Crow Moon

[filigree_shadow]

This is the final Full Moon of winter. The call of the crow signals the end of the frost, and their scent, of vervain, black violet, white musk, and Chinese cedar, is brushed by the last cold wind of winter on their wings, and the scent of evergreen boughs touched by the season's final flowers and the first blossoms of spring: wintersweet, green-barked dogwood, primrose, snowdrop, and lenten rose hellebore bouquet.

At first this is a soft floral scent with the barest bit of evergreen behind it. It smells chilly, but it doesn't have that snow/slush note that overpowers everything else when it's on my skin.

When it's dry it seems more like a floral/wood scent, but it's surprisingly bright. The florals aren't heady or overbearing, they're pretty and spring-like. Soft and hopeful. The wood in it smells sweet and new. There's another interesting scent in there that I can't quite place -- it smells a little bit herbal but not like a full-on sharp herbal scent. I'm not sure what that is.

I think this is a lovely scent.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: woody, musky, something so faintly floral, i can almost miss it

 

wet: a wet, slushy scent, still the woody note (like a fresh cut branch), and a very light soft breath of something floral, it almost reminds me of baby's breath

 

this dries in to a soft, sweet, slightly musky, clean, w/ a hint of baby's breath type floral. i wonder what gives me the baby's breath impression.

[Ah Xia]

This is strangely like a musky wintergreen on me...the only note I can pick up so far. In the bottle it smells a bit grassy, going on wet just a soft, musky minty scent. I kind of like it but it doesn't have much throw...this is one very subtle corvid...

[alicia_stardust]

In the bottle: A cold, dark, subdued forest in winter.

 

On my skin: I love that this is a cold scent without having the snow/slush notes in it that completely amp on my skin and take over a scent. It's gorgeous, whatever it is that created that effect. I get the color green, but a dark green. There is a touch of wintergreen but it's very faint and not exactly minty. Is that the wintersweet?

 

Along with that I get a breathy, soft, musky scent with a touch of grass and a touch of cool florals.

 

I love this!

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is violet and cedar in the best way possible...

 

once applied this gets an almost licorice/sharp overtone...sasafrass maybe(?)...

 

after awhile it calms down and i adore this...dark green and wintergreen combined with pepperminty florals....gah!! i am thrilled with how unique this perfume is ....musk, florals....lots of elegant notes in here...

[slave1]

CROW MOON

 

In Bottle: Floral musk

 

On Skin: This scent is quite pretty, very floral at first but as it develops the darker woodier notes come out. It very much reminds me of snow and the the few flowers that bloom during the cold season. The musk is soft and clean and I get a bit of a shampoo scent from this, but still I love it. This is a nice subtle scent, nothing is overwhelming or too strong. I nice scent to wear if you don’t like super perfumey perfumes. I love that it feels so fresh and airy, a nice breezy scent. This is a floral I’d wear for sure for those times I’d like a more subdued scent. It has a light to medium throw and short to average wearlength.

[waternight]

In the bottle: First sniff, very musty-woodsy, hint of a very dry evergreen. Second sniff, sweet floral – slightly rosey, slightly violety, but in general a lovely floral medley. Definitely smells outdoorsy.

Wet/Drydown: Oh god, this is gorgeous. White musk comes to the forefront, which I LOVE. It does have a “wintery” feel to it, a chill in the blend. Alongside the musk is a gorgeous blend of light, delicate, lovely flowers. They have a white feel, but the barest purple hint of violet sneaks in there. The evergreen is subtle and blends very well. Ah, now there’s the barest hint of cedar.

Dry: It has a warmer feel now, though it’s still wintery. It’s become a predominantly white musk/genteel cedar blend with a floral undercurrent. Absolutely stunning. This one will get a lot of use.

[ancilla_morte]

Very light. Almost too light..

 

I can smell the Vetiver.. and mint.. I can smell some kind of wood, but its not exactly cedar.

To me it smells like a freshly sharpened pencil.

 

 

As it dries I can faintly smell more florals, and it does get prettier, but it is way too faint to really tell what they are.

