Planting Moon

[zankoku_zen]

Budding summer squashes and pole beans, tomato leaves, upturned earth, May's wildflowers, and sun-warmed herbs.

 

Ah, Planting Moon. On wet, you are indeed the smell of a vegetable garden, the sharp GREEN stem of the tomato vine in the sun, luscious and alive.

As you dry, you veer straight through a field of fresh wildflowers and end up lost in a giant creek of SOAP.

Yes, smells like fresh, clean, laundry.

GRRRRRRR.

[yeahbutnobut]

Planting Moon

 

In the imp: greenery, but a much deeper green note than usual. Not at all grassy, not sharp, not floral, but it is wet and earthy.

Wet on skin: oh, this is nice. It smells like tomato vines!

Dry on skin: deep green leaves and vegetables. This is quite incredible! It really does smell like green broad beans and tomatoes, not just the leaves but the fruit too. I can smell squashes, courgettes and marrows, and fresh spinach. So many vegetables, but not a salad-this is growing veg and a hint of soil, and also some weeds. The greenery is very different to other BPAL greens, much deeper and mellower than the grass notes, not a dry balmy pungent green like herbs, it is fresh but not as wet as the lettuce and cucumber notes, this is much warmer, it evokes summer. I swear I get a hint of basil too at times. It’s also not a soapy or sharp floral green.

After a while: this now reminds me of another scent from another etailer (hint-it’s a seasonal themed changing scent!) which, in it’s early stages, smelt very much like wet earth and spring greenery. Though this lacks the floral element of that scent-it’s still all about the deep green tomato leaf and bean vines, and something that reminds me of peas-or those climbing plants with the spirally bits coming off the main stem? It reminds me of gardens, and gardening. There’s a hint of something wet, more like dew than rain, or maybe a little bit of watering from the hose, but it still smells like sun warmed vegetation. Something here also reminds me strongly of fresh spinach and rocket.

Verdict: by far one of the nicest green-planty smells I’ve come across, this smells like an allotment! It reminds me of the wonderful babysitter I had who looked after me and took me to her allotment where she grew all sorts of vegetables, such as the most delicious tomatoes, and this smells just like it, the warm sunshine and the smell of the growing vegetables. It also makes me think of mum, one of her hobbies is gardening, she takes comfort in it, and that makes me think of her finding calm and grounding herself by working in her garden. There’s nothing soapy, nothing bitter, nothing unpleasant or anything that goes awry on my skin chemistry, just the smell of well tended vegetable patches in the summer sunshine. It’s so lovely, and very different from any other green scent from the Lab, not to mention a unique perfume all round! Very glad I have a bottle, and not just because of the Isis label…

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Definitely.

If you like this, try: Jersey Devil, Green Party, Virgo 07

Edited May 21, 2009 by yeahbutnobut

[Ilex]

To sum: Herbal Essences Shampoo and Dirt

 

A-yup. That's what it is, from first application to dry down. On the dry down the dirt steps back a bit and I can in fact smell the tomato vines if I really put my nose close to my wrist. The sweet herbally shampoo note dominates the blend the whole time.

 

I kind of like it, in spite of the shampoo associations, but wish it wasn't so soapy on me.

[sookster]

 

straight sniff from bottle herbal, earthy, fresh beans and squash...

 

wow!!

 

one applied this sweetens up and gets very earthy...after a few minutes the wildflowers are popping through...

very subtly...this has great sillage and one of the biggest morphers beth has yet to offer...

 

most lovely

[Monster]

Bottle: Plants and dirt! Ooh yes!

 

Wet on skin: Sweet jeebus this is incredible! Fresh herbs and tomatos all smashed into fresh, wet dirt. Summery, warm, earthy...love <3

 

Dry: As this dries I can smell more of the wildflowers. Other than that, this pretty much stays the same on me. This is a garden in a bottle.

 

Verdict: I love love love Beths "dirt" note...or anything that includes her dirt note so obviously this one is a winner for me

Planting Moon is very wearable but I think it would also make a great atmosphere spray for BPTP.

[lacyjae]

My friend Meg gave me this decant after flails that it smells like tomato plants. And oh, great gods, it does. It smells like a garden, a veggie garden, fresh soil and tomatoes and beans and PERFECTION. I don’t think I could wear it as a perfume, but by gods I adore, adore, adore the way this smells. It’s a fresh, healthy summer garden full of ripe veggies, you’re walking through and grabbing a bean here and a little cherry tomato there to snack on. Oh gods. Amazing.

[vividdreamer]

Bottled Summer gloriousness. That's what this is. It's fresh and green and sweet and earthy all at the same time, yet those notes--notes that you wouldn't think would actually make a perfume smell *good* enough to wear, but perhaps it would be nice as a room scent--somehow transform into a light, fresh, beautiful fragrance. I ended up with four bottles, more than I've ever gotten of any other BPAL, except Snake Charmer Res.* I LOVE this for those days when I feel like it's "too hot to wear BPAL" because especially right now, in the 103 degree Louisiana humidity, this is just perfect for making me smell fantastic if we're outside grilling or drinking a beer...and it's almost as if I'm not wearing any perfume at all. I just smell like the best parts (to me) of being outdoors in the summer, and that's awesome.

