Holy Smokes – Blue Line – Amber Moon
This 50g pack was (once again) a second-hand purchase. A sticker of the shop that originally sold it on the package: Der-Krieger-des-Lichts.de. The price was €5.89 – which is excellent. You can usually find these large packs starting at €6.90 (e.g. on German eBay), but they can also be significantly more expensive. The regular 10g packs go for €2.30 – €4.60.
On a side-note: I’ve come across packages of both, German (Amber Mond), and English name-variants of this scent.
I have already briefly reviewed Amber Moon in my review of the Loving Fantasies range, but I think they deserve to be looked at again on their own.
Amber Moon got me hooked on the amber fragrance genre when I was a teenager, and it had a huge influence on what I consider to be a “classic” amber scent. Only Indian amber dhoop, which is also used as a solid perfume, has more significance for me in this regard.
A large piece of amber dhoop from my collection, which I bought in 2016. Amber matures during storage and forms these beautifully sparkling crystals.
Amber Moon has a pleasant, sensual scent that is very sweet and soft. It has a lush honey heaviness, which makes the scent high-toned and sugary, but at the same time balsamic and smooth. I suspect the presence of balsam resins such as tolu or Peru balm and benzoin. There is also a fine, tart note that brings a lot of depth to the composition and adds a dark and mysterious vibe to it. Labdanum could be another possible ingredient; maybe also a µ patchouli? There is definitely a hint of an earthy smell in there.
The vanilla note, which is almost omnipresent in the Blue Line, fits in perfectly in this case. It becomes part of this very round, beguiling bouquet without pushing itself into the foreground. With this pack, I can’t detect the burning note that I mentioned in my older review.
Amber Moon is a thing for those with a sweet nose. It’s an olfactory caramel candy and an absolute feel-good scent that envelops you.
By the way, like the chunk of amber pictured above, the incense sticks develop a slight glitter. 🙂
Do you know what resin is responsible for the crystal development? I know there are a few ingredients that people call amber in incense, so I’m wondering which one this is.
I have a suspicion that it might be vanillin that is causing this. Vanillin seems to be a popular ingredient in Indian incense. Pure, synthesised vanillin has a flaky crystalline powder form, here is what it looks like. I’m not sure if it also forms crystals when it’s a natural compound of an ingredient.
I noticed these crystals on a lot of HMS made incense sticks (especially if stored in plastic sachets), and since they all have quite a prominent Vanilla note, this would make a lot of sense.
Interesting! I may find an amber dhoop to try.
I came across this shop a while ago. They have a remarkable selection, but I, of course, don’t know how their quality is. It’s not unlikely that they contain synthetics.
If you are looking for an ingredient for incense making, here is an offer on AliExpress for Storax. I bought it, it’s good (but less than 50g lol). I was looking forever for this stuff. I think it must be one of the core ingredients for the Indian Amber secnt.