Dragon Moon 2008

[greenranger]

... Our Dragon Moon represents the forces of rebirth and the vigor that springtime brings: dragon's blood resin, galbanum, blue sage, lavender, peppermint, sweetgrass, frankincense, moonglow magnolia, bergamot, and green cedar.

I ended up slathering a bit more than I had intended...because this was my very first serious spillage of the precious. *sigh* For a proper ritual baptism, it was also a spillage of a Limited Edition. My computer desk should feel properly blessed now.

It had better!

There are a lot of notes here that I don't know yet. In the bottle, I can maybe pick out the pepperyness of the frankincense, and maybe the magnolia?

On me, dried(once I finished the cleanup ), it's a light airy scent. I may be detecting more of the cedar, but, mostly the scent is too well blended to pick out single notes. It smells like coasting on a breeze above a meadow.

Oooh, it's getting sweeter. There's more of a floral feel to it now than there was. It started out more green than this, and the floral notes are steadily growing stronger. Edited June 18, 2008 by Shollin

[tartchef]

The original Dragon Moon was a surprise hit for me, She Who Destroys Dragon's Blood (it goes horrible lilac-scented toilet cleaner with my chemistry), so despite being a bit wary, I had to give this year's vintage a shot...

 

Wet, DM '08 is almost exclusively peppermint & frankincense, an odd but pleasant combination. The mint is sweet & sugared, the frankincense a fine silky powder, very different from how it usually reacts on me. As the oil dries, the sugariness fades & I'm getting more of the magnolia & herbs, a nice mishmash of scents, none overwhelming the others. The bergamot & cedar add a faint, almost tart edge, but the overwhelming feel is a jumble of flowering herbs. It goes a bit bitter & faintly soapy on me after an hour or so, as the dragon's blood finally emerges.

 

In the end, DM '08 is very similar to Beth's recent wildflower blends - I'm thinking specifically of the Norn's Farmhouse, Jasmine Cottage, & the East - but not as good with my chemistry. If you wear dragon's blood well, Dragon Moon could be a deeper, more grounded floral - alas, on me, it's ultimately unremarkable. Glad I got to try it, though!

[Sushi-n-Sake]

In bottle: Smells like the inside of an imported goods store - the kind that sell all manner of exotic statues, lucky bamboo plants, and incense.

Wet: Green leaves, incense, dragon's blood, and some sweetgrass

Dry: Equal parts magnolia, dragon's blood, frankincense, and sweetgrass

 

Verdict: I really like this a lot. It's a bit too heady on me to wear every day, but beautiful nonetheless.

[MaeKitty]

In the Bottle: Bergamot, lavender and dragon's blood. Love this!

On Me: Very faint, after only a hour or so. I think I'll need to put more on to really judge. It's clean and warm, and really pretty, from what I can smell. Need more!

Second Time: My skin just eats this up! It's a neat floral. I definitely get the tingle of the peppermint, mixed with the lavender, cedar and blue sage. I wish I had more of the sweetgrass and frankincense to warm this up and give it some spice. It's a great blend, but not for me

[veronicafranco]

the lovely tartchef gave me a lil sample of this one! my first LE. a girl always remembers her first.

 

just read the description, and i'm really scratching my head. when i first put this on, it smells pretty in a vague, shampoolike way. head and shoulders. when all the way dried down, it smells like sweet dragon's blood.

 

i think, from the rest of the stuff i got today too, i must be having a wacky bpal day and should cellar most of what i got and try again later.

[yeahbutnobut]

Dragon Moon 08

 

In the bottle: lavender, sage, green pine and herbs and something that may or may not turn to soap.

Wet on skin: now I smell the green sappy scent of galbanum mixing with grass, sage and frankincense.

Dry on skin: not bad! There is a lot of dragon’s blood here, the kind that isn’t so agreeable on my skin, but there are lots of other lovely things here as well. overall, the scent is very green and red, green from the herbs and grass notes, red from the DB, with flashes of gold from the frankincense. I smell hints of lavender and magnolia, but it seems to me that the dragon’s blood seems to be amping and turning a bit soapy…please no, I want my beloved resins and herbs, not DB…but let’s see what happens.

