02/09/2023
MrHonest
110 Reviews
MrHonest
2
[[ Tokyo Lobby ]]
Ok, wow, a lovely fizzy yuzu at the top blended wonderfully with lemongrass on a bed of eeeeeasy white florals. Leaning on the soapy side in the mid, but nothing deep, rich or indolic about the scent. This could EASILY have been a fragrance in the J-Scent range as it shares that effortless non-descript floral yuzu vibe that runs through so many of their releases, minus the fruity peach. The airy and relaxing quality just puts me in the mood of resting on firmly padded white cushions in a Japanese hotel lobby, enjoying the lingering aroma of clean linen with an afterscent of pithy yuzu.
I'll admit that the flowers are more prominent on paper, with a clear transition from the opening to the mid. On my skin however, the transition is far more blurred with elemi taking the yuzu further into the drydown giving the illusion of an enduring citrus. But it's a floral nonetheless, no if's or and's about it. And a bit on the simply side if I'm honest, especially after the first 45 minutes. But it's very pleasant, perhaps even boring by modern designer standards and completely unisex since the florals don't really shout. And after they begin to fizzle out at around the 2 hour mark, a generic 90s slightly piney DHM base emerges.
Of the two that I've tested so far, I personally prefer Fete d'Ambre due to its darker woody character; but whereas that one is a dry and overtly spicy woody-amber-vetiver, this is a straight up light, soapy floral with a lovely citrus top. The two couldn't be more different from each other. If you consider vetivers to lean masculine, you'd probably find this one markedly easier to wear - completely inoffensive with hints of soap and fresh laundry. Unfortunately, I won't be running out to get a bottle. Like I said, J-Scent has quite a few that riff on this DNA with similar-to-better performance. Plus the base is a little 2-dimensional for my tastes. Generic perhaps? Overall, besides that lovely opening, a pleasant enough but rather mediocre scent.
I'll admit that the flowers are more prominent on paper, with a clear transition from the opening to the mid. On my skin however, the transition is far more blurred with elemi taking the yuzu further into the drydown giving the illusion of an enduring citrus. But it's a floral nonetheless, no if's or and's about it. And a bit on the simply side if I'm honest, especially after the first 45 minutes. But it's very pleasant, perhaps even boring by modern designer standards and completely unisex since the florals don't really shout. And after they begin to fizzle out at around the 2 hour mark, a generic 90s slightly piney DHM base emerges.
Of the two that I've tested so far, I personally prefer Fete d'Ambre due to its darker woody character; but whereas that one is a dry and overtly spicy woody-amber-vetiver, this is a straight up light, soapy floral with a lovely citrus top. The two couldn't be more different from each other. If you consider vetivers to lean masculine, you'd probably find this one markedly easier to wear - completely inoffensive with hints of soap and fresh laundry. Unfortunately, I won't be running out to get a bottle. Like I said, J-Scent has quite a few that riff on this DNA with similar-to-better performance. Plus the base is a little 2-dimensional for my tastes. Generic perhaps? Overall, besides that lovely opening, a pleasant enough but rather mediocre scent.
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