Joyful Moon

[wendyb1063]

JOYFUL MOON
There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;—
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day.
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

The Rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the Rose,
The Moon doth with delight
Look round her when the heavens are bare,
Waters on a starry night
Are beautiful and fair;
The sunshine is a glorious birth;
But yet I know, where'er I go,
That there hath past away a glory from the earth.

White musk, French vanilla, ambrette seed, frankgipani, angelica root, white rose, orris, and honeysuckle.

I have been looking forward to trying this one as soon as I read the description- lots of notes in here that I like a lot!

It is indeed a beautiful blend. I think in my mind it was going to smell a bit like Posset's Scent of Angels, and there is some similarity, but not much.

The honeysuckle and rose are there, but balanced very well. The white musk is gentle and clean. I don't really detect the orris much. The vanilla is subtle and sweet.

I love this! Wish I had purchased a backup bottle!

[Ravenclaw79]

To my nose, this smells like a berry bush, maybe acai or something like that, but it's buried under a thick blanket of fog -- it's a very soft and white-smelling scent, with a hint of berry-like sweetness. Lovely.

[mxtine]

I also smell dark berries in this blend. It's beautiful, just the right amount of musk, vanilla, and honeysuckle. I don't even smell rose.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab in record time!

 

Initial Thoughts: On the plus side: white musk that doesn't amp on me, French vanilla, honeysuckle and frankgipani. On the minus side: white rose which can go stinky on my skin and ambrette seed which may behave like amber and amp. Unknowns: angelica root and orris. But it's been so long since there's been a Lunacy that didn't have a dealbreaking note, so I jumped.

 

In the bottle: The initial note is musk, but a sweet, gentle and playful musk. Another whiff gets some floral undertones. And then I can pick out the vanilla.

 

Wet: Still mostly the light musk and the vanilla is making it almost foody. For a second I thought I could detect the bad rose, but it disappeared as fast as it came.

 

Drydown: Wow, this fades pretty fast on me. The musk and vanilla stay dominant on me, with a soft lilting floral and herbal edge in the background.

 

Verdict: On the plus side, the rose didn't stink up my wrist. On the minus side, there isn't quite as much honeysuckle as I was hoping for. I think I'll play with this one a little before I decide whether to keep it.

[bandobhran]

In the bottle, and wet, this smelled lovely soft and floral...the rose reminded me of Katrina Van Tassel, but more muted(the only way that rose note could get better, to me) and balanced by the honeysuckle. Maybe 10-20 minutes later, I kept catching whiffs of a soft, feminine vanilla floral...then about 10-15 minutes after that, white musk showed up and scared off everyone else at the party. Sigh. One of these days I'll learn to avoid the death-notes, even when they're surrounded by such lovelies...

[KrahesPhoenix]

Origin: Fresh from the Lab, my very first order ever!

 

In the Bottle/First Thoughts: Whoa, incense. That brain flash passes and I get something kind of sweet--like berries or maybe it's the honeysuckle I smell so much--I don't know, I'm going to assume it's honeysuckle as it's not smelling like rose to me. Kind of a tart/sweet smell with some greenery behind it.

 

On the wrist/Wet: The sweet berries are still there, but I think it's the musk taking over super strong now. I'm a BPAL newbie with limited perfume experience, so take this with a grain or two of salt, ok? Like I said, there's a lot of musk now and a bit of honeysuckle. I'm not smelling any vanilla what-so-ever but I'm hoping that changes.

 

Dry: It's all softened down now, which is good, but...musk, musk, and more musk. All I'm smelling now is musk and honeysuckle. I was *really* hoping for more of a vanilla scent but I think my skin had other ideas. I don't think it's a *bad* scent, but it's just not me.

 

In conclusion, I'm going to leave this on for the rest of the night (or attempt to) and see if anything changes. If not, I think I'll keep this bottle around for a bit or I might be tempted to give it away/swap it. Right now, it's just not my bag.

 

ETA: It's now the next morning. This stayed on my wrist allll night despite me breaking down and attempting to wash it off. There's something pleasant about the smell, but unfortunately it's giving me a head ache each time I sniff it. I think this is a nice scent, but again, just not for me.

