Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand

[metaldog32]

Honey, quince, vanilla, white cognac, Spanish mandarin, and golden tobacco.

I ended up getting a decant of this because of all the hoopla on the forum regarding this scent. It sounded like a slam dunk of theShungas with the honey, quince, and golden tobacco. It sounded golden, sweet and perhaps a tad smoky; what could go wrong?

PLENTY.

Initial sniff from decant: Tart fruit drenched syrup and booze..this makes me queasy.

Applied wet on skin: Super tart quince in the forefront with mandarin nipping at her heels..with the cognac rearing its boozy head and roaring. I don’t do well with boozy scents and this is no exception.


Couple of minutes on skin:Same notes roaring on but now the tobacco has showed up so it’s super sweet boozy fruit with a side order of tobacco amping on me. On my skin it just smells like boozy fruit with notes of cigar-good quality cigar but cigar nonetheless.

This just doesn’t translate well on me.

10 minutes later:Softened but the combo of the sweet booze and tobacco still doesn’t suit me.

30 min later :It’s become very muted indeed…hovering close to my skin..faint echoes of what it was previously.

Lasting power is actually pretty good 5+hours with throw average.

Bottom Line:AMOTMS was one of the Shungas I was hoping was going to be spectacular on me and ended up being a shocking FAIL.I tried this 3 times to make sure that it wasn’t a fluke and unfortunately it wasn’t. Too syrupy sweet, boozy and fruity for me to carry and the tobacco which I was hoping would temper it and make it more wearable ended up becoming a supporting character of the overall debacle on my skin. I wish I had the success of other people but alas it is not meant to be. Can’t win ‘em all.

[strahlend]

This scent does fantastic things for me. The sweetness from the honey mixes so beautifully with a fruit scent I'm assuming is quince. The result is amazing. I want to say it gives me the feel of musk or amber but without the heaviness I associate with those scents. I ordered a bottle and know for a fact I will go through my half decant before it gets here. I seldom get backup bottles, but for this one I will make an exception, it is gorgeous!

Edited March 21, 2010 by strahlend

[ami226]

Let's see.... mandarin and some other fruit... and some slight booziness that must be the cognac. A very well blended scent! Nicely sweet! There is a small hint of something that makes me think of almond in here that I am not liking too much. Not sure where that came from. I need the SO to smell this! He makes amazing quince preserves.

 

After a bit it smells like slightly spiced sweet fruits. More quince than mandarin.

[lunaticana]

not nice.. cognac is bad. bad. bad.

I love the little bit of honey and vanilla though

but this is def. NOT for made for me

[Schmoozy]

 

Love this. This is such a juicy, honeyed scent that is bursting with quince and mandarin. It's sweet & fruity, the vanilla adds creaminess while the tobacco and cognac add depth and spice.

[moon_lemming]

I was surprised when this became a Big Hit; I tried a decant of it and almost lolled at how much it smelled like baby food. Maybe peaches.

 

Over time it morphs into tinned mandarin slices in syrup.

 

Oh Autumn Moon, you are just not meant for me.

[ravenfeathers]

once upon a time, i really, really liked citrus perfumes, especially orange-y ones. and then someone pointed out to me that citrus had been so heavily co-opted by the cleaning industry that when i wore citrus scents, i smelled like a clean kitchen. :-/ so, i've avoided them since. this one seemed to have enough other stuff to maybe be safe.

 

in the bottle bright, golden, very cheerful and orange-y and... clean kitchen smelling. *sigh*

wet on skin a ha! nice. that tart, bright top note is neutralized by the cognac, vanilla, and tobacco. there's just a hint of citrus and it's the sweeter, slightly more cloying mandarin that's represented here.

dry on skin this mellows down even further on dry-down and the tobacco, which is a particularly nice tobacco note, is so smooooooth and lovely. this is very sweet, very feminine, and generally beautiful.

[Suusje]

I'm not quite sure what to do with this one...

 

wet: honey + mandarin = syrup

dry: ooohhh this has potential

very dry: caramel? mocha?

[bheansidhe]

Honey is one of my DOOM notes. Whether it's listed as honey, beeswax, white honey, golden honey, or "honeyed," it never works in a blend on my skin. But, because I've had enough surprise hits from doom-notes, I tried AMOTMS.

