The Gibbous Moon

[QueenFae]

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

First impression: Lily, soft florals, whiteness, calmness, clean. The lily is definitely the top note on me, and it comes screaming off of my skin when first applied. There is a certain crispness to the smooth undertones; the cucumber and the white ginger is in there somewhere. This is very feminine, haunting, and lovely.

Not quite my thing, but very beautiful just the same.

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Very green floral.

Wet: Green green as the grass grows.

Drydown: Florals are coming into play and muting the green ever so slightly. Something I associate with soap but not soap --maybe the lily or orris?

Dry: Aw, crap. It's turned to complete bar soap. Very high end, creamy bar soap, but bar soap nonetheless. However, it's promising enough that I will try this again at some later point and see if body chemistry may yet save it.

 

This was not a successful update for me.

[LadyMedb]

mmmm. The Gibbous Moon occupies a special territory between Blue Moon and Midnight - two of my very favourites. It's a sparkling, beautiful scent - the moonflower is just bewitching. The lilies would normally go soapy on me, as they do in White Moon, but the moonflower and cucumber keep that from happening. I always enjoy finding lilies I can wear, as I love the scent of them independent of my body chemistry.

 

I just love this delicate, glowing blend. It's a perfect summer scent for work or home. It fades a little fast, but I've just bought a big bottle off the forums, so that shouldn't be any trouble.

 

EDIT - I sold that big bottle. It just goes a little too dusty-lily on the drydown to justify keeping it. It's still a lovely blend, but I found myself reaching for the aforementioned Midnight and Blue Moon more.

Edited August 28, 2007 by LadyMedb

[charmingdetails]

Oh, this is stunning- a new favorite! This is the first lily scent that's worked so beautifully on me, and I'm in love. The cucumber lends a cool, watery feel to this graceful floral, with just the barest hint of spice from the white ginger as it dries. I want to live in this scent.

[jessiesquash]

I don't know if I can add much review wise but this has made such an impression on me, I just had to say something. I read all the reviews and decided to order at the last minute. Being a Cancer, the moon has a ton of influence on me but most of the lunacy blends don't work on me and anything moon related (The Moon, Luna, Moonrose, etc...) hasn't ever work on me. But this is perfect! I took one sniff from the bottle and was struck by how lovely this is. It was almost heartbreakingly so. I almost don't want to wear it, it's so beautiful. When I finally got up the nerve to slather it on it was just as lovely on and it wears well. It's very light and doesn't last very long but it's so worth it.

 

Could this be the new Blue Moon?

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Pretty florals and cucumber.

 

On me: Orris is coming out too strong here, and that's a note that never agrees with me. Shame.

[sihaya09]

The initial sniff was very promising-- ethereal and pretty. A very strong moonflower note with a nice cucumber base and a little bit of moss. I think it was the lily that killed this one for me on the skin. It went stridently ozone/ soapy after about ten minutes, completely indistinguishable from other aquatic blends that BPAL has put out. Generic. Pooh. I wanted to like this.

[bookandbroom]

At first, Gibbous Moon was a swoon-worthy hyacinth with a tiny note of cucumber dancing in the background. But much as I love hyacinths, I don't really care for smelling like florals, and had been hoping for more from the cucumber and moss (which I detect faintly as a dark note around the edges). Now that it's dry, it's a sort of heady, sort of sharp floral, and all the notes have swirled themselves up together, wrapped in a cloak of what I suspect is lily or orris, since neither of those tend to work for me.

 

Generally, for me it's a relatively gentle, sweet floral - something I'd wear to a wedding, maybe.

[jade_starlight]

It's a white, wet floral with a strengthening hint of cucumber in the background. It's very nice, just not on me.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Bought in an LJ sale

 

Initial Thoughts: At first I was going to get both Sportive Sun and Gibbous Moon. Then I was just going to get Gibbous Moon. Then I had a financial mini-crisis and couldn't get either before they were taken down. The reviews made me regret missing this one, so I grabbed a bottle when I found the chance.

 

In the Bottle: Floral with a heavy green leaning...probably the cucumber. Very fresh and inviting on this broiler of a day.

 

Wet: The moss leaps out to join the cucumber, with a light and airy floral mix behind them.

