Mabon 2004

[blackrayne]

... Blackberry wine and apple cider with hops, apple blossom, English ivy, hazel, sage, oak bark and myrrh.

Wet, and in the bottle... I too am getting the cherry cough drop type of impression. It's actually becoming more prominent as it drys down on my wrist than when it was wet.

The woodsy notes are starting to come out from hiding, and it's got a sweet berry wine afterscent to it now, which, while being very intriguing, I don't think it will fully dry down to a good scent for my skin.

And... the cherry cough drop scent just came back. It keeps fighting the wine, they are duking it out to see which it will smell more like, but it appears that the sweet juicy wine has been overthrown for good now.

It's a lovely scent, just not one I'll be able to enjoy.

[malanna]

I always think that Wildfire and Mabon are really similar scents, but they're really not that similar. They both have a reddish tinge to its scent and have a vaguely floral smell, but Mabon has more oomph and seems to be more of a nature-oriented scent.

 

After application, Mabon makes me think of cherry hops. According to the description, what I'm smelling is apple hops, but I guess it's just the red, warm tinge I'm getting from Mabon. Mabon isn't very sweet, but there's still that undercurrent of wine that makes it almost seem sweet. After the "cherry" hops stage, Mabon just becomes a red floral (ie the apple blossom) with a hint of the wine.

[erikasilverstein]

After a few tries -- even layering alternately with Jack, and Samhain (in the autumnal theme) -- this is just not working.

 

On the surface, it has a warm, woodsy, herbal, and slightly berry/fruity scent. But under that -- and more prominantly on my skin -- I get a sour wine note.

 

Bizarre. More than anything else, it reminders me of [biblically unclean] cat liter. Upon application, my nose-brain connection immediately makes that leap

 

I thought layering would help, but the kittylitter scent just keeps wafting around me. Can't shake it.

 

So I swapped it

[anmorata]

Mabon:

Wet: Apple! Not a ripe, crisp apple but more like apple wine.

Drydown: Still a very apple wine scent, with an undercurrent of.. sage?

Longterm wear: This is a lovely autumn scent. I'd love it as a candle, but I doubt I'd wear it as a personal scent.

[gingersnapp]

This smells like apples and wine in the bottle, and at first, but something weird happens and I end up smelling like craft store and candles. Not something I think I will wear very often, sadly.

[sophia_helix]

In the bottle:

 

Like most people, cherry cough drops.

 

Wet:

 

Oh, yum, sweet apple.

 

Drydown:

 

I didn't get as much as the herbal/woodsy aspect as I would have liked, but this stayed a sweet, apple cider/blackberry wine scent on me, with a hint of sage. Very fruity and mellow and delicious, with okay throw and decent staying power. I'll be treasuring the imp I have of this, and hoping it comes out again next year.

[emzebel]

I've wanted to try Mabon ever since I first read through the LE descriptions and reviews late last spring and thanks to the lovely babykitty, I have my very own little imp!

 

In the imp I get herbs and apples...none of the cherry cough drop scent (I'm not complaining, mind you). Mabon is very soft on me, a little more floral than I normally wear, actually, but it is a beautiful, soft autumn scent, with just enough fruit and sage and twining turning herbs to keep the flowers from overwhelming me. I suspect that an imp is just enough of this to keep me happy, and I am so so so greatful to have gotten to try it.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was completely ecstatic to finally get a decant of this one. I'm always excited to try anything with the mention of blackberry in it, because it's one of the few fruits that I actually love the smell of. Sadly, this doesn't work on me.

 

First on, I'm smelling a sour sort of fruit and a sharp woods note. Soured wine. After a few minutes I'm definitely getting the cherry cough drop scent that so many other people described, but it still has that gross/sour edge to it.

 

In the drydown this gets considerably better, but still not something that I would like to wear. It's like apple cider and a soft floral... but it's more the spice of the cider that I'm smelling, and none of the apple. If that makes sense. Flower cider.

 

I think that this one would make a better room scent than a personal scent. I so wanted to smell like blackberries and apple cider though

[madelf]

I was thrilled to finally get my hands on a bottle of Mabon. The listed notes all sounded fantastic.

 

It is a very complex fragrance - very woodsy with just a hint of sweetness from the berries. It is far more gender neutral than I would have expected, but very nice. The scent doesn't morph much from it's original state - it stays woodsy and just a tiny bit sweet the entire time that it is on. It doesn't have a whole lot of staying power, which was disappointing, but since the smell is so consistant, reapplication isn't a problem.

