Sugar Moon 2008

[Delirium1009]

Sugar cane, blue musk, mahogany, black orchid, black currant, violet, blackberry leaf, teak, strawberry, and dusky rose.

In bottle/imp: This smells rich and deep with a thick resinous undertone. It also smells a little like nail polish remover and also like the Emathides.

Immediately on skin: The first thing that hits me is that this reminds me a lot of the Emathides (I looked it up and they share black orchid, black currant, violet, and blue musk notes), but plus a deep, resinous caramel note and a hint of strawberries. It’s a very thick, deep scent with the teak and violet mixing to give it a slight perfume-y edge, and the blue musk giving it a slight cool tone.

After a little while: The strawberry has come out in this a little more and the very thick syrupy tone has receded completely. On my skin this is now a rich and deep mix of delicate strawberry, teak (which is very perfume-y on me), a slight wood note from the mahogany, and the cool rich mix of black currant and orchid, violet, and blue musk.

Overall Impressions: This starts out a little strong on the syrupy sugar, but it calms down quickly and really becomes a very deep, complex scent. It’s on the cooler side, but it also has a nice thick sweetness that is very well controlled, as well as a hint of fruity strawberry. This strongly reminds me of the Emathides, so I really think fans of that blend may like this. Otherwise, those who like the lab’s more complex, deep, and sweeter scents will probably enjoy this if it behaves on their skin. Edited March 15, 2008 by Delirium1009

[Rovylern]

In the bottle: Sugar, tart strawberry and currant, something herbal.

 

Wet: I get a boozy note mostly, and something under it that smells like...barbecue spices. It's not pleasant.

 

Drydown: This stays very dark and boozy. Whatever is giving me the barbecue impression sticks around too, with a hint of maple syrup added in. This is not good for me. One bottle will stay in the box to age and retest eventually, but one is definitely going to the swaplist.

[Lycanthrope]

Here's my brief two thoughts on this scent, as I managed to hit it right desc-wise on the LUSH forums:

 

Initially it's burnt sugar with some kinda dark fruits, blueberries or blackberries, and eventually it dries down to something akin to a sweeter, deep fruit leather.

[Summerpixy]

In the bottle the scent is a dark semi-sweet floral scent. Once applied I was disappointed because there wasn't very much sugar in the balance of the blend it seemed overwhelmed by the darker elements. It settled close to my skin and doesn't have much noticeable throw. The strawberry comes out to lighten the blend later but can't compete with the overall depth of the perfume. This blend is an understated sexy scent.

 

Although this is a nice blend now, I'm curious to see what will happen to it once it has aged for a few months.

[LunaLovegood]

Sugar moon: Its really nice. Pure sweetness, just a tad of gree, maybe from the cane?

Its really nice, reminds me a bit of Lush's Rock Star, but very little. Its candy in a bottle. Not much of a throw but it stays on the skin for at least 5 hours. I'm pleased with this scent.

[vintagedlust]

This is the love child of Red Lantern and Sugar Skull imo.

 

In the bottle: a light version of Sugar Skull

 

On my skin: I smell something almost caramel-like which makes sense

 

Dry: It's a less stringent, musky, and sexy version of Sugar Skull all the way. I still get the occasional hint of caramel but it's not all the time now.

 

4.5/5

[pinkstardust420]

Hmmm..perfumey musk with a dark side. Slightly sweet, but something sinister remains

[Dymphna]

In the bottle: Sweet and somewhat alcoholic, like a sweet liquer. The boozy note is very pronounced to me, more so than anything else. I can also smell a deep, dark wood note that ust be the mahogany. Yay, I love mahogany!

 

Wet: A spicy, sweet fruit scent with a background of rich wood. The alcoholic note is still there and still quite pronounced, though the fruit scent is moving forward now, too. I keep smelling something that reminds me of blackberry leaves, with a green and peppery bite, and the dark spicy-fruit scent of black currant. There's also something sweet and sort of caramel-y. Or maybe butterscotch-y. That's what it smells like--butterscotch and dark fruit and leaves and that sexxxxxy deep, dark wood. So complex and so delicious.

