Enlightenment of the Courtesan Jigokudayu

[Geminirubyshoes]

Silken coconut, angelica, soft golden incense, tiare, carnation, and Asian pear.

This is my absolute favorite out of this series.
In the bottle I smell the coconut, and it is a sweet, soft coconut. I get a hint of the pear..but not enough to make me repel in horror as I normally cannot stand the smell of pear. I think Victoria's Secret ruined Pear for me back in high school with that Pear scented lotion and spray they used to make *shudder*

On me this is like heaven I think the carnation and tiare combo make it creamy and candyish without being super foody. The incense comes out after a while and makes it a little smoky...so yeah creamy, sweet, coconutty, smoky beauty..this actually reminds me ALOT of Velvet Unicorn. I think if you love that scent you will like this. Also I will liken this even to Tiki Princess a little. Its the coconut + tiare thing

[Voleuse]

As pear was the last note in the scent description, I didn't expect this to be so juicy and sweet. It loses the juiciness after a minute, but it keeps the sweetness through the flare of warm incense. In the background is a hint of carnation--like a bouquet in the back of the room--and something that hints of coconut, but doesn't actually smell like it. Like coconut ice cream, except not cold.

 

On me, this ends up being a sweet and warm candle-y sort of scent--like one of those Bath and Body Works candles, but more real.

[zankoku_zen]

Sweet coconut and asian pear! As it dries down, the sweetness becomes tempered by peppery carnation.

 

This is a kissing cousin to Tiki Princess or Snow White.

 

Sweet, feminine, fruity - slight Asian vibe.

[angelamaria]

In decant: first sniff, the impression I had was "booze". The coconut is everywhere as well as the incense. There's also something that's syrupy sweet here, almost foody. I'm not sure what it is, although the only real culprit is pear, and maybe the tiare, but neither of those should be "syrupy"...anyway.

 

Wet on skin: again, the syrupy sweet note is here. It's almost candy-like. I can't get the coconut, though. How different is "silken coconut" from other coconuts? o_O It's also faintly floral now. I can't get the incense either.

 

Dry: ah, there's the incense. The pear and the incense are out and about here, the rest of the notes are lying low. I'm surprised the coconut is still missing for me, when it was so strong in the decant. It's not as foody or creamy now, and at later stages it's definitely incense and pear.

 

Verdict: it's an interesting scent, but not for me--the incense is a bit too strong for me, especially coupled with the pear, which I am a little ambivalent about in terms of scents. This will probably improve with aging however, and I mean to do that.

[rinster]

This is a very delicate, feminine scent that will be great for warm weather. The primary note for me is pear, but I wish I'd get more incense, tiare and coconut. I'll try it again in a few days.

[theseagrows]

got this as a frimp in a swap. i think i had originally passed on it, because of the pear note, though i like all the others. right after application, this smells exactly like watermelon bubbleicious! after a minute or two, it turns to slightly toasted coconut mixed with the pear and tiare. a warm, golden, fruity-coconutty scent. i am normally not into sweet-fruity scents, but i admit, i kind of like this! almost reminds me of a fruity coconut pie or something? i guess due to that "toastiness" i am getting. after about 10-15 minutes, this is quite beautiful: the toastiness has settled a bit, and it is a coconut-pear-incense scent. lovely!

Edited May 25, 2011 by theseagrows

[angelicruin]

This is a lovely delicate blend of coconut, carnation, and pear on my skin overlayed with incense. Very soft and feminine.

[Rho]

This is a very pretty, bright scent that really speaks to my girly-girl side. I mostly get the pear, which is syrupy sweet and cheerful. On me, the other notes only work to round out the fruity smell scent; the carnation pulls it away from being foody, and the incense stops it short of being too candy sweet. None of the notes can be isolated as well as the pear, though.

 

Associations:

Color: Ivory

Mood: Buoyant

Rating: 5/5

Edited June 23, 2011 by Rho

[mymymai]

ITI: I smell some pear and coconut, but it's the fake tanning type of coconut (of which I'm not a fan). There is a little incense tempering the sweetness.

Wet: Still more of the same, but I'm getting hints of fake strawberry scent for some reason.

Dry (+4 hours): I get fake coconut and strawberry, like some tropical car air freshener. Swap pile it is.

[yakiguri]

Jigokudayu starts off with a quite sweet and juicy pear note that dominates the majority of the scent. As the blend dries the pear pares (ha!) down as more of the coconut, tiare, and carnation come in. Angelica and incense deepen yet lift the blend, overall giving it a deep, softly sweet, yet ethereal feel. Though I typically prefer my carnation with a stronger spicy kick, I'm glad that it's more subtle here. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well-behaved the coconut, tiare/gardenia, and pear are as those notes can get screechy and cloying, but they swirl together in perfect harmony in Jigokudayu. Beautifully well-blended, and I'm grateful I took a chance on it and bought it blind.

 

I'm imagining an exquisitely adorned Edo-period courtesan shuffling quietly out to her client in sumptuously expensive and fragrant kimono. A demure yet knowing smile is upon her bright red lips, her cream-white hands coyly on her front-tied obi as her client nods his approval and closes the shoji doors with purpose. While she sells the allure of innocence, she is anything but.

[porcelina]

i can't believe i hadn't tested this yet. it is soo lovely. it reminds me of obatala, and maybe haloes, and maybe opuhi, and maybe tiki princess. it's a soft, sweet, creamy coconut with hints of that beautiful "golden incense" note that i love so much. very light and pretty!

[crebbsgirl]

I get mostly pear and tiare here, with absolutely no carnation. I get hints of coconut and incense, but they're vet faint. It's a fruity floral on my skin, nice but not really me.

