Dragon Moon 2006

[Miss Surreal]

In Imperial China, the Dragon was the symbol of the Emperor’s power, and to this day, the concept and the image of the Dragon is considered sacrosanct. The Dragon is a symbol of power, the Lord of weather and water. The Dragon Moon celebrates the glory and vigor of Springtime: dragon’s blood resin, tea leaf, bamboo reed, sandalwood and cherry blossom.

Finally recieved my package today! Dragon moon was the first one I opened and tried.

I have to say I have no clue what Dragon's Blood smells like, but I suspect it's not at all strong in this scent. In the bottle it smells like tea. Very nice.

When I put it on it smells very lemony and herbal. I love it! Not at all what I would imagine from this oil but it is still very lovely. Although I imagine the smell does bring on an oriental atmosphere.

Also, I put it to the humdity test today. I live in south texas and in one of the most humid areas on the planet (seriously) and lately I havent been able to wear any of my bpal out because it either 1.) sweats off almost immediatly or 2.) becomes so cloying and strong it sickens everyone around me (I had to wash off Monsterbait: closet after I literally made someone gag. They loved it when I first had them sniff it but after a hour outside forget it.) Very sad when something that smells so lovely goes to waste on the skin! But this was the first oil besides Cobra Lilly that lasted for hours out in the heat and didnt become a cloud of vapor around me.

AA++ Edited June 26, 2006 by Shollin

[euterpe414]

In the bottle, Dragon Moon smells very scary, to me; very overpowering.

 

Wet on my skin, it was almost pure Dragon's Blood with a hint of tea and bamboo.

 

However, as it dried, the Dragon's Blood disappeared (almost, there is still a hint of it there) and I smelled more of a white tea/lemongrass/bamboo smell. I can't really detect the sandalwood at all, nor the cherry blossom. Perhaps that is because I am a bit unsure of what cherry blossom smells like.

 

I did not expect to like this blend, and mainly bought it out of complusion to buy the lunacies, but I must say, I really love it. it is very fresh and clean, perfect for doing outdoor gardening or other work. Fabulous scent!!

Edited June 16, 2006 by euterpe414

[Rhowan]

In the vial and wet on my skin the first note that hits me is a bitter, B.O. smelling note -could that be the bamboo?

 

As it dries down, I am smelling somthing very citrussy. Maybe something is wrong with me nose- this doesn't smell like dragon's blood in the least!

 

Completely dried down and now this smells right!! It took awhile and now it is beautiful! The dragon's blood resin is a light base note - not overpowering like you would expect. The sandalwood and tea leaf blend beautifully with the dragon's blood and to top off the whole scent is a very beautiful, smooth sandalwood with the hint of cherry blossom. Absolutely gorgeous!

 

Conclusion? After wearing Dragon Moon for an hour or so, the cherry blossom faded and I was left with a strong base of dragon's blood with just a hint of sandalwood and tea. Not really what I was expecting - I was hoping that the cherry would hang in there longer. Good throw but not very long wear. This fades pretty quickly on my skin.

[edenssixthday]

Dragon Moon - This is a really pretty scent that reminds me a lot of aspects of Holiday Moon and Sleepy Moon. It smells strongly of bamboo and tea, with the tiniest hint of dragon’s blood in the background – just enough to make it interesting, but probably not enough to drive away dragon’s blood haters. The scent is very pretty on my skin, but incredibly subtle with absolutely zero throw. Once it has dried down, I have to press my nose against my skin to detect the scent. Around the 45 minute point, all of the notes in this scent have disappeared completely, with the exception of the cherry blossom, which I can finally smell for the first time in this blend. My Cherry Blossom SN is one of my favorite scents, so I am thrilled to smell the cherry blossom in this scent. Sadly, because Dragon Moon has no throw on me and minimal staying power, I’m not going to be drawn toward it when I’m picking out my scents for the day, so I will likely end up passing this one along.

[confusednazgul]

In the bottle: Uh, I was so excited to finally try this that I totally forgot to smell it before applying.

 

Wet: Laundry soap! (Not a bad thing.)

