Joyful Moon

[moon_lemming]

White musk, French vanilla, ambrette seed, frankgipani, angelica root, white rose, orris, and honeysuckle.

I was afraid that Joyful Moon would go bad in a few different ways, but my daughter's first birthday is on August 24, which is the day the full moon falls on this month, and it's named JOYFUL MOON, how could I resist?

When reviews started coming in, I cowered in fear: "French vanilla" makes me think of the vanilla in Detestable Putrescence, which went to horrible, horrible plastic on my skin. Also, I'm not a big fan of florals, and white musk usually turns to new carpet or powder on my skin. So I tentatively dabbed a little on when it arrived and braced for impact.

But lo, Joyful Moon is AWESOME, even on me. The vanilla is lovely, not plastic at all. It's soft but holds its own against the florals, which are subtle and sweet while still being obviously floral. The musk behaves itself and omg I love this blend, even the floral part of it, which surprises me SO MUCH, given the potential for horror. And it sticks around for a good long time, too. Definitely a winner.

Oh, I meant to say that this reminds me of Signoir Dildo -- not the same scent, and SD is more "purple," but JM is similar in feel, at least for me. I like Joyful Moon better, though. Edited August 16, 2010 by karen

[Elfbait]

I'll start by saying that Tempest's review is a pretty spot-on take of my Joyful Moon experience, overall.

 

Sniffing it from the bottle, I was immediately in swoon country, I must say. Pungent, cheerful, yet mysterious frangipani and a dollop of buttery vanilla.

 

As it warmed on my pulse points, it became golden sweet, with good tobacco-shop scent memories surfacing through the fuzzy embrace of ambrette and orris. True to its name, the scent was making me joyful, in a wistful sort of way. Not bogged down by soppy nostalgia for finer times, rather, a sense of gratitude and satisfaction for the sweetness of what has been.

 

Something odd: on me, this scent seems to disappear, almost entirely, after about half an hour of wear, only to resurface much later as the warmest, most huggable musk scent I've ever worn, which then sticks around for a good long while. I rather love that. The Joyful Moon is a very pretty flirt, and she likes to wander off, I guess. But when she returns, she settles in and makes for delightful company.

 

A wonderful fragrance. Charming, and seemingly light-hearted, but also enigmatic and quite complex. I'm really glad I have a bottle of this.

 

An update: now in October, the white rose note in this has become much more prominent to me. What a fabulous surprise- the rose note here is very creamy, fresh and true, and adds a new layer of haunting beauty to this already wonderful scent.

Edited October 22, 2010 by MakerNotMuse

[Amaranthus]

Joyful Moon! So pretty!

 

In the bottle it smells like creamy French vanilla musk. Although I agreed on smelling it that the vanilla was French Vanilla, I did not know what makes French Vanilla different from any other sort, so I looked it up.

 

From Wikipedia: "The term French vanilla is not a type of vanilla, but is often used to designate preparations that have a strong vanilla aroma, and contain vanilla grains. The name originates from the French style of making ice cream custard base with vanilla pods, cream, and egg yolks."

 

I would agree that this smells a little more like vanilla cream than other vanillas I have smelled. I would say it smells like ice cream, but it is a warm scent. It does not smell as thick or gourmand as custard.

 

On my skin the vanilla and white musk notes are strongest. I smell fresh white roses. If I hold my wrist up to my nose, I smell honeysuckle and a bright green note I do not recognize. Over time the honeysuckle note comes out more. The white roses and honeysuckle blend evenly, with white musk and light vanilla in the background. It is beautiful.

 

On the cotton of my shirt, the scent plays out in just the opposite way. It starts off as white rose and honeysuckle, and fades to vanilla musk.

 

This is going to be a favorite of mine.

[Venneh]

In the bottle, I'm getting this beautiful vanilla floral musk. On my skin, it's this amaaazing french vanilla white musk with florals underneath. Oh, hell yes.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i tried this at last month's DSWC, and i jotted down my notes... but i didn't trust them, entirely, because there was SO MUCH to sniff. i thought maybe i got nose-overwhelmed or two scents mixed up in my head, or blended on my skin...

