Under the Harvest Moon

[puck_nc]

UNDER THE HARVEST MOON
Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

Blue and white musk, summer roses, wild crimson leaves, grey amber, carnation, lavender bud, and vanilla bean.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: Blue and white musks tend to play nicely and not amp horribly on my skin. I love carnation and vanilla bean and lavender. Roses are iffy and I'm not sure if grey amber will be better on me than just amber. I figured it was worth a shot.

In the Bottle: Rich amber and musk, almost smoky-sweet vanilla, with plenty of carnation spicing it up. It does have an autumn's-coming feel to it without being a full-blown autumn scent.

Wet: After an initial blast of musk that had me worried for a second, it settles down quickly. There's plenty of musky carnation, a bit of vanilla, a bit of lavender. I'm not getting much of the roses, leaves or amber that I can tell.

Drydown: As it dries on me, it loses some of the shifting dimension it had while wet. I still get carnation and musk with a sweet undertone and a bit of an herbal edge, but it's not quite as vibrant as before.

Verdict: I like it, but I'm not bowled over by the dry stage. I'll have to play with this one a bit, do a side-by-side test with Bathsheba and see if it grows on me before I give it up. I'll definitely put a little in a scent locket.

[Lucretia]

Wet this smells a bit like musk with some florals lurking the back. I get a hint of rose, but it's not a dominant note at all. Next up is a lavender stage that I'm not so sure about. The dry down is very much musk and amber. I was expecting more vanilla and more rose I think, but they are lurking just underneath everything else. Overall this is a really warm comforting scent I think. It's quite understated and I think very much wearable for every day occasions.

 

ETA: this has become my go to sleep blend lately. It's really very comforting/relaxing.

Edited May 22, 2010 by Lucretia

[topazphoenix]

I get the musks at first and then the lavendar stage as well, as another reviewer mentioned. This has a light, crystalline feel, high and slightly powdery. It evokes a very understated, subtle vein of sadness and regret.

[jizatt]

wet on my wrist right now: very warm, very rich, sweet, but I don't smell anything individually. This is Indian summer right now. Wet I really really like this. Waiting to see what it does after it dries to see if its a true love keeper =)

 

a little later, as my wrist distracts me: This reminds me a bit of Lilith Victoria right now. I'm going to go check the notes now.

I'm thinking the lavender and vanilla and musk and amber together are lovely =) Hmm not sure whats similar, the lavender obviously, and then maybe the musky vanilla from Dorian?

 

a little more time: I didn't get the crystalline feel from the last review until now. The rich has faded off a bit (which makes me sad honestly, I loved it) and I can see it now. Maybe its one of the musks? I still smell the grey amber under - which I love love love, so I'm still happy. I think I smell lavender and carnation together, kindof a spicy lavender, but not heavy on the lav... Whats really cool is the impression that the sunset is fading. I had the rich warm scent and was thinking, wheres the moon in this scent? It was all late sun to me. Now I get the moon.

 

and a little more time: its gone much softer now. I definitely see the moon, that crystalline feel. The heavy warm sweet is gone now almost completely. I still smell the carnation faintly, and I have ghost roses too. Every so often I think I smell the leaves, but when I sniff to look for them, I can't find them.

 

current verdict: I loevd the wet stage more =( Undecided on the dry down yet. It was a very cool perfume experience, but I want to adore it.

Edited August 21, 2009 by CaudaPavonis

[angelicruin]

Inside the bottle, sweet musk and florals.

 

On my skin, this is deep, resinous scent. I'm picking up carnations and lavender more than roses. And the lavender is really subdued. (I usually amp lavender notes.) The carnations steal the show on my skin. Vanilla bean note gives this a slight hint of sweetness. Musk and amber are blended perfectly with the other notes.

 

As it dries more, I pick up a little more rose and lavender, but this is still mostly a slightly creamy carnation musk scent on me.

Edited August 22, 2009 by angelicruin

[oakmoss]

Musk is my enemy, but I wanted to try this anyway, for the name, for the other notes, and in the spirit of eternal hope. Alas, as with most scents that include musk, this one goes toward generic perfume on me, though still pleasant. I was reminded of both Wings of Azrael and Wilhelmina Murray, which I like better, but all three have that sense of melancholy memory... a scent that is almost fading already when you put it on, fading into a memory of dried flowers. If you can wear musk, this is probably a good bet for you, as the other notes do fight to survive and I'll bet they are lovely on someone without my chemistry!

