Lune Noire

[presotm]

The encroaching darkness: black orchid, jonquil, white pear, white amber, gardenia, olibanum, champaca, sweet clove, tonka, oakmoss, and blue musk.

Wow this is pretty! The pear and jonquil notes are strongest for me and for some reason it's reminding me of a less cloyingly headache-inducing version of Dior's Poison. Me likey! Edited April 9, 2009 by presotm

[Andrea912]

Wet: Interesting; at first it's not my scent, but I'm drawn to it, nonetheless; it's the black orchid and blue musk, perhaps? smells like the mystery of darkness or nighttime...

 

Something about it reminds me of my mom...

Edited April 12, 2009 by Andrea912

[catattack]

Bottle: Fruity floral

Wet: Sweet, creamy floral. I can pick out the black orchid.

Drydown: This scent stays sweet, but the florals begin to amp. But even with the florals amping, this remains a soft sweet scent. After a few minutes, it's become a little powdery, in a good way. I haven't been able to pick out any notes except the black orchid. It's very well blended.

Overall: This is a soft pretty scent. It has very little throw, so I'll have to slather. This isn't a dark scent on me. It's one I could wear anywhere and not offend anyone.

[WidgetAlley]

Bottle: I get a very fruity, very orchid-ish floral at first, with just a hint of soap lurking somewhere in the background. Not anywhere near as dark as I was hoping, but still definitely pretty.

 

Wet: At first very strong floral pear-- a combination which makes for shampoo on my skin. Slowly the champaca, clove and olibanum come up, making it sweeter, darker and smokier. The base note of oakmoss is just gorgeous here, green and a little bit salty. Gardenia is the topnote, which is fine by me! This is pretty strong-smelling next to the skin but doesn't seem to have much throw.

 

Dry: After a while, this turn into a lovely, incense and smoke-touched pear-and-orchid blend. It's nice but not really dark enough for my taste-- so I ended up giving it to my mother for Mother's Day, and she loves it!

[Gin]

Lune Noire

 

This is more subdued than I expected. It's quiet, dark, lightly-fruity, resinous, and floral.

[Eutectic]

I love how this blend is indeed dark but not heavy. The notes form a rich sweetness that is not so much plum-like in scent as it is plum-like in color. A very nice balance between floral and fruit.

[topazphoenix]

When I first put Lune Noire on I got an overwhelming floral, similar to jasmine. I was worried it was going to stay that way, but in a couple seconds the mad floral receded into a beautiful blend of musk, fruit, and florals. It's warm, inviting night air, but there's a vein of melancholy running through it. This smells..lonely. The throw is light. The overall effect reminds me quite a lot of the Unicorn. Beautiful. It's a keeper.

Edited August 4, 2009 by AmandaKay

[Invidiana]

There is something about this so otherworldly that for a moment it puts you in a waking dream. Reading the somewhat long list of florals in the description you may think, oh no, is that gardenia?! (yes, I run away from my aunt's gardenia soaps too) but at least on me it was anything but. I'm guessing it was the blue musk that really provided the surreal air of this scent, because there was just something about it that grabs onto you and can't let go, and I got a little of that (though not as prominent) in Under the Harvest Moon as well, which also has blue musk. The florals in this are just an ethereal veil for the shadows of olibanum, clove, tonka, oakmuss grounded in a haze of blue musk. I can't really pick out one dominant note in this blend--it's just pure enchantment and a true bottled version of "encroaching darkness". A masterpiece!

Edited October 26, 2009 by Invidiana

[reynardine]

Very soft and pretty floral blend. I’m especially getting orchid, pair and musk with a touch of moss and clove. Sophisticated! Dries nicely. Not much throw, will have to slather. But I do love this one!

[countessmouse]

Grape Koolaid. Really. Nearly four hours after application, it is just starting to turn floral on me, but the sugary note is still overpowering everything else. Not a big fan of this one.

 

 

[mxtine]

This barely smelled like anything in the bottle, and on my skin it was nothing spectacular. Wet, it's floral and pear and drydown is floral and light musk. I really wanted to love this. Maybe I'll mix it with something else. The art-deco label is gorgeous though.

