Lotus Moon 2006

[smallvoice]

Soporose and lenitive: opium-laced golden lotus with rich amber, pine resin, and rose otto.

Hee. I love how everyone talks about the "bubble-gum problem" with lotus, like it's a horrible curse (Which I'm sure it is, for some people). That is part of why I seek lotus blends out, to be honest. I was thrilled when I heard this one might have that sweetness. The rose otto and pine worried me, but I really wanted to try this one. I was lucky enough to land a bottle in a swap- and boy was I lucky! The label is so, so pretty. Bright and happy and perfect for the scent that emerges, somehow.

I don't smell bubble-gum/sweet lotus; not even in the bottle. I can smell the pine right away, but the notes in this just... wow. They meld together to form this Axis of Awesomeness- the pine adds depth and spice to the brilliant golden scent the rest of the notes form. Seriously, I know I'm not usually really good at reviews, and this one is sub-par, but I really can't even explain how lovely this smells. I am SO grateful to have this blend. It is soothing and uplifting. Edited October 1, 2007 by Shollin

[lookingglass]

Wet this is very sweet and fresh. I was afraid of the pine, but here, it is just a slightly dark green natural scent...not at all like the dreaded Pine Sol or a Christmas tree. The rose is subtle, dark, and wet. Dried out it is soft, rich, and powdery, mostly a blessed union of amber and lotus. It is very both understated and sophisticated. Lovely...

[BrightRedScream]

In the bottle I get that bubble gum lotus smell that I adore and a smidge of green.

I'm glad that it's not that in your face pine smell that I HATE...

But here's hoping that this goes well on the skin.

 

On my skin the amber and lotus blend beautifully...

The amber gives a warm, creamy type of scent to the the lotus, toning down that bubble gum smell that some people hate so much. I only get a LITTLE bit of the pine smell that I fear so much, and it actually adds something really nice to this...a bit of sharpness almost.

 

As this dries I get a more citrusy tone to it than the lotus..and it kind of makes me sad...I liked it a lot better in it's wet stages.

 

I think that this may have to go away

Darn.

[provocateur]

In bottle: Lotus.

 

On skin, wet: Fresh, sweet opium and lotus.

 

On skin, dry: Pine opium lotus ... powder.

 

Conclusion: Damn you rose otto! I was loving this until you came along and made powder out of the whole thing!

 

Rating: 2/5

[fairy]

One of the few moons I didn't care much for. It had a very herbal, sharp smell to it. Perhaps it's the pine. I was waiting for the amber (usually my friend) to come help me out but it never showed. I was expecting more lotus, or perhaps that's just my body's reaction to lotus. I'll still keep the imp, but probably wont wear it much.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: i adore lotus, so i'm not sure exactly why i skipped this moon. smelling the decant i have, it's just generally floral.

on: super-sweet lotus with a bit of pine. very interesting.

2.5 hours later: sweet, soft amber and a bit of lotus.

4 hours later: very soft and sweet.

overall: i'm glad that i didn't get a bottle of this, since it doesn't really do much on me.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is fruity bubblegum sweetness with a hint of herbal/powdery notes. When first on the bubblegum is faint but it's still a very sweet blend. After a couple of minutes it becomes powdery and a very generic "department store rich lady perfume" on me. It reminds me a bit of Bearded Lady. This feels thick and heavy on me. After about an hour the amber develops and it's very similar to Bastet at this stage. I don't really like the sweetness of the early stages of this and ended up selling it.

[astridclaire]

This really is a lovely scent with the first 10 minutes being a perfect amber/rose/opium combo for me. But then after 10 minutes? It completely disapears. Vanishes into thin air.

[bristlecone]

When I first got Lotus Moon, I tried it once, then sort of forgot about it. I don't know why- it just didn't grab me.

 

Today I decided I was going to give it another chance since I had been neglecting it for so long.

 

Wet, this is almost juicy and fruity. It's definitely rich and sweet-ish (the lotus?) As it dries, I can smell the rose otto, and the pine resin, and maybe the amber. I don't really know what opium smells like, so I have no clue if I'm smelling it. If I had to pick a color to associate with Lotus Moon, it would probably be a coppery pink. Something about it makes me thinks of sunsets.

 

I put this on before leaving for class and I could barely smell it indoors, but it was a sunny day and I walked part of the way to school, and the scent really ramped up as I got warmer. I kept catching whiffs here and there, and it reminded me so much of something I've smelled before. I have no clue if it's another BPAL scent, a fragrance from another company, or something I've smelled in nature, but it kept triggering a deja-vu feeling. I guess I'll figure it out eventually.

