Silver Radiance, Cloon Keen Frosted Moon

Among all satellites that exist in the cosmic space I think our moon is the most beautiful one. Its silvery light with blue flickers is soothing & calming for the soul. Looking at its round face at night introduces an element of magic and mystery. I wonder if its aura has any influence on our creative abilities since there are so many songs and poems about moon. It’s a popular theme in perfume-naming – I’m quite drawn to the fragrances that use this motif. Therefore it’s natural that I wanted to smell a lunar composition from Cloon Keen Atelier. Ireland & moon are a promising pairing.

Smelling Frosted Moon is an experience comparable to entering an evergreen forest imbued with magical powers, where elves, pixies, dwarves and other mystical beings dwell. It’s like a celtic fairytale became a perfume. At the beginning I smell an aromatic verdancy that reminds me of pine or fir needles. It takes a moment until it loses that coniferous facet and becomes more stem-green. Angelica seeds give this scent an interesting opening that invites you to make another step into its imaginary land of magic. Through the roots of the same ingredient a woody impression emerges.

Woodiness that appears after first couple of minutes is muted and distant in my opinion, as if its scent was only carried by the wind. I perceive it as the scent of bark covered with patches of moss that has an emerald-green color. Carrot seed accord that appears after around 30 minutes provides a twist as because of it Frosted Moon becomes more vegetal and earthy, however without putting an accent on the carotty aspect as in Iris Silver Mist for example. Actually that note kind of reacts with my skin chemistry and transforms into a smell closer to orange or mandarine; frosted.

When iris finally announces its presence & the name of Frosted Moon finally starts to make sense. More austere at the beginning it warms up from the skin a bit and reveals a voluptuous nature. Firstly it has more earthy character but then it melts down to a delightfully luxurious aroma of iris butter. Its richness and elegance are at top-level yet there’s nothing powerful or persistent. Whole composition of this Cloon Keen fragrance is maintained rather low-key. Which doesn’t change the fact it’s utterly charming. After some period iris becomes more silky – like a fabric, with flowery hints of violets.

Then ambrette joins the composition. This botanical musk has a possibility of introducing musky tones to the scent without reaching for lab aromachemicals that mimic animal musk. Ambrette is soft and cosy like a scarf made of wool and personally I find it rounder and less present than the other ones. Use of galbanum introduces a green snap in the base and is then followed by vetiver. Dryness and grassy impression with hint of coumarin follow the latter one. Everything is finished with small pieces of cedar wood – they add substance and a gentle yet hefty ‘spine’ to Frosted Moon.

Frosted Moon, which was composed for Cloon Keen by perfumer Delphine Thierry is a beautifully crafted scent that has something magical about it. It has a certain level of mystery about it and because it is not a powerhouse fragrance it’s more difficult to predict how the perfume is going to develop, but that’s exactly where its beauty lays. I really enjoy complexity and harmonious character of it. There’s something melancholic about it too. Frosted Moon surely has a faint glow of the moon. The line has a beautiful packaging of bottles (100 ml) having a mirror-like effect.

[note] If you experienced Cloon Keen fragrances before you might know this one as Lune de Givre.

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