Smoky Moon 2009: Tristesses de la Lune

[Delirium1009]

The Smoke-Veiled Moon of July brought a poem of Baudelaire’s to my mind:

Ce soir, la lune rêve avec plus de paresse;
Ainsi qu'une beauté, sur de nombreux coussins,
Qui d'une main distraite et légère caresse
Avant de s'endormir le contour de ses seins,

Sur le dos satiné des molles avalanches,
Mourante, elle se livre aux longues pâmoisons,
Et promène ses yeux sur les visions blanches
Qui montent dans l'azur comme des floraisons.

Quand parfois sur ce globe, en sa langueur oisive,
Elle laisse filer une larme furtive,
Un poète pieux, ennemi du sommeil,

Dans le creux de sa main prend cette larme pâle,
Aux reflets irisés comme un fragment d'opale,
Et la met dans son coeur loin des yeux du soleil.

- - -

Tonight the moon dreams with more indolence,
Like a lovely woman on a bed of cushions
Who fondles with a light and listless hand
The contour of her breasts before falling asleep;

On the satiny back of the billowing clouds,
Languishing, she lets herself fall into long swoons
And casts her eyes over the white phantoms
That rise in the azure like blossoming flowers.

When, in her lazy listlessness,
She sometimes sheds a furtive tear upon this globe,
A pious poet, enemy of sleep,

In the hollow of his hand catches this pale tear,
With the iridescent reflections of opal,
And hides it in his heart afar from the sun's eyes.

(English translation by William Aggeler, 1954)

Soft sandalwood, nicotiana, and velvety orris drifting over lustrous pale musks, stephanotis, elemi, and cyclamen.

In bottle/imp: A dry, cooler scent with the smell of fruity orris drifting about, and sharper floral notes following behind.

Immediately on skin: Just applied, this smells very green like new spring flowers. There’s also a bit of soapiness and very dry, cool musks. I don’t get any of the orris now at all.

After a little while: This really changes a lot after even a few minutes on my skin. The soapiness and green notes are gone, and what I now get from Smoky Moon is a lovely dry hazy type of scent. It doesn’t smell of actual smoke, but the sandalwood and musks plus some of the other notes give this a dry feel almost like incense ash, but not as perfumed or powdery. Then above the scent, floating delicately over the top of the dry, soft haziness is a bit of wafting orris, which smells like a slightly fruitier violet to me. If this scent could have a color, I think it would be a light grey smoke with bits of violet swirls for the brighter orris note.

Overall Impressions: This scent is smoky in a dreamy and hazy way as opposed to in a fire or incense sort of way. It’s not a very in-your-face sort of scent, and instead clings to the skin and gently wafts as if teasing your nose. To me this is dry, soft, and smooth with a nice hint of bright fruity floral orris. The notes really blend together well and give this blend a great depth.

[Siberia]

This is really pretty!

I don't really know enough about the notes to recognize them individually. I would say this is floral and woody. There is a light, almost buttery-smoky, wood scent that keeps the florals from becoming overwhelming. Dry, there seem to be two "layers" of scent, with the lighter, woody, note floating over the deeper floral scent. The layering does seem evocative of smoke, even if it doesn't actually smell smoky.

 

Later on, I lose the layered sensation, and it settles into a lightly sweet musk.

 

Lovely!

Edited June 16, 2009 by Siberia

[bubblefish]

I agree that it feels like there are two layers to this scent. First there's a gentle smoky scent that's kind of earthen-like, but behind it there's this hint of delicate flower. I can get a bit of the nicotiana, which really does have a hint of freshly crushed nicotiana leaves, but maybe that's because I'm sensitive to nicotiana having worked with varieties for a number of years. I think it's contributing to that earthy smoke that I get at first whiff, though there's some herbally goodness to that smoke scent as well.

 

I'm quite fond of this one!

[unlaced]

In the bottle: This is very light. As others have said it feels gauzy and light and grey. Giving the feeling of smoke without actually smelling like it.