 

This wasn't really what I expected, but it's a lovely blend. This will be getting some major love from me when the weather gets a bit colder. It seems like a great fall scent with all the crisp, woodsy notes.

[rinoastar]

In the bottle: Yup, cherry Halls' cough drops.

Wet: Sweet, but not sickeningly so. Morer cherry cough drops, but with a nice rounded berry (the blackberry?) to round it out.

Drydown: The "cherry" smell fades quickly, leaving a warm, late-summer blackberry ale. There are flowers in there, faintly, and a gorgeous spike of sharpness underneath it all, but it's all blackberry ale, all the time.

Half an hour: It's pretty, pretty, pretty. The berries are having a May Day party on my skin, and I keep getting faint wafts of it as I type. I'm stunned by exactly how much this reminds me of playing in the field, collecting blackberries at my friend's parents' farm as a kid. It's got the smell of spilled beer on the kitchen table as our parents laugh and play card games and we sit in the den smushing blackberries to throw at and stain each other. I didn't want to fall in love with this one because it's near impossible to find, but I do love it to pieces and it so perfectly epitomizes what I remember about that family. I do love Mabon, but now I'm sad because I can't have a huge bottle to slather when I feel homesick.

[SeaMonkey]

Blackberry wine and woods. The fruity notes are a little sour, so its like sour fruits and woods. It takes some getting used to

[provocateur]

Oh Mabon - I have been hunting for you for the better part of a year. The darling zillah37 gifted me with an imp and ended my "I'm too poor to afford ebay" hunt for you.

 

In the bottle: Woodsy apple, blackberries and sage.

 

On skin, wet: It reminds me of harvest time at an apple orchard up in Michigan. Somewhat barky apple, but not in a bad way. There is a strong dark berry mead and sage undertone.

 

On skin, dry: Somewhere along the way, it dried down, out and gone. Now, if I snort my wrist as if it were cocaine or something, I can get a glint of blackberry and myrrh (which is heavenly), but I think I'm inhaling skin follicles at this point.

 

This scent, before it got eaten by my skin, is a perfect fall afternoon for me. It was woodsy and fruity and a little sage like in all the right mannerisms. It's just such a shame that such a long hunt came to such an abrubt end. It's a shame it was so gorgeous for a bit and then nothing.

 

Rating: 4.5/5 (had it not disappeared, it would have been a 5)

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is apples and berries, crisp and a little boozy. Pretty! As it dries, I get more wood, which leaches the sweetness out of the blend without completely morphing it. I don't know if I'd call this an autumn scent, but it's a golden one, dry and a little dusty.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Herbs and fruit

 

On Skin: At first, it reminds me of a cough drop. The herbs and green notes give it a real medicinal edge. But not overwhelming like Numb. Gradually they fade and meld with the other notes. The blackberry and apple sweeten the scent and make it delicious. This scent feels like the beginning of Autumn, when it’s still warm and sunny. So pretty and comforting and even elegant in it’s own odd little way. It has a jewel tone feel to it, dark greens (ivy and sage), burgandys (berries and bark) and golds (apple and myrrh). This scent is beautiful, I disliked it at first, but 10 minutes into the drydown and I want a bottle! I think it could be gender neutral. An amazing blend that makes me sniff my wrist again and again. It’s quite addicting. Light throw and sadly, light staying power.

[Caltha]

Mabon

Mabon starts out really interesting, sweet, spicy and vintagey, I think I detect ginger, herbs, fruit and cardamon. As it dries the curse of the fruit scents is upon me as usual, it turns more plastic and citrusy and candy sweet. Pity.

[filigree_shadow]

Mabon is medicinal at first, but I think that's because apple tends to go acidic on me. The wine is a nice touch, and I can detect it. It smells woody somehow, but not strongly. It does remind me of apple cider, shy on the apple, heavy on the cider.

 

After about 10 minutes it begins to smell somewhat like some of the chemicals I use in chemistry lab. Oh dear. I don't think this is going to work for me. After an hour or so it's a much lighter, sweeter, fruitier scent, and I like it a lot more. But that initial phase is just too strong for me to get through.