 

Drydown: Ooh, I smell my hyacinth! And I think I smell lily as well--or maybe that's moonflower. I'm not sure what moonflower smells like, exactly. It's still wonderfully light and cool and floral, but greener than Blue Moon

 

Verdict: I adore hyacinth and I think this is the first perfume oil I've found where it is a dominant note. I'm so glad I managed to snag a bottle of it!

[Little Bird]

I'm rather fond of The Gibbous Moon. I adore the lab's moonflower for its sweet and chilly qualities, I love the watery-fresh cucumber, and I love the green edge that the moss adds to this scent. At times it seems like this wants to go perfumey on me (hyacinth?) or soapy (lily?) but it never actually turns on my skin. It's like the wonderful moonflower is keeping the bad notes from misbehaving. On me this is a chilly, watery, green, fresh scent with sweet florals swirling about. The moonflower smells musky-sweet and ethereal on me. Lovely. My boy loves this on me too.

[alicia_stardust]

The Gibbous Moon is a gorgeous, cool moon scent with lunar oil qualities.

 

In the bottle this smells wet and bright green. There's something almost grass-like that sits on top of the florals.

 

On application my skin turns this into a glistening cool cucumber scent with a side of night flowers. LOTS of cucumber. It stays like that for about 20 minutes, at which point the hyacinth and lily become prominent. The floral are sort of soft and unassuming; they are there but they are definitely night flowers, hidden in shadows yet whose petals are illuminated by the soft moonlight.

 

This has an average throw and a good wear-length on me. I think this is the perfect scent for wearing in the period of time before or after a full moon. I am definitely going to keep this one around.

[ariosa]

I ordered this one hoping that all the other notes in it would completely beat the lily into submission. I really, really, really hoped it would. My heart sank in the wet stage, as it was almost all lily, all the time. Now I love lilies as a flower, but on my skin, it just becomes dryer sheet of doom.

 

Thank GOD it mellows out, and the cucumber, moss and what I guess is moonflower comes to the fore. I am not really a floral girl, I don't think, but this? This scent to me is stunning. It's languid and gentle and something you just want to bury your nose into. It makes me feel peaceful and girly and pretty -- and now I'm hooped, because I want a bottle of this, too, if I can find it!

 

Stunning.

[LiberAmoris]

Gibbous Moon sounded right up my alley because I'm a Cancer and I love anything moon-y. That, and I have a thing for Beth's moonflower note. It didn't disappoint me---it's mostly moonflower on my skin with cucumber and moss. The orris is just a whisper and the lily and hyacinth round things out.

 

I keep this next to my bed with my other 'nighttime' blends, because it's perfect for sleep. Very soft, comforting, and clean.

[AEris]

Right before bedtime, I decided to give this a second chance.

 

The first time I tried the Gibbous Moon, I was so overwhelmed with everything else I had to try that I don't think I ever gave it a swipe on my skin. Then, to try something else, I looked into selling or swapping it, and then....

 

A little while ago, I thought, "I have this gorgeous little bottle, let's see how the chemistry actually interacts here."

 

This scent is delicate, wispy, light, and cool. Cucumbers don't waft out to me like they do to others, I get a fresh cool night floral instead. Maybe that's just because I love cucumber so much that I don't recognize it as a note, but honestly, it resembles something more organic and fresh than most florals I've fallen in love with (BPAL or not)! I guess it's the moonflower or lily, but I feel so dainty and innocent with this blend hinting its way through the air....

 

I won't ever part with this bottle. No Way Man!! Mama like!!

 

I think there is a hint of white musk in this blend, there's something very alluring swirling towards me...This is very pretty, I would compare it to crisp white lace (I mean, not musty old dusty lace), or a late summer misty night, swimming under the stars.

 

I think this will give me lovely dreams. Instant fan. I want to write a poem.

[AmyAngel]

In the imp, this is beautifully cool and green smelling. Like a greenish-blue pool of water. On, while wet, I can tell that there are florals there, and some moss grounding everything, and it's still a cool watery but not aquatic sort of scent. As it's drying it's warming up a bit, I think that's moss and ginger? It has good throw and is sweetish, but not too sweet. I'd really love a scent just like this but with a hint of melon sweetening it up a bit more. This is pretty, but not quite as sweet as I'd like it to me. I might try layering it, though. It does make me think of Blue Moon 07 – I need to test them side by side. I think I like this better, as Blue Moon wasn't as sweet or cool-smelling as I'd have liked.