 

Wet on my skin: Sandalwood is the most prominent scent when I apply (I'm beginning to think I amp it. It's all I could smell in Velvet.) Sandalwood with some more dusty notes around the edges. Still a very light scent.

 

Drying: Here comes the floral. Much more green and floral than I'd expect from the way it smelled a few minutes ago. It gets a bit of a smoky twinge, which I'm assuming is the nicotiana.

 

Dry: All the elements blend nicely into a final product that's almost teasing in the way that it stays very close to the skin. Every once in a while I get a whiff of it as I'm typing but I really have to bring my wrist up to sniff to get a good sniff. The throw has a slightly smoky, almost earthy smell. And when I sniff up close it's a nice, light floral. Something that won't be too overpowering to wear on a summer night. (This coming from a girl who isn't really a floral fan)

 

Very, very nice.

[Jenn2D2]

Wow. This scent is so beautiful - I wish I'd bought two bottles!

 

In the bottle: a hazy, sweet scent, very ephemeral - also very light (I bumped my nose on the bottle!)

Wet: a wash of light sandlewood with a sweet undertone, very different from the rich, woodsy smell I usually get from sandlewood, but it is unmistakably that scent.

Dry: the sandlewood settles down a bit, and the sweet, hazy smell comes to the fore.

 

As others have said, this feels like it is hazy or smoky, without actually smelling like smoke at all. The scent generally feels like it sticks pretty close to the skin, but I've already had two compliments today, so it seems to drift around a bit more than I thought.

[blacklacestatic]

Initial unsniffed impression: I love Baudelaire, the poem is completely enchanting, and the scent sounds darkly beautiful. I bought a bottle immediately.

 

In the bottle: Hazy, sexy, soft, creamy, sweet tobacco leaf.

 

Wet on skin: Oh! There is a part of this that reminds me of my beloved Black Lace! It's the tobacco mixed with cotton and musk. This is amazing. A dream for those who, like myself, adore nicotiana. It's light, but so pretty. It's very much like a really light Black Lace without the booze. I'm in love. I do get a bit of a phase where it gets soapy. This lasts around 15 minutes, and I believe it to be the stephanotis and my skin chemistry.

 

Drydown:Oh it's heavenly. I could wear this anywhere, anytime. It's soft enough to be seasonless. Sweet, soft tobacco with a breath of musk and a tease of sandalwood. The other flowers are not so prominent to me, it's extremely well blended.

 

Overall: This is dreamy. It is exactly what I hoped it would be. My only wish is that it would last a bit longer. It does fade sooner than I would like. Happy to have bought my bottle, highly reccomended to those who enjoy tobacco, tobacco flower and nicotiana.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Didn't know what to expect and am pleasantly surprised.

 

I'm in full agreement with those who mention layers of scent. On first application there is a layer of lighter Florals and after a few minutes, a darker layer (Sandalwood, Nicotiana) separates out.

 

I am convinced there is some Vetiver evident with the bottom notes.

 

If St. Johns 's Eve is the literal smell of smoke, this could be the feel of it.

Edited June 19, 2009 by Heavenlyrabbit

[hkhm]

bottle: sandalwood and orris.

 

wet: this is all sweet strong orris on my skin. a touch of soapiness as well.

 

dry: it calms back down to a smooth orris with a hint of sandalwood. the other notes are completely absent on my skin.

[stellans]

OK, this is amazing! I was decanting my newly-arrived Smoky Moon into the rollerball bottle I use for in-the-dark applications, and got a bit on my fingers...well. Let's just say I am so in love with this new Lunacy.

 

I love incense, and sandalwood is one of my favorite incenses, so I had a feeling this would be a good blend for me. The orris, which is apparent mostly upon first application, still lingers during drydown but is tempered by the sweet floral notes of stephanotis, cyclamen, and nicotiana, which are also more apparent as the oil dries and mixes with my own skin. The musk, to me, lends an interesting base for all this to be built upon, and holds it own very well upon drydown with all the other notes. The sandalwood floats hazily throughout the notes: upper, middle, and lower, rather like the smoke from an incense burner tends to drift in and among everything one owns. The name is quite appropriate, though I imagine there were some who thought the name might imply a 'smoke' scent (I did, a little). I wouldn't change anything about it, and I have a feeling it will age very well -- very well, indeed. 4 of 5 stars.