[greenranger]

I suspect this one will only get better with time.

 

On me, this is a quiet scent. It isn't warm...or cool. It seems to be a little like that moment in the weather where it hasn't quite tipped over to Fall yet.

 

It's also really well blended and smooth. If I reeeeeally work at it I can almost smell the lavender and the roses. I think I might be smelling just a hint of the leaves. I smell just a little of something that reminds me of last year's "Blade of Grass." The scent seems to be getting just a little sweeter as I wear it, but, the sweetness is the leaves I think.

[sofaking6]

In the bottle I smelled mostly carnation. On my skin mostly the musks, which are light and drifty, over amber. The amber is dusty as a lot of BPAL amber is prior to aging; I think this blend will age really well. As it dries the florals come out more, mostly the carnation but I can get a little rose if I concentrate. I can't pick out the leaves, but can find the vanilla, again if I try hard. I think this is a really lovely blend that will be incredible once the amber smooths out.

[edenssixthday]

Under the Harvest Moon - It's been a long, long time since a floral blend has blown me away with its sheer beauty. This one is doing just that. It's gorgeous! I ran a decant group on LJ and didn't even sign myself up for a decant of this since the notes looked pretty "iffy" -- I don't tend to like leafy notes, gray amber, and I really dislike carnation and lavendar, and vanilla bean often turns plasticky on my skin. Thank God I had extra leftovers from my decant group since this has turned out to be the surprise hit out of everything from the Halloween update (IMO). It's stunningly gorgeous and absolutely perfect. The blue musk is by far the strongest note, and the other notes are completely indistinguishable (with the slight exception of the rose) -- they're blended so well that I can't even pick out my old nemesis, lavender or the typically spicy carnation or the sweet vanilla bean. I'm so in love with this fragrance. The throw is lovely and the staying power is quite good. I am really, really in love with this scent. I can't even put into words how much it amazes me. Edited September 11, 2009 by edenssixthday

[amanderinorange]

In the bottle: very floral and musky, almost overwhelmingly so. It smells like an expensive, generic perfume.

 

On me: this is morphing quite nicely. The floral tones down and I can smell dry leaves reminiscent of in Down the Rabbit Hole but not quite so powerful. The throw is quite strong, which is nice as most oils seem to get eaten by my skin.

 

Overall: an excellent late summer/early fall scent. I'm tempted to order another bottle of this, though not sure that I will be able to before it goes down.

 

EDIT: Yay! I was able to get another bottle!

Edited September 17, 2009 by amanderinorange

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle: Carnation, only a touch stronger than a mild sweet background of roses and amber. Very tasteful.

 

Wet: Oh, lovely! Delicate carnation-amber with soft vanilla overtones. I hope it doesn't change a bit, even though I am already resigned to the idea that it will.

 

Half an hour: This is a very beautiful, restrained, tasteful, yet wistful scent. I can't believe I'm this drawn to something this well behaved! It's hard for me to pick out any individual notes at all in this blend, but it gives me a visual impression of lavender, cream, vanilla, and rose.

 

Two hours: The musk and vanilla are starting to work together. There's still a delicious light sweet floral aura to this, with just a bit of a tang, and it's more grounded now. I like it quite a lot.

 

Three hour: Still very nice.

 

Four hours: I cannot tease out what this one smells like, but it reminds me of something from my past, a memory of someplace outdoors. It's a wistful memory, whatever it is, and I'm afraid to identify it, but I keep sniffing at it nonetheless. Beautiful.

 

[empi girl]

I loved just about all the notes in this, and the poem that accompanied it, so I knew I had to spring for a bottle right away. And I'm so glad I did. This is a beautiful scent!

 

The musks are strongest in the beginning with the lavender and carnation blending together for a gentle spiciness and a sweetness lingering in the back-probably the vanilla. It starts out soft and I thought it would disappear quickly, but it hasn't. It's stuck around and become a little stronger. I keep getting wafts of it, and wishing I'd gotten 2 bottles. In the dry down it has become a soft amber-vanilla bean-musk with an airy feel.

