Schwarzer Mond

[taramarie]

The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa.

On me, Schwarzer Mond is a dark resinous scent. It's a darker Sportive Sun, which now that I think about it, makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, it started to burn, so I won't keep this one.

[Czarina]

In the bottle: resin and spices.

Wet: mmm. Almonds, dirt, patchouli, spices. Myrrh.

Drydown: amber, musk, patchouli.

 

Great throw, good wearlength. Made of win.

[Mamacat]

I really like this!!!

On my skin it smells like a really gritty, dirty relative of Snake Oil (minus the vanilla). I get a little bit of that cola type smell but it's not sweet on me at all. The musk doesn't take over but it lets the other resins shine.

[Iceblink]

Wow, this is daaaaark...mysterious and a little naughty and black, black, black! (Not literally. That would be messy.) Strong opoponax and myrrh are dominant. The amber is sweet and the musky is...musky. I do get the cola vibe from this that others have mentioned when it's wet but the drydown is much richer and less, well, fizzy. This is wonderful, and I can't wait to smell it in a year's time because oh, how it will age!

[GhillieDhu]

Oh my... this is good stuff. I'm having a hard time picking out individual notes wet. There's just a whiff of delicious incensey patchouli, dark mellow myrrh, and a hint of something vaguely cologney that may be the bay rum. The geranium isn't overt, but I suspect it may be keeping the whole thing from getting too heavy. Oddly, this is a very subtle scent on my skin. The black musk comes out most strongly in early drydown... I'm pretty sure it's the same as the musk in Two Monsters. Sweetish, but not cloying and not too masculine. After half an hour, it's faded to this gorgeous clinging aura of dark, sexy, just slightly gender-bending danger - more a subliminal impression than an actual scent. This is definitely not a daytime perfume, but it would be perfect to wear out (or in) to a somewhat intimate setting.

 

Verdict: Top ten, possibly top five. If this ages at all well (and it should!), I'll be wishing I'd ordered more than one bottle.

[tinyvulture]

from the reviews, i knew this scent would be perfect for me and really regretted not trying it when it first came out. i’m so glad it has returned two years later. after all this time, it definitely does disappoint! this is the ultimate head shop incense. it reminds me of hanging out with hippies in college . dark patchouli and sweet myrrh are the strongest notes. these are heavy, sticky resins with tons of throw. also, randomly, it smells a bit like coca-cola! now i’m seriously doubting this bottle will last me another two years!

[IronMollyBlack]

Ok, this just isn't fair! On me, this smells like a musty, damp towel left in the laundry basket! I think the culprits might be the dark amber and night musk. I'm going to let it age a bit and try again. Damn you skin chemistry!

[lmaunu]

This review is for SM 08.

 

This is my first bottle of Schwarzer Mond, and it's incredible! I was really worried that it would smell a bit too much like a head shop b/c of the patchouli, but it's far from it. As others have said, it's definitely a dark scent (as befits the moon), and yet it's also spicy, perhaps because of the opoponax and myrrh. I'm also picking up a little bit of the cola scent that some people have mentioned, but don't let that scare you off since you really have to seek it out; this scent is much more complex than that.

 

I'm not familiar with many of the notes in this, but it's definitely gorgeous! I think that this is going to be in my top 5 for sure!

[voodoocatwoman]

Schwarzer Mond '06

 

In the bottle: Gorgeous amber and musk. This is a deep resinous scent that gets up into my sinuses and does not budge.

 

Wet: Something a bit soapy and band-aid plastic-y is present. The longer it sits, the more like band-aid it smells.

 

Dry: Band-aids and plastic, sprinkled with spice. Bleccch.

[inurbanus]

This is for the 2008 version.

 

I love resiny perfume, so I was thrilled when Schwarzer Mond returned. Finally, a chance to try the king of resin blends! I waited a while to try this since I wanted it to age a little bit. I am not disappointed. This is gorgeous, and very interesting because it keeps shifting from one scent to another. At the beginning, it's fruity, then deep and smoky, and now it's gentler with a strong hint of myrrh. It's definitely dark and mysterious. And awesome.