 

Dry: As this dries, the musk comes out. Wow, I guess I like blue musk! It is slightly masculine/cologne-like and has a suggestion of aquatic to it without actually smelling aquatic, if that makes any sense. The blend is now reminding me of Saint-Germain, which is one of the few scents my husband likes to wear. This isn't quite as masculine as that, fortunately, thanks to the fruit and the sugar, but it's enough like it that I can imagine a man wearing this. Although the throw remains somewhat cologne-like, on closer sniffing the masculine edge softens after a while and I'm left with a sweet, caramelized sugar and fruity liquor scent over a base of deep, rich mahogany, with hints of unmistakeably blue musk wafting in and out. It's very rich and very different from anything else I've tried, while still having elements in common with other blends. Not as feminine as I'd expected (and hoped), but still more interesting and complex. The longer I wear it, the more layers I discover. After about an hour, there's a new layer, this one black orchid (which I love) with a sweet veil of sugar cane. This is an amazing blend.

Edited March 18, 2008 by Dymphna

[GreenSpine]

Once, a patch of strawberries grew at the edge of a darkly enchanted forest. The magic of the wood seeped into the strawberries as the years passed. They grew to enormous size, eventually becoming sentient.

 

Horrified that humanity was using them for food, they determined to take over the planet and use humans as fertilizer for a brave new world of strawberry patches. Finally, the day came when they were ready. They broke free of their vines and rolled over everything in their path (sort of like in the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but with strawberries instead).

 

Unfortunately, humanity found the key to defeating them much too quickly, and all that remained of their ambition was some delicious-smelling evil, sweet, strawberry jam.

 

This starts off as almost boozy, but not in a bad way. When it dries it becomes this fantastic scent that's both complex and fun. As I'd hoped, it reminds me a good bit of the Emathides, maybe like its younger, rougher sister. I adore it, but wish the main phase lasted longer.

Edited March 18, 2008 by GreenSpine

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: like maple syrup and mahogany wood. sweet, resinous, woody.

 

wet on skin: the wood comes out a bit more. i'm discovering that i generally love all BPAL formulas that contain mahogany. it's not bitter the way sandalwood can be, and it's not light or sharp like cedarwood. it's just earthy, good.

 

dry down: the blue musk finally makes it's appearance. it's not what i expected as far as musks go- it's sharper, cleaner. but it adds a lovely balance to the wood and the sugar cane.

 

in all: there is something so unusual about this blend. i can honestly say it's like nothing i've encountered before. i can't compare it to *anything* else. it simply must be experienced first hand.

 

i'm glad i bought two bottles!

[hellomoonglow]

Well, I'm not quite sure what pops up first when I open the bottle, but immediately I got the "Ick! Pumpkin!" reaction from my nose. I closed it up, popped it into my purse, and 10 minutes later decided to give it a second try. For some reason, a swirl of "new age store" kept lurking around. And now that it's on, it's quite nice!

 

It started out strong. Almost too strong for me, but I kept it on and after about 3 hrs. it's faded down nicely. One thing I wish is that I could get more violet, black currant, blackberry leaf and strawberry out of it. I mean, it mingles fine, don't get me wrong, but I'd like to smell those particular scents more. It's very nice, though; really reminds me of those little shops I used to visit when I was a teenager. And wore all black. And had an attitude.

 

Hmmmmm..... what's different from now?!?!?

[arabella]

First Impression: Burnt Sugar.

 

Dries down to: The musk and woods emerge and tone the sweetness down. I get no florals or berries at all.

 

Additional Comments: I'm confused by this one. Normally, any type of sugar turns burnt and amps like crazy on me. This time it amped for about 30 seconds when I first applied it and then totally disappeared. It stays slightly woody after that - no orchid, violet or rose (which also amps like crazy on me) or any of the berries. Finally, after an hour or so, a tiny hint of rose appeared. The good thing is that this blend doesn't make me gag; the bad thing is that it's a totally wussy bore on me. Oh well, you can't win them all.