After a while: no, no, no! dragon’s blood reared up, amped up and soaped out completely! It’s taken over the scent! all I can smell now is DB, not the lovely dragon’s blood I liked in Red Moon and Vampire from Planet X, but the DB that smells like soapy lilacs and crayons on me. The magnolia note makes it even soapier, and I can’t smell any of my beloved frankincense, no more herbs, just a hint of grass, but overwhelming dragon’s blood. it is a bit nicer than the old Dragon Moon though.

The soapy DB lingers for ages until finally I get a hint of something like dry grass and sandalwood.

Verdict: Dragon Moon, you disappoint me again, sadly…I wasn’t keen on the last version. I was hoping this would be much nicer because of the resins and herbs. But sadly, the dragon’s blood in here is much too strong (which isn’t surprising, it’s a dragon scent after all) and, after a not bad start, this dragon goes a little crazy and completely obliterates all traces of the herbs and other resins (I was especially saddened when it trampled over my beloved frankincense) and turns this scent to red soap! So for the rest of the scent’s duration, all I smell here is floral dragon’s blood, and not much else. How I wish I could have got the wonderful resins everyone else seemed to get! Thankfully I managed to find a new home for my bottle.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No, because this dragon’s blood hates me.

If you like this, try: Dragon Moon 06, anything from Ars Draconis, Serpent’s Kiss, Bat’s Blood Resurrected, The Emperor, Allison Gross

[waternight]

In the bottle: Very herbal - sage, lavender, hint of peppermint, cedar

Wet: Still quite herbal. The lavender and peppermint provide a base, with sage and frankincense on top. There's woodiness from the cedar. A heady floral ntoe is present as well - magnolia. The DBR doesn't amp, but it's there in teh background, providing some sweetness. The peppermint adds to the sweetness too, but this isn't a sweet blend. It's sharp and dry and herbal and spiky - nothing smooth here. The sage and cedar add the dryness.

Dry: Heeeeeeerbs.

[Blood onmy hands]

I like the original Dragon Moon, but this 08 version doesn't really work for me. On me, this is a sharp pine-y smell with a soured undertone and a dirty, smoky something. Smoke, sour, astringent pine, and something else that's very off and dirty smelling underneath it all (stinky feet smell? with gunpowder?).

 

I love the label art, but this oil is a major disappointment for me...

[starwild]

This smells precisely like a Yankee candle on me! I don't get dragon's blood at all (sadly, because I love the stuff) it's really more of a wildflower and herbal scent. It smells like a Cracker Barrel, kinda. I like it, and I LOVE the bottle art (got an empty with my decant) but I'm not sure I need a full bottle of this. I can't pick out any single notes, it's very much a blend.

[Brianne]

Wow, this is SO different than the original Dragon Moon - it's like the polar opposite of it. It's strong and resinous and has a hearty, almost smokey base to it (whereas the original is a light, airy scent). It's as if each Dragon represents different elements - the first one represented air and this one represents earth, as it is more "grounded". It's definitely a "dragon's blood scent" so if you aren't fond of that note, you probably aren't going to care for this much. It starts off deeply herbal and green but then smooths out and sweetens up a little bit.

[Miss Lynx]

It's rare when a Lunacy scent actually works on me, but this one definitely does. With such a complex blend of ingredients, I really wasn't sure if I'd like this or not -- it could have gone any of a number of different directions. Especially when dragon's blood itself is a pretty unpredictable note on me, sometimes good and sometimes bad.

 

But this is definitely a dragon's blood succcess story -- kind of a spicy-sweet incensey herbal, very much spring-summer in its warmth and freshness. The lavender, bergamot and mint give it a fresh brightness, and the sage, resins and cedar counterbalance that nicely with an earthy warmth. It's a bit reminiscent of Blood Moon (one of the handful of other Lunacies that work for me), but a bit lighter and sweeter, more suitable for spring than fall. There's a touch of similarity to the late lamented Rage as well, but it's spicier and more complex than that one.

 

All in all, a really well-balanced, lovely, complex scent. Which is very much making me wish that I'd gone for a bottle instead of a decant... Time to start stalking the swaps for one, I guess.

 

Grade: A

[voodoocatwoman]

Just gorgeous. I love dragon's blood like nothing else. It is sweet but powerful. NOT a slathering scent but one to use sparingly or it becomes overpowering.

