Dragon Moon 2006

[TheIceMaiden]

In Imperial China, the Dragon was the symbol of the Emperor’s power, and to this day, the concept and the image of the Dragon is considered sacrosanct. The Dragon is a symbol of power, the Lord of weather and water. The Dragon Moon celebrates the glory and vigor of Springtime: dragon’s blood resin, tea leaf, bamboo reed, sandalwood and cherry blossom.

From beginning to end, Dragon Moon primarily smells of cherry blossom green tea on my skin. Its beautiful in its simplicity, very refreshing, and another favourite Lunacy of mine.

ETA description Edited November 28, 2007 by Shollin

[phantasmmysteria]

One of my favorite things to do as a wee little one was play in the laundry detergent whenever my mother was putting clothes in the washer. I loooooooved the smell of detergent, and to run my hands through the powder in the box and hear my mother mock scold me for doing so.

 

Dragon Moon reminds me instantly of those memories, because on my skin it smells exactly like laundry detergent, which I'm thinking is probably sue to the cherry blossom. For me, this is a very positive association (though I'm sure not everyone loves that soapy smell as much as I do). It eventually does mellow out into a soft green floral, but it's those beginning stages I really like.

[Ishtar]

Usually I do not really seek Lunacies but the second I read about a Dragon Moon, I knew I had to try it. I do love dragons and every single note in this blend appealed to me, so this really was a no-brainer.

I recently found a bottle (lovely label, btw!) - many thanks to LadyMedb for feeding my dragonmania!

 

Like many reviewers, I was expecting the dragon's blood to take centre stage and pretty much overpower the other notes. Interestingly enough, the most noticeable components on my skin are the tea leaf and the bamboo, imparting a very Asian feel to this blend, especially when layered with the cherry blossom.

It is only after complete drydown that the base notes (dragon's blood and sandalwood) show themselves, but they do so in an unusually subdued fashion. Mostly, their role here is to add depth and staying power to what is otherwise a refreshing and airy scent with a touch of greenness. I really enjoy Dragon Moon. It reminds me of Mr Ibis, of which I am quite fond as well

[darkblade]

Dragon Moon 2006 A Little Lunacy

 

Bottle: Hrm. Almost smells.. astringent.

 

Wet: Oh no! Please dont go soapy...

 

Dry: Whew! I'm getting a bit of sandalwood, and I think tea and bamboo.. the dragon's blood is subtle, which is good because the Ars Draconis Dragon's Blood oil did NOT work on me.

 

Bit later: Same, now with added cherry blossoms! It's very much not the overwhelming note though, which makes me very happy.

 

Verdict: Keeping it. Glad I bought it! I've worn it a few times since I originally noted this, and I love it. I'm tempted to try and find a second bottle.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Mmm, tea leaf and bamboo are most prominent here.

 

On the wrist: This is great! So far the dragon's blood is behaving (it amps on me usually), the sandalwood is wonderfully absent and this is pure cherry blossom, tea leaf and bamboo reed, which is exactly what I was hoping for! It's sharp and fresh and clean and sweet and wonderful, I hope it stays this way!

 

Drydown: This is a gorgeous scent. The tea, bamboo and cherry remain the most dominant notes with the sandalwood and the dragon's blood hanging out in the background sweetening things up and rounding them out. Love it, love it, love it.

 

Overall: This definitely reminds me of Holiday Moon and Neo Tokyo both of which I love, and it's the only blend with dragon's blood that doesn't go uber blood on me. Keeper!

[arabella]

First Impression: An exotic floral bathing in tea.

 

Dries down to: An absolutely perfectly balanced blend of cherry blossom and bamboo with the rest of the notes as supporting players.

 

Additional Comments: I'm amazed that the dragon's blood isn't dominating this scent. Although I love dragon's blood, it knows its place here. The tea and sandalwood also provide a lovely depth to this delicate blend without being obvious. This is absolutely gorgeous and with its longevity as an extra bonus jumps to my top ten list.

 

Lasted: Overnight.

 

Rating: 5 out of 5

[Indefatigable]

In the vial: mmm, tea. And dragon's blood. I'm getting to recognize the dragon's blood scent now.

