Aizen-Myoo

[inurbanus]

... Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

I usually go into testing and reviewing with a pre-conceived notion of whatever I'm trying will smell like. Strangely enough, I did not do this with Aizen-Myoo, so I was able to test it with an open mind.

Straight out of the imp, this is bitter, tart fruit with something musky lurking in the background. I thought it smelled like BO, and with the fruit on top of it, it reminded me of someone dousing them self with body spray after going to the gym -- something was off. I stopped paying attention for a while, and when I smelled myself again, I was shocked by how good this smelled. It's kind of hard to describe, but it was an amazing fresh scent, candy-sweet and lush. Definitely citrus, but in a weird way it kind of reminded me of Bath and Body Works' White Cherry Blossom scent. If BPAL was to to ever come out with a line of shower gels and lotions, this would be a perfect addition to the collection -- it just seems like it would be perfect for the bath.

4/5

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Aizen-Myoo is very fruity, with the mikan standing out the most. Dry, the cherry blossom is peeking out from behind the fruits. The black tea doesn't show at all. This is nice, but not something I'd wear all the time.

[Suu4LC]

I'm a huge fan of asian inspired perfumes (and they tend to work very well on my skin), so I cannot wait to try this. I think it smells so good in the imp-like the grapefruit soap I used to use from The Body Shop when I was younger. Sharp citrus and bitter grapefruit are the strongest notes-hopefully the cherry blossom and tea will poke out when this is on my skin.

 

Hm...I lose a bit of the sharpness when this is on my skin, and I had liked that sharpness. It gets a bit too bitter...I am going to give this some time to settle on my skin. I'm still waiting for the cherry blossom and tea to peek out! Thankfully, as it dries, the bitterness calms down and it's just...wow.

 

Ok, this really does remind me of The Body Shop's grapefruit scents from when I was young. I love it. I love the nostalgia of it. This is just such a perfect grapefruit scent-the yuzu is really amazing. It's not too strong and is just beautiful when you catch a waft of it. I think this is a perfect summer scent and it is going on my bottle wishlist!

 

ETA: The ONLY real downside of this is that, like most citrus scents on me, it fades REALLY fast. But that's ok-I don't mind slathering

Edited July 12, 2008 by Suu4LC

[savage_rose]

At first this is a light, sparkling citrus. And then a bitter, slightly medicinal note wafts in. No, it smells like...medicated shampoo? No. Like some beauty product chemical...high school...and then it hits me. Nair! Some undertone in this smells like part of what Nair smells like. I kind of like that smell, but I keep expecting it to take my hair off.

 

I can't get over it...Nair.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Tangy citrus/grapefruity

 

On Application

Bitter citrus. Wonderful

 

Dry Down

I love grapefruit (along with black pepper, clary sage, yarrow and chamomile oils) but this is even better! The Yuzu is delicious. The tea is playing it's part by giving a depth to this blend. There is very little sweetness to this, which is quite refreshing. Mandarin (Mikan) tends to be sweet, very pale and ephemeral as an oil and it gets lost in this blend. This goes straight into my top 5!

 

Rating (0-5)

5

[milo]

In the bottle, smells like pink grapefruit, which I happen to love. Smells great on like this for a good hour, and then slowly turns soapy. This isn't a bad thing, necessarily, I smelled summery and fresh all day. I like this, but probably not enough to get a bottle.

[Pamlwell]

In the bottle: Grapefruit and, hmmm, something else. It's got a kinda... resin-y kick to it? I'm not sure what the listed notes smell like on this one so I can't really pinpoint it beyond that.

 

On wet: more of the above for me with the grapefruit gradually blending and the tea making its appearance on the drydown.

 

On dry: It smells like clean, sweet grapefruit. I tend to smell tea notes as "clean," so that's probably where that comes from.

 

Those who like light, fruity/citrus blends will probably love this. A bit too much fruit for me, but I tend to go for musky/resiny/spicy blends...

[mazikeen]

I'm not a fruity/floral type, and this is 100% a Fruity Flower Explosion. I know that I have a tendency to slather, which was unfortunate in this case... it was so in-my-face with its Smiley Face Floral Extravaganza that it was hard to concentrate.

 

I know that it's simply not for me. If you think you don't like fruits and flowers, this is not the scent that's going to change your mind. If you do go in for that sort of thing, well, move along to another review.

[jehrichardson]

In the Imp: Incredible tangy citrus! Reminds me (like so many others) of Calyx by Prescriptives. It is bright and tart and gorgeous!

 

On the Skin: Strong citrus still, with the addition of just a note of bitterness to temper it. A bit of floral in the background. Mmm! The citrus is really grapefruity, though I know it is yuzu.

 

After a While: Citrus, with just the barest bit of tealike depth and blossom notes.

 

Verdict: Big bottle is on the way - this is GORGEOUS.

