Wolf Moon 2004

[Penance]

This is the dead of winter, the year's dark hibernation, the crystalline silence of the depths of the world's darkness. It bears echoes of the time before time, of primordial gloom. This Moon harbors memories of man's life before fire.

Preconceived notions:

I'm fairly inept at identifying a lot of notes unless I have a description to guide me, so I don't know how helpful I'll be at reviewing Wolf Moon, but I'll do my best.

First sniff:

This smells aquatic to me, but like ice and snow rather than a pond. For some reason, it reminds me of the Yule blends...maybe like Skadi's much younger cousin, although the two aren't really all that similar. There's something soft and green in the background of this, too, just barely noticeable over the aquatic notes. I'm not sure what it is, but it's beautiful.

Wet on skin:

Wolf Moon is another quick-change artist, apparently. As soon as I put it on, the aquatic notes all but disappear and I get a soft woodsy scent instead. This smells like the woods right after the spring thaw, when everything's coming back into bloom and the ground is soft and loamy with melted snow. This is absolutely gorgeous and right up my alley!

Dry down:

Oh, I love this! I smell pine mainly...this smells like a pine forest in early spring to me and it's gorgeous. It's not overpoweringly masculine, either, the way some woodsy scents are. It's a soft pine forest scent and very subdued and tranquil smelling. Unfortunately, it seems to fade very quickly on me, but I don't mind reapplying.

The bottom line:

I'm really glad I got two of this because I'm in love! My impulsive buying is paying off, apparently.

[pekeana]

In the vial, Wolf Moon is very aquatic -- it's like a slushpile in a gutter with dirt and green things floating in it. Very much like when the snow and ice are melting and running down the street, picking up everything in its path.

 

On me -- pine and a mixture of spruce, ivy(? -- it's a similar note as in Mabon), and sharp, bright balsam fir notes, all atop an incredibly cold, deep, dark freshwater note (not saltwater like Sea of Glass, Jolly Roger, etc.). My skin also brings up a sugared lemon smell that rounds it all out. The whole concotion definitely reminds me of primordial ooze, and it's very in your face, even as it's simple and divine. It's got a hell of a lot of throw.

 

All in all, Wolf Moon, how I love thee!

[phaedrine]

Oh, yum....

 

I totally agree with Penance. This is like Skadi's younger, androgynous cousin.

 

It's got the same chill, beautiful pine as in Skadi, but it's not as spicy, and while sweet, it doesn't have the berry sweetness.

 

In the vial, it's all sweet pine, with a very chill aquatic note.

 

Once on the skin, it does warm up a bit, but still stays very nice and piney.

 

The throw only lasted about an hour on me, but six hours later I can still smell it on my wrists.

 

A winner, for sure!

[linaerys]

On me it reminded me of Hurricane, with the aquatic notes, and the slightly rotten note of vetiver. Once I'd worn it for a while I started to get some spice but still had the murky aquatic flavor underneath.

 

I liked it reasonably well, but not sure I liked it well enough to keep.

[sarada]

I approached Wolf Moon having read the descriptions, so my impressions may be slightly influenced by them...but this once again proves that each Lunacy blend is even better than the last! Well this is only the fourth that I've tried, but these cold month moons are spectacular.

 

Whereas Cold Moon strikes me as being a sort of pale orange scent with a shimmering golden glow, reflected in a frozen pond, Wolf Moon is that pond in the twilight, with greenery frozen into the ice. There's something in all of the recent Lunacy oils that is slightly sweet and floral and keeps them from being completely chilly. There's a warming influence of the light of the moon that lends a honeyed sweetness to the blend. I think of little white and gold flowers blooming on cold mossy earth. -- I'm yearning to catch a whiff of something evergreen in here and I think that it is there, but on me the sweeter, more floral notes are amplified, swimming under the icy aquatic sheen. I don't normally like sweet or floral notes but in this, it works. There's something about it that just has me hypnotized.

 

I put some of this on in the cleavage area, bundled up and went out, and occasionally dipped my head down into my coat to catch the scent of Wolf Moon -- it's marvellous, and keeps changing, I'm really not sure what the notes are, or what other oils to compare it to, but if you liked Cold Moon and would like something just a little greener...possibly with a hint of wood or evergreen...this is it!