Edited August 7, 2010 by mxtine

[girlcalledmoment]

I am so delighted with this beautiful fragrance, which really showcases Beth's talent as an expert parfumer. I bought it on ebay and didn't really know what to expect, as we all know BPAL is hit-and-miss, since it caters for so many tastes. Looking at the notes, I reasoned I could equally love or hate Lune Noire. I have found it to be a phenomenal piece of artistry which references iconic fragrances of the mainstream, betters them, and makes them translucent and dreamy.

This is an elegant, powerhouse floral; not at all sharp though - rather warm and rounded. The predominant notes on my skin are the pear, narcissus, a touch of honey, and some incredibly well-blended gardenia, over a warm and creamy base. It's a purple-smelling blend, and shares a good deal with the similar Dior Poison. It took me a while to spot it, but it's unmistakable - however, if Poison was being worn by someone who suited it completely, whose skin chemistry allowed it to bloom in the most perfect and poetic way, I still can't imagine it smelling as good as Lune Noire. This is lighter, pearlier, more modern, and actually rather heartbreaking. It takes me to a room with white walls, wooden floorboards and French doors thrown open on a dazzling summer day. It smells like the day I took my flute exam. It smells like open artists studios and the colours on geometric fabric.

 

I have noticed that this layers beautifully with Emporio Armani's Acqua di Gio. Hear me out. The Acqua di Gio contains notes of pear, muscat grapes (most people think Poison smells heavily of grape soda), aquatic notes like sea air, tart pineapple and citrus, and translucent white floral accords. It's sparkling, unhampered, casual and actually, though most people left it in the nineties like Poison, it's aged incredibly well. I have been putting Lune Noire on my wrists, neck, behind my ears, and spraying a fine mist of Acqua di Gio on my clothes - just the smallest amount. It is a sensational combination, and most importantly, it's a timely antidote to the fruity-florals of recent years. It all comes together beautifully on cotton, in the sun, with oversized sunglasses and my new Revlon All Fired Up nail varnish. Sniffing myself now, I'm swooning.

5/5

[mymymai]

ITB: I get something like cherry ricola with a bit of orchid or jonquil behind it. On initial sniff, it is interesting, but the longer I sniff at it itb, the more it makes me dizzy (and not in a positive way).

 

Wet: Yum - pear, gardenia, orchid and a bit of the oakmoss behind it. No cherries at all! This smells so different on my skin and I'm very happy about that!

 

Dry: The gardenia and pear are about equal, and the orchid comes in a soft 3rd. I get just a touch of champaca laced with oakmoss, but I must be very close to get those notes. It's nice -sweetly dark and somewhat exotic.

[AmyO'Shields]

I'm really trying hard to like this blend...there's something that isn't quite right on my skin and smells almost peppery, but not.

 

Wet, I smell the orchid, pear, amber and blue musk. It is really nice in the wet stage.

 

About an hour later, the olibanum comes out front and center and this blend reminds me of Odd Portents without the lavender. I think I can smell the tonka providing a semi-sweet creaminess underneath the olibanum. The pear is still fairly prominent, and I think the gardenia is peeking out at me - and that may be where I start to have trouble.

 

So, I like this so much when it is wet, and the drydown is beautiful, just maybe not on my skin. I'd still rate it a 7/10.

[bpalscentsual]

To me, this is a very dry, floral blend, with something that hints at a woods in the background (is that you, pencil shavings?) I suspect that it's due to the aging process that I lose a lot of the juiciness of the fruits, but this turns out floral, sweet, and soft, almost powdery.

 

This is absolutely lovely, more of a "grown-up" perfume from a perfumier than what I normally associate as a "Lab blend", but there's something about this that's truly rich and indescribable, with no vodka aftertaste that some major perfumes have on my skin.

 

In my opinion, this is too old for me, or rather, I'm not old enough to wear this yet. I'm going to set this aside for later and hope I grow into it a little more, because this is truly gorgeous.

