The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa

[edenssixthday]

The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa, Shunkosai Hokuei.

Black tea, cherry blossom, ho wood, calla lily, rice wine, and white mint.

Damn, if this isn't GORGEOUS! This scent reminds me a lot of The Snow Maiden in its white snowiness and sweet minty touch. It's one of the few mint blends that doesn't go all wonky on my skin. The cherry blossom is absolutely gorgeous and very soft, and makes me think of springtime in Washington D.C., when the cherry trees are in full bloom, and the soft pink and white petals fall to the ground with barely a whisper. As the blend warms up on my skin, the calla lily is also detectable, but it is so soft and ethereal that it plays hide-and-seek with me and I can’t ever seem to fully grab on to it. This is a really incredible scent, especially considering my normal distaste for Asian-themed blends, tea, and mint. However, it's very subtle, to the degree that I wonder what is the point in wearing it. However, I do tend to prefer strong notes, so someone who likes the softer, quieter scents may find this incredibly appealing. My first instinct is to pass this one along, but it's just so damn pretty that even though it’s not a scent I would normally wear, I think I'm going to hang on to it, and see if I don't perhaps find myself drawn to it more often than I am to other similar scents. I think it would be a wonderful bed-time scent, very quiet, soft, pretty and feminine.

[filigree_shadow]

In the imp: Lily and something slightly sour.

 

Wet: A very, very soft mint scent and a little bit of something that smells like cherry.

 

Dry: This scent smells white and a little bit minty to me. I'm not a mint fan, but this is actually pretty nice. It smells fresh and clean to me. The lily's there, but only just.

 

I wish I could say more but this is so faint on my skin I can barely smell it. I have to put my nose right exactly next to the spot where I applied it in order to smell anything at all.

[Little Bird]

The Lantern Ghost clings very close to my skin and disappears quickly, itself ghost-like in its fading and thinness. The fragrance is a crisp tea and cool mint with the light, clean, sweet touch of cherry blossom. Very white, but with a softness and sweetness that make it bearable for me.

 

In the drydown, the lily comes in and goes a bit soapy. The Lantern Ghost makes me think of sitting underneath a tree with a snowing flurry of blossom petals falling down, inhaling the sweet aroma of mint tea. It’s not a very me scent and it completely disappears within a half hour, but it’s still very pretty. I like the mental images that this one paints.

 

I actually might use up the rest of my decant in my oil burner

[supremegoddessofall]

Interesting! The mint is what hits me first, but it's sitting right on top of some cherry-flavored teas. This isn't an "in your face" mint - it's more subtle. This kind of reminds me of a quiet men's aftershave. There's something deeper underneath that I'm guessing is the ho wood. I think I would like this one on my girlfriend.

[Ah Xia]

This is a very quiet scent -- it smells very similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, without the citrus. It's like having tea under the cherry blossoms with a quiet breeze, a lazy spring afternoon.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Soft, clean and minty

On Skin: Ooo, a very soft and subtle scent. The mint is freaking gorgeous, not overwhelming, just a nice shiver of coldness cutting through the beautiful floral notes of the calla lily and cherry blossom. The tea is very friendly to me and for the first time does not amp itself like crazy like it normally does. I love how subtle this Asian themed scent is, so delicate and tranquil. The rice wine adds a sweet touch and the ho wood gives a very nice balance. This scent is beautiful, through and through. Very feminine and very soft. It has a light throw and average wearlength.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: hard to say, many things jump to my nose at the very same time. I’d say I can mostly recognize calla and cherry blossom.

 

On my skin: it’s still very floral. I can recognize a hint of mint, but I was hoping for stronger mint, and for a snow-scent as well.

 

After a couple of hours: it fades away quite quickly. I can only get the faintest smell of sugar cane, now.

 

Verdict: it’s a very delicate fragrance, probably very pretty but I was expecting something closer to Snow Maiden and I’m a bit disappointed.

[zankoku_zen]

This is a very delicate fragrance.

 

At the beginning I get cherry blossoms and lilies.

 

Toward the end, the cherry blossom smell has subsided and I get a white sugary mint smell that reminds me to Lick It Again, but a much more floral and delicate version.

 

Verdict: Absolutely awesome. I love it.

