Black Butterfly Moon

[Coldfire]

Soft, deep, and luminous: Lady of the Night orchid, benzoin, opopponax, currant, black chypre, white gardenia, ambergris, damp, wooded mosses, and black lily.

Decant: orchids and gardenia
Wet on Me: sultry, langourous, total night flowers. The lily so far is being held back from taking over completely.
Drying Down: the sultry backs off a bit into something light.
Dry: initmate throw. Nice lite flowers. Glad to try it.

[Schmoozy]

 

For some reason, I expected this blend to be more on the sweeter floral side. I am very surprised that it is dark, earthy and kinda herbally. The resins add depth and a hint of sweetness. There is this old fashioned feel to it. It smells rich and slightly powerful. I really can't pick up any one note seperately except for the wooded mosses, gardenia and ambergris. Absolutely stunning.

[theseagrows]

oooh i really like this one. it's a soft resiny scent-kind of comforting, but very pretty too. smells like a soft, smoky, orchid scent. i love orchid scents, so naturally i like this quite a bit. the mosses are subtle on me and i can't really smell the currant at all (thankfully, as they turn to plastic on me). it's a dark, pretty, mysterious scent. i keep thinking of a woman in a dark rainy garden at night when i smell this-it's very evocative.

[fairnymph]

Dark resiny floral. It really does feel black, and quite heavy and nocturnal. Feminine, but only barely. There's also strong woody and spicy notes that could work on a man, I'd imagine.

 

Wow, sweeter, much more benzoin and fruitier, too, from the currant. Also more floral and a touch soapy. A lot lighter in feel though it's still a very dark scent. Much more gardenia and lily and orchid. Heady. The ambergris adds a nice sort of oily muskiness and the mosses are earthier now. But the resins and spice and wood - much less apparent.

 

Sweeter and headier, but less soapy - the florals are still intense but much more pleasant. This feels very mature, like something a slightly older woman would wear to a black tie evening event. It definitely sweetens (the currant/benzoin works really well, it's berry-currant not the cat-urine type) and deepens over time, and all the notes meld together quite well. It's a nice, with powerful throw and longevity, but not my style.

 

[LadyMedb]

I really thought I'd love this, because I love florals and resins together, and while benzoin and opopponax are always a welcome base in my book, the orchid plus the currant just make this a bit too sweet for me. This is not to say I don't smell the moss and the ambergris, too, but those dark warm notes kind of make the whole thing seem like a mish-mosh of good things on my skin, rather than a coherent whole.

 

I guess it's hard to characterize why this isn't a keeper for me. There's too much of something in this blend, or not enough of something else, or maybe just too many very strong nice things, like I said before. I don't know. It's pretty enough, overall, though, and I'm sure someone else who isn't quite as set in their ways about dark florals (I have so many, anyway) as I am would really love it.

Edited May 28, 2010 by LadyMedb

[filigree_shadow]

Well, crap. I wasn't paying attention when this came out and totally missed it. Now I've just gotten a decant of it to test, and I loooooove it. It's stunningly beautiful. Possibly a bit more "traditional" of a scent than most BPAL perfume wearers usually go for, and actually more perfumey of a scent than I usually go for too. BUT... I make an exception for the exceptional. And this is one of those.

 

It smells soft, dark, a bit floral, slightly mossy, and just oh so lovely. Sophisticated, feminine, and surprisingly sexy.

 

Now to hunt down a bottle.

[Andrea912]

A dark floral, slightly resinous and definitely mossy. I cannot pick out a single note, but it's a nice blend and definitely evokes the imagery from the poem that accompanies the description.

[AliBabble]

i thought for sure i reviewed this one when it came out, but apparently not. well, now it is aged - and if i was lukewarm on it before (i think i remember it being a bit soapy and nondescript...) it is incredible now! it's a bit fruity (must be the currant) but in a soft, almost smoky way...i swear i smell cucumber, though i know that none is here...that's a watery feeling, which i think is the moss - also very soft and fuzzy in feeling - the orchid adds mystery and femininity, and the whole blend just feels, shadowy and luxurious, without pounding you on the head. if anything i wish it was stronger - i don't know why i haven't been wearing this more, or maybe it just needed to age - fabulous!

