The Gibbous Moon

[gaai]

Mine are the night and morning,
The pits of air, the gulf of space,
The sportive sun, the gibbous moon,
The innumerable days.

I hid in the solar glory,
I am dumb in the pealing song,
I rest on the pitch of the torrent,
In slumber I am strong.

Moonflower, Madonna lily, orris, white ginger, cucumber, hyacinth, and Irish moss.

This is what I expected Blue Moon to smell like! And although I like Blue Moon a lot, I absolutely *love* the Gibbous Moon.

When first applied the cucumber really makes its presence known.......smelling all crisp and fresh......then the flowers blend in, making the whole a pale blue-ish floral.
I'm left with a beautiful light floral scent.......I say 'light', but that's more of a feel.....you can definitely catch wafts of it on final dry-down.

I love the way it's pretty much the opposite of The Sportive Sun, which smells warm and a touch spicy.....where this is pale and airy.........a beautiful pair!

[wichapi]

This comes off initially as very ethereal, but hardly dark night with a sliver of light; more like the crescent moon vaguely seen during the day in a vivid blue sky. Maybe it’s the white ginger or the lily, but there is a sharp sour razor-edge of decay that surrounds the deep, soft, and comforting aura of cucumber, orris, purple hyacinth, and night blooms. With wear, it becomes less bright – then disappears completely within an hour, which is more than disappointing since the dry-down had me obsessively sniffing my wrist. What a shame. It goes bye-bye.

[modernsaints]

I was REALLY psyched for this one, as Will Call reviews were comparing it to Blue Moon, and I've been hunting down Blue Moon like a madwoman. The cucumber is hiding on me, though! It's a very pale, nearly aquatic floral in the bottle, but on me, it amps really strongly and gets that heavy, almost suffocating hyacinth topnote. Oh - oh there's the cucumber - nope. It's just peeking out, a tiny bit, and TAUNTING ME, and then it hides. The moss & ginger never show up, either. There is a hidden complexity here, but on me, it just gets stomped down.

 

I think I'm going to give this to the madre, & see if she likes it; she tends to be more with the florals than I am.

[slave1]

THE GIBBOUS MOON

 

In Bottle: Cucumber and night flowers

 

On Skin: This is RIGHT up my alley! I love cucumber, one of my favorite notes ever and mixed with the beautiful night blooming florals it is a perfect mix. So soothing and clean, very white/pale blue/pale green in feel. Somewhat like Blue Moon and Black Moon, but much more to the point and refined whereas the other two have more levels and are more floral. The cucumber is a brisk fresh note, the moonflower, orris and lily are very pretty clean white florals and the hyacinth adds a drop of sweetness to them all. The ginger is also very tame, just a slight spice in an otherwise airy subdued scent. The moss gives a nice aquatic tint that adds to that airy almost watery feel. A beautiful scent for a hot July night. I will be wearing this a lot and am so happy I bought a bottle. Light to medium throw and long wearlength.

[olympia301]

I just love this one. It is very refreshing and just in time for the Dog Days of summer, which is when we will need it. There is indeed cucumber, not one of my favorite notes but...when used with a deft hand it is dynamite. That is how Beth uses cucumber in The Gibbous Moon, she leaves the coolness of it and burns off the pickle-ness of it. It almost veers into violet (maybe the orris talking) but not quite. There is a floral aspect to it but not the ham-handed Flah-ral sort of "can't be bothered" approach, this is a wonderful addition to the whole and absolutely fitting. I am so glad I ordered this one and was afraid I would not like it, wrong. If you were scared to try it, don't be, this one is a charmer. If it fades too fast for you, wear it in your scent locket. Cool, pale and pretty.

Edited July 13, 2007 by olympia301

[Ahania]

This is light, cool, fresh and delicate. A hint of cucumber, but not that much, a whisper of white flowers... This is how I imagine moon gardens smelling. It's like a mix of Blue Moon and Squirting Cucumber on me.