[QueenFae]

This is a very fragrant, light and woodsy moon. The dragon's blood resin is the base, and the rest of the notes are so well blended I'm having a hard time picking individual ones out. I can definitely smell the peppermint, cedar and a touch of the sweetgrass, but the rest is a mystery to me! The longer I wear it, the stronger the dragon's blood note becomes.

 

This is a very nice unisex blend, and is incensey while being clean at the same time, which is quite a feat in my book. Not a lot of throw, but that's par for the course as far as lunacies go on me. Very pretty!

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: This was my first ever Lab order and... it tested me. Severely.

 

I persevered, because I am a dragon person and if Dragon Moon isn't gonna work on me, what the hell is?

 

But it's here now! And looking at those notes, I'm anticipating something herby but fresh. Yum.

 

In the bottle: It is herbal, but more like a dry herbal incense than the freshness I was expecting. Still good, though. I can pick out the sage and the frankincense, but not the others distincly.

 

On the wrist, wet: Herbal - very herbal, soft and slightly sweet... initially I was about to describe it as soapy, but I think it's actually just the freshness of the cedar, mint and bergamot confusing my nose. Interesting... quite a skin hugger.

 

Twenty minutes later: This is a very soft, herby scent - just a tiny bit resinous, and very close to the skin. It's not dusty or murky, it's very clean and gentle. It's interesting, but it's very, very soft and I'm more of a loud, bright scents kind of person. I think it might make a good sleep blend on me, though.

 

Verdict: Keeper, but mainly for sentimental reasons.

 

Tl;Dr: A gentle, clean herbal scent with a hint of resin, calming and fresh.

[filigree_shadow]

I smelled the dragon's blood in this as soon as I put it on, and I generally like dragon's blood. However, this scent smells harsh. The herbs -- particularly lavender -- and cedar are fairly strong in it.

 

I like dragon's blood because it smells comforting to me, but with this combination of notes it doesn't smell comforting. It smells bold. This Dragon Moon isn't my kind of scent, I'm afraid, but it's pretty interesting to smell dragon's blood in this sort of scent.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

There are a whole lot of smells comming out of this tiny imp. I’m having a hard time picking them all out but I can deffinetly smell the cedar, peppermint and frankincense.

 

On My Skin

I expected this to be a bit stronger with all of the intense notes that are listed, but it’s not that strong at all. It’s a mellow blend that doesn’t really have any one note dominating the scent.

 

After a Bit

It smells a bit musky. All the notes in this have seemed to combine into a giant mess of scents resulting in a oddly fascinating blend. I can’t tell if I like it or can’t wait to scrub it off.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent – 2.5 Throw – 3 Longevity – 3.5

Over all – 2.5

 

Final Thoughts

I’m going to have to test this one again, I just can’t seem to make up my mind if I love it or if it’s nasty. Weird how that works sometimes.

 

As an afterthought, maybe I'm having such a hard time with this because it's my time. I really should test this again in a week or two.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Resin, lavender, and some other delicious herby scent.

 

Wet: Resin and lavender, with peppermint and something that smells floral. Invigorating; I like it.

 

Twenty minutes: Sweet floral, strong resin, and herb. It's unusual, and I still like it.

 

One hour: This one is weird. It's not sweet, but on me it reads very sweet, although complex with herbs and resins. I could definitely wear this from time to time; it makes me feel good, somehow, optimistic, encouraged, something like that.

 

Two hours: Still yum. I didn't expect to like this one at all, but I really do. I'm glad I have a whole, clean imp of it.

 

Three and a half hours: Still win.

 

Seven hours: And still win.

 

I picked this up in a circle swap. What a lovely surprise!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

so, i almost didn't buy this one because it just sounded like it'd be awful on me. but the completist in me couldn't handle the thought of skipping a Lunacy, so i got it anyway...

 

see, i don't like the Lab's Dragon's Blood. and i hate peppermint. don't like cedar or lavender. don't much care for frankincense. sage is okay. love magnolia. tolerate bergamot & sweegrass.

see where i'm going? this just looks like all kinds of awful for me.

 

and yet it turns out i like it enough to do a review for it!

 

on my skin it is very herbal-sweet, all sage and sweetgrass. and i guess it is the magnolia in it making it feel creamy and giving it the same sort of milk-leftover-from-a-sweet-breakfast-cereal thing that The Oval Portrait gives me.

 

i am honestly quite shocked at how much i love this blend. i never, ever would have guessed it.