 

4.5/5

[fireweaver]

when it first goes on I get that cola scent others have described. It goes away really quickly and it's just very yummy. Not a lot of throw, but that's okay with me. Spicy/sweet/dark

[theseagrows]

this is for the 2008 version:

this is a very dark, spicy scent. the patchouli behaves and stays in the background, and i mostly get opoponaz, amber, myrrh and maybe the pimenta racemosa. it's spicy in an almost-cinnamon way, but not quite. very nice. i think a scent like this with added leather would be so so hot. i will probably hang onto my imp. also, i'd love to smell this on a guy...

[Coldfire]

For the 08 Version

 

 

 

Bottle: darker and more resinous

Wet on Me: deepest patchouli in the middle of the darkest night.

Drying Down: the black amber blends well with the patchouli with peeps of the myrrh playing between them.

Dry: The musk brings the dark of night feel to this scent and weaves dark magic over the patchouli and amber and myrrh. Such a lovely well done blend!

[Dark Alice]

In the imp: Dark, evil patchouli?

 

drydown: Gorgeous dark resinous something. A little green around the edges. So glad I bought an imp. Don't think its bottle worthy though. I am going to age it to see how it stands out.

[Indigo78]

Schwarzer Moon '08

 

The swooning reviews of previous versions sparked my interest in this one, but I was unable to get it during the limited release. Swaps are the shiznit.

 

In the bottle: very beckoning. It's really the strongest bottle in my stash at the moment, and just uncapping the bottle blasts my nose with a cautionary punch of patchouli. Really "dangerous", come-hither and dark, much more so than on the skin.

 

Applied it with abandon to both wrists, and noticed the cola-scent others have talked about almost immediately. I don't know if this is the pimento or what, but its very sparkling and sweet. The patchouli and myrrh are both shoved cleaarrr to the back of this blend for about twenty minutes, before balancing out and becoming sort of cedary. I get the old-parlour scent (i.e. powder) rather quickly, blended with a warm darkness & spice. SM is unapologetically (and loudly, at first) sensual, and darkly sweet...Glad to have a bottle.

 

Aging will only make it better.

 

Edit 2/24/09: My '08 bottle has had some time to age, and the masculine feel has faded into a night-hymn of scent. It has no seams now, with an almost fruity quality about it rather than Dr. Peppery. I remember it being much more aggressive, but that rough, stubbly edge is gone. It smells almost like my 05 version, like a down-stuffed pillow swathed in thick black silk. I'm hoping it will continue to deepen and soften so I can wear it more this fall.

Edited February 25, 2009 by Indig0

[jrothke]

Rich, deep, sexy...this is a scent for dark winter nights with the one you love [or lust after.]

[mazikeen]

At first there's a touch of that same raisiny health-food-store scent that I got from Priala. I'm not sure what it is-- maybe an unattractive aspect of myrrh? Looking at the list of ingredients and the reviews I figured this would be total win. What gives? It's not bad, just not something that I'd often reach for. I'm not a fan of that weird foodiness. So far, disappointed.

 

BUT... later it's so spicy and close to the skin. It's cozy and makes me want to curl up on a cold fall night. Hm, there may be hope for this yet.

 

I'm undecided. Time will tell-- sometimes a scent can really grow on me, and this just may.

 

ADDED Feb. 7:

 

I bought a bottle unsniffed simply because it has gotten so much forum love. I was hesitant at first with SM. It seems a bit bitter at first, then turns into something almost foody (yeah, I have no idea what in this would be "food"), but not like anything I could name. Like, a food that doesn't exist yet. I should add that I normally would run screaming away from anything described as foody... but yet I like this. A lot. Over the weeks and months it has become one that I reach for regularly whenever I want something rich and earthy. Anytime I'm wearing dark brown, odds are that I smell like SM.

 

In a word: BROWN. Dark rich deep regal brown.

Overall: Surprise win! This is one of my most often worn scents. 100% bottle worthy!

Edited February 8, 2009 by Shollin

[kjirstiben]

What a delicious surprise! It took me a while to get around to trying Schwarzer Mond, and when I did, it was a treat!