 

Lasted: Most of the day.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[sfsassy]

In the bottle: Sugar Skull-ish

 

On the skin: Sugar Skull with hints of light fruits.

 

I really like this blend and think it will age very well!

[QueenFae]

This is a very interesting scent. With the long list of components, I expected a very complex, many faceted scent. Instead, on my skin, this divides into 2 different parts. One half is a strong, deep, brown sugar note, and the rest of the ingredients combine to form an earthen, dark, dusky, slightly herbal note that makes up the other half. It's very different from anything I've ever sniffed; mad props to Beth for brewing this one up! This is a very strong scent, especially for a lunar blend and lasts forever on my wrist.

 

Very pretty and unique!

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle dark, sweet, and floral, but not in a bad way (says the non-floral loving BPALer)

wet on skin sharp and strong with a burnt sugar background and a cologne-y, floral-y top dressing. not a fan of this stage.

dry on skin this gradually fades from the wet phase, losing density as it ages on my skin. an hour after applying, it's wood and sugar with a little bit of a fruity bite. another hour in, it's a sweet, burnished wood and stays like that until it finally fades away. throw is fairly weak, wear time is shorter than i thought it would be judging by the potency in the wet stage.

 

this is a fascinating blend, maybe a bit muddled in places and more reminiscent of some of the GC scents than LEs that i've tried. it's unique enough to be a keeper, though, as long as i can tolerate the short wet phase that isn't my favourite.

[strangemodegirl]

Oh yum!

I really like to take fresh strawberries and then add good balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and then let it sit for an hour or so before eating it all up. Sugar Moon smells exactly like that on me.

I MUST hunt down another bottle.

[taramarie]

I'll start off by saying that Sugar Moon is a lot more complex on me that I thought it would be. (My skin tends to eat 2/3 of the notes in any blend with more than three notes.) Wet, the main note is strawberry. I also get the blackberry leaf, dusky rose, and a hint of violet. Dry, the strawberry is more in the background and the other notes have been joined by the woods and sugar cane. There's something very perfumey about it, not that I'm complaining. Also, something about it reminds me of Saturnalia, but I don't think there's any vetiver here. Sugar Moon is very nice, but I'm not exactly sure it's me. I'll keep it around.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle this is strawberry, black currant, black orchid and teak, very sweet and a bit musky. I'm beginning to realize that I like most of the scents with black orchid in them. The violet and I *think* the blackberry leaf are helping to darken this up. I smell this and think of a dark blue/black/purple twilight during the late spring when the days are nights are pleasantly warm.

 

On my skin I'm still getting the sugar musk with a woody dark fruit.

 

Violet doesn't usually work on me, so that note was scaring me a bit in the description, but it seems to blend in to the darkness.

 

A little reminescent of La Bef.ana.

[AliBabble]

i don't get so much of the sugar skull comparison, and i do see the ethamides comparison, but for me sugar moon is more to my liking than either of the aforementioned oils. at first i get a fruity sugar, berry-ish, but tempered - not cloying or syrupy or heavy. a woodyness comes out next, and this is my favorite stage - i think i really like woody notes, and haven't explored this part of my scent experience as much as i should. i don't recall all the notes in this...i suppose there is a touch of strawberry, but it is very mild. this is not a hugely musky scent on me, and is instead rather soft and comfortable. is there a touch of violet here? i love it! the wood in this is what really makes it special for me.

[alicia_stardust]

Sugar Moon is a new favorite. It has an almost dusky candy quality when wet. As it dries, there is a phase where this reminds me strongly of The Emathides with its blue musk and dark sugar. After that passes, there is a dark fruits and sweet berry quality that seems to be dusted by white crystals of granulated sugar. The violet adds a purple duskiness, the rose adds a touch of lush floral, and the woods give this a beautiful edge. This is a must try!

