Moonshine and Mist

[jkfagtongpun]

Ethereal, otherworldly, delicate: ambergris, white musk, water violet, ylang ylang, magnolia, and white sandalwood.

Slight disappointment with this one. It was murky and dark when I first put it on then, poof, straight to powder and a bit headachey. I've learned that it must be that magnolia and I don't get on. Boo hoo, the rest of the notes don't even get a peep in. Perhaps I'll give it a year or so and try again.

[Vega]

Sniffed: A luminous, pale scent, somewhat floral, but with a sweetness that's neither foody, fruity or floral. I think it's the ambergris...

 

On skin: A fascinating scent! There are pale, light, clear florals here: I don't recognize them, so this must be magnolia and water violet. There a peculiar sweetness that is not fruity, foody or floral. So I think it's a resin-sweetness from the ambergris, and maybe the unfamiliar florals are contributing. White musk is extremely discreet, not as fuzzy as in other blends, and sandalwood is undiscernable. Moonshine and Mist really does resemble its name: it's both clear and light (moonshine) and fuzzy and full (mist), without any edges, sharpness or richness. Indeed, it actually seems to glow, like a luminescent moonstone, and is also reminiscent of the Moon haloed through a foggy sky. Colour impression is that glowing, bluish-white moonstone colour.

 

Verdict: What a mysterious, otherworldly, evocative, and distinct blend! I love how it really does resemble moonshine and mist, and I haven't smelled anything quite like it yet. An excellent scent to grace the general catalogue.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Smells better than I expected, considering I don't like florals much (particularly violet). It's definitely musky/powdery, which is most likely my beloved ambergris (plus the actual musk), and I can tell the sandalwood is helping to ground the white florals.

 

Wet: The sandalwood definitely makes this, and the name is wonderfully accurate. It evokes a forest enveloped in pale moonlight, with the musk and ethereal florals wafting around in the mists. I'd highly recommend this for those who dislike most florals, because it's very well blended and made firmer by the ambergris and sandalwood.

 

Dry: Generally the same, except the sandalwood does lighten up a bit to sit evenly with the florals rather than dominating. Still doesn't let them overwhelm things, though. This needs to be slathered if you want any throw, but otherwise it's a great skin scent.

 

Overall: Delicate but powerful. A more dainty scent than I can usually get behind, but enjoy this I do!

[Lethran]

In bottle: Soapy florals mostly. There seems to be a conflict between the sandalwood and the flowers. The musk is clear and reasonably strong, and plays well with the ambergris. I’m not skin testing as my skin does terrible things with violet and ylang ylang.

[milo]

Wet, and for the first few hours, this is a very ethereal, powdery, somewhat crystalline 'silver' scent. It really run's along the lines of Silver Phoenix and Staged Moon Landing. I'm betting there is orris here. At first, I really didn't get the Antique Lace comparison, but on late drydown, I really do see a strong similarity, though this is about 4 hours in, after a shopping, and a heavy workout. Which, by the way, it is still going strong. Sooo, if you like Antique Lace, there is a resemblance, but you'll have to wait awhile to get it. Maybe aging will bring out the similarities more? Nice, but I think the imp will suffice.

[CathyCR13]

I received this as a gift with my first order and I'm so glad that I did!

 

In the imp: I got musk and sandalwood right away.

 

Wet: musk, sandalwood and something vaguely floral.

 

Dry: the magnolia and violet start to peak through.

 

After about an hour the ambergris comes out and blends beautifully with the other notes that never really go away.

 

I love this scent. The staying power is unbelievable! I put it on before bed and it's still going strong the next morning. This is one of my favorites so far. I've already purchased a 5ml. bottle.

[Schmoozy]

I adore this. Clean, airy, and just like it's name - misty! Each of the notes balance well together and I really love how the violet, musk and sandalwood come together. Soapy floral is a good description, aand I adore a clean soapy floral smell. Slightly feminine, but the sandalwood and ambergris manage to tone down the femininity.

