Kyoto

[AthenaRose]

A gentle, soothing blend of cherry blossom, white sandalwood and star anise.

wet: cherry!

drydown: licorice!

This is cherry licorice, but not like a cherry twizzlers... this is heavier richer black cherry licorice. Must be the white sandalwood that deepens it and keeps it from being too sugary-candy like.

Whoa, memory flashback... suddenly i'm like 11 years old again, sitting on the dock at Harrison Lake at night eating those black licorice candies... the ones that are coated in different colours... what were they called? Goodies! Yeah, it's the smell of candy coated black licorice and the wood of the dock at night.

I like this, but my fiancé is not a fan of black licorice. Too bad. I think i'll still wear it anyway.

3/5 Edited August 2, 2008 by Shollin
fixed BPAL tags

[zankoku_zen]

Oh man, I got cherry blossoms and ... KFC chicken on wet. WHUH?

 

As it dried, I got this licorice and sandalwood kind of scent. Pleasant, but I'm not all that fond of licorice. Pass.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Almond at first, but then I realized that’s the cherry blossom and star anise blending together.

 

Immediately on skin: This is an interesting blend of sweet florals and anise that smells almost like almond when blended. The floral note almost takes off the liquorice edge, which is fine with me. There’s a light soapiness, as well as a hint of warmth from the sandalwood. This is sweet but slightly bitter from the anise.

 

After a little while: As I wear this, the sandalwood comes out a bit more to blend with the other notes. The combination of the three creates a soft and slightly flowery warm scent, and the anise isn’t as sharp or liquorice-y as it usually is on me. The sandalwood lends a hint of earthiness to the blend.

 

Overall Impressions: This blend is hard to pin down and seems soft and elusive. This blend is a nice warm soft floral with a touch of earthiness, but isn’t as liquorice-y as other anise blends have turned on me. Overall, I find this to be very pretty and great for those who like softer, warmer floral blends.

[femmefatale]

This goes from a licorice to woodsy almond to a soapy incense very quickly on me. It ends up very strange smelling on me.

Normally I would try it on a locket, but I don't think I would like it much better

 

Ok, after a few minutes it smells like public bathroom soap mixed with licorice jelly beans.

As it dried further down my skin really started amping the star anise and sandalwood. It's still very strange, but I might end up keeping to use in a scrub or oil burner.

Edited August 29, 2008 by Femme_Fatale

[Lamia]

I don't pick up the licorice at all, huh.

 

Wet, it's quite almondy, but immediately upon application, the three ingredients are easily discernable.

 

This smells remarkably like Kabuki (cherry, red musk, and star anise) but with electricity. It's a cleaner, sharper scent - apparently white sandalwood is brighter than red musk, who knew? This is quite yummy. The sandalwood and star anise fade quickly, alas, leaving a pale ghost of sakura to hover about.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

Primarily I’m getting the cherry blossom smell, the sandalwood is there too, but faintly. I’ve never found a blend that I like anise in, but there’s a first time for everything, right?

 

On My Skin

Very delicate, very feminine, it doesn’t smell like perfume at all. I’m getting a creamy cherry/sandalwood smell from this but the anise is starting to come through and I’m not liking what it’s doing so far.

 

After a Bit

After about 20 minutes the anise went away completely thank God! A couple of hours later I was left with a light, wonderful blend of cherry and sandalwood. It went a bit powdery on me, but not too much.

 

Rating 1-5

Scent - 4 Throw - 2 Longevity – 5

Overall (not an average) – 3.5

 

Final thoughts

This was a big surprise for me. I didn’t think I’d like it and it turned out beautifully on me. It’s a scent that I would wear to work because it doesn’t have a ton of throw, lasts for several hours (one of the longest lasting oils I’ve tried) and it’s an ‘in your face scent’. I think I need a bottle of this!

[lioness]

Another Frimp that was on my wanted list

 

In the imp: cherries and a hit of licorice

 

Wet on skin: Woah! Cherry blossoms and Licorice!