[jolarocknrolla]

oh my goodness, i love this scent so much. i wish i didn't love it so much actually because all i have is an imp The blackberry is just lovely, very much as in Monsterbait; Closet only without the sweetness. The apples scent is very crisp, more like tart green apples then red apples. the combination is what i expected Eris to smell like actually. it's a very bright fruity scent without any darkness or heavyness, but the autumn-ness is there in the form of a tiny bit of spice (is it autumn leaves? cider? it's just a hint but it brings out a fall sensibility in the blend). dries down to a very mild scent after only 1/2 an hour.

[Rhowan]

In the vial and wet on my skin it is full on blackberry wine and oak.

 

As Mabon dries down, I start to get a hint of the apple, a bit of sage but then the myrhh comes out and just about overpowers the whole thing...

 

Completely dried down this is a most beautiful and complex scent and I am in total love! Top notes are black berry wine and apple (I don't get the cider but more of a fresh apple) the ivy, hazel and sage are middle supporting notes, and the myrrh has receeded to support the whole scent and give it a perfume-y type smell.

 

Conclusion? Mabon brings to mind a misty autumn walk in the English countryside - such a beautiful autumn scent. I will cherish the imp I have of it. The throw is a bit on the mild side and the wear is very good.

[HennaFairy]

slightlly fruity floral, very "sunny" feeling! really nice

 

rates higher than based on scent alone because i'm pagan and it will be special to use on the day it's named after!

 

rating: 9/10

[edenssixthday]

Mabon - Oh Wow! Mabon is an absolutely exquisite scent! When I first apply it, the first note I detect is that of apples, but it’s not just apples – it’s apple blended with something dry, crisp, and fresh. As the scent dries, the blackberry note rushes forth to blend with the apple and creates the most gorgeous scent on my skin. This is also the point where I begin to notice something spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. It smells like cinnamon and nutmeg, perhaps – and now, because of that spice, the apple smells more like cider than it did before. Despite being an Autumnal scent, I am thoroughly enjoying it this gorgeous Spring season, as well, because it’s just so fresh and lovely. The scent has fairly light throw and only lasts about 90 minutes on me, but up until that point, it’s absolutely divine. I have to somehow get my hands on more of this. I want enough to scent my shampoo, my conditioner, my body butter, my soaps, put in my oil burner, and well, pretty much have it consume my life.

[maijasu]

I feel so fortunate to have an imp of this...it's lovely! A little bit fruity, a little bit green, a little bit spicy. Throw and lasting power are not that strong, but this is an oil that was released a couple of years ago, so maybe that's why. Or maybe it's just one of those oils that my skin chemistry just eats up, like Underpants. If I had a bottle, I'd just keep reapplying, but since I only have an imp, I'll have to think about whether to hang on to it. But if it ever makes a reappearance, I'd totally buy it!

[beetiger]

The very first thing I get from this is open-fermented apple cider, the stuff you get when you take raw pressed cider from an orchard and just leave it to ferment with wild yeast. As it settles into my skin, some of the herbal notes come out, and just a wee hint of blackberry.

 

This works for me way better than the Harvest Moons do -- the fermented note is very bright and bubbly, and I'm not being distracted by any "Harvest Spice" kind of vibe.

 

Hooray for Fall!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Harvest-y.

 

Pre-review thoughts: Like many others, I've been trying to snag a decant of this since I discovered BPAL over a year ago. As for the scent itself, it could go either way.

 

In the imp: Very woodsy, herbal cider, and a bit of myrrh.

 

On skin, wet: Herbal, incensey, and thick apple cider. It reminds me just a bit of a scent I get in tarts called "Hillbilly Homebrew Tonic," in that HHT is also a woodsy, almost earthy apple cider.

 

On skin, dry: The blackberry comes out as this dries, as does the ivy. It really does smell like a fall-harvest kind of scent. It's a little earthy, a little fruity, a little herbal, and a little green. I can't stop sniffing it, and it's quickly growing on me.

 

Conclusion/Notes: I love this. Because of that, I almost wish I'd never tried it, scarce as it is. Maybe one day it'll come out again (next year, maybe? I can hope!), but until then, HHT will have to suffice, though it of course lacks the complexity and depth of Mabon, and isn't quite as green or fruity.

[supremegoddessofall]

I better like this one, since the imp cap busted as soon as I went to try it on. And I do - lovely fruits with a tinge of alcohol to them. I get apple on top with blackberry underneath. Not really getting the herbals, and myrrh is quiet as well.

[Melantha]

A fabulous fall scent. Of course, I adore fall scents of all sorts, so it's difficult to find one that I don't like.

 

Berries, cider, and woods. All together, and smelling wonderful.