Chrysanthemum Moon

[valentina]

Her scent is bewitching, almost intoxicating: a sensual incense of crushed mums, red ginger, and pulsing musk … and the air is thick with leaden brown opium smoke that hangs thickly over a seductive mixture of red musk, body-warmed perfume, and hypnotic Eastern flowers.

Normally I do really restrained reviews in a certain sequence, and I'll try to be that way again, but doods, I have no idea what is happening to this scent on my body. In the bottle, I adore Chrysanthemum Moon; it's dark and smoky, but there's an undertone of green. Just lovely. Then I put it on my body, and at first the scent is predominately floral, but it's very spicy, opium-laced way. Then it morphs...into something. Whatever my body is amping smells just like body odor. It's not a warm, round musky smell (as in Smut or Fenris Wolf) or a white musk smell. I'm thinking that the "body warmed perfume" in the scent description is something that turns pretty pungent on me. Heck if I know, but my farmhand body chemisty shoots this gorgeous scent all to hell. Someone is going to be getting my bottle so this lovely scent will be worn properly!

[midnight_aeval]

This was the first moon I was really excited for...

 

However, my chemistry is not turning this into a creamy, spicey blend. Like tartsquid- all I get is musky florals After a 30 min drydown it's less sharp- at first it sorta burned my nose. It smells very red.

 

Maybe my skin amps ginger.. I don't know, but I'm just so disappointed this didn't work for me. I shall try it a couple more times before I decide to let it go.

[damuddymeg]

Well...

 

In the bottle: Smells warm and a little green. I don't get musk, which I find a little odd. Smells, actually, like I've just stuck my face in a bouquet of wildflowers and gotten a snoot-full of pollen.

 

Wet: Hmm. Still no musk. And, um, no opium notes that I recognize either. I'm kind of getting a rancid pollen smell, along the lines of badly-dried flowers.

 

Dry: Pee and pollen. I left it on for an hour, until I finally conceded defeat and washed it off.

 

One of three things may be going on here, so I'll edit this if one or two is the case. Either:

 

1) This needs to age.

2) Even though I rolled the bottle between my palms to "mix" it before applying, I got a layer of one component applied and not a good dab of the full blend.

or

3) It just wasn't meant to be.

[absinthetics]

Chrysanthemum Moon was the first moon I was really excited about. I'm not the type of BPALer that prefers one type of scent to another, my likes sort of localize in different genres. With that said, I thought Chrysanth moon would fall right into a (or more than one) little niche.

 

In the bottle, my first sniff disappointed me a bit. I was really hopeing for the creamy ginger that everyone kept talking about. I only get a wiff of that after several passes, my first impression is a green, yet musky floral. It was pleasant though, and had a warmness to it I can't really put my finger on.

 

However, the ginger creamyness comes after drydown. There is still a hint of floral, but it bleeds out (at least on me) into the faintly ginger musk on my skin. There is definitely a creamyness to it, and .... it still retains itself as one of my most favorite moons. However, it didn't achieve the dramatics that most of the first reviews claimed. But then again...there isn't much 'dramatics' in the vein of opiates.

[eleventhousand]

This is christmas candle and potpourri on me.

Cinnamon and dust and incense.

I don't smell the opium, which is good.

It tickles my nose a bit.

It smells good to me, and reminds me of my late mother.

I'm not sure if it's wearable on me though.

We'll see...

 

It starts smelling like this Satyr oil that I bought at a street fair long ago.

I still don't know...

Edited September 15, 2006 by eleventhousand

[flyingpizza]

Boy, I don't know what to say. I was so excited to try Mum Moon, so VERY excited. I love ginger, I love opium, I love, dry, dusty, fall scents--I thought this would be everything I ever wanted.

 

I immediately ripped open the box and dabbed it on. Instant headache. Urine-y, creepy headshoppy, something wrong and doom-laden, bad memories. Oh, it made me physically nauseous. I don't know if this response is more emtional or psychological rather than olfactory, but oy, I can't wear it.

 

Someone who can is gonna be so lucky.

 

ETA:

After reading urbanruralferal's post below, I think she's nailed it! It's the disturbing feeling it gives me that unsettles me. I have not had this visceral of a reactoin to a BPAL since Nosferatu!

Edited September 20, 2006 by flyingpizza

[nineveh]

I have no idea what chrysanthemums smell like, but apparently they are one of the rare florals that work on me.

 

This starts out as an unsweet, herbal incense with a damp green floral aspect that reminds me of the bouquet section at the grocery store.

 

After a few hours, the smoky part becomes a dark, musty smell, and the floral part fades somewhat and blends in.

 

I never picked up any ginger or opium, but that's okay. I like this!