Edited July 28, 2011 by stellans

[Monster]

In the bottle: A soft, almost powdery, haze.

 

Wet: Misty musk wafting through a pine forest. The pine (elemi?) scent is very gentle, not everwhelming at all (no worries, this doesn't smell like a Christmas tree at all!)

This reminds me of hiking in the forest as the sun is setting and there's a gentle fog hanging low to the ground.

 

Dry: As this dries, it brings me out of the forest and back to camp. I can smell wet, fragrant plants, and a bit of smoky incense mixing with the hazy musk. This scent isn't a dark, brooding smoky smell but a misy, green fairy tale sort of scent.

This is gentle, delicate and almost mysterious smelling.

As this dries some more (about 30 minutes), you start to drift off to sleep at your little camp site and the scent almost fades away completley.

 

Verdict: A gorgeous walk through the woods! I absolutely LOVE this one. I wish this lasted a bit longer on my skin but, other than that, this one is perfect. I'm sure it'll do a bit better in a scent locket.

If you've avoided this one because you're afraid of "smoke" scents, give this one a shot. It's really delicate, feminine and pretty. This ends up as a close to the skin, sweet musk on me.

 

Edited June 18, 2009 by Monster

[dluszcz]

No literal smoke. Reminds me of Lune Noir. But a bit deeper and darker......... More deep violet, less twilight green...

[Bluestocking]

In the bottle: A cool, hazy, silver-white swirl of nicotiana, which smells very floaty and heavenly—lightly sweet and clean, but with a smoky edge. (BlackLace was right on with the "cotton and tobacco" description.) I get a sense of the musks, very pale and silky, and a bit of the sandalwood beneath, but it's all very soft and sleek and blended together, with the nicotiana most prominent. None of the other notes jump out right now. At this point it smells quite a lot like Dia, only without the coconut. (And squeeeee for that, because Dia is one of my very favorites!)

On, wet: Still soft and hazy lightly smoky, but more of the notes are popping out. The nictoiana is blending with the soft orris, with a little smidge of white floral from the stephanotis. The musks make this shimmer, and the sandalwood is a nice base—restrained, but enough to keep it all together. There's a whiff of sweet pine, too, from the elemi, and that's also beautiful.

On, dry: The orris has come forward and blended with the nicotiana and musks. It's now a sweeter, soft, pleasantly musky floral, and it maintains that little bit of smoke. Very smooth. The elemi and sandalwood are just chilling out, a bit woody and sharper beneath that gauzy, softer layer of flowers and musk. I keep picturing a full moon shrouded in wispy clouds, or a woman dressed in these silky, flowing robes. Gorgeous!

Later: Sandalwood, musk and orris. Still soft, but a bit more incensey--spicy, sweet and sensual. Mmmm.

Overall: Guh. This is so, so lovely! It's an absolutely perfect interpretation of the poem and the artwork, and it smells incredible, too. Smokey Moon comes on a bit like Dia in the bottle and when wet, with a similar soft/sweet/clean/smoky nicotiana note, but it develops into something unique and different, a gorgeous, musky mix of orris, white florals and sandalwood. (I'd still wholeheartedly recommend this one to fans of Dia, though.) Wonderful at every stage, and its silky, gauzy lightness is a great antidote to hot summer weather. Love this one.

 

 

[Dymphna]

In the bottle: A light, pale floral that is indeed somehow smoky.