[theGreatMissJJ]

I had to buy this based on the description. I love pale blue-white scents, although I don't wear them often during the day. (I will, however, wear them at night when I go to sleep...fitting for a scent named Gibbous Moon.)

 

In the bottle: Smells familiar, by way of Cancer 2007 and Selkie (although they don't share similar notes, which is amazing). However, this is decidedly a pale blue scent, while Cancer was white and Selkie was green. I smell the cucumber first, spiced up with orris and possibly the ginger.

 

Wet: The florals come into play. My nose isn't the most discerning (yet), but I think it's moonflower? It's a gorgeous ethereal scent. Orris and ginger fade.

 

Dry-down: The oddest thing is I can't smell this on my skin but whenever I move my arm, it wafts about me! In the air the cucumber comes out again, a bit more sharply than in the bottle.

 

Throw is light to medium (even though I can't smell it ON me) and lasting power is shortish. Still, a beautiul scent to send me off to sleep!

[savage_rose]

Refreshing and sweet...it's much more Annabel Lee than Blue Moon was. It's just a touch more "perfumey" than Annabel Lee. It is the perfect twilight summer floral, lightly sweet but cool like a late Summer night.

[moon_lemming]

This is a FLORAL TO THE MAX, whoa. I was hoping the cucumber in this would come out a little more, but it just makes the scent a little fresh and watery.

 

Now, normally I would hate something this floral, but The Gibbous Moon reminds me of The Evening Star, in that "floral but not detergent" blue-floral way. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't smell like The Evening Star, but they're both florals that are obviously floral, yet wearable on my floral-amping skin.

 

I think maybe as this ages, the cucumber will come out a little more. Right now, it's just a mix of sweet white and blue florals that lasts for a very, very long time on my skin. As we all know by now, I can't pick out flowers to save my life, but I CAN tell you there is no jasmine hiding in this one, heh. Just a pretty nighttime blend.

 

I'm definitely keeping this one; it's so rare to find a floral blend that doesn't make me feel like a dryer sheet.

 

 

(No, I didn't get paid per usage of the word "floral," I swear.)

[taramarie]

The best way I can describe The Gibbous Moon is "moonlit garden." It's light and floral, and there's a hint of cucumber. The Gibbous Moon and The Sportive Sun are the opposite sides of the same coin. They're very different, yet they both embody summer. It does compare to this year's Blue Moon -- it's definitely less complex, but just as lovely.

[lyricalwaters]

In the bottle, I get Cucumber + Moss, which is kind of interesting. It's a very dark smell, yet still ethereal - like someone else said, it evokes a moonlit garden.

 

However, once it dries on me, it smells nearly exactly like Blue Moon. Whatever that prominent note is, it just shines through. Except there's a slight sweetness to Blue Moon that isn't here.

[funkmoppet]

It was cucumber that sold this one for me (and it was the only resin-free blend from the Red Moon update. *heh*).

 

Wet in the bottle it's sweet cucumber and night-flowers. How can this NOT work - Beth's ethereal florals are just beautiful, and as far as florals go, it's the one floral family I adore!

 

On the skin I can definitely see where the Blue Moon comparisons are coming from, it's got that haunting, night-time quality. However, there's a...green tinge to this, as opposed to the very blue nature of Blue Moon.

 

And drying down, I know why - there's the irish moss, playing so beautifully in the background and just anchoring all the floating breeze-like florals with a hint of earthy warmth. The cucumber keeps it all moist, but is backing off as the floral and moss comes forward. This is a warmer, less complex blend than Blue Moon. It's perfectly fitting for a mild moonlit night in the warmer months.

 

Really, this is just gorgeous. Another ethereal floral to keep me very happy, and a wonderful addition to an update that was very limited for my resin-intolerant skin. Thank you, Beth, for including this one!

 

 

Edited for spellinz.

Edited July 19, 2007 by funkmoppet

[Medici]

In the bottle: Cuuuuuuuucumber and moonflower.

 

Wet: Cuuuuuuuuuuuucumber and moonflower. But mostly cucumber. 'Tis froosh.

