Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand

[RaeiNarcissus]

Honey, quince, vanilla, white cognac, Spanish mandarin, and golden tobacco.

This started out reminding me of Peach Moon, a soft ripe fruit, but as it dried down, the fruit became less promient, but the softness continued. It's like......... as i'm smelling it, all my worries go away. It's like i'm being wrapped in a lovely blanket. And it's long lasting.....been going for 6 hours strong!

[fairnymph]

I have so much to test - I'm still not done testing 'Weenies or Yules! - but when my Lupers arrived, I had to test this immediately. It has the most exciting combination of notes I've seen in...forever, and I had high hopes.

 

Sweet and fruity, lightly boozy! I get lots of mandarin, a little bit of quince, and a fair deal of honey and vanilla. It's *almost* too sweet, but the quince and mandarin add a tart juiciness that keeps this from being cloying. The cognac smells like fine light brandy, and there is a little hint of astringency here, but I don't think I'd guess it were tobacco without the notes.

 

Oh, glorious, glorious fruit! The quince and mandarin explode on my skin, especially the quince. It's like quince jelly - definitely a sweetened quince, though it's still tart. I also get a pear note, though that could be the quince, which has strong pear undertones. Those are coming through strongly here - it reminds me of the white pear note in The Perilous Parlor. The mandarin's holding well for citrus on my skin but it has faded a little.The quince is definitely in command, and followed closely behind by a glorious, rich honey note - the honey here seems to meld with the cognac, so I get this boozy syrupy thing that's absolutely stunning. The vanilla is next, and is also rather syrupy, like high quality vanilla syrup used in coffee drinks. Still only a whisper of tobacco.

 

This is getting sweeter and sweeter on my skin, as if the quince jelly has evolved into a heavier quince paste. The honey has an aromatic quality, almost floral-perfumey, that honey sometimes does. This is dark, dark coloured, intensely flavoured honey - not pale regular 'ole clover honey. The mandarin fades a little more and takes some of its citrusy tartness with it, which I think contributes to the scents increasingly overall sweetness. The light booziness of the cognac holds, and the tobacco is starting to emerge a little. It's a really interesting and to my nose, unique note - definitely golden, not dark and aged, but bright, almost with a hay-like quality - a sort of dry warmth but with that classic astringency of tobacco and a hint of smoke - it really adds depth and body to this otherwise almost candyish scent.

 

This isn't a dramatic morpher, more of a smooth evolver - the mandarin even sticks around, which is a true rarity (my skins loves to devour citrus). It's mostly honeyed quince, with slightly cologney-perfumey note from the tobacco, which actually does sort of morph, into a very smooth, sophisticated note that really cuts the near-syrupy-cloyingness of the scent and grounds the scent. The vanilla too softens a bit, becoming almost musky, a skin-like scent, creamy and soft, merging with the creamy, only very vaguely boozy, sort of golden-musky cognac. Very sophisticated, yet sweet and fruity and feminine - I'm so happy this is as wonderful as the notes promised. It ends up being an intimate, sexy scent, like a golden post-coital glow. I shall hoard many bottles of this one.

 

Also - fantastic throw and longevity.

Edited February 11, 2010 by fairnymph

[hkhm]

bottle: rich, spicy quince and mandarin with the golden sweetness of honey. smells good enough to eat!

 

wet: oh my... vanilla. cognac, tobacco, quince... this smells incredible! not too sweet or too boozy, this is a beautiful balance. it's creamy, sweet and spicy while feels sinuous and rich. this may require another bottle!

 

dry: a sweet quince and vanilla infused aperitif. that's the only way i can describe this. it's so fresh and bright and lovely.

[CiaoBonefish]

In the bottle I got a very mysterious scent. It was so well blended that the only notes I could really make out were sweet quince with a dash of honey, but the entire blend was so lovely. I had to put it on.

 

Wet I'm starting to smell the quince more strongly with a dash of mandarin, and the honey scent becomes more prominent as well. Except this honey is different. It isn't a sharp honey, but it is quite a bit more decadent tan beeswax... what is that smell? It was the vanilla! Of course! The vanilla and honey together create a very thick rich sweet warm and delicious honey. It sweetens the quince lovingly making it more of a honeyed quince.

