Bitter Moon

[Aevalin]

Nepal poppy, lotus root, wild rose, and blue hibiscus with blackberry, tonka, sage, lavender, peony and vetiver.

I knew this one would be a gamble for me - there were notes I loved in it, but there were notes I dislike. In the end I have decided I like it fine, but I'm not sure if it's a keeper for me.

I get the blackberry off the top, which is great, I love berries. Then I get knocked with some florals, and I find them to be too strong, a bit overwhelming. I suspect it's the wild rose...roses and I aren't good friends. Sadly, I didn't get any sage or tonka.

[Koumori]

I'm getting an overall grapefruit and herbal sort of feeling out of this one, though I can detect lavender and poppy individually as well. It's a strong scent, and reminds me a lot of Tzadikim Nistarim, but without that blend's underlying warmth. Not something I think I want to go about smelling like, alas.

 

Score: 2/5

[PurringPulsar]

Bitter Moon

 

In the bottle: mmm, blackberry and sage, similar to Bewitched. The blackberry here actually smells a bit like dewberry, and there's lavender as well.

Wet on skin: blackberry, sage, lavender and…is that hibiscus? It reminds me of hibiscus tea.

Dry on skin: this is gorgeous. I smell bittersweet blackberries and something akin to grapefruit, mingling with soft green sage and lavender, a hint of dry-sharp hibiscus (there is, indeed, something blue to this scent), a little bit of rose, maybe even the smoke from poppies. I can't smell tonka, lotus root, peony or vetiver yet. I get a 'dewberry' effect from this scent at times, but this is greener, more multifaceted, and more interesting. This is a crisp, dry (as in, fruity-dry like wine, not arid-dry) dark yet glittering scent, rich black-purple and indigo wrapped in soft green and glints of yellow, pink and blue.

After a while: the blackberry note seems to be ripening and sweetening nicely, and warming up, like sun ripened, black, juicy berries with the scent of the brambles (probably the sage) all around. I even get the impression of the thorns here, which fits the name and theme. I think it's the tonka that's coming through to sweeten it all. I smell roses now, much more than I did before. A haze of opium covers the scent. The rose-berry scent I get is similar to Santa Muerte, maybe also because of the vetiver (which, so far, seems to be very discreet).

The scent never sweetens too much, which is good, but the tonka undertone is gorgeous, smooth and almost vanilla like under the scent of hibiscus tea, smouldering smudged sage and poppy smoke, roses and ripe-to-bursting blackberries. The vetiver is perfect-not strong or pungent, but enough to add a gritty greenness to the scent. Eventually the pale, soft powder of lotus root comes up to lighten the scent a little, and the scent has moved from bitter to sweet, in an almost poetic way.

Verdict: what a fascinating fragrance, and the kind of bitterness I like! A complex scent, first this has a definite bitter feel, like the sharp recoil you get after biting into unripe fruit. It's blackberry dominated-a true blackberry still growing on it's thorny bramble, the sage gives an incredible greenness, the hibiscus adds a tart dryness. It softens and becomes less bitter upon drydown, when the tonka and lotus root appear, the rose grows a little stronger, and the berries appear to become darker and sweeter, and the scent becomes almost velvety and smoky. All the notes in this scent work beautifully and the result is a unique and masterfully blended fragrance which is quite a work of art, beautifully emotional and stirring. Truly stunning, this is a fantastic example of how Beth can make masterpieces for the nose.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes. This is a beautiful, unique fragrance.

If you like this, try: Bewitched, Glasgow, Rosalind, Pontarlier, Santa Muerte

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, tart blackberries with an earthy, almost root-like smell that reminds me of strolling through blackberry patches. It's a smell that I know and love well since I grew up in the Ozarks. It's the smell of an entire patch of blackberries rather than the juice of one berry.

 

I was really hopeful that this would work on me. Most of BPAL's lunars haven't been wearable for me, and I haven't had a *love* since Sleepy Moon from February. I was hopeful for this one since I love everything in it with the exception of the poppy and sage.

 

Of course, my skin amps up the poppy and completely ruins this for me . Poppy has ruined a few blends for me now (gives me nosebleeds and migraines). It's a sharp, stinging, smoky, white sort of smell on me. The beautifully tart blackberry is holding on, but it's smothered by the migraine inducing poppy for me.

 

I waited this one out for an hour and a half (I so wanted to love it) and the poppy does finally calm down, and some creamy/vanilla-ish tonka comes out to mingle with the berries. The lingering sharpness of the poppy just kills this for me though.

 

Bitter Moon minus the florals would be heaven. As it is... I can't wear Bitter Moon at all. So disappointed in this order

[porcelain72]

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted a review, might as well start again with this one.

 

In the imp: if grapefruit isn't a listed note, then I don't know what's producing the distinct scent of grapefruit in the imp. The blackberry, perhaps? I really have no idea. I was initially put off by it, and waited a couple days to give it a try.