[Seadreamer]

This was my first Lunacy. I can't believe I haven't worn it again since I got it!

 

Before anything: I haven't smelled Dragon's Blood incense by itself, so that is limiting me here, I know. That being said:

 

In the bottle: Red! Yummy, juicy, spicy (but not overly so) and warm.

 

Wet on skin: More of the same as above, but I don't really get lavender, cedar or peppermint. Peppermint? Really? *tries again* Nope. This just smells... red. It's the most intense smell/color association I've ever had. It's not berries or fruits, although it is fruitful, somehow, if that makes ANY sense at all.

 

Drydown: After 4 hours (yes, really. 4 HOURS) I finally get a whiff of lavender. And maaaaaybe mint, but I might just be wanting it too much. It's softer now, but still lovely. It's a scent that makes me think of velvets and brocade. Really luxe, in other words. I absolutely adore it. I think I'd be more prone to wear it in the cooler months, because it would be overpowering to me in the heat. But now, in November? Oh, perfect timing. This ones goes on the "Keeper" chart.

[Aldercy]

Hm, mostly classic dragon's blood with some dry, grainy powder-- not baby powder, but a fragrant dustiness that feels like it belongs in a barn. Not sure what ingredient is causing that. It's a little flowery but maybe it's the sweetgrass (not sure what sweetgrass smells like). There's a faint perfumy feel, and I have a hard time picking out individual notes besides the resin, which is a little unfortunate because I was quite intrigued by many of the things listed.

 

Not bad, not mindblowing. Pleasant, but an imp'll do me just fine.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a dragon's blood resin on me - sweet, spicy with hints of sugared mints and herbs. Overall, it doesn't change much from that except to get a little more flowery.

 

Yeah. It didn't work out for us.

[Babette]

I was frottled with this by the lovely dixiehellcat and I must say that I am liking it more than I expected! I was only interested in it because it says 'dragon' and dragons hold a significant spiritual meaning for me, but I didn't expect to like it so much. In the bottle, it smells sharp but not entirely unpleasing. On wet, it's warm and herbally, and now that it's dried down, I can definitely sense some warmth (is that the dragon's blood? I am afraid I am still new to it) and sweetness, like a darker version of a herbal shampoo. At first, I didn't like it so much because this sort of scent is something I used to associate with unwashed bodies but I can't stop sniffing myself.

 

Conclusion: Dusty. Sharp. Warm. Somewhat musky, I think. A rather matured scent for me, since I have a liking for vanilla and surgared scents. I am definitely keeping the bottle and probably wear it on cold, rainy days.

[ouch!]

Wet, this is the most green, leafy, herbal Dragon's Blood ever...with some Cedar & Lavender thrown in for good measure. The peppermint is completely lost.

It's so different from the last Dragon Moon, this is darker..makes me think of forests. (In the wet stage of course).

 

This becomes much more resinous on the drydown though, I'm holding the frankincense responsible for this, it turns much more floral too..and sweeter, blends ALWAYS go sweeter on me drydown and when they're dry. I swear I can pull vanilla out of a blend that doesn't even contain it!

 

It's now a fuzzy well blended mix of sweetness and the whole thing seems to have come together to form a perfume that is completley different from the wet stage. It's more rounded and the notes are hard to pick out. Smells like a pink floral.

Edited June 9, 2009 by ouch!

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Dragon's blood, resin, cedar, and plastic (is this the mint in Snow White?).

Wet: Dragon's blood, cedar.

Drydown: Very faint dragon's blood with a touch of plastic.

Dry: All but gone. What little is left is the dragon's blood, which I regret to say is not my thing.

 

My rating: 1/5

[Drarra]

My skin does not like dragon's blood resin. I love dragon's blood resin, so I had to try this anyway. Maybe the frankincense with temper it on my skin! Besides, I love all the notes in it with the exception of magnolia.

 

I love the smells in the imp. Dragon's blood, cedar, herbs.

 

I put it on my skin, and for half a second, I had hopes that the dragon's blood resin wasn't going to turn to soap on me. Unfortunately, my skin must like to disappoint me. I amped the magnolia, which turned this in to a big soapy, floral mess on my arm. I can smell a hint of the sage (yum... sage!). I don't smell any delicious frankincense or cedar underneath this.

 

I really, really wanted to love this on my skin. Perhaps it's time to learn my lesson about dragon's blood resin and my body chemistry...