Harvest Moon 2008

[Schmoozy]

This Harvest lunacy combines the autumnal scents of balsam fir, cedar, juniper berry, clove, saffron, damson plum, sage, black cherry, and fennel with the crushed wine grapes of Dionysus and Janus' lingum aloes.

I adore the Harvest Moon lunacies. 2008 is no exception. I love them because they are truly an Autumn scent, but often do not include the darkness of weenies.
Harvest Moon '08 is all woods mixed with spiced berries. I was a little worried about black cherries, but rcombined with plum, juniper berry and crushed wine grapes, there really is no one berry/fruit that is dominant. They are spiced with clove, fennel and sage, and come across as mulled cider. The addition of balsam fir and cedar make a stunning warm, Autumn blend. Edited September 29, 2008 by Schmoozy

[Miss Lynx]

This one sounded so good, and yet something in it isn't working on me. It smells promising, in the bottle and when freshly applied -- spicy fruit with an undertone of something darker and a bit bitter. But once on, it initially goes cloyingly sweet, and then once it settles in a bit, that bitter undertone -- maybe it's the lignum aloes? -- becomes a lot stronger. It gives that funky, "off" note that some wood notes turn into on me, and pretty much throws the whole scent off.

 

It's very frustrating -- I love balsam fir, clove, saffron, plum and sage, and most of the other notes are not bad, but that nasty bitter wood note just kills it for me. Oh well.

 

Grade: C

[Akurarei]

Harvest Moon 2008

 

In the Bottle:

Faint "grains" smell - an idealized farm with golden fields of wheat.

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Dry and sharp! This is what I was expecting from Hay Moon!

I was expecting the wet stage to present the grapes and clove, but they did not make an appearance.

I don't know what Fennel smells like, so I can't say what is making this scent so dry on me.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Golden "grains" notes again, with a pop of berry-cherry-grape. Retains an overall dry feeling though, which I think is appropriate for a fall lunacy.

 

Verdict:

Unexpected!

I think I could wear it more often if it did not have such a dry, biting onset.

but the drydown is very soft and lovely - evocative of a lazy fall night on a rural, desolate road.

7 of 10 Ranking!

[gingiemay]

Wet in imp - Aloes, fir and cedar with the faintest hint of plum and sage.

 

Wet on skin - Aloe, sage, fir and cedar. This is a little sharper on my skin than in the imp. I get a tiny bit of juniper berry but no plum or cherry.

 

Dry on skin - A sharp, piercing sage/aloe/cedar scent. This gives me a horrible headache. I'm really bummed, because I was excited about the idea of the scent but my skin just seems to hate it.

[tartchef]

Odd... Death of Autumn Lite, now with Cherry FlavR! As I feared, the cherry & grape amp to irritating proportions here, clashing with the resinous woods. The whole thing is going soapy & bitter, egged on by the sage.

 

Pluuurb.

[lacyjae]

When I originally smelled this, it was lovely and perfect for harvest time. I was very happy I'd gotten a bottle! I tried it today, and at first it was a rather wine-grape-y forest-y kind of smell, I suppose because of all the fir, cedar, juniper, and grapes. It's sat for a while, and now I can smell the grapes and - something. I'm not sure if it's a specific note or the mix of them, but it's kind of musky, earthy - not dirt, but earthy like drying herbs maybe. And I still get hits of the wine grapes. It's quite nice. I'm glad I finally felt like trying it! People have said 'simmering potpourri" and I agree - not the fake kind, but like a real mix of dried fruits and such, simmering away. Much like apple cider on the stove, though sadly I get no apple from this at all. *cry*

 

In all, it's a lovely warm fall scent, and it makes me very happy.

[kjirstiben]

Harvest Moon goes on herbal and smelling of the forest, with a fruit tone to it, but only subtly at first. It's cool, with a sense of juicyness.

 

This scent is, and remains, fairly powerful. Quickly the fruit takes center stage and never leaves it... I keep thinking I'm smelling apples but I think it's a combination of the plum/grape/cherry scents. Very, very fruity, with a slight evergreen background.

 

After hours of unstopping fruit, I finally looked up the description and could identify what I was smelling (the fruits), but also the fir with them. And when it made sense to my head, my nose started to like it better... weird how that works.

 

Over all, a rich, fruity, sweet smell. Very similar in "flavor" to Samhain 2008 or Fearful Pleasure, to my nose, though the fruit blend lends a different character than the apple in either of the other two.

 

Probably a little heavier and darker than I can wear regularly... I prefer my fruit scents light and barely-there. This is definitely there, in the middle of things, announcing its presence!

[PurringPulsar]

Harvest Moon 08

 

In the imp: a fruity version of October or L’Autunno spray.

Wet on skin: the ‘autumn leaves’ note mixed with fruity cherry, plum and grape.