[countessmouse]

Dark and heady at first, but it morphs down to a very light, almost perfumy floral. I actually like it better in its "soft" stage.

[bonny]

a deep purple scent to me- almost black- womanly, heady. this is something worn by a woman who knows her power and apologizes to no one. SUPER sexy, a bit much for daytime wear, maybe, but a major favorite nighttime oil for me. very reminiscent of a traditional floral, but darkly resinous and mossy. i LOVE this. have a bottle, could go for a backup.

[grrrlennyl]

Black Butterfly Moon

 

On: Wet, slightly floral woods.

2 hours in: Very, very powdery, with lots of benzoin, some flowers, and a woody note.

4 hours in: Still a woody, powdery scent. Very little sweetness or flowers.

Overall: This wasn't very interesting on me.

[cuppycake]

in the bottle:

 

black butterfly moon was my first ever bottle purchase and i have to admit that i bought it because i thought it had a really pretty name and scent description. the notes sounded pretty enough too, so in it went in the cart.

so, i was quite unprepared for the strong resin-y introduction that i had upon first sniff. in the bottle, BBM smells rather intimidating; it's darkness tinged with a backdrop of night flowers and i can imagine myself lost in the dark woods after a midnight shower. i have to admit, the blend smelt so uninviting that it was at least one year before i decided to take the plunge and do this skin test.

 

sniffie on skin :

 

the woodsy, resiny smell lingers and permeates the room as i find myself led deeper and deeper into the forest. the smell is sharp, yet almost pleasing in a strange way. this black butterfly is a real temptress, drawing me further in her haunting spell. i have to admit that my nose isn't trained enough to distinguish the whispers of flowers in the background, but they're definitely there, just a little more prominent than they had been in the bottle.

as time passes, the blend mellows and the woods give way to a clearing of night blooming petals and soft damp moss. this is a really evocative blend, and while i can't really see myself wearing it as perfume, especially in the day, i'll definitely be reaching for it again.

 

conclusion:

 

i'm so glad that my first bottle will be remaining with me. bless that little butterfly.

[Gin]

I should have trusted my gut on this one. In spite of the beautiful name, I let this one pass me by and then I ended up having second thoughts and grabbing it off of eBay. I shouldn't have second-guessed myself. It's nice enough, but it's not my style. It's dark and incensy/perfumey. No currant, no gardenia, and it makes my nose feel sneezy.

[JasminDreams2010]

What an oddball scent! This changes depending on my mood- it's as if it has a personality. Sometimes it is all moss and swampy darkness, other times it takes on a very heavy orchid sweetness, similar to Calvin Klein's euphoria minus the pomegranate. It has a light-ish throw, and the currant note seems to come and go on a whim. That ephemeral nature is very butterfly-like, and the bottle is beautiful.

I can't decide if I like it or not but it is a work of art regardless. I wanted it for the gardenia which on me is all but invisible. How mysterious!

[symphonyinsilence]

I loved the idea behind this scent, so I got it couple of years ago. When I first tried it, it smelled way too cologne-y and heady so I left it in my drawer.

 

Tried it again last week and yesterday. This is an extremely dark and mossy floral scent. Even cloying. I reserve it for evenings only and certain moods. I have a love-hate relationship with it. Some days, I adore it. Other days, I have to live through the headache that the first stage gives me in order to love the final softness. I love orchids, so it's kinda hard for me to let this one go.

[Larinessa]

Yay for more orchids!

 

This is the same orchid note as my beloved Great Vampire Bat. Slightly damp, rich and beautiful. The gardenia has a supporting role, and I can detect the oppanax and moss. Beautiful.

[beakerwill]

Retested before deciding on an order of 2013's BBM.. and ohy goodness. Old lady perfume to the max! Heavy, cloying, and gave me an almost instant headache I love orchid, but this combination of notes isn't playing nicely. I seem to be getting effects similar to those experianced by symphonyinsilence. I will be putting this one in the swaps section, definitely not going to be buying this years edition!

