Hunter Moon 2004

[wickedgoddess]

... A blend of traditional lunar oils touched with dry leaves, autumn bonfires, warm mulled wine, feral, animalistic notes and the chill of approaching winter.

Origin - decant from a lovely forumite

Wet - this smells sweet and golden. It's much sweeter than I expected.

Dry - as it dries I get apple, wine and smoke. There is a touch of musk to this as well, but not as much as I was expecting. This appears to have notes in common with two of my favorites: Samhain and Mabon. The wine fades relatively quickly, leaving apple cider and burning leaves, with a trace of muskiness.

My only complaint is that there isn't much throw; even wet it's very light on me. Still, I think it's my favorite of the Moon's.

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[cupide430]

Hunter Moon

 

I sniffed the imp of this one and considered not trying it on at all. It smells very masculine in the imp. I can smell the slightest touch of dark citrus and anise. It might just be the name, but I'm just picturing a red plaid flannel when I sniff this. It dries down sweeter. It is a very autumnal scent but unlike Harvest Moon I'm not smelling the lunar oils and feeling like they don't fit in with the autumnal part of the scent. This is all autumn. Warm and a bit fruity. I got a smokey note from it at one point. Now its warm smokey autumn berries. Its thisclose to becoming a wine note, but it is stopping just short of being too heavy.

[stardreamer]

In the bottle: Apples? This may be nice.

 

Fresh on: Oh-oh, is that patchouli? Not so good.

 

Drydown: I can still smell apples, but I think what some people have been calling "smoke" is coming out very incense-y on me. It is nicely autumnal, though.

 

Several hours later: Staying power on this is moderate; I put it on fairly lightly about 6 hours ago, and it's nearly gone. Unfortunately, the smoky/incense/patchouli note is the last one to fade, and it's the note I like least. (Snake Oil does this to me too, the vanilla fades before the incense does.)

 

I think I'll keep this for a while and try it again when the weather is more in tune with it, and see if I like it any better then. This is definitely not a fragrance for a 90-degree Texas summer day!

 

ADDED 9/30/07:

 

Fresh on, this reminds me a bit of Juke Joint; I'm starting to be able to identify "booziness" in some BPAL blends, though most of the time wine still reads as berry to me. After reading some of the earlier comments, I wonder if the aging factor has something to do with this -- I've had this decant sitting around for a couple of years.

 

On drydown, I get more of the smokiness and some musk. This is a light musk, probably white or skin musk, both of which tend to go a bit sweet on me. As it wears on, the sweetness and wine/boozy scent come to the fore, grounded by a continuing undernote of leafsmoke. Staying power is good; it's still quite noticeable after 9 hours or so. Bottom line: this is a very nice autumn scent, not overpowering and quite seasonal, a definite keeper.

[binkyboots]

I like this, I was fairly certain I would

 

my only reservation is the winey/fruity note that is similar to mabon, mabon didn't work for me at all and it almost spoils this one for me.

 

happily I get mainly the musky/civet notes, yum.

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

Smells slightly spicy, with a hint of the same sweet florals that are present in the other moon blends I've tried. Unfortunately, what whomps my nose is kind of a cheese pizza type of scent that thankfully vanishes and is a crushed leaf type of scent. A touch of rot and decay but a brittle herbal. I think that 'pizza scent' I'm getting is a strong whiff of fennel.

Wet, on Skin:

Fennel at first, but it recedes into a dry, warm plant aroma. Definitely get some sort of crisp, tart fruit... I think apple, but it's not like a strong green or red, it's more like pulverized apple. I think there may be a touch of cypress in here.

Drying Down:

The fennel and woods merge into a backdrop for a tart, unsweetened cinnamon apple beverage. It feels warm and smoky, without much sugar. I can imagine myself out in the forest with mug of bitter spiced cider as September's winds rustle through the dry leaves. Wow.

Over Time/Longterm:

Remains a spicy, tart and subdued apple. Dirt and twig scents rumble underneath.

Final Verdict?

 

This is such a seasonal scent, and I think Fall at night when I wear it. Keeping the imp for special nights come next autumn.

[tinyvulture]

at first this smells like apples and grapes, but that quickly fades and it smells exactly like a handful of walnuts.

 

i can also smell autumn leaves, wood smoke, and the “animalistic” notes in the description. it’s warm and wild. there's also a hint of sweet florals and something that smells strangely like olives. definitely an autumn scent. but i wonder what makes it smell so nutty, when nuts aren't mentioned in the description.

[MaryMoon]

Another gorgeous Fall scent for me (thank you to wonderful foumites who are willing to swap these out!)

 

Initially, and in the imp, all I get is a fruity/smokey smell... like a sweet bonfire burning in the distance.