 

Drydown: Warming up, you get a light slap of something green, likes vines or foliage, or cut flower stems. 'Tis the lily methinks. The cucumber has disappeared. Mostly, I smell lily. I was hoping for the moss note to come out an play early on, but it seems to me that if it decides to make an appearance at any point, it'll be on another day when my chemistry isn't being so wonky. Ah ha! After ten minutes, the moonflower plops itself on top of the pile of smells in my nose, and that solidifies it. I like it. This is very much the sort of lighter white floral I like to wear - just a hint of green, and a little cool.

 

Overall, it's a lovely, fresh, white floral that hangs very close to the skin.

 

3.5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

[edenssixthday]

The Gibbous Moon – This is a really high-pitched floral. It reminds me of what you might get if you crossed Black Moon with Berenice. Although I like lily, it completely overwhelms this blend. The moonflower and orris are in the background of the scent, but really, it’s pretty much all lily on my skin. It is very crisp and sharply perfumey. I actually do like the scent, despite it being such a sharp floral on me, but since I have another lily blend that I love (Berenice), I don’t really have much use for this one. The throw is very strong and the scent is extremely long-lasting although semi-ethereal (and I should add that at about the 8 hour point, the scent is definitely no longer a screeching lily and is more of a soft and subtle moonflower.)

[zankoku_zen]

Caveat: I love Blue Moon, so that probably gives me a bias on this scent

 

In the bottle: Cucumber! I can smell it wafting. As well as something that smells slightly green.

 

On Skin: Slight cucumber and the light green/white floral.

 

On Drydown: Green/white floral.

 

Verdict: This shares some of the same qualities as Blue Moon 2007 but it lacks the depth and complexity of Blue Moon. On the other hand, it also strikes a clear, white moonlit green/white vibe. I like this alot as well.

[SlySionnach]

Name: The Gibbous Moon

In Bottle: Hyacinth! And something familiar lurking in the background. Maybe it's the orris. This, to me, is just completely floral, floral, FLORAL!

Wet: Maybe it's the hyacinth, or maybe it's my skin, but this is being amped to the max. This is one of the freshest scents I've ever smelt, and reminds me so much of a starry night in a garden. Lying back in the darkness with beautiful white and blue blossoms around you... mmm... And Irish moss is one of my all-time favorite notes, and my nose can barely pick it up. Perfect.

Drying: The Hyacinth is finally dying down into a clean scent, though it still lingers within a foot of my wrist. Compared to other florals I've smelt, this is also a sweeter scent... and I really can't tell why

30 Minutes: Hyacinth finally relaxing to let out the softer Irish moss, cucumber and a bit of the moonflower.

Evaluation: Beautiful. Just beautiful. One of my favorite scents so far... I am so glad I decided to get this! If only I bought more, lol.

[PurringPulsar]

The Gibbous Moon

 

In the bottle: oh yeah, this is a lunar scent, like Blue Moon but less complex. And lots of cucumber.

Wet on skin: moonflower and cucumber, a very crisp lunar scent.

Dry on skin: mmm, this is very pretty! This is like a simpler version of Blue Moon, almost like a lunar oil base. Cucumber and moonflower are the primary notes, but I also smell a lovely fresh hyacinth note which smells just like a freshly bloomed hyacinth flower covered in dew. There's also something reminiscent of Cancer 07, which may be the orris. I get a hint of lily as well. This reminds me of Midnight mixed with Squirting Cucumber as well. A crisp, cool and pale scent.

After a while: is there a hidden lettuce component here? I now get a hint of the dark green, dewy lettuce I got in Cancer. I smell more of the cucumber now, as well as the moss, which is almost like Spanish moss but not as swampy…for some reason this moss seems more salty and marine? It's not as floral now either, it's a little greener at this point.

Eventually it turns to moss, cucumber and lettuce resting on subtly scented white petals with a bare touch of orris (a very subtle orris-usually it is very powdery). It's less wet now, but still crisp and bright and moonlit. It does smell a little bit like there's a sea breeze in the scent, just a bare hint of salt or even seaweed (where's that coming from?) which is interesting. It's the moon reflected on the ocean.