[savage_rose]

On me this smells springy and herbal, minty and a little soapy. Lovely and clean, and maybe a little aquatic. The vertiver is behaving itself completely.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: There aren't enough dogwood scents. I'm not sure about the violet or vervain, but I thought it sounded too pretty to pass up.

 

In the Bottle: Almost pure cedar. If I try very hard I can catch just a suggestion of florals.

 

Wet: Ooh, nice! I get a rush of lovely florals, tempered by the musk and a bit of woodsy notes. It's somehow both crisp and warm at once, like a scent truly teetering between winter and spring. I'm having a hard time prying my nose from my wrist.

 

Drydown: It settles down into a fragrance that makes me think of a forest filled with just a few first blossoms daring to emerge. More woodsy and herbal than floral. But one of the florals is my old nemesis violet, creating an acrid undertone.

 

Verdict: I love the wet stage very much, but the drydown disappoints on my skin. I think this should go to a better home.

[SultryWolf]

In the bottle: Fir and coldness, with just a hint of green florals.

On: Much the same. Something – the white musk? – adds a bit of warmth.

I appreciate the aromas of the “cold” scents, but, with very few exceptions, I don’t find myself reaching for them to wear. I’m such a corvids lover that I’m hoping this one grows on me some more.

 

ETA, in Dec 07 (original post is from Feb 07): My! This has matured nicely. The musk has really rounded out, tempered just enough by the fir. Just like a crow all fluffed up against the snow. Lovely!

Edited December 20, 2007 by SultryWolf

[dronzeka]

This is lovely in a very quiet, fresh way. In the bottle, I get mostly a very cool kind of sweetness. On, I get primarily verbena (I think that's what vervain is?), a kind of cool citrus underlain by mint - not peppermint, something greener. I agree with everyone who says this is a dark green scent - it makes me think of cold damp woods, green with pine and just about to bloom in the spring (though it doesn't smell like dirt or anything). There are florals here, but I can't really tell the notes apart. And there's a tiny hint of cedar, but thankfully, it's very very faint (cedar usually turns to ick on me instantly). I really like that this is cool but not cold - the Lab's snow notes usually turn to after-shave on me, but this is fresh and crisp. Very early springtime - when the ground is dark and wet and snow still lies in the shade, but snowdrops are poking out of the earth for the first time.

[theseagrows]

crow moon is a clear herbal-woody floral with a very slight aquaticness to it. it's pretty perfumey at first with a strong throw, and i can't really pick out any of the notes. once it dries, it's a bright, clear grassy-floral. it reminds me of fresh flowers and grass coming through on the cusp of spring, but with a coolness leftover from winter. it's sort of ethereal but grounded at the same time. at first i thought this wasn't for me, but now that its dry, i really, really like it.

Edited February 23, 2007 by theseagrows

[Rheliwen]

Crow Moon is fantastic!!!!

 

I can't remember smelling a BPAL like this before. Right on the skin all I could think of was it smelled like dry grasses and sweet hay. For some reason I really like the smell of hay (after visiting CB and sniffing his). It sweetens up when dry but I have no idea what I am smelling. I do detect some woods in the background that smell like really light cedar (I amp cedar and it's happening here too but not as much as it usually does). It's spring green and fresh without being fresh in a citrusy or linen way. I am unfamiliar with the florals in here but they are sweet and not cloying at all.

 

Love!!!

 

ADD:

I put it on today and now it has a vibrant cucumbery vibe in the wet stage. Kind of like those Ponds cucumber eye pads.

Edited February 25, 2007 by Rheliwen

[Eemia]

I almost passed on this b/c of the evergreen boughs. That read as "possible pine" to me and I can't stand pine. But I went ahead and got it anyway b/c the other notes had possibility. Glad I did b/c this is beautiful, even though I put off even trying it on b/c I was afraid it would turn into a foresty nightmare.

