Sugar Moon 2008

[milo]

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

OK, this is my first review, I'll try to remember how this went on me the best I can. I tried it a few times before trading it off, as like a lot of you, I loved the smell in the bottle, and wet it was great on me about 3 minutes total. Whoever said it smelled kind of like pink sugar, it's a good interpretation. After 3 minutes holy hannah floral!! The sweetness was gone, and my skin must have amped the musk and/or floral (I'm not very good at picking out individual scents yet). It was so strong, I felt nauseated, and I don't do strong florals well. I do wish it had stayed true to the scent in the bottle.

[cranberry]

Wet and first applied: Sweet, sweet sugar. Berries. Light musk. Booze too. If smell had a color, this would be a medium-deep pink color, like a Cosmopolitan. This smells like candy.

 

Dry: The berries are a bit more discernable now. This smells like blackberries and liquid sugar. There’s a depth there too, a light base of wood and musk. Mmmmm. This smells so delicious. This brings to mind summer days, warm sunshine and warm skin.

 

Lovely!

[Czarina]

The predominant note is sugar cane. I can't smell the violet or the blackberry leaf at all. I also can't differentiate between the mahogany and teak notes. It just smells like wood to me.

 

Nutmeg isn't listed in the notes but there is a definite scent of something like that.

[TooMuchTemptation]

Wet in the bottle, this had a burnt caramel sharpness that I didn't particularly love. So I put off trying it for a few days. Then I got the guts to try it out.

 

Wet on my skin, it's initially exactly that sharp burnt sugar that I was afraid of, then five seconds later it morphs, and smells like-blueberry skins. It's hard to explain, but it's dark and sweet, and a little bitter. Not bitter in a bad way, just the contrast you get between the sweet flesh of a berry and its skin. Then it resolves into a more true blueberry note, but not fresh blueberries, dried ones, sweet but not juicy. Under the dried blueberry scent I pick up a fresh muskiness that I'm loving. Dried blueberries, and clean skin. This scent is sweet, but so dry there's no creaminess or juiciness. It must be the woods making it so. I'm not really getting the florals, and I'm sniffing for them. There's a slight softness to the dry woods that makes me think violet, but it's not overt. I also get a hint of something green, but it's definitely an undertone to all the blue-violet smells wafting around.

 

Dry, the berries fall off, leaving only sweetness, the lovely musk, and the nice slightly dusty woods. I love it.

 

What I thought might be too sharp and sugary for summer turns out to be clean, powdery and perfect for a warm day.

[SarahScent44]

In the bottle, there's something very sharp - almost chemically at first. Then it's very dark & dusky.

 

On my skin, it's very sugar-y - my wrist smells like brown sugar! There's maybe a hint of the strawberry, and a *feeling* of woodsiness more than an actual scent.

 

When it dries, it's brown sugar, strawberry, violet - like a mature yet feminine scent. I love it!!

[sprocket21]

WHOA, this is sweet!

 

In the imp: Carmelized sugar smell, ala Sugar Skull.

 

On me: Very very sweet - the main scent is kind of a fake candy smell. I'm guessing that the strawberry is causing most of that, as black currant behaves on me. I can catch a tiny bit of a maple syrup smell, but the fake candy is by far the main note. Sadness, I had high hopes for this one.

[n3m3sis42]

I just received a bottle of this blend yesterday, in a swap with the lovely TwilightEyes.

 

In the bottle:

It smells a LOT like Sugar Skull. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Sugar Skull (I own both the 2005 and 2007 versions). But I'm sort of hoping that this will smell at least a little different.

 

Wet:

At first, this DOES smell almost exactly like Sugar Skull after I apply it. Same molasses-y scent. Then I notice a definite floral undertone. This is fine by me because I'd expect it from reading the notes for this blend, and because Hope and Faith both work quite well for me in all their sugared-floral glory. As it dries down a bit more, I find that it's sort of like a more floral La Befana. So far, I don't smell any of the woods, which is okay with me because woods often go YUCK with my skin chemistry.

 

Dry

This is taking forever to dry down on me, but I think it is mostly there now. It really does remind me of a very well-blended cross between La Befana and either Hope, Faith, or maybe the pair of them. Only somehow much calmer than any of these blends on its own (I guess that's the "well-blended" part, hmmm?). Anyway, I think this is everything I hoped it would be. If I find out differently from continued wearing, I'll be sure to let you know.

