Maiden with Sake Flask

[OctoberGwen]

Pendulous blue wisteria, white peonies, ho wood, magnolia petals, plum juice, and red benzoin.

This is a very strong, very 'present' floral with perhaps an undertone of benzoin. I don't smell the plum juice at all. There's a slightly spicy quality here as well as something that almost tips into sour territory, but not quite.

Floral aficionados will probably enjoy this very much, as wisteria and peony are very distinctive. I prefer my florals with some musk or a resin that has a bit more presence than the benzoin has here. I will say that the drydown is very pretty, when my beloved magnolia makes more of an appearance. I will reach for this when in the mood for a distinctive non-rose floral, perhaps.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I am a sucker for both wisteria and magnolia. Having both in the same blend is like winning a perfume jackpot (adding stargazer lily would be the powerball). Peony often works for me. Plum is usually good. I tend to have decent luck with benzoin as a lighter, non-ampy resinous scent. Not sure about the ho wood, but among the rest hopefully it will enhance, not disrupt.

 

In the Bottle: Light, bright, and delicate florals. I'm thinking the peony is standing front and center, with a subtle thread of sweetness running through it.

 

Wet: The first notes seem to be the ho wood and benzoin. I'm getting a pale wood, a hint of resin, and that something almost sour that OctoberGwen mentioned. I'm not yet getting florals.

 

Drydown: On me, the benzoin is staying put. The florals start coming out and I'm getting hints of my desired wisteria and magnolia, but only hints. That sourness is also lingering, but not prominent.

 

Verdict: I will hang onto this and try again in a few days, because I really, really want this to be gorgeous on me.

[Blood onmy hands]

This is all floral on me. The blue wisteria smells similar to lilac's honeyed sweetness, and the magnolia gives it a sharper, white floral edge. I'm not picking out the wood or benzoin, but this does have a juicy, plummy quality to it on my skin. It's very pretty and spring-like.

[sunlitgarden]

In the decant: I'm primarily getting florals with a bit of astringency. Something reminds me of sunscreen? I can smell the plum in there too if I think about it.

On my skin: Still primarily floral. I smelled some wisteria the other day, and I can detect it in here definitely, but I find it a tough floral to describe. I think I am smelling the wood in the background but it's mainly floral on me.

Drying, this is smelling a bit like a nice floral soap. There's something "clean" about it. It's starting to remind me of fabric softener or scented laundry detergent. Not in a bad way, it's kind of comforting. I don't use scented laundry products since my SO abhors them, but I still find them kind of snuggly. It's kind of reminding me of doing laundry at my grandma's house when I was staying there when I was younger... those are mostly good memories.

Dry, I get a little more wood, but it's still fairly powdery/soapy-smelling. It's still kind of snuggly and comforting, though. Still, I don't see myself wearing this enough to need more than a decant.

[zankoku_zen]

Wisteria, peonies, and a touch of magnolias. This goes a little soapy on me at the drydown. On the whole though, it smells like a mixture of clean white florals.