 

On me: very strong dragon's blood. There's just a hint of the tea and sandalwood making a high crisp note in the background, keeping it from being too heavy and soapy.

 

Drying down: the sandalwood is coming out more, and the dragon's blood is less soapy. I wish the tea would come back, because otherwise it smells a bit like aftershave. Pleasant enough, but not really 'me'. The initial tea note made it more feminine.

[tartchef]

Woo! A dragon's blood scent I can wear! Normally DB goes horrible on my skin - "floral bouquet" toilet cleaner, heavy, soapy & cloying. Despite it's top billing here, though, it's surprisingly light. In the bottle, Dragon Moon is the essence of Spring - clear water, fresh tea, green stems, a hint of sweet blossoms... I can almost hear the birds twittering away On my skin, it keeps that freshness, with lots of tea & bamboo & a distinct spring-water scent. The sandalwood is barely perceptible, but I suspect it's what's keeping the cherry blossom & dragon's blood from exploding in a cloud of soap. I'll keep decanting this... for now. I want to keep some for myself for those bleak February days when spring seems so very far away...

 

ETA: If you liked the concept of the Darkling Thrush, but the violet & amber didn't work for you, Dragon Moon might be an alternative - it's that same hopefulness-of-spring-to-come in a bottle...

 

ETA Part 2: OK, I'm keeping this... and looking for another bottle. I got a tiny smudge on my desk while decanting last night, and this morning my office smells absolutely incredible. I need to revamp my Top Ten...

Edited November 21, 2007 by tartchef

[Gwydion]

In the bottle, this is a rich vaguely floral tea blend. Wet, the dragon’s blood and tea leaf vie for dominance, with the other scents enriching the result It does smell very east Asian. One imagines a tea house in a garden on a wet spring day, the rain soft on the roof, incense and tea mingling over tatami mats, wet wood and the faint scent of the cherry blossoms. Dry: This is unfortunate, but three hours later, all that is left of that heady complexity is a weak, powdery floral. Sigh.

[AEris]

Wet on my skin, it smells like lovely sweet tea with a hint of floral.

 

As it dries, the tea mellows and slips away, and the cherry blossom really dominates.

 

This is more heady than i expected, and smells kind of "perfumey" to me. It is reminding me very strongly of some commercial perfume I already have, although I'm having trouble pinpointing it. I was expecting an incense blend with a hint of green-springtime freshness, but it's actually a strong floral on me.

 

I absolutely love the opening 10 seconds, but after that, it doesn't inspire me. Just not my "type."

[tuesdaynexxt]

Definitely softer, sweeter than I'd imagined. But I love it! I get a sort of undertone of dragon's blood, but there are sweet & green notes that come more to the fore. I guess it's the cherry blossom, but overall, really a lovely scent. I love it now (winter!), but I can definitely see it as a springtime scent.

[donnatron]

Imp: Dragon's blood and yerba mate tea. I'd assume this is black tea leaf, but it lends a very astringent quality to the scent. V. nice.

 

Wet: The dragon's blood amps up and then mellows out to mingle with all the scents.

 

Dry: A nice mixture of bamboo, tea leaf, slight cherry, and then an undercurrent of dragon's blood. This is phenomenally well-blended. Also, I know it's not a pure cup of tea scent, but it's nice to have a tea-inspired note that doesn't go nasty on my skin.

 

Throw: Ample but polite. At the beginning it's a bit overpowering, but the drydown is lingering and effective. Nice.

 

Overall: I like this. It's nice and clean and an interesting scent overall. It's very unique compared to all the other dragon's blood blends and very lovely. If I come across a bottle that needs a home, I might pick it up, but I'm not fussed about obsessively hunting this down.

[DarkClarissa]

In bottle: Oooh, this smells lovely - I can only really smell cherry blossom and sandalwood with slight tea undertones.

 

Wet: Ahhhh...I'm in love...I think if this was a human I'd want to squeeze their bottom. Mmmm...lovely cherry blossom, sandalwood's not as dominant now as I can smell more of the tea and the dragon's blood is making an appearance. Peeking his head around the corner...