[Red_Hot_Mama]

Wolf Moon is a sly one.

 

There's the initial piney woods: which reminds me of walking in a snowy forest in the full moonlight. Cold, crisp, clear but if you breathe too deeply you might feel a little lightheaded.

 

Wolf Moon drys down to an absolutely crystaline floral. It's not going to "shout" at anyone but you know it's there.

 

Edited to add that this reminds me of Wolf's Heart but only in the floral drydown stage but much subtler. Very, very nice!

Edited February 5, 2005 by Red_Hot_Mama

[xochitl]

This is good. I like this. But I haven't been disappointed by a Lunacy blend yet. This is Harvest Moon's musky, aquatic sister. Aquatic, but somehow inviting, not cold or as crystalline (on me) as Frost Moon or Cold Moon.

[Cats]

Really not what I was expecting at all -- I took the "wolf" part too literally and was expecting something more animalistic.

 

In the bottle: Very piney and oh so very much not for me, since I'm allergic to pine. Oops.

 

To the swap piles it goes.

[Finny]

Sniffing out of the bottle, buttery, and almost sweet, very much like Harvest Moon. The buttery note fades away on application, leaving a clear crystal floral. It is lemony sweet to my nose, with a faint undercurrent of an icy aquatic note.

 

Aquatics and I do not mix well, they give me a head-ache, so I am hoping that it won't start to amp up in the drydown.

 

This is drying down to a lemony scented floral on me, it is very interesting, but not really my style. I will try it again in a few days, and see if it changes. It's aquatic note is not giving me a head-ache, but I can smell it, and I am not sure I can be comfortable wearing it. I don't get any of the pine or green smells, that others have commented on.

 

It is a beautiful smelling scent, but I am all about leather, incense, and spice.

 

And this is a very beautiful, crystal, floral.

[Longstofly]

Oh wow. This is totally different than I expected it to be. Straight out of the bottle it smells much more feminie than I imagined it to be. I don't smell any pine at all which is strange because so many others did. I smell dry grasses and woods.

 

On me, it reminds me of walking through the woods on a dry winter afternoon. You can smell the dry grasses and the trees and occasionally the tiny little flowers that seem to bloom no matter what season.

 

It doesn't really stand out as a spectacular scent to me though. I think just because it isn't a scent I would normally wear. Oh well, I am sure someone else will very happily enjoy this oil when it goes into my swap pile!

[Korki]

On me/to me this is a a soft floral and is the first soft scent that I have gone head over heals about. In the bottle it is wonderful. Wet it is wonderful. I'm not getting any of the pine scents that everyone has mentioned. For me it is a nice, rounded floral. Kind of brisk, clean smelling, yet with a bit of a bite. I can't stop sniffing. I will have to see what happens after it is on for awhile. I hope this isn't one that disappears quickly. Most of the softer/floral scents only seem to last about 5-20 minutes on me and then I have to struggle to smell them, even with my nose buried in my skin.

 

After about 3 hours I was still loving this. It had't disappeared and I am so glad. I still only smelled a nice floral with no individual scent stepping forward. For a bit it had a very slight soapy scent but that disappeared real quick.

 

After being on for about 5 hours I could barely smell this anymore but that was okay. Much better than 5 minutes.

[rainbow]

In the bottle and wet on the skin- acquatic, with a bit of sweet mint, and waterlogged (possibly rotting) wood- no, it's not nasty, it really smells rather natural and outdoorsy.

 

Wearing- the wood and mint scents disappear, and this turns into a very strong floral, with a slight element of creaminess too it. I can also smell the similarities in it to Frost Moon and Cold Moon (must be the traditional lunar oils). A tangy musk comes through quite strongly as it first begins to dry, but it's pretty quickly assimilated into the blend.

 

For me, this is a pungent and heady floral. It's got a slight watery and creaminess to it that's sort of reminiscent of Queen Mab. This smells much more like a traditional perfume than probably any other BPAL I've tried. I like it- I'll wear it when I want to feel grown up and sophisticated.