 

I'm DYING to make this into a body spritz, but I'm scared I'd screw it up and end up wasting my precious Planting Moon.

 

*(Though, to be honest, I think I might have gone a bit overboard, because surely three is enough, right?)

[edenssixthday]

Planting Moon - I have a Demeter scent called "String Bean" that I absolutely love. The bean note in this one smells exactly the same. I can't believe how much I love that green bean scent! This smells like freshly-turned spring earth, sort of earthy, sort of rooty, and very lightly floral. If it weren't for that dastardly earth/dirt note, I think I'd LOVE this scent, but the earth/dirt screws it up for me. The overall scent makes me think about kneeling in my garden in the spring, pulling weeds, planting seeds, and little plantlings. I love how it evokes feelings and memories -- I can't wait to do my spring gardening again next year!

[Myotis]

Ahhhhhhhhh! I knew I was going to love this!

 

Definitely the scent of a veggie garden...perhaps after the rain when everything smells fresh.

I smell a lightly dirt covered squash laying amongst the tomato vines.

.

I want to layer this with Graveyard Dirt!!!!

This is incredible!

[diamondstars]

My wonderful Witch gifted me this, after it being on my Wishlist for aaaages. I was so pleased to be able to try it!

 

In the bottle it smells mostly of dirt rather than tomatoes. I was a bit disheartened by this point, as dirt isn't a wearable scent to me.

On skin, the tomatoes shine through and the wildflowers amp like mad.

 

I LOVE this and it is indeed VERY wearable!

 

Thank you dear Witch of mine!

[yewberry]

The scene: A garden terrace in an up-scale vegetarian restaurant

 

A gal named BPAL hopes to make a love connection between two old friends...

 

BPAL: I'm so glad you two could make it! Nosferatu, meet The Apothecary. A-poth, meet Nossy. I'll just leave you kids to it! <exits>

 

Nosferatu: <demurely extending a hand> Nice to meet you.

 

The Apothecary: <taking hand and smooching it wetly> Hey, baby. I took the liberty of ordering for both of us. Parsley juleps to start. Drink up and let's party!

 

N: <sipping> Wow...these are...interesting.

 

TA: Ain't they, though? Used to shotgun these puppies back in the frat. This one time I got so wasted...

 

N: <interrupting> So tell me about yourself.

 

TA: Didn't BPAL tell you? I'm all about the green, ya know? And I'm really into my BODY. You get me?

 

N: Not really, no...

 

TA: You know, like, bigger is better. I'm loud and proud and stuff! Seriously, check out these pecs. <flexes>

 

N: That's, lovely. But I'm more interested in being down-to-earth. I like gardening...

 

TA: Whoa, like, me too! Like going into someone's garden and just beating the hell out the pumpkins?

 

N: <withering> Actually, I just like the feel of soil between my fingers...and the smell...

 

TA: You know what would be great between your fingers?

 

N: Listen...you're coming on a little strong...

 

TA: So ya wanna take a shower?

 

N: No, you already smell enough like soap. I'm outta here!

Edited August 12, 2009 by yewberry

[rayvn1]

Gourds! This honestly smells like green, woody gourds straight off the vine. How cool that the lab could so perfectly capture this summer gardening scent! Herbal notes blend really well and I have to admit this is a keeper for when I need some imaginary gardening time.

[biocarolyn]

Got this from a forumite and it is lovely. I was tempted to seek out earth notes because I really liked Destroying Angel, and these two scents have a similar feel to me, since Destroying Angel reminds me of these wooden boxes of white button mushrooms with dirt that my father used to bring home from Hoboken. This reminds me of green beans, tomato plants, and freshly turned dirt. My grandmother used to love to garden, and they had this garden that we used to put turtles in, and we would be walking among the rows of tomatoes, see a beautiful red one, and bend down to pick it. When you grabbed it, the bottom half was missing, having been eaten by hungry turtles. One of those turtles (I named her Katie) came home with me every winter (yes I could tell them apart) and even went to college with me. So this smells like Katie, which is lovely. Comfort scent.

[topazphoenix]

This is just lovely. I'm getting the distinctive wet dirt note from Zombi and Deep In Earth, as well as tomato leaf and florals. I like the garden-like nature of this. It smells outdoorsy and breezy and fresh and green without being powdery death by florals.

[benthic]

Someone frimped me a testable sniffie of this, and then I just had to pick up a decant. Planting Moon is one of those rare blends for me that goes straight from imp to wet to dry without doing much of anything. It's exactly what it says on the tin: sun-baked earth and greenery. I swear I can smell the warm sun in the oil. I think of all the BPAL I have ever tried, this is the most truly evocative blend, as it smells exactly like what it's supposed to smell like: gardening! On my skin, it doesn't morph at all, just continues to smell like tending beans outside on a warm summer day. Long after it dries, I get the faintest whiff of floral, just the tiniest hint. That's really all the morphing this one does on me.

