Chrysanthemum Moon

[L-z_Empress]

Her scent is bewitching, almost intoxicating: a sensual incense of crushed mums, red ginger, and pulsing musk … and the air is thick with leaden brown opium smoke that hangs thickly over a seductive mixture of red musk, body-warmed perfume, and hypnotic Eastern flowers.

This is my favourite of the lunacy blends that I have tried this year (which are admittedly few because the notes this year tend not to appeal to me). However, there have been significantly better lunacy blends in the previous years (Pink Moon, Chaste Moon and Milk Moon all come to mind). On me, this smells similar to last year's Harvest Moon without the cider and apple notes. It has the spice of HM, with a little more sweetness to it. And of course, it also has more of a floral quality. It is definitely an autumn scent. It is not long lasting and stays extremely close to the skin. I suspect that it would make a nice room scent though because it is completely unobtrusive and nonoffensive. Overall, it's just an okay scent. I will keep my bottle, but I am glad that I did not order multiples because they would have gone up for sale or swap.

[minnalavender]

Body chemistry is an odd, odd thing.

 

Chrysanthemum Moon is the first Lunacy I've tried that hasn't worked on me, and much in the same way that O doesn't work on me - it ends up smelling like musky honey, but not in a good way. It just smells... off. Cloyingly sweet. It's why I don't love a lot of the food scents. I love florals and Mum smells intensely floral in the bottle - but once on, all the floral goes bye-bye on me and my skin amps some weird Hostess Honeybun that no one likes on me.

 

I wanted to love her - she is beautiful. But off she will go to one of the lucky summumabidges upon whom she will work her magic.

[Little Bird]

I almost didn't buy Chrysanthemum Moon. The description of the opium den terrified me. The whole opium/poppy thing is something that I've learned to fear... the smell of it gives me vicious migraines and actual nosebleeds. But I hate to miss out on a BPAL LE, so I decided to face death and buy a bottle at the last minute anyhow, lol.

 

The beautiful description for the Mum Moon fits it so perfectly. Gold-dusted mums, sensual incense, and spicy ginger are all apparent to me... I could really visualize the story that was told along with the scent when I wore this.

 

A strange side note: This has a subtle background note that smells like a man's lime-scented cologne. It's sexy and pleasant, just not something that I was expecting. In the bottle, this actually smells like some sort of lime cleanser on me too. But it's a light (barely there after a half hour or so), gentleman's cologne on my skin...

 

Mainly this is like spicy, dried flowers and sultry incense. There's probably a bit of amber in here too, because it takes on a warm, dusty quality on my skin. There is that opium poppy note here as well, but it was light and faded quickly enough that even an opium-hater like me could wear this without getting ill.

 

I really was fond of this one. It was a wonderfully comfortingly warm, spicy, dry incense on me in the drydown. I'm going to love Mum Moon this winter

[QueenFae]

Wow, this is STRONG! I mean, this is a knock you down, spank you on the ass, and run over you strength floral. This is definitely the strongest floral I've ever smelled from BPAL. It's a very, very perfumey scent, it reminds me of the perfume counters in department stores. I am one of those people who likes to drown in a cloud of their own perfume, but this is too much even for me. About 4 hours after I applied it, it had faded enough to be tolerable, and then actually smelled quite pleasant. Definitely not my thing, but I applaud the strength and sticking power of this blend. It was going strong 10 hours after I applied it!!

[abejita]

The Lunacies have just gotten better and better lately for me. Hungry Ghost Moon had me swooning and swearing the Lunacies had reached their pinnacle, but Chrysanthemum Moon has shot up to the "Holy Grail" category for me. At first sniff, wet, I thought it was just way to "perfumey," as some reviewers have noticed.

 

Then it dried down. Not only did it dry down, but it dried down to something amazingly lovely. On my skin, there is some heady, rich note I can't quite pinpoint. It's... buttery. But not at all in a foody sense. More in a liquid, golden, rich sense. The ginger is creamy. The musk is lovely. The spices and floral are in perfect balance. The opium is smooooth.