 

Now the tobacco appears in full bloom with a touch of cognac, definitely not too boozy at all, but there is a hint of it. Now I love, LOVE the smell of Beth's tobacco note, but this is just beautiful. Honey quince and tobacco? Woah.

 

As this sits on my arm the quince recedes ever so slightly and the tobacco rounds out the sweetness of the honey and vanilla. Making this flat out divinity in a bottle.

 

A truly decadent scent that is just comforting AND sexy at the same time. Swoon. I may need another bottle of this, or two!

 

[KesHiro]

Even though this is called "Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand," I find this a lovely spring-like fragrance. It's perfect for when the weather starts to warm up or for when you want to be reminded of afternoon teas in a blooming garden.

 

In the bottle, I get a tangy sweet peachy citrus. I suspect this comes from the quince and Spanish Mandarin. There is something else there, although I cannot tell if it's the cognac or honey. Wet, this is honeyed citrus. It's like orange blossom honey and although the honey note started amping like crazy, it never fully overtook the citrus note. During the drydown, I got quince and sweet golden honey with a touch of tobacco. Once dry, I think the vanilla or cognac emerges (I can't tell, aside from the fact that it is a sweetish note) and this becomes a sweet honeyed citrus with a slight oomph (probably the cognac or tobacco).

 

This is a beautiful scent. I find it very sensual; it does not scream sexy, but for all it's sweetness it does not come off as childish or teeny-bopper. The honey, tobacco, and cognac give that nice grown up edge. I should note that I put a little too much on during my first test and this did become a bit cloying. I do not like super sweet scents, so you might be all right with slathering. I found that doing my usual drops kept this from becoming "GAR! Honey!!! HELP! Bees will try to kill me!!!"

 

All in all, a beautiful, golden scent. Very well blended and perfect for any season.

Edited February 12, 2010 by Kejiaron

[angburfield]

Just gorgeous juicy sweet quince with sexy honeyed vanilla; sexed up with the tobacco...well blended...great throw and sexy without trying too hard..this is backup worthy!

Edited January 8, 2011 by angburfield

[angelicruin]

Yes, this is boozy honeyed vanilla and tobacco on my skin. Tobacco note is pretty strong here. The mandarin note comes out as it begins to dry. There's something in this that is kind of peppery to my nose, but I can't quite place what it is.

[hlemonds]

Utterly, absolutely delicious. Probably my favorite of all the Lupers i got. Definitely my favorite amongst the Shungas i chose. The honey in this is simply divine. It is the perfect honey note. Not too strong or sweet, beautifully balanced against the fruit tartness of mandarin and quince. I believe the vanilla and tobacco are there, but more as a smooth, almost creamy, back drop for the drool-worthy honeyed fruits. I don't get any true booziness from this. Total love, multiple back-up worthy.

[Aldercy]

Strange and powerful. Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand is completely different from any other BPAL I've tried, and I really have nothing to compare it to.

 

It is boozy, and I'm not sure whether that element will fade or amp with time, but I would like for it to mellow a little. It's sharper in the bottle than on the skin, though.

 

I get a lot of honey (slightly fermented honey) and fruit (mostly soft, mushy quince and nectarine with a lacing of citrus). The vanilla and tobacco play around the edges of this scent, and I think if they would peek out a bit more (as they probably will with a little aging), this would be just perfect. It's already a very wearable scent (the alcohol of the cognac and woozy honey steadily decreases as it dries, I think) though, and definitely unique. It reminds me of sorbet, somehow.

 

Beautiful name, too. One of the few Shunga titles I would have no qualms repeating to a stranger!

Edited February 17, 2010 by Aldercy

[reynardine]

In decant: Quince and something nasty.

 

Wet: OMG, this is awful!!! It’s the tobacco, I think. Very strong. And tobacco and I do not work well together.

 

Trying to last this out to see if the drydown is any better, but the tobacco note is getting even stronger. I will say I’m getting some honey and mandarin also, but that tobacco completely ruins it!