 

It goes on very cola-like. I'm not sure I would have made the connection without reading the reviews, but I get it. I was cautious on applying, having happened across a discussion of its power and throw, but I liked this one so well that I probably could have slathered and enjoyed it.

 

As it dries down, it just gets nicer. It's dark and brooding, but then a certain sweetness emerged... I had a momentary scare a couple hours in as a certain sour-stale scent started to show up, and then everything appeared to be fading away...

 

Then an hour after that, it became delightful. It was soft and resiny, with a slight twinge of an underlying evergreen somewhere in the background. There was even a slight return of the cola scent.

 

This is a keeper. This might even make it to the favorites list. What an amazing scent! It's spicy and sweet and dark, but manages all that without being too heavy. A winner.

[Lumina]

This is for the '08 version. After reading the reviews of SM's earlier incarnations, I went ahead and bought 3 bottles unsniffed My order arrived at the end of the summer, I tore open the box excitedly and grabbed a bottle, sniffed it and...

 

Review mark one:

In bottle: WTF is this?! This is sugared marzipan and it's nasty! Do not like. Do not want. Where the :bleep: is my ambery patchouli-myrrh musk, please?

On skin: It's still the nasty marzipan, only the mound of sugar on top just got even bigger. I think that I would like it to go away now

 

Comments: Look, I know my skin chem is kind of evil, but this time it is really not me that is making things go wrong. According to the notes this is practically my perfect can't-go-wrong scent, why the heck else would I have ordered a 3 bottle stash without sniffing first? Patchouli, amber and myrrh just never go wrong on me, so I don't understand how this has happened

 

Now my instinct was to put my bottles up for swap/sale right away, because SM was just not working for me. But I didn't do it, because so many people posted rave reviews that I just thought, hmm, there's got to be a reason for all the fuss. So the bottles went into a drawer to see if ageing would help. And it does! Testing again today:

 

Review mark two:

In bottle: Medicinal, and I now see how people are getting a cola smell. There's also a touch of almond, but it's not sugar-coated marzipan any more!

On skin: It's earthy-resinous, warm and spicy. The myrrh in here is fantastic, lovely and dry/warm. After about 5 minutes the musk starts taking over, and it's a nice deep dark musk but I'm glad when it settles down again and lets the full richness of the blend show through without overwhelming it.

 

Comments: Now I understand what the fuss is about! This is It's perfect for autumn/winter, when you want some warmth and coziness. For me, scents with myrrh have a very comforting quality, and SM is no exception. It sort of entwines itself around me like a warm blanket. At the same time, SM is a slightly subversive scent, hinting at hidden depths and mystery. It makes me think of standing around the bonfire with the flames high and flickering, and feeling that there's something lurking in the shadows just beyond the edge of the light, just out of sight.

 

I actually think this blend will benefit from even more ageing, so I'll probably review again in a couple of months!

[zomathesadist]

'08 vintage...

 

wet on skin, it's got the same sort of sassafrassy fizziness that people keep mentioning. But really only a suggestion of it, and then it gives way to the scent.

 

I am having trouble putting it into words. SM is very evocative...it's dark (duh) and I wear it when I'm feeling sort of quiet and introspective, but don't want to be fucked with (which is exactly why I wore it today!). It's distinctive but not LOUD. It is present without being obtrusive. It's friggin' great.

 

what i assume is the pimienta racemosa comes out next, and smells like peppery amber. that, combined with the patchouli, is enough to make this amazing. But then the myrrh gives it that slow sort of indolent feeling, and the opoponax makes it dead sexy. This whole blend is dead sexy.

 

The drydown is fabulous...it slowly dries down to a gentle musky sweetness. And it's wonderful.

 

 

For the first time, I regret not having a backup bottle. But I will love and cherish this bottle for sure.

 

Wearlength is great, and the throw is good without being obnoxious.

[djsiberia]

review for 2006 & 2008 versions

 

bottle: something dark and sexy

on: OMG SEX IN A BOTTLE!

 

seriously, the boy loves this on me. amber, patchouli, musk, and what i think is opoponax are leading the way and thankfully i can wear this without turning into that old lady band-aid smell with the patch/myrrh combo.

