Blood Moon 2005

[lookingglass]

... The feral scent of the heat of the chase, deep woods, undulating musks, brushed by forest herbs, crushed grains, and touched by blood-dimmed lunar oils.

Wood and spice. This smells like autumn. Drying out, it becomes deep, sweet, rich, like some delightful holiday cake. It reminds me much of Sin and Dana O'shee together but with musk...mmmm... I was afraid of the woods,it is what prevented me from buying a bottle,but now I wished I had a vat! Edited September 10, 2006 by Shollin

[Melantha]

I'm not even sure what it is I'm smelling here.... but I love it.

 

Deep, deep scents. Musky, dark, with a buried hint of sweetness. I am in love. And it lasts like crazy.

[forspecial_plate]

At first I get cinnamon and herbs, almost minty. I'll agree that it's a different sort of cinnamon, kind of dry, very appealing. I wasn't sure what grains would smell like, and I'm not sure how to describe it, but the grains are there too, kind of a sweetness, kind of creamy (this could be the musk too, who knows).

 

Then as it starts to dry and warm up, the musk takes over. Up until now I felt a little left out because so many people love Beth's musks and I had yet to have a really good musk experience. Well, this is it. This feels like a red musk, and it goes perfectly with the spicy/sweet backdrop. Everything else in the blend moves to the back seat and the red musk just radiates from me for a good couple hours. It's like walking around in my own spicy red cloud. It's quite lovely and I'm so glad I took a chance on a 5ml.

 

Overall it doesn't last a really long time. I did fall asleep for about 4 hours (I work 3rd shift) and when I woke up it had mostly faded except for a faint sweetness. I would love to wear this to a very formal party or event, something special like a black tie New Year's Eve party. It's a very sexy scent to me.

 

edit, much later: I no longer think this has red musk, at least not the same red musk that's in Fenris Wolf, Krampus, Scherezade, etc....I don't know what kind of musk is in Blood Moon. Still love it though.

Edited December 9, 2006 by Forspecial Plate

[fairy]

At first sniff I thought of Snake Charmer. But then it got very very very cinnamon. VERY cinnamon. Too much spice = sneezing fit

[Kittyflop]

Blood Moon starts out very cinnamonny, but that mellows out quickly. Woods, spice and darkness. Deep red. Very little dragon's blood is apparent, if any. It quickly becomes musky. Feral is an apt description - it feels animalistic, earthy, passionate for survival.

 

Strong, long-lasting. Love.

[kwelge]

Given the fabulous reviews here, I was super-excited when I managed to find a bottle on ebay. Figuring 'Hell, why not? Worth a try!' I got it.

 

Foolish, foolish me.

 

Wet: Oh god. Awful. Can't put my finger on it. Cloying and kind of 'funky' smelling. Second try I finally figured it out: it's EVIL PEANUT BUTTER!! Or very close to it, with a 'mildew-peanut butter-y' smell. I so wanted to love you, Blood Moon!

 

Dry: The awful mildew smell finally goes away after 30 min-1 hour, but then it's so faint. I get a skin scent of spices and herbs -- I wanted YOU to be prominent! Not the awful mildew smell!

 

Verdict: Clearly a no go. Will be going up for swaps. Someone else will love it...

[maijasu]

Mmm...musky, cinnamony goodness. It's actually not spicy in a bang-you-over-the-head sort of way, just in a nice, warm and snuggly way. Must...find...bottle!

[Meg]

In the bottle: A musky, spicy scent, with the scent of fir needles.

 

Wet: Red musk... surprisingly not obnoxious, because it's covered with fresh pine needles. There's also a rich, nearly foody scent in here, probably the crushed grains - it reminds me of nuts. Also, I think I can smell cinnamon.

 

Drydown: I smell woods, grains and musks, and they all smells surprisingly red. They're also rather sweet and I'm certain that there's some cinnamon in here - it's nearly foody. I start recognising other herbs, possibly cumin. I don't get much pine anymore, and I suspect that there's some almond deep in here. Then at extreme drydown I get pretty much straight red musk and grains.

