Flower Moon 2009

[abejita]

April, too, marks the apex of the year's fertility, expresses the reawakening of the sexuality of the Earth and her inhabitants, and May's full moon celebrates both the fecundity of the creatures and flora of this world and the vibrancy, rejuvenation and life-affirming energy of Spring. Flower Moon embodies the unrestrained bliss, energy and color of the season: a bouquet of vivid, sexy blooms, coated in thick, golden honey... wisteria, swamp jasmine, honeysuckle, daffodil, rhododendron, phlox, and a mix of California wildflowers.

I do not like florals. You hear me? I do NOT like florals. I like scents that may have a floral element, but stick too many flowers in there, and it's all downhill. The only all floral I've liked until now has been Beltane '06.

Until now. Oh, my word. This is just beautiful. It's so intensely fresh and innocent and sexy the way that a nymph would be sexy, delighting in one's own skin. This blend has the same juiciness as Beltane, but this is not the same blend. These aren't hothouse exotic flowers, they are definitely wild. The honey holds everything together, enhancing the fresh/sexy thing it has going on. The mood is so joyful, it really captures a wildly blooming spring.

I am actually keeping a floral blend. Holy shit.

[walshbc111]

In the bottle- honey and fruit. hmmm.

 

Wet- The honey note in this is sweet and innocent, not the usual sexy wild honey I recognize. The flowers are gentle and blend well, and the overall experience kind of morphs the flowers into one sweet fruity note. This will be a lovely floral blend for people who generally favor fruity blends, I think.

 

Dry- You're sitting in the sun, in a gigantic field of lush wildflowers, eating pineapples and oranges and apricots and pears that you're dipping into sweet pale golden honey. Kinda like that.

 

 

[Heavenlyrabbit]

First on, there's a gently sweet Honey note with the loveliest bouquet of flowers.

 

This is a happy, carefree and light-hearted scent. The Honey is so very pretty. The flowers young but not girlish.

 

This totally escapes what my secret fear for Flower Moon was; a headache-inducing or old-ladyish floral blend.

 

There is a very subtle hint of "green" and "spice". The colors I get from smelling this is a mix of saturated pastels. Like walking down the Easter candy section of your local CVS .

 

Or maybe this is Holly Golightly as she appears in Capote's book and not the airbrushed, sterile and fake one in the movie.

 

Or maybe Pippa Passes by Robert Browning? There is something to this that makes me think of Victorian idylls of young femininity that escapes being totally virginal.

 

As I predicted, the Swamp Jasmine has, on me, no relation to what actual Jasmine does (take things over and turn blends into a hot, loud Jasmine-dominated mess).

Edited March 23, 2009 by Heavenlyrabbit

[tarotgirl99]

In the bottle, it's a floral honey. It smells amazing and my toes curl. I have to put some on my upper arm, even though I have Couples Consulting an Enpon on my wrists.

 

As it wears, I get absolutely no fruit whatsover--just flowered honey. You would think that might border on disgustingly sweet but you'd be wrong (plus I love honey--it's my favorite note). These are the creamy flowers I like, not the sharp or white ones.

 

I find this utterly ambrosial and wish I had bought more than one bottle.

 

ETA: Lasts and lasts. I put a drop on my arm eight hours ago and it's still going strong.

Edited March 24, 2009 by tarotgirl

[CynicalPink]

Bottle: Bright, sweet honey with a gorgeous assortment of true flowers

 

Wet: Reminds me a bit of Lady Una, but much less musky

 

Drydown: It just makes me want to smile. An eclectic bunch of flowers soaking in very sweet, light honey.

 

Overall: It's such a unique take on florals, how could I not love it! Also, honey is probably one of my top three favorite notes and I've never been disappointed by what it does for a scent.

 

ETA: Just goes to show you never know what a full day's wear will bring. It turned to powder on me! I was so upset! But I managed to swap it off pretty easily. Better to find it a more loving home.

Edited April 6, 2009 by CynicalPink

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: The first Flower Moon is one of my favorite springtime scents. This one has some of my everlasting favorite notes like wisteria, daffodil, and honeysuckle. Honey is a problematic note for me, however.

 

In the Bottle: Sweet and rich honey with floral overtones.

 

Wet: The honey is lighter on me, sweet and innocent rather than sexy. I can pick up some of the wisteria and other floral notes.

 

Drydown: The balance is holding. I was afraid the honey would take over everything and smother it but I have a lovely balance of warm honey-kissed flowers on my wrist.

 

Verdict: I think I'll be hanging onto this bottle.

[GardenCat]

In the bottle: OMG honey and flowers

 

wet: honey mellows out and the flowers come out to play

 

drydown: no honey, but quite a collection of sexy flowers

 

SO glad I got a bottle. Will one be enough?