[OctoberGwen]

I wanted to try this because of the creamy coconut/golden incense reviews, despite my severe misgivings about the pear. Alas, this almost works on me...but not quite.

 

First applied, it smells like Bubblicious bubble gum to me, but as it dries it gets better and less candy-sweet. The middle stage is gorgeous (though still not really me), when the beautiful golden incense note wraps around the coconut and florals, and the pear remains very subtle, just a hint.

 

Sadly, the pear eventually becomes too prominent for me and makes me feel slightly nauseous with it's sickly sweet presence. I really hate smelling like peaches or pears, I've discovered.

 

It really is a masterful blend, though, and those who like pear (and maybe dislike coconut, usually) will love this. It's very soft, feminine, and pretty. The incense - which is not your typical "headshoppy" incense smell, it's very smooth and subtle - saves this from being an overly fruity blend. It's not tropical smelling at all, either.

Edited January 18, 2013 by OctoberGwen

[Magycmyste]

Silken coconut, angelica, soft golden incense, tiare, carnation, and Asian pear.

 

In the bottle: this is very sweet, and I think I'm getting the pear more than anything. Pear mixed with a bit of coconut. I'm not really sure what tiara is or smells like, so l probably won't recognize it if I smell it.

 

Wet on skin: the scent has softened from being in the bottle, but I think it's the same as before - a little more pear than coconut

 

Dried down: I think I'm getting the carnation now, over the others.

 

Throw: surprisingly, based on what I smelled in the bottle, not much - I really have to sniff my wrists to get the scent. Then again, if I leave my wrists alone and stop trying so hard, I think I can smell it, too.

 

Verdict: **** It's a really pretty scent, when I can smell it. I don't know if I'm going to seek out another bottle, though. I like the pear well enough, but it doesn't make me go crazy for it. ::shrugs:: glad I found a bottle, though.

[brilliantcat]

In-bottle and wet on skin, I get a heavy hit of what smells like bubble gum o.O It's not BAD per se, just unexpected. On my skin, the incense blooms quickly and it's a lovely, surprisingly light incense (appropriate for "soft, golden incense") and it melds well with the sweet fruitiness. Bubblegum disappears pretty fast and now it's mostly incense with pear and soft florals. I catch a whiff of gorgeous coconut from time to time, but even though it read SO foody at first, it's not at all foody or even gourmand at this point. The smoky, sultry incense has backed off and leaves a ghost of its presence. It's a delightfully feminine, sophisticated, rich but not overbearing, intriguing blend of the incense remnants with creamy pear and florals taking center stage. The carnation adds just a touch of its signature spiciness. Quite a morpher this courtesan is! I was on the fence about this blend when it was fresh but now that it's aged, it's absolutely amazing and I need more than the half-bottle I have. I would love to see this incense make an appearance again in a different blend, it's so smooth and feels very expensive compared to the harsher, more headshoppy incense I'm used to (and also adore).

[ayelienne]

I absolutely love the dry down on this blend, yet I hardly ever wear it. I retested again today and while I will reaffirm my love of the dry down phase, I am finding the pear and its accompanying notes to be very juicy sweet, probably a little too much so for me. It's beautiful, though and definitely worth tracking down if you are a fan of candy-sweet / lightly incense-y blends.

[Aviatrix]

This starts out very much sweet pear. Delicious both in the bottle and wet on my skin!

 

Then it starts morphing, and the pear almost goes away, leaving mainly a coconutty scent with some indistinct floral that I'm not sure what is. It is extremely light and doesn't have much in the way of throw.

 

It's quite good, but I also wish it had stayed more like it was in the wet stage, since I absolutely love the pear note!

[Jangzonrice]

Wet: very sweet pear, overripe. Not a huge fan of this stage, but bearable. Dry: creamy silky coconut with toned down fruity pear, light floral and the golden incense grounds it. This smells like eating a bowl of dofu (Chinese coconut gelatin dessert) topped with pears after burning sweet incense. This is what I hoped it would smell like!! Happy I got a bottle.

[Monster]

 

This is my absolute favorite out of this series. *snipped*

 

*points up* what my scent twin said! This was my favorite out of the series as well, and I have yet to find a bottle. I should get on that.

 

This starts out as a delicious, candied pear. As it dries the incense comes out a lot more. The gentle smoke from the incense makes me think if baked pear tarts. The coconut only makes a presence in the final stage, which is great because I love me some coconut! This ends up smelling like you're eating sticky pear pastries drizzled with coconut sauce outside on the patio of an upscale bistro. The sun is shining, music is playing, people are passing by and you can smell incense burning in the little boutique next door. I can definitely see how this is similar to Tiki Princess, but I like Enlightenment more. I love love this one. Why don't I have a bottle again?

Edited March 6, 2014 by Monster

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Candy-sweet pear, hovering on the boarder of juicy fruit gum territory. Blarg! Hope this calms down. Not what I was expecting. My teeth hurt, it's so sweet! Where's the coconut and incense at?

 

 

Dry: This gets much less sweet, but still too sweet (and too much pear) for me. Then it fades almost completely, except for a trace of soap. Never did get any coconut, or incense. All pear, all day. Then soap.

[Lucchesa]

Oh my goodness, this aged decant is beautiful! It is sweet, I concur on that, but other than the coconut I have trouble picking out any of the individual notes. The pear is subtle, as if it has been caramelized with all the other notes. It reminds me of Startled Toad -- haven't tested that for a while, though (hoarding my quarter decant). Rich, warm, sexy but still daytime appropriate.