 

Wet: My first reaction? Haunting. It reminds me of taking a walk on a humid but breezy summer night, smelling the flowers and the scent of rain in the air, clean and ozone-y. (Not a bad ozone, though it is the tiniest bit metallic.) I can smell the sandalwood and the nicotiana, and (unfortunately) the orris, which I just don't like, but it's not too bad here. I don't know what the rest of the florals smell like, so I can't really pick them out. The musks, which are very much in the white musk category, are present but not loud. This scent is more of a quiet presence than a conversation piece, if that makes any sense.

 

Dry: That unfortunate orris becomes more noticeable as it dries, and the musk sort of wimps out and starts to smell more or less exactly like one of those drugstore white musk sprays. Boo. Smoky Moon started out very promising, so unique and mysterious, but my skin turned it to...this. Woe.

[twilighteyes]

This is a delicate and light fragrance. At the beginning I get mostly sandalwood and light musk. There is also a faint tart bottom note that reminds me a little of White Rose but I can't pick out what it is. This goes away after an hour or two.

 

I believe it is the orris that is coming out and making this a little dusty and powdery rather than smoky.

 

Doesn't seem to have a lot of throw -- I keep huffing my wrists.

[catwoman30]

Ah-this is a big LOVE for me...It starts off as a very prominent orris/sandalwood combo with a tiny hint of a hazy floral and almost a slight fruitiness I believe is the nicotania.As it dries the sandalwood becomes more prominent and 4 hours later I still get whiffs off it.This scent is utterly dreamy-I wish I had more than one bottle!!!!

[megank4]

Very nice. A light, smoky scent, rather makes me think of Bone Moon maybe with some bone dust in there. Doesn't really seem like a summer scent to me though.

 

[angelicruin]

Inside the imp, sandalwood and orris.

 

On my skin, begins as sandalwood and orris. A light, perfume-y musk emerges shortly after application. The more it dries, the more I am getting a sweet, smoky throw that I assume is the nicotiana. Whatever it is, it's divine.

 

I initially ordered just a decant from a LJ circle because the "smoky" title scared me off, but then after reading reviews, decided to get a bottle of it (which is still on back-order atm) and after receiving my decant in the mail yesterday, I am quite glad I ordered a full bottle of this based on just the reviews.

Edited June 27, 2009 by angelicruin

[dixiehellcat]

Oooh, this is so nice. In the imp, it's very light. On, I first get the sandalwood, not surprising since I think I amp sandalwood. Light florals and something that really is smoke-like, but not heavy; the orris, maybe. My only regret is that it doesn't last long on me; maybe when my bottle arrives I can slather a little more & see what happens.

[vividdreamer]

Let me begin by saying that I barely have any idea what half the notes in this actually smell like individually.

 

But, because someone else compared them, I have Smoky Moon on my hand, and Lune Noir on my arm. There's definitely a similarity (besides the obvious: they're both GORGEOUS) but Smoky Moon has this incense-y, intoxicating bit to it that's missing from Lune Noir. It's like Lune Noir with an extra dose of awesome. Love. Love, love, lovelovelovelove.

 

I could wear this anywhere and get compliments, because it's just that perfect. Sophisticated enough for work, sexy (oh, so sexy) enough for a night out, and beautiful enough to wear around the house or when taking the kids to the doctor.

 

Absolutely glorious. I am SO GLAD I got two bottles.

[sookster]

 

straight sniff from imp is the velvety orris and musk...so beautiful

 

once applied the sandalwood and musk come shining through ...

 

this is lightly incensey and a lovely soft scent...i am loving it

[spoilsofwar]

As a huge fan of sandalwood and musks, particularly pale ones if they're mixed with incense. I was a little worried at first, because I don't know the OTHER notes in this well enough. But I thought I'd give it a go. This scent is so subtle, so sneaky (in a good way!). It's flowery and woodsy and incensey all at once, without being overpowering on any of those.

 

I'd recommend it for those who like incense/woods/flowers but find the scents usually too overpowering (me, I love the darker VERY incense-y scents, and flowery and woodsy almost not at all).

[LunarAwe]

This is my first review! When Smoky moon arrived in the mail I was not entirely sure that I would like this scent. After distancing myself for a week and returning I am really enjoying the complexity of this one.