[tinyvulture]

right off the bat, this smells like a blend of craft store potpourri and pancake syrup. i thought it might get too treacly or cloying, but it actually stays at the right level of sweetness, wavering between foody and floral. it soon takes on more of a burnt sugar note, which combines nicely with the whirlwind of various florals and fruits. the strawberry and red currant are noticeable and quite nice. the mahogany and teak aren’t immediately identifiable but they add a definite woodsiness. i’d love candles in this scent. a homey, comforting blend, recommended for fans of kill-devil or channukiyah.

[djsiberia]

wet/in the imp: this reminds me of a sweeter version of sugar skull. i love putting this on and getting the fruit notes mixed with sugar cane and a small bit of musk.

 

dry: goregous. still boozy fruit and some musk. the only complaint i have is this doesn't last long, not even in the scent locket.

 

i love the scent after about an hour when it's calmed down.

[kawaiiferreto]

Wet: Is that caramel? Wet I don't really get any distinct notes except for the sugar cane, which is apparently pure gooey caramel on me. I don't like smelling like dessert, so we'll see how this dries.

 

Dry: The caramel sugary richness backs off a bit, but this is still very sweet. The berries come out pretty strongly and I can't say that's a good things... much like the cherry in Monster Bait: Bloody Mary went on me, the berries smell more fake/candy-ish, and maybe a tinge medicinal... which is too bad since I love the smell of actual berries. The florals just barely come into the background, and I almost get the sense of the mahogany and teak grounding the blend, but it doesn't really come out enough to be a definable part of the scent.

 

Overall, the notes all sound nice but none of them really play very well with my skin chemistry. In a way I'm glad since I passed the opportunity to buy this when it was still up for sale. Yay for decants!

[Indigo78]

In the bottle this is Sugar Cane and nothing but. Once it's on my skin, the first note to pop out is Mahogany, agressive and kind of...damp?. Hrmm. I amp this note as well as the teak, although for a brief second I can smell the gorgeous symphony of berries just beneath...((dammit))...

 

I wish the berries were stonger, the woods a little less. Glad a got to try it, but this Moon's not for me.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Just nabbed a decant...on me, Sugar Moon is alcoholic maple syrup. I'm not really sure how the listed notes manage to produce that effect. Huh. But that's exactly what it is...a hint of currant and blackberry appear on the drydown, and the combination of those with the maple (which I guess is really sugar cane) makes me think of IHOP's selection of syrups...you know, they always have plain maple and then also several fruity ones (for the record, my favorite is the Butter Pecan). It's not bad or anything, but Sugar Skull is so much better on me for when I want a major sugar fix.

[vegasblueblood]

The first thing I noticed was that the sugar in this is similar to one of the sugars in Sugar Skull 2007. It has has that lovely rich carmelized sugar undertone surrounded by blackberries/strawberries/black currants and topped off with the teak/mahogany and violet. This is not really very foodie at all, it's more like sugared fruit and that fruit is very fresh. It is not really floral on me at all and I definitely do not find it to be overly sweet. It's really complex and as it continues to wear on, it becomes muskier and fruitier. I find that it's a much different scent in the bottle than it is on my wrist, especially after about 30 minutes of wearing it.

[edenssixthday]

Sugar Moon - Black currant smells like pee on me and sure enough, this scent smells like sweetened cat piss. I could tell that without the black currant note, this would probably have been a gorgeous, uber-sweet, slightly husky, fruity-floral. I’m glad there are other people for whom black currant works because beneath that horrible scent, I could tell it was really beautiful and I’m glad that for some people, it really did work and smell lovely on them. The throw was light after drydown and it didn’t have the best staying power, either.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Sugary wood!

 

Preconceived notions/pre-review thoughts: I'm probably going to regret trying this, because of the rose, but how can I resist?

 

In the imp: Sweet, woody blackberry. If it stays like this, I'm sold. It reminds me just a bit of a cross between King of Spades and Red Lantern.

 

On skin, wet: Musky, salty leaves. There is a hint of something like celery. This is very strange at first, but the woody quality beneath the salt and leaves is gorgeous.

 

On skin, dry: Burnt, woody, musky sugar with with occasional blackberry wafts. This is a distant cousin of Red Lantern, without the heavy caramel. The mahogany is impossibly warm and dark and other words I can't find.

 

Conclusion: It's no secret that I am a fangirl for wood notes, so that I'm enamored of a sugary, musky wood scent should come as no surprise. I definitely need to find more.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

This smells like syrup and as others have noted, reminds me a lot of Sugar Skull. I wasn’t a huge Sugar Skull fan so I’m nervous about this blend. Hopefully some of the fruit and wood notes will work to counted the sugary sweetness radiating from the imp.