 

Dry: Wow...this is a multi-faceted fragrance. Now, its a powdery residue of the sandalwood and dragon's blood, gentle with a dark sharp edge. NOW I can smell the faint aroma of the inside of a bamboo reed...lovely.

 

Verdict: I can't stop smelling this. I just adore it. I knew I liked sandalwood, but I wasn't sure about the combination with the other ingredients. But they round the fragrance off perfectly. Sandalwood can be too soapy, but the sweetness of the cherry blossom, the flat notes of the tea and the dark dragon's blood balance it so well.

 

Marks out of 10: 9

[cranberry]

This smells of tea and bamboo. This smells very fresh and light. A light green color. It reminds me most of Holiday Moon. It’s a bit deeper and richer, but so similar. As it wears, the freshness scales back a bit but not much. This is still very much a fresh, light, clean scent. I’m not sure what cherry blossoms smell like, but there is a wee bit of sweet, light florals here too.

 

To compare it to Holiday Moon, this is deeper, a wee bit darker, not as fresh, but with light beautiful flowers too. In comparison, Holiday Moon smells still of light green freshness and white tea. Almost like a plant, but not a grassy smell – more of a stem scent. I guess Holiday Moon is the cleanest budding of plants in the spring, while Dragon Moon is what happens once the flowers emerge.

[djsiberia]

i picked this up 2 years later.

 

since i never got the chance to sniff this new, it has a crsip clean scent right now. i don't get any dragon's blood, mostly its tea leaf and bamboo reed. it's quite a beautiful scent. the cherry blossom has taken a back seat and so has the sandalwood.

 

sometimes the scent reminds me a bit of laundry detergent, but in a good addictive way with tea.

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Tea leaf, sandalwood with the sweetness of dragon’s blood and a tiny bit of bamboo and cherry blossom.

 

Wet on skin - The cherry blossom has come out more, but the tea leaf and sandalwood are still the main notes. I get a bit of the dragon’s blood too.

 

Dry on skin - This smells similar to Dragon’s Claw, but the green tea and bamboo/cheery blossom keep it different. It doesn’t last as long as some scents, however, throw is pretty minimal.

[Indigo78]

This was frimped to me a month or so ago in a swap. In the imp I got a sense that this was sort of floral before reading the notes. The dragon's blood doesn't explode the way it does in some other blends, and I think it must be very light here. On my skin there seems to be a mix between the bamboo leaf and DB that is making me think there is a flower involved. During the drydown it gets the 'salty' note that I get in so many aquatics. It is perfumey and kinda soapy for my preferences at the moment: Nevertheless I am glad to have tried it.

 

edited for major typo issues

Edited February 16, 2009 by Indig0

[zankoku_zen]

It's dragon's blood and cherry blossoms. It's a sweet, cloying cherry blossom.

 

GRRR.

 

...

 

If it wasn't so sweet, I would have loved it.

[Sweetie666]

I don't really smell any dragon's blood when I wear this, which is a very good thing. On me it's all sandalwood and tea leaf!

[ouch!]

This is yum! I've had my imp of this for such a long time and never used it. I only just pulled it out today to use for a couple of days. I must have hunted this down when I went on a Dragon's Blood Resin rampage!

This smells nothing like Dragon's Blood on me..? Why? hehe.

It's still gorgeous though.

It's quite a powerful scent and does smell like an Asian/Oriental mix.

 

This is bright, very strong...I don't get sandalwood. this is more like a fruity floral. Lovely!

I think this is being dominated by the Tea Leaf, Bamboo and Cherry Blossom. With maybe a tinge of Dragon's Blood Resin. The wet stage is bright, wonder what the dry stage will be like?

 

It calms down a bit..goes less floral and turns more soft & sweet, the dragon's blood has vnished and the cherry blossom has come forward.

 

This really is a beautiful blend.

[femmefatale]

I can't really pick out the individual notes, but it's very green (from the bamboo I assume) with sweet florals that turn a bit soapy (cherry blossom strikes again). It does smell like it would make a wonderful spring & summer scent and it's very pretty, just not really me. I prefer the darker, muskier scents right now. I'll probably swap this off to someone who will give it more attention.