 

I think it's the star of this year's Shunga lineup, and I can't think of another blend that smells quite like it. What saves it for me might be the quince note (The Perfumed Garden also works for me despite harboring my twin enemies Myrrh and Jasmine).

 

Wet: moist, golden tobacco indeed, like a light, fruity pipe blend. It's a juicy, golden-raisin-like tobacco infused with vanilla-drenched quince. It's a BIG golden smell - this blonde swings a pair of hips like Mae West. I don't get any booze, and I don't get any citrus astringency at all, either from the quince or the mandarin. It's soft, plush, and seductive.

 

As it wears, it ripens very like a vanilla-cognac fruitcake, but the woodsy tobacco keeps it just this side of outright foody. It develops a warm spice note that I think might be the cognac. The throw is billowy and voluptuous. Also, at this stage, headache-inducing for me (thanks, honey).

 

On drydown, I'm left with a buttery cognac fruitcake and tobacco. It never goes sharp and nasty or musty and nasty, which are my common reactions to fruit-booze and honey notes.

 

Verdict: doesn't quite sing with my chemistry, but it manages to hum a few bars and fake it due to sheer overpowering awesome. I might keep the imp for sniffing.

[HappyLoveJoy]

Mmmmmm!!! Tobacco! I loooove this tobacco note! Not only that but it remains the prominent note for me. It's rounded out by the honey, quince and mandarin just perfectly. None of them take over but you can smell them still. It's like a moist fruity tobacco you'd actually want to chew. Rich, sweet, somewhat dark in the honey/tobacco color sense but not a dark scent at all. After this is done developing it's vanilla tobacco with traces of untangy fruits steeped in sugar syrup. Absolutely addictive!

[skyelyric]

This is such a fascinating scent on me. It's syrupy sweet/tart in the bottle, but as it dries down the tobacco and some spicy notes come out to play and it turns into something goldenand...guava paste and sweet spices! Autumn Moon *almost* strikes me as a holiday scent, but not quite, and it's definitely not like anything I've smelled before. I think I love this.

[captainecchi]

This is one of the few of this year's Shungas I've enjoyed. Very fruity out of the decant and fresh on my skin - I would have guessed cherries, but I'm guessing that's the quince and mandarin. It seems to die down quickly, like many fruit notes do on my skin, but the honey and vanilla pick up the slack. The tobacco seems to be adding a dry, leafy note, almost like tea.

 

Overall: It's a warm, drunken scent, but not quite like any of the other drunken scents I like (Hellcat, Smut, etc) - very nice.

[steffanina]

Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand-

 

In Bottle: Fruit-florals and sweetness. I smell orange.

 

Wet: Not quite orange, there's something else offsetting it. Something else fruit-floral, and a strong, almost acrid note in the back of my throat.

 

Dry: The orange blooms up again, the acrid note recedes but I can still tell it's there. And here comes the honey but there's an acetone-like background with it which makes the whole thing too sweet and strong, too cloying for me. I like this best in the bottle, I fear.

 

Overall: Better for me as a scent locket.

[Rheliwen]

Wow, this smells kind of like Fee had a baby with Lamb's Wool.

 

Initially I get this wonderful juicy, honeyed quince. Then the cognac comes in and eventually gets enveloped by the vanilla and the blend takes on a melon twinge w/ cream and a little spice.

 

Yummy!

[milo]

I went straight to the bottle on this one, as I love a lot of the notes. When I started hearing about the fruitiness of this blend, I was a little scared, but it turns out to be not that way on me at all. This is a creamy, spicy ginger blend, quite reminiscent of Opuhi on me, only slightly more spicier, creamier, and with a *slight* fruit vibe instead of a floral/ginger/vanilla like Opuhi is. I'm hoping the tobacco and other notes come out with a bit of age, but right now, I'm glad that I went for this one. I do think it is more suited for fall weather, though.

[dawndie]

In bottle: baby oil

 

On skin: soft, light honey with a zing of citrus

 

Half-hour later: sweet and creamy citrus

 

In conclusion: this has such an innocent vibe, regardless of the label art. I walked by the Lush store at the mall going to/from lunch today (wish I wasn't with my boss, and could shop for a moment!) and this smells like the hazy aura in front of the store, the mishmash aroma of all the clean, natural, fun products. Delicious!