[PurringPulsar]

In the imp: cool mint and a hint of sweetish rice wine.
Wet on skin: mint, rice wine, cherry blossom and a little bit of ho wood (I recognise the scent from having sniffed the essential oil, it's like rosewood with a kind of camphor-ish note). The mint is cooling my arm!
Dry on skin: oh wow, this is prettier than I expected! It does smell very similar to Hungry Ghost Moon (but without the complexities of the citrus and vanilla and ginger etc) with it's rice wine and ho wood, but with added black tea, and I get a hint of cherry blossom which is surprisingly good. After falling in love with Bakeneko, it seems cherry blossom may not be as bad as I originally thought. I now wonder if this blossom is in Snow White because I do get a similarity here as well! And even the calla lily is behaving and not turning to soap…wow! The scent is very serene and pale, and very cool.
After a while: this sweetens dramatically. I think the rice wine and cherry blossom are doing this…but still, no soap. The scent is a pretty and light, almost sugary and pink, cherry blossom tea and ho wood with rice wine scent. Very delicate and ethereal, and indeed, it's ghostly. The scent becomes creamier and sweeter as it dries down, to give an almost fluffy scent of pink and white, like soft white snow and the first blossoms of spring, it is a cool scent. The ho wood is very soft and soothing, and I start to realise that this wood, and the rice wine, were very noticeable in Hungry Ghost Moon. The scent becomes a little bit dry and more woodsy, and even smells a little bit like sweetened rice (as opposed to rice wine) now. It's a very pretty fragrance.
Verdict: another scent that makes me change the way I feel about cherry blossom! I was a little scared of cherry blossom at first since so many blends with that note went wrong on me, but it seems this blossom wasn't the culprit, as I love it in Bakeneko, and I like it in here. At first it's a chilly wintry mint scent and I get a slight resemblance to Snow-flakes, but on the skin this is very similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, the rice wine and ho wood really showing themselves, and for once I can pick them out and recognise them. The scent is soft and fluffy and white like snow and pale woods, but then the scent seems to change from winter to spring as the pleasant sweet pinkness of cherry blossom starts to bloom in the scent. It is so peaceful and calm-think Japanese gardens in spring where cherry blossoms carpet the ground like snow. The scent is light, delicate and indeed, it is ghostly and luminous. I'm also surprised at how creamy and gently sweet the scent is, almost comforting, and the calla lily didn't even show up-or at least, it didn't turn bad on my skin. This will be nice for the warmer months. I prefer Hungry Ghost Moon but when I run out of that, I might get this as a good replacement. But I'm surprised at how good this smelt on me.
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? maybe…I do prefer HGM and this seems more of a spring/summer scent to me.
If you like this, try: Hungry Ghost Moon, Kyoto, Aizen Myoo, the Fox Woman Kuzonoha, Snow White, Snow Flakes

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: cherry blossom, lilly and mint.

 

Wet: lilly and mint.

 

Dry: lilly and mint. The tea never did come out to play, unfortunately.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Cherry blossom with a hint of mint.

 

Wet on me - Something soft and green and slightly bitter that I can't quite identify, backed by the mint.

 

Dry on me - For a while it smells of breath freshener, before smoothing out to a sweet soft honeyed sort of blend.

 

Overall - The final dry down is nice, but very faint. I don't see me wearing this.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a sour tea scent.

on: odd. i can smell the lily and a bit of wood, but i'm also still getting a sour, tealike scent.

1.5 hours later: still sour, but sweet, too. interesting and pretty.

3.5 hours later: powdery, sweet, and a bit sour. i'm surprised the cherry blossom isn't going bad on me.

5 hours later: a candyish, powdery scent.

overall: this was amazing. very unique. plus, i think it's the first asian or blossom scent that worked on me. woo hoo!

[siddal]

Wet, this had a greenish scent to me, probably the calla and cherry blossom. On my skin I could smell the wood and tea and it was still quite green and floral. Finally on the drydown the mint started to give everything a cool feel.

[terren75]

I love this! It's very gentle and incandescent. It floated around me like a warm and snuggely cashmere blanket. It's modestly floral but with something very sophisticated mixed in. I would wear this when I wanted to feel calm and cozy at home, its also lovely enough to please anyone your with.

[pekeana]

I love to throw the Lantern Ghost on when I don't feel like wearing anything, because it's just a gentle, soft cherry blossom and tea scent on my skin. My skin eats mint alive, so I don't get any mint from it, and the wood is very, very light and in the background of the beautiful tea and cherry blossom. Loves it, loves it, loves it!

[Em-]

This is a very light floral blend on me - pretty but almost so light that nothing stands out. I am more of a dark heavy note gal, I suppose.

[maijasu]

Mmm, I love this! It's fresh and light and minty, with the tea and cherry blossoms peeping through. It's perfect for warm weather, which is just starting up here in the South, so I believe I'll need to put a bottle in my next order.

