Black Butterfly Moon

[edenssixthday]

Soft, deep, and luminous: Lady of the Night orchid, benzoin, opopponax, currant, black chypre, white gardenia, ambergris, damp, wooded mosses, and black lily.

Black Butterfly Moon - With evil notes like currant, gardenia, and black lily in this, I didn't have much hope for it at all...yet I still *hoped* it would work because I love the label art and I love the concept. Sadly, those notes are the ones that dominate this blend -- on my skin, at least. On me, it's predominantly a sour gardenia scent, along with the the sweet florals of orchid (the only good part!), the cat-pee scent of black currant, and the general unpleasantness of black lily on me. It's not so awful that I had to scrub it off right away, but it's unpleasant enough on me that I won't be testing it out again. Darn you, lily, currant, and gardenia. I mean it! *shakes fist* Edited October 10, 2009 by Shollin

[Lyrical]

 

In the vial: dark, perfumy, exotic, with a salty tang underneath. I get moss and resins and currant and bright gardenia.

 

Wet on skin: salty - oh no, what is that note? Vetiver? NOOOOOOOOOOOO! It's all vetiver!

 

Dry on skin: still mostly vetiver, which is one of my notes of Doom! Underneath there is a soft sweetness which suggests this would be a beautiful scent on someone who doesn't amp vetiver, but also a little slimy saltiness. I'll let it age for a bit and see if that helps.

[parrot_suspect]

I so wanted to love this...the notes sounded amazing. But it was just too mossy on me. If you're into dark, mossy scents you'll love this. It's lush and "wet" feeling, but not overly floral. Green and woodsy, with the florals balancing it out.

[caseys]

Black Butterfly Moon

 

Snap Judgements: Florals are always a gamble. If they aren’t mixed with the right things, they often become harsh, powdery unpleasantness on me. I have had much better luck with gardenia and lily than some other florals, so hopefully that trend will continue here. My wish is that the oppononax, moss, and current can hold the flowers in check.

 

In the Bottle: Ambergris, moss, and a hint of white floral. Ambergris has a tendency to give blends that “classic” perfumey vibe, and that’s what is going on here.

 

Wet: In the wet stages this smells very dusky. It’s like the deep blue color of the sky right before sunrise. It really smells like there is moonflower in this blend, but maybe that’s the Lady of the Night orchid? Anyway, there is a smooth white floral that I can pick out separately from the Gardenia, and together with the moss they give this blend a soft and earthy feel.

 

Dry:In the initial dry down, the white floral threatens to overwhelm everything. There is a bitter sharpness rising up that has me worried for a while. But never fear! Just in the nick of time, the black currant swoops in and saves the day by adding just a hint of sweetness. It actually tempers the floral quite nicely. I still get a predominantly white-floral dry down, but there is enough moss and currant to keep it from getting out of control.

 

Final Thoughts: In the wet stages, this is a very nocturnal blend that reminds me a lot of Night Thoughts from the 2008 Lupercalia series. It actually feels more like deep blue than black. I’m a little disappointed with the dry stage, as it seems to lose that lovely darkness. Be careful, because this is some strong stuff! I applied my standard two imp wand swipes, and I actually felt a little self-conscious (am I wearing too much?) all day. Overall, Black Butterfly Moon isn’t entirely what I had hoped it would be, but it’s intriguing enough for me to retry a few more times.

 

[Brianne]

This is very "perfumey" and deep with a sophisticated mixture of florals, resins and mosses. The end result is too perfumey for me but it does remind me a great deal of Black Lace. The "vibe" is very similar between the two and if you are a fan of Black Lace, I'd say Black Butterfly Moon is worth checking out

[megank4]

Oh argh. I really liked this for the first five minutes, it reminded me of Lune Noire, but then it dried down into like a wet yet powdery dark flower. Beautiful bottle though.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was really hoping that Black Butterfly Moon would be a sweet, dark floral with fruity and resinous edges. Unfortunately, this is all sharp, perfumey and soapy on me, and I'm not sure why. I normally love orchid and gardenia; they're two floral notes that I can usually pull off. Not in this case, apparently.

 

On my skin, this smells like cheap, insanely sharp, metallic hairspray with a hint of woods and sickly maple syrup. It's way too perfumey and sharp for me. It smells like a cheap floral-musk that someone bought at a drugstore and then left to rot for decades...

 

I don't smell any resins or moss at all here, and I don't recognize any of the listed notes in this. It's just a sharp, perfumey mess to my nose, and it gives me a splitting headache

[SlySionnach]

Bottle: This is flowers. Lots of flowers. And something there just reminds me of night (maybe the orchid )

 

Wet: Gardenia and lily and orchid and flowers and something dark and fluttery. I can see the butterfly-aspect of the perfume.

