Red Moon 2004

[AlaskaSnows]

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.

In the Bottle: This smells like.... EVERYTHING. A little fruit, a little spice, a little floral, a little dragonsblood, a little musk, a little water... EVERYTHING! It's juicy and warm, and yes, smells golden red to me.

Dry: Juicy plum and spice. Sweet and dusky and has a floral back. Sophisticated and perfume like. Very ripe and succulent smelling, and very mysterious. Gorgeous.

[PurringPulsar]

Red Moon

 

In the imp: cherries? Must be the combination of dragon's blood and heliotrope.

Wet on skin: oooh, now I can smell the summer herbs and florals, as well as the orange.

Dry on skin: this is a gorgeous scent. the dragon's blood is quite minimal in here-it's there alright, but it's not blatant. There's a nice green-floral scent like wild flowers, elderflower and camomile. I can make out a bit of orange and a lovely scent of heliotrope. This smells warm and quite summery.

After a while: the heliotrope in here is lovely-it adds a sweet downy background of it's cherry-vanilla scent with the tangy wildflowers dancing on top, the amber and dragon's blood in between. In here, the dragon's blood is gorgeous because it's not over the top, it adds it's distinctive redness to the scent.

Verdict: this is probably one of the best dragon's blood blends ever. In here, it enhances the other notes and doesn't go funny on me. The heliotrope is fantastic in this, and I love the scent of the wildflowers and herbs that dance on the top of the scent. This is a warm, vibrant, summery scent. it's like the heat haze of an August afternoon without being oppressive. A fantastic lunar scent that I am very happy to have an imp of.

[coulrophobe]

In the bottle: I'm not sure what I'm smelling - a bit fruity, a bit floral, a bit incensey.

 

On: Definitely warm and a bit powdery, with subdued florals and a hint of orange. Dragon's blood is usually an obnoxious floral on me, but here it manages to stay on the resiny side - I think the amber is a good influence for it.

 

Verdict: Not my favorite of the Lunacies by far, but very pleasant, and a nice warm scent for dreary winter days like this one.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is a sweet and sharp floral. The orange peel is tart, and strong enough to make my mouth water. As the scent dries, it warms, the amber blooming nicely around the other notes. It strikes me as very feminine, though the floral notes aren't overpowering at all.

 

Though it doesn't fade, it's an extremely light and delicate blend on me. I'd have to slather it on, and unfortunately there isn't enough in my little imp to do that.

[alicia_stardust]

This smells just like the descripton! It is very promising in the vial.

 

On my skin it warms up into this gorgeous resinous dragons blood, slightly sweet, slightly herbal and I swear I smell just a pinch of something green and bitter. Maybe the marigold or something? It wears nicely as well with about an average throw.

 

4 out of 5 stars.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Sweet orange

 

On Skin: Oh…my…god… I LOVE THIS SCENT! I seem to always fall for Lunacy blends… Milk Moon is my favorite, followed by Chaste Moon and now Red Moon is beating out Beaver Moon for third. This scent is so bright and juicy. I love that the Dragon’s Blood is noticable but not enough to make this a “Dragon’s Blood scent”. The orange is juicy and tart but sweetened up by the delicious heliotrope. The herbs are fresh but not medicinal, very nice, balanced buy the soft and slightly spicy amber. The florals are also light and complement without interfering. A beauitful red scent, but red in a warm and innocent way, not evil or firelike… Sadly it is a little light in throw, but I still want more of this scent. Anyone have any they want to swap or sell?

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a word or two: Gorgeous!

 

Preconceived notions: Dragon's blood with a bit of herbs and orange?

 

In the imp: Dragon's blood and orange. Already two of my favourite notes, this bodes well!

 

On skin, wet: Spicy, but surprisingly light, dragon's blood and sweet, fresh orange. There's a bit of something green (herbs, I imagine) as well.

 

On skin, dry: Not drastically different from wet, save for the appearance of chamomile. It's much softer and sweeter than I'd expected, but it's a pleasant surprise.

 

Conclusion: Red Moon is an absolutely gorgeous scent, which combines three of my most favourte notes (orange [peel], dragon's blood and herbs). Being as rare and sought-after as it is, it figures I'd fall in love with it. I'll definitely treasure my decant of it, and I hope Beth deigns to re-release it one day.

Edited March 29, 2006 by Aredhel

[kiio]

Red moon has the dread orange in it. In the imp it smelled gorgeous, Dragon's blood with a hint of orange. On the skin it smelt of burnt orange peels and had to be washed off before dry down.

[Medici]

Origin: Decant courtesy of the lovely osicat.

 

In the vial: Marigold, red wine (!?), dragon's blood and a bit of spice that reminds me of black pepper.

 

Wet: Marigold and amber and dragon's blood. While its almost candy coated in the imp, here the marigold rings clear. It's burning my arm a little, though.

