Blackbear Moon

[CiCi]

BLACKBEAR MOON
The bear puts both arms around the tree above her
And draws it down as if it were a lover
And its chokecherries lips to kiss good-by,
Then lets it snap back upright in the sky.
Her next step rocks a boulder on the wall
(She's making her cross-country in the fall).
Her great weight creaks the barbed wire in its staples
As she flings over and off down through the maples,
Leaving on one wire tooth a lock of hair.
Such is the uncaged progress of the bear.
The world has room to make a bear feel free;
The universe seems cramped to you and me.

In February, black bears give birth to their cubs, nurturing and protecting them as the snow melts, the days grow warmer, and winter gives way to spring. Hazelnuts, acorns, black cherries, wild winter berries, and warm black fur dusted by moonlight, honey, and pine needles.

I received my bottle of Blackbear Moon yesterday. I love Hazelnut and honey and that is the reason why I was so excited about this blend. When I first applied it all I could smell was the hazelnut but as it dried down (half hour) it morphed into a very soft, dreamy scent. I could not detect any honey at all just a lovely sweetness so if you aren't able to wear honey, I would still give this a try with a decant-it is worth it! I didn't ever detect cherries or pine, perhaps the sweetness I got was the berries? A friend can't wear hazelnut at all and she tried this and after the initial dry down loved it and is going to order a bottle of her own. Even after hours of wear I could still smell the soft, musky smell. Blackbear Moon is deep, rich and will age wonderfully! I wish I had ordered another bottle when I placed my Lupercalia order-it is that good!

[portalkat]

Blackbear Moon is gorgeous. I love the lab's black cherry note and in this blend, it is deep and rich and smooth. I think that this is how I always wanted the berry blends to smell. I do smell the pine in this, but it is blended with the berry notes and not off on its own, and for those of you who do not like pine, it is only a supporting player along with the honey. I think that the cherry, berries and musk are the star players here. This is a beautiful blend and I'm glad that I came to my senses and ordered a bottle.

[yukinohana]

A warm, comforting, stunning, AND sexy as hell scent. I can smell the hazelnuts, acorns, some berries, & honey. The warm black fur dusted by moonlight may be the sexy part. I'm not sure, but it doesn't really matter. This is my favorite lunacy so far.

[MadameFaye84]

Normally not one to write reviews, but this lunacy is so worth saying something about. I don't know how to pick out notes or rightly know what I'm smelling, so I'll tell you how it made me feel. To me this is definitely a warm, inviting, and amazing scent. With this scent I can imagine curling up next to a sleeping bear on a cold night to keep warm. So freaking happy that I bought a bottle of this.

 

As a side note I layered this over Snow White (2011 version)...pure heaven

[iiinterstate]

Its been forever since I ordered from the Lab, and even longer since I ordered a Lunacy blend, but I'm very very glad I picked up Blackbear Moon.

 

It starts off heavy on the hazelnut, but I detect the honey and black cherry as well. After about half an hour it's dried down into a warm, undeniably furry scent. Somehow, the hazelnut and honey dominate this without being too sweet. I get occasional wafts of the berries and cherry, but overall it's difficult to pick out the individual notes. I love this blend a lot, and it will likely find its way into my regular rotation.

 

(If you're not a fan of hazelnut, you might want to skip this one.)

[dawndie]

In bottle: sweetened nuts

 

On skin: delicious honey & nuts

 

Half-hour later: musk and just a touch of pine has "fuzzied" the nuts

 

In conclusion: there's just the right amount of berries, nuts and musk to make it sweet and luscious without being too foody. Even black cherry and pine, normally too strong in other blends, are mellow and smooth. Blackbear and Oak Moon are two edible Lunacies, unusual and interesting!

Edited January 18, 2012 by dawndie

[MerriAnneStowe]

Blackbear Moon started off as almost entirely hazelnut on me. (I had a bag of hazelnuts handy, for comparison). I couldn't really pick out any of the other notes, but there was a sort of underlying impression of furriness which became more dominant as time went on. (Or to flip that around, the hazelnut gradually faded out.) After about five hours the impression was mostly fuzzy furriness. I never really picked out any of the notes other than hazelnut and the background, softening furriness.