[Iceblink]

The yuzu in this is almost too sharp when it's wet--very astringent and powerful. The cherry blossom really blooms (haw!) as it dries, though, and this becomes a gorgeous citrusy/floral candylike scent. It's bright and happy with great throw and is getting stronger the longer I wear it! I really like it.

Added: the drydown on this, a couple of hours later, is pure Tiki Queen on me. If you're looking for a GC equivalent of Tiki Queen, do try this!

Edited August 23, 2008 by Iceblink

[blktauna]

Everyone else seems to have got pink grapefruit and flowers. I got a whole bottle unsniffed.

 

For me it's freshly sliced, ripe, juicy plums with just that barest touch of cinnamon/clove/ginger spice.

 

Not complaining at all thanks, fresh juicy plums is good by me! It doesn't seem to last very long but that could be my allergies.

[ErinZ]

Wet in imp:

beautiful apple-blossom-like scent (I think my nose is just interpreting cherry blossom like apple blossom, since that's what I'm more familiar with)

 

Wet on skin:

a touch of tea is showing up, as well as slight, mandarin-like citrus

 

Drydown:

very nice and fresh - like tea, candied citrus peel, and gentle, fruity blossoms

 

Final impression:

This is a perfect summer scent, or off-season pick-me-up. It's a bit like White Rabbit, but without the linens.

[fireflower]

This is musky, tart, somewhat watery/juicy but all together very refreshing! I can pick out the black tea and yuzu the most out of all of the notes. I feel like I've smelled something similar to this somewhere before. It's very nice and appropriate for the hot summer months, but I'd still wear it year-round. Possible big bottle purchase!

[rayvn1]

Hellooooo Grapefruit!! Wow! This knocked my socks off when I applied it this morning. I hadn't read the description and was expecting incense for some reason. Not so! Citrus, citrus, citrus. I like it very much and it did settle down after several minutes. Refreshing and clean smelling.

[Schmoozy]

Simply a very pretty, and bright blend that is happy and energetic.

The stars of Aizen-Myoo is definitely the grapefruit and yuzu with a splash of cherry blossom for good measure.

Black tea grounds the blend and adds a bit of tartness, which is needed.

Overall a sunny citrus blend with a hint of blossoms and black tea.

[jencallisto]

My first bpal review! I probably shouldn't be as excited about this as I am.

 

In the imp: Bright bright grapefruit and pomelo peel, with a sharp green bitterness behind the citrus.

Fresh on the skin: Softens up a lot right away, brings out just the tiniest bit of sweet floral hovering above the citrus. Creamy and yellow and clean, never too sweet because that tart and bitter center sticks around. Delicious.

About an hour later: Something's gone very laundry detergent-y with this; it's just a little too heady and fuzzy for me. It's too bad, because I was really happy with it right at the start, there. Maybe it's the persimmon.

Three hours later: It's still there, soft and plush on my skin, even through the black beans and rice I had for dinner and the popcorn I had afterwards. I just wish it didn't smell so much like overly-scented laundry. It just goes sort of... old person, I guess, though I feel vaguely guilty for putting it that way.

Eight hours later: Just a subtle sweet whisper if I press my nose to my wrist and inhale, dusty and warm, but real.

Thirteen hours later: Entirely gone, just the ghost of it on my wrist, or maybe that's my imagination.

 

Verdict: Not so happy with it right now -- if only it could stay that incredible first burst of citrus! Now just to decide if I want to give it another shot or send it to swaps.

[stefrand]

In the Imp (ITI): A grapefruit just punched me in the nose! There is no grapefruit on the scent notes....Aha! Yuzu! From Wikipedia: Citrus fruit, a hybrid of sour mandarian and Ichang papeda. Even looks like a grapefruit! It might be in cahoots with the mikan, a variety of mandarin orange. Apparently kaki is a type of Japanese persimmon.

 

Wet: Bright yellow! The bitter yuzu smells so good and sharp and clean. There is a touch of sweetness that isn't there in the bottle.

 

Dry: The grapefruit smell is fading, and the bitterness is gone quickly. Now it's bright, clear, and sharp. The sweetness of the persimmon and the gentle floral of the cherry blossom starts peeking through. The tea gives it depth. Medium throw. Exquisite, delicate, complex. Love.

 

Drydown: The citrus fades first...the yuzu is gone after 10 minutes, and the orange goes after about 30. Uh oh...this is a familiar smell. I think I had some body spray like this when I was much younger. Aizen-Myoo smells better, natch, but now I can't help but smell cheap pre-teen perfume. I'm blaming the fruity persimmon and the floral cherry blossom. I might be too old for this and I'm only 24.

 

Final Thoughts: It is light and pretty, but too much like my old drugstore body spray.

