Tomoe Gozen

[RaeiNarcissus]

A "warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot." Tomoe Gozen was a fierce, noble, and courageous samurai, first captain, as well as a renowned beauty. She was an excellent swordswoman, famed for her riding ability and her skill at archery. She fought for Minamoto no Yoshinaka at Battle of Awazu, and her forces were defeated. Legend says she was seen holding the severed head of one of her foes on the battlefield, and vanished, never to be seen again.

Red currant, golden amber, blackberry, honey, and pink pepper.

They had these out at will call *dances* Tomoe Gozen was the only one that my nose liked, as they didn't have Fau Mulan out. I was a little worried about the golden amber note, since Gelt gave me a horrible headache, but thankfully, no headache zone!


In the bottle, this smelled really really pretty. And it was definetly asian, but not like earth ox or fire pig.

On my skin, swoon pretty. It smelled so nice!! I can't really tell that one note took command, they all blended together. Now, this was around 4 that I put it on. Then I went to dinner with my parents, and afterwards went to a friends for poker. As I got to his house around 8, I was sniffing my hand and thinking, this is like Thalia, but softer. It's got the same regal pretty vibe to it, but it's a little different.

And now it's 11 at night and i'm still sniffing it, this lady has STAYING power! WHOOHOO!!!


You know, I put on Lovers in a rice field today, and wet, it's really like Tomoe Gozen, but Tomoe is more fruity. I think my original thought of Thalia is correct, take Thalia and Lovers in a ricefield and you have Tomoe Gozen. Edited May 11, 2009 by RaeiNarcissus
fixed BPAL tags --Shollin

[eoifemacbeth]

I had an entire section of my arm devoted to Tomoe Gozen at SEWC the other night, and I took detailed enough notes that I think I can help y'all out with a review.

 

In the bottle: WHOAHONEY. Normally I detest honey and it hates me right back, but on second sniff there was enough juicy, tart currant that I put it on anyway.

 

On my skin, wet: The currants really pop out, perked up by the pink pepper. This is fruity and honeyed and really very sexy (then again, I tend to think that honey smells like body heat and really heavy red musk, so that might just be me), and somehow the honey is staying in the background! This is officially the second honey scent that's ever worked on me (the Brides of Dracula being the first), and I'm loving it.

 

On my skin, drying: Oh dear, the honey REALLY amped up for a few minutes and for a bit there it smelled really bad to me. However, I got a bunch of the ladies at WC to smell it on me in this stage and they all loved it (including my sister, who is SUPER picky about scents)! I guess my nose just isn't a honey-lover. The stage passed fairly quickly, though, and I think I could definitely make it work.

 

On my skin, dry: HOLY CRAP do I need a bottle of this! It's one of the most perfectly balanced scents I've ever tried---I can literally smell every note listed in the description. And most of them are bad notes on me! I think it's the amber (probably my #1 note of all time) and currant making every note behave---99% of the time blackberries turn to instant cat pee on me, but they're juicy and super-tart and wonderful here; pink pepper can often make a blend smell sickly, but it's just a touch of carnation-esque spice here; honey is usually TERRIBLE but I think in combination with the fruit notes it's chilling out.

 

I absolutely MUST submit to this Inquistion (and if I do it'll be my first ever---and I think I've been around for five or six of them)!

[astarinel]

Yay I got my Inquisition set!

 

In the bottle: I actually compared this to the bath oil (just currant and honey) to see how the notes arranged themselves, and while the currant and honey are still kind of the main players to my nose, the blackberry adds extra fruity goodness and the pink pepper gives a little spiciness. It's complementary to the bath oil, but much more complex.

 

On, wet: This is gorgeous and so well-blended.

 

The most prominent notes to my nose are the currant and blackberries, which are fruity, tart and delicious, and the honey which is sweet but a little less "sticky" to my nose than a lot of the honey notes can be. The amber is in the background, adding a little bit of smooth warmth, and the pink pepper is subtle adding just a touch of sweet, carnation-like spices.

 

On, dry: As it dries, the blackberries come to the fore. It still kind of has a golden-honeyed touch, and the presence of amber under the berries reminds me a little of Carnivale, which I also love.

