Harvest Moon 2017

[gloame]

Harvest Moon is celebrated in almost every culture, and the bounty of the season is marked in a myriad of ways. Harvest Moon touches the Equinox, the festival of Janus, the culmination of Homowo, the crying of the neck in Cornwall, and the Womens Festival of the Moon. This is a day that celebrates abundance and beauty, fertility and progress, and the light of this full moon blesses new undertakings and reunites lost loves.

The Harvest Moon, by definition, is the Full Moon that falls closest to the Autumnal Equinox, and thus, it shares some of that Sabbats characteristics. This Full Moon was thus named because it rises within half an hour of the suns setting, in the Northern Hemisphere, and at this time farmers are able to work longer into the night by the light of this Moon. As the year draws to a close, the Full Moon rises an average of fifty minutes later each night, with the exception of a few nights surrounding the Harvest Moon, which only rises 10-30 minutes later. This moon is also, to the human eye, the fullest and largest of the years Moons, hanging gloriously huge, yellow and low in the night sky, and many lunar illusions play tricks our eyes at this time.

The Harvest ushers in many celebrations, including the Equinox and the Festival of Janus, God of Doors. Janus is the Roman Lord of Gateways, beginnings and endings, and transitions. Thus, the Harvest Moon is a time for blessing new ventures, the onset of new and progressive phases in ones life, and rites of passage into adulthood. This time of year also marks one of the Festivals of Dionysus, Lord of Ecstasy and the Vine.

This Harvest lunacy combines the autumnal scents of dry leaves, mulling spices, balsam fir and spruce tips, cedar, juniper berry, clove, saffron, wild apple, sage, yarrow, and lily twined with Dionysus sacred grapes and ivy, a bounty of blackberry and pumpkin, deep russet sunflowers, the amaranth and lingum aloes of Janus, all touched by a gentle breath of festival woodsmoke and sweet wine.

Picked this up at the August 2017 will-call after a quick wrist test and just now got around to trying it fully. It's really great. It has something in it that reminds me of The Jeweled Spider and I think it's the wine. Something deep-dark, spiced-sweetness, I could chew on. This is really fantastic. The best Harvest Moon I've smelled so far (2006, 2010, 2011, I think). It's an ancient Harvest Moon, before technology. A bunch of extended family and neighbors sitting around a dying fire, too drunk to realize they're freezing and stoke the flames up again. Mulled wine that's sat too long in a hot cauldron and is starting to go syrupy. It's not too sweet, not too spicy, not too dry. I really love this.

Where I'd wear it: Trying to get into the headspace of a dark, medieval fantasy novel

[VioletChaos]

I get the mulled spices, first thing, right when I open the bottle, and it's a primary note all the way through. It's astounding, because I thought I was getting some apple at first, which doesn't do so well for m,e, but no- it really is *just* the spices, sans apple. I also get the coniferous trees in there and the pumpkin, fresh off the vine, warming it all up, but not in a foodie, or pumpkin-spicey kind of way. This scent is pure autumn, but ALL of autumn, from the first crunchy leaves through to the soft envelopment of the first early snow. I assume this is going to age magnificently, and I suspect I will wear this quite a bit in the next 4-7 months!

[patina]

Alternately brown sugar and herbal lemon at first. Resolves into spices, herbs (not especially lemony), pumpkin and wine. Like VioletChaos said, very autumn without being pure pumpkin spice

[LizziesLuck]

Harvest Moons have such a special place in my heart! When I started collecting in 2005 it was the first Lunacy I purchased (I still have that cobalt bottle!) and then I loved it so much I purchased it again in 2006 (the label on that one is one of my favourite of all time!).

 

I'm really excited that Beth has gone back to a traditional Names of the Moons series.

 

Wet: Rich, complex. Spicy, with an almost brown-sugary type note that I am loving, but also something bright and citrusy peeking out. I can detect clove, woods, fruit and a hint of leaves and smoke, all laid over a crisp autumn breeze with the scent of freshly baked goods wafting along it. The brown sugar note is unexpected and lovely. The cedar is fairly subdued, but I can tell it needs some aging to lose it's edge. This smells nothing like 2005 or 2006, and I love that about it. It's still in the same family though, of "late summer, early autumn captured in a scent".

 

Dry: The cedar amps up a bit - it really does need some aging, but I can tell it's going to be lovely with the leaves, spices and fruit. I think I am going to cherish this just as much as my 05 and 06. <3

[zankoku_zen]

Mulled spices, dry leaves, clove, a mishmash of other Fall notes, and yes this smells like fall, autumn breeze, and baked goods. This is the smell of a cozy sweater by the fire. The smell of baked goods in the oven. The dry crackling of leaves as they rustle in the wind. Medium throw and wear length.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I love the variety of Harvest Moons there have been over the years...I have one that smells like apple cider, one that's more like greenery. My first was '04, although it's long since used up. Harvest Moon 2017 is spicy blackberry wine! It's deliciously juicy and definitely suggests wine, but without being too "grape". It dries down into spice and leaves, rather like Dry Leaves & Cardamom. I really like it and will wear often for autumn.

[spookygrrrly]

I took a risk on getting this because things like fir and balsam don’t usually work on me but I was hoping they would play a minor role. Luckily I was right and it is more spicy sweet with a little woodsy rather than overpowering woods.