 

Thankfully, the evergreen/foresty notes only appear lightly for a split second in the wet stage. And it's not overwhelming or incredibly strong where I am put off by it. It's just enough to give a chilly nature type feeling and then it's gone and it becomes much more interesting.

 

Drying down this smells very much like a classic perfume. Darkly floral without a hint of green notes. I can identify the violet (I *love* violet) but it's not a soft or sweet violet. Much deeper and heavy than other violet BPAL fragrances I have tried. I am liking this alot. The barest tinge of cedar.....but I am not sure how to place the other notes on my skin. All I know is that it makes me think "perfumey."

 

Perfect winter fragrance even though I wouldn't necessarily associate this with cold. To me this is classic. I am not ashamed to admit I was so wrong about this one and I shouldn't judge a BPAL in advance.

[Honor]

I was excited to wear this after smelling it in the bottle, and being in a hurry didn't test it on my skin before throwing alot on me and running out the door.

 

Ooops.

 

 

In Bottle: Sweet and floral, with a fruity undertone. Maybe a touch of wood here, but light. Overall really pretty.

 

On skin: sweet at first, and then.... #$%@! Sandalwood?? There wasn't supposed to be sandalwood in this. *looks* Cedar.

 

Sandalwood and cedar (although, more sandalwood then anything) do the following to me:

In the wet, drying down stage I *swear* I smell of BO and cheap head-shop incense. As it dries down more, the BO stink is gone, but the woodsy head shop incense remains. When it's finally dry, all you really smell is incense-y wood, almost like pencil shavings on me.

No one else smells the BO type smell that I do (thank god) but it's unpleasant to me.

 

In the end, the sandalwood amps and takes over every single note and that's all I smell like all day.

 

I thought only sandalwood did this to me, but there's none listed, and cedar doesn't like me either, so it must be that.

 

So if you're like me and sandalwood/cedar amp up on you, this may be a no go.

Disappointed, but not all hope is lost. Will let this age and try an alcohol based spray to see if that helps bring out other notes.

 

ETA: Nope. Same result.

Edited October 19, 2007 by HonorAlexandria

[fiddlehead]

This starts out with a very strong perfume vibe. Very floral. As it calms down I can smell some of the evergreen and cedar peeking out around the flowers. Before long, maybe 20 minutes, it subsides into pretty much all violet, all the time. There is a *hint* of woodsiness but even that disappears.

 

I ordered this thinking that maybe all the other notes would keep the violet from taking over but no such luck. I love the smell of violets in my yard but on my skin they just make me think of fancy guest soaps. I'm going to give it another try though, just in case. Maybe the other notes will stick around as the oil ages a bit.

[QueenFae]

This is a wintery, outdoorsy, clean scent. The frozen, slushy, slightly minty note is on top, and the floral and earthen bark notes are floating underneath. It is clean and herbally, but not too sharp. The florals add a drop of sweetness, but this still strikes me as a masculine blend. This is a strong one, and seems to last a long time on my skin.

 

Not quite my thing, but the boy will probably like it.

[edenssixthday]

Crow Moon - This opens up with an almost dry and dusty from the cedar, but almost immediately begins to turn slightly sweet and floral, yet is still dry, cool and wintry. There is definitely a hint of evergreen in this blend, but mostly, it’s a beautiful late-winter/early-spring type floral. It’s not a heady floral at all – it’s very subtle, soft, and flower-sweet. Far beneath the flowers I can smell the cedar, which would normally ruin a blend for me, but in this case, it’s quite a nice, dry-wood touch. The sillage is light, but the wear length is actually quite long for a lunar blend (which tend to fade quickly on me). I am really impressed with this blend and will be hanging on to it. It’s absolutely perfect for this time of year – especially considering the 2007 Crow Moon is going to start rising (eclipsed, no less!) in less than 24 hours time from now.

[bristlecone]

In the bottle, it's a pale yellow-green scent. Kind of like Ochosi but without the moldy overtone that I got from that scent (thankfully).

 

Wet, it gets juicy, green, and almost cucumbery. I'm reminded of Tulzscha at one point. Then the cedar starts to poke out... like at least one person has already said, it's a bit like pencil shavings.