 

Initial application: yep, still grapefruit, with a faint herbal edge to it. I'm not a fan of sharp citrus, normally.

 

Drydown: now here's where it gets interesting. The grapefruit fades to a lighter fruity scent, still edged with herbs. Behind it is just a little bit of poppy and lavender. Not bitter so much as tart, not too sweet but not too sour either.

 

I'm glad I gave this a try after all, it's a unique, feminine but reserved scent. It's really growing on me.

 

Smiley rating:

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: primarily sage.

 

Wet: sage, a wee hint of lavender, blackberries.

 

Dry: blackberry and an aldehyde that reminds me of Chanel No. 5. This is an interesting blend, but not quite "me."

[chrisann]

I love Bitter Moon in all it's stages. You know what it REALLY reminds me of?? I keep sniffing and the the memory recall I get is the LUSH store. It's that yummy, tangy, come hither smell when your walking by the store. The smell that drags you INTO the store.

 

I do smell a lot of what the other reviewers say, blackerry, citrus, Lavender (kinda... vauge-ish) poppies (soft, delicate one's) yes, maybe even rose (but, not over powering) It is such a beautiful blend as a whole. I love that I do not have to wait for a funky period to end, before it BECOMES something better. I will treasure my bottle, and will look for more. You know what? Even if it was a blooper on me, (thankfully it's not!) I would treasure it for the KICK ASS label it has. It's one of my favorite's!

 

What an impressive way to end this year's lunacies! Bravo Labbies

[bibliophile]

Alas, Bitter Moon went utterly wrong on me. The blackberry was nice at the start, but then the rose and vetiver stomped all over everything else, so that the overall effect turned into a fruity, rosy, earthy mishmash. Of course, Bitter Moon had super-duper throw on me... so much so that my sister, who was in the next room, asked if I had just sprayed air freshener. I guess I will have to keep getting my bitter kicks from Cheshire Cat and F5, and pass this on to a more loving home!

[phedre]

I'm so glad I got a bottle of bitter moon. I adore lavender and vetiver, and I thought the sage would go well with it. I was right!

 

In bottle: herbal. there's a tart note, like grapefruit (the blackberry?), and florals. Lots of lavender.

 

Wet on skin: The tart note stays there, something bright, balanced with the bitter edge of sage and vetiver. The florals calm down.

 

dry: the sage really comes to the forefront. It kept its sour note, but it's not an unpleasent sour at all, kind of reminds me of candied grapefruit peel. This is so well balanced and well blended. I love this.

 

A few hours later, the blackberry and grapefruit notes have completely disappeared. All that's left are light, sweet florals. Very pretty.

Edited December 17, 2006 by phedre

[myoubi]

Mmmm.... this blend is my stompy colourful blend! if this were a song, it would be 'Volcano Girls' by Veruca Salt.

 

Wet, it's fruity and rather sweet and almost reminiscent of hard candies. It dries down to primarily poppy and sage at first, with a backdrop of blackberry and bubblegummy lotus... the tonka comes out to play very late in the game, a couple of hours later. It's not a 'happy' blend, in fact is herbal and not obviously exciteable at first sniff -- but it's definately colourful, and there's something really energetic about it, I think it's the blackberries, giving it punch. I'd love to find a 5mL.

[Miss Lynx]

Interesting... My first thought was that it smelled a bit like some sort of medicinal herbal tea flavoured with blackberries -- the berry sweetness with an astirngent, bitter herbal undertone. Scents with hibiscus in them nearly always say "herbal tea" to me, probably because Celestial Seasonings puts that in pretty much every tea they make (which annoys me because I don't much like hibiscus to drink, but it's OK as a scent, and very effective at cutting down excessive sweetness with its tart edge).

 

But once it's been on my skin for a little while, the florals rise up and give it a wholly different feel from that, more perfumey and more like other Lunacies I've tried (which have mostly been heavily floral). But the florals never get too strong -- the tart/bitter herbal edge keeps them nicely under control, so the result is a pretty much even floral/fruity/herbal balance. The contrasts in it are so strong that it smells a bit weird and unsettling -- there are notes in here that are very sweet and very bitter at the same time, which definitely makes for a unique scent -- sort of balanced and discordant at the same time, but in a way I find kind of weirdly appealing.

 

There's also an aspect to it that's a lot like Bewitched, unsurprisingly I suppose given that there's blackberries and sage in both. Bewitched is one of my all-time favourite scents, so that's a good thing, but it's also got notable differences. The musk in Bewitched mellows it out nicely and makes the notes blend together more than is the case here; this one's a lot sharper -- more bittersweet, less warm and earthy. It has a bit of the same feel as some of the poisonous herbals in the Rappacini's Garden collection.