 

In bottle: I get the spice and grapes, apple, blackberry the most.

 

Wet: Now more of the “woodsy” scents come out and I can make out the juniper berry and cedar. But it’s more a nice compliment to the already spice and fruit scents and underneath

 

Dry: As it drys it starts to become a fuller scent. The fruit dies down and the clove and woodsmoke finally come out to play. I really like it.

 

Overall I’m very happy I took the risk on this scent and it’s been a favorite for fall this year.

[Numanoid]

Grabbed a bottle of this... normally, reading ALL the notes, there aren't many that work or I even know! BUT reading the reviews above, seems like this might be one I have to try.

 

Sniffing in the bottle, (also, still a little cool-ish from being out in the cold waiting for delivery) it is very Aumtumn-like. Woodsy, but not overly so. Usually, wood or anything pine, elm, etc etc can be way too strong for me. Sniffing, this smells SO nice. Present, but not eye-watering. I think I detect a little berry-like scent in the background, which helps.

 

On skin, wow!! This is so beautiful. I get...so much..spices, wine, outdoorsy, autumn, smoke. There is so much going on... but it isn't overwhelming. I agree with everyone above. This is Autumn. I think if dictionary's had smells, looking up the word 'autumn', you would smell this!

 

As it drys down, I detect some ivy and berry wine. Maybe it is the juniper berry, since it has that woodsy-berry feel. BUT after a few minutes, it already fades on me and I am left with a mild pine scent. Darn!! Started out so good too.

Edited October 20, 2017 by Numanoid

[lady_pandora]

I let out an audible "unf" when I opened this, which is always a good sign!

 

On me, this smells kind of like a Yankee Candle, in the best possible way. I think it smells like a specific one I loved, called "Harvest," but I haven't smelled the candle in years and can't say for sure. I looked up Harvest and the listed notes are cinnamon, apple, clove, vanilla, musk, and pumpkin, so I can see how they'd end up similar.

 

Anyway, this is largely a spiced cider scent on me, but with something sweet and amazing rounding it out (other reviewers mentioned brown sugar; that might be it! I'd been wondering about beeswax or sweet resins). There's a hint of smoke, too, and there's something green and vegetal hanging around in the background, which I've never been able to pin down but think of as the "celery note." This note sometimes gets out of hand, but it behaves well here and doesn't try to take over.

 

It's really lovely, and probably the first oil that stands a chance of stealing Fearful Pleasure's throne as my favorite autumn scent--time will tell. I'm very glad I got this.

[fairybites]

In the Imp: Grapes, leaves, and cloves!

On Me: My nose is probably not picking up the multitute of scents listed in the description, so the only other notes I can smell now that it has dried down is a hint of apples and cedar. But it's still an enjoyable scent, very autumn! This is my first Lunacy I've had the pleasure of trying (and it was a frimp from an order on the forums!) and wow it does not disappoint. Not sure quite yet if it's bottle worthy, I'm curious about the newer Harvest Moons and if they smell different to this aged one. But this is a lovely, comforting scent and I will enjoy the imp I have for now. 

[katharina]

I got this as a frottle from the lab. Admittedly, the plethora of notes made me cautious, a I wasn't sure if it would be cacophony of scents that was overwhelming. I am also not a fan of apple (force fed apples as a kid and I don't even like apple pie now), so the apple note worried me as well.

 

In the bottle: As I feared, the amount of scents was initially overwhelming to my nose. As I continued to sniff though, I was able to start picking out notes in the chaos and the overwhelm reduced. Spicy, woodsy, alcohol. Hrm.

 

Wet: Luckily, the straight up boozy smell settled down on my skin and the more fruity scents became apparent. None of them stood out to me, more like a fruit salad where they are all jumbled together and smell is of ripe sweetness. This mixed with spice and woods. I don't hate it.

 

Dry: I am pleased to report that I don't hate it is the final verdict, though I don't know if it will eventually move to the swap pile. It has simmered down quite a bit. Smoke has come out to play with the woodsy scents, and the fruits are slowly fading to the background, combined with the spices they seem to be adding a touch of caramel to hold the woods and smoke together.

 

ETA: I keep sniffing my arm and adding more, this is telling me a couple of things: This is a sleeper hit and as it melds with my skin it becomes more enjoyable, Two: I wish the intensity lingered a bit more, despite it's jarring. 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by katharina
adding additional details and shit

[IoPan]

I definitely get the grape and blackberry with a nice leafy/spicy undertone when I first apply. Then it begins to dry down and the panoply of other scents come out, too. The woodsy and leafy notes are just wonderful and  combine so beautifully with the spices. Often, "fall" fragrances end up being very gourmand and Yankee Candle-ish, just too gimmicky to be sophisticated or interesting. This one misses the Yankee Candle character, probably because of the complexity of the various woods and fruits. It does put me in mind of autumn, but of being outside on an autumn evening and coming in to sip on a nice hot mug of mulled something or other, with all the fresh, cold air of the fall season still clinging to you. It's cozy and celebratory without being cheesy.

 

I probably won't wear this often, but I can see wearing it during certain fall activities. Or, more likely, using it in an oil warmer as a home fragrance.