 

ETA One Year Later: It no longer gives me a headache and I actually find it SOOTHING! Funny how things turn out.

Edited August 14, 2011 by KrahesPhoenix

[dluszcz]

Vanilla and musk, wafting out to nighttime frangipani. This is a hot summer night...

[proserpine]

Wet: I definitely smell the berry note other reviewer talk about. I'm guessing it's acia because it reminds me of the berry note in Australian Copperhead.

 

Drying: The berry is gone and the white musk comes out to play. Here's to hoping I don't am this too much...

 

Dry: Soft floral with a brush of sweetness. I can detect the rose, but it stays in the background. Clean, white, with a sweet feminine note.

 

Verdict: I am really glad I took a chance and bought a bottle. Hooray for trusting my instinct on this one!

[hlemonds]

Oh, my, this is WONDERFUL! First thing out of the bottle I get the gorgeous French Vanilla. Once applied I can sniff the musk and honeysuckle, plus maybe the tiniest hint of rose tempering the sweetness. Primarily this is vanilla white musk with very gentle florals. Enough floral to add interest and complexity without trampling all over the sweet, smooth, feminine base. This is one of the few BPAL that I sniff and immediately think "feminine". It is feminine, and lighthearted, without being "girly" (for lack of a better word). There is definitely a Joyful quality to this scent, and I really, really like it! POssibly the best lunacy so far for me (in just over a year of collecting, and I have tried a few older lunacy blends). But I love vanilla, honeysuckle, and pretty much any musk note, so there you go

 

For those concerned about the rose, you may not need to be. I seem to amp most BPAL rose notes, particularly any red rose. This one, however, I can only barely detect. I have to sniff really hard to get any rose at all. Once dry I am primarily getting the frangipani and honeysuckle over the vanilla and white musk. The throw is mostly vanilla, with a brush of the other notes.

[countessmouse]

Vanilla, vanilla, and more vanilla with just a small waft of soft floral. I'm really hoping that the vanilla plays nice and lets the rest of the scents make an appearance.

[verbranden]

I probably could have written Hillary's review myself. The French vanilla note was the first thing I noticed, and it is definitely a different scent than other blends of tried with vanilla. In the bottle, it also strongly reminded me of something but I can't really figure out what. I got a few of the more floral Lupercalia blends and I might have to do some comparison sniffs - once it's on my skin however, it is definitely its own blend. After a bit of wear, the floral notes come out, especially the honeysuckle. I do wish I got a little more rose, which is unusual because anything with red rose in it might as well be Rose Single Note on me, but at least I know white rose won't completely take over a blend like red does.

 

This is lovely on me, and unlike several of my favorites, this is a blend that for me, seems to defy seasonal limitations. I could wear this year round and it would still feel right.

[kikithepirate]

This is so, so lovely -- my only problem with it is that it's incredibly faint on me. The honeysuckle blends so perfectly with the french vanilla and musk, and it actually reminds me a lot of The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair. As opposed to some of the other reviewers, I do pick up the rose, but it definitely isn't overpowering. After a few hours, though, it's all that I can still smell, and it's faint -- a very light, buttery rose. I really love this, but I wish that it was a bit stronger.

[Ashenrook]

I actually tried this at the recent Lunacy Brick and Mortar sale, but I never got around to actually reviewing it publicly. Time to remedy that.

 

In the Bottle

I can smell the white musk first and foremost, but I can pick out the white rose and the frangipani/plumeria.

 

On Skin: Wet

White musk...yep. It's one of those scents that can either be a tremendous success on me or just an outright failure. This, sadly, is the latter. It's just too powdery, too fake smelling, and it seems to overwhelm everything with its "dust". The ambrette seed is peeking through and... I don't know. I smell way too much musk, not enough of the other notes.

 

On Skin: Dry

I don't smell any of the vanilla, yet. I'm starting to get the orris, the white rose, and the honeysuckle. But it's just...smothered by the white musk on me. I am...starting to get really disappointed with this.

 

Afternotes

Musk, musk, musk, and more musk. The vanilla is still MIA on me. *Sigh* Oh well.

 

 

Verdict

On an American scholastic grading scale of A to F, A being best, I would give this a C-.