[TheIceMaiden]

I was pretty excited about this as rose, lavender, and carnation are my favourite florals, and white and blue musks are two of the very few musks I like. And Under the Harvest Moon has met my expectations, its very lovely indeed!

From wet to dry stage, I get a base of vanilla and musk. In the wet stage, I get lavender over this base, then rose and leaves, and finally the amber. This is very soft and close to the skin and I think it will be perfect for those days (and nights) that are no longer summery, but not yet autumn.

Edited September 13, 2009 by TheIceMaiden

[Amaranthus]

The scent evokes a late summer twilight with a hint of chill that foreshadows Autumn. It combines cool elements of carnation and lavender with warmer notes of vanilla bean, soft musk, and amber.

 

In the bottle, Under the Harvest Moon smells like a light vanilla musk rounded with lavender.

 

As it hits my skin there is a burst of roses that it settles into vanilla musk. This warms up to a light creamy floral blend dominated by carnation. Every now and then there is a little burst of rose or lavender. As it dries down further a cool crisp amber emerges, with a subtle shimmer of musks in the background.

 

This is a smooth dusky perfume that that is soft enough to wear to work, but with enough depth and complexity that I enjoy it.

 

[MeiLin]

I was excited for this--many favorite notes. Nothing very harvest-y about them, though.

 

In the bottle: Very perfume-y. Hm. I don't like perfume-y.

 

Wet: Oh, that's better. Rose and lavender right off the top, carnation in the middle, the musk and amber waaaay in the back.

 

Dry: Very faint, actually. I get the leaves now, a little juniper-y. A dry rose smell, like dried rose petals, not potpourri. Faint musk, no amber.

 

A little on the disappointing side. I will try again once it's had time to settle.

 

ETA: Well, dang! Sir really likes it! I canNOT predict that man.

Edited September 14, 2009 by MeiLin

[Lyrical]

In the vial: sweet, pretty and complex. Vanilla, rose and lavender are evident, but so smoothly blended that they hardly seem like separate notes. It reminds me just a little of Symakkhia, but is much less powdery.

 

Wet on skin: *has a scentgasm* It is a deeper, darker, warmer Symmakhia, with a magical extra note that can only be the wild crimson leaves! Why did this take so long to get here - I'd have ordered multiple bottles if I knew it would be this good! The throw is good too! This is so bloody fantastic it just shot straight into my top 5!

 

Dry on skin: the rose becomes a little more prominent, but it's still very smoothly blended with the other notes. I can't get over what a stroke of genius it was to combine sweet florals with crisp autumn leaves! This is unique and beautiful and I'm thrilled to own a bottle! And because of the tremendous throw it has, I can apply it sparingly and the bottle should last a long time!

[gypsyjolie]

Lots of carnation, almost no rose, but the grey amber (smells like ambergris to me) and the blue/white musk make this a touch powdery and quite perfumey. The vanilla sweetens this up nicely wihtout ever getting foody. Though this is not very floral per se, the musks and amber make this jsut too perfumey for me and a bit of headache-inducer. Sad. This is a gorgeous airy feminine scent. It would be a great Gateway scent for people to try BPAL that are used to commercial perfumes, as it is a bit reminiscent of that type of smell (though much nicer!)

[Monster]

In the vial this is GORGEOUS. It almost reminds me of Lilith Victoria, light....with musk.

 

On my skin the grey amber is the first thing I notice (I'll agree with the person who says it smells like ambergris). A few moments later, as it dries the grey amber melts into my skin and takes a backseat to the beautiful musky, crunchy leaf notes. The lavender in this is very mellow and behaves well on my skin. It's pairing with the vanilla giving it a "Lilith Victoria" feel.

I'm not detecting any rose at all.

 

In the final drydown phase, Under the Harvest Moon is a beautifuly sweet, pale musk scent with just a hint of dry leafy notes. I wouldn't call this a floral blend at all, the musk notes are dominant on my skin.

 

GAH! This is absolutely gorgeous. I passed on a bottle of this after reading the reviews. o_O I really wish I had listened to my gut on this one.