 

With the bath oil: The bath oil goes extremely well with this one. On skin, the bath oil becomes soft and well-blended, the honey and currants mingling together in a sweet, fruity aura. The perfume has the blackberry and warmth of amber, and retains a bit more tartness. I really love how these two smell layered next to each other -- the currant and honey in the bath oil make those notes in the perfume stand out a little more.

[naeelah]

I've tried this several times now, and it has morphed slightly differently each time.

 

Initially, I got a lot of plasticky red currants and not much pink pepper, drying down to a sweet, golden skin scent with a good amount of blackberry.

 

ETA: I've tested a third bottle, and this is a LOT of blackberry -- more than the other two bottles -- over amber & honey. The currant behaves. So, I think this one is definitely a morpher, from batch to batch and from day to day.

 

Most recently, it behaves much better. It starts out very heavy on pink pepper, but as it dries the amber and honey become the most dominant notes. The definitely merge under my nose, and it's the best base note ever -- the amber is bright, clear, round, and well grounded and clings to the skin (it's not powdery but it's not as brittle as in Khrysee), and the honey is rich and fragrant. (The honey note is similar to ones in the Stardust blends.) The longer it wears, the more prominent the blackberry seems to my nose. The blackberry and currant are definitely present, but this does not feel like a fruit blend. Overall, the feeling is warm, golden, sweet, and sexy. The currants smell like currants now, rather than like the plastic and polyester of a Strawberry Shortcake doll.

 

The pink pepper remains pretty present throughout the life of the scent, but once it gets past the initial drying phase it blends well and plays nicely. It's the perfect bit of pop behind the smooth gold. The throw is decent, but this is the type of scent that merges into your skin more, as if it were your natural scent.

 

So, in short: rich, golden, smooth sweetness made fragrant by fresh, tart blackberry, a hint of currant and just a prickle of pink pepper.

 

Try it if you like: Lady Una, Svadhinaopatika, Eat Me, Khrysee, Hermia, and some other stuff that I'll when I remember

Edited June 29, 2009 by naeelah

[GardenCat]

OK - I'm new at this, but have to review it! It was on my "must-buy" list due to the honey - I LOVE the lab's honey! It's such a rich scent - the berries & current (especially to me) standing out. But there is a bit of spiciness that's tamed by the golden amber. I can't stop huffing my wrist - everything is one but separate. HOW DOES SHE DO THAT!?

 

 

Overall - I'm glad I picked this one up - although, at first, it reminded me a bit of the Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream - must be the current!

[boxinghelena]

Initially, Tomoe Gozen was all lemon on me. I hate lemon. I don't want to smell like lemon.

 

Drydown: OMG! It is amazing on me. Although, I'm only getting the honey & amber out of it. Which is fine.

 

More please!!!

[suki]

in the bottle: honey? check! currant? check!

 

wet on skin: currant is dominating at this stage, in pretty much the same way the bath oil did on my skin while wet.

 

dry down: while i'm getting little wafts of blackberry, this scent, like it's bath oil buddy, is still mostly red currant with a bit of honey tossed in.

 

in all: i think this one might improve with a bit of aging (as with the bath oil) so i believe i'll have to leave this be for a month and try again later. for now, i think this would mix well with something that can bring the fruit into perspective, like Obatala, or even Bliss. but on it's own it's a little too pungent, even for my foodie-loving nose.

[angelicruin]

Inside the bottle, red currant.

 

Wet on the skin, I've sniffing red currant, pink pepper, and amber the strongest.

 

As it dries, oooh I'm getting a lovely blackberry note. Amber is disappearing and I can't pick out the honey note.

 

Dries down to a spicy dark fruit scent.

[Leopard403]

This is lovely! On my skin it is an ever-changing scent that one moment smells of loud, bright red currant, the next of thick honey, and the next of blackberry brambles. Through it all there is something very delicately floral about it, though I don't know what that might be.

 

My first thought upon sniffing myself was "elderberry wine." Don't know where that came from.

 

Amber is very hit-or-miss on my skin, but combined with the other bold and sweet notes here, it works. Just lovely.

 

 

EDIT after two full wears: This lasts about seven minutes on my skin. It's going up for swaps.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Leopard403

[iiinterstate]

My choice to order two sets of Tomoe Gozen was a good one.

 

In the bottle, this is bright red fruits, sweetened with honey. It actually makes me nervous at first because although it smells lovely, such a strong sweet scent would surely get old fast.