Dry on skin: now I smell a hint of the grainy and fruity notes of previous HM scents, but this time mixed with the ‘autumnal’ scent from October, L’Autunno spray, Death of Autumn etc. I’m ambivalent about this autumn leaves note, while sometimes it can smell nice, at other times it smells overwhelming and borders on smelling soapy or like cleaning products/air freshener, and sometimes it’s not dry or smoky, not ‘dead leaves’ enough for me, it’s too green and moist. This mixes the autumn accord with a strong cherry note which smells sweet and almost like a cherry dessert, but not cloying or medicinal. I also smell plum here, and a hint of grapes and herbs. No spices yet, but I do smell dry wheaty notes.

After a while: something in here is turning on me, one of the fruit notes is turning sour. Maybe the cherry reacting with the autumn notes? On the plus side, I now smell the saffron and the scent sometimes reminds me of that lovely ‘autumn in a warmer climate’ scent I got in Death of Autumn. But I’m now not keen on the autumn leaves note here, and the cherry has turned really sharp, in an unpleasant way, it’s acidic, piercing and, worst of all, turning a little bit vomit-like on me…

The drydown is a slightly sickly version of the older Harvest Moons. However, at times, there’s something in the spicy mulled cherry note mixed with hay/grain reminiscent of that legendary scent, Lughnasadh. Yes, this reminds me slightly of Lughnasadh. Not identical, and Lugh is spicier and more agreeable on me (it doesn’t have that sourness) but there is a resemblance.

Verdict: of the Harvest Moons, this is the one I like least, I’m afraid…it just goes wrong on me in many ways. At first I get the green-soapy and slightly masculine autumnal note from in L’Autunno and All Hallows Eve sprays and some of last years autumn scents, and I really am not crazy about it-it’s too perfumey and green and doesn’t smell dry and brown enough to be autumnal for me. and sadly, it gets worse, when one of the fruit notes (I think?) turns to vomit or pickles on me, a sour and uncomfortable scent. the only good thing about this scent is that when it doesn’t smell sickly or like autumn cologne, it smells like that elusive scent, Lughnasadh. But this is fleeting. Overall, I am not at all keen on this.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No.

If you like this, try: October, previous Harvest Moons, Death of Autumn, To Autumn

[jehrichardson]

This is very sharply herbal, with backnotes of hay and straw. After a moment of settling, the turpenes emerge, those sharp and biting pine and wood notes. Given another moment, the complexity of the spices emerge.

 

This is a nice scent, but not one of my favorites. To me, the harvest is sun warmed, golden, comfortable, and cozy - with a echo of the bitter sweat of hard work and the musk of healthy excercise. Somehow, this does not capture that. This seems like a thin harvest in a hard year, with acrid dry winds and meagre portions seasoned with sharp herbs.

 

I'll test this again after some aging - perhaps we'll get some of the warmer, richer notes that I prefer.

 

All tolled, this is a 'meh'. There's potential... but this just might not be one for me.

[hereunto]

In the bottle: A forest in a bottle. Fantastic.

 

Wet: As soon as it goes on, all I smell are trees: balsam fir, cedar. A little bit of sage as well, but overall, just trees. I love the woods. I love the mountains. I wish I had a log cabin. *digresses*

 

Drydown: About a half hour in and the juniper berry and clove show up, mixing famously with my forest. There might even be a smidge of black cherry in there and a clean bit of aloe, but it's fleeting and wow, this smells great. I bet it would smell fantastic on the hubby.

 

Overall: I truly enjoy this scent. It's mountain-y enough to satiate my desire to go all Paul Bunyan and build my own log cabin at the foot of a mountain on the edge of a lake up in the cool, crisp mountains of Oregon (really, I need new dreams, I do). It works great as a unisex scent, woodsy enough for a guy but berry/spicy enough for a woman.

[zankoku_zen]

Oddly enough, I get that 'fallen leaves' autumn smell from the L'Autunno room spray (my fave from the 4 Seasons Inquest) mixed with grape wine/juice. It sweetens up the blend, but it makes it an odd combination in my head. Oddly enough, it's like the Samhain room spray, but with grape instead of apple.

 

Ah well.

[nellieburger]

In the imp: VERY green! Balsam fir and cedar prominent. It smells as if I’m walking through a forest! On me: Pleasant, light scent. Clove definitely prominent, with hints of sage. It’s nice!

[catwoman30]

This is simply one of my favorite BPAL blends to date:imagine it is fall and you lay down in a pile of freshly raked, spicy-dry autumn leaves.That is this scent in a bottle-period.I will love this one to the last drop and seek more!!!!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

The mulling spices, a vague fruitiness

 

On Application

Quite sharply floral. I can really pick the bergamot and the chrysanthemum.