[Larinessa]

On me, this smells like the love child of Black Butterfly Moon and Lady McBeth. Deep purple, moody, dark, lovely orchid with an almost wine note. (Guess that's the pear and blue musk?)

 

Lovely, brooding, sweet, and haunting. Another orchid win for me.

[Sidhechaos]

Lune Noir

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL)

Limited Edition (Limited Edition)

Status: Limited

 

The encroaching darkness: black orchid, jonquil, white pear, white amber, gardenia, olibanum, champaca, sweet clove, tonka, oakmoss, and blue musk.

 

oh this reminds me a great deal of my beloved lost shadow witch orchid although maybe it's only because it's been so long since I've smell shadow witch orchid. Still this is amazing. In the imp it was just a melange of florals and spice that I really could not pick out. On the skin that lovely rich orchid scent jumps right out with the faint undertone of incense most likely the amber,champaca, and Tonka chiming in. I think the other florals are there but my nose is clinging to the orchid.

 

A little way into dry down the clove starts to chime in giving this a bit of byte outside of the floral notes. It's nice and I almost want to say drat because it was really reminding me of shadow witch orchid and I'm tempted to hunt down every bottle of this I can find. The pear note has also started to bloom in this and although the florals have weakened they are still there. The oakmoss is also filtering in with its faint green salty scent. It is still a lovely scent as it rounds out but how I wish it would clean that opening just put on skin scent! Amber, spice, and musk have come to overwhelm that initial orchid note for the most part.

 

edit O happy day this one is continuing to morph in the orchid has come back up to the surface now it is a woodsy orchid O if it would stay like this I would hunt down more.

[IambicDearie]

This won't be a really helpful review, but I feel compelled to note this one particular fact for posterity.

 

Out of all the BPALs I have ever worn to bed, Lune Noire was the first that gave me entirely dreamless sleep, something I've been needing desperately for some time. Other scents have helped with my nightmares, let me remember less when I wake up in the morning, etc., but Lune Noire was the first scent that knocked me out cold.

 

Plus the jonquil and white pear really come out strong on my skin and I like that.

[sisterbastard]

First impression: In the bottle, something tangy and chemical with a little sweet cherry. I impatiently sniffed it right after bringing it in from the mail, though, so this doesn't really mean anything.

 

Wet: Really hard to read from the vial, especially before it warmed to room temp (after which the chemical tang was gone and it was just a little sharp and fruity).

 

Dry: On the skin, wow. This is all pretty fruit and dark flowers (a helpful assessment, I know!). It's sweet, and the sweet clove adds a little spice, while the cherry warms the middle. It's honestly delightful. After the first hour or so, it fades to more of a skin scent - really pleasant if I glue my wrist to my nose, but otherwise can't smell it much. But I like it, and am definitely keeping it.

[celestia]

♔ Lune Noire

 

In the bottle: soapy white floral

 

Wet: smells like a sweet aquatic white floral, quite juicy- probably from the pear, even though the note doesn’t sing as it usually does in other fruity floral pairings I’ve gotten. It’s a little peppery...hmm I'm not sure how much I can really say I like this. I definitely don't feel like I smell black orchid... it smells more like white floral on me.

 

Drydown: I’m getting something woodsy and resinous that’s also a little dry- the olibanum? It could also be reacting badly with the clove which is starting to take over..welp. wasn’t very impressive even while the rest of it lasted. Never got the pear.

 

TL;DR: Unmemorable aquatic and gently sweetened white floral

Edited April 25, 2017 by celestia

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Much more pear than I was expecting! And soap. Pear soap. Candied pear soap? Hmmm. Orchid is coming through. It's a much sweeter orchid note than I am used to from the Lab, and a bit high-pitched. Nope! That's the gardenia mixing with the orchid that I am smelling. Gardenia loves to do this "hair spray" thing on me. This is full-on eighties. I kind of dig it. Man it's sweet though! The pear really smells candied on me.

 

 

 

Dry: I wanted to love this. I don't. It dries down to essentially a pretty fruity pale floral. It's not bad in any way, it just doesn't wow me. At this point I am so overrun with perfume that something has to wow me to make it into the collection....