Red Moon 2004

[zankoku_zen]

The Full Red Moon of August was named thus by some Native American tribes because as the moon rises, it dons a reddish veil, visible through the hot, sweltering summer evening haze. Our blend for this Moon mixes traditional lunar oils with the warmth of amber and heliotrope, the russet haze of dragon's blood resin and crushed orange peel, and a swirl of summertime herbs: chamomile, rue, elder flower and marigold.

Ah, the fabled Red Moon 2004! I have to say that I get the dragon's blood + heliotrope + cherry intersection. It's a nice, warm, spicy scent.

...

And invariably, this ends up smelling like plastic. Spicy, delicious cherry plastic. But yeah... it's Barbie doll smell.

BLAH.

[Gin]

I agree with the dragon's blood + cherry + heliotrope reviews. I also smell the marigolds and herbs. This is very nice, though weak (could be from age). Dry, it's a gentle amber-fruity-floral, with a tiny whisper of dragon's blood.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Deep peach/light almost-neon orange colour. Sweet, floral, and a little bitter. I get orange blossom though it isnt' listed as well as orange peel, definitely the heliotrope, chamomile, elder and marigold. Not sure what rue smells like, but maybe it's contributing to the bitterness (which I think is also the orange). Not too heavy on the dragon's blood.

 

Wet: More herbal, less sweet. Still pretty floral with a slight soapyedge. Loads of chamomile and marigold, more distinct dragon's blood, but still-noticeable heliotrope and elder. I still find it bitter, and I like it less on my skin, but this is oddly appealing, and also quite unique amongst the 1000+ BPALs I've tried. It does have a very red-orange warm feel.

 

Dry: Sweet resiny herbs and orange peel - the bitterness has worn off, while the amber has emerged. It's resiny and warm, a little perfumey, but not powdery. In fact it is exactly the same as the amber note in Carnivale, and this has a similar feel. The heliotrope is simply gorgeous in this.

 

Summary: The drydown sort of reminds me of an herbal version of Ladon. For me this is a bit too herbal in feel and I can't shake that damn dragon's blood, but it's quite lovely otherwise. Low throw but great longevity.

 

[cuervosueno]

I got this from the lovely Stellans, as it is my "chapter" in our BPAL sorority, and I had not tried it before. (It is from the month I joined the forum). She said it is her holy grail of lunacies, and I can totally see why!

 

When I smelled it in the imp, I thought it might have red musk in it, but a nice, toned down red musk, but I see it does not. Perhaps it is simply that in a six year old perfume, the DB has calmed and I'm reading that as red musk? In any case, it is red and fruity when wet, and though the only fruit is orange peel, it has the "flavor" of more fruit, something slightly berry like, but sometimes I read DB as fruity, so perhaps that is it. It also has a lovely almost vanilla note from the heliotrope (how I love heliotrope!) and the amber adds some sweetness and depth too. The only herb I can identify is marigold, but there is a nice dried herb feel to this too, that suits the end of summer vibe.

 

Overall, this is gorgeous, and I'm so glad I got to try it!

 

It's interesting, too, because I went back and read my review for Red Moon 2007, which I ended up liking ok, but not keeping it. What was different? Red musk and sunflower. I rarely like red musk, and I suspect in an unaged perfume it would be particularly strong, and I see that I didn't get heliotrope out of the 2007 version, either. Even though they are similar, I think the 2004 version is by far the better version, and I am so happy to have a bit!

[Schmoozy]

Whiffs of orange peel combines with dragon's blood resin with spicy marigold and chamomile in the background. Amber is not present until it has had a chance to drydown, and once it does it makes for a stunning combination. It's warm, comforting, red and very pretty. Overall a citrus based amber, with shots of dragon's blood and spicy florals.