Edited December 7, 2008 by Stef

[stillalive]

Delightful, but more innocent than the description. This would be a child prostitute, incense anointed clothes eating a ripe, juicy mango peel first. Keeper.

[Jennie]

It’s very freshly citrusy, but not like a lemon, rather like a grapefruit. It’s very fresh, and “splashy”, like I’ve been showering with juicy, crunchy grapefruits. I could really imagine some kind of body wash or similar with that kind of smell. It strongly reminds me of something, too, though I can’t really put my finger on what it is. A.. rubber I’ve had as a child? Or a body-washy cream? I know I’ve been smelling this scent before as I were younger. It’s something more than grapefruits, too, which almost mellows it out a bit (tea? florals?). I feel plastic-dolly. It’s not My scent, but I’m scented. It’s incredibly fun, though, and incredibly.. delicious, especially after having mellowed out a bit and becoming more naturally gentle. Bittersweetly cute doll, am I. Let’s head for the beach (..this winter)!

[cymbeline]

Smell alike: My dear, dear Kenzo Jungle le Tigre now sadly discontinued *insert a lot of tears*. On me, the back note of Aizen is just slightly different (less green and spicy)

 

Color impression: warm saffron, deep shiny green, then soft bark

 

On me: My skin chemistry loves this one so much! It makes me think of a curious and fluffy baby tiger: citrus punchy yet so soft. Once settled, it gets a very sexy round and sweetened base. I can’t sniff the back tea but I guess it’s the one spicing up the cherry note and screaming *cuddle me* in the background!

 

Wearing: Every day, every time, everywhere (ok I may be a bit biased as this scent is just sooo me!). That’s THE big hit of my first Bpal invoice: hail to the bottle!

[obsidienne]

Aizen-Myoo is a wake-me-up blend that morphs on skin from a tart, candied citrus & tea scent to a softer, sweeter floral with faint sugar-citrus overtones. However, it fades uber-fast on my skin, becoming nothing more than a ghost after about an hour. Thus, a scent locket. In a scent locket, the smell doesn't morph and get to that gorgeous soft stage, but the wet (or scent locket) version is also pretty in a different way, and it's exciting for the way it smells so... bright. So I guess you can wear this scent two ways for different results.

 

In the scent locket, good throw (of course, it's right below my face, so I don't know if others can smell it). On me, medium throw before it fades.

[waternight]

Aizen-Myoo broke my heart.

 

Yuzu is my favorite note of all time. I love it. I adore it. I wish the entire world smelled like it. So, naturally, when I opened the imp of Aizen-Myoo and smelled that glorious yuzu wafting up at me, I was in heaven. And when she was wet on my skin, same thing. I did a dance around my room that I'd found a wearable yuzu.

 

And then she disappeared. No, not the entire scent. Just the yuzu. She ran away and left the blend smelling just... sweet.

 

 

I now use her in an oil-warmer, but I wish I could walk around in a cloud of yuzu deliciousness.

[hespera4523]

I got an imp of Aizen-Myoo as a bit of lagniappe when I bought a bottle of TAL's Charisma from a fellow forumite, and I have to say that not since Snake Oil have I had such a reaction to a scent. Oh. My. God. This is so good, I want to roll around in it. I love citrus, I love Japanese influenced somethings, and this is the best of both. My face has been glued to my wrist ever since I put it on. The yuzu and mikan knock me on my butt at first, like an Akita puppy who hasn't quite grown into its paws yet jumping up on you saying "HI WE'RE HERE WE'RE CITRUS SMELL US HIHELLOOOOGLADTOKNOWYA!" After that, the cherry blossom and kaki give them a stern talking to, and they settle down and stop being so rowdy. Then and only then does the black tea slink in, just hanging out on the edge and lending a little smoothness to what could potentially be as sharp as a saw-blade otherwise. This is gonna be a big bottle, the sooner the better.

Edited December 19, 2008 by hespera4523

[zomathesadist]

Tea tends to work well for me, and I love cherry blossom so I wanted to give this a try.

 

In imp: very refreshing, and fruity without smelling too young. This smells floral and herbaceous.

 

On skin: Yuzu shoves everything else out of the way and parades to the front. but that's okay, because it's lovely! I get yuzu and cherry blossom out of this, and verrrry faintly in the background is the black tea giving it a very slight sweetness.

 

This is so totally not me. And I totally love it. =) I don't think I'll wear it as a perfume though--I think it would be great mixed into unscented lotion. Perfect for summer.

 

in a nutshell: strong bracing citrus without being too candylike. unsure of wearlength (though it seems to be fading) and not a ton of throw.

[Lyrical]

In vial: I'm guessing Yuzu is a citrus fruit. This is odd in a tropical fruity kind of way.

 

Wet on skin: very fruity - oriental fruit.

 

Dry on skin: no change - straight up oriental fruit. Extremely short wear length - no more than a couple of hours.