 

Overall: It's a warm, creamy blend, with delicious spices and hints of musk that work perfectly together. It reminds me of various spicy blends like Baghdad and Morocco. And, surprisingly, I don't find the red musk disgusting here. It's still not something that I'd wear myself, but I think I understand the attraction now. It's sweet and rather foody, too.

[Concupiscentia]

This is one of my favorite BPAL's.

It has the feel of Morocco, Sherezade and Dana O'Shee but this is definitely cool weather and/or night.

 

It gives me the impression of a supersexy predator prowling through an autumn forest, most likely a Vampire. Cinnamon, red musk and spicy grains in a base of warm creamy sensuality. A scent of plenty, of power and of lust.

[Ms Density]

Blood Moon is in my top five. As a wee lass, I was obsessed with those cinnamon toothpicks you could buy in packs of ten (Fire-pix). This reminds me of those. That robust waft of cinnamon combines so beautifully with a really dry wood and what I can only describe as a dry musk as well. Red and sensual, for scenting hair and bosom. And this makes me want to draw, strangely enough, delicate shapes and swirls with a very, very fine point red pen.

[nancybridget]

Dead ringer for Alone - or vice versa.

[steffanina]

Blood Moon-

 

In Bottle: Mmm, soft cinnamon-vanilla!

 

Wet: Cinnamon and peanuts and something plasticky.

 

Dry: That plasticky smell goes away right away, thank goodness! What I'm left with is a simple pleasant cinnamon, not red-hots cinnamon, but a mellower snickerdoodle cookie cinnamon. (Not nearly as fabulous as Sugar Cookie 2004, but nice in its own right.) Doesn't last hugely long, but nice.

 

Overall: I like very much.

 

Addendum: Wow, I did not expect this--it turns into sweet musk after a while! This is lovely.

Edited October 19, 2006 by steffanina

[metaldog32]

Blood Moon...this one was a bit hard to pin down.

 

I mean..literally...

 

Last year I was in Spain when this came out..so I was kicking myelf big time for not ordering a bottle.

 

Hunting high and low..I was lucky enough to get an imp from a wonderful forumite..thank you so much LiberAmoris...and then I actually procured a bottle for my sis and I.

 

Yes..it took last week for me to finally try it out. I have been wearing it for about 3 days..and these are my thoughts:

 

For the record..I am completely in awe of people who can review like 10-20 scents in a day..my nose can only do like 4..tops..

 

BUT... I digress...onto the review:

 

Inital sniff from bottle:I will be honest..something in there made me feel uneasy. Another reviewer said she thought she might be smelling vetiver..I kind of felt the same way too. It's like it's vetiver with some sort of spicy note..seems like cinnamon...and if I leave the bottle uncapped and let it's waft come to me..it's almost like there is a sort of creamy vibe also. I don't do well with vetiver at all...and although at first whiff I want to like it..something restrains me...it's okay..but not wow.

 

Applied wet on skin:Spicy cinnamon and that note that makes me feel uneasy/unsettled again. Folks..I don't get feral...I just get big time cinnamon..almost like the cinnamon bark note in Bengal..that weird/unsettling note that makes my stomach uneasy..maybe it's vetiver...and the creamy note..I guess that could be the grains??? Am not loving this phase..am kind of just tolerating it.

 

The first time I wore this and I got to this phase I was sure that this would be a no-go..and mourned the idea of actually putting a lunacy blend to the sale pile...I mean..how could this happen??? I am a lunar child and up until now almost every lunar blend has been pretty good on me...it was...disconcerting..but I guess..bound to happen. Can't win 'em all kid.

 

Couple of minutes on skin: Okay..that weird/unsettling note is backing off..along with the cinnamon bark note..and although it is still spicy..it has that creamy vibe a bit more in tandem and a subtle sweet note kind of peeking through...I am at a loss on identifying what that could be. The usual lunar oils that I can pretty much register in a lunacy blend again seem a bit MIA here..but it's still kind of early.

