Neo-Tokyo

[faifai]

A scent that captures a meeting of the serenity and elegance of ancient Japan, the vibrant, shining, neon-lit and ultra-modern splendor of today's Tokyo and the fantastic electric fantasyland of post-modern manga fantasy. Urban metallics and an ozone-tinged breath of electric light mingled with reedy bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, delicate orchid and a splash of playful, wet fruits.

Apparently I'm finding out what works/doesn't work for me the hard way. I love this scent, but cherry blossom gets to me and makes me feel ill--after an hour or so, my skin amps the cherry blossom factor up until I am in a Neo-Tokyo cloud, and I have to get it off somehow.

I put it in my hair and got less scent-morphing, but then something else in the very beginning stage of the scent [bamboo?] is more pronounced, and THAT makes me feel ill. I guess I have a weak stomach!

Basically though, I love this--it's got a dangerous, alluring, I-smell-like-I've-been-attacking-sexy-men-all-day vibe to it. At least on me. Ha. I will figure out a way to wear it. Maybe apply with a veeeery light hand?

[Ancientgirl]

This was an imp I ordered because of the name, and I'm glad I got it! It's the perfect blend of fruity and floral; a very bright scent that almost wakes me up on a gloomy day like today! The floral component of this scent doesn't make me sneeze, as they usually do, and the smell isn't at all heavy, just clean. It seems like a very user-friendly scent, and one I wouldn't hesitate to wear at work.

Ancientgirl

[zankoku_zen]

Just the description of Neo-Tokyo made me fall in love with it.

 

In the imp: Floral. I get wafts of cherry blossom.

On Skin: I mainly get cherry blossoms, but there is a metallic tinge to it at the end. After a while, I get a bit of the fruity splash coming on.

 

On Drydown: Still cherries. In the breeze. Very fresh and energetic. And yet, oddly calm. Sort of the center of the storm. Or when you just stand in the streets as people mill about you.

Verdict: Very playful and enjoyable. I'm glad I got gifted with this imp.

 

ETA: 2010

Cherry blossom soap. Sad.

Edited July 31, 2010 by zankoku_zen

[carolinachiquita]

This is quite nice actually, I just wish it was a bit whiffy-er! When its first put on it is a bit masculine but I'd say it has settled to a gender neutral fragrance. Mmm a suprising like!

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Crisp, clean, watery floral with a lemon-like citrus in the waaay background. There's almond somewhere in the middle notes. There's a fruit besides the citrus, more like a gentle watery fruit.

 

Wet: Still got the lemon-citrus, but the ozone came out to spoil the day at the end of the wet period. I don't even remember getting the fruity bit to come out.

 

Drydown: Laundry detergent. Ozone. Not me.

 

Overall: I'm done with ozone scents, it's just NOT an Emily note. Swap away for someone that likes ozone.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Sweet floral cherry blossom.

 

Dry: Sweet floral cherry blossom backed by a hint of tea.

 

Very delicate, this one. I would wear this on a sophisticated night out to a genteel restaurant. It's very grown up and subtle, restrained. It's gently sparkling, very wet. It's lovely!

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Sharp, citrus, very fresh.

 

On, wet: About the same, but something like dryer sheets is rising to the top, tickling the back of my nose. Probably the ozone, which I knew could turn problematic. Sigh.

 

5 minutes: Oh yeah, eau de dryer sheet. It's actually a nice smell, with citrus layered over top, but it's giving me a headache. I can hope this stage won't last long, but I wouldn't bet on it. Dang. Really wanted to like this one, it has so many notes I like -- bamboo, sakura, orchid, fruits... sigh.

 

1 hour: Still dryer sheets, and my head is really pounding now. Can't afford to give it any longer to mellow. Off it comes.

 

May try again in a couple weeks, at a different point in my hormone cycle. And with only one or two swipes instead of three or four. x.x It just smelled so light and good in the vial... *sigh*

[Firewaver]

Sharp, crisp, flourescent green.

 

It's kind of a hard edged, unnatural floral scent. The bamboo gives it a green woodiness that's grounding, but the metallics and ozone really take this one and run off with it. It eventually morphs into a blue-green aquatic scent. very clean and cool. It's pretty when the fruits come out and play, though they're stifled quickly by the mountain air.

[silver_springs]

I bought a Neo-Tokyo imp from a board member about two months ago. I tried it once, and for whatever reason, that day the imp had almost no lasting effect on me. So I put it off to the side and didn't think about it again. That was until about a week ago, I got a frimp of it in one of my lab orders. It reminded that I already had an imp. So I got the old imp and decided to test it again. And I loved it!