[SadariEvenstar]

This is amazing. I don't think I own anything quite like it. Don't make your decision on this one based on your initial thoughts! It took about 20 minutes for this to settle onto my skin. Wet and drying it was almost all hazelnut nut with a spiciness that reminded me of cinnamon or cassia without actually being either. It was nice, but almost overwhelming. It reminded me a little of cookies.

 

Dry is a whole different story. Sweet dry fur and grasses (maybe that's the dry pine needles, it doesn't really smell piney though). It's like cuddling my cat after she has been sleeping in the sun. The nuts have faded away, leaving behind something that doesn't really smell like any one of the notes in particular. One of the most evocative scents I have tried. This is comforting and sexy and I love it.

 

-Edit- After having this for a few days it has settled considerably. The in your face, hazelnut/cookies initial smell isn't really present anymore. It just goes directly to the wonderful dry down scent as soon as it is dry. I still get little to no fruit in this, just a warm sweetness that I am assuming the berries leave.

Edited January 25, 2012 by SadariEvenstar

[Lorna Brigid]

This smelled almost exactly like Knave of Hearts on me.

The hazelnut seriously smelled just like the tart crusts in Knave.

That was all I got. After dry down, a little bit of cherry berry was a hint.

No pine, no furriness.

Oh well. *shrug*

[angelicruin]

I get honey, nuts, and soft berries wrapped within a furry cocoon.

[yeahbutnobut]

Black Bear Moon

 

In the bottle: honeyed hazelnuts, almost grainy berries and a pine resin note that smells like frankincense.

Wet on skin: rich hazelnuts with a dark and fruity undertone.

Dry on skin: this is a cosy scent. It smells of the same roasting chestnuts and hazelnuts combination from Nut Crack Night spray, but instead of caramel, there’s honey (which I prefer). It’s very rich without being creamy. There’s also the acorn note from Oak Moon, which also smells very rich and nutty. The cherry note is very subtle. Other than a dark fruity undertone (not too sweet though) I can’t really pick out cherry, but I do get the impression of cranberries and maybe blackcurrants here. The berries have the potential to go quite sharp and I hope they don’t ruin this. I can’t smell as much of the pine now, and I don’t get the fur either, but there’s a similar quality in this scent to Luna Negra or Schwarzer Mond, only less resinous and with nuts.

After a while: the scent sweetens a bit more, and this reminds me of a kind of berry flapjack or crumble, which is no bad thing! Not as buttery as actual flapjacks or crumble, but the nuts seem to add a similar gourmand vibe. I swear I smell oats though, something that reminds me of cereal. And there’s that warm fruity filling, those cherries and berries reminding me of berry compote. I want to eat this up! The sad thing is I don’t seem to get the ‘cat belly’ everyone raves about but I do love smelling like fruit crumble! It manages to be foody on me without smelling sickly sweet, there’s a bite to the berries here. Seems fitting for the bear cub imagery-very cute, but with a bit of fierceness.

The scent then develops a slight hint of fuzzy sweetness that reminds me of the ‘animalic’ note in Hunter Moon and other mammal themed scents that smells like furry musk, but it’s very quiet compared to the berries.

Verdict: this is one of the cosiest scents ever made! It makes me want to snuggle down on a chilly day with a good book/film and eat fruit crumble, for that’s what this scent smells like to me-a berry crumble full of nuts and black cherry sauce. It’s warm and rich and smells edible, but doesn’t smell cloying thanks to the slight sharpness of the berries and cherries. The acorn and hazelnut are strong and the honey adds the right amount of sweetness. I wish I got the ‘cat fur’ note (I do get a dark furry musk after a little while) but I’m happy with the yummy scent I get, it’s comforting and perfect for those depressing winter days.

Is it a keeper? yes!

If you like this, try: Brood XIX, Halfling, Luna Negra, Oak Moon, The Soldier, Berry Moon 2011, Hunter Moon 2011

Edited January 22, 2012 by yeahbutnobut

[Venneh]

This is absolutely amazing. I may have to talk to some folks to get a backup bottle at one of the WCs.

 

In the bottle, this is very much honey and nuts. On my skin, it's a nutty sort of honey with deep cherries and berries underneath, and just a hint of the pine. That slowly morphs over the hours to honey and moonlight, and eventually to this soft, warm fur scent that reminds me of what my cat's belly smells like when I stick my face in it, occasionally. Stunning, and an awesome first lunacy for 2012.

[dreamingjune]

In bottle: Nuts, honey, and something green which I imagine is pine, along with a subtle musk base. The berries are somewhat in the background too.

