Aizen-Myoo

[Penance]

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.

Origin:

Lagniappe from the Lab.

Preconceived notions:

Truth be told, I have no clue what kaki or mikan smell like, so I'm not sure what to expect from this. It does have black tea, though, which is one of my favorite notes.

First sniff:


Clean, soapy, floral and a bit fruity/citrusy all at once. The cherry blossom is pretty prominent as is the yuzu. No black tea yet, but not bad even though it's not really me.

Wet on skin:

The same as in the imp. Normally there's at least a small change in scents once I put them on, but not Aizen-Myoo. While this is completely opposite of the scents I normally wear and enjoy, I like this. It's unexpected smelling, somehow...relaxing and clean and ever-so-slightly fruity.

Dry down:

Cherry blossoms. A lot of cherry blossoms. We had cherry trees in our backyard when I was growing up and I remember the smell of those little white flowers very well. Aizen-Myoo smells innocent to me, maybe because I'm associating it with my childhood.

The bottom line:

I actually like this even though I normally wouldn't go for something like this if I were picking out scents to try.

[hologhost]

In the bottle: Sharp, unfamiliar citrus. I'm not sure if it's because I've don't recognize most of the secondary fruits or that it all blends together.

 

On me: The sharpness goes away and this turns creamy - like a yuzu ice cream. But not really sweet - very light. I'm not getting what I can distinguish as a tea note, but that could just be my uneducated nose.

 

Unlike most of the scents I've tried, this smell stays pretty much the same, only fading a bit.

 

I really like this. I'll probably spring for a big bottle when my imp runs out.

[tsarina]

This scent is so crisp, fresh and brilliant. The yuzu stands out over the background of blossoms and tea. I want my entire home to smell this good. It's springy, bright and elegant.

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - imp received in a swap

 

Wet - Wow, this is bitter! It smells like bitter grapefruit with a waft of cherry blossom.

 

Dry - as it dries the cherry blossom becomes stronger, and it's a beautiful mix of sweet and bitter. The tea is there is the background as well, although I wish it were stronger. This smells exotic and even though I don't like grapefruit at all, I find myself liking this. It doesn't last very long on me; after an hour it's all gone. I will keep the imp for those days I want to smell a bit different, but I probably won't be picking up a bottle.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

[Orodemniades]

Imp: Citrus slam!

 

Wet: Hmm, it's very clean and softly white...

 

Drydown: It's sweet and soft and quite innocent, which is surprising, all things considered.

 

Overall: It's a lovely scent, but I'm not the type of person who would wear this.

 

Oro

[slave1]

In Bottle: Tea!

 

On Skin: Yes, the black tea note is strongest… it woke me up right away! A very interesting scent… very strong and in your face. The fruitiness of the kaki and mikan are beautiful and citrusy. The cherry blossom is light and adds a pleasant floral note. I didn’t like this in the bottle, but I’m warming up to it now. This is a nice spring scent, or even a room fragrance.

[JazzieCazzie]

A gift imp from a lovely forumite who knows my daughter loves grapefruit scents. D allowed me to test it first in my quest to chronicle/try as many BPAL scents as possible.

 

BOTTLE: Eccccccccch. TOO fruity for me. I don't get the grapefruit vibe at all, more like peach or cherry or something.

 

WET: Same problem. Very strongly rich sweet fruit ... I can't stomach this long enough to get to the drydown but I think if someone likes Fae or Kitsune Tsuke or one of those strong fruity scents, they would like this a lot.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

[Northernminx]

This is glorious! Fruity and tropical and sweet at first - somewhere between grapefruit and peach -, there's a soft floral undertone and the clean sweetness of black tea as this dries. That sweet tropical fruitiness remains but this becomes far more complex and I'm adoring the tea with this. Jubilant, energized, lusty and fun. Defininite keeper.

[Ajila]

On me at first this was pure, pure grapefruit juicy and sharp, but in my opinion darker and more bitter than the Pink Grapefruit SN. After a couple of hours this faded to reveal the cherry blossom. In all this was a very pretty scent, but it's not for me.

[blood*rose*flowers]

In the Bottle: The Sweetness of the cherry

 

On wet: Really green I don't know why I am think of the smell of fresh wet tumbleweeds as they are chopped apart. It is a heavy think green scent that is becoming slightly citrusy (grapefruit?)

 

Dry Down: Where is the cherries?? I might be getting some tea now but I still can't tell what the green scent totally is.

 

Overall: No cherries or even their blossoms found in here for me. This scent sadly is just a mix of green and citrus on my skin. Though fresh and nice this scent just wasn't quite what I was looking for.

[Sara]

Initial Imp Sniff: Mmm... that's loverly! It's sweet and a touch fruity. I totally almost recognize a specific floral in here....totally almost.

 

Swipe: Dude! This smells just like it would make a loverly scent for a bath collection. It's so fresh and clean, but sweet and almost heady. Very awesome.

 

Drydown: Seriously, I'm thinking "soap" and, no, not because it smells like soap; but because it would make a wonderful soap...and lotion..and spray...and bubble bath.... It's just so refreshing, I can't think of a better word!

