Under the Harvest Moon - BPAL (a perfume review)

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UNDER THE HARVEST MOON
Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

Blue and white musk, summer roses, wild crimson leaves, grey amber, carnation, lavender bud, and vanilla bean.




What a beautiful poem. And a suitably beautiful scent to pair with it! Under the Harvest Moon is another "vintage" perfume from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Two years in the bottle have served it well, as the musks have mellowed and the carnation, lavender, and vanilla have melded into a sweet, soft, cozy blend.

I'm going to share a few things this scent is not:

• It is not a cold scent, as the moon reference might imply.
• It is not a spicy scent, as the "Harvest" reference might imply.
• It is not a synthetic and plastic musk scent. These musks are gentle and sweet.
• It is not a rose soliflore. The rose is soft and well- blended.
• It is not an animalic scent. The grey amber (ambergris) and musks are not "skanky". 
• It is not a spicy scent. The carnation is tamed.
• It is not an herbal or medicinal scent. The lavender is sweet, subtle, and pretty.
• It is not a gourmand. The vanilla softens and sweetens but does not smell "foody".

Under the Harvest Moon is peaceful and restful. It is a snuggle scent or a sleep scent or a scent to grab when you're looking for comfort. It is a pretty scent, appropriate for almost any occasion. It is beautiful.

It reminds me a little of the scent of my very favorite BPAL: Morocco. The lavender and rose in Under the Harvest Moon (UtHM) add a twist to the carnation and musks of Morocco. UtHM is the slightly sweeter and softer of the two, but they both evoke the same mood - and adoration!

It is also a limited edition from 2009. Maybe I should have undersold it? ;)