 

Overall, a great scent! Not my favorite, but I find it very appealing.

[steffanina]

Lotus Moon-

 

In Bottle: There's a sweet floral in there, and a little amber, yes.

 

Wet: Not pleasant to my nose, it's a sharp floral-herbal smell now.

 

Dry: Much better on the dry-down! Amberish, still not quite enchanting to me if you know what I mean, but not unpleasant at all. Nice, actually.

 

Overall: Nice on the dry-down.

[supremegoddessofall]

Pine is the top note, but it's not overpowering. This is kind of indistinct on me and fading fast. I get a bit of the florals underneath the pine. I think I'll need to do a retest before giving a final evaluation of this.

[spelmermaid]

i wasn't really expecting this... reading the descriptions i thought it'd be something i'd really like.

 

smelling it wet, the lotus was apparent, but there was a mix of other smells which gave it a sort of herbal, musky scent. didn't really get the bubblegum effect other posters described, for some reason on me the pine and amber came out really strong, tickled my nose and made me sneeze! i had to wash this off, just didn't suit me i guess.

 

ETA-

for some reason i'm loving this more and more, the smell is quite memorable. i keep sniffing the imp! it's not a "love at first sniff" type of scent for me, but it grows on you after a while. will try wearing it again and see if results are better.

Edited December 1, 2006 by spelmermaid

[fiddledragon]

Mmmmmmm.....

 

I was broke when this came out, plus somewhat leery of the pine, so I'm very glad I got to try a decant!

 

This is one of the more beautifully melded BPAL scents I've tried...I can pick out each note, but lotus is the only one that jumps out at me at first sniff. The pine is a rich dark sticky pine resin, rather than the sharp bright kind that my skin doesn't like. The rose turns slightly sour, but that means it'll smell lovely on me in a week or two, and it isn't a strong rose note. The amber is there but not strong enough to go harsh like it sometimes does, and the opium adds a rich, sleepy-feeling depth to the whole without being overpowering. It does go through this severely odd "roast meat" stage for about 30 seconds after 10 minutes of drydown. But otherwise...yum! I'm glad this doesn't seem to have been super-popular; I can probably snag another decant in swaps pretty easily. :-)

[Voleuse]

Eep! This is all resin on first application, with a hint of dried florals appearing after a minute. This is nowhere as sweet as I expected, and actually leans toward the bitter side. There's something rather medicinal about this blend, but in an old-fashioned sort of way.

 

Over time, the opium really pops out, overwhelming everything else. It gives me a bit of a headache, unfortunately. Off to swaps!

[roxyhead]

In the bottle and on my skin, this just seems to be straight perfumey floral somethingorother, my nose being unable to tell one kind of flower from another. Doesn't go bubblegummy at all on me, I suspect I'd have liked it better if it *did*. It doesn't smell *bad*, per se, it just doesn't smell good. I think my skin chemistry must be fairly neutral, because of the five scents I've tried, none really seem to change a whole lot. Anyways, it smells like regular old perfume, and I'm not a regular old perfume fan. Swap pile, or maybe my mom'll like it.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Warm, golden-y sweet without being too cloying. Yum.

 

Wearing: It’s almost a honey scent on my skin, straight sweetness without going smoky (as Lab honey sometimes does). Of course there’s no honey in it at all. Hee! But overall it’s gorgeous, despite my fears of bubblegum.

[oh_the_horror]

This smells so clean and sweet. There's something slightly spicy underneath, which I think is the amber. Nothing is coming to mind to describe this except sweet sugary candy combined with something very feminine, spicy, soft and elegant. Maybe I smell some rose, maybe some pine.

 

I really like this, although it's not so much my style. I think it will be fun to wear on a warm summer night.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Bubblegummy lotus with something nice and spicy.

 

Wet: Bubblegummy lotus, ickickick. It starts warming up in an intriguing way, though.

 

Drydown: Hmm, this is better. I still get the sticky sweet fruity scent of lotus, but I also get the pine resin very obviously, which adds a touch of freshness. I also think that I'm getting some opium, it gives a rather spicy feel to the blend, and it makes it smell very oriental, a scent I've smelled in... Chinese restaurants possibly...