Edited October 22, 2011 by Schmoozy

[rhubarb3point14]

Many thanks to BPAL for the frimp!

 

Right away, as soon as I put this on, it really reminded me of Chanel No. 22. That should be theoretically impossible considering that that distinctive Chanel smell is aldehyde, which is made in a lab and is something BPAL doesn’t do. I’m guessing it’s a combination of BPAL’s version of ambergris and the ylang-ylang (which is also in No. 22) that makes it smell so similar.

 

Another thing that's interesting is that this doesn't evolve much on me. What I put on my wrist is what I keep getting as the hours roll on. It is powdery, white floral, subtle, and very refined. At the same time, though, there is something about that not-aldehyde-but-sure-smells-like-it top note that is really refreshing.

 

This fragrance has very little throw but a decent amount of staying power.

 

It's really quite lovely, even though it’s on the old-fashioned side. This is a definite keeper for me.

Edited October 25, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[Suu4LC]

Whee! IIRC correctly I sniffed this at will call right after it came out and found it beautiful! So excited to get to skin test a sample now. Hmm...in the imp it is almost straight up musky sandalwood. I amp woods like crazy, so I hope I get the other beautiful notes when I apply this to my skin and its just not all sandalwood all the time.

 

Hmm...on my skin it is definitely more complex...it seems to keep morphing so I can't get a good handle on it. Definitely a lot of sandalwood and musk, but I am definitely getting the lovely florals in there as well. Ethereal, otherwordly, and delicate are perfect words to describe this blend. I would almost add shimmering or misty as well.

 

Ok, I really dug this on drydown. It's a sweet pretty misty light floral grounded with soft sandalwood. It was one of those blends that would occasionally have me sniffing the air like "what smells so good...? Ohwait...that's me!" No sandalwood amping. All the notes blend together beautifully. I could totally see myself picking up a bottle on day!

[calivianya]

Ambergris accord makes me nervous, but I will skin test this anyway.

 

This almost... disappears. I can barely smell it. What I do smell is a bitter background with white florals that turns vaguely soapy on the drydown.. It reminds me a lot of what The Last Unicorn did on my skin. It's a close cousin to my skin chemistry. Unfortunately, that didn't work on me either. I need to learn that things with any kind of violet just do not work on my skin.

[parrot_suspect]

Do you wish you had a bottle of White Musk Single Note? Buy this. It dries down to smell exactly like it.

 

If you like crystalline musks, light florals, or "clean" fragrances, you'll like this. It's a bit sharp at first, but softens on the drydown. It reminds me a little bit of Bonne Bell Skin Musk.

[puellacaerulea]

I was surprised to see all the floral notes in the Lab's description -- even in the imp, this is all white musk, white sandalwood, and aquatic notes to me. Very pale (almost ethereal) and clean; very evocative of its name! Unfortunately, on me, it turns to baby powder fast. I love white sandalwood, but it doesn't seem to love me back, as I've noticed this straight-to-powder trend with every BPAL blend containing white sandalwood that I've tried. Looks like this is a scent locket-only candidate for me.

[mxtine]

I'm quite surprised I tested this on my skin. I don't like florals, especially violet, and I shy away from "white" musks and "white" sandalwood. I would expect the combination would be powdery and/or soapy.

 

I tried this because of the ambergris. It smelled woodsy and the florals were soft and dewy on my skin. The scent disappeared so I tested it in my hair and that's when I could smell magnolia. It is soapy in a good way, and I agree with some others that it's nostalgic of childhood and unusually comforting.

 

I cant imagine wearing this but I'll keep the imp anyway. It's such a pretty and ethereal scent.

[becca_s]

I ordered this from the Lab, because I want to try all the scents with Magnolia in them.