 

In the drydown, it's mostly floral. To make yet another comparison to another BPAL scent, it now reminds me strongly of Destroying Angel.

 

I'm terrible with words lately so I guess this is the best review I can pound out today. In short, I like this.

 

*Addendum*

 

I just wanted to say, now that I'm trying this for the second time, that I also get the same BO note that HonorAlexandria noted. It's pretty brief in the middle stages of the scent (maybe 10-15 minutes) and I'm guessing it's the cedar, but I could be wrong because I've never had that problem with cedar before. Since it's temporary, I don't mind putting up with it, but I could do without it.

 

Second, I've had this on for about four hours now and while I still think it smells like Destroying Angel at this point, it's also turning slightly citrusy/watery. Some note in here has apparently waited until the very last minute to make its appearance, but I'm glad it did, because I smell fantastic right now, if I do say so myself.

Edited March 9, 2007 by bristlecone

[rainbow]

This is very much an early spring scent- images of crocuses poking out of the ground, fresh, wet patches of dirt, etc. Since that's what's happening right now around here, I'm loving wearing this scent these days. As for the fragrance, I'm getting a woody-floral, with notes that smell almost like cedar. I'm not having any luck determining individual floral notes. During the drydown I also get a faint, creamy background note. Again, I'm not sure what it is, but it tempers the cedar scent a bit.

 

In sum, this is a scent that's growing on me, and one that's very seasonal for me. I'll be enjoying this in the early spring.

[Little Bird]

Crow Moon has been a hard scent for me to pin-down or review. Partially because it only lasts about 15 minutes on my skin and partially because it's so strange (and I'm still not sure if it's strange in a good way or strange in a bad way). I was surprised that this has such good staying power on some people and that, with all of the florals & woods, it isn't stronger on my skin.

 

This is a paper thin fragrance on me. It's elusive and, in a literal sense, smells papery. Woodsy and dry like pencil shavings, but not quite as bold as that. I also get a burst of wet, perfumey florals after about a minute. It's woody, green, herbal, slightly earthy, and perfumey-floral all at the same time in a quick burst. I can't pick out any one note. Around minute ten this suddenly shifts into a woody powder that reminds me of sandalwood (which I see isn't even a listed note) and then it completely disappears.

 

I've tested Crow Moon out several times now and it generally goes through that same cycle, although the chilly florals amp up more on my skin at points. It isn't a scent that gives me a strong impression of anything, but it's definitely not a sweet, warm, or summery sort of scent to me.

 

ETA: After some aging, this is A LOT stronger and has better staying power on me. Unfortunately, it smells like pepper, paper, loads of baby powder, and herbal-floral-perfuminess. Mostly it is peppered baby powder though. I love the label and I want to love Crow Moon, but the oil doesn't agree with me at all.

Edited April 18, 2008 by Tania

[Jilara]

Wow, Crow Moon is a hard one to quantify. Fascinating, but really hard to put into standard terms.

 

If a scent has a color, this one is YELLOW! -- the color of a buttercup in the sun.

 

For me, it doesn't really change much between bottle and on me, wet or dry.

 

It's very buttercup-y, a slightly bitter yellow flower scent, with a slight herbal base note, maybe a bit of dandelion in there, too. There's a backing of something musky and a reedy/grassy undertone. I don't get anything evergreen, here. Somehow, it makes me think more of late autumn than spring, but maybe that's just me, since I think of crows as autumn birds, too...

[maijasu]

Crow Moon, to me, is woodsy and fresh-smelling. It smells more like a winter blend than a spring one, and I definitely smell more snow than florals. The scent is subtle but long-lasting, and it's a definite keeper.

[Carmencita]

In the bottle: burned wood, mint leaves

 

Wet: This recalls the scent Spooky. That's what it smells like at first, coconut, mint and eucalyptus.

 

Dry: Lubriderm. I want to like this because I have an emotional attachment to vervain.

 

Yeah, it just goes to lubriderm moisturizer on me.