Harvest Moon 2004

[olympia301]

The autumnal blooms of clematis, chrysanthemum, narcissus, sunflower, sage and lily twined with Dionysus’ sacred grapes and ivy, a bounty of apple, pumpkin, and ripe berries, and the amaranth and lingum aloes of Janus, all touched by a gentle breath of festival woodsmoke and sweet wine.

A very unusual scent. It is actually very strong and opens with a flurish of, what I think is, jasmine and the new mown hay scent (a sharp newmown hay), and I smell corn. Well that is unusual, corn. Ha! Now that's using your imagination! That part doesn't last very long, but the drydown to sharp new mown hay and various flowers does last.

This reminds me a lot of my CT2:VIII*, some of the same notes here minus any attempt at mint. No mint. No creaminess, no food (beside the brief flurry of corn), no butter. It is an outdoorsy scent and certainly lasts a long time.

I would say that this is for the very sophisticated nose, something like abstract expressionism---except this is not abstract, it's painting a picture of a time. I think it does it well.

My impression is more of leafless November with its grey skies rather than orange and yellow October with its blue skies and thick scented air.

There is a real shift when you smell it from a distance. Try putting your hand about 2-3 feet from your nose and try Harvest Moon through the atmosphere. Different scent, very pretty and haunting.

*That observation didn't help you much, but I needed to say that.

[Dustbunnyxox]

From the bottle: AUTUMN! it's so nice. smells JUST LIKE AUTUMN <3 I can not explain it, but I love it.

 

On me: doesn't smell like autumn now, just expensive purfume. a little scent of autumn leaves and woods but not the full autumn effect like in the bottle.

 

Two hours later: never really smelled like anything in the discription. just that expensive purfume. something like my nana's actually. it was nice, it lingered ALL night long.

[tinyvulture]

buttery and slightly sweet, this reminds me of sweet cornbread when i first apply it. it also reminds me of fresh cut hay, or walking through a cornfield. there’s also a little bit of floral, and some very light pumpkin. i can’t smell any apple or grapes. it's lighter and sunnier than i expected. it’s the very beginning of autumn, when the leaves are just starting to change but the flowers are still in bloom and the weather is warm.

[Em-]

I wanted to make sure that I jotted down some thoughts on the 2004 version of this before '05 goes up...for posterities sake I guess.

 

This is a lot more floral than I would have expected for a "Harvest Moon", with heavy atumnal flowers blending with apples and other autumn fruity scents. It is very pretty, but it doesn't grab me and shake me and say "you must wear me and order more on Friday...".

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Floral and buttery. An odd combination that, while it smells good, doesn't seem to blend together.

 

Wearing: Floral. Where is the ivy and the fruits and the...

 

Later: Well, there's the wine and a little bit of woodsmoke. Reminds me of Hunter Moon, only with flowers and a little bit of fruitiness. It's very, very hard to describe. Something in it is sharp and astringent, but not in a boozy way. I really don't know how to describe it, aside from smoky flowers doused in wine.

 

Overall: I don't know what to think about this one. It's good, but then it's weird with the astringent quality. I'm on my period right now, so I'll try it again when I'm off it and see how it cooperates.

[quimerula]

This is the scent of the last days of summer, when you know that your vacations are coming to an end but the weather is still hot and inviting.

It's the "I've got to spend my time outside while I can" scent.

 

A complex perfume made of fruits over a bed of yellow flowers. The early atumn feeling bottled.

[Eros]

Precious frimp sent by Finny

 

I've only just put some on...Well, about...15-20 mins ago but I just HAD to add my thoughts so far(as I doubt they're gonna change, lol).

In the imp, GORGEOUS! Nothing I can distinguish really except to say, the smells of autumn.

On the skin it immediately becomes even more beautiful =) Pumpkin, a hint of apple, light fall florals and most definitely, festival woodsmoke.

 

I visited a friend in Ohio 2-3 years ago and she took me to the most amazing and beautiful little town of Zorr(sp??). I fell in love with it. There was a festival that day. This Moon is that town.

 

This one also gives me the feeling of a deep, dark enchanted forest. Hansel & Gretel, the forest of Disney's Snow White...

 

I LOVE this Moon!!! A-hunting for a bottle(or two, three...) I must go....

 

Again, thanks to Finny for allowing me to experience this one!!