 

All in all, a very interesting scent, and while it's not likely to become a top favourite, I do like it, and I can think of occasions when it would be excellent -- notably when I want to smell nice, but also send out a distinctly touch-me-not vibe, the kind of thing I've used Baneberry and Belladonna for in the past.

 

Grade: B

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Blackberry wine.

 

On me: Pretty much all blackberries. Not really getting the florals at all.

[LiberAmoris]

Bitter Moon is definitely tangy on me, like ocean air mixed with grapefruit and blackberries. The lavender comes through like an herbal wash that gives the blend an interesting texture, outdoorsy and wild. And I'm grateful not to get much poppy, vetiver, or lotus root here--- just enough to keep things interesting.

 

As it dries down, it smells more like tea, some fancy kind in a beautiful tin. It's bitter, but totally wearable. In fact, I think I'll wear this all day today.

[Doomramen]

Bitter moon was the first BPAL oil I sniffed, and this is my first review.

 

In the bottle, if I give it a good whiff, it smells generically PERFUME! (there is something sharp and crisp that reminds me of the alcohol in department store perfumes) After a second, though, it mellows. I can pick out a flowery smell and a hint of berry, maybe.

 

When I first put it on it smells like freshly cut herbs. I suppose that comes from the sage, and possibly the vetiver. It only lasts a second or two, and then other notes emerge. The moment of herbiness is one of my favorite things about this blend.

 

Dry, Bitter Moon is mostly floral on me. I don't think I can pick out the flowers; all of the notes blur together, and my nose is inexperienced. I had been hoping that it would be primarily a blackberry scent, and while I can smell some blackberry, it stays in the background and muddles together with the other elements instead of coming forward and announcing itself. I think of myself as not liking floral scents, but this smells fabulous. It isn't the least bit cloying or fussy, and I'm not bothered by the rose or lavender.

 

I absolutely love bitter moon, and I've been wearing it on a regular basis. It smells absolutely lovely on me, has very nice, very light throw, and lasts most of the day. It also smells nice in my purse and on my bed, where I accidentally spilled it, so I would say it makes a fabulous room scent. For some reason, it reminds me of my grandmother, who probably doesn't wear perfume but has a wild garden with blackberries and tons of flowers. It makes me feel calm and content. Though it isn't really sweet, there isn't anything bitter about it.

[mmmitchell]

I loved the scent description of this one, as I (like others, it seems) like the idea of a "bitter" scent....especially to offset the sweet scents predominating through the holidays. But alas, Bitter Moon disappointed me bitterly.....I read other's descriptions with envy, as my skin just didn't showcase this scent very well.

 

I get sharp, clean notes in the bottle....with almost a lurking smell of "cleaning product" of some sort. Not entirely off-putting, but not nice. No real hint of blackberry, and the vetiver (for some reason) isn't just hollering at me, which is at least a pleasant change.

 

On, this is chilly and crisp, with a more herbal than perfume type of vibe. I enjoy this for about five minutes and then it's all soap on me. Almost a sharp Ivory soap smell. Bah.

[girl_android]

Not a particularly random choice today - I was trying to pick something that wouldn't be too cloying given the heat we've had over the last week, and the subsequent bleh-ness that happens after the cool change hit last night.

 

In the imp, Bitter Moon kind of reminds me of weird japanese gummy lolly scent. Not anything specific, just that it's a gummy kind of candy. No lavender, something slightly berryish.

 

Once it's on though, I get something resembling that combination of blackberry and sage, which I'm always tempted to get in soaps, less aeroplane jelly (purple flavour), more sage than blackberry, maybe a teeny hint of lavender. I suspect it's the combination of tonka, peony and blackberry that's still making me think japanese gummy lolly. That's not a bad thing, really!

 

I like this. Shock of shocks, it's another thing with lavender in it that I can live with!

[minnalavender]

No grapefruit?? No wai! I would swear there was grapefruit in this beautiful scent. Bitter Moon is fighting hard for a top 3 spot in my Lunacy loves, it really is. It's incense and floral yet fruity, almost citrus, mysterious, distant but not cold. Dignified. It's just gorgeous! Bravo, Lab!

 

All the listed notes like me except lotus, which smells like Double Bubble to me. Thankfully in Bitter Moon the note may be doing something, but not the chewing gum routine! Bitter Moon has a definite Asian feel to it, very fruity and incensy at the same time - it reminds me most of Peony Moon, my number 2 favorite Lunacy, even with the grapefruit note. It is much more somber and regal than happy grapefruity Hungry Ghost Moon, my number 1. The longer it wears, the more I love it, clinging to my skin like silk. Japanese samurai would burn incense beneath their helmets before battle so that if their heads were cut off, their hair would smell sweet. This would be a perfect blend to scent a female samurai's hair.