 

Dry Down

The sugar eventually takes the sharpness away from the blend leaving a smooth slightly spicy scent. Quite lovely once it settles.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

 

[meatcake]

I like this scent much better on my boyfriend than I do on me. It's a dark, woody, spicy scent that he says, "smells like Christmas". It doesn't really smell like Christmas to me, more like someone rolled around in a campsite and is very, very masculine. Luckily the boyfriend likes it on himself, too!

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Fir and cedar – I hope they burn off on my skin as they are the notes I least wanted from this blend

 

Wet on me – Still mainly fir, but with a bit of sweetness coming through

 

Dry on me – A faint, clean musk, with an edge of the fruit

 

Overall – Much softer and cleaner than I expected, I’m not certain it’s something I’d wear

 

[Andrea912]

Wet and Imp: ew; kind of spicy, kind of sweet, a bit of green tree smell...

[ShadowsDance]

Hmm, from the bottle I get fir with something sweet.. cherry or plum, maybe?

On my skin the fir really pops out, but it has a sweet and slightly spicy undertone. As it dries the fruits and spices really come forward. The cedar is showing itself as well..

This is a pretty complex scent, it's hard to truly pin down any of the notes, because they're always changing.

 

While it's a nice autumn scent, I don't think it's one of my favorites. Not sure if I'll keep it or not..

[Monster]

I'm going through my box of BPAL and reviewing scents I haven't...for future reference and all that (some of these have actually gone unsniffed since I purchased them! Yikes!)

 

Out of the bottle this has a sharp, dead leaves/smoke smell to it but when I put it on my skin I smell wonderful fruit notes blended with herbs and just a hint of clove (amazing! clove usually overpowers everything for me). Somethign about this smells like mulled wine to me. This is definitely a fall scent but not so earthy, spicy and dark that you're unable to wear it any other time of the year. Wow, really beautiful, why did I have to keep this hidden for so long? I'm falling in love alllll over again

 

As this dries it really softens up and ends up as a balmy berry scent on my skin. This is comforting and inviting. I love all of the labs Autumn inspired scents. Love love love

[rayvn1]

When I first applied I thought: Ivy! A very similar note to Death of Autumn, but fresher and sweeter. Now that it's drying I get a perfect Fall scent of leaves, ivy, and I would have sworn there was a little apple or apple cider in here. Fantastic Fall scent!

[Invidiana]

Out of the bottle, Harvest Moon is a hayfield, but once it touches my skin something magical happens. The hay lifts and leaves an enchanting blend of apples and spices that reminds me of apple-picking at an orchard in upstate New York and stopping by the farmstand for cider and cinnamon donuts afterward. Beautiful and thoroughly evocative of autumn.

Edited September 25, 2009 by Invidiana

[biocarolyn]

I traded for this recently, and I thought I would try it before looking at the notes list again. So even though I checked now and I think my nose must be broken LOL, here's what it smells like to me.

 

In the bottle- I get a bit of a dirt note, similar to the dirt in Planting Moon or Destroying Angel. It's nice healthy dirt that grew good food all summer. I also get dry grasses, hay, that sort of thing. Very fall.

 

Wet, on skin- Dirt all gone! There is a note that reads a little sharp, like whiskey- I think it is one of the grains. I get mashed fruit, but it smells a bit apple-like more than berries.

 

Dry on skin- Warm mulled cider with that note that smells like dirt to me lurking underneath. This is warm fall, similar to Samhain. Some of the same damp leaves from there are here too.

 

This is a really nice fall blend. I like it a lot, and I think it is going to be great for this time of year!

[loubric]

Woodsey, mountain mint cedar goodness!!! This is a very sharp and cold scent on me. This is all wood, leaves and spice on me, no berries or fruit. A very herbal and cool scent, something I would wear in summer to cool me down or in fall to appreciate Autumn.

 

Nice.

[reynardine]

How did I not review this before? Oh, because I had the 2006 version and reviewed that! Okay.

 

Harvest Moon 2008 starts off as VERY STRONG woods (fir and especially cedar). I have to watch it with cedar notes as I am allergic to actual cedar. But as it dries, the woods calm down and the scent begins to sweeten a bit. It does smell like the woods in autumn! Once the cedar finally backs away, this becomes a very pleasant scent, especially if you like fragrant woods, almost soft, like a walk in the forest in the morning.

[CitizenBree]

I accidentally purchased a bottle of this on ebay when I thought I was getting UNDER THE harvest moon. doh!

 

Of course, I give it a try anyway. I can see how some people might compare this to Samhain, but honestly the apple scent is very light on me. It's much more tree, herbal, walking in the forest. Maybe the fruit comes out more on others but it's not doing that for me. The scent is pleasant and does evoke that autumnal feeling, but it's not my style.