[Zulchep]

In the bottle: Reminds me of the last time I went into the downtown florist. Very, very flowery.

 

Wet: Argh! It smells like potpourri. The floweriness of it is really overpowering.

 

Drydown: No honey, still a vague potpourri-like smell.

 

I never got a touch of honey from it, just overpowering, heavy flowers. I'll try it a second time, but I probably won't hang on to this. Disappointing, since I prefer flowery blends.

[pacifick]

Bottle and initial application: flowers.

 

Drydown: I had a hand lotion just like this, I wish I could remember the brand. There's no honey, just a "flowery hand lotion" scent. Maybe after it has settled from its trip it will be less lotiony.

[alicia_stardust]

This is a really beautiful medley of soft, light, spring florals but they have a sensual undercurrent to them because of the honey. The honey really completes this blend for me. I love the first Flower Moon 05, but that one is more floral than this one. The honey here adds some sophistication, some lushness, and loads of sensuality. It gives this a fullness and a verve that fits so well with the renewal and vigor of springtime.

 

Up close, I get more of the florals, but the throw is To Die For because the honey just swirls around and envelopes all the florals. I love wearing this because I keep getting a whiff of myself and thinking, "Damn! I smell good!"

[unlaced]

In the bottle: flowers with a little honey and... beeswax?

 

wet: yep. Smells like beeswax alright. The same kind that was in Giant Vulva.

 

drying: light florals and beeswax. Seriously, did I pick up Giant Vulva by mistake? If I sniff really close I can make out what I think are the wildflowers, but that's about it.

 

dry: ahhh, that's better. Now there are some full bodied florals up in here. And really, I'm terrible at picking out floral notes from each other, all I can tell you that "flowers and honey" is pretty much right.

[Jilara]

Ooh, this is lovely.

 

Wet. it's a soft floral with a minty undertone.

Drying, the flowers really bloom out and bring up a background of daffodil and green aquatics.

Dry, it's very aquatic, with daffodil and a whole yardful of flowering bulbs, sort of like being in a shaded bulb garden. Very sweet, but light sweetness, not cloying. I scent something liliac-y lurking in the background--wisteria?, and a honeysuckle note. There is something unidentifiably herbal lurking just at the edge of detection. A breath of spring air!

 

I agree with the assessment that it's a floral for folks who might not do well with standard florals. Light and charming.

[Yoginispirit]

Ahhh. Excuse me while I die of a scentgasm.

 

This is beautiful. When I first dabbed some on, it smelled of almonds and a slightly plastic note.

After a few moments I got a generic lotion scent-sort of like jergans.

But after about five minutes, whoa. The husky, warm honey mixes with soft, velvety flowers and gets super sexy. Not sexy as in "you're so hot I wanna get in your pants" but a maternal sexy- like a young mother who is glowing, natural in her own skin, and very confident and strong.

 

For a good hour this lasts very well on my skin but after that becomes powdery death. LUCKILY I has a locket (with one more on the way!) and I've found that inside it is gorgeous and has tremendous throw.

 

SO glad I tracked down this bottle from the forum!

Flower haters take note- this is definately not your grandma's floral!

Edited March 28, 2009 by Yoginispirit

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: a little bitter and reminiscent of dry dirt, I don't catch the florals in the bottle at all. it's a little powdery, and maybe there are some scruffy wildflowers in the background, but it's not what I think of when I think of flowers.

 

On my skin: something that reminds me of wisteria comes out when it's on my skin, but it's still not particularly sweet or floral. the bitterness is still there, almost like almonds, and it's strong. no sweetness, and still not a traditional floral, so maybe that's good for some people, but not for me.

 

Last thoughts: I don't know what everyone else is smelling with this one, but I'm just not getting it. it's just too powdery and dusty-dry. maybe even a little candle wax? I'm blaming this one on the phlox. not a fan.

Edited March 8, 2011 by frecklestars

[naeelah]

My review of this scent, in a word, is YAY! There aren't enough early spring floral blends.

 

As you might expect, the flowers here are well blended. If there are any standouts to my nose, it's the wisteria, phlox, and daffodil, but they calm down a little as it dries. It's definitely more like walking through a spring garden. It's a little bit green, with a combination of bright, sparkling blooms and smooth, sweet ones.

 

The honey is very faint. It comes on the front edge of the scent: a hint of sweetness and wax. Wisteria and what might be the wild flowers linger on the finish. The honey is more waxy than syrupy and it's very subtle. For me, the scent starts out with practically no honey, and it gradually warms up as it wears.

 

Generally, this is a sunny, airy, vibrant floral blend with just enough sweetness for balance. Beautiful! Definitely springtime in a bottle.

Edited March 30, 2009 by naeelah

[isisonearth]

Bottle: Fragrant honey water. Bright, sunny and cheerful.