 

Wet: The freshness of subtle pine and berries with a soft honeyed hut base. The musk in this is similar to something like Ivanushka, however these two scents are nothing alike.

 

Dry: I am being reminded of Brood XIX, only stronger with a fur musk base and berries for freshness. The honey is not super obvious, it just sweetens up the already sweet nutty notes a bit. The pine is also by no means obvious and I am getting none of that usual pine-sol business.

 

Overall: I really think you have to like nutty notes in a blend to dig Blackbear Moon. All of the other notes in this are quite nice and supporting the nuts quite well. The subtle furry musk background to this is really quite fabulous and comforting. I am not sure it is for me, but I am certain this will be a big hit.

[Glambie]

Time for my first review! (And why on earth did I choose such a complex scent to review?!)

 

In the bottle, I smell sweet, juicy berries and soft pine needles. Imagine cuddling up by a campfire in the woods on a cool evening, eating a berry pie.

 

Upon first application, I inhale the comforting scent of hazelnut, as the berries and pine fall lazily into the background. It really is an "earth mother" kind of scent, capturing the most comforting aspects of a forest.

 

Until the drydown about 30 minutes later, I was worried that the more complex notes would be left behind. However, they eventually reemerge as a delicate, radiant combination that stays close to the skin. It is delicious without being foodie or cloying, and it is also extremely comforting and wearable.

 

I know it's supposed to conjure up images of Mother Blackbear, but I keep envisioning a group of playful fairies, hiding behind trees and picking berries underneath rays of sunlight. It truly is a warm, soft, earthy scent that I'm confident most people will appreciate.

 

Rating: 4.5/5

Edited to add that I layered this with a small dab of Bewitched (blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk), and it was insanely beautiful. If your skin doesn't bring out the juicy berries in BB Moon, perhaps this might help...?

Edited January 26, 2012 by Glambie

[joyfulgirl]

in the bottle: holy cow, i'm getting the whole shebang here! nuts, berries, honey, and pine floating over a faint musk base. wow...lovely, but quite complex!

 

wet on my skin: jeez, this is all hazelnut. ugh, it's totally overwhelming. this could be bad.

 

dry on my skin: whew, the hazelnut has calmed the hell down. thank goodness. i am getting a nice honey/musk mix now, with some nuttiness on top. i agree with glambie that it smells very yummy without being overtly foodie. however, at its core, it is still hazelnut on me, so i am not sure how much i will wear it...i may age it a bit and see if it mellows out a little. it feels like it definitely has potential to be something gorgeous.

[venusinfurs]

This is the first lunar BPAL I've ever bought, luckily it was a good choice

 

In the bottle: Very sweet, honey with some nuttiness. Like others have said, though, it's not really foody. Just sweet and pretty. Not really smelling any fruit, fur, pine at all. It smells kind of like how I wished O smelled on me!

 

Wet on skin: WOW hazelnut. All nut. It made me very nervous...I like hazelnut, but I don't want it to be ALL hazelnut!

 

Dry down: Hazelnut is still very present, but thankfully dying a bit. There is a beautiful musk note in this blend. It's warm, comforting cherries, hazelnut, and honey, with musky furry awesomeness. I also detect something "cold." Must be the pine and moonlight, although I have never specifically picked out a pine note in this blend. It is absolutely amazing how much the musk/fur/pine blends together so well to smell like my cat when she's been sleeping under the pine trees in our yard. I can't specifically pick out any berry either. If the scent had a color, it'd definitely be brown!

 

I think it captures perfectly what the description says: comfort, warmth, days turning warmer, but still that hint of lingering cold. This is a very versatile scent. It could be used for cuddling up on the couch, or a day of skiing or hiking when it's chilly. I can see it being a beautiful intimate date kind of scent too. There is something sexy about it, despite being evocative of a Mama Bear. It's definitely a winter kind of scent. Weird that another reviewer said this was beautiful with Bewitched, because I was thinking this could be worn in the spring/early summer if layered with a greener berry or pine scent, like Bewitched. It's complex so I will probably let it age some. Most of the more complex blends are better that way!