 

Overall: Wow, I've really been hitting it with good scents this swap around, about a handful are left to try and they all smell loverly. This one though, has a special place. Mostly because I've been wanting to try it forever and because it really tweaks at my "I should know what this is and recognize it from somewhere" brainbit. It's definitely a wonderful scent for freshly washed bodies, just divine.

[misfitroxy]

A blossom-like floral scent leaps out of the imp as soon as I remove the cap. Combined with this fresh-flower sweetness, there’s a cherry kind of tinge in the background. It’s ultra fresh flirty already, so I’m anxious to try it on.

 

The sharpness of the black tea is the first thing that I sense when it’s on my wrist. This is quickly overpowered by a citrus scent, which I’m guessing is the yuzu or the mikan. It reminds me of red grapefruit pith backed by florals.

 

The blend fades pretty quickly, but as it does, it warms into an almost vanilla sort of warm scent base.

 

As a final verdict, I think Aizen-Myoo is extremely pleasant, but not a skin scent for me. Instead, it’s going to find its place in my home in a rather unique way: I study sex work and keep a Brazilian statue in tribute to the individuals following such a path on my desk. So I think she’ll find herself duly anointed in the near future.

[QueenFae]

Lovely, fruity, enticing. The cherry is sweet and innocent, and the underlying black tea gives it a kick of debauchery. It reminds me of a sweet smelling hair shampoo, or the scent of a beautiful woman's hair when it's freshly washed. It's a clean, youthful, girly smell for me, and I like it very much.

[komakino]

Initial Impression: A strong and slightly bitter smell of a flower I can’t really identify and some citrus. It’s extremely strong, and takes over the room.

 

After Wearing It: The flower scent fades, and a more classic artificial smell of citrus and citrus peel takes over. It’s still very strong, but has a more complete and well-composed tone now.

 

Final Impression: It smells like a big bowl of various artificial citrus fruits. Instead of smelling like fresh real fruits, it has that distinct smell of artificial citrus that bubble baths and stuff has. I don't know if it's my skin or what, because judging from the reviews a lot of seem to get a much more "real" smell.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Citrus - bitter rinds and sweet flesh.

 

Wearing: For the first half hour, this stuff is really intense. Bitter and sweet citrus (and the tea and a little cherry blossom) waft up to my nose. As it dies, the citrus fades. This ends up smelling like... melon? So odd, yet so true. A honeydew drydown.

 

Final Impressions: This would be great if I liked melon. But I don't.

[rellyjean]

Imp: the tea overpowers the other notes in the blend, making it bitter and a touch dark. I was uncertain about trying it, and then remembered how different imp-to-skin can be. (Kuang Shi was too bitter in the imp as well, and it's an all-time favorite.) So ....

 

Wet: Oh my! This is a very very high-toned grapefruit. A bit tingly but not sparkly. Almost a touch sugary, but only a touch.

 

This is light and seductive and delicate and entrancing.

 

Drydown: The grapefruit steps back a little. There's a clean greenish scent emerging. Fresh leaves.

 

About 15-30 minutes in: Ooooooh. The cherry blossom comes out to play, light and high, peeking around the leaves. (Which is good, as I wasn't that fond of the leaves being center stage.) It teams up with the grapefruit for this sharp, tarty citrusy scent.

 

A few hours in: Fading fast, which is a shame. But then I washed my hands shortly after putting it on, and I think I might have washed some of it off inadvertently, so that's not necessarily indicative of its staying power.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: wow. i love this. so fruity and juicy. tropical and sexy.

on: very light and fresh. i'm smelling something that reminds me of...bath and body works apple body spray. weird.

15 minutes later: this is STRONG! it's just everywhere. my nose is actually a little itchy. it smells like crisp apples and something almost soapy, but not quite. i think that may be the cherry blossoms.

2 hours later: this is even stronger now. too strong. my skin is amping the hell out of the cherry blossom. blah. it just smells sharp to me.

4.5 hours later: sweeter and more powdery. nice, but not extraordinary.

overall: i just can't deal with what my skin does to this one.

[L-z_Empress]

When I first put this one, it smells like sweet, artificial citrus flavoured candy (sort of like sugared lime), but not in an unpleasant way. After a few minutes of drying though, the cherry blossoms come through and then the tea. What I am left with is an exotic scent that stays close to the skin and smells like cherry blossoms floating in a steaming hot cup of black tea with a smidge of citrus in the background. It is really a lovely scent that is different and refreshing. Definite 5 mL for me.

[Caltha]

Aizen-Myoo

 

Aizen-Myoo smells just like grapefruit bubble bath when first applied. Later, the grapefruit bitterness vanishes and it smells like fruity, citrusy bubble bath. An ordinary, artificial, sweet and "fresh" smell that's not really fresh.

Edited September 6, 2005 by Caltha

[dcmo]

Fresh, clean, crisp. This is really nice for summer. Initial drydown is the bitter citrus similar but not quite grapefruit, but as it dries down I get a hint of the cherry blossoms and tea and it sweetens. This is really nice.

