Geisha in Orange Kimono Admiring a Samurai

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

King mandarin, tuberose, white sandalwood, white moss, yerba mate, tangerine, and styrax.

I get strong mandarin and tuberose from this. It's very reminiscent of Night Gaunt, but the citrus definitely has that mandarin "edge," which reads to my nose like a hint of lime. It's greener and sharper than the citrus in Night Gaunt, and it lasts longer. Unlike so many ephemeral citrus blends, this does seem to hold on to that tang for an hour or more, with the tuberose coming forward and holding down the fort.

Usually I amp wood like crazy, but I can't detect any sandalwood in this. I think I get a hint of the resinous styrax (benzoin), and the moss supports that green edge to the mandarin.

This is very pretty, and could be a good option if you like citrus and want it to stick around a bit, as long as you like tuberose too. Sadly for me, something in it gives me a sore throat, so I think I'm going to have to give this one up, and live with re-applying my Night Gaunt and Phantasm.

[CiCi]

This starts out with a very nice, soft and refreshing mandarin/tangerine scent. Is is quickly followed by a vine-y floral with the citrus still there but in the background. I am always careful with sandalwood because I amp it but the white sandalwood in this is light and is almost undetectable. After 30 minutes all mandarin and floral scent is gone but there is a soft resiny smell that remains. I do like this scent but it is so light on me that after an hour it has vanished completely. So sad because is a nice scent in it's beginning stages.

[Invidiana]

I can detect some lovely citrus and tuberose here--that is, if I get under the yerba mate of doom. The first (and last) time I tried yerba mate tea I promptly spit it out, and while I had hope for the other elements to rise above it here, it pretty much stomps all over them much like lemon verbena with what dries down to a soapy undertone. Sigh.

[Mellifluous]

First impression are of King Mandarin and Tangerine. A very nice combination. However, I then get a lot of green coming through. Like big oily thick green notes. I know it lists tuberose, and others are getting that, but to me it smells more like jasmine. A very pungent jasmine/neroli combo. Then the whole scent seems to turn into neroli, and then I had to wash my arm, cause I was getting a sore throat. :C

 

The label was cool though

[Gateau]

Well this is a morpher!

 

It starts out strongly tangerine, with a lot of zest. It's slightly harsh, almost like an orange cleanser. But deeper into it, the spicy, woody sandalwood comes out and blends nicely with that slight tangerine oil bitterness. Then the tuberose joins inm and the three notes together play amazingly well. I never realized before how tangerine, sandalwood, and tuberose have that rich, slightly bitter, slightly musky character in common. I love tuberose, so this may be a keeper and bottle worthy. It's a better tuberose for me than Before the Snowy Window.

[thezander]

In the imp: Strong green moss, and mate with a real kick!

 

On wet - Wow, really earthy green tea, mate and moss. Not bad. There's a floral note piggybacking on the moss, balancing the earthiness. However, I'm not getting any citrus. BPAL citrus notes hide on me! This is all tuberose, mate and moss for me. It's pleasant enough, but I was most excited for the mandarin and tangerine. Maybe they'll come out to play after this dries down.

 

Drydown (initial) Meh. Something sharp is coming out and the citrus is totally gone.

 

Post-drydown: I must have forgotten this has sandalwood in it. I think me and sandalwood officially don't get on well. Moss notes seem to fail to me also. Oh well, one less bottle to spend money on, though I did love the concept.

[Circaea]

Very tangerine, and very much a lemon verbena feel. It's quite a sharp citrus, as someone else said, it has the feel of a household cleanser. As a soap or cleanser, or a room scent, I would like it very much. As a perfume, it's not grabbing me. Too clean, too bright, and not enough sweetness to make it approachable. (I'm not having much luck with the Lupers this year. I wonder if it's because I'm trying them all fresh. I need to put them away for six months and try again...)

[zankoku_zen]

Tangerine, sandalwood and moss. On wet, the mandarin and tangerine are bright and sweet. As it dries it's more of a citrus tinged sandalwood and moss.

[pinkstardust420]

I get the orange & tangerine, and earth. (Probably the moss?) I didn't care much for this one.

[Blood onmy hands]

I haven't had good luck with any of the lupers that I've tried this year, and was hoping that this would be a delicate, sweet, sunny citrus and sandalwood sort of blend. I like citrus when it smells juicy and sweet, and can't deal with it when it's sharp and clean. Unfortunately, the mandarin, tangerine and maybe the yerba mate come off as very sharp citrus pith on my skin. The tuberose amps up on me in the drydown, very sharp and perfumey white floral. It's like a clean blast of soapy, citrus floral sharpness, without any sweetness to make it wearable for me. My hubby said that it smelled like floor cleaner :/. I don't get any of the woodsy, earthier notes. Fades really quickly on my skin, at least.

