Kiyohime Changes From a Serpent

[hkhm]

Salty ocean spray, red kelp, black plum, lychee, sea moss, green musk, hachiya, plum blossom, and matcha.

imp: tea, musk and plums. lots and lots of plums.

wet: the aquatic comes out once applied and blends well with the intense sweetness of the plum. this is like a wonderful light plum aquatic on my skin, sweetly soft and bright.

dry: an aquatic that is making me close my eyes and inhale deeply. this is a very sweet, light aquatic on my skin and along with the tea and plum this makes for a pleasantly sweet, light scent.

[porcelina]

marvellously fresh and salty with a touch of tangy fruit and musky softness. this is very, very pretty and very wearable.

[Gwydion]

In Bottle: Heady, rich and sweet and sea salty all at once. It is also a little shampoolike. Wet: Candy. Asian candy. This is very plum and lychee smelling, with a bit of ocean underneath. It is almost too sweet. Dry: Wow. Apparently this is one that needs a little time to settle in and mingle with skin scents. Given time, it gets more aquatic, until they reach a stage where either aquatics or florals are on top, but different notes take prevalence at a given time. This is still a touch too fruit/floral on me, but where I originally thought I wouldn’t be able to wear it at all, now, I’m not sure. It’s growing on me, but I’m not sure it’ll ever be quite right on me. I think this’d be fascinating on the right woman. It has an elegance formed of contradiction and a surprising lightness. As it ages on the skin, the florals and fruit grow richer even as they gentle.

[alhbooks]

Fruity in the bottle, no question, but wet on teh skin there's an immediate calming effect of the salt spray and moss which makes it less sweet than I'd otherwise expect. As it dries, the salt gets a little stronger, but the fruit hovers in the background. Delicious.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Salty-aquatic, juicy with lychee fruit, strong green musk, pleasantly floral. Delicious!

 

Wet: Salty-aquatic and green musk dominate; almost a little soapy. No fruit. Florals linger in the background.

 

Dry: Somewhat soapy, floral, salty green musk. Slightly fruit-sweet, from the plum blossom (no lychee). It's definitely making my rosacea flare.

 

Summary: Salty, soapy green musk. Fairly strong throw.

 

I am so sad about these delicious in the bottle, terrible soap on my skin aquatics.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, I get a light fruitiness, and the saltiness of the spray and the kelp.

 

On my skin, the plum blossom really comes out, and there's a greeness that I assume is from the moss.

 

When it dries, it's really beautiful, very complex - a great blend of scents.

[Indigo78]

Wet in the imp (well, testable sniffy frimp) this is clean and and kind of dusky - I can definitely smell the plum most strongly, but I'm loving the moss notes lying just beneath. Excited about this one, since aquatics generally don't like my skin - it seems to be off the beaten path for this type of scent.

 

Wet on the skin the ozone/aquatic note really amps, but this is balanced by the plums and moss. Moss is a favorite note for me, rich and lush on my skin. No exception in this blend. That is why, as far as aquatics usualy go for me, Kiyohime is one I am happy to have had the chance to try.

 

ETA: The longer this is on, the longer it reminds me of salty, night ocean air. I think a tiny bit goes a long way. Because of this one, I'm off to hunt for other scents containing similar notes - - sans the "ozone" effect.

Edited May 30, 2008 by Indig0

[tartchef]

It's taken me ages to get around to testing this - the plum & lychee notes got me all excited, but moss is becoming a really problematic note for me, and I had premonitions of Kiyohime going utterly rank on my skin...

 

Turns out I was right. The moss & seaspray combine & produce an unfortunately realistic interpretation of public toilets - a haze of "Ocean Fresh" air freshener over distinctly damp & mildewy tile, and someone clearly hovered & missed

 

This may hold the record for time from application to washing-off-NOW - under a minute, possible less than 30 seconds. Such a shame, too - the imagery is lovely, and it sounds like a gorgeous blend... ah well.

[greenranger]

Wet, it seems fruity and salty.

 

For an aquatic, not bad so far.

 

It started off as a fairly complex aquatic, but, it is losing notes quickly. It's down to being a breath of sea air on me.