 

Dry: Still all flowers. I am surprised. Usually, I'm all about amping any fruit in sight, but in this case, the currant is well hidden in the florals. Now I feel like a butterfly that's gone and landed in a flower patch, resting on a lily because flying is such strenuous work...

 

I like it! Not my favorite, but it gives that kind of sophisticated, floral vibe I think I can wear in "polite company."

[obsidienne]

I should have known better than to order this, but with a name like "Black Butterfly Moon", I was bound to succumb to bad judgment (virtually anything with ambergris in it is so not for me). I'm hoping it's mostly bottle shock (received it today), but this comes off as a salty, soapy floral. A complex salty, soapy floral, but... yeah.

 

It does get less "salty" and ambergris-y as it dries down, but it's not growing amazing or anything. I wish I could be more descriptive about the actual notes, but something about this blend just screams "ambergris beat up some sweet flowers then poured soap in their eyes" plus some green notes (moss)... nothing really stands out overall. The drydown is a lot nicer than the early stages, with the orchid and lily peeking out and saying hi. It fades very quickly on me, and the throw is light. Maybe with age some other note will take centre stage. I'm going to go forward with that hope and put this one at the back of the drawer for a couple of months.

Edited November 6, 2009 by obsidienne

[Wildbriar]

I took a chance on this one since most florals hate me, but I find it to be lovely!

 

Black Butterfly Moon is a very dark floral, like a night-blooming garden after a gentle rain. I do get a whiff of ambergris that adds a slightly incense-y quality but that is a whiff only.

 

The throw and staying power of this oil on my skin is really something! Most of BPAL blends fade quickly on my skin, this one really sticks around.

[HamletsKeeper]

This scent is everything modern perfumes are not. To me this is raven haired 1940's screen sirens in a bottle. It's vintage glamour at it's best. Very much of the same family as Jean Patou's Joy. And because of that I can see how some might find this reminds them of their grandmothers, but only if their grandmothers were Christian Dior wearing charity gala attending socialites. Its really what I imagined Black Dahlia to smell like. And while it has that vintage style about it, there is a twist to it, which makes it a modern version.

 

In The Bottle - strongly chypre with floral overtones. Can't say I can pick out the ambergris or moss here much. But then I'm not much good at picking up these kinds of things from a bottle. When I have a head cold it does smell cologney but that's because I can't smell the florals with a blocked nose.

 

Wet On Skin - florals really pop on my skin and this goes quite sweet immediately.

 

Dry down - sweetness quickly tones down and I've got a heady, well blended perfume which I can't really pick out any specific notes. Although I am getting a fairly strong vanilla overtone which must be the benzoin. The scent borders on powdery from time to time but never quite goes there. On me the florals dominate this blend with the moss, ambergris and chypre all playing second fiddle, providing just a deeper base to the flowers. I think I've the kind of chemistry that would do well with a strongly woody or chypre floral. After a couple of hours I've got a rich earthy floral. I can't say it smells particularly wet or mossy, just a depth that is not normally associated with flower scents.

 

Overall - Anyone who loves vintage couture perfumes should try this scent. For me this scent fills a big hole, my desire for a classically styled perfume. While its not the kind of thing I will slap on everyday after a shower it is one I would wear regularly and I really hope no-one else likes it so I can more easily hoard it.

Edited September 25, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[kelpsoda]

Dark. . . with a floral backdrop. I smell opopponax, and either lily or gardenia (or orchid? something floral. . . ). I was hoping for more currant, but I get no fruit. I think "soft" and "luminous" are good words for this. Very pretty and elegant.

Edited September 24, 2009 by kelp

[mgrazulis]

My immediate impression is that of many high-end oriental blend perfumes. Very classic and well blended--so much so that the florals are indistiguishable in the late drydown. Very much a chypre feel, with a cool damp and deep night air of benzoin. When wet, the salty ambergris stands out with a hint of the orchid. As it begins to dry on the skin, the lily gives off an indolic aroma. Nice interplay of light and dark. Overall, it is much softer than I expected. A subtle mossy floral...I will enjoy the decant. Will likely save this one for special night out. It is somewhat generic, but beautiful, nonetheless.

[Prism]

black butterfly moon - oriental and floral.

 

then turns to a dark mossy wooded floral. I think of damp woods at night, but it's more "green/floral" than the wood scents I can't wear. It does get sweeter as it dries.

 

dry - currents and lily! any woodsy scent is very faint now. it's only been 15 minutes so not a *bad* shift time and i was happily suprised!

Still not a fav, but worth retesting another time and wearing as is.