 

As it dries, though, the smokiness dies down to a mere wisp with the full effect of fruits, spiciness, and warmth hitting me square in the nose. It makes me wish for fall (like the ones up north) and camping again ::sigh::

 

Unfortunately, for me, as with all the lunar oils, it lacks staying power. Apparently my skin likes to eat them right up.

[sixthsentinel]

Hunter Moon is, for me, Fall in a Bottle. It is that exact time of year when each time the wind picks up you can hear the dry rustling sound of leaves blowing down the sidewalks & streets. The days are getting cooler & the nights downright chilly, & you make a mental note to put the flannel sheets on your bed the next time you change them. Then there's that scent in the air, when you know for certain that summer has had it's last hurrah & given over to autumn completely. That FALL scent. That is Hunter Moon.

I have three bottles of this that I managed to hoard, and oddly two of them smell the same while the third smells different...however, that is only while in the bottle and during the 'wet' stage. The drydowns of all three somehow smell the same.

I am one of the lucky ones on whom the animal note is very prominent on. I say lucky, because to me it is sexy as hell & my boyfriend seems to agree, if you get my drift.

I love Hunter Moon & I love the way I feel when I wear it. I LOVE it. Love.

[Miss Lynx]

This was suprisingly nice. At first, while it smelled sweeter than most scents I like and had a definite floral edge (the lunar oils that form the base of most the Lunacy scents, I guess -- this is the first Lunacy scent I'd tried and I'd been a little nervous about that), it also had an intriguing, almost intoxicating complexity and richness to it.

 

Then my skin got hold of the florals -- specifically, the lunar oils seem to be exactly the kind of high, sweet, cold florals that my skin loves to amp, and I began to be afraid that I'd not only have to write this one off, but the whole Lunacy line.

 

But then a funny thing happened: the florals settled back down and began to behave themselves. They were still there, but they weren't taking over after all. The other notes came out of hiding and it all began to blend together nicely. The spicy-fruity mulled wine scent was very noticeable, and there was a sort of woody/leafy undertone as well, and a touch of musk softening everything. Very nice -- still a bit stronger on the florals than I usually go for, but not bad at all.

 

My partner compared it to "flowery pencils", but hastened to add "Not that that's a bad thing -- I like pencils!" I think she was picking up on the woody note.

 

Anyway, while I don't see this becoming a top favourite, it'll be nice for occasional wear. And I no longer fear the Lunacy line. Or at least, not as much so.

 

Grade: B

[maewitch]

Look at that, a woodsy scent I can totally wear.

 

This reminds me of a cross between Samhain and Hex, without the stewed spicy apples of the former, or the incense of the latter. For about a minute, when first applied, I get a faint medicinal note, like crushed herbs, and a brisk, almost ozone quality.

 

Then the damp woods, the smokiness and the musk come out, and I am shocked at how subtle they are. This is absolutely the smell of forest to me, complete with loamy earth, rain still clinging to both leafy and evergreen branches, something faintly sweet like wild berries in the underbrush, and the scent of a sleek and graceful being moving through the woods.

 

I really have to learn to expect the unexpected when it comes to BPAL, because if I was not obsessed with trying every Lunar blend, I don't think I would have given this a try based on the notes. And I would have so missed out. I don't know that I would wear this as a regular perfume, but I can definitely see this used ritually.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Honey, Flowers, that same fresh clean ozone candle smell that's in Storm Moon, maybe a little bit of pumpkin. Very warm and glowing scent. Would be great for Summer, Fall and Winter.

 

Dry: Musk comes out and gives it a bite. I still smell the flowers and pumpkin but the ozone is gone. Little honey. I don't know how unique this is compared to some other scents, maybe in a bit the honey and pumpkin will get stronger and make this more of a standout scent.

[oakmoss]

Though last night/today is actually the time of the Harvest Moon, I'm wearing Hunter Moon as an homage to the advance of autumn. This scent feels just right for this kind of day -- the sky is a rich blue, with the slanting golden light that speaks of fall, and there is a chill to the wind that shakes the laden apple trees. Two red foxes chase each other through my clearing in the woods, startled by my unexpected voice at the open window. The perfume echoes the richness of their fur, the lightness of their step, the freshness of the sun-warmed herbs and trees, and the winey scent of apples trampled underfoot by deer. This is a blend to anoint yourself with before taking a walk in the harvest fields, or any time you want to wrap yourself in the essence of a country day in autumn.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression: Green & incensy from the vial. Then as the drydown begins, I am pleasantly surprised that I can detect the wine and this is definitely autumn in a bottle. Quite lovely. I am glad I waited to after the drydown because upon opening the vial I was afraid this would be too masculine, however it is not. My scale of 1-5.... 5 )

[zenvodunista]

upon first application, this Moon was it's scent: dark, wild, woodsy. i smelled fir trees and crisp cold air. as it dried down, it became more and more potpourri like -- woods and spice, and now, about an hour later, is a sort of berry spice scent. i'm glad i have the imp for that first rush, but i don't think i'll be "hunting" down a bottle.