 

Maybe my chemistry was funky that first day. But the second test was great. Another floral that I love. I've found that I either really dig florals and they settle nicely (Has No Hanna) or they're just too overpowering and I can't take them for a long time (Muse). Neo-Tokyo goes in the first category. Like most florals, it starts off really strong but give it a couple of minutes and the drydown is just lovely. Very crisp and clean. All floral. The only time I even smell a hint of fruitiness is hours after I first applied and it's almost faded away, then it's a sweeter fruity scent.

 

It's definitely the anime/manga version of Tokyo. Futeristic with a spice of fantasy and magic to go around.

 

I just ordered a 5ml. This is a scent that I could wear every day. It's a "me" scent. Neo-Tokyo gets two thumbs up.

Edited October 12, 2005 by silver_springs

[angharad]

From the imp, I get mainly ozone and metallics with the tiniest hint of something sweeter. It's like that when I first apply it, too, but after drydown more of the sweetness comes out. It's not a floral sweetness, so I guess it's the "splash of playful, wet fruits." This stage was when I liked Neo-Tokyo the most. Unfortunately it had very little lasting power on me and completely faded within a few hours.

[olympia301]

 

Crisp and modern to the max. Neo-Tokyo has more in common with Dorian than it does Kyoto. This scent captures perfectly my impression of the hippest of the hip towns and its forward motion. I did actually think of the words "ozone" and "metallic" when I first sniffed it on my wrist. I also keep on thinking "aquatics" and I am probably wrong. I do get a faint whiff of fruit, but that is much much in the background.

 

This would be an excellent choice for a summer or hot weather scent.There isn't much which is "snuggle up with a cup of herbal tea" about Neo-Tokyo. Smells cutting edge and ready for action at all times.

[TroubleDoll]

I didn't get metallic from this one. On me it was ozone-citrus. I did wear it to a Japanese film festival and it felt very hip and appropriate.

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: Very green.

Applied: It’s nice, but hard to describe. I am not really picking up too much fruit, or even floral, in here. This sounds weird, but this actually kind of reminds me of my grandfather; I think he must have owned a cologne that smelled like this. I primarily smell the “mountain air” type of scent; it’s like water and air and green things growing in it. I like it, but it’s too manly for me to wear—I think I mainly like it because it reminds me of someone special to me—always a good thing! Would probably be great on a guy. I may keep it just when I am feeling blue to cheer me up—kind of a “comfort smell.”

On a scale of 1 to 5: 4 (but only because I don’t have a guy to test it on!!)

[glittergal]

The first time I smelled this, I thought it had a really harsh, masculine, metallic edge. It reminded me of the intense, hustle-bustle of a modern, neon-lit city that never sleeps. This time (a few months later), I can REALLY smell the cherry blossoms, giving this a soft feminine edge, with a crisp, lighter citrus note. I still sense the ozone, but the metallic scent is barely noticeable to me. This seems to blossom the more I wear it. It is almost as if I am smelling a completely different scent. I'll have to try it again in a few days to see what happens!

[Fefferbella]

Neo-Tokyo is delightful.

 

It's such a playful, light and clean scent. Perfect for spingtime.

 

I get huge notes of cherry blossom and citrus (maybe kumquat?). It's a really delicate floral that made me (a devout floral hater) give Neo-Tokyo a chance.

 

Very pretty and ultra-feminine.

[cantabile]

Bought from Julilla Regina.

 

In bottle: Straight-up ozone and metallics, with a very very faint bit of something sweet and feminine.

 

Just applied: Whoa, very ozone/metallic, though not unpleasantly so.

 

Drying down: I think I smell the bamboo now, but the overall effect is still overwhelmingly modern and urban.

 

Dry: This is smelling very masculine on me. Luckily, I like playing with androgyny sometimes, heh.

 

Later: The cherry blossom and orchid are emerging a little now, and the gender line is blurred further. It's nifty. I wonder where the fruits are, though.

 

Verdict: This is a really crisp, fun scent. I doubt I'll be ordering a big bottle, but I'll definitely keep the imp on hand for special occasions, especially those that warrant a little fun with gender-bending.