 

Drying on skin:Spice...and now...I sort of get on the tail end a faint floral note...could this be dragon's blood??? Or is it the lunar oils...and wwwwaaaayyy in the back I swear I can sort of smell something faintly..metallic. Maybe my nose is wonky or something but this is what I register.There is a note here that supports the cinnamon/spice note and I suspect that is the musk....maybe that is what gives it a touch of sweet??? It's not an overt sweet..but it is there nonetheless. I don't really register the forest herbs or wood.

 

Hmm..I wonder if the wood note is what I am reacting to when I first sniffed it??? I don't think so because I normally love blends with wood in them...darn..I wish I knew. Or maybe..maybe it was the forest herb??? Hmm...much to consider....

 

 

When I re-applied this at work before I went out to lunch, the same co-worker who liked Eden on me asked "what smells so good?" Yippee..I might have enabled another!!!

 

Lasting power is about 4 hours..and throw is strongest in the wet phase...all in all a soft to medium throw.

 

Drydown:Here is the best part of the fragrance for me...it's all softly spiced musk with the touch of sweet...and way in the back I get a faint floral touch and I swear...it's like a super faint metallic whiff....call me crazy but I get that.

 

Bottom Line This was a morpher..and not one I can easily dismiss nor embrace. Blood Moon wasn't the animilastic, hunt-type fragrance for me. I never got the feral rush-so it was kind of hard for me to commiserate with others about that aspect in my review. I kind of wish I got that..so this is a bit reminiscent of when I tried Devil's Night..no campfires or burning leaves for me..it was all sugar cookie and a touch of spice. Blood Moon kind of reminds me of a 2nd cousin to Bengal...and in this regard I find it suitable for fall..definitely. I am so glad I got the opportunity to try it but am on the fence as to whether I should keep it for fall rotation. The opening note puts me at arms length with it..I have to be in a specific mood to wrestle with that so that I can get to the very appealing drydown. My sister's bottle will definitely go to the sale pile..not her type of scent at all. C'est la vie.

[mmmitchell]

I love cinnamon-y notes in a blend, so Blood Moon is a big winner for me. I was glad to be able to find a bottle of this one, it's just perfect to wear this time of year, for me.

 

In the bottle: My first thought was Red Phoenix!!! Which is a scent I love. I actually went to get my bottle of Red Phoenix and compare the two, and when side-by-side, this is NOT identical, only reminiscent. A much "drier" scent overall, very nice in its own right. Still, though, that same sort of "red" impression.

 

Wet: The other woodsy notes start to bloom on my skin. And then, I get the grains. This part is very reminescent of the grain-y oatmeal note in Dana O'Shee...at least on me. Oddly, this note occasionally gives me a weird note of cheap aftershave (HUH?) but that goes away when completely dry. Relief.

 

Dry: Ends up getting drier and drier in a really nice way. The "cinnamon" scent, I suspect, is probably actually cassia....there's nothing "foody" about the cinnamon scent here. More like the beautiful fragrance of lovely wooden box that's held cinnamon sticks. But this is by no means a one-dimensional fragrance....it's a nice blend of woods, I get lots of sandalwood mixed in with the cinammon-y spiciness. The throw on this, surprisingly to me, is below average....it stays close to the skin on me.

 

Very warm, intimate fall scent. I'll be wearing this a lot this fall, I suspect.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Dragon's blood, some spices.

 

On me: Lots and lots of dragon's blood. Sweetened a bit. Some cinnamon? Yummy!

[abejita]

This is an interesting one. Every time I sniff at my wrists, it reminds me of a different scent. It's in the same family as Scherezade, Devil's Night (sans smoke), TAL Caliph's Beloved, and perhaps a cinnamon barked Snake Oil. The red musk and dry, woody cinnamon (or cassia?) are strongly present. Is there vanilla in this? There is something sweetish and creamy. Maybe the grains are giving the impression of creaminess? It's hard to say. It fits well with its name, dark and feral.

 

The longer I wear it, the more it's smelling like Caliph's Beloved to me. I don't mind that one bit, it's a lovely scent.

 

I could see this working on a man or a woman. It has a strong throw and long wear length.

[bombus]

I smell the dragon blood and the cinnamon the strongest with the other notes making guest appearances. It did get a bit powdery on me but that didn’t last. I think it took a good hour for it to mellow and balance out, then I kept sniffing my wrist and appreciating the spicy dark night smell of it. Over all it isn’t my favorite lunacy but I am happy to have it in my collection.