Edited September 19, 2005 by Eros

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: When I got this in the mail yesterday and first sniffed it, it was a nice autumn scent, but those signature lunar oils that seem to ruin every lunar blend for me were there and made it unpleasant. But now... it's all apple and pumpkin and wine goodness! I don't know what a single one of the floral notes smells like but this isn't floral in the least, nor do I have any idea of what amaranth or lingum aloes are so I couldn't tell you whether or not these show up. This reminds me a lot of Verdandi (why do so many blends do that?) but without the strong herbs.

 

Wet: The apple goes on very flat due to the pumpkin, but very quickly the pumpkin steps aside and lets the apple tart up and comes alive. Sadly, it's goes powdery at the end of inhalation; I assume that's the woodsmoke.

 

Dry: Oh no, the apple is... gone! Now it's all woods, still with that strange powdery smoke. There is something very faintly fruity, but I don't think it's apple, so it could be the grapes or berries. About a half hour in, the apple returns, and now it's a beautiful spicy, woodsy, sweet apple that I love!

 

An hour later: The berries have joined the apple in a wondrous fruity celebration! The woods and wine are still there in the background, very faint, just strong enough to ground the fruits with a sense of autumn dryness.

 

Overall: Very autumn, and therefore, I love it. Not quite as much as my other autumn scents, but well enough to keep it and use it throughout the next couple of months. Finally, a lunar blend that works on me!

[Little Bird]

I was happy to swipe a quick testing of this one while over at a friend's house. I was not around BPAL when Harvest Moon '04 was released, but I did buy a bottle of '05 and am curious to see how different they are from each other.

 

First on this is a buttery cornbread and candy corns sort of smell. It's very light, but I like it. I wish that it would stay in this stage. I'm really loving buttery smells lately.

 

Unfortunately, in the drydown this is overwhelmingly floral and smoky. It's making me kinda sick. I don't get any fruits of pumpkin or ivy. Just this funky burning wood smell and perfumey florals.

 

I ended up having to wash this off after about an hour. I'm not a floral sort of girl at all. I really hope that Harvest Moon '05 isn't floral like this, or I'll seriously regret grabbing a bottle.

[wingedcorset]

I wanted SO desparately for this one to work on me. It was yummy yummy flowery oats in the bottle. Alas, the minute it touched my skin, it became powdery doom.

[quikslvr]

Opens very florally. It's the very essence of the end of summer, just beginning the fall season--but make sure your nose isn't on the source. Its waft is much more "accurate" to me: the direct sniff is a bit too floral. From a distance there's more of the apple and smoke than the florals. The wine even comes through on a whiff taken from afar when close-up it's all sage and ivy, with floral edges.

[sookster]

while i adore how this smells in the bottle of autumn florals and something woodsy

once it hits my skin it is complete chaos

immediately it turned almost rubbery and sour....a bit medicinal....what a shame...

for the grand finale i get all bandaid....chemistry can be so kooky

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is pumpkin bread and apple cider, except from a distance. There are floral overtones to this, but it comes off as very foody on me.

 

As the scent dries, it becomes smoke and buttery cornbread, and a wisp of dry florals. It's a nice scent, but I think I prefer the 2005 version to this one.

Edited January 16, 2006 by Voleuse

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, oversweet florals and wine with an acrid smoke overtone. On me wet? CAT PISS. I had trouble believing others when they encountered this but NOW.I.DO. This is rancid, sickly sweet, acidic piss with a feral musky male cat spray flavor. I must have been in a self-punishing mood because I left this on and prayed it would change. Eventually, it did. After about an hour, the horrible cat piss smell faded into over ripe fruits and underaged wine, still in my mind rancid but not as unbearable as before. It doesn't die quickly, another fault I give it. If it's going to be torture, let it be swift, aye? However, on the plus side, this retains an aggressiveness that I just HAVE to admire. Even in cat piss.

[Eunice]

Harvest Moon is a lighter scent than I had imagined. It's a lovely blend of fresh pumpkin, apple cider, sunflower and chrysanthemum all mixed together with sweet cream butter.

[filigree_shadow]

Very light buttery pumpkin at first, dries down into a bit of ivy, a dry floral note, and something soft and windblown. This is a beautiful oil, and it definitely reminds me of autumn. It seems warm and golden... like the last bits of summer before the weather turns cool. This scent captures that fleeting quality perfectly.

 

This is one of my favorite lunacy oils.

[edenssixthday]

Harvest Moon 2004 is one of the most beautiful lunar blends. It is truly gorgeous. It’s a warm, autumnal scent. I don’t detect hardly any of the floral notes in this blend, despite it being full of florals. Rather, the amaranth is the front note on my skin and combined with a hint of pumpkin in the background, this blend smells buttery and grainy and has the slightest hint of mulled fruit wine. This was the last of all the lunar blends that I had not yet tried, and I have to say that it may very well be my favorite not just because of the beautiful scent, but because of how long it lasts on me and its terrific throw. The lunar blends usually stick very close to my skin and fade quickly. This one had about twice as much staying power, and a little dab on my arm had me swathed in the most lovely autumnal fragrance. I’m holding tight to this one!