 

Dry on skin: This started to go powdery and pepper-y for some reason (pepper? weird) and a slithtly unpleasant scent that made me sneeze!

 

Ooh boy, turning to soap, pepper-y soap Looks like we have another swaper.

[vikitty]

Wet in imp: Licorice. Ew. I hate licorice.

 

Wet on skin: Aaaah, cherry blossom! Shoo, licorice. CB and I need some alone time...

 

Dry: Mercifully, the licorice fades leaving behind a spicy cherry blossom. Love it.

 

I need a bottle!

[mayze]

There was something faintly medicinal upon initial application. I thought it was almond, but since it's not listed... *shrug* On the drydown I got plenty of jasmine, which I unfortunately don't like. Is cherry blossom supposed to smell like jasmine?

 

Now that it's dry the jasmine's turned into soap. The sandalwood's gotten much stronger though, which I like. The soap's a little off-putting though. Oh wait it seems to have gone away, leaving lovely sandalwood. Yay. Unfortunately I'm probably still not gonna use this much, the eventual sandalwood isn't enough for me to wait out the jasmine and soap.

[cymbeline]

Smell alike: A white *Kabuki*

 

Color impression: brilliant soft green and pure pale pink

 

On me: This one is the “spring-cleaned” cousin of Kabuki. On my skin, it’s just star anise and pristine sandalwood (I don’t get the warm back notes I loved in Kabuki). It really makes me think of a Hanami stroll on a bright, very bright spring sunny day.

 

Wearing: Not for me but this cheerful blend will do the trick for everyday wear (as long as you love punchy star anise!)

[tinyvulture]

this is a light, airy, clean scent. i swear i can smell that “fresh linens” note from Dirty…that’s how clean this scent is. the spicy anise comes on strong but fades very quickly, leaving a delicate cherry fragrance hanging in the air. i would love this as a fabric softener. mostly my clothes would smell clean, but every so often i’d catch a whiff of cherry. as a perfume, it’s not really me, but i like the concept.

[ouch!]

When I first smelled this the first time, I thought it had almond in it. It might have who knows.. but that changed after a while. Of course..it's the cherry blossom.

 

So, first off it's a whoosh of Cherry blossom and the Anise right behind it. It's very pretty and without sounding like a weirdo, it's strong....but it's light. It's got alot of punch but it's a pretty butterfly punch hehe.

There's no sign of the sandalwood anywhere.

 

As soon as I think of cherry blossom I think of beatiful Japanese gardens with Geishas teetering around silently on their strange wooden shoes. And I imagine them wearing this perfume.. It's a nice smell/image moment.

 

After a few minutes the Anise backs off and this blend is in danger of going full stam ahead powder...but thankfully it holds on for dear life!! It's all about the blossom now, with a hint of Anise.

 

It's only as it dries more that the Sandalwood comes though a little bit, the Cherry blossom is holding on though and it goes slightly sweeter.

[toomuch]

Initially this has a delightful scent. Unfortunately, it goes horribly soapy. Luckily the soapy phase only lasts about half an hour then I get a wonderful, light cherry blossom scent.

[Aoibheann]

This is my first review! Here's my impression of Kyoto...

 

From the imp, I smelled a really strong almond. Almost piercing. Wet on the skin, it was very "perfume-y." It was okay, but a little strong for me. I still smelled almond, though it's apparently not in there! Now, a few hours later, it has toned down and smells a little more exotic and spicy. I like this better now!

 

I don't care for licorice, and happily I never smelled it in there. Interesting.

[maika]

This bottle is very well aged, given that it's a 10ml bottle...

 

In the bottle, this is sweet and medicinal all at the same time. Actually, it smells like cherry cough syrup. Eeek. I'm crossing my fingers it doesn't smell like this on me.

 

Wet, this is quite foody. The cherry is still evident, and there is a woody note, but instead of smelling like sandalwood, I'm getting an almond note that comes across all marzipan like...and it also has some serious throw. The star anise is also coming out, adding a spicy kick to the whole thing. This is interesting, but at this point, it's not totally me. If it were to mellow out a little it could be really lovely, as it is now though, I smell like spicy cherry marzipan.

