Aizen-Myoo

[jj_j]

A bright, bittersweet scent honoring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarajas, the Shingon's Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshipped by all those in the sex industry, musicians, and - oddly - landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

Bright, joyous, unbridled - these are perfect for Aizen-Myoo! Crisp, sharp, glorious yuzu - think peeling a grapefruit, tangy and vibrant, and smelling the pith and juice after you stick your thumb into it ... but even better - and a distinctly clear and softly sweetening tea note.

Aizen-Myoo jumps off of my skin for the first few minutes, and as the citrus notes begin to recede - never fading away, mind you, the cherry blossom starts to emerge, as does the faintest tinge of campfire smoke. I want to bathe in this all summer long.

God, this is beautiful! It's like a diamond, in that it has brilliance, depth, clarity, and that undeniable appeal you're powerless to resist.

[Shollin]

First sniff: The sharpness of the citrus in Aizen-Myoo knocked me back a bit. It smells like a kumquat tastes if you accidentally bite the flesh with the skin – sweet layered with bitingly bitter, and bright yellow-orange.

 

Wearing: If it were possible for a citrus fruit to be crunchy, that would be this scent. Bittersweet citrus peel with the perfectly crispy crunch of an apple. After a few minutes on it sweetens considerably into almost a honey scent… not sticky like honey, but very golden and smooth and not-too-sweet and YUM.

 

This is the second scent in a row that I've liked far more than I expected to - Dissipation was the first. Yay.

[chin]

Wow I really like this one! It was grapefruity and sweet, and there was that round note that I think is due to the tea. It's a fresh, bright happy deep yellow round scent. Citrusy, but not sharp on me. Sweet and fresh.

 

I had to look up the ingredients - in case anyone is in the same boat:

 

Yuzu: the tangerine-size variety of citron, a species of citrus fruit with a thick, bumpy rind. Like lemon, it is valued for its rind, which has a pleasant tart and bitter flavor, as well as for its juice.

 

Kaki: Japanese persimmon.

 

Mikan: mandarin orange (note - general term for mandarin orange, doesn't translate as tangerine!)

[hypothermya]

Well, I'm a sucker for anything with a Japanese name, not to mention tea... And someone (everyone on this forum is *so* sweet!) threw this in as an extra in a swap. (yay!)

 

In the Bottle

 

This smells delicious. It's citrusy, like a grapefruit, but different. But, boy, does it have tang! The tea provides a really nice grounding note, and I can smell that yummy earl-gray-in-the-morning smell that leads you by your nose -- well, it has to lead you by your nose, since most mornings I'm too groggy to steer any other way. But really, it's citrus/sweet/bitter, all bundled up into a very pleasing and definitely exotic smelling scent. I do have to say, though, that the scent is *strong* when you first open up the vial.

 

Wearing It

 

When this first goes on, it takes a full fifteen minutes to mellow out. And I mean that. I spent the first fifteen minutes without having to sniff my wrist one time (and normally I'm practically glued to my wrists after trying out a new BPAL scent). The citrus is delicious, and the other fruits are very foriegn smelling...something that seems familiar and sweet at first, and teases at your brain for the rest of the day. The tea is also very strong, like a fresh brewed cup. Also, I'm noticing that the cherry blossom is really perking up after a few minutes. A bit syrupy, skin chemistry be damned, but not as bad as I feared. Overall, very yummy.

 

Lasting Power

 

It lasts a good long while, but sadly the citrus dies very quickly (the same thing that happens for me with Cheshire Cat, and some other citrusy scents). The tea also fades pretty quickly as well, oddly enough mimicking the scent of a cup of cold tea. Imagine a day old rind of grapefruit and cold earl gray, and throw them into a Chinese open air food market (without the sea food, of course). It actually smells pleasant, but not overwhelmingly lovely like when I first applied the scent. So even though it lasts, it really does need frequent reapplication in my case...

 

This is really yummy, and I don't think I've smelled anything quite like it in my life. There are other scents that can be compared with popular perfumes (I recall that two BPAL scents have been compared with Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea, and others have reminded wearers of various department store brands), but this is nothing like anything I've ever smelled in a department store or otherwise. It's really neat smelling. Not sure if it's one of my favorites, but definitely a fun one to wear.

[Tesseljoan]

Wet this is the bitterest grapefruit peel you can imagine, which is a good thing, in my book. The tea comes out more later, making this scent bitter-fresh. In this phase, it is bitter, but it also has an odd softness to it. Of all the citrus/tea blends so far, this is my favourite.