[sophia_helix]

My very last lunacy! Can't believe I've tried them all, now...

 

This was a tough scent to describe. It's not foody at all on me, it's not really floral or herbal, and it's definitely not spicy or clean. I got a bit of pumpkin at first, but it went away fast -- which made me happy, since it tends to go super-buttery on me. Then I got a strong apple scent which I finally pinned down as reminiscent of Samhain. That faded after five minutes or so, and it started to smell more like HM '05, with that grassy, sugary chrysanthemum scent. Finally, it turned a little sharply perfumey and alcoholic, reminding me of Mabon.

 

So... basically, this was like a blend of all the summer/late-fall BPALs. Not surprising.

[fairy]

With the new reviews of this years Harvest Moon trickling in, knowing I didnt know about bpal back then so I dont have an order coming in (insert sympathy here) I decided to pull out my imp of the 2004 version to try.

 

It's beautiful! I get a sugary autumn smell. Walking through a pumpkin patch at dusk. If the new one smells anything like this one I know I must hunt down a bottle (preferably) or an imp

[dierne]

In the bottle - Fruit cake but very odd cake ...

 

Wet on skin - There was a sourness in the bottle that had me worried but it's not present on my skin *breathes sigh of relief* Very delicate sweet spices with justa touch of green herb in the background.

 

Dry on skin - Very soft lightly spiced fruit cake again ...

 

Later - still lightly spiced cake, at least it's consistent ) Not an unpleasant scent but not for me *sigh*

[Meg]

In the bottle: a salty-sweet, thick smell of flowers, grapes and smoke.

 

Wet: Clematis, and still a rather salty fresh scent that I can't pinpoint - pumpkin, perhaps?

 

Drydown: All I get is this salty vegetal scent, and nothing more, like pumpkin and smoke. In the background, if I sniff hard, I get a little bit of something sweet, lily and clematis probably. A berry scent pierces through, pretty red and tart. Finally narcissus then lily come out and make the blend very perfumy and a bit powdery.

 

Overall: I have to say that I'm not a big fan - it seems to have lots of lovely ingredients, but they don't really mix all that well on me. While I don't get any horrible butter notes, and find the blend rather intriguing, it doesn't really paint a harvesty picture for me, unlike Harvest Moon 2005. Pretty, though.

[steffanina]

Harvest Moon (2004)-

 

In Bottle: Apples and grapes and cider and flowers and burning leaves! Ooh, complex.

 

Wet: Smoky fruity soapy smell--wow, it's really light, like it's going away the second after it hits my skin.

 

Dry: This just doesn't linger! Too bad, it was so pretty in the bottle.

 

Overall: Fast fader, too bad.

 

Addendum: I also had an imp of the 2006 blend; it seemed a tad more pine-like, but had the same quick fade. Drat.

[QueenFae]

This Harvest Moon is a little lighter and more delicate than 05 and 06. It reminds me much more of the outdoors. When first applied, I notice an outdoorsy, plant like note that reminds me of dried hay, but its not at all unpleasant. I can smell the bounty of harvesty scents in there; light apple, leaves, and the wine note as well. On the dry down, the smoky note of the bonfire comes out much more, and it turns into a smoky, red wine scent. This is very pretty, and I am so glad I finally got to try Harvest Moon '04.

[lightgatherer]

Given that it's two and a half years old, it's obvious that this oil has aged and lost quite a bit of its potency. What's left of it is very nice, though. It's a soft, subtle sweetness reminscent of perhaps cornbread and brown sugar. I would wear this for a time when I need a comforting scent but don't want anything strong such as doctor's appointments.

[Naamah_Darling]

This is sweet and light: apples, wine, aloe, sage. . . . The overall impression it gives is of sweetness, of soft florals filled out with ripe fruits. It's not a heavy, syrupy scent, though. There is too much of the sage and ivy in it for it to be heavy.

 

Doesn't change much on. The apple is slightly fuller than the berry, again keeping this crisp. There is a smokiness to it that only develops once applied, a breath of something deep and resonant and dark against the dancing light of the bright flowers and fruits.

 

Chrysanthemum is the top floral here, quite assertively. This is a very pink and gold scent, the scent of a rich revel, spiced fruit and perfume floating on the breeze.