 

This started with some serious throw, but it's dying down and lingering near my wrist more now. It's sweeter as it's dried, and I like it even better now. I was a big fan of Tranquil Breezes long ago, and while this doesn't really smell like that, it makes me think of it a bit. It's still greenish-blue scented. After another 20 minutes or so, I definitely like this better than Blue Moon. I'll keep an eye out for a partial bottle, or at least another imp.

 

After about 3 hours, this has almost completely faded, so I'll have to try wearing it for real to see if it lasts well enough to justify buying more of it.

 

After wearing this all day one day, I'm thinking one imp might be enough. It threatened to head into soap-land most of the morning, which really left me feeling kind of unsettled. It's nice, but not something I think I'll wear all that often, unfortunately. I might try layering it with something sweeter, maybe that'll help.

[Seelix]

When I first tried this, right after it came out, I had mixed feelings. It was nice, but a little too floral soapy on me. Now the other notes are coming out more, and I can smell more of the cucumber/ginger/moss. This is a beautiful, clean aquatic. Just the thing if I want to feel pretty or girly (it doesn't happen often, but it does happen!) Now I'm glad I didn't swap away my extra bottle of this one.

[themerrybaker]

TehMerryB loves those moonflower notes from BPAL. Gibbous Moon is no exception. It seems a little smoother (less pollen) than Blue Moon and a little more cool. Another perfume that I could wear every day!!

Edited November 25, 2007 by themerrybaker

[Iceblink]

Moonflower loves me to the point of stomping out everything else in nearly every blend with it I've tried. This one is no exception; it's basically moonflower single note. It's beautiful and wonderfully cool, but moonflower tends to give me a headache since it amps so strongly on me. I wish it didn't!

[joseybird]

This is lovely! Crisp, very dewy white flowers with a hint of a "bite" (like the spicy bite of bitter greens, but without any bitterness), I imagine a long-stalked white flower covered with dew (not at all like Desdemona, which is aquatic+waxy lily). After a few minutes, I start gettting hints of soap, but the vast majority of florals turn to soap on me, so if the non-soap bits look appealing, I highly rec Gibbous!

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: green cucumber-y goodness!

 

wet on skin: more cucumber, with a *slight* hint of floral. maybe it's that hyacinth?

 

dry down: the hyacinth comes out in a more pronounced way, while the green cucumber is still there, but lessens.

 

in all: a lovely 'clean' sort of scent, the kind i like to wear when it's 105 outside and i'm melting in a pool of my own flesh.

[catwoman30]

Oh I was so pleasantly surprised by this little gem!On me, the cucumber registers as just a very clean, green-almost grassy scent.The main floral (if not the only) I get is lily....lovely.This scent smells like a patch of Lily of the Valley-stems,grass,flowers,pollen.....all rolled into one beautiful oil.I must have more than one bottle of this-a new fav for sure!

 

ETA-Yes I know it is actually Madonna Lily but it smells like Lily of the Valley to me...

Edited January 15, 2008 by catwoman30

[LupaWulf]

I totally agree with catwoman30's review above mine!

My experience with The Gibbous Moon was quite lovely as well- Lily of the Valley is one of my favorite spring scents. My mother always used to pick them for me when I was very young, and I have had a soft spot for that flower to this day.

 

Gibbous Moon smells like a nice Lily of the Valley, but slightly more sweet. There is also a crisp-ness in the scent which makes it pleasantly sweet without a cloying nature. As I wore this one throughout the day, it had a plesant fade, by mid afternoon for some reason it brought on thoughts of a spring evening with crisp air.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Very fresh, green, grassy. Can definitely smell that cucumber.

 

Wet: Still super green, but some floral notes are emerging. I can detect the lily and orris the most, which is a tad on the heady side.

 

Dry: Cucumber-orris, mostly. I think the orris is too strong/heady for me. Almost a bit soapy? Strange!

 

Summary: The cucumber-greenness is really delicious and fresh, but I think orris doesn't work for me, and moonflower turns to soap.

[mgrazulis]

I love so many of the lunar oils, and I had high hopes for Gibbous Moon. I was not disappointed. In the bottle, cool refreshing cucumber and crisp chilly white and blue flowers. Wet on the skin, salty Irish moss emerges beside sweet hyacinth. The drydown is glorious! A wispy poke of ginger coupled with woody orris, all bathed in dewy moonlight. This is ethereal, soothing and dreamy.