 

I almost couldn't smell it in the bottle, and it takes a while for my skin to warm it to the point where there is any appreciable throw - it stays close. There's nothing bitter or sour to it on my skin, but then I amp anything sweet to the 1000th. It is soft and sweet and tart and spicy from first application to hours of wear.

 

I will find another bottle, yes I will. As good as this is now, I'm guessing it's going to age into something magical, and I want plenty to enjoy.

[for_the_nonce]

This smelled like sweaty blackberries on me, I kid you not. I'm not sure where the sweat note is coming from, but it was pungent. The blackberry part is quite nice, but I can't get past the sweaty smell. Also, I didn't get any florals. *shrug* This one just wasn't meant for me.

[savage_rose]

In the bottle: Juicy and sweet! So delectable I could but (of course) won't drink it.

 

Wet: Sweet blackberry and a green, herbal sharpness...the sage? And a hint of lavender.

 

Dry: It smells so clean and fruity, but herbal and dry. Like laundry hanging in the line in a meadow. I am so impressed with this scent...it could have been a sweet, fruity thing or a bitter, herbal scent, but instead it's all of these and it really balances out. Very different, and very lovely.

[Meg]

In the bottle: lavender, blackberry and sage

 

Wet: Same as in the bottle, strong lavender, nearly rooty, powerful fresh sage and hints of berry.

 

Drydown: It dries down into a lovely, nearly spicy blend, with some vetiver and I think it's poppy that brings the spice. Hibiscus has a tea-like smell to me, and is really beautiful in this blend. The dominant note is fruity, still the blackberry, I presume, and sage is also hanging around. I think I get the tonka, and for the first time ever I find that it works with the blend, giving it a cool, clean smoothness.

 

Overall: A delicious, beautiful blend that reminds me of a walk in a wild place where herbs, berries and flowers give off a delicious scent under the sun. It's definitely bitter, but bittersweet, a sweet torture for the nose, too. I adore the lavender note used in here, in particular. A truly beautiful blend.

[filigree_shadow]

This is strongly herbal on me, but it doesn't smell as sharp in the bottle now as it did when it was fresh from the Lab. The blackberry isn't prominent at all on me. I would say this is mainly lotus root and sage. The wild rose is apparently contributing something powdery to the scent. (Maybe it's not the rose, I don't know, but I'm guessing that's the culprit.)

 

I took a risk on this one because I normally go for smooth comforting scents rather than anything sharp or herbal. Sometimes the risks end up being worth it, but this time it didn't pan out for me.

 

I wish I could smell what this smells like on other people because the other reviews make it sound great. Ah well. I'm sure this bottle will go to a good home.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of bright, fruity flowers.

on: really sweet and...blue? this is interesting. i'm having a hard time picking any notes out. i'm not sure if i like it.

1.5 hours later: still oddly blue and fruity. i'm getting some heady poppy in there, too. interesting.

4.5 hours later: soapy and fruity.

overall: this is definitely interesting, but not something for me.

[lightgatherer]

I initially didn't order Bitter Moon because I was afraid it would be too floral. When the reviews started coming in I decided to take a chance on it, and I'm glad I did. It's initially a bit herbal and bitter when applied, but that phase doesn't last terribly long. After that the scent begins a series of soft drifts, each of them incredibly lovely. I don't remember anything in particular other than blackberry (like biting into a fresh blackberry, just a little underripe from the vine - not like ripe, sugared, cooked blackberry), but I just marvelled at how well-blended and nice each phase was. I'm definitely glad I took a chance and got this.

[stellans]

This is a favorite lunacy which I've worn several nights prior to last night, but I'm just now finally getting around to reviewing. I like it mainly because it eases me into a deep refreshing sleep, and I don't dream hard enough to either wake me or even remember. Sometimes that's a good thing!

 

In the imp: a nice fresh herbal scent, mostly green, but with a deep floral note (lavender!). I don't smell blackberry at all.

Wet on skin: still herbal, but now the florals are coming up very strongly. I like this so much -- it's a peaceful, 'down-in-the-valley' sort of scent which just draws one down into a lovely refreshing sleep.

Dry: I usually fall asleep before it dries down completely, but in the morning there's still a nice floral scent remaining on my pulse points.

Verdict: This is a wonderful lunacy which is in regular rotation for my nightly annointings. I've managed to snag 3 bottles, and since I make roll-ons with roughly 3 imps' worth of primary scent to the carrier oil (unscented Neutrogena Body Oil), these will last me for a while.

Edited March 20, 2009 by stellans

[theseagrows]

this is a sweet floral with a hint of herbal-bitterness that tempers the sweetness. therefore, i like it a lot! i think i am mostly smelling the blackberry, sage and peony. perhaps hibiscus? just seems like a green leafy floral. i think i will keep my imp of this!

Edited April 21, 2007 by theseagrows