Thunder Moon

[sarada]

This is the scent of a summer storm: thick black clouds pass over this full moon, the Goddess roars, and Her Beloved hurls his forked bolts of lightning in the distant sky. Ozone deepened by liquid amber, and a spray of hot nighttime rain mingled with the scent of lightning-struck wood, water-soaked summer blooms, and sun-scorched grass.

Aquatics usually don't work for me -- I tried to like Storm Moon a couple of years ago but it was too fleeting, too perfumey. I went into Thunder Moon hoping that it would capture that wonderful after-rain scent in the summer, when mist rises from the hot earth, and the smell of damp vegetation hangs in the air.

This is not murky, but it is certainly wet and refreshing -- yes, there's that summer ozone scent, but it is not as perfumey/cologney as most aquatics are. The scent of dry, toasty straw and parched grass lingers, somewhat like that in Scarecrow, and a faint wisp of smoke -- over it all a succulent wet damp floral (but not an aquatic floral, it's not lotus...just something faintly green and fragrant). But it's undeniably a rainy scent, those other notes never drown it out.

Time will tell if this is something I can wear in the longterm but I'm enjoying the early stages and there is a promise of a thunderstorm here today and every day this week, so I'll try this a lot over the next few days. Not generally being an aquatic/ozone fan though, I still really like this so far, probably because of the "sun-scorched grass" and the hint of warm amber that keeps it from dissipating on my skin instantly.

It's a little like Szepasszony in the summer, to be honest. Instead of being white-blue in a cloud of hailstones, riding atop a sheet of ice, she comes in on a beam of summer light, drenching the parched land.

Drydown (several hours later): Wow, check out that amber coming out! Incredibly, after it dries down there is a distinct resiny odor, like amber resin that was burned and is now extinguished. A really lovely surprise. Keep in mind that my skin lives to emit resinous odors. This is the perfect finish for my tastes.

[copyshopclerk]

In the bottle: OZONE. Wow. OOOOZZZOOONNNEEE. Kind of bitter and somewhat sour.

 

On: Sharp ozone, sourness. The ozone is so strong I can't really make out anything underneath. I did some house-cleaning yesterday and this reminds me of that sharp cleaning smell.

 

Dry: As it starts to dry, the other notes come out - I can pick out the amber, something softer and sweeter underneath as the ozone fades. There is a toasty scent, and something that reminds me of being in a cornfield in September after all of the cornstalks have gone gold and dry. My husband thinks it smells really nice.

 

I don't dislike this, but it's not quite what I expected - the ozone is a bit much for me in the early stages (and I usually really like ozone!) I think I'm going to hang on to the bottle for now (the label art is lovely) and see if it ends up settling down.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Ozone @__@ Woah ozone.

 

On me:

That initial sniff frightened me, because this is what ozone typically smells like on me. This sort of overwhelming soapy/clean/zesty smell. Which isn't bad really, I just don't really dig it.

 

Which may make you ask, "Well why did you get THUNDER MOON of all oils then?" - which is fair enough, because the first thing I thought when I read the description was, "Yeah that's totally not for me". But I loved the name, as I have a thing for thunder storms and I was just hoping it would turn out different on me.

 

I really wanted to love it, but this is like most other ozone scents on me. It's unisex, but borderline masculine and reminds me of Irish Springs soap. It's clean, kind of soapy and zesty/fresh. Which is pleasant enough, it's just not for me. Smells a lot like laundry - maybe it should have been called Tide and Downy Moon lmao.

 

Final note:

Those who love a good clean scent or a good ozone scent will adore this, I've got no doubt. It's pretty and very fresh and I imagine it'll get a lot of use from people during the hot months. It's too soapy/clean for my own tastes though.

[starrykitten]

Thunder Moon has a lot of the "traditional lunar oils" quality that a lot of the Lunacy scents have. But it's more masculine, which I gets fits the idea of thunder. It's probably the ozone. It's still a pretty subtle scent with decent staying power.

[forspecial_plate]

This does start out rather sporty and clean smelling, masculine some might say. I was expecting a blast of ozone but the ozone is actually more subtle and very much blended in with the other notes. After a few minutes, there are some soft, pretty notes coming out, the amber and flowers I guess. These notes turn this into something softer and prettier than I was expecting (a good thing), and keep this from crossing into completely masculine territory, IMO. Overall the throw is somewhat lighter than medium, and the scent has faded a lot after 2 hours, but it's definitely still there, and really hasn't morphed a whole lot. I don't think this is soapy but others might consider it soapy. I think it's just a great, fresh, bracing but also soft and subtle scent. Great for hot summer weather.