[citharadraconis]

Oh, this is glorious. Light and sweet and soft, like a gentler Hungry Ghost Moon (that must be the ho wood and rice wine) without the citrus and with lovely cherry blossom and mint tea. I am absolutely in love--this could definitely be a signature scent, and it's perfect for the spring and summer.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Mint tea!

 

Pre-Review Thoughts: I'm a huge fan of black tea, ho wood, and mint, so I've practically been itching to try this (and let's not forget the comparisons to Hungry Ghost Moon, one of my favourite blends!). That said, calla lily is my worst note, so I'm just a smidge wary.

 

In the imp: A woody mint, with... something I know I've smelled before, but that I just can't place.

 

On skin, wet: Mint! Beautiful, beautiful mint tea. Similar to HGM indeed!

 

On skin, dry: An herbal, very mildly woody mint tea! A wonderful scent. I'm stunned that the calla lily hasn't ruined this for me yet. I can pick said note out, but it's far enough in the background that it lends only a slight floral quality to the blend, instead of dominating entirely and wreaking havoc. It is quite similar to HGM, though, of course, with that lovely mint note, and lacking HGM's splendid, sugary grapefruit.

 

Conclusion: Lovely; absolutely lovely. I might pick up a bottle, though, should I ever run out of my more-beloved HGM.

[wichapi]

Absolutely what everyone else has said, glorious-beautiful-lovely-awesome-quiet... Yes, it is light and airy, but there is something deep along the edges and supporting it. It seems to fade away completely, then - when least expected - a puff of scent is released, lingers, then fades again. This phenomenon continues to cycle for quite sometime... Kind of like - well, gee - a ghost! I was happy to rediscover this in my BPAL chest. I agree that its perfect for spring, but Lantern Ghost of Oiwa is also early morning mist or the beginnings of evening fog. Another distinction is how the brighter notes are prominent in the day, and the deeper notes dominate in the evening. So the only word I can add to the aptly descriptive mix is elusive.

[jiggahava]

Indescribably light and pretty. I'll do my best: at first there's a blast of white mint. But this isnt sharp, overwhelming mint, it's soft and almost dainty. There's a hint of apple blossom in the drydown, and something slightly dark and woodsy in the background, which is the ho wood poking out. It's very asian in feel, as others have said. There's a suprising amount of throw for a scent this light. I like it alot. Another beautiful "springtime" scent.

[LadyCrow]

I started to type this up as "The Lantern Ghost of Iowa," which would have been nowhere near as cool, but much funnier.

 

In the imp: Tea and cherry blossom.

 

Wet: Tea, cherry blossom, and that delicate, delicate white mint.

 

Drying: As this settles in, I get the pungency of the ho wood, which I love. I've really become a ho for ho wood. (You keep cranking them out, Beth, and I'll keep making the dumb jokes!) That grounds the blend nicely as the OH YUM! subtle rice wine rises up with my body's warmth.

 

I'm not finding the calla lily, but then I'm not really trained in that note. What I do get is a scent with, not incredible sillage, but at least a moderate throw -- and greater staying power than I would have expected for the scent category. The mint never overwhelms, but keeps everything feeling alive and fresh during the wear time of the scent. This one's a winner.

[neuilly]

I love this scent! I bought a bottle of it off the forum within 24 hours of testing it. On the other hand I have the worst time describing it...

 

It's soft without being really floral, creamy without cream, and mature without being in-your-face. What I believe is ho wood dominates along with the rice wine...

 

Just so beautiful and unique! Simply has to be tried to be understood.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Thick and sweet, think I am getting the lily and cherry blossom most.

 

On the wrist: Tea and woods now, with the lily still present. Not so much the cherry blossom however, seem to have lost that. A clean note. Barely mint.

 

Drydown: The lily keeps this a thick scent (the ho wood could be contributing there as well), heavier than I would like. After about 20 minutes this starts to smell like lilies and mint. Minted lily, lilimint. You get the idea. Lilies and mint. New, interesting, not necessarily me. Not a fan of lilies or mint, I was hoping for this to turn into cherry blossom and tea on me.

[harmonyfb]

In the imp, it was a sourish scent of indeterminate origin. Wet, it was a delicious black tea with something complex beneath it. Five minutes later, it was cherry blossoms and something sour. Ten minutes later, the ho wood had obliterated all before it. Sour, flat, and just awful. Thank goodness I didn't buy a bottle unsniffed, because this is not for me.