Edited January 27, 2012 by venusinfurs

[fiddlehead]

I took a chance on this hoping that the berries wouldn't be too sweet or cloying. However, I don't get any berries or fruit at all in this on the first wearing. It's a very subtle scent and very natural smelling and warm. I smell nutmeat, something sort of vaguely oatmeal-ish/grainy and what I guess is some sort of musk. It does evoke a furry image in my head. This is sort of what I was hoping Coyote would smell like. It is a bit foodie but not like dessert. Definitely something a bear would eat, I imagine

 

Not at all what I was expecting. I think this is going to be a winner for me, oddly enough.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

This is the first BPAL Cherry perfume that has worked on me. It's so complex. LOTS of layering of notes here. I'm having a great time smelling it cause it keeps on getting more and more interesting and lovely.

 

Reminds me of making my own granola mix. And thus, by extension, Sleipnir.

Edited February 5, 2012 by Heavenlyrabbit

[Victory]

Nuts and honey and fur and pine needles! The February lunacy is right around my birthday and I had hoped for a honey or furry perfume and I am delighted to have it. As someone said, the pine does smell like dry needles, and the fur note is recognizably furry. I don't smell much in the way of the berries, but I am quite pleased with this.

[thezander]

In the Bottle: A faint hint of cherry, mostly honey and nuts with that fuzzy note on top.

On wet: More of the same. I don't love this yet. I want more cherry!

Drydown: Honey nut cereal, heavy on the floral honey, and fuzzy cat tummies... Reminds me of some other scent that I can't nail down, something foody - Eat Me perhaps? But it does smell like something a little bear might want to eat!

 

 

Not unpleasant but it doesn't scream "me" either. I may be swapping this but will let it sit a bit first and test again. I think my skin might just suck up cherries and berries or something.

[AnArtfuldodger]

In the bottle: fur, berries, something softly foodie

Wet on wrist: fur, berries, a hint of...acorns? Must be the acorns

On the drydown: Hazlenuts take over about a minute after drydown, and it remains sweetly nutty with that under-note of fur and those berries. I get zero honey/pine, which is since those were the scary notes to me!

[becca_s]

I have tested this twice and it has smelt quite different each time. The first time it was very sweet honey & hazlenut, quite foody and not really my type of scent. Someone told me I smelt like maple syrup ...

 

The second time I tested this, the scent was much more well rounded - I could actually smell a hint of pine and leaves, perhaps some berries there in the background. The hazlenut and honey are still there, but they are not stealing the show this time. Although hazlenut is still the most dominant note, the honey has settled down. I only get what I think must be fur from the very final dry down of this. Blackbear Moon is a very interesting scent, I can imagine wearing it winter. The hazlenut and honey are a little too foody on my skin, but they had settled alot the second time I tried it. It was much better the second time.

[ami226]

This one is quite nutty on me. Normally the smell of hazelnuts or walnuts make me sick, but this isn't quite the same... It kinda smells like a honey, nutty dessert.

 

This really is my first scent with nuts that I don't absolutely feel sick smelling!

 

Sadly, I just can't do nuts. I never got sick from this one, but the nuts just overpowered all other notes.

[awesomeoverlord]

Oh, how I wanted this to work. In the bottle I get the whole spectrum...honey, nuts, berries, pine. All beautifully blended. Though, to temper my enthusiasm, my man simply concluded that it smells like one of those maple bar donuts. It is quite foody to my nose, but in a really delicious way. Sadly, this all disappears when the stuff touches my skin. I tend to amp wood, so whatever woody notes are in here start screeching within about 5 seconds, and from there on out it's all burnt coffee and plastic

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the vial: It smells almost like single-note hazelnut. There may be just a ghost of the fruits hiding in the background - or that could be my imagination.

 

On me, wet: At first, I smell only the hazelnut. But within seconds, a very mild note of pine kicks in. And if I try really hard, I can just barely pick up a little fruitiness.

 

After 10 minutes: The pine has already mostly faded away, and the honey has stepped in to take its place. It is lovely in combination with the hazelnut.

 

After 30 minutes: Hazelnut and honey.

 

After 1 hour: Back to single-note hazelnut.

 

After 3 hours: Much faded, but still there. Hazelnut, honey, and something a little dusty and musky - the acorns? the warm black fur? The fruits are virtually nonexistent in this, which seems like a shame. They are so perfect for the concept, and would go well with the other notes.

 

Verdict: Hazelnut is definitely the star of this show. It is a pleasant unisex blend that can be enjoyed equally by both women and men, but too foody to be something I'd wear very often.

 

My rating: 4 stars