 

Wet: An amazing bouquet that reminds me of E Pluribus Unum but where Unum is simple, optimistic flowers Flower Moon is heavily laced with a wonderful, almost carnal, honey...it dazzles.

 

Dry: Some star players among the flowers start to become evident. Jasmine, honeysuckle and daffodil along with something that puts me in mind of my Grandma's peony bushes and joyful phlox. An instant favorite...I think it will fill the hole that Pink Moon 2007 left in my heart.

[Scanmike]

I have been looking for a floral that would celebrate Spring. Actually, I wanted a floral scent that reminded me of walking into a florist..fresh cut flowers. This is not exactly what I was looking for because to me, it's not really that floral. I guess I am used to overpowering floral perfumes that induce head aches and nausea. Many of the Lab's florals don't work on me either. My skin just eats them up (Amsterdam and Black Lily). However, Flower Moon has the same effect on me that Chrysanthemum Moon does. In a way, it reminds me of Chrys. Moon. It lasts and is not overpowering. It's not sharp or white. Not your typical floral at all and not your grandma's type of floral either. Initially when wet, I get a mix of wildflowers. I am not good at picking out notes, so I won't even try. I really can't pick out the daffodil or jasmine or honeysuckle. They seem to be well blended as most reviews have said. I don't get any fruity notes either. The honey is light but surrounds the flowers. Honey can take over in many of the BPAL scents, but not here. I amp honey so I am really happy that it allows the flowers to come out. When I sniff my arm I get a vision of sitting in a field of wildflowers on a warm summer day. A pleasant surprise and perfect for this time of year.

 

Edit: I would not classify this as a floral at all, at least not on me. This is more reminiscent of Mead Moon. Totally different than Flower Moon 05, which reminds me of Tissue, only softer and a touch sweeter, as if it had some Tiger Lily in it. More yellow than white if that makes sense.

Edited May 18, 2009 by DeniseScan

[topaz]

In took a chance on this one as I normally don't like florals (but Beth's blends are making me eat my words lately). In the bottle and wet, there is something green and tangy trying to take over. From what I remember of my grandma's flower bed, I'm betting it is phlox and daffodil. On dry down, the wisteria and honeysuckle smack back the greenness into the background. Then some wild animal with honey dribbling from it's paws runs through the flowers and leaves a sticky trail over the petals-- warm, sunny and sweet but just a trickle.

 

If my friend gets a whiff of this one, I will have to beat her back with a stick!

[AliBabble]

this reminds me of budding moon for some reason - a subtle, almost cold, breezy floral - when blossoms are still in cool breeze. i don't remember if budding moon had wisteria, but that's what i think i'm smelling - it's a watery quality, and a bit nostalgic and old fashioned too...i do smell the honey which gives a succulent quality to the blend, while still staying simple - it is not an overbearing, "heady" type floral at all...more like catching whiffs of flower blossoms on a cool breeze.

[stellans]

S-o-o-o-o disappointed in my first wearing of this Lunacy. I loved Flower Moon 05, and after seeing the notes of this one, anticipated loving it as much. However, upon application last nght, all I could smell was dry, powdery pot pourri -- it was like trying to sleep on the couch in a respectable spinster’s parlor. I’m going to keep this in rotation for another try, but it’s not looking good...

Edited June 26, 2011 by stellans

[lushlovely]

And here I thought I would be the only one not fond of this vintage. I couldn't agree more with stellans review, for the same reasoning. I was a huge fan of Flower Moon 05, which was shocking on its own because I am most definitely not a floral lover, but it had just the right amount of fresh tulips that I couldn't help but adore it. Tulips are my absolute favorite flower.

Also, another reason I was hesitant to insist on getting this years was because of the honey. The lab's honey scents and I do not get along. Ever. I also noticed in the description that this years was missing the tulips, but I figured I still had to have hope since I loved the 05 so much.

 

First sniff from the bottle: *sniff-sniff* uh-ohhh. Maybe my nose is getting ahead of itself and I've created too much pressure based on the glowing 05 experience.

 

Wet on my skin: hmmm, *wrinkling nose* so far this is nothing like 05. No lovely tulips, but lots of dried flowers and herbal honey! *sigh*

 

Drydown: Grandma-ish dried flowers and herbal honey, lots of it. It actually makes me feel sick when I smell it. Each time I do sniff it I keep hoping it has magically morphed into something fresh and dewy. But all I get is that wretched floral honey. Trust me, I love honey. I use it in my hair, face, it's wonderful. But I hate the smell of it in perfumes, lotions, etc. I officially give up on the lab honey scents.

 

Verdict: It's probably pretty easy to tell already, but I did try to keep it around a few days to give it another try, but sadly enough I just got the same outcome each time. I can only do certain florals (soft,fresh ones) and never mixed with honey. Luckily enough I found another lovely member to swap vintages with. This really was a disappointment for me though.