 

Dry: I thought Enraged Bunny Musk was the perfect "spring time" scent, but Dragon Moon is even better! It's floral, but in a very refreshing way. I can barely detect the dragon's blood. The tea is a little more obvious. More than anything, I pick up on the sandalwood and cherry blossom. It smells so clean!

 

Now I'm wishing I'd bought at least two bottles.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

green, bamboo.

 

wet:

smells a lot like holiday moon… very fresh. Can't smell any dragon's blood at all.

 

dry:

bamboo and tea, barest hint of cherry blossom, and that's all…. More cherry blossom later on, so a little more floral than holiday moon

 

overall:

so similar to holiday moon - I think I like this one a tiny bit better.

 

rating: 8/10

[Blood onmy hands]

I was a bit afraid to try Dragon Moon, just because dragon's blood doesn't seem to work well on my skin in most cases (exception: Dragon's Milk). Surprisingly, I don't get much dragn's blood out of this one at all, except perhaps a spicy/hot hint for a few seconds upon first application.

 

First on, this is all bamboo and tea leaf, and is reminding me a lot of Holiday Moon. Green and fresh, with hints of sweetness. In the drydown, more of the cherry blossom comes out and it's really gorgeous. It's such a sweet and pleasant floral.

 

Dragon Moon turns into something like cherry blossom singlenote on me after a while. It's a pretty, sweet floral. This isn't something that I would typically wear, but I am enjoying it.

[couscous]

I got no dragon's blood out of this one at all. I actually got a cross between Neo Tokyo and Holiday Moon, all tea and bamboo. Vaguely pretty at first, but into headaches soon afterwards.

 

I'm pretty bummed by the total exclusion of dragon's blood resin. I traded this one within two hours.

[abejita]

This is a really delicate scent, very well-blended. I get a breath of the dragon's blood resin behind the cherry blossom and tea. The bamboo kind of grounds it. There is a dry, crisp feel to the blend. The cherry blossom and resin give it sweetness, but it's a very light sweetness. This one gives me a grown up, clean, elegant feel.

 

My partner sniffed it on me and his eyes widened a little, so it gets his stamp of approval too. I think this could work on the right man, as well, it's not necessarily a girlie blend.

[ladytaga]

I was really worried about this because of the sandalwood..

But I can smell the tea w/ a floral fruity scent.

I can see how someone could say it is soapy I get a little bit of soap scent in there but the bamboo seems to balance it out nice. The cherry blossom seems to be the soapy scent (that is what sn of apple blossom does on me)

but I got 2 of these I will keep one it is worth to have at least an imp of. I give it a 3 1/2 out of 5.

[The_Merf]

First off, may I just say that I LOVE the label on this bottle. This also has the distinction of being the first Lunacy I've ever tried.

 

In the bottle: This smells very clean--I can detect the tea and the sandalwood, but very little dragon's blood. I'm actually a little apprehensive now...for some reason, "clean" scents have some sort of note that gets in trouble on my skin. I can also detect the cherry. This is another one of those nice blends that alters slightly with each sniff.

 

Wet: You know, I had never understood why people called dragon's blood a floral--in the Ars Draconis blends and other DB blends I have, I would never describe it as floral on my skin (I think that may be why I love DB so much--it is hard for me to put a finger on it). It is floral here, however, and it combines very nicely with the tea. I'm surprised that the sandalwood isn't quite as prominent, as it is usually a strong note on my skin, and I smelled it in the bottle.

 

Dry-down and wear: There is a very quiet dignity about this scent, and it actually gives me the same sort of feeling I get when I look at Asian art (though I may be bringing my "this is an Asian mood" ideas into things). As it dries, the sandalwood starts to become a little stronger, but it isn't obnoxious at all. The dragon's blood is on the edges of this scent, and it is really quite a unique effect. I wish this was a little stronger...it is fading out a bit on my skin (but I am by a fan because my A/C isn't working properly, so...). When I first sniffed this, I thought, "Uh oh," but this is really a very lovely oil.

