Wolf Moon 2011

[jizatt]

WOLF MOON 2011
This pale and glittering moon hangs high over the deep snows and freezing winds of midwinter. January’s full moon has been named the Wolf Moon by many cultures, as the nights are filled with the howls of ravenous Wolf packs, and the danger of falling prey to the animal’s desperate hunger is at its peak.

This scent is that of unending, unquenchable hunger and feral madness. This is the dead of winter: a frozen night, chill wind, and the sharp, warm perfume of blood, fur, fang, and claw. Winter air, Terebinth pine, black spruce, long-dead maple leaves, juniper berry, dusty orris, deep amber, white sandalwood, brown musk, blue cedar, ambrette seed, benzoin, and tonka.

Really? Not one review yet? I got my bottle today, but its been in town resting for a few days, so Im safe to test and review. I was worried at first, because my mom's reaction was Pinesol, but immediately I know that I will love this one. Yes, its strong on the pine/spruce - but there is a snowy touch to this that guarantees my love. This reminds me of Snow Moon at first, something about the powdery snow undertones. But then the almost sweet berry tone comes out over the top. Not candy or foody berry, and I cant tell by looking what notes are giving me this reaction. Ill have to test this against my other snows to see what this is so similar to besides Snow Moon, but this is love. LOVE.

[het4377]

I'm going to have to second ClaudaP here, when I opened my bottle of Wolf Moon 2011 I was struck by the similarity to Snow Moon '05 (one of my ALL TIME favorite blends ). So I figured, why not do a wrist-to-wrist comparison for my review?

 

Wet on skin: Wolf Moon 2011 comes off as a lovely cold snowy juniper blend, with a base of twangy woods and a hint of sweetness that can only be the juniper berry. Very similar to Snow Moon at this stage, but Snow Moon has almost none of the woody twang.

 

Dry on skin: The berry sweetness comes much closer to the forefront, with the pine and chilly/cold/snowy close behind it. The twang is still there (twang is such a funny adjective, but it's the most fitting I can think of) giving the blend an almost fizzy feel, but I can't tie it to a particular note listed in the description. Snow Moon, on the other hand, is much more mellow but still strong on the chilly pine and juniper berry with a backdrop of icy florals.

 

After a while: Wolf Moon has lost a lot of the twangy/fizzyness and is now more noticeably woody with the juniper berry sweetness the most distinct of the notes. Still feels chilly, but not very and is more on the dry side now. Snow Moon is about in the same boat, having lost a lot of it's crisp chill, and just a light touch of berry over the florals, which have really blossomed.

 

Final Verdict: Wolf Moon 2011 is remarkable similar to Snow Moon '05, but not so similar that the two scents are dupes. They're more like siblings. Both are lovely winter blends, and I would be hard pressed to choose one as a favorite over the other; a real shocker given that Snow Moon '05 has been in my top ten for YEARS.

 

Rating: 5/5

 

If you like this, try: Snow Moon (well duh, obviously), Skadi, Jabberwocky, Loup Garou, The Snow Maiden, Snow Bunny

 

Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

Edited January 3, 2011 by haley

[Verios]

This on me is mostly juniper berries--tart, but also very delicious smelling (and yet, it's not what I'd classify as a foody scent, at all), with a distinct chill. As the day went on, I do catch hints of the woods, and the musk, but they're very soft, and definitely not at the forefront. Not at all what I was expecting (I was expecting mostly wood, with some musk and possibly warmth from the 'blood', with only a hint of the tart, juicy berry, if any of it at all), but I find that I'm loving this blend all the same.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Vashtya

[Ravenclaw79]

My hand smells like toilet paper. It's not a yucky potty smell -- it's the smell of huffing a new roll of toilet paper right out of the package. There's a hint of juniper berry in there every once in a while, but for the most part, TP. Sadness.

[tdiym]

i get mostly pine in this but it's sweet and very smooth. must be the berries. it's very pleasant, sweeter than what i usually wear but it's a nice change. i'm glad i got this one.

[ellebelle]

This is the piney version of the BPAL snow note. It's not terrible, but it edges too far into pinesol territory for this to be a keeper. I have other snow blends with the same note that I prefer.

