Hungry Ghost Moon 2006

[Kimocean]

On the 14th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the Gates of Hell burst open, and ghosts pour forth from the Nine Darknesses into the sunlit world. To placate the dead, Hell Money is burned, offerings are made, and paper boats and floating lanterns are set out to give comfort and direction to wayward spirits. Though many spirits simply seek out the comforts of their former homes and the company of their loved ones, rancorous spirits also roam the streets, seeking revenge on those who have wronged them, before and after their deaths. Offerings of ginger candy, sugar cane, smoky vanilla and rice wine mingle with a ghost's perfume of white sandalwood, ho wood, ti, white grapefruit, crystalline musk and aloe. This scent is tapered by the presence of seven herbs, woods and resins used in the purification of the spirit and the purging of earthly concerns from the soul.

Wow, I think I'm the first to review this...and of course it's my first review at all so I hope I am getting it right!

My first thought was grapefruit and lime. I got a very strong fruit feeling from this initially. As it settled down into my skin I got more of the sweetness...a little sugar and a hint of sandlewood. The grapefruit is still very present for me though and after a while I got just the tiniest hint of ginger. Later still I got a greener feel to it, a little bit herby and I think I can smell the aloe...but that may be cheating because I looked at the description ;-).

Overall I am in LOVE with this scent. It's my first Lunacy here at BPAL and I bought it based purely on that...and the T-shirt, but I am certain it is going to be a scent that I will wear again and again.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle this is very fruity, almost sucker like, looking through the ingredients i don't know what is causing that scent so i look uo the components i am unfamiliar with.

 

ho wood

If you are familiar with Rosewood, you will find that Ho Wood maintains that soft, delicate, feminine scent, and adds an extra fresh & green tone to the initial impression

ti looks like a tea leaf maybe?

 

so i am guessing in the bottle i am getting the ho wood, and aloe scent, it has a green edge, possibly some tea.

 

wet: it is very strong fruity scent, has alot of throw. yet a green herbal back ground.

 

as it dries it remains much the same, almost a candied fruit smell, not getting any vanilla, or musk, it is a bit aloe like, and has a green edge. i think i would describe it as being a bright pink lollipop w/ green streaks in it.

[tartsquid]

I'm mostly getting sweet, candied fruits from this, mixed with a little bit of vanilla and occasionally the faintest touch of something herbal. It's very sweet but not overpoweringly so, and doesn't seem to have a great deal of throw. The grapefruit is the strongest fruit that I can smell but it's not bitter at all.

 

This is by far my favorite of the moons this year!

[joseybird]

I really like this! The dominant note is the white grapfruit, which is slightly tart but with a slightly berry juiciness. I also get hints of biting, smooth ginger, which compliments it nicely, and the white sandalwood (which kinda melds with the ginger, I think). I think I might also be smelling the rice wine in the topnotes, along with the white grapfruit, although there's no boozy note at all. The smokey vanilla (very faint) and musk (delicate) become apparent upon drydown, and I don't really get anything herby at all.

[The_Witching_Hour]

I *LOVE* the effervescent feel to this scent!!!

 

In the bottle: this smells like Trix cereal. Fruity, sweet and tartness from a fleeting cherry impression at first whiff.

 

On, first few minutes: the candied fruits, layered with a hint of vanilla-sugar come alive leaving the initial impression of Trix cereal far in the background.

 

Settled down, after an hour or so: the sandalwood, or something reminiscent of it with a slight tinge of vanilla/musk is what stays the closest to the skin. The candied fruits waft up every so often rendering this Moon quite the BEAUTY!

 

There are notes in here I'm unfamiliar with but overall this is a very "Happy" blend and an instant keeper!

[nineveh]

The candied fruit reviews for this scared me, because that sounds like something that wouldn't work for me at all. Luckily, HGM smells like neither fruit (fruit blends tend to turn fake or plasticky on my skin) nor candy to me.

 

It starts out as a crisp, fresh grapefruit that's slightly tart but not sour. I didn't care for other grapefruit scents I've tried, but for some reason, I really like this.

 

HGM loses the dominating grapefruit when it dries down, and becomes a very pretty mix of light, smooth woods and subtle vanilla. I think it has the same feel as Spirits of the Dead, and would be very good in hot weather.

 

Not my usual taste, but I love this.

Edited July 20, 2006 by nineveh

[gaai]

Thanks to GypsyRoseRed who got this for me at Will Call.

 

Okay......I think I'm weird......I don't get the grapefruit......I get musky melon

As it dries more of the wood and the sugar and vanilla comes out. I only get the smallest hint of ginger.

I'm really liking this moon, it's, imo, a nice, light, fruity, summery blend

 

And of course......you gotta love that label!

[hangingfire]

In the bottle: Rich, sweet vanilla and fruit. A little cloying at first blush, which worries me.

 

On, wet: Oh, better now. The vegetal elements cut the sweetness, as does the ginger.