 

n.

[Colère]

Bottle: I don't even need to open the damn bottle to catch a whiff of this one. There's an artificial sweetness that I associate with 'craft store'; a heady mix of plasticy potpourri, cheap scented candles, and dried flora. Greenness is evident in the mix, but it's a sticky green which reminds me of the lacquer they use to 'enhance' dry flowers.

 

Skin: The thick, amber yellow oil offers a very pronounced mint scent when it hits my skin. A gentle breath of green warms the heart of stinging white coolness, but when combined with a powdery dryness I'm left smelling like a giant stick of Wintergreen gum. My stomach, in retaliation, lurches and I fear an unexpected evacuation of breakfast. And I thought I LIKED mint...

 

Skin, Later: The icy edge is gone due to a sudden burst of earthy sweetness. Mint thankfully backs away but leaves a curious (and slightly nauseating) aftertaste of envelope adhesive. A subtle sharpness slices through the saccharin, allowing less invasive notes to peek through (autumnal fruits and bitter herbs).

 

Verdict: I was somewhat biased from the start. A lot of blends end on a 'OH GOD, NOT A CRAFT STORE AGAIN' note on me (Dublin is the most recent culprit), so I didn't have high hopes for a scent that STARTED that way. For a split second I managed to catch the evasive scent of pine smoke people mentioned, but it was a fleeting encounter. The flick of smokiness tapered off into a sickening medicinal sweetness which reminded me of cough syrup. The 'craft store' laid the 'I don't know about this...' foundation, the 'wintergreen' tilted the scale in the foundation's favor, and the 'sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, so you can rest and have a good morning medicine' end sealed the 'NOT 4 ME, MKAY THNX!' deal.

[Little Bird]

Hm. Hunter Moon is one of my unremarkable lunar blends. It doesn't smell completely awful on me, but it's also not one that I ever find myself happily wearing.

 

At first it smells like tart, almost sour berries. Sort of like tart grape juice, but with berries thrown in for good measure. Then there's an earthy smell like decaying leaves. I like the smell of leaves, so I'm okay with this. After about ten minutes there's a burst of white floral and I get scared, but that quickly fades away.

 

After an hour or so this gets more musky and smoky. Smells like burning leaf piles with a hint of apple cider in the background.

 

There are a lot of autumn scents that I like a lot more than this one (like Harvest Moon 2005 which I am desperately swooning over)... it seems that whenever I pick out a scent, I never pick this one. Maybe I'll gift this bottle to the boy and see what he thinks of it.

[PurringPulsar]

Hunter Moon

 

In the imp: darkly spiced and sweetly smoky, reminds me of a spice used in Indian cooking, for some reason!

Wet on skin: mmm, mulled wine, bonfires and autumn leaves!

Dry on skin: wow. This is a very unique scent. Warm and lightly spicy yet cool and autumnal, dark and smoky, I can smell the leaves, the bonfire smoke, and the sweet fruity mulled wine. Thank goodness nothing too animalistic is coming out. This is very apt for this time of year, it really evokes autumn nights in a wonderful way.

After a while: I think there's certainly something musky here, but it's a very nice musk and very subtle. There's also the dry leaves, and a sweet yet tart scent from the wine. The predominant note is a definite burnt, smoky scent, but it's a lovely burnt smoke because it's soft, like the scent of smoke gently hanging in the autumn air, and also has a hint of incense or fragrant woods about it.

Verdict: this is another one of those evocative and different BPAL scents. This really does bring to mind smoky autumn nights, warm bonfires and fallen leaves, with a sweet mulled wine note which isn't blatantly spicy. It's much lovelier than I expected, and I'm astonished at how it really smells like what it describes. And thankfully, the 'feral' scent is not awful-it's more like a subtle dark musk, which I like. I'm glad I have an imp of this, I will be wearing a lot of this over autumn, I think, or using it as a room scent.

[Footnotegirl]

We settled by the fire as dusk drew in, new, green wood mixed with dried moss and shards of maple bark were lit, and bottles of new red wine uncorked. We'd been dancing earlier on the damp, green grass and the girls still had the flowers, wide, blown rose crowns, dandelion bracelets and all the flowers still blooming as the year grew late.

 

As darkness fell thick and the stars came out, more wine was opened and the ale was raw in the air. Stories were told and laughter rang in the night. After dining on fresh, tart, juicy apples the dancing renewed, the scent of flowers on damp skin wending through the warm smokey air inside the circle and tugged by the fresher, cooler air from outside.