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

Yuzu. Grapefruit. Bright citruses that my skin amps to forever and beyond. I also get a nice little anise bite, just like that tickling at the back of your throat after you've downed a shot of good ouzo.

Wet, on Skin:

Grapefruit, definitely, but now I'm picking up on a blend of fruity notes, apricots and peaches, mixed with a new green herbal freshness, a dry bamboo essence.

Drying/Drydown:

Anise rises more here, but doesn't stay for long. The entire fragrance has sweetened and is very fruity at this point, and now I get a faint creamy apple.

Over Time/Longterm:

This reminds me of Garnier Fructis, in that it's a medley of sparkling fruit essences, apples, apricots, pears and pineapple, over a green and slightly bitter base, with a creamy floral over it all.

Final Verdict?

Not my style. Too bright and fruity for this wolf.

[modesty_blaise]

The Lab put this in my order, and I just know one thing for sure; I would never have ordered it myself. Yuzu, kaki, mikan??? wtf?? And, being a noob and having all sorts to choose from, I´m too lazy to look things like that up. In addition, the name didn´t appeal to me at all.

 

However. My first lab order. My first frimp. And someone so kindly looked up the words in the beginning of this thread, telling me, aka the citrus whore, I should have known about this scent before.

 

Wet it´s SHARP. Very fresh and citrusy, it reminds me of grapefruit. And it almost stings in my nose. I kept thinking of some flower, but I don´t know which one. Not one you would find in a blend like this. It´s some sort of grassy thing, like walking through a meadow when you were a kid.

 

When drying down, the sweetness comes out, and while I can see the comparison to Garnier, I have to add that to me this is not a bad thing. Where Garnier tend to smell a little artificial, this is the shit

 

A new favourite, oh yes indeed! And I´m picky. Veeery picky.

 

Edited August 2, 2005 by modesty_blaise

[Lori]

In the vial, this smells like a very sharp citrus mixed with Graveyard dirt! I really didn't think it would be for me, and almost added it to the swap pile, but decided to test it out on my skin to see what happened. I put it on my left wrist and while still wet, the earthy scent died down a bit and all I can really smell is the bitter grapefruit smell. I am not sure if I actually like it or not…but I keep smelling my wrist to decide - I can’t.

 

After about 10 minutes, something sweet starts coming through. That must be the apple blossoms! I have an apple blossom SN imp, and I LOVE it, so was hoping I would smell that in this one. Oh, this is magic how it has now changed from bitter to sweet! Beth truly IS an alchemist!!

 

Now that it has dried, the sweetness combines with the tea and a bit of grapefruit in the background…just enough of both so that the sweetness becomes sexy. I can definitely see this as a Sex Potion, in the way the classic romance novel goes, where the two main characters start out fighting and then lusting after one another. This goes from the proverbial slap in the face to the ripping of the bodice pretty fast! I am going to try the imp a few more times, on my neck and wrists, to see how long it lasts, and if I love it, before I decide if I want a big bottle but right now I am quite enamored!

[jewelbug]

In the Bottle: Strong, bright, fruity citrus with sweet floral notes. Juicy, feminine and pretty. Strange, but for a minute there I swear it smelled like wet paint. And then it was gone back to juicy sweetness. Not picking up tea.

 

On skin, Wet: Slightly fruity--maybe a hint of citrus, this note faded ultra fast on me. It is quickly overwhelmed by heady and dizzying sweet floral (cherry blossom, I presume). Where did those delightful sweet fruits go?

 

Dry down: CHERRY BLOSSOM'D!!!! The floral is so intense I’m trying to talk myself out of it, and *think* I smell a hint of tea, but really it's wishful thinking.

1 hr: Still predominantly blossoms, sharp in the back of my throat. There is the tiniest bit of fruit begging to be let out--not super citrus, maybe this is the persimmon? The floral denies the fruity request, and dominates.

2 hr: Still blossoms, with a bit of bitter pith in the very distant background. Thankfully, the itch-my-nose floral is getting weaker. Now it’s a breezy floral, very feminine, with the slightest hint of tartness. It all fades in about 4 hours. I fell asleep in this and woke up with a stuffy nose.

 

Sum up: My skin amps up the dizzying floral, and my nose doesn't like it. Instead of smelling like a grapefruit juicy tea-fiend, I end up smelling like prime tourist season in D.C. Or my mother. No good. This is not for me. My swap pile officially has its first imp.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Bright yuzu

 

On me:

On my skin, Aizen-Myoo is mostly yuzu and it smells bright, crisp, clean and citrusy. It makes me think a lot of the scent Clean actually. Oddly enough it settles down into a fainter, slightly sweeter scent in only a few minutes. I can still smell mostly the yuzu, but now it's not so sharp. And there is something else behind it, which is... for lack of a better word... musky. It's not musk, but it has the same effect - soft, a little sweet, warm. This really melds nicely with my skin and it's one of those scents that just make your skin smell nice, rather than smelling like you put something on, if that makes sense. It's clean and a tiny little touch of sweet.

 

Final note:

I'm not sure if I'd need a bottle of this, but I just might. It is very light and feminine, and fades quickly however.