 

Overall: Yes, I think I know what this reminds me of - the hot towels from Asiatic restaurants, for some strange reason. I clearly get the lotus, and the pine, and the rose is maybe what adds to this "clean-smelling" scent. It's actually a pretty fresh blend, and I'd say rather unisex, and at the same time it's a bit spicy and smoky with opium. Good for lotus lovers. I don't like lotus, so I'll pass.

[lightgatherer]

This is a lovely warm scent. I couldn't pick out any individual notes other than perhaps the amber, but overall the smell was sweet and golden. The boy thought it smelled like a vanilla candle. This had a long wear but very little throw. I may have to wear it side-by-side with The Lion and see which I prefer.

[stellans]

I don't know why I expected a more powerful scent, but I did. It was a bit disconcerting that this was such a very light oil, barely even lotus and certainly no pine made its way to my nose.

 

In the imp: delicately floral, with lotus really the only note I smell.

Wet on skin: still very light, very delicate.

Dry: very, very faintly floral. I wish there was more to this, as it's quite pleasant.

Verdict: Since I have a bottle, I'll keep this but I doubt I'll buy more. I was hoping for a stronger bottom to this blend, and while the scent is very pleasant, it's way light. There was barely a trace of sweetness on my wrist this morning, and that was after several succeeding applications.

Edited May 2, 2008 by stellans

[outofrhyme]

I've been eagerly waiting for a sunny day to try this... yay, warmer weather!

 

In the bottle:

Some kind of pine bubble gum. Which sounds nasty, but I actually really like it. Floral too, obviously.

 

Wet:

Ooh. Dark, dark pine and lotus. It's not an oppressive sticky pine - it's a hint of spicy color. It's very, very deep. Amber and rose otto are barely there, adding color. The rose otto with the lotus might be what's giving me the "bubble gum" impression.

 

Dry down:

Sweet, dark, a little powdery. The rose otto has come out with the pine and is doing beautiful things with the lotus. The pine is just spice at this point.

 

Final thoughts:

This is really pretty. It's floral, but it's definitely not a soft girly la la la floral. It's mature, deep and complicated. Very sensual - but not overtly sexual. A real winner - I'm so happy I got to try this.

[Mimicake]

This scent is light and soft, the pine giving the floral a crispness that I really like. I was afraid that the rose would make it a little sour on my skin but it didn't. I've found a yummy summer scent! Thanks BPAL!

[mspixieears]

It smells so fruity in the bottle but on it’s warm, ambery and woodsy. It’s actually really nice though not quite what I was expecting. A fresh green scent – in an evergreen way – I suspect this must be due to the pine resin. Great for the colder months! Wet, there is definitely something fruity in there!

 

I've tried this again and decided I love it and will not be getting rid of it after all. The pine resin has tamed significantly, it was too strong before and now it's much more rounded in composition, and I do get the bubblegummy lotus that everyone talks about but it's more refined what with the opium and amber.

Edited January 27, 2008 by mspixieears

[GoldenRubee]

I really love this lightly sweet scent! I can smell no pine at all, which is good becuase my body chemisty usually amps pine. I just smell lovely lotus with a spicy amber that is just so beautiful. I'm glad that I purchased it from the description and didn't wait for a decant.

[303marlena]

I took a chance on Lotus Moon and it really suprised me in a good way. In the bottle, it smells bubble-gummy as others have mentioned, but not too sweet to me. I can detect what I think is the lotus mainly, it is a sweet pink flower smell, similar to peony. (I have never smelled single note lotus)

 

On the wrist it smells less intensely sweet, a pink flowery smell. Underneath the sweetness, I detect the amber smelling "goldenish" and the resin of the pine. I never got the sharp smell of pine like with other oils, just a sweet resinous "base note", which is understated. I never smelled the opium but maybe I sensed it as my impression of the oil was as if I was daydreaming. Overall I felt sweet, feminine, just a little sexy, and mysterious...

 

On the dry down it was like pink cotton candy, not too sweet but dry with an almost vanilla flavor, perhaps thats the amber drying. It had a lickable quality to it then, no I didn't taste it though. The pine really did not last and was never intense, I really did not detect it at all after the dry down.

 

Not much of a morpher, not much throw although some. Pretty good wearlength, not the best but lasted about 3 to 4 hours or so. I'd like to try it with a scent locket.

 

Overall impression: Sweet lotus, sophisticated and understated but feminine, with a warm, amber base and just a "hint" of pine resin to ground it. Lovely and unique. Glad I have a 5 ml. Will be looking to hoarde more...