 

Drydown: It just keeps improving as it goes. Much less sweet and more complex, playing the grapefruit, wood, and ginger notes off each other against a background of vanilla.

 

Very, very nice. Up there with Holiday Moon as my favorite lunar blends for the year.

[Belladonnastrap]

First Sniff

Fruity bubbly sort of green kind of mannish scent. It's weird. I get nothing of the usual scents I get with the other lunar oils.

 

Wet

There is this male cologne called Azzaro Chrome that literally makes me want to devour a man when he wears it. HGM smells EXACTLY like that. Probably one of the most green scents I've ever smelled from BPAL, it reminds me of a very fresh rainstorm. I'm getting none of the vanilla/candied fruits that others seem to get. Maybe my body chemistry is just weird. I get a little hint of ginger but not much at all.

 

 

Drydown

TBD

[Scylla]

I have to start my review by saying that Hungry Ghost Moon is my favorite lunacy blend to date! It knocked my previous favorite, Buck Moon, down a notch.

 

In the bottle: Sweet, very juicy fruits, and do I smell coconut? Perhaps it's the smokey vanilla. Or maybe the sugar cane.

 

Wet, on my skin: The fruits fade into the background and now I can smell the woods and a citrus fruit and a tanginess. Presumably, it's the grapefruit, but it smells sweeter than grapefruit usually does on me. Part of the tanginess might be the rice wine. At this stage it reminds me of Perversion without the leather.

 

On drydown: The musk, aloe, resins and herbs definitely appear to be the base notes. They are a really lovely anchor to a really lovely scent. I don't detect any ginger.

 

I'm so thrilled that HGM works on my skin! It goes through quite a few stages, but each one is better than the next. The bottle art is great, and I am so glad I bought the shirt!

[Ah Xia]

I second Scylla! This is my favorite Lunacy of all the ones I have smelled, and it smells the most different, too.

 

It's a wonderful smoky rich grapefruit with thick sugary undertones, and the slightest hint of something green and herbal on my skin. It reminds me of Taiwan, where I once lived, with the richness of the scent and the wonderful combination of notes. It smells familiar, comforting and exotic all at the same time.

 

You must get your hands on this scent! If you don't usually go for the Lunacies, this one is really different, truly a masterpiece!

[coulrophobe]

In the bottle: Sharp citrus

 

On: Ah, that's better! The grapefruit loses it's sharpness quickly, and it becomes a sweet, fruity blend. There's a "roundness" to it that I'm attributing to the musk and vanilla - those notes aren't pronounced, but I can smell them if I sniff deeply. It starts off a bit "green" to my nose, but after it's dried down the color association I'm drawing from it is a mellow peachy color.

 

Basically, I'm echoing everyone else here. HGM is lovely.

[Thorne]

My favorite Lunacy! One of my favorite BPAL scents of all time. In the bottle, it's a sweet, citrusy lemon burst, strong but not bitter at all. On my skin, the citrus fades quickly into a soft haze of creamy, delicious sugary vanilla rice pudding kind of smell. There's just a faint hint of the wood in the background, very very light. It's comforting and calming and fresh, so perfect for hot summer nights. Mad love for the ghosties!

[aidenraine]

Hehheh "ho wood".

 

 

Anyway, this smells deliciously citrusy in the bottle. You know Lush's Happy Hippy? Well, maybe not, but anyway, it smells just like that in it's bottle.

 

Nice label, btw.

 

On my skin... woah, it's sort of rolling waves of different aromas. Citrusy, green, musky, tart. The musk makes it smell familar, as does the sandalwood. I think I faintly smell the vanilla. Mmmm vanilla.

 

I wonder what I'd smell if I weren't reading the scent listings though. Mostly grapefruit and musk.

It's nice for this unbearably humid day, and for summer in general.

 

As it sits, it is definitely softening, and the grapefruit is getting masked a little. It smells a bit, now, like greenhouse.

[Melantha]

Hmm. I wanted to love this because of the description and associations, and I hoped that the other notes would overpower the grapefruit, because I don't like it as a perfume scent.

 

Nope. The grapefruit is strong in the bottle, and strong on me. I don't like this very much, which is sad; it's the first Asian moon I haven't loved.

 

Off to the swap pile!

[Nekomata]

In the bottle: Juicy, sweet and green. Kinda like gummy worms!

 

On Skin: Grapefruit, wood and sugar.

 

Dry down: The musk and vanilla come out with the woodsy scent backing them.

 

Overall this scent is wonderful, sweet, light and complex, I'm sad I only bought one bottle.

[Eunice]

I love the smell of the white grapefruit and musk combined. The aloe gives this a lovely light green scent. The ginger is more sugered ginger than fresh but that could be the sugarcane coming out. I'd expected this to be a crisper scent but Hungry Ghost Moon is very mellow and refreshing. This couldn't have come at a better time! A perfect cool summer scent.