 

Dry, this is not for me. It smells too old for me...and while I want to like it, it's just too overpowering. Off to my swaps/sales pile.

 

[kjirstiben]

The first thing I smelled in Kyoto was the star anise, which was a surprise because I'd forgotten anise was a note in this scent. Under the initial dose of anise, I could barely smell a soft floral undertone.

 

After about an hour, this smells almost like wood--it's a drier scent, and only a little anise lingers on.

 

Toward its end-stages, this turns into a light floral. It's nice, almost with a tangy or tart quality to it--I'm reminded of lemons or citrus, but it's not quite as zingy as that.

 

Kyoto is a lightweight, pink-scented oil that would make a perfect spring sundress and cardigan scent. I look forward to using it for that purpose in the warmer months of the year.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Okay, I'm concerned. I love sandalwood more than any other note, adore anise, but cherry blossoms...Sure, I have em tattooed all over my body, but the smell of cherry anything is not generally a welcome experience in my world. Here goes: In the imp, this is pretty enough...wish I was getting more sandalwood (for a change! lol) and I also at this point wish this smelled more, I don't know...Eastern! Anise + Sandalwood is promising, though.

 

On the skin, hmmmmm....why hello, Anise! How do you do? The cherry blossom drops to the background adding sweetness (thank god). I like this...It doesn't make me think of Kyoto at all, though. It makes me think of Good & Plenty's...lol.

 

Oh okay, now the white sandalwood is making an appearance. I would have been way more stoked had this been red or mysore sandalwood, but whatevs. Alright, now the anise is mellowing out a lot, allowing this blend to really develop like a beautiful photograph. This is quite pretty really, and now I can see the Kyoto connection. This is refined...polished wood and spring cherry blossoms with a wisp of white sandalwood incense. More experimentation is in order, but for now, this is a winner!

 

ETA: The drydown of this is just mind-blowingly wonderful, IMO. This blend is fast becoming a favorite!

 

Edited January 21, 2009 by TheOneTheyCallLuna

[Dracoo9]

This smells a lot like....Kabuki somehow. Kabuki became a horrible migrane on me and so does Kyoto. Its not really floral...just a headache indusing sort of heavy foodie-floral that I cant handle even though I tend to gravitate towards foodie blends and appreciate floral.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Dracoo9

[Suu4LC]

I am a HUGE sucker for Beth's asian blends. I love her cherry blossom and I loved the star anise in Kabuki, so I have super high hopes for this. Sandalwood is hit or miss though...

 

Hmm...in the imp this is STRONG sandalwood and star anise. The cherry blossom is totally overpowered ): Having been to Kyoto, this scent doesn't remind me of the place at all! Far too intense...

 

Yeah, the cherry blossom gets eaten alive in this. Strong sandalwood and anise...it's not bad, but not what I expected. I am going to give this some time to settle, but I have the feeling I will prefer Kabuki for my star anise fix.

 

Oh full drydown, even the anise gets eaten by my skin, and all I get is soft sandalwood. ): Darnit. My chemistry just amps all woods to the extreme!!! So sad this is a no go for me ):

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Spicy licorice from the star anise and soft, sweet cherry, with something like... plum, almost. The sandalwood is extremely faint, and the overall scent is drier and spicier than I imagined, but appealing. Not as sweet as I expected (and hoped) it would be--it's a faint and distant, diffuse sweetness, like the cherry blossoms are at a distance and being carried on the breeze.

On, wet: More cherry and sandalwood, less anise. Subtly sweet and a bit woody. It's very, very light--a pale pink kind of scent.

Later: Sweeter now, and the cherry and star anise have blended, so there's definitely some nice dry spice over the cherry blossoms. The sandalwood is a very subdued base here, though it's coming out more as time goes on.