Verdict: yet another lovely interpretation of liquid moonlight by Beth. It has that distinctive 'BPAL lunar oil' scent to it, the crystalline scent of moonflower mixing with cool wet cucumber, but with hints of other florals and greenery gently mingling. The scent is pale white lunar blooms with soft green notes and even a hint of something marine, but not soapy. It is like Blue Moon without the herbs and woods, or Black Moon with lighter floral notes…it's an uncomplicated but beautiful moonlit scent, silvery and ethereal as Beth's moon scents always are, refreshing and slightly wet, cooling and soothing, and evocative of the moon over the sea. a very enchanting scent, it's not my absolute favourite lunar scent, but I love it a great deal, and it is another wonderful evocative fragrance capturing moonlight in a bottle. It also contrasts the Sportive Sun nicely.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? definitely one bottle.

If you like this, try: Blue Moon (any), Midnight, Squirting Cucumber, Cancer 07, Moon Rose, Nuit, Black Moon

[Jilara]

The comparison with Blue Moon is distinct. Gibbous Moon is more watery, while there is something a bit more lush and grounded in Blue Moon. I put Gibbous on one hand and Blue on the other, and find Gibbous is much more acquaeous and ephemeral. It's a very dewy scent.

 

Wet, it's lilies and cucumber, but I could swear I get just a hinting of white roses lurking in the background. Rosa alba semiplena, to be specific. I had to go back and check to make sure there was no rose. Maybe I'm hallucinating, because it goes away as Gibbous Moon dries down.

 

Dry, it's a very acquatic note in the foreground, with moonflowers and lilies and a hinting of hyacinth in the background. I suspect cucumber and Irish moss (which is a kind of seaweed) give the acquatic feel. I understand why one could see a lettuce note in this, too. There's a green note in behind it, as well. One thinks of damp lawns surrounded by traditional English garden.

 

"Come into the garden, Maud, The black bat Night has flown..." --but the Gibbous Moon is up in its glory!

[ajcj213499]

This is what I expected Blue Moon to smell like. It's green and watery and fresh, but not perfumey. The lily is subdued and not at all soapy, and the cucumber stands out as one of the main notes. Beautiful.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Grass

 

On me:

Nope, wait that's cucumber. That's about all I get for this scent - it's pleasant and very green but not very complex.

 

Final note:

It's nice, has a soothing vibe to it, but I think my imp is enough for me. It is a lot more what I expected Blue Moon to be like I think.

[harmonyfb]

In the bottle: Generic floral

 

Wet: LiliesLiliesLiliesLiliesLilies. Did I mention Lilies? Oh, sure, there's a little something cool underneath them, but it's difficult to discern.

 

Dry: As it dries, the lily gets fainter and fainter and fainter until I have to lift my wrist to my nose to smell anything. All throw has vanished. When the lilies are finally gone, there's a faint trace of what I'm pretty sure is the orris, but nothing else.

 

Verdict: Where's the hyacinth? I wanted hyacinth! No cucumber, either. Meh.

[Electra]

On me, this is a very aggressive grassy aquatic. It smells like wet grass on a clear morning. I'm kind of delighted by it, actually. I'm not sure how much I'll actually wear it so am debating whether or not to keep my bottle, but it's very pretty.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is rich moss and cucumber...

 

once applied this is freshly mown grass with a fog of floral sea mist...

 

quite pretty and perfectly blended

[theseagrows]

i get a pale, watery floral from this. i definitely smell the moonflower, cucumber and hyacinth the most. unfortunately, this turns very soapy on my skin and ends up smelling like watered-down white florals.

[ralenth]

Ooo, I think I have found an aquatic to love at long last. At first, The Gibbous Moon smells wet and green, almost grassy, but I detect the nefarious influence of cucumber there. As it dries, the greeness lessens and dark, shadowy pale florals come out to play, dancing along my wrist. The Gibbous Moon conjures images of deadly creatures lurking beneath the still moonlit waters: enchanting and lovely but with a bit of hidden danger.