[milo]

Sharp citrus at first, then it turns into soapy orange, kind of like that Lush soap that was out this Christmas. It then turns into plain soap, with a bit of dust. Not for me.

[sessile]

I LOVE this. I got it as a decant and it's become my go-to sleep scent. The orange of the mandarin/tangerine with the green of the yerba mate/moss just makes me ridiculously happy in the beginning, and they do well in balancing out the tuberose and prevent it from being too strong. The first poster is absolutely right in that it makes the oranges last long, too; they come together with the tuberose and blend so perfectly with one another.

 

(At this stage, the wet stage, I can see what other people mean by the floor cleaner/soap aspect. But I have to admit, one of my favorite scents in the world is the smell of the entire laundry detergent aisle at the store. That smell is just so refreshing and invigorating to me, and the citrus/green part of Geisha is reminiscent of that, so I of course I want to roll around in it and have it on me forever. MUCH better than CLEAN the perfume for that, well, clean smell for me.)

 

The citrus/greens do eventually fade to the back to leave the tuberose front and center. But the sandalwood/styrax also step in to keep the flower from becoming too cloying, so all you can smell is that fresh, and only slightly sweet, white floral. At the very, very end (so, when I wake up), a powder is left. I'm not too too fond of powdery smells, but everything that comes before I ADORE, so I really don't care.

 

HOWEVER, it's my sleep scent for a reason. I was so enamored of Geisha I was all hyped to buy not only one, but TWO bottles - until I wore it during the day. Granted, it's been really humid and warm lately, but still - the heavy incense/resin scent of the styrax STORMED up, and for me that's just too much for a wet spring day. Maybe it'll be nicer for fall, but right now - NOPE.

 

I'm more than content, though, to have this send me off into dreams in the meanwhile. ^__^

[The Planet Queen]

I ordered a decant of this and couldn't wait to try it. I love anything that smells like orange.In the bottle I smell the citrus and I think tuberose.Wet: it amps a bit but I really like it. I'm also getting a clean smell can't explain.Dry:I smell the orange and a powdery undertone. I personally like it a lot. I will be buying a bottle of this.

 

[crimsoncrushedrose]

Ok, so I just tested a little of this one, very different from my other scents...

 

In the bottle: Very citrusy with a heady cloud of tuberose, sweet and sticky.

 

On me, wet: ALL tuberose, strong, but not unpleasant.

 

On me, dry: The citrus note is peeking through! As it wears, more citrus and less floral. Lovely and refreshing!

 

Overall: 4/5. Decent throw, medium wearlength, beautiful soft morph action.

[skyelyric]

This started out beautifully on me, bright sweet citrus with a little bit of a floral vibe behind. I never really got the sandalwood note, but as the orange burned off I guess I amped the tuberose because I got all floral all the time, and although it wasn't an awful floral note, it was very sweet, strong, and it hung around for quite a while. It's pretty, but not for me.

[captnklaus]

Somehow I never reviewed this one despite it being from my first ever bottle order. Well, here it goes!

 

I love this scent. It starts off with a huge hit of king mandarin and that's what I get from it mostly. Its bright, sweet, and refreshing. After a while I get a touch of floral (tuberose) and a touch of green (moss), but neither one gets overwhelming for me, which is awesome since floral notes tend to take over and get really heady.

As it dries it gets softer and has less of that citrus bite, but continues to remain predominantly the mandarin and tangerine. It lasts longer than my other mostly citrus scents, which is great. I think, while I don't smell it outright, its the sandalwood that helps keep everything in check and keep it all sticking around.

 

Overall I find Geisha to be a light and refreshing scent and a great mood lifter for me. A definite winner and my first lucky blind-buy haha.

[Balame]

I'm surprised this blend never got a lot of reviews; I think it's very pretty and underrated.

 

When first applied Geisha is a super sparkly orange, heightened even more by the styrax (it comes across as brightly green/herbal and almost spicy, but is still calming).

As things soften up the tuberose lends a gentle, silky white floral to the mix and the sandalwood gives the other notes a warm, resinous base to play in.

 

This is definitely a "woman's" perfume. It doesn't feel childish at all as some fruity/floral combos can be, instead making me think of an elegant... well, geisha, or some other type of regal performer. Could even come across as royal to me.

 

It's a perfect blend for spring and summer, happy and delicately sweet. Even as someone who usually hates florals, the tuberose blends with the other notes so perfectly here that it barely registers. I definitely recommend citrus lovers track this one down, or those who like "foody but not" scents.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Balame

[stellamaris]

I agree with Balame, this is a wonderful blend. I actually wear it a lot, it's the perfect light but substantial orangey blend, the sandalwood just rounds it out. I love this one for spring and summer.