 

The only reason this isn't in D country is because the floral notes that I did get under all the musk dust was nice. I don't think I can ever truly hate a floral scent, but... this one was just not for me at all. Which saddens me greatly since when I did read the note listing for Joyful Moon, I was all for it. It seemed like it went down a check list of all my favorite scents and put them in one delightful bottle, but...then the musk messed all of that up.

 

Sorry, Joyful Moon. We were just not meant to be.

[LinnerPinner]

In the bottle I mostly got French vanilla and that, along with the musk and the hintiest hints of rose and frangipani, is primarily what it throws on me. Close to my skin I definitely catch more of the rose and the honeysuckle. It feels smooth, which, although I adore white musks, isn't something I usually get when they're a featured note. I find this blend very clean and comfortable, like a perfectly fitted, plain white t-shirt. It's almost sexy that way.

 

Yeah, hi, I'm going to need to hunt down at least another bottle of this.

[Lorelai1945]

Oh I am so glad I got a bottle of this! My first impression was "soft". I did put it on warm out of the mailbox, but even as the temperature normalized, it is still very light and feminine. I get a little of the rose, a little of the vanilla in the background, and some of the white musk. When it was still wet I could smell a bit of almost tropical floral (the frangipani?) and more of the vanilla. I will keep testing once I've had the bottle sitting around for a while, but I am pretty sure this is made of win and will also probably get even better with aging.

 

ETA: The longer I have this on, the more the vanilla comes out. This just keeps getting better and better- I can't stop smelling my arm!!

Edited August 9, 2010 by VioletFemme

[animalcule]

In the bottle and on my skin Joyful Moon is a soft, musky French vanilla backed by mild florals and rooty notes that make it very clean and powdery. For such a mild scent it's got quite good throw and lasting power. Three people said I smelled like baby powder. Nope, not for me.

 

I'm glad I got to try it but my bottle will find a more loving home with someone else.

[Lucretia]

This is beautiful on me. It smells very soft and clean and creamy. I get musk and vanilla primarily with some soft and sweet (almost tropical) florals in the background. I know I've smelled some similar bpal scents but I can't quite put my finger on which ones. It reminds me a tiny bit of distant cousin of Snow White maybe? I wish this was a more helpful review! But in short, sweet musky vanilla without being at all cloying. I haven't had a whole lot of luck with other vanilla scents, but I think I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this one.

 

ETA: I've worn this one a ton now and it's on of my all time faves. It's what I always hoped that the Lace scents would be like on me. Nommy vanilla goodness.

 

ADDED March 8:

 

Sweet vanilla and musk with some bright florals in the background! This is "my" moon so I'm glad it worked out so nice! I smelled another bottle at a M&S and it smelled totally different though (almost herbal), so I think there is a batch difference with this one.

[Dark Alice]

Soft and clean. Completely sophisticated. Wet: The fragiapani and ambrette is a litte strong. Drydown: the vanilla comes through with hints of rose peeking in and out. This is amazing. I have never had a more beautiful bottle of perfume. I love that!

[ElizabethOSP]

This is my first Lunacy and I AM IN LOVE!!!

 

Snoofing bottle, I think I'm picking up the frangipani and white rose. BTW, I think white roses have a gentler scent. I love all roses, though.

 

Wet on skin, it gets a sharper feel which is very nice. As it dries down, it sweetens up again, but it's not a cloying sweet. It's soft, and comfortable, and...well, joyful! The sharpish edge is still there, but it only helps define the sweetness, if that makes any sense. When I layer it on, this stage lasts a while. After it's been partying with my arm for a bit,the sharp goes away and I get some very gentle poofs of orris and rose. Yum! I don't smell any vanilla, but I'll bet it's what helps to make everything feel comfy and cushy!

 

Joyful Moon is a gorgeous, soft, well-rounded floral blend. I want to huff my arm all night!

[DeltaCat]

Very light vanilla and floral; I get straight honeysuckle for the floral part. Didn't get much musk on my skin. Yummy, but my skin also thinks this is yummy because it noms it up within 30 minutes and I can't smell it anymore.

[claudia6913]

In the bottle: I don't know if it's because I've been sniffing my newborn so much lately, or if the oils in the bottle actually smell like a newborn - fresh skin and slightly sour milk. Not unpleasant, just ... weird.