Edited April 24, 2009 by Femme_Fatale

[stellans]

I love the innate dragon-ness of this blend which is achieved without a huge infusion of dragon's blood, which I love but have all the Ars Draconis line already. The dragon's blood seems to only accent, rather than dominate, the other notes of bamboo, sandalwood, tea leaf, and cherry blossom. Upon first application, I get a rush of citrus (?) but that gives way to the crispness of bamboo and tea leaf, the sweetness of cherry blossom, and the incense goodness of sandalwood, which stays with me until morning. This blend has amazing stay, and decent throw, so it's perfect for my nightly use. I've managed to amass a pretty good horde of this to hoard. 4 of 5 stars!

Edited August 17, 2011 by stellans

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Light peach oil. Surprisingly sweet-tart and fruity, like yuzu or kumquat? Definitely citrus. I get a bit of soapy-sweet dragon's blood, some cherry blossom, piney tea and aquatic bamboo. Bright, fresh.

 

Wet: Definitely some tart-juicy citrus, with a bitter, pithy/zesty edge - yuzu, for sure, but yuzu zest and pith primarily. Dragon's blood is a bit stronger and soapier. Still lots of smooth tea and girly cherry blossom, with a bit of creamy sandalwood.

 

Dry: Less and less juicy fruit, more and more of a sour/bitter edge from the citrus - I think it's merging with the bamboo note. The cherry blossom is amping a bit, while the sandalwood remains faint. Still the soapy edge from the dragon's blood.

 

Later: This becomes sweeter over time, and loses the bitter edge, though it remains almost-aquatic and zesty. The citrus/bamboo/tea combo reminds me a LOT of the Holiday Moon, and the clean, dry sandalwood note only reenforces the similarity.

 

Summary: I think I'd really like this without the soapy tinge of the dragon's blood (which does fade, but not entirely; the tea note here is one of the nicest I've encountered, as are the other listed notes and I also love the yuzu. Unisex, good throw & longevity.

[HamletsKeeper]

My bottle is aged three years and it smells glorious.

 

Bottle Sniff Primarily bamboo and dragon's blood. It's an odd smell that you are not really sure how it will go. But then what does a bottle sniff really tell you about anything anyway?

 

Wet On Skin - This smells a lot like crushed lemongrass. Don't ask me why I get that note when it's not in it. Must be the bamboo which has a similar fibrous green smell to it and the cherry blossom peeking through. But it definately smells very herbal citrus. And just as it dries down, there it is a tiny note of cherry blossom adding to the deliciousness of the scent. I think I love cherry blossom.

 

Final drydown - Dragon's Blood is not dominant in this blend, it's primarily a green tea scent. The DB just adds a bit of depth to the basenotes without being recognisable. It really reminds me of iced Jasmine tea even though it doesn't smell like jasmine at all. Must be the green tea and cherry blossom which gives it that character.

 

Overall this is a beautiful tea scent with an exotic flavour. Very fresh, green and slightly citrusy becoming a great summer scent which I'm sure I will wear very often. One of those gorgeous refreshing smells. Two things I realised from this , yes I love cherry blossom, which smells on me like a slightly citrusy floral, yes I love tea scents. Asian scents are definately going to be BPALs I'll be looking out for in the future.

 

Revisited This one is definately very lemongrassy on me which I love. I put this scent on again today after my usual floral fare went too sweet on me. It's the perfect antidote to sweetness overload. Very crisp, green without being astringent and zesty. I love this blend and hate it that it's an LE long since gone....it's what I imagined Shanghai to smell like. I hope I can find a GC with a similar vibe to it. I think I will try Phantasm, Shanghai and Shoggoth now.

Edited November 3, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[loubric]

Strawberry cherry blossom tea. And something from my childhood that I can’t place. Like the sweetness that comes from Barbie’s, Troll’s or those scratch and sniff stickers (seriously!)

 

This is a very light, clean and sweet scent on me. GORGEOUS!!

 

Now to hunt me down a bottle…