[mgrazulis]

I'm just going to say this straight out--I hate that I didn't order a bottle unsniffed. This opens with the scent of leaves, not dried, but changing color, a bit of green just underneath them with the end of summer rose petals, mingling with a small bit of spice from the carnation. The blue and white musk impart a crystalline duskiness to the blend. In the later drydown the grey amber--which smells like ambergris--marries with the vanilla bean to give it depth, creaminess and a soft sweetness.

I applied just a little. Apply too much, it might overwhelm your nose.

Yes, it does have an expensive perfume feel. What a fabulous blend!

[theasylph]

When I first tried this on I was struck by the yumminess of the well rounded vanilla bean mixed with the subdued lavender. I got mental images of vanilla bean specks in a lavender ice cream. It was something earthquakingly magical and soothing. I imagine this as an evening blend for that hour of blue after the sun goes down. The dry down of the musks and amber are beeeutiful and sweeter than the initial lavender vanilla combo. I've found that the carnation comes in around the dry down and compliments the musk with a slight spice.

 

At first I got little or no rose in this blend but for some reason tonight I smell a whole lot of rose taking over. I hope I'm just having a whack chemistry day and that rose doesn't take over during the aging process or I may have to kick it to the swap pile. Lab rose turns tangy and metallic like a copper penny on me. .poop.

 

I'm really hoping that the vanilla flourishes during the dry down and the rose remains mellow. If so this will be much loved.

[ClareDeLune]

This is weird for me... I'm not getting much vanilla or musk, just plummy-fruity-sweet-potpourri.

After about an hour of wear, it calms down and gets a little creamier, but I can't shake the potpourri association.

I'll age it a little, I guess. =/

[sihaya09]

I definitely smell the blue musk and the carnation. The amber and vanilla are more of an afterthought, a very subtle sweetener for this dry, floral scent. It's pretty enough for floral lovers, but not full and voluptuous enough for my tastes.

[Little Bird]

In the imp, this smells very clean (but not soapy at all). I can smell the watery, cool, blue musk and powdery amber.

 

On my skin at first, Under the Harvest Moon smells like a watery cologne. It's a bit sweet and has a hint of clean powder.

 

As this dries down, it's like a very pale, watery vanilla and floral. It smells enchanting and makes me think of the pond in The Swan Princess cartoon/movie that I loved when I was little. It smells like still water reflecting the moon, white flowers sitting on the pond's surface, and a little bit of magical vanilla musk and sweetness. It's very smooth, cool, nighttime scent.

 

Clean floral and a watery vanilla musk. This is very pretty. It's not something that I'd normally wear, but I love the feel of this blend. It reminds me a little bit of Evening Star, but not as sweet, and more pale and watery. Just a similar feel...

[devilot]

Under the Harvest Moon

In the Bottle: Gorgeous. So subtle. Slightly musky, hint of rose and lavender and something smooth so smooth.

 

Wet: Still getting that rose and lavender, but truly subtle. I can barely smell anything. Where are the musks? The carnation? The vanilla bean?!

 

Drydown: Starts to sweeten a bit as it dries and now the carnation whispers.

 

Verdict: A delightful blend, but my stupid scent-swallowing skin reduces this beautiful oil into nothingness in a matter of nanoseconds. I wonder if another bottle from another batch would show up on my skin more. *ponders*

[dronzeka]

Ooooh - love, love, love! Wet/early dry down, this is very much like Atrocious Attic on me, which is to say mostly rose and lavender, with a powderiness that I think comes from sandalwood (or something dusty) in Atrocious Attic. Here, there's rose and lavender and the dustiness is less sweet, more recognizably amber. As it wears down, I get leaves! It smells like fall! Without turning into bad-men's-cologne-ick on me! (This is very unusual for me!) It really is like one of those late summer days where the day is warm and sunny and sweet, but as the sun goes down and the air gets cool, you can smell the first of the leaves turning and falling to the ground. The final drydown is much less sweet/floral, much more amber, a bit more unisex.

 

I may have to track down a back up of this one (it's even still up on the site, I'm tempted to be evil and order a bottle...).