 

Drydown: Marigold. Damn damn damn. My chemistry just went and wiped out all of the nuance this blend had while in the imp. The dragon's blood sticks its tongue out at me, and blows a raspberry before disappearing entirely.

 

It was nice while it lasted.

 

3/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

[tarotgirl99]

I was recently fortunate enough to obtain an imp of Red Moon and as soon as I put it on, I smelled something VERY familiar and very beautiful. I loved it on first sniff, but I kept thinking, this reminds me of something.

 

Finally it came to me--it has the warm glowy sweetness of Hollywood Babalon. The difference is that the light fruitiness is orange, not strawberry...I have never much liked strawberry scents and a friend of mine was determined to find one that I would like after I turned my nose up and against Strawberry Moon and Bon Vivant. I fell in love with Hollywood Babalon, but it could never be a gateway drug...because it's the amber and heliotrope that attract me, not the strawberry.

 

Needless to say, I love Red Moon even more, because I prefer orange to strawberry.

 

However, if you can't track down Red Moon but really love it, give Hollywood Babalon a try.

[desu]

In the imp: A rich, red warmth with a slight floral hint to it.

 

On me: While this smells lovely in the imp, this starts to go weird spicy floral on me in a way I don't care for.

[olympia301]

 

I think this is the first lunacy blend and it is a real beauty. If someone just rattled off the ingredients, I would have said "ick" but they are done so very well, with nothing overpowering the whole, I just have to say that is is art.

 

There may be dragon's blood and orange in Red Moon, but you can't pick them out and say that they are taking over this perfume. They are used in the best proportion, and these prima donnas are gracefully coaxed into being in the chorus instead of taking center stage and yelling at the top of their lungs.

 

All the other parts of Red Moon are woven in harmoniously. Very juicy and red fruit smelling, but not cloying and certainly not bubble gum. It is fresher than Hollywood Babylon (to my nose, others would disagree), and it isn't the sex or the spice in this case, it's the combination of the elements which makes the blend perfect in itself. Really really gorgeous.

Edited June 8, 2006 by olympia301

[edenssixthday]

Red Moon - This is a beautiful and thoroughly unique scent. The scent is simultaneously red and crystalline. I can’t detect any specific notes. From the lovely red color of the oil, I wonder if there is dragon’s blood in the blend, but I can’t detect any. It’s an obviously complex blend because even after I read the scent description and I know some of the notes that are in it, I still can’t discern them. It does tend to have the slightest hint of cherry Kool-Aid scent, but I don’t want to scare anyone off by saying that. It would be like cherry Kool-Aid that has ¼ of the sugar it’s supposed to have in about ten times the amount of water it’s supposed to have. That’s how subtle the cherry Kool-Aid scent is. The best way I can think of to describe Red Moon is to say it’s warm, but it’s clear. It’s sweet, but it’s subtle. It’s calming, but it’s sexy. Sadly, like most of the lunar blends, it sticks very close to my skin (closer than most of the other lunar oils) and is completely gone within the first hour. However, it’s so pretty that I think I’ll hang on to what little I have and wear it when I want to smell really unique and special.

[filigree_shadow]

When I put the oil on I thought it smelled like an artificial cherry scent at first. Then it warmed up and I could smell the dragon's blood mixed with a spicy and gently herbal scent. Didn't get much orange out of this, which was an unexpected result. Usually my skin amps all citrus.

 

To be honest, Red Moon reminds me of Beltane 06. Not because they are so close in scent, but because they have the same sort of feel to them. The gentle herbs and sweetness. They are both lovely in their own right, but I'm pretty sure I like Beltane every bit as much as I like Red Moon. (Which makes me happy since Red Moon is so hard to find now!)

[elspeth]

This is very floral and yet very sedate at the same time. Not in a lazy way however. It is very sultry and I can picture a woman laying down on a couch very heavy lidded....if that makes sense. A very come hither look. I absolutely love this one. It has very good staying power and has me sniffing my wrists like a crazy woman.

[sofiaviolet]

I don't really smell the herbs and flowers, just dragon's blood and orange, and the orange fades quickly. As it does, the florals come forward a bit. I think I'm smelling marigold most strongly out of them.

[juniperus]

Bottle: a vague herby-ness, the color of wheat, and orange oil

Wet: the same through a curtain of warm dragon's blood resin, like seeing the world through a curtain of water as it pours in rivulets down the car door windows in a thunderstorm

Dry: the warmth of the amber and the resin - a red gold sunset over the big lake. this is sitting not on the beach, but on a grassy outcropping overlooking the lake, seeing the sailboats heading back to their docks against the red sunset that bleeds into the water as it hits the horizon. what a shame Chicagoans can't see the lake at the end of day like this - they only see the sunrise, gleaming, brassy, and still full of promise; when the sun reaches the edge of the lake on our shore it languidly reclines like an exhausted Vegas dancer gracefully falling onto a couch with a little leftover glitz still stuck to her skin.