 

Comparing it to some other aquatics......it's less salty and 'misty' than Kingsport, sweeter and prettier than Jolly Roger, a lot less ozone than Tempest, and definitely sweeter and softer than Cthulhu (I meant The Deep Ones). Also keep in mind that my skin sometimes cranks up sweet notes. And.....I don't smell much in the way of woods, or anything scorched in this scent. I was expecting something like the woods in 51 and I think it's almost there way in the background, but just barely.

Edited June 18, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[shadesong]

In bottle: Y'know how Storm Moon captured the clear, crystalline moment before the storm? Thunder Moon captures the moment after that, right before hell breaks loose. Smells like standing outside in a hurricane.

 

On me: Gorgeous dark ozone. Mmmm. Must do a side-by-side comparison between this and my beloved Storm Moon...

[readiness]

In the bottle the ozone is over powering but once on it calms down a lot. It's staying power is AMAZING (washed it off last night and can still smell it on my wrist!) as is it's throw.

 

I have to be completely honest and mention that my dad thought it smelled like ye olde brothel (I think because I was a) sweaty and the amber was really strong). I don't believe him. In general a lovely scent though not one of my favorites

[edenssixthday]

Thunder Moon - I love aquatics, so I was looking forward to trying this one out. It didn't let me down at all. It's not an ocean-aquatic, but more the scent of the air after a powerful, summer, afternoon thunderstorm -- full of ozone and highly charged, almost static with electricity. As it dries down, the amber comes out much stronger than it does initially, giving it a hint of powdery sweetness, and it becomes very much an ozone-amber scent. Although this is probably considered gender neutral, to me, it seems somewhat masculine, and I told my husband that as soon as he's not stuffed up anymore, I'm going to be having him give this a test run. I think it will smell absolutely fantastic on him. I was looking for the perfect word to describe the overall scent, and saw Forspecial Plate's term "sporty" and I realized that's exactly what it is. It's sporty. It has a nice level of throw and the staying power is quite impressive for a lunar blend, most of which fade on me quickly.

[slave1]

THUNDER MOON

 

In Bottle: Clean soapy ozone

 

On Skin: I am a thunder freak, so there was no question I had to get this scent. In my ideal world there would be a thunder storm every other day. This scent is so clean and fresh, a bit more soapy than ozone to me. It’s also quite masculine. It seems most ozone/soapy scents seem masculine to me because they resemble colognes. There is a slight resinous background, the amber I’m sure, but it’s very distant. There is a sweet note, so while it’s clean, it’s not overwhelmingly sour like some soap notes go on me. The wood is also very clean, maybe sandalwood? I get a grey/blue feel from this scent. Warm ozone, not cold even though I said I get cooler hues from this. If the soapyness of this was a little lighter, I might see it being real “rain” like, but since it is quite strong it smells more like the “rain” scent in cleaners, detergents and the like. Still, it’s quite nice and I’d love it either on my husband or as a room scent. Ozones just don’t tend to like my skin. Fairly strong to medium throw and average wearlength.

[glass_cat]

Whoa... definitely apply your Thunder Moon with a very light hand. After wearing this all afternoon, I personally now think of it as Tempest's older, more outspoken, slightly tomboyish sister, so yes... this is an clean, fresh, ozone-y aquatic, but it's an incredibly strong one, even for me who is a diehard "rain scent" lover.

 

The person who described this as "sporty" hit the nail right on the head. It is that, and when freshly applied, Thunder Moon most reminds me of some type of bracing, "sporty" bar soap like the ones my dad used to use when I was younger... something along the lines of either Coast or Irish Spring. It's very "cologne-y" and a lot more masculine than I think I was personally expecting from a lunar oil. However, I'm one of those people that doesn't mind the more masculine blends as long as they don't have that "uber-aftershave" undertone to them that a couple of the more manly BPALs have to my nose. This doesn't smell that way to me. It's just very fresh, soapy, and... well... "sporty" really is a good word for it. The "soapy" element to this will probably turn a lot of people off, but I'm one of the ones who actually likes that, so it's more refreshing to my nose than anything else.

 

After I had this on a while, the soapy-sharp ozone smell started to settle down a little bit and I began to be able to detect some of the other notes, which I honestly couldn't do when this was freshly applied. I definitely smell the amber now, and I think that's really what makes this a warmer weather storm as opposed to a cool weather one (like my beloved Tempest). I also detect some damp woods and florals as well, although I couldn't tell you which ones specifically. Very nice effect though!

 

Thunder Moon really was a surprise. All the lunar oils I've personally tried so far have been much more understated and delicate as a rule. This was a much stronger, louder scent than I was expecting, but it's no less beautiful and complex than any of the others for that. I'll just have to remember to apply sparingly next time. Either way though, this really does bring to mind the electric energy of summer thunder storms, which is what really sold me on it in the first place. It will be something I love to reach for on days like today when it's hot, muggy, and cloudy out... especially if I want to get my juices flowing enough to work on artwork or some writing.