[heygraycatbird]

This is for the 2013 version:

 

Lots of favorite notes here, so I had high hopes. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

 

While wet, this is dark, lush, and lovely. There are too many notes to pick out everything, but in the throw I definitely get the orchid, and closer to the skin there is a slightly fruity tartness that could be the currant. There is an overarching sweetness that is probably a combination of the florals and the benzoin.

 

Once dry, the scent that lingers on the skin is more of the fruity tartness with a dark greenness that could be the moss and chypre.

 

 

Throw is a bit heady at first but not overwhelming. This strikes me as an evening blend, but that doesn't mean I won't end up wearing it during the daytime as well.

[Shirel]

This is a review for the 2013 version.

 

I agree with other reviewers that this is very "perfume"-y, but not in a bad way at all for me! It's just that the notes are so well blended that I can't really tell them apart and that it's a "grown up" kind of scent.

 

It's also very strong so I didn't put on a lot, but it smells lovely on me. It's dark-ish but sweet and with a bit of a peppery kick to it. After a while i can also smell the green of the mosses.

 

This is the kind of perfume I'd wear to a fancy gala night while wearing an elegant black/dark purple dress.

[tziporra]

This oil is incredibly pleasant. It is a smooth luscious dark scent dripping with juicy currants. If you are an incredible fan of this style of dark resiny scents with black fruit over florals, this is definitely the lunacy for you.

 

I like my scents a little more bossy than this one, which isn't to say that it is "light", just that it doesn't grab me by my collar and march me into an evocative experience.

 

It's going on my wish list, and I'm keeping my imp, but it's a swap-only for me.

 

Tzi

[fetish911]

2013 blend

Omg this is strait up old lady perfume to the tenth. I ordered a whole damn bottle of this cause it sounded like it might be a dark sexy scent. Nope. Heavy floral nightmare. Not my cup of tea unfortunately. I hope I can unload this quickly.

[Lorna Brigid]

I am a lover of the 2009 version of this, and I seem to only wear it in the summer. It feels like a cooling, floral scent to me to be worn in hot weather!

I just love the cool, smoky semi sweet scent of the orchid, benzoin and oppoponax together! There is also mild aquatic and "mistiness" from the oakmoss and ambergris.

This is really reminiscent to me of a dark forest at night with a full moon, and sweet flowers all around you perfuming the mist. Oh, and did I mention in said forest there is dew and fog, it is the hour before dawn? So I think because it is so evocative, that is why I save it for those humid summer days. Very lovely!

[doomsday_disco]

I have a decant of the 2013 version.

 

In the decant: I am mainly getting a somewhat sweet floral with the other notes lurking in the background.

 

Wet: The floral is still prominent, but the other notes are emerging as well. This definitely has a “perfume-y” quality to it.

 

Dry: This is still quite perfume-y and a bit sharp. It's a dark floral blend. It's very well blended, so it's difficult to pick out individual notes in this. Something in it reminds me of something, but I can't pinpoint what that is.

 

Verdict: This isn't bad, but it's not really me (I prefer sugary florals). I don't really see myself wearing this one again.

[DJ Sin]

Lady of the Night orchid, benzoin, opopponax, currant, black chypre, white gardenia, ambergris, damp, wooded mosses, and black lily.

 

WOW it's a very well blended perfume, as I am having a hard time picking out one individual note over another. This blend does not morp on me

This is a floral that isn't screaming "OMG I AM FLORAL, SMELL ME"

The wooded moses and the ambergris deepen it. I am not a big fan of aquatics and florals seem to turn to powder on me. Black Butterfly Moon has changed my mine on the note ambergris and it smells like salt to me. Which I am liking paired against the florals and wooded mosses.

 

I am glad I got a decant of this.

[milo]

Perfumey, floral and musky, but not in a good way. I smell something *really* good in the background, but something is drowning out all the good stuff. I remember not liking the previous incarnation either, I think.