Falling Leaf Moon

[Greenwoodtree]

The first autumn rains dripping onto fallen leaves against a backdrop of opoponax, labdanum, patchouli, agarwood, and oakmoss.

This is for me one of the finest scents I have tried.

Its immediately fallen leaves, the dry crumbly ones, you can smell the tannins, but its also sweet, woody, and has a touch of tobacco, incense and smoke in it. The blend is serene and perfect - usually tobacco scents become ridiculous on me - but this is gentle, sweet, soothing, caressing, and I dont want to stop smelling my arm!!!

[EmpressPixie]

I got this about nine months ago and never tried it. I opened the bottle to sniff once and went, "Oh, headachesville". But today, when I opened the bottle again saying, "Hey, maybe that one..." it was not only not headachesville, but just lovely.

 

It dries down very similar to how Mahogany Hall smells in my room, which is just super (this is what I was going through my BPAL looking for this morning). It's a bit sweet, very resinous. I can recognize the resins as what usually bother my head, but either time or masterful blending has mixed them in an EmpressPixie friendly fashion. The oil definitely reminds me of falling leaves -- or more exactly, of wet leaves in a forest. A bit woodsy, a bit wet, and a bit autumn.

[HerbGirl]

I have been looking forward to trying this for quite some time, and finally got a decant today! YUM. This is what I wanted Samhain to smell like! They are very similar to my nose, but this is softer and less foody - it's truly evocative of Autumn. What a beautiful perfume oil. http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/wub2.gif

 

ETA: I finally found a bottle and am so glad. This is perfect for this time of year when I'm sick of the heat of Summer, am ready for Autumn and not ready for apples or pumpkins yet. Gorgeous.

Edited August 6, 2016 by Herb Girl

[porcelina]

mmm, what a beautiful scent for autumn!

 

it's not super aquatic, though the "autumn rains" note had me worried. it has the beautiful dead leaves scent that i love in so many of the lab's fall blends, just sort of cooled and dampened. the patchouli is beautifully aged now, and just the slightest bit spicy- and the resins make everything smooth and rich. this is a perfect perfume for a cool, rainy autumn day.

[fiddlehead]

When I first got this I didn't care for it. This year it's really working on me and I'm wearing it a lot. It is indeed very much like Samhain but much more mellow and subtle. I love Samhain but Falling Leaf Moon has a better balance of notes. And oddly enough I catch more of an apple note in this, especially after it's been on my skin awhile. I think because the tobacco is not as strong as in Samhain.

[Schmoozy]

For some reason Falling Leaf Moon reminds me of Samhain, and that is not good! This is earthy, crunchy, full of patchouli and then there is this odd sweetness that doesn't really jive with me. I'm kinda sad, as I remember this fresh, and it was kinda of a different experience. Aged has only deepened the patchouli and the sweetness reacts horribly with my skin chemistry. So sad.

[milo]

Definitely the wrong time of year to be testing this! Strong, musky leaves in the bottle with perfume. I wanted to explore the leaf note, as I love it in Sonnet d'Automme, so was looking forward to this e-bay win. On, oh noes! Caramel and leaves, this is NOT going well so far. There's some spice here, and the end result is spicy caramel leaves, which may be good for some, but I'm not a fan of brown sugar or caramel. This may be my skin issues, but this is a definite 'NO'.

[JasminDreams2010]

Wow, this is truly compelling. It pulls you closer, wraps in it's melancholy, and the scent, though you might think would be a cooler aquatic, gives the feeling of a soft blanket, cozying up to a loved one on a crisp autumn day.

I agree with the reviewer who compared this to a more effervescent Samhain. And, more than Samhain, I believe this can be worn as sort of a resin scent in seasons other than fall without feeling totally off-base.

 

Not a huge throw, but still noticeable and longer lasting. A soft, wooded win on my skin.

 

:wub2:

[MCS4096]

An absolutely perfect fall scent

 

This is a dead ringer for the smell of the first moisture to hit warm, dry fallen leaves-- the ones that are red and crunchy and have those little spots of mildew. They smell spicy when you crush them with your shoes. Underneath them the ground is wet and a little dank. The air is cold and crisp but the rain is getting heavier.. the leaves havent been turned to mush yet, but they will.

 

Sweet, spicy, earthy. Red, brown, golden. Yes, it's super close to Samhain... some of us cant get enough of those types of blends

Edited October 3, 2013 by MCS4096

[Zii]

Wet: Moldering leaves. Like when you kick up a leaf pile and some of the leaves are still dry and spicy and crunchy, but most of them are crumbling and molding. I am definitely getting the labdanum and patchouli and the oakmoss is doing it's thing and adding great depth without being overstated.

 

Drying: The labdanum is sweetening this up, bringing it out of the actual dirt scent category and making it more the idea of leaves and fall. It's incredibly smokey and unlike any of the other fall blends I have.

 

Dry: Utterly stunning. Smoke and dirt and something I can't quite place. It's almost apple cider, but not exactly that either. Basically this is everything I hope Samhain would be and I am going to wear this a lot.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: This is a gorgeous, resiny leaf scent. It reminds me of Autumn from The Salon, without the rose. It's gorgeous. I find some of the dead leaves notes to be too bitter for me, but the sweetness of the resins balances this beautifully for me. I have called a lot of scents "fall in a bottle". Autumn is one of them, some of the Harvest Moons...but this one is more "fall in a bottle" than any I have smelled so far. I hike daily in the woods near my house, I can see this being a fall favourite for that hike.

 

 

Dry: Still reminding me very much of Autumn. Sweet, rich and resiny, swirled with fallen leaves. Lovely!

[Dancing Raven]

I didn't get any aquatic notes (thankfully). I also didn't get any apple from this, although partway into drydown I am getting sourness from the labdanum which may smell like apple to some. 

Wet, this was oakmoss, patchouli, and a smokiness that disappeared once the oil dried.

On me, the drydown is very oakmoss heavy  - to the point that I am getting a leather vibe. It's not at all masculine or unpleasant. In fact, despite not usually getting along with oakmoss, I like it. It's definitely the smell of true leaves instead of the "cologne impression" of leaves that usually happens on my skin.

Further drying brings out the patchouli and myrrh so it isn't quite so oakmoss SN on me. It's earthy, spicy leaves with just a touch of powder.  Very evocative of autumn. Oudh comes out about an hour after applying, but it seems to be behaving. It's the one note that gave me pause, but it seems to be just the woody aspects without the fecal odor.

Throw is low to moderate for me. Unisex, but if you amp powder and don't like it, be aware that it exists in this blend. I amp powder like crazy, and on me it is barely there, fwiw. I'm glad that I got a full bottle.

4.5 out of 5 stars. I wish the throw were just a bit stronger.