Edited June 14, 2007 by glass_cat

[themerrybaker]

Whoa... definitely apply your Thunder Moon with a very light hand.

 

Yep. These Thighs have a serious Whoa-Zone thing going on. Like inhaling the smoky remnants of a lightning-zapped miscreant. Thunder Moon then goes through its happy beauty parlor of wonderful hair products stage before settling down to a clean herbal stickiness-busting grassy summer scent.

 

This is definitely a good one for humid weather.

[Extispex]

In the bottle, this definitely has that ozone kick. A beautiful, edgy calm-before-the-storm kind of aroma. Smelling it actually makes me want to run out into a thunderstorm.

 

Now if we'd only have a thunderstorm.

 

Once it hits my skin, eek! Aqua-velva. Very soapy, after-shavey on me. I really really wanted to love this. Everything about it sounded so wonderful, and I imagined to be kind of like Black Tower, with amber instead of leather, summer blooms instead of wine. But it didn't go that way at all on me. Bracing, yes, but in a sharp astringent kind of way.

 

It does eventually go very pretty, and after a long while I get the amber warmth and smoky grasses, but its such a long wait for it to really bloom. I think I'll give it another try when my hormones settle down later this week, but I may end up sticking with my beloved Black Tower when I want a stormy kind of scent.

[alicia_stardust]

Thunder Moon

 

I was so excited when Beth released this. The description takes me back to when I first left home to go to college. I was living in the red rock desert and they had the most amazing thunderstorms I've ever experienced.

 

I am not disappointed.

 

In the bottle: I get a watery, charged ozone scent. It's not soapy to me. It feels full of that sort of energy and build-up you get in a storm.

 

On my skin: I immediately get a water-soaked floral. There's a very light sweetness and lunar quality there, and it's just amazing. That sits on top of the ozone for a quite a while. After that, the amber starts to kick in and I almost, almost get a melon-mint quality that goes alongside a very subtle wood something.

 

Strong throw, long wear-length. Overall this is beautiful and it captures the essence of a Thunder storm just perfectly.

[Keristai]

Thunder Moon was a complete surprise. First on it reeked (in a very good way mind you) of Nylarthotep! which is in my top 5. I twitched a little bit with it first on not too sure if i liked it or not (just as i did with the aforementioned) then i caught the same note that I adored in Nylarthotep. While the two scents are comparable Thunder moon is more feminine to my nose, perhaps its just how my chemistry changed it.

 

After having it on all day and seeing it morph from spicy and clean and almost citrus now its all sugary and whatever gives the feminine softness that I'm picking up from is at the top of its game, theres a watery, even slightly electric quality further back.

 

Thankfully I don't get a floral out of it (they don't work on me). More marks in the amber and aquatics tallies.

[taramarie]

In the bottle and wet on my skin, I get what I assume is ozone (I've never smelled that note before) and rain. Thunder Moon is a very fresh aquatic. I know there's a commercial men's cologne out there with a similar smell, but I can't remember which one. Dry on my skin, I'm getting hints of grass and a tiny bit of flowers. I'd say Thunder Moon is gender neutral, bordering on masculine. I like it and I'm glad I have the bottle, but I can't see myself wearing this often.

[harmonyfb]

In the imp, and wet on my skin: ozone, ozone, ozone.

 

Dry: As someone up-thread noted, there's a men's cologne that smells very like this. As someone else noted, "sporty" is a good adjective. Or it would be, if I were a man. Bleah. Not for me.

[jayla]

On me, Thunder Moon smells "flowery fresh", like a meadow of wildflowers after a storm. When I first put it on, the smell was very strong. The smell was slightly reminiscent of mountain rain dryer sheets, but without the itchy nose. (Scented dryer sheets usually make my nose itch, but I do like the smell.) After five minutes, it calmed down a bit. No more dryer sheet smell, just wet flowers. I think this is a very uplifting scent.

This also has great staying power. I tested it last night, and I can still smell it this morning.

 

Thumbs up!

[waternight]

In the bottle: Strongly ozone and aquatic. There’s a salty-wood note flirting with my nostrils too. And the barest hint of watery floral.

Wet/Drydown: Ozone and salty, water-stained wood. I can’t really pick out the scorched grass, though I am getting a vaguely “green” note in here. Mmm… I love the salty-ozone-aquatic thing going on here. This is a cold aquatic – it’s the deep cold of the ocean at night, out in the middle of the water, no land in sight.

Dry: Grassy ozone with salty wood and waterlogged florals. I adore this.

[stellans]

Imp/Bottle: Ozone. Ozone so strong it almost brings tears to my eyes. Since Storm Moon didn't work on me, I hesitated about ordering this Lunacy, but the other notes listed made me want to see if there was a blend with ozone that I could wear. It's not looking good so far...