[gchris]

in vial: sweet and mellow, fresh

 

wet: very nice. lightly aquatic blended with fresh, green melons. As it drys it smells more like water and fresh flowers.

 

dry: this drys down to something more like a bouquet of flowers and not so much aquatic. It is pretty, soft and a bit innocent.

[samhainschimera]

A salty, floral aquatic. It smells like clean wet hair with a bit of sea spray. I don't smell the lychee at all, it just smells like hairspray at this point. I need more lychee!

Edited August 27, 2009 by samhainschimera

[voodoocatwoman]

This is a strange one for sure. It started out fruity and sweet, then turned salty and disappeared. I smell the remnants of bandaids now.

[Aldercy]

Lots of briny sea salt (very green and muddy) and some slightly alcoholic? lychee. Like a... lychee sake martini (which is a very interesting drink, btw). No plum, but there is a bit of floral/lime mist. Odd.

 

Hm. Not a bad scent (especially for something that could have been an aquatic disaster) but I don't know if I would wear it much.

 

 

[Amaranthus]

Wearing this makes me think of swimming in a sea of clean, warm bathwater.

 

The initial smell is of salty, clean water. The fruity notes develop quickly, they smells like plum colored flowers against an aqua-green matcha background.

 

As the perfume dries down some of the initial saltiness goes away, leaving a blend of fruits and florals. It makes me think of an expensive plum flavored candy.

 

I bought this perfume hoping that it would evoke the mood of the piece by Yoshitoshi. It does!

 

I like to wear Kiyohime Changes From A Serpent on days I wake up too late to take a wake-up shower, as it has the same invigorating effect as if I had taken the time to wash and dry my hair and put on brand new clothes.

 

I've had this bottle for about a year, and I'm barely halfway through it. It's a strong, long lasting scent.

 

This perfume is atypical for me, but I love it. I will buy more when I've used it up.

[HamletsKeeper]

This goes on as a weird mix of cologne and candy, but in a way I oddly like. Tea is a note I particularly dislike as it turns metallic on me but happily the tea is not prominent in this blend. I don't get much salt or kelp either individually. What I do get is a strong dark perfume base which must be all the dark elements mixing together. It smells very perfumey which is something I also like.

 

This is mostly sea moss, a dollop of tea with lychee floating on the top. I have no idea what plum is supposed to smell like so I can't comment on that element of it. It's a fruity aquatic with a deep strange base note. I like it but maybe not enough to purchase a bottle of it.

[kohimame]

Hmm, this is an interesting scent. Going on wet I get a fruity shampoo scent, it must be the plum and lychee. I'm usually not a fan of fruity scents, but this one isn't too bad. As it dries it softens into a delicate scent. The fruit aspect of the scent changes into more of a floral.

 

I don't really get much aquatics from Kiyohime, it seems to be more of a fruit/floral scent. I really like it though. And the corresponding picture is so pretty!

[Deiicide]

Fruity Aquatic? Sign me up. Aquatics and me go hand in hand very well unless there is some type of wood in there, and that usually makes my skin a bit sour. Mosses tend to do that too in a softer note, but this didn't prove to disappoint. My bottle is aged about 3 years, and it's still about the same as when I got it. Soft ethereal aquatics with the most amazing plum and lychee smell during drydown. It isn't too heavy but a perfect summer scent that reminds me of Fire Pig, or Tempest/Lightning's Fruitier cousin. This is a winner for me and will get much use for the summer time when there is a need to be cool.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Watery, fruity/melony, slightly tart.

 

On skin: A fruity aquatic. Kiyohime goes on watery and juicy, touched with non-white flowers. The water gradually recedes upon drydown, and it's now fruity, floral, tangy sweetness. It gets more tart and floral-green over time, but overall it's a gentle, airy, oceanic scent that reminds me of the seashore. Kiyohime is in the same family as Selkie and Long Night Moon, a green, airy and tangy version. Colour impression is pale sea-green.

 

Verdict: I like Kiyohime Changes From a Serpent, but it's almost identical to Selkie, which I have a bottle of and is my favourite blue-green aquatic blend. But to those who like Selkie and can't get enough of it, I'd recommend Kiyohime as a passable substitute.

[a_llb]

In vial: Smells just like the ocean!

Wet: Salty, plummy & a softly foamy.