[requieminblack]

Oh yummy! This is really foody! The first thing I get from this is gingered honeydew melon. I know there is no melon listed as being in it, maybe it is the aloe I smell? After a few minutes this morphs into something I can only describe as 'Shub Light'. It's like the perfume Shub Niggurth's cute little sister wears that smells like ginger candy melon pie. Omg, I am in love!

Edited July 21, 2006 by requieminblack

[filigree_shadow]

On me: Sugary grapefruit. It's cool and refreshing. Light and clean. I'm not getting a whole lot of herbs or woods out of this. But since it's not overly sweet or citrusy, I know something must be balancing out the sugar and grapefruit. And it definitely is balanced -- this blend doesn't go too far in any one direction. Very well done!

[eviltemptressdq]

eek! Another LOVE!! Today has been my lucky BPAL day...

 

I was scared to sniff this, as I read "sugared fruit" a lot, and I hated Sugar Skull... BUT? This is delicious! I smell sweet fruit... mostly grapefruit. But it isn't "tangy" or sour (like Swank is with the grapefruit). I believe the vanilla really is what tones down that sharpness that would be there otherwise... which is PERFECT. It isn't TOO strong, and doesn't have anything sour... which puts it WAY above Fruit Moon (which was both).

 

HGM is a keeper!

[olympia301]

 

Thank goodness, I have been waiting for months, maybe a year to review this one and it was worth the wait. One of the best moons ever put out. It's sophisticated with a ring of citrus but not an obvious one like too much grapefruit peel. It's just there. Trust me.

 

Not real fruity, subtle. You won't say "Oh, pears and apples and bananas!" with HGM, it's the suggestion of fruit. Really a small whiff of fruit suggested.

 

The rest is very musk like to me. This is a sweet but non cloying musk, it's also subtle and you won't be able to put your finger on it, but it's sure there in the drydown. There is green in here as well, wonderful cooling greenness.

 

Terrific for summer, the citrus blends into the musky perfumy part and really dances. There might be a drop or a hint of anise in here, I am not sure. It is blended with a very knowledgeable hand for sure.

 

I am beyond happy to have gotten a bottle of Hungry Ghost Moon and tickled with the way that Beth put it together. Really beautiful with a bit of whimsy, it's gown up but not stuffy, really exceeds my expectations.

 

It doesn't broadcast wildly but it is fully satisfying as a special summer scent. I would highly recommend it for a silver scent locket on a 99% humidity day like today, when the temps are in the 90's.

 

Balm for the summer soul.

[salamandrina]

I am madly and passionately in love with this scent.

 

It smells a bit like sour raspberry candies in the bottle, but once it hits my skin, it's sweet and smoky and really lovely. To me, it's got some of the sugar from Smut mixed with the fruit and the vanilla. It's ridiculously feminine, but not in a girly way on me - especially during the dry down .

 

It lasts on me for ages, too - I applied before 6am this morning, and at 8pm this evening I can still smell warm, woody, musky vanilla.

 

I might need to scare up another 5ml...

[Eros]

Ocean Spray Pink Grapefruit Juice. Same after application on skin with the addition of canned pineapple. While I love both(to eat), I don't want to smell like either and since I'm not big on the summer/fruit scents, this one will be looking for a new home where it'll be truly loved So if you're a fan of citrus and tropical fruits, this should be a definite winner for you

Don't get me wrong, it's quite lovely, it's just not *me*.

[sophia_helix]

Wow, this is so not what I expected. At first application, this is a bright, sweet, extremely clean grapefruit scent. It fades down a bit, but not all the way, and the sweetness takes over. It's a complex sort of sweetness, though -- I'm not picking out ginger, but it's a general resinous sort of scent, very warm. The vanilla isn't taking over (yay!), and now it's just lovely. There is a hint of a "bath product" scent about this, but the expensive kind.

 

I'll have to give it another wearing or two, but this might be the first Asian moon that worked on me!

[edenssixthday]

Hungry Ghost Moon - This lunar blend opens up with a very Asian quality, but as it dries down, that quality recedes and I’m left with something that is so incredibly gorgeous, but which I can barely begin to describe. It actually reminds me of a commercial fragrance, but I can’t think of which one. I'm actually getting frustrated trying to figure out what perfume this is reminding me of! It’s soft and subtle, but I catch wafts of it when I least expect it – something I rarely experience with the lunar blends, since they usually stick very close to my skin. Once it dries down the notes that seem to dominate are the white musk and aloe with a bit of rice wine and sugar cane mixed in above the tiniest drop of white sandalwood. It’s a beautiful blend and I am very pleased with how well it works on me. Sadly, as with most lunar blends, it does fade on me within the first hour. But I don’t think I’ll mind reapplying this one. And it just occurred to me that I have some Arbonne ginger citrus body butter that this is going to layer with divinely. This is definitely the best lunar blend of 2006, and probably one of the top 3 best of all time (IMHO).