[surlygurl]

When I first sniffed this, I thought it was exactly the same as my 2007 bottle - like the Lab found a stash of the 2007 stuff and repackaged it! *lol* So I did a side by side test. They both start our PINE PINE PINE. The black spruce gives it even more darkness, but there's some warmth, too. But while 2007 is like trees after a snowstorm w/ a little earth thrown in, 2011 is more springlike, when the snow is mostly melted and a stream is running nearby. There's something lightly aquatic in the background (ambrette seed?), and it's slightly warmer. Strangely, this scent fades to almost nothing on the drydown.

 

It's a lovely scent. Lovely enough to keep both years.

[damonkitty]

I purchased two bottles of Wolf Moon 2011 since I loved that 2007 version so much. I figured chances were good good this blend would be a winner for me. I have to say I really like it, but it is totally different than the 2007 version. I get a lot more of the snowy, pine notes in this version. The 2007 version dries down to more of a cedar and sandalwood blend with a touch of wintery notes. The 2007 blend goes a little more creamy on me while the 2011 blend stays strong, sharp, and cold (much like Snow Moon as suggested in earleri reviews). I love Snow Moon so this is a winner for me. I just have to say the two years are very different in many ways. I have the 2004 version too, but that blend does not have a lot of throw on me for some reason. I am not sure if aging has done that with that blend. I am glad I have two bottles since it is a keeper .

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: A piney woodsy scent, with cold air very much present, yet hints of other scents in the darkness.

 

Wet: Much more piney and woodsy now, still with the cold air, but not too piney.

 

The dry-down: This has a cooling effect on the skin, which I rather like. The tonka and benzion have combined to offset the pine and woods and leaf notes with a richness that is not very sweet at all. There may be a hint of fur from the brown musk. It doesn't remind me of previous Wolf Moons. Maybe a bit, just a bit mind you, like Ivanuska with lots of tamed pine forests, and less of the warm soft fur note.

Edited January 11, 2011 by thekittenkat

[filigree_shadow]

Pine and sweet coldness. The pine isn't overpowering, surprisingly, and it's also not the kind that smells like cleaning products on me. It's the good kind that smells nice and wintery and dry. I think it's probably supposed to smell more complex than it smells on me, but my skin really amps cold notes so that's mostly what I smell.

[forspecial_plate]

I was afraid of "brown musk", because I've encountered brown musk and other brown notes like sandalwood and such, in other scents, and they were not my friends. But I really like Wolf Moon ('07 in particular being one of my favorite bpal scents), and I knew I had to get this, and as it turns out, I really like it.

 

Wolf Moon in all its incarnations is about woods, musk, a bit of spice, and slushy, watery snow. Pretty simple. The three scents are different but they all capture that same mood or feeling, pretty much exactly as the descripton reads. I personally don't think "Pine!" when I wear this. It's just a chilly, woody, musky, slightly slushy scent with a bit of spice.

 

Compared to the past Wolf Moons......this one is very much like the last one ('07), and I tested them side-by-side to smell the difference. The '07 version has a more prominent cedar note, and it kind of jumps out if you test them together. Other than that, it's practically the same scent. The older one from '04 is very much a softer scent, prettier, lighter, and more aquatic. It reminds me of a babbling brook in the middle of winter, in the woods, in the moonlight. The musk and spice are just hints in the background. The newest version is kind of flip-flopped from that......that is, the musk and woods, and maybe a bit of spice (but not like a cookie jar or anything like that, maybe just a hint of ginger or maybe it's the musk I'm smelling) are in the foreground and the slushy snow is sprinkled on top. Sorry for rambling.....Wolf Moon '10 is a keeper!

[chrystanthem]

I was so excited about this!

Got my bottle two days ago, and went to try it on immediately.

 

in bottle: sharp, dark, kind of grassy, strong flowery smell (probably the pine.), wood, night, stars and moon.

 

wow. this is strong. packs a punch for sure... I'm starting to become a little unsure about this...

 

wet on skin: sweet flowers. didn't really expect that... quite pretty

 

drydown: dusty flowers and skin musk. forest, quiet, calm

 

i went to bed smelling like a dark, snowy forest, and woke up the next day still smelling like a dark snowy forest... what staying power! It stayed on most of the day too, probably closer to 20 hours! O_O

[zankoku_zen]

This has the same soft slushy snow note that Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse. I get tons of pine, spruce, amber and musk. Slightly masculine and feral.

 

Cool, and yet warm. Like fur.