 

On me this white musk and sandalwood, perhaps some undefined florals in the background. I am not getting any of the Magnolia that I was looking for. This reminds me a little bit of how Zephyr smells on me, except without the lemon. It is a soft, white scent. It's nice but I don't like it enough to get a bigger bottle, I think that I would have liked it better if the sandalwood didn't amp on my skin.

[Quanta]

Got this as a frimp with my (recent) first order.

 

In imp: Lightly woodsy.

 

Wet on skin: Slightly sharp, almost musky woods, with some light florals in the background.

 

Dry: Light, sweet florals rounded out by woods. It's all quite faint, but has lasted (at this point) several hours pretty well.

 

"Ethereal and delicate" is right! But it's in a great way, like walking on a hill in the starlight (or moonlight, I guess) with flowers a few feet away, not shoved in your face. I don't think I'll order a bottle (limited funds and all that), but I may have to if it becomes my go-to scent. Definitely a keeper!

[mymymai]

ITI: It’s faintly feminine and floral – the magnolia and some ylang ylang conjure images of petals floating gently on a pond, sending soft ripples out toward the shore.

 

Wet: Sandalwood and ylang ylang are the leading notes on my skin. As it dries, the florals become much sharper.

 

Dry: When it’s initial dry, I get baby oil, of which I happen to like the scent. After a while, the white sandalwood has turned to a pleasant powderiness with just a little floral essence to give it some dimension. It’s certainly a clean scent that I would consider wearing again.

[impolight]

:::MOONSHINE AND MIST:::

A fantasy come true arrived in a 5 ml. Bottle of Moonshine and Mist. Bat's Day is already a gathering of souls that parallels a Paradise or Nirvana of Earthly plane, but the opportunity to not only sniff but to take home a bottle of this stuff made the day loftier still.

From the Bottle: Moonshine and Mist is handsome, dashing, and rakish... This stiff glides through the ether and graces the spirit of the inhaler with a warm and unctious tongue-bath. It is easy to get lost in and dissolve in this fragrance. The Sandalwood behaves in a silkent and creamy manner. This inspires über confidence and well being. The White Musk immerses one in an otherworldly glow and the Ambergris is a stratospheric smooch of ectstatic quixotry.

On the Skin: While there is not an overabundance of throw, Moonshine and Mist is indubitably clean. Ylang Ylang makes a clarion call from the pulse-points and certainly has an invigorating soapiness it can call a close ally. While it is not an overtly familiar fragrance, the Water Violet is shrinking, like its namesake, into a place where it is scarcely perceptible.

Moonshine and Mist is a 'Fresh from the Shower' type of fragrance. This is cheery, good natured and unisex.

Moonshine and Mist is stunning and rife with bewitchery. This is one of those BPAL formulas that somehow escaped prominence, but is rendered all the more awesome by its elusiveness and rarity.

Moonshine and Mist gets a 4.5 out of 5.

[filigree_shadow]

Oooo, a winner. I've had this sitting around in my BPAL box for a long time and haven't tested it because of the name. It has "moonshine" in it, which makes me think of a ceramic jug with XXXX written on it, and I'm not crazy about boozey scents. Duh, dork, not that kind of moonshine. More like moonlight. I wish I had known that and had tried this sooner, because now it's discontinued and I'm sad.

 

It smells very nice. A little high-pitched for my usual type of scent, but I don't object to that in this one. It's a very soft, musky sandalwood scent with some pretty light florals circling over the top. "Delicate" is a good word for this. It's one of those scents you could wear anywhere and never worry that anyone would object to your perfume. Very pretty.

[hushmesilent]

I received Moonshine and Mist recently, and was SURE that based on the description, this would be my new favorite.. not so much! There is nothing wrong with the scent, and it is beautiful, but it is sort of basic. It's a little bit perfumey (probably the white florals), and a little bit soapy. Smells very light and very much like it would work on anyone. A nice scent, but not nearly as special as I thought it would be.

[aquazoo]

I’m getting an interesting mix, complex florals. But then it turns into soap. :-(