[pkwench]

Wolf Moon

 

Wolf Moon is a very peaceful and soothing scent to me. It's wet and green in a mossy stone in a dark brook sort of way. There's a hint of spice behind it, lurking like darkness and very, very faint something golden and light-almost as if this scent remembers daylight, pays it homage, but doesn't mourn it so much. It dries down to a very soft, delicate floral with that threading twine of what I identify as "lunar oil smell". I love it.

 

I also think it smells like a bewitching sort of blend that you'd stick under someone's nose and they'd drop into a deep sleep with a smile on their face.

[darkling]

Wolf Moon was very different than I expected, especially after reading the reviews.

 

This scent reminded me strongly of Blue Moon with its soft blend of herbs and flowers that is dazzling in its complexity. While there is an ethereal edge to Blue Moon, the Wolf Moon is warm and earthy. It has incredible throw and lasting power.

 

I did not pick up any pine or aquatic scents like many other reviewers. Unfortunately, I am poor at picking out notes so I can not image which ingredients are triggering my connection to Blue Moon.

[scourgeotheseas]

Wolf Moon - I hate to buy things without an imp first, but I'm so glad I got this one!

 

In the bottle: I'm not great with notes, but here goes. I pick up a little of the aquatic note, and just a tiny whiff of pine, but mostly I get soft florals. Yum.

 

On me: Mmmmm. Floral. It's a bit green upon initial application, but dries down to gorgeous light florals. It's certainly not an overpowering scent, but it lasted well. I think the aquatic feel I get mixes extremely well with the florals, creating a tiny bit of sweetness as well. It is beautiful!

[silverangel]

Wow, I am loving Beth's winter Moons! Cold moon was the first that I know I won't swap, this makes the second.

 

It's aquatic, but dark and gloomy. It definitely has the feeling of snow melting and mixing with other things on its way down to the sewers. I smell herbs, what herbs I couldn't tell you but herbs nonetheless. And I get none of this piney wood smell so many others got, and THANK GOD! I adore this, and pine would have killed the whole thing for me. Mmmm, into the box with the other keepers you go!

[Belladonnastrap]

To me Wolf Moon smells a lot like Cold Moon's more feral older brother. There's the definite moon oils that links it to all the other lunar oils but there's also something more deeper, definitely making this more male then any of the other Moon's so far (and I've bought them all). It's also more clean smelling, the scent reminds me a lot of Yankee Candle's Clean Cotton tart, in fact they're almost interchangable.

 

I really like this. It's more DEEP then any of the previous moons and very much invoking the whole Wolf Moon aspect.

[Northernminx]

This has that fresh almost silvery freshness I associate with the lunar blends, cool and soothing. This wasn't very animalistic at all, however, but there is a faint breath of something musky underneath that's absolutely beautiful. A feral wolf on a cold night for certain. I was surprised this was so light to be honest as the animal notes had me a bit worried when I bought it. Gorgeous and fresh and a little wild.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Those traditional lunar oils that I recognize from Red, Harvest, Hunter and Cold.

 

Second Impression: I don't get cold from this or aquatic or pine. It's warm and little spicy and a little musky, a touch warm floral. It's most like Hunter Moon less that feral quality. Wolf Moon is extremely strong, bordering on headache.

 

Final Analysis: I was hoping for the piney-Skadi smell alike that was mentioned many times above. For me, this is not it. I really want to try it again before I make my final decision. I'm also very interested in sampling ivyandpeony's bottle when we get together next week for comparison.

[Macha]

While I have purchased a number of the previous lunar oils from other forum members, Wolf Moon was the first one that I’d ordered directly from the lab. My boyfriend was so excited about its arrival that he met me at my bus stop with the bottle in his pocket, still bubble wrapped, so I didn’t have to wait until we walked home to smell it.

 

In the bottle:It immediately reminds me of Hunter Moon, but with a less pronounced grape note. This is incredibly complex and rich, dark, subtle. It slinks. There's dark wet woodsy smell and a crisp minty coldness: the smell of haunted woods were sunlight has never reached the forest floor. It's not safe to be in these woods at night. It's not even safe to be here during the day.