[coldandsleepy]

On application, this instantly goes all dark and murky on me, in a bad way. My husband says it smells like rotting fruit, and I have to agree. Something about this is just too rich on me. Yuckers. I had to scrub it off after about 10 minutes-- it was making me feel sick.

 

This is probably off to the swaps soon, but I'm hoping to make myself try it again for a longer period first... it sounds like it's got the potential to develop into something pretty if only I can get through that first horrible stretch.

[stellans]

When I first opened the bottle of Sugar Moon, my heart sank. All I could smell was burnt sugar, with a slight plastic-y note behind. Was this going to be another Lunacy to break my heart, like Old Moon did?

 

*cue angels singing* Hallelujah! This blend reacts to my skin chemistry in such a way as to put the most expensive blend in the world to shame! My skin sings with the ecstasy of the wonderful Smut-but-better, SnakeOil-but-better, SnakeCharmer-but-better scent of Sugar Moon! Even my husband, whose normal opinion of my scents range from "What's that?\" to "You smell like carp dough!? likes the smell of Sugar Moon on me. And that's a good thing.

Edited March 5, 2011 by stellans

[LupaWulf]

Well, it must be the mahogny and teak or something in it, but the fiance thinks I smell sort of like church inscence... Fortunatly it's in a good way, (his words) and not a way that makes him turn green.

 

To me Sugar Moon smells sweet, but spicy as well. This isn't really a floral or fruity sweetness, but more like sugar being mixed in with some sort of chai with spieces or something. When I first put it on, I almost smell molasses cooking, or something like that. For some reason it brings thoughts of southern kitchens to my mind.

It's hasn't lasted too very long before starting to fade, but it is a very pleasant scent at any rate.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, I can smell blue musk, dark fruits, and sugar that smells a bit like molasses . Blue musk always smells cool and watery to me, and the overall impression is like some sort of exotic, sexy, fruity, sugared drink. I was tempted to take a sip out of the bottle. Oddly, after sniffing this in the bottle a while longer, it starts to smell very similar to Aquolina's Pink Sugar to my nose.

 

On my skin, sadly, something starts to get instantly high pitched and pushy. It makes me think of the sharp, metallic, high smell that cheap hairspray has. And then my skin seems to eat this. I can smell the barest hint of fruit, but it's so light that I could just be imagining things. Mostly, it smells like nothing. After an hour, Sugar Moon makes a comeback and smells like pure baby powder. What.the.hell.

 

So I re-applied this in various places all over my body, in the hopes that it would have better staying power or something somewhere else. On some parts of my body, this has slightly better staying power, and smells briefly of a blueberry dusted in sugar before it gets thrown into a gallon jug of water and disappears again.

 

I love Sugar Moon in the bottle. Love. I literally opened it, sniffed, and squeed. And it fades on my skin faster than any perfume I've tried before. I'm hoping that this will get better for me with aging and that maybe my skin won't devour it. It's just so gorgeous in the bottle...

 

ETA: I tried this on my boy, because his skin and hair hold on to scent in an amazing way. This still didn't have a lot of throw on him, it clung really close to his skin, but it was still noticeable 12 hours later when I snuggled up to him. Oddly, this smells exactly like Lampades on his skin. It's a watery berry smell, almost like berry Kool-Aid.

Edited March 29, 2008 by Tania

[tura]

I'm unfamiliar with most of the notes in this. But I'll give it my best shot.

 

in the bottle: Is that booze? Wait. Celery. Definitely celery. Wierd.

 

wet: It's still freshly-cut celery.

 

5: okay. now I'm getting the sweetness and the booze. Its almost like a really soft, boozey caramel.

 

10: This has turned into a really soft and complex scent. This is where my unfamiliarity with the notes gets me though. I can pick up different hints of things with each sniff, but I'm not sure yet.

 

Dry: It's all really subtle. Almost like catching wafts of picnic goodies in the breeze.

 

An hour or so later: omg This is gorgeous! It has turned all sweet, and sexy, and playful on me. I just wished the throw was a little longer. Its gorgeous now, but awfully subtle.