Strawberry Moon 2017

[Casablanca]

Strawberries that in gardens grow
Are plump and juicy fine,
But sweeter far as wise men know
Spring from the woodland vine.

No need for bowl or silver spoon,
Sugar or spice or cream,
Has the wild berry plucked in June
Beside the trickling stream.

One such to melt at the tongue's root,
Confounding taste with scent,
Beats a full peck of garden fruit:
Which points my argument.

May sudden justice overtake
And snap the froward pen,
That old and palsied poets shake
Against the minds of men.

Blasphemers trusting to hold caught
In far-flung webs of ink,
The utmost ends of human thought
Till nothing's left to think.

But may the gift of heavenly peace
And glory for all time
Keep the boy Tom who tending geese
First made the nursery rhyme.

- Robert Graves

Wild strawberries, strawberry flower, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, purple coneflower, white sage, and milky dandelion sap.

Im mostly comparing this to a well-loved bottle of Strawberry Moon v5.

SM v5 smells like deeply red strawberries and sunny dandelion meadow to me, while SM 2017 smells to me like pinkish-red, sugared strawberries and milky dandelions. The strawberry mood of 2017 almost reminds me more of Diligent Instruction for the Bridal Night than of SM v5, with that youthful sugared quality, but with an outdoorsy meadow vibe replacing Diligents fluffy mallow pillows.

Mostly, this is sugared pinkish strawberries and meadow on me. The meadow here is like a soft wildflower background, with dandelions and a little texture that reminds me of chamomile. Grasses color things a bit but dont stand out on their own. The sage mostly hides, but now and then I get a little pale coolness.

I love both versions of SM; this one feels more youthful than SM v5.

[suki]

In The Bottle: The sweet, juicy strawberry and tart, green dandelion of my beloved Strawberry Moon 2009.

 

Wet On Skin: Holding steady...

 

Dry Down: Okay, now that it's fully dried, there *is* a bit of a difference. Those early summer grasses are lessening the sweetness without playing up the dandelion sap, and yes, giving it a bit more of a "grassy" feel. Apart from that, this scent is very nearly a dead ringer for 2009. So, if you love that one, you'll want this as well, and if you missed out on the SM '09, here's a chance to get something close enough to adore

[Janel Kisner]

In the bottle and wet, it reminds me of a fresh strawberry smoothie without the cream.

 

As it dries down, it becomes more floral and less sweet, like strawberry flowers and wildflowers, with a little bit of the vanilla coming out. I don't smell the sage. Overtime, it's a dry strawberry floral. It's very lovely and a keeper.

[Jenjin]

This smells a bunch different than other strawberry scents i've tried and only slightly like the '12 Strawberry Moon I used to have. I'm getting summer days in the sun-warmed woods, pulling tiny, barely pink strawberries from my pockets, tearing off the fuzzy caps and eating them by the handful. Much of the time strawberry scents can go dollhead, gourmand or just too "pink", but this one grassy, dandelion sappy and green, I-just-rolled-in-the-forest scent, not a hint of soap or anything unnatural.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Jenjin

[MadameSalty]

This is my first Strawberry Moon and I am in love! Fresh, cool, wild strawberries still on the vine. This is the freshest, unfoody and un-dolls head strawberry note I've tried yet! Sweet but in a totally natural and wild way. A fresh grass and wildflower meadow with the scent of wild strawberries blowing in the breeze. It's real strawberries and "outdoors". Lovely!

[torikitty]

I agree mostly about the similarity between '09 and '17 being fairly similar. '09 isn't as sweet as '17.

 

'09 wet: green, sweet, strawberries in a salad

'17 wet: eating sweeter, strawberry shortcake while in the grass. Somewhat still artificial.

 

'09 dry: almost artificial strawberries with a lot of green in the background

'17 dry: really apparent strawberry, with the vanilla more apparent. A sort of light skin musk around it, too. Frankly, it ends up smelling like fresh-washed hair with Suave's strawberry shampoo from years ago. Some might say this is more of an artificial strawberry smell. I really, really enjoy it.

[milo]

Pretty fresh and green berry blend. I was into berries several years ago, and am starting to enjoy strawberry scented perfumes, as long as they're not too young smelling. For some reason, some strawberry notes go waxy on me, like chapstick, and this one is veering into that territory. I'll see how the rest of the day goes, but I think i may be passing this one along.