[sophia_helix]

This began as a very gentle, slightly spicy gingery-incense type oil on me. After a few minutes, I got a dried flower note, and a general sort of sourness. Still pretty faint. After an hour, it grew stronger (bizarrely), and turned into pretty much straight-up dried chysanthemum.

 

Which...is fine, I like the scent of dried chysanthemums, but it's not that striking as a perfume. The whole resin-smoke-opium-ginger experience pretty much passed me by on this one, and there's almost no throw. I'll give it the customary second try, and then let her go with a sigh, alas.

[Poenari]

This is my first lunacy oil. I have passed on the others because I decided when I discovered BPAL that there are so many GC scents to try, that I would just ignore the lunacies and other limited editions. Then I read the Mum moon description, and next thing you know, I'm ordering two bottles!

 

It just arrived today, and I couldn't wait to try it. Slathered quite a bit on both wrists and back of my hand, and now I can't stop sniffing. This is a beautiful scent. I'm not good at picking out the individual notes, but all I can tell is it's a softcreamydustyspicyfloral and I love this! So glad I have two bottles to hoard.

 

eta: I put a little more on before bedtime, and it is now almost 4 PM the next day and I can still smell this! Lovely lovely lovely.

Edited September 16, 2006 by Poenari

[pekeana]

Chrysanthemum Moon is just happy. It's a deep, thick haze of resins and smoke, with just the barest hint of floral over the top of it. It's smooth and strong, lots of throw, and brilliantly melds with my skin and projects a simple, decadent sensuality. And as it fades away to nothing, I'm left with the smell of opium smoke lingering upon my skin: a fitting end to a sensual experience within the Chrysanthemum Moon.

Edited September 16, 2006 by pekeana

[CLFilm]

When I first saw this on the site I thought "if I am a good girl and the universe loves me, this will smell exactly like my most favorite bar in all the world." That bar is the Good Luck in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, CA and ladies and gentlemen, I must be a good girl because this is it EXACTLY.

 

It's a warm, sweet, smoky (of course), spicy incense. (I'd agree with "autumn floral".) I can't pick out any one note. (I'm bad at that anyway.) This is the smell of a place where you are completely relaxed. Your friends are around you and you have your favorite intoxicating potion nearby. Time slips away in a haze and you never want to leave.

 

I want to smell this forever and ever and ever.

[couscous]

A humble list, by couscous:

 

What I did NOT get from the lovely Chrysanthemum Moon:

 

1. No musty, dry, powdery kind of flowers

2. No rotting, heady flowers

3. No "craftstore" syndrome

4. No headaches

 

Whew! That takes care of everything I was most worried about. Chrysanthemum Moon was a shocker for me. From both the description and the early reviews, I was expecting something heavy, swirling with smoke, leaden with autumn flowers, dusted with spice.

 

Instead, I opened up my (stunning) bottle and smelled...nearly nothing at all. Jacob's Ladder syndrome, I tell you. Barely there. What was there smelled like highly diluted ginger ( think about the grated ginger you put in hot water to drink when your throat hurts) and some unidentifiable floral note. Like fading carnations. Really, really pretty, though. I wish I didn't have to snuck up from the neck of the bottle cokehead style to get any of this!

 

On, it was much the same. No wafts of ANYTHING until I pressed my nose in between my two wrists, where the scent was applied rather liberally. About an hour later, it was still faint- but smelled of cinnamon. Ugh. Not good at all, but I can live with it as long as it stays this sheer.

 

It didn't stay that sheer, but the cinnamon fell away, thank God- and, 2 hours later, I was left smelling almost exactly like the drydown of Smut. Uncannily similar, this musk- a close relative of Red, but not quite- creamier, spicier, and vaguely peanutty.

Edited September 16, 2006 by couscous

[finecurvedhips]

mum moon, alas, disappoints me greatly. i was expecting nice musky-spiciness with a hint of spicy/tart florals. it was everything but.

 

in the bottle: it smells almost acidic with sweet flowers. not an autumn scent at all. very dime-store perfume.

 

on me: it dries okay...i even thought about keeping it for all of 15 minutes. then it just went poof.

 

i'm a sad girl now.

 

i'm half-wondering if they had some component issue and had to tweak the formulation somehow. i smell not a hint of musk. or smoke or incense. nada.

[Eros]

O.M.G. I don't even know where to begin with this, it's SO fargin' beautiful!!

 

Okay, first...Mostly what t3andcrumpets & CLFilm said

 

In the bottle it's musky with a touch of *very* light/barely there cinnamon spice. Slightly sweet.