 

even after 2 years, this has aged really well. opening the 2008 and compairing it to the 2006 version, they are exactly the same - i can tell that the 2008 version just needs some time to catch up to be as deep and dark and even more sexy as the 2006 version. thankfully its not so wildly different that if it hasn't sat around for 2 years, you can't wear it - it's just not marinated as well as 2006.

 

 

i think this is my signature scent (along side rose red & moriarty)

[crebbsgirl]

Oh good god this is sex in a bottle. I love everything about this, and I am NOT normally one for patchouli. This blend ends up going an earthy sweet on my skin. I agree with the poster who said that it was present without being obtrusive. I could smell it all day, but it wasn't an in-your-face kind of scent. The patchouli and myrrh remained dominant notes throughout, but amber and musk were there as well. All in all, this was a beautifully dark blend.

[MisterShrapnel]

I set this aside for a while because it's so complex and hard to read for a wee n00b like me, but I revisited tonight.

Dabbed some on my arm and sniffed. "OMG " I remember thinking "huh" the last time I smelled this... delicious resins. GAH RESINS this is fantastic and I'm glad I could get my greedy appendages on some of this!

Dark and delicious resins. I can't say it enough. And gorgeous patchouli. Kinda syrupy in the beginning for me, it "dries" off and morphs into deep and layered shadows, the cloak of the night, with a shiver of the swirling air from within the dark as you try to fathom its depths...

_{(Okay whenever I try to say something creative I worry that I've read it in a past review and I'm plagiarizing. Someone poke me if I've finally done it.)}

There's also a hint of something kind of peppery in it.

A couple months ago I used to be afraid this would be too strange and dirty but now I LOVE how dark it is, all I can think of is huge expansive rooms, all pitch-dark and quiet, with a growl of the monster stirring in the depths of the labyrinth (kept getting mental images of scenes from the book House of Leaves, has anyone read it?). And at the same time it's beautifully mysterious and alluring, if it is a bit unnerving.

I want more.

[lupidog]

I got a decant of this because I am a noob and wanted to start exploring the Lunacies. I liked the German name; my grandmother is from Germany and I am interested in the culture.

 

From the imp: angry "mint."

 

Initial Application: Evergreen trees. The "evergreen" (which I realize isn't evergreen) then dies down some, and this blends more peacefully, though is undoubtedly complex. A dark, dark nighttime scent. My friend Rebecca remarked it smelled like Chanel (this is her standard gross old lady perfume smell comparison). I am not sure about that, but it does remind me of a heady european perfume.

 

I am getting a lot of patchouli after it has been wearing for a while, but with a more sophisticated edge. I like the way this smells - It reminds me of some of my mother's scents (which did in fact include Chanel No. 5) and of an older time. It has decent throw, but it's not blasting me or others, and the lasting power seems reasonable.

 

Ooh, I am learning! I Married a Vampire from Planet X also has black amber, and that blend and Schwarzer Mond both give me a similar sharp note to start, and have some other similarities. I usually love amber, but I think I am figuring out that black amber is a very strong one for me. This may be what is keeping the patchouli from signaling "head shop." I respect both this and I Married... but feels too powerful and masculine for me to sport (even though neither strike me as an exclusively manly scent). Also, too dark. I usually keep my dark side below the surface, impish and suggestive, and this has a kind of opulent in your face darkness that I may possess deeply within, but rarely want to exclaim in my day to day life.

 

I madly respect this scent, but I may pass the decant on to someone else who will love it more.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Intense! I could've sworn there was vetiver in this one – vetiver andalmonds. o_O

 

First on:

I still swear this is like... vetiver marzipan on me.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, thescent has ”calmed down” - it's dry, a mix of amber, an almostsweet patchouli and a touch of myrrh.

 

After another 20 mins,it's a potent scent of amber, musk, patchouli, myrrh and something Ican't name. It's powerful and dark, very dark.

 

Finally:

To my disappointment, this wasn't quite what I had in mind. It's beautiful, foreboding and sinister – I'm happy to pass it on with high marks!