 

This is the second scent I have violated my "no hoarding" rule for.

[tamburlaine]

I felt like such a fool when I didn't order Chrysanthemum Moon right off the bat. A lapse in my BPAL senses, I suppose, because how could I turn my head away from something that supposedly smells like an opium den? Being a sucker for all that sort of thing (a 20-page paper on the opium trade in Victorian Britain will attest), I'm glad that I finally got my hands on it with a swap.

 

Well, it's nice, but it certainly doesn't smell like any opium den I've been in!

 

It turns immediately to floral, and I get very little of a Snake Oil-ness or creamy ginger spiceyness. It's a dark, deep, sensuous floral, and not cloying in its sweetness, but alas, no spice and no cream. Happily there is some smoke in there, and musk, but I expected this to be a little more gourmand for some reason.

 

It's a beautiful scent, no doubt, but unfortunately not what I was expecting. I can't properly articulate what it was that I was expecting, though; I guess it was an opium den.

 

The opium I smell very strongly, and as it dries down I can tell why people are comparing this to Snake Oil, there's definitely a sugared aspect to the flowers. Sleepy, sugar crystal-dusted chrysanthemums and poppy pods dripping with that sweet resinous stuff.

 

3/5. I'm definitely keeping it around, though I doubt I'll be wearing it. It's an inspired scent, and worth having for the sentimental value.

[turbojenn]

Wow, is this one amazing. I also picked up a bottle in swaps after thumping my head against the wall for not ordering it initially.

 

So, I slather it on, and whew! The florals nearly knock me out, and I'm not a floral lover....but after 20 minutes, the flowers take a back seat and the musk and spices and creaminess come up front. And I *love* it. I get a hint of the snake oil/noir family.....but, more than that - its like a smoother, gentler, creamier Lenore. And Lenore is among my top 5 scents....this one is a perfect scent for me, just right for the bridge between summer and autumn.

[azhure]

In the vial: The floral dominate, but they are tempered by the musk into something very exotic.

 

Wet: I actually couldn't smell this one much at all wet. My body chemistry does strange things sometimes.

 

Drydown: It's only when drying down that I start to really smell this. The incense-type notes dominate on me, the florals going away almost completely. It's a much lighter incense/musk scent than some of my other favoured scents, though. It's a very unique scent, and I love it.

[sookster]

straight sniff from the bottle is a kind of incensey floral...slightly spicy;

a perfect autumn blend!!

 

once applied this turns completely acrid with my chemistry

excessively sharp...dammit...i had such high hopes for this ... the artwork on

the bottle is gorgeous...what a shame this just does not work for me at all

[eggplant]

In the bottle: Oil paints and turpentine

 

Wet on skin: Sometimes I wonder if I'm reviewing the same scent as everyone else, because my first impression? Oh my god, GET IT OFF ME! It smells like sharp old hotel soap. Very musty. I smell the spice but it's drowned out by the cheap perfumey soap.

 

After 5 minutes: Still smells like cheap, spicy perfumy soap. I know I should give this more time, but it really smells awful on me. I'll try to wait it out and see...

[Miss Lynx]

*sigh* Chrysanthemum Moon, you broke my heart.

 

You were the first Lunacy I actually ordered a full bottle of. Usually I don't like most of the Lunacies because they're so heavily floral. And when you were first announced, I expected the same, and didn't even look at the description after seeing the name.

 

But then... the reviews started to come in. And everyone was talking about how you were musky, gingery, incensey goodness, and hardly floral at all. So I began to regret not ordering you. And then I saw a post from a lovely forumite offering to pick a few things up for people from the next Will Call, and decided I had to try you.

 

More and more reviews rolled in, and I was so excited waiting for you that I could hardly stand it. And then you arrived. I eagerly opened up the bottle and, barely pausing to sniff, slathered you on.