 

based off the notes listed for this scent...i figured i'd LOVE it. and maybe it'll age into something i like. but when i tested it at DSWC, and again this morning? it smells like - exactly like -my (ancient) bottle of Cosmetics To Go's Ginger FM (For Men) which, really, just makes no sense at all. but i've got Ginger FM on my right hand and Joyful Moon on my left and holy wow but they smell identical. undertones of pickles and all.

 

... and now, i'm going to go scrub them both off.

[Invidiana]

There is something about this that in my mind places it as a distant cousin of Antique Lace, but it is a unique scent all its own. I was a little bit afraid I would end up amping the rose, honeysuckle or in the worst-case scenario both (shudder) but I'm pleasantly surprised at how soft they are. Instead of blasting into the forefront they act as supportive notes that tie the lend together but don't overrun it. I do love frangipani, which rounds out the other two florals and adds a sensual feel of its own. The orris doesn't dominate either but stays well-behaved, very slightly powdery but in that good, comforting sort of way like soft fabric caressing the skin. Cool vanilla and white musk are the most prominent notes for me, with added muskiness from the ambrette seed. As a whole this is not a foody scent but more sweet, ethereal and feminine, somewhat floral but not overwhelmingly so. Beautiful.

Edited August 23, 2010 by Invidiana

[Little Bird]

My first thoughts with Joyful Moon were that it reminds me of Pink Snowballs perfume oil and Castitas bath oil. Vanilla-y, sweet, and with a bit of sweet, fruity rose and white floral.

 

I'm really happy with how strong the french vanilla note is in this blend <3. I find some of bpal's vanillas to be powdery and bland, but this is a creamy, sweet, rich vanilla. On my skin, the scent is less rose and more of a perfumey, white floral smell, but the vanilla keeps the sharpness in check and makes this wearable for me. I love the sweetness of it.

 

Sweet, creamy vanilla, perfumey white floral, and a hint of rose and something that smells fruity in the same way Castitas has a fruity, cool, sweet edge to it. I really like this and am happy to have a bottle. I'll definitely wear this when I'm wanting something floral.

[DraloreShimare]

In the vial - Musky vanilla & light floral.

On the skin - Musk takes over, vanilla & floral are non-existent...And I do NOT like that musk.

 

I would've washed it off, but I was in a hurry and just applied something over it. :X

[milo]

Hmm, this is quite pretty, and I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I do. This is a fresh, slightly rosy delicious vanilla. It really reminds me of Under the Harvest Moon, a blend that was available last summer around this time only with more vanilla. I think it's the combination of rose is what is making these two blends similar for me. I'm contemplating an ISO, depending on how the rest of the wear of this is, though I do have a decant of UTHM as well, and I don't wear it very often. Decisions...

Edited August 28, 2010 by milo

[ravenscanary]

In the bottle: French vanilla and a bit of musk. The vanilla has that almost alcoholic tinge of an extract, but it's very pleasant even so.

 

Wet: Plumeria and honeysuckle come out immediately. Vanilla, where did you go? The musk remains, and this is light, a little sweet but still balanced and not doing anything too unexpected. A little powdery around the edges.

 

Dry: A really lovely, balanced, gentle musky floral. I'm sad the vanilla doesn't come out more, but this is a keeper nonetheless.

[blu°]

I'm having a bad cold, and my smelling capacities are probably not at their height right now, but I think I like this.

 

It reminds me of several scents at a time: Phobos and Zephyr for the strong white musk plus fresh white-yellowy things, Black Lace for the almost cotton-y vanilla-musk combo, and Antique Lace out of the same reason. I can also see the comparison to Under The Harvest Moon although that one was awful on me (I blame the grey amber/ambergris).

 

So... the white musk is the most prominent on me and is almost a bit too sharp, but I still like it. The vanilla mixes into that and becomes almost unrecognizable as a separate note. Together the musk and vanilla make for that cotton-y feel, I think. I can only smell the florals very faintly, which might be because of my cold. When freshly applied, I got a very pretty sparkly scent close to the skin weaving in and out of the vanilla-white musk base.

 

I'm looking forward to wearing this again when my sinuses have cleared!

[crebbsgirl]

I need to preface this review by stating I bought this purely for the concept alone. I have particular reasons to be joyful this month, so this particular lunacy spoke to me on a very personal level.

 

Scentwise, this is divine! There is a soft vanilla musk and as it develops the florals come out more. Sweet, light, and just beautiful. I want to smell this for days. Also, the concept has great meaning for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Sweet vanilla florals and honeysuckle. Way too sweet for me, but I can see why this is so popular. It's like the sweetness of TKO without the lavender - the same plushy creamy vanilla.