 

As the night goes on, the cool air draws nearer the flames. Flower crowns are thrown on the fire, and to beat off the cold the dancers drink wine, spilling some into the earth and onto the hot coal with their drunken merriment. The colder winds blow closer and closer to the fires, sharpening the scent of wine in the air.

 

Sleep comes eventually, snoring within the light of dark, smokey coals, the first tang of winter in the autumn dawn as dew gathers on the last of the crushed, wilting flowers and wets once more the wine splashed on the ground and among the dry, crackled leaves.

 

That's Hunter Moon to me.

[SeaMonkey]

There's a component in this that goes bad on me in other blends too.

 

I don't know what it is, but it smells like Dr. Pepper lip gloss. This is all Dr. Pepper lip gloss on me. Stupid body chemistry!

[lemurcatta85]

if I knew the description to this, I never would have swapped for it! However, I'm so in love with this. It smells like musk, and amber, and I put it on last night, and have since, showered and washed my hands and so on..and it's still there.

[Voleuse]

This is a wild scent, smoky and sweet and alive. I'm not sure how to describe it, as I can't discern the individual notes--it's incredibly well balanced.

 

There's musk, something earthy and a little feral. There's a bonfire in the distance, and a forest, leaves mulching underfoot. There's a feast indoors, tables overflowing with fruit and wine and bread and meats. There's the moon rising overhead.

 

This isn't really a scent I would wear, but it's deeply evocative, and I find it very moving. Beautiful.

[WidgetAlley]

Acquired in a swap with the fabulous moonmouse. I'm not terribly familiar with the Lunacies as a whole, and this is by far the oldest oil I've tried from BPAL... but aging is good, right? I just hope I don't fall in love with it, since I never see any up for swap.

 

In the Imp: Whoa, what is that? It smells really, really familiar... I think it's the wine. Amazing. It's a surprisingly light booze note, though, not in terms of volume but in terms of intensity... perhaps a white wine rather than a red one? I really like it, but it's about all I'm getting so far. There's a bit of musk, and I might be able to smell just a touch of grain, in the background, but it could also be my imagination. So far it does smell very autumnal.

 

Wet: Dry! Dry and a little dusty... very much like crunching leaves underfoot. There's bon(e)fire smoke in there, too, I think. The wine note has faded into the background, but it's still adding a slightly tangy edge that I like very much. (BPAL's wines seem to like me.) I'm not picking up much in the way of forest or night sky, though. It's very warm and smokey and dry, almost incensey in a way. Smells sort of like a bookshop, in some indefinable way.

 

Dry: The wine is back, and the whole thing has rounded out a good deal. It's still very dry and autumnal: I can smell rich wine (much redder now), berries, grain, musk, smoke.... hmm, very nice.

 

Verdict: This is really pretty, but I'm kind of ambivalent about it. I'll have to wear it a few more times.... but I think it's going to be a swap. I just don't love it as it deserves to be loved, y'know?

[Neely]

In the bottle: sweet and earthy, appley.

 

Wet: gets darker instantly. More earthy, more smokey, almost cigarette smoke? Oooh please don't. This sits on top of something bitter and green, herbally.

 

Dry down: herbally and sweet, incensy and strong. Great throw. In fact this reminds me of Hexenacht a lot. Or as someone else pointed out, a cross between Hex and Samhain. This is very Autumnal.

 

30 minutes: Unlike Samhain or Hex, this softens. Must be the lunar oils? Nice.

 

Conclusion: I like it, I will enjoy the 2 ml I have. This is so similar to two of my favs, Sam and Hex. I would rather have Hex, which I am hoping Beth brings back. Being the evil enabler I am, I would have to buy a bottle for my mum, she smells great in Hex. I may have to get her to try this one. But, I don't want to get her hooked on one that is now gone.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 4.5.

[LittleGreyKitten]

I like this more than Samhain, which I'm not a fan of too much, but less than Harvest Moon, which I love. This is definitely a deep, autumn scent, with a musky/dark tone to it that kind of takes me aback initially. Upon drydown though, I like it a lot more. The feral, dark notes seem to back away, leaving more sweet loveliness to come out. It's good, but of all the moons, not a giant fave... it has some stiff competition. Still, I like it more than I expected to, that's for sure.

 

For me, 3.5 out of 5.

[mandragora]

Definitely masculine in the imp. Wet, this is smokey, sweet and golden. Dry, there's a light muskiness, surrounding the apples, wine and dried leaves. This scent is perfect for autumn, I picture red, gold and brown crisp leaves on the ground of an apple orchard.