 

*sigh*

 

Where's the ginger? Where's the musk? Where's the incense? All I get from you, pretty much, is... florals. You smell like a standard commercial perfume -- a reasonably nice one, but still. I hate most commercial perfumes. I can barely pick up undertones of some of the promised notes beneath the floral onslaught, but not strongly enough.

 

Eventually, the flowers settle down a bit, and I can indeed detect a bit of spicy incense scent in you... just in time for you to fade away completely. I can still pick up a trace, with my nose pressed to my wrists, of something that almost lives up to my expectations... But alas you didn't smell like that when I still could smell you.

 

Kettu tried you too, and initially you smelled nice on her, more like what I'd hoped you would on me. But then you gave her a headache, you evil wench.

 

*sigh*

 

So... away you shall go. And believe me, I shall think twice before trusting a Lunacy again. There have been a few that weren't too bad (Blood Moon and Hungry Ghost Moon come to mind), but overall, I am clearly not cut out to be a Lunatic. Despite all claims to the contrary.

 

Grade: C

[SoapyRN]

By the third page, I am pretty much in agreement with nearly all of the reviews! It is WONDERFUL! I am a spice musk freak and ordered it as soon as it came out. The fact that it was my birth moon helped. I over looked that it is IN an opium den, but I get no smoke or anything like those notes which is fine by me.

 

Somewhere, someone said this was Harvest Moon, sans the apple notes and I will agree. There is a richness about it that I loved in that blend and it is only applified in this one.

 

More more more bottles. Seriously.

 

Oddly, the dh was not too kean on it out of the bottle. I have not noticed a morph of any sort, just pure heaven.

[UltraViolet]

 

In the bottle

Mmm.

On

What a sensual floral!

30 minutes

I think if I used a very light touch when applying that this could be an every day scent for me.

It's a dark, incensey (and sweeti-ish) floral. Normally I don't do well with florals, especially strong ones. Crysanthemum Moon is an exception. It is a strong floral so I would have put this on rather lightly, but it would be worth learning a light hand because of the goodness of the other ingredients.

I had my husband sniff my wrist when I first put it on and he thought "it's too strong but it's sexy underneath, if you don't put so much on, I'd like it actually.

*thud*

Throw:

Yes.

Scent category:

Incensey/Floral

Summary

Crysanthemum Moon has a deep, smoky incense quality that makes this an incrediblely gorgeous, sexy and addictive scent on my skin. Kudos to Beth for creating a Lunacy blend that is so different.

Purchase again?

Yes

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[kwsix]

How can something so good in the bottle be so wrong on my skin?

 

In the bottle Mum Moon is all that and then some.

 

Wet on my skin and throughout the drydown she's just plain wrong. There's no spice, no incense, no opium smoke, and no discernable mums or musk. There's just a very sharp (and not in a good way) floral I associate with many commercial department store perfumes, paired with a generous helping of B.O. Is red musk my Waterloo? I'm not sure, but something is disagreeing with my body chemistry. It went so wrong that it even made me grouchy.

 

I seriously envy those with good Mum Moon experiences. Maybe this is the scent that will goad me into trying a scent locket, because I really love how it smells in the bottle.

[likie]

In bottle: Powerful musk (isn't it always?), but sweet. A hint of spice creeping in around the edges.

 

Wet: Suddenly... it's very green! And floral! Very! A lot! Slowly fading back to something more mellow...

 

Dry: Wow, this is powerful. Didn't get as mellow as I had hoped. The musk never came back, and spice is all gone; it's just an incredibly strong scent of... well, chrysanthemums. Sad to say, I've smelled better.

[olympia301]

 

Very pretty. Reminds me of Harvest Moon 2005 in that it is stronger and more perfumy than some of the other lunacy blends. This one is perfect on a cool September day. It really does remind me of the volatile smell of chrysanthemums and dries down to a very immediately recognisable sense which is quite comforting. I can well imagine many BPALers are deeply in love with this one. Just right for this time of year.

[LiberAmoris]

Chrysanthemum Moon is just perfect for this time of year. I definitely get the musk and mums, and a tinge of opium. But this is primarily a musk and honey (?) based blend on me with an autumnal floral mix. It does remind me a bit of HM 05, and also Silk Road, for some reason.