Edited June 23, 2006 by The_Merf

[lysithea]

Dragon's blood isn't too overwhelming. I can detect the bamboo (very Holiday Moon-esque) and the light tea. The touch of sweetness has to be the cherry. Dry, it is mostly tea and bamboo - the dragon's blood just lends it a slightly floral note. I'm suprised that I didn't get more sandelwood. It seems to have faded pretty fast on my skin. All in all, I think this is another winner.

[Shannihilation]

I was getting impatient for my lab order and I wanted my Dragon right now so I caved and got a botle on Ebay. It came today. I was worried about the cherry note when I ordered from the Lab and I was worried about it today too when I smelled it in the bottle. I don't do cherry. Anything. Scents, food, or otherwise. I was afraid that the cherry blossom would smell just "cherry" and not floral. And in the bottle, much cherry. I was feeling disappointed before I ever tried it. But I put it on anyway after I worked out and showered.

One word...

 

WOW!!!

 

This is beautiful!! The cherry blossom is very delicate and sweet and it's kept from being too sweet by the bamboo. The tea leaf gives it a crisp and clean tone so that it's not cloying or heavy and the sandalwood just pulls it all together. This really is amazing. I'm glad I'll have two bottles of it!

[sophia_helix]

I took Couscous's bottle off her hands, and I'm not quite sure what to make of this scent.

 

At first, it was the green/fresh scent of Holiday Moon and other Asian-inspired BPALs. Strongly bamboo, a very planty scent, and a bit of cherryish dragon's blood, but not too much, which is good.

 

Weirdly, the drydown had a strong incense kick, which I now realize was sandalwood. Not just spicy, but the smoky scent of actual burning incense. The next morning all I can smell is dragon's blood and sandalwood, kind of like the residue of an incense burner after the cone has burned down.

 

I think I will probably be passing this bottle onto its third owner, though, as I'm just not crazy about any of the scent combinations. Interesting, but not me.

[theshapeshifter]

What a lovely summer scent! Dragon Moon is a real morpher on me.

 

Wet: It's got that juicy/sharp/sour/green note, which I think is the bamboo; I know I've noticed it in some of the other Asian moons. That's the predominant impression at first, with a bit of the cherry blossom in the background.

 

Drydown: As it dries down, it changes character a lot, with the dragon's blood and sandalwood coming up a lot more. The bamboo is still present, but now it's more muted, just giving a green freshness to the resin/wood/tea combo that it's become.

 

I think I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this in the hot weather.

[McKay]

My order of Dragon Moon arrived today, so naturally I had to try it ASAP.

 

It's an interesting scent - I like it. I don't OMGLOVE it, but it's one I'll keep. It does have a hint of the dragon blood resin, but on me, I think the sandalwood and cherry blossom are coming out more. It's floral and a bit sweet, but it's a sharp sweetness, if that makes sense. It's not cloyingly sweet like some florals, and it's not "green" like Budding Moon.

 

Also, the bottle art is gorgeous.

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

In the bottle: sharp floral cherry! A bit worrying...

 

On skin: Instantaneously (I mean that, there's virtually no change in scent from application to drydown) lovely. The cherry blossom note is so fresh and perfect and directly on target. I can almost see the shapes of the blossoms in this smell, if that makes sense. A barely-there tinge of dragon's blood compliments the elegance provided by the tea leaf, and a bit of juicy, tart-ish green (maybe the bamboo) mingles with a faint back note of sandalwood that's only really there if I really look for it. This is a very clear and distinct blend, sweet but not really 'young' in feel, that strikes me as a bit elegant.

 

Verdict: This is a floral that actually works on my skin, which is a great rarity when I find one. I absolutely love the cherry blossom note in here, but this blend simply just doesn't 'fit' my personality, and I knew this the very second the oil touched my arm.

 

I wanted to like this one, and I do, but I simply could not wear it, the blend just doesn't fit. I usually rate blends when I review them, but I can't bring myself to do so this time because I feel the rating for this scent on me would be far less than this blend deserves. I bought two different bottles with two seperate orders and I will probably swap or sell one of them and perhaps keep just an imp of the other. But, for anybody who loves cherry blossoms, I urge you to try it.