[countessmouse]

The pine and berries are a little overwhelming at first, but once we're past that, it morphs to a rather nice wintery scent. I'm a little worried about the staying power, however, as it appears to be fading quickly.

[wolfie13]

This one is pretty much as expected - cold, snowy pine with a tiny hint of musk (the wolf skulking through the trees).

 

After the grave disappointment of Wolf Moon 04 (it was way too floral and aquatic on me - not at all what I was expecting!), I was afraid to try 07.

 

But, dammit, this is my month! So I tried again. And I'm so happy to have a keeper.

 

It does fade away rather quickly on me, but I like that for some reason. The scent stays true the whole time - not a morpher on me - and then just slips off into the distance.

Edited January 20, 2011 by wolfie13

[cherrycherry]

Colder and snowier than I was expecting. Crisp, fresher and softly musky. Nice.

[DrKate]

Definitely all pine and snow on me. It doesn't really agree with me and I'm starting to realise that snowy scents and I just don't get on. Would be wonderful for anyone who likes cold wintery scents though.

[Myotis]

I love both the 2004 and 2007 Wolf Moons, but 2011? OMG

This is my favourite of them all.

It smells exactly like Snow Bunny 05, but without the "girlie perfume" bit.

It stays exactly the same on my skin as it smells in the bottle. No morphing at all. LOVE IT.

[HerbGirl]

I don't know why, but I get Lemongrass and pine out of this! Then dry, it smells like pine and lemon (not pine sol-y though) and I get a hint of musk and juniper berry... I bought this almost exclusively for the name (big Type O fan) and am sad it doesn't like me.

 

Eta: It agrees with me now that I've started to love the slush note. Gorgeous. Nov. 2020

Edited November 15, 2020 by HerbGirl

[Little Bird]

I like this better than the previous two Wolf Moons (which were total fail on me), but I still don't really like this blend. It smells like a lot of other snow blends to me (cool, slushy, slightly sweet aquatic) with an extra bit of a dry, perfumey edge that turns slightly powdery on my skin. It's okay, but I don't see myself ever really wearing this.

[RhinestoneHousewife]

I get heavy pine and woodsy notes with the lab snow note. I thought it was working until the hubs commented that it smelled like gas station incense on me. And he was right. *sigh* Off to swaps.

[milo]

Wet, very astringent and snowy aquatic with evergreens. As it dries, a berry note comes out and this ends up being kind of a snowy berry blend, quite reminiscent of Ice Maiden bath oil that was out a couple of Christmas's ago. I like this, and will layer my imp with the little bit that I have left of Ice Maiden.

[anastasia]

Doc Constantine has a younger brother. He also works in a tent show. Some people watch him and get religion. He handles Western Diamondbacks. He does tend to disappear though around the full moon. He is pale and skinny and wears threadbare pants and a grey holey sweater with nothing on under it. Sometimes he and the Doc get together and brew up some pine needle tea with a little something extra in it to make them warm. They don't talk much - they never really needed to.

[brilliantcat]

The pine/snow was quite strong at first, it scared me a bit but it mellowed quickly and the cedar and musk peered through. A wolf in the forest. Musky fur and woods. I adore it!

[maoric]

In the vial: Musk, sandalwood, evergreens

 

Freshly applied: Cedar D: but it soon morphs into juniper.

 

Drying: Very foresty, dead leaves and a mix of evergreens with some warmth from the amber and musk mixing with the juniper berries to create a spicy fruity blend. This is actually very similar to another of my favorites: Hunter Moon 2007, except with more of a feel of being in the middle of a thick forest with a small bottle of wine and less of a huge wine-drinking party in a forest clearing. Leave it to my skin to warm up a cold scent

 

Later: This isn't lasting as long as Hunter Moon, which is making me sad since I like it just a bit more than Hunter Moon. Then again, this was applied with wand caps and Hunter Moon was via using a coffee stirrer as a dropper, so I had on a LOT of Hunter Moon versus Wolf Moon. Waking up ~13 hours after applying all that's really left is a slight musk/amber that's still very nice. From what I remember from last night, the individual notes could still be smelled at the very least up to four hours after applying (at which time I passed out), though it was definitely starting to get a little faint at that point. I'm going to have to try this with more than normal and Hunter Moon with a normal application to see how they compare, but I definitely really enjoy this scent and am very glad I found a bottle of it