 

On My Skin

Immediately after application I still am getting a strong syrup scent and something that smells like blueberries (blue musk, maybe?). Not a lot else is coming through at this point. I’m not really enjoying the scent right now, thankfully it doesn’t have overpowering throw.

 

After a Bit

I’m getting a Bloody Mary or Irrelevant Crawdad vibe from this. Now that the syrup scent is gone it’s actually pretty wonderful smelling! I'm a little disappointed that the leaf and wood notes didn't come through at all.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent – 3.8 Throw – 3 Longevity – 3.5

Over all – 3.5

 

Final Thoughts

I don’t know that I’d need a bottle since I have a bottle of BM and Irrelevant Crawdad, but I will use the imp. I'm glad I didn't wash it off in it's ultra sugar smelling stage.

[filigree_shadow]

It smells like burnt sugar to me at first, and then it smells very caney. Almost reedy. It has a dry, vegetable-like smell, similar to celery but more leafy. It doesn't seem like it's all that sugary, to me. I can't really smell any fruits in it either. Just kind of a sweet leafy scent. It's not bad at all, but I'm not sure I'd want to wear it all that much. The celery-like scent is fairly prominent on my skin, and it's not the type of scent I usually think of as perfume.

[Scylla]

First sniff: sugary and sweet; similar to Sugar Skull, but with a floral edge

 

Wet, on my skin: Super sweet maple syrup with an smidge of alcohol.

 

On drydown: Still pretty darn sweet, and then it morphs into the Attack of the 50 foot Bouquet topped with burnt sugar!

 

Sadly, I'm not getting any of the wood or fruit notes. On my skin, it's all sugar and flowers. Some people may like that, but this is just too floral and sweet for me.

[Dark Alice]

Sugary sweet with a touch of cherry cough syrup. This moon does not like me at all.

[jwhxtna]

Belongs to a friend, who let me sniff.

 

IN THE IMP: A dark, musky sugary scent with a hint of floral and fruit.

 

WET: Dark, sugary, and musky. A soft hint of violet and a bit of freshness from the strawberry.

 

DRY: Oh, this is lovely. Yummy, but sophisticated and slightly sexy. Sugary and musky in a dark way, with a hint of strawberry. I can't stop sniffing; I think I need one of my own.

[maika]

In the imp, black currant and rose, with a little hint of violet.

 

Wet, sugar cane, and a woody note...hello there, mahogany

 

Dry - smoky, sultry and sophisticated...and morphy like whoa! This is some good, good stuff!!!

[anomie]

In the bottle: very dark, with the musk and the woods and the blackcurrant coming out.

 

Wet: Sugar, and there's the rose and the violet. And still a dusty note that I think has to be the blackcurrant. That fruit always tastes dusty to me.

 

Dry: Whoa. Dusty rose and violet. Suddenly floral. A lovely one, but totally unexpected. This is more mature than other feminine scents like Bearded Lady that I love. And yet it's also quite reserved. Not just in terms of throw - though this seems to be a light one - but it's also much less fresh and buoyant than the florals I tend to gravitate to. Dried rather than fresh flowers.

[themerrybaker]

ADD in a bottle? Sometimes I mistake my head for a hole in the ground so I can see mistaking my Sugar Moon for my Sugar Skull.

 

Succintly - Sugar Moon is caramelized sugar and orchid, Sugar Skull is caramelized sugar and prunes.

[angelicruin]

This oil is very reminiscent of Sugar Skull. Sugar cane and berry are dominant while the oil is wet on my skin. As it dries, I get a bit of the musk and then it dries down to pretty much just sugar cane. A very pleasant oil, but as with a lot of the sugary oils, this fades quickly on my skin.

[EdenIris]

In the bottle: Bourbon

 

Wet: Molasses

 

Drying: Brown sugar with the florals and berries gradually seeping in. Oh, here comes the mahogany. I don't detect musk so much. but I think it's making the florals a bit...brighter, if that makes sense.

 

Finishes as a gentle, but not sticky-sweet, strawberry.

 

This smells delicious. The sugar retreats to the background, but it's definitely present. Not a lot of throw once it dries, but lovely and complex. Bought a bottle on a whim, and I'm so glad I did.

Edited October 31, 2008 by EdenIrisMae