[sarandipitee]

I've never had much luck with strawberry (looking at you Strawberry Sufganiyot and Enveloped in Silk HG) as it usually ends up smelling like a strawberry shortcake doll from the '80's, but I took a chance based on the dandelion sap and grass notes which usually are stellar on me.

 

SOOOO happy I did. This is GORGEOUS. It's like bottled Summer. Strawberries warmed by the sun surrounded by the greatest combination of green notes. The vanilla infused sugar is playing nice and just sweetening up the whole vibe.

 

I love it. So happy to have a bottle. ❤️❤️

[Spaztic]

Summer in a bottle indeed!

I get a nice realistic strawberry with some green coming from the grass and floral (dandelion for sure, maybe a little of the other two as well) + some nice vanilla> I find it dries down to be mostly vanilla (I'm taking way dry down, where it almost disappears)

I don't get any sage

wonderful stuff!

[LizziesLuck]

I couldn't decide whether I just wanted to test this on it's own first, or compare to my Strawberry Moon 09, which I love. I finally decided just to test this, mostly cuz I'm lazy, and 09 is upstairs...

 

 

Wet: YUM. Tart/Sweet realistic strawberry and green notes. I immediately need to put more on! I do find it's a bit more bitter (the green notes - maybe the sage?) than my 09.

 

 

Dry: This is different from 09, but I still love it. The strawberry (real strawberry, on me) comes through, with lots of grass and dandelion. I love it. I had planned to have it as a back-up for if I run out of 09, but instead I may put it into rotation as well. I'll have to test them side-by-side to see.

[Lambent]

Strawberry Moon 2017 is what I wanted Strawberry Moon 2009 to be. While Strawberry Moon 2009 is more boozy, sweet, and caramelized, Strawberry Moon 2017 is more green and fresh. I think the additions of sage and "summer grasses" bolster the dandelion sap. Makes me think of warm weather and U-Picks for sure.

[zankoku_zen]

Fresh strawberry sugar. I get a ton of sugary strawberries and a touch of green grass. It's very candy-like. Good throw and wear length. This is too sweet for me.

[chrisann]

I'm taken back to 6 year old me, that cannot stop greedily gobbling up a bowl of strawberries that I'm supposed to be sharing with my brother. (mine, all mine!) My mom used to mix in a wee bit of sugar, and this years incarnation has that same sugared strawberry scent. SO nostalgic. I did not care for 2009's version at all. The sage/green note in that year's blend went bitter/ sharp on me and dominated the scent. THIS year is the reverse. More sugared strawberries with just a subtle backdrop of outdoor green. Sigh. I have a huge crush on this blend and can see this being in heavy rotation this Summer.

 

(I love and still use 2005's version, which over the years is a more intense boozy strawberry. I slather it in my hair and layer it with Bulgarian Tobacco. )

[Blood onmy hands]

First on, this reminds me of strawberry soda. Sugary, tart, syrupy. Dries down like strawberry candy with a hint of powdery, sweet floral. It doesn't smell green or like dandelion on me. It's more of a soft, sugar-dusted wildflower. Only lasts about a half hour on me, but is a pleasant strawberry candy and sugared wildflower.

Edited June 17, 2017 by Little Bird

[SadariEvenstar]

This was really pretty and I loved it. Gentle strawberry, some nice greenery in the background. Then about two hours later I was like, "What the hell did the kids spill soap somewhere?" Nope. It was me, all the pretty strawberry was gone and I smell strongly of soap instead.

[Lunameth]

This is sweet, delicious vanilla strawberries with a background of a summer meadow. I've been after a perfect strawberry scent for a while now and this is pretty much there. It could have done with being a little less candy-like and a bit more actual fresh strawberries to be utterly perfect, but as it is I LOVE it! Had it on 11 hours so far and still going strong. So happy I got a bottle!

[roseus]

One of the nicer strawberries on me! I get some nice grass and sap, with a heavy dose of vanilla sugar. The strawberries sit on the line between tart and fresh and candy-like. So summery!

[Minh Scent]

This is my second attempt to find a Strawberry Moon that smells like the HG, which has a dandelion note that breaks my heart. I have failed again.

 

In the 2917 oil, I get heavy strawberry, a bit of green when wet. The strawberries hover between realistic and almost plastic. The final drydown is a gorgeous, almost musky powdery vanilla, but it takes long to get there. I get no sage at all, the dandelion is in my imagination. If you like sweet strawberries with a vanilla drydown, this is for you.