Bony Moon

[hkhm]

In the stark darkness of February, food is so scarce that some are forced to chew bones and make marrow soup for nourishment. It is a time when we honor our ancestors with fasting, solemn ritual, and reflection on the triumphs and accomplishments of those who have passed before us.

White sandalwood, dry cedar, and radiant, crisp lunar herbs.

bottle: lovely sandalwood and cedar, this is very woodsy.

wet: this is mostly cedar on me with a nice whiff of sandalwood to give it a creamy feel. i thought this was going to be a dark, oppressive scent but it smells bright somehow.

dry: this dries to a very nice woodsy scent, it's primarily cedar but whatever the lunar herbs are give this a more all-around woodsy/shrubby feel.

[Lethran]

In bottle: I am surprised there is no palm or cream in this. It’s startlingly rich, dry, yet creamy. I’m already being seduced by its cedar. Wet: The sandalwood and cedar strengthen, yet it retains its creamy faintly sweet affect. The herbs are gentle and complex, beautifully supporting the wood. I’ve never smelled anything quite like this and it intrigues me. Dry: It goes papery after a while, though retains the creaminess. It really fits the concept beautifully.

 

[Methos]

In the bottle-- wood, herbs, a creamy note, and something that kinda reminds me of seeds.

On me, it stays about the same, though the seed-scent comes through strongly.

After a while, it calms down to a kind of dry, but sweet woodsy scent. The seed-note eventually goes away. I like this phase the best. And oddly, it reminds me of a skelleton in a top hat and suit. O.o

[sadtomato]

lovely!

not quite what i was expecting, but i dig it nontheless.

once this is all dried down and settled into my skin it has a faint soapy/floraly smell i suspect comes from the lunar herbs, but the main note is cedar, which is lovely and dry. a hint of sandalwood blends it all together for an almost smokey woodsy scent.

[Malista]

I was a little worried about the cedar, since the Lab's cedar note can amp on me something fierce, but this is more sandalwood with a cedar-y edge than CEDAR, and I love sandalwood without reservation. The herbs don't do more than freshen the dryness of the woods, a bit, with my chemistry. I suppose it might be thought of as a masculine scent, but I used to wear pure sandalwood oil, and what I get is a close to the skin, calm, quiet scent I think I'll reach for quite often. I think Bony Moon will age beautifully, and that it will strengthen and improve in wear length as the various components marry.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle: cedar and sandalwood

Wet on Me: More cedar than sandalwood now. Since I’m a woody girl I like this so far.

Drying Down: lovely cedar that has been softened and sweetened by the sandalwood.

Dry: still a lovely cedar that is softened and sweetened by the white sandalwood. I’m really glad I got a bottle of this.

 

[jehrichardson]

Dry and crisp indeed! Cedar on top, with a bit of herbal bitterness. The sandalwood turns up later and rounds things out a bit.

 

Very interesting - I don't think this is going to go into the daily rotation, but it's lovely and I like it a lot.

[stellans]

oh, lovely! The sandalwood jumps right up my nose and tickles with a dry, dusty flair which is only slightly tempered by the cedar. I was really worried about the cedar because it most often turns into pencil shavings with my skin chemistry.

I love the way Beth and the Lab manages to convey such wonderful concepts in a scent, and what a perfect Imbolc scent, though it would work just as well for Samhain...

It must the lunar oils which are referenced in each moon description, but on the whole A Little Lunacy is my favorite of all the BPAL lines. I wear one every single night... Edited February 9, 2009 by stellans

[tielan]

I'm not sure why I purchased this - possibly because I hadn't yet learned that woody scents don't do so well on me?

 

Anyway - the review:

 

Sandalwood and Cedar duke it out for dominance on my skin! Who shall be the winner? Cedar deals Sandalwood a right hook to the jaw in the wet stages - hard like grandmother's furniture and with the same slightly musty smell, but Sandalwood shakes it off with a one-two to the torso! This is one sly note in the nose! He might not come on strong at the start, but he knows how to bring a good finish. Back and forth! Uppercuts and jabs! Oh! It looks like Cedar's folded in the drydown stages - and Sandalwood's gotten another solid hit in! It looks like Cedar just doesn't have the staying power! He's down for the count!

 

Sandalwood wins!

 

(Pity I don't much like sandalwood...)

 

This one's going in the sale pile, I believe...

Edited February 10, 2009 by Tielan

[windbourne]

What Teilan said.

 

Seriously, I think I got this mostly reflexively, because I -know- what cedar is on me, and while I love sandalwood, without something sweeter to temper it, it tends to go straight to the land of import shop and stay there.

 

That said, this scent is almost exactly as you might expect. The lunar herbs make it lighter and sharper than it would be with just the main two scents on their own, but otherwise ...yup, Cedar vs. Sandalwood -- FINAL ROUND.

 

I like simple scents, but I really need to learn that simple does not always equal wonderful on me. It might actually make a really nice room scent, though, if you were aiming for a mellow, vaguely Middle-Eastern-without-incense feeling. Hm.

[kohaisama]

In the imp: herbaly cedar. kinda sweet, kinda green.

 

Wet: sweet, cedar with a bit of fresh picked green herbs. it reminds me of some of the herbs used for pickling. I know I smell dill in there. I recognize that scent anywhere.

 

Dry: lovely, smooth cedar and sweet, soft green herbs.

 

This really surprised me. I wasn't expecting to like this one at all. The only down side is that it fades very fast and settles real close to the skin. Zero throw.