 

This is why you learn to track your bad notes. Every other ingredient in here was perfect for me, but that one note ruined it.

 

[jizatt]

I got honeyed fruits over tobacco - very nice, and it did feel autumnal to me (to my nose?)

[prunesnprisms]

Oh, my god, it's a honey scent that actually FREAKING WORKS ON ME and doesn't smell like cat pee or anything terrible. I get a wave of fruit and a bottom of lovely tobacco, and the middle is a nice honey. An hour later it's honey tobacco, like my old bottle of Herr Drosselmeyer but with a sticky coating on top. I think I might want two bottles of this, but I'll wait until I get paid March to order.

[cuervosueno]

Wow, this is pretty! If it doesn't fade away too quickly, it might be bottle worthy.

 

It is really strong mandarin in the imp, but sweeter than an actual mandarin orange, more like candied mandarin, or mandarin slices dipped in slightly spiced honey (because I get a slightly peppery note too, which is nice). I don't get booze per se, but this has the most gorgeous golden feel, which I associate with the cognac. I don't get the tobacco as a note either, but when I like blonde tobacco best, it is not so much a tobacco scent as something that adds depth and gold to the blend, which this has.

 

This is really lovely, sweet, but dry, and though it doesn't smell like tobacco per se to me, it makes me think of golden pipe tobacco, dry and unsmoked. With honey. And mandarin.

 

I really like it. It sweet but sophisticated too. And like nothing else I have. If it lasts, I'm getting a bottle.

[ivyandpeony]

I get lots and lots of fruit from this - in the bottle, wet and when it's dried down. For me, it's less a candied citrus than a candied quince, similar to a super-sweet pear note. I really get very little mandarin, it's probably the least prominent note in the blend for me. This heavy, sweet fruitiness isn't quite what I was expecting, but something I find that I like now that I have tried this. There's a little booziness from the cognac and as this dries down, the fruit does back off a bit. Not completely, but enough that I seem to pick up on the tobacco and honey anchoring it. This has really strong throw and lasting power too. It's beautiful now and I will be looking forward to seeing how the elements interact as it ages.

[Cheri]

Its been over a week since I first tried Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand, and its changed already. With the first try it seemed a little sharp, so I tried it again after letting it settle and now its gorgeous. Its a very rich, deserty type scent, but not really foody. More like an imaginary desert that you wish you could taste, but it doesn't exist anywhere except on your wrist.

 

Its has a sexy quality. All the notes blend seamlessly into this perfect scent. I get a little bit of smokiness from it that makes it seem mysterious. I'll admit, I'll probably need a few more bottles of it.

[Venneh]

Testing this as I'm decanting scents out. I'm getting honey, booze, and fruits and maybe the tobacco lurking underneath. Very boozy, very strong. On my skin, it's pretty much honeyed fruit and booze. We'll see how this goes. This is drying down to a beautiful boozy, honey-vanilla scent. This one's going to get the full skin test sometime soon as a potential bottle for ordering.

 

Gave it the full test (wrists and neck) today, and I'm going to be seeking out partials/imps to fill out my bottle, and buying a backup bottle before the Shungas leave, for sure.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Venneh

[MamaMoth]

Wet, it's very strongly quince. I must confess I wasn't familiar with quince, but here it reminds me a bit of apricot.

It settles as it dries, but quince is still the predominant note. It makes me think of a quince liqueur because it's boozy and very sweet. The mandarin is very clear now, but as a supporting note to the quince. The honey and vanilla are pretty meshed here, and they are gorgeous and golden and sweet. The tobacco is subtle to me, but I love tobacco and can't get enough of it as a note.

 

It really starts to get good after about an hour, when the quince/mandarin liqueur has backed off into a supporting role of the honeyed vanilla tobacco. But at that point, the whole blend is very faint on my skin. But MAN is it good then. I have my nose glued to my wrist.

 

I would be very interested in seeing how this one ages. Quite possibly, it could go the direction that it does on my skin after a while.