On skin the cinnamon fades almost instantly and I get a touch of perfumy opium far in the background which also fades. Not really getting anything I'd call floral. This conjures up the feeling of being in an old, abandoned candles burning haunted house in the Fall & the whole opium den thing is dead on, too(at least, I definitely get Johnny Depp/From Hell/opium den visions, lol). Smoky incense with a touch of creamy spice, hypnotic...drowsy and just this side of exotic. And that haunting something...

 

Hmm, methinks this isn't a great review...I haven't done this beauty justice :/ I can't stop smelling my wrists, I want to bathe in this! The man was just waking up/half asleep(works graveyard shift), stuck my wrist under his nose...Big smile with eyes still closed and, "Mmmmm...that's beautiful!"

It is

[juniperus]

Bottle: a rosy golden, golden, golden..amber?, mums, something else ..mebbe opium, I'm just not getting a clear hit on it yet

Wet: this is warm and seductive..there is musk here, as well.

Dry: oh. I think there is ginger here. and a smokiness wafting through. there is a herbal sharpness (like mum leaves, actually..a little bitter) underneath..so far this is really gorgeous.

Later: I am SO glad I took a chance on this one (and now wonder if I'll need to acquire another bottle at some point!)- this is a warm golden-red glow on my wrist, seductive and intoxicating. truly breathtaking, gorgeous!

 

 

[edited to correct my tags, I was thinking html when I typed]

Edited September 17, 2006 by Juniperus Intrepidus

[urbanruralferal]

So, I had no preconceived notions about Mum Moon, my first Lunacy. I am still new enough to BPAL to have so much to discover!

In the bottle and wet it definitely has a dry floral take, sort of dusted in a yellowish smoke. Maybe like pollen fields in late summer? I don't know, someone else mentioned pollen...Anyway, there are most certainly chrysanthemums in this. Not everyone likes chrysanthemums, you know.

 

As it dried it really started to smell like something you smoke. A blond tobacco maybe! Yum.. At one point while this was getting used to my skin, I thought, "This belongs in the Carnaval Noir!" A little bit of Torture King, and even a little bit of Medicine Show, without the girly bits.

 

Once it was fully settled in, (and BTW, it shows no signs of moving out, we have a regular tenant at the Chelsea it seems,) it is fucking twisted!

I am smelling an old lady in this, an stylish old lady in a Roman Polanski flick, yellowed around the edges, hell, yellowed through and through. Oh dear, she has peed in her foundation garments but she stills commands respect! You still bring her her glasses of sherry when she scrapes her voice into a request.

My good sense tells me not to wear this, to go ahead and find it a home, but I am holding back. I like it. I'm going to wear it again. And maybe again. Oh god.

Edited September 17, 2006 by urbanruralferal

[maijasu]

Chrysanthemum Moon is a beautiful, sweet, smoky scent. I smell a hint of spice and the barest trace of the actual flower, which is fine with me! It's long lasting, has good throw, and is sexy without being over the top. I could stand a little more ginger, but that's my own personal bias speaking. This is a really lovely blend, and I'm so glad to have it!

[Lorencita]

I thought I would love this one... It has so many notes I adore. At first this is a spicy, smokey scent that I like. As it dries, I dont know what happens, it turns into almost like a body odor smell. I got the same reaction with "O". (the only 2 scents from BPAL that did this, I have about 300) I will age this a bit & see if it gets better. I sure hope it does, cause its a little yucky on me

[fairy]

This was my very first lunacy and I really wanted it to work. It's not bad, but not something I'd seek out. It might have to grow on me.

 

In the bottle it's a floral plus pepper. One it takes a sharp, bitter, smoky tone with some heady flowers swirling around. Out of all my bottles this one has the greatest throw, a drop will go a long way. I put this on yesterday afternoon and 5 hours later my husband still smelled it.

 

There is something about the bitterness that doesn't agree with me. But then again I didn't like tobacco in any of my oils initially, now I'm in love with that...so I'm thinking this might grow on me.

 

It smells really good when layered with The Perfumed Garden...that oil takes some of the punch out of the mum moon which makes it settle nicely...just a thought to those who don't care for the spiciness. try layering it with TPG or another floral to see if you can lighten it somewhat.

[m13]

Wet and for about the first hour, on me this is a rich, spicy ginger (though not as much ginger as I'd like) with light whiffs of floral. Not dusty or dried floral, a nice light sharp floral -- presumably the mum. I'm liking it a lot. But shortly after the happy wrist-to-nose phase -- arrggghhh! no, no, no bad mum moon! -- it goes super sweet.

 

But it's a morpher; the first time i tried it it turned into uber-sweet floral (I blamed the 'hypnotic Eastern flowers' for that little stunt) the second time it morphed into a pure honey note.