[Nightgaunt]

Here's a bit of BPAL magic: I entered a cab while wearing Neo-Tokyo, and, in the course of the ride, the driver suddenly asked me what my favorite cartoon was. His, he claimed, was "Ghost in the Shell," with "Akira" a close second. Since I had not given any indication that I liked Japanese animation, I can only surmise that Beth has somehow distilled the essence of Anime into this crisp, green. refreshing scent.

[donsixgun]

Irish Spring soap. It must be the Ozone and mountain air, mixed with some floral.

 

No thanks.

[valentina]

This is a scent I got from the Lab as a frimp, and thank you Lab, for always endeavoring to expand my horizons!

 

I loved this scent in the imp... very fresh, just delightful. I find it rather girly, although I believe it's listed as a gender neutral kind of scent.

 

On my body, I get and keep a strong ozone/floral scent. My body chemistry really pulls ozone, but this also has orchid coming through, with maybe a bit of cherry blossom. I get no hint of fruit. After it dries down, it sadly turns too powdery on me and just doesn't agree with my body. This is what my body always does to those delicate, lovely blends. (sigh.)

 

I have a male friend who adores ozone fragrances, and Neo-Tokyo may be the BPAL that really works for him! I'm passing it along for his enjoyment!

 

valentina

[jazlyn]

Neo-Tokyo is crisp, clean and kind of soapy (less as it dries). I thought that I could smell a hint of fruit for a second, but then it disappeared. This scent makes me think of medium (when dry) to dark (when wet) blues and greens, of standing on a cliff with a thick forest overlooking the ocean. At the same time it could also be a bustling city (when wet) and a... mall... the men's department hahhaa! (when it's dry).

[girlmadasbirds]

this scent should be called Jim because it smells like my dad (who smells like Irish Spring soap).

[sarada]

I first tried Neo-Tokyo a very long time ago and got it confused with a lot of other scents I was trying at the time -- Shanghai, The Apothecary, and others, which all gave me the same impression: something light, white-yellow-pale green, hinting at tea or citrus.

 

Now that I am trying it again I've become a bit more sensitive to individual notes but it still strikes me mainly as a light, electric, scent with a bit of a green tea/grass or very faint citrus. I like the "air after a storm" feeling but it does make it feel a bit more like the kind of perfume you might spritz on yourself from a bottle before going out for a night on the town.

 

It fades so fast on me I never really get to know it. A great 'fresh' scent though and another to consider if I ever get some unscented bath products that I want to add a refreshing scent to.

[arabella]

First Impression: Grapefruit, Chinese pear and mandarin orange - plus ozone and aquatic.

 

Dries down to: A light citrus sprinkled with a tiny bit of ginger/basil and frosted with a very light floral - maybe cherry blossom.

 

Additional Comments: This is a very fresh, pretty scent - very clean without being soapy - will be lovely in the summer. I didn't pick up on the orchid note but I love orchid so I'm not surprised that it's contributing to the overall beauty of this scent.

 

Lasted: Several hours (very rare for me).

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

[ArwenNightstar]

Review

 

Neo-Tokyo

 

In bottle: floral, sweet, light, made me think of apple blossoms and roses. 10:33 am

 

On wet: Still floral but crisper..appley still. I am loving this. 10:34 am

 

There is something a bit green in the background. Smells like a walk through a flower garden in full bloom, I think. 10:35

 

Very light. Very girly. Ultra feminine. Oddly enough, I like this very much. I tend to wear heavy scents that are earthy and dark. Who knew I would like something so romantic!

 

10:36 Rubbing between my wrists to heat it up. Lovely... there is a spice here to the flower that makes it sassy. I can absolutely live with this one!

 

 

10:39 Now it is moving into a slightly masculine scent that I adore on me. :-) I have always preferred men's colognes!

 

All thumbs up! :-)

[Honor]

I wanted to like this so badly not only for the name but the description, and I'm a huge fan of cherry blossom.

 

In the bottle, it smells mostly what I think it should..light, floral, but not ultra fem or grandmotherly...I don't get ozone, but there's a sharp greeness in it which is what prevents it from too floral.

 

On ME..it starts out sweet and light... I like it, but then on dry down all I get is soap. Not soap in a bad way....just sudsy, bubbly, fresh soap. Which isn't necessarily bad, but not what I was hoping to smell like with this. If I want to smell like soap I wouldn't wear perfume, heh. I am undecided as to whether this is going into the swap pile yet...it may be good as a room oil for me.

 

Throw is medium... the scent lasted about 3 hours on me before I had to put my wrists up to my nose to sniff it.