 

In the Bottle:

In the bottle I get a light scent, mainly floral but with complexity and depth. There is a slight dry / powdery / citrus scent underneath the florals.

 

Wet on Skin

Wow a big change when it first hits my skin. This changes to a much earthier, smokier, heavier scent out of the bottle. At first contact I get a bit of soapiness which quickly fades into florals with an earthy / smoky undertone.

 

Soon after a shift into a strong orris note plus woody and musk emerging as well. I don't quite amp the sandalwood like others have mentioned, but it is clearly impacting the musks in this blend.

 

Dry

Smoky Moon is gorgeous and complex. I get a strong presence of nicotiana (which is a bonus because that is what drew me to it) with clear musks and a soft floral top note (but the florals are heavy, humid almost, not light flowery at all).

 

I love that deep, hot, potent summer nights were captured in Smoky Moon. Those deep summer nights when you can really feel the humidity in every breath, when the scent of flowers hangs in thick night air begging for a breeze. Let me be clear, there is nothing cloying here... more potency and expectation.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Soft, clean and cologney - with a little sweetness to it, almost melony (the cyclamen?). I definitely get the sandalwood, nicotiania (really bright and sort of smouldering) and some delicious musks. The soapy-powdery edge scares me a little, but it's light...

 

Wet: Instantly goes more powdery. ORRIS DOOM. And soapy. Not sure what's making it soapy...I also get the sharpness that I often get from stephanotis (I group it with narcissus mentally, a sort of 'masculine' floral note), and I can pick out the citrusy-sour elemi, too. The musks have amped and are truly divine, but even they and the sandalwood and nicotiana can't defend against ORRIS DOOM.

 

Dry: ORRIS HELLO MY NAME IS ORRIS I AM A GIANT POWDERY BITCHWHORE. I think I can smell some musk, nicotiana, and I can definitely pick out some sandalwood too - but barely. Orris is totally bullying. Also, the elemi has gone sort of cat urine-y on me as it seems to lately. Thankfully it's low throw.

 

Later: Orris still dominating, but it's less horrible now. It's turned to violet, and reminds me specifically of the Violet Ray, very strongly. Same sandalwood note, too, and general heady floral and musky feel, but this is stronger, more powdery, and has that sour-urine smell from the elemi if I sniff closely.

 

Summary: Slightly sour, sandalwoody ORRIS powder with delicious musk. The roommate thinks it'd be better on him, and I'm inclined to agree this is a unisex to masculine scent. Lower throw, great longevity.

 

 

[femmefatale]

This is an interesting one. At first it went rather soapy smelling and I almost washed it off, but I figured that since I was about to shower I would let it sit for a while. I had also decided quickly to swap it.

 

Now I'm not so sure. The soapiness mostly faded and it became far more complex. I expected this to be heavier on the smoke, but it's not. The previous reviewers who referred to this as being "hazy" are dead on. It's not a humid scent though, and not overly floral (thankfully, because I am NOT a floral person). There is a sweetness to this that keeps it from going masculine and has a light incense feel to this, but it is not heavy or resinous.

This is a very difficult scent to describe. It feels vaguely ghostly and dreamy to me, but with more substance. Like that world between dreaming and reality.

 

I'm not completely sure it's me, so I'll have to give it some thought about whether or not I'll keep it, but I'm very happy I tried it.

 

 

[edenssixthday]

Smoky Moon 2009 - This is a beautiful ethereal woody-floral scent. The orris and nicotiana are the strongest notes, but they're complimented so well by the others that it refrains from being an "orris & nicotiana" scent. I don't actually smell the elemi at all, a note that usually turns a scent kind of odd on me, so there must just be a little bit of it in this one. The longer it sits on my skin, the more the musk comes out, but the musk never overwhelms. It sort of wisps along the surface. I think this is a soft, masculine scent that would smell really outstanding on my husband. Too bad he's allergic to perfume.