Later: I can really get the marigold in this - it sort of reminds me of my mums that are juuust budding right now (they're orange and gold, too). this is a peaceful blend, its affect on me is akin to a feeling of that short pause between the inhale and the exhale, that suspended animation moment...that's what the last bits of August feel like to me, too - that point poised between fall and all of that hustle and bustle, and the outings and plans and doings of summer. actually, this brings on a feeling of melancholy, too, because that 'sweet spot' is all too short. I love fall, but I must admit I don't love the increased pace and stress that fall brings.

[storme]

In the imp: hmm. A weird mix of florals and herbs and spices, with a juicy-sweet-sharp tang to it.

 

On me, wet: lot's of sweet tangy dragon's blood with powdery herbs and florals. There's also some myrrh or amber or something else resinous and warm that isn't the dragon's blood. Interesting.

 

On me, dry: Urgh, something in this doesn't like me much - there's a rotten note underneath the sweet fruit-and-cinnamon blend. I'm not sure I'd be sold on the rest of this blend even without that, though - juicy cinnamon fruit-soda isn't my style.

 

Verdict: glad I got to try it, but really not one I want to keep around any longer than necessary.

[QueenFae]

Finally, the elusive Red Moon!! Thanks to Astrid for the decant! First sniff: Gorgeous, red firey, and deep. It starts out really dark and heavy; cinnamon layered over something black, almost like licorice. On the drydown: the floral really starts to come out, and it's a sneaky floral. The blend turns into something very feminine and sexy. The cinnamon fades into the background and something lovely like lily or lilac floats at the top. Even through this entire transition, the blend smells undeniably red and luminescent. Just beautiful, now I know what all the fuss is about!

[supremegoddessofall]

Okay, I don't care what it says is in it, this is almost pure cherry on me. As it dries I'm starting to get some other fruity tones and amber. This feels Chinese to me somehow. It's interesting, but I'm not sure it's for me. Too fruit-in-your-face.

[The_Witching_Hour]

In the bottle: juicey and sweet. A combination of fruits and spiced orange peel and an image of marigold petals floating on top. One of those scents that keep you sniffing so you can figure out just what it is that you're smelling the most!

 

On my skin: definitely warm, with subdued florals and a hint of spiced orange. I detect hints of amber or resin that keep this scent alive and a perfect base for all the spicey fruits and fleeting florals.

 

Drydown: this reminds me of a 'red sky at night' sunset over a lazy lake at the end of summer. This blend is so perfect and remains true to initial application that there is no note that screams 'me!'.

 

I love this! Perfect notes and beautiful imagery.

[wikkidraven]

yum, heliotrope and orange peel when wet, morphing into a fruity blend with cherries on top. the dragon's blood and amber warm this up really nicely...why oh why are the good ones never re-released!

 

yummy spicy kool-aid.

[Nia]

I can say little apart from the fact that this reminds me of Ladon, which I prefer. It is very complex, warming, comforting, pleasant.

 

The odd thing is that, because it is warm and with dragon's blood like Ladon, the association of ideas makes me smell apples in this. Apples, chamomile and dragon's blood. mmhhhhhh......

[Naamah_Darling]

An unusual, hard-to-describe scent that is at once floral and sharp, sweet and tart, incensey and herbal.

 

The first thing I smell are flowers and herbs, but they're being bolstered by a zesty orange. Heliotrope and amber are the sweet hidden notes in this. Dragon's blood is its usual insistently fruity and rich self – it only smells like incense once it hits body heat.

 

Upon application, it shifts again. Orange and chamomile tea, with a rippling background of dragon's blood and floral herbs. This is light and, to me, not a summery scent but more of a springtime scent. It's cheerful and bright, a sunny sort of smell with a very pleasant throw.

 

The heliotrope is very interesting. It's a sweet floral, very rounded and subtle, and it keeps poking its nose out here and there, along with the amber, sort of playing hide and seek among the other more insistent notes. The orange is what sets this apart, makes it at once quite unique and something that I know I would not personally wear.

 

This is a good scent for those who like clean, citrusy florals but are hunting for something that doesn't smell of soap. This is only mildly soapy.

[delicate_fangs]

God, I love this stuff. I treasure my imp of it. I don't know why I love it so much -- it's very floral on me, strong and heady, and I mostly go for incensey stuff or darker stuff, but this does something very good to my head.

 

The sweetness that happens between the heliotrope and the dragon's blood, with the orange peel and the amber in there... something about it is just pure magic.

 

It's just... I don't even usually think of scents like this, and I always forget how much it affects me... until I wear it again.

 

I'll be sad when the imp runs out.