Overall: It's lightweight and breezy, pleasant and really quite delicate—possibly too delicate for my taste, which surprises me, though I'll admit that it is soothing. This one does seem to fade quickly, too; it's pretty much gone for me within a few hours. Still, it seems like it would be a good spring scent, so I might give it another shot when the weather is warmer.

 

 

[Kikkervisje]

Wet: Sandalwood (which is a sort of dry, powdery, woody scent) and a licorice scent from the star anise. A tiiiiiny bit of floral in the background. Has a bit of bite to it.

 

Dry: Primarily sandalwood. The star anise tones down, and the scent is very soft. On my wrists, it goes to baby powder very quickly (I don’t know why sandalwood does that on me…) On my collarbone, it’s just getting there at 11 hours.

 

Wear Time: 11+ on collarbone

 

Fits Description?: …I don’t picture Japan here. Or Asia at all. That said, the closest I’ve been to Kyoto is probably Beijing; and the cultural difference is steep.

 

Overall: I like the idea. I think the anise notes are intriguing. I actually wish the floral were stronger for once. But, sandalwood takes the driver’s seat for me in most scents that it’s in; and I don’t like the strange dry down that sandalwood has on me. So… I don’t feel that I can really adequately comment on this one.

[PersephonesChild]

In the imp, this was a sweet, softly floral scent-- pretty much pure cherry blossom. I love the way this smells!

 

I put it on my skin, and forgot about it for a moment or two as teh internets distracted me, then took a whiff of my wrist, and...

 

WHAT? Now it smells like soap that's been coated with anise! I smell no sign of the cherry blossom-- alas, I think it reacted badly with my skin. I don't really smell the sandalwood, either. And that soap smell? It's not nice soap. It's mushy gray soap.

 

Alas. Although I like the wet stage so much, I may just keep it to wear in the scent locket!

[Seismogenic]

This was a Lab frimp, with just the right timing for spring. I see that white sandalwood is in here, which makes me wary, but I took my allergy meds today, so I'm testing it anyway!

 

In the imp: A sweet vaguely fruity floral with a dash of licorice. My nose is suggesting lemon, even though that's not a listed note.

 

Wet on skin: Still a soft sweet floral with a backdrop of licorice. Whatever was making me think lemon isn't there anymore. Not getting the sandalwood at all yet.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, the anise has become stronger, though it still blends in nicely with the sweet florals. There's still nothing in here that even vaguely reminds me of sandalwood, which is good news for my allergies. At one hour in, the anise has calmed down a little and is blending better with the flowers, which remain very soft. I am getting something dusty now, which can only be sandalwood, but it's still not making me sneeze.

 

Five hours later: Gone. The transition to goneness happened between three and four hours, I think.

 

End of the day: Still gone.

 

Overall: In the early stages, Kyoto reminds me of a kind of tea I like - there's licorice in it, but other sweeter notes in the background temper the bite of that licorice. In that state, I like the scent very much, and it's all the more amazing that something containing white sandalwood (hi, allergies!) and cherry blossoms (I'm also allergic to cherry fruit) worked on me. It did not, however, stay in that stage where I felt it worked for very long, which is a shame. Kyoto was a pleasant enough experience, but based on how the oil progressed on my skin, I don't anticipate reaching for it very often.

[ShadowsDance]

In the imp I get a sweet, syrupy sent, almost like maraschino cherries.. with just a hit of something spicy in the background. Strangely enough, at the very end I pick up something that is like.. basil?

 

When I first apply the star anise really pops out, but not in a bad way. As it drys down the sandalwood seems to come out more. As I wear it, it becomes a nice blend of star anise and white sandalwood, neither really overpowering the other. I don't really pick up any cherry blossom, however..

[LisaF1163]

In the imp I get a sweet, syrupy sent, almost like maraschino cherries.. with just a hit of something spicy in the background.

I got this too, on my first bottle of Kyoto. I loved it at first, but my second bottle had an underlying note of something more "foodie", which didn't agree with my chemistry. So sad, I really loved it the first time around!