 

I'm enjoying this on it's own, but also think it makes a terrific blender. It gives everything a musky autumn floral edge that I just love.

[Phaedra777]

Spices, mums and a bit of smoke and resin in a rich creamy base. I'm not getting any ginger, but that's quite all right. This is gorgeous. I put a bit in my hair and I've had the guys at work trying to sniff my head unobtrusively all morning.

[Inanna9]

Oh bummer. This didn't work on me at all. It has to be a body chemistry issue, because my experience of this is nothing like most of the reviews. There is some note going very wrong, or maybe a combination of them, because all I get is a generic, drugstore perfume smell, with just a touch of nearly rancid honey upon the drydown. A freaking tragedy. I'll give it another try here in a bit, just in case, but regardless, I'm glad I took a chance. I decided a while ago that I'm getting every Lunacy no matter what.

[lookingglass]

Wet this IS MUMS! I just planted some of the beauties, and this smells just like my hands did after putting them in the ground: a dark green and spicy with a deep earthiness. Drying down the opium is sweet and thick. Delicious! Completely dry there is a perfumey muskiness...sweet, slightly floral; the scent has changed from a dark green to a dark brownish rose (for those who see scent in color...). Perfect for fall. Just perfect.

[themerrybaker]

Mum Moon improves with wear for me. After a full day, I get the dusty-sharp mum scent. It starts out a bit masculine and musky, though.

 

The bottle has been improving since I received it, and will likely get better and better over time.

 

 

edited to add: wore it about 2 weeks later, and yes it has improved. Still not so hot when wet, but every so often during the day it catches my attention by sending little messages of goodsmell.

Edited October 6, 2006 by themerrybaker

[smellyface]

Spicey floral with incense tangled into the perfect blend! This has a decent throw, however the closer someone is to me, the more likely they can pick up the floral. This blend stays strong for about 4-5 hours on me.

Rating: 5/5!

[saralaughs]

OMG I'm in love!

 

The Mum starts off very boozy methinks; I can also smell the opium right away. As it shifts (like a woman's garmet, shifting as she walks...softly yet swiftly) I get a little ginger; a little cream but the booze is still there as well as the opium. After a little while longer it continues to deepen. The Mum comes out to play as well as the musk; it really is so well blended that all the notes play together and beautifully.

 

I love it. I calls to mind a very swauve lady; one that has a fine dress on. But hinding underneath that dress? No panties with grass stains on her knees.

[kraken]

I have a cold and in a moment of complete nose clarity, I got a chance to sniff the Chrysanthemum Moon I put on this morning.

 

My first impression of the throw is Old Spice Sport deoderant.

 

Drier Dry: Nose to wrist, a very sweet floral ginger. Specifically like dried fragrant flowers (I'm pretty bad at naming floral notes unless it's rose or jasmine and this is not either) and candied ginger. Perhaps a hint of a sweet tobacco. After many hours, it morphs to a more honey-ginger scent. I get more and more fond of each time I sniff it.

 

I think I was hoping this would be closer to Red Lantern, but with a sharp ginger note. Not exactly what I expected, but I think I'll put it away and try it again later.

Edited September 26, 2006 by kraken

[em_h]

Well, it was lucky for me that this didn't work on Miss Lynx and Kettu, because I was able to snag their bottle at the Toronto meet'n'sniff.

 

Opium has been a bad note for me before, but this worked quite well indeed. Spicy, smoky, fruity, and generally a nice dark rich scent. There's a hint of floral, but no more than that; mostly a sweet smokiness with a bit of dark red fruit. It isn't very strong on my skin, and the throw is limited; in a way this may be just as well, because if it were strong it could be overwhelming.

 

About four hours in, it went into a phase I didn't like much -- a bit sour as the fruit and floral wore out. But the next morning I kept getting wafts of a very rich honey scent, which was an interesting morph.

 

Definitely a keeper for me. I think it'll get even better as it ages.