 

I'm not keen on sweet. Had this not done two distinctly different things on dry down I'd put dear old Mum up for adoption right now. But I love the first hour and I'm curious what the next dry down -- will it be floral? honey? something else?

 

So maybe I'll give it another try or two. Or I might put it into the holding tank and hope that during the aging process the ginger and other spicy stuff beat the hell out of the flowers.

[jesvet]

I'm bummed, I had a lot of hopes for this one. On me, the ginger and the spices meld into something icky. I couldn't smell smoke as much as dust. The spices were too pungent for me and gave me a headache- it smelled like old lady potpourri.

 

I was tempted to keep it around just in case, but I really don't think I'm going to come around to like it. Bye bye!

[AliBabble]

interesting scent. this starts off well enough - reminds me somehow of other moons...harvest moon without the apples - must be the chrysamthemums, and there's something of blood moon and even sleepy moon, but somehow i'm not grasping its character - it's a darlky sparkling floral, at this point, a bit spicy and yummy. as long as this phase lasts, i love it - but at some point, maybe an hour into it, the opium takes over. against my better judgement, i hoped the opium would not screw it up for me, but like other opium-containing oils i've tried, it goes rather old-lady perfume on me. still, i do like this, up until the opium takes over. i'm gonna stick with it for a bit, and see if it grows on me. if not, i know a few opium-lovers who will enjoy it...

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Spicy flowers.

 

Pre-review thoughts: I was a little leery of the opium smoke and Eastern flowers, but there was absolutely no way I could not get this.

 

In the bottle: How odd. Smoke, musk and flowers. I'm not sure if chrysanthemum is among the flowers I'm smelling, though, because I don't have much experience with chrysanthemum in perfume.

 

On skin, wet: Smoke and red musk. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of either, so this isn't an ideal situation. However, it becomes a bit spicy almost instantly, which is a good sign.

 

On skin, dry: Flowery, musky, spicy smoke. I'm still not sure how much the flower-y smell I'm getting is chrysanthemum, but it doesn't really matter, because this is very flowery on me.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Alas, a bit too floral. A nice, rich, warm and spicy floral, but floral all the same, and that's like kiss of death for me.

[tarotgirl99]

I didn't order this (musk and I have issues), but then I began to regret it. moonarcana sent me an imp...and I began to worry before I got it. This seems like a very popular Moon, and I could tell serious groveling would be involved if I wanted to buy a bottle.

 

So part of me was relieved when it was Aramis on me. I smelled my former step-father's scent and, while he's a lovely man, I don't want to smell like him. On me it is spicy and male...not me at all.

 

Phew!

[edenssixthday]

Chrysanthemum Moon - I could write 2,000 words on this blend and still not fully/adequately describe it. When HGM came out, I said it was the #1 of all the lunar blends. I have to take that back: Mum Moon is a hundred times better than any of the previous lunacies. I’m currently doing laundry and made my own dryer sheets using a cotton ball soaked in Mum Moon tucked into a muslin bag that I’ve tossed in the dryer with my clothes. Not only do my clothes smell amazing as they come out of the dryer, but my whole home smells amazing right now.

 

Okay, so where to begin when it comes to describing this spectacular scent? First, it opens up with the soft scent of chrysanthemums, sweet red musk, and ginger – but not the spiciness of ginger root, rather the soft, sweetness of ginger flower. As the oil dries on my skin, the ginger disappears, and the sweet, seductive, soporific scent of opium becomes the dominant note. The scent is so beautiful at this point that I can barely put it into words. The scent does not morph much after this point. The most spectacular thing that happens at this point is that the throw remains strong for hours, and a good 10 hours after I apply it, I can still faintly smell it on my skin. This is the first time a lunar blend has lasted more than an hour on my skin. Normally, they start out with really strong throw, but stick very close to my skin upon drydown, and then completely disappear within 20-60 minutes of application. Mum Moon doesn’t remind me of the typical lunar blend at all, not just due to its throw and wear length, but I don’t smell the lunar oil in this blend that I smell in almost all of the other lunar blends.

 

A girl in the elevator the other day asked me if I was wearing Opium. I said, no, but I was pretty sure that the perfume oil I was wearing had an opium note to it. She said she could tell because her mom wears Opium every day and she recognizes the scent. I mentioned this to a BPAL friend of mine who agreed that as a former Opium wearer, she could see the similarity, except Mum Moon is better. That’s the under-statement of the year. Mum Moon is better than almost everything. I haven’t been able to stop wearing it since I got it, and I’ve procured a few other bottles, as well. I really can’t get enough of it. Absolutely spectacular. It’s definitely going to be among my most-worn BPAL blends.