginning, juicy-bursting dark fruit. The ending reminded me of To Autumn from a couple of years ago, sweet foody woods. Not a top-10 favorite, but a really nice seasonal blend.

[zankoku_zen]

For me, I have to agree with SurrealReality's assessment of the differences between Mabon 2004 and Mabon 2010. However, it doesn't account for aging (I mean, there is like SIX years of difference).

 

Mabon 2010 is is green grass, hops, a swirl of apple, blackberry and underneath, nuts.

 

Mabon 2004 on me is a heavy, blackberry and apple cider, and it borders on the medicinal. If there is something green in there, it's a touch of ivy.

 

The gravitas of 2004 is missing from 2010, but that's because I think so many of the elements that are prevalent on the 2010 probably don't age all that well - and/or simply get overpowered by the aging of the blackberry and the apple cider. 2010 is lighter, more fresh, and I sort of enjoy how the green grass is very prevalent. You can sort of, however, see how the 2004 could be possible from the 2010 version.

 

They are however, as they currently stand, two very different scents. I find myself preferring the 2004 incarnation because it is the Mabon I fell in love with.

 

I'd be interested to see/try Mabon 2010 in like.... four years. My only concern with aging is if the aging would accentuate the nuts component. I don't want a nutty Mabon.

[Little Bird]

I'm not a huge fan of Mabon 04. It smells sharp and cough syrup-like on me. I actually prefer this 2010 version. I definitely smell the "wild nuts" and English ivy, and I looove the ivy note (smooth, cool green). The nuttiness adds a sweet touch and a bit of a wooden smell to the blend. There's also a hint of something that reminds me of dry, spicy-earthy fall leaves.

It smells great in the bottle and then goes a bit sharp and perfumey on my skin at first. I'm not sure what note in this is going sharp and perfumey, but it has that chemical, musky floral edge that a lot of department store perfumes have. I don't get any fruitiness at all.

I don't like the sharper stage, but it sort of calms down after about a half hour and smells great again. It's like sugared smoke, fall leaves, wooden, sweet nuttiness, and ivy. It's a really interesting fall blend with good throw on me.

 

I like this now (and like it more than the 04 version, for sure), and I think that it might be awesome with some aging.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Little Bird

[damonkitty]

I am torn by this one . Truthfully, I can not decide it I like it or not. I love the initial scent of blackberry and apple I got, but I did not get a lot of the wine note that I love so much. This scent changed pretty quick on me to a fruity floral that is throwing me off a bit. I think I am amping the sage, English ivy, rosemary, and chamomile over any other notes. I am not getting any of the oak bark or wild nut notes. I will have to think about keeping this one or sending it off.

[pixiedoo]

I passed on this when it was live at the Lab but curiosity and a love of blackberries got the better of me so I tracked down a decant.

 

In the imp: Blackberries, some rather fierce sage and nuts.

 

Wet: The sage is still a touch on the aggressive side and it's joined by some rather full on blackberries and their effervescent apple side kicks. It's a bit in your face at the moment.

 

Dry: This is where something truly beautiful happens. The blackberries and apple calm down and blend seamlessly with all the other wonderful notes. The sage mellows out and is joined by the chamomile, rosemary and the wild nuts. The myrrh appears to give a rich resinous depth to the scent and at this point I can't stop sniffing my wrist. The end result is a sweet resinous blackberry heaven with a warm undercurrent of herbs, apples, nuts and a very subtly rich woody tinge woven with beautiful English ivy.

 

It has the most wonderful autumnal feel to it and is amazingly complex. Somehow Beth has managed to capture the essence of autumn perfectly and put it in a bottle. I don't know how she does that but it's genius! It reminds me so much of how the hedgerow beside my house smells during the autumn months.

 

Needless to say I have already tracked down a bottle and it's on it's way. Mabon 2010 is love x x x

Edited November 18, 2010 by pixiedoo

[milo]

All I really get is the blackberry with a definite nut vibe. It doesn't smell like wine, though. Maybe the other notes will come out later? I think I'd like it better without the nuts.

[megank4]

This reminds me of Berry Moon. A very nice scent for spring/fall.

[Ramen]

I snapped this up last year with Wildfire 2010 and Harvest Moon, eager for all the fall LEs I could afford. Turns out it was a good idea! Mabon '10 goes all over the place but in a good way: in the bottle it's herbs and a hint of fruit. When I put it on it starts out smoky, which is weird, but it dries down to something a lot like fresh baked apples with some of those herbs from earlier slipped in. After a while the herbs are still around but the apples have been replaced by the promised blackberries, which are possibly my favorite berry anyway. Such a keeper!

[Gin]

I really liked the 2004 version, so I didn't hesitate to grab some of Mabon 2010. It's not quite the same, but I like it just as well. It's fruity and planty. I don't think I'd be able pick out any individual notes if not for the description, and even with its help, I'm having trouble. It just smells good.