[reina]

In the vial, it reminds me of a fruit and veg shop during Pomelo season.

I like the yuzu note. The yuzu and kaki create a scent that is reminiscent of grapefruit with a touch of passionfruit.

once it's on me, it wafts. for some reason, the citrus in this makes it smell like some kind of generic shower gel. too strong, and smells cheap.

Then it transforms: about 30 minutes into wearing, the yuzu softens up, more and more until eventually it fades away, and gives way to a soft, sweet fruit. I think that's the kaki (persimmon).

 

I'm not into fruity scents, and this really confirms what I knew. But I'm keeping it as it's a great daytime scent in this hot weather, and maybe - who knows - it'll grow on me. I'll give it another shot.

 

ADDED Oct. 26:

 

I got it! I got it! when I had the imp I was trying for the life of me to figure out what the initial note smelled like....

well, it's guava season here, and now it all makes sense. guava and a hint of pomelo (I guess that's the combination of yuzu and kaki).

Edited December 3, 2004 by Shollin

[ismene]

At first I can smell the sweetness of the orange and cherry, tempered by the bitterness of the black tea and perhaps the yuzu. Once it's dried down, it's entirely bitter. Disappointing, because I thought I'd really like this one.

[nevermore]

This perfume really makes me wish I could pull off fruity scents, but alas, I can’t. In the vial, it’s mostly grapefruit-y citrus, but once it hits my skin it sweetens up nicely, but with some tang. It’s actually a nice scent, but really fruity perfumes without florals or something to temper them tend to make me rather nauseous. I think I’ll pass this one on to one of my friends who would get a kick out of the name, as well as the perfume.

[allamanda]

Aizen-Myoo

 

When first applied I get a slight tinge of grapefruit which rapidly turns to cherry blossom, getting sweeter as it dries.

 

Once dry I can smell the tea giving depth to the cherry blossom; this is lovely.

 

After a few hours this is still beautiful. The sweetness of the cherry blossom is enlivened by the crispness of the tea.

 

For Lush fans this is perfect applied after a Sakura bath.

Edited September 13, 2004 by allamanda

[Electra]

Fruity with a very strong plastic undertone. Remember how those Strawberry Shortcake dolls used to smell of fake fruit and hard smooth plastic? Yeah, that's what my skin does to this blend. Not a keeper.

[Miggins]

Wow! Aizen-Myoo is beautiful! I was stood in the bank thinking to myself, "what is that? Somebody has got the most gorgeous perfume on!". Then I realised it was me.

 

To start, there is a hit of sharp citrus - kind of grapefruit-y, but so much more. Within minutes, the cherry comes out and wraps itself around the fruits to make a fruity-but-not-fruity smell. Get closer, and you can smell the smoky edge of the black tea.

 

Amazingly, Jedley absolutely loves this one. He even asked me to wear it last night when we went out - in four years, he has never requested a perfume.

 

To add: on me, this has wonderful staying power, but only in the daytime. Yesterday, it went on at 8am and was still going when I got into the bath at 6pm. But when I put it on last night, it faded right down within a couple of hours.

[diabolique]

i absolutely ADORE this scent! it's one of my favorites now. it smelled like embalming fluid to me. the cleanness is there, but it's deeper and more sexual. this doesn't smell plastic, fake, or bitter to me. it's very sweet with a slight tang. while it isn't high on my priority list, i've decided that i absolutely need a big bottle of this. i can see myself using this one a lot during the summer.

[Ishtar]

One me, Aizen-Myoo was almost all grapefruit, and little else. A very bright and zingy oil, not sharp, but "high-pitched", if that makes any sense.

 

Upon drydown, the tea started to come through, making the scent smoother and better rounded. Unfortunately the cherry blossom never showed up, which is too bad since it is a favourite note of mine

 

Since I love tea and fruity scents, I really enjoyed Aizen-Myoo, but I enjoy Baobhan Sith, to which it is fairly similar, even more.

[sarahmarie]

I love Aizen-Myoo! I wore it to my first long day of classes today, and I kept noticing my pretty smell and feeling a little bit perked up.

 

At first, I smell a lot of...mandarin orange. I don't know what's actually in this scent, but that's what I smell the most! Other notes come out as I wear it, and it changes over time - but not really in a way I can describe. What I can say about it is that it's bright and has a very sparkley sort of feeling. It's happy and light and fun, but it also has some depth and sensuality. It is fruity, but not in a way that screams fruit, if that makes any sense. I want a bottle of this one!

[feline.by.design]

Aizen-Myoo reminds me a little like Cheshire Cat, however it's much sweeter and more floral, due to the cherry blossom fragrance.