 

First Applied: The ozone note is the only thing I smell, and even though I just barely dabbed on a teeny bit from the lid with a toothpick, this is one strong note! However, Mr. Stellans immediately said, "What is that one? It smells great!" Hmmm. Have I found something with which to lure him to the dark (BPAL) side???

 

Dry Down: Wow, it does morph into something lovely! I'm liking it, but not enough to add to my nightly Lunacy rotation, mainly because it just takes too long to move through the ozone stage. I think I'll decant a little for Mr. Stellans to try out, though.

 

Final Verdict: 2 out of 5 stars.

Edited July 21, 2011 by stellans

[czuba]

In the Bottle: Clean, kinda soapy (like Zest). I think this is the Ozone (this is my first ozone scent).

 

On skin wet: Still that strong ozone/soapy scent. Emerging is something like wet lillies.

 

On skin dry: About 1 - 2 hours later - softer floral, rain washed garden thing.

 

I probably won't wear this on much as it take a while for the Ozone to "burn" off.

[QueenFae]

This is a very strong, deep ozone/aquatic scent. This has a ton of throw for a lunar blend, and I can smell the small amount I put on my wrist from a mile away. This is very, very masculine to me, and sort of reminds me of an expensive gentleman's cologne. There is a heady sweetness underneath the sharp ozone, a combination of the amber and the wooded notes.

 

This is way too masculine for me, but I have a feeling the boy might like it.

[kwsix]

In the bottle, I get a deep, soapy aquatic. On my skin, it's still soapy, but the ozone comes out to play. This isn't the same light ozone that I love in Neo-Tokyo. It's much darker and more masculine. Even though it's dark, it's very clean and fresh, and as others have mentioned it is reminiscent of a high-end men's cologne. Also, I think it's a dead ringer for one of the Old Spice High Endurance bodywashes that my stepson uses. Mountain Fresh scent, maybe? Yes, that's a compliment.

 

The amber doesn't come out until drydown, and on my skin it clashes horribly with the other notes. Usually amber does really well on me, but it isn't working at all on me this time. I can tell it would be lovely on someone with different chemistry, but it just makes me smell like I'm trying to cover up poor hygiene with a soapy aquatic men's body spray. I'm going to pass my bottle on to my stepson, because I think it will be gorgeous on him.

[porcelina]

thunder moon arrived, appropriately enough, in the middle of a storm.

 

straight out of the bottle it is really soapy and clean. my dad likes it immediately, so this is a bad sign. after a minute or two the soapiness dissipates and i get this marvelous, toasty, grassy sweet scorched woody scent. i get NO amber, which is too bad because i love amber. nonetheless, at this freshly dried stage it is quite nice. then, however, tragedy strikes. about half an hour later, here comes the ozone again. ecchhh. no good. this makes me smell like i showered with generic men's body wash and then spritzed a lot of bod or axe on top of it!

Edited June 18, 2007 by porcelina

[jessiesquash]

I'm a little afraid of ozone because it generally gives me a headache. Thunder Moon's ozone though, is very light. Just enough to give it that crackling, lightning feeling. The aquatic in this is very strong at first, with an interesting citrus top note, but I know that it will settle because all aquatics do that on me. It does mellow and I can now detect something sweet - the scorched grass and amber maybe? Others referred to this as a cold aquatic but on me, it's a warm rain. It's very much like those monsoon evenings we get in my hometown. Very evocative!

[Wildbriar]

This is nothing like I expected when I read the reviews, though in retrospect its exactly the way many have described it. Crisp, fresh and sporty. It is not as watery and aquatic as I expected. Instead it is kind of soapy but in a fresh, pleasant way. This one hardly morphs at all on my skin, it is nearly identical in the bottle as it is dry on my wrist an hour after application, and has a good, strong throw.

 

My only qualm about this one is it smells "preppy" to me and I'm not yet sure how I feel about that. It makes me feel like I should wear a pink shirt with a little alligator on the chest when I put it on. I like it, its a nice scent but I really wanted to adore it, and I'm not sure yet that I ever will. I think I will give this one some time before passing judgement because it may be my personal associations with "sporty" scents that are keeping me from loving it like a big part of me wants to. It may also turn out to be one of those scents that have appropriate occasions, and sitting in front of the tv with my laptop just ain't it.

 

ETA: Ok, several days, and a few re-tries later and this one has really grown on me. It works well with our hot, dry weather and really is beautiful when it warms up. I put some in a purse atomizer with a bit of vodka as a perfume spray and I like it soooo much better that way. Somehow the diffusing of the scent all over my skin, instead of concentrated in a few places makes the floral and aquatic notes jump out and it smells much less Zest-y.

 

Glad I reserved judgement after my first testing because now I'm truly in love with this, it just had to grow on me.

Edited June 27, 2007 by Wildbriar