 

After a few minutes, it settles into thick honey and amber with just a hint of the blackberry and currant. The fruits are more present in the throw. Maybe its because I'm hoping for it, but I swear I can smell a little kick of the pepper in there. I hope it comes out more!

 

I wish I were better at writing descriptions because I like this blend SO MUCH and I can't do it justice. I know I'll wear it often!

[Suu4LC]

On first sniff I knew this smelled familiar...I am almost positive the currant note in this is the same currant note in 'Spell of Amorous Love'! While the two have that currant note in common, they are very different blends-SoAL is a very flirty pink curranty blend and Tomoe is definitely RED.

 

The red currant is the main note to me, both in the bottle and once this blend is on my skin. Second in line is the honey, with the rest of the notes there in varying lesser degrees. I barely get amber tbh (which is fine with me, it usually goes very powdery on me). I could use a little more pink pepper (one of my favorite notes).

 

After a while's wear, it becomes a soft powdery (lolamber) sweet currant scent-very pretty. Overall, if you are a red currant fan or a fan of Spell of Amorous love, you need to try this blend. Rich sweet red currants and honey! And don't get me started on how excited I am to try out the Bath Oil!!!

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle bright and tartly fruity with a sticky undercurrent of honey

wet on skin this is soooo good! the currant and blackberry are fruity without being instantly recognizable. they make a high plateau of scent notes that is perfectly and achingly balanced by the honey and amber.

dry on skin a tiny bit more amber now, but not a lot of morphing here. this just kills me with its fantasticity.

[dawndie]

In bottle: tart red berries

 

On skin: delicious blackberry with a peppery zing, I could drink this straight-up

 

Half-hour later: the fruit has gone hazy and more powdery from the amber

 

In conclusion: I love red currant in a darker blend like Blood Garden, but this is perfect for the too-hot summer days we're having. Dusty mellow sweetness, assertive but not too heavy.

[Lamia]

I am surprised at the ingredient list. In the bottle, and wet, this was citrus. Yuzu, I thought to myself wisely, thinking I was clever. Not so much! The powerful citrus smell was quite thick and rich - the high-end ice cream to melted convenience store sherbert - until drydown.

 

Left wrist smells divine! Honey and berries NOM! Right wrist smells like berry stems and dry stalks. er... ok? I never know with amber, it seems - golden amber is in my favorite BPAL of all time, and also in some others that smell like barf on my skin.

 

 

[Gin]

Tomoe Gozen

 

Initial red currant blast, dries down to a fruity-honey. This is a softer scent than the bath oil, and I don't like it as much for that very reason.

[ami226]

In the bottle: I think I smell mostly.... blackberry and something sweet. I am loving the smell of this already since this is a yummy, perfect blackberry.

 

On the skin: Woooooo! Something turns a bit tart, but it is still very enjoyable! This scent is close to turning soapy on me, but I think it is the tartness that keeps it borderline. Still, quite lovely!

 

Overall: I think this one is a keeper! It isn't my favorite, but it is still pretty good. I think I like it better in my scent locket than on my skin sadly.

Edited October 17, 2009 by Shollin

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Sweet tart fruit - currant and blackberry - with perfumey (and with a powdery edge, sigh) amber and rich honey. There's an exotic edge to this that must be the pink pepper, but I wouldn't have pegged it as such. The fruit & honey are gorgeous but the amber terrifies me.

 

Wet: Spicy honeyed fruit galore! The currant is definitely foremost in this, but the blackberry is just behind. I get the pink pepper now and it's a lovely note, not at all as I feared - it's not too spicy, just intriguing. The fruits stand out so much in this that the honey is in the background relatively, and seems to blend with the amber - to me, this honey/amber combo is very reminiscent of Mead Moon.

 

Dry: Blackberry & honey amping, and the amber is becoming increasingly perfumey - it's not fully powdery yet, but it has the pungency that I can't stand in amber - I really only like a subtle warmth, not an actual note I can smell. Actually - this is reminding me a little of Thaleia. It's that syrupy sweetness. There's definitely a Mad Kate resemblance , too. The faintly soapy edge of the amber (or maybe the pink pepper?) reminds me of Pepper - which just became too soapy-perfumey on drydown.

 

Later: This pink pepper is almost minty - it's spicy/sharp in such a unique way that I must say works really well here. At this point I find the fruits & honey to be melding together perfectly; very well-blended and balanced. Amazingly, the amber still hasn't turned to powder although it has become increasingly perfumey. This feels overall like a peachy-golden haze.

