Kohaku

I liken this fragrance to seeing a beautiful woman, aged about 40, dressed like Britney Spears circa 2004. She’s clearly so lovely; yet you're left to wonder how on earth someone so obviously worthy of grace and elegance got stuck in the early 2000s, still wearing low-rise boot-cut jeans with a bra top and cowboy hat. In short, the bottle is ridiculously childish and doesn't allude to the loveliness it contains.
This fragrance deserves to be repackaged and sold for three times its price. Its sweet top notes give way to grown-up florals and warm cozy resins that make this confident, sultry and feminine. This fragrance develops on the skin so consistently beautifully, I notice that Loc Dong’s creations usually do (on my skin, at least). I typically wear it on nights out, (my partner finds it soap-like but adores it) and it lasts the entire night. I have no doubt that the budget for this fragrance went to the makers and ingredients, not the packaging. For any who dismissed this due to its appearance or celebrity association, I encourage you to at least give it a try so you don’t miss out on an underrated yet affordable beauty. A note: protect it fiercely from light, it oxidizes and may darken even if you do. I've owned a couple bottles that had gone off, if it does you will only smell bitter incense.

This is so simple but evocative : comforting lavender, coffee with milk. It really does replicate a moment when you pop into a cafe on a chilly fall Sunday morning after you’ve showered and readied for the day (to me that’s the lavender). The coffee is the subtle aroma it has after you you’ve stopped by the counter to add a bit of milk, not at all the strength of energizing black coffee. This one was made for relaxing.

Like Ricci Ricci, this needed just a couple minutes to settle. At first spray, the powdery oleander is really a top note instead of a heart, and you might think is a bit “grandma” smelling. It settles after about five minutes into comforting soft roses. For its price I am impressed, it’s not a cheap or sweet rose at all. The soft floral phase is the longest, 2-4 hours, I don’t detect any real pepper or spice though. Edit: The lasting power of this was about 6 hours before I wanted to top up, it turns out that delicate, powdery oleander is just divine as it fades on the skin, but remains on clothes. It dries down to a rosy, woody musk that I find quite elegant. I quite like this one.

I must first admit that I am still quite new to appreciating fragrances. As I don't personally know many fragrance enthusiasts, I'm learning the most from books, blogs, and various websites. I found Ricci Ricci sharp and medicinal at first, I was quite disappointed. The bottle is so adorable, the color so deep and pretty, I expected to love it at first sniff. I've only recently learned about the amount of time it takes each layer of a fragrance to bloom/develop, and this has helped me to understand this fragrance so that I can truly see if I enjoy it. The first burst has the astringent bergamot, but it seems to be only the pith. Combined with the tart rhubarb it's too spicy for my taste. Here is where I learned I had to have a little patience to realize this evaporates after just a minute or two. After that, a nice rose enters, wrapped around powdery white flowers. If there is tuberose, it doesn't show up as strongly as most tuberose scents do; it's understated. Together they are so pleasant, and feminine. After another 30 minutes or so, the patchouli edges in, and eventually somewhat rudely demands the stage, but the sandalwood refuses to be upstaged. The sandalwood effectively prevents the patchouli from stealing the thunder, and this ultimately dries down to a nice, if a little dry woody scent. It has indeed grown on me enough that I will keep it, especially since learning it has been discontinued.