 

I'm totally fascinated by this one because the smell makes me happy and evokes a strong nostalgic mood in me, but it's also not something I really think of wanting to smell like when I'm out in public. I bought a decant to play with because I absolutely adore it and think it's a stroke of genius, but I don't know yet if I'll be reaching for it on the way to work.

[reynardine]

Someone was kind enough to send me a small sample. It really does smell like turned up earth in a garden. Clean and fresh scent, but not something I’d really wear. Reminds me a lot of Pumpkin III 2009—in that same botanical scent family.

[moon_lemming]

Tomato leaf in bottle, green/fresh/soil first on, dries to overly perfumey dirt.

 

I was thinking Planting Moon would be similar to Arcana's Vampire's Garden, but no luck -- it just doesn't work on me. I wish I had gotten what most other reviewers did, though; it sounds lovely.

Edited August 11, 2010 by karen

[Schmoozy]

This is absolutely stunning. Tomato leaves, soil warmed by the sun, the smell of a vegetable garden after the rain. It's the ultimate comfort scent, because nothing makes me more happy then puttering around in my garden.

[Brighid]

I'm an obsessive gardener, so this sounded perfect.

 

In the imp: fresh, green, a bit floral

 

On me, wet: something vaguely reminiscent of snap beans with herbs growing nearby

 

On me, about half dry: This smells disturbingly like Sharpie. WTF?

 

Dry: The eau de Sharpie is blessedly gone, and this has become a light, beautiful scent -- a veggie patch with herbs on a warm, sunny summer day after a rainshower. Finally, I'm getting a bit of tomato leaf and squash blossom. Awesome scent, but my skin eats it like crazy. I wish it lasted longer.

[Dani87]

Imp: tomato vine, and nothing else.

Wet: tomato vine, and a bit of upturned soil.

Drydown: tomato vine, greenbeans, dirt, and wild flowers.

Dry: the wildflowers come out some more, but everything else is still there.

Overall: this didn't turn soapy on me at all. It smells so lifelike. Someone else mentioned turtles, and I have to agree. I grew up in the mountains of east tennessee, and this reminds me of that. Being a kid, catching turtles, filling a cardboard box with grass, and leaves for the turtles. This smells just like a turtle box lol. It reminds me of planting tomatos with my mamaw. Running around barefoot outside, and threw the woods. Playing in the creek. It smelled so much like tomatos in the imp I didn't think I would want to wear it, but the floral note that comes out makes it very pretty, a.d wearable. This really makes me want to go outside, and plant my sunflower seeds. It's a keeper for sure, too bad I don't think I will beable to find more of it.

[WidgetAlley]

Bottle: Let me just say that this is the most ridiculously gorgeous label art of all time. Amazing Isis surrounded by hieroglyphs and green leaves. The smell... aah. The smell is still clean water, wet earth, ozone, and green leaves. I get the breaking string beans comparison for sure. No squash or tomato yet, though, and no herbs-- hopefully they'll come out to play.

 

Wet: Wet soil, quiet aquatics, and a hint of green florals. Very, very similar to Jazz Funeral on me, although a little less sweet. Still none of the more exotic elements.

 

Dry: The same. Soil, aquatics, a bit of floral, but no fruitiness from tomatoes or squash. This is definitely a close cousin to Jazz Funeral: I will have to deathmatch, but I think I may actually like the lack of florals here a little better!

[ND¢]

So I've been waiting and wanting to get this scent for four years, and now thanks to a lovely forumite, I have it.

 

I feared opening it and being disappointed. aquatics are not my friend, so I feared those reviews as well as I bent to my task.

 

 

In the bottle: Green. Green and open with a tangy note in the middle of a gentle background of wet plants. Breathing in deeply you can detect an authentic smell of soggy leaves that's spot on and terrific. And I haven't even put it on yet.

 

wet on the arm: wet green plants with that same high fragrancey note and something in it is the same note as in one of my CT3s: an aromatic but strongly natural smell (eta: probably the tomato leaf.) I really like it. The quest of so many years: success.

Edited January 6, 2013 by ND¢

[porcelina]

Planting Moon is fantastic. FANtastic. Fresh green pant life, vegetables warmed by the sun, freshly-turned soil- it is the perfect summer garden sent. It's so refreshing and unique... I can see myself wearing it a LOT in the summer. I love it.

[Katlyntje]

The scent of Planting Moon is that of summer squashes, pole beans, kohlrabi, tomato leaves, peppery arugula, upturned earth, and sun-warmed herbs.

 

 

I agonized over buying this in May and eventually ran out of time. Then of course I kicked myself repeatedly over the summer for not getting it. I have it now though thanks to a lovely forumite and am over the moon (lol, pun!)

 

In the bottle I am definitely getting beans, tomato leaf, and herbs. Wet on my skin the arugula comes out a bit to join the beans and tomato leaf. This smells exactly as my poor drowned garden should have smelled if not for the month's worth of nearly-nothing-but-rain we got this spring/summer. This stays true as it dries and all I want to do right now is go outside and plant something. I wonder where I put all those freesia and tulip bulbs . . . .

 

[Aviatrix]

This one goes on my skin as strong, vegetably-ness, but unfortunately fades very quickly until there is only a very faint remains of some greenness left