Dry: The briny kelp forms a lovely base, with a blossomy, juicy green tea current above it. I like this more than any other aquatic I've tried!

 

Verdict: Just gorgeous as it's wet/drying but ultimately it fades too fast on me, becoming almost soapy after a bit. If it had more musk, I think this would be my perfect aquatic blend! It is soooooo close!

[Balame]

In the Imp: A very clean scent, but not similar to clean as in "laundry". More like the real deal... fresh air that verges on being heady due to a background of gentle sweetness that mixes green tea and the sea.

 

Wet: Sweetens up quickly. There's a bit of ozone, but I pick up the plum and Asian florals as well. It's very nice in that I usually get overwhelmed by "general" florals, but this combination is simply pleasant without being too much. Delicate and pretty, but in a unique way.

 

Dry: My husband amusingly said that this smells like "something from the bathroom," but in that he clarified that he didn't mean a cleaner, but a "fresh from the shower" smell. I have to agree. It smells like fruity floral shampoo mixed with clean skin and a sense of freshness.

 

Overall: This isn't my style, but I like that Kiyohime is definitely her own thing, and works the floral/fruit/aquatic combo exceptionally well.

[Gin]

Kiyohime Changes From a Serpent is a fresh-floral-aquatic. It's less fruity than I had hoped, and kind of makes me think of a body lotion or bath treatment. That said, I still really like it. It's a perfectly subtle, springy scent.

[karykeion]

Thanks to Little Bird for decanting!

 

In the decant: Son of a biscuit. This is the one I wasn't really sure about, because I VERY RARELY do well with musk, and now I'm wishing I hadn't, because I'm setting myself up for heartbreak. This is so gorgeous, fruity and oceanic and perfect and I just know it's going to turn into musk and destroy my soul. Damn you, Kiyohime, you temptress.

 

On me, wet: Plants, ocean, and a little bit of lychee. I almost don't want to sniff it anymore. I don't want be there for the inevitable heartwrenching moment when the green musk decides it's not going to let this love affair go on. The black plum comes out some as it dries. Also, this is totally the sea spray note from Liadain and Curithir, isn't it? Oh god, I'm so in love, and this is so terrible, and I need a scent locket, why do I not have a scent locket. ...And then musk. Yep. That happened. The glittering, perfect sea serpent has begun to transform into the Princess of Musk. Goodbye, sweet Kiyohime. You played with my heart, and I let you. I regret nothing.

 

On me, dry: ...The musk seems to have backed off. Hmmmmmmm. Going to test again a few more times. Maybe the Musk-a-thon is just a phase in Kiyohime. It never quite dries back into those glorious, perfect opening notes, but it's not just "musk and maybe some flowers" anymore. I must experiment further.

[orata]

I love this--wasn't sure about it at first since BPAL aquatics seldom work for me, but it's really lovely! It's a fresh, slightly (but not overpoweringly) salty fruity floral scent. The fruity part is mostly delicate fresh plum. With the listed notes, I thought it might end up having a li hing mui sort of vibe, but it's definitely fresh fruits and seawater, not concentrated dried salted plum. It does have a sort of drugstore body wash/shampoo or Bath and Body Works type of vibe to it, so it might be a little too "functional fragrance" or generic-smelling to deserve a bottle purchase; still trying to decide, because I like the scent a lot.

[kawaiiferreto]

This is lightly sweet and fruity and salty, with a hint of floraly goodness and musk, but not too strong. It's quite soft and pretty! It's very balanced, so it doesn't go too foody, or too floral, or too musk, or too OCEAAAN OMG etc. It has light throw. It is lovely, but not AMAZEBALLS enough for me to keep it!

[brilliantcat]

Bottle: Sweet plum underlaid by dark murky water.

 

Wet: It's a battle between salty sea air and crashing waves and the fruit tempered by the tea. Right now, I'm in a teahouse on the edge of a cliff while a storm is coming and the waves are crashing against the rocks. The lanterns sway and threaten to go out, and plums fall from the trees outside. Leaves are swept in by the winds. It's quite evocative.

 

Dry: What the heck happened? It's gone soapy! This rarely happens to me with aquatics but this is pure soap. What happened to that gorgeous evocative crash of notes?