 

Rating 6/10

[Lamia]

Polite floral. Reminds me of my grandmother.

[skylarkza]

In the bottle: Flowers and incense.

 

Wet: Ooooh, yellow oil. It smells like incense and something else smoky and like flowers - rose and gardenia?

 

Dry: Now it smells wet and almost salty. Like the air is tinged with sea breeze. Smoke is in the air too, and flowers - I can pick up the lilly now.

 

A while later: Slightly salty. Slightly incense-y. Slightly floral. Quite dark and sophisticated. More perfume-y than I expected, but nice. I think this is a "Take me seriously" scent, yet its still feminine. Nice.

[zankoku_zen]

Ah, this one is indeed black lily and moss on me. Overall its a dark, sophisticated femme fatale/noir heroine blend. Dark, seductive, bold. This is worn by the kind of woman that wears red lipstick and carried a pearl handled gun strapped to her thigh. On the drydown, there is a slight incense overtone to it, which of course just adds to the gorgeousness of it, and yet there is also a chypre kind of feel to it.

 

Again, not the kind of blend that I go for, but this is one gorgeous piece of artistry.

[LunarAwe]

This is me finally adoring Black Butterfly Moon! When it first arrived it was so light, and the smell was so faint, that I knew aging had to be a part of the process. So I waited. OK, yes I tested every so often but today I am wearing this lunacy and it is fast becoming a favorite!

 

In the Bottle: Deep florals, not in the cloying sense but in the night blooming flowers sense. Wet, spicy, enticing, fertile.

 

Wet on skin: Everything that the bottle promised but more complex. The mosses are starting to make their presence known here, and the florals are blending quite well. I cannot separate an individual floral note but the layering is still quite evident. Gorgeous.

 

Drydown: It just gets better and better. Where Black Butterfly Moon used to be light and quickly fading it now has a fabulous sillage and lasting power. This scent is dark, slightly musky, night blooming flowery, and peppery. The ambergris and mosses make fabulous foundational notes and the complexity just WORKS.

 

LOVE THIS SCENT!

[kawaiiferreto]

This is a lot stronger than I was expecting. What I get from this is strong and dry. I wonder if I am amping the black chypre and maybe the mosses? It also has salty floral to it. However, of the florals I do not get any gardenia. It is very dark and heady on me. Deep dark resins and florals, and quite a bit "perfumey." It's lovely, but so not anything I would ever wear.

[aquazoo]

The flowers jump out first, a bit harshly. They fade down and the woodiness comes through. It stays a mellow woodsy scent.

 

[jade_starlight]

Hmm, this doesn't seem to be as strong on me as it apparently is on everyone else. It's really very lovely, with deep dark flowers and a hint of resin. I'm not getting any moss, which makes me sad since I love mossy scents. I do really like it, though.

[semuelle77]

I'm really not sure what made me add a 1/2 imp of this to my decant order. Flowers and currant? A recipes for a sticky, sweet headache. Yet somehow... it all works. The note are so well blended that I can't identify them seperately. Without a doubt this is my favorite recent release. Heck, it is one of my BPAL faves, hands down. Dark, deep, sensual. This is unabashedly feminine, yet in no way girly. I completely agree with the other reviews stating it has a vintage feel. Kind of old Hollywood/femme fatale. It is similtaneously sexy and comfortable. I wear it and can't help but sniff myself. My boyfriend buries his nose in my neck.

 

Thank goodness for forumites who swap their unloved bottles!!!

 

Update: I wore BBM yesterday mixed with some unscented body oil. (Full body slather!) One of my coworkers told me I smelled like seduction. It's amazing how a scent can be both comforting and sexy at the same time.

Edited November 17, 2009 by favabean

[Invidiana]

If there is a color that comes to mind when I smell this, it's a deep, velvety blackened purple with just a hint of red iridescence. It's a lovely and darkly delicious concoction of sweet resins, dark currants and night-blooming flowers that create an irresistable veil of mystery. There is a gorgeous vanilla undertone, which I think is brought on by the benzoin. Love!

[rayvn1]

This is a truly beautiful oil! the black chypre is what makes the blend so deep and rich (I think) and benzoin and oppoponax are often in blends I love. Almost resinous on me. Deep, black purple colored scent. Keeper.

[milo]

Many thanks to the lovely forumite who frimped me this!! You know who you are!

 

I was scared to order this when it was live, as ambergris and I do not get along. Wet, this ALL ambergris to me. It smells like a very traditional perfume. Expensive and old-fashioned. As it dries, the ambergris fades away, and we're left with a a dark, fresh floral. Kind of like you're walking in a lush jungle in the middle of the night, and the night-blooming flowers are combining with the moistness of the jungle. Nice, but not really my style.