[lunaticana]

woei!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! frangipani, white rose, honeysuckle, this sounded like a dream to me

and it is! I adore this Lunacy, the best untill now!

so soft and gentle, so loveley on my skin, heehee, will not part with my bottle (even though the label is not really my style )

[anomie]

Dark Alice used the word "sophisticated" up above, and I think that's a perfect description for how this turns out on me. It's beautiful in an understated way, and feels more grown up in some ways. I think that's the orris playing off the musk and the honeysuckle, all of it blanketed by the soft vanilla. Utterly lovely and something I can see myself wearing to work a lot. "Joyful" might feel a little exuberant for this blend, though; "contented" might be better for my personal reaction!

[jenrandom]

A blend that contains roses that I can wear! I get kind of a close to the skin vanilla, a little floral, but really pleasant. I don't know that I need more than my decant, but it's really nice to wear.

[Schmoozy]

Beautiful, soft, romantic. Dry orris and french vanilla mingles with rose, while white musk hovers in the background. It's sensual, comforting, and very girly. I am so happy to have found a bottle of this, as I missed out when it was available.

[damonkitty]

Sadly this did not work out on me so well. I had high hopes of more of a vanilla blend, but one of the floral notes gave me an instant headache. I am going to give it a second chance to make sure it was not just a bad chemistry day for me. I am not going to write it off yet, but if the headache comes back I will know that something in this blend is my enemy. The bottle may be my favorite lunacy bottle that I own. Beautiful art on this one

[scrappy]

In the bottle, it smells like a beautiful sweetened floral musk. On my skin however, Joyful Moon is ROSE, with a side of rose, and extra rose on top. Why must I amp rose so damn much???

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Soft white musk, with a touch of frangipani

 

Wet on me - A slightly high pitched floral note appears, but the soft, powdery combination of the musk and the vanilla in the background anchor it

 

Dry on me - A soft, sweet, white floral curled in musk

 

Overall - This is Antique Lace's older more reserved sister. I like it and I have a feeling that it will only grow on me

[filigree_shadow]

I haven't smelled Antique Lace in at least a couple of years, but when I sniffed Joyful Moon that was the first thing I thought of. The vanilla in this reminds me of that one, and the musk is very pretty with the florals. It's a very feminine, pretty scent. I think this one works on me a little better than Antique Lace did -- they're both very pretty but just don't really seem to suit me personally.

[plainjean]

This is just so well-blended and so, so beautiful. I can't pick out any specific notes except for the white musk and the vanilla. Overall, though, it's just a soft, sweet floral and something in it is making it feel really warm and inviting, like a blanket that's just come in from drying on the clothesline.

 

In my mind, I thought it'd be like CC: Female and, in a way, it is. They're both sweet floral/soft vanilla scents on me(with CC: Female being heavier on the vanilla and Joyful Moon being heavier on the floral), and I think anyone who likes this would probably enjoy CC: Female, and vice versa.

 

It's definitely a feminine scent, but I love it because of that. It doesn't have much throw on me, but I can smell it lingering on my skin for several hours after it's been applied. And occasionally I will get wafts of sweet florals.

Edited November 30, 2010 by plainjean

[grrrlennyl]

Joyful Moon

 

On: The vanilla is sweet, but very light, probably due to the addition of the white musk. It's a lovely, pretty, happy blend. Very white.

1.5 hours in: Soft, powdery, and sweet. Definitely a vanilla blend, but with a hint of floral.

9.5 hours in: Powdery and a little sweet.

Overall: This is really pretty at first, but the dry-down is boring.

[Lorna Brigid]

I never reviewed this? Really? Wow.

Joyful Moon is in my top 5 forever.

How beautiful, with the thick french vanilla, the white musk amping up the florals like frangiapani and honeysuckle...

Cheerful, sophisticated and complex, yet feminine and playful.

Absolutely divine scent!

[Melenass]

Vanilla soft and fresh with white floral. All covered with white musk. Absolutely lovely. Is a fine and sophisticated scent, with class. I understand your comparison with Castitas, although Joyful Moon is perhaps less vanilla and more musky.

Edited April 12, 2011 by Melenass