[dawna]

In the vial: Fresh Cinnamon woah.

 

On the skin: A creamy vanilla note comes forward but that cinnamon is in your face. This is not at all what I had expected but so far I am loving this one. Very much.

 

On drydown: A slightest hint of incense has come forward but the creamy sweet scent infused with all gods fresh cinnamon is still dominant after about 30 minutes. This scent wasn't even on my radar as I had not read the reviews, I picked it up just to try it.. well, I have to say that this is now one of my favorites. Amazing!!

[lightgatherer]

Wow. I love this. Cinnamon, vanilla, musk, and a hint of clove and dragons blood. Early on this is almost like a Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce latte on me - cinnamon, but not overwhelmingly cinnamon with a sweet creaminess. As it wears on the musk and the subtle dragons blood come out a bit more and blend beautifully. I swapped for a bottle of this on a whim, and I'm so glad I did - it's just gorgeous.

[nikkoblue]

From this, I get dry cinnamon, grains and a hint of musk. Definitely reminiscent of Red Phoenix, but not quite as, I don't know....incensey or something. I'm OK with this on its own but not super crazy about it, my body doesn't allow any sweetness to shine through whatsoever, which is kind of a bummer for me. Experiment time..

 

*cough*ilayereditwithIpDfZenzeroanditsmellsfantasticnow*cough* so I think I'll be keeping it.

[kitsunenotsuki]

I saw this scent and thought that I had to try it. And I'm glad I did.

 

In Bottle: I get a very strong earthy scent. Lots of woody smells.

 

Wet on me: It was like being slapped in the face by pure cinnamon. I really didn't like it, but I decided to let it dry.

 

Dry: I get a smell like sandlewood, and something else that I can't quite put my finger on. All in all it smells very nice.

[wikkidraven]

i was very happy to get an imp of this in the mail...it's one of those stinging bpal scents, packed with cinnamon. blood moon even burned my too-close nose while sniffing my hand, ouch.

 

red sandalwood and spice are the dominant notes here for me, i'm not getting much else. oddly enough i feel it's akin to spanked, without the leather. blood moon would probably work better for me when layered with something else--my boyfriend seems to like it, but i'm undecided.

[CiCi]

I won a bottle of this from the BPAL auction on Ebay and I'm glad I did! When I first applied it though I kept smelling my wrist and then reading the description because the two just didn't add up. All I smelled was mint. But after an hour or so the mint receded and the beautiful notes came out. The spices are truly wonderful-cinnamon and clove with a touch of sweetness. The gorgeous musk blends with vanilla to make this a smooth, creamy scent on me.

 

The only regret I have is that I don't have more than one bottle!

[asciident]

Wet: Sandalwood, musk, cinnamon and a twinge of metal.

 

First on: Something smells, well, grainy or woody. If the blood is dragon's, it's very subdued (my skin would normally amp it up, but it's not here). The metal twang is gone, and so is most of the cinnamon. This is a much more low-key scent than I would have expected.

 

Dry: Eh. Woodsy, grains, herbs. Just a hint of musk. Not really what I was expecting; I think I'll pass it on.

[Naamah_Darling]

Thick musk is clotted with the sweet scent of dragon's blood and a hint of dry, spiced woods. The scent of dry grass is strong. This is sweetish, but very deep.

 

Once it's on, it's very grassy and dry, with a lot of spice and sweet resins. The musk settles back a bit, the woods come out. I'm terrible with wood notes; they seem very hard for me to get a fix on, but I think perhaps sandalwood. The grass smells like vetiver. It's an interesting smell because though it is spicy and sweet, it doesn't smell in the least like food. It smells like an import shop, an occult curio shop; like old, cracked wood thick with the patina of many years. It's less foresty to me, and more drily herbal, again, like an occult shop that sells herbs.

 

This is very similar to Bloodlust, and is like a drier, less foody version of Red Phoenix. It's definitely a beautiful blend, and worth seeking out if grass, woody incense, and dragon's blood sound like something you'd enjoy.