 

Wet, on skin: It's surprising how light this blend really is for something so evocatively dark. A stealthy sort of scent, approaching on soft paws. The wood note is dominant at first, reminding me very much of the dry down of Hunter Moon. It reminds me a little of Dublin too, although the woods in Dublin are a much happier and mist-soaked place. Outstandingly beautiful.

 

Dry, on skin: As the scent fades, that lovely musk and a soft herby floral come to the front. I suppose if you spend enough time in those dark woods, you may start to notice its beauty: small flowers tucked away in the sheltering roots of ancient trees. Just as Dublin is to me a walk in the misty woods during the day, Wolf Moon is a stroll through a less benign section of forest at night. It is indeed primeval and dark, silent as a forest that has yet to know the hard hand of man. In Tolkien terms, this is the scent of Fangor Forest.

 

Conclusion: Humorously, just as Penance and I disagreed on whether or not Dublin smells like Skadi, we disagree here too. I don't think Wolf Moon smells anything like Skadi, but to be fair I can see how a different nose might beg to disagree. I found it to be incredibly beautiful, soft...and deceptively dangerous. How perfect.

[Scylla]

In the bottle: I was looking forward to something Skadi-esque, since there have been so many comparisons to Skadi (which is one of my very favorite BPAL oils) but I don't get the similiarity.

 

When I first sniffed this, my first impression was, "Wow, that's a dark blue scent." I don't get any pine, but I do get an aquatic note, a crisp, clean woodsy note and maybe some moss and flowers in the background.

 

Wet, on my skin: It's definitely a damp, dark aquatic and there is definitely some musk in there. Not too feral, thank goodness! This smells foresty, but not PINE foresty.

 

On drydown: The florals come out as this dries down. I'm not usually a huge floral fan, but these flowers are not the "attack of the 50 foot bouquet" variety as was the case with Harvest Moon. These are gentle, clean, fresh smelling flowers. On drydown, I think it smells quite a bit like Dirty.

[Theravada]

Just got this today and this is totally nothing like what I was expecting it to be.

 

This really, really reminds me of All Saints and Dia from the Halloween LEs. I wonder if it shares some similar notes. It has that same strong, dark, buttery-floral thing going on. Add some moss in the mix and that's Wolf Moon. I never got pine or aquatic notes at all. And this doesn't remind me even remotely of Skadi. But if you liked All Saints or Dia, you might want to try this.

 

Oh well, they can't all be winners. But I'm still a bit sad because this really doesn't agree with me at all.

[Aurelius]

in the bottle: light and clean. innocent, almost.

 

wet: aquatic! Aquatic notes sometimes go sour on my skin, but this one did not. For a split second I could have sworn I smelled geranium, but it went away.

 

drying: the aquatic notes are in the background, and some floral notes have come out. Light dainty floral notes. Yay! They aren't screaming on me!

 

Dry: I smell a berriness (like Blue Moon) and a slight musky scent that ground this scent. The flowers are still there, but they've mixed with the berries.

 

Overall: I think I'm smelling notes that aren't there (like the berries), but regardless of what I think I smell, it's wonderful.

 

ADDED April 14:

 

This smells earthy and flowery to me. There's a distinct dirt note I smell. It isn't gloomy or particularly dark. It also isn't particularly me either. Very nice, but not one of my favorite lunacy blends.

[tropicalstorm]

In the bottle: light florals, and a hint of something darker, woody; but is not yet a prominent note.

 

first application- aquatic, floral scent. Ok, but this combination is not one of my fav.

 

second application- for fun, i gave the bottle a roll between my hands, to give the oils a chance to mix. As I hoped, the mixing changed the scent a lot. Now I get more Pine/Green wood mixed with the aquatics and floral. Which is exactly the way i like them. The notes balance and compliment each other really well. After the mix, it has become one of my favorite blend. Beautiful!

[autumnviolet]

HUH! Not what I thought from the name!

WET: oooh, sharp, silvery orange blossom and bubble gum? Definitely a sharp sniff, a tang in the air.

Wet on skin: boo hoo! The sharp tang goes away,.nice masculine floral, though.

Dry down: fades in about 4 hours but keeps changing intriguingly. A floral with tones of aquatic. Smells "blue", if you can understand the implication.