 

EDIT

sliding up in here THIRTEEN years later (bonkers) to report that, yes, it has aged MAGNIFICENTLY.  the quince, which i was afraid might age out, has gotten incredibly smooth and mellow, it just infuses the whole blend instead of poking out anywhere.  since i first reviewed this, i have learned the depths of my love for cognac and tobacco notes.  in this one they have aged into a creature of sublime beauty.  i wouldn't say honeyed vanilla tobacco anymore.  velvety, sweet, quince-infused cognac and tobacco.  unbelievably smooth.  dare i say, a little lace-like? 

 

i'm dipping well into my 3rd and final bottle now.  so very sad. 

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by MamaMoth

[Katherynne]

Just gorgeous juciy sweet quince with sexy honeyed vanilla; sexed up with the tobacco...well blended...great throw and sexy without trying too hard..this is backup worthy!

AGREE.

 

This reminds me of Black Lace because of the cognac; it's really lovely. This is such a rich, juicy, smooth blend -- mysterious and sexy, and very, very feminine. This is the scent I'd wear just on the pulse points to the opera in a gorgeous dark dress. It is amazing. I cannot stop smelling myself.

 

ETA: Wow, long wear-time. I put this on and it lasted all day without any reapplication, and there was still a faintly honey tinge to my wrists when I got up this morning. Will definitely be buying a bottle (or two) of this.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Katherynne

[musichappens]

For some reason this reminds me of walking into a Yankee Candle store; which is weird because there is no type of wax in the notes. That being said, I think I kind of like this blend! Honeyed fruits with just a hint of booze and a bit of roughness (the tobacco?). Additionally, I find the intensity and throw of this is absolutely amazing! I only dabbed a little bit on my wrist to test and now my whole bedroom smells gorgeous! That seals it: bottle worthy.

[Pottersville]

At first dab, I got an awful rush of cat pee that usually heralds BPAL's honey note on me. It ran away pretty quickly, leaving a lovely peachy nectarine smell, tempered with something vaguely floral (the quince?). Later, the tobacco came out to play and reminded me somehow of the Dogs Playing Poker series. If it wears well throughout the day, this may well be a bottle purchase for me!

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Honey, the greenness of the fig and a hint of citrus from the mandarin

 

Wet on me - A soft, plump fruity scent

 

Dry on me - A soft, white, almost musky scent with rich honey sitting on top of it

 

Overall - It's pretty, but I could have done with more from the vanilla and tobacco

[edenssixthday]

Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand - This is very much a honey-vanilla-and-citrus scent on me. The quince is bright and tart, the mandarin is bright and sweet, and the honey brings it a layer of non-juicy sweetness, while the vanilla brings it a level of creaminess that keeps it from being too bright and juicy. It's got really good staying power (especially) considering my skin usually sucks up citrus notes), but the throw isn't very strong on me. Edited February 26, 2010 by edenssixthday

[kelpsoda]

I don't know what quince smells like, but my brain connects this with a mango smoothie. huh. could be the mandarin and honey? very sweet, but it's held back by the cognac and tobacco. mmmmm, so good.

[spiresinthesnow]

Its sweet pear and peach like fruits drizzled with raw honey. I'm assuming must be the quince. Bitter and sharp dried tobacco leaves. Slightly astringent "dryness" from the cognac perhaps. Nice sweet vanilla honey drydown. This reminds me of Grand Guignol with more.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, I flip between thinking that this smells like pretty, honeyed pears or peach to thinking that it smells like cough syrup to thinking that it smells like potpourri :/.

 

On my skin, this smells like cool, juicy, tropical fruitiness drizzled in sweet honey, next to a bowl of cheap, slightly spicy potpourri. It must be the tobacco giving it that dry, odd, slightly spicy smell. As it dries down, the potpourri impression thankfully disappears and I'm left with something that smells like dry leaves, golden, sweet honey and a hint of fruit. It's sweet, delicate, dry, and golden on my skin. Unfortunately, the honey&vanilla combo goes sickly sweet and gets cloying on me after a while.

 

This has a lot of throw and staying power on me, but it's way too sweet for me to wear without getting a headache.