 

Summary: Not a lot of morphing, other than things merging into a very seamless blend of honeyed spiced fruit and perfumed amber. Great throw & fantastic longevity. I can see why this one's popular, but the amber is just too present for my tastes.

[hepkitten]

On me, this is fruit punch made with honey, perhaps with a splash of pee. Yay skin chemistry.

[rayvn1]

Oh my, this is sexy! Rich, dark red smelling oil with lots of currant swimming in a river of golden honey. This is a truly rich and decadent oil. Much later the sweet and light blackberry note starts to come through once the voluptuous honey and currant backs away a bit. I am going to treasure this imp!

[Dark Alice]

At first this is pure love. Red Currant plus warm, golden honey... but then the inevitable dark horror that plagues my skin with some honey notes....it turned musty. I mean armpit, I forgot to put deodorant on the one day it was 100 degrees musty. My wrists smell like sour armpits and funky ass fruit. I must wash this off.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, the red currant and the blackberry are clashing together and smelling a little too sharp & sour for me.

 

On my skin... . The red currant/blackberry combo goes intensely sour and smells like I huffed lemonade powder up my nose. There's also a drizzle of sweet, pure honey here, trying to cut through the sharpness. This smells so much like sour lemon with a bit of honey on me that it makes me think of those lemon-honey cold medicine packets. Blech.

 

I decided to ignore this one for fifteen minutes and come back to it. Tomoe Gozen does chill out after a while, and it's less sour and cringe-worthy on me. It's mostly honey now, with a bit of warm spiciness to it, and an undercurrent of sour fruit.

 

I love black currant (sweet, dark, fruity jam goodness <3), but the red currant goes all sour and wonky on my skin. I hate the sharp fruitiness here.

[YoakeNoKami]

In the bottle: Super fruity! Very much currant and honey.

 

On/wet: Still currant, but it's a bit more grounded here. Less sharp, more sweet. Faintly peppery honey coats it, really, which is very interesting. It's sweet, yes, but still very fresh and maybe a little sharp.

 

Drydown: Still very curranty, though the light bit of blackberry has definitely jumped in. It's a little softer, too-- the amber and then honey conspiring, I expect. They're very interesting together in this, and they sort of soften an buoy the currant and blackberry. The pepper is in there still, but more like an afterthought, a little taste, than a focal note.

 

Overall: Really gorgeous, with good throw. It's very bright, and even a bit bold. I don't think it'll do for super-warm days, but it seems like a good fit for the summer anyways. Gorgeous.

[obsidienne]

Wow, this is a lot lighter and less sweet than I expected it to be. It's quite fruity, with a lot of tart! from the pepper and perhaps the currants. Smooth amber supports it and the pink pepper also provides a wee bit of fizz. The honey is very subtle, but noticeable (I love honey). Oh! Blackberry! Hai! I love you!

 

I was expecting something totally different, a little thicker and spicier, but I'm liking Tomoe Gozen a lot. It's beautiful, feminine, and a bit fun.

 

Edit: Upon rereading the reviews (and upon a second sniff-test session this evening), "fruit punch" is mentioned. And I do get that. Hrmm.

Edited August 14, 2009 by obsidienne

[Schmoozy]

Beautiful. Bright bold black berry and red currants sweetened with honey. Golden amber along with honey gives Tomoe a sunkissed feel while pink pepper adds a touch of spice.

However this is mainly a tart, fruity scent with hints of honey in the background.

Edited October 17, 2009 by Shollin

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Pink pepper and the honeyed amber are very keen.

 

Wet: Lots of pink pepper! But very quickly here come the currants and the blackberries.

 

The dry-down: The honey and the amber are now swirling about all the other notes and combining them into something that I can only think of as a spicy sweetness, sort of like a sweet but spicy pink carnation, drizzled with honey, but not exactly that, either. The pepper and the amber keep this scent from being as sweet as Lady Una. But certainly, they are in the same scent family. Perhaps more like cousins than sisters, as it were.

 

If you want to keep the spicy edge of this, perhaps it's not best to combine with the bath oil, as that, I find, amps up the sweet notes. But that, in itself, is a wonderful combination of spice and berry-honey sweetness. I like it best when I combine the perfume oil with the bath oil. That's just heavenly.