[mgrazulis]

A gracious decant from chewy:)

 

In the vial: woodsy, crisp, aromatic cedar and sandalwood

 

Wet on skin: the sweet lunar herbs spill forward with a teensy bit of floral rounding out the cedar. I smell a bit of vetiver, too.

 

Drydown: early stage is more masculine, but as it progresses, the sandalwood and herbs take on a creamy texture. The cedar is wistful now. Quite simple, solemn and enjoyably natural smelling. This one will definitely become part of bedtime ritual.

 

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle: Herbal and light floral.

 

Wet: Gentle, refined, but slightly sweet as if there's floral along with that sandalwood. The cedar hasn't shown up yet.

 

Twenty minutes: Very subtle, understated. I like it quite a lot, but it is so out of my norm!

 

One hour: The cedar has shown up; it's warmed and sweetened this slightly. It's really an attractively subtle scent, very refined.

 

Two and a half hours: I like this one, but it's very light on me. If I keep it, I think I'll make a habit of slathering it rather than dabbing. The faint cedar note is very pleasant, and the white sandalwood is so elegant!

 

Four hours: Still much as before. This one's had a fair chance to wow me, and it hasn't done so. If it doesn't benefit from some aging, I think I'll be looking to trade it to someone who loves it.

 

[meatcake]

This seems to be a very sophisticated scent. The cedar, sandalwood and herbs form a beautiful, yet dry herbal scent that reminds me of Dragon's Bone. On the dry down it does tend to take on a creamy note. The throw is mild but lasts quite a while. I love this and so glad I purchased a whole bottle.

[binkin]

I love. love. love. this when it first goes on. As it dries, the sandalwood seems to dominate but overall it's a really perfect match to its description and fit my mood exactly today (i.e. February Blahs). Sadly, after about four hours it turns into straight hairspray scent on me, and that makes me sad. It might be one for a locket, because I do love it a whole hell of a lot right up until that hairspray point.

[Brianne]

I'm not typically a fan of white sandalwood or cedar (though I don't dislike either) but the phrase "lunar herbs" piques my curiousity every time. Many of my favorite lunacy blends have "lunar herbs". It's pretty woody and the herbs make this seem very ethereal and light. It's pleasant but too woody for me.

[fatimaner]

I just got this today, and oh, I am so glad!

 

In the bottle: Ooh, it's a dry, cedar box in which I might put keepsakes.

On me, wet: Still strong, dry cedar, but with a tickle of the herbs.

Half-hour later: The dryness has warmed up to a smooth, comforting sandalwood

Six hours later: Still going strong on my wrists, mostly sandalwood now with just pleasant touches of herbs and cedar.

 

I adore the balance of this! I would love to see this join the permanent lineup!

[Schmoozy]

Oh this is breathtaking.

A simple combination of cedar and sandalwood with a smattering of lunar herbs.

It is dry, woodsy and very clean smelling. Lunar herbs add a slight perfumey/floral vibe, but this is mainly cedar and sandalwood.

This would smell amazing on the hubby.

It is comfort and warmth and perfect.

[teamilk]

Bony Moon wasn't exactly what I was looking for it to be, but it's still quite lovely, I must say. It is creamy and comforting and something I would happily encourage someone to sniff if I were wearing it on my neck. Wet, I smelled coconuts, which is probably very silly indeed. Very nice.

[msbcozad]

Bony Moon

 

I got only a decant of this because curiosity got the better of me. Cedar and sandalwood? On me? Oh but no. Except... it works and now I'm wishing I had a bottle of this delicious blend. It's cool and brisk without any trace of mint. I think I'll coat my sandalwood fans with Bony Moon this summer.

[Pottersville]

I love me some wood scents and this is a great one. It's verrrrry dry, but seems to miss the mustiness that I've so often found in, say, the Lab's Haunted House series. As others have noted, the blend is surprisingly bright, perhaps "saved" from darkness by the crisp lunar herbs? Sandalwood and cedar predominate, but I find the cedar notes to echo the whole cedar tree -rich, red wood and sweetly pungent leaves- so the sense is one of being outside in the woods under a full moon rather than stuck inside grandma's cedar-lined trunk in the attic!

[CynicalPink]

Decant from a swap! Decided to take a walk out of my usual "floral and foody" comfort zone. Never know what'll surprise you!

 

Imp: Mmmm. Soothing herbs

 

Wet: Yay! A nice cedar! Something creamy too. Definitely getting the herbs.

 

Drydown: I was really not expecting the creaminess. I guess that's the sandalwood, which has a problem of going marshmallow-y when not held down by other notes. The cedar and herbs do a fine job of it. The "lunar herbs" are very cooling.

 

Overall: I'm conflicted. It's a *really* nice scent. I'm just wondering how often I'd wear it. I guess the best thing to do is put it in the imp pile and see if it gets used.

[NixieCakes]

The first whiff I get is coconut. Bony Moon smells almost exactly like Brown Jenkins. Maybe a bit more crisp. Weird. Not what I expected at all, but I love it.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is cedary coconut....

 

once applied this is sooooooooo awesome....luckily my body luvrves cedar.....

and the coconut...

 

i can say this is a dry and crisp and completely unique fragrance.....love it lots!!

[gchris]

in vial: herbal

 

wet: very green in an herbal way. As it dries the cedar begins to come out. The creamy wood note from the sandalwood floats in the background.

 

dry:This gets stronger and smells of the harshness of wood.