 

Court

Edited June 27, 2006 by Court Analyst/Strategist

[QueenFae]

This reminds me very much of Holiday Moon. The tea note is very, very strong, with just a hint of a dragon's blood resin backdrop. I can detect a bit of the bamboo, but I don't smell the sandalwood or the cherry blossom at all. I like this one since I'm a big tea fan, and Holiday Moon happens to be one of my favorites. I had hoped for a bit more "dragon" in the dragon moon, but it's lovely just the same.

[oatmealneko]

Let me preface this one by saying I don't have a lot of high hopes for it since cherry blossom has reacted badly to me in the past.

 

Bottle: Cherry blossom with a hint of dragon's blood resin.

 

Wet: Cherry blossom. Hoo boy. Getting stronger by the second...um, I'm washing this off now. It's very very very VERY STRONG.

 

Dry: (didn't make it)

 

...*sigh* Cherry blossom + me = fucked.

[tindome]

I know cherry blossom doesn't work on me, but I still had to try.

The bottle was gorgeous and I'm tempted to keep it just for that but this did not work on me.

 

In the bottle: Seemed like it might work, holiday moon with a light cherry blossom.

 

Wet: Instantly the cherry blossom vanishes (this has never happened before, my skin way amps cherry blossom) and instead something which I think must be the dragon blood emerges. Something in this blend is giving me a headache.

 

Dry: This dries down to skin hugging light floal peeking out from the note I take to be dragons blood. On me this just smells perfumey, not in a good way. Holiday Moon is one of my favorite scents and is amazing on me so I was really excited when people compared the two but on me there was no resemblence. *sigh*

[sookster]

straight sniff from the bottle this reminds me very, very much of holiday

moon with dragon's blood or cherry...applied it stays true and green with

a hint of something metallic...this is one of those bottles that i will put aside

for awhile to age it properly

[hologhost]

Soap!

 

This smells lovely in the bottle - green and pink, if a bit floral-ly for my taste. It smelled lovely on me for awhile and then, like oatmealneko, it started to amp. It ended up over poweringly floral soap that made me feel queasy. I had to break out the alcohol to wash it off.

 

I've never had anything go to soap. I want to let it age and see if time, and trying it when I'm not coming down with the flu will improve it. I really wanted to love this one.

[hangingfire]

In the bottle: Sweet, faintly bubblegum-cherry-floral. Hmm.

 

On, wet: Very sweet and flowery -- there's dragon's blood in this? Really? After a little while, the bamboo notes I remember from Holiday Moon (astringent, green, sharp) make themselves known as well.

 

Drydown: Wow. Nice. A good balance of sandalwood and bamboo, rounded out by the floral and dragon's blood (finally there) notes.

 

I have really, really liked all the lunar blends so far this year -- this one's another winner!

[inkmonkeys]

This one is a total morpher on me.

 

For the first 30-40 minutes: green bamboo and tea, sharp and sparkling notes very much like Holiday Moon with a faint cherry blossom in the background.

 

After that: No more sharp green notes - these are replaced by a soft and heady mix of dragon's blood, sandalwood and something flowery that I want to say is cherry blossom.

 

Really lovely. I like it even better than Holiday Moon!

[LadyMedb]

I'm kind of poor, so I'm not prone to buying things unsniffed. I was afraid of being disappointed on this one, because the description sounded so intriguing I thought it might not live up to it, and it contains notes I rarely wear.

 

In the bottle, it smelled a lot like Neo-Tokyo to me - I guess the cherry blossom, etc. I thought it was beautiful, but was unsure as to how it would react on me. Neo-Tokyo's a strange one, and I've been going back and forth on whether to buy it for weeks, after all.

 

However, after five minutes on my skin, Dragon Moon became an explosion of beautiful notes. Everything is detectable and balanced. The cherry blossom is still huge, but the dragon's blood gives it heart while the bamboo keeps it fresh and ethereal. I'm completely in love with it, and am so glad I took a risk with an LE.