[sunlitgarden]

Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand

 

Creamy, fruity, sweet and yet spicy. In the bottle and immediately after applying, it has a marzipan-like "texture" even though I don't smell almond. I was worried about the tobacco, as it tends to smell like dirty cigarettes on me, but I guess "golden tobacco" and I get along. It stays in the background and is pleasant. The tobacco and a slight booziness (cognac) make this smell a little like men's cologne, but not overwhelmingly so. This blend feels gender neutral which is nice. I think this could be worn in nearly any season/weather. I am glad I decided to get a bottle!

[Voleuse]

This is intensely fruit on first application, a gorgeous blend of quince and citrus. As it settles, the quince seems to win out, mellowing the tartness of the citrus, while preserving the overall sweetness. It's velvety fruit, sophisticated in its softness. The vanilla and honey are stronger over time, but they support the quince, rather than overwhelm it. This is beautiful and golden, with a hint of smokiness.

[ModderRhu]

Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand

It smells like...a Lush store! What?!
It does, though! And I like it...

ETA: This has dried down to the drydown of Power by Kenzo. A snuggly labdanum. What the hell?! *stares accusingly at wrist* Edited May 24, 2010 by ModderRhu

[damonkitty]

This was my favorite Shunga release from this collection. I bought a few that I had hoped would have worked out better, but sadly most of the other ones were not my thing. This one was beautiful though . I got scared at first because I got a strong (almost overbearing lemongrass scent that popped out on me). I am guessing this was a combo of the quince and Spanish Mandarin. I was afraid it was going to go too much to the floral side for me to wear. That stage went away quickly and then the fragranced bloomed on my skin. It was a soft and relaxing blend of vanilla and cognac . This blend is not too strong so it will be great for everyday use. I did not get a lot of tobacco from this so it is really blended well with the other notes. It is just plain clean and sexy

[Monster]

This starts out with a very quick mandarin top note. It immediatly fades to honey-laden tobacco note. This reminds me of a boring version of Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht (which I actually thought was quite good and not boring at all).

 

Meh.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[Argentwolf]

First whiff: Golden, slightly smokey/delightfully musky/with a very, very faint hint of booze

Second whiff: Slightly sweeter -- definitely smelling the quince and mandarin more.

Third whiff: Erm, soured fruit, with a faint note of liquor...but not in the good way.

 

I really, really wanted to like this and have it work on me, but all it does is give me a tantalizing glimpse of what could have been before turning into spoiled fruit unpleasantness on me. Meh!

[Michi]

This is one of the Shungas I was most excited to try this year. Unforunately, I couldn't afford to order before they came down, and I'd almost given up hope of finding this one! Thankfully, emilynicole was generous enough to let me rehome her unloved bottle.

 

On to the review: When I sniffed the bottle, I got a strong smell of syrupy fruit--must be the quince. Then I got hit with an aftersmell of eucalyptus; not sure where that could be coming from. Maybe the tobacco? It lingers once on the skin, but does eventually settle in to a sweet tobacco scent (tobacco + honey) with a bit of fruit and maple syrup. After drying, it all melds together into what I wish tobacco smelled like: sweet (but not overly sweet) with a bit of spicy undertone. There's just enough here to keep Autumn Moon of the Mirror stand from being a SN Tobacco, and I think it will age beautifully. A keeper!

Edited July 5, 2010 by Michi

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This was a sniffie frimped by BuxomM. I've always wondered what quince would smell like in a perfume, because it sure tastes good in membrillo (spanish quince paste/jelly that tasted so delish with manchego...i digress).

 

Anyway, it's tart, boozy, and syrupy. Smells like apricot hookah tobacco, which I love. At first I thought I would like a bottle but now it's a little overwhelming. I'll keep the sniffie anyway.

[crebbsgirl]

This one was really interesting. When I first applied it, I could have sworn I applied O. It smelled exactly the same as it went on my skin. Almost immediately the quince bloomed, and there was a hint of sharpness to the fruit and honey/vanilla. The quince blended in with the other notes soon enough and the mandarin came out a little more, tempering the quince. The end result on my skin was a sweet, languorous and golden scent. I didn't find the booze too boozey,

Edited August 6, 2010 by crebbsgirl