 

Wet on skin: This has a soft white wine scent to it. A little fruity, but still with that undercurrent of slightly sour milk. Not sure what's giving it that turn though.

 

Drydown: It is keeping the soft white wine scent, sweet and a little sour. Thankfully the sour milk note has gone away. Out comes a bit of floral, and I can pick up the honeysuckle - which is awesome. I used to love eating the sap out of them as a kid.

 

Dry: It is a very light feminine scent - sweet and floral. Very girly, which usually isn't my thing, but perhaps when my little girl gets older, it'd be nice to hand this over to her.

[angelicruin]

Lots of soft, sweet vanilla & light musk in this blend. There is almost a berry-like quality on my skin. As it dries more, I pick up a light rose & soft floral note as well, but the vanilla continues to define this blend on my skin.

[mooncityminx]

I tried this on when it came in the mail yesterday evening. I was hoping for something that really let the honeysuckle shine, and Joyful Moon really delivered. Honeysuckle is one of my favorite notes of all time. My first ever BPAL order included an imp's ear of honeysuckle single note. I have been kicking myself for not ordering a whole bottle ever since. Honeysuckle is a sweet floral, but not cloying. I would describe it as a white floral, but it is never harsh or soapy. It has it's own distinct character that is hard to describe to someone who hasn't experienced it firsthand.

 

On to the review of Joyful Moon:

 

In the bottle: sweet liquor and a hint of pipe tobacco

 

Wet: sweet marshmallows, then honeysuckle and something else that is white floral in the background. The musk emerges and takes over for a while. It will stay very musky for a few minutes. This is the stage that has other people thinking "powder." I usually can't wear any ambers or resins except for white amber, so the ambrette had me worried. But this is not old lady powder, or baby powder. Thank goodness.

 

After a few moments I can detect a faint whiff of rose. The florals, musk, and ambrette blend so well together. It reminds me of the musk in Pisces. I always thought Pisces smelled so expensive and sexy. The ambrette and florals make this musk more classy, and less overtly sexy. The honeysuckle finally comes through and floats above the other notes. I can't smell any of the other notes now, just a magical blend of everything with honeysuckle floating on the top.

 

Drydown: As it dries, the vanilla comes out. It will go from honeysuckle on top, vanilla and musk, slowly to vanilla musk. The vanilla musk stage lasts for hours and hours on me. This is excellent vanilla. It reminds me of the vanilla in Antique Lace. It also reminds me of the vanilla in Midway, although this vanilla is not accompanied by anything buttery or smokey.

 

I would love to have another bottle of this. It is one of the best BPALs I've ever smelled. I'll reach for it when I want the comfort of vanilla, but the lady-like sophistication of florals and musk.

[sunlitgarden]

White musk and light florals. It's really pretty! The orris gives it a slightly dusty powdery quality. I admit I occasionally get whiffs of something that reminds me a little bit of Play-doh, but not really in a gross way... Joyful Moon strikes me as feminine and delicate, which I usually don't identify with, but it's a really nice blend and probably a keeper.

 

Edit 9/20: A month later I love this even more. It's a gorgeous soft vanilla. I wore it a couple days ago and I kept sniffing myself all day!

 

Edit 10/9: I forgot I had edited this already, because I came back to edit it AGAIN with how much I love this scent!!! Whatever was doing the Play-doh thing when it was fresh has aged out entirely now. Gorgeous soft musky vanilla with gentle florals.

Edited October 10, 2010 by sunlitgarden

[edenssixthday]

Joyful Moon - Oh. My. God. This is gorgeous. It's stunning. The french vanilla is definitely the most dominant note, but it's not as rich and heady as I had expected -- it's sweet and smooth and so pretty! It blends amazingly well with the angelica root and orris, which help keep it earthy. The frangipani is gentle and sweet, and the white rose is so incredibly pretty. I don't smell honeysuckle or white musk at all (my nose is immune to white musk -- I can never smell it), and the ambrette seed gives the scent the tiniest hint of cardamom-like spice, but it's very gentle, and grounding. I really, really love this. So few of the lunacy blends work for me, that I didn't get a full bottle and I really wish I had.