[caitilarkin]

In the bottle: Honeyed, spicy wildflowers

 

Wet on skin: Yum! These flowers are definitely swaying in the breeze somewhere, not in a greenhouse. The honey is present, but is not taking over the blend at this point.

 

Dry on skin: The scent because more honeyed and syrupy as it dries, but it never gets cloying because of the green-ness of the wildflowers.

 

Lasts for 5-6 hours on me (the honey lasts longer than the florals). It's a keeper!

[kikithepirate]

I was nervous that the combination of different florals would make this scent smell like soap. I was so, so very wrong! I think this might just rival my bottle of L'Estate as the best spring/summer scent. It smells like freshly bloomed flowers, still on the vine -- juicy and sweet. Not at all like a fake "floral" spray or candle. The honey/beeswax smell helps to round it out and it gives the whole thing much more oomph.

 

Very happy that I decided to get a bottle of this. :-)

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Extremely pale yellow, nearly colourless oil. Daffodil! Loads and loads of slightly powdery yellow daffodils! Lots of sticky sweet honey too, with jasmine, wisteria, and honeysuckle below. Heavily floral, but not as complex as I'd expected.

 

Wet: Jasmine and wisteria amp IMMEDIATELY upon touching my skin, ugh. Sharp, powdery, soapy. Much less daffodil, and most of the honey is gone, too. Still plenty of honeysuckle, and I get some spicy phlox. But overall, it's sort of sour and sickly sweet at the same time.

 

Dry: Huh...it has faded DRAMATICALLY to lightly honeyed daffodils, daisy & jasmine with hints of phlox and only slightly powdery wisteria. The wisteria has not taken over, and the jasmine isn't really soapy - more just heady.

 

Later: The honey is quite waxy, more like beeswax, and it's really gorgeous on drydown - very apparent, and really sexy. I agree with others that it really unites the florals perfectly. Daffodils fading, alas. This reminds me a lot of The East.

 

Summary: Final drydown - delicious honey and jasmine, with an herbal edge. Reminds me a now of Honey Moon, actually. Much nicer than I expected. Almost wearable, but it's just too jasmine-y for me, even though it's very light jasmine. Decent throw.

 

 

[PurringPulsar]

Flower Moon 09

 

In the bottle: quite different to Honey Moon, this is a light yet snappy wildflower honey, a bit like O.

Wet on skin: gradually the flowers surface from the honey.

Dry on skin: sharp O-like honey and an unusual floral mixture that I’m not sure about, but it’s interesting. It reminds me a bit of the original Flower Moon, in that it has that melony nectar sweetness to it, but there’s something to the flowery scent that I’m not sure about. Maybe it’s the jasmine going bad on me, but there’s a sharp or bitter aspect to this floral that I’m not keen on. I can’t really smell the individual nuances of the different flowers, other than a mash-up of sweet wildflowers and dried petals with something heady. I was also expecting a sweeter honey, like the magnificent glowing honey in Honey Moon and Hony Mone, but it’s not like that. it’s a tart honey, and I’m not sure I like it much. I’ll see what happens, as I got a similar reaction with Mead Moon’s honey, and it sweetened.

After a while: oh, this seems to improve! Rather nicely too. it’s still not as wonderful as Honey Moon, the honey is still quite sharp and edgy, a pollen-y honey rather than a sticky sweet one. But the flowers are much nicer now. And surprisingly, it seems to be the jasmine that’s turning really nice here! It reminds me of the lovely jasmine scent I got in the first release of the Perfumed Garden, the jasmine that smelt just like Lush’s Fairy Jasmine. This has a similar thing going on, and I like that. Some of the other flowers are trying to turn soapy, but I hope the honeyed jasmine wins. It reminds me of Biggercritters with honey.

The scent then becomes a little bitter, I think the wisteria is kicking in. that can be a problem note, and it’s spoiling the pretty jasmine and honey scent.

Verdict: I was hoping this would be like Honey Moon, but sadly it didn’t come close. The honey here was a little too sharp and not the gloopy golden rich sweet honey from Honey Moon or Hony Mone. It’s more like the sharp herbal honey from Osun, I think. The scent did improve a little as the jasmine strengthened-and that’s a good thing, because the jasmine in here is actually really nice, not at all a sharp vicious floral. I really hoped this would be a pure honey and jasmine scent, but other flowers-possibly the wisteria and wildflowers-got in the way, turning bitter and soapy and clashing with the gorgeous honeyed jasmine. so ultimately this wasn’t a keeper for me. it’s a shame because it’s my birth moon, so I’m a little sad that this didn’t work out. It wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t work on me either.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No, unfortunately.

If you like this, try: O, Osun, Mead Moon, Morpho, Hony Mone, Biggercritters, Eos