 

I liked Aizen-Myoo, and it has managed to stay on my skin for over two hours now, however I think I would like this fragrance on someone else. This seems like the perfect "little girl's" scent to me, and even though I'm not exactly old, I feel like my time for this scent has gone by.

 

This is probably something I will pass onto a friend, as I don't really see myself wearing this often, and it's too sweet for a home fragrance. Still, it smells really nice, just not really for me.

 

-doreen

[Goreygalx]

Oh my goodness, am I the only one who thought this one smelled like cat pee? My nose is weird.

 

xoxo

J

[pkwench]

Aizen-Myoo

 

Beautiful and blissful is perhaps the best way to describe Aizen-Myoo. The combination of citrus and tea is something close to divine. Wearing it feels like donning the softest silk and then looking in the mirror to see that it's a bright, glorious tangerine color. I LOVE this.

[Witch Baby]

 

First Sniff: Woah!! Really Really fruity!. . . .it smells like a huge grapefruit stuffed with orange and cherry gummie candies. It's very invigorating!

 

 

 

Wet: Now I smell nothing but grapefruit. . .with just the slightest hint of orange in there. I'm not sure if I like it or not. . .it smells good, but I don't know if it's a something that I want to smell like.

 

 

Dry: Hmmm, when it drys it gets very sweet on me. I like it, I'm not quite sure if I'll get a big bottle of it, but I know I'll use my imp on those days when I really need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.

[tempete]

Aizen-Myoo turned into a sweet, fruity scent on me. I mostly got cherry, with a wee bit of citrus thrown in. I couldn't detect the black tea note, which is a shame because I think that it would have balanced the fruitiness nicely. This one is heading for the swap pile.

[rhubarbbear]

this was the scent description that pushed me to first order bpal, and its the one that other people squeal over when i describe it. everyone does!

 

aizen-myoo is yuzu straight out of the imp, but yuzu with tea syrup poured over it. it adds an edge of dark depth. on my skin the yuzu fades pretty fast (sigh), but the cherry blossoms come out and wrap the tea in a floral shawl.

 

i like this one very, very much. i think it will be a wonderful summer scent, so cooling and uplifting and energizing!

[malanna]

Aizen-Myoo is a very up-beat, orange-colored (not scented—well, maybe?) scent. It’s a bit tart in the way that an orange is just as you’re slicing it open. This isn’t quite fruity, even though it makes me think tart, because there’s something rounding it out; I’m guessing it’s the black tea. When I re-sniff in the fourth hour , the tartness has faded. However, in the fifth hour, it makes a re-appearance and the scent gets stronger, even managing to overtake the waftiness of Zephyr on my other side. This is a nice scent, but not for me.

[inkstone]

In the vial: Black tea with a hint of yuzu.

 

Wet: The black tea comes out strongly when it hits my skin. It's upbeat, yes, but also a little sharp. There's a bittersweet tang to this.

 

Drydown: It takes a couple hours for this blend to mellow on me. At that point, the yuzu & mikan come out and there's a faint floral that's likely the cherry blossom.

 

Final thoughts: This is a nice, fresh & clean tea scent but I don't think it's very me.

[nhough73]

This ended up being the tartest and most bitter grapefruit on me - it reminded me of household citrus cleaner smell. Over time the scent smoothed out a little but it just was too bracing for my nose. Makes me think of a blazing fluorescent white.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Strong fruity fragrance. The citrusy yuzu is dominant, but everything is so clean. The tea's astrigent qualities must contribute to that. It makes me think of crisp kimonos and the traditional tea ceremony.

 

On me: Yuzu is so strong in this. It reminds me of walking through the produce section of an Asian market like Ranch 99 or Mitsuwa. The cherry blossom never becomes particularly prominant, but it's quite lovely as it appears during the drydown.

[pekeana]

Okay, big bottle -- Aizen-Myoo reminds me of my Chaos Theory, only without the floral & vanilla musk.

 

 

*clears throat*

 

The yuzu is extremely strong coming out of the bottle, and I don't get much tea, but I do get a lot of the floral stamen smell from the cherry blossom.

 

Once on my skin, the yuzu stays strong for a long time (15-20 minutes), then dries out to a very soft citrus bite, and not much else. The cherry blossom comes up behind it and braces the scent, and some of the other fruits come out to play, just a little bit, before it all becomes just a beautiful, sweetly floral herbal tea scent. Just like if you'd brewed up a fresh hibiscus and orange peel tea.

 

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I do, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how light and gentle the scent becomes after being so intense.